"Sheng Yize! That's pure slander!" An Xiaxia forced out her protest.
Sheng Yize's dark pupils flickered. "Slander? An Xiaxia, I have long figured it out. You like Rong Che and it's public information that Starry Night doesn't see eye to eye with Rong Che. Hm…"
An Xiaxia's little lie was exposed and she looked very frustrated.
Playing with her fingers, she asked timidly, "You're not going to hit me, are you…"
Sob, so anti-fans would eventually get their retribution!
Rong Che oppa, I'm sorry! It seems I'm going to become a martyr on my journey to you!
Sheng Yize cracked his knuckles and smiled mysteriously. "Take a guess."
An Xiaxia pleaded obsequiously, "Boss Yize, please forgive me! I will never trash you again! I will be your loyal fan! I promise!"
Sheng Yize kept on cracking his knuckles and said lazily, "In that case, I'll see how you behave from now on."
An Xiaxia narrowly escaped her doom. However, before she could celebrate her good luck, Sheng Yize's next words crushed her with despair.
"But I'll have to reconsider taking you as a member of the crew."
"Aaah! How can you do that! You promised you'd take me if I made it into the top 500!" An Xiaxia pouted disgruntledly.
Sheng Yize jabbed her little head with his finger to push her away from him and snorted. "You're a time bomb to me now. When did you last see an idol live in peace with his anti-fan? An Xiaxia, be content with what you're given!"
An Xiaxia leaned against the car window and looked up at the sky.
She could really feel her tears welling up this time…
Hm…
-
The driver pulled over outside the An family home.
Sheng Yize grabbed a cap from the backseat, pulled it down well over his face, then entered the house with An Xiaxia.
An Xiaxia had called Papa An and the school this morning to inform them that they were safe. Even so, Papa An was still on the verge of bursting into tears at their return.
The cafe was closed today. Papa An examined his daughter up and down, asking, "Were you hurt? Do you feel alright? Do you want to eat anything? Did you run into any danger?"
An Xiaxia smiled sweetly. "Don't worry. I'm totally fine! Um… although, Sheng Yize was hurt…"
Papa An looked shocked for two seconds before saying, "Go get my medkit. Yize, let me check your wounds first, ok?"
Sheng Yize nodded indifferently.
Papa An used to be a professional doctor and soon came up with a diagnosis. "It's nothing too serious. You don't have any broken bones, but there are a few pretty deep injuries. I'll dress the wounds again and prescribe you some medicine. Keep the wounds dry for a few days, in case they get infected."
Sheng Yize was astonished by how professional Papa An sounded.
Why would such a remarkable doctor be content with running an ordinary coffee shop?
Seeing that Sheng Yize had fallen silent, Papa An thought the young man didn't believe him. He chuckled. "If you find my diagnosis unreliable, feel free to get a more detailed examination at the hospital."
"No, it's not that." Sheng Yize shook his head. "Thank you, Uncle."
"I'm the one that should be thanking you. Had it not been for you, my Xiaxia could be dead by now…" said Papa An in a grateful tone. He then said sympathetically, "Those injuries must be quite painful. How about some painkillers?"
Painful… they were, but it was nothing to Sheng Yize.
Shaking his head, he looked at An Xiaxia, who had just come back up after putting away the medkit downstairs. The hungry girl was now wolfing down a sandwich. Somehow, he felt a string being pulled inside him.
"Uncle, did Xiaxia ever fall into water when she was little?" It seemed forever when he finally managed to ask the question. It was almost as if he was trying to confirm something.