"Say it again!"
"Call me gege! Call me gege! Call me gege!"
"Lin Qiong!"
The man's annoyed voice sounded, but because Lin Qiong was pinching and distorting his cheeks, it lacked any intimidation.
Lin Qiong cried out in frustration, "Why are you so fierce?"
Fu Xingyun was taken aback.
Lin Qiong found himself having a fearless day, fearlessly grabbing the man's handsome face and pulling it from side to side.
"Does it hurt? Does it hurt?!"
Fu Xingyun looked at him dangerously.
Seeing the man's silence, Lin Qiong continued to pinch and manipulate the man's face in his hand.
"Are you a big pervert?! Even after I said it hurts, you won't let go."
Fu Xingyun's eyes widened in anger, but because his face was still being held by Lin Qiong, his normally thin lips were directly pinched into a small beak.
"You..."
"What about me?!" Lin Qiong lifted his shirt to show him, "Did you do this?!"
Fu Xingyun looked down, took one look, then turned his head away. He could see obvious finger marks on the fair skin of Lin Qiong's waist and abdomen, and it was quite striking.
Seeing the reddening ears, Lin Qiong lifted the man's head, standing on the moral high ground.
"Are you feeling guilty?"
Cool fingertips touched his chin, and Fu Xingyun said, "You should get off of me first."
Lin Qiong repeated, "Are you feeling guilty?"
"No."
"Why can't you look into my eyes?"
Fu Xingyun clenched his teeth. "I feel guilty."
He then took a deep breath. "Get off first."
But Lin Qiong was not listening at all. He continued to hold the man's head and forced him to make eye contact. His tone was unusually serious. "I was not wrong about what happened, rushing in was not wrong, saving people was not wrong, and getting injured was not my fault. The only mistake is that others are evil."
"If I were given another chance, I would still rush in."
Fu Xingyun looked into his eyes and clenched his fists.
"Don't think too highly of yourself."
Lin Qiong squeezed the man's cheek slightly. "I've never thought highly of myself."
Fu Xingyun looked at him. "If you couldn't beat them, more than one person would have been injured."
Lin Qiong was so frustrated that he wanted to bite the man's face. "So what if I couldn't beat them? If I didn't go, I would never be able to sleep for the rest of my life!"
"Even if I couldn't beat them, we could..."
"What?"
"Even if I couldn't beat them, we could have shouted for help together!"
Fu Xingyun's chest heaved significantly, and Lin Qiong pouted, looking very pitiful. "Are you still angry?"
Fu Xingyun turned his head and refused to look at him again.
Lin Qiong puffed up like an angry pufferfish, "You hurt me, and now you're mad at me?"
Fu Xingyun still avoided eye contact and didn't look at Lin Qiong.
"Just wait until the day you get kidnapped. You'll know what it feels like."
"Are you cursing me?!"
"No."
Lin Qiong, looking somewhat aggrieved, said, "You've already been truthful in everything you have said."
Fu Xingyun's brows twitched. "No."
He didn't know why he was so eager to explain, but finally said, "Just a hypothetical situation."
"Really?"
"Really."
With that assurance, Lin Qiong stopped his complaints. Then he thought for a moment and spoke up, "Actually, I'm not that afraid of being kidnapped."
Fu Xingyun glanced at him.
Lin Qiong continued, "I mean, I have you, right?"
Fu Xingyun remained silent.
Lin Qiong asked, "If I were kidnapped, you would rescue me, right?"
One second, two seconds...
There was a brief silence, and Lin Qiong instantly got upset. "You wouldn't rescue me if I were kidnapped?!"
Only then did Fu Xingyun grit his teeth and respond, "I would."
Lin Qiong, feeling a bit relieved, patted his chest. "Good, you have a conscience."
Even though his emotions were gradually calming down, the frustration still lingered in his chest, and Lin Qiong stood up and turned his back to Fu Xingyun, lying face down on the couch, making his protest heard.
Fu Xingyun watched Lin Qiong's slender back but didn't say anything.
Though the anger still smoldered within him, Fu Xingyun refrained from speaking. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
Lin Qiong snorted, "I'm sulking."
"I said I'd rescue you."
The implication was that he'd already agreed to rescue Lin Qiong, so why was he still upset?
Lin Qiong suddenly sat up on the couch and looked at Fu Xingyun, "I'm not angry about that, you know?"
Then he extended a fair finger and pointed at his own waist, "I'm angry about this."
Fu Xingyun took a deep breath, "So, what do you want?"
"An apology!" Lin Qiong raised his head proudly, "And..."
Fu Xingyun inquired, "And what else?"
Lin Qiong continued, "Compliments!"
"...Now you're dreaming," Fu Xingyun retorted.
Lin Qiong insisted, "I'll give you another chance."
Fu Xingyun took a step back, "An apology is possible, but compliments are not."
Lin Qiong shot him a deep glance and mumbled to himself, "Well, then I won't accept your apology."
"..."
For some reason, every time he argued with Lin Qiong, he always ended up on the losing side, just like last time and this time.
Fu Xingyun gritted his teeth, "I'm sorry."
Lin Qiong looked at him, "What else?"
"You were right," Fu Xingyun admitted.
Satisfied, Lin Qiong got up, but as soon as he sat up, he saw Fu Xingyun pushing his wheelchair into the elevator, heading back to the third floor.
It was clear that Fu Xingyun was still upset.
Lin Qiong felt better after receiving the apology, and he proceeded to make dinner as usual.
However, impulsive actions often led to a sense of calm and reason. Lin Qiong suddenly woke up from the courage that had been burning within him for just one day.
But this time, he didn't regret it as much as he had last time. He had been blinded by anger a moment ago, but upon closer reflection, he realized that Fu Xingyun's words were probably for his own good.
After preparing dinner, Lin Qiong knocked on Fu Xingyun's door, using his usual tactics of reconciliation, "Xingyun, come out for dinner."
When he heard no response from inside, Lin Qiong didn't wait outside but simply walked in.
Fu Xingyun stared at him, "Who told you to come in?"
Lin Qiong replied, "I did."
Then like a bird, Lin Qiong fluttered his wings a couple of times and sat near Fu Xingyun, saying, "Let's go eat."
Fu Xingyun remained cold, "I'm not going."
Lin Qiong sneakily glanced at him and asked, "Are you still angry?"
Fu Xingyun didn't say anything.
"Why are you angry?" Lin Qiong asked.
"Don't you know?" Fu Xingyun replied.
Lin Qiong was puzzled, "Haven't I already forgiven you?"
Fu Xingyun remained silent, and Lin Qiong leaned closer to him, saying, "I know you're worried about me, but you expressed it the wrong way. That's why I got upset. It's not because..."
"Not because of what?" Fu Xingyun inquired.
"Because you treated me like an idiot."
Lin Qiong looked at him and continued, "Next time, if you're worried about me, just tell me directly so there won't be any misunderstandings."
"Misunderstandings about what?" Fu Xingyun asked.
"About you being a weirdo."
Fu Xingyun sighed, "You won't learn your lesson unless you feel pain."
Shaking his head, Lin Qiong said, "In this world, there are people who remember what they eat but forget a beating."
Fu Xingyun raised an eyebrow, "Are you one of them?"
Lin Qiong was startled and suddenly felt a chill in his waist. "Of course not! I just want to let you know about diversity in the human species."
Fu Xingyun remained silent, so Lin Qiong decided to change the subject and pushed him downstairs to have dinner.
----
In the evening, Lin Qiong didn't forget to say, "Goodnight."
Fu Xingyun lay in bed, recalling the words Lin Qiong had said earlier that day.
He didn't regret it.
The image of that massive fire was still vivid in his mind, followed by the memory of waking up in a hospital room filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.
His sister's tearful voice still echoed in his ears, "Xingyun, your... your legs..."
She couldn't continue, burying her face in her hands and sobbing.
He didn't need her to spell it out for him; he was fully aware of his condition.
"And the child?" he asked.
His sister choked back tears and said, "The child is fine."
Did he regret it?
This question had tormented him for many sleepless nights.
At the beginning, he had no regrets.
But plans, no matter how foolproof, always have their flaws.
After he found out that the fire had been intentionally set, the child's tearful face became increasingly distorted and unrecognizable.
Fu Xingyun winced in pain, and suddenly a voice sounded in his ear.
He picked up his phone and answered it.
Li Hanyang: "Damn, Fu, was it Lin Qiong who acted heroically yesterday?"
Fu Xingyun furrowed his brows and asked, "Who told you that?"
"Don't ask where I heard it from; is it true?"
Fu Xingyun sighed and said, "Yes."
"Damn, it really was him. I knew it. How could someone who looks like that, but can't even lift a bag, actually charge in and fight?"
Li Hanyang was excited and seemed somewhat incoherent, "I didn't expect that this little guy, who looks so fragile, would actually go up and fight someone."
He then made a few clucking sounds, "Looks can be deceiving."
Fu Xingyun: "How did you find out?"
Li Hanyang: "How else? I saw it online."
"Lin Qiong made it to the entertainment news tonight, he's really something."
Fu Xingyun frowned, "There's news about him online?"
Li Hanyang: "Of course, there are videos, images, and everything."
"This time, I truly appreciate what he did."
"All the social and entertainment news is there. You should download this Weibo app; Lin Qiong is still trending on it."
After ending the call, Fu Xingyun downloaded the app Li Hanyang mentioned. He logged in and immediately saw that the top trending hashtag was #IHavePlentyOfMoney.
Fu Xingyun raised an eyebrow and, out of curiosity, clicked on it to find that it was indeed related to Lin Qiong. The video had an astounding number of views, and the comments and bullet screens kept coming.
"To be honest, I'm facing difficulties too. Does this kind-hearted person still help?"
"Wow, he's really handsome."
"Polite inquiry: What color burlap bag do you like?"
"I have plenty of money. It's been so long since I heard something so heartwarming."
"He's so rich, and I love him."
"Sorry, but the experience was so intense that he's already my boyfriend."
Fu Xingyun frowned as he read the comments.
"Top comment, put some clothes on. What if he has a girlfriend or a boyfriend?"
Upon seeing the comment, Fu Xingyun's brow relaxed slightly, and in the next moment, a highly upvoted comment appeared before his eyes.
"I like your wife; remember to lock your front door."