Reversed Life: Chapter 26 - Exposing the Reality of a True Rich and Powerful Family
Chapter 26: Exposing the Reality of a True Rich and Powerful Family
By the time Mu Xiangxiang arrived, Qiao Nan was squatting in a corner of the hospital.
The girl’s squat was extremely unrestrained and manly. Several pieces of clothing were tied around her waist, her gaze gloomy, her face dark as the bottom of a pot. The passersby who kept glancing back at her were all subconsciously detouring around the icy aura surrounding her.
Mu Xiangxiang was silent for a while before walking over. Qiao Nan looked up at him at the same time, and the two stared at each other speechlessly.
After a moment, Mu Xiangxiang coughed awkwardly. “...Sorry. I forgot about this. Are you feeling okay now?”
Qiao Nan expressionlessly twitched his lips. “It hurts.”
Mu Xiangxiang almost laughed but immediately held it back. After glancing around, she pulled a package from her coat pocket and handed it over. “Um... do you have... something to use? Maybe go to the restroom and change first?”
On the way over, she’d realized this was probably Qiao Nan’s first time dealing with something like this and that he’d likely be at a total loss, so she’d specially stopped by a store to buy a pack of sanitary pads. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, meeting his calm eyes, she suddenly felt strangely awkward.
Qiao Nan stared at her. After a while, his gaze shifted to the pack of pads. He squeezed his eyes shut hard, then used every ounce of strength to resist the most horrifying sense of shame he had ever experienced in his life. “...My pants are dirty.”
Mu Xiangxiang: “...”
Qiao Nan: “...”
After a deathly silence, Mu Xiangxiang forced herself not to look toward the clothes tied around his waist. “Let’s... find somewhere to clean up first.”
Going home was definitely impossible. Whether it was the Qiao family or the Mu family, neither of them could guarantee nobody would suddenly come back. After hesitating for a while, Qiao Nan used his phone to book a room. Along the way, they bought a change of clothes and some necessities, not daring to waste too much time, especially since Qiao Nan’s face had become frighteningly pale.
He hadn’t paid attention while booking the room, but the instant the door closed behind them, both of them simultaneously noticed the single large bed in the center of the room. Remembering the ambiguous look the receptionist girl had given them while checking in, the air suddenly seemed thinner. Mu Xiangxiang glanced at Qiao Nan and realized he was also looking at her.
After a moment of silence, Qiao Nan coughed and turned his gaze away, gathering a few necessities. “I’m going to shower.”
Mu Xiangxiang also felt a little uncomfortable, but she still stopped him, tore open the package, and handed him one. “...Um, you know how to use it, right?”
Qiao Nan stared fixedly at her hand. Just as Mu Xiangxiang was about to open the wrapper and teach him how to use the wings, he silently reached out, took it, and left.
From behind the closed bathroom door came the sound of running water. Mu Xiangxiang tried hard not to focus on the fact that he was probably bathing in there and maintained a calm expression while unpacking their things.
After the water stopped, the bathroom remained quiet for a moment before several indistinct curses sounded from inside. Apparently, Qiao Nan—who had refused to listen to instructions—was being thoroughly defeated by the sanitary pad.
Only after a long while did the bathroom door finally open. Steam carrying the fresh scent of body wash poured into the room. Qiao Nan came out—wearing a bathrobe.
His eyes swept over the slightly reddened tips of Mu Xiangxiang’s ears as she stood with her back to him. Thinking of everything he had just seen, he found himself speechless as well. The air seemed filled with some unsettling tension. After a while, he averted his eyes and hurried into the blankets.
Hearing the movement, Mu Xiangxiang didn’t turn around, instead focusing on what she was doing. Using the small electric cooker they’d bought downstairs at the convenience store, she boiled a bottle of mineral water with ginger and brown sugar, then cracked an egg into it.
A faint sweetness spread through the room. She carried the finished bowl over, her gaze landing on the few strands of hair sticking out from beneath the blanket where Qiao Nan had buried himself. “Feeling any better?”
The blanket mound wriggled slightly, and Qiao Nan’s muffled voice emerged from inside. “No.”
Mu Xiangxiang felt a little guilty, especially after seeing him constantly pausing from the pain all along the way. She knew very well how painful periods could be. For Qiao Nan to suffer through this was completely undeserved. She sighed. “Drink something first.”
The blanket wriggled again before Qiao Nan’s head emerged. He turned to stare at Mu Xiangxiang, his face flushed slightly red from being under the covers, before reluctantly sitting up and taking the pot from her.
He poked disdainfully at the ginger floating in the brown sugar water while sharp cramps stabbed through his abdomen. Unable to resist his princely tendencies, he complained, “It tastes awful.”
Mu Xiangxiang didn’t defend herself. “Sorry.”
She really hadn’t inherited any of her father’s cooking talent.
The thought made her feel down, and it crept into her tone. Qiao Nan, who’d been about to continue criticizing, fell silent. He secretly observed her expression from the corner of his eye before quietly lowering his head and drinking the rather terrible-tasting concoction.
After finishing even the egg inside, he lay back down again. This time, his body—which had felt as cold as an ice cellar—finally warmed up a little. Curled beneath the blankets, Qiao Nan watched Mu Xiangxiang’s silently busy figure and suddenly, for once, remembered that she herself had still seemed to have a fever yesterday.
“How’s your illness?” he asked.
“Hm?” Mu Xiangxiang plugged in an electric heating pad and turned back to meet his gaze. “Oh, much better. But your dad and your brother won’t let me go to school. They even asked Old Mo for several days of leave.”
Hearing something so surreal to him, Qiao Nan couldn’t help doubting reality a little. Ever since swapping souls with Mu Xiangxiang, so many people around him seemed to have become strangely different.
Still... the feeling actually wasn’t bad. Remembering how his father had recently dragged him over to admire photo albums and show off jackets, Qiao Nan couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from lifting slightly. Mu Xiangxiang carried over the warmed heating pad and, seeing his complexion improve, asked, “Better?”
Qiao Nan immediately returned to an expressionless face. “No.”
Then he frowned at the heating pad. “Why did you buy something like that?”
A true iron-blooded man hadn’t used such an utterly uncool thing since he was five years old!
Ignoring his resistance, Mu Xiangxiang said, “It’s always like this during periods. I have cold sensitivity in my uterus. Holding something warm against my stomach helps.”
The body lying in front of her was her own, so she didn’t overthink it. She directly reached into the blanket to pull away the down pillow Qiao Nan had been clutching against his stomach. The pillow had been easing the pain a little, so naturally Qiao Nan instinctively tried to stop her—His fingers closed around hers.
Mu Xiangxiang: “...”
Qiao Nan: “...”
The hands clasped together were immediately released by both sides. Mu Xiangxiang silently turned her gaze away. Qiao Nan coughed lightly, his eyes fixed steadily on her.
A strange atmosphere lingered between them until the sound of a message notification shattered the awkwardness. Mu Xiangxiang practically lunged toward the phone on the bedside table at lightning speed, lowering her head to reply while trying hard to ignore the weird feeling just now.
That’s my own body, my own body, my own hand, my own hand...
Qiao Nan’s calm voice suddenly rang out. “Who is it? Replying so urgently.”
“Cao Wei. He said he doesn’t want to nap during lunch break and asked me to play games with him,” Mu Xiangxiang answered reflexively. The room fell silent again. But when she looked up after replying, she realized Qiao Nan was still staring at her.
Mu Xiangxiang: ?
Qiao Nan’s gaze deepened. “...I told you before, didn’t I? Don’t use my body to do weird things.”
Mu Xiangxiang was completely baffled, confusion appearing on her face as well.
Qiao Nan merely snorted coldly and looked away. “Get up here.”
Mu Xiangxiang blinked. “What?”
“Your crappy body’s temperature is practically below freezing.” Qiao Nan spoke in a highly disgusted tone. “My body’s warmer. Get up here and help warm me up.”
Mu Xiangxiang looked at herself, then at him, hesitating slightly. “...Isn’t that kind of inappropriate?”
After all, no matter what, they were still different genders...
A mocking smile appeared on Qiao Nan’s face. “What? Are you having improper thoughts about your own body? Why are you so perverted? No matter how you look at it, I’m the one at a disadvantage here, okay?”
Mu Xiangxiang: “…………”
She slipped under the covers. The down comforter was light and soft, carrying the scent of the hotel’s body wash drifting from Qiao Nan, who had just showered. His bangs had been tousled messily by the blanket. He still seemed to be suffering from cramps; his brows stayed tightly furrowed, lips pressed together in restrained discomfort, his eyes filled with deep irritation toward his current physical condition.
It was clearly her own body, yet from expression to temperament it felt utterly unfamiliar to its true owner. Uncomfortably, Mu Xiangxiang shifted a little farther away. Qiao Nan glanced at her, propped himself up, and reached over to press a switch on the bedside table. The hotel’s automatic curtains slowly closed, and the room immediately dimmed.
Her phone rang again, the screen lighting up—probably another message from Cao Wei.
Mu Xiangxiang instinctively reached for the phone, only for the back of her hand to be lightly smacked away.
Qiao Nan flipped the phone over, glanced at the screen, and directly powered it off for her. His tone was impatient. “So noisy. Hurry up and go to sleep.”
***
When Mu Xiangxiang woke up, she had no idea what time it was. Groggily opening her eyes, she realized she couldn’t even remember when she’d fallen asleep. But the exhausted state of her body had clearly improved after the nap.
After all, she’d still had a high fever the previous day. There was no way she could recover completely that quickly. Even though she’d forced herself not to show it, rushing over from home and then taking care of Qiao Nan afterward had all been extremely taxing for her.
Thankfully, the perfectly timed nap had rescued her.
The room was dim, with only a little light slipping through the gap in the curtains that hadn’t fully closed. Mu Xiangxiang yawned, rubbing away the tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. The moment she lowered her hand, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
She froze briefly before raising her head. In her sight, Qiao Nan—currently occupying her body—was still asleep, his brows deeply knitted even in slumber.
The fresh scent of body wash lingered in the air.
Mu Xiangxiang clearly remembered that when they’d fallen asleep, they’d been lying back to back.
But now, Qiao Nan had stretched out comfortably, one arm boldly draped over her— His hand resting on her stomach.
Under her lifted T-shirt. With absolutely no barrier in between.
Mu Xiangxiang: “…………”
The situation was honestly extremely bizarre. Strictly speaking, wasn’t it technically her own body touching Qiao Nan’s stomach?
But even so, Mu Xiangxiang completely stiffened. The next second, the girl sleeping in her line of sight twitched her eyelids and finally woke up.
The instant those eyes opened, the tiny trace of calmness left from sleep vanished completely. The transformation was explosive, so distinct it was impossible to ignore. Once again, Mu Xiangxiang experienced that strange spectacle of seeing a soul’s true nature through a body, and her heart tightened slightly. Then those eyes, still carrying traces of drowsiness, casually glanced toward her.
The hand resting on her stomach unconsciously slid back and forth once.
Their eyes met. Qiao Nan paused. Then his mind gradually cleared.
After more than two minutes of silence, the two bodies—who had practically slept tangled together without distinction—quietly separated in perfect unspoken agreement. Qiao Nan calmly withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and reached over to open the curtains.
It was still daylight outside. He picked up his phone for a glance before turning back toward Mu Xiangxiang, who was sitting on the bed with ears burning red while silently fixing her clothes.
“……” Nobody spoke. Neither knew what to say.
Even the air seemed to thin amid the rustling sounds.
After a long while, Mu Xiangxiang finally heard an incomparably awkward cough—
“Why do I feel like my abs… got a little softer?”
*****
The entire way back, both of them looked stiff and uncomfortable. Qiao Nan walked in front while Mu Xiangxiang trailed far behind him, keeping a straight face and avoiding eye contact the whole time.
With both hands in his pockets, Qiao Nan secretly glanced back at Mu Xiangxiang from the corner of his eye. After sleeping, the stabbing pain in his abdomen had eased somewhat. Now it had become a headache instead.
[Tch, so petty.]
[Women are such a hassle.]
[That’s my stomach, okay? I trained those abs for over ten years!]
[So I can’t even touch my own stomach?]
[The abs really did get softer! I wasn’t wrong!]
[Who knows what she’s angry about.]
[Obviously, you never exercise properly, yet you’re still acting so self-righteous.]
[Where do you even get the confidence?]
[Hmph.]
Those thoughts flew through his mind like scrolling bullet comments, though he didn’t dare say a single word aloud. When they stopped by the roadside, he hesitated before finally speaking. “Should I take you home first?”
Mu Xiangxiang pressed her lips together, immersed in emotions too complicated to describe. But this place was pretty far from the south side of the city, and taking a taxi back would cost a lot. She tried hard not to think about all the messy thoughts in her head and quietly hummed in acknowledgment.
The two sat separately in the taxi, one in the passenger seat and the other in the back. The boy in the back seat stared out the window, preferring to watch roadside trees rather than pay attention to the inside of the car. Meanwhile, the girl in the passenger seat kept sneaking glances at the back seat through the rearview mirror. The strange atmosphere was quickly noticed by the driver.
The sound of rushing wind poured through the open back-seat window. The driver’s gossip-loving soul burned fiercely. He held it in for the whole ride but finally couldn’t help himself. “...Had a fight?”
Mu Xiangxiang froze briefly before finally turning around, meeting the driver’s smiling eyes in the rearview mirror.
“It’s okay to argue, but don’t give each other the cold shoulder. You two look so well matched. If there’s a problem, us boys should give in to girls a bit more.”
Mu Xiangxiang’s blank mind finally returned somewhat to reality. Hearing that, she frowned slightly and was just about to explain that she and Qiao Nan weren’t a couple at all—
But before she could speak, a scoff came from the passenger seat.
Turning her head, she saw Qiao Nan sitting there with his arms crossed and brows furrowed, his expression full of irritation. “Driver, just focus on driving and pay attention to safety, okay? Stop looking around everywhere.”
*****
Mu Xiangxiang dreamed about that awkward scene the entire night. The next morning, still groggy, she stepped out of her room only to run straight into Qiao Nan’s older brother coming out of the gym room. The eldest Qiao brother had apparently just finished exercising. He was casually wiping his damp hair with a towel in one hand. His white workout T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and without even trying, Mu Xiangxiang’s eyes immediately caught the rows of muscle outlines visible beneath the semi-transparent fabric.
Instantly triggering some rather unpleasant memories.
Qiao Rui immediately noticed his younger brother standing stiffly in the doorway. The hand wiping his hair paused slightly as he stopped walking. “What’s wrong?”
Mu Xiangxiang painfully closed her eyes for a moment before calmly replying, “Nothing.”
But Qiao Rui wasn’t so easy to fool. Thinking his brother was still feeling unwell, his expression sharpened. He stepped closer and reached out, pressing the back of his hand against his brother’s forehead.
This sort of intimate physical contact had gradually begun appearing in the family ever since their relationship started improving recently. In the past, Qiao Rui wouldn’t even have dared imagine it. But now, even while fully conscious, his younger brother no longer avoided his touch.
After checking the temperature with the back of his hand and confirming there was no fever, Qiao Rui finally relaxed his tightly furrowed brows. His cold, sharp gaze swept over his younger brother from head to toe before he suddenly asked: “Are you getting bored staying at home?”
Still trapped in the curse of the abs incident, Mu Xiangxiang returned a blank, confused stare. Because she was sick, Qiao Yuanshan and Qiao Rui had directly requested an entire week of medical leave from No. 12 High School for her. This gave her plenty of time to stay home reviewing the teaching recordings and notes Qiao Nan had brought back from Yingcheng. Bored? How was that possible? She was busy enough already—not only did she have to catch up on Yingcheng’s coursework, she also had to memorize a ton of German vocabulary.
But somehow, Qiao Rui seemed to interpret something from her expression. Before she could answer, he revealed a look of understanding and walked away.
Thank heavens Qiao Yuanshan hadn’t cooked breakfast that morning. He’d been busy the day before and truly didn’t have the energy to personally prepare a meal first thing in the morning. The moment Luo Meisheng sat at the table and ate the plain noodles made by Mu Xiangxiang, tears nearly came to her eyes. These past few days, for one reason or another, she’d been unable to escape her husband’s cooking, living every day in utter misery!
The completely oblivious Qiao Yuanshan still showed a guilty expression toward his sons. “Sorry, boys. Dad’s been a bit busy lately, so I might not have time to take care of your meals. Once I’m free again, I’ll definitely cook something delicious for you.”
Luo Meisheng: “……”
Mu Xiangxiang: “……”
The two people who had no idea how to respond simultaneously turned their gazes toward the same spot. Under their collective stare, Qiao Rui calmly blew on the soup in his spoon. “Dad, bring Nannan to the company today.”
Qiao Yuanshan’s attention was immediately diverted. “Why?”
“He’s sick these days and can’t go to school. Staying home is boring. Might as well let him spend more time at the company, meet some people. Besides, before…” Qiao Rui paused, deliberately not recalling the times his younger brother had argued with him and their father at the company. Naturally, he continued, “Anyway, he’ll eventually take over part of the business sooner or later.” The way he said it sounded practically like they were dividing up the family fortune on the spot.
In any other somewhat successful family, a topic involving inheritance would instantly make the atmosphere tense. But at the Qiao family table, everything remained harmonious.
While carefully savoring the plain noodles his youngest son had personally made, Qiao Yuanshan nodded. “That makes sense.”
“……” Mu Xiangxiang’s head started hurting from listening to this. “I don’t want to go.”
“Stop fooling around.” Qiao Rui’s sharp gaze swept over forcefully. “Part of the family business belongs to you too. Sooner or later, you need to learn how to manage it.”
Mu Xiangxiang was speechless. What did the Qiao family business have to do with her? Literally nothing, okay?
Seeing her hesitate, Qiao Rui assumed he was still unwilling. Instantly reminded of all the years his younger brother had resisted the family, he became upset.
And when Qiao Rui was upset, he sulked. His already sharp features turned even colder, enough to make people shudder. Assistant Xiao Lou, who had come early that morning to pick up Qiao Yuanshan, nearly dropped to his knees in fright the moment he entered and saw the terrifying atmosphere. Carefully scanning the Qiao family members, he silently speculated about who had angered the decisive young master while trying his best to remain inconspicuous. “Chairman Qiao, the car is ready.”
In front of outsiders, Qiao Yuanshan maintained a very imposing image. He gave a profound, inscrutable hum, finished the last scallion floating in his bowl, then set down his chopsticks and stood to put on his coat. “Then let’s go.”
Assistant Xiao Lou had just opened his mouth to respond when Qiao Yuanshan suddenly stopped and turned toward the family’s other young master. “You go get ready too. Ride with us to the company.”
Mu Xiangxiang didn’t want to go, but she also knew Qiao Rui was unhappy. Whenever this man got unhappy, her scalp started hurting too. Left with no choice, she slowly stood up and dragged herself upstairs to change clothes.
The instant she went upstairs, Assistant Xiao Lou’s eyes widened dramatically.
His gaze shifted back and forth between the cold-faced Qiao Rui sitting by the door and the unfathomable-looking Qiao Yuanshan. A moment later, the fully dressed younger master of the Qiao family joined them.
No wonder. No wonder the Qiao household had felt like a storm was brewing all morning. So that was it! That was what was going on!
Even as he climbed into the passenger seat, Assistant Xiao Lou’s heart was still pounding wildly. It’s happening! It’s finally happening! The younger master of the Qiao family, who previously only visited the company occasionally, finally seemed ready to get serious this time.
Assistant Xiao Lou still vividly remembered the younger master’s glorious feat of smashing up an office during an argument with his father and brother at the company.
The situation was complicated and unpredictable. From what he could tell, Chairman Qiao seemed inclined to support his younger son. But if that happened, the eldest young master—who had long since entered the group’s core management—would inevitably lose some of his advantage. Naturally, he wouldn’t be happy about it.
A faint melancholy welled up inside Assistant Xiao Lou. Watching the scenery pass outside the window, he thought about the Qiao family and then about himself. His overly literary heart couldn’t help sighing emotionally.
Driven by the temptation of money, human nature was exposed completely. Even close fathers, sons, and brothers were no exception.
A wealthy family. This… was a true wealthy family.
Author’s Note:
Revealing the truth behind a real wealthy family for you—
Under Chairman Qiao Yuanshan’s profound and inscrutable exterior: [Crying] I was too busy today to cook delicious food for my children!
Behind eldest young master Qiao Rui’s cold gaze: [Wronged]Why does my brother refuse when I ask him to come to the company, but immediately agrees when Dad asks?
(Thus deciding to pull his hair tonight.)
Inside the calm facade of the disguised younger young master: [Abs][Abs][Abs]
The group’s real hot-tempered younger young master: “……” (Struggling bitterly under the tyranny of menstruation.)
The sinister stepmother of the two young masters, Luo Meisheng, [Suffering deeply from gastroenteritis]: If Qiao Yuanshan mentions cooking again today, I’m going to fight him to the death!
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