“Ling, what is wrong?”
Huo Junnian watched as two streams of bright red blood flowed from Jiang Ling’s nose, staining a large portion of the shirt on his chest. Jiang Ling quickly covered his nose and mouth. Seeing Huo Junnian approaching, he hurriedly raised a hand to block him. He said in a muffled voice, “I am fine. Do not come over.”
As he spoke, he backed away step by step until his back hit the door. Huo Junnian stood still, looking at the youth with concern. Jiang Ling kept his head down and his body hunched, pressing himself against the door. Fortunately, he was covering his face, which was smeared with blood, making it impossible for anyone to see the color of his expression.
Looking at Jiang Ling in this state, Huo Junnian thought that they had accidentally injured something when they were scuffling earlier. He said with a caring tone, “Ling, let us go to the hospital to get checked.”
“No need,” Jiang Ling said expressionlessly.
At this moment, he was so ashamed that he wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. He could not stay here any longer, and he certainly could not go to the hospital. He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open, startling the two secretaries who had their ears pressed against it.
Jiang Ling covered his nose and asked, “Where is the restroom?”
The two secretaries, who had seen many big scenes, were stunned. Their hands instinctively pointed in a direction. Jiang Ling rushed toward that direction, not forgetting to say thank you. The two secretaries watched the boy vanish and remained dazed for three seconds. “You are welcome.”
They then looked into the messy conference room, locking their eyes on the man inside. Seeing Huo Junnian’s disheveled state, especially the striking bloodstain on his chest, they wondered what exactly had happened in there.
Jiang Ling rushed into the restroom and locked the door. He went to the sink, turned on the faucet, and buried his head under the water. He washed his face thoroughly until the blood was gone. The piercingly cold water cleared his congested brain a little. He looked down expressionlessly at the brother who had impulsively tried to stand up for him. Then, unable to restrain his turbulent emotions any longer, he clenched his fists and punched the door panel beside him heavily.
Ah! This is killing me! It is truly too embarrassing!
How could he fail at such a critical moment? Even if his brother wanted to stand up for him, it should not have been at a time like this, regardless of the occasion, time, or place! Jiang Ling did not know if Huo Junnian had noticed. If the man knew, he truly could not afford to lose face like this. The more he thought about what had just happened, the more he wanted to hit his head against the wall.
“Ling? Are you in there?” Huo Junnian’s voice came from outside, accompanied by a knock.
Jiang Ling’s movement stopped. He stared at the door for a few seconds. Just then, the door of a stall slowly opened, and a man wearing glasses poked his head out cautiously. Their eyes met. The man looked terrified. The air suddenly became still. The man said carefully, “Little brother, I just came in to use the toilet. Please do not hit the door yet.”
He had just sat down when he heard the loud banging on the door panels, which scared him so much that what was about to come out retreated.
Jiang Ling said, “Go ahead. I will stay for two minutes.”
“Oh,” the man replied, pulling his head back and closing the stall door.
Jiang Ling washed his face with cold water two more times before opening the restroom door. He saw Huo Junnian standing there, still in his blood-stained clothes, holding a key and preparing to unlock the door.
“I am fine,” Jiang Ling said.
Huo Junnian looked at the youth and frowned. The boy’s black hair was pushed back, and the wet tips were still dripping water, soaking the top of his clothes. This revealed his perfect and exquisite features. Without the bangs to hide them, his eyes appeared even more sharp and piercing. Huo Junnian looked at the boy’s half-soaked body and did not believe for a second that he was fine.
“I will take you to the hospital.”
“I said, I am fine.” Jiang Ling turned his head away, pursed his lips, and looked down. “That last time did not count. I am still not convinced. Let us compete again next time.”
Huo Junnian replied, “Fine, the last one does not count. We will compete whenever you want.”
“Then I am going back now,” Jiang Ling said, turning to leave.
However, in the next second, his wrist was gripped tightly. Huo Junnian said, “You are going the wrong way.”
Jiang Ling’s body stiffened. He stopped struggling and allowed his hand to be held as he followed Huo Junnian in the other direction. The two entered the elevator. The reflective panels of the elevator clearly showed their current appearance. Seeing the pool of untreated blood on the man’s chest, Jiang Ling’s breath hitched. He quickly looked away and said, “Do you want to go back and change your clothes?”
Huo Junnian replied, “No need. Did you not want to go back? I will take you first.”
Jiang Ling shut his mouth. The atmosphere in the elevator became somewhat awkward. Fortunately, the elevator was fast and reached the basement quickly. Once they got to the car, Jiang Ling unexpectedly did not sit in the passenger seat. Huo Junnian paused while pulling the seatbelt. He glanced back but said nothing. Jiang Ling noticed the movement and felt relieved when the man did not comment.
When Huo Junnian started the car, he turned up the temperature. Although it was summer, wearing damp clothes could easily lead to a cold. “Take off your shirt. I will turn up the heat.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling gripped the hem of his clothes. He straightened his back instantly and said hurriedly, “It is fine. I am not cold at all.” He then turned his head to look at the scenery outside.
However, he soon realized that this was not the direction to the Bai house. As the steering wheel turned, a hospital appeared before him.
“Get out of the car.”
As soon as Huo Junnian parked, staff came to greet them. This was a private hospital he had invested in. While Jiang Ling was in the restroom, he had called ahead. Jiang Ling blinked. He turned to Huo Junnian and said dryly, “I really, really am fine.”
Huo Junnian looked at him with an expression that brook no refusal. “Let us get a check-up first.”
He was mainly worried if the youth had other medical conditions. The incident had happened suddenly, but now that he was calm, he recalled that while he had used force, he had maintained a sense of proportion. Such a situation should not have occurred.
In the end, Jiang Ling had no choice but to undergo a check-up. After a series of tests, the conclusion was that he was as healthy as an ox. The only minor issue was an excessive internal heat in his liver, meaning he needed to cool down.
Jiang Ling scratched his head awkwardly. “Right, right. The food at home has been quite heavy lately. I have allergic rhinitis, so my nose is quite sensitive.” He then looked at Huo Junnian and said, “See, I am really fine. Can you take me home now?”
Only after knowing that Jiang Ling was healthy did Huo Junnian agree. “Then let us go.”
The two of them soon returned to the Bai residence. Huo Junnian stepped out of the car to see him off. Jiang Ling watched him approach and felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness. “Do you want to?”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted. The clumsy black-rimmed glasses on Jiang Ling’s nose were taken off by the man.
“Since you are not nearsighted, do not wear them anymore. You look better without them.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling’s eyelashes trembled involuntarily. He opened his mouth but eventually closed it. He reached out and took the glasses back from Huo Junnian, putting them back on. Jiang Ling looked at him and said, “I am not putting on this act just for you.”
Huo Junnian could not help but laugh. He nodded and said, “Fine, then I will give you two more pairs next time.”
Because the day’s events were so awkward, he did not have the courage to stay longer, fearing Huo Junnian would discover something. He urged, “I am going in. You should go back quickly too.”
Huo Junnian understood the urgency in his voice. Normally he would have said a few more words, but this time he did not as he had other matters to handle. “All right, I am leaving then.”
Jiang Ling nodded, hoping the man would leave quickly. He felt a sense of relief only after watching Huo Junnian drive away. After returning to the Bai house, Jiang Ling quietly bypassed everyone and snuck back to his room. After changing into clean clothes, he threw himself onto the bed and rolled around several times.
Ah! I truly wish this never happened!
However, in the evening, even if he wanted to forget, someone was there to remind him. Bai Mo came hopping over to find Jiang Ling, looking at him expectantly. “Brother, where is my photo card?”
Mentioning it made Jiang Ling go crazy. “Xiao Mo, how about I buy you a new one?”
The smile on Bai Mo’s face vanished. He asked carefully, “Did you lose it?”
Jiang Ling replied, “No.”
Bai Mo sighed. “That is good. Then why did you not bring it back for me?”
Jiang Ling did not know what to say. He could not exactly say that his reputation was ruined just to get that thing back. Soon, he thought of something and looked at Bai Mo. “Do you really like that Tang person?”
“Tang Qin,” Bai Mo supplemented. Hearing Jiang Ling’s question, he shook his head. “I do not. Yao Yao likes him.”
Jiang Ling frowned. “Who is Yao Yao?”
“Yao Yao is my deskmate.” Bai Mo suddenly became a bit shy. “If I lost it, she would be unhappy when school starts.”
Jiang Ling scratched his head and said irritably, “All right then. I will get it back for you next time. Tell your deskmate that this Tang Qin person is no good and she should find another celebrity to like.”
Although Bai Mo did not know why Jiang Ling said that, he agreed. “That will have to wait until school starts.”
Jiang Ling patted his head. “Fine, go play by yourself.”
When he was about to sleep that night, his phone vibrated. Jiang Ling opened it and saw a small red dot on the familiar avatar. Upon opening it and seeing the content, Jiang Ling froze in place.
Huo Junnian: “Ling, I thought back carefully on what happened today. I want to apologize for today. As an elder, my behavior was somewhat inappropriate and did not take your emotions into account. I did not know Tang Qin was your favorite idol, but regardless, this is my private matter.”
This was the only reason Huo Junnian could think of for Jiang Ling being angry today. On the other end, Jiang Ling jumped up from his bed in a panic. He read the last few words with horror.
What?! What on earth? Did he read that right? Whose idol was that person supposed to be?!