Pampered by My Ex's Cousin-Chapter 99 - 101: Forced to Cohabit (Forty-Four)

The phone in his pocket rumbled, and only then did he divert his gaze, taking out his phone. Seeing the caller ID, a sly glint flashed through his eyes as he answered the call and put it to his ear, his tone lazy, "You don’t have to worry anymore, I just chatted with her for a bit. She’s in good shape, and I’ve already put her in a taxi. If she doesn’t make any detours, she should be home in about twenty minutes."

On the other end of the line, Ji Chicheng, upon hearing this, asked cautiously, "What did you talk about with her?"

"Just a few simple things, like why she was at the hotel. She told me she had a friend here and that she came to see this friend about something," said Qi Helian honestly, recounting to Ji Chicheng the details of his conversation with Ji Anning, his tone even-tempered. "I asked if her friend was local or from out of town, she said local. I mentioned that the hotel belongs to a friend of mine and asked her which room her friend was in, so I could call and ask them to take good care of her..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when Ji Chicheng fiercely interrupted him from the other end, "Qi Helian, if she comes back and appears guilty or scared when she sees me, then you better not come to see me anymore."

"It’s not... I..."

Qi Helian opened his mouth to defend himself, but Ji Chicheng had already hung up.

Hearing the beeping of the disconnected call, Qi Helian curved his lips, smiling in schadenfreude.

...

It was almost eleven when she got home. The lights in the living room were dimly lit. Seeing no one around, Ji Anning let out a sigh of relief, changed her shoes, and headed straight for the stairs.

As she went upstairs, Ji Anning kept her head down, worried. Would Qi Helian have told Ji Chicheng about encountering her at the hotel tonight? Could he have already called him?

Suddenly, as she was passing a room, the door opened. Startled and feeling guilty, she turned her head to look at the person emerging from the room.

The man was wearing loose pajamas, freshly showered, his hair still wet, holding a transparent glass in his hand. Upon encountering Ji Anning unexpectedly, he looked at her impassively.

A scent of shower gel wafted from him, stronger than when she usually encountered him in such a state, yet it couldn’t mask the alcohol emanating from him.

He had been drinking!

Ji Anning was taken aback. It was her first time seeing him drunk. On closer inspection, his cheeks bore a hint of redness, and his deep eyes seemed especially bright due to the intoxication, lending him a languid, blurry appearance.

Ji Anning met Ji Chicheng’s eyes, transfixed by his rare drunken state, momentarily lost in thought.

Ji Chicheng also lowered his gaze to look at her, his lips pursed, expressionless, yet his eyes brimmed with emotion.

As their eyes met, after a while, Ji Anning felt a bit of a sore neck. She then came to her senses and guiltily averted her gaze.

But Ji Chicheng beat her to speaking, "Did you come looking for me?"

His tone was indifferent, revealing no particular emotion.

Only then did Ji Anning realize she had passed her own room. Without time to dwell on her annoyance and self-blame, she quickly shook her head at Ji Chicheng, "No."

Her eyes wandered, daring not to look again at Ji Chicheng’s face.

Suddenly, her gaze inadvertently swept over the hand Ji Chicheng rested by his side.

Wrapped in thick bandages.

Ji Anning’s heart jolted, trembling lightly.

He had been injured!