Chapter Ninety-Three: I Won't Let You Leave

I was caught completely off guard. The moment I rose to my feet, the little minx flung herself into my arms, spilling half the water from the cup in my right hand. Xu Shu hurried up to me in two steps and snapped, “You little wretch, what are you doing? Get over here at once!”

The little minx clung tightly to my waist. “No! You’ll tickle me. I don’t want that!”

I turned, holding Xu Xin and shielding her behind me, then said to Xu Shu, “All right, all right. Actually, I don’t blame your sister anymore. Whether she apologizes or not doesn’t matter. Besides, I’ve already taught her a lesson, and she’s said she’ll never dare do it again. I think you should stop forcing her. She’s still only a child, after all.”

Seeing that I was truly standing up for her, the little minx stuck her head out from behind me triumphantly and said to her sister, “Exactly. Even Brother Tang Qian doesn’t blame me anymore. Why are you getting so worked up? You’re not his wife!”

That little minx really was impossible to like. She was plainly determined to stir up trouble to the very end.

As expected, Xu Shu trembled with fury and rushed toward my back, determined to drag the little minx out no matter what. Xu Xin had no choice but to cry out to me, “Brother Tang Qian, help!”

In desperation, I spread my arms wide and, like a hen shielding her chicks, blocked Xu Shu from coming any closer. “Stop it, both of you. Talk properly if you have something to say. Why does it have to come to this?”

Xu Shu stopped and looked at me, half laughing and half crying. “Tang Qian, she’s not even your sister. Why are you protecting her? This is ridiculous. I really can’t make sense of you two. You were fighting each other just now, and you were both so ruthless about it. Now you’re shielding her, and she’s shielding you. You’re closer to each other than she is to me. How did it end up like this? I’m getting confused.”

I said, “Don’t get worked up. You know your sister loves to make trouble and turn the world upside down. If you get angry, you’re just falling into her trap. All right, you go sit down. I’ll call her over to apologize properly and help you calm down.”

“You? Can she even listen to you? Fine, then. Let me see what kind of skill you have! You little wretch, you’re driving me crazy!”

Still bristling with anger, Xu Shu sat back down on the bed and watched to see what I could possibly do to rein in her sister.

I turned back and said softly to the little minx, “If you still want me to pay attention to you, then no more nonsense. Do you hear me?”

The little minx was startled. She quickly pressed a finger to her lips, signaling me not to say another word, her eyes full of urgency and pleading.

I merely tapped her lightly and went on, “Look at how you’ve upset your sister. Do you have any idea how much she cares about you? For your sake, she was just about ready to fight me to the death! Don’t you think you’ve gone too far? Go on, apologize to her and say you’ll never make her angry again.”

Hearing this, the little minx pouted, looking unwilling. I shot her a warning glance, telling her that if she still refused to behave, she shouldn’t blame me for turning cold.

The little minx had a weakness in my hands, and there was nothing she could do about it; she had no choice but to comply. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to Xu Shu, threw her arms around her sister’s neck with a bright smile, and coaxed, “Sis, are you angry? I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. Please calm down and forgive me.”

Xu Shu, who both adored and resented this sister of hers, was utterly helpless; the moment the girl began to sweet-talk her, her heart softened. She gave the little minx’s hand a pretend slap and said with a laugh, “You rotten girl, I told you to apologize to Tang Qian and you’d rather die than go. Now Tang Qian calls and you come running without a word. Am I not even as close to you as your Brother Tang Qian?”

The little minx said, “That’s different. Brother Tang Qian is an outsider. How could I apologize to an outsider? But you’re my real sister. What’s shameful about apologizing to my own sister?”

“An outsider? That doesn’t sound right. You’ve been calling him Brother Tang Qian all this time, all affectionate and sweet, and when you cried for help you only looked for him. For a moment I nearly thought I was the outsider instead!”

With her face red, the little minx had no way to explain herself, so she continued to sway Xu Shu’s arm and plead sweetly, “Oh, come on, Sis, don’t blame me. You were the one who was going to hit me, and I had no choice but to ask Brother Tang Qian to protect me. There was no one else here.”

Xu Shu snorted, wriggled free of her embrace, and said, “Stay here. You’re not allowed to leave, do you hear me?”

The little minx blinked. “Why?”

Xu Shu didn’t answer. Instead, she stood up, came to my side, seized my hand, and said, “Come with me. I still have something to ask you.” Without waiting to see whether I agreed, she dragged me toward the door.

I stumbled after her and said, “Where are we going? Can’t we just talk here?”

Xu Shu said, “Why are you so long-winded? Just come with me.”

Watching me and her sister leave, the little minx was so anxious she practically stamped her feet, yet she dared not rush after us at once. She could only cough repeatedly, reminding me that there were certain things I absolutely could not say even if I died.

Xu Shu kept hold of my hand the whole way, never once thinking to let go. She walked me several steps down the corridor and pushed open a door at the far end. I followed her in, and when she turned on the light I immediately recognized the room. It was the study where she had once intended to give me a check.

Only then did Xu Shu release my hand. She first closed the door, then fixed me with a look that was half a smile and half not. Her gaze gave me chills. Forcing a smile, I asked, “What do you want to ask me?”

Xu Shu said, “I want to ask you: what have you done to my sister?”

I broke into a sweat and pretended not to understand. “What do you mean, done to her?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m warning you! My sister is still a minor. If you dare do anything to her, I won’t let you off!”

In her agitation, she seized my lapels and shoved me hard against the wall by the door. Sweat poured from me again. “By heaven and earth, I swear I would never dare do anything of the sort! That kind of thing brings retribution! You’ve really wronged me this time!”

Xu Shu did not believe me. “You really didn’t do anything?”

“Really, I didn’t do anything!”

“Swear it. Otherwise I won’t believe you!”

Cornered, I had no choice but to say, “Fine. I swear. On the heavens above and the earth below, if Tang Qian has ever done anything vile or unforgivable, may I be struck dead by lightning this instant and leave no corpse behind!”

Seeing how solemn I looked, how sincere my eyes were, and hearing such a vicious oath, Xu Shu finally believed me. She let out a relieved breath at once, hurriedly released my hand, and even carefully straightened the clothes she had wrinkled, smiling as she said, “I’m sorry. I was too anxious. I only have this one sister, and I was afraid she’d be deceived by some bad person. No, no, I wasn’t talking about you. I know you’re a good person. I shouldn’t have suspected you.”

Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I smiled bitterly. “You scared me half to death and pinned me against the wall. If you weren’t talking about me, then who were you talking about? Please don’t always assume you’re right, all right? You already wronged me once before, and I never thought you still wouldn’t trust me now.”

Xu Shu looked full of remorse. In a low voice she said, “I’m sorry. Last time was different from this time. This time it’s a little more suspicious.”

I grew serious. “How is it different? Last time it was for your good friend. This time it was for your own sister. Last time you thought I was a sleazy man who tricked women into buying me meals. This time you went even further and thought I was some pervert who preyed on minors. In your eyes, can Tang Qian only ever be that kind of person?”

Xu Shu’s face flushed bright red under my words, and she lowered her head in shame. Once my initial shock had subsided, anger gradually filled my chest. I said sternly, “Since you trust me so little, I think we’d better not be friends. Real friends should trust each other; there should be no suspicion between them. You’re being utterly absurd, and I’m deeply disappointed. Get out of the way. I’m going back.”

With that, I pushed Xu Shu aside and was about to open the door and leave. She panicked, grabbed my arm, and cried, “Wait, Tang Qian, Tang Qian! Don’t go yet!”

My heart had gone cold, and I couldn’t be bothered to answer her. I jerked my arm free and reached for the door lock. In her panic, Xu Shu lost all composure; in desperation, she threw both arms around me from behind, trapping me and my arm together, and cried, “I was wrong, I was wrong! Please don’t go yet, please!”

With her clinging to me, I could not move or open the door. I could only say coldly, “Miss Xu, what are you doing? Are you trying to restrict my freedom? Please let go of my hand!”

At last Xu Shu could no longer hold back. She burst into tears, clinging to me so tightly she would not let go. “Tang Qian, you’re so hateful, sob sob… Tang Qian, Tang Qian, sob sob… you’re going to break my heart.”

I broke into a sweat.

Once I heard a woman crying, even the fiercest anger in me vanished. Frowning, I said, “What are you crying for? This is ridiculous. Could you let go of me first? What does this look like?”

Tears streamed down Xu Shu’s face, but she did not dare let go to wipe them away. Instead she pressed her cheek against my back and rubbed them off there. “Then promise me you won’t leave, and I’ll let go. Otherwise I won’t let go even if I die.”

Seeing how determined she was, I truly had no way to handle her at once. In the end I could only sigh and say, “Fine, fine. Let me go, and I won’t leave yet.”

Xu Shu said, “A man’s word is his bond. Don’t you dare go back on it. What if I let go and you still try to leave?”

At that, my anger flared again. “Do you still not trust me?”

Xu Shu hurriedly let go of me and said anxiously, “No, no, I just panicked! Sit down. Stay away from the door. Come here.”

She dragged me over and forced me down onto the sofa, then kept wiping her tears. Seeing how truly remorseful she was, and how pitifully she was crying, the fire in my heart slowly died down. I sighed. “Xu Shu, you’re not even as good as your sister. She may be mischievous and hopelessly playful, but even with her rowdy friends, she wouldn’t treat me the way you have. I suppose I’ve failed, making friends with someone like you who doesn’t trust people. How tragic.”

Just as she had finished wiping her tears, fresh ones kept spilling from Xu Shu’s reddened eyes. Crying, she said, “Who says I don’t trust you? I never believed for a moment that you’d do anything like that to my sister!”

I was startled. “You didn’t believe it? If you didn’t think I was that kind of man, why did you question me like that? Are you ill in the head?”