The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 29

Shi Qingning carefully read Qin Zhishen’s page in the class album from start to finish.

Although there were many questions on the page, the truly useful information was limited. For example, in the address column, Qin Zhishen had written the address of the summer camp they attended back then instead of his home address.

However, the trivial and detailed questions helped Shi Qingning sketch out a general image of him.

For instance, Qin Zhishen wrote that he hated persistence and clinginess. His “ideal type” was someone pale and thin. In the section for favorite foods, he had used fancy script to fill in a very long German word.

Shi Qingning remembered that it was a niche brand of handmade cakes.

After seeing Qin Zhishen’s photo, Shi Qingning didn’t feel anything special, nor did any memories return. This was very different from the first time he saw Bai Yexi.

Or does only “Mint” make me feel something?

Shi Qingning pondered this as he looked at the album page with a critical eye.

Perhaps because these questions were so detailed and real, Shi Qingning felt a subtle sense of disconnect. The plot he remembered was bizarre and illogical, yet the Qin Zhishen described by this information seemed like just a slightly cocky, normal kid.

How did he later turn into such a ridiculous scumbag?

Beside him, Kong Que asked curiously, “Why did you suddenly ask about this person?”

Shi Qingning handed the phone back, thanked him, and gave a simple excuse. “My family mentioned that I knew him when I was little. I have no memory of it, so I just asked.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember something,” Kong Que said. “I heard Yan City has been quite lively lately. The grandson of the Jian family—the one who’s always mysterious and hard to find—had a match against a younger member of the Qin family of the same age. Calculating the age, that younger one should be Qin Zhishen.”

Shi Qingning asked, “What did they compete in?”

“I think it was simulated trading?” Kong Que said. “I don’t understand that stuff much. I just heard the Qin family lost. Qin Zhishen wasn’t happy about it and wanted a rematch, but his family gave him a harsh lecture. It seems they are moving up his plans to study abroad.”

Shi Lin became more shocked the more she listened. “How do you know all this gossip?”

“Because I have a passion for life, understand?” Kong Que stirred his silver spoon, looking elegant and dead serious. “Curiosity is the driving force of human progress.”

Shi Lin wrinkled her small face. “You know those tea parties for noble ladies in novels? You would definitely be the organizer.”

Kong Que took a sip of coffee and smiled. “I’ll tell your aunt when I get back that you’ve been reading novels again.”

Shi Lin snapped, “You bastard Peacock!!”

While the two were bickering, Shi Qingning thought to himself that if this news was reliable, it was a good thing for Mint. Since Bai Yexi hadn’t applied to go abroad this time, the chances of him running into Qin Zhishen should drop significantly.

After getting a basic grasp of Qin Zhishen’s information, Shi Qingning felt more confident.

But honestly, compared to the money-grubbing Qin Zhishen, what Shi Qingning feared most was the third suitor.

In his initial, very blurry memories of the plot, Shi Qingning clearly remembered the terrifying ending: the third suitor directly caused Bai Yexi’s death.

Based on the plot he had deduced so far, Bai Yexi likely encountered that third suitor while living a quiet life alone after breaking free from his wealthy family and Qin Zhishen.

Unfortunately, Shi Qingning had no clues about the later plot. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more his head spun.

Perhaps the time wasn’t right, or perhaps his brain couldn’t handle it yet. Despite his urgency, he could only continue to wait for another flash of memory.

The weekend passed in the blink of an eye. According to the rules of No. 29 Middle School, students were supposed to return for evening self-study on Sunday night. Shi Qingning and Bai Yexi hadn’t started attending those yet. Not only that, Bai Yexi had even asked for a leave of absence for Monday’s classes.

Packing seemed more troublesome than Shi Qingning had anticipated. He and Bai Yexi hadn’t seen each other since Saturday.

On Sunday morning, Bai Yexi called.

“I need to take two days off to handle some things.”

The voice over the receiver sounded slightly tired, perhaps from the exhaustion of packing.

Shi Qingning couldn’t help but worry. “Is there still a lot to do? Should I find someone to help?”

“It’s fine, no need,” Bai Yexi said. “It’s just some paperwork for ending the lease. I’ll be back on Wednesday. Your mother already sent someone to help.”

Shi Qingning guessed the situation. For Bai Yexi, besides ending the lease, there might be some furniture he couldn’t take with him that needed to be sold. Plus, he seemed to have some part-time jobs at night that he probably needed to quit all at once.

The Shi family didn’t lack money, and Shi Qingning was trying his best to find various excuses to give Bai Yexi money and keep him around for meals. But he also knew the sensitivity and dignity a teenage boy would have at this age.

Shi Qingning considerately didn’t ask further. “Okay, I’ll wait for you to come back on Wednesday.”

“Mhm.” On the other end of the line, the boy paused before saying, “Make sure you rest, and take your medicine on time.”

Shi Qingning replied, “Mhm.”

“Don’t strain your eyes.”

Shi Qingning laughed. “Okay.”

After hanging up, he realized—how did it turn into Mint nagging me?

However, taking Bai Yexi’s words to heart, Shi Qingning did start paying attention to his eyes. It just so happened he had a follow-up exam on Wednesday.

Returning to school on Monday, the class had regained its usual peace. It seemed the accident from last week had already become a thing of the past.

After returning from the group exercise during the long break, everyone was slumped in their seats, gulping down water and fanning themselves.

Just as they were catching their breath, the front door of the classroom was pushed open. The noisy chatter stopped abruptly.

The person who entered wasn’t a teacher, but the thin figure that everyone remembered vividly: Chen Zibing.

Everyone stared at her, surprised and curious.

Chen Zibing looked better than she had a few days ago. Her face was no longer deathly pale, and she had stopped wearing her colored contact lenses. She walked in holding a small teddy bear woven from thin rope.

She looked at everyone, appearing a bit nervous. She carefully placed the little bear on the teacher’s podium.

The students stared blankly at her.

Chen Zibing pursed her lips and said softly, “I made this myself.”

Once she started talking, it didn’t seem so hard. She lowered her head and gave everyone a deep bow.

“Thank you.”

Before anyone could react, she walked out, her movements a bit stiff from embarrassment, the tips of her pale ears burning red.

The students looked at each other for a long while before the classroom slowly became lively again.

“Is she thanking our class?”

“That bear looks so cute.”

“I know, right? She’s really good at weaving. A lot of girls in Class 4 learned from her.”

Some people went up to look at the bear, but the classroom didn’t get too loud because the head teacher for the next class was already standing at the door.

Seeing Jie Chuxia, the students habitually settled down. But Jie Chuxia didn’t tell everyone to be quiet for class. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, looking at everyone with a smile. She gave them a thumb’s up.

“You guys are amazing. Well done.”

The students couldn’t help but laugh. Some boys in the back even drummed on their desks. “We are awesome!”

The handmade bear was hung next to the blackboard of Class 3, where everyone could see it as soon as they looked up. The bear’s mouth was a tiny, curved line. It was smiling happily at every student.

Chen Zibing was indeed very skilled. Shi Qingning also thought the bear was cute. During the next break, he ran into Chen Zibing in the hallway.

He nodded to greet her as usual, but this time she stopped him.

“Thank you,” Chen Zibing said. The sickly grey look had faded from her face, and her dimples were very cute when she smiled. “Teacher Jie told me that you reminded her to look after me.”

Shi Qingning said, “No need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Also, there’s student Bai,” Chen Zibing said. “Can you please pass on my thanks to him?”

Usually, Bai Yexi rarely interacted with people; the only person he was ever with was Shi Qingning.

“Sure.” Shi Qingning smiled. “He’s away on leave for these two days and will be back on Wednesday. You can tell him in person then.”

Chen Zibing seemed to hesitate. Others didn’t know the details, but she still felt a subconscious fear toward that long-haired boy from that day. However, she eventually nodded. “Okay.”

Including the weekend, Shi Qingning hadn’t seen Bai Yexi for four days. Although they stayed in touch online, Shi Qingning felt like something was different from usual.

He continued to sort out the plot regarding Qin Zhishen while waiting for memories of the third suitor. But there was no progress. Perhaps because he was thinking too much, he felt a bit dizzy on Tuesday.

Shi Qingning had been pondering one thing without an answer: What exactly is the trigger for my memories?

He hadn’t been sleeping well lately. On Wednesday morning, Shi Qingning returned home after a small English quiz and finally saw Bai Yexi.

After the short separation, Shi Qingning stared at him for a long time. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why do I feel like you’ve lost weight again?”

“I don’t think so,” Bai Yexi said. “It might be from the physical activity of packing.”

His things had all been moved to the house near the campus. They could move in together tomorrow. Thinking about living together, Shi Qingning didn’t ask further. He would just keep a close eye on Mint to make sure he ate well later.

At noon, Shi Qingning went to the hospital for a follow-up, and he dragged Bai Yexi along. Since it was just a routine check-up, it was a good chance for Mint to get checked as well. Bai Yexi didn’t refuse, which made Shi Qingning feel oddly relieved.

When the results came out, the doctor flipped through Bai Yexi’s report and said, “Nothing wrong, all indicators are normal. He’s just a bit thin and has slightly low blood sugar.”

Shi Qingning was quite sensitive to anything involving blood. “Is it seriously low?”

“Not serious. The numbers look okay,” the doctor said. “He’s young; just make sure he eats more.”

Shi Qingning had more tests, so his reports took longer. Some had to be picked up on another floor. Bai Yexi went to get the results for him. After he left, Shi Qingning remembered how much Mint cared about his eyes, so he asked:

“Is it possible for my surgery to cause any problems with my eyes?”

The doctor was startled and immediately looked up at him. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Nothing,” Shi Qingning explained. “I just wanted to ask if there’s any possibility.”

Even though he said that, the doctor quickly pulled up Shi Qingning’s previous medical report. He compared it with today’s ophthalmology results and then felt relieved.

“Oh, the eye pressure was a bit high last time, but it’s fine now.”

Shi Qingning asked, “But could there be an issue?”

Fearing the Shi family would get anxious, the doctor didn’t really want to say. But because the young master kept asking, he finally said tactfully:

“If the surgery wasn’t fully successful and the heart’s blood supply function couldn’t recover, in severe cases, it could lead to cerebral ischemia, which might affect vision.”

Shi Qingning had a faint premonition, but he still couldn’t help frowning when he heard this. Does this mean possible blindness?

The doctor said, “But you don’t need to worry, Second Young Master. You don’t have that concern; you’re recovering very well now.” He reassured him several times, “You don’t lack blood in your body now, and the blood bank reserves are very sufficient. Even if you need minor surgeries later, we can arrange them immediately.”

Shi Qingning knew that after a radical surgery for congenital heart disease, one still needs to recover, and minor procedures might still be needed. So, it was normal for the blood bank to keep reserves.

Shi Qingning said his thanks. While he was still thinking about Bai Yexi’s reaction, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

The person who entered wasn’t Bai Yexi, but another doctor from the specialist team that had performed Shi Qingning’s surgery. She greeted him and, seeing the report on the desk, picked it up to flip through it.

After a page, she noticed, “Wait, this isn’t the Second Young Master’s report?”

Shi Qingning said, “It’s my friend’s.”

The female doctor looked at it a bit longer and suddenly frowned.

Shi Qingning’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh,” the female doctor continued reading, “it should be nothing…”

But listening to her tone, Shi Qingning felt it wasn’t “nothing.” He asked, “Is something wrong?”

The female doctor hesitated before saying, “It’s like this. Yesterday, a patient with anxiety disorder came from the psychiatry department for auxiliary physiological tests. I helped issue that report.”

She looked at Bai Yexi’s report and said hesitantly, “The distribution of indicators for your friend seems a bit similar to that diagnosed patient.”

She asked tactfully, “Does he usually worry too much?”

Shi Qingning was stunned.

…Anxiety disorder?!

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