Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Dog Of A Man

Zhi Qi had slept for several hours, from the glaring afternoon sun to the sunset, the interior of the car was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was soft and quiet.

The brightest thing was Jiang Qi’s amber eyes.

“Jiang Qi, I just dreamed about you.” The girl’s awareness was still hazy, staring at the boy in front of her and saying dazedly, “I dreamed about when we were in high school, I fell asleep in history class and got scolded by the teacher, you helped me take the blame, and then we stood outside the classroom together…”

She rambled on, and Jiang Qi looked at her with a slight daze.

“Then, then I woke up.”

Zhi Qi sighed with a bit of melancholy, sounding somewhat regretful. “I should have slept a little longer.”

… Fool.

Jiang Qi watched the hint of pink that bloomed on the girl’s ivory face due to drowsiness, feeling a sourness in his heart as if a drop of indelible ink had stained his already not-so-pure heart even darker.

“Qiqi.” After a moment of silence, the boy’s cold voice sounded hoarse as he asked her, “Can I accompany you more in the future?”

“Of course, but you’re very busy,” Zhi Qi curled up her legs unconsciously, her pointed chin resting on her knees, looking like a small bundle, murmuring with a hint of grievance, “I’m busy too.”

They say that companionship is the most sincere confession of love, but she and Jiang Qi never seemed to have the chance to accompany each other. Only in the dim and awkward teenage years, stumbling along hand in hand for a few years.

“I’m not busy right now.” Jiang Qi smiled and quietly turned off his phone, ignoring all the calls inviting him to attend the Lao Shi Zi startup celebration banquet and media interview requests.

In fact, it seemed like people from all over the world had been looking for him for hours, but the young man just didn’t want to leave this small carriage. It might seem a bit stubborn, but he sometimes really didn’t want to deal with the outside world’s commotion.

Jiang Qi looked at Zhi Qi and asked in a gentle tone, “Is it okay if I have dinner with you?”

It had been five or six hours since he saw the girl on the mountaintop during the startup ceremony, and she must be hungry by now.

Being reminded by him, Zhi Qi suddenly realized the emptiness in her stomach that had been quietly growling, even ‘gurgling’ twice, which was particularly evident in the quiet car.

…

The girl covered Jiang Qi’s ears with a bit of embarrassment and unreasonableness. “No listening allowed.”

Jiang Qi smiled and gently wrapped his large hand around the girl’s soft one, obediently nodding.

“I want to eat the shrimp dumplings from the food street near our school gate, shall I take you there?” Zhi Qi thought for a moment and asked him, “But are you really free? Do you have time to accompany me?”

Jiang Qi nodded, shamelessly stating, “I’m free.”

So he drove, letting the girl direct him to her university.

“Or should I take my bag back to the dorm first?” Now that Zhi Qi’s mind was clear, she felt like she was covered in the ‘disheveled’ aftermath of running around. It seemed like her face was coated with a layer of dust, her clothes were messy, and she instinctively wrinkled her nose with a bit of disdain. “Can you wait for me in the car for a while?”

Whatever she said, Jiang Qi naturally wouldn’t object, simply nodding.

However, the imposing nanny car attracted some attention. When it stopped outside the west campus gate of Lan University, it drew the sidelong glances of many passing students.

Sitting in the car, Jiang Qi watched these ‘young and promising, full of vitality’ students through the window with cold eyes, as if a thin layer of frost had covered his eyes.

Without Zhi Qi by his side, a sense of world-weariness and apathy would naturally emanate from the young man. It wasn’t intentional; he just sat there expressionless, giving off that vibe.

He wanted to return to campus, to relearn.

Every time he saw Zhi Qi and accompanied the girl back to school, this desire surged uncontrollably, almost boiling his blood. He remembered that in his youth, whenever he was excited, it would show on his face. Occasionally, it would startle the girl, making her timidly ask what was wrong with him in her soft voice.

But now he couldn’t do that anymore. Years of prison life had made Jiang Qi restrained enough to hide all emotions, whether bright or obscure, very well.

When Zhi Qi came back, he could once again become the Jiang Qi who was exceptionally gentle in her presence. As the girl entered, a fragrance of shower gel rushed into the cramped car with her, lingering instantly.

Jiang Qi noticed that she had changed her clothes. The original gray hoodie and jeans were now replaced with a rainbow-colored knitted sweater, clinging lightly to her body. Whether it was the undulating chest under the swan-like neck or the slender, soft waist, everything was outlined enticingly.

And she wore a knee-length chiffon skirt, revealing a fair and soft section of her leg that almost seemed to glow in the dim light of the car. Zhi Qi had just quickly washed her hair and hadn’t blow-dried it too much before running down. Her loose chestnut-colored hair was half-dry, emitting a fragrance.

Seeing Jiang Qi staring blankly at her, she couldn’t help but purse her lips in embarrassment and smile: “Do I look good?”

Jiang Qi’s half-hidden face was indistinct.

Zhi Qi couldn’t see the slight movement of the young man’s Adam’s apple, so she could only hear his restrained voice: “You look good.”

“Hehe, I knew you would say that.” The girl’s fair hand propped up her rosy cheeks, her black eyes sparkling: “Let’s go, let’s eat. Today, you’re not allowed to diet.”

Jiang Qi nodded.

The girl acted as a “human GPS,” directing Jiang Qi to drive to the “Jingyang Dim Sum House” on the east side of the university town. Eating dim sum late at night was quite unconventional for her, but this dim sum restaurant served delicious shrimp dumplings and had private rooms, making it suitable for her and Jiang Qi to go together.

Before getting off the car, Zhi Qi, acting like Jiang Qi’s assistant, carefully helped the young man put on his mask and hat.

“Looks like a secret agent.” She looked at Jiang Qi’s face, which only revealed his eyes, and couldn’t help but laugh: “But it’s because your face is too eye-catching. Let’s go.”

With that, she also put on a mask and then took Jiang Qi’s hand, leading him into the teahouse.

Jiang Qi lowered his eyes slightly, allowing Zhi Qi to pull him into this Chinese-style, brightly lit teahouse, lost in thought as he watched the softness and whiteness of her palm in his own, snow-white and tender. After the door of the private room closed and the dishes were served one by one, Jiang Qi finally took off his ‘full armor’ from his face.

The young man’s sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, with delicate and sharp contours, appeared unusually gentle under the warm yellow light in the private room, as if outlined with a layer of warm and clear light.

The man with clear and exceptional features on the big screen, seen up close, would often leave people speechless with his stunning appearance.

But Zhi Qi had seen Jiang Qi a lot since she was young, so she didn’t feel as stunned. She just kept feeding him snacks.

Whatever she tasted and found delicious, she assumed Jiang Qi would like it too, constantly saying, “This is delicious, try this…”

Before long, Jiang Qi’s bowls and plates were filled with all sorts of snacks. He watched as Zhi Qi’s porcelain-white teeth bit into the shrimp dumplings, sparkling and fragrant, and suddenly felt a rumble in his not-so-hungry stomach, unconsciously eating quite a bit.

This place was not far from Lan University, just a short walk of about half an hour.

After dinner, Zhi Qi wanted Jiang Qi to accompany her for a walk back, so she pulled the young man’s sleeve and wouldn’t let him drive. The two of them walked slowly along the night, and Jiang Qi naturally followed her.

*

But what happened later made Zhi Qi wish she could turn back time.

If she could, she would definitely not insist on taking a walk and make Jiang Qi drive her back!

As the two leisurely returned to Lan University, when Jiang Qi dropped Zhi Qi off at the dormitory building, the girl was still reluctant to let him go. Just as she was about to say something while hooking her fingers around the young man’s, a cold voice suddenly popped out from the dim light under the nearby tree—

“Zhi Qi, what are you doing?”

Zhi Qi was stunned, and in an instant, she felt a spine-chilling sensation.

Because she was too familiar with this voice—it was her brother, Zhi Yu!

The girl’s body froze halfway, her limbs stiffened, and she awkwardly turned around to see Zhi Yu’s tall and slender figure walking out of the shadows, slowly “approaching.”

The strong aura of the man was intimidating, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Zhi Qi couldn’t help but feel weak, and she nervously whimpered, “Brother…”

Jiang Qi had actually recognized Zhi Yu long ago, but he hadn’t figured out how to greet him yet.

But seeing him scare Zhi Qi like this now, he couldn’t help but feel displeased. He narrowed his eyes slightly and stood in front of the girl instinctively—two tall and thin men inadvertently formed a “confrontation.”

And Zhi Yu naturally recognized Jiang Qi by his distinctive light-colored eyes.

The man hesitated for a moment, then realized and couldn’t help but chuckle, “Jiang Qi?”

Seeing his little sister openly tussling with a man at such a late hour already angered Zhi Yu enough. Then, seeing that “dog of a man” protecting his sister in a possessive manner made Zhi Yu even more infuriated.

Now he even found out that this “dog of a man” was Jiang Qi, well, isn’t that just great.

Jiang Qi’s cold voice sounded somewhat muffled behind the mask, politely greeting, “Brother Zhi Yu.”

He used to call Zhi Yu like this before, and after a few years, there naturally wouldn’t be any changes.

But Zhi Yu didn’t want to accept his polite attitude now. His eyes stared at Zhi Qi, who was cowering behind Jiang Qi, and said to Jiang Qi coldly, “Step aside.”

Jiang Qi hesitated for a moment but didn’t move.

But Zhi Qi knew Zhi Yu’s temper—this would inevitably lead to an outburst if it continued.

So the girl quietly pulled Jiang Qi’s sleeve and whispered, “It’s okay, could you… go back to the set first?”

Zhi Yu must have found out about Jiang Qi when she went home last time and told Mei Ran about him before coming to find her. If her brother said something excessively harsh next… Zhi Qi didn’t want the young man to hear it.

But before Jiang Qi could respond, Zhi Yu sneered and spoke first.

“Why are you butting in?” The man raised his chin slightly and pointed towards the dormitory, directly ordering Zhi Qi, “You go back first.”

…

Obviously, this meant he wanted to talk to Jiang Qi alone. Zhi Qi naturally didn’t want that, hesitating and dragging her feet, unwilling to leave. Zhi Yu’s expression became increasingly grim, and the air around him seemed to coil with icy winds, causing Zhi Qi to shiver.

Jiang Qi knew that the girl had always been afraid of her brother, and her ‘disobedience’ to stay in place was all for him.

“It’s okay.” The young man didn’t want Zhi Qi to be in a difficult position because of him, so he bent down and whispered gently in her ear, “Zhi Qi, go upstairs.”