Chapter 054: She gazed at him like that—for the sake of a man?

At the mere mention of that name again, Shi Runrun’s heart spasmed, a dull ache spreading from its depths. She lifted her gaze, looking at him in a daze, unable for a moment to grasp the meaning behind his question.

Was it not true? In his heart, there lived a woman named Zao Zao. No matter how hard she tried, she could never break through the walls around his heart...

With that thought, Shi Runrun let out a self-mocking laugh.

Xiao Xuezheng watched the curve of her lips, but his expression grew grave. “I’ll explain everything about Zao Zao when we get home. Now isn’t the time for childish tantrums. Come home with me.”

Tears streamed down her face as Shi Runrun forced a smile and asked, “Xiao Xuezheng, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” he replied.

“Have you ever… even just a little… loved me?” Her words were soft, but they took all the courage she could muster in her life.

Xiao Xuezheng frowned, his eyes suddenly dimmed and hollow. He hesitated for a long time before speaking, his voice hoarse and desolate: “I can’t give you an answer to that right now. I can’t see clearly into my own heart. But what I do know is—I can’t lose you.”

Shi Runrun’s heart trembled violently.

To be honest, even though she didn’t hear the word “love,” hearing him say those words still moved her. He said he couldn’t lose her… Did that mean, perhaps, that he did love her, at least a little?

But that love could never compare to what he felt for Zao Zao. She knew that…

At that point, Xiao Xuezheng had exhausted all the tenderness he possessed. Propping up his weakened body, he stubbornly pressed on, “Will you come home with me now?”

Shi Runrun gazed at his chiseled, handsome face, her expression wavering with hesitation and struggle.

She didn’t know if she should go back with him. Part of her wanted to, but she was afraid—afraid of being hurt like that again.

Besides, the baby was gone. How could she ever explain that to Grandpa and Grandma? She couldn’t. They had looked forward to their great-grandchild so much. Now, as a mother, she had failed. She’d lost the baby. How could she bear their disappointment, their blame?

While she hesitated, the anticipation on Xiao Xuezheng’s face slowly froze over, replaced by growing coldness.

He had come all this way to find her, dragging his fevered, weakened body. Now, all he asked was for her to nod and go home with him—was that really so difficult?

His heart tightened, pain spreading as his hands involuntarily clenched at his sides.

He felt his strength draining away, the world before his eyes growing darker and darker.

The next moment, Shi Runrun spoke: “Xiao Xuezheng, let me ask you—on the day my accident happened, who were you with? Why was it a woman who answered when I called you for help?”

Her words made his brows knit together, his handsome features tensing.

“You called me that day? I never got your call.” He muttered under his breath, reaching for his phone to check the call logs. But before he could, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.

Both of them froze. Shi Runrun turned toward the door, while the man’s gaze fixed on her.

The knocking grew louder, more insistent.

Who could be at the door at a time like this?

Shi Runrun started toward the door, but just then, a familiar deep male voice sounded from outside.

“Runrun? Are you home? It’s me, Qiao Yu. I’ve finished your school transfer. You can study in B City now—no need to go back to the capital, no need to return to that man!”

The last sentence crashed into the room like a bomb, landing squarely between the two inside.

Xiao Xuezheng’s weary, bloodshot eyes narrowed, a surge of fury rising from deep within, flooding his mind.

In an instant, Shi Runrun sensed the terrifying aura emanating from him.

She turned to him, shocked, but he only looked back at her with a cold, mocking smile. “A transfer? Leaving me? Never coming back to me?”

“So you already have someone else. That’s why you won’t come home,” he sneered, lips curled in scorn.

Shi Runrun was left speechless.

The next moment, Xiao Xuezheng strode off the bed, fists clenched, and walked straight to the door.

Watching his imposing, murderous back, Shi Runrun’s heart leapt in alarm. She hurried after him. “Xiao Xuezheng! Wait!”

But it was too late.

Consumed by rage, Xiao Xuezheng flung open the door. Before Qiao Yu in the doorway could react, Xiao Xuezheng’s fist crashed into his face.

With a loud crash, Qiao Yu staggered backward, hitting the wall, a muffled groan escaping his lips.

He quickly recovered, though. Recognizing his assailant, he rolled up his sleeves and joined the fight.

And so, in the narrow corridor outside the door, Xiao Xuezheng and Qiao Yu—two tall and striking men—came to blows.

Loud crashes echoed through the hallway, followed by shouts and grunts of pain, and the sound of things being knocked over and shattered.

Each sound landed squarely in Shi Runrun’s heart, filling her with terror and anxiety.

Without thinking, she ran out of the room, arriving at the door to find the two men locked in a fierce brawl. Crying, she shouted, “Stop! Both of you, stop it!”

“Stay out of this!” the men shouted back in unison, neither listening, fists flying even harder.

Soon, both Xiao Xuezheng and Qiao Yu bore fresh wounds on their faces.

In terms of skill, Qiao Yu was no match for Xiao Xuezheng—even now, when Xiao Xuezheng was burning with fever and physically weakened.

But driven by a fury that burned away all reason, each of Xiao Xuezheng’s blows landed with ferocious force. Before long, Qiao Yu was defeated.

With a final punch, Xiao Xuezheng slammed his fist into Qiao Yu’s right cheek. Qiao Yu’s body crashed against the wall, blood trickling from his bruised nose and split lip.

Veins bulging at his temples, Xiao Xuezheng reached out, grabbing Qiao Yu by the collar, ready to strike again. But just then, Shi Runrun, sobbing, rushed between them, shielding Qiao Yu with her own body.

“Xiao Xuezheng! Stop! How could you beat him like this? Let him go!” she cried, prying his hand off Qiao Yu’s collar and helping Qiao Yu to sit against the wall, before turning to glare at Xiao Xuezheng.

On her first day in B City, she had nearly died in the hospital—if not for Qiao Yu, who had followed her and saved her…

If not for Qiao Yu, there would be no Shi Runrun left in this world.

These past days, he had helped her rent an apartment, taken care of her, arranged for her to audit classes at B University, found her part-time work—all quietly, behind the scenes.

Qiao Yu had done nothing wrong. He did not deserve this beating.

But it was precisely her defense of Qiao Yu, her wary, cold gaze directed at him, that stabbed into Xiao Xuezheng’s heart like a blade, again and again, mercilessly slicing it open.

A heart once unbreakable began to crumble in the moment she chose to protect another man against him.

Xiao Xuezheng felt the world go dark, his consciousness wavering on the brink of collapse.

His heart ached—deep, unbearable pain.

She was looking at him like this—for another man.