Chapter 41 Answer: He meant that he could now give Jiang Xi…
Upon hearing Jiang Xiliu's question, Jin Zhao, who was lying weakly on the bed, suddenly began to cough rapidly.
He had broken ribs, and every cough was excruciatingly painful, making him look like he was being torn apart.
Jiang Xiliu, who was standing very close to him, quickly gestured to Abiao to push her back, but the clueless Abiao was oblivious. Jiang Xiliu could only say, "Didn't you see that his spit was about to spray in my face? Quickly pull me back."
After doing as instructed in a simple-minded manner, Ah Biao asked, "Mr. Jin, do you have a cold?"
With his limited understanding, he couldn't possibly comprehend what the young lady's question represented.
Jiang Xiliu calmly guessed, "It's also possible that he was so surprised that he choked on his saliva."
After all, things are very different from the original plot now. It's not that she's narcissistic, but someone as rich, capable, beautiful, and with countless good qualities as her would definitely make Jin Zhao extremely happy if she took the initiative to speak up.
Jiang Xiliu thought that if System 0777 hadn't been formatted, it would probably be praising the young lady right now: "The mission progress has advanced a lot again! That's fantastic!"
But now, there is only the emotionless sound of machinery.
[System 0777: Ding, keyword detected. The next plot point has been initiated for the host—kidnapping and forced marriage.]
[System 0777: Host has been detected skipping plot points. The current plot completion rate is 10%. Please adjust accordingly and enrich the existing plot before the deadline.]
Jin Zhao's cough finally stopped. He clutched his chest and gave the young lady a very complicated look.
He couldn't understand what the young lady was thinking, so he didn't say anything more, and even seemed a little evasive: "There are still three months left."
Three months?
Jiang Xiliu did some mental calculations. In the original storyline, she was kidnapped for a month and then spent another month in the hospital receiving treatment.
After being discharged from the hospital, the first thing she did was find Jin Zhao and, without any regard for the consequences, kidnap him and take him back to her villa. After Jin Zhao was imprisoned for a month, she forced him to get a marriage certificate.
At that time, influenced by Liao Junqi, this lunatic, she only wanted to keep him firmly by her side. She didn't even mention a prenuptial agreement, and got married without wasting a single day.
Having witnessed firsthand everything she experienced in the original storyline, Jiang Xiliu couldn't simply dismiss it as "stupid."
Anyway, she won't make the same mistakes as in the original storyline.
"Then let's talk about it in three months." Jiang Xiliu was completely oblivious to Jin Zhao's evasiveness and resistance. "Get well soon, I really want to eat your cooking."
Jin Zhao felt like coughing again.
He suspected he had been overthinking things; the young lady asking his age was probably just an attempt to bring him home to be her cook.
He glanced at the young lady a few more times, but didn't ask any more questions. Asking would probably only humiliate him.
After he was out of danger and regained consciousness, he met Xi Zhen and Jiang Fuhuai once.
Xi Zhen was probably unaware of his relationship with the young lady, and expressed her gratitude for his help to the young lady during their escape.
Jiang Fuhuai simply said, "Thank you for keeping Xiliu company."
Jiang Fuhuai's words seemed to be reminding him to be mindful of his status.
Therefore, Jin Zhao knew very well that he and the young lady were not from the same world. After that joking sugar daddy agreement ended, the young lady would probably forget about him.
In particular, Jin Zhao's face is now injured.
The scar wasn't actually that big, but it took too long to get it treated after the injury. Even with the best medicine, a mark that couldn't be removed remained on his forehead.
Although a new hairstyle could cover it up a bit, Jin Zhao knew in his heart that the young lady would never like someone with a blemish on their face.
Jin Zhao had nothing to say. He leaned against the half-rocking bed and said, "Yeah, cooking."
Actually, he was a bit tired. After the emotional rollercoaster, his body was very exhausted.
But the young lady wasn't the type to read people's expressions; she simply made her rounds around his ward.
Seeing that Jin Zhao was drowsy in the hospital bed, she insisted on coming over and waking him up again, and then chatted with him for a few minutes about the group of kidnappers.
It's like this every day.
...
The next morning, Jiang Xiliu went to get discharged from the hospital.
After more than twenty days of careful care, the injury on the sole of her foot no longer affects her ability to walk.
But Xi Zhen and Jiang Fuhuai always felt that it was best if there was no trace at all, so Jiang Xiliu simply sat in a wheelchair and enjoyed the happiness of not having to walk a single step.
Ah Biao pushed her to the court hearing.
With both witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Liao Ting became extremely depressed after Liao Junqi's death, and when questioned, he almost voluntarily confessed.
Even more surprisingly, he took the blame for most of the crimes: "I planned everything, I was the mastermind, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
There is no doubt that the Liao brothers were the backbone of their group of kidnappers.
But Jiang Xiliu felt that a crime is a crime, and there should be no distinction between principal offenders and accomplices; they should all be sentenced to the same heavy penalty.
She still remembers that a tall, blond-haired guy patted her face. Although it didn't hurt, the young lady remembered it clearly. That damn blond guy hadn't even washed his hands after smoking before patting her.
How disgusting.
We should add another ten years!
In fact, these dozens of people were sentenced to the heaviest: Liao was suspended for life, and the rest were all sentenced to ten years.
As soon as the court hearing ended, Jiang Xiliu wanted to see Liao Ting, but was stopped at the door.
At this time in China, the victims are not even allowed to see the perpetrators.
Before Jiang Xiliu set off, she was wondering why her parents hadn't stopped her. It turned out they knew she wouldn't be able to see them even if she came.
Jiang Xiliu could only angrily return the way she came.
To express her anger, Jiang Xiliu resolutely refused to return to the hospital and moved back home to join her parents' life as a couple.
Jin Zhao waited for her in the ward for two days. During those two days, he couldn't help but look towards the door frequently, but apart from doctors and nurses coming in, no one else would suddenly barge in for him to massage her legs, tell her stories, or cheer her up...
Jin Zhao couldn't help but ask the nurse.
The nurse looked at him and told him with some reluctance, "Ms. Jiang was discharged from the hospital the day before yesterday, and her ward was cleaned yesterday."
Jin Zhao nodded, expressing his gratitude.
After confirming that the young lady would not be returning, Jin Zhao took out his phone, found her WeChat account, deleted and typed some messages, but ultimately sent nothing.
He didn't know what to say to Jiang Xiliu.
He should probably be sensible and wait for her to come to him. If he were to disturb her abruptly, he would most likely not get a response and might even annoy her.
Thanks to his extraordinary recovery speed, Jin Zhao was finally able to get out of bed on his own a month and a half later.
The slowest part to recover is the legs, and I have to use crutches to walk.
But he tried supporting himself on one leg and moving around lightly with the other leg—meaning he could now cook for Jiang Xiliu.
When Jin Zhao sent the message to Jiang Xiliu, she was interviewing her new assistant.
Those temporarily recruited from outside are not as good as those trained from a young age.
Although Liao Junqi's final actions were hopelessly stupid, to be fair, he is usually quick-witted and perceptive. He can understand what Jiang Xiliu wants to express with just a glance, without having to say a word more.
Having used the best assistants, look at these few in front of me.
The first person answered only one out of three questions, and couldn't give any coherent explanation when asked about work details; the second person was glib and slick, and soon turned into praising the company and the boss; the others were even worse, they were a complete mess.
Actually, these people weren't as bad as Jiang Xiliu thought. It's just that minor flaws were magnified infinitely in the young lady's eyes. She couldn't tolerate that the people she hired at high salaries were not as good as the previous ones.
The young lady walked out of the interview room with a cold expression, and HR would handle the aftermath of this disastrous interview perfectly.
She didn't check her phone immediately, but went upstairs to Jiang Fuhuai's office: "Dad! I really can't find a suitable person. Didn't you prepare a backup candidate for me back then?"
Jiang Fuhuai felt even more troubled when he saw her.
Jiang Xiliu rarely went home to live with her parents after going abroad to study, and she spent most of her time living alone after graduating and returning home.
After being kidnapped, she suddenly became homesick. Not only did she move back home, but she also knocked on his and Xi Zhen's bedroom door in the middle of the night, insisting on sleeping with her mother.
Lately, Jiang Fuhuai has been driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown by his daughter.
“Didn’t you find yourself a backup?” Jiang Fuhuai rubbed his temples. “Yisile is making great progress in her studies abroad; she’s more talented than Liao Junqi.”
Jiang Xiliu sat across from his desk, her hands restlessly tearing apart their family photo frame: "The student surpasses the master; my taste is definitely better than Dad's."
She paused, then hesitated, "But it's still five years before Isildenafil comes of age. I can't keep using a temporary assistant for those five years, can I?"
“The boy who was kidnapped with you was also quite nice.” Although Jiang Fuhuai knew about their relationship, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. “I’ve seen his information. He’s a senior this year. If it weren’t for the severity of his injury, he should have been doing an internship in his senior year.”
"You mean, let him come and intern with me?" Jiang Xiliu asked.
Jiang Fuhuai nodded: "His personality is quite thorough and meticulous, making him suitable to be your assistant."
"No." Jiang Xiliu's refusal was so decisive that it caught Jiang Fuhuai's attention.
He snatched the photo frame back from his daughter: "Why not?"
Jiang Xiliu thought for a moment and decided to inform her father in advance: "I will be getting married to him the month after next. Also, I don't want my future partner to show his face in public."
She couldn't say that she was wary of Jin Zhao, because if she did, her father would know that she didn't like Jin Zhao that much, and he definitely wouldn't agree to their marriage.
Jiang Fuhuai was startled by his daughter's words. After carefully examining her for a few moments, he asked, "Are you serious?"
Jiang Xiliu nodded: "Of course."
"Did that guy surnamed Jin threaten to kill himself in front of you?" Just a moment ago, Jiang Fuhuai called him a young man, but now he's called Jin. "Did he ask you to repay him with your body? Did you agree?"
Jiang Xiliu: "...Dad, don't overthink it. It's me who wants to marry him."
Jiang Fuhuai stood up and took a few steps slowly, the information about Jin Zhao resurfacing in his mind.
All the admiration he had for Jin Zhaosheng before vanished like bubbles: "I thought you were just playing around with him, using him as a substitute for Shen Yu to alleviate your longing for Shen Yu."
Jiang Xiliu: "???"
"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? What substitute? And what does it have to do with Shen Yu? I don't want him at all!"
“They look quite alike if you look closely,” Jiang Fuhuai said. “I’m not so old and blind that I can’t tell them apart.”
“…Is it possible that this is just your daughter’s type?” Jiang Xiliu admired her father’s imagination. “Anyway, I’ve already told you. Remember to tell my mom before I get the marriage certificate.”
If Jiang Fuhuai had to choose between Shen Yu and Jin Zhao, he would definitely prefer Shen Yu, whose family background was comparable.
But regarding their daughter's major life events, he and Xi Zhen had already discussed it: they would follow Jiang Xiliu's lead.
Jiang Fuhuai looked at his daughter, who was replying to a message on her phone, and asked, "Why do you want to marry Jin Zhao?"
Because of the system task, because he is the male protagonist, and because they got married in the original storyline.
Jiang Xiliu said, "Dad, come with me to the hospital, maybe then you'll find out the answer."
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Author's note: Win over the young lady's stomach, win over the young lady's father's stomach [food][food][food] Become a qualified chef (not really).
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