Chapter 26 - Not Allowed To Behave Like This With Other Men (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Shocked at her friend’s words, Tang Qiu cast an apologetic glance at Jiang Shaocheng before shutting off the speaker. “You’ve told me all this before, Qingging. He’s my husband. Stop talking about him like that.”

She was still refusing to see reason. “Stop caring so much about that man. It’s not like he has much time left anyway. Won’t you at least try to listen? Senior Ning Mufan is everything a girl could want. You’re going to break my heart if you keep this up, you know.”

Tang Qiu knew her friend only meant the best for her. Otherwise, she would have hung up long ago. But these words would only wound Jiang Shaocheng if he heard them. “Me and Ning Mufan are just fellow students of Professor Sun. We know each other in passing, nothing more. So please, stop getting

the wrong idea about us.”

Tang Qiu was acutely aware of her position. Ning Mufan was the young master of the Ning family, born into wealth and nobility. There was simply too stark a divide between their backgrounds. She harbored no illusions that she would have been able to marry him, even if she hadn’t already been married.

On the other end of the phone, Xie Qingging longed to scream at Tang Qiu and knock some sense into that thick head of hers. “I can safely swear that Ning Mufan treats you differently, and it has nothing to do with Professor Sun.” Otherwise, why would he have taken the time to call her and verify that

Tang Qiu was married? His tone had been so full of disbelief, so full of denial, that it had to be a cover for his underlying feelings. If he didn’t like Tang Qiu, her name wasn’t Xie Qingging.

“Maybe it was just his first time seeing someone get married as a sophomore. I’m busy now, Qingging. I’l talk to you later. Bye.”

Xie Qingging was left to listen to the beeping dial tone of the phone in her hand, speechless.

Tang Qiu hung up and met her husband’s dark, brooding gaze. A pang of guilt shot through her. “That was my best friend. She’s been worrying about me ever since we got married. She didn’t mean any harm, though. Don’t take her seriously. It’s hard to talk about these things over the phone… I’ll explain

things to her some other time, so she’ll stop saying stuff like that.” There was a pause. “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Shaocheng must have been deeply hurt, because he let out a pained groan, then started coughing. Alarmed, Tang Qiu apologized once more, but he said, “You don’t… don’t need to apologize.” His words were punctuated by more coughs. “She’s not wrong, anyway. I know about all my health

problems… I’d only hold you back. You should make plans… to give yourself a better future.”

His coughing grew even more vigorous. Tang Qiu was stricken. Earlier, he hadn’t coughed even once when helping her translate the materials; he must be truly aggrieved to be suddenly struck by a coughing fit like this.

“It’s not like that at all, dear. The only plans I have are for you to undergo treatment and have a speedy recovery.”

He met her gaze. “You wish for me to recover quickly?”

“Of course!” No one had ever been half as kind to her as him. She wished with all her heart that he would go on to live a long and fruitful life.