The only surviving streetlight in the dilapidated parking lot flickered several times before finally meeting its end, going dark.

Lu Xihe had originally come out after receiving the few hundred yuan that Xu Zhinan had forwarded to him, wanting to check if she was still around. From the window at the end of the corridor, he witnessed the scene below.

Lu Xihe rushed down through the stairwell, taking multiple steps at once.

From upstairs, he couldn’t see clearly, only enough to fill his belly with rage. He wanted to rush down and beat up that bastard Wei Jing, but when he got downstairs, he found him already lying on the ground with a face covered in blood.

Then looking at the two people standing nearby, he was even more confused.

The television celebrity Lin Qingye and Xu Zhinan.

How did these two end up together???

“Um.” Lu Xihe looked toward Xu Zhinan and asked, “Are you okay?”

She had been quite frightened earlier. After looking at Lu Xihe for a moment, she slowly nodded, her voice very soft: “I’m fine now.”

Wei Jing propped himself up from the ground. Blood was trickling down his forehead, and the hand that had covered his wound was also stained with blood, a horrifying sight.

“Fuck your mother!” He spat, his voice still trembling from the pain. “Who the fuck do you think you are! Why are you meddling in other people’s business!?”

Probably seeing that Lu Xihe had arrived to break up the fight, he started cursing again, very offensively.

Lu Xihe had been cheated by him in business before and disliked him equally. He kicked Wei Jing’s fleshy backside: “Shut up for a while! Let me call an ambulance first! Don’t let this turn into a homicide.”

Lin Qingye’s eyes were filled with intense hostility, dark and oppressive.

Xu Zhinan gripped his wrist, feeling the veins standing out on his arm as he clenched his fist. Afraid he might go berserk again, she tightly held onto his sleeve.

Lin Qingye glanced down at her, still expressionless, but his fist relaxed.

“What ambulance! I’m calling the police! The police! If I don’t get you thrown in jail, my name isn’t Wei!”

Lin Qingye snorted a laugh: “Fine.”

He tossed the rod into a nearby haystack, bent down to pick up the Buddhist scripture, wiped the blood off it, and said calmly: “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Go to the hospital first, damn it!” Lu Xihe was also annoyed by these two, “If you don’t go to the hospital, you’ll meet the King of Hell before you meet the police!”

Soon, the ambulance that Lu Xihe called arrived, and Wei Jing was taken away by the medical staff.

Only Xu Zhinan and Lin Qingye remained in the dark parking lot.

Xu Zhinan looked back at Wei Jing being taken away, belatedly feeling afraid. His collar was covered in blood, and she didn’t know if he would be alright.

Suddenly, a warm palm covered her eyes from behind.

It had a hint of rust smell—from the rod he had just held.

Lin Qingye’s palm pressed against her eyes, pulling her back. Xu Zhinan’s head touched his chest, and she smelled the faint tobacco on him, along with a slight scent of blood.

“Don’t look anymore.”

She felt inexplicably choked up, tears probably forced out by the helplessness of the scene before her.

A glistening pool formed in her eyes but didn’t fall, only making the corners of her eyes somewhat red. Her nose tip also turned red, making her appear timid.

Lin Qingye’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, and he quickly averted his gaze, looking at the Buddhist scripture. He handed it to her: “It’s dirty.”

“It’s okay.” Xu Zhinan took back the scripture, sniffled, “Will he be alright?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he crouched down before her, kneeling on one knee, leaning in to examine her leg.

Xu Zhinan instinctively stepped back, but he quickly caught her ankle, pulling it back.

She wore a pair of jeans today, washed blue, tight-fitting. Her legs were slender and long. Though her buttocks weren’t particularly prominent, her waist was very slim, so narrow that it could hardly be grasped, giving her excellent body proportions.

However, she had fallen just now. With cars coming and going here, there were many coarse pebbles on the ground, and the fabric at her knee was torn.

Lin Qingye raised his hand to wipe away the pebbles stuck to her knee. There were blood marks underneath. He gently blew on it and looked up: “Does it hurt?”

Only then did Xu Zhinan realize she was injured, and with his question, she finally felt the pain.

She pursed her lips: “It’s fine, I can walk.”

Lin Qingye furrowed his brows and stood up: “Let’s disinfect it first.”

“The hospital, do we need to go there?”

“No need, let’s find a pharmacy.”

As he spoke, he directly picked up Xu Zhinan, carrying her in his arms. She let out a small cry, instinctively hooking her arms around his neck, and was then carefully placed in the passenger seat.

The warm night breeze blew in through the car window gaps, bringing some warmth, and finally dispersing the smell of blood in the car.

Xu Zhinan glanced at Lin Qingye beside her. His clothes were stained with blood, not his own, but Wei Jing’s.

It was the first time she had witnessed Lin Qingye in such a rage. The anger wasn’t directly expressed in his features, but rather a kind of coldness immersed at the bottom.

“Where are we going now?” Xu Zhinan asked.

“I’ll treat your wound, then send you home?”

“Will there be any issues with Wei Jing?” Xu Zhinan slightly frowned, “After he gets checked at the hospital, he’ll probably report to the police, right? Do we need to go to the police station as well?”

Lin Qingye smiled indifferently: “It’s me, not ‘we’.”

“Will this affect you? What if someone saw what happened just now and posted it online, will people criticize you?”

“We’ll deal with that if it happens.”

“…”

With nothing more to say, Xu Zhinan turned her gaze to look outside the window.

After being blown by the night breeze and calming down, when she recalled the scene from earlier, if Lin Qingye hadn’t rushed over, if she hadn’t been able to run out, she didn’t know what might have happened.

Thinking like this, even the warm night breeze began to feel cool on her body. Xu Zhinan’s fingertips trembled, and she had to clench her fist tightly to stop it.

Lin Qingye parked the car in front of a pharmacy.

Xu Zhinan suddenly remembered something and grabbed him as he was about to open the door: “Are you going in like this?”

“Hmm?”

“If you go down like this, won’t people recognize you? And with blood on your clothes, the media might write about it irresponsibly.”

“It’s just a minute’s errand.”

Xu Zhinan was still worried. She already felt guilty about potentially involving Lin Qingye with the police, let alone putting him in the public eye.

Lin Qingye looked at her expression and smiled, “Then should we go to my apartment? I have a first-aid kit there too.”

Xu Zhinan looked at him, then lowered her gaze and shook her head.

Having already anticipated her reaction, Lin Qingye curled his lips slightly, not saying more, and directly grabbed the hat beside him and got out of the car.

Xu Zhinan couldn’t stop him, so she could only watch from the car window. The cashier at the pharmacy was a woman who looked to be in her fifties. As Lin Qingye walked in, he rolled up his bloodstained sleeve to his elbow, concealing the bloodstains, and pulled down the brim of his hat.

He didn’t ask where the cotton balls and disinfectant alcohol were, but walked directly to the back of the shelf, found what he wanted in half a minute, and went to the cashier to pay.

The cashier lady was watching a popular historical drama on the store computer, at a crucial plot point, and didn’t even raise her head. She made change and sat back down to continue watching.

Xu Zhinan anxiously watched from the car, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

The car door opened and closed, and Lin Qingye sat back in.

“Your hand,” he said.

Xu Zhinan paused for a moment. He simply took her hand directly.

Her skin was naturally delicate and easily damaged. There were several scrapes with small blood droplets seeping out, now dried.

Lin Qingye frowned slightly.

Seemingly afraid she would pull her hand away, he kept holding her fingertips without letting go. With his other hand, he took the bottle of alcohol from the bag, used his teeth to unscrew the cap, spat it to the floor, and then soaked a cotton swab.

The alcohol seeped into the broken skin.

Xu Zhinan bit her lip without making a sound, but still couldn’t help flinching.

Lin Qingye looked up at her. The car’s interior space was small, with only a dim light on. The light cast a shadow over the young man’s bangs.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s okay.” Her voice still trembled.

Lin Qingye exercised patience, blowing on her palm while gently applying alcohol to disinfect it, bringing a cool sensation.

After disinfecting the wounds on her hand, Lin Qingye threw the soiled cotton swabs into the bag: “Your leg.”

She refused to put her leg on his lap for him to disinfect: “I’ll do it myself.”

“Do you know how?”

“I do.”

Lin Qingye didn’t force her.

The young woman rolled up her jeans, revealing a large red area on her left knee. She imitated Lin Qingye’s earlier gesture, blowing on it, her cheeks puffing rhythmically.

A wisp of hair at her temple was curled, looking fluffy.

Lin Qingye watched her, gradually becoming lost in thought.

After a while: “Who was that guy earlier?” he asked.

Xu Zhinan finished disinfecting her knee and tidied up the items: “Someone from the tattoo competition, didn’t know him before.”

Fortunately, there was a scare but no real danger. Xu Zhinan’s heart, which had been suspended, finally returned to its rightful place.

Lin Qingye frowned, lost in thought, watching as she rolled down her pants, that beautiful white leg once again covered by the fabric.

“Taking you home now?”

“Wait a moment, let me make a call.”

Xu Zhinan found Lu Xihe’s business card again and dialed his number. He answered quickly.

“Brother Lu, this is Xu Zhinan,” she introduced herself.

Lin Qingye turned his head to glance at her, didn’t start the car, rolled down half the window, and lit a cigarette.

Pale blue smoke lingered as he silently listened to Xu Zhinan’s phone conversation.

Lu Xihe was still at the hospital, the background sounds were quite noisy. After a while, his voice came through: “Oh, little sister A-Nan, I just finished getting his X-rays. It’s nothing serious, just external injuries. But this son of a bitch keeps yelling about calling the police! He’s even saying he wants to report him for assault and fleeing!”

Lu Xihe’s voice was loud, and Lin Qingye could hear him too.

He tapped his cigarette ash, his only reaction being a scornful laugh, very disdainful.

Xu Zhinan couldn’t estimate what would happen if this matter went to the police station: “Is he going to report it now?”

“Yeah, I think his brain got squeezed by a door. He just got his bleeding stopped and now he’s making a fuss without end.”

Lin Qingye tossed away his cigarette butt and closed the car window again: “Then let’s go to the police station. He knows what dirty business he was up to.”

Xu Zhinan also thought this was the best solution. From what Lu Xihe said, Wei Jing’s injuries weren’t serious, not enough to constitute a minor injury case.

After hanging up, Lin Qingye turned his head to ask: “Shall I take you home first?”

“Huh?” She was startled, “No need, I’ll go with you.”

Lin Qingye didn’t want her to meet Wei Jing again, so he remained silent.

“This matter is related to me in the first place, and I need to be there to clarify things, otherwise you’ll be at a disadvantage for hitting him.” Xu Zhinan paused, then added, “Besides, I want to go with you.”

Lin Qingye’s hand holding the lighter paused, he lowered his eyes and smiled, then started the car.

Xu Zhinan charged her phone and sent a message to her mother saying she wouldn’t be coming home tonight. Worried about causing concern, she didn’t mention this incident, only making an excuse that there was something at the store, and she’d be going straight to the dormitory later.

When they arrived, Wei Jing was already there, with a bandage wrapped around his head that had blood seeping through, looking quite scary.

As soon as he saw Lin Qingye’s car, he dragged the police officer next to him outside, cursing: “Look! It’s this guy! What the hell! Does he have rage syndrome or something?! Beat me up like this!”

The police officer was annoyed by his shouting and his clothes being pulled, reprimanding: “We will investigate thoroughly, let go of me first!”

Xu Zhinan followed Lin Qingye out of the car and up the police station steps.

The officer next to Wei Jing was startled, quickly stepped forward, held Xu Zhinan’s wrist, noticed her torn pants, and frowned: “A-Nan, what happened?”

She shook her head: “Uncle Fang, let’s go inside and talk.”

She was worried that someone might see Lin Qingye outside.

Lu Xihe was already inside; he had just hung up a phone call when they entered.

Wei Jing was still shouting loudly, saying things about needing to file a case.

Fang Houyu took out a paper: “Let’s register your information first.” He tapped the ballpoint pen cap, “Name.”

“Wei Jing.”

“Lin Qingye.”

As soon as he spoke, Wei Jing suddenly turned his head to look at him, narrowing his eyes: “…Are you that Lin Qingye from TV!?”

He didn’t bother to respond.

Wei Jing became even more excited, as if he had caught his pigtail: “Great! So you’re a public figure! I’ll let everyone see how these public figures bully ordinary people nowadays!”

Noisy, like a fly.

The next second, Lin Qingye grabbed his collar and forcefully pushed him back, slamming him into the chair. He fell backward with a clatter, eventually landing on the ground with all four limbs in the air.

Fang Houyu angrily slammed the table: “What the hell are you doing! You’re in a police station! You dare to fight in a police station!? Be careful or I’ll arrest both of you!”

Lin Qingye didn’t move, still pressing Wei Jing’s forehead to keep him still: “I told you to shut up.”

Xu Zhinan glanced at Fang Houyu, then forcefully pulled Lin Qingye’s arm to get him up.

Lin Qingye appeared calm as usual, took out his cigarette pack and put one in his mouth without lighting it. With a grim look, he glanced at the form in front of Fang Houyu and answered the next item: “23 years old.”

“…”

After registering the basic information, Fang Houyu asked: “Now, why were you fighting?”

Lin Qingye turned his head, glanced at Xu Zhinan, then looked at Lu Xihe: “You two should go outside for a bit.”

Lu Xihe understood: “Come on, little sister A-Nan, let’s not disturb the police investigation, let’s go outside first.”

Even though what happened earlier directly involved Xu Zhinan, Lin Qingye didn’t want her to hear it all again. Only after Xu Zhinan walked outside did he fully explain what had happened.

The more Fang Houyu heard, the deeper his brows furrowed. He looked at Wei Jing: “Is what he’s saying true or false?”

“Pure slander! I was just asking if she wanted a ride home! He misunderstood and rushed over to hit me without distinguishing right from wrong.”

“A ride?” Lin Qingye looked at him sideways, “Would she tell you where she lives? How could you give her a ride?”

Wei Jing couldn’t speak, and after a while, he blurted out: “How do you know she didn’t tell me!”

Lin Qingye couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore and said to Fang Houyu: “I saw there should be surveillance cameras over there, you can review the footage.”

Meanwhile, outside.

Squatting on the steps, lighting a cigarette: “From your reaction earlier, it seems you know that police officer?”

“Yes, he’s my father’s colleague,” Xu Zhinan said.

“Your father is a police officer?” Lu Xihe raised his eyebrows, “Then this matter is simple. Is your father on duty tonight? Ask him to come handle this, I don’t believe we can deal with this, Wei Jing.”

“My father…” Xu Zhinan lowered her head, looking at her shoe tips, “He died in the line of duty a few years ago.”

Lu Xihe was taken aback.

Xu Zhinan smiled a little and said: “But it’s okay, Uncle Fang had a good relationship with my father before, he’ll handle this matter well.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Lu Xihe changed the subject: “What exactly happened between you two just now? How did Lin Qingye suddenly appear there?”

“He saw Wei Jing grabbing me and harassing me.”

“Well done, this young man, even the cost as a good Samaritan?”

Xu Zhinan sat down beside him, pinching her ankle: “Not really, I knew him before.”

“Huh?”

“That tattoo on his back was done by me.”

“…”

Lu Xihe was stunned, suddenly having an epiphany: “A-Nan.”

“Hmm?”

“That ‘A-Nan’ on his back, it’s not you, is it?”

“…”

Having spent some time together, Xu Zhinan liked Lu Xihe quite a bit, so she didn’t hide it and nodded.

“Damn.” Lu Xihe widened his eyes, “You’re a celebrity’s girlfriend?!”

“No, no,” Xu Zhinan hurriedly waved her hands.

“But last time he admitted that the name on his back was his girlfriend’s?”

“…”

Lu Xihe: “Don’t tell me he’s pursuing you but hasn’t succeeded yet?”

In the past, Xu Zhinan could have denied such a question without thinking, but now she didn’t know how to answer.

From Lin Qingye’s behavior, it seemed like he was pursuing her.

But how could that be?

He is Lin Qingye, after all.

Seeing her silence, Lu Xihe knew he had guessed correctly, and clapped his hands, giving her a thumbs-up: “Well done, little sister!”

Just as he finished speaking, another car suddenly stopped in front of the police station—a black Lincoln with headlights sweeping across.

A man got out of the driver’s seat. Xu Zhinan recognized him from afar; she had seen him during the video clarification—Wang Qi, the producer and investor of “I Come for Music.”

Then a couple emerged from the back seat, the man in a suit and the woman in a long dress, both looking elegant and grand, appearing to be in their forties.

The three walked toward the police station, and Wang Qi also noticed Xu Zhinan.

“Hey, little student, you’re here too?” Wang Qi greeted her.

The woman behind glanced at Xu Zhinan and told Wang Qi, “We’ll go in first,” and directly pushed open the door.

Wang Qi: “How’s the situation inside?”

Xu Zhinan didn’t know how they knew about this incident: “It should be fine, the other party was at fault first.”

Wang Qi noticed her appraising look: “Oh, those are Qingye’s parents.”

Xu Zhinan was startled.

Wang Qi: “Why are you standing outside? Let’s go in together.”

Lin Guancheng was standing at the table, having already spoken with the police and understood the situation.

Wang Qi walked beside Lin Qingye: “What’s going on? You can’t afford this kind of news right now.”

Fang Houyu: “I’ve already understood the situation, here’s the cause and process of this incident.”

He pushed the registration paper in front of them, “We still need to wait until tomorrow to retrieve the surveillance footage.”

Wang Qi looked it over and frowned, then pulled Wei Jing aside: “Come, let’s talk. I’ll be direct, we hope you won’t disclose tonight’s incident and end it here, can we?”

“Impossible! I’m telling you, no way!” Wei Jing pointed at his bandaged head, “Want to settle this? No chance!”

Fang Houyu, having heard the whole story, was already angry for Xu Zhinan’s sake. Hearing Wei Jing’s words, he couldn’t help but remind him: “Wake up! You still don’t want to settle? Don’t you know what dirty business you were up to? The young lady hasn’t even mentioned settling with you, yet here you are showing off!”

Wei Jing had figured things out by now. Even with surveillance, he indeed hadn’t done anything too inappropriate. Xu Zhinan was too cautious; it was merely holding her hand, which wouldn’t convict him.

Wei Jing snorted coldly: “You’re all in this together, aren’t you? Confidently believing without even seeing the surveillance footage. Be careful, I might expose how police and celebrities collude!”

Lu Xihe was about to curse back when Wang Qi interrupted with “Hey, hey, let’s talk calmly, let’s talk calmly.”

Lin Qingye remained composed, leaning against the wall, rolling an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

He looked at Xu Zhinan standing nearby and lazily waved his hand: “Come here.”

Xu Zhinan hesitated for a moment but still walked to his side.

Lin Qingye pulled up the hood of her hoodie, covering her ears, seemingly oblivious to others: “Don’t listen to that idiot.”

Xu Zhinan remembered that Wang Qi had introduced his parents, who were also here, making her even more uncomfortable with his gesture. Her earlobes also turned red.

Wei Jing caught the word “idiot” from his mouth and, relying on the blood-stained bandage on his head as conclusive evidence, became increasingly arrogant, cursing foul language.

Lin Qingye pulled her wrist to the side, bringing Xu Zhinan behind him.

“Believe it or not, I have ways to make you shut up,” he said calmly, yet with an impending storm in his demeanor.

Wei Jing recalled how unhesitatingly Lin Qingye had swung the rod in the parking lot earlier and found himself momentarily speechless.

“Lin Qingye.” The beautiful woman standing in the corner finally spoke, walking to him in high heels, “How old are you? Don’t you understand discretion? Why are you still the same as before?”

Fu Xueming stood shining like gold even in the police station.

Xu Zhinan stood behind Lin Qingye, looking at Fu Xueming, having to admit that his mother was indeed very beautiful, with a unique charm.

“You can be shameless if you want, I don’t care if you beat or kill people, but your father and I still have our reputation! I’m begging you, think about your father and me!”

Lin Guancheng tried to mediate: “Alright, alright, don’t get so worked up.”

Lin Qingye raised his chin slightly, laughing self-mockingly: “Oh, so you still know I’m your son?”

Suddenly, a loud “slap” echoed.

Fu Xueming’s palm struck him. The woman’s chest heaved, somehow suddenly enraged, her voice shrill, all previous dignity and nobility gone.

“You think I want a son like you?!”

Everyone around was stunned, even Wei Jing hadn’t expected this turn of events. Lu Xihe took the cigarette from his mouth, unconsciously standing straight.

Xu Zhinan was equally unprepared for this scene.

Although she had heard from Ji Yan about Lin Qingye’s strained family relationships, she hadn’t imagined it would involve such sudden violence.

What happened in the parking lot, while Lin Qingye had indeed been too impulsive, he wasn’t the first to be harmed.

How could his mother deliver that slap without distinguishing right from wrong?

Lin Qingye’s head was turned to the side by the slap, and he didn’t move for a long time.

The others around didn’t know what to say, and it became quiet for a moment.

Fu Xueming’s eyes were full of disgust, showing no regret for the slap she had delivered in anger, glaring at him coldly: “Even if you died, you would deserve it.”

Lin Qingye ran his tongue over his back teeth, straightening up: “Fine.”

He stepped back, looking at Fu Xueming, snorting a laugh, “Unfortunately, I can’t fulfill your wish.”

After saying this, he looked at Lu Xihe, then jerked his chin toward Xu Zhinan: “Please take her back.”

Then he turned and left.

Lin Guancheng frowned and rebuked Fu Xueming: “Why did you say those things again?”

Fu Xueming was filled with hatred, her eyes red: “Look at his attitude! Has he ever shown any remorse!?”

Though it was quiet around them, with only Lin Guancheng and Fu Xueming’s voices, Xu Zhinan felt it was very noisy, chaotic.

She watched Lin Qingye’s retreating figure, suddenly feeling a sense of desolation.

She remembered that day when he came drunk to her store, eyes blood-red, asking her: “Do you think I’m pitiful?”

Xu Zhinan moved her feet and ran after him.

The warm summer night breeze gently blew.

Lin Qingye had just sat in the car when the passenger door was pulled open. Xu Zhinan slightly bent down, silently looking at him, as if trying to find emotions of sadness or distress on his face.

But she failed.

Lin Qingye’s expression was indifferent. He turned his head slightly and asked quietly: “Why did you come over?”

Xu Zhinan didn’t know why she had run over herself, only instinctively feeling that she couldn’t let Lin Qingye leave like this. She had run too fast, and now her knee was a bit painful.

Unable to come up with a reason, she simply sat in the car.

“I’m not taking you home,” Lin Qingye said. “Let Lu Xihe or that police officer take you back.”

He didn’t look at her, hands on the steering wheel, gaze fixed forward. Fu Xueming’s slap had been forceful, and now the redness was spreading, along with a thin scratch from her fingernail. With his naturally pale complexion, those red marks were even more prominent, like some stamp of humiliation on his face.

His bangs were a bit messy, his head slightly lowered, blocking the cold moonlight falling on his profile, making it dim and unclear.

Hiding the young man’s wounds and… self-doubt.

Xu Zhinan suddenly felt she understood. In the interview video online earlier that day, when Lin Qingye said “At that time, I was quite insecure,” he had shown that helpless and resigned smile.

With his exceptional talent, he had stepped onto the stage, shining brightly, with roaring cheers and applause below, emerging from that dark, boundless snowy night six years ago.

He had finally gathered the courage to tell Xu Zhinan, “Let me like you again.”

But his mother tore down his rebuilt self-esteem in front of everyone.

A young person’s self-esteem is both resilient and fragile. He was estranged and isolated from his family, trying to rebuild his self-esteem into an iron wall, but at this moment, it had still been smashed to pieces.

And it happened in front of Xu Zhinan.

So he once again showed her his resistant side.

Xu Zhinan tried not to stare at the handprint on his face and softly asked: “Are you okay?”

“Get out,” he insisted.

Xu Zhinan didn’t move. The others from the police station hadn’t come out yet, probably dealing with other matters.

Lin Qingye turned his head to look at her: “If you don’t get out, you’re coming back with me, and don’t cry then.”

Xu Zhinan paused, feeling that his current state wasn’t quite normal, although she couldn’t see anything unusual in his expression. As she hesitated, the car doors locked, and Lin Qingye sped away.

Through the strange and colorful lights of Yan City’s nightlife, a black sports car sped past, all the way to the underground parking lot of Mingqi Apartments.

Xu Zhinan was pulled by her wrist, stumbling to his apartment door.

Enter the password, go in, and she was pushed by the shoulders against the wall.

No lights were on, and the living room curtains were tightly drawn. She couldn’t see clearly, only feeling Lin Qingye’s increasingly oppressive presence closing in on her.

After all, although separated from Lin Qingye, in Xu Zhinan’s heart, he had always been calm and composed. Only at this moment did she begin to feel afraid.

His hand pressed on her shoulder with great force, his leg also pressed between her legs.

“Lin Qingye.” Xu Zhinan used all her strength to push against his shoulder, “Calm down.”

The tobacco scent on him also carried a piercing sensation, engulfing her. Xu Zhinan turned her head, her entire body almost seamlessly pressed against the wall.

She whimpered, biting her lower lip tightly, scared to tears: “Don’t be like this.”

Suddenly, with a “click,” the surroundings lit up.

Lin Qingye had reached up to press the light switch above her head.

Then he sighed, the oppressive hostility gradually receding, and he bent down, gently pulling her into his embrace.

Xu Zhinan stood stiffly, rigid.

He raised his hand to smooth her back, exhaling: “Just let me hold you for a while, okay?”

But Xu Zhinan didn’t relax so quickly, only letting him bend down to embrace her completely. He lowered his head, burying it in the crook of her neck.

The young man’s cheek was still red, presenting a vulnerable embrace.

After a while: “I’m sorry.” His eyes pressed against her shoulder, his voice a bit muffled, “I scared you, didn’t I?”

He straightened up, his back still bent, his palm touching her face, gently nudging her full lower lip.

She had bitten her lip out of fear earlier, her teeth digging into the soft flesh quite forcefully. Now it was crimson.

The hostility and grimness gone, he coaxed gently:

“Don’t bite.”

“A-Nan.”