Chapter 15#
A Pretty Little Flower#
With skin scraped on his calves and arms, blood began to slide down his legs. Jian Yunchen sat outside the school gate, pulled out a tissue, and casually wiped it away.
The moment the tissue touched the wound, a sharp pain shot straight to his brain. Jian Yunchen had a little-known secret.
He was very afraid of pain; his sensitivity to it was much higher than that of ordinary people. However, he had kept this hidden for many years. Sometimes, while pretending, he almost forgot about it himself.
He looked at the blood-stained tissue with an expressionless face and threw it into the trash can.
Just as he was about to go get something to eat, his phone suddenly buzzed with a message.
【I’m at your school gate.】
Jian Yunchen’s gaze paused, and he subconsciously began to look around.
This time, Qin Mu wasn’t riding a motorcycle; he was driving a red sports car parked by the roadside. He had one hand resting on the window frame with a cigarette between his fingers, while the other hand was scrolling through his phone. He was very conspicuous.
When Jian Yunchen walked over, this was the scene he saw.
He even considered pretending he hadn’t seen the message and turning back.
Unfortunately, Qin Mu saw him from a distance and waved.
Jian Yunchen: “…”
He opened the car door and sat inside. The two hadn’t seen each other since they parted at the racetrack. Before leaving that time, Jian Yunchen had given him the cold shoulder. According to his guess, a young master like Qin Mu, who grew up being pampered, shouldn’t have been the one to reach out first.
But this was Qin Mu, and Qin Mu never played by the rules.
Qin Mu extinguished his cigarette, glanced sideways at him, and suddenly his gaze froze.
The section of the arm leaning on the seat, from the forearm to the palm, was bright red, standing out starkly against his pale skin. He reached out and tugged at Jian Yunchen’s sleeve. “What happened to your hand?”
Jian Yunchen lowered his eyes and brushed the hand away. “Nothing.”
Qin Mu looked at him for a while before changing the subject. “Accompany me for dinner?”
“No appetite,” Jian Yunchen replied listlessly, not having the energy to deal with him.
A card with a gold border was held between Qin Mu’s fingertips. Jian Yunchen looked up and saw Qin Mu’s half-smiling face.
His tone was casual, with his usual nonchalant and irreverent manner: “I won’t let you make the trip for nothing.”
Jian Yunchen leaned against the headrest. His nose was filled with Qin Mu’s scent—a scent that was assertive and domineering, asserting its presence everywhere.
Strangely, he found himself relaxing; even the pain seemed to ease.
His gaze fell on Qin Mu’s smile, and he curled his lips slightly, taking the card. “Fine.”
The car started. Qin Mu’s driving style was relaxed and steady, not at all like his aggressive behavior at the racetrack—he was so stable he almost seemed like a different person.
Jian Yunchen didn’t ask where they were going. Anyway, he had been “bought” by Qin Mu for the day; anywhere was fine.
As long as he could briefly escape those annoying troubles, anywhere was fine.
After driving for less than ten minutes, Jian Yunchen began to feel drowsy from the smooth pace. Suddenly, the car stopped.
He blinked. Are they here?
Qin Mu didn’t say a word, took his phone, and got out, leaving Jian Yunchen alone in the car.
He hesitated for a moment about whether to follow. There were no restaurants nearby, and Qin Mu didn’t look like he was going to eat. During his hesitation, Qin Mu had already disappeared.
Now there was no need to hesitate.
Jian Yunchen fiddled with the card in his hand, even wondering if Qin Mu was playing a trick on him.
He frowned and looked at the bank card in his hand. Even if he were playing a trick, it wouldn’t go this far, would it?
A few minutes passed, and just as Jian Yunchen was getting restless and thinking about leaving, Qin Mu returned.
He opened the passenger door, carrying a large bag of medicine.
He naturally crouched by the roadside and reached out to Jian Yunchen.
Jian Yunchen instinctively pulled his leg back, a movement caught by Qin Mu. The next second, his ankle was grabbed again.
“Your leg is injured too?”
The slender, white ankle fell into Qin Mu’s palm again. Jian Yunchen struggled, but was held firmly. A wave of itchiness came from the places that hadn’t been touched, and the warmth of the palm was transmitted directly.
Qin Mu pulled up Jian Yunchen’s pant leg. There was a long scratch from the knee to the calf; the skin was broken, and a large area was red and swollen.
He frowned slightly, his movements crisp and decisive. When the disinfectant was poured on, tears almost sprang from Jian Yunchen’s eyes. He pulled his leg back, furrowing his brows in pain, his voice uncontrollably trembling: “It hurts!”
“Tsk.” Qin Mu gave a light tsk and looked up, only to see that Jian Yunchen’s watery eyes were truly turning red. Only then did his movements soften.
“Alright, stop whining. Even a little girl isn’t as delicate as you.”
As Qin Mu applied the medicine, he showed mercy. Jian Yunchen, with red eyes, kept blowing on the wound.
“What ’little girl’? Have you bandaged a little girl’s wounds before?”
Qin Mu answered instinctively: “My sister…”
He realized something was wrong as soon as the words left his mouth. His movements stopped, and he looked up at him quietly.
“Are you trying to bait me?”
Jian Yunchen’s dark, moist eyes blinked, his expression innocent: “No.”
Qin Mu chuckled and didn’t press the matter.
“How did you get hurt?”
After hurting for a long time, it slowly went numb. Hearing this question, Jian Yunchen sniffled, and a sense of grievance belatedly surged up. “It’s all because of Qin Zheng.”
“He even came to warn me, saying that no matter what my purpose is for approaching Jiang Yunhan, I should give up on the idea.”
“Heh…” Jian Yunchen’s voice suddenly turned cold, and even his eyes flickered with a wintry chill.
Qin Mu’s movements paused.
Jian Yunchen had actually clashed with Qin Zheng this early. In the original novel, during this period, Jian Yunchen was busy biding his time and didn’t even have the qualifications to clash with the protagonist.
Things were becoming different from the original plot.
The wound treatment was finished, and Qin Mu stood up to return to the driver’s seat.
The bandage was very pretty, wrapped around the calf with the medicine, and even the ribbon was tied into a perfect little butterfly knot. Jian Yunchen swung his leg with some curiosity, looking at it from different angles.
When they stopped again, they had truly arrived at a restaurant.
Qin Mu had booked a table in advance—a small square table by the window. The environment was beautiful, and there was even a violin accompaniment nearby.
As soon as they entered, the corner of Jian Yunchen’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch. He cast a suspicious glance over. Qin Mu shrugged; he had just asked Qin Qiaosen to book a place to eat, who knew what he was thinking.
Since there was food, Jian Yunchen wasn’t picky. He sat in his seat and obediently ordered a table full of dishes.
Qin Mu’s smile remained unchanged as he closed the menu. “Can you finish all that?”
“If I can’t finish, I’ll take it to go.”
Jian Yunchen smiled faintly. “Young Master Qin wouldn’t be so stingy, would he?”
The menu was handed to the waiter. Qin Mu replied, “As you wish. For now, you can’t eat me into bankruptcy.”
Jian Yunchen: “…”
This was the first time the two of them had a meal face-to-face.
Without the usual hostility, the atmosphere was actually quite good, so much so that Jian Yunchen couldn’t help but feel a bit strange.
Fortunately, the food was served before long. Jian Yunchen rarely visited such places, but that didn’t mean his table manners were poor. On the contrary, his posture was upright, his demeanor was refined, and he ate without haste, like a pleasing performance.
Watching him, Qin Mu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What are you laughing at?” Jian Yunchen shot him a cold glance.
“Laughing at how you’re putting on an act.”
“…”
Qin Mu cut a large piece of steak and put it in his mouth. Before he could even swallow, a cold laugh came from beside him.
He looked up. “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at your rudeness.”
“…”
He really held a grudge.
He looked like a beautiful little flower, but his thorns were quite sharp.
Halfway through the meal, Qin Mu got to the point.
“About that bullying business, do you need my help?”
Jian Yunchen’s movements paused imperceptibly, but he quickly returned to normal. His expression didn’t change in the slightest. “No need, I can handle it.”
He smiled, his tone softening. “However, Young Master Qin, if you are willing to help me, I have another matter I’d like to ask of you.”