Chapter 797: Meimei, Stealing is Wrong

“Fourth Brother, wait for me,” Jie Huating said to Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen ignored him. Carrying his things, Jie Huating quickly ran toward Granny’s hospital room.

Qin Mei led Jie Jingchen to the spot where she had parked her bicycle, but it was nowhere to be seen. Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Mei with a smile. “Are you sure you parked the bike here?”

Qin Mei shot him a glare. ‘It’s not my first time at the hospital. How could I not know where I parked my bike?’

Suddenly, a thought struck Qin Mei. “Don’t tell me it got stolen again?”

A doting smile touched Jie Jingchen’s lips as he rubbed her head. “It’s possible.”

‘Possible? It *was* stolen.’

“That damn bike thief! Are they addicted to stealing my bikes?” Qin Mei cursed. “Stealing one, fine. Stealing two, I’ll bite the bullet. But this is the third one! You can’t just keep shearing the same sheep over and over again!”

In this era, catching a bike thief was incredibly difficult. All the bicycles looked more or less the same, so the chances of recovery were slim.

“Don’t worry. Out with the old, in with the new,” Jie Jingchen said, trying to console her.

“You sure are optimistic about it.” Qin Mei was dejected and frustrated. It wasn’t that she was heartbroken over the bicycle; she just felt so aggrieved.

“I have money.” Jie Jingchen rarely showed off his wealth in front of Qin Mei; he almost always pleaded poverty.

Qin Mei’s eyes widened, not wanting to even acknowledge him. “Do you have a coupon?”

“Not at the moment,” Jie Jingchen said with a laugh. They had just returned; where were they supposed to get a bicycle coupon from?

“So what do we do now? Walk home again?” Qin Mei’s head drooped. If she walked all the way home, her legs would be wrecked. Thinking of Jie Jingchen’s lock-picking skills, Qin Mei said tentatively, “Jie Jingsi, I have an idea. I just don’t know if you’re willing to go through with it.”

Jie Jingchen had a feeling that whatever idea Qin Mei had come up with, it wasn’t going to be a good one. Still, he asked, “What idea?”

“Are you willing or not?” Qin Mei asked, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

“Tell me the idea first,” Jie Jingchen said, not rushing to agree.

“Hehe.” Qin Mei’s grin grew wider, making her look like a villain who trafficked women and children. Her gaze swept across the rows of parked bicycles, picking out one that caught her eye.

‘Her bike was stolen, so she’d just steal someone else’s. Anyway, Jie Jingchen was a master lock-picker. With a skill that good, if he didn’t use it now, when would he?’

‘She’d had three bikes stolen. Stealing one back just to solve their current predicament wasn’t asking too much, was it?’

Jie Jingchen was speechless. If he couldn’t understand the blatant look in Qin Mei’s eyes, his IQ would have to be in the negatives.

“Meimei, stealing is wrong,” Jie Jingchen refused flatly.

“Jie Jingsi, we’ve had three bikes stolen from us, and now you’re telling me stealing is wrong? It’s just a little light-fingered lifting,” Qin Mei retorted, displeased.

‘Light-fingered lifting!’ Dark lines seemed to appear on Jie Jingchen’s forehead.

“Meimei, just because they’re thieves doesn’t mean we should be,” Jie Jingchen tried to persuade her.

“If they can do it, why can’t we?” Qin Mei grew even more upset. ‘Fight violence with violence, fight theft with theft. That sounds perfectly reasonable.’

“Stealing is against the law.” Jie Jingchen raised a hand and rubbed his temples. He was a retired soldier, taught not to take so much as a needle and thread from the people. Their bikes had been stolen, yet here was Qin Mei, egging him on to steal someone else’s. He could never, ever bring himself to do something like that.

“It’s only illegal if you get caught. If you don’t, it’s not,” Qin Mei said, though even she felt she was just making excuses. ‘Trying to convince someone as upright as Jie Jingchen to break the law? It would be a miracle if I succeeded.’

“That’s just twisted logic,” Jie Jingchen said, pinching her nose in resignation.

“Hehe, good job. You weren’t corrupted by me. Congratulations, you’ve passed the test.” Qin Mei patted Jie Jingchen’s shoulder like a boss commending an employee.

Jie Jingchen’s refusal was absolute. If she didn’t give up, she had no doubt he would march her straight to the police station, a perfect example of a man “sacrificing his wife for the sake of justice.”

“Meimei…”

“Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law!” Jie Huating called out.

Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei looked at each other, then simultaneously turned to look at Jie Huating running toward them.

“How did you get to the hospital?” Jie Jingchen asked.

Jie Huating paused for a second, then pointed to his bicycle. “I rode my bike.”

A jolt of joy went through Qin Mei. Jie Jingchen held out his hand. “Give me the keys.”

“What for?” Jie Huating asked, confused, but still took the keys from his pocket and placed them in Jie Jingchen’s hand.

“Borrowing your bike for a bit.” Holding the keys, Jie Jingchen took Qin Mei’s hand and walked toward Jie Huating’s bicycle.

“What about me?” Jie Huating asked, trailing behind them.

“Take the bus home.” Jie Jingchen let go of Qin Mei’s hand, bent down to unlock the bike, and wrapped the chain around the frame. He then pushed the bike out, swung a long leg over the seat, and said to Qin Mei, “Meimei, get on.”

Qin Mei waved at Jie Huating, hopped onto the back rack, and wrapped her arms around Jie Jingchen’s waist.

Jie Huating was completely dumbfounded, watching blankly as Jie Jingchen rode off into the distance on his bike, with his sister-in-law on the back.

“Fourth Brother!” Jie Huating yelled. He had come looking for his brother about something, but his brother left before he even had a chance to say anything.

「The Hospital」

Mrs. Xie had a weary look on her face. Mr. Xie asked anxiously, “Yan Qiu, how did it go?”

Mrs. Xie glanced at an anxious Jie Jingwei before looking at Mr. Xie and saying, “I did my best. The mother is out of danger, but the baby didn’t make it.”

Hearing this, Jie Jingwei stumbled, his face contorted in agony. “No, that’s impossible. Aunt Qiao, you don’t like Yaru, so you didn’t do everything you could…”

“Jing Er!” Mr. Xie barked, glaring at Jie Jingwei. “Jing Er, what nonsense are you spouting? Is your Aunt Qiao that kind of person? Leaving aside the fact that she’s your stepmother, she is a doctor! She gives her all to save every single patient. To say something like that to her is just cruel. How is that any different from being a thankless wretch?”

Mrs. Xie’s expression turned grim. They could question her character, but not her professional ethics as a doctor.

“Dad, what I meant was…” Jie Jingwei tried to backtrack.

“Shut up,” Mr. Xie snapped. In a commanding tone, he ordered Jie Jingwei, “Go take care of your wife.”

Jie Jingwei was resentful but didn’t dare defy his father. He shot Mrs. Xie a vicious glare before reluctantly walking toward Lin Yaru’s room.

“Sister-in-law, is the baby in Jing Er’s wife’s belly really gone?” Chen Xiuhua asked, eager to stir the pot. She had only come upstairs to watch the drama.

“Second Daughter-in-law, if you have so much free time, go downstairs and look after Mom,” Mr. Xie said with a cold glance.

Chen Xiuhua’s heart skipped a beat. She stiffened her neck and said, “Jianjun and the fourth brother’s couple are both in Mom’s room taking care of her. Mom’s room is only so big; it can’t fit that many people. I came up to look after my daughter-in-law.”

Chen Xiuhua’s excuse was plausible, so Mr. Xie couldn’t say much more. He put an arm around Mrs. Xie to support her. “Yan Qiu, you’ve worked hard. Let me help you back to your office to rest.”

“Sister-in-law, with Jing Er’s wife’s baby gone, have you thought about how you’re going to explain this to the Lin family?” Chen Xiuhua seized the opportunity, wanting to drag Qiao Yanqiu through the mud. If Qiao Yanqiu had readily paid for Zhao Hong’s hospital fees, she might have taken her side. But now, she was still taking a side, only it was the Lin family’s.

Chen Xiuhua was eagerly anticipating Li Axiu coming to cause a scene with Qiao Yanqiu. The bigger the commotion, the better. It would be best if it ruined Qiao Yanqiu’s reputation.

“What do I have to explain to the Lin family?” Mrs. Xie questioned coldly.

“The baby in Jing Er’s wife’s womb is gone,” Chen Xiuhua said. She used to be afraid of offending Qiao Yanqiu, but not anymore.

“Jing Er’s wife had a miscarriage because she took some medicine,” Mrs. Xie stated.

“And you were the one who gave her that medicine,” Chen Xiuhua said.

“I gave it to her?” Mrs. Xie sneered. “She is a pregnant woman. A doctor would not prescribe medication carelessly. Every drug given to her is on record, and they are all medications safe for pregnant women. A doctor would never prescribe a drug that is contraindicated for pregnancy. If the Public Security Bureau sends someone to investigate, our hospital will cooperate fully.”

“Second Daughter-in-law, you can be careless about what you eat, but not about what you say. You can be held legally responsible for your words,” Mr. Xie warned.