“Qingle, you really just… whoa, that was so…,” Jiang Shuyi stammered, looking utterly shocked on their way back to school.
Lin Qingle was actually a bit shaken too. “His mouth was filthy.”
“Yeah, he was out of line, but I didn’t expect you to be so bold, standing up to that bully,” Jiang Shuyi said. “Sure, with Yu Jiayou there, Zhang Yikun wouldn’t really dare do anything to you, but don’t you think you might’ve gone too far?”
Lin Qingle stopped walking. “You think I shouldn’t have splashed him?”
“No, I just mean… was it really necessary to completely offend Zhang Yikun over Xu Tingbai?” Jiang Shuyi said. “He insulted Xu Tingbai, sure, but was it really worth confronting him like that just because of Xu Tingbai?”
“Not worth it…? Why not?”
“I’m saying this for your own good. Xu Tingbai is already a target for Zhang Yikun, and that’s bad enough. Why put yourself in trouble too? I know you mean well, but you’re only classmates; there’s no need for you to go this far. It’s just a waste of effort…”
A waste of effort…
Was it really too much to throw water at him for insulting Xu Tingbai like that?
Sure, she and Xu Tingbai were only classmates, nothing more. But even as just classmates, did that mean she should just stand by and let someone who couldn’t even defend himself be mercilessly bullied?
Why should she tolerate cruel people? Shouldn’t cruel people face consequences?
“Qingle—”
“I’m not wasting my effort.”
Jiang Shuyi was startled.
In a low voice, Lin Qingle said, “At the very least, I’ve shown them that even if some people seem vulnerable, there are still people who will stand up for them. He’s not someone you can bully so easily.”
In the afternoon, there were two exams. Lin Qingle finished a few minutes early, so when she left the school gates, hardly anyone was around.
Instead of going home, she walked to a familiar alley about half an hour away.
After lunch, she had felt stifled, deeply unsettled.
It was like seeing something you cherished trampled upon, a belief you held fiercely crushed into the dirt, snapping the last thread holding you together.
In her memories, Xu Tingbai was adored by everyone, kind and gentle—a genuinely good person. But now, no one stood up for him; even someone as despicable as Zhang Yikun dared to insult him.
He called him “disgusting,” a “blind loser”… She was just a bystander, and she could still hear these things. How many more had Xu Tingbai heard over the years she wasn’t around?
The spare key hidden by the door was gone. Lin Qingle knocked, but no one answered.
But she was stubborn today and refused to give up. She just kept knocking, again and again.
Finally, after a long time, the person inside lost their patience.
Xu Tingbai opened the door, his expression restrained. “Lin Qingle, what do you want?”
She looked up at him, her mood low from all the messy thoughts. “I haven’t even said anything yet. How did you know it was me?”
“Who else would knock like that?”
“I… I had exams today. No evening classes.”
“And?”
“So I brought you dinner. It’s a boxed meal from a place near our school. It’s really good.”
Xu Tingbai took a deep breath, trying to close the door.
How could she keep coming back like this…
But Lin Qingle noticed his intent and squeezed through the door.
She slipped right past him, colliding with his chest, and for a split second, it was like falling into his arms. Xu Tingbai froze, catching a whiff of the faint, gentle scent in her hair.
“Come here, let’s eat,” Lin Qingle said, putting the meal on the dining table and looking back at him.
Xu Tingbai stood by the door, half-hidden in the shadows.
“My injuries have healed,” he said.
Lin Qingle was taken aback. “I know.”
“So don’t come here anymore. I… don’t want to see you.” His voice was cold, even harsh.
He couldn’t understand how she could keep coming, only that he had to make her stop.
“Why?”
Xu Tingbai slowly walked toward her and stopped just in front of her.
With a faint, mocking smile, he said, “Do you think it’s appropriate for a girl to keep visiting a guy’s place like this?”
Lin Qingle murmured, “What’s inappropriate… You wouldn’t do anything to me.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Xu Tingbai suddenly grabbed her arm, squeezing so hard it felt like he’d crush her bones. “How do you know I wouldn’t do anything to you?”
Lin Qingle winced in pain, frowning. “What are you doing? That hurts… Let go…”
“If you’re so eager to be here, why don’t you just stay the night?” His voice was icy and unsettling, sending a chill through her.
Lin Qingle tried to pry his hand off, but their strength was so mismatched. If he was determined to hold her in place, she couldn’t budge at all.
“Say something! Stay here, and I’ll show you exactly what I’d do to you!”
Xu Tingbai had hardened his heart. In that moment, he concealed himself behind a mask, yet the anger was real. He didn’t want to feel hope for anyone, only to be disappointed again.
He despised this feeling of closeness.
Lin Qingle’s arm throbbed from his grip, but looking at his twisted expression, remembering the hurtful words others had thrown at him, her heart ached even more. “I just know you wouldn’t hurt me! I just know it!”
Xu Tingbai’s hand trembled, and he let out a bitter laugh.
“Oh? Do you think that just because I’m blind, I couldn’t do something to you if I wanted?”
He pulled her sharply, slamming her against the table’s edge, then lifted her onto it with ease.
Though still young, he was nearly an adult, his physique imposing compared to Lin Qingle’s.
Grabbing her collar, he growled, “Even if I’m blind, I could still destroy you!”
Lin Qingle’s throat was squeezed tight, making it hard to breathe.
And as he tightened his grip, staring at her with his empty eyes, he looked like an emotionless beast—terrifying yet… pitiful.
Lin Qingle gazed at him, fear coursing through her. She’d never seen this side of Xu Tingbai, and his overwhelming intensity left her at a loss. But even more than fear, she felt sadness. Why did he make everyone fear him? Why did he cover himself in thorns…
When he clearly wasn’t like this.
With tears in her eyes, trembling, Lin Qingle mustered her courage and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. “Xu Tingbai, can you stop pretending to be so cruel, please?”
She held him gently, her hand gliding soothingly along his back, as if comforting him.
“I know what you’re afraid of, because I used to feel the same way. I was scared of people getting close to me only to leave, scared of being laughed at and abandoned… But you have to believe, there will always be people who genuinely want to stay with you, people who are sincere.”
Tears welled up in Lin Qingle’s eyes. She sniffed and murmured, “Just like you… When others wouldn’t play with me, calling me dirty because my dad was a criminal, you still played with me. You looked out for me, protected me…”
“Xu Tingbai, you’re a really good person.” She lifted her gaze to him, determined. “No matter what others say or do, I know you’re special. So… please, don’t push me away, alright? I want to spend time with you, I want to be here for you.”
“Trust me, I won’t leave. I promise.”
The hand that held her trembled almost imperceptibly.
In the darkness, her words flowed into him like warmth into his veins, filling him with heat…
After what felt like forever, when Lin Qingle was beginning to feel sore from holding the same position, she finally heard him murmur something, barely audible.
“Are you crazy…”
He let her go, his face dazed with bewilderment.
Lin Qingle sat up from the table. Her throat hurt a bit, but she didn’t care. She hopped off the table and stood obediently in front of him.
“Think what you want… But you have to admit I was right—you wouldn’t really do anything to me.” Lin Qingle smiled softly. “Because you’re Xu Tingbai.”
No matter how he tried to disguise himself or pretend to be harsh, at heart, he was still that warm and kind Xu Tingbai.
A tingle spread from his hand, reverberating in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He heard her victorious little laugh, and for a moment, a sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him. Yet he couldn’t deny that somehow, deep within that powerlessness, he felt… a glimmer of happiness.
Because someone wanted to stay by his side…
Because someone promised they wouldn’t leave.
“Let’s eat, alright? Don’t just stand there—the food’s going to get cold.” Lin Qingle reached out and tugged at his sleeve.
Xu Tingbai sensed her touch and instinctively tried to pull away.
“It’s no use,” Lin Qingle said, tightening her grip. Normally timid, tonight she was fearless. “When you insisted on being my friend and sharing all those delicious snacks with me, you should have realized that someone would latch onto you after getting a taste.”
Xu Tingbai was stunned. “Who insisted—”
“You did! Back then, you even said I was your best friend. It’s too late for you to go back on it now,” she replied.
Xu Tingbai was at a loss for words.
Lin Qingle wiped her tears and took the opportunity to lead him to sit at the dining table. “Alright, eat up. I have to head home after, or it’ll be too late.”
“Lin Qingle…”
“I’m going to keep visiting you! Even if you don’t open the door, I’ll keep knocking. So, unless you’re not sick of me, go ahead and keep ignoring me. Besides school, I have all the time in the world.”
She opened the box, releasing the aroma of food.
She acted as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t tried to scare her or gripped her neck… She spoke lightly, as if he’d done nothing.
Xu Tingbai clutched the chopsticks she handed him, feeling a sharp ache in his heart from her unreserved acceptance.
Did she even realize… if he had really acted on his threat, what might have happened to her?
Author’s Note: Alright, Brother Bai raises the white flag.