24: Chapter 24 Thank You for Being There

"Um, are you hungry? I bought some food, though it might be a bit cold now."

Yang Shiguang was the first to break the awkward atmosphere.

Without waiting for Bai Mengxi to reply, he stood up, moved the coffee table to the bedside, and then pulled up a chair to sit across from her.

He opened the plastic bag, revealing a large bundle of skewers wrapped in aluminum foil.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat, and I'm not familiar with this area, so I just bought some when I saw a stall on the side of the road."

He opened the foil and pulled out a grilled chicken wing to hand to Bai Mengxi.

"Let's just make do for today; we'll go eat something better tomorrow. Give it a try."

Bai Mengxi took the skewer and took a small bite.

"How is it? Is it good? Is it too spicy?"

"Mhm, it's quite good. It's not spicy," Bai Mengxi replied softly.

For someone as frugal as her, she rarely got to eat things like this.

Hearing this, Yang Shiguang picked up a skewer and took a bite. As soon as he bit into it, his eyes widened, and he stuck his tongue out frantically from the spice.

He quickly grabbed a can of ice-cold Budweiser and chugged it.

Yang Shiguang was the type of person from Hunan Province who couldn't handle spice very well, but even then, he was only a "noob" compared to other Hunanese; in provinces outside of Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi, he could still hold his own.

Seeing Yang Shiguang's ungraceful state, Bai Mengxi burst into a giggle.

Her bright eyes curved like the crescent moon of the first day of the lunar month, and her glistening cherry lips curled upward, leaving Yang Shiguang momentarily stunned.

This was the first time he had seen her smile from the heart.

She had been beautiful before, but surrounded by sorrow, she had seemed like a fairy fallen to the mortal world.

Now, smiling, she was even more enchanting, truly a refreshing sight.

Suddenly, Bai Mengxi noticed that the gauze on Yang Shiguang's left arm was slightly bleeding.

It seemed to have torn when he helped her carry her suitcase; it was just that neither of them had noticed at the time.

She hurriedly took a handkerchief from her pocket, knelt by his side, and re-tied it for him.

Looking at the handkerchief tied around his arm, embroidered with wisteria flowers and butterflies, Yang Shiguang subconsciously asked, "That's a beautiful handkerchief. Did you embroider it yourself?"

Bai Mengxi nodded.

"I didn't expect you to know embroidery. You're very talented."

Bai Mengxi smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing. All the girls back home know how."

After saying this, she gently stroked his arm and the wound on his back, saying with concern, "Does it still hurt?"

Yang Shiguang laughed carelessly, "It stopped hurting a long time ago. This is nothing. You should know that back in high school, I took down a dozen punks all by myself. The injuries I got back then were much worse than this."

Bai Mengxi looked at this handsome boy in surprise; she hadn't expected him to have such a glorious past.

However, recalling the fighting prowess he had displayed at the Bar earlier, she was immediately relieved.

With the topic opened, the atmosphere warmed up.

The two ate skewers and chatted, mostly with Yang Shiguang talking and the girl listening. However, Yang Shiguang was very careful not to mention anything related to family, fearing he might touch the scar deep within her heart.

He talked about his glorious deeds, while Bai Mengxi listened quietly and gave responses from time to time.

Especially when he talked about how he made his childhood friend "fly" while riding his bike, the girl laughed for a long, long time.

Time flew by, and the night grew deeper. Both banks of the Tuo River outside the window gradually grew quiet, leaving only the sound of water and the chirping of cicadas.

The skewers were almost finished.

Even someone as strong as Yang Shiguang felt a bit of fatigue and sleepiness.

And Bai Mengxi, having experienced such significant emotional fluctuations, was already yawning.

"Alright, I'll get going then. You should get some sleep too; we're both tired today."

"Sleep in tomorrow until you wake up naturally. I have some things to take care of in the room next door, so come find me when you've had enough rest, and we'll go out to have some fun."

Hearing this, Bai Mengxi said a bit embarrassedly, "Um, I'm not very familiar with this place either, so I can't really be your tour guide..."

"Haha, it's fine. Just keep me company then; we can explore together."

"Mhm, okay!"

Bai Mengxi flashed another charming smile.

After cleaning up the room together, Yang Shiguang walked toward the door, and Bai Mengxi followed to see him off.

Upon reaching the door, Yang Shiguang noticed her handkerchief was still tied around his arm. He raised his arm and gestured, "I'll keep this..."

Just as Yang Shiguang was about to add that he would buy her another one, he noticed that Bai Mengxi's originally fair cheeks had suddenly flushed a deep crimson, spreading like the morning glow all the way to her earlobes. Her hands twisted the hem of her skirt, and her lowered eyes were filled with bashfulness.

She stood there as if stunned, motionless, like a frozen computer.

Yang Shiguang instantly realized a serious problem and asked cautiously, "Um, Mengxi, are you... from the miao ethnic group?"

Only after hearing Yang Shiguang's words did Bai Mengxi "reboot." She nodded and said in a voice as small as a mosquito's, "Mhm, from Dehang Miao Village."

Hearing this, Yang Shiguang realized he had almost made a huge mistake and quickly defended himself, "Uh, I meant that it got dirty, you know, with blood on it. I'll wash it and return it to you. Get some sleep, goodnight!"

Having said that, he dashed out the door.

Behind the door, Bai Mengxi was still standing there, stunned and motionless.

"You clearly said keep..."

After washing up, Yang Shiguang lay on the bed, recalling the events of the day.

Bai Mengxi's beautiful face and delicate figure surfaced in his mind.

Yet, this girl who should have been adored by thousands was burdened with such a tragic fate.

How merciful fate was to give her a physical appearance that obsessed men and made women jealous.

How cruel fate was to let such a girl carry such a heavy burden so early in life.

Wasn't he the same?

He wondered, if he hadn't come to Fenghuang for a trip, if he hadn't gone to that Bar, what would have happened to her?

No, there were no "ifs." This had already happened in his previous life. So, what happened to her in that previous life?

Was she beaten or did she pass away that very night? After all, that foul-mouthed man didn't hold back his punches.

Even if she survived, what kind of good ending could a girl like her, helpless and alone like a lone boat beneath giant waves, have in this cruel society?

Subjected to bullying, ending up on the streets, or going down the wrong path?

At this point, Yang Shiguang didn't dare to think any further.

However, fortunately in this life, she met him.

It just so happened that they would be attending university in the same city.

So in this life, he could at least take care of and protect her for a while.

Yang Shiguang glanced at the handkerchief tied around his arm again.

Thinking of that moment before he left, when Bai Mengxi's face turned as red as a tomato, he couldn't help but laugh.

A miao ethnic group girl's handkerchief is not something one can just accept casually.

"Wait, I think I also touched her hair. More than once, too."

Thinking of this, Yang Shiguang felt a wave of astonishment.

"Forget it, she didn't say anything, she probably didn't notice."

Soon, he thought of An Miaomiao, his little angel of a younger sister.

In his previous life, her heart condition had flared up again at the end; how difficult her fate had been as well.

"When I go to Star City, I must find a way to figure out exactly what her condition is."

Sleepiness surged, and Yang Shiguang stopped overthinking.

He took out his phone and sent a text to You Ge: "Angels can fly because they have wings; you can fly because you have me. Thankful to have me!" Then, he pulled out the battery and fell into a deep sleep.