Chapter 43: PUA Man, Stay Away from My Daughter (10)

Xie Hui was looking down at a document on his tablet. Noticing his daughter’s unusual expression, he turned his head slightly to glance at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s that super annoying classmate calling me again.”

Xie Qi’an was fed up with Shen Xi’s persistence. After hanging up, she directly blocked him and went back to eating her little cake.

After finishing the document, Xie Hui put the tablet aside and reminded her in a low voice:

“There’s no need to accommodate people you really don’t like.”

“I know.”

Xie Qi’an originally thought that her interactions with Shen Xi would end once she blocked him.

Unexpectedly, he messaged her again on WeChat, asking to meet in person. She wanted to refuse, but seeing the sheer number of messages he sent—practically radiating urgency—she grew irritated and rolled around on her bed, rubbing her messy hair before burying her head into the pillow.

She really, really hated Shen Xi. But at the end of the day, it was just some schoolyard grudge—like a toad crawling on her foot, not biting, just disgusting.

Still, she couldn’t help but think: What if something really serious happened, and he actually needed help?

After a while, she frowned in frustration, got up, changed her clothes, and took one of her dad’s bodyguards with her before heading to the mall where Shen Xi asked to meet.

The address he sent was a bubble tea shop. Today, Xie Qi’an was wrapped in a thick down jacket. Before she left the house, her dad even added a scarf, bundling her up tightly.

Inside the heated shop, she walked toward the partition where Shen Xi was sitting. She took off her scarf but left her mask on, speaking in a low voice:

“What’s so important that you had to tell me in person?”

Shen Xi’s eyes were swollen and red, clearly from crying. His dark pupils were laced with fine red veins. After Xie Qi’an sat down, he moved his lips and spoke:

“Shu Xia’s condition has worsened. The hospital said that only a kidney transplant could save her.”

Xie Qi’an froze for a moment. She had really disliked Shu Xia before, but that was all—just dislike. Hearing that someone her age was already facing a life-threatening condition, she couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

She had heard others mention that Shen Xi and Shu Xia were childhood friends who grew up together, so she could understand why he was so devastated. Lowering her head, she refrained from lashing out at him this time.

“So… can you help her?”

Hearing Shen Xi’s request, Xie Qi’an nodded slightly.

“If the situation is real, of course, I can help. Do you need donations? My dad let me keep all my New Year’s money since I was little. I can—”

Before she could finish, Shen Xi interrupted.

“Can you get tested for a match? See if you’re compatible?”

That one sentence made Xie Qi’an go completely still.

Shen Xi choked up, his reddened eyes filling with tears again. A grown man sat at the bubble tea shop table, wiping his eyes hastily with the back of his hand. His voice was hoarse as he continued:

“I know this is a bit much to ask, but a person can live just fine with one kidney if they’re careful. You—”

Before he could finish, Xie Qi’an abruptly stood up and slapped him across the face.

“Are you out of your damn mind?”

After cursing him out, she turned on her heels and left.

The moment she got back into the car, her anger hadn’t even begun to subside.

“Driver, take me home.”

—

At the villa, Xie Hui was exercising in the backyard when he heard noise from the front. He put down his equipment and walked out. Just as he reached the living room, Xie Qi’an threw herself into his arms.

Ever since she was little, she had rarely been this openly affectionate. Xie Hui stood still, waiting for her to slowly loosen her grip before gently pinching her bun hairstyle.

“What happened?”

“Dad, it was that classmate from before. He asked me to meet him, and then he actually had the nerve to ask me to get tested for a kidney match.”

Although Shen Xi had only asked her to check compatibility, Xie Qi’an could easily read between the lines—if she was a match, he would expect her to donate.

Xie Qi’an admitted that in this matter, she was completely selfish. She had no intention of giving up a healthy part of her body for someone she hated.

She didn’t believe for a second that it would be as simple as Shen Xi made it sound. She also didn’t believe it wouldn’t affect her life.

If it were just about donating money, she would gladly help, despite her dislike for Shu Xia.

But this? No way in hell.

“An’an, the chances of being a compatible match are incredibly low. It’s not that simple. And more importantly… Dad doesn’t want you to agree to it. I don’t even want you to go for the test.”

“Besides, our country doesn’t allow organ donations between non-relatives. His whole idea is nothing but a delusional fantasy.”

Xie Hui held her arm and guided her to sit down on the couch, lightly patting her back to calm her emotions.

In the original timeline, Shen Xi had used PUA tactics to manipulate Xie Qi’an, pushing her to her deathbed, where she signed an organ donation agreement just before she died.

Now that she wasn’t falling for his tricks, he was panicking and making desperate moves.

What he didn’t realize was that even if Xie Qi’an agreed, he would never succeed.

Instead of trying shady, underhanded methods, wouldn’t it be more practical to seek legitimate medical solutions? He would have had a much better chance of success that way.

The memories transmitted to Xie Hui from the system didn’t surprise him at all—of course, his daughter would agree to donate money.

That was just the kind of person she was.

Xie Qi’an had always been strong-willed, never easily swayed by others, but she also remained inherently kind.

And kindness was never a weakness.

Xie Hui didn’t want to erase that part of her.

It was perfectly normal for people to feel soft-hearted at times. Everyone had empathy—it was just a matter of degree.

“Dad, I don’t understand why he would have such a strange idea. Just thinking about it now makes me feel scared.”

Xie Qi’an was just a little girl spoiled by her father. After hearing what Shen Xi said, she couldn’t help but question every glance he had ever given her—was there an ulterior motive behind them?

It felt like a little lamb suddenly being targeted by a hungry wolf. A deep sense of unease crept up on her.

Xie Hui thought seriously for a moment before speaking.

“How about transferring to a different school while you’re still in your second year?”

Before, Xie Qi’an had planned to endure until the end of sophomore year. Once she moved up to the elite class in her final year, she wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.

But after Shen Xi’s request, she didn’t want to stay there even one second longer.

“Dad, I… I don’t even want to go back after this short break…”

She hugged a pillow tightly, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

Earlier, she had mostly been angry. But now, in the comfort of her home and by her father’s side, all the suppressed emotions surged up at once.

“Alright, if you don’t want to go, then we won’t. Once the transfer procedures are done, we’ll go straight to the new school.”

Other than transferring her, Xie Hui couldn’t think of a better solution.

This was a lawful society. He obviously wouldn’t do anything outside the bounds of the law, and forcing those two students to withdraw wouldn’t be appropriate either.

If Shu Xia really ended up in critical condition and Shen Xi lost his mind, Xie Hui was certain his daughter would become the target of his anger. There was no reasoning with a madman.

His daughter was just attending high school—it wasn’t like she could have bodyguards with her all the time. No matter how careful they were, there would always be gaps in security.

With all these concerns in mind, the only option was to avoid the danger altogether.

“Dad, am I being a little selfish?”

Once she calmed down, Xie Qi’an’s eyes were still red. But she started to reflect on whether she was making things difficult for her father by insisting on transferring schools or refusing to go back.

Xie Hui placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.

Sometimes, physical comfort was more effective than simple words. It provided a greater sense of security.

“Of course not. In fact, I think you handled this very well. Especially your awareness of self-protection in this situation—it’s really commendable.”

“You don’t need to feel even the slightest bit guilty about this. Not even a little.”

Xie Hui patiently reassured her, breaking things down so she could understand.

To others, Xie Qi’an was already a young woman. But to Xie Hui, she would always be the daughter he needed to protect.

When children are confused, it’s a father’s duty to guide them in the right direction.

“This situation was never your responsibility. You have no obligation whatsoever to do something like that for a stranger.”

“An’an, you are the treasure your mother risked her life to bring into this world.”

“You are also the beloved of your father, uncle, grandparents, and great-grandfather. We all cherish you deeply. When you had a fever as a child, your uncle rushed back overnight from abroad just to see you.”

“If something as small as a cold warrants that kind of attention, then how could we possibly take this matter lightly?”

Xie Qi’an remembered that incident very clearly. The weather had been terrible that time. On his way from the airport to the hospital, her uncle even got into a car accident—though it wasn’t his fault.

At the hospital, he had asked the doctors to move his bed into her ward so they could stay together, and they ended up playing games in the hospital room. To Xie Qi’an, it was a strangely fond memory.

“That girl may be important to your classmate, but you are just as important to us. There’s no such thing as being ‘too cautious’ when it comes to your safety.”

Xie Qi’an nodded lightly. After listening to her father’s reassurance, she only felt more disgusted by Shen Xi.

At first, this had been a situation completely unrelated to her. But the moment Shen Xi came to her about it, she was dragged into it.

Her refusal to sacrifice her health was firm, yet she couldn’t shake the strange sense of guilt lurking in her heart.

That night, when Xie Lang returned home and heard what his brother said, he immediately brought it up at dinner. He even suggested that Xie Qi’an should go study abroad.

Xie Lang thought that guy was nothing less than a ticking time bomb! He wanted his little niece to be as far away from him as possible!

“Uncle, something feels off. When I was at the milk tea shop, the way he spoke… it was like he was completely certain that if I agreed to the test, I would be a match.”

It was just a vague intuition, but Xie Qi’an still mentioned it.

“Bro, I’ll look into this.”

Xie Hui nodded in agreement. After dinner, he gave it some thought and ultimately decided against sending Xie Qi’an overseas.

“Transferring schools is enough. Studying abroad is unnecessary. An’an has always wanted to go to Tsinghua. I’m not letting some disgusting pest ruin that for her.”

He wanted her to transfer mainly for safety, but also so she could study with peace of mind.

Seeing how devastated she had been when she came home earlier in the day, he worried she might end up with lasting psychological trauma.

He was already planning to have a psychologist come over in the next couple of days.

Psychological wounds, in some cases, were even harder to heal than physical ones.

“Once we pick a new school, we’ll donate a few buildings. The principal can use the funds to improve security.”

Xie Lang agreed wholeheartedly. There was no way he was letting his little niece’s lifelong dream be ruined by this nonsense. As soon as his brother mentioned it, he started making arrangements.

“An’an, don’t be scared. With your dad and uncle here, no one’s going to bully you.”

Now that they had a plan, Xie Lang turned to reassure his little niece. Later that night, he even transferred her some money, telling her to go shopping and relax until her new school was decided.

Before going to bed, Xie Qi’an glanced at her phone and saw that she had received multiple new messages.

Her grandfather had sent her money, telling her to go out and have some fun.

Her great-grandfather had sent a voice message, saying he had deposited money into her account for the same reason.

Grandma also sent a few messages, saying she wanted to take her on a trip. She had already planned the itinerary, and if Qi’an was willing, they could leave the day after tomorrow.

All the distress caused by that upsetting incident was gently smoothed over by the love of her family. Lying under the covers that night, Xie Qi’an couldn’t help but smile.