My Deskmate Chapter 27 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 27.2
After Xu Guangqi left, Zhao Yiyang leaned against the desk and spoke to Wen Xiao. "Chi-ge definitely won’t look at it. By the way, I've been learning a little bit about face reading online these days, and I think Old Xu fits the classic 'nice guy' profile. His wide brow and straight teeth are often associated with a naturally gentle temperament!"
Wen Xiao signed his name on his copy of the outline and asked Zhao Yiyang, "Did Master change careers recently?"
At this, Zhao Yiyang quickly pressed his palms in a praying gesture and closed his eyes. "My dear benefactor, Buddhist and Taoist divination aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m a versatile, multi-skilled talent!"
As soon as Old Xu left, the English teacher arrived and hurried to review a reading comprehension exercise.
"Get your papers out. I see you all shaking your heads and sighing. What, not happy it’s the weekend tomorrow?"
"Happy—"
"So you’re not happy to see me?"
The whole class drew out the word, "Haaaaappyyyyyyyy—"
That response kept them in class much longer than usual.
Wen Xiao caught the last bus home. As he got off at his stop and walked down the sidewalk, most of the shops were already closed, but Chi Ye’s store was still open. From a distance, the warm yellow lights made the night feel a little softer.
When Wen Xiao walked into the store, Chi Ye didn’t look surprised at all. "Back for more screws?"
He was checking inventory, a few sheets of paper beside him, covered with messy scribbles and numbers that no one else could make sense of.
"I’m here to deliver a package." Wen Xiao pulled out the math revision outline from his backpack and handed it over. "It was just distributed."
Chi Ye took it and glanced at it briefly. "Old Xu’s outline gets longer with each revision."
Zipping up his backpack, Wen Xiao casually slung it over his shoulder. "What about Yaya? Is she already asleep?"
Chi Ye laughed. "The little sillyhead slept all the way home from school. Now she's too awake to sleep, and since it's Saturday tomorrow, I didn't bother to make her go to bed. Just now, she took my phone and went to the door to watch English cartoons."
Wen Xiao frowned. "There’s no one at the door."
Chi Ye’s expression suddenly turned cold. He strode quickly toward the door.
Realizing something was wrong, Wen Xiao followed. "What’s going on?"
At the door, they didn’t see the phone. Chi Ye’s voice turned serious as he ordered, "Call me."
Without asking why or saying anything more, Wen Xiao quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Chi Ye’s number in a few swift motions.
The phone emitted a long series of beeps, but before the second one could sound, the call was abruptly cut off.
Wen Xiao’s fingers tightened around his phone.
In that moment, Chi Ye looked like a wild beast whose territory had been invaded, his entire presence exuding an intimidating aura. He strained to discern the faint sound of the phone’s ringtone that had just come through, then turned and sprinted off.
Wen Xiao, with his backpack firmly on, followed closely behind without missing a beat.
Due to aging infrastructure, the streetlights were old and dim. As night deepened, the small alleyways of Jiuzhang Road became pitch black, with no human figures visible. The distant barking of dogs disturbed the quiet night.
Chi Ye didn’t run far before his footsteps suddenly stopped, as if listening for something. Barely half a second later, he darted into a corner with the speed of a hawk. The next thing Wen Xiao heard was a dull "thud," followed by someone collapsing to the ground and crying out in pain.
"It’s a misunderstanding... truly a misunderstanding!"
Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Wen Xiao saw a middle-aged man sprawled on the ground, blood streaming from his nose, covering his hands.
Chi Ye glanced briefly at Wen Xiao.
Understanding the silent cue in Chi Ye’s eyes, Wen Xiao quietly moved to stand behind the man.
Satisfied there wouldn’t be any more complications, Chi Ye turned around and carefully picked up Yaya, who was frozen by the wall, her eyes wide in fear.
Yaya clung to Chi Ye’s clothes, shaking involuntarily. It took several seconds before she finally burst into tears. "Gege—"
Yaya rarely cried, and even now her sobs were soft. She clung tightly to Chi Ye, her fingers clutching his shirt so hard her knuckles turned white. She sobbed softly, hiccuping as tears streamed down her face.
Seeing that Yaya was unharmed, Wen Xiao crouched down, his gaze as cold as a deep pool of water. "Does it hurt?"
"It’s really a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" the middle-aged man hurriedly explained, "We’re neighbors, neighbors! I saw this little girl running around late at night, so I... I just—"
With a grunt, Wen Xiao stood up and kicked the man squarely in the abdomen, his voice as cold as ice shards. "Say it again."
"Really... I’m telling the truth! I saw the little girl alone, and I just wanted to help her get back home! Her zipper was broken, and I was going to zip it up for her! You’re still a high school student, aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to the school? If you do this again—"
Another muffled sound echoed in the night. Under the dim lights, Wen Xiao's eyes gleamed with a sharp, icy coldness as he asked in a low voice, "The zipper was broken?"
The middle-aged man opened his mouth under Wen Xiao's intense gaze but could not make a sound. His eyes were filled with fearful trembling.
Yaya had stopped crying and was now in Chi Ye’s arms. When she saw Wen Xiao, her eyes reddened again. "Cola-gege..."
The thought of what might have happened if they had been even a moment later made Wen Xiao’s expression turn even colder.
Chi Ye set Yaya down and handed her to Wen Xiao, his tone light. "Take her over there and let her count to three hundred."
Wen Xiao didn’t say much. He walked a little ways with Yaya before stopping.
Faint voices could be heard nearby. Yaya, holding Wen Xiao’s hand, looked up at him and asked, "Cola-gege, what’s my gege doing?"
Wen Xiao had a younger sister of his own, but he still didn’t quite know how to comfort a little girl. So he gave a stiff reply, "He’s talking."
"Oh." Yaya wasn’t a particularly curious girl, so she didn’t press the matter. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "Why did my gege want me to count?"
Wen Xiao: "You need to review math every day."
Yaya nodded, as if she understood, and then began to count seriously as she faced the wall. She reached 199 and, surprisingly, smoothly counted to 200.
Wen Xiao turned his head and glanced behind him, then moved half a step to block the view of the scene unfolding behind.
When Yaya reached 299, Wen Xiao heard her continuing, "299, 200, 201, 202..."
Wen Xiao: "......"
By the time the cycle repeated for the seventh time, Chi Ye appeared, wrapped in an air of coldness. His clenched fist, now loosened, was stained with blood — clearly not his own.
Wen Xiao handed him a tissue and glanced back. The man was nowhere to be seen.
"Aren't we calling the police?"
Chi Ye carefully wiped his hands with the tissue Wen Xiao had handed him, his brows furrowed with suppressed hostility. "It’s useless. We have no evidence, there are no cameras around here, and Yaya is too young. That man’s story never changes. Without proof, there’s nothing we can do. Tell me, would the police believe a man with a respectable job, a wife, kids, and good relations with the neighbors, or would they believe a seven-year-old girl who can barely express herself and is just in first grade?"
Wen Xiao didn’t say anything.
He knew exactly what Chi Ye was saying was true. They had no evidence.
Not only that, but Chi Ye's household only consisted of himself and his sister, with no adults present.
Chi Ye crumpled the tissue in his hand. He leaned against the wall, his eyes lowered to Yaya, who was still diligently counting without being told to stop. His lips were tightly pressed together.
Could he protect her? Could he take care of her?
In that moment, Chi Ye wasn’t even sure.
His rapidly beating heart finally began to slow down. He reached out and gently rubbed Yaya's head.