Chapter 17

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Zhou Yanzhou didn’t catch it clearly. “What did you say?”

Chen Xi sighed, lacking the courage to repeat herself, and turned her head stubbornly. “Nothing.”

Zhou Yanzhou laughed dryly and deliberately tried to scare her. “I’m serious. Don’t think I’m exaggerating.”

Chen Xi rolled her eyes, annoyed. “Got it, got it.”

Zhou Yanzhou gave a cryptic smile but said no more.

Chen Xi had thought Zhou Yanzhou was bluffing, never expecting he was truly going to see her uncle about something.

When the car reached the corner near their home, Chen Xi didn’t want to be seen. She quietly told the driver to stop. The black Mercedes came to a steady halt at the intersection. Chen Xi clutched her backpack nervously and bent down to jump out of the car.

Zhou Yanzhou frowned when he saw how she hugged her bag tightly and slipped out of the car as if avoiding something.

Chen Xi deliberately lingered outside for a moment, waiting until the car disappeared around the corner and she was sure no one would misunderstand, then slowly stepped on the gravel by the roadside and walked into the yard with her backpack on her back.

The black Mercedes was already parked under the peach blossom tree in the yard, all the windows shut, with no sign of anyone inside.

As Chen Xi passed by the car, she purposely glanced at the back seat. It was empty.

She pressed her lips together, gripped the strap tighter, and took small steps toward the main hall.

Upon entering, she saw her aunt holding her little cousin playing with clay on the floor. Hearing footsteps, her aunt glanced sideways and scrutinized Chen Xi from head to toe.

Chen Xi instinctively stopped, not daring to take another step forward.

Li Qinyin noticed Chen Xi had worn a skirt when she left the house and showed a trace of suspicion on her face. She put her son back on the mat, crossed her arms, and took on a scolding tone. “Where have you been? A good young lady like you, always out and about.”

“Did you go out to play? With some boy?”

Chen Xi lowered her eyes and quietly explained, “I was studying at the city library.”

Her aunt sneered, clearly not believing her. “Not playing?”

Chen Xi didn’t argue and silently stood there without a word.

After a long pause, her aunt lost interest in questioning further and just said, “Play with your brother for a while, I’m going to put on a face mask.”

Chen Xi sighed and nodded to her aunt, then quietly walked to the sofa, set down her backpack, and squatted beside her little cousin to play with the clay.

The little cousin was very well-behaved, playing happily on his own.

After a while, Chen Xi was about to go upstairs to change when she suddenly heard a thud. The little cousin, who had been playing nicely, suddenly fell headfirst onto the floor and began to wail loudly.

Hearing the crying, Chen Xi hurried back anxiously and scooped up the fallen child.

Her cousin had hit his forehead on the coffee table, bleeding immediately. He struggled in pain, and Chen Xi barely managed to hold on to him.

Hearing the crying, Li Qinyin rushed out. Seeing the scene, she snatched the child away, and upon seeing the blood on his face, she slapped Chen Xi hard across the face and scolded, “I always thought you were a troublemaker! You can’t even watch a child properly.”

Chen Xi was stunned, holding her face and standing silently on the side, not daring to speak.

Li Qinyin was terrified seeing her son’s bloody face. She held her son and shouted hoarsely up to the second floor, “Lao Xu, your son is dying, why aren’t you coming down to take him to the hospital?”

After yelling, Li Qinyin glared fiercely at Chen Xi and pointed at her nose. “If anything happens to my son, I won’t let you off.”

Xu Jingqian, who had been discussing project details with Zhou Yanzhou in the upstairs study, heard his wife’s hysterical shouting. He apologized with a glance at Zhou Yanzhou and hurried downstairs without further pleasantries to check the situation.

Zhou Yanzhou followed calmly, unaffected.

But as they reached the second-floor corner, Zhou Yanzhou overheard Li Qinyin downstairs venting to Xu Jingqian, “If anything happens to my son today, do you think I’ll forgive her?”

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“This family—either she leaves or I do!”

“Xu Jingqian, I think you’ve truly lost your mind!”

Xu Jingqian was too worried about his son to argue. He put an arm around his wife’s shoulder and said they should go to the hospital to check on him first.

Once Xu Jingqian and his wife left, the once noisy hall instantly fell silent.

Chen Xi was so frightened her limbs went weak. Her legs gave out uncontrollably, and she collapsed onto the floor. She bit back the burning pain on her right cheek, looking pale as she stared toward the entrance.

She knelt on the ground, tears dripping uncontrollably.

At that moment, she felt as fragile as if she were being torn apart piece by piece.

Zhou Yanzhou looked at Chen Xi curled up in the corner of the sofa, her shoulders trembling, and felt a tickle in his throat.

He couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of life has this girl been living?

How did it come to this?

After standing for a moment, Zhou Yanzhou stepped down the steps, walked slowly to Chen Xi’s side, and stopped.

Chen Xi was completely unaware. She knelt on the floor, digging her nails into her palm, her gaze unfocused on a pool of blood on the floor, lost in thought.

Her swollen right cheek was red and raised, with clear finger marks showing the force used.

Zhou Yanzhou couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He bent down and reached out to grab her arm, trying to pull her up from the cold floor, but she stubbornly twisted away, and he failed to lift her.

He stared at her for a while, then asked kindly, “Why do you like hurting yourself so much?”

Chen Xi bit her lip tightly and said nothing.

Zhou Yanzhou sighed and coaxed, “The floor’s cold. Get up, then we’ll talk.”

Chen Xi remained silent.

Helpless, Zhou Yanzhou crouched down and gently touched her swollen cheek. His voice softened. “A girl’s face is precious. Come with me to the hospital, don’t let it scar.”

Somehow, Chen Xi was moved by his words. She sniffed and whispered, “I want to go to the People’s Hospital.”

Hearing that, Zhou Yanzhou’s eyes flickered with admiration. He stood up, scooped Chen Xi off the floor, dusted her off, and comforted her, “It’s no big deal. Relax.”

Chen Xi forced a weak smile but said nothing.

Since the driver wasn’t there, Zhou Yanzhou drove Chen Xi to the People’s Hospital himself. Chen Xi didn’t speak a word on the ride, her mood shrouded in a lingering gloom.

Zhou Yanzhou noticed her distant mind and realized that no matter how clever she was, she was still just a sixteen-year-old girl, unable to hide her emotions when hurt or embarrassed.

He wanted to say something comforting but feared hurting her pride, so he remained silent.

Unexpectedly, after arriving at the People’s Hospital, instead of going to orthopedics, Chen Xi headed straight for pediatrics, ignoring her own injury.

Xu Jingqian and Li Qinyin were waiting for the doctor to stitch their son’s wound. Seeing Chen Xi panting as she followed, Li Qinyin flew into a rage and cursed loudly.

Chen Xi stood by anxiously, watching her little cousin cry, too worried to argue.

Zhou Yanzhou, witnessing this from nearby, was speechless with anger.

Seeing Li Qinyin wildly striking Chen Xi while Xu Jingqian stood helplessly by, Zhou Yanzhou’s anger turned to bitter laughter. He strode forward, pulled Chen Xi behind him, and faced the furious Li Qinyin coldly, “Enough.”

“Can’t you see the girl’s face is still swollen? What, do you want to beat her to death before you’re satisfied?”

Zhou Yanzhou’s intervention immediately stopped Li Qinyin’s rampage.

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Xu Jingqian regained his senses and grabbed his wife’s hand. He looked at Chen Xi, hiding behind Zhou Yanzhou, with a complex expression and frowned. “Xi Xi, are you okay?”

Chen Xi’s pale face shook her head gently. “Uncle, I’m fine. Is my brother alright?”

Xu Jingqian awkwardly rubbed his nose and sighed, “Nothing serious, just a few stitches.”

Li Qinyin was still angry but sneered and carried her son into the examination room.

Xu Jingqian followed.

Before going in, he glanced back at Chen Xi, hesitated, and said, “Your aunt didn’t mean it. Don’t take it to heart.”

Chen Xi’s smile faltered. She smiled back obediently and said okay.

But once her uncle left, tears began to fall.

Zhou Yanzhou frowned and scolded in frustration, “I’ve never seen anyone so foolish.”

Chen Xi chuckled softly, shrugged, and looked innocent. “What else can I do?”

Her voice was so soft and light it seemed to drift in the wind, then vanish without a trace.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhou cleared his throat and said, “I’ll take you back.”

Chen Xi looked up and asked, “Back where?”

Zhou Yanzhou’s throat tightened. He paused, then asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Chen Xi blinked and whispered, “Anywhere is fine.”

After much thought, Zhou Yanzhou finally took her to the hotel where he was currently staying most often.

The entire way, Chen Xi was quiet, sitting silently in the car. If not for her open eyes, Zhou Yanzhou might have thought she was asleep.

Halfway there, passing a dessert shop, Zhou Yanzhou stopped the car, unbuckled his seatbelt, and went inside.

When he came back out, he held a skewer of candied strawberries and a piece of matcha tiramisu.

Chen Xi was still lost in her emotions, staring absentmindedly at the car ornaments, oblivious to what Zhou Yanzhou had done.

Only when the car door locked again and Zhou Yanzhou slipped the treats into her lap did she come to.

She looked down at the unexpected candy and cake, then glanced at Zhou Yanzhou with wide eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou restarted the engine, lowered the window, resting his long arm on the sill. With the other hand on the wheel, he focused on the traffic ahead.

The car drove slowly and steadily along Xiping Avenue without any bumps.

Chen Xi stared at the skewer for a few seconds and softly said, “Thank you.”

Zhou Yanzhou raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. Seeing her fingers clutching the candy, her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with tiny light, he smiled faintly. “Sometimes you just need a little sweetness.”

Chen Xi sensed his comfort and forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou didn’t press her.

The car stopped outside a five-star hotel near People’s Square. Zhou Yanzhou tossed the keys to the driver and led Chen Xi upstairs.

Passing the front desk, he paused briefly, considering whether to book Chen Xi a separate room.

But thinking of her being underage, he decided against it.

Chen Xi didn’t notice his complicated thoughts. Once inside the elevator, Zhou Yanzhou looked at her—completely unguarded—and half-smiled, teasing, “You’re so bold, just following me like this. Aren’t you afraid I might have bad intentions?”

She nodded.