After Hooking Up With The Wrong Cold Professor Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Finally, he didn’t have to wake up early anymore. Xia Yize returned from the bar in the middle of the night as usual, showered, changed his clothes, lit some aromatherapy by the bed, and pulled the blackout curtains shut. He intended to sleep until he woke up naturally.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

He was startled awake by a nightmare. In the dream, Qingqing had disheveled hair and a long tongue sticking out, chasing him and screaming, “Avenge me!”

She chased him all the way to the riverbank and dragged him down into the water with her. The sudden sensation of suffocation caused him to snap awake.

When he woke up, Xia Yize felt numb all over and his heart was racing. He sat up, not daring to go back to sleep for fear of continuing that nightmare. He wondered if Qingqing was displeased with his lack of progress.

Xia Yize pulled open the curtains. It was a bright, sunny morning, already past ten o’clock.

His phone was filled with a row of casual chat messages, including several from people he had added yesterday. He ignored them all; he couldn’t let Qingqing down. He found Qi Ge and saw the message Qi Ge had sent yesterday.

Medical fees? Was mentioning money a way to test his financial strength?

When Qi Ge was with Qingqing, he was probably after her money too.

Xia Yize moved his ankle. It still felt a bit stinging. Scumbag, then I’ll let you see my financial strength.

He replied to Qi Ge: I’m going for a follow-up appointment this afternoon. If you have time, you can come directly to the hospital to settle the medical fees.

It sounded as if he wasn’t trying to take even a penny’s worth of advantage.

It was already noon by the time Qi Ge saw the message. His graduate student, Qi Min, who usually handled some teaching assistant duties, brought over a document and said, “Yiqi Pharmaceuticals wants to collaborate with our lab on a project. They sent over some materials.”

Qi Ge put down his phone, flipped through the papers, and said, “The research direction is similar to ours. I’ll take them back and look over them carefully.”

Qi Min whispered, “This is a project that was rejected by Professor Sun Yuanyang’s lab. If we take it, it feels like we’re picking up their leftovers.”

Qi Ge remained emotionless. “Why did he reject it?”

“I heard he thought the cycle was too long and the funding was too low. The projects they take are usually the more profitable ones.”

It was exactly as Qi Ge expected. “He is my senior and has more seniority than me. It’s reasonable that they approached him first. We still need to consider the scientific value more.”

Qi Min nodded in agreement. “Understood.”

Qi Ge stood up and then turned back. “Where is Luo Hao? There are still major issues with his thesis, and I haven’t seen him in the lab today. If this continues, he’ll have trouble graduating.”

Qi Min hesitated for a moment before saying, “Professor Sun asked him for help last night. He should be at Professor Sun’s place today.”

Qi Ge nodded to show he understood. After Qi Min left, he saw Xia Yize’s message.

After all, Xia Yize had fallen into the water because of him, and he had left the man with a caregiver that day. He really should accompany him to the follow-up. Once the follow-up was over, his obligations in this matter would be fully fulfilled.

He replied to Xia Yize: “Okay, I’ll go pick you up.”

–

Upon receiving the message, Xia Yize jumped out of bed. He flung open his wardrobe. Since the guy was after money, he would let him experience the charm of wealth.

He pulled out a latest-model Burberry trench coat. On his slim-waisted, long-legged frame, the quality of the garment was elevated another notch. Even an outsider could tell at a glance: expensive!

Worried the scumbag wouldn’t recognize quality, he deliberately wore a Chanel earring, which featured the only logo on his entire outfit. His foot was actually mostly healed, but to make it look serious, he only wore a pair of LV slippers.

Xia Yize went downstairs on crutches and hailed a taxi. The driver looked at his foot and asked, “Going to the hospital?”

“To Jingyuan Grand Court.”

The driver sized him up through the rearview mirror. It certainly didn’t seem necessary to dress so grandly for a hospital visit. This person looked very rich, yet he had come out of this old, dilapidated neighborhood. His foot was injured, and he had no one accompanying him. The driver couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

When they reached the entrance of the villa area at Jingyuan Grand Court, the driver said, “Security is tight here, I can’t go in. Why don’t you have a word with the guard?”

“No need to go in, just stop here.” Xia Yize stood at the entrance and sent his location to Qi Ge.

The security guard at Jingyuan Grand Court saw his extraordinary attire but found his face unfamiliar. He wondered if he was a friend of one of the owners. The people living here were either rich or influential. In the spirit of serving the owners, the guard walked over, pointed to the security booth, and asked, “Are you waiting for a friend? Why don’t you wait inside?”

Xia Yize felt a bit smug. Even the security guard could see he was a match for this neighborhood. He waved his hand. “No need, my friend will be here soon.”

The bait was set; now the little fish just had to bite.

–

Qi Ge looked at the location of the neighborhood. He had been here once; Sun Yuanyang lived here.

When Qi Ge arrived nearby, he saw from a distance a person sitting by the main gate with a crutch placed beside him. His sense of security seemed quite strong; he was probably sitting at the gate to avoid letting a stranger know his home address.

Qi Ge didn’t think much of it. Regardless, this would likely be their last meeting. He rolled down the car window. “Hello.”

Xia Yize stood up with difficulty. The crutch, which he hadn’t quite mastered yet, wasn’t very easy to use.

Qi Ge couldn’t bear to watch him struggle with the crutch, failing to move even two steps after a long time. He had no choice but to get out of the car and give him a hand.

Xia Yize grumbled inwardly: As expected, he became much more attentive once he saw the money.

Xia Yize deliberately stumbled. Qi Ge reached out to steady him.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xia Yize leaned his hand on Qi Ge’s shoulder. There was a faint scent of tea on Qi Ge’s wrist, which could only be smelled when the two were close enough. Leaning against Qi Ge, Xia Yize whispered, “Thank you!”

This sudden contact made Qi Ge frown. Maintaining distance from people had almost become a habit for him. He instinctively turned his body away, but considering Xia Yize’s injured foot, he didn’t push the man away.

The first time, Xia Yize had sat in the back seat. This time, he went straight for the passenger seat. How could one say there was no progress?

There were no extra decorations in Qi Ge’s car. Every visible spot was clean and dust-free.

Just like last time, Qi Ge was expressionless, staring straight ahead as he drove.

Xia Yize observed him secretly. This man seemed to be wrapped in a barrier, and his speech usually ended within five words.

“I still don’t know your name,” Xia Yize tried to start a conversation.

“Qi Ge.” His tone was devoid of emotion, two degrees colder than an AI.

“Which characters are those?” Xia Yize didn’t give up.

“Same as my WeChat name.” He sounded almost a bit mocking.

“Do you know my name?” Xia Yize took a breath and continued asking.

Qi Ge turned his head to look at him and replied flatly, “You sent it before.”

“Oh. Was there a lot of traffic when you came?” Xia Yize made small talk.

“Mhm.”

Xia Yize frowned. Great, he had started giving non-committal answers.

But who was he? He was the Anti-Scumbag Leader. Qingqing was already getting anxious in his dreams; he couldn’t lose heart.

From the moment they got out of the car, Xia Yize started clinging to him, treating the crutch like a mere decoration.

Qi Ge tried to shake him off several times, using the excuse of going to stand in line, but Xia Yize insisted on following. Even when someone offered him a seat, he insisted on standing with Qi Ge unless they both sat down together.

And his touch wasn’t excessive; he just lightly held onto Qi Ge’s arm.

While waiting at the door of the consultation room, Xia Yize leaned down and rubbed his foot for a long time. Qi Ge acted as if he didn’t see anything. Xia Yize was forced to turn and say, “It hurts so much. The doctor said I need to keep my foot elevated. Maybe I’ve been moving too much.”

Xia Yize leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Can I rest it on your lap?”

No, you can’t. I hope you have some sense of boundaries. The harsh words were on the tip of Qi Ge’s tongue, but when he turned, he saw Xia Yize looking at him with upturned eyes, his gaze full of expectation.

“Wait here.”

Xia Yize watched as Qi Ge stood up and walked away. He had just said his foot hurt; if he chased after him, wouldn’t he be exposed? Xia Yize had no choice but to wait in place.

Just when Xia Yize thought Qi Ge had finally found an excuse to leave, the man returned with a folding chair. “Is this okay? If not, we should probably hire a caregiver.”

Qi Ge opened the folding chair and placed it in front of him. Xia Yize rested his foot on it. Qi Ge sat down with an empty seat between them, staying far away as if afraid Xia Yize was trying to scam him.

When the doctor called Xia Yize’s number, he was still slowly fumbling with his crutch. Qi Ge simply propped the man up and half-dragged, half-pulled him inside.

Xia Yize allowed himself to be supported, not forgetting to say softly, “Thank you.”

The doctor examined his foot and asked, “Have you been applying the spray on time?”

Xia Yize nodded. The doctor said, “Reduce your activity and rest well. There are no major issues at the moment. You can apply heat compresses. Avoid cold and spicy food.”

Xia Yize’s main goal today wasn’t the follow-up anyway. Just as he was about to leave after obediently listening to the medical advice, Qi Ge suddenly stood up, took out his phone, opened his notes, and seriously asked a string of questions.

Does his foot need another follow-up? Are there any precautions for daily life? How long until he can move normally? What happens if there’s a secondary injury? If it doesn’t heal well, will there be any long-term complications?

It was practically a hundred thousand “whys.”

The doctor looked at him as if he were making a mountain out of a molehill, but still patiently answered his questions. In short, it was a minor injury, and he was fine.

Qi Ge recorded the doctor’s words verbatim.

Xia Yize looked at him with the same confusion as the doctor. Was this his way of showing care? Was he so cold on the outside because he was bad at expressing himself?

After leaving the hospital, Qi Ge sent all of the doctor’s instructions to Xia Yize.

“You’re such a good person, so responsible and reliable. Can we have a meal together?” Xia Yize’s large eyes sparkled.

Qi Ge said flatly, “You can’t just eat anything right now. Go home and rest properly.”

Xia Yize nodded. He took that as a hint for next time.

Just as Xia Yize opened the passenger door, Qi Ge held it shut. “You should sit in the back. It’s more spacious.”

Xia Yize couldn’t figure him out. Weren’t you the one showing so much concern just now? Are you feeling shy after performing so well?

–

Qi Ge drove in silence the entire way. He stopped at the entrance of the villa area. As soon as the passenger got out, he took a deep breath and, without giving Xia Yize a chance to speak, stepped on the gas and sped away.

He had wasted another two hours today. However, he had clarified everything with the doctor. Xia Yize’s foot was fine; the man was just being delicate. There was no need for further follow-ups, and the money had been settled. His responsibility was complete.

He took out his phone, entered Xia Yize’s chat box, and ruthlessly pressed delete.

Xia Yize hailed a taxi and went home with his foot propped up. He started a live stream to update his fans on the latest progress. Today, the “iceberg scumbag” had accompanied him for a follow-up. He looked expressionless on the surface, but in reality, he was very attentive, confirming every detail with the doctor. The net was about to be pulled in.

The Leader is mighty!

Xia Yize quickly stopped his fanatical fans from spamming the screen to prevent the stream from being banned for cult-like behavior.

That night, he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and send Qi Ge another photo.

A red exclamation mark appeared after the image.

He had been deleted?!

Xia Yize laughed wordlessly at his phone. Fine. Ordinary people aren’t worth my personal effort anyway. If it’s going to be a challenge, let it be one of this high difficulty.

He pointed at his phone and roared, “You just wait for me!”