After Transmigrating As The Female Lead Of A Cruel Novel, I Raised a Big Shot Cat - Chapter 20

Cradled in the female officer’s arms, Ji Qingyue looked up at her.

The officer had a classic “cool beauty” face, sharp corners of the eyes and an alluring lip shape but perhaps because of her profession, there was a sense of upright justice between her brows.

However, Ji Qingyue felt there was something slightly uncoordinated about this person’s face. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, and even after staring intently for a long time, she found no answer.

For the first time, Qiao Hua’en felt the hospital corridor was incredibly long. She could clearly feel the woman in her arms tracing her gaze across her brow, sweeping over her eyes, and finally lingering on her lips for a long moment.

She didn’t understand what the person in her arms meant, but she inexplicably recalled the words that had drifted into her ears when she left that afternoon: “The older sister is so handsome, I want her WeChat.”

Her thoughts drifted for a moment, and her ear tips, flushed with excitement, could no longer hide their red hue.

“Officer, why don’t you put me down? Am I a bit heavy?” Ji Qingyue noticed the blush and felt a bit embarrassed. After staying home and not seeing anyone, she hadn’t been controlling her diet at all.

“You’re not heavy.” The officer’s voice was steady and extremely convincing.

The low, mature voice echoed in her ear, and because she was being held, Ji Qingyue could clearly feel the vibrations from the woman’s chest.

For a moment, Ji Qingyue, feeling that cuddling with a “big sister” wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, felt her face flush. She stammered out, “That’s good then.”

As she spoke, she lowered her head to hide her reddening face, but the officer saw it clearly nonetheless.

By the time Bo Shuhan caught up, what she saw was Ji Qingyue lowering her head shyly.

Bo Shuhan, who had intended to step forward, paused. She had been running in a hurry, her footsteps echoing loudly in the empty hospital. Ji Qingyue happened to change the subject to break the awkwardness.

“It seems someone was in a real hurry just now.”

Qiao Hua’en gave an affirmative nod. “Yes, hospitals are always filled with life and death, so people running in hospitals are always in a rush. However, if you had fainted just now, I would have run even faster than them.” The low female voice carried a hint of lingering ambiguity.

Ji Qingyue didn’t respond. She didn’t know if this woman was doing it on purpose or if she was just trying to soothe her emotions. But this faint, flickering ambiguity made her uncomfortable.

Seeing Ji Qingyue go silent, Qiao Hua’en felt a flash of panic. She was used to being flirtatious, had she accidentally crossed a line?

She opened her mouth to explain, but explaining often felt like making excuses, and she knew that trying to use logic with a girl in this state was often unwise.

Just as she prepared to walk faster to get her to a doctor, footsteps sounded from behind again. This time, the steps were very fast and purposeful, clearly heading toward them.

Qiao Hua’en frowned, instinctively wanting to step aside, but in the next second, a woman slightly taller than her blocked her path.

Qiao Hua’en looked up. The woman was dressed entirely in black, her eyes cold and her brow shadowed with a grimness that made her look like someone not to be messed with.

“And you are?” Qiao Hua’en asked warily, but before she could continue, she heard Ji Qingyue’s surprised cry from her arms.

“A-Han, why are you here?”

Bo Shuhan looked down at Ji Qingyue. Seeing that her face was much paler than it had been that morning, she wanted to scold her for not closing the glass door. But meeting those bright eyes, Bo Shuhan’s anger instantly evaporated. She explained obediently, “I couldn’t get through to your phone. I was worried, so I checked the ‘Big Boss’ tracker. I saw you were at the hospital, so I came to find you.”

After explaining, and seeing the dried blood on Ji Qingyue’s feet, Bo Shuhan reached out to take her. Ji Qingyue naturally responded by wrapping her arms around Bo Shuhan’s neck.

Before Qiao Hua’en could even react, the beauty in her arms had changed hands.

Watching the officer’s stunned expression, Bo Shuhan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Her intention was merely a bit of smugness at Ji Qingyue’s closeness, but in Qiao Hua’en’s eyes, it looked like a blatant provocation.

Feeling more at ease in her friend’s arms, Ji Qingyue saw that Bo Shuhan also intended to carry her bridal-style. She rolled her eyes and quickly called out, “Wait, I don’t really like being cradled like that. Either carry me upright like a child or give me a piggyback.”

Bo Shuhan didn’t refuse. She used her left forearm to support Ji Qingyue’s bottom, easily carrying her toward the examination room.

At this point, Qiao Hua’en pulled Ji Qingyue’s attention back with an apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t like that. I thought it would be more comfortable for you.”

Ji Qingyue realized her previous words might have been misunderstood and quickly explained, “It’s okay. I just tend to be more spoiled and picky around my friends. Thank you earlier, Officer, the way you held me was comfortable too.”

Then, Ji Qingyue added in a low voice, “If you’re busy, you can leave first. My friend is here to take care of me now. I’d feel terrible if I kept bothering you.”

“It’s not a bother.”

“Huh?”

Qiao Hua’en smiled, her tone becoming formal. “I said it’s not a bother. After all, I came here specifically to look after you.”

Recalling Ji Qingyue’s sudden silence earlier, Qiao Hua’en added: “Those people broke into a private residence in the middle of the night, that’s the crime of illegal intrusion. Once your wounds are cleaned, I need to take you to the station to record a statement.”

Ji Qingyue nodded. She indeed had to go to the police station.

Just as she was about to respond formally, the officer winked, her tone becoming more playful. “Besides, your cat is still in my hands. If I don’t follow you, that cat of yours belongs to me.”

Ji Qingyue laughed. The officer’s sudden humor felt like a strangely cute “gap moe.” “Then I definitely have to go to the police station with you, record the statement and then bring my kitty home.”

Qiao Hua’en nodded, her gaze flickering almost imperceptibly over Bo Shuhan. She wore a polite smile, while Bo Shuhan remained cold and silent, carrying Ji Qingyue into the treatment room with one arm.

Standing in the treatment room was a gentle-looking woman in her 40s.

She was looking down, preparing the wound-cleaning tools. Hearing the commotion, she looked up and saw Bo Shuhan walking in while carrying Ji Qingyue with one arm.

The doctor froze for a moment. Once Bo Shuhan reached her, the doctor said, “Here, put the girl on the bed.”

Ji Qingyue obediently let Bo Shuhan move her. Looking at Ji Qingyue’s delicate skin, the doctor had assumed she had just scraped herself or had a small cut.

But when she saw the soles of her feet filled with gravel and some areas where the flesh was even mangled her expression changed instantly.

The way she looked at Bo Shuhan changed too. While quickly cleaning the wound, she said, “Little girl, what happened to your feet? Is someone mistreating you? I have an acquaintance who is a police officer.”

The implication was clear: If this person next to you is abusing you, tell me, and I’ll help you call the police.

Ji Qingyue waved her hands frantically. “I just ran into a little trouble. I didn’t have shoes on when I was running away.”

The doctor had seen all sorts of things and understood roughly what Ji Qingyue had gone through from those few words.

Looking at the girl’s fair, pretty feet, she cursed under her breath and then began cleaning the wounds patiently.

Seeing the doctor’s furrowed brow, Bo Shuhan took off her jacket and wrapped it around Ji Qingyue.

Wearing clothes that were clearly a size too large, Ji Qingyue noticed Bo Shuhan’s expression remained very stern and made a joke. “Even though I made this jacket with my own hands, I have to say, wearing it makes me look like I stole my mother’s coat.”

Ji Qingyue then feigned shyness. “So… can you be my ‘little mama’ for a few days?”

Bo Shuhan couldn’t help but cover Ji Qingyue’s mouth. She didn’t want to die of embarrassment, thank you very much.

And besides, what “mama”? This was clearly the “boyfriend shirt” look.

As soon as that thought surfaced, Bo Shuhan suppressed it. Clearly, after being a bit shaken up, it was easy to let one’s imagination run wild.

The doctor also shared a small laugh. As the pebbles were removed one by one, cold sweat began to bead on Ji Qingyue’s forehead.

Bo Shuhan’s face grew darker and darker. Standing by the door, the female officer also looked grim as she watched the stones being pulled out. She took out her phone and sent a message to her colleagues, telling them to hurry up with the interrogation.

But to her surprise, the group had already confessed.

The middle-aged woman leading the group was the mother of the woman arrested earlier that morning.

That woman had once complained to her mother that while she was livestreaming outdoors in the community, she had occasionally captured footage of Ji Qingyue teasing her cat against the light.

Although the face couldn’t be seen clearly against the backlight, that gentle tone and the picturesque black silhouette caused the “big brothers” (wealthy patrons) in her livestream room to clamor for a glimpse of Ji Qingyue’s true appearance.

However, every time her assistant tried to sneak in with a hidden camera to capture Ji Qingyue’s face, Ji Qingyue would refuse them entry. Over time, the patrons in the livestream room lost their patience, many left because she failed to deliver on her promises. Consequently, the woman developed a deep-seated grudge against Ji Qingyue.

Initially, she only had the “Raccoon” (a lackey or nickname) set up some pranks to retaliate against Ji Qingyue’s cat. She never expected Ji Qingyue to actually report her. When the police arrested her, they naturally notified her parents.

According to the mother’s confession, although she didn’t know the full story, she knew her daughter was unable to make money all because of Ji Qingyue. That was why she went to the house to cause trouble. As for the two men, she claimed they had no ill intent and only wanted to scare Ji Qingyue.

Hearing such a defense, Qiao Hua’en was practically moved to angry laughter. What normal or decent person would bring two hulking brutes to knock on a young girl’s door in the dead of night? They really took the police for fools.

As Qiao Hua’en suspected, when they were arresting the middle-aged woman, she had thrown a bag of items into the river. After the police dredged it up, they discovered a large amount of filming equipment inside, along with an undamaged memory card.

The memory card contained over a hundred explicit videos. Some featured her daughter as the protagonist, and the men appeared to be her top-tier livestream patrons. However, a dozen or so videos featured other girls with those two men, judging by their expressions, those girls were clearly being coerced.

After reading the results of the interrogation sent by her colleagues, Qiao Hua’en was so angry she nearly smashed her phone. This was no longer just a simple case of illegal intrusion, it involved more serious crimes such as organized online prostitution and rape.

[Have you reported this to the Director?]

[The Director is already at the station taking charge. Sister Qiao, bring the girl who reported the crime back as soon as possible. We need to collect their full criminal records to facilitate sentencing.]

[OK.]

After finishing the communication with her colleague, Qiao Hua’en put her white gloves back on and walked inside.

“Old Zhou, are you finished cleaning the wounds?”

Hearing the voice, Old Zhou looked up at Qiao Hua’en, then at Ji Qingyue, and said with a chuckle, “So, she’s the one you brought in.”

“Yes, I happened to be on duty when she called the police.”

“Need to take her back for a statement again?”

“Yes, it might take a while longer.”

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou said, “Alright then, I’ll give you a slip. Go to the inpatient department and get a wheelchair. The poor girl’s feet are in such a state, she won’t be able to walk for at least three days.”

Qiao Hua’en naturally wouldn’t refuse, and Old Zhou accelerated the pace of cleaning and bandaging.

Unfortunately, even with the increased speed, there were so many fragments of stone in her feet that it took half an hour for Old Zhou to finish.

Looking at the brand-new wheelchair being pushed over, Old Zhou grumbled crossly, “You really know how to pick ’em. The inpatient department only has this one new wheelchair to keep up appearances, and you’re taking it away.”

Just as Qiao Hua’en was about to joke back, Bo Shuhan gently picked Ji Qingyue up with one arm and said to Qiao Hua’en, “Actually, the wheelchair isn’t necessary. I won’t be leaving for the next few days. I’ll be taking care of her the whole time.”

Ji Qingyue hooked her arms around Bo Shuhan’s neck. Out of trust for her friend and the fact that she truly didn’t want to trouble the policewoman further, she smiled in agreement.

“That’s right, Officer. Don’t worry, my friend here is tall and strong, she can take perfect care of me.”

As she spoke, Ji Qingyue patted Bo Shuhan’s chest muscles. “Look at these biceps, they’re really solid.”

Bo Shuhan: “…” Those are chest muscles…

However, she didn’t correct her. Instead, she looked at Qiao Hua’en. “Didn’t you say we need to record a statement? Let’s go. I ordered ginger soup for delivery, if all goes well, it should be at the police station entrance by now. If Yue doesn’t hurry, the soup will get cold.”

Qiao Hua’en watched Bo Shuhan as she spoke while tightening the clothes around Ji Qingyue with one hand, her smile not reaching her eyes.

“As expected of a good friend, very attentive.”

“It’s only right. Last time I came home late, Yue cooked for me personally. It’s a pity we aren’t in a position for that now, so I can only order delivery.”

After finally bundling Ji Qingyue up securely, Bo Shuhan frowned at the sight of the fragile-looking girl. “I still have a sweater on.”

Ji Qingyue shook her head. “No need. It would be a sin if you caught a cold instead.”

Ji Qingyue then turned her eyes toward the officer. “Officer, let’s go quickly. The sooner we finish, the sooner you all can rest.”

Qiao Hua’en didn’t speak; she simply pushed the empty wheelchair and led the way toward the police car.

Bo Shuhan added, seemingly casually, “I’m sleeping over with you tonight.”

Since the guest room in Ji Qingyue’s villa hadn’t been tidied up yet, she didn’t refuse. “OK.”

Recalling a few outfits in her studio across from her bedroom, she added, “By the way, I made a few more clothes for you. Since you’re here, try them on for me tomorrow morning.”

Bo Shuhan had been spending the last half month by Ji Qingyue’s side as a cat, so she naturally knew about this.

Although there was no longer any surprise, her lips still curved slightly as she looked at the officer pushing the wheelchair ahead. “Sure, I’ve always trusted your craftsmanship.”

Bo Shuhan felt this wave of “claiming her territory” was perfect. However, Qiao Hua’en’s pace slowed down.

She slowed until she was walking side by side with Bo Shuhan, then spoke. “Is Miss Ji a fashion designer? Are you planning to participate in next March’s runway show?”

Ji Qingyue was a bit surprised. “How did you know?”

“It’s not hard to guess.” Qiao Hua’en lowered her voice intentionally. Her mature, “cool beauty” voice was like a small hook, always carrying a trace of ambiguity that made it hard not to get caught, even when you knew it was intentional.

Ji Qingyue’s ears turned red at the sound, but she couldn’t help being curious. “I’m all ears.”

“Miss Ji.” Qiao Hua’en used a mock-serious tone, causing Ji Qingyue to involuntarily sit up straight.

Qiao Hua’en then winked playfully. “You forgot that I went to your house today to collect evidence. I saw all those design sketches spread out in your living room at a glance.”

Ji Qingyue was silent for a moment before she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Qiao Hua’en laughed heartily. “Actually, many things in the world are quite simple. For instance, regarding that show in March. I have a friend in fashion design who says you should keep an eye on the official website in mid-December. They will announce next March’s theme.”

“With a theme to guide you, I believe Miss Ji’s design caliber will definitely stand out.”

The sudden playful remark followed by the compliment immediately made Ji Qingyue feel shy. The negative impression she had previously due to the slightly awkward ambiguous atmosphere Qiao Hua’en had created, instantly vanished.

She began to chat enthusiastically with Qiao Hua’en.

At this, Qiao Hua’en gave a faint smile.

Then, she silently mouthed the words “My Turn” back to Bo Shuhan as a “gift in return.”