Chapter 19: Then I Will Protect You
Noises started outside the door. Chi Qiulin was about to call for help when a cold hand suddenly covered his mouth. A familiar voice whispered in his ear, “Don’t make a sound.”
Chi Qiulin instinctively nodded, and the other person removed their hand.
Hearing the footsteps outside gradually fading away, Zhou Xuan continued, “There’s a switch on the left wall, level with your shoulder. Turn on the light.”
Chi Qiulin quickly did as he was told. The moment the light illuminated the laboratory, Chi Qiulin’s breath hitched.
Zhou Xuan was sitting on the floor, his clothes disheveled, his body covered in large and small bruises and wounds. The bandage on his eye was loose and coming undone.
Chi Qiulin was stunned. “You…”
Zhou Xuan managed a weak smile. “I’m fine.”
Chi Qiulin hurried to help him up, but found the boy almost had no strength, collapsing limply to the side.
The frail Chi Qiulin was helpless, so he sat beside him, anxiously asking, “How did you get yourself into this state?”
Zhou Xuan sighed helplessly. “Probably bullying.”
“Bullying should be reported to teachers and parents immediately,” Chi Qiulin said indignantly, taking Zhou Xuan’s hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to the teacher—”
“No, no…” Zhou Xuan panicked. “I’ve already told my father. He’ll take care of everything.”
Chi Qiulin was doubtful. “Really?”
Zhou Xuan nodded firmly. “Really.”
Chi Qiulin stared at Zhou Xuan’s left eye for a long time. He naturally didn’t believe the boy’s explanation, but since the boy didn’t want him to interfere, he didn’t press further. After all, they were only new classmates.
Lost in thought, the boy beside him seemed to shiver. Chi Qiulin looked at him. Even in the hot summer, the science building was unusually cold. The sweat from being outside hadn’t dried yet, and the coolness of the lab felt exceptionally cold.
Thinking this, Chi Qiulin instinctively moved closer to the boy. Seeing the boy didn’t resist, he put an arm around him, boldly saying, “This will be warmer.”
The boy didn’t respond to this unnecessary explanation, but he slowly raised his hand.
Chi Qiulin thought he was going to push him away and was about to release his arm, but he found the boy simply raised his hand to his head and carefully re-wrapped the bandage on his eye.
“Hey, Xiao Zhou,” Chi Qiulin thought for a moment, finally coming up with a more intimate term, “If you have any problems in the future, you can tell me. Look at all these injuries; your parents will be so worried.”
Zhou Xuan looked at the serious Chi Qiulin, but instead of answering his question, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Chi Qiulin felt embarrassed. He couldn’t say he was here because he skipped class after being kicked out by the teacher! After thinking it over, he said solemnly, “You weren’t back in class, so I was worried and came to look for you.”
The boy was silent for a long time, his voice distant. “Don’t meddle in my business in the future.”
Chi Qiulin felt even more awkward, standing there helplessly, unsure what to do.
Meanwhile, footsteps outside were getting closer. Suddenly, the boy hugged Chi Qiulin tightly, whispering, “Are you scared?”
With the thick door panel as a shield, Chi Qiulin pretended to be brave, feigning confidence, “Scared of what? Just a bunch of bullies who pick on weak students. I’ll go out and beat them up.”
The boy continued, “What if they have knives? Aren’t you afraid then?”
Chi Qiulin froze.
The boy finally smiled, whispering in Chi Qiulin’s ear, “If they have knives, then I’ll protect you.”
【Author’s Note: I’m back! La la la!】
Chapter 20: The Ones with Knives
Chi Qiulin naturally didn’t believe the boy’s words. Just as he looked at him, the sounds of approaching footsteps stopped at the doorway.
Having never experienced school bullying, Chi Qiulin felt uneasy. He instinctively hugged the boy tighter, continuing to wait with him in the lab, their bodies close, listening to the different rhythms of each other’s hearts.
After a long silence, Chi Qiulin couldn’t bear to look at the boy’s wounds and finally asked, “How did you provoke them?”
The boy didn’t answer but asked, “Do you think the people outside have knives?”
Chi Qiulin felt a chill run down his spine; he didn’t respond for a long time.
“Let’s go see,” the boy said, breaking free from Chi Qiulin’s embrace and limping towards the door.
Chi Qiulin was startled and frantically chased after him, grabbing the boy’s wrist. “They can’t open this door. We’ll be fine if we don’t go out, but you’re throwing yourself to the wolves right now!”
“Let go.”
The boy’s tone was cold and distant, and Chi Qiulin numbly released his grip.
The boy suddenly exerted force, pushing the unsuspecting Chi Qiulin behind the door and then opening it without hesitation.
The sound of iron chains scraping against the floor echoed outside. Hiding behind the door, Chi Qiulin felt his heart pounding at the sound so close.
“Aha, you’re here! Come on, guys.”
“Brother Xiao, this guy’s pretty tough this time. What if we kill him?”
“It’s fine. I’ll take the blame if we kill him. He asked for it. Whose fault is that?”
The sound of fabric rubbing was incessant. Chi Qiulin cowered behind the door, terrified, worried about the boy’s safety but too afraid to run out.
The boy seemed to be kicked to the ground, left at their mercy. Chi Qiulin could bear it no longer and resolutely rushed out, intending to help the boy up.
He thought that if he was fast enough, he could get the boy out of the science building safely.
But Chi Qiulin’s plan was too simple, or rather, he underestimated the group’s malice.
The several people were startled by Chi Qiulin’s sudden appearance, and Chi Qiulin used this opportunity to help the boy who was huddled on the ground.
The expressionless boy looked visibly panicked when he saw Chi Qiulin. “What are you doing out here—”
Before he could finish, the two were surrounded by thugs wielding various weapons.
Even sitting on the ground, the boy’s demeanor didn’t weaken. He said coldly, “This person has nothing to do with me. Let him go.”
The thugs naturally ignored him, laughing, “Why should we listen to you? Because you can take a beating?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA…”
“Let’s beat him up together!”
As a thug’s nunchaku swung towards Chi Qiulin, the boy reacted quickly, shielding Chi Qiulin from the heavy blow.
The boy let out a muffled groan and quickly said, “I’ll create an opportunity for you. Run and get the teacher.”
Chi Qiulin nodded firmly.
The next second, the boy quickly let go of Chi Qiulin and charged towards a person holding a dagger.
The person, seeing the boy charging, instinctively tried to retract his hand holding the knife, but the boy pressed down, throwing himself forward without hesitation.
The sound of the blade piercing flesh was barely audible, but it was enough to make everyone stop, looking at the boy helplessly.
The person holding the knife was silent for a moment, then sneered, nonchalantly saying, “Do you know that even if you die, I can still escape responsibility?”
“Xiao An,” the boy’s voice trembled slightly, but his tone remained calm. He leaned in close to Xiao An’s ear and whispered something only they could hear.
Xiao An’s expression changed. His hand holding the knife suddenly spun the handle. The boy, unable to bear the pain, collapsed onto Xiao An’s shoulder, only to be kicked to the ground.
Having done this, Xiao An’s gaze once again fell on the petrified Chi Qiulin. Chi Qiulin finally snapped out of it and ran towards the door.
【Author’s Note: Xiao An is a temporary name. He’s an important person in the flashback. I just gave him a random name because… I don’t like this person.】