Save That Miserable Protagonist - Chapter 18

With Lu Xun stepping in, everything became effortless, and Pei Tingsong was quickly released on bail. Meanwhile, Xu Xing had to remain at the police station for a while longer due to charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble to disturb public order.

The moment they stepped out of the station, a chilly autumn wind lashed against them, carrying a fine, dense mist of rain. The clothes on Pei Tingsong’s back were already torn in several places from the previous scuffle. As the wind bit into him, he could not suppress a light, hacking cough.

Hearing the cough and seeing Pei Tingsong’s hunched, shivering figure, the fire in Lu Xun’s heart flared up again. But who was there to blame? Could he blame Pei Tingsong? How could he possibly blame Pei Tingsong?

The system said this world was a book. Initially, Lu Xun had treated that statement as a joke because everything he experienced was vivid and alive. No one was a mechanical stereotype; the entire world felt real. He was real, and Pei Tingsong was real.

But now, Lu Xun could not help but feel a surge of resentment. He thought to himself that if the world truly were a book, who was the creator who had made Pei Tingsong? Why did they have to make him endure all of this? How could a creator not love their own protagonist?

If every world was a book, then he would certainly curse the authors of such tragic worlds to transmigrate into their own stories so they could experience this kind of life for themselves.

Lu Xun did not just think it; he even prodded the system. “System, if you ever bind another host, go find the people who write these books. Make them experience these events personally.”

888 did not grasp the profound bitterness in Lu Xun’s words. Hearing the suggestion, it responded with a vague sense of understanding. “Okay,” it replied.

Glancing sideways, Lu Xun saw Pei Tingsong huddling into himself. He looked like a fledgling bird soaked by the rain. His feathers were not yet fully grown, and he had no eaves to shelter under, yet he remained stubbornly unwilling to ask for help.

His long, straight eyelashes were damp with mist, making his dark pupils appear watery. It should have been a picture of a fragile beauty, yet Pei Tingsong’s gaze had already reverted to its trademark defiance. The moment of vulnerability in the detention center seemed like a figment of Lu Xun’s imagination, vanishing in a flash.

Seeing him like this, Lu Xun’s anger dissipated, replaced by irritation. He ran a hand through his hair and, with a rough motion, stripped off his own coat. Without allowing room for argument, he draped the coat over Pei Tingsong’s shoulders.

Wrapping the other man up tightly, Lu Xun still felt a lingering frustration and ruffled Pei Tingsong’s hair aggressively. “Pei Tingsong! You are truly going to be the death of me!”

Lu Xun’s coat was just like the man himself, possessing a strong sense of intrusion. Pei Tingsong’s nose was instantly filled with Lu Xun’s signature crisp, cold fragrance. He was completely enveloped by the scent, as if Lu Xun were using the coat to hold him in a firm embrace.

Pei Tingsong stared directly at Lu Xun with those moist eyes. Under that gaze, Lu Xun lost all his temper. Finally, he let out a soft sigh, his voice heavy with helplessness. “When things happen, can you not just tell me? Even just now, if you were cold, why did you not say something?”

Pei Tingsong watched him for a long moment, then lowered his head without saying a word. Seeing this, Lu Xun sighed again. He realized he could get nothing more out of him, so he hurried to lead Pei Tingsong into the car.

The rain gradually intensified. Turning on the wipers, Lu Xun did not rush to drive off. His fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel as he carefully composed his thoughts. After a long silence, he looked at Pei Tingsong and spoke with measured, deliberate words.

“Xu Xing, did he use your grandmother to threaten you?” Before Pei Tingsong could answer, Lu Xun continued. “I have been thinking. The conditions at your grandmother’s current hospital are not ideal. The medical environment and specialists at Minglai are much better than where she is now. If she goes to Minglai, I can arrange the best medical resources for her, and no one will be able to bother her. So, let us arrange a transfer for her, alright?”

The moment these words left Lu Xun’s mouth, the atmosphere in the car became stifling. Xu Xing’s threats echoed in Pei Tingsong’s ears again. Without even thinking, he rejected the offer immediately and categorically. “No.”

“Why not?”

Pei Tingsong did not answer. He simply kept his head down. For a while, the only sound in the car was the pitter-patter of rain hitting the window. The rain was lonely, accompanied by a continuous mist that made the atmosphere inside the cabin feel even more oppressive.

Seeing this refusal to cooperate, Lu Xun was filled with confusion. “Speak to me. Transferring her now is the best choice for your grandmother. I can provide the best inpatient environment and medical resources. Is that not better than her sharing a room with eight other people? What exactly are you hesitating about?”

Lu Xun was truly perplexed, and his voice even carried a hint of rising temper toward the end.

Hearing Lu Xun’s words, Pei Tingsong finally lifted his head. He looked at Lu Xun and let out a deep sigh. “Of course, I know that. I know you can arrange the best for her with just a single word. But what happens after that?”

“After that?”

“Yes, after that.” Pei Tingsong nodded. Due to his agitation, the corners of his eyes were tinged with red. “After that, I owe you yet another favor.”

Taking a deep breath to suppress his surging emotions, he spoke with a raspy voice. “Do you not understand? I do not want to owe you anymore! I already owe you so much that I can no longer pay it back! I really cannot pay it back!”

“I never wanted you to pay me back!” Lu Xun shouted, slamming a hand against the steering wheel. The sharp blare of the horn was exceptionally jarring in the quiet night. “When I, Lu Xun, give things away or help someone, I never expect anything in return! Do you have to calculate everything so clearly with me?”

“If I do not calculate it clearly, then what am I supposed to do?” Pei Tingsong roared back. His long-suppressed emotions finally erupted. He pointed at the coat on his shoulders and yelled, “Look at me! The clothes I am wearing were given by you! The trouble caused today was solved by you! Even the people I meet normally are polite to me because of you! I talk a big game about relying on myself, but in reality?”

At this point, his voice dropped, filled with exhaustion and self-loathing. “In reality, I am nothing without you. In the eyes of others, I am a parasite clinging to you before I am even myself. What is the difference between me and those people who take advantage and then act self-righteous? If this continues, I will not even be able to respect myself.”

Lu Xun was stunned by this outburst. Looking at Pei Tingsong’s pale face, his own tone became panicked. “It is not like that!”

He hurriedly reached out to take the other man’s hand, only to be shoved away by a red-eyed Pei Tingsong. “If it is not like that, then what is it like?”

The counter-question was fierce. Lu Xun took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Logically, he understood where Pei Tingsong’s struggle lay, but emotionally, he truly did not comprehend it.

To Lu Xun, the help he provided was just a matter of a few casual words. He truly did not see it as a big deal. But to Pei Tingsong, it was the reality of accepting Lu Xun’s aid. He had accepted it while still trying to maintain a facade of lofty integrity. Thus, he loathed himself.

Looking at Pei Tingsong now, Lu Xun’s anger vanished, replaced by a deep, heavy sense of heartache. He realized that it was because the burden on Pei Tingsong’s shoulders was too heavy and his self-expectations were too high that he lived such an exhausting life. He was only in his twenties, was he not?

Staring deeply into those dark eyes, Lu Xun instinctively reached out. He seemed to want to touch Pei Tingsong’s cheek, but seeing the redness at the corner of his eye, he hesitated and pulled back.

Then Lu Xun spoke, his voice very soft and soothing, almost coaxing. “All this money, you are going to pay it back to me.”

Pei Tingsong froze.

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Lu Xun continued. “I am a businessman. The costs for your grandmother’s transfer, along with the money I lent you before and the expenses for our outings, I am keeping track of every single cent. Once you graduate and start working, you are going to pay all of it back to me, with interest.”

Lu Xun stared directly into Pei Tingsong’s eyes and continued with absolute seriousness. “Do you not believe that you will have the ability to pay me back in the future? Or do you think that your future, the future of Pei Tingsong, is only worth this much?”

Lu Xun’s words were so sudden and sincere that Pei Tingsong was too shocked to react. Since he did not respond, Lu Xun said nothing more. For a moment, the atmosphere in the car settled again.

But this time, the silence was not heavy. It was blanketed by an indescribable warmth that bordered on ambiguity.

After a long while, Pei Tingsong gathered his emotions and lifted his head. The redness at the corners of his eyes had not faded, but his gaze was no longer so stifled. He looked at Lu Xun and asked softly, “Lu Xun, why are you helping me so much? You really do not have to do all this for me.”

Lu Xun paused. He opened his mouth to brush it off with a joke, but upon seeing Pei Tingsong’s serious eyes, the flippant words caught in his throat. After a long silence, he answered quietly. “I do not know. Perhaps, perhaps I just feel that you should not be that way.”

“What way?”

Lu Xun did not answer. He reached out to start the car and said softly, “The rain is getting heavier. I will take you back to school first.”

What way? The way in the original plot.

At this moment, Lu Xun realized that his previous assumptions had been wrong, terribly wrong. A man like Pei Tingsong was born to stand tall. Just like his name, he should stand straight as a green pine, with nothing capable of bending his pride.