The yellow-haired thug in the lead noticed Jiang Che and swaggered over. “If you know what’s good for you, get lost. Don’t ruin our fun.”
Another thug kicked Su Qinghe hard in the shoulder.
She was already weak. The kick sent her crashing into the wall with a dull thud before she slid down limply to the ground. She couldn’t stop coughing, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
As a man, Jiang Che couldn’t tolerate what he was seeing. His fists clenched instantly.
He strode over and crouched down, reaching out to touch Su Qinghe’s forehead first.
Burning hot. Terrifyingly hot.
Not only was she blind, she was running a high fever.
She was just a miserable, fragile girl. How could these bastards be so cruel?
Jiang Che had already been suppressing anger from Lin Wanwan all day. Facing this scene now, his rage surged even higher. The dam of his rationality was on the verge of collapse.
“If you don’t want to die,” Jiang Che slowly stood up, rolling his wrists as his icy gaze swept across the thugs, “then get the hell out of here.”
The yellow-haired thug was briefly intimidated by his aura, but quickly turned furious from embarrassment. “Damn it! Who the hell do you think you are? Brothers, teach him a lesson!”
Before he even finished speaking, Jiang Che had already moved.
He grabbed the punch the yellow-haired thug threw at him and twisted it sharply.
Crack.
The crisp sound of bone snapping echoed through the silent alley.
“Ah—!”
The thug screamed like a pig being slaughtered, clutching his twisted wrist as he collapsed to his knees, writhing in agony.
The other two thugs were stunned.
Before they could react, Jiang Che delivered a swift side kick straight into one man’s knee.
The man screamed, his leg buckled, and he dropped to his knees, howling in pain.
The last thug’s legs went weak from fear. He turned and tried to run.
Jiang Che had finally found a way to vent his anger. There was no way he would let him go so easily.
He stepped forward, grabbed the back of the man’s collar, and slammed his elbow hard into the back of his neck.
The thug didn’t even manage a sound before he collapsed face-first onto the ground, unconscious.
The whole process took less than ten seconds.
Jiang Che stepped on the back of the yellow-haired thug’s other hand and applied slight pressure. “So, are you leaving or not?”
“Leaving! We’re leaving! Please spare us!”
The thug cried with tears and snot streaming down his face.
Jiang Che kicked him aside. “If I see you anywhere near here again, it won’t just be your hand that breaks.”
The thugs scrambled away in panic, disappearing at the mouth of the alley.
Silence finally returned. Only Su Qinghe’s weak, hurried breathing remained.
Jiang Che looked at the girl curled into herself on the ground, delirious from fever. His chest felt tight, sour, and heavy.
He let out a soft sigh, took off his jacket without hesitation, and wrapped it around her filthy body before bending down and lifting her into his arms.
When he picked her up, he was startled. She was frighteningly light, like holding a bundle of feathers.
His brows knitted tightly. He couldn’t help wondering what Su Qinghe had gone through to fall into such a state.
But she was delirious from fever and unconscious. No matter how many times he called her name, she didn’t respond.
Helpless, Jiang Che carried her out of the damp, foul-smelling alley and back onto the brightly lit main street.
Students and passersby stared in shock.
A well-dressed handsome young man carrying a filthy beggar girl was a striking image.
Some even took out their phones to record, whispering as they filmed.
Jiang Che ignored the pointing and murmurs, carrying Su Qinghe straight toward his apartment.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far. He soon reached the entrance.
After struggling for a moment, he bent awkwardly and used his free hand to pull out his keys and unlock the door.
A wave of warm air greeted him. He had forgotten to turn off the heating before leaving.
Normally it would feel pleasant, especially in winter. Stepping in from the cold and instantly feeling warmth was a blessing.
But after carrying Su Qinghe such a long distance, even though she was light, it was still exhausting.
The warmth only made him feel more overheated.
Still, Jiang Che had no mood to care about that. He kicked the door shut behind him and carried her into the living room.
He glanced at her filthy appearance, then at the clean sofa. After a brief hesitation, he gently laid her down on it.
If it got dirty, so be it. He had already decided to bring her back. There was no point worrying about that now.
He stood up and looked at the girl curled on the sofa. The fever had flushed her entire body an unnatural red. She murmured something unconsciously.
The smell from her wasn’t pleasant. Sweat, sour odor, and the stench of garbage mixed together, gradually contaminating the once-fresh air.
The most urgent matter now was giving her a bath.
The thought popped into Jiang Che’s mind, and he immediately felt awkward.
A grown man bathing a girl?
But looking at her condition, if he didn’t clean her up, the smell would be the least of his worries. If she caught a chill and her fever worsened, that would be serious.
Forget it. He would treat it like bathing a stray cat he had picked up.
After mentally preparing himself for quite a while, Jiang Che finally made up his mind.
He crouched down and reached out, preparing to undo the buttons of her coat.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch her neck, her body suddenly trembled, and her eyes snapped open.
Startled, Jiang Che’s hand pressed down onto her shoulder.
The sudden contact terrified Su Qinghe as well. Panic flooded her small face.
“Don’t touch me!”
She screamed and scrambled backward, her back slamming hard into the wall with a dull thud.
Her whole body shook violently as she flailed her hands in front of her, as if trying to ward off danger.
“Go away! Don’t touch me!”
Jiang Che was stunned by her reaction. He hadn’t expected her response to be so intense.
He stepped back half a pace. Though he knew she couldn’t see, he raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
“Hey, calm down.”
He deliberately softened his voice to avoid frightening her again. “It’s me. Jiang Che.”
Hearing his name, Su Qinghe froze. Her flailing arms halted midair.
She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to identify his voice.
Seeing her calm down a little, Jiang Che let out a breath. “You’re at my place. You’re safe.”
“You passed out from a fever. I brought you back. Do you remember?”
Her body was still tense, but she stopped struggling.
She parted her cracked lips and after a long pause whispered two words, “Jiang… Che?”
“Who else? Is there a second Jiang Che at Lincheng No. 1 High School?”
After confirming his identity, her shoulders slumped. Her whole body went limp.
That brief struggle had drained what little strength she had left.
Looking at her pitiful state, Jiang Che sighed again.
He cleared his throat. “About earlier… I didn’t mean to touch you. I was thinking of helping you take a bath and change your clothes. I was worried your fever might get worse.”
He pointed toward the bathroom. “It’s over there. Can you manage on your own?”
When she didn’t respond, Jiang Che suddenly remembered that she was blind now.
It wasn’t entirely his fault. In the past, whenever he had seen Su Qinghe, her eyes had been perfectly fine. He still subconsciously thought she could see.
Jiang Che slowly moved closer and gently held her arm. “I’ll help you there, okay?”