Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 18 Rumors
Shen Guining didn't think too much about it. She was nearby, so she walked over and opened the drawer, only to see a pile of hair clips. "I don't think there are any here."

Xia Xi blinked. "It's at the very back. Look again."

Shen Guining reached inside again and felt a slippery sensation in her palm.

Before she realized it, she took it out and saw a long, blue-and-white "snake" in front of her.

"what--"

Shen Guining's face turned pale instantly. She threw down what she was holding and stumbled backward, only to trip over a low stool behind her. She lost her balance and fell to the ground in a disheveled state.

She heard the bones crack.

My ankle is in excruciating pain.

Xia Xi was terrified when she saw this and hurriedly ran over and squatted down beside her, "Teacher, are you alright?"

She just wanted to play a prank on the teacher; she didn't mean to hurt her.

Shen Guining tried her best to endure it, but it hurt too much, and tears welled up uncontrollably, blurring her vision.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get someone." Xia Xi hurriedly ran outside.

A few minutes later, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard.

Shen Guining supported herself on the ground with one hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with the other.

Qu Yanci strode in and asked in a deep voice, "Did you hurt your foot?"

Shen Guining said in a weak voice, "My right foot seems to be unable to move."

Qu Yanci picked her up from the ground and carried her outside, instructing someone to prepare a car.

"Okay." Uncle Bai quickly called the driver.

Shen Guining leaned weakly against Qu Yanci's chest, the sweat on her forehead smearing onto his clothes.

Xia Xi knew she had made a big mistake, so she didn't dare to say a word and followed behind, keeping a low profile.
-
private hospital.

In the VIP ward, the doctor looked at the X-ray and asked, "Were you injured before?"

Shen Guining nodded, "Yes, I fell while dancing once and dislocated my ankle."

The doctor pushed up his glasses. "This time it's a joint sprain. Fortunately, the bone wasn't injured. You had a pre-existing injury, so you need to be extra careful."

"Will it affect my dancing in the future?" This was the only thing Shen Guining cared about.

The doctor said, "You should rest for at least half a month. Once you've recovered, it won't have any impact."

Shen Guining's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. "Thank you, doctor."

"You rest first, and call the nurse anytime if you have any problems."

"OK, thanks."

After the doctor left, Shen Guining looked at Qu Yanci beside her, moved her lips as if to speak, but heard him speak first: "Come in and apologize."

A few words, yet the sense of oppression increased dramatically.

Xia Xi stood outside the door, her heart clenching. She knew her uncle was truly angry; it was the first time she had ever heard him speak in such a cold tone.

She shuffled into the ward, head bowed, eyes red, her voice trembling with tears: "I'm sorry, teacher, I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have teased you..."

She didn't expect it to be this serious.

Shen Guining leaned against the headboard, pursed her lips, and said, "Never mind."

Everything happened.

Uncle Bai came in from outside the door. "Miss Shen, I have already contacted a caregiver, who will be here in a little while. You can rest assured and recover here. We will cover all the expenses. We apologize for any trouble this may have caused you."

Shen Guining politely thanked her.

Qu Yanci spoke up: "Uncle Bai, take Xia Xi back to reflect on her actions. She can have dinner after she has reflected enough."

Uncle Bai did as he was told, "Miss, come back with me."

Before leaving, Xia Xi whispered again, "I'm sorry..."

Shen Guining could tell that she was indeed frightened.

The ward returned to quiet.

Qu Yanci's gaze fell on her ankle, which was now secured by bandages. "I'm sorry, it's my fault for not disciplining her properly."

Shen Guining quickly shook her head, "It's alright, the child doesn't know any better."

She was hardly worthy of Mr. Qu's "apology." "If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences." Qu Yanci would not make excuses for Xia Xi.

"She probably just wants you to spend more time with her," Shen Guining guessed. "Girls this age all crave more attention from their parents, so they can be a little rebellious..."

Qu Yanci shifted his gaze to her face. "You think she's my daughter?"

"Huh?" Shen Guining was taken aback. "Isn't that right? Xia Xi said it herself."

Qu Yanci scoffed, "What else did she say to you?"

Shen Guining's eyelashes fluttered. "You said you were divorced, but you're about to remarry."

"..."

Qu Yanci paused for two seconds, then said, "It's a rumor."

Shen Guining immediately pressed, "So, Mr. Qu, you're unmarried? You're still single?"

He gave a soft "hmm".

Shen Guining's eyes lit up for a moment, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

It turned out to be a misunderstanding.

"Then what is your relationship with Xia Xi?" She didn't understand why Xia Xi had lied to her.

Qu Yanci: "My niece."

Shen Guining understood; it seemed she still had a chance.

Shen Guining felt much better after learning that Mr. Qu was still single.

Qu Yanci waited for the caregiver to arrive before preparing to leave.

He had just stood up when Shen Guining called out to him, "Mr. Qu..."

Qu Yanci stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at her.

"...Can I add your contact information?"

Shen Guining had no hope; since she had already been rejected three times, one more rejection wouldn't make a difference.

But to everyone's surprise, he suddenly uttered a string of numbers.

Shen Guining didn't even have time to react before quickly grabbing her phone. "I didn't remember. Could you repeat it again?"
-
The days in the hospital were very boring.

Unable to get out of bed and walk, Shen Guining spends most of her time lying in her hospital bed.

Xia Xi would come to keep her company almost every day after school, bringing a bunch of fruit and snacks to try to make up for her mistakes.

My uncle said that we must take responsibility for our actions.

That day, she even brought several game consoles over to keep Shen Guining entertained.

Playing games is a quick way to kill time.

Before they knew it, it was seven o'clock. Shen Guining glanced out the window and said, "It's getting dark. You should go home early."

Xia Xi took an orange and peeled it. "My uncle isn't finished yet. He said he'll come pick me up later."

Shen Guining voiced her doubts: "Xixi, why did you lie to me before and say that Mr. Qu was your father?"

Xia Xi hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth: "Because I used to have two tutors, they both pretended to be very nice to me, but actually they wanted to get close to my uncle. I don't want anyone to take my uncle away from me..."

Shen Guining clenched her fist.

Xia Xi apologized to her: "I'm sorry, sister. I shouldn't have thought of you like that, and I shouldn't have lied to you."

Shen Guining felt a little guilty. Although she had never intended to use Xia Xi, she did want to get close to Mr. Qu.

Are your parents too busy with work to spend time with you?

Xia Xi answered softly, "My mother went abroad to film a movie, and I don't know who my father is."

Shen Guining was stunned for a moment before saying, "I'm the same as you, I don't know who my father is either."

From a young age, whenever she mentioned her father, her maternal grandfather would get angry, as if he were a taboo subject that no one in the family dared to touch.

Xia Xi was surprised, not expecting that there was someone like her, and immediately felt like she had found a kindred spirit.

Shen Guining lowered her eyes. "But I'm in a worse situation than you. My mother left me when I was very young, and my uncle... wasn't good to me either."

(End of this chapter)