After being kicked out of the wealthy family along with her yandere childhood friend

Pei Jin stood at the entrance of the emergency room, his white short-sleeved shirt stained with several gray marks, his collar slightly askew, and his hair disheveled with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead.

He dared not look at Bai Tao, only at the area below her shoulders.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Bai Tao looked at Pei Jin.

Her eyes were watery and sparkling, as if something was swirling inside, but they never came down.

She was angry, but not in a violent, hysterical way; rather, it was a heavy, stifling anger, like a stone pressing on her chest.

She was angry that he didn't tell her he was doing such tiring work, and angry that he lied.

Express sorting center.

She thought her job was 9 to 5 with a one-hour lunch break and no overtime, but it turned out to be sorting express packages.

She remembered the dust on his clothes when he came home every day, how quickly he ate, and how he left home before it was fully light.

She should have thought of it; she should have thought of it long ago.

But she didn't, because she was busy painting and taking orders.

If Pei Jin hadn't been taken in by her, would his life be much better now?

Pei Jin obediently walked up to Bai Tao and lowered his head.

He can endure the pain of being hit on the back by a package, and he can endure the stinging pain of scraping his palms after falling off a vehicle.

But he couldn't stand Bai Tao standing in front of him with tears in her eyes, not speaking to him.

Bai Tao ignored him.

Her gaze shifted from his face to the nurse beside him who was still rubbing her arm. Her voice was steady, so steady that even she herself felt unfamiliar with it.

"Hello, how is he doing now?"

The nurse glanced at Bai Tao, then at Pei Jin, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.

When she was treating Pei Jin's wounds, she asked him a lot of questions, but he didn't say a word. She thought he was single.

It turns out he had a girlfriend, and she was the kind of girlfriend he would willingly lower his head to.

The nurse immediately became professional, opened Pei Jin's medical record, and read out the test results.

"It's nothing serious, just a soft tissue contusion from being hit on the back by a heavy object, with bruising and minor abrasions on the skin."

The head CT scan showed no intracranial hemorrhage, and there was no cervical spine fracture. After returning home, apply the medication as prescribed and get plenty of rest.

She closed the medical record book, hesitated for a moment, and then added,

"By the way, don't sleep on a kang (heated brick bed) or a hard bed, as these are bad for spinal recovery. It's best to sleep on a softer mattress."

Bai Tao was stunned.

Sleep on a softer mattress.

She turned to look at Pei Jin, who was also looking at her.

Old Sun and the others voluntarily paid Pei Jin's medical expenses in advance.

Several people pooled their money; you took two hundred, I took three hundred, and Old Sun took five hundred by himself.

When they handed the money to the payment window, Bai Tao chased after them and said, "I'll pay," but Lao Sun blocked her with one arm.

"Girl, it's our fault for not taking good care of him. We should pay for it."

His eyes were still red when he said this.

Everyone here is a temporary worker, and no one here provides insurance. Bai Tao and Pei Jin are new to the workforce and don't realize the importance of medical insurance. It's too late to buy it now.

Seven or eight men were standing in front of the payment window. The sight made Bai Tao's nose tingle, and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

Old Sun went to pick up the medicine; the plastic bag contained several boxes of ointment and a pack of gauze.

Pei Jin stood less than a step behind Bai Tao, the white gauze around his neck glaringly bright.

Old Sun handed the plastic bag containing the medicine to Bai Tao, but Bai Tao showed no intention of helping Pei Jin carry the bag.

She stood there, her bag slung across her shoulder, arms crossed, looking at her phone.

Pei Jin naturally took the medicine bag, held it in his hand, and stood next to Bai Tao like a bodyguard.

The plastic bag swayed in his hand, and the medicine box inside made a slight clinking sound.

Old Sun stood still, glanced at Bai Tao, and then at Pei Jin.

Pei Jin's colleagues had mostly left. Bai Tao looked up and gave Pei Jin a cold glance.

"The car is almost here, let's go."

After saying that, Bai Tao walked towards the hospital entrance.

Pei Jin followed behind him, waved to Old Sun, and then followed her.

Old Sun stood still and exclaimed, "Huh?"

Which of them is the patient?

Pei Jin followed Bai Tao obediently into the car.

The taxi's back seat wasn't big, and when the car started, Pei Jin's back hit the backrest, causing his Adam's apple to bob in pain, but he didn't utter a sound.

Although his back wasn't seriously injured, the area where the large object hit him had turned purplish-blue, spreading from his shoulder blade all the way down to his waist.

The abrasions, rubbed against the fabric of my clothes, caused a sharp, stinging pain with every movement.

He couldn't sit back in the car seat; he could only sit with his back straight and his back hanging in the air.

Bai Tao sat next to him by the window, her face turned outwards, showing him the back of her head.

The driver secretly glanced back several times through the rearview mirror.

When he picked up the young couple at the entrance of the People's Hospital, he thought they were just an ordinary young couple coming to see a doctor.

As he got on the bus, he was thinking, "They're a perfect match, a really perfect match. They're much better than the couple I picked up yesterday who argued the whole way on the bus."

But now he's not so sure.

The woman leaned against the window, her face turned towards the outside, while the man stood with his back straight, like a schoolboy who had made a mistake.

Pei Jin immediately recognized that this was not the way back to the basement.

His heart clenched, and the pain in his back became less important at that moment. He didn't know what to say.

People in the factory have said that what women hate most is being lied to by men.

Old Zhou said this when they were squatting under the shade of a tree eating their boxed lunches at noon.

Old Zhou said that he divorced his ex-wife because of this, which resulted in the company going bankrupt and the bank sealing his door.

His ex-wife was squatting in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau, holding their child and crying.

"If you lie to me once, I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

Will Bai Tao leave him?

The car stopped in front of a furniture store that didn't look very big. The storefront was small, and several trucks were parked in front of it.

"arrive."

The driver in front spoke up, glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror, and stepped on the brake.

Bai Tao nodded, said "thank you" softly, then opened the car door herself and left without waiting for Pei Jin.

She didn't turn her head once from the moment she got off the bus until she walked into the furniture store.

Pei Jin followed behind her, still feeling a bit out of sorts after being discharged from the hospital.

Actually, my body hadn't recovered yet. The injury on my back felt like someone had placed a red-hot iron there, and it ached with every step I took.

But he didn't say anything, nor did he slow down. He followed Bai Tao to whichever store she went to, keeping a distance of two or three steps between them, neither too close nor too far.

When she stopped to ask the price, he stood at the shop entrance and didn't go in.

Several times he wanted to speak up, to say, "No need to buy any more, I'll just sleep on a wooden plank," and to say, "I'm sorry."

But every time he tried to speak, he would see Bai Tao's tense profile and pursed lips and swallow his words back.

Bai Tao deliberately held her breath, pretending not to see or ignore him.

Damn Pei Jin, you tricked me, I'm going to torment you and make you furious.

She knew she was being a bit childish, but she couldn't help it.

Pei Jin followed behind Bai Tao without getting angry at all.

His guilt was almost overwhelming him.

He was afraid to see the disappointment in Bai Tao's eyes.

Even though Bai Tao was angry, she still came to buy him a mattress.

The two people, who clearly had no relationship whatsoever, lived together in a basement without any proper connection, separated by a floral fabric, each sleeping in their own room.

Pei Jin followed behind, his eyes fixed on Bai Tao.

He watched as she bent down and pressed her hand against the side of the mattress to test its firmness.

In a corner where no one was watching, Pei Jin's tongue slid across the inside of his lips and gently licked the corner of his mouth.

His gaze was fixed on Bai Tao, his eyes becoming intense and burning when no one was around, like a pot of soup that had been simmering for a long time, finally bubbling up.

Baby, you're so good to me.

Please, please don't leave me.

Pei Jin finally realized his feelings.

He thought, "This is the one."

No matter how far he goes in the future, he doesn't want to let go of this person.

He secretly took out his phone from his pocket, opened the chat window of the international student who had sent him a private message, and quickly typed a line of text.

[Sure, send me the information. It's $4000.]

The other party replied almost instantly.

[Great job, senior! $5000 for outstanding graduation.]

Five thousand US dollars is nothing; Pei Jin won't be polite with him.

It's not even a fraction of the cost of a custom-made dress by Bai Tao.

But he'll make her wear it back.

Country A, 3 a.m.

After replying to the message, Chi Shibao casually tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.

"Alas--"

He let out a short, excited cheer; the only thing that had bothered him was now gone.

"Friends! Free America, crazy Los Angeles!!!!"

The accelerator revved under his foot, and he floored it. The dark blue Lykan Hypersport sprang off the zebra crossing like a wild beast unleashed from its chains.

The car was practically skimming the ground as it flew, its taillights leaving two thin, red streaks in the night.

The cell phone on the passenger seat was thrown under the seat by inertia and rolled twice.

Ferraris and Bugattis followed closely behind, their engines roaring incessantly, like a crazy, out-of-control party.

The dust on the ground was swirled up, and when the roar completely faded away, only a few black tire tracks remained at the intersection, gleaming oily under the streetlights.

Pei Jin originally didn't plan to take this order.

He was looking for a junior student who had a strong academic background and only needed simple guidance, rather than a spendthrift like Chi Shibao who was good at tutoring papers.

Chi Shibao's reputation among alumni is not good; his posts on Tieba (a Chinese online forum) receive few replies.

[High-paying job offering guidance on graduation theses; guaranteed pass and instruction guaranteed.]

But Chi Shibao gave just too much.

The Chi family of Guangcheng started out in the trade business and had influence in both the legitimate and criminal worlds of Guangcheng, making them virtually all-powerful figures in the area.

Pei Jin had heard of this name. The Chi family patriarch's influence in Guangcheng was deeply entrenched, and no one knew exactly how much money or how many businesses his family owned.

I never expected to deal with you again in this way.

He is injured now and needs to rest at home for a few days. He can't go to the courier station, but this time can be used to write Chi Shibao's thesis.

Send me electronic copies of your major's materials, along with your academic account and password.

Chi Shibao did not reply.

Pei Jin didn't know what the situation was like over there, but according to the time difference, it was only two or three in the morning there.

He ignored it, put his phone back in his pocket, and when he looked up, he met Bai Tao's face.

After confirming the mattress, Bai Tao ended up paying an extra 100 yuan to have the furniture store staff deliver it to her directly.

She and Pei Jin also hitched a ride on a mattress delivery.

The old tricycle shook violently up and down as soon as it was started.

The engine roared under the seats, and the whole carriage shook.

Bai Tao sat in the open-air carriage, the metal floor beneath her bottom having been baked by the sun all day, and it was still hot even in the evening.

She clutched her bag, her body swaying up and down with the movement of the train carriage.

Bai Tao refused to lean against Pei Jin, looking straight ahead and pretending that she was sitting very steadily.

Pei Jin quietly placed one hand behind her back.

His arms were outstretched, his gaze fixed on the back of Bai Tao's head, where stray hairs trembled gently in the wind.

At an intersection, the tricycle suddenly made a sharp turn.

Bai Tao's body was pulled to the side, and her bag slipped from her arms and fell onto the floor of the carriage.

Her upper body tilted to the side, and in the moment she lost her balance, she crashed into a warm, broad chest that smelled faintly of sweat.

Pei Jin took the opportunity to put his arm around hers to protect her, and wrapped his other arm around her to pull her into his embrace.

His back slammed hard against the uneven wall of the tricycle, the edge of the metal digging into his spine and the bruises, as if someone had stabbed him in the back with a knife.

"Hmm."

Pei Jin groaned in pain, his voice very low, as if squeezed from the deepest part of his throat, not wanting Bai Tao to hear.

But Bai Tao heard it.

Her hands were still resting on his chest, her palms pressed against the contours of his pectoral muscles.

Bai Tao steadied herself, lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes filled with anxious panic, on the verge of tears.

Her fingers gripped the fabric of his chest so tightly that her nails almost dug into his skin.

"How are you, Pei Jin? Are you alright?"

Pei Jin frowned, the pain in his back still lingering, surging up in waves like a tide.

His face was pale, and his lips had lost some color.

"It's nothing. It just hurts a little."

Bai Tao anxiously grabbed his sleeve, her fingertips squeezing the fabric into deep wrinkles.

It's all her fault. To save twenty yuan, she insisted on taking this lousy ride-sharing service.

She almost made Pei Jin's back injury worse.

Pei Jin coughed lightly twice, covering his mouth with one hand to hide his barely concealed smile.

He looked at her anxious expression, at her white knuckles gripping his sleeve, at her reddened eyes and the tears that were about to fall.

This feeling is more effective than any painkiller.

He coughed as he gently and slowly patted Bai Tao's back.

"It's fine,"

Pei Jin's voice was gentle, soothing, like coaxing a child, with a slight rise at the end, "It just hurts a little."

"It's nothing, it's nothing!"

Bai Tao's voice trembled with anxiety as she angrily shouted at the man in the driver's seat, "Drive slower!"

The man in the driver's seat was an old man in his fifties, with a round face, slightly balding, and tattoos of a blue dragon and a white tiger on his left and right arms.

Hearing Bai Tao's shout, he frowned, his anger about to erupt.

He was driving perfectly fine, but he started yelling at him. This old car is practically falling apart, what does it have to do with him?

Just as he was about to turn around and say, "If you don't like the bumpy ride, don't sit here," he saw Pei Jin in the rearview mirror, hugging Bai Tao and gently patting her back.

He lifted his hand off the steering wheel slightly, as if he was hesitating whether to retort, but finally put it back down.

Forget it, it's just young people dating, what business is it of an old man like him to interfere?

Seeing that the person opposite was about to turn around in a hurry, Pei Jin quickly hugged Bai Tao, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and held her body firmly in his arms.

The middle-aged man in front glanced at him in the rearview mirror, then at Bai Tao, who had calmed down and was being held in his arms.

He snorted but didn't say anything more.