Chapter 20: Qing Li

Chu Susu suddenly frowned, trying to pinch Han Xuan’s ankle and flip it back and forth to find the wound. But Han Xuan shrank her foot back like a startled little rabbit.

She then hesitantly placed her foot on the chair, her breathing unsteady as she whispered softly, “Itchy.”

This shy and timid look was just like a peach blossom in early spring, radiating a faint pink glow from inside to out. Chu Susu almost forgot what she had been thinking moments ago.

She was stunned for a full two seconds before asking, “Where’s the wound?”

Chu Susu had personally disinfected it with alcohol just minutes ago, so there was no way she had the wrong spot. But in the time it took to exchange a few words, those wounds had vanished without a trace. She turned the foot over and over but still couldn’t find them.

Not to mention, the stones had dug into the flesh back then—it wasn’t some minor scrape. How could this be possible?

“Right here.” Han Xuan pointed out two faintly whitish spots on her skin. If you didn’t look closely, they blended seamlessly with the surrounding areas. “It’s not bleeding anymore.”

Chu Susu found it utterly bizarre. She had seen with her own eyes how Han Xuan’s skin had broken and bled. Even if it healed fast, shouldn’t there at least be a scab?

Was this normal healing speed for a human?

Han Xuan seemed to read her mind. She slowly lowered her head and said, “Don’t be scared. It’s… because of my constitution. My wounds heal faster than normal people’s. It’s always been this way since I was little.”

She didn’t dare lift her head to meet Chu Susu’s gaze, her voice trailing off lower and lower, as if scorched by the doubt in Chu Susu’s eyes.

Seeing Han Xuan’s sincere and pitiful expression—and remembering she had just been injured and needed comforting—those unrealistic thoughts swirled in Chu Susu’s mind for a moment before she swallowed them back down.

She patted Han Xuan’s head. “Healing fast is a good thing. Why would I be scared?”

Chu Susu figured she must have skipped too many biology classes as a kid and was just ignorant.

After all, with so many people in the world, it wasn’t weird for someone to have a unique constitution. Probably Han Xuan’s body had abnormal… what was it? Platelets? For clotting or whatever.

Han Xuan forced a smile and explained, “When I was little, the neighbor kids were all scared of me because of it. They called me a monster, so…”

She spoke lightly, laced with faint melancholy, but Chu Susu instantly tasted the bitterness and hardship behind those words.

“Also, looks like we can’t call the cops anymore.”

Even if the café’s surveillance proved Xia Zilu had pushed her, Han Xuan had no way to show the severity of her injuries now. They couldn’t exactly get a doctor to assess nearly healed wounds, right?

At this thought, Chu Susu fell silent, racking her brain for other ways to teach someone like Xia Zilu a lesson.

Xia Zilu was banking on the fact that Chu Susu had a job, boldly causing a scene at the company with clear intent to intimidate.

But Xia Zilu was different—she wasn’t afraid of the same tricks. After college, she’d just taken a sinecure at her family’s company without ever job-hunting. With her family footing the bill, she wanted for nothing.

Chu Susu’s peripheral glance caught the time on her phone, giving her another headache.

Their project team had been swamped all day. She’d only come downstairs for a coffee and was long overdue back at work, but she couldn’t just leave Han Xuan like this.

Jack had never liked her anyway. In the short time she’d been gone, he’d already started throwing shade in the group chat:

“Appreciating everyone’s hard work, but it’d be even better if we could avoid tardiness and early outs. Keep it up!”

Were all the annoying people suddenly vying for attention today? Chu Susu’s mood soured further.

Han Xuan, sitting close, naturally saw the message too. She suddenly reached out and gently plucked the phone from Chu Susu’s hand.

This was the first slightly impolite thing she’d done in front of Chu Susu.

Caught off guard, Chu Susu let her take it and raised a brow in confusion. “You…”

Han Xuan’s hair was still wet, strands tangled and clinging to her cheek, accentuating her delicate features with a messy allure.

She set the phone aside and asked softly, “Is this Jack targeting you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Why, Susu?” Han Xuan let out an almost imperceptible sigh, her tone soft yet stabbing straight to the heart. “Why do these people keep bothering you? You shouldn’t have to put up with this.”

The already scant distance between them shrank bit by bit, imperceptibly.

“I…”

Chu Susu hadn’t expected such words from her. She blanked out, a strange new feeling stirring inside.

Han Xuan had been repeatedly harassed by her ex-girlfriend, yet she wasn’t angry at all—instead, she was standing up for her.

Chu Susu couldn’t help thinking back to her past girlfriends or flings.

She always topped, so they were all pillow princesses, depending on her habitually both in bed and out.

But they’d never realized that sometimes, she needed a little understanding and comfort too.

Lost in her jumbled thoughts, Han Xuan’s cheek was now mere millimeters away. Their breaths mingled, rhythms quietly syncing.

Chu Susu caught a faint, unfamiliar scent—subtle, like herbal incense.

Han Xuan’s nose tip was nearly brushing hers.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “You’re so good. They shouldn’t treat you like this.”

Beneath the black beauty contacts, an unconcealable smoky purple crept into view, unnoticed.

Chu Susu felt like her soul had floated out of her body, frozen in place. She could only hear Han Xuan’s lover-like whisper murmuring into her ear:

“Do you want to make them pay the price?”