ATGJSY: Chapter 27
"Ah Qian!"
Shen Yi burst through the door, frantically searching for any sign of Rong Qian.
"What's wrong?" Rong Qian emerged casually from the kitchen, nibbling on a French pastry. Shen Yi hurried over, scrutinizing her from head to toe, his voice tense with concern. "Are you okay?"
"What could be wrong with me?" Rong Qian found it somewhat amusing. Did she look like something was amiss?
Shen Yi couldn't muster a laugh. He had been on edge the entire way here, barely stopping his bicycle before hastily rushing upstairs.
"You're this worried?" Rong Qian finally noticed the beads of sweat on his forehead, a clear indication of his nervousness.
Shen Yi shook his head, trying to play it off.
"Don't worry," Rong Qian reassured him. "You don't need to fret about me. I'm far more capable than you think. Compared to those heartless murderers, these delinquent youths are just a bunch of kids in my eyes."
With that, Rong Qian patted his shoulder and smiled at him. "You can always trust me."
"Murderers? Aren't you a time traveler?" That was Shen Yi's main concern.
Realizing she had said too much, Rong Qian quickly added, "Even time travelers encounter bad people. There are always good and bad sides. 'Murderers' is just a metaphor, not meant to be taken literally."
Feeling a bit guilty for lying, Rong Qian knew that one lie would lead to countless others to cover it up.
Even though she didn't want to lie to him, she couldn't tell him the truth now. That she was not a time traveler, but a detective who had accidentally traveled through time?
That would be too irresponsible.
Rong Qian would tell him the truth one day, when the time was right. She knew he trusted her implicitly, believing everything she said.
"On another note, how did you find out about the trouble at home?" Rong Qian remembered to ask.
"Someone told me," Shen Yi replied.
Instead of asking who this person was, Rong Qian asked, "Who is Thomas?"
Rong Qian wasn't surprised when Shen Yi answered, "He's a student."
"You offended him, and he came after you, right?" Rong Qian looked at him with an expression that suggested she already knew. Shen Yi nodded, admitting it.
Looking at him, Rong Qian said, "You're in trouble. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I can handle it myself." Shen Yi didn't mean to appear strong. When he said this, his gaze was calm.
Rong Qian stared into his eyes for a long time. Changing the subject, she asked another question, "You said someone told you. Who was it?"
"Lin Feng."
"Lin Feng?" Hearing a strange name, Rong Qian asked curiously, "Who is this Lin Feng?"
Shen Yi asked her in return, "Didn't you notice him? He was on the roadside and saw you from the window."
"Isn't he the one with tattoos on his arms, looking tough?" Rong Qian suddenly remembered. Shen Yi nodded, and she continued, "And there was a black guy with him, right?"
"There was indeed a black guy with Lin Feng, named Jesse."
Rong Qian nodded thoughtfully. With Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan, the people in the photo frame were finally complete!
"How did you offend Thomas?" Rong Qian asked him. Shen Yi didn't hide anything. "Do you remember when you asked me about knowing Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan?"
Rong Qian understood. Shen Yi offended Thomas because of them. The Chinese girl who was bullied when she accidentally bumped into Thomas at the restaurant was Chen Shiyi.
Afterward, Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan, to show their gratitude, tried to befriend him several times, but Shen Yi never accepted, coldly keeping his distance.
Despite this, Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan continued to approach him, hoping to be his friends.
After listening, Rong Qian suddenly had a guess. "You intentionally distanced yourself from them, fearing that getting too close to them would cause trouble, right?"
"I don't have any burden being alone. With my current abilities, I can only protect myself. I can't protect them." Shen Yi had self-awareness. Now that he had brought trouble upon himself, anyone who got close to him would be targeted.
The best way was to stay away from them.
However, things didn't go as planned. The farther he distanced himself, the more those few people stuck to him!
"Are you sure distancing yourself from them means you have nothing to do with them?" Rong Qian thought it necessary to remind him. Shen Yi didn't understand her meaning, so Rong Qian explained, "Unless you act like strangers, not saying a word when you meet, otherwise, you can't avoid being involved. Do you think you've done that?"
After imagining it, Shen Yi realized he hadn't.
“Shen Yi, in places you can't see, they might have done a lot for you. But because of your deliberate distance, even if they've run into trouble because of you, they won't tell you.” Rong Qian was just stating the truth, with no intention of kidnapping him. Ultimately, the decision on how to proceed would be up to him.
Shen Yi furrowed his brow, and Rong Qian chuckled. "Feeling a headache, aren't you? But that's how interpersonal relationships work—unclear and complicated. Sometimes it's easier to be alone."
"But Shen Yi, I want you to know, to achieve anything, you inevitably have to interact with all sorts of people. You have to learn how to handle interpersonal relationships."
Rong Qian, as a 27-year-old adult, had experienced her fair share of setbacks and understood the principles. She wanted the best for him, so she was willing to teach him a few things.
Shen Yi took her words to heart, and he only wanted to listen to her.
At this moment, Rong Qian didn't know yet how much her presence would influence Shen Yi, even shaping his life.
Shen Yi pondered Rong Qian's words seriously. He felt it necessary to have a chat with Lin Feng and the others. However, for the next two days, Lin Feng didn't show up.
Shen Yi sensed something was off, but he didn't know where Lin Feng lived or how to contact him.
Just as Shen Yi was figuring out how to find him, one evening when he returned home, the landline rang—a call from an unknown number. He answered and found it was Jesse on the line.
Jesse hesitated before speaking. "Shen Yi, even though Lin Feng told me not to tell you, I feel it's not right. I've been thinking for a long time and finally decided to tell you."
"Say what you need to say," Shen Yi already had a guess.
Jesse told him that Lin Feng had been borrowing money everywhere these past few days to cover his friends' medical expenses. He was at the end of his rope. Jesse wondered if Shen Yi could lend him some money if he had it.
Shen Yi asked, "Which hospital?"
"Aphelon," Jesse replied.
"I got it." After hanging up, Shen Yi put on a jacket. He was about to tell Rong Qian to go to sleep first, but she was already dressed and waiting at the door. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."
Aphelon Hospital was quite a distance away. Shen Yi rode his bike while Rong Qian sat on the back.
For a workaholic who had been driving for years, riding a bike made Rong Qian feel like she had gone back to her student days.
The only difference was that Rong Qian had always been the one riding, never the one being carried. She had intended for Shen Yi to sit behind her while she rode, but Shen Yi gave her a look as if to say, "Do you think that's possible?"
This little tyrant!
Arriving at Aphelon Hospital, Shen Yi glanced at them from afar, paid their medical expenses, and left. It wasn't a small sum. Rong Qian asked where the money came from, and Shen Yi simply said, "Scholarship."
He used his scholarship to pay the medical expenses. What about his tuition fees? Shen Yi's answer was straightforward: find more part-time jobs.
Impressed, Rong Qian said, "Okay! Starting tomorrow, I'll help you find part-time jobs."
Initially hesitant, Shen Yi had to relent under Rong Qian's persistence. Rong Qian hooked her arm around his shoulder, teasing him like a good buddy, and made him laugh all the way.
But what they didn't notice was a man standing in the shadows, watching their departing figures. After a long while, he finally averted his gaze.
When he turned his head, there was a distinct scar on his profile...
The next morning, when Lin Feng tiredly arrived at the hospital, he was astonished to find the medical expenses had already been paid. After asking Jesse about it, he learned that Shen Yi had called him last night.
Lin Feng was furious!
"You know his situation. Where did he get so much money? Just think about it, and you'll know he must have used a scholarship. Why should he pay for me? This has nothing to do with him!"
Jesse was at a loss. He hadn't expected Shen Yi to secretly pay the medical expenses.
Initially, he thought it was kind of Shen Yi to lend him some money. But who could have thought?
"I'm going to find him!"
Lin Feng hung up in frustration, rushed out of the phone booth, and headed straight for Saint Lo Street. When he arrived, it was still seven in the morning. He pounded on the door, shouting, "Shen Yi! Open the door!"
The door opened soon after, but the one who opened it was a woman, just woken up, in her pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes!
Yawning, Rong Qian said, "What's with the early visit? What do you want?"
Comments
Post a Comment