The Fallen, Stubborn Prince - Chapter 11
“Su Qian, you’re not as clueless as people think. You know what I’m angry about. So please, just don’t bother me for now. Maybe… maybe I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Fang Xian brushed past Su Qian, furious and unwilling to even look at him. At this moment, she couldn’t bear to hear another word. Even someone as slow as Su Qian could tell—Fang Xian was truly angry this time.
Helpless, he suddenly grabbed her pale wrist. Startled, Fang Xian turned around to see his furrowed brows and unusually firm expression.
“Let me take care of you,” he said, his voice steady and sincere.
Fang Xian froze. Her face went from pale to flushed red as she tried to process what he had just said.
Too many thoughts flooded her mind—her family troubles, his mother’s cruel words, her own frustration and confusion all tangled together.
“Do you even know what you’re saying?” she asked.
Take care of her? What a loaded phrase. How could he say something like that so easily?
But he nodded firmly, repeating, “I want to take care of you.”
His declaration, spoken straight from the heart, stunned her. For a moment, she couldn’t see the naive boy she once knew. The childish Su Qian who always relied on her—he was gone.
Her eyes grew misty. She bit her lip, forcing herself to stay calm. “Who taught you to say that?”
She wasn’t stupid—she knew Su Qian wouldn’t think of such words on his own. Fang Xian, you’re even more foolish than he is! she scolded herself silently.
“Su Qian, don’t lie to me,” she warned.
She could forgive his mother’s insults, but not his lies. A lie would hurt more than anything else.
Su Qian hesitated. His grip on her hand tightened as his eyes flickered uncertainly. “I…”
“Tell me the truth. I won’t be angry. But if you lie, I’ll never speak to you again.”
Cornered, Su Qian finally confessed, “It was my uncle. He told me to say that—he said that’s how I could keep you.”
He couldn’t bear the thought of Fang Xian ignoring him. Just imagining it made his chest tighten painfully.
A tear slipped down from Fang Xian’s misty eyes. Overwhelmed, she lashed out, hitting him with all the frustration she’d been holding in.
“You idiot! You’re even worse than your mother! Do you think I’m that easy to fool? Am I just someone your Su family can play with?”
Su Qian truly was a fool. His uncle had told him what to say, and he’d just repeated it without thinking about her feelings. Didn’t he realize how much that would hurt her?
She hit him again—fast and fierce—but Su Qian didn’t fight back. He just looked at her, worried, as she panted and trembled, her face flushed with anger. He gently caught her wrist.
“I told the truth,” he said, confused. “Why are you still hitting me?”
She glared at him. “Do you even know what ‘take care’ means? You think it’s just something you can say to trick girls?”
She’d just escaped his mother’s manipulative words, and now he was repeating the same thing, clueless and naïve.
Su Qian looked lost. He truly didn’t understand why she was angry. He meant every word he said.
“I didn’t lie to you,” he insisted quietly. “You never let me walk you home, but I still followed you secretly. I know you’re looking for a job… Aren’t you supposed to take the college entrance exam? You’ve always worked so hard—why are you suddenly giving up?”
He didn’t understand the world, but he understood her.
“If you don’t take the exam, I won’t take it either,” he said stubbornly.
Fang Xian wiped her tear-streaked face, realizing her hands were empty—Su Qian had taken the schoolbag she’d been using to hit him. She stood tall and demanded it back.
“Whether I take the exam or not is none of your business,” she said coldly. “Your family’s affairs have nothing to do with me.”
But he blocked her path again.
“I have money,” he said. “You can borrow it to pay off the loan. I’ll even charge you interest. Just let me go to college with you.”
Fang Xian trembled with anger.
He was learning to argue with her now, even pretending to make it fair by calling it a ‘loan.’
“If you have money, keep it to yourself. Are you trying to let everyone know you’re a rich kid?” she snapped.
She grabbed her schoolbag back and turned to leave.
“My money doesn’t come from my family!” he called after her, following closely behind.
“Whatever! It’s none of my business!” she shouted, exasperated.
Su Qian froze, her words echoing painfully in his mind—It’s none of my business.
But wasn’t it? Everything he did was for her.
“I meant it when I said I want to take care of you,” he burst out. “No matter what it costs! I don’t need you to pay me back—I just want you to go to college. You’re so smart, Fang Xian. You shouldn’t have to give up your dreams!”
Fang Xian’s anger softened. She knew he was sincere.
“Do you want to go to college with me?” she asked, almost laughing. “Don’t be stupid, Su Qian. Haven’t you heard that all feasts eventually end? We can be lifelong friends, but you can’t decide my future for me.”
“Uncle said a smart girl like you wouldn’t quit studying by choice,” he argued. “He said you were forced to. You told me yourself that National Taiwan University was your dream school.”
“I did,” she admitted softly. “But things changed. I can’t let my father’s land be sold… You understand, right? I have my own problems.”
Her voice gentled, pleading for him to understand.
“I can help you,” he said quickly. “You don’t have to pay me back.”
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”
“It’s not from my family, it’s mine. You don’t owe anyone,” he said, desperate. “Please don’t cry…”
Fang Xian wasn’t crying loudly, but her eyes stung and her voice trembled. Su Qian heard the faint sob and instinctively reached out, pulling her gently into his arms. He patted her back awkwardly but tenderly, like a clumsy puppy.
And for a brief, fragile moment—Fang Xian felt warmth instead of anger.