Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: I’m Sorry

“I’m being rude because He Youran’s mom was even more rude to you.”

Jiang Yisheng still remembered how Gao Tingyuan treated Bai Chu differently when they first entered the hospital room.

“Auntie has always been nice to me,” Bai Chu replied coldly. “What, seeing An Hao and Youran together stung a bit, didn’t it?”

Her tone was full of sarcasm.

Jiang Yisheng swallowed hard, her eyes gradually filling with tears. “You think that’s what this is about?”

Bai Chu said nothing, her cold gaze clearly confirming it.

“Fine. I’m leaving.”

Jiang Yisheng nodded slightly, lowered her lashes to avoid looking at her, and turned to leave.

“Hiss—”

The moment she put weight on her ankle, a sharp pain shot through her. She paused to steady herself, then leaned against the wall, limping her way forward.

Watching her like this, Bai Chu suddenly furrowed her brows tightly, her fists clenching with guilt.

She had forgotten that Jiang Yisheng’s ankle was injured. Did she just make it worse?

But then she recalled how Jiang Yisheng had spoken so rudely earlier, and the anger came surging back.

She turned to head back to the room—but then, her feet disobeyed. Instead of walking away, she found herself chasing after Jiang Yisheng. First walking, then running.

Jiang Yisheng was cursing silently while walking. Damn Bai Chu, do whatever you want, I don’t care anymore.

The hospital was crowded. Up ahead was a short flight of steps. Jiang Yisheng reached out to the wall, planning to go down slowly—just then, someone bumped into her shoulder.

Already unstable, she completely lost her balance and fell backward.

I’m screwed, she thought in panic.

But the next second, she landed in a warm, soft embrace.

The person behind her caught her steadily and helped her upright.

Turning her head, she saw it was Bai Chu. Immediately, she tried to shake off Bai Chu’s hand from her shoulder.

With hardly any resistance, she shook her off.

She snorted internally and prepared to descend the steps by herself.

But in the next moment, Bai Chu walked quickly down the steps and just as Jiang Yisheng stepped down, she scooped her up on her back with practiced ease.

“What are you doing? Weren’t you the one who told me to leave?” Jiang Yisheng struggled.

“Don’t move,” Bai Chu said coldly.

Jiang Yisheng actually froze—this time she only lightly clutched the fabric of Bai Chu’s shirt, not clinging to her tightly like before.

Bai Chu carried her back.

“Where are we going?” Jiang Yisheng asked.

Bai Chu didn’t answer. Her arms held Jiang Yisheng securely, and every step was firm.

Before long, they were back in the doctor’s office—the same one as last time.

“What happened? You could still walk yesterday—why is it worse today?” the doctor asked, puzzled.

She squatted down and pressed Jiang Yisheng’s ankle gently.

Jiang Yisheng hissed in pain.

“It’s all swollen.”

At that, Bai Chu knelt down to take a closer look. Sure enough, her ankle was badly swollen.

“Take off her shoes and socks. Rub in some ointment,” the doctor said as she went to the desk to write a prescription.

Bai Chu reached out, but Jiang Yisheng dodged her.

“I’ll do it myself.” Jiang Yisheng avoided looking at her, still angry.

“I’ll do it,” Bai Chu said, her voice much softer—likely out of guilt.

She carefully removed Jiang Yisheng’s shoes and socks, exposing a small, pale foot to the air.

The cold made Jiang Yisheng shiver slightly.

Soon after, her foot was wrapped in warmth. Bai Chu was warming her foot with her palms.

“I’m writing a prescription—soak the foot in the herbal solution while rubbing it gently,” the doctor instructed.

“Okay,” Bai Chu replied and went to fetch the medicine.

“There’s a disposable soaking basin under the bed. Pour the medicine in and let her soak,” the doctor added.

“Got it,” Bai Chu said, following instructions. She gently placed Jiang Yisheng’s foot into the basin.

“It’s a bit cool. Rub her foot to warm it up,” the doctor said, adjusting her glasses.

Jiang Yisheng could clearly feel Bai Chu’s warm hands and the careful strength she applied.

Bai Chu seemed afraid of hurting her—her touch was light, just gently pressing around the ankle. Not painful, not itchy.

The doctor, noticing the lack of protest, walked over to demonstrate herself.

“Like this.” She pressed her thumb firmly into Jiang Yisheng’s ankle.

A loud yelp rang out.

Startled, Bai Chu quickly stroked her lower leg to soothe her.

Her expression was conflicted—she didn’t dare press hard.

“You’ll feel better once the tendons loosen up. Just bear with it a little.”

Since it was the end of her shift and morning consultations were over, the doctor allowed them to use her office.

“Keep going. When you’re done, take the prescription on my desk and get the new meds. I’m off—any issues, call the nurse next door.”

With that, she left, and only Bai Chu and Jiang Yisheng were left.

Bai Chu knelt by her side, focused, mimicking the doctor’s technique with increasing pressure.

“Ow—it hurts,” Jiang Yisheng nearly burst into tears, her eyes brimming again.

Hearing that, Bai Chu immediately eased off, sweat beading on her forehead, clearly nervous.

“Can I try one more time?” Bai Chu looked up, like a guilty puppy—eyes full of remorse and worry.

Jiang Yisheng bit her lip and nodded.

Bai Chu steadied her breathing and gradually increased the pressure.

Jiang Yisheng clutched her pants tightly, trying not to cry out.

Finally, warmth returned to her ankle, and a tingling sensation replaced the pain.

She relaxed a bit and let out a quiet breath.

Bai Chu also sensed the change, looking up for confirmation.

“It should be okay now,” Jiang Yisheng whispered.

Still, Bai Chu continued a bit longer before using tissues to wipe away the excess herbal water.

Jiang Yisheng was no longer angry. She pouted, looking down at Bai Chu.

Bai Chu frowned slightly as she picked up the socks and shoes, carefully helping her put them on.

She dumped the used water, washed her hands, and sat beside Jiang Yisheng.

Neither spoke at first.

After a long pause, Bai Chu lowered her eyes, nervously twisting her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said.

That simple apology seemed to hit Jiang Yisheng right in the heart. She sniffled and suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore—tears poured down her cheeks.

Startled, Bai Chu handed her tissues, panic in her eyes.

Jiang Yisheng grabbed Bai Chu’s hand and used it to wipe her own tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

In truth, she could understand Bai Chu’s anger. From her point of view, Jiang Yisheng had brought a friend into the hospital just to publicly shame He Youran’s family. It wasn’t just He Youran who was embarrassed—it was Bai Chu too.

But Jiang Yisheng just couldn’t swallow it. She hated seeing Bai Chu being wronged.

Thinking about everything Bai Chu had been through only made her cry harder. The tissue in her hand was completely soaked.

Bai Chu hadn’t expected her to be this upset, and her guilt deepened even more.

After a long cry, Bai Chu finally carried Jiang Yisheng back to the car, picked up the prescription, and returned to the hospital for the medicine.

While lining up, she ran into An Hao.

He was also picking up medication for He Dafang.

“President Bai, are you here for Uncle He too?” An Hao asked, puzzled.

“No, I’m here for President Jiang,” Bai Chu replied truthfully.

At the mention of Jiang Yisheng, An Hao’s face showed annoyance.

“President Bai, I really don’t understand why you brought that woman today,” he said politely, though his tone held clear disapproval.

Bai Chu glanced at him and replied indifferently, “Didn’t you see how much Auntie liked her?”

“She made a scene in the room. Auntie was just being polite.” An Hao seemed unhappy Bai Chu defended Jiang Yisheng.

“And you—aren’t you Youran’s friend? Is it really appropriate for you to be so close to Jiang Yisheng?”

“You’re one to talk,” Bai Chu said coldly. “Weren’t you the one tangled up with Jiang Yisheng while claiming to like Youran?”

“You’re the one who needs to keep your distance, not me.”

“I had no choice—my parents insisted…” An Hao tried to explain, but Bai Chu cut him off.

“So your family wanted to use Jiang Yisheng too, didn’t they?” she crossed her arms, looking at the long line ahead. “Don’t act so righteous, President An.”

An Hao took a deep breath and said nothing more.

“As Youran’s friend, I hope you can manage your own affairs better and stop dragging her into messes.”

Just then, it was Bai Chu’s turn. She picked up the medicine and left without saying goodbye.

She’d never had a good impression of An Hao—but usually, for Youran’s sake, she tolerated him.

But today, she didn’t know why—just hearing him mention Jiang Yisheng made her furious. That fire inside just needed to be let out.

When she returned to the car and opened the door, she was greeted by Jiang Yisheng’s bright, smiling eyes.

Her smile instantly soothed Bai Chu’s mood.

“What took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever,” Jiang Yisheng whined sweetly—completely different from the sharp-tongued person in the hospital earlier.

“There were a lot of people in line,” Bai Chu said, placing the medicine in the back seat. She noticed Jiang Yisheng holding the plush toy.

She smiled faintly. “Home or the office?”

“Home. I don’t want to go through the trouble of the office today.”

Bai Chu had driven her home before, so she didn’t need directions.

“Chu-jie, aren’t you going to stay in the hospital with Youran?” Jiang Yisheng asked.

“Her boyfriend’s there,” Bai Chu replied, not even wanting to say An Hao’s name.

“Oh, okay,” Jiang Yisheng nodded, unconcerned.

Bai Chu glanced sideways at her and, after a moment of hesitation, finally spoke. “Can you… like someone else instead?”

Jiang Yisheng’s face turned bright red. Did Chu-jie figure out I liked her?!

Seeing her expression, Bai Chu sighed helplessly.

She couldn’t understand why two such good girls like He Youran and Jiang Yisheng would fall for that kind of guy.

When they arrived at Jiang Yisheng’s home, Bai Chu didn’t let her move. She went around and carefully carried her out.

Finally, she had fulfilled her promise to “come over and visit someday.”