Chapter 6: Carry Me

The next morning, when Wei Qingxuan woke up, his body signaled the dawn before his mind did.

He looked calmly at his reaction, recalling last night’s dream, his breathing still tinged with damp heat.

That must have been the desire buried deep beneath his consciousness.

Carrying the unsatisfied warmth with him, he stepped into the bathroom and once again saw the shawl crumpled into a ball.

The silk fabric was wrinkled beyond shape.

The dried stains stood out starkly.

The cloth he had clenched in his palm in the dream now lay there like a thoroughly exposed secret, crumpled in the shadows in utter disarray.

Even his current physical response carried an added layer of burning shame.

Cold water poured down from the showerhead in a rushing cascade.

Yet Wei Qingxuan stared at himself in the mirror.

The tips of his ears were flushed red.

His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.

The warmth of her in the dream seemed to linger at his fingertips.

His hair was still dripping when he gathered his changed clothes together with that shawl and carried them to the laundry room.

There, he ran into the one person who made his heart jolt.

“Wei Qingxuan…”

Her tone was as soft as the kiss in his dream.

In the dream, he had tasted the tip of her tongue, like melted snow sliding down his throat, cool and sweet, almost luring him to explore again and again, only for the dream to shatter at the slightest touch.

But now, less than half a meter from him, were Wen Qi’s lips.

Were they just as sweet as in the dream…

“What are you thinking about?” Wen Qi stared at his expression suspiciously, noticing how he seemed lost in recollection, even a trace of searching lingering between his brows.

What could it be that left his face so blank and bewildered?

“Your foot is injured. You don’t have to take a shift today,” Wei Qingxuan said quickly, collecting his emotions and sidestepping her question.

Hearing that, Wen Qi seemed to realize that he was technically her boss now.

Her thoughts naturally drifted to her shift that afternoon, and her earlier probing was deftly deflected by him.

“It’s not that serious. It’s my first day at work, I don’t plan on being absent.”

“Alright. It’s your call,” Wei Qingxuan replied.

Most of his attention was actually on the clothes in his hands, but with Wen Qi standing here, he found himself caught between advancing and retreating.

Another droplet fell from his hair.

Noticing the damp patch spreading across his shoulder, Wen Qi asked, “You took a shower that early?”

“Mm.”

When she didn’t respond, he added, a little too casually, “The room was hot.”

“Your room doesn’t have air conditioning?”

“It’s broken,” Wei Qingxuan said without a trace of embarrassment.

If she kept asking, the cracks would only grow more obvious.

He should change locations to do the laundry.

Just as he turned to leave, Wen Qi called out to him again.

Wei Qingxuan halted mid-step, his breathing tightening.

He couldn’t help thinking, if Wen Qi asked for the shawl back, what would he do?

He wouldn’t return it.

After last night, in the privacy of his heart, he had taken it as her reward to him, a reward for the wild possessiveness raging inside him that he had restrained from disturbing her.

“I was gathering clothes to wash this morning and realized something was missing.”

Wen Qi stared at his back.

Her gaze felt almost tangible.

His heart thudded, heavy and deep, one beat after another.

His throat felt faintly numb.

“What did you lose?”

She was only asking, that meant she wasn’t certain.

There was room to maneuver.

The situation was better than he had anticipated.

“The shawl I left on the sofa,” Wen Qi stepped closer, her gaze dropping to the clothes in his hands.

“You’re doing laundry too? Why are you leaving already?”

After his quick mental calculations, Wei Qingxuan remained composed.

“I didn’t grab everything.”

“Oh. Then have you seen my shawl?” Wen Qi’s eyes never left the pile of clothes in his hands.

“It’s blue. The fabric is really soft.”

Not only was the fabric soft, the shawl was custom-made, embroidered with the character “Qi.”

When he had kneaded it, that embroidered “Qi” had held firm.

It had resisted him, almost the only part of the shawl capable of defying him.

Without hesitation, he had twisted harder and torn through it.

The silk threads had pulled loose, leaving an irreparable mark on the shawl.

Wei Qingxuan felt he should figure out how to mend that damaged section.

Its color.

Its texture.

Even the scent it carried when it first fell into his hands last night.

He remembered everything clearly.

And now, that pitiful shawl was wrapped inside his freshly changed pajamas.

He didn’t know whether a corner might treacherously peek out, or whether Wen Qi had already confirmed he had taken it and was simply interrogating him at leisure.

And beyond that, would she guess what else he had done?

A flicker of excitement and anticipation stirred within him, though it didn’t last long before reason dragged him back.

“No,” Wei Qingxuan swallowed, still denying it.

“I haven’t seen it.”

Disappointment flickered across Wen Qi’s face.

“Alright.”

Wen Qi often placed things down casually, only to struggle later to remember where she had left them.

Usually, she couldn’t recall at all, or remembered wrong.

But this shawl, she was certain about.

She had left it on the sofa.

Wen Qi let out a long breath, her gaze lingering on Wei Qingxuan’s retreating back.

****

That afternoon, Wen Qi and Wei Qingxuan arrived at the billiards hall on time.

By coincidence, they ran into the boy who had previously asked who Wen Qi was.

He was still wearing that eye-catching silver stud in his ear and greeted them cheerfully.

“Brother Xuan, Wen-” He paused mid-call, then changed his tone. “Can I call you Xiao Qi?”

“Up to you.”

Wen Qi stepped aside and walked toward the island counter.

Unlike Wei Qingxuan, she had no patience to agonize over forms of address.

Zhang Weigang was the self-familiar type.

With permission granted, he casually leaned against the counter and struck up a conversation.

“Xiao Qi, did you just graduate too, like Brother Xuan?”

“Brother Xuan?” Wen Qi glanced at Wei Qingxuan, who stood nearby with arms folded.

For some reason, he hadn’t left and occasionally cast glances at Zhang Weigang.

“You’re younger than Wei Qingxuan?”

Zhang Weigang shook his head.

“I’m two years older.”

In fact, the first time he met Wei Qingxuan at the billiards hall, seeing his well-behaved student appearance, he had even considered making him call him ‘brother.’

The change happened during a fight.

One time, two groups of customers got into a brawl after losing a game.

No one could pull them apart.

When Zhang Weigang stepped in, he got punched twice and spat out a curse.

Wei Qingxuan arrived just then.

Seeing the chaos, he casually picked up a cue stick.

Zhang Weigang and the others didn’t think much of it, figuring he’d be lucky not to cry at the sight.

But Wei Qingxuan strolled in unhurriedly.

Zhang Weigang’s face still throbbed with pain.

He didn’t bother warning him, perhaps out of bitterness, even half-expecting the kid to take a couple punches too.

When the fists were about to land on Wei Qingxuan, he kept walking forward.

Zhang Weigang’s lazy gaze sharpened, about to warn him, after all, he himself had been hit just for trying to pull someone back.

Who knew if that student frame could handle it?

Before he could speak, Wei Qingxuan smoothly used the cue stick to separate them and grabbed one man, slamming him onto the billiards table.

“Here to cause trouble?”

His tone was casual, but the sharp aura he exuded far exceeded that of his peers.

The man, seeing his school uniform, cursed and tried to rise, only to find Wei Qingxuan’s strength absurdly overwhelming.

His head was pinned to the table, unable to move.

Seeing things about to escalate, and knowing they couldn’t harm customers in a place of business, Zhang Weigang and the others hurried over to mediate.

Wei Qingxuan didn’t let go.

He studied the man beneath him and sneered.

“You were the one pretending to be drunk and causing trouble last time.”

He glanced toward Chen Yuyi.

“And the one who groped you?”

Chen Yuyi had already recognized him.

After the previous incident had ended at the police station, she had let it go.

This time, when he showed up again, she hadn’t stopped him, only reminded everyone to be cautious.

She hadn’t expected another fight.

“It’s him.”

Wei Qingxuan hadn’t been present last time.

Now that the man was in his hands, he didn’t bother with more words.

He yanked him up by the collar and punched him.

Even the customers nearby were stunned.

Where had this billiards hall hired such a fighter?

In the end, Wei Qingxuan compensated the affected customers and had the most eloquent staff member explain things, easing their shock and discomfort.

He personally dragged the man out of the hall.

“Come again, and I’ll beat you every time.”

In the end, it was this well-behaved-looking student who had subdued everyone and even handled the aftermath tactfully.

Zhang Weigang truly felt he had underestimated him.

“So I call him ‘brother’, it’s got nothing to do with age,” Zhang Weigang said.

“Hey, Xiao Qi, are you free after work today?”

Since it was Wen Qi’s first day, Chen Yuyi was teaching her the operations per Lin Sen’s instructions.

Hearing Zhang Weigang’s question, she rolled her eyes.

His intentions were painfully obvious.

He had been staring at the entrance all morning and kept coming over to ask about their shift times.

“Zhang Weigang, that’s enough.”

Wen Qi had encountered this kind of flirtation countless times.

Her response had long since become procedural.

“That depends on who’s asking. If it’s you, then I’m not free.”

Chen Yuyi burst out laughing.

She had worried the younger girl might be swayed by Zhang Weigang’s sweet talk.

Turns out she had plenty of personality.

The corner of Wei Qingxuan’s lips lifted slightly.

Seeing Wen Qi adjusting well, he turned and walked inside.

Zhang Weigang fell silent.

“Xiao Qi, that hurts. I’m just enthusiastic.”

Wen Qi could tell at a glance that Zhang Weigang had sweet-talked more than a few girls before.

Still, since he hadn’t crossed any lines, her tone softened slightly.

“I have plans after work.”

“Alright. I don’t mean anything by it. We usually have a get-together when someone new joins, ask Chen Yuyi if you don’t believe me. If you’re busy, we can reschedule. Can I at least add your WeChat?”

Wen Qi subconsciously looked up, only to realize she didn’t know when Wei Qingxuan had gone inside.

Zhang Weigang was still waiting expectantly for her answer.

“That’s fine.”

He didn’t disturb her for the rest of the afternoon.

The cashier work wasn’t difficult.

After a few rounds of practice with Chen Yuyi, Wen Qi had the hang of it.

She just wasn’t familiar with the layout yet.

When heading to the restroom after work, she twisted her ankle.

Someone had stepped on her foot the night before.

Now, with this added strain, she could barely stand, her ankle throbbing.

Annoyed, Wen Qi cursed the staircase that had caused it.

“Stupid stairs!”

A soft chuckle came from nearby.

Wen Qi turned her head.

At the corner stood a man.

His sleeves were casually rolled to his elbows.

He leaned against the wall, arms folded, peach-blossom eyes brimming with amusement.

Lan Yan.

Wen Qi quickly recalled Wei Qingxuan’s evaluation of him: Promiscuous and unrestrained. A face that deceives.

Interesting.

Wei Qingxuan was indifferent to most people, carrying a natural sense of distance.

It was rare for him to summarize someone with such a sharp phrase.

“Are you very close with Wei Qingxuan?”

Lan Yan looked surprised.

“I thought you’d ask why I’m here.”

Though this was a comprehensive entertainment club, people from the motorcycle section wouldn’t normally take such a roundabout route to use this restroom.

Wen Qi didn’t seem to care.

“You can tell me if you want.”

Now it sounded as though he was eager to explain.

Laughter spilled from Lan Yan’s throat again, undisguised delight.

Wei Qingxuan had been right.

When Lan Yan smiled, the curve of his eyes carried a faintly seductive charm.

But Wen Qi lacked the patience to appreciate it.

“Keep laughing if you want. I’m leaving. Bye.”

Lan Yan paused.

“Wait.”

He finally stepped forward and handed her a string of keys.

“I came to drop these off. Since I ran into you, I won’t bother looking for Wei Qingxuan. Trouble you to pass them to him.”

It was a small favor.

Wen Qi accepted them.

There were quite a few, like the long jangling set a landlord might carry.

Low-key luxury.

“Anything you want me to tell him?”

“Yes,” Lan Yan said.

“I’m very familiar with Wei Qingxuan, we became friends after a fight. When he has time, he can come ride a few laps to relax. After all, our interests… our tastes align quite well.”

“That’s all. Thanks, little sister.”

With that, he left, like an NPC who had been waiting specifically for her, giving her no chance to ask further questions.

Wen Qi pondered his words and called after him, “Hey, which part did you want me to pass on?”

No reply came.

Wei Qingxuan was waiting at the entrance of the billiards hall.

When he saw the familiar set of keys in her hand, he took them naturally without asking anything.

At the same time, he noticed her uneven gait.

Before she could relay Lan Yan’s message, Wei Qingxuan asked, “Does your foot still hurt?”

Wen Qi hummed in response.

Seeing him stare at her foot, she couldn’t help recalling last night, how, after her touch, his ears had flushed crimson.

It had been entirely different from his usual cold, composed demeanor.

So he could lose control too.

The thought made her chest itch faintly.

As if possessed, she leaned half an inch closer.

“Wei Qingxuan.”

She deliberately exhaled a trace of warm breath.

“What is it?”

His Adam’s apple jumped sharply.

Wen Qi lowered her gaze.

She heard the suppressed, unsteady rhythm of his breathing.

A secret thrill surged within her, as though she had glimpsed a forbidden treasure.

“You have a scent on you that feels very familiar.”

The morning’s panic struck his heart again.

Then she said, “I twisted my ankle. Carry me.”