Chapter 11 Are You Together?

When Jiang Wansheng returned to the dormitory, it was already half past ten. Qin Weizhao and the other two were sitting downstairs in pajamas, applying face masks and chatting. Seeing her return, Qin Weizhao, with a face mask on, asked, “Wansheng, did Uncle Mo send you back?”

In the message Jiang Wansheng posted in the dormitory group from the hospital, she had already mentioned that Qin Mo helped her today.

Jiang Wansheng nodded, “Yes.”

Qin Weizhao noticed the bandage on her ankle and asked with concern, “How’s your injury?”

Limping, Jiang Wansheng walked to her spot and replied gently, “Just a small wound, it’s fine after applying the medicine.”

Shu Ke teased, “Wansheng, a small cut in exchange for Uncle Mo’s Bugatti limited edition experience, a series for a lifetime.”

After a pause, she added, “I really didn’t expect Qin Mo to be the type with a cold face but a warm heart, so handsome.”

“Cold face but warm heart?” Qin Weizhao found it absurd, “When I was a child, I was mischievous. I thought a female classmate’s braid was pretty, so I cut it off and put it on my head because I liked it, but then I found it didn’t look good, so I gave it back to her.”

“She cried loudly, the teacher called my parents, my grandfather was unwell, my parents were abroad, so Uncle Mo went.”

Qin Weizhao’s expression was indescribable.

“When I got back, Uncle Mo shaved my head bald and gave my hair back to me as a gift.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I cried like an idiot.”

“During that time, I wore a hat wherever I went. When others saw me, they looked at me with pity, thinking I had brain surgery.”

“You calling him cold-faced but warm-hearted is an insult to my hair.”

Shu Ke and Zeng Duoli burst into laughter with their face masks askew.

Jiang Wansheng couldn’t help but smile.

She could almost imagine Qin Mo’s stern and expressionless face shaving Qin Weizhao’s head.

Zeng Duoli’s face mask had already cracked from laughter. She paused and said seriously, “Weizhao, I don’t quite believe it.”

Shu Ke understood, “Yeah, I suggest showing a picture directly.” After speaking, she looked at Jiang Wansheng.

Understanding their intention, she agreed, “Yeah, I don’t believe it.”

Qin Weizhao removed the face mask from his face, walked to the bathroom without looking back, and said, “You guys are planning something, even my old grandpa at home heard it.”

They all burst into laughter.

After a while, the dormitory returned to quietness, and the events of tonight replayed in her mind like a revolving lantern.

The man’s deep and clear voice seemed to still echo in her ears.

—It’s okay to cry when you feel wronged.

—A child who used to cry without receiving candy is now being compensated.

No one had ever said these words to her, including her parents.

After her parents’ divorce, her father left and remarried, and the wealthy family of the stepmother made her father powerless. To maintain this marriage, he would rather treat Li Xinian as his own son than show any warmth to her.

Her mother remarried when she was ten, quickly had a daughter, and the birth of the younger sister made her mother see her as a burden of a failed marriage.

She became completely superfluous.

Whether at her father’s or mother’s house, she was cautious and quiet. Because her father told her he was also having a hard time, asking her not to cause him trouble, and her mother told her her sister was young, asking her to be sensible and obedient because she was tired.

She understood and tried her best to be obedient and independent.

So, she never showed sadness, nor did she cry in front of others.

No one would comfort her, no one would treat her tears as pearls; she had always been an unappreciated child.

Later, the two of them agreed to send her to a boarding school.

While other classmates looked forward to holidays and reuniting with their parents, she was afraid and repulsed. Because no one welcomed her, and no one awaited a reunion with her.

When she had gotten used to this life, someone told her that she didn’t have to endure silently, crying was her right.

Even.

Her tears brought her candies.

As if the long-standing drought in her heart had finally welcomed a belated rain…

She took out the colorful candies from her pocket and spread them on the table, her moist eyes staring at them for a long time before carefully putting them into a star-shaped glass bottle.

After calming her emotions, she got up to wash up and changed into pajamas before getting into bed.

The closed bed curtains blocked out the outside light as she lay under the covers, holding her phone and opening the contacts list.

At the top of the call log was a string of unfamiliar numbers. She saved it to her contacts, labeled it as “Uncle Mo,” copied the number, opened WeChat, and searched for Qin Mo’s account.

For some reason, she felt a bit nervous and had some hidden expectations.

The search results came out—

His WeChat profile picture was as cold as he was in person.

The background was pure black, and in the middle lay the snake head-tail ring he wore on his right hand.

The snake’s body shimmered with silver, its eyes devilish like blood.

The name was a capital “m.”

She labeled it and clicked to add.

It was almost eleven now, and she didn’t know if he was already resting.

But to her surprise, he almost instantly accepted.

She suddenly felt a bit flustered, unsure if she should greet him now.

Staring at the chat interface, she hesitantly scratched the back of her phone case.

What should she say?

Is he so busy that he’s working overtime?

Would sending a message now disturb him?

Just as she was lost in thought, a message popped up on the screen:

m: [Not sleeping?]

Through this message, she could almost see Qin Mo’s sharp and handsome brows half-lowered, casually sending her a message.

And then, for some reason, her heart seemed to skip a beat, feeling a bit off balance.

Jiang Wansheng: [About to sleep.]

m: [Hmm.]

After sending this, Qin Mo didn’t send any more messages.

She stared for a while, then finally typed.

Jiang Wansheng: [Good night, Uncle Mo.]

Jiang Wansheng: [And, thank you.]

After sending, she felt like text alone seemed a bit casual and indifferent.

So, she picked a cat emoji with a big heart and sent it over.

Qin Mo replied after about fifteen seconds.

m: [Good night.]

She received the reply, and a soft smile unknowingly curved her lips.

Just as she was about to exit WeChat, she saw Li Xinian had messaged her.

Li Xinian: [Sis, how did you meet Qin Mo?]

Li Xinian: [Are you two together?]

The two messages were two to three minutes apart, probably because she was afraid in her heart and took half a day to ask.

Looking at these two messages, she found them ironic and absurd.

Once arrogant, he used to call her by name, now he even called her sister.

And he was speculating that she was with Qin Mo. She couldn’t understand what he had randomly guessed after Qin Mo returned.

Qin Mo clearly helped her out of consideration for Weizhao’s face and out of care for the younger generation. Yet he thought she was with Qin Mo. Was Li Xinian out of his mind?

Jiang Wansheng: [Qin Mo is just a friend’s uncle, an elder. You were already spared from being taken to the police station together today, that was already Qin Mo showing mercy. Don’t spread rumors and talk nonsense.]

She actually understood that Uncle Mo only let Li Xinian return to school to prevent him from being harassed by his stepmother in the future. So she couldn’t let Li Xinian spread rumors and tarnish his reputation.

Jiang Wansheng: [And Qin Mo is very busy, don’t think you can act recklessly through me. If you cause trouble, I won’t cover for you.]

Li Xinian was probably waiting for her message, and a few seconds later, he replied.

[Understood, I won’t provoke Qin Mo.]

As long as Li Xinian didn’t spread rumors outside, it was fine. He caused trouble tonight, so she wasn’t worried that he would tell Jiang Wenqian and Li Yushu about this matter.

She preferred to keep a good relationship with their family, avoiding any conflicts.