Chapter 54: I’ll Hand Over My Wallet to You. Is That Enough?
The girl in the middle of confessing suddenly noticed that the male lead of her imagined romance drama had turned absolutely livid.
Then, before she could even wonder about the sudden change in his mood, Qiao Nan abandoned her without warning and turned around to leave.
The blazing sun bathed the campus.
A petite, fair-skinned girl stood facing a tall, powerfully built boy. The dramatic contrast in their sizes made them look like a real-life version of Beauty and the Beast.
The beauty stood gracefully, her expression gentle. The beast's sun-darkened skin concealed a faint flush.
Even his usually fierce-looking face carried a hint of shyness as he awkwardly scratched his head with an arm so muscular it was almost as thick as the girl's waist.
The scene had a peaceful, idyllic quality to it. Then an unexpected intruder ruined it.
Someone suddenly grabbed Mu Xiangxiang's arm and tugged her backward. She steadied herself and turned around, her eyes flickering. "...Finished already?"
"Finished what?" Qiao Nan frowned. "What were you talking to him about?"
"We—"
"QIAO NAN!!" Cao Wei's booming voice suddenly interrupted her. "Finally found you! Tell me this! Why did you block me on WeChat?!"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Qiao Nan fell silent for a moment. Under Mu Xiangxiang's questioning gaze, he calmly said, "I need to talk to him. Go wait for me by the bike shed."
Mu Xiangxiang's graceful figure gradually disappeared into the distance. Cao Wei's gaze unconsciously followed her. He had come today looking for Qiao Nan because, for reasons he couldn't understand, Qiao Nan had suddenly started giving him the cold shoulder lately.
Both his phone number and WeChat had been blocked. Cao Wei was utterly baffled. When he asked their gaming teammates, they had unanimously declared that he must have done something to make Qiao Nan angry.
After all, Qiao Nan normally had such a good temper. Even when matched with terrible teammates, he could stay calm amid a storm of curses. So if Qiao Nan was upset, it had to be someone else's fault.
With no other option, Cao Wei had come in person to ask for an explanation. He never expected such an encounter before even finding Qiao Nan.
Qiao Nan's girlfriend… When she wasn't angry, she was surprisingly adorable. Almost like she had been carved from the same mold as Qiao Nan.
A teenage heart that had lain dormant for over a decade suddenly stirred. Only several minutes later did Cao Wei remember why he was here. He tore his gaze away and looked at Qiao Nan.
Then immediately fell into stunned confusion.
*******
Mu Xiangxiang leaned against a post in the bike shed, idly kicking at the ground as she drifted into thought. Nearly ten minutes later, she finally saw Qiao Nan approaching. She straightened up and hesitated before asking, "What did you say to Cao Wei?"
Qiao Nan ignored her. He walked past her shoulder and into the shed to retrieve his motorcycle. Mu Xiangxiang examined his back. His clothes were rumpled, and several footprints had appeared on his pristine white shoes.
The motorcycle slowly rolled backward. Qiao Nan tossed a helmet into her arms. "Get on."
Holding the helmet, she asked, "You blocked Cao Wei on WeChat?"
Qiao Nan paused. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at her. Then he extended his hand. "Give me your phone."
Mu Xiangxiang blinked. "Why?"
"I saw you two exchange contacts at the gate just now."
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
"I'm telling you," Qiao Nan said, his gaze becoming unusually serious beneath the helmet. "Stay away from sports-school guys. That crowd's a mess. They change girlfriends more often than clothes. Dating multiple people at once is the least of it."
Mu Xiangxiang stared at him. "Huh?"
"Don't think I'm exaggerating." Qiao Nan let out a short laugh. "A bookworm like you is the easiest type to fool. They've been through countless girls. Their phones are packed with hookup contacts. Flirting with any pretty face is second nature to them. Do you really think they'd get serious with you that easily?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
After a moment she simply replied, "Oh." She put on the helmet and slowly climbed onto the back seat.
Qiao Nan held out his hand. "Your phone?"
She ignored him.
Qiao Nan clicked his tongue. The entire ride, he drove unusually fast. With her arms wrapped around his lean waist, Mu Xiangxiang could feel the phone in his pocket vibrating nonstop. Whoever was calling was astonishingly persistent, dialing again and again without giving up.
******
The music festival was far outside the city. The tickets might not have been prestigious, but the crowd was unexpectedly huge. Fashionably bizarre young people were everywhere. Backstage, amid the noisy throng, Mu Xiangxiang squeezed past all sorts of eccentric outfits while asking for directions to the dressing rooms.
The rock competition was apparently quite important. Talented-looking contestants carrying instruments could be seen everywhere. Yet from far away, Mu Xiangxiang immediately spotted a familiar figure. A gray-haired young man sat cross-legged on the floor, his guitar resting against him.
Mu Song's delicate face was expressionless. A sharp, aggressive aura radiated from him, like a dagger freshly drawn from its sheath.
Before coming, Mu Xiangxiang had mostly thought of this as simply showing up to support him. But now, somehow sensing his emotions, an indescribable excitement surged from her chest. For once, she forgot herself and called out loudly: "Mu Song!"
"Sis!"
Mu Song whipped around instantly. Only then did Mu Xiangxiang notice how bloodless his lips looked.
No matter how rebellious he usually acted, he was still just a teenage boy who had never experienced such a major stage before. This was the first truly significant performance of his life. There was no way he wasn't nervous.
At first, he had only been excited. Excited by the unexpected opportunity to stand on stage like a real professional musician. But after days of rehearsing from dawn till dusk with his bandmates, the pressure had grown more tangible with every passing day.
His teammates were just as anxious. When a long-cherished dream suddenly appears right in front of you, reality inevitably follows.
What if they didn't perform well?
Would anyone actually like their music?
Some of the other bands already had a reputation in the underground scene. Compared to those groups with established fanbases, they were insignificant as dust.
Were the songs they had always been proud of truly worth anything in front of these experienced musicians—some of whom already had one foot inside the entertainment industry?
Those thoughts haunted him. He watched fans sneak backstage to visit other bands and deliver flowers. For the first time, Mu Song realized that he wasn't special. Ahead lay the dazzling stage. The cheers of the audience pierced through the walls and reached his ears. Yet behind that glamorous stage, the backstage area remained dim and shadowy.cThrough the open corridor entrance, bright sunlight streamed in like pillars of light.cSuddenly, Mu Song realized:cOnce he stepped onto that illuminated path, there would be no turning back.
Beneath the tense expression of a teenage boy lay fear of the future. But apart from his equally nervous bandmates, he had no one to lean on.
He was the lead singer. The guitarist. The core of the band. The one responsible for holding everyone's confidence together. He couldn't show weakness in front of his teammates.
Yet the instant he heard that familiar voice calling his name, every bit of carefully maintained courage collapsed.
Mu Song even forgot about the guitar he treasured so much. He scrambled to his feet awkwardly, pushing himself off the floor. Then, without a second thought, he spread his arms and tightly hugged the sister running toward him through the crowd backstage.
"Sis! Sis! Sis!" He buried his face in her slender shoulder and gradually tightened his grip. This was the scent of family.
Though she seemed so small and fragile, she gave him the same sense of strength as a towering tree. For the first time since becoming aware of the world, he felt the urge to show weakness in front of someone. "What do I do?" he whispered. "I'm suddenly so scared..."
Her younger brother was now taller than her. Yet at that moment, Mu Xiangxiang felt as though she had returned to when he was still very, very young.
Back then, their father had just suffered his accident. Their mother spent every day desperately trying to raise money. Relatives either helped—or took advantage of the family's misfortune. No one had time to care for the two children. She and Mu Song had been small, but they still understood that the sky above their family had fallen. When their mother spent nights at the hospital caring for their father, the siblings could only stay alone in the empty house, depending on each other.
As the older sister, Mu Xiangxiang had always believed she was the one taking care of Mu Song.
Until one night. She was secretly crying beneath her blanket. And a tiny body quietly crawled into bed beside her.
That had been the day their uncle came to demand that their family move out. Listening to her mother's sobs, she realized she would have to transfer schools and lose her home.
Mu Song had seemed calm all day. She had thought he didn't understand any of it.
But deep in the night, those little arms wrapped around her as tightly as they could. And he comforted her: "Don't be scared. What's there to be scared of? We still have Mom and Dad. And you still have me."
You still have me.
Mu Xiangxiang raised her arms and pulled her younger brother's body—one that had gradually shed its youthful awkwardness—into a tight embrace. She took a deep breath. "Don't be afraid. Don't be scared. We still have Mom and Dad. And you still have me."
Mu Song paused for a moment. Holding her, he let out a quiet laugh before releasing the hug. Resting his hands on his sister's shoulders, he met her gaze. "Sis... do you believe in me?"
Until recently, Mu Xiangxiang had never imagined there would come a day when she would support her brother pouring his energy into something other than studying. But looking at the face whose image in her memories had long since been replaced by rebelliousness, and seeing on it the same uncertainty about the future that she herself had worn as a child… She nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I believe in you. You can accomplish anything you truly want to do."
The siblings smiled at each other. A moment later, the gray-haired teenager with the perpetually defiant expression removed his hands from her shoulders and instead cupped her face. Brushing the hair away from her forehead with his fingers, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips against it. "Lucky kiss."
Mu Xiangxiang instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she froze. The anxious air surrounding the boy before her had vanished completely.
The little brother from her memories— The one who had smelled faintly of milk, who had been half a head shorter than her, who needed looking after, who had softly whispered in the middle of the night, "You still have me."
The rebellious younger brother from her memories—The fierce, arrogant one who would always fall silent and look impatient whenever he came home and saw her.
Now he smiled faintly. His presence had become as calm and unfathomably deep as the ocean.
After a long silence, Mu Xiangxiang raised a hand and patted the head topped with unruly gray hair. It no longer felt like it had when he was little. Now it was fluffy... and prickly against her palm.
"Do your best," she said. "I'm here."
*****
The moment she turned the corner, she was greeted by Qiao Nan's sour expression. He stared at her forehead. "What were you and your brother doing over there, getting all lovey-dovey?"
Mu Xiangxiang touched the patch of skin that still seemed to retain the warmth of Mu Song's kiss. Lowering her eyes, she smiled. "It's his first time performing on stage. He's a little nervous."
"Damn it." Qiao Nan cursed under his breath. The phone in his pocket continued vibrating relentlessly. Irritated, he fished it out, rejected the call without even looking, and turned to walk away.
Watching how decisively he hung up, Mu Xiangxiang recalled how his phone had been vibrating nonstop ever since they'd left No. 12 High School. She parted her lips slightly. An inexplicable sense of guilt settled in her heart, as though she had done something wrong.
Outside, the festival grounds had already become lively. The music festival was standing-room only, and the area before the stage had filled with people long before the performances began. Since they'd gone backstage once already, by the time they returned, all they could see was an endless sea of heads.
The crowd was unbelievably excited, jumping along to the warm-up music blasting from the stage. Mu Xiangxiang wasn't used to places like this. The moment she stepped into the crowd, she was jostled hard enough to stumble. Qiao Nan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He spun around immediately, impatiently stretched out an arm, grabbed the back of her collar, and pulled her behind him. "When you see a crowd this big, stay behind me. Why are you running around? You're a grown woman. If you get lost in a place like this, aren't you embarrassed?"
With his tall frame standing in front of her, the pressure from the crowd immediately eased. Mu Xiangxiang caught the fresh scent lingering on him. Looking up at his face—which somehow appeared even more handsome amidst the sea of bizarrely dressed festivalgoers—she quietly tried to keep herself from standing so close to him. "...Thank you."
Qiao Nan gave her a strange look. She had already turned toward the stage. It wasn't Mu Song's turn yet. Another band was performing. They'd been squeezed to the very edge of the audience, surrounded on all sides by spectators. A group of particularly tall young men wearing strange oversized mascot-style headpieces stood in front of them, completely blocking her view.
Estimating how long it would be before Mu Song went onstage, she looked around, hoping to find a better vantage point.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. "What're you doing? There's people everywhere. What, you planning to fly?"
Mu Xiangxiang instinctively twisted her arm, trying to avoid his touch. The next second, Qiao Nan's gaze swept toward the group wearing those ridiculous headpieces. Apparently realizing what she wanted, he looked around as well.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many people. The inner area was impossible to squeeze into, and the spot where they were standing was already the best location available on the outer edge.
After confirming that, he narrowed his eyes and muttered another curse.
Before Mu Xiangxiang could ask what he was looking at, Qiao Nan suddenly crouched down. She hadn't even had time to react before he grabbed her legs. The next instant— Her feet left the ground. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made her cry out. Her field of vision instantly expanded.
Instinctively, Mu Xiangxiang leaned forward and hugged Qiao Nan's head. Only then did she realize—She was sitting on Qiao Nan's shoulders.
Her heart skipped a beat. After the initial panic faded, she lowered her head blankly. The crown of Qiao Nan's head filled her vision. Still cursing under his breath, he looked around for a better place to stand. Behind them, bits of conversation drifted over.
"See? That's what a good boyfriend does. Why can't you learn something?"
"Damn it. You want to sit on your boyfriend's shoulders too? Why don't you just strap a rocket to yourself?"
"Get lost. Her boyfriend's way hotter than you anyway. How did I end up dating a useless, chauvinistic idiot like you?"
Mu Xiangxiang froze. Instinctively, she struggled. Qiao Nan immediately raised his arms. His large, powerful hands firmly gripped her slender thighs from the outside to keep her from slipping. At the same time, he looked up and scolded her. "What're you squirming around for? What if you fall?"
She had been holding his head. When he looked up, her hands shifted instinctively, her palm coming to rest against the warm skin beneath his jaw.
The sharply defined line where his jaw met his neck was astonishingly clear. As he spoke, she could feel the vibration of his vocal cords beneath her fingertips.
The sensation sent a tingling numbness through her palm.
Those amber eyes were almost suffocating.
Her heart softened with an indescribable ache. Resting lightly against his warm cheek, she suddenly gathered her courage and wriggled again. "Put me down."
"I told you to stop moving." Having found a better position, Qiao Nan relied on sheer strength to force his way through the crowd. Both hands remained tightly around her legs to keep her from sliding off. "Quit asking for a beating. Letting you sit on my shoulders is already generous enough. Keep it up and I'll drag you down and beat you."
She suddenly grabbed one of his ears. "Put me down!"
His steps halted. Unable to get angry with her, he could only stop and look up helplessly. "What exactly do you want?"
Mu Xiangxiang looked at him seriously. "Qiao Nan... stop flirting with me. I heard everything you said to that girl in the school stairwell."
Qiao Nan blinked. "...Huh?"
Whew. It actually felt relieving to finally say it aloud. Mu Xiangxiang shifted her legs slightly. "Keep your distance from me. You already have a girlfriend."
Qiao Nan: "..."
The phone in his jacket pocket began vibrating yet again. After a brief silence, Mu Xiangxiang calmed herself and lightly tapped his side with her heel. "Answer it. They've been calling you all afternoon."
Qiao Nan stared at her. "...Are you an idiot?"
She continued earnestly, "I just think we really shouldn't— Hey!"
Her body suddenly lurched. Qiao Nan turned around and began marching toward the edge of the crowd. Thrown off balance by his long strides, she nearly slipped. "Qiao Nan! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
"Hey!"
"AHHHHH!" Qiao Nan finally roared, "Shut up!"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Carrying her on his shoulders, Qiao Nan forced his way through the crowd. The blaring music and chatter gradually faded behind them. The surroundings became quieter… and darker. He carried her straight into a resting area near backstage. Suddenly her perspective dropped. He gripped her around the waist, lifted her, swung her around halfway— and finally set both of her feet firmly back on the ground.
After struggling for so long, she'd finally been put down. Even Mu Xiangxiang couldn't quite describe how she felt. Before she could steady herself, Qiao Nan shoved her lightly on the shoulder. She stumbled backward— Only then did she realize there was a bench behind her. Qiao Nan stood before her with a dark expression, rummaging through his pockets.
The next moment, he tossed something at her. Instinctively, she caught it. A phone. Now that there was no fabric separating it from her hand, she could feel the vibration even more clearly. She looked at him. "...What?"
Qiao Nan took a deep breath. "Answer it."
Mu Xiangxiang glanced at the screen. It showed only a string of numbers. No contact name. She hesitated. "I shouldn't—"
Qiao Nan let out a heavy sigh. Ignoring her objection entirely, he reached over and pressed both the answer button and the speakerphone button himself. Mu Xiangxiang stared at the screen displaying Call Connected. Her entire body tensed. She felt as though she were holding a burning hot potato. Her heart nearly leaped into her throat. Then a deep male voice burst from the speaker— Urgent. Fierce. "Hello?! Hello?! Qiao Nan! Qiao Nan!"
Mu Xiangxiang: "........................"
That voice… It sounded familiar...
Apparently not expecting the call to actually connect, Cao Wei paused before speaking again. This time his voice was choked with tears. "Y-you finally answered! I-I changed phones almost t-ten times... Tell me! W-what did I even do?! Fine, you blocked my number and WeChat—but then you even beat me up! What the hell did I do wrong?! Tell me! Tell meeeeeee!"
Mu Xiangxiang: "...................."
The voice stopped abruptly. Qiao Nan reached over and ended the call. Looking down at her, he asked, "Did you hear that clearly?"
Mu Xiangxiang stared at the screen. The call history was filled with countless missed calls. All of them were just phone numbers. None had names attached. "..."
Qiao Nan asked, "Ever gone through my phone?"
The model student, who had been so proper she'd never once snooped through his privacy despite being physically close enough to do so countless times, silently shook her head.
A dark woven leather wallet landed in her lap.
"Go ahead. Check it. Go through everything. Contacts. WeChat. MSN. Xiaonei. Text messages. Whatever you want." He crouched down before her. His gaze was sharp and openly mocking. "If you find even one woman I'm involved with in any inappropriate way, I'll give you the whole wallet, cards included."
He let out another scornful laugh. "I think what you really wanted was to check up on your boyfriend, wasn't it?"
Mu Xiangxiang lowered her head, staring blankly at him. Her mind went empty for a moment. Then, finally certain of something, her ears instantly turned bright red. "But you've never..."
She paused. Realizing that wasn't quite the right argument, she quickly corrected herself. "I never agreed to—"
"Easy there, little girl." Qiao Nan interrupted her. A mischievous smile spread across his handsome face as he leaned closer, dropping to one knee. His hand came to rest lightly on her knee. His voice was low and hoarse, carrying an unmistakable note of threat. "I've never what? You've already sat on what you'd call my 'wife's seat'..." he said, referring to his motorcycle's passenger seat. "You've already ridden on my shoulders. At this point, the only thing left is for you to squat on my head and take a dump. So what the hell else do you want?"
"My wallet's yours. Is that enough?"
"Or should I go beat Cao Wei up again? Would that satisfy you?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "................"
-----------------
Author's Note:
Cao Wei: [This huge guy curls himself into a tiny ball, crying]: "I seriously don't get it! What did I even do wrong? Sure, I wanted to steal his girl—but I hadn't even gotten the chance to start yet, okay?!"
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