C26 I'll Protect You

Du Xiaoxiao bit back a laugh, sticking out her tongue. "Fine, fine, my little bro's finally a man. I'll tell you everything starting now, okay? And when the time comes, I'm counting on you to protect me, all right?"

Du Hengyu breathed a sigh of relief. The darkness faded from his gaze. "I'll protect you, I'll protect you," he promised readily, leaning his head against her shoulders.

Once both of them had calmed down, she returned to her room.

She took off her clothes and put on her pajamas. She hung the blue dress at the front. Taking a step back, she couldn't help but admire the fluttering dress.

"It's really so beautiful," she murmured to herself. Her eyes narrowed, admiring the soft prints and the intricate design of the fabric. There were even a few Swarovski crystals sewed into the sleeves. Her fingers twitched.

This was probably the most gorgeous dress she had ever owned. Du Xiaoxiao found herself falling back onto the cushions as she gazed up at the ceiling.

Her dream of becoming a fashion designer had faded to the back of her mind, but even then, she still couldn't help but ponder over it. Would it have all been different if she had just chased her dream?

Turning around, she squeezed her eyes shut. Gu Tianqi soon flooded every corner of her mind.

She had never really thought that she'd meet a man like him.

He was rich and noble. People like him were pretty rare in her books. Although she had heard of his name, she never really thought that he'd soon know hers.

After all, the worlds they lived in were just so far apart. While he was used to stylish fabrics and five-course meals, she was used to living in casual clothing and home-cooked dishes.

Back then, she had hated the man's guts. Not only was he arrogant, but he was also incredibly infuriating. Yet, he was also the same man who had saved her life.

The strong arms that tugged around her waist were also the same arms that had come to protect her when she needed him to.

As the thought streamed through her mind, she couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. What was wrong with her? She had been so annoyed with this guy, and now he wouldn't even leave her thoughts! Shaking her head, she pressed her head against the pillows.

Forget it. It's better for her to sleep early. As soon as she relaxed under her blankets, she slowly fluttered into the dark.

A few hours had passed and Du Hengyu returned to his room. The relieved expression on his face had long since faded as he grabbed the notebook stuffed in his bag. Flipping through the pages, he drew a mark over a name on the second page. "Shit," he breathed out, changing into his leather jacket and hood. Once he was all finished, he walked out of his room before passing his sister's room.

"Xiaoxiao?" he murmured, knocking on her door. However, just on the first knock, the door had already swung open. He resisted the urge to groan.

Even if he was at home, she shouldn't have been complacent enough to leave her door unlocked!

Peeking through the door, he peered at her sleeping figure. "Good night, sis," he muttered before walking out of the house.

While his sister was safe, another person on the streets wouldn't be as lucky.

The next day, Du Xiaoxiao still went to work early. In fact, she was so early that she was the first to arrive. The doors swung open, and she was immediately greeted by the lobby manager. "Your new uniform is ready, Miss Du," Zhang Su called out. "You should wear this; I think it will suit you better."

Her eyes widened slightly. "I didn't expect for it to be done so quickly."

"A miracle, really!" He forced a smile. "I just come across the perfect size for you."

It really wasn't a miracle. To be perfectly honest, he didn't sleep a wink last night! How was he going to when CEO Gu's secretary had called him up and asked him to prepare a specific uniform size by the next day? When the secretary double-checked it just a couple of hours ago, he even asked him to keep quiet.

Du Xiaoxiao didn't really know that the uniform in her hands was custom-made, but when she did put it on, she couldn't help but appreciate the cut. It was far more fitting, plus, the fabric looked more exquisite than the ordinary uniform she had used yesterday.

"Could they have modified my uniform?" she murmured to herself. Perhaps her other colleagues were wearing the previous batch and she had the modified ones.

After a while, her colleagues started coming in one after the other.

Wang Dandan didn't sleep a wink last night either! She just twisted and turned in her sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she thought of Gu Tianqi's face–and not in a good way either.

She didn't know how Du Xiaoxiao was last night. Perhaps she was safe and sound, but all she could think about was the worst-case scenario. Just the thought itself was enough to make her tremble.

Did Young Master Gu say anything to Du Xiaoxiao? Did she offend him?

A part of her was tempted to ask, but even if she wanted to, she just couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she lowered her head and tidied up her uniform.

Du Xiaoxiao could see her guilty face from afar, and annoyance twinged in her heart.

The woman had some nerve to be guilty! Wang Dandan had shown no hesitation when she had played her right into the pervert's hands! She actually had the balls to commit such atrocities, but she didn't have the balls to face the consequences of her actions.

She rolled her eyes. Although she wasn't going to follow through with Gu Tianqi's advice, she did agree with him on one bit–that kind people are so easily taken advantage of. She had to teach this woman a lesson!

Having made up her mind, she walked towards her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Senior."

"Ah!" Wang Dandan stumbled back in surprise. When she saw who it was, the corners of her lips inched upwards. "You–you almost scared me to death!"

"I actually have something to tell you."

Her heart skipped a beat. A part of her already knew that she was referring to what was happening last night, and her lips stiffened. "I...do you need something?"

Du Xiaoxiao nodded solemnly. "Actually, senior...I met a pervert when I went to get the trash last night."

"Is that so?" Wang Dandan paled. "Are you–you're okay, right?"

"I was scared to death, you know?" Du Xiaoxiao's face became even more serious by the minute as she took another step forward. "I remembered screaming and screaming...but when that person flashed his light across my face...he said that he wasn't interested in me."

"That means you're fine then." She breathed a sigh of relief. Her heartbeat had slowed down. "That's good, that's good."

As long as Du Xiaoxiao was safe, then she was too.

"I'm fine, yes..." She raised her head. "But you have to be careful."

Wang Dandan furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about? You're the one who came across the pervert, right? Of course, you're the one who should be care careful."

"Yeah, but the pervert said he wasn't interested in me." Du Xiaoxiao hesitated before saying, "He–he said he liked people like you, Senior. He even memorized your work number. Has he visited the restaurant before?"

Her legs trembled so much that she almost fell to the ground. What did she say?

Impossible!

Wang Dandan gritted her teeth, trying to calm her racing heart. "What nonsense are you spouting out now? If you're trying to scare me, I will–"

"Senior, I'm just warning you. It was very dark that night, and when that pervert flashed that light over my face–he said that he thought I was 2330." She sighed, glancing at the older woman's uniform. "2330...he's referring to you, right? I can tell the man was rich from the way he was asking for you, and he's very familiar with the area too..."

As soon as the words slipped Du Xiaoxiao's lips, Wang Dandan already felt herself tremble. Her hands started shaking in her sides as her eyes shifted from left to right.

The pervert she had heard about was also very rich...What the hell was she going to do now? How was she going to live?

"You're...you're really not scaring me?" She stared at her hesitantly.

Du Xiaoxiao masked a sneer.

Compared to what she could've done against her, what's this little trick? She should be thankful that she didn't take up Gu Tianqi's advice.

"Look, I may be angry that you let me encountered that bastard, but even then, I'm not ruthless enough to let it be." She took a deep breath. "Regardless of whether or not you believe me, just be careful during your night shift. I may not be able to see much, but I can tell he has a square face...and big eyes, but that's really all I know."