Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 44: Misunderstanding

Chapter 44: Misunderstanding

On the way home, the gland at the back of Jiang Ci’s neck felt unpredictably hot.

At first, Jiang Ci thought it was because she couldn’t handle alcohol, and the liquor was causing trouble. Later, she slowly realized it was her gland mutating.

The driver found a convenience store, slowly parked by the roadside, told Jiang Ci, and went to buy honey, mineral water, and a few bottles of yogurt.

“President Jiang, I mixed the honey water for you. Yogurt is good to drink when you’re drunk.”

The driver opened the back door, bent down, and handed them over.

Jiang Ci paused, took them, and said, “Thank you.”

The driver said, “You’re welcome.”

The driver closed the door, returned to the driver’s seat, restarted the car, and the navigation showed her residential complex as the destination.

Jiang Ci unscrewed the cap and drank a few sips of honey water. It was sweet and smooth, pleasant to taste, but the burning in her stomach remained.

Jiang Ci looked at the yogurt bottles.

Yogurt could protect the stomach lining, as Little Aunt had told her, but she hadn’t remembered earlier.

Jiang Ci glanced at the driver, unscrewed a yogurt bottle, drank nearly half, then took a suppressant patch from her bag, tore it open, and placed it on her neck gland.

Though the doctor said suppressant patches didn’t work well for her gland mutation, it was better than doing nothing.

Hiss.

As soon as the patch was applied, heat from the gland suddenly surged back into her body, tightening her throat.

Without a word, Jiang Ci quickly tore it off.

The doctor said the patch was useless, and it really was. She should’ve listened to the doctor.

Jiang Ci panted lightly, threw the patch aside, frowned, and gripped her neck with both hands, trying to stop the heat. But it spread down her spine, numbing her tailbone.

Damn it.

Jiang Ci let go, lowered her head, and did nothing more. Soon, her body, tormented by the gland mutation, felt her ears heat up. Her instincts overpowered her mind. If this continued, she might faint again and end up back in the hospital.

Hospital. Dr. Gu.

Jiang Ci’s eyes suddenly brightened.

“If your gland mutates again, come to me. I can’t guarantee it’ll help, but it’s an option.”

“Wednesday and Saturday, I’ll run tests for you.”

“I’ll bring you back later. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. If you stay, I’ll test you.”

The driver wasn’t slow, overtaking many cars. As Jiang Ci thought, they neared her complex’s entrance.

Jiang Ci held her phone, the screen always on, showing her chat with Dr. Gu.

At this hour, she was probably still at the hospital, not off work yet.

Jiang Ci stared at the screen for a few minutes. Just before the driver turned on the signal to enter the complex, she suddenly said, “Don’t go home. Go to the hospital.”

The driver turned off the signal and reset the navigation. “Okay.”

The mineral water used for the honey was room temperature, but there were two chilled bottles in the bag.

Jiang Ci reached for one. It had been sitting long, covered in condensation. Touching it wet her whole palm. She wiped it dry with a tissue, unscrewed the cap, and gulped a few sips. It didn’t help much, but it eased things slightly.

The route to the hospital was very familiar to Jiang Ci.

So familiar that at every intersection, she could picture the next building. But no matter how much she thought, she never imagined Gu Feiran standing with Qi Yusi.

Beep, beep, beep. The traffic light ahead turned red.

The lead car braked, and the cars behind formed a long line.

Since the car needed to make a left U-turn at the light, it was close to the guardrail. Through the window, Jiang Ci clearly saw the two standing side by side at the hospital entrance, Qi Yusi holding a bouquet of roses.

They knew each other.

No wonder Gu Feiran asked her in the car that day if she’d met anyone surnamed Qi during the research.

No wonder.

“Is today really not possible?” Qi Yusi asked her.

Gu Feiran said, “No, I’m on duty today. If I take leave, another colleague would have to cover the night shift.”

Qi Yusi understood. “That’s not ideal.”

Gu Feiran said, “I’ll make plans with you next week.”

Qi Yusi looked at her. “I trust you won’t break your word. So, this flower, will you take it?”

She held the bouquet closer to Dr. Gu.

“Ha.” The moment Qi Yusi offered the flowers, Jiang Ci turned away, saying coldly, “Go back. You worked hard today. Take tomorrow off, with full pay.”

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, concerned. “President Jiang, are you okay?”

Jiang Ci’s right hand tightly gripped a brooch she’d taken off at some point, pressing into her palm. “I’m fine. Go back.”

The driver said, “Okay.”

The light turned green, and the car moved forward.

Meanwhile, Gu Feiran shook her head. “No need. Receiving a bouquet like this at the hospital, whether during work or leaving with it, is too conspicuous. I don’t want to stand out. Next time there’s a chance, I’ll take your flowers. Not today.”

Qi Yusi found no fault with her two rejections. She lowered the roses, holding them with one arm. “Fine, you pick the place next week, and I’ll be there.”

Gu Feiran said, “Hmm, bye. I have a lot to do at the hospital, so I’ll see you off here and get back to work.”

Qi Yusi said, “Bye-bye.”

Gu Feiran turned and reentered the hospital. Qi Yusi stood there, watching her leave before getting into a car and leaving.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Jiang Ci bent down, clutching her neck, coughing heavily, her body feeling like it was burning from head to toe.

Her eyes were bloodshot.

The driver couldn’t help worrying. “President Jiang.”

Jiang Ci said, “I’m fine. I drank water too fast and choked. Just focus on driving.”

The driver knew President Jiang hadn’t drunk water, but since she said so, he didn’t press. “Hmm.”

The car reached the complex’s garage elevator. Jiang Ci grabbed her bag and got out, stumbling toward the elevator. Her chest and gland burned painfully, her vision blurred, barely able to see the path.

The driver saw her state and wanted to help, but a car behind honked, urging him to move.

With no choice, the driver parked the car first. By the time he returned, no one was at the elevator.

President Jiang seemed off since leaving the banquet. She was coughing in the car, but the elevator needed a card, so she couldn’t go up. It was better to contact Dr. Jiang later and hope President Jiang was okay.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Jiang Ci entered the elevator and collapsed on the floor, her right leg bent, clutching her chest. Her coughs grew more urgent.

The alcohol’s effects surged up now.

The elevator slowly rose from the basement. Jiang Ci gripped the brooch, enduring her scalding body, staring at the display screen.

Ding. The elevator finally arrived.

Jiang Ci held the sides to stand, stumbling out to her door.

Her vision had been blurry since earlier, with overlapping afterimages. She couldn’t see the numbers clearly and entered the code wrong three times before getting it right.

Click. The code was correct. Jiang Ci opened the door, slammed it shut with force, dropped her bag at the entrance, and didn’t even change into slippers. She ran to the closet, knelt before the wardrobe, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a small black bag.

Jiang Ci panted heavily, breathing rapidly. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Her trembling fingers unfastened the bag’s clasp.

Inside were three white syringes and three suppressant vials.

Jiang Ci took a 5ml syringe and a vial, holding the piston handle and slowly drawing the liquid.

When the vial was nearly empty, she tapped the syringe to remove air bubbles.

Then she pushed it to the 3ml mark, secured the needle with her index finger, and removed the cap.

Jiang Ci finished, turned, and sat against the wardrobe, her dazed eyes staring at the syringe’s liquid.

She prepared this after her gland mutation diagnosis, thinking she wouldn’t need it. Yet here she was.

Jiang Ci gave a bitter smile, bent down, pulled back her hair from her neck with her left hand, gripped the syringe with her right, aimed at the gland, and stabbed it in. Her thumb slowly pressed, injecting the suppressant. A piercing pain spread through her body instantly.

“Hmm…”

Jiang Ci clenched her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead, lips pale, without a trace of color.

After finishing, she lowered her hand and sat still, breathing heavily.

Though suppressants worked better than patches, that was for normal alphas and omegas. For her, a mutated alpha, she didn’t know if it would work. But she’d injected it, so it was done.

At worst, she’d die.

While waiting for the suppressant to take effect, Jiang Ci remembered something. She went to the study, took a detector, and placed it on her neck.

Beep, beep, beep.

The detector sounded a piercing alarm as soon as she put it on.

That person said if the pheromone concentration exceeded ninety-five, the detector would alarm. Did this mean her gland could release pheromones now?

To confirm, Jiang Ci wore it for nearly ten minutes before taking it off. When she checked the data, her brows furrowed deeply. It was ninety-nine.

Ninety-nine.

Only S-class alphas and omegas could reach that. How was it possible?

“Hmm…” Her gland throbbed painfully again.

Jiang Ci had no time to think. She dropped the detector, returned to the bedroom, collapsed again, took another syringe and suppressant, drew it, and injected it into her gland.

This time, as the pain faded, a refreshing coolness followed, much more comfortable than the first. The suppressant seemed to work.

But her eyelids felt heavy, sleepy, and she wanted to sleep.

Jiang Ci thought, shaking her head to stay alert, but the next second, her eyes closed, and she fainted on the floor, unconscious.

The next day, Jiang Lan sent Jiang Ci over a dozen messages and called her multiple times, but she didn’t answer.

Xiao Ci never did this.

Could the driver be right? Did something happen?

Jiang Lan ignored her hospital work, hung up her phone, and rushed to the director’s office without knocking. “Director Yang, I need to take leave.”

Director Yang was reviewing files and jumped when she barged in. Before recovering, he heard her request and patted his chest. “Leave, now? Dr. Jiang, you know our hospital doesn’t usually allow last-minute leave. We can’t make exceptions.”

Jiang Lan unbuttoned her white coat, taking it off seriously. “This isn’t usual. It’s a special case, a family emergency, a matter of life and death. Please find someone to cover my work.”

She hung the coat over her arm and left.

Director Yang called after her twice but couldn’t stop her. “This Dr. Jiang, leaving just like that. She could’ve given a heads-up.”

Jiang Lan ran from the director’s office, saw Gu Feiran, shouted “Dr. Gu,” and left without looking back.

Gu Feiran didn’t have time to respond before she was gone.

What happened to Dr. Jiang, running so fast? Was it a patient in the ward?

No.

If it was a ward issue, Dr. Jiang wouldn’t remove her coat.

Gu Feiran walked forward, puzzled, passing the director’s office as he was closing the door.

Their eyes met.

Director Yang paused, smiled, and greeted her. “Dr. Gu, busy?”

Gu Feiran approached and asked, “Director, what happened with Dr. Jiang? She was in such a hurry.”

Director Yang sighed. “She came saying there was a family emergency, life and death, and asked for leave. I hadn’t agreed yet, and she left.”

“Family emergency?”

Gu Feiran thought of Jiang Ci. “Did Dr. Jiang say what it was?”

Director Yang shook his head. “She didn’t say, but it seemed urgent. She said it was special. You know Dr. Jiang is dedicated to work. She wouldn’t take leave unless it was serious, so I let her go.”

Gu Feiran said, “Thank you, Director.”

Director Yang waved. “No problem. You’re busy.”

Gu Feiran continued, her expression worried.

The Jiang family wasn’t in Linjiang City. The only people Dr. Jiang would worry about were Grandma, Little Aunt, and Jiang Ci.

If it was Little Aunt, she’d tell her. If not, it was Grandma or Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci.

Gu Feiran furrowed her brows unconsciously.

Jiang Lan returned to her office, grabbed her phone and bag, ran out of the hospital, and took a taxi to Xiao Ci’s place, swiping her card to go up.

Last time Jiang Ci changed her home’s password, she messaged Jiang Lan, so Jiang Lan exited the elevator, entered the code, and pushed the door open.

As she entered, she saw a bag dropped at the entrance, its contents scattered.

Xiao Ci would never leave things like this.

Something was wrong.

“Xiao Ci, Xiao Ci.” Jiang Lan called, not changing shoes, searching the living room. No one. She rushed to the bedroom.

The bedroom was empty, but a high heel lay fallen, pointing toward the closet.

“Xiao Ci.” Jiang Lan’s heart tightened, and she ran over.

Seeing Jiang Ci unconscious by the wardrobe, Jiang Lan’s mind went blank. She froze for seconds, her right hand trembling as she took out her phone, dialing emergency services while crouching beside Jiang Ci, checking her breathing and pulse.

Beep, beep, beep. The call was connecting.

Jiang Lan held her breath, eyes red, pressing her index and middle fingers to the side of Jiang Ci’s trachea, two centimeters from the midline.

This was where the carotid pulse was strongest.

Thump, thump, thump. There was a heartbeat.

Thank goodness.

Jiang Lan exhaled, half her fear subsiding.

“Hello, this is the emergency center.”

The call connected.

Jiang Lan gripped the phone. “Hello, a patient fainted at home for unknown reasons. The address is…”

“Okay, please stay calm. We’ll send a car immediately.”

The call ended. Jiang Lan dropped the phone, laid Jiang Ci flat, and prepared for CPR.

But as she crossed her hands, she remembered Xiao Ci had a heartbeat. CPR might harm her ribs.

“The more urgent, the more mistakes.” Jiang Lan cursed, bent down, hugged Xiao Ci, and pressed her philtrum.

Then she pressed the Hegu, Laogong, and Jiquan acupoints.

“Cough, cough, cough.” Jiang Ci woke up.

Jiang Lan’s voice trembled with tears. “Xiao Ci, you scared me to death. You’re finally awake. Little Aunt thought you were gone.”

Jiang Ci coughed again, smiling. “I’m fine. I just lay down and slept.”

Jiang Lan scolded her. “Is this how you sleep?”

“I was too tired and didn’t find the bed,” Jiang Ci comforted her.

Jiang Lan didn’t believe her.

“What’s this?”

Only then did Jiang Lan notice the syringe and vial beside her, having been too worried earlier. “What did you inject?”

Jiang Ci said, “Suppressant.”

Suppressant?

Jiang Lan asked, “Your gland acted up?”

Jiang Ci nodded lightly. “Hmm.”

Jiang Lan cursed her. “You idiot! Don’t you know alphas and omegas need an antibody test before injecting suppressants? Injecting blindly is asking for death, you damn fool.”

Jiang Ci sat up slowly, touched her neck, which seemed fine. “I know, but my gland doesn’t work. I have no pheromones, so I couldn’t do the test.”

Jiang Lan said, “So you just used it? Are you crazy?”

Jiang Lan wasn’t scared to death earlier, but now she was furious.

“Well… um…” Jiang Ci stammered, unable to answer, and finally turned to pack the suppressant.

Jiang Lan said, “…”

Jiang Lan picked up her phone, stepped out of the closet, and called the emergency center again, saying the fainted patient woke up. She’d take her to the hospital herself, no need for an ambulance, and she’d pay the fee.

The other side said, “Okay, stay well.”

The call ended. Jiang Lan returned and said, “Pack up and come out. I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup.”

Jiang Ci agreed. “Hmm, but not your hospital.”

Jiang Lan looked into her eyes, silent for a moment. “Fine, we’ll go to another hospital.”

Jiang Ci said, “Good.”

Jiang Ci showered, changed clothes, and drove Little Aunt to another hospital for a checkup. On the way, she asked, “Little Aunt, how did you know something happened?”

Jiang Lan said, “Your driver came to the hospital this morning, saying you seemed off last night and was worried. She couldn’t go up and told me to check on you when I had time.”

Jiang Lan added, “Give her a bonus. Otherwise, you could die at home, and no one would know.”

Jiang Ci didn’t dare say much. “Okay, I know.”

They reached the hospital and did a gland check. The results showed everything was normal, with no rejection issues.

Jiang Lan was relieved.

Jiang Ci held the report. “So, Little Aunt, I’ll drive you to the hospital now. Don’t you have work today?”

Jiang Lan refused. “No need. I’ll take a taxi. You go home and rest well. Get another checkup in a few days. Your condition is special. Don’t take chances. One mistake could cost you your life. Little Aunt doesn’t want to outlive you or burn incense and paper money for you every Qingming or anniversary, got it?”

Jiang Ci clenched her fist, lowered her head with some guilt. “Hmm, I know.”

Jiang Ci saw Little Aunt off and went to the parking lot to get her car.

As she sat in the car, about to start, she suddenly remembered something chilling.

The data. The detector’s data.

Besides the detector, Gu Feiran had a display that automatically backed up the detector’s data.

If she saw it and told Qi Yusi…

Jiang Ci gripped the steering wheel, her eyes cold. She had to delete the data before Gu Feiran saw it.

Past ten at night, Jiang Ci drove to the hospital.

Little Aunt had finished her early shift two hours ago, so Jiang Ci was there to pick up Dr. Gu.

As usual, Jiang Ci waited outside her office.

It was Saturday, and the hospital was short-staffed.

The director used Gu Feiran like three people: meetings, reports, an emergency surgery, and rounds. After several tasks, strands of her hair fell messily, her face visibly tired.

“You okay?” Gu Feiran asked, mask still on.

Her voice sounded a bit hoarse.

Jiang Ci stood, approached her, and said gently, “I’m fine. Why ask like that?”

Gu Feiran said, “Dr. Jiang rushed to take leave earlier. I thought something happened to you.”

Jiang Ci smiled lightly. “Why only think of me? Maybe it was Aunt Liu or someone else. Oh, I forgot, you know Aunt Liu. You probably messaged to confirm she’s fine. So, the only one Little Aunt would worry about is a Jiang family member, and you could only think of me. Thanks for worrying, Dr. Gu.”

Gu Feiran felt her tone was odd tonight.

Gu Feiran said, “Good you’re fine.”

Jiang Ci said, “Of course. When do you get off?”

Gu Feiran said, “Soon.”

Jiang Ci said, “I’ll wait.”

Gu Feiran lifted her gaze to Jiang Ci, trying to find the source of the oddness in her eyes, but they were calm and normal.

Gu Feiran looked for a moment, then turned to continue her work.