“Sorry… I really didn’t want things to turn out like this, but…” Zhou Muning apologized, but her tears fell before she could finish.
Over the past month, she kept replaying that day in her mind.
Not only did she keep having nightmares about it, but she also developed an instinctive aversion to men.
Even her own brother, Ye Fan, couldn’t get close to her.
She hadn’t planned to tell Qin Xiangyi any of this, but the shock just now brought all those memories flooding back.
“I get it, it’s not your fault.” Qin Xiangyi hugged Zhou Muning tightly, her voice gentle as she tried to calm her down.
“Don’t be scared.
I’m here.
No one’s going to hurt you again.” Qin Xiangyi kept soothing her.
Zhou Muning tried to take deep breaths, but she still clung tightly to Qin Xiangyi.
People around them watched curiously, as if waiting for some drama to unfold between the two.
The attention made Zhou Muning tense up again.
Qin Xiangyi’s eyes turned cold, and she gave an order to the two people still chatting in her head.
Qin Xiangyi: Get rid of them.
Zhou Muning’s really scared right now.
The two flower people finally stopped talking and started using their own methods to drive the crowd away.
Shaoyao used blunt intimidation, while Huanü used drugs that could control humans.
In just a moment, there was no one left nearby.
Qin Xiangyi kept giving hints, “Try not to think about what happened.
Think about something happy.”
Qin Xiangyi kept comforting her, and Zhou Muning tried to push away her fears.
Her breathing slowly steadied, but when she opened her eyes again, her face was a little red.
After meeting Qin Xiangyi’s gaze, the blush spread all the way to her ears.
Her eyes were calm again, but she seemed even more embarrassed.
“Sorry, Xiangyi, I made you worry again.”
She slowly sat up, feeling embarrassed about her reaction just now.
Qin Xiangyi shook her head, also looking apologetic.
“No, it’s not your fault.” Qin Xiangyi replied, thinking about how she was the shameless author who created all this.
If she hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon and written such a weird plot, thinking PTSD would be a great way to move the story along, none of this would’ve happened.
“How could it be your fault? If I’d been more careful, none of that would’ve happened, and you wouldn’t have suffered so much.” But Zhou Muning didn’t see it that way, insisting it was her own fault.
Their relationship had definitely gotten closer, but it was still super awkward.
Realizing this couldn’t go on, Qin Xiangyi changed the subject.
“I’m suddenly a little hungry.
How about we eat and talk at the same time?”
Only then did Zhou Muning realize she’d gotten a bit worked up.
She nodded and grabbed Qin Xiangyi’s arm, showing just how much she relied on her.
It was still summer break, but since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people around.
Qin Xiangyi also noticed that whenever a man walked in their direction, Zhou Muning would immediately tense up, only relaxing once the guy had passed and she was sure no one was nearby.
Qin Xiangyi pretended not to notice.
They browsed the shops around them and finally decided on barbecue.
First, because Qin Xiangyi had just been to this place yesterday and knew it well.
Second, because barbecue takes time, so she could use grilling as an excuse to talk less.
Zhou Muning didn’t object to barbecue, but she was still nervous after they went inside.
Qin Xiangyi picked a quiet spot, and when Zhou Muning saw the waitress was a woman, she relaxed a lot.
There weren’t many customers in the restaurant, and Zhou Muning was so pretty that she naturally drew attention.
Qin Xiangyi kept her head down, looking at the menu, and ordered all the meats she’d liked yesterday.
Zhou Muning finally calmed down and started talking about other people.
Qin Xiangyi didn’t know any of them, and since the food hadn’t arrived yet, she said, “By the way, what makes you happiest?”
The sudden topic change left Zhou Muning a bit confused.
She was still holding her teacup, her pretty face full of puzzlement, like she couldn’t figure out why they’d gone from talking about classmates to this out of nowhere.
Qin Xiangyi felt awkward too, but she had no choice but to keep the small talk going.
She added, “I just noticed you blushed earlier, like you suddenly thought of something.
I’m curious what it was.”
Zhou Muning’s attention was successfully diverted.
Her hand trembled a little as she held the cup, her emotions shifting again.
But this time, instead of fear, she just seemed more embarrassed, lips pressed together like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
“Excuse me, your meat is ready.” The waitress showed up just then, putting the plates of meat on the table.
The topic was interrupted again, and Qin Xiangyi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could finally start her barbecue mission.
Once she got going, she could use her focus as an excuse to avoid talking too much with Zhou Muning.
“Do you need help grilling?” The waitress asked, seeing that both of them looked pretty young.
“No need.”
“Alright, if you need anything else, just call me.” The waitress politely reminded them again, then went to chat with the other staff.
Qin Xiangyi shifted her attention, just about to start grilling, when she realized Zhou Muning had already started.
Her movements were quick and practiced, like she did this all the time.
But with Zhou Muning’s family background, it didn’t seem likely she’d eat barbecue often.
Qin Xiangyi looked puzzled, and Zhou Muning explained, “I actually work part-time at a barbecue place, but it’s closer to my house.”
“Oh,” Qin Xiangyi replied, her hands suddenly at a loss now that her barbecue mission had been stolen.
But just staring at the grill wasn’t an option, so she tried to make conversation.
“You still haven’t answered my question from earlier.” Qin Xiangyi pressed on, and Zhou Muning’s hand shook again, but she quickly recovered, laying out the meat as she said, “Do you really want to know?”
Qin Xiangyi nodded seriously, and to reassure Zhou Muning, she added, “I promise I won’t tell your brother.”
Zhou Muning burst out laughing, the serious mood vanishing.
She looked at Qin Xiangyi and whispered, “I was just thinking about when you saved me.”
After that, Zhou Muning didn’t dare meet Qin Xiangyi’s eyes, nervously fussing with the grill as if staring at the meat would fill her up.
