The Villain Quits - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Despite the absurdity of it all, at my brother’s adamant insistence, we ended up escorting him-and Xie Yu’an, who was dragged along for the ride-to the school clinic.

The school doctor spent ages peering through a magnifying glass, sweating profusely from the effort, before finally locating a tiny abrasion. With a look of great reluctance, he prescribed two Band-Aids.

Watching my brother’s ridiculously over-the-top performance, I thought for a moment and said, “Xie Yu’an, since we’re already here, you should get checked out too. Just in case there’s some internal injury.”

Xie Yu’an shook his head.

“I’m fine. I used to get hurt all the time; I’m used to it. A little scratch like this is nothing.”

I froze, his words immediately bringing his past to mind.

Having his palms beaten raw by bullying staff at the orphanage, being subjected to corporal punishment at his foster mother’s house for the slightest mistake…

He was so pitiful.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

My brother slammed his hand on the desk and bolted upright. “Holy crap, I smell a green tea-”

Immediately following his outburst, everyone in the room heard a very distinct *pop* of a joint popping out of place.

My brother turned pale, sucked in a sharp breath, and collapsed back down.

“I… I think I actually sprained my ankle this time.”

The school doctor’s expression was complicated.

He handed over two more bottles of Yunnan Baiyao medicinal spray.

Jiang Ning was doubled over, slapping the table in fits of laughter. But as she laughed, her gaze swept over Xie Yu’an’s face, and her expression shifted into one of confusion.

“Wait, Xie Yu’an? Have we met before…”

She suddenly clapped her hands and stepped closer.

“I remember now! It’s you! Holy shit, Xie Yu’an, you’re actually still alive?!”

In her excitement, she accidentally kicked over the chair my brother was sitting on.

Amidst a chorus of “What the hells,” my brother lay on the floor clutching his leg in a daze. Meanwhile, Jiang Ning turned white as a sheet, her voice trailing off weakly.

“Doctor, Doctor, quick… I think my foot also…”

The school doctor: “…”

Well, nobody’s leaving empty-handed.

This trip to the clinic was certainly proving to be productive for everyone.

When we finally left, Xie Yu’an and I walked in front, each carrying a bag of injury medication.

My brother and Jiang Ning had sprained opposite ankles-one left, one right-making them perfect human crutches for each other. They lagged far behind, chanting like they were in a marching drill:

“Left foot, right foot, one-two-one, one-two-one!”

Only then did I have a moment to process the chaotic scene from earlier.

Why was the long-awaited reunion between the male and female leads so different from what I had imagined?

I curiously asked Xie Yu’an, “Did you and Jiang Ning know each other before?”

Xie Yu’an nodded.

“We grew up in the same orphanage.”

And? That was it?

Where was that unbreakable bond you two were supposed to have as the leads?!

Under my intense, gossip-hungry gaze, Xie Yu’an thought about it some more, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes.

“She used to be the leader of that group of kids. She was always leading people to cause trouble and stealing food from the kitchen. I didn’t participate.”

He paused, then summarized it in one sentence: “She thought I was a poser; I thought she was noisy.”

I was dumbstruck.

Wait, what happened to the ‘mutual salvation’ trope?

This script is all wrong!

Xie Yu’an tilted his head and glanced at me.

“You seem very interested in my past.”

“No, no, I was just asking casually,” I laughed sheepishly, trying to play it off.

Xie Yu’an didn’t seem to believe me as he leaned in a bit closer.

“Really?”

That handsome face of his loomed large before my eyes.

My heart skipped a beat. Before I could figure out how to respond, I heard my brother screaming at the top of his lungs from behind us:

“Shen Sui! Get away from him! Stay away!”

At the same time, Jiang Ning let out a short, sharp shriek.

“Crap, why didn’t you jump-ah!”

A loud crash sounded behind us. I turned around a second too late.

My brother and Jiang Ning were already a tangled mess on the ground, struggling to crawl back up.