Chapter 26: Doting

Published Mar 10, 2026, 07:39 PM

Chapter 26: Doting Su Yan's bad mood vanished in an instant. He walked calmly into the banquet hall and saw Qiao Xin looking for him. He walked towards Qiao Xin and whispered, "I'm back." Qiao Xin pursed her lips and smiled. She turned to glance at Qiao Nian with a guilty expression. "Brother Yan, I'm really sorry for making things difficult for you. No matter what, she's my sister. I…" As Qiao Xin spoke, her eyes grew red-rimmed. She began to sob softly. Su Yan took out a tissue and gently wiped Qiao Xin's tears away. Softly, he said, "It's okay, don't worry. Don't blame yourself for other people's mistakes." "Thank you, Brother Yan." Qiao Xin sniffled and whispered, "My sister's emotional state is quite stable now, but let's not mention what happened five years ago in front of her. I'm afraid she…" Qiao Xin didn't have to continue her sentence. Su Yan knew what Qiao Nian could do. Back then, Qiao Nian had burned down an entire school building! At the thought of this, Su Yan silently drew Qiao Xin into his embrace. Back then, people had cast blame on Qiao Xin behind her back for what Qiao Nian had done. His heart ached as he said, "I know. You're too kind. Back then, she even tried to say that you were the one who burned down the school building. Why do you still consider her feelings?" "S-She's my older sister!" Qiao Xin lowered her gaze, saying pitifully Right now, Qiao Xin hoped that Qiao Nian would keep a distance from Su Yan. She wasn't sure what Mr. Jade Pendant looked like and whether his family was rich. She had to keep Su Yan in her clutches until then. Qiao Nian stood at a distance, slowly nibbling at her pastry. Seeing the pretentious act Qiao Xin was putting on, she couldn't help but frown. Su Yan. An ordinary yet overconfident man who kept insisting that she liked him. Qiao Nian was sure that there was something wrong with his brain. To be precise, he was too narcissistic! Seeing that it was about time for the banquet to start, Qiao Nian stopped eating. She wiped her mouth clean and walked towards the door. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖 Seeing Qiao Nian walking over, Qiao Xin looked at her nervously. Su Yan looked at Qiao Nian with a face full of disgust. He thought to himself that if Qiao Nian tried to talk to him, he would refuse to reply. Qiao Nian walked past Qiao Xin, ignoring her panicked expression. She walked towards the door and her gaze landed on the male professor who had just walked in. "Teacher Liu." Qiao Nian walked up and greeted, smiling. "Nian Nian, you're here. I have something to tell you. Come here!" Teacher Liu said, bringing Qiao Nian to the side of the banquet hall. Su Yan had wanted to greet Teacher Liu, but when he saw his attitude towards Qiao Nian, he hesitated. Teacher Liu was famous for being taciturn. Su Yan didn't understand why Teacher Liu treated Qiao Nian so gently—he even had a smile on his face. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Just as he was contemplating chasing after the two of them, a group of people arrived at the door. Su Yan turned to see the medical professors from the university entering the banquet hall with Doctor Wang. There were a great number of professors who wanted to participate in Doctor Wang Shuo's research project. "Teacher Wang!" Su Yan pushed Qiao Xin away and strode towards Wang Shuo, smiling. "Oh, it's Su Yan." Wang Shuo had taught Su Yan a few classes in the past. When he saw Su Yan approaching, he smiled and greeted him. Then, he glanced at the hall and continued, "Alright, let's talk later. I have errands to run." "Teacher Wang, please go ahead!" Su Yan replied politely, beaming brightly. After greeting Su Yan, Wang Shuo strode towards Teacher Liu. Su Yan watched by the side as Qiao Nian spoke to Teacher Wang and Teacher Liu. Hidden in his pocket, his right fist was clenched tightly. He had never expected Qiao Nian to gain the attention of the two teachers! "Teacher Liu, long time no see!" Wang Shuo went up to Teacher Liu, shaking his hand. Teacher Liu gave a bright smile. He greeted Wang Shuo politely before introducing Qiao Nian to Wang Shuo. "Teacher Wang, this is my disciple, Qiao Nian." Qiao Nian smiled and greeted, "How do you do, Teacher Wang!" Wang Shuo gave Qiao Nian a glance-over. His gaze fell on Teacher Liu's face, and he asked curiously, "Is she the disciple you've been so proud of?" "Yes. I was thinking of letting her join your research project this time round. After all, this is a rare opportunity!" Teacher Liu knew that Wang Shuo's research project was extremely important. Furthermore, this project was well-funded, so Qiao Nian could take the opportunity to learn more. "You're willing to let her go?" Wang Shuo smiled and looked toward Teacher Liu. While Wang Shuo studied Chinese medicine, Teacher Liu studied Western medicine. "She can learn even more from you. Why don't you take her along for the project? Or, we could give her a test right now." Teacher Liu had absolute faith in Qiao Nian, so he was not at all worried that Qiao Nian would not be able to answer Wang Shuo's questions. "That won't be necessary." Previously, Wang Shuo had already heard from his good friend that Qiao Nian was really gifted in medicine. He looked at Qiao Nian kindly and said, "The day after tomorrow, just look for me at the research institute." "Thank you, Teacher Wang." Qiao Nian had a pleasant disposition to begin with. Coupled with her exquisite outfit and makeup, she looked like a sunny young lady. Anyone looking at her would have been unable to summon the tiniest bit of disgust.

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