Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Dinner

Is he your boyfriend?

——

Summer nights arrived late, and the sky was already hazy, making the entire old street look like a mirage.

Zhang Yuqing shut all the doors and windows, plunging the room into darkness.

In this dim atmosphere, Qin Han became even more anxious, pacing back and forth in worry.

She could only vaguely hear some sounds outside. Surprisingly, Zhang Yuqing was speaking with a smile, educating someone, saying something like, “You should read more books.”

Pressing herself against the door, Qin Han finally heard the rest of his words: “Read more books, don’t be an idiot.”

She was stunned for a moment. Was this really Zhang Yuqing?

Did he just curse someone?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she was still nervous, afraid that they might start fighting.

Beibei, with its two little legs propped up on the chair by the window, kept barking anxiously. The chaotic noise made it impossible to hear anything clearly. To make things worse, Luo Shijin entered through the back door, raising his voice: “Qing-ge? Are you fighting? Do you need help?”

Qin Han’s classmate stood beside her, clutching his long hair and muttering over and over, “What do we do, what do we do, Qin Han, should we call the police? Should we call the police?”

Everything was in chaos. She could barely make out the sounds outside.

It seemed like someone was groaning. Qin Han became even more anxious, pounding on the door, but no one responded.

The noisy environment made her feel on edge, so she suddenly shut her eyes and shouted at the top of her lungs, “ZHANG YUQING!!!”

Her voice was incredibly loud—so loud that she felt her own ears ringing. She had never yelled this loudly in her 17 years of life. After shouting, her head spun, and her vision darkened from the effort.

Less than a minute later, the door was pulled open by Zhang Yuqing.

The twilight outside was neither bright nor dark. He stood in the soft, hazy light, still holding a lollipop between his lips.

He looked at Qin Han with amusement and teased, “That was deafening.”

Zhang Yuqing appeared relaxed, as if there had never been any hooligans shouting outside his door.

But Qin Han wasn’t fooled. She immediately noticed the scrape on his jaw. “Did you fight? Are you hurt?” she asked.

“Shh.”

Zhang Yuqing put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. “I’m a good person. A good person don’t fight.”

Luo Shijin stormed up to Zhang Yuqing and shouted, “Qing-ge! Which little bastard from the alleys dared to mess with you? Why didn’t you call me? I’ll skin them alive, damn it!”

“Why would I call you?”

Zhang Yuqing’s tone was indifferent. “I swung a few times, and they all ran off.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow.

Oops. He had let something slip.

Turning his head, he saw Qin Han staring at him with bright, sharp eyes—her gaze clearly accusing him, Liar! Didn’t you say good people don’t fight?

Zhang Yuqing curled his lips into a smirk. “It was self-defense.”

Luo Shijin was still furious. With no one else to vent at, he turned to Qin Han and scolded, “Why the hell did you run here when someone was chasing you? Qing-ge’s shop is right here—it’s not like he can move it! If you attract trouble, and they keep coming back to smash the place up, how is he supposed to keep running his tattoo shop?!”

Qin Han had never been yelled at like this before. She froze, then realized that Luo Shijin actually made a lot of sense.

Zhang Yuqing stepped between them, shielding Qin Han. “Luo Shijin, shut up.”

Qin Han lowered her head and sniffled. “He’s right.”

Zhang Yuqing turned to her, dragging a chair over and sitting down in front of her with a serious expression. He pointed to the long bench by the table. “Sit.”

When Zhang Yuqing wasn’t smiling, he looked cold and distant. Qin Han’s classmate shivered and shrank further into the corner.

Qin Han sat down, facing Zhang Yuqing.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Qin Han nodded vigorously.

Yes, she knew she was wrong. She shouldn’t have brought trouble to his shop.

“If you wanted to help, why didn’t you call for someone first?”

Zhang Yuqing frowned. “The street is already uneven. Even if they didn’t catch you, you could have tripped and gotten seriously hurt. And if they did catch you? Getting shoved or hit would be the least of your worries. What if something worse happened? You’re just a girl—what would you do then?”

He didn’t care about whether Qin Han had brought trouble to his store. He cared about her safety.

Qin Han mumbled defensively, “I’m not stupid. If someone slapped me, I’d slap them back. If they cursed at me, I’d curse back too.”

“Not stupid? What if they stabbed you? You’d be dead on the spot! Then what?”

For the first time, Qin Han saw Zhang Yuqing genuinely angry. There was no trace of a smile in his eyes. He furrowed his brows and stared straight at her.

The small plastic stick of his lollipop was crushed on one side from his bite. He spit it out.

Qin Han lowered her head guiltily and murmured, “I’m sorry.”

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“I do.”

“Next time? What will you do if something like this happens again?”

“I’ll… I’ll call for help first? Or call the police.”

After saying that, she glanced nervously at Zhang Yuqing.

“As long as you remember.” He suddenly smiled and raised a hand to lightly pat her head. “Kids like you—if I don’t scare you a little, you’ll never learn your lesson.”

Qin Han’s eyes widened.

She wasn’t a kid!

After the lecture, Zhang Yuqing turned to look at Qin Han’s classmate. The boy was trying his best to blend into the corner, his curly wig slipping to reveal the short buzz cut underneath.

Zhang Yuqing blinked in surprise before chuckling. “Oh, so it’s a boy?”

Luo Shijin also leaned in for a look. “Damn, not a girl?!”

Now that things had calmed down, Qin Han finally remembered her classmate’s name.

Li Nan.

Qin Han had always been relatively quiet in class, but her good grades ensured that teachers occasionally praised her, so she wasn’t completely invisible.

Li Nan, however, was even more unnoticeable.

He didn’t joke around with the boys, didn’t play basketball or participate in sports, and barely talked to the girls. His grades were average, and nothing about him stood out in three years of high school.

Qin Han barely had any impression of him.

She didn’t know why Li Nan was wearing a long wig or a dress, but he must have had his reasons.

Those hooligans treated him terribly. That was really too much.

While Luo Shijin was speaking, Qin Han kept nervously watching him, afraid that he would scold Li Nan in the same disdainful tone he had just used on her.

But Luo Shijin didn’t. Instead, he stepped closer to take a good look at Li Nan. “Damn, your skin is amazing—so delicate and smooth. Your eyelashes are even longer than most girls’!”

Li Nan scratched his head awkwardly and took off the wig. “My skin looks good because I put on foundation, and my eyelashes… my eyelashes are fake.”

“You’re really into looking good, huh?” Luo Shijin exclaimed in surprise.

Li Nan glanced anxiously at Qin Han and Zhang Yuqing, his voice growing even smaller with guilt. “I’m sorry… This all happened because of me. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I—”

Zhang Yuqing looked at him and thought for a moment. “Cosplay?”

“I… I like crossdressing.”

It seemed like Li Nan had never talked to anyone about this before. He was so nervous that his tongue got tied, and after hesitating for a couple of seconds, he finally gathered the courage to admit his preference. “I’m a crossdresser!”

At moments like this, Qin Han realized how lacking she was in words.

Li Nan was her classmate, someone she had brought here. She felt like she should say something to make him feel less embarrassed.

But she didn’t know what to say. She was never particularly adept at handling social situations.

Instinctively, she looked at Zhang Yuqing.

She probably didn’t even realize it herself, but there was a trace of reliance in her gaze.

Beibei, the little dog, was now resting quietly in Zhang Yuqing’s lap. He gently stroked its fur, soothing it. The same dog that had been barking wildly just moments ago now lay obediently in his arms, resting its chin on his arm.

Noticing Qin Han’s gaze, Zhang Yuqing smiled. “It’s a niche hobby, but it’s unique.”

Li Nan had never expected anyone to brush it off so lightly as just a “hobby.” His eyes instantly turned red. “Thank you.”

“Go take off your makeup and change your clothes. Otherwise, those punks might recognize you on your way back and cause more trouble.”

Zhang Yuqing stood up with Beibei still in his arms, went into the tattoo room, and came back with a set of dark gray shorts and a T-shirt. He also grabbed a bottle of makeup remover and some alcohol wipes, tossing them to Li Nan. “Disinfect the wounds on your legs, too.”

As the sky darkened, he closed the shop door and turned on a light.

Qin Han looked at him standing under the warm glow and suddenly felt that Zhang Yuqing had a kind of calmness—like someone who had seen the vastness of the world yet still cherished the smallest things in life.

Zhang Yuqing pulled out his wallet from his pocket and handed it to Luo Shijin.

Luo Shijin took it without hesitation. “You want barbecue, right? I’ll go get it now.”

“After you change, don’t leave yet. Stay for dinner, and I’ll take you to the station later.”

Seeing Qin Han’s hesitant expression, Zhang Yuqing paused and asked, “It’s probably fine for the guy, but what about you? Do you have a curfew at home?”

Qin Han shook her head. Her parents didn’t really control what time she came home. But—”You helped us. I should be the one treating you to dinner.”

“Haven’t you already bought a bunch of stuff?” Zhang Yuqing chuckled, gesturing at the paper and plastic bags on the table. “Consider that your share.”

“But you even got into a fight for us. You got hurt—”

“Tsk.” Zhang Yuqing clicked his tongue lightly, bent down slightly, and met Qin Han’s eyes at her level, pointing at his bruised jaw. “I already told you, it was self-defense.”

Before Qin Han could say anything else, Luo Shijin had already left with Zhang Yuqing’s wallet. She missed her chance to pay, so she mentally noted that she owed Zhang Yuqing another favor.

It felt like a debt she would never be able to repay.

At night, Yaonan Alley had a quietness that was hard to describe. There were no bright city lights, just a long street bathed in moonlight, with a few windows glowing faintly in the distance.

Zhang Yuqing said that most places here were shops, and once they closed for the night, the whole street became a little deserted.

Before long, Luo Shijin returned with a huge bag of barbecue.

The rich scent of cumin and chili, seared over open flames, filled the air. When the takeout box was opened, skewers of grilled food were neatly lined up, filling the room with the warmth of a lively meal. Even Beibei’s eyes sparkled with hunger.

The chairs around the table were wooden benches, the kind that got uncomfortable after sitting for too long.

Zhang Yuqing disappeared for a moment and returned with a soft cushion, handing it to Qin Han. “Use this to sit on.”

“Thanks.”

“Qing-ge! You’re playing favorites! Totally unfair!” Luo Shijin protested.

Zhang Yuqing shot him a sideways glance. “Are you a little girl?”

Now changed out of his previous outfit, Li Nan sat beside Qin Han. He hesitated for a moment, then, as if unable to hold back, stole a quick glance at Zhang Yuqing and whispered softly, “Qin Han… that handsome guy who helped us just now… is he your boyfriend?”