Chapter 148 Xie Hengzhi X Yun Qing (01)
"Can you protect me?"
What will you offer in exchange?
Yun Qing looked at Xie Hengzhi, who was leaning against the edge of the rooftop. His wrist was still bleeding, probably from a slash he had just made. Bright red blood dripped down, but his expression was indifferent, as if the wound had nothing to do with him.
I had heard rumors about him before: aloof, cold, and gloomy, a powerful and influential young master whom no one in school dared to approach. If I could get him to help, I would probably stop being humiliated.
Besides, he's really good-looking, the kind of good-looking that makes even the worst personality seem insignificant.
With deep-set eyes and sharp brows, his gaze sent shivers down one's spine; he was indeed frightening, yet also incredibly reassuring.
Yun Qing thought of those mean classmates who had pulled his skirt, laughed at him for being neither male nor female, cornered him in the toilet, hit him, cursed him, and humiliated him. Now his cheeks were red and swollen and painful.
Yun Qing knew that the other party wouldn't help a stranger so easily unless the offer was extremely tempting. After thinking it over, and seeing that the other party had already shown displeasure, he finally mustered up his courage and said, "Take myself. I am yours, forever."
Xie Hengzhi looked at him with a strange expression.
"Forever, you're going to sell yourself to me?"
Yun Qing gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her voice trembling slightly: "Yes."
Xie Hengzhi saw the fear in his eyes, the blood still stained his skirt, and his legs trembling. His tone carried a slight sarcasm: "Does your mother know you're like this?"
Yun Qing shook her head, making no attempt to hide anything, and obediently replied, "I am an illegitimate child, and they don't care whether I live or die."
It was a very heartbreaking sentence, yet he said it very calmly, as if he had already accepted it all.
This answer inexplicably made Xie Hengzhi dazed for a second. When he came to his senses, for some unknown reason, he had already agreed and said, "Okay."
Although he didn't think Yun Qing was of any use, he didn't care. She looked quite pitiful, even more pitiful than his little dog that his family had beaten and abandoned after he took her home.
Yun Qing boldly moved next to him, her eyes fixed on the blood on his wrist, and rummaged through her backpack: "Doesn't your hand hurt? I don't have anything to stop the bleeding, so you'll have to make do with this."
It's a small pink square scarf with polka dots.
Xie Hengzhi frowned, somewhat disgusted. The other person had quickly wrapped the cord around his wrist and tied a pretty bow, which looked completely out of place with him.
"Don't hurt yourself anymore." Yun Qing gently wrapped her arms around his wrist and saw several scabbed marks on his wrist, probably from before. The fact that he could hurt himself so badly meant he probably had some psychological issues.
Xie Hengzhi lowered his eyes, looked at the bow on his wrist, withdrew his hand, and said in a cold voice, "You seem to be meddling a bit too much."
"Okay, then I won't interfere." Yun Qing was very easy to talk to, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. After confirming that the bandage had stopped bleeding, she distanced herself and said, "I'll come to change your dressing tomorrow."
After saying that, he stared at the other person for a few seconds: "I'm leaving, goodbye."
Xie Hengzhi stared at his back; he was very thin. He took long strides, reaching the other man in one step, grabbing his backpack strap, and pulling him out: "Weren't you supposed to be protecting him? Let's go together."
Yun Qing was still a little afraid of him.
I followed cautiously behind him. He was so tall, with broad shoulders, and wearing a dark uniform, like an umbrella shielding me from the wind.
As they descended from the rooftop, it was the end of get out of class time, and crowds poured out of the teaching building. The few scoundrels who had just met in the restroom looked over, somewhat surprised to see the two seemingly unrelated people walking together.
The very conspicuous pink bow on Xie Hengzhi's wrist clashed with his dark-colored outfit.
Even stranger, there was a tail following behind him, tugging at the hem of his clothes.
"When did that little bitch Yun Qing get involved with Xie Hengzhi?"
"She's climbed up the social ladder, so it'll be harder to make a move on her now."
"How could that be? Someone like Xie Hengzhi wouldn't even look at him?"
Several men brushed past them with ill intent, their voices not too low, their eyes sharp and mockingly aggressive. Yun Qing tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes.
Xie Hengzhi lowered his eyes slightly, saw his curled knuckles, and whispered, "Them?"
Yun Qing nodded without saying anything, still feeling a little intimidated.
Xie Hengzhi's gaze shifted upwards, landing on his left cheek, which still bore a red mark. The contrast between his fair face and the marks made him look even more pitiful. He asked again, "Who did this to your face?"
The short-haired guy in the middle of the three people passing by paused subconsciously upon hearing this, then quickened his pace.
Yun Qing mustered her courage, raised her head, met the other person's gaze, and pointed at the one who had complained: "Him."
Xie Hengzhi hummed in agreement, reached out and pulled the man back, raised his hand with the bow tie, and slapped him hard across the left cheek, leaving a red mark quickly.
Yun Qing frowned. She had just cut her hand and bled so much. Wasn't it painful to exert so much force now?
Probably not expecting him to act so directly, the trio looked surprised. The one in the middle looked angry, but was still considering whether he could bear the consequences of retaliating.
Xie Hengzhi withdrew his hand and said in a very gentle tone, "Hitting people is not a good habit. If you can't learn it, I suggest you drop out of school."
The crew-cut man understood the threat in her words. If she continued to bully Yun Qing, she might not be able to stay here any longer. He tightened his lips, his cheeks burning with pain.
Xie Hengzhi walked past him, seemingly saying to someone, "I'm leaving."
Yun Qing followed, then turned back to look at the three people standing there, her eyes turning from obedient to sharp: "Cowards."
At this moment, with someone standing by him, he made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
Xie Hengzhi turned to look at him: "Why didn't you scold me before?"
“If you can’t win an argument, you’ll get beaten up.” Yun Qing was still clutching his clothes, but she was very honest. “But they’re afraid of you. I only dare to do this because you’re here.”
Xie Hengzhi felt that although he seemed a bit useless, he was honest and didn't need to beat around the bush. Scheming and backstabbing was a very tiring thing.
“You’re just like the dog I took in a while ago.” Xie Hengzhi looked at his expression and said sharply, “Your behavior just now was very much like a dog taking advantage of its master’s power.”
Yun Qing stared at him and whispered, "I can be your puppy."
His eyes were clear, and he was saying nonsensical things, which was really ridiculous. Xie Hengzhi paused for a few seconds: "My previous dog was beaten and abandoned by someone else."
Yun Qing gave a sullen "oh".
Xie Hengzhi's puppy never had a good ending, he concluded.
"I will try to live a long time and be a fully functional puppy."
Xie Hengzhi felt like he'd heard a lame joke, and gestured to the hem of his shirt that Xie Hengzhi was holding: "Let go, I'm going home."
"Then you'll protect me tomorrow too, right? Can I wear a skirt?" Yun Qing asked as she watched him stride toward the car parked by the roadside.
Xie Hengzhi had already bent down and turned his head, looking at him through the car window: "Liking to wear skirts is not a big deal, but your aesthetic sense is ugly."
"You... have terrible taste." Yun Qing stammered, as she watched the car drive past, then muttered angrily to herself, "Where is it ugly?"
He was very unhappy with Xie Hengzhi's evaluation. He felt that his judgment was not bad, but he was very bothered by being pointed out to his face.
When she got home, she realized she hadn't told him her name yet. Oh well, she probably wouldn't remember anyway. Yun Qing sat in the bedroom, taking out clothes from the closet one by one and comparing them, her expression very serious.
"Is it ugly? No, it's not ugly. What kind of girl does Xie Hengzhi like?"
Yun Qing thought of his bleeding wrist. It must be because his family was too strict that his aesthetic sense was affected. It was already a pleasant surprise that he could find someone to protect him. He couldn't be expected to think he was good-looking.
But thinking about it, I still feel uneasy.
While I was still in a daze, the door to the room was pushed open. My sister pushed the door open and leaned against the doorway with a mocking look on her face: "Looking at your tattered skirts again? You're a man, why are you acting like a girl?"
“It’s not a big deal if you like wearing skirts.” Yun Qing looked over, neither humble nor arrogant, and answered with the words Xie Hengzhi had taught him.
"Oh, so you're talking back now." The older sister walked over, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut a slit in each pair of scissors. "I'll give you a high slit so you can go and seduce other men. You're so good to me, aren't you?"
Yun Qing's pupils trembled slightly, but she did not resist, letting her do as she pleased.
He's a boy, and she's a girl. If she resists fiercely, he won't be able to explain himself. Besides, as an illegitimate child living under someone else's roof, it's understandable that she's angry.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you angry?" His sister looked down at him, her voice filled with teasing sarcasm.
"Anyway, it doesn't look good. I'll buy a new one another day." Yun Qing took the damaged dress back, still feeling a little heartbroken, and said in a low voice, "Xie Hengzhi thinks it looks bad."
The other person paused for a moment, then smiled contemptuously upon hearing the name: "Xie Hengzhi? You've heard the gossip today, haven't you? So eager to show off that you've found a man?"
“No, I’m his puppy.” Yun Qing said seriously; they weren’t in that kind of relationship.
Just like stray dogs, once taken in, you have to take care of them. You don't need to feed them; you just need to shoo other stray dogs away when they get close.
The older sister looked at her with a puzzled expression, frowning as she said, "You're disgusting."
Yun Qing looked blankly at him: "Huh?"
Why does he find being a puppy disgusting, but he thinks it's cute?
Moreover, Xie Hengzhi seems to dislike humans, but he takes dogs home, so he might have a different kind of tolerance for puppies.
"I can't understand it. You're just as disgusting as your mother." The older sister, convinced that he had climbed the social ladder, turned and left.
Yun Qing had heard these words countless times, but he didn't react much. He simply folded the torn dress in silence and put it at the bottom of the closet. It was a pity, as it was the two dresses he thought were the most beautiful.
He wasn't in the mood to wear it the next day, so after looking around, he finally changed back to long pants.
The only good thing was that the trio, probably because they had been threatened, hadn't caused any more trouble. After class, he went to the rooftop to find Xie Hengzhi, this time bringing normal medical gauze and medicine.
"You didn't take it off when you got back yesterday? It'll get suffocated." Yun Qing frowned, untied the pink bow, and saw that the blood inside had already scabbed over, looking quite scary and probably very painful.
Xie Hengzhi did not show any other expression. His gaze lingered on the man's trousers, and he said in a low voice, "These are even uglier than yesterday's."
Yunqing was unhappy that her favorite dress had been cut off, and she replied somewhat petulantly, "I don't know what kind you like. Buy it for me. Other dogs have owners who buy them clothes. I can't figure it out."
Xie Hengzhi raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that he seemed to be really into the role; the puppy was quite amusing.
When he looked down again, the medicine on his wrist had been reapplied. It stung slightly when it was applied to the wound, but he was used to it. He silently watched as the gauze was wrapped around his wrist.
Having completed today's task, Yun Qing stood up and obediently said goodbye: "Then I'm leaving. By the way, my name is Yun Qing, Yun as in cloud and Qing as in azure."
Xie Hengzhi hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
Seeing that he had no reaction and that the meeting she had agreed to for the day was over, Yun Qing dejectedly pushed open the door and went out: "He definitely won't remember. I knew it was useless to tell him."
However, when he arrived at the classroom the next day, he saw a rather large gift box on the table.
The mystery was solved; it was a deep red skirt with gold threads, the hem layered like endless clouds.
Extremely beautiful, and flamboyantly so.
Yun Qing couldn't put it down and flipped through it again and again. She saw a note at the bottom with free and unrestrained handwriting. There was no signature, but it was obvious that it came from Xie Hengzhi.
"Your aesthetic sense is terrible. Learn from Yun Qingshou."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com