I Redeemed Him, But Who Will Redeem Me? - Chapter 13

“Little girl, want something to eat?”

“Let me have a basket of steamed buns and a bowl of tofu pudding.”

“All right, sit wherever you like.”

This was a small breakfast shop located southwest of the school. The store wasn’t big, but it was exceptionally clean and tidy. The man in front of her had a kind, simple face, and after taking her order, he went into the kitchen.

Not long after, a slender and pretty girl came out carrying a tray. When she saw Lin Xicai, her expression changed.

Lin Xicai smiled lightly. “Smells so good.” Of course, this wasn’t a coincidence; she had come specifically to find her.

Some things, only after parting the mist could be seen clearly, and perhaps only she could reveal them.

Lin Xicai had a vague suspicion in her heart. She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, “Thanks for yesterday.”

The girl across from her suddenly looked embarrassed.

After a brief silence, she spoke: “If you have the chance, maybe you should consider transferring. If he sets his sights on you, it won’t end well…”

So it was true.

It wasn’t her imagination; she really wanted to help her.

From the moment they first met, she had been subtly giving hints.

Lin Xicai looked at the cold, beautiful face and recalled the first time they met, when the girl silently followed Li Ci.

It wasn’t until now that Lin Xicai realized why, when Li Ci looked at her that first time, the girl had tugged at his sleeve, and in that seemingly misty gaze, what kind of emotion was truly hidden.

It was a mixture of fear and numb desperation, a sorrowful plea hoping no one would stir up trouble.

Lin Xicai paused for a moment. “You didn’t willingly go along with him, did you?”

Their voices both lowered instinctively. Xu Tian glanced through the small window toward the busy figure in the kitchen and said awkwardly, “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter… He always finds a way to make me comply.”

Lin Xicai recalled the intimate gestures between the two. “Do you like him?”

“I guess I do,” Xu Tian smiled faintly. “Otherwise, I’d feel pathetic.”

Lin Xicai studied her expression, her eyes complicated. “But you don’t look happy.”

“Really?” Xu Tian paused, then seemed to understand something. “Even you noticed… no wonder he hasn’t called it off.”

“Called it off?”

“You can see it as a game.”

“What kind of game?”

“One that excites him.”

Born into that kind of family, what ordinary people pursue, he achieved effortlessly.

Li Ci’s emotional threshold was higher than most, so ordinary ways of finding happiness could no longer satisfy him. He enjoyed dragging others along to play games with him.

He liked watching cold girls fall in love, watching them lose themselves step by step, and even more, watching those who had fallen for him get abandoned, seeing them beg and lose their dignity.

So he would pursue them intensely, using both pressure and charm, until he had their hearts, only to discard them, break them, crush them.

He was obsessed with destroying beautiful things; the process was like flowers blooming and wilting, leaves turning green and rotting—irrevocably beautiful, broken yet fascinating.

The beauty of destruction lay in that it was the other person who broke, but he was the one enthralled.

“That’s the kind of person he is. But no one believes it. From afar, all they see is his polished exterior, his privileged background, his elegant manners, and just the right amount of courtesy.”

Xu Tian’s gaze fell quietly on Lin Xicai, meaning unclear. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he came after you. From the first time I saw you, I sensed a sort of uncontrollable malice in your bl00d… and excitement.”

“Why?” Lin Xicai thought of what Li Ci had said in the equipment room, almost accusingly, and couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Tian shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know why he has hostility toward you. He’s too complicated. Every time I think I understand him, he becomes even more unpredictable. Maybe I don’t understand him at all.”

Lin Xicai stared at Xu Tian. The two girls exchanged looks through the steaming air, their emotions varied.

Li Ci was a villain nurtured by this world.

It wasn’t until his malice seeped into her life that this absurd, floating world began to feel real to her.

At that moment, Lin Xicai was forced to realize she couldn’t stay on high ground, detached as an observer.

Even if they were, as she said, just “paper people,” as long as she remained in this world, she was the same kind of being.

These paper people could fight each other, and they could also destroy her.

She had assumed that at least the system could help her, but when trouble came, she couldn’t even find its shadow. In this unfamiliar world, she had no one behind her.

After that day, Lin Xicai started walking to and from school with Fu Xuefan to avoid being alone. Naturally, Fu Xuefan teased her, saying she had thought Lin Xicai had some backbone, but within just a few days, she had caved in.

Fortunately, even though the young lady teased her daily, she didn’t throw her off the car.

Because she was with Fu Xuefan to and from school, several days passed quietly.

She thought things would continue peacefully and tried to focus on her studies, almost putting the whole matter aside.

Until one weekend with perfect weather, while she was playing with a dog on the lawn, Li Ci appeared behind her, accompanied by two or three politely respectful servants and a proud-looking Fu Xuefan.

“Look, your friend came to see you,” Fu Xuefan said to Lin Xicai, stressing “friend” as if to say, “When did you get involved with him?” in a tone of mockery and disdain.

Li Ci didn’t respond to her, only looking at Fu Xuefan and politely smiling. “Is this Golden Retriever yours?”

“Yes,” Fu Xuefan bent down to pat the dog’s ears. “But Sara seems closer to Zhong Fei. She eats inside and outside alike.”

“Is Sara its name?” Li Ci asked.

“Yes,” Fu Xuefan touched the dog’s head, then noticed mud on its leg. She frowned at Lin Xicai. “How did this happen? So dirty! Go wash it.”

She called over a man watering the lawn. “Uncle Wang, turn the water down a bit and let Zhong Fei give Sara a bath.”

“All right, Miss…”

The man walked over with the hose, but the overly enthusiastic dog jumped, knocking the hose, wetting Li Ci’s arm.

“What happened?” Fu Xuefan exclaimed.

“Sorry, sorry…” the man stammered.

Li Ci remained calm, brushing off her wet sleeve with a polite smile. “It’s fine. The weather’s nice; it’ll dry quickly.”

The man stood awkwardly, nodding as Li Ci reassured him softly.

Fu Xuefan, worried her father might blame her for Li Ci’s sudden visit, left to fetch a coat.

Li Ci didn’t refuse. “Thank you for that.”

After everyone else left, only Li Ci and Lin Xicai remained on the lawn, along with the silly, smiling Golden Retriever.

Li Ci walked a few steps and crouched beside her, seemingly uninterested in the wet dog, never touching it.

With no one else around, did he still need to keep up appearances? Lin Xicai became impatient. “What exactly do you want?”

“I’m bored, so I need something to entertain me,” Li Ci said expressionlessly, staring at her with a strange intensity. “Since you care so much about your precious classmate, you can take his place and play with me. Let’s see if he cares about you.”

“If you’re still hung up on that call to the police, feel free to check whether it was me. With your methods, you won’t miss it…”

“That’s not important anymore,” Li Ci said, smiling at her naivety. “You’re much more interesting than I expected.”

“Do you want to hit me?” Lin Xicai suddenly asked.

“Huh?”

“I don’t have time to play these games. You can hit me, I won’t fight back. Afterward, we go our separate ways, and whatever you do won’t concern me.”

Sunlight shone on her pure, delicate face. Her fair skin gleamed like a priceless gem.

Li Ci remained silent for a moment, then lifted his hand to brush against her cheek, rejecting her suggestion. “This face isn’t for fists. It’s for kisses. Want to try?”

The next second, Li Ci received a palm to his chest. He fell onto the lawn, while Lin Xicai stood, her revulsion radiating from her eyes.

Li Ci’s hand rested on the ground as he looked up at her expression, triumphant and arrogant in the sunlight.

The Fu siblings watched from the steps, unaware of what was said; they only saw a pair of playful youngsters.

“Look at her!” Fu Xuefan exclaimed. “No wonder she’s not clinging to you recently. She’s already got someone else.”

Fu Yanshou handed a coat to Fu Xuefan, his tone calm. “You’ve always known what kind of person she is.”

Because Li Ci’s visit was under the guise of seeing a friend, Lin Xicai, the “friend,” had to be present, even if just for show.

Half a month later, Lin Xicai sat at the Fu family table again.

Fu Changmin had returned to host the esteemed guest. During the meal, everyone treated Li Ci with courtesy. Even the servants admired his elegant manners.

Fu Changmin didn’t treat him as a child despite his age, and during the meal, they discussed many business matters. Lin Xicai was surprised by how effortlessly Li Ci handled these topics, like someone raised in that environment.

Ignoring his twisted nature, he was a capable heir.

Before leaving, Li Ci politely bid everyone farewell, slightly bowing in front of her, showing natural closeness, and whispered, “Don’t think the Fu family will help you. Don’t be naive.”

Lin Xicai didn’t respond, knowing he was right.

At the table, she only roughly understood the conversation. The Fu family relied heavily on the Li family for their business. If the Li family kicked them out, others could replace them easily. But if the Fu family were removed, the Fu family would cease to exist.

She was just a servant’s daughter. Even with some affection, could she expect anyone to risk their fortune for her against Li Ci?

Lin Xicai couldn’t sleep. The next day at class, she was clearly out of sorts.

By the third period, during a science literature lecture, drowsiness overwhelmed her. Her mind went blank, eyelids heavy as if weighted with a thousand pounds, and her body slumped forward…

Xie Shi stared at her slightly haggard face, focused, with a strange, attentive expression.

On the rainy night at the bus stop, she had calmly lied to him, pretending to be the one who called the police to save him.

He sneered, almost without doubt, thinking she would use the fake favor to manipulate him.

He even childishly planned various scenarios, imagining how he would expose her if she came to him.

But from the beginning until now, he watched the performance, seeing her pushed corner by corner, hope extinguished, and at every moment he expected her to come, she never did.

He was eager to probe her thoughts and discovered that in all her dense inner thoughts, there was not a trace of him.

This person had never considered him as a fallback.

Lin Xicai swayed, teetering, until at one point she finally reached a critical point and suddenly fell forward…

Then, before she hit the cold, hard desk, a hand came from the side, lifting her chin.

Exhausted as she was, she didn’t wake up.

His cruel hand slowly lowered, her chin and breath fully trusting his palm, brushing his skin, moving down as he moved. Like a small animal seeking safety, both greedy and flustered in submission.

Her lips unconsciously brushed his skin, warm and soft, sending shivers down his spine.

Xie Shi’s expression changed; he abruptly withdrew his hand.

Her chin hit the desk hard with his sudden movement.

This finally woke her up.

Her eyes were dazed, mostly annoyed.

Lin Xicai glared at him as if questioning him, but Xie Shi didn’t look at her, snorting and turning his face away.

Lin Xicai: ?

Crazy…