The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 11

Shi Qingning never expected things to be so coincidental; the moment the two of them hurriedly let go of each other was caught perfectly by his mother.

“N-no, it’s not like that!”

Fearing that Bai Yexi might feel uncomfortable, Shi Qingning rushed to deny it. After all, in the novel, the people who tried to pursue Bai Yexi had all caused him unforgettable harm. For Bai Yexi, the word “romance” was not a good thing.

“He is a friend I invited to practice piano with me,” Shi Qingning explained. “He is Bai Yexi, the one I mentioned to you before.”

“Oh—”

Mrs. Shi blinked, letting the last word trail off slightly. Seeing her youngest son clearly flustered, she thoughtfully didn’t ask more. She smiled at Bai Yexi and said, “Welcome, Xiao Bai.”

“Hello, Auntie.”

Bai Yexi returned the greeting politely.

Shi Qingning looked at the calm Bai Yexi, then at his smiling mother. Facing these two harmonious people, he couldn’t help but feel something was off. Why did it feel like… he was the only one who was nervous?

Fortunately, the piano was being moved in just then, which interrupted the topic. Once the new piano was assembled and placed, Mrs. Shi went downstairs with the movers to sign off. With only the two of them left in the music room, Shi Qingning found a chance to explain to Bai Yexi.

“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “My mom misunderstood. I hope you don’t mind.”

Bai Yexi didn’t look like he minded at all. He was used to being quiet. Shi Qingning expected, at most, a “it’s fine,” but he didn’t expect the other person to say: “Did you ask about romance before?”

Shi Qingning froze. Those were his mother’s words; he didn’t expect Bai Yexi to bring them up. He couldn’t say it was a test he had summoned the courage to perform, so he rubbed his nose and could only say, “Not really! I was just asking randomly.”

Bai Yexi pursed his slightly dry lips. He didn’t look like he was just listening “randomly.”

After Shi Qingning spoke, he remembered the plot of the novel and felt he couldn’t let it pass so casually. “But I still think falling in love is a very serious thing,” the young master said with a straight, serious face. “It must be voluntary, and both sides must not hurt each other.”

Those pursuers who approached Bai Yexi with other motives did not have good intentions. Shi Qingning had a “you are still young, don’t get tricked” expression on his pretty, youthful face, making the contrast quite sharp. It was a scene that would normally make one laugh or feel soft-hearted.

However, hearing this, Bai Yexi’s eyes slowly grew dark.

At sunset, the sky outside the window had dimmed. In the music room that had lost its sunlight, Bai Yexi remained silent for a long time before finally responding.

“Okay.”

Since a new friend had come to the house for the first time, Mrs. Shi wanted to keep Bai Yexi for dinner, but he politely declined. Shi Qingning knew Bai Yexi might have other plans, so he helped convince his mother and walked Bai Yexi out.

“Are you going to another part-time job?” Shi Qingning asked. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but places like that bar last time aren’t suitable. Please stay safe.”

Bai Yexi said, “I will.” Looking at the boy’s focused expression as he watched him, Bai Yexi paused and added one more thing: “See you the day after tomorrow.”

“See you the day after tomorrow!”

Shi Qingning smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. Then he remembered something. “Wait a moment!”

The boy ran to the greenhouse and returned quickly, holding half a sprig of mint between his slender white fingers. “I grew this myself in the greenhouse,” he said, rubbing his nose. “The other flowers were too hard; I only managed to grow a little of this but it smells very nice.”

Shi Qingning reached out and tucked the mint sprig into the buttonhole of Bai Yexi’s chest. After carefully adjusting the leaves, he smiled with satisfaction, revealing small dimples. “For you.”

Bai Yexi looked down at the green mint leaves. A gentle evening breeze carried the clear scent.

“Two o’clock the day after tomorrow,” Shi Qingning waved his hand. He was always very well-behaved, and even this gesture was seriously cute. “I’ll wait for you.”

The boy’s low, cold voice softened slightly. “Okay.”

After seeing Bai Yexi off, Shi Qingning went to check on his mint plant, which now had its most lush half cut off, leaving only a few lonely leaves.

After dinner, Mrs. Shi went out for a meeting, leaving Shi Qingning alone at home as usual. He received a report from Sun Ming.

“The man you were looking for, Tian Wenlong, has been detained by the Linshan District Public Security Bureau,” Sun Ming said. “He is suspected of multiple fraud cases and is linked to a fraud organization that operates in many places. Local police have formed a joint investigation team. He will be held in the detention center, and if he is convicted, he will likely serve at least five years.”

Shi Qingning was surprised. “He was caught so quickly?”

While looking for information on the An family, Shi Qingning had not ignored Tian Wenlong, the scammer who had directly harmed Bai Yexi. In the novel, the protagonist originally thought he had found his real family, only to find that life became even more desperate. Tian Wenlong insisted that the protagonist was a “bastard child” born from an affair between his mother and his younger brother. He didn’t just curse the protagonist; he spread the lie everywhere. This led to the protagonist being completely isolated and becoming even more anti-social.

Having pieced together this plot, Shi Qingning naturally wouldn’t let Tian Wenlong go, but he didn’t expect the arrest to be so smooth. “I thought it would take more time to gather evidence.”

Sun Ming paused and said, “Actually, he wasn’t caught for fraud at first. He was being chased by some debt collectors and got beaten up pretty badly. The noise was quite big, so someone nearby called the police. They took everyone back.”

The young master was still young, so Sun Ming didn’t speak too bluntly. People like them, who came from special backgrounds, had more ways to handle these things than an innocent young boy. “Once he was in the police station, it was easy to investigate him.”

The Shi family didn’t even have to show their faces to deal with this person.

“While investigating his fraud history, the police found various records Tian Wenlong kept himself, including his target subjects,” Sun Ming said. “Internal documents can’t be photographed, so I went to take a look.” He stopped for a second before saying, “There was no information about the An family you were looking for.”

No An family? Shi Qingning was stunned.

Tian Wenlong targeted the protagonist precisely because he saw that the An family was somewhat wealthy; that’s why he chose the adopted Bai Yexi to scam. Now that Tian Wenlong had followed him all the way to Haicheng, how could he not have looked into the An family?

Was it possible he scammed the protagonist first and then tried to blackmail the An family later? Was it just not time yet?

Shi Qingning bit his fingernail, leaving a small mark on the smooth nail. Where exactly was the An family? Why was there no news about them?

“…Second Young Master… Second Young Master?”

Shi Qingning was thinking so hard that he didn’t hear his name until the second or third time. “Yes?”

Sun Ming was looking at him with a frown. “Are you okay?” The young master’s face had lost its color and looked very pale.

“Oh,” Shi Qingning snapped out of it. “I’m fine.”

“Why…” Sun Ming finally couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you interested in these things?”

This wasn’t a question a bodyguard should ask, but the young master’s state was worrying. “It’s for my new friend,” Shi Qingning didn’t go into detail. “I’m afraid he’ll be hurt by someone, so I wanted to help.” He added, “Thank you for your hard work, Brother Sun.”

Seeing the pale young master thank him so seriously, Sun Ming didn’t have the heart to say anything else. He sighed secretly and said, “It’s almost time for your after-dinner recovery exercise. Let’s go to the gym downstairs. Your health is important.”

Shi Qingning nodded obediently. “Okay.”

Ensuring that Tian Wenlong wouldn’t bother Bai Yexi again already solved a key problem. Shi Qingning knew he couldn’t rush things. If he really couldn’t find any information, he would wait until he was closer to “Mint” and ask him directly about the An family.

Shi Qingning made a new plan. These past few days had allowed him to get to know Bai Yexi better. It also made him more determined not to let Bai Yexi lose his piano. He hoped “Mint” could be well and live a stable life.

Because he was thinking about Bai Yexi and the An family, combined with his messy dreams, Shi Qingning didn’t sleep well that night. When he woke up, his body felt a bit heavy.

In the morning, Shi Qingning went to the study to read. After a while, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Shi, who had gone to work early, walked in.

“Sweetheart?”

Shi Qingning was startled. He thought he had been caught hiding half of his unfinished breakfast. For a moment, he almost panicked. Fortunately, Mrs. Shi didn’t seem to notice. She only asked, “Are you reading?”

Shi Qingning breathed a quiet sigh of relief and nodded, showing the textbook in his hand: High School Physics – Volume 2.

Moving from first-grade elementary school to high school textbooks in just a few days was a very impressive speed. A normal parent would be very proud, but when Mrs. Shi saw this, her face showed a hint of worry.

“Sweetheart, are you pushing yourself too hard?” Mrs. Shi said. “Teacher Li called and said you’ve been reading for a very long time and learning a lot. That’s good, but are you being too strict with yourself? Can your body handle it? Do you feel tired?”

Teacher Li was one of Shi Qingning’s home tutors. Over the past two days, he had been amazed by Shi Qingning’s progress more than once. Especially since he taught physics, which requires a lot of energy, Shi Qingning’s learning speed was shocking.

Shi Qingning knew he was moving fast. He wanted to use this knowledge to stimulate his memory and get as much information as possible. Also, having been sick for years, he knew his own body very well.

“It’s fine, Mom. I’ll make sure to pace myself.” After all, he couldn’t be selfish; he had to take care of this body for the original “Young Master Shi.”

Seeing him say this, Mrs. Shi felt a bit more at ease, but she still warned him, “If you feel unwell, you must tell me.”

Shi Qingning nodded. “Okay.”

Mrs. Shi sighed softly and touched her son’s soft hair. “Mom knows you are looking forward to school, but learning is a slow process. We don’t need to rush. Let’s take it slow, okay?”

Mrs. Shi thought Shi Qingning was busy reading because he was worried about school. This saved Shi Qingning from having to explain. He answered obediently, “Mhm.”

Haicheng Linshan Hospital.

In a quiet semi-private room, the curtains were still closed, and the room was dark. It should have been a peaceful time for rest, but the silence was broken by a raspy shout.

“I f*cking told you to come over! Get into this room! Do you hear me?!”

The person lying on the bed near the door was Jian Ren. His brow was furrowed, his face was dark, and his usually neat hair was a mess. He looked both defeated and furious. Jian Ren had been texting people on his phone. After being ignored or given excuses several times, he finally lost his patience and sent a voice message.

The people on the other end were clearly scared by his shouting. Everyone in the group chat started apologizing.

[Brother Jian, don’t be angry! We’ll find someone to go over right now.]

[You’re still sick, don’t get upset. Just focus on recovering.]

[Right away, five minutes!]

“You still f*cking know I’m sick?! And you’re still annoying me! Ptu!” Jian Ren cursed and threw his phone onto the nightstand with a loud thud.

He closed his eyes and lay back down, his chest heaving. Not long after closing his eyes, his brow suddenly twitched. Jian Ren snapped his eyes open, his dark pupils filled with rage.

Again, it was that person again.

Since waking up in the hospital, as long as Jian Ren closed his eyes, that boy’s figure would appear. That thin figure that left without any hesitation and without looking back.

Jian Ren silently chewed over that name.

Shi. Qing. Ning.

He never thought that one day he would be trapped in a nightmare. When he woke up in the middle of the night, it wasn’t his failure at the Jian family that haunted him. It was that boy’s cold departure.

Jian Ren grabbed his messy hair and let out a painful, muffled groan. No, he couldn’t believe it. How was that possible! He thought he only liked the Shi family’s money. He must only care about the money. It was impossible that he actually liked the person.

Jian Ren panted in pain; even breathing felt like it was tearing his lungs. The bruises on his face had started to fade over the past two days, but the pain in his heart grew heavier every day.

Why… WHY?!

There were two light knocks on the door, so faint they sounded like the person was afraid to come in. But the sound didn’t stop. After several hesitating knocks, Jian Ren finally noticed.

Jian Ren frowned. “Come in.”

A tall, thin man walked in cautiously, bowing and smiling. “Young Master Jian.”

Jian Ren hated looking at this person, but at least someone had listened and come over. He suppressed his anger and said roughly, “Did you get in touch with Shi Qingning?”

The tall, thin follower secretly felt miserable upon hearing the name, but he had to keep acting helpful. “I tried, I tried… but Young Master Jian, that phone number just won’t pick up.”

“Useless! You’re all f*cking useless!” Jian Ren was instantly enraged and reached out to throw something. But he had already thrown everything near him, so he could only slam his hand onto the bed. “Can’t you f*cking find another way to contact him?!”

The follower smiled nervously. “Young Master Jian, you know he is protected by the Shi family. Besides you, who else could get his contact info? We even hid our identities to ask around, but there was no news. They even suggested we ask you, saying you’re the only one who could possibly reach him!”

The follower clearly knew Jian Ren’s ego. These few words actually calmed Jian Ren down a little.

True, Jian Ren thought. Besides himself, who else had ever had the chance to get close to the Shi family’s young master?

“Fine.” He frowned and waved his hand. “I knew I couldn’t count on you. I’ll do it myself.”

Seeing that Jian Ren was finally letting him off the hook, the follower breathed a huge sigh of relief. He thought to himself: Who would dare help you contact him? The previous two followers who were forced by Jian Ren to actually try and find Shi Qingning were now lying in beds downstairs. They were hurt just as badly as Jian Ren. Who would dare be stubborn now?

“Go to the doctor and bring my medical record over.” Jian Ren began bossing him around again. He was in a bad mood, and his words were full of aggression. “I’ve been in this hospital for so many days; it’s time to leave. I’m dying of boredom.”

“Yes, yes!” The follower hurried off.

Left alone on the bed, Jian Ren cursed quietly. “What kind of sh*tty hospital is this? After all these days, my legs still hurt so much.”

After he finished cursing, the room became quiet. Suddenly, there was a shrrrrip sound. The curtain between the two beds was pulled back, and the patient in the other bed looked over. It was also a young man, and he looked at Jian Ren with a strange expression.

Jian Ren frowned. “What are you looking at? You want trouble?”

The man coughed and asked curiously, “You don’t even know your own injuries?”

Jian Ren was about to snap “none of your business” when he remembered that on his first day, the doctor had come to explain the situation. But Jian Ren hadn’t listened carefully; he was too lost in the nightmare of Shi Qingning leaving.

Back then, it seemed this same man was already in the bed next to him.

Sure enough, the man said, “You don’t know?” He looked at Jian Ren like he was looking at a zoo animal. “Your legs are broken. Both of them.”

A day later, Shi Qingning again waited for Bai Yexi to come practice piano.

Bai Yexi wore a mask today. He had a high bridge on his nose, so the mask had a clear outline, but it still couldn’t hide his striking looks. Instead, it made him look more like a big star trying to avoid attention.

Bai Yexi also rarely wore glasses today—thin silver frames. The silver chain Shi Qingning had noticed before was now used as a glasses chain, hanging from the frames like a shooting star. This made Bai Yexi look even more cold and elegant.

Shi Qingning looked at him and spaced out for a moment. “Why the full armor all of a sudden?”

Bai Yexi’s voice was a bit deep. “A cold.”

Shi Qingning was stunned. “Is it serious? Did you catch a chill? Did you take medicine?”

“I took it.” Bai Yexi nodded and glanced at the second floor of the villa. “Time for the lesson.”

“If you feel unwell, you can take today off to rest,” Shi Qingning said. “There’s no rush.”

Bai Yexi just shook his head. Shi Qingning had to lead him inside. But after a few steps, the other person didn’t follow side-by-side like before; he stayed half a step behind.

Shi Qingning looked back. Bai Yexi stopped too, seeing through the boy’s confusion like he was reading his mind. He said simply, “It’s contagious.”

Bai Yexi acted like a responsible patient and didn’t take off his mask even after entering the music room.

When the two-hour lesson ended, the old lady also commented, “You look a bit tired today.”

Playing the piano requires physical energy; top pianists usually have great stamina. Two days ago, the teacher had chosen slow, short pieces for Shi Qingning to practice. But today, Bai Yexi’s energy seemed even weaker than Shi Qingning’s. He was visibly exhausted.

“Go home and rest,” the old lady said. “Let’s make the next lesson the day after tomorrow as well.”

After seeing the teacher off, Shi Qingning quickly ran back to see Bai Yexi. Bai Yexi was about to leave, only delayed by printing a piece of sheet music. Shi Qingning originally wanted to let him go home and rest early, but he felt something was wrong and instinctively grabbed him.

“Wait a moment.”

Bai Yexi turned to look at him. The boy’s eyes were still cold, but perhaps because of the glasses, he looked much calmer. The way he looked at Shi Qingning was quite peaceful. It looked like… he was in a good mood.

Shi Qingning couldn’t help but be confused. How did he see a “good mood” on that unchanging face?

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. While Shi Qingning was trying to think of a reason to make him stay, the housekeeper walked into the living room with a tray.

“Just finished some lotus seed soup. I made two bowls,” she said with a smile. “Want to try some?”

Shi Qingning used this to keep him there. “Have some before you go.”

Bai Yexi seemed to pause, but he followed Shi Qingning back to the living room. The lotus seed soup had a sweet scent and was at the perfect temperature. The housekeeper placed the bowls in front of them and said, “Take off your mask and have some.”

Hearing this, the distracted Shi Qingning was suddenly hit by a realization. He finally remembered what felt wrong. Bai Yexi hadn’t coughed once all afternoon. Why was he wearing a mask?

Shi Qingning stared at the person opposite him. He watched as the other pulled down half of his mask and picked up the spoon. Suddenly, his vision felt like it was pierced by something sharp.

The ceramic spoon wasn’t heavy, but when Bai Yexi picked it up, his wrist shook slightly.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Shi Qingning suddenly asked.

Bai Yexi looked up.

Shi Qingning, sitting across the table, had already stood up. His pale face lost all remaining color, and his voice was trembling. “Your lips… why are they so white?”

It wasn’t just white. It was deathly pale. Like silver or paper. It was definitely not the lip color of a healthy person. It had been hidden behind the mask and was only now revealed.

“…”

A terrifying thought suddenly occurred to Shi Qingning. He pushed back his chair, almost tripping himself, and stepped toward Bai Yexi in a single leap, almost throwing himself into the other’s arms.

The movement was so sudden that no one in the room reacted. Nearby, Sun Ming’s brow twitched, and he instinctively wanted to step forward. He had seen with his own eyes how Bai Yexi dealt with bodyguards who lunged at him. For people like them, physical instincts are very strong.

And the young master’s body couldn’t handle even a small accident.

But Sun Ming was a step too slow. However, he didn’t see the disaster he expected.

The long-haired boy, whom he and his brothers viewed as a dangerous beast, did not make any instinctive counter-attack against the young master. Instead, he reached out a hand to steady him. It looked like he was afraid the boy might fall.

Then, Bai Yexi’s wrist was grabbed, and his sleeve was pulled up. Winter clothes are thick and hard to roll up, but the boy was so thin that his sleeve was loose and was easily pulled back.

It revealed a thin forearm with skin as pale as paper.

And a large, dark, deep bruise that looked like it would never fade.

In the very center of the bruise was a shocking needle mark.

Like the center of a whirlpool or the heart of a flower, in this cold winter night, it slowly blossomed into a crimson stain.