A beam of glaring light shot over.
Xie Jin tilted his head, his angular profile sharply defined. He frowned and squinted, about to speak when—
Wu Liang’s booming voice made his head throb: “Holy shit, Xie Jin, are you trying to die?”
It was the first time he’d seen Xie Jin so disheveled—leaning against a grimy wall in an alley, one long leg stretched out stiffly, the other bent, elbow propped on his knee.
His pant legs were casually rolled up, revealing a large purple bruise on his leg.
He leaned his head back against the wall, as relaxed and at ease as if lounging on his own sofa.
And he was actually fucking smiling while on the phone.
The bright light made it hard for Xie Jin to open his eyes. He turned his head away, jaw tight, teeth clenched: “You’re the one trying to die. Turn off that damn phone of yours.”
His hand suddenly empty—Xie Jin’s phone was snatched away.
He tried to get up and grab it back, but having sat for too long, his leg was both painful and numb. He stumbled and fell back down.
Wu Liang heard Zhu Zhixi’s voice, trembling slightly: “Where are you, Xie Jin?”
“In the alley behind Quan Ting. You might still catch his last moments.”
Zhu Zhixi’s legs were shaking.
“Are you insane?” Xie Jin pushed himself up against the wall. “Scaring her—is that fun?”
“You’re the insane one.”
Wu Liang shone the glaring light directly at him, cursing as soon as he opened his mouth: “You’re not going to the hospital, not going home, just playing the sentimental fool here. Don’t tell me those injuries weren’t from Zhu Huaiqian and Gu Qishen’s crew.”
“Who is Zhu Zhixi? Are you out of your fucking mind? First, you get beaten up by her brother, then you sit in this godforsaken corner flirting with her.”
“Did she bring you supplements or some kind of love potion? Did it rot your brain?”
“She likes Gu Qishen.”
“Gu Qishen.”
Wu Liang’s chest heaved, furious.
“I know,” Xie Jin’s eyes lowered.
The alley fell silent.
Wu Liang’s hand hung loosely at his side, the phone’s light casting a hazy glow.
From a distance, Zhu Zhixi saw two figures, their outlines blurred yet tall and lean in the halo of light.
She called out, “Xie Jin.”
Sure enough, one of the figures moved.
Her steps immediately quickened. Seeing Xie Jin pull his lips into a smile and tease, “Did you fly here? That was fast.”
Zhu Zhixi pursed her lips, her eyes growing hot, on the verge of tears.
She looked him up and down—his clothes were stained with dirt, but she couldn’t see where he was injured.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
Wu Liang lifted his foot and kicked Xie Jin’s calf.
Xie Jin hissed, his leg trembling as his body swayed. Zhu Zhixi’s heart trembled along with it.
She immediately reached out to steady him.
The girl’s back was slender, carrying a faint fragrance that drifted into his nostrils.
Through the fabric of their clothes, half of Xie Jin’s body grew warm. The loose strands of her ponytail brushed against his jaw, stirring a tingling sensation.
Her breath was fragrant, her body warm.
Xie Jin’s throat moved as he tried to push her away: “I’m dirty.”
Zhu Zhixi wrapped her arms around his waist, not letting go. “You’re not.”
She was so worried about his leg.
Guilt weighed Zhu Zhixi down, her eyes growing damp: “Was it Zhu Huaiqian?”
Xie Jin: “No.”
Wu Liang let out a long, helpless sigh.
Damn, this guy was beyond saving.
At the hospital, Xie Jin’s leg was X-rayed, and the external injuries on his back were treated.
They were waiting for the results.
Zhu Zhixi sat quietly beside Xie Jin, her eyelids lowered, nervously picking at her smooth, delicate fingers.
Her phone kept ringing, but she didn’t answer.
"Your phone is ringing, go answer it. I'm fine," Xie Jin looked at her.
Zhu Zhixi shook her head, still lowering her gaze to stare at his leg. Her thick, slightly curled lashes were damp, her eyes rimmed with moisture, as if submerged in a pool of water.
She looked on the verge of tears.
Zhu Zhixi’s heart was shrouded in fear and unease. What if it ended the same way as in her past life?
What would happen to Zhu Huaiqian?
What would happen to Xie Jin?
"Does it hurt a lot?" Her voice was soft and gentle. She wanted to touch Xie Jin’s leg but didn’t dare.
Xie Jin’s heart softened, unable to speak harshly, and he couldn’t bear to see her blaming herself like this. "Miss, you’ve asked eight hundred times already. It really doesn’t hurt."
As soon as he said it.
He saw tears welling up again in Zhu Zhixi’s eyes.
He really didn’t know how to comfort a girl.
His deep, defined features showed a hint of helplessness. He clicked his tongue, his fingers brushing against Zhu Zhixi’s cheek—soft, smooth, and cool to the touch.
Zhu Zhixi raised her teary eyes to look at him.
It made his heart melt.
"When I was little, I mimicked someone walking with a limp. My dad thought there was really something wrong with my leg and took me to several doctors. All the checkups came back fine. In the end, he found some old Chinese medicine practitioner somewhere. Guess what happened?"
Zhu Zhixi looked at him with tear-filled eyes and shook her head.
Xie Jin chuckled. "That old doctor just scolded me and told me to walk properly. The other doctors before him were too afraid to yell at me because of my dad’s status."
Zhu Zhixi was too downcast to realize Xie Jin was sharing his embarrassing story to cheer her up.
Still, her full, rosy lips finally curved into a faint smile.
Xie Jin really was quite a troublemaker.
"But this time is different."
This time, he was really injured.
The light fell on her fair, glowing face, making the redness at the corners of her eyes even more pronounced, tears brimming and spilling over.
Xie Jin’s chest felt full and tight. No one had ever worried about him to the point of tears.
He curled his long, pale fingers and brushed away the tear at the corner of Zhu Zhixi’s eye. The clear teardrop smeared into a wet streak.
His fingers were damp.
Zhu Zhixi’s lashes trembled. She lowered her head, using her hair to hide as she wiped the corner of her eye.
Xie Jin curled his damp fingers, awkwardly turning his head away.
Damn, he’d actually wanted to taste what her tears were like.
Finally, the X-ray results came, and they took them to the doctor.
Xie Jin’s leg had a minor fracture.
It felt as if a weight had been lifted from Zhu Zhixi’s heart.
Yet, the corners of her eyes remained red.
Even after leaving the hospital, the redness hadn’t faded.
Half from crying, half from anger, she now only wanted to find Zhu Huaiqian.
Leaning on Wu Liang’s shoulder for support, Xie Jin watched as Zhu Zhixi got into the car. Wu Liang leaned in close. "Gu Qishen’s childhood friend—when did you get involved with her behind my back?"
Xie Jin pushed him away. "Study more Chinese and improve your literary skills."
"When exactly?" Wu Liang persisted.
Xie Jin raised an eyebrow and replied.
"Now."
What a liar.
Zhu Zhixi called Zhu Huaiqian and found out he was at Quan Ting.
Pushing open the private room door, she recognized everyone inside.
Old friends she used to hang out with privately.
Everyone knew Zhu Zhixi had been at odds with Gu Qishen these past few days. Now, seeing her arrive, Li Yaozi, sitting beside Gu Qishen, felt a bit awkward.
Gu Qishen glanced up but said nothing.
Zhu Zhixi’s direction was clearly not toward him.
Zhu Huaiqian was just opening the dice cup when a pair of slender hands snatched the dice before he could even see the numbers.
Frowning, he looked up and met Zhu Zhixi’s murderous gaze.
A men’s bracelet was thrown into his lap—Zhu Zhixi had picked it up in the back alley of Quan Ting, and she recognized it as Zhu Huaiqian’s.
“Xie Jin’s leg is fractured. You did it.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement.
Everyone knew Gu Qishen and Xie Jin were sworn rivals, and Zhu Zhixi was here to demand answers for Xie Jin.
What was this about?
All eyes turned to Gu Qishen and Zhu Huaiqian.
Gu Qishen’s gaze darkened, shadows gathering beneath his eyelids.
Zhu Huaiqian calmly put on the bracelet and denied it with a composed expression. “No.”
The alley behind Quan Ting was in a demolition zone—no cameras.
Zhu Zhixi was furious.
All night, she had been on edge, fighting back tears she couldn’t shed, worrying about what would happen to Zhu Huaiqian if something really went wrong.
Hah.
Biting her lip, the emotions she had suppressed all night surged forth. She grabbed the glass in front of Zhu Huaiqian and splashed its contents onto his indifferent face.
“Zhu Zhixi, are you insane?”
Zhu Huaiqian wiped his face, stood up, and shouted at her.
“You’re the one who dares to do it but won’t own up. I found the bracelet right out back. How can you say it wasn’t you?”
Zhu Huaiqian gritted his teeth. “So what if it was me?”
Zhu Zhixi wanted to throw another drink at him. “Did you ever think about what would happen if Xie Jin’s leg was crippled, injured, damaged, or disabled?”
“What could happen? I’d give him my life.” Zhu Huaiqian had a reckless temper.