The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 10

Shi Qingning leaned his head to look at Bai Yexi curiously, but his eyes were immediately pulled back to the long, ink-black hair resting against the boy’s cheek. By the time he looked back at the boy’s face, the handsome profile was calm again, showing no signs of tension.

Shi Qingning didn’t notice anything wrong. Instead, he realized he might have a bit of a… long hair obsession? He wondered why he was always so interested in the other person’s hair, but this brief thought was just a small distraction.

The teacher soon continued her formal lesson. The old lady spoke slowly, but it wasn’t boring or sleepy. Her voice had a special rhythm that made people feel immersed without realizing it.

As Shi Qingning learned, he realized it didn’t feel like a class. It felt more like being led by the hand to meet a new friend. To be honest, Shi Qingning had an ulterior motive when he first suggested learning piano. He did it for Bai Yexi.

But the teacher’s gentle guidance made him realize that the piano wasn’t just a tool or a skill. It could also be a friend.

Shi Qingning had spent a long time in hospital rooms. He didn’t know how many children hated practicing piano and cried about it. He didn’t know how many people would look back when they grew up and smile with deep emotion. It wasn’t about awards or grades; it was just about youth.

And the young Shi Qingning was currently at the best age of his life.

Time passed quickly during their focus. The two-hour lesson ended in the blink of an eye. When the teacher told them to rest, Shi Qingning finally snapped out of it.

The old lady asked, “When do you two have time for the next lesson?”

Shi Qingning said, “I’m free during the day all this week.”

He turned to look at Bai Yexi. The old lady looked at him too and asked, “What about the boy?”

Bai Yexi, who had been silent, paused. He didn’t seem to expect to be asked. Shi Qingning had said he was hiring a practice partner, but both he and the teacher clearly treated Bai Yexi as another student.

Bai Yexi looked down. “…I have things to do tomorrow.”

“Then how about the day after?”

The old lady clapped her hands and decided with a smile. “See you the day after tomorrow, then.”

The lesson was over. Shi Qingning went to see the teacher out, leaving Bai Yexi in the music room. As they walked through the yard, Shi Qingning ran to the flower house and brought out a basket of beautifully trimmed Begonias for the teacher.

“My mom said to give these to you. She said you like them.”

The pink and white flowers added a splash of color to the dull winter. The basket was full of bright colors but was not heavy. The old lady took the basket and smiled. “Thank you.”

The flowers and the person looked lovely together. Shi Qingning walked with her all the way to the fence outside the villa. As they passed the front gate, they could see the second-floor music room from their angle. The view was half-blocked, but they could see a silhouette playing the piano.

It was Bai Yexi.

The two people downstairs stopped to watch for a moment. The old lady said, “That child is very suited for the piano.”

Shi Qingning nodded. No one agreed with that more than him. “Yes.”

But the teacher’s comment wasn’t about his skill or talent.

“He is a person with a story,” the old lady said. “People with stories are suited for the piano.”

Shi Qingning froze for a moment, thinking back to the plot of the novel. He clenched his fingers. The price of having those “stories” was far too heavy.

“And you, dear boy,” the old lady suddenly said. “You seem a little too tense.”

“Even when playing, your music sounds tight. This state will make you tired,” she said. “You need to learn to relax.”

Shi Qingning was surprised. “Can you hear that in the music?”

“Yes.”

The old lady wrapped her shawl around herself and said with a smile, “A piano player can hear the heart’s voice in the music.” She gently patted Shi Qingning’s thin arm. “Rest well.”

After seeing the teacher to her car, Shi Qingning returned to the villa. In the music room, Bai Yexi was still playing. The music was beautiful and slow. Shi Qingning sat down next to the boy and focused on being a listener.

After hearing a bit of the melody, he recognized it as Debussy’s famous piece, “Clair de Lune” (Moonlight).

Bai Yexi’s dark lashes were lowered as he focused on the piano. He wasn’t looking at the sheet music; he seemed used to playing from memory. The black and white keys seemed to come to life under his fingers, pouring out wonderful music.

Shi Qingning looked at the piano with him, but his eyes naturally drifted to those long, pale fingers. The boy’s hands were naturally suited for the piano, and his movements were elegant and beautiful. It was as if thin moonlight was truly flowing through his long, white fingers.

Shi Qingning watched Bai Yexi’s movements blankly. He didn’t even know when he fell asleep.

This sleep was calm and peaceful. When Shi Qingning woke up in the large soft chair, he didn’t even realize he had been asleep. There were no nightmares or sudden shocks.

However, the sky outside was clearly dark now. Shi Qingning looked at the clock and realized he had slept for almost an hour. As he looked at the clock, he also saw that splash of dark black hair.

His blurry vision sharpened, and he saw Bai Yexi sitting next to him. In the darkness, the boy was silent and still. His gaze was on the keys, but he didn’t seem to be looking at them. In the shadows where Shi Qingning couldn’t see, Bai Yexi’s chest moved slowly. It didn’t look like regular breathing, but more like silent suppression.

Shi Qingning watched him for a moment and whispered to himself, “It happened.”

Hearing him move, Bai Yexi turned his head. “What?”

Those dark green eyes were unusually cold and dark.

Shi Qingning blinked and didn’t finish his sentence.

—It happened! The special trope where I can only sleep peacefully near the main character!

Having read many “transmigration” novels, Shi Qingning shook his head to get rid of those silly thoughts.

He said, “Nothing. I said I’m sorry, I fell asleep.”

Bai Yexi’s throat moved slightly as he whispered, “It’s fine.”

Shi Qingning used the armrest to sit up. As he moved, something got stuck. He made a small sound and instinctively pulled his arm. Then he saw that Bai Yexi’s dark coat was pulled sharply.

“Oh…?”

Shi Qingning quickly moved his arm and realized he had been lying on the other’s coat. Their chairs were very close. Bai Yexi’s zipper had somehow gotten caught on Shi Qingning’s sleeve, and he had been pressing down on it for a long time. Even the edge of the coat was wrinkled.

“I’m sorry…”

Shi Qingning hurried to unhook the zipper and smoothed out the wrinkles on the coat. He then noticed the air conditioner display—the temperature had clearly been turned up. No wonder he didn’t feel cold while sleeping.

Shi Qingning suddenly realized something. He opened his beautiful eyes wide and looked at Bai Yexi.

“You… you didn’t move the whole time?” Shi Qingning said. “You didn’t take off your coat even though the room is so hot…”

Bai Yexi looked at him and said, “It’s not hot.”

How could it not be hot? In the afternoon, the sun was bright, and the teacher had a bad throat, so they didn’t turn on the air conditioner until after class. They both wore coats while playing. But now the heater was set to almost 30°C. Shi Qingning didn’t feel cold while sleeping, so how could the other person not feel hot?

Suddenly, a strange thought came to Shi Qingning.

Did ‘Mint’ not take off his coat because he was afraid the movement would wake me up?

Perhaps because his gaze was too direct, Bai Yexi turned his head away. As the boy’s neck was exposed, Shi Qingning noticed the simple silver chain was gone from his neck. Bai Yexi had taken it off, but he hadn’t put it away; it was wrapped around his wrist.

Because the coat had been pulled, a part of his wrist was showing. Shi Qingning saw the silver chain. It was wrapped loop after loop around the boy’s thin wrist and palm. It seemed to be wrapped too tightly, leaving faint marks.

The silent boy suddenly spoke. His voice was cold and deep.

“In the future, don’t just fall asleep in front of strangers.”

Shi Qingning was stunned and instinctively touched his face.

“Ah, did I drool while sleeping?”

“…”

Bai Yexi paused. “No.”

“That’s good then…”

Just as Shi Qingning felt relieved, there was a knock at the door.

“Second Young Master, the people delivering the custom piano are here. They need you to sign for it.”

Shi Qingning was surprised. “So fast?” He thought it wouldn’t be until tomorrow.

The delivery workers had just reached the bottom of the stairs. They could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling window of the music room.

Shi Qingning stood up. “Then let’s go down? Let’s see the new piano!”

He tried to pull Bai Yexi with him. Shi Qingning wasn’t used to inviting people; he originally meant to just pull the boy’s sleeve, but he accidentally grabbed his hand. The skin felt cool. Shi Qingning froze, and he felt the boy’s fingers stiffen in his grip.

Remembering that the other boy didn’t like physical contact, Shi Qingning quickly let go. He was about to apologize when a voice came from the door.

“Xiao Ning?”

Madam Shi, who had just finished work, came to the music room to see her son. Seeing the two of them in the room, her expression paused for a second. Then, her voice became even more gentle.

“It’s okay, it’s fine. You don’t have to hide it from Mom.”

“…?”

Shi Qingning only then realized how easy it was to misunderstand their hurried movement of letting go of each other’s hands. Before he could speak, he heard his mother’s even more gentle voice.

“I won’t object to it.”

Madam Shi looked at Bai Yexi curiously. “Who is this? Is this the person you wanted to fall in love with when you asked me earlier, sweetie?”