The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 16

Bai Yexi walked over and handed a glass to Shi Qingning. Inside the delicate glass was honey water with a sweet fragrance. The pale liquid rippled gently, reflecting a soft, warm light. It looked very beautiful.

However, except for Bai Yexi, no one was focused on the water. Shi Xiao Lin lowered her head further and further, almost burying her face in her chest. Her right foot was extended, stepping firmly on the tip of Kong Que’s shiny, sharp shoe, pressing down hard with silent resentment. Kong Que tried to pull his foot away twice without success, so he gave up and pretended to look at the scenery.

In this booth, the first person to break the silence was actually Bai Yexi. His voice was calm as usual.

“Is it cold?”

He was asking Shi Qingning, who had just taken the glass. Shi Qingning was dazed. He hadn’t figured out how to explain things before being asked a question, and his thoughts scattered instantly. In the end, he only managed one sentence.

“It’s not cold.”

“Your mother said this honey shouldn’t be mixed with water that is too hot,” Bai Yexi said plainly. “But it is good for the stomach.”

Shi Qingning looked at him and blinked slowly, as if still processing the words. His eyelashes were long and curled; when he blinked, they felt like golden feathers brushing against one’s heart, very itchy. Instinctively following the suggestion, he took a sip. As the warm water moistened his throat, Shi Qingning regained his focus.

“It’s good,” he nodded. The sweet liquid soothed his dry throat. A faint scent of mint cut through the sweetness of the honey. Shi Qingning was picky and had a “cat’s tongue”—anything too hot burned him, and anything cold bothered his stomach. But the temperature of this water was perfect.

Shi Qingning took another sip. The two people next to him pretending to be invisible finally realized that Bai Yexi had no intention of mentioning that shocking comment about “keeping a pet man.”

They didn’t know if he hadn’t heard it clearly, or if he just didn’t care.

Kong Que watched Bai Yexi for a while, feeling more and more that something was strange. For some reason, he felt that Bai Yexi looked familiar. But searching his memory, he couldn’t find this face. Usually, a face this striking would be hard to forget. Kong Que thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything.

Bai Yexi, who had been watched for so long, didn’t even look up. This indifferent coldness felt even more familiar to Kong Que. He instinctively asked:

“Is your last name Bai?”

“Yes,” Shi Qingning answered for him. “Bai, like the word for cedar.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Do you know each other?”

“No,” Bai Yexi said shortly.

Kong Que rubbed the corner of his lip and shook his head. “No, just asking.”

Bai Yexi looked toward Madam Shi and said to Shi Qingning, “Your mother said she wants to introduce you to some friends once you finish that glass.”

“Oh,” Shi Qingning nodded. “I’ll go over now.”

He took a few more sips of honey water and put the glass on the table. As he stood up, Bai Yexi took the book from Shi Qingning’s lap, tucked it back into the bookshelf, and naturally handed him a tissue. The movements were practiced and natural.

The two said their goodbyes and walked toward Madam Shi. Shi Xiao Lin finally looked up, staring at their backs in a daze. She hadn’t decided which roles they played in her story—Prince or Knight—but watching Bai Yexi’s actions gave her a new realization.

In reality, this was only the second time she had seen her cousin since he recovered. Before that, her memories of him were blurry. She only remembered a sickly older brother who was more delicate than a girl. Her parents always told her to be careful around him because his health was poor.

Because of those memories and her parents’ teachings, Shi Xiao Lin had prepared herself to protect him. But the Shi Qingning standing before her, though pale and thin, was not weak. After talking to him just once, she was completely won over and became his biggest fan. To her, Shi Qingning was a guide, an older brother who was her elder.

But when her cousin was with Bai Yexi, Shi Xiao Lin noticed something. Even though her cousin was the one with the higher status who had saved Bai Yexi, it seemed like Shi Qingning was the one being taken care of.

“Strange…”

Kong Que’s voice came from beside her. Shi Xiao Lin turned and saw him still looking at Bai Yexi’s back, lost in thought.

“Hey, what’s with you?” Shi Xiao Lin asked. “Do you really know ‘Mint’?”

Kong Que looked at her. “I don’t.”

Shi Xiao Lin felt it was weird. “Then why did you ask his last name?”

“The name Bai isn’t common. Are there any famous people named Bai?” Kong Que twirled a piece of candy between his fingers. He gave the same answer as before: “I was just asking.”

Shi Xiao Lin gave him a look that said I don’t believe you. “You’re so cunning. Would you ever just ‘randomly’ ask something?”

“Middle schooler, please don’t use big words incorrectly,” Kong Que said. “Besides, just because his last name is Bai doesn’t mean he’s related to someone famous. My last name is Kong; am I related to Confucius?”

Shi Xiao Lin looked at him in disbelief. “Confucius’s last name was Zi! You illiterate!” She stood up, took a few exaggerated steps back, and ran off. “I’m staying away from you so you don’t ruin my grades!”

Kong Que: “…”

He touched his eyebrow and looked at Bai Yexi again. He felt that the boy’s aura didn’t seem like that of an ordinary person. But their paths didn’t cross much. Probably just an imagination, he thought.

While walking with Bai Yexi to find his mother, Shi Qingning hesitated but decided to explain.

“Mint.” He stopped Bai Yexi. They were by a wall where there were no other guests to overhear. “What Xiao Lin said earlier was a misunderstanding. I have no such plans.”

Whether it was “romance” or “keeping a pet man,” those words were not things to be joked about with Bai Yexi, who had suffered through terrible relationship experiences in the original novel.

“In my heart, we have always been equals. I hope you don’t misunderstand because of her joke,” Shi Qingning said. The boy’s lips were pressed tight, his expression serious. He looked up with a gaze that was sweeter than the most expensive honey.

Bai Yexi’s chest rose and fell slightly. His Adam’s apple moved slowly before he spoke.

“I know.”

The boy raised his hand, holding a fresh tissue he had produced from somewhere, and wiped a bit of moisture from the corner of Shi Qingning’s lip. “It’s okay. I’m fine with it.”

Shi Qingning took the tissue but kept his eyes on Bai Yexi. “You…” He sighed. He felt that Bai Yexi still didn’t care enough about things that might hurt him.

Shi Qingning repeated: “I won’t do that, don’t worry.”

Bai Yexi’s eyes flickered. After a pause, he said, “…Okay.”

Seeing a reaction at last, Shi Qingning continued, “I was telling Xiao Lin that I want to go to high school with you. You should be a freshman now, right? That way we can go to class together, and people like Jian Ren won’t bother us anymore.”

Having said this, Shi Qingning asked for his opinion directly. “What do you think?”

Shi Qingning remembered the novel mentioned that Bai Yexi couldn’t go to school because he had to take care of the An family’s sickly son. He never experienced a normal student life. At this age, he should be studying without a care in the world.

Shi Qingning was full of plans, but Bai Yexi didn’t look excited. He just shook his head.

“I’m not going.”

Shi Qingning was stunned. He hadn’t expected a rejection. “…You don’t want to go?”

Bai Yexi said, “I might just prepare for the exams and apply to universities abroad.” His words were short, but his attitude was clear. It wasn’t a sudden thought; it seemed he had planned this long ago.

Shi Qingning was a bit disappointed but nodded. “Okay.”

In the novel, the protagonist had also planned to apply to foreign universities. With his piano skills and the sensation of his debut performance, his chances of getting into a top school were very high. Unfortunately, in the story, his hands were injured, and his dream of studying abroad was ruined. Shi Qingning knew from the plot that Bai Yexi later had to teach himself finance and leave the music industry he loved.

Now that Bai Yexi’s goal was still so clear, Shi Qingning wouldn’t stop him. He said, “Then let’s work hard together.” This time, Shi Qingning wouldn’t let the tragedy repeat. He would help Bai Yexi achieve his dream.

Madam Shi’s voice called out from nearby. “Xiao Ning!”

“Coming!” Shi Qingning answered. He said to Bai Yexi, “Let’s go.”

The two walked over to Madam Shi. She quickly introduced Shi Qingning to several uncles and aunts. They were old family friends and knew the young master had been sickly since childhood, so they were very kind, and the conversation was relaxed.

During a break, Shi Qingning thanked an aunt for a gift, stepped away, and whispered into Bai Yexi’s ear while holding a glass of juice.

“This juice isn’t as good as the honey water.” Shi Qingning wrinkled his nose. “Too sweet.” He liked sweet things but hated being overwhelmed by them; he was a very picky eater. “By the way, when I was drinking earlier… did the honey water have a mint taste?”

“I added a little mint juice,” Bai Yexi said. Between his long fingers, a small spray bottle appeared. “I crushed it myself.”

He raised his hand and lightly sprayed it on Shi Qingning’s white wrist. A fresh mint scent spread through the air.

“That’s the scent!” Shi Qingning lifted his wrist and sniffed it. It was the purest scent of fresh mint. He was now surrounded by that smell.

Their actions caught the attention of the others nearby. “Is Xiao Ning interested in perfume?” a middle-aged man asked with a smile. “What kind of scents do you like? I’ll send you a full set.”

Others laughed. “Your Uncle Liu is the agent for a luxury fragrance brand. He can get you any brand you want.”

“What kind of scents do you like, Xiao Ning? Strong or light?”

Everyone was on good terms with the Shi family. Madam Shi also smiled and said, “It’s fine, just say what you like.”

Amidst the laughter, only one silent boy stepped back half a step and gripped his own wrist. The boy beside him still carried the light scent of mint. But that scent would eventually fade and be replaced by other smells. It could never be kept solely for one person.

The unspeakable, secret thoughts in his mind were both ridiculous and terrifying, twisted and screaming. Bai Yexi tightened his fingers, the veins in his wrist throbbing. It was an impulse he couldn’t suppress.

Bai Yexi used one hand to cover his own forearm. Beneath his clothes, his palm felt the needle marks that hadn’t yet fully healed. The weakness from the blood draw had mostly faded, and the crimson liquid surged silently, biting at the walls of his blood vessels.

The pressed needle marks produced a sharp pain, like sprayed venom, instantly killing the wild grass growing in his mind.

Bai Yexi finally snapped back to reality. He heard Shi Qingning’s voice.

“Mint… Mint?”

Bai Yexi looked up and met Shi Qingning’s worried gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Shi Qingning had walked back from the group and saw Bai Yexi clutching his arm. He asked, “Does your arm hurt again? Is the bruising still there?”

Bai Yexi shook his head, his expression calm. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” After checking several times, Shi Qingning still looked worried. He said, “Take a picture later and send it to Dr. Zhao.” He sighed. “I wanted to go to school with you so I could help you if anything happened.”

The needle marks on Bai Yexi’s arm were still stinging sharply, finally bringing back his reason. He looked at the boy and silently looked away.

This was the true reason Bai Yexi couldn’t go to school with him. Since the blood draw was discovered, Bai Yexi had said many times that his arm was fine, but Shi Qingning still worried.

He didn’t know why Bai Yexi’s arm actually hurt. It was never because of physical weakness. It was because the greed was too hard to restrain, and the desire was too much.