Stronger with More Jobs-Chapter 266 - 176: Xiaojiang? No, We All Call Her Sister Jiang Now
However, when Fang Qingyu’s gaze fell on Qi Hao’s face, he was completely stunned!
Beard?!
On Qi Hao’s chin, there was a thick and somewhat scruffy circle of beard?! 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Combined with his young face, it looked particularly bizarre and out of place.
Soon after, Qin Hui, Old Qiao, and Lv Chen also walked in one after another.
When Fang Qingyu saw their faces clearly, his pupils instantly dilated!
There were noticeable strands of gray in Qin Hui’s sideburns!
Old Qiao had a few deep wrinkles on his forehead, and even the always youthful-looking Lv Chen had fine crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes!
A chill instantly shot from the soles of Fang Qingyu’s feet to the top of his head!
How long... have I been unconscious?!
A year? Two years? Or even longer?!
Why have they all... aged so much?!
Fang Qingyu’s heart suddenly raced, gripped by immense panic.
Jiang Wei! What about Jiang Wei?!
"Qingzi! You’re awake?!" Qi Hao, seeing Fang Qingyu open his eyes, instantly broke into a huge smile and rushed to the bedside in a few strides.
However, when Fang Qingyu’s uncertain and deeply fearful gaze swept back and forth over their faces, Qi Hao’s joy suddenly froze, then broke out into uncontrollable laughter:
"Pfft—hahahahahaha!!!!"
He laughed so hard he rocked back and forth, even exaggeratedly pounding his thigh, nearly crying from laughter.
While laughing, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the thick "beard" on his chin, giving it a hard yank!
"Rip—"
The entire beard was pulled off!
Revealing Qi Hao’s smooth chin!
"Hahahaha! I knew it! I knew Qingzi would fall for it!!" Qi Hao held up the fake beard, laughing like a child whose prank had succeeded, "What do you think? Scared stiff? Did you think you’d slept for ten or eight years?"
Qin Hui and Old Qiao couldn’t hold back either, and seeing Fang Qingyu’s dumbfounded expression, they couldn’t help but laugh.
Qin Hui shook his head with a smile, casually wiping off the gray hair dye on his sideburns, Old Qiao rubbed his forehead, revealing that the "wrinkles" were makeup effects, and Lv Chen also laughed as he wiped off the "crow’s feet" at the corners of his eyes.
Fang Qingyu: "..."
He stared blankly at this dramatic scene in front of him, then at Qi Hao holding the fake beard, and at the restored Qin Hui and the others, staying in a daze for several seconds.
A wave of speechlessness mixed with the complex feeling of seeing his mischievous friends safe after a narrow escape surged in his heart.
Fang Qingyu’s mouth twitched slightly, and finally, he rolled his eyes massively in annoyance, the body that had sat up slightly in shock fell back heavily, and he closed his eyes, too lazy to bother with these clowns.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t play dead, Qingzi!" Qi Hao plopped down at the bedside, still wearing that mischievously triumphant expression, "You’re upset? You left us in the camp and went down alone playing hero, what were you thinking? Huh? Did you ever think about how we felt? How worried we were?"
Fang Qingyu kept his eyes closed and didn’t respond.
Qi Hao’s words pierced a thread of guilt deep in his heart.
At the time, the situation was urgent, and he hadn’t thought too much, just that he couldn’t let them go down and die.
But now, having narrowly escaped death and seeing his mischievous friends standing before him, still lively despite their pranks, an indescribable warmth quietly swept through his heart.
However, this wasn’t the moment for sentimentality.
One more important name instantly occupied his mind.
Fang Qingyu suddenly opened his eyes again, looking sharply at Qi Hao: "Xiaojiang? What about Jiang Wei?" His voice was weak and a bit hoarse, but the urgency was unmistakable.
The laughter in the hospital room vanished instantly.
The smiles on the faces of Qin Hui, Qi Hao, and the others froze, and they exchanged a complex glance.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a bit heavy.
Fang Qingyu’s heart sank heavily!
Could it be...?
"Xiaojiang... she’s fine." Qi Hao’s playful smile was completely gone, and his tone became serious, "Don’t worry, she’s alright, woke up even earlier than you. Her body recovered quickly; she can eat and drink, and her spirits are high."
Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu’s tightly wound heart strings loosened slightly.
That’s good... that’s good...
"Just..." Qi Hao scratched his head, seeming somewhat tongue-tied, pondering over his words, "...just a bit... um... off."
Off?
The heart Fang Qingyu had just calmed down was now hanging again, his brows furrowed as he pressed on: "What’s off? Did she get hurt? Or are there aftereffects?"
Qin Hui sighed, stepped forward, his face carrying a peculiar expression mixed with reverence, helplessness, and a little... grievance, and answered Fang Qingyu’s question with a wry smile:
"Qingzi, Xiaojiang... oh no, we all have to change how we address her now..."
Qin Hui paused, seeming to get used to the title, then spoke in a slightly dreamy tone:
"Sister Jiang is now a Tier Three Divine Cultist in the First Realm."
