Chapter 9: “Smack—”
The three of them rushed to the location where Xie Shibai last disappeared without stopping. Straight down the corridor was the restroom.
The door was closed, and as they approached, they heard the sound of something inside crashing against the door.
In an instant, all their hearts rose to their throats, fearing they were too late.
Lu Ciheng’s heart sank. He shoved the door open and rushed in quickly, but stopped abruptly when he saw the situation clearly inside.
Seeing him stop, Assistant Lin became tense, already imagining the worst. “Why did you stop? Is he inside?”
The sound of running water could be heard, along with wails of pain.
Xie Shibai was washing his hands. Clear water rinsed over his slender fingers, washing them in a rhythmic and orderly sequence. After one pass, he immediately started a second repeated rinse, his fingertips and knuckles turning red from the friction.
Behind him on the floor lay an adult male with his head covered by a jacket, paralyzed on the floor next to shattered wine glasses, emitting painful wails.
Lu Ciheng hurried forward, staring Xie Shibai up and down. He anxiously wanted to check for any injuries he couldn’t see, but remembering Xie Shibai’s haphephobia, he could only hold back. “Are you hurt? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Xie Shibai was a bit surprised to see Lu Ciheng. His gaze fell on Assistant Lin, then once again on Lu Ciheng, a hint of confusion hidden in his eyes.
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t say much; the symptoms of his haphephobia were already starting to emerge.
Assistant Lin saw Xie Shibai standing safe and sound in front of the sink and couldn’t help but exclaim in delight, “Brother Xie! It’s so good that you’re okay. I was worried to death just now.”
Xun Peng struggled to pull at the clothes covering his face and shouted, “I’m going to sue you! A little star who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. It’s your blessing that I took a fancy to you. How dare you hit me! Do you know who I am?!”
Lu Ciheng cursed under his breath, his eyes filled with anger. He stepped forward, grabbed Xun Peng who was leaning there, and punched him!
Xun Peng wailed. His eyes were swollen from the beating, so he couldn’t tell who it was. “Who are you?! Do you know who I am?! I’m calling the police! I’m going to sue you until you’re bankrupt!”
Lu Ciheng landed another punch. “It’s your blessing that I’m hitting you.”
Xie Shibai stopped washing his hands, looking at Lu Ciheng with a bit of confusion.
Why is he so angry?
Xun Peng yelled, “Who are you?! I’m calling the police! Is there no law anymore?!”
Assistant Lin closely followed and joined the beating queue, cursing angrily, “You damn pervert!”
Zhuang Bo: “…”
The covering clothes fell aside. Xun Peng, who had been beaten in turns, had a bruised nose and purple face. His eyes were swollen to slits. It looked like he couldn’t dodge while his face was covered, getting beaten ruthlessly with every punch landing on flesh regardless of the spot.
Zhuang Bo gasped at the side.
The club manager and staff, who arrived late, first bowed and apologized to Lu Ciheng and Xie Shibai, then looked at Xun Peng’s condition.
The manager and staff paused when they saw Xun Peng’s state, looked at each other, and all sucked in a breath of cold air.
Seeing the club staff, Xun Peng clung to them like life-saving straws, shouting, “You are the club staff, right? Call the police! Call the police for me immediately! I’m a member here; detain these two immediately! I’m going to sue them until they’re bankrupt!”
Lu Ciheng blocked in front of Xie Shibai, rolling up his sleeves to reveal solid arms with veins pulsing with strength. His sharp, cold eyes stared directly, his expression unkind. “Go ahead if you have the ability. Just in time for us to properly settle today’s score.”
Xie Shibai wasn’t in a good mood. Although he had hit the man through clothes, the sensation of contact was still intense. The simple hand washing just now didn’t have much effect; he desperately wanted to spray disinfecting alcohol.
He had also lost a jacket.
“Since you want to call the police, then call.”
Hearing Xie Shibai’s voice, Xun Peng subconsciously shivered. Heaven knows it was like this at the start too. He thought Xie Shibai had a docile personality and knew to take off his clothes proactively. But as soon as the jacket was taken off, it was thrown over his head. Before he could react, fists suddenly attacked, each one landing solidly on his face.
No matter how he struggled, he was beaten down in two or three moves, with no power to fight back.
Then these people who rushed in, not knowing what they were doing, beat him up again. Especially the one wearing the hat—he didn’t know where those few punches landed, but the pain was particularly intense, so much so that he couldn’t straighten his waist even now.
Assistant Lin was so angry he went up and kicked him. “You damn pervert, you still have the nerve to mention calling the police. Just you wait, I’m sending you to jail!”
Seeing that a fight was about to break out again, the club staff quickly separated the two. Zhuang Bo was on the side telling Assistant Lin to calm down.
Xun Peng insisted on calling the police, so the staff took him to the lounge first. Assistant Lin hadn’t cursed enough and chased after him to continue the cursing match with Xun Peng. Zhuang Bo followed, afraid it would affect how things were handled.
For a moment, only Xie Shibai and Lu Ciheng were left in the lively restroom.
Lu Ciheng was somewhat worried about Xie Shibai’s physical condition, his black eyes staring closely, carefully observing his demeanor. “Teacher Xie, are you okay?”
Fine beads of sweat began to hide in the hair at Xie Shibai’s temples. The pain in his stomach was getting worse. The haphephobia symptoms came menacingly: his stomach cramped and tightened, nausea surged, and even the root of his tongue felt sour. The urge to vomit caused by acid reflux was excruciatingly painful, yet he couldn’t vomit even if he wanted to.
He pressed down on the sourness at the root of his tongue. “I’m fine.”
Xie Shibai prepared to leave. As soon as his body moved, a wave of dizziness and darkness hit him. He subconsciously reached out to support himself on the sink next to him, but his hand missed. His weightless body was about to crash into the decorative bonsai beside him.
The huge bonsai had lush branches and leaves. Before the sharp leaves could prick Xie Shibai, his waist was encircled by a strong arm, and he was pulled into a broad embrace. In an instant, the presence of the unfamiliar heat source and scent exploded. Xie Shibai’s body tensed like a cat on the verge of a stress reaction, his fingers suddenly clutching the solid arm tightly, not holding back his strength at all.
Lu Ciheng’s arm was scratched with several faint red marks. He pressed his brow slightly; this little pain was like a tickle.
Xie Shibai supported himself with his arms, his body leaning back in resistance, wanting to break free from this disguised embrace. His voice, usually calm, changed its tune. “Let go.”
Lu Ciheng held him steadily, lowering his eyes and speaking softly, “Don’t move around, you’ll fall if I let go. I know, Teacher Xie, you hate me touching you, but this is a special situation. I’ll let go once you stand steady.”
Strands of black hair stuck to Xie Shibai’s cheek. His arm began to itch, and the convulsions in his stomach seemed to be overpowered by the suddenly ignited anxiety. His lips were slightly pale. “I can stand.”
Lu Ciheng looked down at Xie Shibai in his arms and suddenly discovered a small red mole on the side of his neck. His black eyes stared straight at it. “Really let go? Teacher Xie, think carefully. If you fall, you might touch the spot that piece of trash whose name I don’t know just touched.”
Xie Shibai frowned. “Let go. I won’t fall. And it’s filthy.”
Lu Ciheng pressed his tongue against his cheek. The loosening grip suddenly tightened again. He lowered his eyes, his tone somewhat dangerous. “No way, honey, you’re disgusted by me at a time like this?”
Xie Shibai pushed Lu Ciheng away forcefully, his gaze cold. “You just punched Xun Peng. Aren’t your hands dirty? Go wash your hands.”
Lu Ciheng paused, his black eyes instantly lighting up.
So it wasn’t disgust, but concern for him.
Lu Ciheng’s lips hooked up, his smile brilliant as he obediently washed his hands.
Xie Shibai washed his hands again. Anxiety lingered around him, as if a pair of hands were still across his waist. The condition made him unusually irritable.
Lu Ciheng glanced at his arm, which had several red marks. “Honey, this is a work injury.”
Xie Shibai glanced at it without speaking. He desperately wanted to change clothes. The somatic acid reflux was difficult to calm down for a while; every second was torture.
Lu Ciheng dried his hands. “Teacher Xie, let me take you to the hospital.”
Xie Shibai paused and suddenly looked at Lu Ciheng.
Looking at the thin sweat on Xie Shibai’s forehead, Lu Ciheng sighed and said helplessly, “Don’t hide it from me at a time like this. You can’t even stand steady walking; does your stomach hurt a lot?”
Xie Shibai had guessed before that Lu Ciheng might have figured out his illness. “Not going.”
Lu Ciheng hummed ‘mm-hmm’ twice. “That means going.”
Xie Shibai said impatiently, “You have problems with your brain; do you have problems with your ears too?”
Lu Ciheng smiled. “My honey still understands me best. You got it right.”
“Sorry, Teacher Xie. You can hit me however you want later, but you must go to the hospital. Hiding sickness and avoiding treatment is not viable.”
Before Xie Shibai could react, Lu Ciheng picked him up by the waist, his destination clearly the hospital.
“Lu Ciheng!” Xie Shibai gritted his teeth and wanted to struggle, but Lu Ciheng was determined to take him to the hospital.
Just as they arrived at the parking lot, Lu Ciheng put him down. “Get in the car, Teacher Xie—”
Suddenly, with a smack, Lu Ciheng’s face took a solid slap.
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