Chapter 21 Backing You Up
Just as the blood droplets on Lin Mianmian's fingertips became more noticeable, a casual voice drifted lightly into the activity room.
"What are you picking up? Is there gold on the ground, or is it because of your, Minister's, influence?"
Xie Lin leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, his jawline sharp. He glanced at the mess on the floor, his gaze landing on the male minister with a chilling, ambiguous smile.
Lin Mianmian looked up abruptly, and the moment she saw him, her nose stung and her eyes reddened even more.
The male minister was startled by the sudden voice. He immediately put on his ministerial airs, frowned and scolded, "Who are you? This is the student council activity room. No unauthorized personnel are allowed in."
"Unauthorized personnel?" Xie Lin took two steps forward, his pace unhurried yet carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression.
He bent down, picked up a piece of paper, and casually ran his fingertips along the edge of it. His almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. "Is this the level of the department's proposal? Full of typos and nonsensical logic. How dare you ask her to handwrite ten copies?"
These words left Zhang Chi's face turning pale and then red. The male minister's girlfriend quickly stepped forward, speaking in a shrill voice to defend him: "How can you talk like that! He's a minister."
Minister Xie Lin scoffed, "I'm still the King of Heaven, aren't I?"
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the hand she was holding onto the other person's arm, his eyes as cold as ice. "Using a trivial matter as a powerful authority, bullying your own members, is this how your student council behaves?"
He walked to Lin Mianmian's side, bent down, and took her hand without saying a word: "Don't be afraid, your husband will support you."
Then, he looked at the wound on Lin Mianmian's finger, his eyes filled with unmistakable tenderness, which touched Lin Mianmian's heart and made her fingertips go numb.
"Does it hurt?" He lowered his voice, most of the roguishness in his tone dissipated, leaving only genuine concern.
Lin Mianmian shook her head, then nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing the girl pretending to be sensible even though she was clearly in pain, my heart felt like it had been squeezed, and it ached terribly.
Xie Lin put away her gentleness, turned to look at the male minister, and resumed her fearless and mischievous demeanor.
A roguish smile curled at the corner of his lips, but it was utterly devoid of warmth: "I'll help her write the proposal, but ten copies, I won't write a single one."
After saying that, she picked up the printed proposal and threw it in his face, her tone cold: "You're nothing, just a master of showing off, huh? If I see you making things difficult for her again, you can get out of the department yourself."
These words carried absolute confidence, causing the male minister's heart to skip a beat. Looking at Xie Lin's imposing aura, he didn't dare utter a single word in rebuttal.
His girlfriend turned pale and quietly let go of the male minister's hand.
Xie Lin didn't look at them again, took Lin Mianmian's wrist and walked out with crisp, clean steps.
As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back, his roguish voice ringing out again: "By the way, if you're not satisfied, you can come find me. My name is Xie Lin."
The activity room fell into a deathly silence.
Lin Mianmian was led by him, walking in the sunlight, the warmth of his wrist spreading all the way to her heart.
"You don't have class today, and the dorms aren't ready for anyone to stay in yet, so come to my place first."
Lin Mianmian hummed in agreement, still not quite recovered from what had just happened.
The two arrived at the school gate, ready to get in the car and go home, when Xie Lin's phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. He reached out and ruffled Lin Mianmian's hair, his tone still carrying his usual roguish air: "Be a good girl and wait for me here. I'll be back in five minutes."
Lin Mianmian watched him turn and walk towards the quiet alley outside the school. His back was as straight as a pine tree, but his steps were a bit heavier than usual.
She stood there clutching the hem of her clothes, a strange unease rising in her heart.
Deep in the alley, shadows loomed.
Seven or eight burly men in black vests blocked the alley entrance. The tattoos on their arms were ferocious and terrifying. The bald man in the lead chewed gum, his eyes sweeping over Xie Lin with a sinister look, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "Young Master Xie, it's been a long time."
Xie Lin walked slowly closer, his hands in his pockets.
He looked up, and the usual flirtatious and playful look in his peach blossom eyes vanished, leaving only icy coldness: "Get to the point, don't block my way."
"Tsk tsk, still acting all high and mighty." The bald man spat and waved his hand. Immediately, the people behind him surrounded Xie Lin.
"Someone's paying us to teach you a lesson."
Before he could finish speaking, a burly man punched Xie Lin in the face.
Xie Lin dodged to the side with lightning-fast movements, but the next second, the bald man's voice rang out with a sinister laugh: "Young Master Xie, not bad. How about we brothers grab that little girl by the door, show off your skills, and maybe even see you begging for mercy on your knees? What do you say?"
Xie Lin abruptly stopped.
The wind at the alley entrance swirled fallen leaves, and he could clearly hear Lin Mianmian's footsteps getting closer and closer.
Mianmian must not be harmed.
As if they had seen through his weakness, two of the burly men rushed forward, grabbed his arms tightly, twisted his wrists behind his back, and slammed their knees into his lower back.
A sharp pain shot through Xie Lin, and his knees buckled uncontrollably, but he stubbornly refused to kneel.
"You've got some tough bones?" the bald man sneered, then kicked him in the back of the knee.
With a dull thud, Xie Lin's knee slammed heavily onto the gravel-strewn ground, and a piercing pain instantly shot through his knee.
His jawline was taut, and the veins on his forehead were bulging, but he clenched his teeth so tightly that he didn't make a sound.
"A princeling of the Beijing elite circle? Heh, nothing special!" The bald man squatted down, patted his face, and spoke in an extremely humiliating tone.
"I heard you've been pursuing that girl quite aggressively lately? Do you think she'll think you're dirty and run away if she sees you looking like this?"
The burly men next to him laughed along, and one of them grabbed some mud from the ground and smeared it on Xie Lin's clean shirt: "Tsk tsk, this shirt must be expensive, right? It's such a waste to get it dirty, but it suits you perfectly now."
His clothes were covered in mud, making him look quite disheveled.
Xie Lin's fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, his knuckles turning blue from the force, and a terrifying ferocity surged in his eyes, yet he didn't struggle at all.
He was afraid that if he made a move, the pack of mad dogs would rush out and disturb the little girl who was still waiting for him at the alley entrance.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, the bald man became even more smug and raised his hand to hit him in the face.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the alley entrance.
Lin Mianmian was still worried and followed the direction to find them.
She stood at the alley entrance, looking at Xie Lin kneeling on one knee, at his clothes stained with mud, at his tightly pursed lips and the barely suppressed anger in his eyes. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, a sharp pain shooting through her: "Xie Lin!"
Xie Lin heard the girl's soft, sweet voice and suddenly looked up.
The moment their eyes met, the fierceness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hint of panic.
He struggled, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable command: "Mianmian, go!"
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