Duan Linbai was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a mink coat and sandwiched a pouch beneath one of his arms while holding the blind cane in the other as he stood in the cold wind, looking heroic.
It was no wonder that the people in the neighborhood were pointing at him. In a county like theirs, there were not many good cars, let alone this kind of rare and shiny luxury car. He was dressed so flashily too, so he naturally attracted attention.
Currently, the neighborhood was full of curious the elderly, women, and children, but they didnât recognize him. Otherwise, the news of his appearance here would have long exploded on the internet.
Xu Jiamu clutched the suitcase handle tightly, feeling as though she had been struck by lightning.?This person is truly persistent. Why did he come all the way to my house?
Besides feeling shocked, she also felt a faint chill run down her spine.
Just standing there, he exuded a strong aura. Xu Jiamu knew that he couldnât see, but she still felt guilty. Just as the two sides were in a deadlock without anyone speakingâ¦
Duan Linbai sneezed without warning.
âAchooââ He reached out to rub his nose. âDamn it. Which desolate place is this? I nearly froze into a dog.â
The car had driven on a rather bumpy road, which had nearly caused his organs to jolt out of his body.
The cold and domineering image he had just established vanished in an instant.
âWhy are you here?â Xu Jiamuâs voice was full of disbelief. She knew that money could make the world go around, but she still felt horrified that he had come to her house.
âWhy do you think Iâm here?â Although Duan Linbai couldnât see it, he could guess her shocked expression. He was delighted in his heart.
âIf thereâs nothing else, Iâll go home first.â Xu Jiamu dragged her suitcase up the stairs.
Duan Linbai couldnât see her and bellowed at the air, âXu Jiamu, donât you want to take responsibility for me?! Do you want to run after doing that?!â
The onlooking neighbors were all dumbfounded.
â⦠Oh my god. Whatâs going on? Is this person her boyfriend? She dumped him, and he came to find her? Which familyâs daughter is this?â
âOld Xu, right? A few days ago, he even said he wanted me to find a marriage partner for his daughter during Lunar New Year. Doesnât she have a boyfriend right here?â
âI knew it. When pretty and well-educated young ladies go to big cities, how can they not have a boyfriend? Children nowadays hide their relationships when they date.â
â¦
Xu Jiamuâs jaw dropped in shock.?Why is this person spouting nonsense??âWhat nonsense are you spouting?â
âHow am I spouting nonsense? It was a moonless night, and the wind was strong that day. You dragged me into a small alley and then⦠Mmphââ Duan Linbai spoke vividly. Xu Jiamu threw her suitcase away and rushed over to cover his mouth.
âDuan Linbai, if you dare spout nonsense again, Iâ¦â Xu Jiamu was so angry that her breathing became uneven.
âMiss Xu.â Assistant Little Jiang coughed twice.
Only then did Xu Jiamu retract her hand.
âWe need to have a good chat. Should we go to your house or talk about it here?â Although Duan Linbai couldnât see, he knew that there were many people around him. He was thick-skinned, so he didnât care, but Xu Jiamu was obviously not.
Xu Jiamu had no choice but to invite the two upstairs.
The corridors of the old residential building were cold and damp. Duan Linbai leaned on his blind cane and carefully reached out to feel for the stairs. He grabbed the handrail with one hand, only to have it covered in dust.
âDamn, your neighborhood is way too dirty.â
âNo one cleans it usually. Those who need the handrails are the elderly, and theyâd rather live in a garage dump than climb up stairs.â As time passed, the handrails naturally became dusty.
Duan Linbai took a deep breath and stumbled his way upstairs.
âWhich floor do you live on?â
âThe sixth floor.â
Duan Linbaiâs lips twitched.?And thereâs no f*cking elevator? Is she trying to kill me?
âLittle Boss, let me support you.â When the assistant saw him having difficulty walking and nearly fall after taking a wrong step, he couldnât help feeling alarmed.
âI donât need you to support me. Help her carry her luggage.â
Xu Jiamu had knocked her large 28-inch suitcase seven or eight times while climbing a single flight of stairs. She was so tired that she was panting, and Duan Linbai was really uncomfortable listening to it.
Did no one from her family come to pick her up? Does she have to carry her luggage on her own every time she goes home?
âNo need. Iâll do it myself.â Xu Jiamu was a little surprised to hear Duan Linbai say this.
In her heart, Duan Linbai was a rich playboy who liked to mess around with internet celebrities. She hadnât expected him to be so considerate.
âItâs alright. Iâll do it. Please take care of my Little Boss, Miss Xu.â Little Jiang smiled as he took the suitcase and lifted it casuallyâ¦
What the f*ck?!
Itâs so god damn heavy! She must have put bricks in it.
The assistant carried the suitcase and walked behind them while Xu Jiamu supported Duan Linbai slightly as they walked in front.
âThereâs no one in your house?â Duan Linbai only realized this problem when he climbed to the third floor. If her family was around, how could he not be embarrassed to settle the score with her?
âMy parents arenât back from work yet, and my younger brother isnât on vacation yet.â Since he could find this place, he had probably investigated her family background thoroughly. Xu Jiamu had nothing to hide either.
If there was someone at home, she wouldnât dare to bring him home either.
âYour younger brotherâ¦â Duan Linbai raised an eyebrow. â⦠is attending university? â
âSecond year.â
âItâs almost Lunar New Year. Why isnât he home yet? Which university hasnât released its students for vacation?â Many primary and secondary schools were already on vacation, and universities should be earlier than them.
Xu Jiamuâs expression was a bit dark, but she didnât speak.
By the time they reached her floor, Xu Jiamu was a little breathless, but Duan Linbai acted as though he was all fine. The only thing was that he had been gripping his blind cane the whole time, so his palm was sweating a little.
âI thought your stamina would be very poor.â Xu Jiamu rummaged through her bag for the key.
âIâve practiced sports before.â Duan Linbai liked to ski, so his stamina was definitely passable.
Xu Jiamu didnât think much of it. But some things later proved thatâ¦
A certain someone indeed had great stamina.
***
After the three of them entered the house, Little Jiang leaned against the wall and panted nonstop. Xu Jiamu took Duan Linbai to wash his hands.
There was only one bathroom in the three-bedroom and two-living room house. After Xu Jiamu brought him in, she helped him turn on the tap and grabbed a bar of soap.
Duan Linbai had always used liquid hand soap before and rarely used soap bars. He couldnât catch hold of it. The soap bar was like a loach that slid around in his palms, and he couldnât hold on to it at all. He couldnât see it either, so it was quite strenuous to scoop it up from the sink.
Xu Jiamu sighed, walked to his side, and grabbed his handsâ¦
âDonât move.â
Duan Linbai didnât move. Her hands werenât big, but they were warm and soft. She held the bar of soap and rolled it over his fingers.
âRub your hands yourself.â Xu Jiamu put the soap bar back and rinsed the foam off her hands.
Duan Linbai rubbed his fingers obediently and washed them clean before sitting on the sofa with her help.
Although it was cold outside, there was heating in the house. Duan Linbai felt hot in the mink coat, so he took it off and put it aside.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âXu Jiamu, you were the one who dragged me into the alley outside Ninth Mansion that night, right?â Duan Linbai cut straight to the chase.
Xu Jiamu coughed twice. âI only beat you up that day because you started misbehaving.â
âListen to this unrepentant tone of yours! You beat me so badly that I had to go to the hospital, but you just ran away without a second glance?â
âAre you asking me for medical fees? Iâm poor and have no money.â Xu Jiamu raised an eyebrow. âA person like you doesnât lack that bit of money either, right?â
Duan Linbai choked. âI definitely donât lack that money.â
âThen, why did you look for me? Are you planning to beat me up as revenge?â
Duan Linbai was taken aback.
Thatâs right. Am I going to have to pummel her as well to get revenge? That would be too unmanly.
But I canât take this lying down either. I feel really f*cking aggrieved.
âYou beat someone up, but youâre acting so unreasonable?â
âIf you hadnât gotten fresh with me first, would I have hit you?â
âI drank too much?â
âIf you drank too much, why didnât you tease a man instead of coming after me?â Xu Jiamu wasnât easy to bully and retorted directly. âI think that you were using alcohol as an excuse to commit a crime. If it wasnât me that day, you would have gotten away with taking liberties!â
âStop spouting nonsense! Iâm not that kind of person at all.â
âYes, you just like to drink and go clubbing with internet celebrities.â
âXu Jiamu!â Duan Linbai exploded with anger. âWhere the hell did you hear that from?! When did Iâ¦â
She spoke as though he was a truly fickle-minded playboy. It was a blatant personal attack.
âOn the internet.â
âThatâs all fake.â
âThereâs no smoke without fire.â
â¦
Assistant Little Jiang stood at the side and watched the twoâs verbal sparring. In the end, his sharp-tongued Little Boss actually fell into a disadvantage.
âAnyway, if you donât give me a satisfactory explanation for this, Iâll find you at your school and home. I wonât let you go! I wonât let you have peace! Iâll stop you at your house every day.â Duan Linbai snorted coldly. âLittle Jiang, help me downstairs.â
Xu Jiamu was fuming mad.
Heâs this shameless?
What does he want by clinging to me? I donât have any money. Does this person have nothing better to do?
***
On the way back, Duan Linbai guzzled water from his thermos.
After talking so much, his mouth was dry.
âLittle Boss, do you really want to stay here?â It was Little Jiangâs first time in Ning County. It was naturally incomparable to the capital, but after going around the streets, he hadnât seen many major hotels.
âOtherwise? Do I just go back like this?â Duan Linbai had nothing to do anyway, and he found listening to Xu Jiamuâs blustering interesting.
Little Jiang didnât say anything.
Duan Linbai leaned against his seat and let out a long sigh of relief. âLittle Jiang, when your Little Boss rebuked her just now, wasnât he especially mighty and brave?â
The corners of Little Jiangâs mouth twitched.?Miss Xu was pointing at his nose while he was shouting randomly at the air when they were quarreling. How am I supposed to comment on it?
âDid she get a shock when I spoke harshly?â
Little Jiang frowned.?Spoke harshly?
âDo you think sheâll cry from fright when she hears that Iâm going to block her at her home and school?â
Little Jiang smiled awkwardly.?Miss Xu isnât that kind of person at all. If you werenât blind, looking at her way of doing things, she would definitely have kicked you out.
As Duan Linbai thought about this, he suddenly laughed. He felt that he had won in the first battle and suppressed Xu Jiamu.
In fact, in Xu Jiamuâs opinion, this person was not only vulgar and shameless, but he was also very childish.
Stop people at their doorstep? Only primary school students would say this. It was simply ridiculous.
Duan Linbai immediately called Fu Chen and reported his progress.
Fu Chen only said, âThatâs pretty good. Keep up the good work.â
âOf course. When have I ever suffered such humiliation? If I donât make her kneel and call me Daddy, I wonât go back.â
âThen work hard.â Fu Chen laughed lightly.
Although he hadnât interacted much with Xu Jiamu, he could tell from the way she had dared to hit Duan Linbai that she also had a bad temper when provoked.?Call him Daddy? Iâm afraid heâll have to call her Great Aunt first in the end.
***
Song Fengwanâs examination ended. As soon as she opened the backseat door, Fu Xinhan pounced on her and nearly pushed her down.
âWhy did you bring Fu Xinhan back? Whereâs Big Brother Duan?â Song Fengwan got in the car and started rubbing the dog.
âHe left Beijing for something.â Fu Chenâs eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the dog keep burrowing into Song Fengwanâs embrace.?Where is this wretched dog burrowing?
Song Fengwan thought,?He canât see, yet he went somewhere far away? What was the hurry?
âYou just finished your exam. Rest and drink some water. Fu Xinhan, come here quickly.â Fu Chen frowned.?How dare he lick her face too? Does he want to die?
Fu Xinhanâs dog body quaked as he moved to Fu Chenâs side and lay on his lap, letting him stroke his fur.
Fu Chenâs fingers moved from Fu Xinhanâs head to his neck. His slender fingers were a little cold. Fu Xinhan shivered, feeling that he would be strangled to death in the next second.
Song Fengwan hadnât dared drink much water during the examination. After it ended, she finally gulped down more than half a glass of water and then called her mother to inform her. She leaned against the backseat and scrolled through Weibo for a while.
The most trending search term was [Beijingâs Sun Rui].
She was slightly astonished and clicked on it.
[Rich young lady bullied a female classmate and slapped her dozens of times.]
There was a video below. Song Fengwan had forgotten to adjust the volume. When she played it, Sun Ruiâs voice was sharp and ear-piercing amid the chaotic noise background.
â⦠You still dare to cry?! Donât dodge.â
The sound of the slaps poured down like a torrential rainstorm without stopping.
The ear-piercing voice frightened Fu Xinhan into trembling.
In the video, Sun Rui was wearing her school uniform. Judging by the background, she was in a classroom. The female student she was bullying was huddled in a corner, trembling. She didnât even dare to cover her face, and her face in the video was already swollen from being slapped.
There were nearly 40,000 comments under the video, all of which were criticizing Sun Rui. Instantly, public opinion boiled over.
The entire Sun family was at the center of the storm.