(8 Fresh Coins) Chapter 6 (Part 2) The Time to Leave You
The flesh beneath his fingers trembled slightly. Xu Qi realized that his actions had been too rough, so he immediately loosened his grip. Looking at the several conspicuous scars on the other person's fair, snow-white back and the bruises he had just pinched, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. The anger in his heart subsided considerably, and his mind gradually cleared.
Ultimately, half the blame for Si Qiang's mistakes lies with Xu Qi. After driving Si Qiang away, he himself drifted through life in a daze, while Si Qiang also suffered greatly, even resorting to drugs to alleviate her pain. He had watched Si Qiang grow from a street thug into a capable young man, and he deeply understood the strength of her will. For someone like her to become dependent on marijuana could only mean she had truly reached her breaking point. Si Qiang's words didn't sound particularly heavy, but a little reflection revealed the deep-seated pain hidden beneath her calm exterior.
Why is this person so stubborn? It's not worth pouring such heavy emotions into a man like him...
Xu Qi gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh, gently tracing the marks on the man's back with his fingers, and asked in a low voice, "And what about these injuries?"
"It wasn't our business. A few days ago, I was out by myself when I suddenly got caught in a fight between other gangs. Because it was nighttime and I couldn't see clearly, I was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire." Si Qiang reflexively shrank back and replied in the same low voice.
"Why are you wandering around at night all by yourself?" Xu Qi frowned again. "Your status is different now. You need to be careful."
Si Qiang felt a lump in her throat as she listened. Before she could even think, words filled with resentment spilled out: "In the end, it all comes down to status and responsibility! I've already sacrificed so much for these things! Can't I even have a little bit of time for myself?"
Xu Qi was startled: "That's not what I meant..." His original intention was that Si Qiang's current identity made her an easy target for some people, so she needed to be more careful. Unexpectedly, this caused a misunderstanding. It was just that he was never good at defending himself, and for a moment he couldn't say anything nice.
"You always have so many things to worry about..." Si Qiang felt a tightness in her chest, and her voice grew softer and softer, "Do you know? I can't live without you. But in your heart... there are so many things more important than me..."
Xu Qi's breath hitched, and he spoke with some difficulty, "Don't talk nonsense." If he still couldn't understand Si Qiang's place in his heart, then he wouldn't need to sit here facing her. This person was very important, even more important than himself. But he always felt that for Si Qiang herself, "being with a man" was utterly pointless.
Now he knew that Si Qiang was alone and not doing well—and neither was he. But could he just let go of all his reservations and be with her openly and honestly? This was a question… he really needed time to think about. In his nearly 30 years of life, this was the first time he had encountered such a thorny problem, one that truly stumped the usually omnipotent Xu Qi.
Si Qiang felt a pang of disappointment when he didn't continue. He pursed his lips, stood up abruptly, stepped out, and turned on the shower. Instantly, a cloud of steam rose from the bathroom.
The rest of the time was spent in a somewhat stiff and cold silence between the two.
Si Qiang quickly finished showering, dressed, and left the bathroom. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky was filled with stars and the city lights twinkled; it was already night. Suddenly, a tiny flash of light on the ground caught his attention. He crouched down, picked up the small object, and his eyes turned icy cold.
That was the "engagement ring" that Xu Qi had taken out earlier.
He glanced sideways at the still-closed bathroom door and slowly stuffed the ring into his pocket.
Just as she stood up, the glass door behind her was pulled open, and a man covered in sweat came out. He looked out the window, walked to the bedside, and turned on the light.
Still, no one spoke. Si Qiang gritted her teeth and slowly walked towards the door. Unexpectedly, Xu Qi called out to her, "It's already evening, just sleep here."
Si Qiang immediately stopped and slowly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with disbelief, surprise, and anticipation.
"It's not too late to go back tomorrow," Xu Qi continued, then picked up a book and began flipping through it on his own.
If Si Qiang had been a little calmer, she would have realized that the man's actions were purely a cover-up—he simply grabbed a book to hide the embarrassment of trying to persuade her to stay.
However, Si Qiang's mind was also in turmoil at this moment. He was provoked again by Xu Qi's words "go back tomorrow," and the light in his eyes dimmed again. After hesitating for a moment, he still couldn't resist the temptation to sleep with the other person—even if they did nothing—and slowly walked over.
The two sat on opposite sides of the bed, one pretending to flip through a book, the other fiddling with her phone. They wasted time like this for a while until Xu Qi said, "It's getting late, let's go to sleep," finally ending what had been an agonizing time for both of them. They turned off the lights and went to bed.
Sleeping back to back, it naturally took quite a while to fall asleep. Si Qiang had been so worried about today's events that she hadn't slept a wink all night, and today she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Xu Qi waited quietly for a while, listening to the man's breathing become regular, and sighed inwardly.
Author's Note:
All I want to say is that when it comes to ruining the atmosphere, absolutely no one is better than Mr. Xu Qi. ORZ
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