The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 25

Shi Qingning went to see his head teacher.

Although he had briefly met Chen Zibing before, he didn’t know her well, so approaching her directly wasn’t the best idea.

Jie Chuxia was not only the head teacher for Class 3 but also the math teacher for Class 4. As a female teacher, it would be easier and more appropriate for her to look after a female student.

When Shi Qingning arrived at the office, Jie Chuxia was busy filling out forms. She was applying for a professional title promotion recently, so on top of her teaching duties, she had a lot of extra work. She was clearly overwhelmed.

However, she listened to Shi Qingning very seriously. She frowned in thought for a moment, then called out to the math class representative from Class 4, who happened to be picking up homework.

“Wen Ming, please go get Chen Zibing’s roommate for me.”

She then turned to Shi Qingning and said, “Thank you for telling me about this. I’ll look into the situation first and talk to Chen Zibing after I finish my work this afternoon.”

Shi Qingning nodded and left.

When school let out at noon, he saw Chen Zibing again. This time, she wasn’t alone; two girls were accompanying her to the cafeteria. It looked like Jie Chuxia’s instructions. Seeing this, he felt relieved that nothing major should go wrong.

The second period in the afternoon was Physical Education (PE), which was a combined class for Class 3 and Class 4. After the lunch break, Jie Chuxia had specifically visited the classroom to tell everyone not to gossip about private matters. Although she didn’t mention names, the students had more or less sensed what was going on. Consequently, even though they were in class with Class 4, not many people were talking about Chen Zibing.

As usual, the PE class started with everyone running a lap around the track, followed by free time. Shi Qingning actually looked forward to PE; it was a rare chance for him to experience group sports. However, he wasn’t at school for this class. Shi Yi had some free time and came to take him to the hospital for a check-up.

No. 29 Middle School didn’t have weekly breaks. They only had time off once every two weeks. Since Shi Qingning didn’t want to miss his academic classes, he usually scheduled his check-ups whenever there was a gap. Fortunately, he was recovering well, so the exams weren’t as complicated as they used to be; one class period was enough for the round trip.

He didn’t let Bai Yexi go with him. He thought that even though he couldn’t fully participate in PE yet, “Mint” could. If things went smoothly, he might even get back early enough to catch the end of the class.

Thus, one person was officially absent. After the ten-minute free time ended, the PE teacher blew the whistle for everyone to gather for group exercises. But during the roll call, something went wrong.

One person was missing.

In the combined classes, only Shi Qingning had an excused absence. Yet, no matter how many times they counted, they were two people short of the total. The teacher frowned and told the sports representatives to check the names, thinking someone had snuck off to play.

Suddenly, a girl shouted in a trembling voice: “Zibing… Chen Zibing is gone!”

The students froze at the mention of her name.

“Where did she go? Wasn’t she just sitting there during the run?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t see her.”

At the start of class, Chen Zibing had asked the teacher for leave from running. Seeing how pale she was, the teacher told her to sit on the side and rest. During the free time, her roommate and the person sitting in front of her had gone to check on her. But they couldn’t stay by her side every second. Later, both girls assumed she had gone to the restroom with the other. It wasn’t until the assembly that they realized she was gone.

The PE teacher listened to the students’ frantic explanations and realized the situation was serious. There was no time for class now; he quickly split everyone into groups to search for her. They hoped she had just stepped away and would return on her own.

But as the students returned one by one, reporting that she wasn’t in the classroom, the restroom, or anywhere else, panic began to set in.

What if something really happened to her?

The PE teacher went to the security office to check the surveillance tapes. Some students continued searching, while the rest were gathered on the field by the Class 3 sports representative to wait. The atmosphere became heavy.

The girl who sat in front of Chen Zibing had damaged the sole of her shoe on some gravel while searching and was now forced to sit and wait. Her face was pale. After sitting in a daze for a long time, she suddenly covered her eyes and began to sob quietly.

“I should have… I should have watched her…”

The tearful voice wasn’t loud, but it pulled at everyone’s heartstrings.

Second floor of the old sports equipment warehouse.

The weather was poor today; the wind blew in gusts. The sky was a dull, deathly white, with no blue or warm sun in sight. A thin, slender figure stood by the door. After checking twice that the door was locked, she walked slowly into the center of the warehouse.

Basketballs and soft mats were piled everywhere, and dust rose with every step. It was a dusty, old place, but for Chen Zibing, it was enough. It was quiet enough for her to end her life undisturbed.

Chen Zibing walked toward the inner part of the warehouse. Using the dim light from the window, she found a clear spot among the old equipment. She lifted her arm and stared at her wrist. The oversized school uniform sleeve slid down her forearm, revealing pale skin covered in jagged scars of various depths.

She reached out and gently touched the overlapping pink marks. Her eyes were calm. The greyish light framed her thin figure, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. In this moment, she appeared strangely peaceful, almost holy.

It wasn’t about the pain. Touching the scars, she felt they were an exit for her suffering.

She pulled a hidden razor blade from her sleeve. This was her last one—the only sharp object her roommate hadn’t found and taken away. It was thin, but it would do. The cold blade pressed against her thin skin. With just a little pressure, she could open the exit.

Before she could feel the familiar sting, a strange male voice came from nearby.

“Is it worth it?”

Chen Zibing’s hand jerked, nearly dropping the blade. She cried out, “Who’s there?!”

She had personally confirmed the door was locked, and she hadn’t heard anyone break in. Terrified and confused, she looked around until she saw a tall, thin boy sitting on the balcony outside the window.

He was sitting on the narrow outer edge of the balcony. He had handsome features but a cold expression. His long, tied-back hair blew in the wind, like bold ink splashed against the grey sky. Chen Zibing froze, her confusion momentarily overriding her fear.

This was the second floor with no steps on the outside wall. How did he get up there?

Bai Yexi sat on the ledge with his arms crossed. Although he had spoken to her, his gaze remained fixed on the field outside. This small warehouse building was located in a corner of the sports field. From the second-floor balcony, one could see everyone taking PE class.

Bai Yexi had scouted the school early on and knew the vantage points here. It was wide and clear. If someone returned from off-campus to join the PE class, he would be able to see them immediately.

Inside, Chen Zibing’s surprise faded, replaced by a feeling that asking questions was pointless. She took a silent step back, gripping the razor blade tighter, her voice trembling as she tried to stay steady.

“This is my business. Don’t come over.”

The boy finally turned his head, his indifferent gaze falling on her.

“You will regret it later.”

His tone was too cold and hard. It didn’t sound like a typical warning; it sounded more like he was simply stating a fact. But Chen Zibing’s nerves were already frayed, and those few words easily broke her composure.

“I won’t regret it.” She shook her head, her body and voice both shaking. “You don’t understand. None of you understand.”

“I’ve tried to talk myself out of it so many times. I know better, but I just can’t control it.” Large tears rolled down from her dry, painful eyes. Her voice turned raspy. “Talking is easy, but doing it isn’t. Today is his birthday. I’ve been thinking for a long, long time about how to spend today. I planned every minute and second over and over. I thought about it too much, but in reality, there’s nothing. I can’t take it.”

She was so overwhelmed that she almost lost her voice. “I really can’t take it anymore. Just let me go.”

The wind pushed open the door to the balcony. Through that dusty, rectangular opening, Bai Yexi watched her huddled figure.

“Even so, it’s not worth your life.”

“I have no choice.” Chen Zibing held the blade and couldn’t wipe her tears. Her face was stained with them. She whispered, “I just want to cut a hole and let all the pain out. Otherwise, it’s going to burst through me.”

The blade pressed into her skin. She was explaining it to him, but also guiding herself. Her gaze became vacant again. “Isn’t it good? Just give me some relief. When the blood flows out, the pain goes with it.  Let it all flow out.”

As the thin blade was about to break the skin, the boy on the balcony remained still. He only spoke calmly.

“You can’t drain it all out that way.”

Chen Zibing’s fingers paused.

Bai Yexi seemed indifferent to her actions, speaking as if he were giving a lecture. “The blood won’t drain completely. It will stop soon; the wound will clot.”

Chen Zibing instinctively argued, “It won’t. Blood can keep flowing. It won’t stop.” She had cut herself before; she had to use so much paper to press and soak it up to get it clean.

The boy’s handsome features remained cold. “You think it won’t stop because too little blood is coming out.”

Chen Zibing stared at him blankly, feeling a slow sense of confusion. Was he trying to stop her? It didn’t… sound like it.

“Losing too much blood will indeed lead to death, but you can’t do it.” Bai Yexi’s voice was flat, as if he were explaining a scientific fact or a law of nature. “Even with a blade, it’s hard to hit your own artery. Before you can damage the artery, your body’s survival instinct will kick in, instinctively and strongly forcing you to let go.”

“For someone without training, it’s very hard to bleed oneself to death. The body protects itself, the blood clots, and once blood loss reaches a certain limit, it can’t continue. You won’t even be able to squeeze much out.”

This was why sometimes it was hard to even get enough blood from a finger prick for a health check.

Even though Chen Zibing still held the blade in her shaking fingers, she felt the boy’s voice was colder and sharper than the metal. It sent a bone-chilling cold through her entire body.

“If you want the blood to keep flowing, you have to tear the wound open.”

“You have to shove a needle even deeper to suck the blood out.”

He spoke of it with such terrifying detail, and yet with such realism as if he had tried it himself.

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