The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 24

Song Qianqian was actually quite curious about the new classmate who looked cold and acted even colder. Compared to Shi Qingning, who also joined Class 3 this semester, Bai Yexi seemed to have absolutely no intention of socializing with his classmates. At least, Song Qianqian hadn’t seen anyone manage to have a conversation with him yet.

Except for the time the English teacher called him up to read material, Bai Yexi gave off the feeling that he wasn’t even in the class most of the time. This state was actually quite similar to how Shi Qingning had been last semester. Song Qianqian had mentioned this to Shi Qingning before.

“Last semester, the few times you came to school, you wore a thick coat and a big mask. You looked very hard to approach.”

“You probably only sat in class for one or two periods total. There were always people guarding the back door, making everyone think some big leader was coming to inspect us. We were all afraid to breathe. It turned out those people were your bodyguards, and they whisked you away as soon as class ended.”

“Everyone thought you were so mysterious back then. I only found out recently that you’re actually so easy to get along with.”

At that time, the young master of the Shi family hadn’t undergone his final surgery yet, but his condition had stabilized enough to make the curative operation possible. To cheer him up, the Shi family had sent him to school. But the body of a patient with congenital heart disease is different from a healthy person; he only visited a few times and was accompanied by staff the entire time.

Shi Qingning explained simply: “I was still sick back then.”

In Song Qianqian’s eyes, the feeling Bai Yexi gave off was exactly like the sick “Xiao Shi” from before. Even without a mask or a crowd of bodyguards, he was just as distant. He didn’t fit in.

Back in middle school, Song Qianqian had classmates whose minds clearly weren’t on studying. Nine years of compulsory education meant almost every minor stayed until ninth grade, but some had already found other paths—working or fighting, anything but studying. Back then, you could tell those people apart just by looking at them. They didn’t look like students.

But with Bai Yexi, it wasn’t a matter of not looking like a student. Song Qianqian happened to be reading a teen fantasy novel recently where the characters awaken non-human bloodlines. Perhaps influenced by the book, Song Qianqian even felt that Bai Yexi didn’t look like a living person at all.

This feeling reached its peak yesterday when others saw the hair tie on Shi Qingning’s wrist. At that time, Bai Yexi was standing behind Shi Qingning. He leaned his head down slightly, and his long, loose hair seemed to softly surround Shi Qingning from behind. It was soft and smooth, yet it seemed to silently draw an unbreakable circle of private territory.

Everything about Bai Yexi’s color palette was cold. Using terms learned from an art documentary, his “saturation” was too low. Aside from his ink-black hair, his fingertips were as white as cold stone. When he touched the hair tie on Shi Qingning’s wrist, his movements were light, yet they made one think of a strength that could never be escaped.

Song Qianqian felt more and more that Bai Yexi wasn’t human. He was like a marble statue come to life. The only time he seemed to have any human warmth was when he was with Shi Qingning.

Song Qianqian had curiously asked Shi Qingning about Bai Yexi before, since the new student only seemed to interact with him. Shi Qingning nodded and said they knew each other before. But the more Song Qianqian watched, the more he felt they weren’t just acquaintances.

While “Xiao Shi” was indeed very good-looking. Song Qianqian had heard the girls discussing him more than once and he was indeed easy to talk to, answering questions patiently for anyone, this was the first time Song Qianqian had heard Shi Qingning joke with someone in such a relaxed tone.

The boy himself was completely unaware. “What dialogue?” Shi Qingning asked blankly.

Song Qianqian hugged his manga and thought: It’s getting more obvious. An oblivious “idiot couple.”

Song Qianqian, who had read plenty of romance manga, wanted to explain it to him, but the documentary on the podium finished just then, and the art teacher started the lesson. His voice would have been drowned out, so Song Qianqian gave up and turned around to sit straight.

Shi Qingning was still a bit confused, but in his view, for “Mint” who was at the center of all the drama—the less romance, the better. Studying was what mattered most. So, he didn’t overthink Song Qianqian’s words. His whole mind was on physics problems. He quickly wrote down a very detailed solution and handed it to Bai Yexi.

Whether Bai Yexi studied music or finance in the future, having higher grades would always give him more options.

When school ended after the fourth period, Shi Qingning went home with Bai Yexi for lunch as usual. It wasn’t that he was being fussy, but the amount of oil and salt in the cafeteria food didn’t meet the dietary requirements for his recovery period.

In the hallway outside the classroom, Shi Qingning ran into the girl he had met once before. The girl was very thin. Her chin was exceptionally sharp, and there was no extra flesh on any part of her body visible outside her clothes. She seemed to be wearing ill-fitting colored contact lenses, which made her pupils look too large. There was too much black in her eyes—dark, empty, and lifeless. At a quick glance, it was actually quite startling.

She was looking at Shi Qingning and spoke to him. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I bothered you.”

Shi Qingning shook his head. “It’s okay.”

The two had a brief exchange and passed each other. After walking a few steps, Shi Qingning explained to Bai Yexi: “That was Chen Zibing.” She was the girl who had caused him to be called to the office yesterday.

The matter of Chen Zibing didn’t end there.

During the afternoon break, Bai Yexi sat at his desk while Shi Qingning ran over to find him, breathing the fresh air by the window. Suddenly, a classmate ran in, the scene almost a repeat of yesterday.

“Oh my god! That girl from the next class who cut her hand—her boyfriend came to see her!”

Everyone’s attention was grabbed. “That guy from the junior year?” “Yeah, Qi Ning.”

The classmate peeked out of the back door for a while. When he came back in, his expression was very complicated. “Crap, he actually came to break up with her.”

“Break up?? Didn’t they just exchange gifts yesterday?”

“I don’t know. Listen, they’re talking right outside.”

The classmate pointed to the door. The curious students in the classroom quickly went quiet and indeed heard a male voice in the hallway. Though it was a bit muffled, the general content was easy to guess.

The classmate whispered: “That Qi Ning brought several other guys with him. They’re blocking Chen Zibing and telling her not to make a scene, telling her to have some self-awareness…”

“Is that necessary?” A student couldn’t stand listening anymore. “Coming all the way to her classroom door to say that?”

Anyone who had seen Chen Zibing knew her current state was extremely unstable; she looked sensitive and haggard. Her boyfriend had actually come to her classroom door to break up, making sure everyone knew. How was she supposed to stay in her class after this?

“This guy is doing it on purpose, right? He’s such trash.”

“Total trash. I heard some gossip yesterday. It seems the gifts Chen Zibing gave were all requested by her boyfriend. He said all his buddies had them, so he couldn’t go without. He even said that the more it hurts to make the gift, the deeper the love, and the more others would envy him…”

“My god, is he even human?!”

Song Qianqian finally managed to squeeze in through the door. “No, the hallway is terrifying. It’s a sea of people, everyone is crowding around to watch. I could barely get through.”

“Watching a breakup? Is there still room?”

“Better not go. If it were me, and a breakup was watched by that many people. I’d be traumatized for life.”

Some students were confused. “How can so many people gather without a teacher coming to stop it?”

“Old Hai isn’t here! Who can stop it?”

Class 3 and Class 4 were right next to each other. Usually, the homeroom teachers watched over things. But the Class 4 teacher was always taking leave, and Class 3’s Xie Chuxia was at a department meeting today, so naturally, no one was there to look after things.

“Hey, I heard Old Hai is always absent because the cram school he runs outside is making money, so he doesn’t even want to come to class anymore.”

“Hasn’t he been running that cram school all along? It didn’t interfere with classes before!”

“Exactly. Last semester, he was always hinting that we should go to his extra classes. Our class was okay, but I heard from Class 4 students that those who didn’t want to go were given the worst seats in the corners. In the end, they had to pay to attend.”

“Old Hai is such a scammer. Everyone used to say he was a good teacher.”

“He’s doing this because he’s a good teacher. The owner of that cram school is from Shanghai and supposedly promised to help transfer Old Hai there to teach. They even said they’d help his son get a Shanghai residency. My mom’s colleague is Old Hai’s neighbor and says their family is preparing to move to Shanghai.”

“No wonder he’s always taking leave!”

“Lucky him—he made money and he’s leaving, leaving our classes to be delayed.”

The students had long held grudges against the physics teacher. Although students often fantasize about not having class, being neglected like this actually felt quite bad. Song Qianqian couldn’t help but complain: “I’ve asked Xiao Shi more physics questions this semester than I’ve asked Old Hai.”

There was noise both inside and outside the classroom until Fang Anran and the others went to call the grade supervisor from upstairs. The teacher rushed down and finally dispersed the crowd in the hallway, ending the breakup drama for now.

But the news of Chen Zibing being dumped had spread completely. Qi Ning and his group of boys were high-profile people. Within a few days, Qi Ning had a new girlfriend and was showing off around campus. Because they weren’t walking alone as a couple, they weren’t afraid of being caught by the school’s discipline committee. Walking as a large group actually made them more noticeable.

Before long, the news reached the tenth grade. Chen Zibing looked even thinner than before. Secretly and openly, many people were gossiping about her. Her face was too white; a few times, people from the Dean’s office stopped her, warning that makeup wasn’t allowed in school. But when they stopped her, they realized she wasn’t wearing foundation. Her face was truly that pale.

Rumors were flying. A teacher should have stepped in, but the news of the physics teacher leaving seemed confirmed. He had no heart for his duties. Even the quizzes were explained by the physics teacher from Classes 1 and 2. Later, the grade supervisor lost his patience and scolded him by name. Only then did the physics teacher finally show up at school with a sour face.

That day, Shi Qingning went to Xie Chuxia’s office to hand in a form. As he passed, he heard the physics teacher scolding someone next door. Since Xie Chuxia was waiting, Shi Qingning didn’t listen closely and went straight into the office. By the time he came out, the noise next door had stopped.

As he returned to his classroom door, Shi Qingning ran into Chen Zibing. There were heavy bloodshot streaks in her eyes; it seemed she had taken out the colored contacts. But her eyes were still empty. Because of the previous misunderstanding, they usually nodded to each other when they met. This time, Shi Qingning greeted her as well.

Chen Zibing’s gaze was a bit dazed, but she politely nodded back. When Shi Qingning walked into the classroom, he met the curious gaze of a classmate.

“You still dare to greet that Chen Zibing?”

Shi Qingning asked: “What’s wrong?”

Several classmates gathered around. “Someone just heard Old Hai scolding someone in the office, and it sounded like her.”

“Yeah, Old Hai seemed really angry. He said he’s very busy and told her not to cause trouble for him.”

Someone even mimicked him: “What are you doing cutting your hand again, huh? Addicted to it, are you? If you’ve got the guts, go cut your neck instead!”

Hearing those words, several people were shocked. “How can Old Hai speak like that?”

“Crap, did she cut her hand again?”

“This time it really is self-harm…”

“I saw Qi Ning walking by with a girl this morning, intentionally ignoring Chen Zibing. Do you think she’s really been pushed too far?”

Someone else said: “Her class seems used to it. They say Chen Zibing is always scratching her wrists. If her knife is confiscated, she uses her fingernails. She can’t scratch very deep, so after a while, no one can tell if it’s real or fake.”

“That kind is even scarier. If she does it for real, no one might save her.”

“Exactly. At first, they called the teacher, but now the teacher is just annoyed.”

“Maybe if someone saves her, she’ll just think they’re being nosy…”

“Even so, someone should step in,” Shi Qingning suddenly interrupted.

Several people looked at him and were stunned. This usually gentle and handsome boy rarely looked so serious. “No matter what she did, she shouldn’t have to pay with her life.”

The younger people are, the less they understand the value of life. Shi Qingning thought of Jian Ren. He thought of the rumors that had been targeted at the original young master Shi when he first woke up.

“It’s not worth it for something like this. She will definitely regret it later.”

“In the end, can you really give up your life just because you like someone?”

Behind him, the boy leaning against the window frame looking at him lowered his eyes slightly.

He gave no audible answer.

Yes, you can.

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