The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 22

Shi Qingning spent quite a long time in the office; he wasn’t released back to the classroom until the bell for class rang. Furthermore, as soon as the second period ended, he was called back to the office again. This made the students sitting near him curious.

When Shi Qingning returned, Song Qianqian, who sat in front of him, couldn’t help but turn around and ask.

“Why does the homeroom teacher keep calling you to the office?”

“It’s not her,” Shi Qingning said. “It’s the physics teacher.”

Song Qianqian was even more curious. “Why is Mr. Hai looking for you? Isn’t he usually so busy he’s nowhere to be found?”

The physics teacher’s last name wasn’t actually Hai; it was Zhang. He was a male teacher in his late thirties. He wasn’t actually that old, but he was a bit balding. His hair loss was very specific: the hair around the sides was thick, but the top of his head was shiny and smooth. To make things worse, the teacher had a habit of “comb-overs,” trying to sweep the side hair over the top. It only made the bald spot look brighter.

Because of this, the students gave him a nickname behind his back: “The Mediterranean” (Mediterranean Sea/Di Zhong Hai).

The physics teacher had been busy with something lately and often took leave, so the students usually had self-study during his class. Song Qianqian wondered why the teacher finally had time today to specifically call for Shi Qingning.

Shi Qingning said, “It’s about a student from Class 4.”

The physics teacher happened to be the homeroom teacher for Class 4 next door.

A few students nearby overheard and leaned in. One asked directly, “Is it Chen Zibing?”

Shi Qingning was surprised. “How did you know?”

“The only one in their class who could startle Mr. Hai would be Chen Zibing, right?” Fang Anran, the English class representative, shrugged.

Since they had chatted about speaking practice after English class, the relationship between the new student and the rest of the class had clearly become much closer. People often came to chat with Shi Qingning between classes. And because the playground was being repaired, they didn’t have to go out for morning exercises today, making everyone quite relaxed.

A small circle formed around Shi Qingning’s desk as they gossiped.

“Who is Chen Zibing?”

“Did you forget? Last semester when Class 4 had P.E. with us, she talked to us and showed off that necklace.”

“Oh, the one where she took a button from her boyfriend’s shirt and turned it into a necklace?”

Song Qianqian looked confused. “Why would anyone use a button as a necklace?”

One of the girls gestured. “The second button of a shirt. They say it’s the place closest to the heart. So, between couples, that button is the most meaningful. It means keeping the heart beating for them.”

Song Qianqian still didn’t understand. “Clothes look so ugly with a missing button.”

Shi Qingning thought the same. Heartbeats had nothing to do with buttons; they only depended on whether the heart’s functions were normal.

Fang Anran turned and asked Shi Qingning, “But why did they call you in for Chen Zibing’s business? Do you know her?”

Shi Qingning shook his head. “I don’t. It’s because—”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a voice from the side. Zheng Kun stood up and said to him impatiently, “Move.”

Shi Qingning was sitting on the aisle side, and Zheng Kun had to pass him to get out. Although they were deskmates, their relationship was very cold. They had barely spoken a word in all these days. Zheng Kun rarely left his seat during breaks, usually keeping his head down in his books. Perhaps because there was no morning exercise today, he suddenly wanted to go out and told Shi Qingning to move.

Shi Qingning didn’t mind. He stood up to give him space. However, after Zheng Kun left, the students nearby had complicated expressions.

A girl whispered, “Why does Zheng Kun look so mean?”

Song Qianqian rolled his eyes. “He’s doing it on purpose. He’s looking for trouble. There’s plenty of space behind him, but he insists on making people move. Is he crazy?”

There were only about fifty people in a tenth-grade class, with six rows of desks. The space between the front and back rows was quite large. Since Shi Qingning was naturally thin and had sat a bit closer to the front of his desk when he came back, there was more than enough room for someone to pass behind him.

“Isn’t that why nobody wants to sit with him?” Song Qianqian said to Shi Qingning. “Seats will be rearranged after the next monthly exam. Remember to avoid him.”

Shi Qingning truly didn’t care; his studies weren’t affected by others. However, he still answered, “Okay.”

Shi Qingning continued explaining what happened. “I don’t know Chen Zibing. It seems her boyfriend’s name is similar to mine. The teacher didn’t know who the guy was, misheard the name, and called me in.”

“Oh, right,” a round-faced girl said. “I think her boyfriend is called Qi Ning?”

If you said it fast, it did sound similar.

“But isn’t that guy a junior? It has nothing to do with us.” Someone asked, “Why was the teacher looking for her boyfriend?”

Although the 29th Middle School didn’t allow students to date, they couldn’t completely stop them from meeting privately. Unless they were caught together, it was hard to punish them. If the teacher didn’t even know who the boyfriend was, why look for him?

While they were chatting, a boy suddenly pushed the door open and rushed into the classroom. “Holy crap, holy crap!!”

Many people looked over. “What’s wrong?” “Why the big fuss?”

The boy looked outside, closed the door, and said, “Did you guys hear? Chen Zibing from the next class used a knife to cut her own hand during class. There’s blood all over her desk. It even shocked Old Hai!”

School gossip travels fast. In such a small space, even tiny things are discussed, let alone a huge event like this. The classroom was soon filled with noisy discussion.

“Why? Self-harm?”

Song Qianqian realized something and asked Shi Qingning, “Is that why they called you?”

Shi Qingning nodded. “Apparently, Chen Zibing wanted to make a gift with her own blood for her boyfriend. She was trying to hide it from the teacher during class, but the eyebrow razor was too sharp. She accidentally cut too deep and bled too much, so the teacher found out.”

Song Qianqian was stunned. “A gift made of blood??”

A few girls nearby acted as if they had expected it. The round-faced girl said, “It’s not surprising she did that. She’s done things like this before.”

This time, Shi Qingning was surprised. “She did this before?”

“Yeah, last semester, there was a trend of braiding bracelets for people you like. A lot of people learned a style where you could hide a strand of your own hair inside the braid.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I remember,” Fang Anran said. “Was she that girl who dyed the string red with her own blood to braid a bracelet?”

“Yes, yes, that’s her!”

Song Qianqian’s skin crawled. “Dyeing string with blood… that sounds like a horror movie!”

“Believe it or not, she wasn’t the only one. Others followed the trend, saying bracelets made like that carry more emotion and help protect the person wearing them from bad luck.”

“Yikes. If I were that boyfriend, I’d think the bracelet was the bad luck.”

“But so many people believed it. People were even doing it during class.”

“Yeah, then the teachers found out and banned braiding strings and knives to stop it.”

“It hasn’t been that long, and she’s starting again?”

The whole class was discussing Chen Zibing. When Zheng Kun walked back in, he saw the crowd around his seat. He frowned deeply. Why are these people still blabbering?

Zheng Kun walked over expressionlessly. He saw Shi Qingning with his back turned, still chatting with the girls. Since he had moved to let Zheng Kun out, Shi Qingning hadn’t sat back down. He was leaning against the edge of the desk, waiting until class started to sit. This left the aisle completely open for Zheng Kun to return.

But Zheng Kun didn’t just walk in. Instead, he felt more and more annoyed looking at Shi Qingning. So freaking annoying.

Zheng Kun walked over and raised his hand to shove Shi Qingning. Based on where Shi Qingning was standing, a shove would send him straight into the corner of the desk.

But just as Zheng Kun’s hand was raised—before it even touched Shi Qingning—it was suddenly caught by a grip as strong as a steel shackle.

“Ah!!” Zheng Kun couldn’t help but cry out in pain. He struggled desperately. When he looked up, he met a pair of cold, inorganic, dark green eyes.

The people chatting nearby were startled by the noise. Shi Qingning turned and saw Bai Yexi, who had appeared out of nowhere, calmly brushing away Zheng Kun’s arm.

Zheng Kun’s expression was distorted and painful to look at. He clutched his wrist, his face turning a deep, dark red.

Shi Qingning was surprised. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Bai Yexi said plainly. “I told him to watch where he’s walking.”

He gave Zheng Kun a calm glance. The latter turned his head away, clutching his arm and curling up in his seat, not daring to look anyone in the eye.

When did Mint and Zheng Kun start talking? Shi Qingning was confused, but since Bai Yexi looked normal, he didn’t ask further. He only said, “Watch your hand.”

Over there, Song Qianqian and the others had long ago stopped caring about Zheng Kun and were still chatting.

“Can’t they just give normal gifts?”

“Maybe they think being unique makes it more meaningful?”

“No matter how unique, you can’t send bloody things…”

“I remember a pretty unique one! My best friend gave her hair tie to her boyfriend.”

“Oh right, giving hair ties was a trend too. Having the guy wear it on his wrist.”

A boy looked confused. “What does giving a hair tie mean?”

“It means ‘tying down’ the boyfriend,” someone laughed.

“Yeah, a hair tie on a guy must be his girlfriend’s. It’s obvious and shows he’s taken.”

“One look at you and I can tell you’ve never received one!”

The boy tried to defend himself. “Who understands these complicated meanings? There are people dating in our class too, but I’ve never seen anyone wearing one.”

The group began looking at the wrists of everyone around them, trying to find an example. Since many people were out of the room, their eyes eventually landed on the same person. He was right there among them.

“Xiao Shi…” Fang Anran stared blankly at Shi Qingning’s wrist.

The boy’s sleeve had slipped down slightly, revealing his well-defined wrist. On that thin, white wrist was a black hair tie, loosely worn. It was exactly what they were just debating. A hair tie given by a “girlfriend.”

Shi Qingning had been talking to Bai Yexi and only turned around when he noticed the silence. “What’s wrong?”

Then he saw Fang Anran stuttering, “That hair tie on your hand…”

Song Qianqian asked directly, “Was it really a gift from your girlfriend?”

Shi Qingning was stunned. He had overheard the conversation, but he didn’t expect it to be linked to him. He looked down and saw the hair tie on his wrist.

That was…

“It’s mine.”

Before Shi Qingning could answer, Bai Yexi spoke from behind him. Everyone froze.

The boy’s voice was cold and his expression was still. His gaze was fixed only on the boy in front of him. He reached out and gently encircled Shi Qingning’s sleeve, his long fingers resting on the hair tie. The contrast between the black band and the pale skin was striking.

For a moment, everyone was dazed, unable to tell if his answer meant “It is my hair tie” or “He is mine.”

Shi Qingning realized then that this was the hair tie Bai Yexi had left at the Shi house the night before. Shi Qingning had seen it before leaving this morning and stuffed it into his pocket to bring back to him. But when he went to the office earlier, the school uniform pocket was too shallow, and he was afraid it would fall out while walking, so he just slipped it onto his wrist.

Seeing everyone staring, Shi Qingning was about to explain when the door opened and the homeroom teacher walked in. “I could hear you all from way down the hall.”

Because of the Chen Zibing discussion, the noise had drawn the teacher over. “Alright, everyone back to your seats. Get ready for class.”

Since the teacher was there, everyone had to return to their desks. Shi Qingning pulled at Bai Yexi, wanting to return the hair tie. “Mint, your—”

But before he could take it off, Bai Yexi held his wrist.

The hair tie was loose on the boy’s wrist. Bai Yexi slid his fingers into the gap, stretching the band with his long, strong fingers, and removed it without touching Shi Qingning’s skin.

Even so, after the hair tie was removed, a faint red mark remained on the boy’s thin, white wrist. It looked bright and annoying. It had still been rubbed.

Not just the uniform, I need to change the material of the hair ties too, Bai Yexi thought as he took it back.

After a day of classes, because Bai Yexi still had an injury, he didn’t stay for evening self-study. He went back to the Shi house with Shi Qingning. On the way back, Shi Qingning was lost in thought.

He was thinking about Qin Zhishen.

After a whole day, Shi Qingning had finally organized the information about Qin Zhishen. In the novel, Qin Zhishen was a character who appeared after Bai Yexi reached adulthood. By then, Bai Yexi had found his biological parents. He was actually born into a wealthy family far more powerful than the An family.

But there was no heart in that wealthy family. What awaited Bai Yexi wasn’t family love or care, but endless trickery and power struggles. Bai Yexi was forced to start his own business and was often suppressed by relatives fighting for the inheritance.

But a sun will rise, and gold cannot be hidden. Bai Yexi’s talent was still noticed. With the brilliance inherited from his parents and a natural, “gift from God” instinct for the financial industry, he grew rapidly and became a rising star.

That was when Qin Zhishen appeared. At first, their relationship wasn’t good. They were in different camps, even rivals. Later, they had a “frenemy” relationship. But in the industry, the description of their relationship slowly changed from “rivals” to “soulmates.”

It should have been a legendary story. But in the end, Qin Zhishen suddenly shorted the stock market and stole all of Bai Yexi’s assets. Worse, he invested that massive amount of money into a newly founded company—a gift for his “White Moonlight” (first love/ideal).

After the first pursuer ruined Bai Yexi’s hands, Qin Zhishen tricked him out of all his money.

What “Qin Zhishen,” Shi Qingning thought. He should be called “Qin Beast” (Qínshòu).

Since Bai Yexi was still a minor, this plot hadn’t started yet. The main setting was in the capital, Yancheng. It seemed Shi Qingning still had time to prepare. He also noticed something: Qin Zhishen had invested in medical business, and the gift to his White Moonlight was a new medical company. Since they were in the same industry, maybe his family would have some information?

Even if Qin Zhishen wasn’t an adult yet, the Qin family should be famous if he was a rich second-generation kid. Shi Qingning decided to ask his mother when he got home.

Madam Shi and Shi Yi had been busy lately. Shi Qingning thought he wouldn’t see them until 10:00 PM, but as soon as he entered, he saw his mother humming a song while arranging flowers.

“Baby, you’re home from school!” Madam Shi looked at them with a smile. “Xiao Bai is back too? Come quickly, dinner is ready.”

Shi Qingning was surprised. “Mom, why are you home so early today?”

“Because everything is finished,” Madam Shi continued humming, clearly in a great mood. “Your dad is coming back in two days too. We can finally have a reunion.”

“Oh, right, your brother is home too. Did you see him?”

Shi Qingning nodded. “He’s in the yard making a call.”

Madam Shi said, “When he comes in, we’ll have dinner together.”

Shi Qingning was still thinking about Qin Zhishen and couldn’t help asking, “Mom, do you know someone named Qin Zhishen?”

Behind him, Bai Yexi who was putting down his backpack stiffened silently.

Hearing this, Madam Shi looked up at Shi Qingning and suddenly laughed. “Baby, you still remember him?”

Had the young master met Qin Zhishen before? Shi Qingning said calmly, “I just somehow thought of the name. It feels a bit familiar.”

Just then, the door opened. “Xiao Yi, come eat,” Madam Shi called out. Then she said to Shi Qingning, “Of course it’s familiar. The youngest son of the Qin family, Qin Zhishen.”

She said with a smile, “Back then, he was actually betrothed to you.”

Before she could even finish the sentence, the three people in the room seemed to freeze instantly.

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