When An Yubei said he would protect Lu Jinsheng, he really meant it. He would not let him suffer the slightest harm.
An Yubei took Lu Jinsheng to the back door, which opened directly onto a narrow alley. Beyond it lay a broad road.
Holding Lu Jinsheng's hand, he cautiously pressed himself against the wall near the back door and checked for movement.
Only after making sure there was no danger did he turn to Lu Jinsheng and say, "It's safe. Let's go."
Seeing that Lu Jinsheng was still lost in thought, An Yubei asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Lu Jinsheng's heart was pounding because An Yubei was holding his hand.
An Yubei's hand was small and delicate, more like a girl's than a boy's.
His hand was warm, and he held on with a little pressure, making you feel secure.
Hearing An Yubei's question, Lu Jinsheng came back to himself and said it was nothing.
An Yubei was only puzzled for a moment before pushing open the back door and leading Lu Jinsheng outside by the hand.
They had barely taken two steps when several people sprang out in front of and behind them, trapping them in the alley.
The man leading them held a fruit knife and looked vicious enough to eat someone alive.
"Neither of you is getting away today. Get them!"
With attackers on both sides and nowhere to run, An Yubei kept Lu Jinsheng firmly behind him.
An Yubei had always kept his word. He had said he would protect Lu Jinsheng, and he really would.
"I'm An Yubei, the Ji family's young master. If you dare touch me, my brother Ji Shang won't let you off."
An Yubei did not know how to fight. He had always been a well-behaved kid who did not even dare watch other people fight, let alone throw a punch himself.
He thought he could use Ji Shang's name to intimidate them. After all, his brother had a fearsome reputation, and outsiders would usually show him at least some respect.
But he had underestimated these people. They were being paid to do a job and did not care who Ji Shang was.
"I don't care who you are. I'd beat you up even if you were the emperor of heaven himself."
Seeing things were going badly, An Yubei hurriedly took out his phone to call Ji Shang, but before he could dial, someone snatched it away and smashed it.
"Trying to call for help? You're getting it first."
With that, the man swung a club at him. Scared witless, An Yubei shut his eyes and covered his head.
Yet the pain never landed on him. Instead, someone appeared in front of him.
It was Lu Jinsheng who stood in front of him and took the blow for him. Lu Jinsheng let out a muffled groan, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.
Before An Yubei could speak, Lu Jinsheng shoved aside someone beside them, grabbed An Yubei's wrist, and ran.
They ran ahead while the men behind chased them desperately.
An Yubei mustered every last ounce of strength and ran at a hundred-meter sprint pace.
After twisting and turning through the alleys, they finally shook off their pursuers.
Once he was sure no one had followed them, An Yubei lay straight down on the ground.
He was exhausted. The way running had made his heart race had almost convinced him he was about to drop dead.
He tried to steady his heartbeat, taking deep breath after deep breath.
Lu Jinsheng leaned against the wall beside him, panting. Soon, he crouched next to An Yubei and said, "Get up. The ground's cold."
An Yubei was exhausted and refused to get up. All he wanted right then was to lie down for a while.
"No, I don't want to. I need to rest. I'm exhausted."
At a loss, Lu Jinsheng could only sit on the ground and let An Yubei rest his head on his thighs.
"Then get some rest. We'll leave when you're ready."
With his head pillowed on Lu Jinsheng's thighs, An Yubei relaxed and closed his eyes for a moment.
He had only just shut his eyes when he remembered that Lu Jinsheng had taken a blow for him.
He hurriedly sat up straight and reached to lift Lu Jinsheng's shirt.
Lu Jinsheng wore a white T-shirt. When An Yubei lifted it, he saw a shocking red mark.
A long red welt stretched across his back like a long earthworm.
It hurt just to look at it. An Yubei leaned down and blew gently on it. "Does it still hurt?"
It had certainly hurt at first, but once the worst had passed, it had stopped hurting so much. Now there was only a faint ache, still within what he could bear.
But when An Yubei lifted his shirt, Lu Jinsheng's breath caught in his throat, ticklish.
A tingling itch swept over his spine, and soon a warm breath blew across his back, intensifying the tingling until it felt like an electric current.
So he said, "It hurts. It hurts so much."
It was not that it really hurt. He just wanted An Yubei's sympathy.
He wanted An Yubei to care about him.
An Yubei blew on it again. "No, we need to go to the hospital. What if you're seriously hurt?"
A blow like that could easily cause internal injuries. On top of that, Lu Jinsheng had said it hurt, leaving An Yubei completely panicked.
An Yubei felt he had let Lu Jinsheng down. He had promised to protect him, yet Lu Jinsheng had ended up protecting him instead.
Seeing that An Yubei was about to cry, Lu Jinsheng felt guilt well up inside him. He pulled his shirt down to cover his back and said, "It's nothing. There's no need to go to the hospital."
An Yubei's eyes grew wet, and a tear rolled down his cheek. His voice thick with tears, he said, "No, you have to go to the hospital."
Lu Jinsheng had taken that blow for him. He ought to take responsibility.
An Yubei said, "I have to take responsibility for you."
How had he made the little guy cry?
His heart aching, Lu Jinsheng raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corner of An Yubei's eye and said casually, "It's really fine. I just need to put some medicine on it when I get home."
As he spoke, he stood up and reached out to pull An Yubei to his feet as well. "I should head home. My mom will worry if I'm late."
Still worried, An Yubei said, "Then I'll go home with you and help you put on the medicine."
Lu Jinsheng's eyes darkened. "All right, then."
An Yubei followed Lu Jinsheng home.
Lu Jinsheng lived in a hutong lined with single-story homes. There was no toilet inside, so they had to use the public toilets.
Pushing open the door, Lu Jinsheng pressed his lips together and said, "My place is pretty run-down."
Lu Jinsheng thought that An Yubei, a young master from a wealthy family who had always lived in comfort, would naturally find his home's shabbiness and poverty unbearable.
Unexpectedly, An Yubei did not mind at all and even trotted cheerfully inside.
Hearing the noise, Lu Jinsheng's mother, Zhang Hui, came out. Coughing, she asked, "Shengsheng, are you home?"
Lu Jinsheng answered, "Mom, I brought a friend home."
Lu Jinsheng's home was tiny, looking to be only a little over twenty square meters.
It was divided into an inner and an outer room, with a small room inside and a bed, a table, and cooking utensils in the outer room.
Zhang Hui had a very poor complexion, with little color in her face. One look made it clear she had been ill for years.
An Yubei smiled sweetly and greeted her politely. "Hello, Auntie. I'm Lu Jinsheng's friend. My name is An Yubei."
An Yubei's voice was truly lovely. Paired with his sweet smile, it made people like him from the bottom of their hearts.
"Hello. What a pretty child. You look like a girl."
"Our home isn't very nice, and we can't offer you much. I hope you don't mind, young man."
"Why would I?" An Yubei said. "Humble though this dwelling is, my virtue lends it fragrance."
An Yubei showed off what little literary knowledge he had, making Zhang Hui burst into laughter.
She had not felt happy in a long time. Seeing that Lu Jinsheng had a friend today truly delighted her.
"Have you eaten? I'll make you something."
At the mention of food, An Yubei did feel a little hungry.
But how could he let someone who was ill cook for him? That would be far too inconsiderate.
So An Yubei shook his head and said he was not hungry.
The very next second after he said that, his stomach betrayed him with a growl.
An Yubei instantly wished the ground would swallow him up!