Save That Miserable Protagonist - Chapter 16

In the past few days, Pei Tingsong had once again been plagued by a disgusting fly.

After his body had fully recovered, Pei Tingsong’s life returned to its usual routine of a three-point line: studying, working, and going to the hospital to look after his grandmother. However, lately, that line had acquired a fourth point. Quite suddenly, Lu Xun would insert himself into the schedule.

But the young master had finally learned to speak like a human being. He no longer used that high and mighty tone of charity, but instead placed Pei Tingsong on an equal footing for their conversations. He no longer sent gifts randomly either. Instead, he would pop up during Pei Tingsong’s free time, finding some excuse to drag him along for a meal or a game.

Gradually, Pei Tingsong’s view of Lu Xun began to shift. The old loathing was gone. Suddenly, Pei Tingsong would find himself thinking of Lu Xun, and those thoughts were no longer curses but a strange surge of anticipation. He had begun to look forward to seeing Lu Xun.

Today was no different. After finishing a tutoring session, Pei Tingsong set off on his way back to school. Usually, by this time, Lu Xun would already be waiting for him in the small alley at the intersection.

Lu Xun would then find a random excuse, such as, “You know I do not have any friends. If you do not go with me, this ticket will go to waste.” If Pei Tingsong said, “You can go by yourself,” Lu Xun would immediately counter with, “But I am someone who is very afraid of loneliness.”

Once he saw Pei Tingsong waver slightly, Lu Xun would follow up with more fuel. “Just come with me, I really want to go.”

Pei Tingsong was the type of person who responded to the carrot rather than the stick. Lu Xun had likely sensed this, so when he softened his voice to act spoiled, Pei Tingsong truly had no defense. He already had a weakness for people acting cute, let alone a pampered master who was usually so dignified and arrogant. This gave Pei Tingsong a sense of being treated specially, as if Lu Xun were different when facing him.

Everyone enjoys being treated as special, and Pei Tingsong was no exception.

Thinking about these things, Pei Tingsong struggled to suppress the joy in his heart as he strode toward the mouth of the alley. However, the voice that rang out this time was not Lu Xun’s. It was a voice that sounded familiar to Pei Tingsong, though he could not quite place where he had heard it.

The voice was cold and laden with heavy mockery. “Yo, is this not our Incorruptible Flower of the Bone Cup, the great top student Pei?”

Hearing those words, Pei Tingsong’s footsteps halted abruptly. His spine stiffened almost instantly as he watched a figure step out from the shadows of the alley with wary eyes. Despite the backlighting, Pei Tingsong recognized the glint of those gold-rimmed glasses at a single glance.

It was him. It was the sinister villain who had failed to pick him up at the bar and resorted to drugging his drink.

Pei Tingsong’s face turned cold instantly. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this person, so without a word, he attempted to keep walking.

“Do not be in such a hurry to leave,” the man said, reaching out to block Pei Tingsong’s path. A fake smile hooked at the corner of his mouth. He watched Pei Tingsong as he continued. “Let me introduce myself. I am Xu Hang. We met at the bar that night.”

“I do not recall us meeting.”

“Is that so?” Xu Hang let out a light laugh. His eyes scanned Pei Tingsong from top to bottom, inch by inch. “I thought you would remember me because of that glass of wine.”

The sentence was heavy with implication. Along with those words, Xu Hang’s gaze revealed a nauseatingly frivolous and lewd intent.

The moment he heard that, Pei Tingsong’s face went cold as he clenched his fists. “Well, thank you for the reminder. I was just wondering what I had forgotten. I forgot to call the police and have a beast in human clothing like you sent behind bars.”

“Call the police?”

Xu Hang sneered with disdain as if he had heard a joke. “You are still so naive. Do you have evidence? Besides, why are you acting so virtuous in front of me now?”

After saying this, Xu Hang took a step forward, closing in on Pei Tingsong. His voice was cold and filled with mockery. “When you were facing me in the bar, you acted like a chaste martyr who would rather break than bend. I almost believed you were actually something good. But you turned around and used that drink to climb into Lu Xun’s bed. What? Do you think I, Xu Hang, cannot afford the price Lu Xun pays? Or do you think following him has more of a future than following me? If that is the case, should you not be thanking my drink for giving you the opportunity?”

The moment the word opportunity landed, the string that had been pulled tight in Pei Tingsong’s mind snapped. Blood surged to his head instantly. Looking at Xu Hang’s disgusting face, he could no longer hold back. Before he even realized what was happening, his body reacted before his mind.

There was a solid punch. Pei Tingsong struck Xu Hang’s face with all his might. The sound of flesh hitting bone was exceptionally clear in the quiet alley. The massive force sent Xu Hang staggering backward, and his gold-rimmed glasses flew off instantly.

Xu Hang was dazed by the blow. He wretchedly picked up his glasses and stood up shakily while clutching his swollen face. Filled with disbelief, Xu Hang glared at Pei Tingsong and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva through gritted teeth. He was shaking with rage. “Damn it, you really are an unpresentable bitch! I wanted to talk to you nicely, but you will not have it, will you? Then you really need to see this. It is quite a prize.”

With that, Xu Hang pulled an envelope from his suit pocket. Gasping for breath, he pulled out a photograph and waved it in front of Pei Tingsong’s eyes. Xu Hang said maliciously, “How is it? It is a good shot, is it not? I paid a high price for this.”

The photo was a bit blurry, taken from an obvious candid angle, but it was clear enough to see the people in it: it was him and Lu Xun. The background appeared to be the Aurora Circuit Club. Lu Xun was reaching out to adjust Pei Tingsong’s racing suit. Because of the angle, the photo appeared extremely suggestive.

The moment he saw the photo, Pei Tingsong’s eyes narrowed. His eyes, showing more white than black, revealed a fierce hostility. “What exactly do you want?”

“Have I not already told you what I want?”

Satisfied with Pei Tingsong’s current expression, Xu Hang returned to his refined persona. He slowly adjusted his disheveled clothes, acting as though he were truly concerned for Pei Tingsong’s well-being. “Pei Tingsong, I truly like you. Although you are different from what I imagined, I am willing to forgive you. People of Lu Xun’s social class have seen every beautiful thing there is. Following him will only end in you being dumped sooner or later. He might be nice to you now, but how many days do you think a young master like him will stay interested? You are too naive. It is still not too late to turn back and follow me.”

Hearing this hypocritical speech, Pei Tingsong was nearly moved to laughter by rage. He suddenly realized why Lu Xun always said he was a good person. Compared to someone like Xu Hang, Lu Xun was indeed straightforward and honorable.

He let out an unceremonious, mocking sneer. Pei Tingsong’s eyes were full of ridicule. “Thank you, but I still prefer Lu Xun. At least he has a beautiful face.”

At this point, Pei Tingsong mimicked Xu Hang’s gaze, looking the man up and down. He then looked at Xu Hang as if he were trash. “And you? You are nothing more than a rat in human skin, putting on an act. Someone who only dares to drug people behind their backs, do you think you are worthy of me following you?”

As soon as Pei Tingsong spoke, Xu Hang’s face turned green with anger. He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his rage. “Good. Fine, Pei Tingsong. You are quite the tough one. Then tell me, if I post these photos on your school website with a sensational title, will you still be this tough then? Will you still be able to stay in this school?”

Hearing this, Pei Tingsong let out a cold laugh. He thought to himself that these people truly lacked creativity. Was this not the same trick Jiang Hao had used? He gave Xu Hang a freezing look, still standing tall. “An innocent person remains innocent. Do you think anyone will believe your lies?”

“An innocent person remains innocent?” Xu Hang laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. “Pei Tingsong, what are you pretending for? You want to be a whore and still have a monument built to your chastity? Why did you not think about being innocent when you were running after Lu Xun?”

A few words were too many for people who did not see eye to eye. Closing his eyes, Pei Tingsong took a deep breath, resisting the urge to strike again. “Say whatever you want. A person with a dirty heart sees everything as dirty.”

Pei Tingsong prepared to leave. He had completely lost the desire to waste any more time with Xu Hang. Unfortunately, before he could take a single step, Xu Hang called out to him. “Pei Tingsong!”

With that shout, Xu Hang finally played his biggest card. “You might not care about your future or your reputation, but what about your family?”

Pei Tingsong’s footsteps halted instantly, just as Xu Hang had intended. He turned around, his eyes blazing with fury.

Seeing this, Xu Hang smiled slowly. The initiative had finally returned to him. “Your grandmother is at the Jiangcheng People’s Hospital, is she not? The old lady lived a respectable life, working hard to raise you. Imagine her in her later years, hearing the neighbor’s gossip about how her proudest grandson became a rich man’s dog for money, selling himself. Tell me, how heartbroken would the old lady be?”

The moment those words were spoken, the color drained completely from Pei Tingsong’s face. Immediately after, a massive wave of rage surged in his chest. Pei Tingsong was shaking all over. He glared at Xu Hang, his voice raspy with fury. “You damned well would not dare!”

His fists clenched tighter and tighter, his nails digging deep into his palms. He listened as Xu Hang’s airy voice drifted over.

Xu Hang said, “Then take a guess, do I dare?”