Chapter 13

Under the yellow light in front of the small, fish‑scented shop, half of Chi Shen's face was stained red. Blood gathered along his jaw and dripped down, drop by drop.
Qiao Zhenzhen's anger flared. Gritting her teeth, she demanded of the bald man, "Who gave you the right to beat someone like this? Don't you know it's illegal? Do you want me to call the police and have you arrested right now?"
The bald man glanced at her impatiently and recognized her as the girl who had come looking for Chi Shen before. "Who the hell are you, little girl? Get the hell out. I'm in a bad mood and I don't care who you're with."
"Watch your mouth." Qiao Zhenzhen's face darkened.
The bald man sneered. "I sure as hell won't. What are you gonna do about it?"
He brandished the knife and closed in on Qiao Zhenzhen, the blade flashing cold. She shrank back in fear, just about to summon the courage to confront him, when a hand suddenly grabbed the wrist holding the knife.
The bald man looked up and met Chi Shen's icy gaze. Anger flared in his chest. "So you've got some guts now, huh? Let go!"
Speaking, she tried to wrench free.
Chi Shen stared at him with a steely gaze; his thin arm, barely half the thickness of the other man’s, held him fast.
The bald man struggled twice but couldn't break free. Irritated, he swung his other hand straight at his face.
Qiao Zhenzhen's pupils contracted. She wanted to shout for him to stop, but her favor meter had already hit zero; all she could do was watch his hand come down on Chi Shen.
A heavy slap landed. Chi Shen's face was turned aside and a little blood welled at the corner of his mouth, but his hand still clutched the bald man’s wrist. Qiao Zhenzhen watched his face slowly swell and felt tears spring to her eyes.
The bald man felt pain in his wrist and snarled, “You fucking, ”
“What’s all this yelling? Can't people sleep?” a middle-aged woman’s impatient voice carried from the shop.
Qiao Zhenzhen recognized Chi Shen’s mother’s voice and her eyes lit up. She was about to ask for help, but the woman stuck her head out, took one look, and muttered as she withdrew, “Damn it, never a moment’s peace. Beat him, beat him, one less to worry about. Just don’t fucking keep me from sleeping, alright…”
Qiao Zhenzhen felt the wind go out of her; her heart sank.
She took a deep breath and, while the bald man wasn’t expecting it, grabbed Chi Shen’s other hand. A flicker of surprise crossed his face; the gloom in his eyes melted like ink in water and, obediently, he let her pull him behind her.
The bald man, freed, rubbed the bruised wrist and swore as he hefted his knife, stepping forward. Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly said, “This place may be secluded, but it’s not without cameras. Move another step and you’ll answer for it.”
The bald man laughed at the threat. “Answer for what? I didn’t hurt you. I beat my own son, if he dies it’s family business. What’s that to you?”
“But the footage of you threatening me with a knife is already recorded,” Qiao Zhenzhen said coldly. “You can go find out who I am all you want. Just because others can’t touch you doesn’t mean I can’t.”
Most of what she said was bluff; she was betting the bald man, a small-time thug, had never seen the world and thought money bought him anything.
Sure enough, the bald man wilted at her words. He shot Chi Shen a vicious glare. “You wait until she’s gone, I’ll settle this with you later!”
With that he cursed and went back into the shop. The neighbors under the streetlight, seeing the fuss die down, drifted away, and the snack street emptied out.
Qiao Zhenzhen let out a long breath and fumbled through her bag. She found her phone and, trembling, dialed 120 while trying to reassure him in a quivering voice: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m calling an ambulance now, you’ll be okay…”
As she spoke, her finger struggled to press the numbers. Just as she hit the third digit, a cold, pale hand covered her phone.
She blinked and looked up at him.
“I’m fine. Don’t be scared,” he said in a hoarse voice.
Qiao Zhenzhen: “……”
“Not going to the hospital,” he added.
Her lips moved; before she could reply, he took the phone, locked it, stuffed it into her bag, then lowered his head and turned back into the shop.
Watching his calm retreating figure, a sharp pain stabbed Qiao Zhenzhen’s chest. She instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt. Chi Shen felt it and stopped.
“…Go to the hospital,” she drew a deep breath. “Right now.”
Chi Shen was silent.
“If you don’t go, I won’t leave.” She gritted her teeth.
For the first time he reacted, pressing his lips together and turning to look at her.
“Please…” Qiao Zhenzhen’s eyes were rimmed in red.
Something in Chi Shen finally softened.
Half an hour later, the emergency department.
“Oof, that’s a long gash, conservatively you’ll need about eight stitches. Young people don’t study hard and instead learn to fight. Do you realize if this wound had been an inch lower, you could have lost your eye?” the older doctor chattered as he cleaned the wound.
Qiao Zhenzhen watched for a while, then, because the cut looked so gruesome, she turned her face away and felt a stab of regret. If she hadn’t blown those eighty points of goodwill so easily today, maybe he wouldn’t be hurt.
“The system doesn’t have foresight, and the host doesn’t either, so don’t be so quick to blame yourself,” Xiao Ba suddenly offered.
Qiao Zhenzhen pressed her lips together and didn’t answer until the doctor said he was done.
“You were given anesthetic, sit out in the waiting area for half an hour before you go,” the doctor reminded them.
Qiao Zhenzhen thanked him, helped Chi Shen to his feet, and the two of them silently walked out of the emergency room.
It was almost midnight. Even the ER was quiet; the large waiting area held only the two of them.
Qiao Zhenzhen sat down beside Chi Shen. After a long moment she asked, “Does it hurt?”
“No,” Chi Shen answered.
She paused, then suddenly cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. His jaw was enveloped by the warm, soft hands and for an instant he froze; when he came back to himself, they were facing one another.
“If you have to say it hurts,” Qiao Zhenzhen said seriously, looking at him, “apart from those without pain nerves, everyone feels pain.”
Chi Shen held her steady gaze; his thin lips moved slightly.
“You had so many stitches, how could it not hurt?
When it hurts, don’t hold it in. Don’t let your body get used to pain. No one deserves to grow accustomed to suffering, that’s wrong.
Say it, say you’re in pain.”
Chi Shen’s lips, pale from blood loss, finally parted after a long while. “I… hurt,” he managed.
Qiao Zhenzhen’s heart ached even more and she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him.
For Chi Shen, this was his first embrace, and he froze, this softness was from a world utterly unlike his.
But that world held him anyway.
It felt wrong; the fishy smell on his skin would only soil that world.
Chi Shen snapped awake, panicked and unable to accept it. He took a hurried step back and broke free of her hug.
[Favorability +80, now 80 points]
Qiao Zhenzhen: “……”
After a brief silence, Chi Shen forced himself to turn his face away. “I don’t want to be friends with you.”
Qiao Zhenzhen was speechless. She reached out and poked the vein on the back of his hand.
[Affection +20, now 100 points]
“…What nonsense are you spouting? You probably dream about wanting to be my friend.” Qiao Zhenzhen shot him a sidelong glance.
Chi Shen pressed his thin lips together and said nothing.
Qiao Zhenzhen was about to press him further when a familiar figure caught her eye. She immediately stood to greet her. “Mom.”
Qin Jing was looking around; when she saw her she rushed over, grabbed her hand and scrutinized her carefully. Once she was sure she was all right, she finally relaxed and scolded, “You hang up without explaining, do I need your phone bill that badly?! Why are you going to the hospital in the middle of the night? Do you know how worried I was…”
“I know, I know,” Qiao Zhenzhen hurriedly interrupted. “Isn’t that why I called ahead? I didn’t want you to worry.”
Qin Jing glared at her. As she was about to reply, she noticed Chi Shen standing awkwardly behind her.
She paused, then frowned when she saw the bandage on his forehead.
“He wasn’t hurt in a fight,” Qiao Zhenzhen, knowing her mother too well, said softly, seeing the misunderstanding on her face. “His father hit him.”
Sure enough, Qin Jing’s expression softened into instant sympathy. She walked over to Chi Shen, examined him from head to toe, sighed, and asked, “Poor thing. The injuries aren’t serious, are they?”
“…No.” Chi Shen lowered his eyes.
Qin Jing sighed again and turned to Qiao Zhenzhen. “What should we do now? Can he go home?”
“He can’t go home, he’ll get beaten,” Qiao Zhenzhen quickly explained. “Why don’t we book him a hotel to stay in for one night?”
She needed some time to think about how to keep him from being hurt a second time.
“Stay in a hotel when you’re injured? Come to our house for now. Tomorrow I’ll meet your parents and we’ll talk this through,” Qin Jing decided after a moment.
Qiao Zhenzhen had expected her to relent, so she nodded subtly. “I don’t mind. After all, we’re classmates.”
Chi Shen hesitated. “No need…”
“That’s settled then. The driver’s waiting outside. If there’s nothing else, let’s go,” Qin Jing said decisively.
Qiao Zhenzhen immediately agreed. “Okay, let’s go.”
“I don’t have to, ”
“Do you want to make my mother unhappy?” Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly lowered her voice.
Chi Shen’s fingertips trembled. He looked up at Qin Jing’s fierce eyes, then fell utterly silent.
In the end, he muddled along back to her home.
It was past midnight. As soon as they arrived, Qiao Zhenzhen was sent back to her room, and Qin Jing personally took Chi Shen to the guest room.
“The other rooms aren’t ready yet; you can stay here for now. Don’t think about anything,” Qin Jing said as she led him to the room but didn’t go inside. “Get some rest, okay? You have to go back to school tomorrow.”
“…Thank you.” Chi Shen said slowly.
Hearing his slightly hoarse voice, Qin Jing guessed there was something wrong with his throat and her heart softened even more. “Be good. Sleep.”
With that she didn’t linger; she gently closed the door from the outside.
The room was left with only Chi Shen. He stood quietly in the finely decorated space and was suddenly struck by a feeling of being out of place and alone.
He stood in silence for a long time, finally reaching for the doorknob to slip out quietly. But the moment he pressed it, a soft voice came from outside: “Little mushroom, be a good boy, open the door, I want to come in.”
Chi Shen: “……”