“Chalking up a lack of experience to some fundamental flaw in your abilities? That’s pretty obtuse.”
“Only idiots blame themselves every time.”
Jiang Zao listened in a daze and asked softly, “Is that how you comfort yourself when you take a loss?”
Xie Lisheng shrugged and kept walking with her. “I generally don’t take losses.”
Jiang Zao: “…” Yeah, you’re the best.
As soon as they stepped out of the police station, Jiang Zao turned to head home. But before she could take a step, someone grabbed her arm from behind and tugged her in the opposite direction, pulling her along with him.
Her arm, chilled by the damp, cold night air, melted into a patch of unwitting comfort the moment it touched his dry, warm palm.
Jiang Zao’s eyes widened at the corners, her steps hurried and flustered. “What are you dragging me off for?”
Xie Lisheng glanced back at the bruise on her face—it had darkened considerably during the mediation. “I’m in a good mood today. Might as well see this through to the end.”
Jiang Zao let out a dry laugh, a flicker of sulkiness in her tone, though not too much. “You seem pretty thrilled to see me get beaten up.”
“Though I knew you couldn’t stand me anymore, I didn’t realize it had gotten to this point.”
Xie Lisheng: ?
“To think your comprehension skills got you through the college entrance exams back in the day—must’ve been a miracle from the heavens.”
“…”
When they reached a spot where the pharmacy came into view, he released her hand. He bent down slightly, a mocking smile on his lips. “Were you always this petty?”
Jiang Zao met his laughing eyes, her lips pursing upward in a pout.
That stubborn spark in her had already answered everything.
Xie Lisheng couldn’t recall exactly what he’d said to her back then, but knowing his own nature, it probably hadn’t been anything nice. He ventured a guess. “You aren’t still holding a grudge against me, are you? Just because I called you spineless?”
Jiang Zao smiled faintly. “So that’s how you saw me back then.”
Xie Lisheng: “…”
Wasn’t that the line he was talking about?
The air grew awkward as old wounds were prodded. He cleared his throat and told her to wait outside while he went into the pharmacy to buy supplies.
As he paid at the counter, Xie Lisheng figured with her temperament, she might just huff off and leave him there. But when he emerged plastic bag in hand, there she was—her slender figure perched obediently on the stone steps outside. His expression shifted subtly, a complex feeling stirring inside him that he couldn’t quite name.
Jiang Zao heard footsteps and the rustle of the plastic bag. She turned, her gaze following Xie Lisheng as he approached step by step.
She eyed the bag of first-aid supplies and mumbled, “I know I need to treat the wound. It’s not like I can’t buy this stuff myself.”
“Didn’t say you couldn’t. But how are you gonna handle a facial injury on your own?” Xie Lisheng tore open the bag and prepared a medical ice pack for her. With his brows lowered in focus, he looked surprisingly diligent.
She watched him half-crouched in front of her, listening to his words.
“I covered the remaining interest on your installment plan and wrapped it up in a cash red envelope for you.”
“But I couldn’t find a replacement for that fuzzy earphone case of yours, so consider this stuff compensation for it.”
Once the ice pack and iodine-dipped cotton swab were ready, Xie Lisheng looked up at her dazed, absent expression and waved the swab. “I’m talking to you.”
“Huh? Oh, sure.” As he leaned in closer, she instinctively scooted back a little.
“Hiding what? Lean your face over here.” He beckoned her forward.
His presence was overwhelming; even a slight lean-in carried an oppressive aura. Jiang Zao swallowed hard, hands on her knees, and tentatively tilted her upper body forward.
Xie Lisheng was half-kneeling on the step below her, but his height and build made their eyes level—his even a bit higher.
Jiang Zao had never been great at meeting his gaze straight-on, and at this proximity, her nerves intensified. She tilted her face slightly to the left, dodging his direct stare.
Xie Lisheng knelt on one knee, his other leg braced slightly outward for support. The open posture only accentuated the size difference, as if he could envelop her entirely.
He brought the cotton swab close until the back of his hand faintly sensed her soft, warm breath—like a feather brushing across his skin, tickling for an instant.
Past the usual boundaries of personal space, every detail sharpened into clarity. Jiang Zao’s face was one that rewarded close inspection: smooth, fair skin without a visible pore.
Xie Lisheng paused, noticing her eyelashes quiver.
The scrutiny stretched on for two long, obvious seconds before he finally moved, dabbing the iodine onto the scratched spot.
Jiang Zao’s hands clenched tight on her knees.
Xie Lisheng caught the motion and glanced up. “Does it hurt?”
Her voice came out dry and a touch unnatural. “…No, it doesn’t.”
He sped up the process, disinfected the area simply, then handed her the ice pack. “Keep icing it tonight. Tomorrow, switch to a hot towel. If the swelling doesn’t go down, head to the hospital.”
“Thanks.” Jiang Zao pressed the medical ice pack to her face and hissed in pain. Noticing his gaze, she bit back the sound and put on a brave front.
“I’ll walk you back and grab those earphones for you.” He picked up the plastic bag and stood.
She followed along in small steps, ice pack held to her cheek.
The two walked in silence, one behind the other, for a stretch of road. On the quiet, deep-night street, their footsteps were the only proof that time was passing.
Jiang Zao stepped on his shadow, her mind a tangle of scattered thoughts. She wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come.
After a long moment, she suddenly spoke up to the man walking ahead of her. “Aren’t you going to ask me about it?”
“Ask you what?” He didn’t turn around.
Jiang Zao kept her head lowered the whole time. “You came all the way over to be my guarantor. I figured you’d at least ask why I did what I did.”
“After all… when normal people run into something like that, most of them just feel awkward, rush back to their room, and pretend they never heard a thing—instead of blowing up like I did…”
“Throwing a massive fit and interrupting them right to their faces.”
Streetlight glow traced the broad lines of his shoulders. The man’s walking posture was loose and casual, but the lines of his body remained straight and rigid.
Xie Lisheng seemed to chuckle, his tone laid-back. “But normal people can’t just keep eating their dinner, showering, and going to bed normally while listening to a live porn shoot.”
“Anyway, I couldn’t pull that off. You’re holding normal people to way too high a standard.”
“…”
“Is that how it is?” she said glumly. “You make it sound like I actually did the right thing.”
Xie Lisheng came to a stop and turned to look at her as she nearly bumped into him. She raised her head, staring at him with bewildered eyes.
“I don’t have any right to judge if you were right or wrong. But if it were me, I wouldn’t have handled it that way.”
Jiang Zao frowned, burning with curiosity. “Then what would you do?”
He tilted his head back, gazing at the moon suspended above the streetlamp, and pondered for two seconds. “I’d report them for prostitution and solicitation. Get the cops to show up, make a huge racket every three steps of the way, act like I had no idea they were a couple, play the terrified victim, and blow it up in the apartment owners’ group chat.”
“Even if my roommates had thick enough skin to stick around, they’d have to deal with all the neighbors gossiping and pointing fingers. If they were thin-skinned, they’d cut their losses and move out. And with a scandal that big, the landlord sure as hell wouldn’t just sit on their hands.”
“It was them who showed no respect, broke the agreement first, and picked the fight—so no need to pull punches.”
With that, Xie Lisheng turned back around and met her astonished, hard-to-read expression.
“What?”
So vicious and petty—it sent a chill down her spine.
Jiang Zao suddenly felt like she didn’t dare sass him anymore.
“…Anyone who’s ever crossed you in the past must’ve ‘died’ pretty horribly, huh.”
Xie Lisheng clasped his hands behind his back, his expression relaxed, one eyebrow arched. “Go home and reflect on yourself.”
Jiang Zao shivered.
He let out a mocking laugh, tossed his car keys in the air, and tossed out one last line. “Company policy covers paid leave for accidental injuries. Take tomorrow off and rest at home.”
“Showing up to work looking like that would just freak out the other employees.”
Jiang Zao: “…”
~~~
After dropping Jiang Zao off at home, Xie Lisheng drove back to his own place.
His sports car tore down the empty nighttime road. While waiting at a red light, he suddenly recalled what she’d said, and on second thought, it really didn’t seem like a normal reaction at all.
In most sudden confrontations, girls were at a disadvantage—especially against one guy and one girl. A normal young woman would feel more than just awkwardness; she’d be scared after sizing up the mismatch in strength.
But Jiang Zao had blown up in a reckless, safety-be-damned rage, which was the total opposite of her usual demeanor.
Xie Lisheng tapped his index finger on the leather steering wheel. After a moment, he pulled up the car’s screen and dialed a number.
Beijing time: 1:03 a.m. Los Angeles time: 10:00 a.m.
The call connected quickly. A crisp voice came through, laced with surprise. “One a.m. and you’re still up? Pulling another all-nighter?”
Xie Lisheng hit the gas and glanced at the name on the screen—Wei Yuan.
“Back in college, there was a junior sister who was always trailing after you. Remember her?”
Wei Yuan hesitated, as if racking his brain for a few seconds. “You mean… that one…?”
The reaction he’d expected. He didn’t remember her anymore.
Xie Lisheng thought back to their first blind date—how she’d played dumb the moment he mentioned Wei Yuan.
With a light scoff, Xie Lisheng jogged his memory.
“Her name’s Jiang Zao.”