Chapter 50

The boy stopped in his tracks, not daring to step forward again.

Xie Qin didn't say a word more than necessary; he simply walked up in silence, took off his black jacket, and covered her head with it.

Her view was completely blocked, and Shen Li leaned her forehead against his chest; those tears slid down her cheeks, hitting his clothes and blooming into small, damp stains.

Zhou Mingyu was stunned by this scene. "What the hell, what's going on here?"

Everyone wore a look of shock and confusion.

Qiao Lang, drinking his Li Ziyuan juice and biting on the straw, also felt something was off.

Several people wanted to step forward.

Xie Qin, who had been looking down, raised his head, his eyes turning sharper: "Don't come over!"

…

The quiet corridor of the emergency exit.

The voice-activated light overhead flickered on and off, and the noise of the shopping mall was completely shut out.

Shen Li sat on the steps, hugging her knees with her head bowed; the air around her was filled with the faint scent of cedar from him.

Xie Qin had seen many girls cry in front of him.

The reasons they cried were nothing more than being dumped or feeling heartbroken while begging to get back together.

And he had never had the habit of comforting girls.

This time…

Xie Qin crouched on one knee in front of her, looking down at those damp stains, his voice softer than before, carrying a gentleness he hadn't even noticed himself: "What are you crying for?"

Shen Li kept her head down, her body trembling, her knuckles white from pinching her fingers, as if she wanted to hide herself, remaining silent.

The lingering sobs were suppressed to an extremely low level.

The light overhead suddenly went out.

The narrow space plunged into darkness.

Only faint sounds drifted softly through the silent corridor.

Seeing she wouldn't respond, he simply stood up quietly, leaned against the cold wall, and picked up his phone to send a message.

After a few minutes passed.

The door to the emergency exit was pushed open.

Zhang Zixin handed over a pack of tissues.

Xie Qin reached out to take them.

Once the door closed, Xie Qin crouched down, pulled out a tissue, and clumsily wiped her tears.

It was his first time doing something like this.

Damn, why won't they stop.

"Stop crying, hmm?"

"Tell me who bullied you."

After a long while, Shen Li raised her wet eyes and looked at him, "Xie Qin…"

She called his name in a very soft voice.

"Hmm?"

Shen Li: "Can you not tell anyone else?"

Xie Qin crouched in front of her, his aura softening, and he curled his lips: "Are you begging me?"

Shen Li: "Yes."

Xie Qin: "Then tell me first what you're crying about, and I might consider not telling anyone about how embarrassing you were today."

Shen Li's long lashes, still hanging with undried tears, trembled and lowered slightly: "I lost my wallet, and all my tuition money was inside."

She lied.

Xie Qin frowned: "Where did you lose it?"

Shen Li's voice was muffled: "I don't remember."

Damn, just for this.

Xie Qin took his black leather wallet out of his pocket, opened it, took out a stack of cash, then put it back and took out a card for her: "Use this first."

"Pay me back when you find your wallet."

Shen Li looked at the card, dazed, her eyes still wet; she shook her head: "I don't want your money."

Xie Qin raised an eyebrow, his tone instantly becoming playful, tinged with teasing: "Oh? So you're planning to have me instead?"

"You've got quite an appetite! You want the money, and you want me too!"

Shen Li met his pitch-black eyes and asked him softly: "Why are you being good to me?"

In her understanding, there had never been anyone who would be good to another person for no reason.

Such kindness always came with strings attached.

Xie Qin was quite frank with her: "Didn't I say, I like you."

"…"

"Shen Li, I'm serious." There was a bit more sincerity in the way Xie Qin looked at her.

"I will always be this good to the person I like."

"Do you want to try it with me?"

He seemed to be taking advantage of her vulnerability.

Shen Li met his gaze, shook her head, and said to him slowly, every word measured: "You don't really like me; you just think I'm pretty, so you want me to be your girlfriend. Besides… we don't know each other, and we aren't familiar with one another; we shouldn't just establish a relationship like this. That would be irresponsible toward our feelings."

Xie Qin looked at her like this, lowered his head and laughed, then looked up at her again: "You're quite self-aware, knowing you're pretty."

"…Why are you so fun?"

Shen Li: "I don't think toying with someone else's feelings is a fun thing to do."

Tsk, she really… couldn't take a joke.

"Fine, I don't like you. Let's just be friends first, okay? Stop avoiding me, deal?" Xie Qin accused her of the school-based cold violence she had been using on him: "Do you know how hurtful what you said the other day was!"

"…Shen Li… I have never been rejected by anyone in my life!"

Shen Li lowered her eyes, feeling a bit guilty from his accusation: "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said such harsh things to you that day."

"In the future, I will try my best to control my temper."

After she went back, she had indeed reflected on it.

She had been in a bad mood that day and shouldn't have taken it out on him.

The words had indeed been a bit too harsh.

Xie Qin tilted his head to look at her and laughed, "So you know you have a bad temper? I'll forgive you this time, but next time, if you're this fierce to me again…"

"Never mind, just be careful next time."

Shen Li pursed her lips and nodded seriously.

Xie Qin: "You really won't avoid me anymore?"

She shook her head.

Xie Qin stuffed the folded tissue into her hand, "Wipe yourself."

In the KTV room, they had already been singing for half an hour.

Zhou Mingyu held the microphone, belting out a high-pitched version of "Love Even If I Die," completely off-key and painful to the ears.

Xu Zhouyuan kicked him down, "…What the hell kind of crap are you singing? If I have nightmares tonight, it's on you. Shut your mouth right now."

"You dare kick your daddy? See if I don't kill you."

The two of them went back and forth, bickering in the room, though it was just playful fighting that wouldn't hurt their friendship.

Xu Zhouyuan threw himself into Zhang Zixin's arms, "Wife, your husband got beaten up. Help me kill him."

Zhou Mingyu: "Xu Zhouyuan, you're just a coward. If you've got guts, get up and let's go outside for a one-on-one."

"Fine, you're the best! I surrender, okay? You're the best, you're the most awesome."

After the two of them made a scene for a while, they were both too tired to move and sat on the sofa to call a truce.

Zhou Mingyu picked up a slice of watermelon from the fruit platter and took a bite; it was quite sweet.

"…How long has it been? Don't tell me they're off to a hotel to make babies while he's busy comforting her."

Xu Zhouyuan: "Hard to say, let's see. With Brother Qin's stamina, an hour or two in bed is no problem."

Zhang Zixin, who was nearby, rolled her eyes at both of them, "Do you two have to be so disgusting? What kind of trash is in your heads?"

Zhao Zhouyuan sat in the corner, using her phone to send several messages.

The ones from fifteen minutes ago still hadn't been replied to.

However, just at this moment.

Speak of the devil.

Xie Qin pushed the door open, and Shen Li walked in first, wearing that black jacket.

He followed behind, looking down at messages on his phone…