Chapter 27: If You’re Going to Help, Help All the Way—Take Me Home!

Lin Feng had intended to pretend he hadn’t seen her, but she was walking directly toward him. When she caught sight of him, a faint smile tugged at her pale lips.

“Brother Lin!”

Xia Qingqing waved, calling out to him.

With no chance to avoid her, and surrounded by the passing crowd, Lin Feng couldn’t very well pretend not to know her.

He stopped in place, watching as Xia Qingqing hobbled over. As if she’d found her anchor, her small face immediately took on a pitiful expression. “Brother Lin, could you walk me home?”

She pointed to her twisted foot.

Only then did Lin Feng notice that the heel of her right high heel was broken, the sole peeling away, the shoe hanging crookedly from her fair ankle.

It was hard to imagine how she had managed the walk from the company to here.

His voice was low, “That looks like a bad sprain. You should go to the hospital. I’ll call a cab for you.”

Faced with a little sister half a head shorter, who’d limped all this way and was now looking up at him so plaintively, Lin Feng truly couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

As if she rarely heard such words of concern, Xia Qingqing shook her head, her large, watery eyes quickly misting over.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital...” she mumbled, head lowered, voice trembling as she stared at her toes.

She looked so pitiable, like an abandoned kitten, especially with that oversized company uniform making her look like a child dressed in adult clothes.

Lin Feng really couldn’t say no.

He sighed, raising his elbow in front of her. “Lean on me, I’ll take you to catch a cab.”

In an instant, Xia Qingqing’s eyes lit up.

She’d hobbled over, her foot nearly killing her with pain, but at his gesture, she hurried to grab his sleeve with both hands.

Supporting her awkward, limping steps, they made their slow way to the bus stop.

It was lunchtime, and with the short break and the excellent facilities at Yihan Group, there weren’t many people near the stop.

“Wait here for the bus. I’ll head back to the office,” Lin Feng said as soon as he’d escorted her there, making to leave without hesitation.

To his surprise, Xia Qingqing clutched his sleeve tighter. “Brother Lin, since you’re helping, please see it through and take me home!”

Her round eyes brimmed with hope, her innocent, adorable look making Lin Feng’s heart tremble.

He sighed, “I have to be back at work by three this afternoon...”

He really didn’t want to get more involved and wished he could distance himself from Xia Qingqing altogether.

But—

“We’ll make it!” Xia Qingqing blinked her eyes. “I only rent a place a few stops from the company, just three stations on the bus!”

Lin Feng was silent.

She’d said so much already; he really couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

At last, he nodded. “Fine, I’ll see you to your door and then come back.”

“Mm-hmm!” Xia Qingqing immediately cheered up, hugging his arm happily. “Thank you, Brother Lin, I knew you were the best!”

Feeling her strong grip on his arm, Lin Feng’s mouth twitched.

Thankfully, Chu Lingshuang had removed her spies yesterday—otherwise, if she’d seen this, he dared not imagine what torments she’d inflict on him...

Before long, the bus arrived.

Lin Feng helped Xia Qingqing aboard, and they took a pair of seats at the back.

It was midday, and this was the outskirts—few people were on the bus.

As the vehicle rumbled to life, Xia Qingqing placed her small hands on her knees, fidgeting with her fingers as she occasionally glanced at Lin Feng.

It was Lin Feng’s first time on this bus route. He gazed out the window at the rushing scenery, old memories surfacing in his mind.

He recalled the last time he’d ridden a bus—it was back in high school.

Back then, the Xu family hadn’t been well-off. With four children, the whole family depended on Xu Tangde and Wang Shan running a small shop. They didn’t have much, but life was steady.

But when Lin Feng’s college startup began to thrive, their attitude changed.

At first, they just asked him to help buy a car and a house. Later, they started asking about his business’s profits. Over time, it became about the whole family investing and about contracts and ownership. After Xu Jie returned, their attitude changed completely...

Lin Feng knew they were only using him. Still, they had raised him for so many years, never letting him lack for food or clothing; he didn’t want to dwell on the money.

If money could solve it, it wasn’t really a problem.

He didn’t hate them, just felt indifferent.

Counting the days, those business plans he’d left home with were nearly spent. There were always personnel and other issues to handle. With Xu Jie’s temperament, if they really handed the company over to him, it wouldn’t be long before disaster struck.

But none of that concerned him now.

“Um...”

He was lost in thought when Xia Qingqing’s voice suddenly broke the silence. He turned to see her looking cautious and uneasy.

“What is it?” he asked.

Xia Qingqing fidgeted with her fingers, a little anxious. “Brother Lin, do you really dislike me?”

“Eh?!”

Lin Feng was taken aback, not expecting her to ask such a thing.

Her eyes were tinged with grievance as she lowered her head, mumbling, “I always feel like you don’t really want to pay attention to me...”

She wasn’t wrong.

The closer he got to her, the more Chu Lingshuang would make things difficult.

He wouldn’t have believed that before, but now, that madwoman’s perverse nature had far exceeded his imagination.

He was still wearing gloves, the faint pain in his palm a constant reminder.

It was hard to refuse such a cute girl, but for the sake of her job, Lin Feng steeled himself. “We’re just colleagues.”

His indifferent words were like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Xia Qingqing’s heart.

Her eyes shimmered with tears, rims turning red as she pouted in protest. “But I’ve always thought of you as my big brother!”

Lin Feng said nothing, unsure what to say.

Xia Qingqing added, “I just started here, haven’t even been here a month, and I don’t have any friends in the capital. I was lucky to meet you all, so I thought we could be friends now...”

“That’s only what you think,” Lin Feng replied ruthlessly, his tone chilly. “In this world, aside from those related by blood, no one is truly your friend.”

After speaking, he caught the hurt in Xia Qingqing’s eyes and felt a sudden pang of guilt.

Perhaps he’d been too harsh, so he added, “Life out there is complicated. Don’t open your heart to others too easily. Protect yourself, learn to love yourself—that’s the first lesson in life.”