Chapter 11: A Hero Rescues a Maiden

As evening approached and it was nearly time for dinner, Chen Erpao was suddenly summoned to the principal’s office. Li Meili happened to be inside as well. When she saw him enter, she immediately switched to a smile so radiant that it seemed it could light up the whole room.

It turned out the principal had heard about the fight that had taken place that morning, and, what’s more, knew that it was Chen Erpao who had successfully stopped it. Of course, Chen Erpao could easily guess that Li Meili had praised him extravagantly in front of the principal.

“Erpao! You did an excellent job today. If it hadn’t been for you, this incident could have brought a lot of trouble to the school. Director Li has just spoken very highly of you, and she even suggested promoting you to vice-captain of the security team. I think that’s a great idea, and you’re more than capable of handling the position.” The principal smiled lightly, his tone full of appreciation.

“Thank you, Principal, and thank you too, Director Li.” Chen Erpao smiled faintly. He wasn’t particularly excited about such a swift promotion; after all, if all he had ever wanted was to be a minor security captain, he wouldn’t have chosen to retire from the military in the first place, and now he was only the vice-captain.

“By the way, at tomorrow’s Monday morning flag-raising ceremony, the school will announce the outcome of this incident and commend you in front of everyone. You’ll need to go on stage and give a speech on behalf of the security team, so be sure to prepare.” The principal continued.

Chen Erpao hadn’t expected to have to give a speech. The thought of standing on stage, being stared at by countless innocent schoolgirls, made him feel terribly self-conscious! What if one of those girls couldn’t contain herself and rushed up to him? Anxious, he agreed to the principal’s request.

Afterward, he left the office with Li Meili.

Once outside, Li Meili’s tone softened considerably, so different from the stern, unyielding figure the students usually saw.

“I drank too much last night, and I’m still a bit dizzy today. But honestly, I haven’t felt this relaxed in ages. Thank you, really, and thank you to Wang Xing too for keeping me company last night! Poor Wang Xing, though—I feel terrible for making him sleep in the living room.”

“So that’s why he was in the living room last night. I saw him looking tired and listless this morning, and I thought…” Chen Erpao chuckled slyly.

Li Meili immediately frowned at this, giving him a sharp look. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not that kind of woman. It was just too late for him to go home, so he made do in the living room.”

After speaking, Li Meili glanced shyly at Chen Erpao.

“I’ve really gotten myself into something big this time,” Chen Erpao muttered to himself, his face a picture of exasperation.

That night, after work, Chen Erpao stopped by Old Yang’s food stall to buy a bottle of liquor before heading home.

Just as he took out his keys to open the door, a heated quarrel erupted behind him, accompanied by the sound of sobbing.

“What’s up with this girl? She looked so happy this morning, and now she’s like this. Could it be… problems in their intimate life?” Chen Erpao’s mind wandered to less-than-decent thoughts.

Soon, the door across the hall flung open. Curious about what had happened, Chen Erpao opened his own door just a crack and peeked out.

He saw Li Ziyang dash out in a panic, a glaring red handprint across his face.

Even after Li Ziyang had fled for some time, the opposite door remained open, and the sound of crying drifted out.

Chen Erpao considered minding his own business, but his overwhelming sense of justice got the better of him. Besides, they were neighbors—it was only right to help if someone was in trouble.

With that justification firmly in mind, he entered the girl’s apartment. What he saw inside left him stunned.

The room was in complete disarray. A beautiful young woman lay slumped by the side of the bed, her clothes disheveled, face streaked with tears, complexion as pale as a ghost. Blood was streaming from a gash on her forehead, and bruises mottled her skin.

“What are you doing here? Come to laugh at me?” she asked bitterly, a self-mocking smile on her lips.

“You’re injured. You need to get to a hospital right away. I don’t care what happened between you and him, but you’re a student at Lingnan, and I’m part of the security staff—I’m responsible for your safety. Besides, we’re neighbors; how could I just stand by and do nothing? I’ll take you to the hospital.” Without another word, Chen Erpao shrugged off his jacket and, regardless of her protests, draped it around her shoulders.

“It’s none of your business, even if I die!” she shouted, but Chen Erpao ignored her, scooped her up, and rushed out toward the hospital.

He hailed a taxi outside, and in about ten minutes they reached the nearest hospital. After registering her at the front desk, he waited quietly outside the treatment room.

By now it was quite late, so the hospital was nearly deserted and most of the inpatients were already asleep. Chen Erpao simply lay down on a bench in the corridor and dozed off.

“Hey, we can go home now.” He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard the girl’s soft voice beside him.

Chen Erpao opened his eyes and saw her standing there, bandages wrapped around her head and several other parts of her body. He couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

“What are you laughing at? Laugh again and I’ll hit you!” she snapped, trying to raise her hand, but the gesture tugged at her wounds and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

“All right, all right, I won’t laugh. You can hit me after you’ve recovered.” Chen Erpao stood up. Since she also had a wound on her leg and could barely walk, he gently supported her by the arm, feeling the softness beneath his hand but with no indecent thoughts at all.

The girl gazed at him, her expression dazed. For the first time, she looked closely at this man who had frightened her on more than one occasion, and yet now, in her moment of greatest need, he had given her a sense of absolute safety. A strange feeling stirred in her heart.

“Thank you,” she murmured at last, forcing out the words.

“No need to thank me. I was born with the urge to help others. Just don’t glare at me anymore in the future.” Chen Erpao smiled gently.

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, you’re always scaring me. How could I not glare at you?”

“If you didn’t glare at me, I wouldn’t scare you. By the way, shouldn’t you rest here at the hospital? I can ask for leave on your behalf at the school tomorrow if you need it.”

“It’s all right. Tomorrow’s class is very important—it’s tied to this month’s thesis competition, so I have to go back tonight.” Her tone had done a complete about-face since just a short while ago. No wonder the ancients used to say, ‘A woman’s tenderness is like water, her fierceness, fire.’

“All right then. My name is Chen Erpao. Just call me Erpao from now on. I’ll take you home.”

“Erpao? Is your father named Dapao? Ha! My name’s Wang Xuemei.” Wang Xuemei burst out laughing again. It was true—beautiful women had beautiful smiles. Chen Erpao couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances, and she immediately blushed, turning her face away in embarrassment.

“Sigh! How does everyone know my dad is named Dapao? That name is just too profound,” Chen Erpao muttered, shaking his head.

“It really is profound, heh heh,” Wang Xuemei replied with a mischievous grin. It seemed she had finally shrugged off her earlier grief.