Chapter 35 "Good boy".
The air was stuffy and still, with only the pounding of her heartbeat on her eardrums. Tang Ci swallowed hard, her throat dry, and after a moment asked in a low voice.
"You remembered?"
Sheng Yu was amused by her shocked tone and vigorously rubbed her head: "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Tang Ci noticed the probing look in his eyes and hurriedly looked away: "...I thought this wasn't important."
Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
Tang Ci fell silent, her thin lips moved slightly, and she said in a low voice, "Let's hurry out, or they'll be chasing us."
Sheng Yu said nothing more, stepped out of the shadows first, and then reached out her hand.
The moment Tang Ci's fingertips touched her, Sheng Yu gripped her hand tightly and pulled her out of the dead end.
On the bluestone pavement at the intersection, there were still embers of cigarette ash, and you could still smell the lingering pungent odor if you walked closer.
Sheng Yu scoffed at the sparks on the ground and pulled Tang Ci around them.
Tang Ci was familiar with the terrain. He looked around and determined which road was closest to the exit.
She hesitated, tightened her fingers, and whispered, "I heard Lin Yao say that someone was guarding the exit."
Sheng Yu didn't stop walking: "Don't worry about it."
Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, calmed down, and Tang Ci whispered "Oh," suddenly feeling no longer afraid.
Sheng Yu took large strides, but slowed down to take care of Tang Ci.
As they rounded a long, narrow alley, footsteps suddenly sounded behind them, and the bald man's loud, boisterous voice grew closer, as if he were about to spot them any second.
Tang Ci's heart tightened, and she lost her footing, stepping on a pile of withered branches and fallen leaves. The rustling sound was particularly loud in the quiet.
"Who's there—"
Accompanied by the bald man's loud shout, the bright beam of a flashlight shone in.
Sheng Yu immediately pulled her forward, but after only a few steps, the intersection ahead was already blocked by people.
In the critical moment of being surrounded from both sides, Sheng Yu suddenly pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Tanshui Road is just outside this wall. I'll carry you up the wall, and you have to run all the way to Jinrong Street. The police station is at the street entrance."
His rapid-fire speech paused for a moment, then he asked sternly, "I need you to bring the police to rescue me. Can you do that?"
Tang Ci's eyes instantly reddened, and she shook her head, saying, "No, I can't leave you."
Sheng Yu swallowed hard: "You're helping me by going out."
Tang Ci choked, knowing he was right, but still gripped his palm tightly.
Sheng Yu broke free of her right hand, forcefully lifted her cheek, looked into her eyes, and asked again, "Xiao Ci, can you do it?"
Tang Ci sniffed, then nodded vigorously and said yes.
A cold laugh rang out from the intersection. Lin Yao arrived late, standing in the center of a group of thugs. He looked at the two people embracing each other with a fierce gaze: "I originally just wanted to teach your woman a lesson, but since you've come here on your own, don't blame me for being impolite."
Sheng Yu looked at the gleaming silver dagger in his hand and sneered, "Ye Zifei has become bolder with all his flying. It seems I didn't hit him hard enough last time."
As he spoke, he bent down and picked up a piece of dead wood from the ground, then slowly bent down and hugged Tang Ci's leg.
When the enraged Lin Yao rushed in, he quickly got up and put Tang Ci on his shoulder.
Tang Ci climbed up the wall without waiting for her to look back.
Sheng Yu gently patted her back and shouted, "Run!!"
As Tang Ci jumped off the wall, her tears fell to the ground.
With only Sheng Yu's command ringing in her ears, she used all her strength to run quickly towards Jinrong Street.
The street scenes on both sides of the road were left behind her. Finally, when she reached the street corner, she collided with a group of people and fell to the ground with a thud.
Tang Ci looked at the police station not far away. Before she could apologize to the person she bumped into, she stumbled and scrambled to her feet, rushing toward the police station's main entrance.
The person who was hit grabbed her arm: "Tang Ci!! It's me! Where's Sheng Yu?!"
Tang Ci blinked hard through her blurry eyes, finally recognizing Zhou Yiyang. She pointed to a dark alley in the distance and shook off Zhou Yiyang's hand: "Call the police! I'm going to call the police!"
Zhou Yiyang frowned, patted Tang Ci's shoulder, and said in a calm tone, "Don't cry, Brother Yu will be fine."
After saying that, Zhou Yiyang led Jin Ming and ran into the alley.
Tang Ci rushed into the police station and quickly explained what had happened.
The policewoman on duty remained calm, contacting the command center to retrieve surveillance footage while handing her several tissues.
"Wipe it off."
After Tang Ci took it, she wiped her face and saw her own tear-stained face reflected in the glass door. She quickly wiped it off and then looked at the policewoman.
She was involved in the incident and knew the exact location. When the policewoman and her team went to the scene, they also took Tang Ci, who was anxiously waiting, with them.
The thugs who were staking out the intersection had already scattered like birds when they heard the police sirens, and the policewoman, led by Tang Ci, ran into the alley.
The closer they got to the narrow alley, the louder the sounds of fighting became, and the more tense Tang Ci's mind became.
This taut string, upon seeing the scene in the alley, completely crossed the threshold and snapped with a clang.
In the midst of the chaotic brawl, Sheng Yu pinned Lin Yao to the ground and forcefully snatched the dagger from his hand.
Tang Ci almost immediately recalled the scene of the first time she witnessed Sheng Yu fighting.
The scene before my eyes seemed to be a replica of that night.
The same pitch-black night, the same bloodstained blade, and Sheng Yu with the same cold and stern face, gripping the knife.
Tang Ci's hands and feet were ice-cold, and her hoarse throat could only utter a weak "No."
Amidst the loud sirens, Sheng Yu looked up through the red and blue lights, met Tang Ci's eyes, and silently said, "Don't be afraid."
The next second, he threw the dagger on the ground.
Tang Ci burst into tears.
/
After the statement was taken, the whole story became clear.
Lin Yao's group was the troublemakers and was carrying a controlled knife. He was sternly reprimanded by the police and taken into the detention room.
Sheng Yu and Zhou Yiyang and Jin Ming, who arrived later, received criticism and education from the policewoman.
"If you have a problem, call the police. Don't try to solve everything yourself."
"Everything's fine now, but what if something really happens? Will you regret it?"
"Don't take advantage of your young age to do whatever you want..."
The policewoman, tired of training, glanced at Tang Ci, who was sitting obediently on the stool: "Look how scared that girl is. She was crying like a baby when she came to report the crime."
Tang Ci shrugged shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and explained, "My classmate came to help me."
"Alright, I know you two have a deep bond, but even the best of relationships need to take care of your own safety!" The policewoman took a sip of water, her tone sharp, and asked routinely, "Have you confessed everything you need to? Have you missed any details?"
Zhou Yiyang snorted coldly: "They're still [illegible], I found cigarette ash at the intersection."
The policewoman's expression changed drastically upon hearing this: "Tell me the exact location, and I'll send someone back to the scene right now."
Sheng Yu raised his eyes and said emotionlessly, "It's useless. It was all destroyed during the fight."
The policewoman frowned and sighed softly.
Tang Ci hesitated for a second, then took out the new phone from her bag and handed the video she had taken to the policewoman: "I filmed them taking drugs, but it's not very clear."
The policewoman picked up her phone and watched the shaky video for a few seconds, then patted Tang Ci's hand: "Good girl, this is very clear."
After the policewoman finished speaking, Sheng Yu glanced at Tang Ci's blushing cheeks as if she were not paying attention.
Next, Tang Ci was made to give a statement about the incident, and she was not released until after 2 a.m.
As soon as they stepped out of the police station, their tense emotions from the entire night dissipated.
Jin Ming clicked his tongue: "Brother Yu, why were you so impulsive today? You didn't even tell us before you came."
They had challenged Lin Yao to fight many times before, and Sheng Yu had always made proper arrangements. He never expected Lin Yao to be so reckless as he was today.
Zhou Yiyang, a mocking smile playing on his lips, glanced at him and retorted, "Why do you think that is?"
Sheng Yu didn't reply, his hands in his pockets, his face returning to its usual calm, without the anxiety he had shown at the bar.
Jin Ming paused and looked at Tang Ci, who was following behind Sheng Yu, and suddenly realized the bookworm's true status.
The topic gradually shifted to Lin Yao. Hearing Jin Ming's indignant tone, Tang Ci's drowsiness dissipated, and she opened her eyes wide.
It turns out that Lin Yao and they went to the same junior high school. Back then, Lin Yao approached Sheng Yu in order for his father to get a promotion. Through his intentional or unintentional attempts to gain sympathy, Sheng Yu accepted him as a friend.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yao repaid kindness with enmity. He had become involved with some thugs in society and even tried to trick Sheng Yu into using drugs with him.
After discovering this, Sheng Yu immediately called the police, which led to Lin Yao being disciplined by the school. After taking a six-month leave of absence, he went to a vocational high school and harbored resentment towards Sheng Yu ever since.
After the conversation ended, Jin Ming still spat out a word of disdain: "Lin Yao, that coward, will be taught a lesson when he goes in."
Tang Ci listened attentively, but stumbled as she went down the steps and fell onto Sheng Yu's back.
Sheng Yu turned and put his arm around her. When Tang Ci's cheek brushed against his arm, she smelled the rusty scent.
She suddenly opened her eyes wide, tugged at his sleeve, and saw a bright red scar on his arm.
The wound had already clotted, but the dark bloodstains around it were shocking.
"Why didn't you say you were injured?" Tang Ci asked anxiously, her tone harsh.
Sheng Yu lifted his eyelids and glanced indifferently at his arm: "Minor injury."
Tang Ci's lips tightened into a straight line. She loosened his sleeve slightly, looked around but didn't see a clinic with its lights on, so she softly advised, "Let's go to the hospital."
Looking at her bloodshot eyes, Sheng Yu said helplessly, "The hotel has a first-aid kit."
Tang Ci wrinkled her nose and examined the location of his wound: "But you can't bandage it yourself."
"Then what should we do?" Sheng Yu asked lazily, answering himself, "We can only ask someone for help."
Jin Ming immediately opened his mouth, but Zhou Yiyang slapped him on the back of the head, shutting his mouth.
Zhou Yiyang laughed: "I'm afraid it's not possible for the two of us. We've had several calls from home urging us to come back."
Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow, his deep gaze fixed on Tang Ci.
Tang Ci tugged at the hem of her clothes and whispered, "Then... I'll help you finish this before going home?"
/
Tang Ci stood in front of the table, holding gauze and iodine in her hands, with her back to Sheng Yu for a while.
Sheng Yu sat shirtless on the edge of the bed, his voice flat: "Did you find it?"
Tang Ci swallowed hard, turned around, and hummed in response with her eyes lowered.
The hotel lights were warm and bright. Sheng Yu slightly parted his knees, pointed his fingertips at the blanket, and said half-jokingly, "I'm a little afraid of pain."
Tang Ci rubbed against his legs, her fingers touching his cleaned wound: "Then I'll be gentle."
She kept her word, and her movements throughout the bandaging process were exceptionally gentle, just like the breath that caressed his skin. She only used a little force when applying the adhesive tape at the end.
Sheng Yu immediately hissed.
"Does it hurt that much?" Tang Ci raised her hand helplessly, embarrassed, and said, "Why don't you hold me?"
She reached out her hand to him, but Sheng Yu misunderstood and put his hand on her waist.
"..." Tang Ci tried her best to ignore the temperature on her waist and quickly applied the remaining tape.
After the bandaging was finished, Tang Ciwei breathed a barely audible sigh of relief: "All done."
Sheng Yu glanced sideways at the neatly bandaged wound, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "It's very well bandaged, thank you—"
Tang Ci opened her lips, but before she could utter a sound, she felt a hand pressing down on her waist.
She instinctively snuggled closer to him, her heart pounding faster than ever.
Then she heard Sheng Yu's deep, captivating voice in her ear: "Good child."
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