Chapter 9: Just Saved Her, Then Deleted Her? Man, You're Playing with Fire!
Page 1/3
Xie Buchen said, “How about a mocha? Do you want some cake?”
Lin Shu remained silent, as if Xie Buchen were some kind of trap, ordering cake only to hand over an exorbitant bill.
Xie Buchen clicked his tongue, “I’m treating you, order whatever you want. The cheesecake and cream waffles are pretty good.”
“Then, cheesecake it is!” Lin Shu readily agreed.
A woman who’s been tricked out of money by a man tends to be more cautious; she silently praised herself for that.
Xie Buchen went behind the counter and talked with his tattooed cousin. Judging by the teasing tone and his slightly displeased expression, the cousin must have been joking with him. Soon after, the coffee and cake were brought over. Xie Buchen returned to the counter, only to be playfully kicked out by his cousin, who took off his apron.
It was kind of amusing.
Lin Shu sipped the rich coffee and ate the decadently calorie-laden cheesecake, her anxiety easing a bit. Looking at Xie Buchen sitting opposite with a scowl, she cooed in a playful tone, “So good, helping out at your relative’s shop on the weekend~”
Xie Buchen snorted.
Lin Shu continued, “Can you come with me to the bookstore later?”
Xie Buchen asked, “You’re buying books?”
Lin Shu nodded with a mouthful of cake.
Xie Buchen was silent for a moment, then asked how Lin Shu got tangled up with Fang Chao and his group.
Lin Shu recounted what happened yesterday at the market.
Xie Buchen looked puzzled. “They blocked you just over that?”
Lin Shu found it strange too—getting targeted for no apparent reason.
Xie Buchen stared at her, a cold sneer crossing his face as his expression darkened. His face was sharply defined, elegant but without any hint of femininity. His skin glowed pale, with a black mole accentuating his nose wing and eye corner—a masterstroke. His sharp eyes paired with long lashes, and the high bridge of his nose cast subtle shadows, giving him an aura of sophisticated world-weariness that was oddly captivating.
When he laughed and played ball, he looked like a silly dog.
The colder and more scowling he looked, the more strikingly handsome he appeared.
In just half an hour, seven or eight girls had come into the café after catching a glimpse of him. Lin Shu thought to herself, how much revenue must this face be bringing to the café?
If she ever opened a shop, she’d definitely hire him as a waiter.
Lin Shu finished eating.
Xie Buchen stood up. “Let’s go.”
He told his cousin, who waved repeatedly and smiled kindly at Lin Shu.
Lin Shu waved her arm. “Bye, bro!”
The tattooed cousin smiled even wider and invited Lin Shu to drop by anytime.
Xie Buchen glanced at her. “Who’s your bro?”
Lin Shu snorted.
They took the escalator one after another. Sure enough, at the bookstore corner, Fang Chao and his three companions were there, holding cigarettes, some squatting, some standing, their expressions unfriendly and grumbling. They looked surprised to see Xie Buchen escorting Lin Shu inside.
Xie Buchen moved to the left, blocking their line of sight and sent Lin Shu inside.
Lin Shu acted as if nothing was wrong and went straight to the study aids section to continue picking books.
Xie Buchen lingered briefly, then left without a sound.
Not long after, the group returned.
Their clothes were a bit disheveled, and they smelled strongly of smoke.
Lin Shu frowned. “Went to the restroom to smoke? Such a big addiction?”
“Done buying?”
“Yeah, these.”
“So many? Are you eating books now?”
“Oh, you don’t get it. My foundation is weak, so I need this many…”
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Xie Buchen picked up a book, flipped to a page, and pointed out, “All the answers are wrong. Why buy this?”
Lin Shu scanned the questions, pulled out scratch paper, and calculated—the answers really were wrong, missing a negative sign.
“Maybe a printing error…” Lin Shu muttered.
Xie Buchen scoffed, “That publisher is just out to make money. Their editors are careless, but their ads are everywhere. Did you get hooked by online courses?”
Lin Shu nodded, surprised by Xie Buchen’s insight.
Her gaze now matched the awe of Columbus discovering the New World.
Xie Buchen helped her discard half the books and added, “Online shopping is much cheaper. Why bother coming to a bookstore?”
Lin Shu pulled out a bookstore card. “Someone gave it to me, no reason not to use it.”
Xie Buchen pursed his lips.
Lin Shu unconsciously did the same. “Hey, Xie Buchen, is there any book you want? We can buy together.”
Xie Buchen turned away, silent for a moment, then laughed dryly, “Use a girl’s card?”
She had given many such cards, each storing a thousand yuan, to Ji Xingshen before, worried he loved studying but had no money for aids. Ji Xingshen never refused. Once, she even used her card to buy something for Zhou Ya, who then said she was extravagant.
Well, even the rogue brother knew not to freeload, but Ji Xingshen was possessive about her card.
This was a disaster.
Lin Shu rolled her eyes, rubbed her jawline, then grabbed Xie Buchen roughly. “That’s not fair—you just treated me to coffee. Giving you books evens the score.”
Xie Buchen told her to let go.
Lin Shu held tighter.
Xie Buchen glanced at her and picked up a guitar score.
Lin Shu said there was a hardcover edition.
Xie Buchen said the paperback was fine.
At checkout, Lin Shu noticed the guitar score cost over forty yuan, about the same as what she’d spent on coffee and cake.
A strange feeling welled up inside her.
Suddenly, even the rogue brother’s earrings and ripped jeans looked good.
...
They stepped outside. Fang Chao and the others were gone.
The corner was littered with crushed cigarettes, some half-smoked with yellow-brown tobacco exposed. The cleaner grumbled as she tidied up.
Lin Shu looked at Xie Buchen.
He asked how she was getting home.
“Taxi.”
Xie Buchen helped carry her books and saw her into the cab. Before the door closed, he took out his phone and asked Lin Shu to add him as a friend. She scanned and added him. He told her to message him once she got home safely.
“Okay.”
The door shut. She turned her head; the sky was dim but not dark. The courtyard shops had their colored lights on, scattering neon glows. Xie Buchen stood by the roadside, his figure melting like cream.
Lin Shu opened her phone and checked his profile.
His avatar was a dog.
A fluffy, somewhat aged Bichon Frise, still sweet and adorable, sticking out a pink tongue, with a tiny pink butterfly hairpin on its head. Xie Buchen’s hand rested on the dog’s head, his little finger sporting a metal ring shaped like a little dog.
No wonder he fed stray dogs by the roadside.
Turns out he had a dog of his own.
Lin Shu clicked through the photos, scrutinizing every detail, then moved on to his social feed.
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There was nothing.
Maybe he’d set it to private?
Hmm...
Lin Shu leaned back in her seat, her hand resting on the thick pile of books as her eyes followed the passing street scenes.
She arrived home.
She put away her things and lay on the bed, sending him a message: “I’m home.”
Xie Buchen replied: “Okay.”
Lin Shu wanted to say more but felt the conversation should end here; otherwise, it might become ambiguous. She had just escaped the fire pit that was Ji Xingshen—how could she step into another?
That would be foolish.
Lin Shu told herself that repaying Xie Buchen for saving her life in a past life could be done in other ways. For example, hadn’t he threatened her to bring breakfast for a week as an apology? She’d bring it until the holidays.
He wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
Lin Shu found her balance and sighed with relief.
Her phone lit up with a new message.
Xie Buchen: Delete Fang Chao, set up groups, don’t let strangers see your posts.
Lin Shu: What’s wrong?
Xie Buchen: To guard against creepy guys.
Lin Shu: Shouldn’t guys control themselves? Why should I change?
Xie Buchen: Guys can’t control themselves.
Lin Shu: ...
Damn, that honest?
Xie Buchen: I can’t always protect you. Use your brain. Why do you need to post your location when buying books?
Lin Shu: I was just sharing the Transformers exhibit at the mall.
Xie Buchen: Suit yourself.
Lin Shu: That’s not fair!
Xie Buchen: The world’s never been fair. I want to have kids too—do you think I can?
Pfft.
Lin Shu, still annoyed, couldn’t help but laugh at that. She was angry but had to admit he was right. Without that location tag on her post, Fang Chao and his gang wouldn’t have found her. She had the right to share her life but also needed to be wary of ill-intentioned people. They were so impatient they started a fight in the mall; if they had waited until she left the bookstore and was somewhere deserted, she probably wouldn’t have escaped.
Kids at this age tend to be extremes—either blank slates or daring to do anything.
She couldn’t always judge them with an adult’s soul; a little respect was better.
Lin Shu deleted Fang Chao and many other strange contacts from her list.
But she didn’t want to follow Xie Buchen completely and kept the post with the location.
Xie Buchen didn’t reply. When Lin Shu tried messaging again, it turned into a red exclamation mark.
Hmm?
Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?
Had he deleted her?
Lin Shu stared wide-eyed under the covers, her scant sleepiness vanished completely.