Chapter 30: "They Bullied You"

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Qin Yichi’s dark eyes were icy and fierce, as if a violent storm was about to break loose. The flames of anger flickered in their depths.

Qiao Zhen, dizzy and disoriented, fell into the warmth of his broad embrace.

She pressed her lips together, reflexively clutching the sleeve of Qin Yichi’s shirt.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, the entire world solidifying around them.

An unfamiliar rush of emotion surged through her, spreading wider and wider. The seed buried deep in her heart seemed to be sprouting, sending out shoots that thudded against her chest again and again.

Qin Yichi—he truly was so frightening, so fierce.

And yet, in truth, so gentle, so very gentle…

Niu Yifeng and his friends hurried over, shouting as they ran, “What are you doing? A bunch of boys cornering a girl—shame on you! Disgusting, tsk!”

After their scathing rebuke, the group finally dispersed.

Qin Yichi led Qiao Zhen down the stairs.

He glanced at her misty eyes, and in an instant, his heart melted into tenderness.

The girl’s slender wrist was smooth and pale, but now bore several fresh red marks—painfully obvious.

Clearly, Ji Xian had gripped her hard enough to leave those traces.

“They bullied you.” The veins stood out at Qin Yichi’s temple as he spoke, his tone firm rather than questioning.

If only he’d arrived sooner… just a little earlier…

Qiao Zhen’s lashes trembled; she nodded silently, then shook her head. “I’m fine.”

There were cameras at school—they wouldn’t actually do anything to her. It was just… she’d blocked them, and they’d flown into a rage.

“By the way, why are you here?” she asked softly.

Qin Yichi’s voice was low, almost careless: “Passing by.”

Not far away, when Zhang Yu heard those words, he nearly burst out laughing, inwardly jeering, “Yeah, right.”

In truth, a classmate had spotted Ji Xian heading out to block Qiao Zhen, and after telling a certain someone, that certain someone had sprinted over as if in a hundred-meter dash.

Some shortcut, indeed.

Qin Yichi maintained his usual lazy air, gently lifting Qiao Zhen’s wrist, his rough thumb brushing softly over her skin, as if trying to erase the red marks.

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Qiao Zhen could feel the heat from his touch burning through her skin, seeping into her blood, stirring every cell in her body.

Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, tinged with a rosy hue.

She grew dazed, almost lightheaded.

With her head lowered, Qiao Zhen whispered, “Don’t do that… People are watching…”

Qin Yichi turned calmly, and sure enough, spotted a row of wide-eyed, gossip-hungry friends staring at them.

“Do you all need something?” he asked.

In the next instant, the boys all clapped their hands over their mouths and scurried away, grinning meaningfully as they went.

Caught in the act again!

Once everyone had left, Qin Yichi took her wrist, holding it in his large hand. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, “Come eat with me.”

Qiao Zhen, not sensing anything unusual, nodded and obediently followed. “Okay.”

From the staircase, Ji Xian stood silently, watching the pair walk side by side below. His gaze turned glacial, even more terrifying than before, the atmosphere around him instantly chilling.

He didn’t give chase, only stared fixedly at Qiao Zhen.

The boys beside him shivered in the cold and hurried to speak up:

“Qiao Zhen’s just throwing a tantrum, trying to get a rise out of us.”

“Of course. After all the years she’s chased after Ji Xian, it’s impossible for her to just walk away.”

Hearing their words, Ji Xian’s expression gradually calmed, his emotions steadied, and he descended the stairs without a word.

Yes, she was just acting out.

Qiao Zhen didn’t like Qin Yichi, that was impossible.

She herself had said so—she only saw Qin Yichi as the older brother she grew up with.

She’d also said she liked only him, Ji Xian, and would always feel that way.

So, there was no need to run after her.

After she cooled down and thought things through, she’d certainly come back to him in tears…

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Inside the luxurious mansion—spacious, bright, understated in its opulence.

Ji Xian preferred living alone, refusing to stay in the dorms, and had bought a mansion right next to the school.

All day long, his face remained frozen with coldness. He ordered all the servants to leave.

They bowed their heads as they departed, acutely aware that the young master’s mood was especially foul today—the worst it had ever been.

How strange. He’d never shown his emotions so openly before. And today was supposed to be his birthday, wasn’t it?

In his room, Ji Xian slowly clenched his fists.

Unbidden, the memory flashed through his mind: Qiao Zhen’s hand held by another man.

Qiao Zhen, deliberately provoking him, going to dinner and to the amusement park with her beloved childhood friend Qin Yichi…

A cold laugh escaped his lips.

He shouldn’t care.

His pale eyes showed not a hint of emotion as he calmly opened his backpack.

But the next second, his fingers froze, his whole body stiffening.

Inside the bag was a light brown scarf.

It looked hand-knitted, the material soft and comforting.

Like a ray of gentle spring sunlight melting over a glacier, softening the ice.

There was no name or card, but Ji Xian knew with absolute certainty it was from Qiao Zhen.

When several boys heard, they exchanged knowing glances and chuckled quietly, “Knew it. She couldn’t resist and had to come deliver a gift.”

“So this is what they call ‘fishing,’ huh?”

Ji Xian said nothing, but the anxiety in his heart finally eased.

Of course—Qiao Zhen liked him so much; how could she not give him a birthday gift…