The Daughter-In-Law Is So Pitiful? Just Take Her Home and Pamper Her! - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Aftermath

At the same time—Zhao Jinrong stood like a ghost in the shadows across the street, completely fused with the darkness. His eyes were sharp and piercing like a hawk, fixed intently on the flickering neon sign of the barbershop, as if he could see through the kaleidoscopic lights and into the souls of those inside.

He slowly pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with practiced ease, and took a hard drag.

The smoke curled around his face, blurring his features, but it couldn’t hide the chill in his voice.

“Look into that Xu Yao,” Zhao Jinrong said, his voice low and filled with menace, like something that had crawled out of hell. “Yeah, the barbershop owner.”

He hung up, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and remained rooted in the shadows like a statue.

“Let’s see what you’re really capable of.”

…

Chen Mi still looked uneasy, carefully cradling Xu Yao’s injured hand and inspecting it from all angles.

His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed the gauze in place. The wound at the base of Xu Yao’s thumb was deeper than he expected. Bl00d seeped into the gauze fibers, blooming into a small red flower against the white.

“Does it hurt?” Chen Mi asked softly. His fingertips accidentally brushed against Xu Yao’s skin and jerked back like he’d been shocked.

Xu Yao let out a low chuckle and used his uninjured hand to light a cigarette.

“This scratch? Doesn’t hurt half as much as how bad you shook on your first day here.” He deliberately blew smoke toward Chen Mi’s face and watched him wrinkle his nose. “What, finally learned to worry about me?”

Chen Mi lowered his head and kept fiddling with the gauze, but the tips of his ears were quietly turning red.

He thought about the moment Xu Yao said, “This kid’s mine to look after now.” The warmth from that grip had nearly burned through the back of his hand. It was a strange feeling—like being chained down, yet somehow… comforted.

“The 430,000 yuan Zhao Jinrong mentioned…” Chen Mi bit his lip. “I’ll find a way to pay it back.”

“Bullshit.” Xu Yao suddenly stubbed out his cigarette and grabbed Chen Mi’s chin with the fingers still stained with blue dye. “You think I splashed that vat of hair dye for nothing?”

He leaned closer, and Chen Mi could smell the minty smoke on his breath.

“Remember this—starting today, you only owe me.”

The door chime jingled again, and Sister Lin popped her head in with two takeout boxes. “Well, well—what are we watching here? Bossy CEO and his shy little lover?” she teased, winking as she set the food down on a table still stained with hair gel.

“I just saw Zhao Jinrong storm off holding his face. What’d you two do to him?”

Xu Yao let go of Chen Mi and turned to grab the mop. “Gave him a quick art lesson,” he said casually. “On the use of blue dye in body art.”

Sister Lin burst out laughing, then noticed the torn-up loan agreement Chen Mi was cleaning up.

“Wait…” Her expression shifted. “That debt’s from your family?” She crouched down to help him gather the pieces, whispering, “That bastard Zhao Jinrong always goes after widows and orphans…”

Chen Mi’s hands froze.

The red fingerprint from his mother was smudged now, but he could still picture the moment she’d been forced to press it—her frail wrist bones, hands roughened from years of housework, and those eyes always brimming with tears she refused to let fall.

“My mom… she didn’t do it willingly.” Chen Mi’s voice was barely audible. “That day, my dad was drunk and he…”

A warm towel suddenly landed on his head. Xu Yao roughly rubbed at his hair, nearly twisting his neck in the process.

“Dumbass. Got dye in your hair,” Xu Yao grumbled harshly, though his hands gradually softened. “Dinner’s beef noodles. You want some or not?”

Sister Lin caught the shift in the air instantly and stood up with a mischievous grin. “I’ll leave the food here. You two can keep flirting.” At the door, she paused and called back over her shoulder with a wink, “Oh, right—Xiao Mi, check the bottom drawer of Xu Yao’s cabinet. There’s a metal box full of—”

“Get lost!” Xu Yao hurled a comb at her. Laughing, Sister Lin slammed the door shut behind her.

Chen Mi looked up, curious, and saw a faint blush spreading across Xu Yao’s ears. That small discovery made something quietly shift inside him—like sunlight breaking through a long-dark corner.

“Don’t listen to her nonsense,” Xu Yao muttered, turning to clean up the spilled dye. But he forgot about the wound on his hand. As soon as he put pressure on it, he gasped from the pain.

Chen Mi rushed over and grabbed his wrist without asking. “The wound’s opened again,” he said, frowning. His hands moved more skillfully this time as he rewrapped it. “Stop moving. I’ll clean this up.”

Xu Yao, for once, stayed quiet and lowered his gaze to watch Chen Mi’s focused expression. The boy’s long eyelashes cast soft shadows in the light, and the tip of his nose was smudged with a bit of blue dye.

Without thinking, Xu Yao reached out and wiped it away with his thumb.

Chen Mi suddenly looked up. Their faces were so close they could feel each other’s breath.

Xu Yao could see his reflection clearly in Chen Mi’s eyes—along with the panic and… hope, hidden just beneath the surface.

“Xu Yao…” Chen Mi’s voice trembled.

Suddenly, the wind chime on the barbershop door rang again.

Xu Yao snapped out of it and stepped back. “Go see who it is,” he said roughly.

Chen Mi quickly ran out and found Old Li from the fruit shop next door.

“Xiao Mi,” Old Li said kindly, handing over a bag of oranges. “I heard from Lin just now that someone caused trouble. Take these to help you and Boss Xu calm down.”

Chen Mi thanked him and took the bag. After seeing Old Li off, he turned around and saw Xu Yao bent over the accounting book again.

Bathed in the warm yellow light, Xu Yao’s tall figure looked solid and dependable. The mountain-shaped tattoo on his right arm moved with his muscles—like a real, unwavering mountain.

“Come here,” Xu Yao called without looking up. “Let’s see how much salary you’ve got left this month.”

Chen Mi stepped over and saw a new set of small entries added to the latest page in the ledger, beneath the earlier ones:

• “Hair dye damage: –300”

• “Extra dinner: –40”

• “Old Zhang’s oranges: +50”

• “…Someone looked worried: +∞”

Chen Mi’s heart suddenly pounded, thump, thump, thump, so loud he wondered if the entire barbershop could hear it. He sneaked a glance and saw Xu Yao looking right at him—with a softness in his eyes he’d never seen before.

“Idiot.” Xu Yao flicked his forehead lightly. “Time to eat.”

Outside the window, the March wind suddenly turned gentle. A single early cherry blossom petal floated in and landed on the infinity symbol in the ledger, like a tiny promise.