Pregnant After Healing the Alpha

Chapter 374: Chapter 363 Su Manhan’s Heart Aches for Qiao Jing

Mrs. Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Su Manhan for a long time.

“You didn’t like Qiao Jing before, right? You couldn’t wait for her to leave the Zhan Family, so why are you suddenly speaking up for her?”

Was this really the Su Manhan she knew? The difference was so stark—could she have been possessed?

Su Manhan was choked up by Mrs. Chen’s words and immediately began to explain herself.

“When did I ever say Qiao Jing was no good? You must be hard of hearing. Don’t talk nonsense, I love my daughter-in-law the most.”

After saying this, she stole a glance at Qiao Jing and, seeing her indifferent expression, breathed a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Chen really didn’t know how to read the room. Those were past issues, and bringing them up now—what if Qiao Jing gets angry?

Qiao Jing didn’t think it was a big deal as she was well aware of Su Manhan’s previous attitude toward her.

Mrs. Chen was so shocked that her mouth hung open.

“Ah?”

The switch in Su Manhan’s attitude made her head spin with confusion. Could it actually have been a misunderstanding on her part?

Impossible. Mrs. Chen vividly remembered Su Manhan venting about Qiao Jing while they shopped together. Why the sudden change?

Su Manhan did not continue the conversation with Mrs. Chen, fearing she might say something else and handed over some medicinal materials to Mrs. Chen.

“We’re leaving now, and don’t you dare speak ill of my daughter-in-law again.”

If she stayed any longer, Mrs. Chen would surely continue digging up her past, and she couldn’t afford to drag her son down.

Qiao Jing said nothing more and followed Su Manhan to the car for their return to Purple Garden.

Once inside the car, a strange silence hung in the air.

Su Manhan sneaked several glances at Qiao Jing, hesitated for a moment, but eventually spoke.

“Qiao Jing, don’t take to heart what Mrs. Chen said. The inability to attend the exchange meeting isn’t a big deal. I won’t let anyone bully you.”

She paused, nervously clutching the bag in her hand. Her daughter-in-law was so smart and certainly aware of the bad things she had said before.

Su Manhan bit her lip and, steeling herself, stammered out her words.

“She said… I spoke ill of you, and I did indeed… uh… say some things before. I apologize. Don’t be angry, okay? And please don’t take back the chance you’re giving to Qipei because of me.”

Qiao Jing shook her head and looked earnestly at Su Manhan.

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s fine, and I won’t allow others to affect the decisions I’ve made.”

She couldn’t understand why everyone seemed to believe that her giving Zhan Qipei a chance was said without thought.

When had she ever been the kind of person to make decisions carelessly?

Seeing Qiao Jing’s response, Su Manhan’s face lit up with joy, and she patted her chest.

“That’s a relief! You had me scared. I thought… Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore. We’re having dinner at home tonight.”

Qiao Jing glanced at the current time—it was only three in the afternoon.

“There is still plenty of time before dinner.”

Going to Purple Garden now would leave her with nothing to do. She didn’t have her medical books with her, and just sitting there would be somewhat boring.

Su Manhan uttered a puzzled “Ah?” before realizing what she was about to do.

If she took Qiao Jing back to Purple Garden now, there would be no one else at home.

Having Qiao Jing sit alone on the sofa waiting for time to pass would indeed be quite dull.

She looked out the window and noticed they were near Wanxiang City, then asked the driver to pull over.

“Stop at the entrance to Wanxiang City.”

She could use this time to buy some new clothes for Qiao Jing.

Qiao Jing looked toward Su Manhan with a hint of confusion.

“Why are we going to Wanxiang City?”

She had suggested an early time simply to have the chance to return to work a bit longer, but to her surprise, Su Manhan had brought her to Wanxiang City.

Leaving all the shopping bags in the car and worrying that Qiao Jing might refuse to get out, Su Manhan gently nudged her, urging her.

“Let’s get out of the car first, and then we’ll talk.”

She absolutely had to dress up her daughter-in-law properly, as wearing white shirts and jeans every day was just too monotonous.

Whatever those rich young ladies had, her daughter-in-law should not lack either!

With no other choice, Qiao Jing stepped out of the car and stood in front of the bustling entrance to Wanxiang City.

“Are you going to buy something?”

She had only ever shopped with Xiangxiang or Ni Yue at most, never with an elder, so she couldn’t help feeling a bit out of place.

Su Manhan’s gaze flickered, hesitating before finally speaking up.

“Yes, I want to buy a few outfits. Didn’t you say we had plenty of time? I brought you here to pass the time.”

Knowing Qiao Jing’s personality, if she had outright said they were buying clothes for her, she would’ve certainly refused.

That’s why Su Manhan planned to keep it a secret at first and wait until they were in the store to buy clothes in Qiao Jing’s size.

After all, it was all just shopping. It was more or less the same.

Qiao Jing responded and followed Su Manhan into the elevator.

As her thoughts turned to what style of clothes would suit Su Manhan, she considered offering some suggestions when the time came.

Su Manhan pressed the button for the top floor, bringing them directly to the highest level of Wanxiang City.

The common clothes below were not suited for her daughter-in-law. Plus, she usually shopped on the top floor herself, so Qiao Jing should enjoy the same treatment.

She suddenly remembered how back in the countryside, Qiao Jing might have had to wear the same top for several years, and her heart ached unbearably.

She guessed that in the mountain villages, there were likely many children like Qiao Jing used to be, and resolved to donate more money to the children in the mountains and engage in charity to prevent more children from living such hard lives.

As for Qiao Jing’s previous donation to the Red Cross Society, even though the patriarch didn’t acknowledge it, she knew it must have been either his money or her son’s.

Qiao Jing noticed that Su Manhan was looking at her with eyes filled with both distress and pity.

She furrowed her brows and looked down at herself, then turned around to see if anything was amiss but couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

Why was Su Manhan looking at her with such eyes?

Su Manhan pulled Qiao Jing straight into a well-known brand clothing store.

The clothes here all started at six figures, patronized by the upper crust of the elite circle—places where wealthy ladies would shop.

Upon seeing Su Manhan, the sales assistant immediately put on an intimately welcoming smile, bowed slightly to them, and gestured for them to proceed inside.

“Mrs. Su, welcome. Would you like to rest for a while and have some afternoon tea first?”

Su Manhan shook her head and glanced at Qiao Jing beside her.

“Show me some clothes that would suit her,” she replied.

When Qiao Jing heard that they were going to buy clothes for her, she frowned and immediately refused.

“There’s no need to buy me anything; I have clothes.”

The clothes she was wearing were actually custom-made for her by Mélite in the States, along with some unique pieces designed privately for her by Ni Yue.

She had specifically requested simple and elegant designs so as not to stand out, and she had gotten used to it.

The clothes in this store were all very distinctive and luxurious in style—something she did not like to flaunt.

Besides, she would not let Su Manhan buy clothes for her.