He raised his hand, then slowly lowered it.
After taking a deep breath, he raised his hand again, only to freeze midway once more. In the end, he could only slowly lower it again.
Knowing full well that the person he wanted to see was behind this door, Nie Qingkong found himself unable to bring himself to knock.
To meet again would be to become enemies.
Nie Qingkong had said these words many times, but he knew that even if he said them a thousand times more, he could never truly see Xia Qingyu as an enemy.
But Xia Qingyu had said it.
Her eyes had been so cold then, her tone so sharp.
Disappointment mingled with hatred.
Nie Qingkong knew she was serious.
But…
Given his father's demeanor today, he might not have many days left to live.
His life was on a countdown, possibly until tonight, or tomorrow, or perhaps even on the journey back.
Nie Qingkong wasn't sure, but he truly didn't want to disappear from Xia Qingyu's life completely without even saying goodbye.
Taking a deep breath, Nie Qingkong raised his hand again.
At that moment, a slender, fair hand reached out from the side, knocking a few times directly in front of Nie Qingkong.
Nie Qingkong was taken aback. Following the hand, he saw Xia Qingtian, whose face wore an expression of exasperation.
"Can't you knock? Dawdling like that, you're making me anxious!" After saying this, Xia Qingtian immediately retreated to the side of the wall, pointing her finger, which had just knocked, first at her own eyes, and then at Nie Qingkong.
What did this mean? Was she going to stare at him the whole time?
Before Nie Qingkong could figure it out, he heard the door open. Immediately after, Xia Qingyu, wearing a silk nightgown with her hair down, appeared in the gap of the door.
Seeing Xia Qingyu appear in such a state, Nie Qingkong was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to ask about Xia Qingyu's injuries, Xia Qingyu decisively punched him, landing squarely on his nose bridge.
Nie Qingkong's head snapped back, feeling as if he had been struck hard by a wooden mallet.
Astringency and pain surged simultaneously, accompanied by a warm flow.
Lowering his head, Nie Qingkong raised his hand to touch beneath his nose. It was wet.
He brought his fingers close to his eyes. Nie Qingkong saw the crimson on his fingertips.
"Xia Qingyu!" Nie Qingkong looked from his fingertips to Xia Qingyu's face in disbelief. "You! You hit me!"
"For friends, I prepare flowers, warm tea, and hugs. For enemies, only fists and bullets," Xia Qingyu leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "It's already merciful that I didn't make you eat bullets."
"You!" Nie Qingkong was speechless. "I didn't treat you like this before!"
"I warned you before, your way of dealing with enemies is a bit strange," Xia Qingyu said, shrugging. "I won't charge you for this lesson."
"So, I should thank you for punching me!" Nie Qingkong was almost amused by Xia Qingyu's audacity. Was there any more unreasonable girl in this world?
"You're welcome." Xia Qingyu curved her lips.
"You!" Nie Qingkong choked, took a deep breath, and wiped his bloody nose with his hand. "You won't even give me a tissue?"
"No tissues here. Do you want bullets?" Xia Qingyu tilted her chin provocatively.
"I can't be bothered talking to you!" Nie Qingkong pushed past Xia Qingyu and walked directly to the table, pulling out a few tissues and stuffing them into his still-bleeding nose.
"Fifty per tissue," Xia Qingyu said, following him in. "You took three, that's 150."
"You might as well just rob me and at least provide me with tissues, ha," Nie Qingkong grumbled, pulling out another one.
"200." Xia Qingyu paid no mind to Nie Qingkong's sarcasm, just kept the tally.
"Xia Qingyu, can you have some humanity? You're the one who hit me!" Nie Qingkong pointed at his nose. "You! You hit me!"
"The moment you decided to lay a hand on someone close to me, you should have known you'd get hit," Xia Qingyu looked directly into Nie Qingkong's eyes.
Nie Qingkong faltered slightly, then sheepishly lowered his hand, turning his head and saying, "You know I had no choice."
"You are a person, not a pet. Even a cornered rabbit knows how to bite. What about you?" Xia Qingyu said helplessly. "If he tells you to kill someone, you kill them. What if he tells you to kill yourself!"
"Then I'll kill myself," Nie Qingkong looked at Xia Qingyu, his tone calm and ordinary, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
"..." Xia Qingyu was rendered speechless by Nie Qingkong's words. She truly didn't know what to say now.
Did such foolish people really exist in the world?
"You don't have to look at me like that." Nie Qingkong didn't think his answer was problematic. He stared at Xia Qingyu and asked, "What if Xia Qingtian asked you to kill me?"
"Sister wouldn't ask me to do something like that." Xia Qingyu secretly rolled her eyes.
"Never mind whether she would or wouldn't. I just want to know," Nie Qingkong looked at Xia Qingyu, as if pursuing an accurate answer. "If Xia Qingtian asked you to kill me, Xia Qingyu, would you feel even the slightest bit of reluctance?"
"Of course!" Xia Qingyu said matter-of-factly. "Are you stupid?"
"Really?" Nie Qingkong's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards.
"You still owe me 200 yuan!" Xia Qingyu glared at Nie Qingkong irritably.
How dare he show such a smug expression in front of her.
Did this fellow even know how excessive he was!
He actually wanted to kill Er Ya!
That honest, simple, and adorable Er Ya!
Nie Qingkong's smile froze, then he looked defeated by Xia Qingyu, helplessly raising his hand, propping his forehead with the heel of his palm, and muttering, "I admit defeat, alright…"
"You never won in the first place." Xia Qingyu glared at Nie Qingkong and shook her small fist as a threat. "Are you okay or not? If you're fine, scram quickly, or I'll hit you again."
"Qingyu," Nie Qingkong grasped Xia Qingyu's fist, enclosing it in his palm. "Let's not fight anymore, okay?"
Even if it was his final request.
In the final moments of his life, he truly didn't want to argue with Xia Qingyu.
"Leave him. Live like a human being," Xia Qingyu met Nie Qingkong's gaze. "Live like a person with independent thoughts, okay?"
Nie Qingkong blinked slightly, then lowered his eyelids and chuckled, "Not everyone has a choice."
He had no choice.
From the day Xiang Xueyuan took him from the orphanage, he had no choice.
Releasing Xia Qingyu's hand, Nie Qingkong took a step back, his face wearing his usual gentle, wind-like smile. "I won't make a move against the Tang family's Hidden Master again, at least not for now. Rest well and get some sleep."
After saying this, Nie Qingkong turned and walked out the door.
"Wait." Xia Qingyu followed him out, holding out another tissue towards Nie Qingkong. "Wipe the blood on your hand, it's filthy."