Chapter 40: Is This Chest Binding Trying to Strangle Me?

"I can't believe you actually came to this place to be a model?"

Xiang Bei's tone was mocking, but with a hint of barely perceptible concern.

"You really go out of your way to suffer."

Gao Qinghe's body felt limp. She wanted to push him away, but had no strength; her fingers only lightly rested on his chest. The powerful beat of his heart reached her, making her chest feel even hotter.

She was encircled by his back, and the places he touched felt warm and reassuring. That cold woody perfume mixed with the tension of male hormones enveloped her completely, and she wanted to break free, but somehow didn't want to move.

"Oh! Isn't this Xiang Bei? What wind blew you here?"

Zhao Yuqi walked over upon hearing the voice. She held a coffee cup in one hand, her arm extended, but when she saw Gao Qinghe in his arms, she raised an eyebrow and stopped.

"How do you two know each other?"

"Yeah."

Xiang Bei released Gao Qinghe without changing his expression. She still felt weak in the legs, swaying, almost falling, and could only fall back into Xiang Bei's arms, where he gently held her shoulder. He smiled, his voice unexpectedly somewhat flustered.

"After all, she's staying at Lin Xi's place, so we've met a few times."

Contrary to his usual frivolous and ambiguous demeanor, in front of so many people, Xiang Bei seemed to know how to restrain himself. He just gentlemanly held Gao Qinghe.

"She doesn't look well. Is this how you manage your model's personal health?"

His tone was gentle, but his words carried blame.

"No, that's not it." Zhao Yuqi quickly supported Gao Qinghe. "She might have wrapped her chest binding a bit too tight. Why don't I take her to get some fresh air?"

"Chest binding?" Xiang Bei glanced at Gao Qinghe's chest. "Is it necessary to go that far? ...Well, are you almost done with the shoot? I'll take her to get something to eat."

"..." Zhao Yuqi looked suspiciously at Gao Qinghe she was supporting, then at Xiang Bei. "Did Lin Xi send you? She didn't mention you would come pick her up?"

"No," Xiang Bei had an expression of it being only natural, looking straight into Zhao Yuqi's eyes. "I came to pick something up for my mom." He waved the USB drive in his hand. "I saw you were still filming, so I came over to take a look."

"...Alright." Zhao Yuqi waved her hand and led Gao Qinghe toward a seat, but after thinking, she turned back. "Xiang Bei, don't pull your old tricks. Lin Xi is different from those other girls. Her taking a liking to you is definitely your good fortune."

"Zhao Yuqi, what are you thinking?" Xiang Bei laughed heartily, his tone instead very open. "Those things I did were all before I met Lin Xi. Gao Qinghe is Lin Xi's friend, of course I need to take care of her."

Gao Qinghe looked up at Xiang Bei. His expression was calm, and his eyes didn't even glance her way.

"You'd better be. Lin Xi has a good family background, she's got class, and as a model, she's capable and unmatched." Zhao Yuqi casually glanced at Gao Qinghe, a hint of contempt in her eyes. "Can those mistresses you were with compare to her?"

"Yes, yes, yes, all of you like Lin Xi." Xiang Bei's smile was somewhat perfunctory. "Am I not a qualified boyfriend? She wanted to go to the exchange meeting, and I agreed to go with her this time. You guys stop finding fault with me every day."

"Oh, right! This time at the exchange meeting, aren't you and Lin Xi going to do an interview?" Zhao Yuqi covered her mouth, a feigned surprised expression. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Right, the exchange meeting. Lin Xi seemed to be preparing for it. I didn't expect this exchange meeting to have an interview segment. Lin Xi never mentioned it at all.

"The exchange meeting is... it's on Friday night..."

"It seems our Young Master Xiang is finally going to be known to the whole circle as Lin Xi's boyfriend. Isn't this a kind of retirement?" Whether it was because Gao Qinghe's voice was too soft, or Zhao Yuqi pretended not to hear, her slightly mocking, bold voice overpowered Gao Qinghe's question.

"The fact that Lin Xi is my girlfriend is not a secret." Xiang Bei deliberately rearranged the word order. "You go attend to other things. I'll go in a little while..."

Gao Qinghe felt a ringing in her ears; she could no longer hear clearly what Xiang Bei said next. She felt her chest being squeezed, her breathing became more difficult. The physical discomfort mixed with mental frustration made her push away Zhao Yuqi's supporting hand and stagger back to a folding chair on her own.

"Is there any water?" she asked a staff member nearby.

He nodded, but made no move to give her water.

Zhao Yuqi and Xiang Bei were still talking. Xiang Bei's eyes occasionally glanced her way, but quickly looked away. She couldn't read what was in his eyes.

'Damn it, I want to throw up, I feel so awful.'

Gao Qinghe felt completely weak. She closed her eyes, no longer looking at them, and collapsed onto the chair. The surrounding sounds were drowned out by her own tinnitus. As she breathed, the chest binding wrapped around her, squeezing her ribs. She felt as if her whole body was compressed into the space of a small piece of paper, unable to move.

There was no support around her; she felt herself sinking. Only the cold frame of the chair kept her from falling deeper, but she felt as if she was suspended, not sitting.

A cold touch reached her forehead, making Gao Qinghe shiver.

She didn't know how long she had rested with her eyes closed. Suddenly opening them, Xiang Bei's carefree, wicked face appeared upside down in her vision. He was holding a bottle of water, looking at her lying supine with concern.

"Are you okay?" He handed the water to Gao Qinghe and pulled a folding chair to sit beside her.

"..." Gao Qinghe gulped down most of the water and finally felt a little recovered. She gave Xiang Bei a displeased look, screwed the cap back on, and handed the water back.

"If you're here to take me home, then go tell that Zhao Yuqi to let me leave."

She searched for Zhao Yuqi's figure, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"She went to the restroom." Xiang Bei propped his hands on his legs, leaning forward to look at Gao Qinghe. "I came specifically to find you."

'Ha! What a "specifically to find you."'

"Save it, 'Lin Xi's boyfriend.'" She enunciated each word, emphasizing the latter part.

"Hmm? Are you jealous?" Xiang Bei still had that mischievous smile, the amusement in his eyes deepening. "I came to confirm—tomorrow afternoon, I've prepared a surprise for you."

Gao Qinghe then remembered yesterday at dinner, under the table, when Xiang Bei helped her pick up her phone and typed: "The day after tomorrow at three in the afternoon, I'll pick you up at Lin Xi's place."

But now she couldn't feel that forbidden excitement from before at all.

She only felt extremely irritable and oppressed.

'Fck, is this chest binding trying to strangle me?!'*

'Fck—fck!!'

Gao Qinghe screamed inside. She sprang up from the chair, looked around, scanning everywhere, and then found the scissors used for opening takeout that were placed in the rest area.

"Hey, Gao Qinghe, what are you—"

She ignored Xiang Bei's surprised question, kicked off the ten-centimeter high heels that made her unsteady, walked quickly barefoot, grabbed the scissors, and quickly walked to the now-dimmed spotlight.

"Aren't you waving the banner of women's liberation?" She raised the scissors and pointed them at her own chest. "Binding chests and wearing high heels—what kind of damn liberation is this? How is this different from foot binding?"

Her voice grew louder, a scream as if she was about to break down, with a slight nasal tone, her voice still somewhat delicate, but everyone was frightened by her actions. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup a bit smeared, which only made her originally delicate and beautiful face look more stubborn and dazzling.

Gao Qinghe tore open her clothes.

The shirt buttons popped open, revealing layers of chest binding that wrapped and compressed her upper body, actually reducing her proud breasts by two cup sizes. She violently tore at the bindings, the tightly pressing fabric cutting into her flesh, leaving light red marks on her pale skin.

"Hey, no, quick, we have to stop her...!" The young makeup artist standing at the door was the first to react. She put down her coffee and was about to rush over.

But Zhao Yuqi, who had just come in from outside, stopped her.

"This is simply...!" She dashed forward in one stride, grabbed the neatly placed camera on the table, turned it on, and focused.

The shutter clicked.

A girl, barefoot, her feet covered by oversized suit pants with only her toes showing, her hair loose, an expression seeming exhilarated, eyes carrying almost maddening pain and relief. Her long hair completely spread out over her shoulders and back, a few strands wet with sweat sticking to her stunning face. Her shirt popped open, one hand desperately gripping the layers of chest binding, the other hand holding the scissors, aiming at the tightest band on her chest, and without hesitation, she cut down.

'Fck the restraints.'*