No. 34 Too Gentle for Both of Us
How do you convey the feeling of utter despair?
To witness a tragedy unfold, knowing the outcome, yet powerless to change it, forced to watch as it repeats itself, again and again.
To wander aimlessly, searching for a purpose, a place to belong.
“Are you alright?”
As I descended the stairs, carrying Huang Yingdie on my back, my clothes stained with blood, I drew the attention of everyone in the hotel lobby. But no one dared to approach me.
“I’m fine… Your home is nearby, right?”
We stepped out of the hotel. The sunlight was blinding, and my strength was fading with every drop of blood I lost. For a moment, I wanted to drop her and run, but seeing her vulnerable state, I pressed on.
“Your wound is bleeding.”
Her voice was laced with concern. “Let me down. We need to call an ambulance.”
“No.”
Neither of us had enough cash, and we were both minors. Going to the hospital would alert our parents. My father was already at the hospital with my mother, and her father was the mayor. There was no need to burden them with this.
Besides, the wound wasn’t that serious. It hadn’t hit any vital organs or bones. It was just deep and looked scary.
“Why didn’t you call your father?”
I asked as we walked towards her complex.
“In an emergency, you didn’t call your friends, you didn’t call your father, you called me?”
“I…” She leaned her head against my shoulder. “You were the only one who answered.”
“I see.”
“What about you, Yi Yao? Didn’t you say you had exams today?”
“I’m a fast writer. What’s your point?”
I adjusted her position on my back and said, “So, what are you going to do about your boyfriend?”
Silence.
“Are you asleep?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry… Yi Yao… I’m so sorry…”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I felt her tears on my back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would turn out like this… He promised he wouldn’t do anything to me. He promised to make me happy, to give me the best life… why…”
“Because you’re naive. A teenage boy promising a girl eternal happiness? Most adults in this world wouldn’t even dare to say that.”
“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”
Her guilt tugged at my heartstrings. “I don’t need your apologies. What I want to know is, what will you do if this happens again?”
Boys using sweet talk and promises of wealth and status to manipulate girls into bed—it happened every day, all over the country.
What the girl did afterward was her own choice.
If those Jiang Nan Gang members hadn’t told me about his plan, if I had turned off my phone before the exam, if Xiaodie hadn’t called me because of our conflict, this situation could have spiraled out of control.
“Next time?”
She seemed surprised. “Next time… I’ll call you again.”
“No way.”
“Don’t be like that… Oh, I know! Yi Yao, be my boyfriend! Then there won’t be a next time.”
“Huh?”
“Seriously, you were so cool when you came to rescue me. I think you’d be a much more reliable boyfriend than Huang Qinghao.”
Great, another one smitten with me.
Putting aside her personality, Huang Yingdie was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. And with my thirty years of experience as a man, I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to her. But I wouldn’t take advantage of her vulnerability.
“You’re just lonely.”
“I am lonely.”
My phone rang.
“Hello, did you call the emergency hotline earlier?”
The formal tone reminded me of the call I had made. “Yes, it was me.”
“What’s your relationship with the patient?”
“Concerned citizen.”
“Oh, sorry to bother you.”
The call ended as we reached the gate of her luxurious residential complex.
“Da Liao! It’s me!”
She waved at the security guard. “My friend is injured. We need to go up and treat his wounds.”
“Oh…” The guard looked confused. Why was she carrying her injured friend on her back? But he didn’t question us, just opened the gate.
“Huang Qinghao is alive.”
Since the hospital had referred to him as a “patient” and not a “deceased,” it meant my kick hadn’t killed him. Perhaps the pain had weakened my strength.
“I don’t care if he’s dead or alive. He’s not my brother anymore.”
“Which floor?”
We entered the elevator, and she jumped off my back, supporting me as she pressed the button for the top floor, the eighth floor.
I teased her. “What did Huang Qinghao give you? It’s quite effective. You’re conscious, but you can’t move.”
And you conveniently recovered just in time.
She glared at me. “How should I know? And I didn’t finish it, okay?”
It seemed my warning had worked.
The elevator reached the top floor.
“My family is usually not home. Dad always works late.”
She padded over to the high-tech security door, pressed her hand against the scanner, then activated a hidden iris scanner. The heavy door unlocked with a click.
“Lie down here. I’ll get some bandages.”
She helped me onto the sofa in the living room, then stumbled towards her room, her movements still sluggish from the drug. She returned with a small first-aid kit.
“I learned some basic first aid from my grandmother.”
She opened the kit, took out some iodine, and frowned at my blood-soaked back. “Maybe we should take a shower and change clothes first?”
“No need.”
I chuckled awkwardly. “Just disinfect the wound.”
“No, it could get infected. And you can’t go home like this.”
She pulled me off the sofa and dragged me upstairs to a room that was clearly a girl’s bedroom.
“Fine, if you don’t want to shower, at least change your clothes.”
Although I came here every day to pick her up for school, this was my first time inside her home. Unlike the opulent mansions I had imagined, her room was surprisingly ordinary, apart from its size and the en suite bathroom. The furniture was simple and unassuming.
However, I noticed a lot of anime merchandise.
Pillows, posters, mousepads, even the bedsheets and curtains were adorned with popular anime characters.
As I was observing her room, she had already gathered two dresses and the first-aid kit and entered the bathroom. She had taken off her nightgown, leaving her in just her underwear.
Her skin was as white as snow, her long hair cascading down her back, her budding breasts a testament to her youth, her flat stomach leading to long, slender legs. Even I, a girl now, couldn’t help but stare.
“Stop staring and come in.”
She blushed.
I entered the bathroom. “You like anime?”
“A little.” She gestured for me to take off my shirt. “Take off your clothes.”
We both stripped down to our underwear, my blood-soaked clothes lying in a heap on the floor.
“The wound doesn’t seem too deep.”
Seemingly oblivious to my awkwardness, she blushed and carefully cleaned the blood from my back with a wet towel.
Her fragrance filled the steamy bathroom.
Every touch sent shivers down my spine.
“Don’t shower for the next two days. Keep the wound dry.”
She poured some antiseptic on the wound and expertly bandaged it.
“This dress is new. I only wore it once… sorry… it’s just me and Dad at home. We don’t have any spare clothes…”
She handed me a light green dress, her cheeks still flushed.
“It’s fine.”
I took the dress and put it on in front of her, not wanting to make her feel bad.
Dresses were the easiest to put on. But perhaps due to our height difference, it was a bit tight on me, the hem barely reaching my thighs.
“Wow, you look so cute!”
She looked at me with delight. “I always thought you were a tomboy. I didn’t know you could look so cute in a dress. If you went out like this, you’d probably attract a whole team of love rivals.”
“Please, I’m not interested in that.”
The cool air on my bare legs made me feel self-conscious. I stepped out of the bathroom, stretched, and glanced at the clock on the wall.
School was over…
