After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 13

The physical exam results came back. Aside from mild malnutrition and being slightly behind her peers in development, Xia Yaozhou was perfectly healthy.

Qin Zhijin bid farewell to her colleagues and turned to Xia Shibai. “Did my cousin come with you? Where are you meeting up?”

“We haven’t decided yet. Is Dr. Qin joining us?”

“Mhm, let’s go together.” Qin Zhijin looked down at Xia Yaozhou. “Weren’t you going to buy nutritional supplements for the little one? I can give you some advice. Plus, I need to pick up a few things myself.”

“That sounds great. Thank you, Dr. Qin.”

Xia Shibai and Yaozhou waited by the stairwell for Qin Zhijin for a moment, then coordinated a meeting spot with Qin Wang and Xiao Nuo. Once the group was together, they headed toward the hospital’s main entrance. When Qin Wang saw Qin Zhijin, his brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything.

“Is Officer Liu okay?” Xia Shibai initiated some small talk to break the awkward atmosphere; Yaozhou was currently huddled in her arms, looking a bit wilted.

“He needs a minor surgery. His brother is on his way, and his parents will be here later, so don’t worry.” Qin Wang muttered. If he didn’t have to wait for the surgery to finish to get the medical forensic report, he really would have gone back to the station to deal with that “bastard” they had in custody.

Qin Zhijin walked up to Qin Wang and pinched his jaw. The “Officer Qin,” who had been wearing a cold face as if everyone owed him millions, suddenly jumped in pain, shadowboxing the air.

“Ow! Sis, what was that for?”

Qin Zhijin said coldly, “You got hit? The muscle is swollen. Aren’t you afraid your face will stay crooked? Did you get an X-ray?”

“I had a doctor look at it. No X-ray yet—maybe tomorrow, there’s no time right now…” Qin Wang cut himself off and changed his tune. “I’ll just let Uncle Liang look at it when I go home.”

“Fine. Have Uncle Liang send the results to my phone later.”

Qin Wang stayed far away from her after that, afraid she’d give him another “check-up.” He didn’t look like a calm, composed police officer at all.

Watching Qin Wang’s fear of Qin Zhijin from Xia Shibai’s arms, Yaozhou leaned in and whispered into her mother’s ear: “The police uncle is also afraid of the doctor. Ouchie!”

“Oh?”

“So, I’m not coming back next time, okay?” Yaozhou used someone else’s fear as a bridge to politely decline the hospital’s “Welcome back, see you again” invitation.

Xia Shibai: “…” Nice try!

She ignored Yaozhou’s little scheme. Once everyone was ready, the seating arrangements were reshuffled. Since Qin Zhijin had driven her own car, she took Xia Shibai and her daughter, while Qin Wang and Xiao Nuo took the other car. Compared to Qin Wang’s workplace Cayenne, Qin Zhijin’s 300,000-yuan BMW felt much more modest.

The area had a lot of vacant land, resulting in a large shopping complex. It was originally planned to support a theme park that never got built, but the mall had flourished nonetheless.

Qin Zhijin was a quiet driver. Her movements were so smooth they could have been a textbook for the traffic department. Since there was no car seat, little Yaozhou sat in the back with the seatbelt on; she was so tiny she could have slipped out with a bit of effort, so the belt didn’t do much. Fortunately, Xia Shibai was back there watching her.

In the mall, the group headed straight for the infant and toddler section. Formula was the fastest way to supplement nutrients. Qin Zhijin compared a few brands, picked a tin for the cart, and let Yaozhou sit in the cart to pick out a few bottles of vitamin gummies.

“What does Dr. Qin need to buy?” Xia Shibai asked. She hadn’t forgotten Qin Zhijin’s situation—she’d just moved to a new place and likely lacked many essentials. It was only right to let her shop too.

“Cups.”

“Cups?” Xia Shibai looked at her, puzzled. Cups didn’t seem like an urgent necessity.

Once they arrived at the section, it became clear that Qin Zhijin wasn’t picking for herself. She was choosing for Yaozhou. Plastic cups for toddlers have different grades; after careful comparison, Qin Zhijin picked a few for Yaozhou to choose from.

“What is this for?” Yaozhou asked, twisting her body in the cart to get a better look.

“For you to drink your milk. Which one do you like?”

This put Yaozhou in a difficult position. Since birth, she’d rarely been given choices; things were either non-existent or a compromise. She looked at the black cat on one bottle, then touched the yellow duck on another. She liked them both and couldn’t decide.

Seeing her daughter’s “little pitiful” face as she shook her head so much she looked dizzy, Xia Shibai smoothed the girl’s messy ponytail. “If you like them, we’ll buy them both. Our family has money!”

In the novel, to provide “golden fingers” to the protagonists, the Lansui Group managed by Xia Yaozhou was a top-tier global conglomerate. The word “rich” didn’t even begin to describe the Xia family.

“But I only have one mouth. One mouth can only drink one bottle of milk,” Yaozhou said. Her hands, however, didn’t want to let go, touching one then the other. She eventually frowned and pushed the duck away. “W-want the kitty! Use the kitty to drink milk.”

“What about the duck?” Qin Zhijin asked, amused. She swung the cup, watching Yaozhou’s eyes follow it. She didn’t have the heart to tease her and tucked the yellow duck cup into the girl’s arms. “Here, I’ll buy it for you. Use this one for water.”

“Thank you, Auntie!” Yaozhou happily hugged both cups, nuzzling them. “Kitty for water, ducky for milk.”

“Didn’t you say the ducky was for water?” Xia Shibai asked, pushing the cart behind Qin Zhijin.

“If kitty is for water, I can see it many, many times. Ducky is good too, but… but just for milk is fine.” Yaozhou skipped over the words she couldn’t express. She clutched the cups like a little dragon guarding treasure.

Xia Shibai was walking behind when, as they were about to exit the aisle, she spotted a set of mugs. She called out to Qin Zhijin. Qin Zhijin turned around.

Xia Shibai was holding two new mugs. From a distance, they looked like a set of “couple’s mugs,” save for the different embossed floral patterns on the sides.

“I happen to need mugs too. It’s five yuan off if you buy a pair. Dr. Qin, help me make a set.”

Qin Zhijin’s heart tightened. Her eyes flickered nervously, terrified that the woman across from her had noticed something or was testing her.

“No…”

Before she could finish saying “No need,” Xia Shibai tossed both mugs into the cart. She smiled. “Didn’t Dr. Qin come here to buy cups in the first place? You bought one for Zhouzhou, I’ll buy one for you. No difference.”

“That’s not…”

“Don’t be polite. If you’re free, let me treat you to dinner later as thanks for looking after us lately.”

Qin Zhijin bit the tip of her tongue. Looking at the mugs in the cart and thinking of her empty new apartment, she realized she did need something to drink from. She stared at Xia Shibai and saw that the woman looked perfectly sincere, as if she truly just wanted the discount on a pair of mugs.

But the way she worded it… what does she mean by “making a set” (couples’ set)?

Qin Zhijin wiped her brow, using the gesture to hide her eyes and compose her emotions. She gave a soft, “Okay, thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Xia Shibai followed happily behind. Even if she was a billionaire now, the joy of a discount was something others just wouldn’t understand.

Hee-hee, happy. Got a cup for cheap.