Chapter 21 Part 2 — It’s not good to provoke someone…
Hearing this, Xie Hejing’s brows shot up, a dangerous air of hostility rising from him.
“…Tch.” He exhaled sharply.
Nan Xu’s shoulders trembled. Even though he said nothing, she could sense his anger.
He must be angry that she hadn’t listened—after all, he had already warned her about Liu Chengyi, and she hadn’t taken it seriously.
“Are you going to scold me?”
Nan Xu’s voice was soft and fragile, unlike anything she’d ever used before—like a wounded fawn, uncertain and afraid.
She wasn’t sure whether she could hold back her tears if he did scold her. Still, she would try.
He didn’t like it when she cried.
More than that—
—he hurt for her.
Xie Hejing met her gaze. Afraid of frightening her again, even his breathing grew lighter. He didn’t voice the words in his chest, but they lingered in his eyes.
“Why would I scold you?”
Nan Xu mumbled, “You reminded me before… to stay away from Liu Chengyi.” Just saying that name made the memories crash back, and the thought of having to face him again in class tomorrow broke her composure. Her voice cracked with sobs. “From now on, I’ll definitely keep my distance from him.”
Xie Hejing lowered his gaze, the sharpness in his eyes softening. “If you want to cry, then cry. Don’t hold it in.”
His tone was still cold and clipped as usual, but underneath it carried a tenderness neither of them noticed.
For the first time, Nan Xu felt truly safe. She clutched his sleeve, stepped closer, and buried herself in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Xie Hejing listened as her muffled whimpers swelled into unrestrained crying. Her tears soaked his shirt as his fists slowly clenched—yet in the next moment, he forced down his temper to comfort her instead.
Only when her crying finally subsided did Xie Hejing speak, unusually gentle: “Go upstairs and rest. Don’t think about anything else. Just get a good night’s sleep.”
The tenderness in his voice startled Nan Xu so much she forgot her sadness and looked up at him in astonishment.
Xie Hejing clearly realized what he’d done, and immediately slipped back into his usual harsh demeanor.
“What are you staring at?”
But this time, the fierceness carried a trace of guilt, as if he were covering something up. Nan Xu didn’t notice, though—she just nodded.
Mm. It must have been her imagination just now. This was the real Xie Hejing.
After watching Nan Xu go back to her room, Xie Hejing took out his phone and gave the address she had mentioned to the people on the other end.
By the time he arrived at the KTV entrance, his men had already been waiting for quite a while. When they saw him, someone asked, “Brother Jing, should we head straight up?”
Xie Hejing nodded.
At that hour, Liu Chengyi was still drinking with his group of good-for-nothing friends. Glass after glass went down, but his mind was elsewhere—he had no intention of letting Nan Xu off so easily.
She dared to hit him? He would make her pay.
But before he could even plot further, the door burst open, and Xie Hejing and his men walked in.
In panic, Liu Chengyi looked up, recognizing who it was. His forced smile was pitiful. “Xie Hejing, did you come to the wrong place? This is our room.”
The Xie Hejing standing there was a completely different man from the one who had carefully comforted Nan Xu earlier.
His presence radiated a chilling, dangerous aura.
He didn’t waste words.
He simply grabbed Liu Chengyi by the collar and dragged him out, like hauling a dog.
The 178cm-tall Liu Chengyi was completely helpless in front of him, constantly falling and tumbling as he was dragged out.
In desperation, he stammered, “Xie Hejing, what are you doing?”
Xie Hejing smirked, his voice laced with mockery. “I just don’t like the look of you.”
Liu Chengyi’s friends jumped to their feet, trying to intervene, but Xie Hejing’s men immediately blocked them, ensuring no one disturbed his “conversation” with Liu Chengyi.
Unimpeded, Xie Hejing hauled him all the way outside the KTV into a dark alley. There, without a word, his fists rained down on Liu Chengyi. Only the sounds of groans and pleas for mercy broke the silence.
After who knew how many blows, Xie Hejing finally paused. Seizing the chance, Liu Chengyi wheezed through bloodied lips, “What did I ever do to provoke you?”
At that, Xie Hejing crouched down. His expression carried a street-thug insolence rarely shown before Nan Xu. With a hand clamped tightly around Liu Chengyi’s throat, his eyes gleamed coldly.
“Of all people to mess with—you just had to go after my little girl.”
. . . . .
By the time Xie Hejing returned home, it was already midnight. Zhang Huiwan was still working late.
He sank onto the living room sofa, exhaling slowly.
Barely three minutes later, his phone rang. The caller ID read “Nan Xu.”
He turned toward the second floor—everything seemed quiet—then answered.
“What’s wrong?”
Nan Xu’s voice came weak and tired through the receiver. “Brother… are you home? I don’t feel well.”
“What’s wrong, where does it hurt?” Xie Hejing gripped the phone, already running upstairs, but stopped at her bedroom door. “I’m right outside your room.”
“Brother, I feel dizzy. I think I caught a chill earlier today…” She coughed softly. “Can you bring me some cold medicine?”
“I’m coming in,” he said into the phone.
He pushed the door open. Nan Xu strained to lift her head, and what came into her blurred view was a slightly double-imaged Xie Hejing. She quickly felt her head weigh a thousand pounds and slumped back onto the pillow.
Even earlier when she’d come home, her throat had felt scratchy, her body weak and feverish. She had brushed it off, thinking she only needed rest.
But waking up just now, it had only worsened. Her head pounded, her body burned.
Xie Hejing touched her forehead lightly.
Nan Xu curled deeper into the blanket. Strands of messy hair stuck to her flushed cheeks, her skin burning hot. When she felt the chill clinging to him from outside, she instinctively pulled the covers tighter.
He quickly withdrew his hand. “We’re going to the hospital.”
“Medicine should be enough,” came her muffled voice from under the blanket. “I still have school tomorrow.”
“…Get up and put on your clothes.” Xie Hejing’s brows knitted together.
Ever since childhood, whenever she had a fever, Nan Xu would be taken to the hospital for an IV. But she was afraid of needles. “I don’t want to go.”
Xie Hejing drew a deep breath, restraining his temper. His eyes caught on a coat draped over the end of her bed. He pointed.
“Then put that on—we’re going to the hospital.”
“That one doesn’t look good.” Nan Xu pouted.
“What’s so bad about it? Just put it on and let’s get to the hospital.” Xie Hejing said.
“I don’t want to go.” Nan Xu insisted.
Xie Hejing raised a brow, looking a little helpless.
“…Then wear a nice one, okay?” His tone was practically coaxing.
Right now his temper was unbelievably good. Hands on his waist, he stared at Nan Xu. He couldn’t exactly force her into the car.
“Which one do you want to wear?”
Seeing that Nan Xu was about to refuse again, Xie Hejing cut her off coldly: “If you say you’re not going one more time, I’ll call Aunt Wen. Do you want her to worry?”
That worked instantly. Nan Xu hurriedly sat up, afraid he really would make the call. “I’ll go,” she said quickly, then pointed at the wool coat hanging to the side. “I’ll wear this one—it matches my pajamas pretty well.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
With patience, he took the coat down, walked to the bed, and ignored her attempt to put it on herself. Draping it over her shoulders, he said, “Arms.”
Nan Xu froze for a moment before slipping it on.
Xie Hejing pulled the hood out, zipped it up for her, then straightened and lowered his gaze to her. “Can you walk?”
She looked too weak to manage. His hand was already half-extended, but Nan Xu braced herself on the bed and stood up on her own. “I can walk.”
Slowly, Xie Hejing withdrew his hand. “…Alright. Let’s go.”
He was so gentle now it felt like he was a different person entirely. If Liu Chengyi were here, he’d never believe Xie Hejing even had this side to him.
At the hospital, after all the examinations, Nan Xu still needed an IV drip. She curled up inside her coat, face buried, fists trembling with nerves.
Noticing, the nurse glanced at Xie Hejing and said, “Your girlfriend looks scared. Hold her still, or she might move when I put the needle in.”
Nan Xu’s head shot out of her coat immediately.
What a huge misunderstanding!
If Xie Hejing heard that, he’d definitely get mad. She didn’t even dare look at his expression as she rushed to explain: “Sister, this is my brother, not my boyfriend.” She held out her arm steadily. “You can go ahead, I won’t move. Sorry to trouble you.”
Xie Hejing just crossed his arms and stared at her back, silent.
The nurse worked quickly, then stood up and reminded Xie Hejing, “Keep an eye on it. When this bag finishes, call us to switch it out.”
“Mm. Thank you.”
By the time Zhang Huiwan arrived after getting the call, Nan Xu was already asleep against the bed.
Panting, Zhang Huiwan asked, “How is she?”
Xie Hejing lowered his voice: “She has a cold, it’s quite serious. She needs to be hospitalized first.”
Zhang Huiwan looked at Nan Xu worriedly. “It’s my fault, I haven’t been taking proper care of Jiaojiao these past few days.” She set her bag down on the table. “Hejing, you should go home first. I’ll stay here with her.”
But Xie Hejing didn’t move. “Mom, you go home. I’ll stay. What—aren’t you going to get your beauty sleep?”
“How could I possibly think about beauty sleep right now? I nearly died of nerves the moment I got your call.” Zhang Huiwan steadied herself and finally found a seat.
“That’s why you should go back first. I’m young, I can stay up. If anything happens to Nan Xu, I’ll be right here. But if you can’t hold out and something comes up, then what? You should go home.”
Zhang Huiwan hesitated, and Xie Hejing pressed a little harder: “Get some proper rest tonight. That way you’ll have the energy to take care of her tomorrow.”
In the end, Zhang Huiwan still lingered in the ward for quite a while before leaving. On her way out, she was already mulling over what nourishing food she could cook for Nan Xu.
Xie Hejing glanced up at the IV and saw it was nearly finished, so he called a nurse to change the bag.
Maybe the noise startled Nan Xu, because after the nurse left, Xie Hejing heard her muttering in her sleep, though he couldn’t make out the words. She stirred, even tugging the blanket off herself.
Xie Hejing frowned, bending down to pull the quilt back over her.
But before he could straighten up, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist.