The person knocking on the door was a student. When the door opened, the student glanced inside and his gaze landed on Li Xiu.

He said: “Teacher Ouyang, the grade supervisor told me to call Li Xiu to his office. He says he has something to ask him.”

What could the grade supervisor ask Li Xiu about?

Normally, Ouyang would express the natural consideration of a good teacher and ask more questions out of concern for Li Xiu. But Ouyang was very uneasy at the moment and naturally didn’t have the energy to put on a performance.

“Since someone is looking for you, you can leave,” Ouyang said with an ashen face.

But just as Li Xiu was about to step out of the office, the man suddenly called out: “Li Xiu—”

Li Xiu paused, turning back to look at Ouyang.

“Did you see anything just now?”

Ouyang thought he could pretend to be calm, but the hoarseness of his voice when he spoke shocked even him. After asking that impulsive question, he trained his eyes unblinkingly on Li Xiu, not daring to miss even the slightest expression on the latter’s face.

“Ah?”

Li Xiu’s brow furrowed, his face full of confusion. It didn’t seem fake.

A chill instantly shot from the heels of Ouyang’s feet to the top of his head. 

“…..It’s nothing. You go on,” Ouyang said.

After Li Xiu left, Ouyang staggered back to his desk and sat down.

It was just that he had been under so much pressure lately, and that was why his vision was hazy.

The man continuously repeated this to himself. But when he picked up the cup to drink some water, some of it splashed on the back of his hand……his hand was shaking.

He couldn’t help thinking about what he had just seen.

Cold, ashen hands, suffused with death.

The chill of fear enveloped him, giving him a deep understanding of what it meant to be put in an icy cave.

“What a joke,” the young teacher muttered.

“It’s been so many fucking years. If it was a ghost, it wouldn’t have taken this long…..”

Therefore, his vision must have been bad. Otherwise, that little thing Li Xiu must have heard the rumors from back then and used some novel means to prank him. Although he had already tested him, who knew whether the other party’s acting skills were good enough to deceive him? 

Ouyang’s mind was in terrible disarray. There was a severe pain in his temples, as if many invisible needles were pricking him. 

Knock knock knock.

At this time, there was another knock on the door.

“I’m busy, we can talk later.”

Thinking that another student had sought him out, Ouyang didn’t care enough to maintain his image as a good teacher and shouted at the door very harshly.

However, the person outside the door was still unwilling to leave him alone after hearing his words, and continued to steadily knock on the door. 

Knock knock knock.

Knock knock knock.

The mechanical knocks on the door continued to sound, the noise giving Ouyang a splitting headache.

Ouyang couldn’t take it anymore. He jumped up and rushed to the office door, opening it aggressively: “Didn’t you hear me?! I told you I’m busy, so why are you knock—”

His voice suddenly got stuck.

Because at this moment, there was no one outside the door. Only a thick, heavy photo album lying silently on the floor.

As soon as he saw the familiar wrapping method on the album, the color drained from Ouyang’s face.

“How could this—”

Hadn’t he put this thing away? How could it have been left outside? Wait, did someone know something and steal his special collection from the bookshelf…..

Rustle.

Suddenly, there was the clear sound of pages being turned in the hallway.

Ouyang gasped in fright, watching in disbelief as the photo album on the floor opened by itself with no one touching it. One after another, ugly, wicked photos scattered from the transparent film.

The difference was that in his memory of the photos, there were only the tender bodies of underaged children. But now, Ouyang’s own image appeared with extreme clarity, completely blocking out those “souvenirs.”

“Who—who is playing this stupid prank?!”

Ouyang could no longer control his emotions. As he admonished, he threw himself to the floor on his hands and knees, desperately trying to gather up the photos.

What he didn’t expect was that the moment he touched the album, all of the “Ouyangs” in the photos turned turned their heads simultaneously to look toward the panic-stricken man outside.

They all had similarly swollen and bruised faces, as if they had been dead for a long time and had been left to rot in a desolate corner for several days.

They all grinned at Ouyang, purple-black tongues hanging out as pus and black blood dripped down.

[Teacher Ouyang.]

Ouyang heard “his own” voice ringing in his ears.

[Be a good boy, and Teacher will will like you then]

There was a fishy sweetness in Ouyang’s throat, as if his heart was beating so fast that it had crushed his organs bloody.

“It’s a hallucination—no, no, this is a nightmare. I must be having a nightmare—”

All of this creepiness frightened Ouyang out of his mind. He talked to himself continuously, trying to wake himself up.

Then, his shoulder suddenly sank.

A floating blue-gray hand stretched out and clamped down on him as firmly as an iron band.

*

When he arrived at the Academic Affairs Office, Li Xiu heard a familiar voice before he even opened the door.

“Song Cheng? Huan Xiaodong? God knows who they are. Oh, they hang out with that guy named Wang or something, I’m not familiar with them.”

The grade supervisor breathed a sigh of relief when Li Xiu appeared, his feelings clearly evident.

“Classmate Li Xiu is here.”

The slightly balding middle-aged man wiped his forehead.

“Well, Classmate Fang, since Classmate Li is here, I won’t disturb your studies. As for the school, we actually just want to understand the situation more comprehensively. We didn’t know you’re unfamiliar with those two classmates. You may return to class now.”

The grade supervisor spoke very kindly to the tall boy who was reclining on the sofa in front of him with an impatient expression.

There was a smile on the grade supervisor’s face, and only he was aware of his wild internal cursing.

Seriously. He didn’t know which idiot lost his mind and didn’t know who to ask questions to, and actually invited this prince here!

After just going through the motions with Young Master Fang and posing a few questions, the grade supervisor felt that his life had been shortened by ten years.

No teacher would want to deal with such a difficult-to-handle student.

And when it was this particular young master, who could not be beaten or scolded, and could only be coaxed and supported by any means possible, the level of stress increased exponentially.

Fortunately, Li Xiu’s appearance instantly alleviated the terrifying pressure much like that of a deep ocean in the Academic Affairs Office.

“Classmate Li, are you aware that Song Cheng and Huang Xiaodong had a serious accident at school?”

The grade supervisor didn’t dare misstep with Fang Qian’an, but when facing Li Xiu, he regained his strength in an instant.

“I….didn’t know.”

In fact, Li Xiu had heard something on the way from the classmate who led him here. He also knew that the matter may be related to Song Cheng and the great Amazi. But to be honest, Li Xiu didn’t know what kind of serious accident could happen to Song Cheng, who was still alive and kicking that morning, and Amazi, whose real name was Huang Xiaodong.

According to the student’s words, the two were directly taken away by ambulance, and before that, the grade supervisor was scared to the point of fainting.

“Well, they encountered a very serious poisoning…..” After a pause, the grade supervisor added quickly, “Food poisoning. They are still being treated at the hospital and are not out of danger. Do you know anything about this?”

Narrowing his eyes, the grade supervisor leveled Li Xiu with an extremely stern look.

Li Xiu shook his head.

“You really don’t know? But other students said that when they went to find you this morning, they were still fine. And it is said that they seemed to have taken something from your school bag today. Classmate Li Xiu, what did you bring to school today?”

“I didn’t bring anything that was against school rules,” Li Xiu replied, hearing the hidden meaning in the bald man’s words.

He looked up at the other party, his face devoid of expression.

They took something from his school bag? Li Xiu thought of what he had noticed after leaving the copy room today. Considering the scattered uncooked rice in his school bag, it should have been done by Song Cheng and Amazi.

But what could this have to do with poisoning?

Li Xiu pursed his lips.

He could sense what the grade supervisor was hinting at.

Perhaps he wanted to use him as a punching bag…..or as a scapegoat.

Although Song Cheng and Amazi were only at the bottom of the clique, no matter the case, they were still students of Qiming. Those who could attend this school, other than special circumstances like Li Xiu, all had some status in the city.

But now, students had been poisoned so badly on campus that they almost croaked. If the school admitted that there were safety risks here, not only the parents of those two, but the parents of other students would also peel a layer of skin off the school’s top brass.

In this situation, an ordinary student like Li Xiu with no background and an obvious conflict with Song Cheng and Huang Xiaodong seemed the best candidate to take the blame.

Li Xiu’s heart sank little by little.

He was not the sort of innocent boy who had grown up in a honeypot, and similar things happened all the time when he was with his grandmother. However, knowledge was knowledge, and when this kind of thing actually happened to him, only then did Li Xiu realize to his shock that there was nothing he could do.

Just like when he faced the torment of the school bullies, he had no choice but to endure it in silence.

“Classmate Li, haven’t I heard that your relationship with Song Cheng and Huang Xiaodong is not very good? Of course, those two have exhibited some bad behavior at school. Rest assured that you can tell a teacher, and they will certainly deal with this matter later. However, Classmate Li, having encountered so many unfriendly things before, have you ever thought about taking revenge on the other parties…..”

The grade supervisor looked at the pale face of the young man before him with satisfaction. Just as he was about to continue applying pressure, there was a sudden loud noise from the side.

Fang Qian’an had kicked the coffee table.

The coffee table in the Academics Affairs Office was made of solid mahogany, and was so heavy that even several people couldn’t lift it. But when Fang Qian’an kicked it, it actually made the 1.5 meter mahogany coffee table move.

“Classmate Fang?!”

The grade supervisor had thought that Fang Qian’an was just watching the entertainment, but as a result, the eldest young master became angry and almost gave him a heart attack.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention when I stretched my legs.”

As he spoke, Fang Qian’an stood up and gave a shameless shrug.

The tall, well-developed young man went directly to the grade supervisor, bringing great pressure to the latter. 

Immediately after, Fang Qian’an reached out and promptly put an arm around Li Xiu.

 Fang Qian’an lowered his eyes and said mildly: “This guy was with me during first period, and we went to the infirmary together after. Teacher, do you still remember?”

“Ah…..ah, that’s what happened.”

There was sweat on the grade supervisor’s forehead, and he answered slowly after a moment’s delay.

His eyes moved back and forth between Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu, and the confusion on his face practically overflowed.

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu?

As sly as he was, he couldn’t figure out the relationship between these two very different people for the moment.

“I was with him almost all morning. There’s no way he could’ve done something to those Song and Huang people under my nose. And I think that for someone like him, whoever that Song is wouldn’t covet Li Xiu’s things.”

The high school boy’s arm was heavy and hot where it pressed firmly against Li Xiu. Fang Qian’an’s scorching body temperature soaked into Li Xiu’s body bit by bit, making this solitary person very uncomfortable.

The words Fang Qian’an said caused him to freeze in place.

Although no one could tell from the outside, Li Xiu was actually just as confused as the grade supervisor in front of him.

“Oh. Yes. That too.” The grade supervisor blankly echoed Fang Qian’an.

Fang Qian’an nodded his head, and with a strong movement of his arm on Li Xiu’s shoulders, he practically pulled the young man directly into his arms.

“So this has nothing to do with him,” Fang Qian’an said calmly.

“Since there’s nothing more to ask, I’ll take him away.”

*

Li Xiu was unable to think as he left the Academic Affairs office.

He still recalled the face of the grade supervisor going red before the door closed. With Fang Qian’an here, even if the grade supervisor was upset, he wouldn’t continue to cause trouble for Li Xiu.

At this thought, Li Xiu’s feelings became extremely complicated.

Naturally, he felt relieved at not having to take the blame. 

But Fang Qian’an’s behavior was truly strange, so strange that his mind was a mess and he couldn’t figure out what this guy was up to.

This couldn’t be a new method of school bullying, could it?

“That…..why?” Before he realized, Li Xiu had opened his mouth to ask.

“Why what?”

Fang Qian’an still looked unconcerned about anything.

“Why did you help me?” Li Xiu asked in a low voice.

As a special existence in the school, Fang Qian’an had no need to open his mouth and exonerate someone like Li Xiu. And what’s more, Li Xiu had noticed before that Fang Qian’an didn’t like him.

Fang Qian’an was silent for a moment.

“Oh. That, ah…..” The tall boy, who was many times bigger than the boy next to him, spoke in a drawl.

Who the hell knew? Why would he help an insignificant cripple who was the kind of fraudster he disliked the most?

At last, Fang Qian’an replied: “When the old man came to see me today, he walked into the classroom with his right foot first.”

Li Xiu: “Ha?”

Fang Qian’an hummed softly: “I hate people who enter the classroom with their right foot. Okay, so I just don’t like him. What’s wrong with that?”

Li Xiu withdrew his gaze: “Nothing.”

After a moment, a whisper as soft as a mosquito’s buzz escaped from the boy’s lips:

“Thanks.”

Different from any time before, although the boy’s voice was small this time, the gentle tone made him seem softer. 

Looking at him from Fang Qian’an’s perspective, a small section of Li Xiu’s snow-white neck could be seen outside his school uniform, as well as small white earlobes under dark hair.

For some reason, Fang Qian’an subconsciously licked his canines.

“That’s it?” The vile school bully raised his voice slightly, “That’s not right. Little cripple, I’ve done you such a big favor, so shouldn’t you show some actual gratitude?”

The moment he finished speaking, he felt Li Xiu’s shoulders tremble, and the frail young man stopped to look at him speechlessly.

“I have nothing to offer,” said Li Xiu.

Fang Qian’an didn’t know what was going on in Li Xiu’s mind at that moment. In any case, it wasn’t anything good. That snow-white face inexplicably made Fang Qian’an think of that kind of, well, that kind of little widow who had nobody to rely on after her husband died, especially weak and bullyable. 

……What the fuck was he thinking?

Fang Qian’an returned to his senses and was momentarily stunned.

However, his vigilance did not do away with the strange feeling in his chest, which felt like it was being scratched by many small paws.

“What do you think I want?” Fang Qian’an asked mildly, in an attempt to suppress the strangeness inside him.

Hearing these words, Li Xiu lowered his head and remained silent.

Fang Qian’an finally discovered that when Li Xiu encountered something that upset him, he would deliberately look away from others. But no one must have told him that because of his delicate, feminine appearance, the more he lowered his eyes and kept a straight face, the more it made a person want…..to tease him.

Fang Qian’an: “As the old saying goes, if you can’t pay back a debt, shouldn’t you repay it with your body, ah?”

Li Xiu turned and looked Fang Qian’an up and down.

“Sorry, I’m not gay. I can’t do that.”

“Cough, cough—”

Fang Qian’an almost choked on his own saliva.

“I’m not gay either!” he shouted. “It was just a joke!”

It really was just a joke.

But Li Xiu’s reaction was so proper that Fang Qian’an’s face felt unreasonably warm.

Fuck.

Li Xiu glanced sideways at Fang Qian’an and continued: “But I can help you with tutoring.”

“I remember that your grades are very poor.”

In fact, he was last in the entire grade.

Fang-doesn’t even take exams-Qian’an was really blushing now.

“My grades…..they aren’t…..who would want this kind of thank-you gift? Are you sincere, ah!”

Once again, Fang Qian’an reached out and placed a heavy arm around Li Xiu.

The scorching body temperature dissipated the chill caused by his low-grade fever, leaving Li Xiu dazed for a moment.

[A-Xiu]

At that same time, a low, hoarse call sounded from far down the hallway.

A chill ran down Li Xiu’s back, and when he turned abruptly, there happened to be a person standing in the corner with their head bowed.

“Classmate Li Xiu.” The person repeated the call.

The building complex where the Academics Affairs Office was located was very big. When it was originally designed, the person hired was an internationally known architect.

As a result, the shape of the building was very avant-garde, but in usefulness, it was rather difficult to describe. The location of each office was very strange, all of them connected by hallways that were also designed intricately enough to be called a maze. In addition, so many of the hallways had no windows and relied entirely on artificial light sources.

Once a certain light broke, that area would appear particularly dark.

And presently, above that corner, the light seemed to have malfunctioned.

Strange. Was that light broken when they passed by just now?

Zizi—zizi—

Even from such a distance, Li Xiu could still hear the intermittent buzz of electricity.

With the light flickering on and off, that figure also seemed a bit difficult to identify.

“…..Teacher Ouyang?”

Li Xiu squinted his eyes for a good moment before he could just barely recognize that person’s identity.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12

Liu Zhenqing had no grudge against the Dai family. At most, loyal ministers and commanders like the Dai family didn’t care to see him after hearing about him, and cared little for the Liu family.

He also likely believed the rumors about Huo Fenglie’s hatred for Liu Zhenqing.

It was true that there was no hatred in Dai Tingyu’s eyes. He just greeted him a little awkwardly, then immediately changed the subject to invite them back to the city together.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing, who nodded. Then he spoke a few words to Han Ye, who also nodded and said: “Okay.”

Since their whereabouts had been exposed, it was naturally inconvenient to go to Medical Valley. They could only trouble the master to come out, and since it was close, this wouldn’t make things difficult for him.

Han Ye had originally wanted to give the carriage to Liu Zhenqing. They left on their own the next day, but Liu Zhenqing looked at Dai Tingyu, who had warmly invited Huo Fenglie to ride back with him, and shook his head. He walked directly to Chen Jiangue and mounted the horse.

Chen Jiangyue turned to look at him without a care, but Dai Tingyu to the side was dumbfounded. He naturally knew of Huo Fenglie’s Chen Jiangyue. That kind of horse was a special breed, not at all like a normal horse. Other than Huo Fenglie, it usually didn’t let anyone else ride it, or at times even touch it. How was the young master of the Liu family able to ride on it without Huo Fenlgie opening his mouth?

Dai Tingyu could only turn his head to look at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie looked tranquil as he walked over to the horse and asked: “You don’t want to rest in the carriage?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his hand and gestured for him to come up.

In the end, under Dai Tingyu’s disbelieving gaze, Huo Fenglie mounted his horse and rode with Liu Zhenqing in his arms.

Dai Tingyu’s eyes turned back and forth between their two faces, then saw Liu Zhenqing deliberately lean into Huo Fenglie’s arms. This sort of posture could not be attributed to friends riding together. They were clearly a couple.

Everyone around saw this clearly, and Dai Tingyu had to accept it as reality.

So Brother Huo had been enlightened? He had forgotten the past? This guy with a cocky expression should be Huo Fenglie’s substitute to forget about Liu Zhenqing.

Speechless, Dai Tingyu didn’t dare look too long. He mounted his horse straight away and turned back to the rest of his team.

And at this time, Liu Zhenqing was asking in a low voice while in Huo Fenglie’s arms: “What’s the deal with Dai Tingyu? He’s so enthusiastic about you and keeps looking at you. It shouldn’t be that he has any thoughts about you.” 

Huo Fenglie pulled the reins helplessly: “Qing-ge, you’re overthinking. It’s only that we fought together and we’re long-time friends.”

“That time with the Three Southwest Kingdoms?”

“En, the Dai family originally withstood that battle, but there was no one in their family who could fight at that time, so they could only let the young Dai brothers go to the battlefield. They were inexperienced, and had a tough time.”

“So you showed up and became their idol? That’s great, ah, Er-gou,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile. 

The corners of Huo Fenglie’s mouth ticked up helplessly. “If you feel tired later, you can just sleep in my arms.”

Liu Zhenqing looked up at the earnest Huo Fenglie and recalled how everyone had knelt down just now. Then he remembered how the cheek he kissed had turned red, and his heart suddenly felt itchy. 

He rubbed his head against Huo Fenglie’s chin, and when the other lowered his head to look at him, he asked with a smile: “Before, did it feel good?”

Huo Fenglie’s pupils quivered and he raised his head shyly, not daring to look at him.

Liu Zhenqing rubbed the top of his head against Huo Fenglie’s chin again and said: “I’m asking you something. Answer honestly, did I perform better this time?”

The jut of Huo Fenglie’s throat shifted, and he eventually gave a muffled affirmative hum.

He knew that according to Liu Zhenqing’s character, if he didn’t answer, he would continue to ask relentlessly and in the end, the only one in trouble would be himself.

Sure enough, after getting this answer, Liu Zhenqing was satisfied and no longer embarrassed Huo Fenglie.

Just as this moment, Dai Tingyu rode up on his horse.

“Brother Huo, let’s go.”

As the two horses walked together, Dai Tingyu asked a lot of enthusiastic questions. Over time, Liu Zhenqing could pretty much see through him as he observed. 

He was a straightforward and heroic military officer, and his looks weren’t bad. He was just a bit rough and boorish.

In any case, he definitely didn’t like men, but…..he didn’t seem to be very interested in women either.

When Liu Zhenqing asked him curiously if he was married, Dai Tingyu said directly that a woman would affect his courage on the battlefield. Because in the eyes of this boor, women were all soft and weak, like water, and he couldn’t bear that they cried at a touch. Moreover, they were long of hair but short of knowledge, which he felt was extremely troublesome.

This kid was so unexpectedly sexist. Liu Zhenqing said at once, “I recall there was a marquise in your family.”

Dai Tingyu suddenly choked, then gave Liu Zhenqing an awkward look.

Liu Zhenqing spoke again: “Have you never met Sister-in-law Huo?”

Dai Tingyu immediately begged for mercy: “Young Master Liu is so capable. You’re not wrong, but it’s just that there are very few women like this. Most girls, especially those in the south, are quite weak and need to be taken care of. I really don’t like that sort.”

Sexism followed by geographical discrimination, atta boy.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t familiar with him, so he naturally would not say much. The topic quickly shifted to the bandit incident just now.

“They came from the Western Shu Kingdom.”

“The better part of Western Shu consists of slaves, so there should be no such bandits,” Huo Fenglie said.

“Naturally, they aren’t slaves. They are all originally landowners or higher of Western Shu. Perhaps they violated some of the new king’s laws and couldn’t survive, so they escaped to burn, kill, and loot nearby. There have been many of them recently, which keeps us busy. However, these people should have been killed for abuse of power in their home country. We usually kill them directly and don’t take the trouble of bringing them back.”

“What about the ones just now?”

“We inquired, and they came from the capital city. We’ll take them back for interrogation and see if there is any valuable information.”

Liu Zhenqing said abruptly: “Has it always been like this? If you fail to catch up to them just like today, won’t the common people around you suffer?” Many common people had died in the attack. If Huo Fenglie hadn’t been there, half of them would have died before their arrival.

Dai Tingyu looked at Liu Zhenqing in surprise and said: “Young Master Liu is kind-hearted. In fact, we’ve tried our utmost to arrange for people to follow them, but there will still be fish that slip the net. Tang-chengzhu is also very troubled by this matter, but his manpower is exhausted and there is nothing he can do.”

Liu Zhenqing went silent.

Huo Fenglie asked directly: “What can be done?”

Dai Tingyu looked at Huo Fenglie strangely and thought to himself, what are you asking him for? Dai Tingyu had spoken in detail, and expected the God of War to give them some suggestions on defense.

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment and said: “There is indeed a way. It depends on whether Tang-chengzhu is willing to give the order.”

Dai Tingyu was a little disdainful. In his eyes, the most resourceful and intelligent Chengzhu could do nothing, so how could he, an Imperial merchant, think of something?

“Speak, Young Master Liu,” Dai Tingyu said at will.

Liu Zhenqing said: “We can announce to the Western Shu Kingdom that, considering that the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty are being endangered by fugitives from Western Shu, foreign trade at the border is suspended, and all trade caravans from their country will be cut off from now on. This will last until no fugitives from Western Shu flow frequently to Great Zhou’s border.”

The horse suddenly neighed as it was stopped by Dai Tingyu.

Staring blankly at Liu Zhenqing in Huo Fenglie’s arms, Dai Tingyu said in disbelief: “Is….it okay? This method?”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Commander, this can be discussed with your City Lord. It’s useless to say more.”

Dai Tingyu swallowed and looked at Huo Fenglie, whose face was calm. He didn’t seem to object.

Dai Tingyu didn’t dare ask further questions. He seemed to have revealed his shortcomings, but couldn’t help but pick up his pace, feeling vaguely that this was a very different approach.

Because they arrived in the city late at night, Dai Tingyu initially wanted to knock on the door of the City Lord’s house, but the city gates were far away from the City Lord’s manor. Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing, who had dozed off in his arms. He said: “It’s too late tonight. Let’s rest nearby and pay a visit tomorrow.”

Huo Fenglie spoke in a low tone. Although it wasn’t harsh, his attitude brooked no objection. Dai Tingyu seemed to take it as a military order and quickly obeyed, knocking at the nearest inn to settle the guests in.

Dai Tingyu stepped forward and gave careful instructions: “Shopkeeper, prepare ice for two rooms. Don’t let the guests overheat.”

Liu Zhenqing, who had been lifted off the horse by Huo Fenglie, suddenly pinched Huo Fenglie’s arm.

Huo Fenglie was startled. Seeing that the shopkeeper was about to take them inside, he could only summon his courage and say: “One room.”

Dai Tingyu almost crippled his foot climbing up the stairs.

The shopkeeper turned his head to look, immediately saying with a smile, “Okay, okay, please come inside.”

Huo Fenglie crossed over to Dai Tingyu and said: “You don’t need to send us off. Go back and rest early.”

Dai Tingyu looked awkwardly at Huo Fenglie, who was carrying someone. He stammered: “Okay….I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

Huo Fenglie nodded and carried Liu Zhenqing to the room.

Dai Tingyu shook his head, dumbstruck. It wasn’t that there were never handsome brothers who admired Huo Fenglie and wanted to recommend themselves as a pillow, but Huo Fenglie had never given them a glance. But now…..sure enough, it was because of the surname Liu. He was related by blood and looked similar, so it was no wonder he could melt this glacier.

On the other side, Huo Fenglie placed the person in his arms onto the bed. Liu Zhenqing didn’t open his eyes or speak the entire time, and directly stretched out his arms to Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie obediently helped him remove his outer layer, shoes, and socks. Liu Zhenqing rolled over and patted the space next to him.

It was only the two of them.

Huo Fenglie hesitated for a moment, then said: “Qing-ge, I have the smell of blood on me. I’ll go wash up and come back. You rest first.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t respond. He grabbed the pillow next to him and hugged it in his arms. It was obvious that he had been just about to hug Huo Fenglie.

It was already late at night. Liu Zhenqing was indeed tired, and fell asleep, and fell asleep quickly. But when he woke up the next day, he found that he was holding Huo Fenglie in his arms.

Liu Zhenqing was somewhat amused, holding his head up as he gazed at the person next to him. Unless someone took away what he was hugging to sleep, he usually wouldn’t replace it.

Last night, he’d thought that Huo Fenglie still had some scruples and would avoid him, but it seemed he had made some progress and got into his gege’s arms.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie sleeping there, with his handsome features and heroic spirit. The more he looked, the more delighted he was, and he couldn’t help but move forward to kiss him on the cheek.

Suddenly, Huo Fenglie opened his eyes and stared at Liu Zhenqing. He seemed to be in disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing looked back at him with clear eyes. He had obviously awoken long ago but didn’t dare to wake him, so he pretended to be asleep, not expecting to be secretly kissed by him.

Liu Zhenqing was so thick-skinned that he was not ashamed at all when he was caught. On the contrary, he said: “It turns out you were already awake. Say, did you secretly do something to me before I woke up?”

As expected, Huo Fenglie’s eyes widened, full of the injustice of being falsely accused by the actual criminal. Liu Zhenqing began the new day with uncontrollable laughter.

Sure enough, he felt refreshed after teasing Er-gou in the morning. Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but look forward to it. If this could happen every morning in the future, he would be happy for the rest of his life.

After a moment, there was a knock on the door. Huo Fenglie went to open it, and the shopkeeper’s voice could be heard.

Because they got up late, Dai Tingyu had already been there. Seeing as they weren’t up, he had left a message for the shopkeeper to pass on.

He asked them to wait at the inn when they woke up.

The two cleaned up and went down to eat. The people in the inn could be heard discussing which village had been attacked the night before.

“Even though it’s said that the new policies implemented by Western Shu are good for the people, they cause disaster for us. It’s really irritating if you think about it.”

“Don’t say that, I think the new king wants to end slavery and try to learn from our Great Zhou. He can be considered promising, and he’s more humane than the previous king. It’s just that the distance is very long, and he can’t cover all of it, so please make allowances, everyone.”

“You are magnanimous, but you won’t be affected in Nanfeng City, and you don’t think about how miserable the common people around you are. They are the people from our Great Zhou. Instead of being sympathetic to other countries, it is better to sympathize with those compatriots who cannot survive without the breadwinners of their families.”

“Ai, Brother, what you’re saying isn’t right. I’m not unsympathetic, ah, I just think that we need to be tolerant and look at things comprehensively. The more similar they are to a nation with proper conduct, won’t they pose less of a threat to our Great Zhou?”

“What a colossal joke. Aren’t the countries around us so-called nations of proper conduct? They don’t show any mercy in battle, ah.”

The person being criticized immediately choked, unable to find a reason to refute.

The sarcastic fellow snorted. “As long as it violates our general interests, I don’t care whether or not it’s difficult to reform Western Shu. Don’t forget that four or five years ago, they attacked us together with two other countries. If not for the general who guards the country, you and I might not be able to stand here alive.”

More and more people responded upon hearing this, and someone suddenly said in anger: “The Kingdom of Western Shu is just an ill-raised white-eyed wolf. Everyone, don’t forget the blood feud of the past just because trade relations have improved over the years. More than ten years ago, our Nanfeng City nearly became the territory of the Western Shu Kingdom. There were countless casualties among the defenders and civilians of the city at that time, and they almost couldn’t hold on any longer. How many of you here are authentic people of Nanfeng City? You may or may not remember it, but we, people who have been citizens of Nanfeng City for generations, remember it clearly. That period of humiliating and tragic history will never be forgotten. The stone sculpture of our previous City Lord still stands in the city today.”

As soon as he said this, everyone in the inn became quiet. The old shopkeeper couldn’t help but sigh: “Everyone, please stop arguing. The days of today were hard-won. Thinking about the sacrifices of the old City Lord and the current City Lord Tang-chengzhu, us living good lives is the greatest reward for the Tang family.”

Hearing this, someone promptly said: “We must live good lives for ourselves and develop Nanfeng City well. Don’t let that evildoer in the underworld see us as a joke.”

“Right, don’t let that treacherous evildoer Liu laugh at us!”

Everyone immediately echoed this. It seemed that only when this person’s name was mentioned would everyone’s opinions be highly consistent.

After all, this was one of Liu Zhenqing’s major crimes. It was said that once, the southwest border town was harassed by foreign tribes and was struggling to survive while awaiting support. Liu Zhenqing went there directly and forced the good general defending the city to his death, offering his head to quell the anger of the foreign tribes, which nearly caused the border town to fall and the common people to suffer.

This was truly a serious crime worthy of wiping out his entire clan, but no one could sue him at that time.

The people inside the inn gradually began to talk about Liu Zhenqing’s glorious deeds. This was likely a topic they often brought up after eating. It was no wonder neither Liu Zhenqing’s master nor Han Ye liked to come here.

“Hmph, it was a little close. If it hadn’t been for the young Tang-chengzhu who dared to lead the troops to fight back, we would all be slaves of the Western Shu Kingdom now.”

“Isn’t that right? Liu Zhenqing was simply a devil. Half our people died back then, but we still persisted. It would have been good that he came, but instead of helping his own people, he directly forced the old City Lord who pleaded with him to his death, and even chopped off his head to offer it to the king of Western Shu. It’s also said that he wanted to talk about cooperation, and to give Nanfeng City as a territory to Western Shu and ask for peace talks.”

“If the young City Lord hadn’t taken advantage of the peace talks to launch a sneak attack and kill many important figures of the Western Shu kingdom, we would really be…..”

“Yes, ah, the Tang family has truly given us a new lease on life. Facts have proven that heaven has eyes, and good will be rewarded with good and evil will be rewarded with evil!”

Liu Zhenqing took a sip of his soup upon hearing this. Sure enough, if the previous City Lord was mentioned, he would be mentioned as well. He really wasn’t used to these familiar voices of condemnation after not hearing them for a long while. He looked to the side where Huo Fenglie, with a gloomy expression, had stopped eating a half-finished dumpling.

Good people were rewarded?

That’s right, wasn’t this a good reward? He was allowed to come back and pick up a great treasure.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly leaned forward and bit into the half-eaten dumpling on his chopsticks. Holding the chopsticks in his mouth, he looked up at Huo Fenglie with a smile.

Stunned, Huo Fenglie could only look at Liu Zhenqing uneasily and take the initiative to pass the chopsticks forward as if feeding it to him.

Liu Zhenqing ate the half dumpling with satisfaction. As if to reciprocate, he picked up a small steamed bun and took the first bite. “En, this tastes pretty good too. You have it.”

After saying this, he brought it to Huo Fenglie’s mouth.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing had eaten Huo Fenglie’s half-eaten food before. That was when he was very young, but since his rebirth, it seemed that Huo Fenglie had never given him the opportunity. This seemed like the first time, but although Huo Fenglie often ate Liu Zhenqing’s leftovers, he had never fed them to him himself.

Just as Huo Fenglie was feeling uneasy, they heard a cough.

Turning to look, they saw a group of people coming to the door, which instantly caused a sensation.

“Chengzhu, Commander Dai!”

The guests immediately went to salute, but the man in the lead raised his hand to stop them.

The man was dressed in the blue brocade robes of a scholar, and his face was elegant and fair. He wore a white jade hairpin and a jasper waist pendant, not complicated, but exquisite. Although he was not tall, he had an air of dignity, graceful and elegant, gentle and polite.

This person was Tang Mu, the lord of Nanfeng City.

And standing behind him was Dai Tingyu, who had just coughed to alert the two of them. It was very amusing that their appearances formed a strong contrast, like a big black bear following a deer spirit. But it could be seen that the big black bear was very respectful to the deer spirit.

Tang Mu looked at the two men with a warm smile, immediately stepping forward to greet them.

Huo Fenglie took a bite of the xiaolongbao and then waved to Tang Mu, signaling for him to not say his name.

Although this trip was not destined to be kept secret, and those in the know had known for a long time, Huo Fenglie didn’t like high-profile scenes and avoided them when at all possible.

Tang Mu was not a pedantic person. He obeyed Huo Fenglie’s wishes, looking graceful when he just made an inviting gesture.

Very soon, in an atmosphere of speculation and inquiry, Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing boarded the carriage prepared by Tang Mu.

After boarding the carriage, Tang Mu still insisted on kneeling to Huo Fenglie. His discipline and control was very good.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Tang Mu with some nostalgia. After so many years, this brat still looked like a soft-spoken, delicate young master. Back then, his hands would tremble for a long time after killing someone, his face pallid. It was rumored that Young Master Tang was capable of both literary pursuits and martial arts. At that time, Liu Zhenqing really felt that he had been deceived.

But now, he looked even more handsome. If Song Xingmu saw him, he would definitely compete with him to see who was the best-looking. According to Song Xingmu, without the Liu Zhenqing was of the past, he was now the most beautiful among men.

Liu Zhenqing expressed his displeasure. Er-gou was obviously the most handsome.

Song Xingmu disagreed, saying that they were not in the same category.

Okay, it could probably be said that one was handsome and the other was beautiful.

But that was only because Song Xingmu hadn’t seen Tang Mu.

Liu Zhenqing was about to give Huo Fenglie a look of complaint, but when he glanced over, he saw that Huo Fenglie’s face had gone dark and he was staring at the person in front of him with a pair of tiger eyes.

He didn’t even tell Tang Mu to get up.

The difference in level between Tang Mu and Huo Fenglie was so great that if Huo Fenglie didn’t tell him to get up, he naturally didn’t dare to move.

What was this? Liu Zhenqing wore a look of confusion. He wanted to remind Huo Fenglie, but was suddenly struck by the resentment in Huo Fenglie’s eyes when they turned toward him.

Liu Zhenqing: ? ? ?

“Tang-chengzhu, there is no need to be polite. Please rise.” Huo Fenglie’s tone was ice-cold. He was indeed displeased.

And…..why was Huo Fenglie still staring at him as he spoke?

It wasn’t until Tang Mu rose that Huo Fenglie looked back, lowering his eyes as he said: “The pendant on Tang-chengzhu looks familiar. Where did it come from?”

When they were inside the inn before, he could only see one corner of the small jade pendant due to the different style of clothing. The rest was completely hidden within the folds and could only be seen when he was kneeling or sitting down.

Liu Zhenqing had only been looking at his face just now, and it was only when Huo Fenglie mentioned it that he paid attention and took a look.

With one glance, Liu Zhenqing’s head was buzzing.

Wait, that was…..

A willow leaf jade pendant?!

---

Consider donating via Kofi here!

Chapter One Hundred One << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Three

There seemed to be someone screaming in the woods.

At the beginning of class, many students heard the shrill wails, but most of them just looked at the window and then looked back. At the podium, the teacher who looked as handsome as if he had just stepped out of an idol drama, looking at his students tenderly, came to a standstill. 

Ouyang was the kind of teacher who was difficult for students to hate.

He was tall, handsome, and very gentle and graceful in his speech and behavior. Whether it was summer or winter, he always dressed as if he had just stepped out as an old-school fashion model. Li Xiu couldn’t see anything special about Ouyang’s clothing, but after class, the girls often praised Ouyang’s good taste…..and the price tag.

When he first learned that the watch on Ouyang’s wrist might be more expensive than his lifetime expenses from childhood to adulthood, the gel pen in Li Xiu’s hand paused on the test paper for a few seconds. The poor quality nib leaked onto the paper, leaving a small lump of coarse ink.

Everyone in school was aware of Ouyang’s identity as a rich second generation. And the marvelous thing was that the students became more well-behaved and obedient in front of Ouyang.

Not only Li Xiu’s class, but students in almost every grade liked Ouyang.

“Almost time.”

Before starting the lecture, Ouyang scanned the classroom in a routine manner.

Li Xiu silently lowered his head in the audience, avoiding Ouyang’s eyes…..

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Li Xiu keenly felt that Ouyang’s eyes seemed to linger on him for a few seconds. As a result, there was a cold, greasy sensation on his palms.

Sure enough, in the next second, he heard Ouyang call out his name.

“Li Xiu?”

Ouyang gave Li Xiu a gentle look.

“I heard that you weren’t feeling well this morning. Didn’t you ask for leave?”

Li Xiu raised his head, his gaze falling on the blackboard behind Ouyang.

“I’m fine.”

The boy’s answer was mild, his tone without fluctuation.

“That’s good. I saw that your complexion was somewhat bad,” Ouyang said kind-heartedly.

“Your foundation is weaker when compared to other students, so you need to spend more time on this course. I have already corrected the last enhancement paper, and you got a lot of questions wrong that you really shouldn’t have. Come to my office after class and I’ll go through it with you again.”

“……Thank you, Teacher.”

Li Xiu ducked his head, his lowered eyelashes covering the gloom in his eyes.

The female tablemate seized the opportunity when Ouyang turned to write on the blackboard and couldn’t help but murmur to Li Xiu: “Wa, Ouyang is giving you preferential treatment, ah. Li Xiu, you really make a person envious.”

“En.”

Li Xiu responded quietly with a wooden face. His eyes were somewhat vacant, and the hand holding his pen whitened due to excessive exertion.

*

The class went by quickly.

When the bell rang, Ouyang picked up the lesson plan and tucked it under his arm with a smile, then waved to Li Xiu in the corner of the classroom.

Sitting in his seat, Li Xiu took a deep breath before standing up, and slowly followed Ouyang to his office.

As an elite school, Qiming’s facilities were naturally better than an ordinary public school in all aspects. Not only did students enjoy excellent teaching conditions, but so did the teachers—at Qiming, there was no such thing as teachers sharing the same office. Each one had a separate office with complete facilities. And as a star teacher hired by the principal at a high price, Ouyang’s treatment was better than that of other teachers. His office was located in the corner of the hallway, the largest and most private room. The only drawback of this office was that there was an old tree planted outside the window. The branches and leaves were so lush that they blocked out almost all of the natural light, so the lighting was not very good. Even during the day, the room would look extremely dark if the lights were not turned on.

And at present, Ouyang did not turn on the lights.

He stood at the door of the dark office, holding the door with one hand as he turned to look at Li Xiu.

“Come in, Li Xiu,” he said.

Li Xiu didn’t move.

He spoke in a whisper, “Teacher…..”

“I’ll go back and read the papers myself first. If I don’t understand something, I’ll come back to you. The break between classes is so short, my next class will be…..”

“Isn’t your next class phys ed?”

Ouyang interrupted Li Xiu altogether.

His face darkened, and there was a hint of callousness in his tone.

“I recall that you don’t have to take the physical education class.”

Li Xiu trembled slightly.

He knew Ouyang was looking at him, and that his eyes fell precisely on his ankle.

There was a lump in his throat, and he couldn’t respond. Ouyang wasn’t wrong. Because of his physical defect, the physical education class was a self-study period for him. But after Ouyang pointed this out, the chill that had been lingering in the depths of his body since that morning suddenly broke out. Li Xiu had never felt as cold as he did now.

“You are different from other students. Although the students here are lazy, they all receive bilingual education as soon as they learn to walk.” Ouyang regarded Li Xiu with a gentle expression, but his voice was harsher than any other student had experienced. “And your situation is very special. You need to be more serious in your studies than others, Classmate Li Xiu. This teacher also wants to strengthen you individually for your own good.”

As he spoke, Ouyang stepped forward and placed his hand on Li Xiu’s shoulder.

The tall, slender man immediately felt the boy’s body tremble under his palm. The not yet fully-grown body unique to the young looked so delicate under his hand. There was a brief flash of darkness beneath Ouyang’s gold-rimmed glasses.

But in the next second, that strange look was quickly replaced by that of a “responsible, gentle teacher.”

“It’s alright, Li Xiu. Don’t be so cautious.” His voice abruptly softened, and under his lead, Li Xiu could only walk into the office step by step. “…..Even though I’m a teacher, I actually like to be friends with my students.”

A click sounded. 

The office door closed.

Inside the office, Ouyang behaved like the gentlest, most patient, ordinary good teacher.

The room was very dark, and the young male teacher only turned on the table lamp. Then he picked up the English paper and placed it on the table. He pulled out a chair next to him and patted it, indicating for Li Xiu to sit beside him.

“I want to talk to you about these few questions,” he said.

Ouyang was very satisfied when he saw Li Xiu obediently sitting in that position.

The young man still wasn’t looking at him. His incredibly beautiful face revealed no expression at all, just like a carefully crafted mask. Only the thin layer of sweat on his forehead and the back of his neck exposed his extreme tension and resistance.

However, this helpless, weak resistance caused Ouyang’s breathing to become even thicker.

As the topic went on and on, Ouyang’s tone suddenly dropped.

“……I’ve heard you’ve been having a hard time recently.”

He raised his hand and stretched it uncontrollably toward Li Xiu’s thigh.

“I’ve said it before, you can tell me if you encounter any trouble. After all, I have some connections in Qiming.”

Just as Ouyang’s hand was about to touch Li Xiu, a strong wind suddenly gusted outside the window, and it opened with a bang. The heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains roiled, billowing up to hit the bookshelves.

Bang—

Behind Li Xiu and Ouyang, countless books and furnishings fell from the bookshelves, and the tremendous stir instantly dispersed the swamp-like heavy, sticky atmosphere in the office.

Ouyang was also given a start. 

He cursed: “Fucking hell—”

When he saw something fall to the ground, his pupils shrank slightly and he paid no attention to anything else. Pushing away his chair in a panic, he rushed to the bookshelf and bent down.

In addition to some ornamental decorations, there were also several thick hardcover tomes that had fallen. There were no titles, and the books were tightly wrapped in plastic protectors. Because of this, the sound was particularly loud when they fell. 

As he picked up the books, several photos slipped out of the pages. 

There was a bulging vein on Ouyang’s forehead. He quickly put the photos back into the books, then put things back in their places one by one.

While putting these things back, Ouyang sorted out his panic. He turned and murmured to Li Xiu jokingly: “Aiya, that was really scary just now. Looks like we’ll need to ask the school janitor to come repair the window…..”

His voice suddenly paused.

Because he clearly felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

The corners of Ouyang’s mouth twitched. He wanted to grin but had to hide his pleasure, so his final expression was a bit eerie.

“So bold all of a sudden…..”

The much-loved teacher teased him in a murky voice, content with his achievement. The corner of his vision fell on the hand on his shoulder.

The smile on Ouyang’s face froze at once.

That hand did not belong to Li Xiu as he had imagined. The leather of that watch was mottled. Veins criss-crossed under withered skin, and there were no nails on the fingertips, only bloody nail beds.

A biting chill spread along the place that hand was touching.

“Ah—”

A short scream erupted from the man’s throat.

He leaped up and bumped against the bookshelves, knocking down several more ornaments.

“Teacher…..Ouyang?”

A confused voice sounded hesitantly.

Ouyang raised his head in shock to see that Li Xiu was still sitting at the desk.

The young man regarded him with a tense expression and no small amount of fear.

“W-what’s wrong with you?”

Ouyang stared at Li Xiu and didn’t speak immediately. Breathing rapidly, he looked over his shoulder.

The hand had long since disappeared.

In just a short moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

What was that just now? Was it his imagination? Or was it retaliation from Li Xiu? He’d heard that there were some weird prank devices on the internet now…..no, that wasn’t it. Li Xiu was still some distance away from him. How could he let Li Xiu get that close to his back and prank him without hearing any sound? And that hand…..

He had seen that hand before.

He could even recall the scene of that hand digging into the floor, the nails all peeled off to leave bloody streaks on the carpet.

Buried deep in Ouyang’s heart, memories he didn’t want to think about suddenly surfaced.

A gust of wind blew through the window, and Ouyang shivered violently.

So cold…..

Ouyang realized that his back was soaked in cold sweat, so much so that at this moment, the originally comfortable office became unbearably cold to him.

“I-it’s nothing,” Ouyang said dryly to Li Xiu. Certain desires that were formerly entrenched in his heart had long since dissipated.

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the office door.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 9 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 11

“Mr. Pei, can you really not remember the password at all? For example, yours or your parents’ birthday? A special anniversary or something?”

“Is the fingerprint lock function definitely malfunctioning, or was it turned off accidentally? Have you tried all ten fingers?”

“We’ve contacted this smart lock brand’s customer service. He said that they should all be equipped with emergency keys that can open it from the inside.”

“Can you not find your key either?”

The property manager wracked his brains and found that there was no harmless path to take.

In the end, he had no choice but to take the quickest and most convenient way, but also the most costly method—finding a locksmith to break the lock.

Money makes the world go round. It was fairly early in the morning, but the locksmith still came as quickly as he could with a box of tools.

While he waited, the property manager was not idle. Once he learned that the owner had lost his cell phone, he offered to help contact his family.

But after dialing the number three or four times, there was still a mechanical female voice at the end repeating: 

The number you have dialed cannot be reached.

The property manager could only give up. He asked Pei Xi: “Mr. Pei, is there anyone else you can contact?”

Pei Xi stared blankly for a long moment, then shook his head and whispered: “No need to contact anyone else. Just leave it at that. It’s too much trouble.”

Breaking a lock was simple and rough physical work, and hadn’t taken long. The question was what sort of lock should replace it after it was smashed: “These locks are the same as the one in your house—”

“This one.”

Pei Xi didn’t wait for the locksmith to finish speaking. He pointed at one randomly and asked under the surprised gaze of the locksmith: “Can you give me the key first?”

The locksmith handed him a set of keys that matched the lock. Scratching his head, he could only affirm again: “Sir, do you really want—”

“Yes, thank you.”

Pei Xi interrupted the other party again, paid with cash, and then took the elevator downstairs to leave.

The locksmith and several property management staff who were left standing there exchanged glances.

“……”

“……”

“…..This?”

“…..Change it, change it. Once you’ve changed it, we’ll go down with you.”

*

*

The temperature at night was lower than in the day, and the wind blowing across the road howled fiercely.

Pei Xi was wearing loose pajamas, and the wind through the cuffs and hems of his clothing, swirling around and then slipping away, and making the figure outlined by the fabric appear thinner and thinner.

At this time and place, without a rideshare app, it would be hard to get a taxi.

He stood there at a loss, his eyes wandering aimlessly, sweeping past the tall street lamps and swaying tree branches over the street. Finally, he lowered his head and focused on the cash in his hand.

His lowered eyelids concealed his expression, and there was no telling what was on his mind.

Then a dark red sports car passed by him at a high speed, braked suddenly, and then slowly backed up until it stopped firmly in front of him.

He looked up in confusion to see the car window roll down and a familiar head pop out of it.

“Aiyo, President Pei!”

With an arm on the edge of the window, Wu Qing grinned at him as if they were good friends: “What a coincidence, why are you up late at night blowing in the wind?”

Pei Xi looked at him for two seconds more and said calmly: “I’m not blowing in the wind, I’m waiting for a ride.”

“Waiting for……a ride?”

At this time?

In this place?

Dressed like this?

Wu Qing raised a question mark: “Where are you going? To the company? I happen to be on my way, how about I give you a ride?”

“That is possible.”

Unexpectedly, Pei Xi was not polite to him: “But I’m not going to the company.”

Wu Qing almost couldn’t react to his bluntness: “Where are you going if not to the company?”

Pei Xi: “Home.”

Wu Qing looked at him, then at the community gate not far behind him, and back at him: “?”

Pei Xi added: “Mine and Chuzhou’s home.”

Wu Qing: “…..?”

Wu Qing: “ ! ! ! ? ?”

*

*

“Apologies, the phone you have dialed has been turned off.”

Wu Qing hung up again and tossed the phone aside: “This is bad, I still can’t get through. He probably fell asleep.”

It was quiet in the back seat, with absolutely no sound. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Pei Xi looking sideways out the window in the dim light, his expression unclear.

He looked away with a shrug.

……Then took another look.

He couldn’t be blamed for making a fuss about nothing. This sensation was really magical and mysterious, ah, too wonderful for words.

He asked this politely, not expecting that this great Buddha would deign to sit in his vehicle.

Would it be too much of an exaggeration to say that he was flattered?

Or was it purely because of inexplicable personal relationships?

The flames of gossip burned in silence.

He didn’t know if the intense flames of gossip had burned his brains or if it was because he knew that the relationship between that person and his brother was not simple, but he felt that Pei Xi’s entire temperament had changed. He was so “easy-going” that he could even exchange a few words with him.

Was this the so-called power of love?

At this thought, he coughed twice and said with seeming casualness: “Um, President Pei, when did this happen between you and our, no, your Lao He, ah?”

In the rearview mirror, Pei Xi finally looked away from the window: “When did what happen?”

Wu Qing: “When you two started talking.”

“Talking…..”

Pei Xi repeated the word and frowned slowly: “You don’t know? Didn’t Chuzhou tell you?”

“No, ah, I don’t know anything about it.”

Wu Qing exaggerated his tone: “It’s not just me. I asked the other brothers around me, and none of them knew. Lao He did a great job of keeping it secret.”

Pei Xi’s eyes darkened, and the corners of his mouth straightened without a word.

Wu Qing thought he didn’t want to talk about it, but it didn’t matter. It was normal for young lovers to keep secrets, so he changed the question: “The two of you…..who pursued whom?”

Before Pei Xi could reply, he suddenly came to a realization: “Oh! It must be Lao He who took the initiative, right?”

“Snatching projects and engaging in business wars. Everyone was aware of the great fanfare, and it was all to attract your attention.”

“He must have annoyed you so much before, and now you’re playing hard-to-get, right? Such a strategy of killing a thousand enemy soldiers by losing eight hundred actually succeeded in the end. Lao He is still awesome.”

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He became increasingly enthusiastic, completely forgetting his original plan of digging for gossip.

“Damn, a few days ago I was laughing at him for not being like a normal man, almost thirty years old without eating meat. Now it’s my turn to be the joke.”

“But President Pei, you have a discerning eye. Although Lao He is a bit of a dog, there is absolutely nothing wrong with his character. You won’t suffer a loss, he’ll definitely hold you in the palm of his hand.”

“He has good looks, a good personality, a good temperament, and makes money. Apart from a naughty younger sister, there are no problems with his family. He’s your professional counterpart and can help you a lot in your career. Having a partner like this will save you a lot of trouble!”

“By the way, don’t believe those bullshit rumors outside. Yes, I may be a relatively come-one-come-all person, but my brother has nothing to do with that sort of thing.”

“When it comes to keeping oneself clean, if Lao He takes second place, no one would dare to take first place. He’s guarding himself like a family heirloom. If he never had interest in someone, I’d have to wonder if there was something wrong with him.”

“I’ve known him for how many years now. When he was in school, he got love letters but never engaged in puppy love. After graduation, his father wanted to be a hands-off employer, so he started to work for the company and was busy from morning till night.”

“There have been no few people who’ve tried to flatter him and climb into his bed. But I guarantee you, he accepted none of them. It’s rare to get him out to drink and relax, and the whole time, he just wants to go back and walk his dog…..”

He spoke enthusiastically, regardless of whether the silent person in the back seat was listening or not. 

Then he was interrupted by a phone call.

He chuckled when he read the name, and first raised it to show the person in the back seat. “Look, isn’t he on his way?”

He pressed answer and turned on the speakerphone: “Why are you awake, youngster? Your sleep quality is no good.”

He Chuzhou’s voice came from the other side of the phone, low and hoarse, with a listless exhaustion. “What do you mean, awake? I didn’t sleep at all.”

As soon as he got off work in the afternoon, he was called back home by Ms. Chu to deal with a group of relatives who had come to visit that weekend on a whim.

He bought snacks with his cousins, played mahjong with his uncles, took some time out of his busy schedule to hide in the study, and, under Ms. Chu’s instructions, was urged to get married by several overbearing aunts 

He was exhausted. The body was exhausted, and the mind even moreso.

When he left after somehow surviving to the end, he got to the car and found that his phone had already run out of battery. After charging it for around ten minutes and turning it on, there were many missed calls.

He selectively ignored an unfamiliar number and dialed Wu Qing: “If you’re drinking, find someone else, I won’t accompany you. I’m exhausted, so I’m going home to sleep.”

Wu Qing sneered: “Come on, don’t think so highly of yourself. Who wants to waste precious time drinking with you at night?”

He Chuzhou yawned. “Fine, what do you want?”

Wu Qi donned an air of mysteriousness: “I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep alone in the empty boudoir, so I’m sending you some warmth. How about it?”

He Chuzhou was silent for a couple of seconds: “You’re sending me a hot water bottle in the middle of the night?”

Ten minutes later, at the door of the villa.

“I’m just an ordinary philanthropist, don’t thank me too much. See ya~”

The red sports car roared away, leaving Pei Xi and He Chuzhou standing there wide-eyed.

A gust of wind blew by, and Pei Xi, who was wearing thin clothes, couldn’t help a slight shiver.

He Chuzhou regained his senses and immediately took off his jacket, striding forward to wrap him up tightly.

“Tsk, why are your times of confusion getting more and more tricky…..”

Seeing Pei Xi looking at him as he muttered, he coughed a couple of times, then made a preemptive strike: “I just finished work and was about to pick you up. Why did you come here first?”

Pei Xi: “I couldn’t find my cell phone.”

He Chuzhou: “Again?”

Pei Xi: “The door to the house was also locked.”

He Chuzhou: “Was it locked from the other side? How could—”

Pei Xi: “I called property management, and they called a locksmith to break the lock.”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ?”

Pei Xi: “Then I met Mu Qing downstairs when I went to take a taxi, so I asked him to send me here.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

What was going on tonight? Why did they all have such exciting and colorful lives?

He pressed his aching head. “Why not ask someone to give me…..never mind, it’s my fault. I’ll pay attention next time. What about the lock? Did you leave before it was changed?”

Pei Xi nodded, then took out a bunch of keys under He Chuzhou’s disbelieving eyes. “Don’t worry, I asked the locksmith to give me the keys first.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Never mind.

What was wrong with this child?

Children had too much trust in society.

After taking this person home, he changed He Xingxing’s food and water first, then took one of the keys from the bunch. He left his cell phone next to Pei Xi before leaving: “I’ll go over and take a look. I’ll be back soon. Go to bed first if you’re sleepy, you don’t have to wait for me.”

The latter nodded. He didn’t know if it was from running around late at night, but he was in a low mood.

He Chuzhou touched his head and quickly went out. Pei Xi didn’t rush back to the bedroom, but remained in place for a while, turning over to nestle into the sofa under He Xingxing curious gaze.

The house was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. It was extremely empty, and he felt uncomfortable being alone, so he put a random movie on to generate some sound.

When he turned on the phone, a WeChat message suddenly popped up on the screen.

He clicked in and saw that there was only a single line on the app:

[Gege, will you approve the friend request?]

Gege?

Pei Xi recalled that He Chuzhou didn’t like people calling him gege.

The only one who could legitimately call him gege was…..He Aiyue?

Did the brother and sister quarrel and stop being WeChat friends?

He wasn’t sure, so he hesitated for a moment before helping He Chuzhou click accept.

Then, very soon, he discovered that the person calling him ‘gege’ was not Aiyue at all.

As soon as the application was approved, the other party didn’t hesitate to send him a sexy, scantily-clad selfie in front of a mirror with his waist practically twisted into a pretzel.

It came with additional messages:

[Does Gege like Didi like this?]

[Didi can be even naughtier~]

[Gege’s boyfriend looks so serious, he must not be fun to play with, right?]

[Gege’s friend just left. While the bed is still warm, do you want to come over and continue playing with me?]

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 21 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 23

The school nurse remembered clearly that three people had been sent for wound treatment.

One was Li Xiu, who only had a mouth wound, one was Fang Qian’an, who had slight cuts, and the other was a tall boy with a slash on his face.

Actually, in principle, she should have dealt with the tall boy first—the wound must have been serious with all the blood on his head.

However, the look the dean gave her before he left suggested that the nurse should give priority to Fang Qian’an’s injury.

Fortunately, when she went to get the alcohol wipes, the nurse saw that the boy standing behind that other one with the mouth wound seemed to be whispering into his ear.

If he was fooling around like this, there should be no problem with him.

That was what the nurse thought at the time.

In fact, just as the school nurse was pulling up Fang Qian’an’s sleeve, she could still catch a glimpse of the tall boy in her peripheral vision.

When had the other party left? Why hadn’t she noticed at all?

The school nurse was somewhat confused.

What confused her even more was Fang Qian’an’s cold, abrupt answer.

“……Li Xiu and I were the only ones injured in the copy room.”

“There were only two people, not a third.”

The school nurse was struck dumb.

“B-but…..”

“Teacher, you must have seen wrong, isn’t that so?” Fang Qian’an responded to her with little patience.

The nurse’s words inexplicably gave him a sense of anxiety.

But at this time, Fang Qian’an didn’t take the nurse’s words to heart.

After putting his school uniform on again, Fang Qian’an immediately walked out of the infirmary. The school nurse sat there, her face pale with surprise and her head full of confusion.

After a good while, the nurse murmured in confusion as she arranged the medical kit in her hands: “Could it be that…..I actually saw it wrong?”

Once she sent Fang Qian’an away, that prince who could be coaxed but never scolded, the nurse felt that her entire person was much more relaxed.

She tidied up the infirmary and went to the window to open it and get some fresh air.

As soon as she lowered her head, she happened to see Fang Qian’an walking out of the building.

With a height of 1.9 meters and an outstanding physique, even when viewed from the back, Fang Qian’an was very eye-catching. It was impossible to mistake him.

She watched as Fang Qian’an gradually left down the stairs, and after staring blankly for a moment, she cursed without any anger: “Damn, today’s young people, ah…..is it fun to tell silly jokes like that these days?”

He had said she was wrong, and that only two students were injured, but it was just a lie meant to scare her.

Look, wasn’t the tall boy she saw before still following Fang Qian’an right now?

*

“Hiss…..so cold.”

On the way back to class from the infirmary, Li Xiu shivered.

He realized belatedly that he should have asked the nurse for some fever-reducing medicine while he was in the infirmary.

With his whole body feeling cold and dizzy, he feared that afternoon classes would be a bit difficult to endure without taking medicine. It wasn’t that he didn’t consider going back again for medicine, but Li Xiu had originally missed a class today because of Fang Qian’an, and if he went back for medicine, he would be late for the next one.

Besides, the next class was Ouyang’s.

The man’s smiling face flashed through his mind again. A shadow passed across Li Xiu’s face, and he gave up the idea of turning around.

He lowered his head and walked quickly toward the teaching building.

Qiming Secondary School had done a good job greening the environment up. The infirmary was in the main building complex, which was separated from the teaching building by a small forest grove.

It was while walking through the grove that Li Xiu happened to see two familiar figures among the lush trees.

It was Song Cheng and Amazi.

Li Xiu’s heart tensed. He stopped at once and lowered his figure.

Fortunately, the two were facing away from him at the moment and didn’t notice Li Xiu’s presence. When he realized this, Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and walked away hastily without looking for too long.

He didn’t want to attract the attention of these two guys. After all, compared to a young master like Fang Qian’an, trash fish like Song Cheng and Amazi were even shitter and more difficult to deal with. He had already wasted a lot of time doing nothing this morning, and didn’t want to cause any more trouble.

However, as he was turning to leave, Li Xiu instinctively felt it was a little strange. The place Song Cheng and Amazi were standing was among the shrubbery. Few people stepped there, and the ground was probably covered with mud and fallen leaves. Both of their backs were straight and their hands…..their hands seemed to be hanging at their sides.

At a glance, Li Xiu could see the bulging cheeks of the two, as if they were chewing on something.

He had a feeling that this wasn’t the posture of someone smoking.

This thought passed through his mind fleetingly. He didn’t think too much about it, because something else suddenly occupied his attention. 

When he arrived at the classroom out of breath, there were still five minutes left.

“What are you doing here? I heard the teacher say you weren’t feeling well and asked for leave?”

The female desk mate was a bit surprised to see Li Xiu appear in the classroom.

Li Xiu thought for a moment and guessed that Fang Qian’an was the cause, lightly brushing off his absence from the previous class. 

The young master actually thought about him so considerately? 

Was his brain broken, or was it that he had a trick up his sleeve?

Li Xiu thought of the young master’s strange behavior today and was at a loss for a while.

But in reality, Li Xiu’s eyelashes fluttered as he replied in a muffled voice with no further explanation: “I’m feeling a little better, so I still came to class.”

He sat down in his seat and was about to take out his class textbook.

His school bag had been tampered with.

After experiencing several pranks, Li Xiu was now very sensitive toward the things he placed in the classroom. The moment he discovered that his school bag was open on the wrong side, he felt nervous.

Holding his breath, he carefully pulled his school bag out.

I thought someone would have maliciously put thumbtacks or trash inside, or maybe his textbook had been torn to pieces or something. However, after checking again and again, he was surprised to find that all the important things were fine, other than the leftover uncooked rice from his gege.

Li Xiu’s fingertips holding his schoolbag suddenly turned white.

The female deskmate had actually been looking at Li Xiu, consciously or not. Seeing that his expression wasn’t good, she promptly drew closer and asked: “Li Xiu, are you okay?”

Li Xiu took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. “I’m fine.”

It was just a bag of uncooked rice that was about to be thrown away…..

Even if it disappeared, nothing should happen, right?

But who would come and steal a bag of rice mixed with incense ashes?

*

In the grove—

“Hey, you two, what are you doing?!”

When he saw Song Cheng and Amazi, the grade supervisor who was doing inspections thought the same thing as Li Xiu, that the two boys were hiding in the woods to smoke.

This made him furiously angry.

“What kind of place is this? If you want to smoke, is this the place to do it? You’re not afraid of starting a fire—”

He hastily rushed over and grabbed the two boys’ shoulders.

However, when he turned them around, the grade supervisor found no cigarette butts at all.

“Cough, cough…..”

“Cough…..”

On the contrary, the two boys he had caught coughed violently.

As they coughed, many small white particles mixed with saliva sprayed out of their mouths.

After a good while, the two boys seemed to have awoken from a dream, and looked at the grade supervisor in a panic while covering their mouths.

“What are you doing?!” the grade supervisor asked again.

“W-we don’t…..I don’t know…..”

“I just….just…..”

The confusion and bewilderment on the boys’ faces seemed genuine.

Their speech was still muddled, and some white things could still be seen in their mouths when they spoke.

When the grade supervisor thought of those small particles, he was full of suspicion, and was about to tell them to spit out what was in their mouths. Then he saw their faces suddenly distort, and they covered their mouths while bending over.

“It hurts…..”

“Ugh…..”

With pained groans, the two of them vomited all over the ground.

The grade supervisor was not spared either. His shoes and trousers were stained with warm, sour, smelly liquid. He screamed and staggered two steps back, almost stumbling over the bushes behind him.

Because of this, it took the grade supervisor a while to realize that something was wrong.

Why were so many dense white spots moving around in the vomit on his feet?

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 8 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 10

There was a small accident in the copy room, and the dean of students and a few others didn’t say a word about the mess. Instead, he circled around Fang Qian’an, so frightened that his beer belly seemed to contract. Throughout this, he kept bowing and scraping, babbling on incessantly. By the look of his posture, he couldn’t wait to call an ambulance to take this young master directly to the central hospital.

Fang Qian’an couldn’ t be bothered to pay attention to him.

It wasn’t like Fang Qian’an hadn’t witnessed the behavior of this group of people after coming to Qiming, but today, their presence seemed to be many times more annoying than usual.

Several senior men crowded together and followed Fang Qian’an into the infirmary, and even the nurse on duty was so nervous that she was sweating. In contrast, Li Xiu, who was also injured, was ignored throughout the whole process. It was as if he had suddenly vanished from the world.

The inexplicable irritability in Fang Qian’an’s heart suddenly reached its peak.

If the eldest young master of the Fang family was unhappy, he naturally wouldn’t let others be happy either. With just a few words, he drove out the dean and the others. In a few minutes’ work, the infirmary finally became quiet.

This silence lasted but a moment.

“Tsk, they’re annoying to death…..”

Fang Qian’an reached down to take out his cell phone, absently playing a tile-matching game. As he played, he unconsciously glanced at Li Xiu from the corner of his eye.

Li Xiu had seemed very quiet on the way here. Presently, he ignored Fang Qian’an and just sat silently in the corner with his head bowed.

Perhaps he was in shock from just now. Li Xiu’s face was very pale, and he no longer had the vigor he had when facing Fang Qian’an in the copy room. Dark eyelashes drooped low, and the quivering black butterfly wings seemed to be stained with dew, casting small, dark shadows under his eyes.

He looked truly weak and pitiful, like someone could reach out with one hand and cradle the whole person.

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Fang Qian’an’s fingers stiffened and he clicked the wrong square. After a great start to the matching game, he suddenly lost everything.

“Fuck.”

Fang Qian’an suddenly uttered a curse, and the school nurse was so frightened that a chill ran down her spine.

In fact, neither of them were seriously injured.

The nurse casually took a tube of antibacterial ointment and handed it to the ordinary student, telling him to apply it to his mouth. Then she got her act together and opened a drawer to glance at the medical kit with a frown.

“C…..Classmate Fang, I’m sorry to trouble you to wait for a moment, ah,” the nurse said insipidly. Thinking back to the meaningful glance the dean had given her before leaving, she complained endlessly in her heart.

“I need to get some alcohol wipes,” she hastily said to Fang Qian’an, then walked out of the infirmary in a rush.

When she left, Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu were left alone in the infirmary.

The room remained extremely quiet.

Li Xiu ignored Fang Qian’an and didn’t seem to care much about the visible difference in treatment by the school nurse. He looked into the mottled mirror in the infirmary and squeezed out some ointment to apply to his lips.

In fact, there was nothing interesting to see at all. Fang Qian’an knew this. 

However, the boy’s red and swollen lips as they were moisturized by the melting ointment seemed extra…..extra…..

Fang Qian’an’s mind was chaotic, and he didn’t know how to describe the radiant, bright red he had glimpsed.

His chest was on fire.

The eldest young master was a mess, so restless that he wanted to jump up and spin around in circles.

Fang Qian’an muttered quickly: “Did someone defraud you of money? Are you not given food to eat, and that’s how you developed this scrawny figure?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the infirmary was so quiet that Li Xiu could easily hear the clear words.

His lips formed a stiff line in the mirror.

Li Xiu abruptly turned his head to look up at Fang Qian’an. “What do you mean?”

When Li Xiu glared at him like this, Fang Qian’an felt like he was being possessed by a ghost, and he actually shrank back involuntarily. After being stunned for a moment, he regained his thinking ability.

“…..I think you’re too thin,” he said drily.

“Oh.”

Li Xiu looked at him for a few seconds before turning away expressionlessly.

Of course he knew this was not what Fang Qian’an said initially, but in all aspects, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with him — although the school nurse had determined that he was fine, Li Xiu felt that his body was growing colder and colder after leaving the copy room, so cold that his nerves were practically numb.

“Tsk, such a bad temper…..”

Fang Qian’an felt that he was disgracing himself a bit today.

Looking at the little cripple’s cold expression, he began to feel uncomfortable again.

Fang Qian’an was not someone who liked to bully others at school for no reason.

Not because he was noble and upright, but because the people in this school were not from the same world as him, and there was no point in getting into disputes with them.

But who made Fang Qian’an accidentally discover that Li Xiu’s family played at witchcraft at home?

Perhaps the most disgusting thing to Fang Qian’an was that kind of ostentatious, deceptive charlatan.

Therefore, it was inevitable that Li Xiu would not be very pleasing to his eyes.

That was all.

Just as he had mocked Li Xiu before as an overly thin boy with a girly face…..he really was an eyesore.

Fang Qian’an didn’t realize at the time that just his dislike could turn into a disaster for an ordinary student with no family background, who was just being used as a score-boosting tool by the school.

Fang Qian’an seemed aloof and indifferent most of the time, and it was too difficult to please him.

Those who stuck to Fang Qian’an at their parents’ behest were not fools, and would not miss his slight disdain and disgust.

So, intentionally or unintentionally, when Wang Rongfa started to bully Li Xiu, he began to enthusiastically fan the flames and take every opportunity to bring Li Xiu to Fang Qian’an to bully…..

Fang Qian’an didn’t stop this.

And every time it happened, Li Xiu always steeled his face. It was only when he was bullied severely that an unconcealable trace of panic and weakness would flash through his eyes.

Before Fang Qian’an realized, he had become one of the bullies.

Now that he thought about it, he was simply obsessed.

“I’m sorry.”

Thinking of what he had done before, Fang Qian’an suddenly squeezed these short syllables between his lips.

“I’m embarrassed, ah, my apology is late—”

However, this unpracticed apology coincided with the school nurse pushing through the door.

Fang Qian’an looked at Li Xiu and found that the other party clearly hadn’t listened to his voice.

A certain prince’s jaw tightened at once, and his expression became abnormally ugly.

“…..Fuck.”

He cursed to himself again internally, and his ugly expression made the nurse even more nervous.

The school nurse had returned to the infirmary with alcohol swabs and forceps in her hands.

It was obvious that she treated Fang Qian’an much more seriously. Cuts big and small on the young master’s face were disinfected with alcohol and medicine was applied. To be honest, if not for the disinfection, Fang Qian’an wouldn’t have realized that ordinary copy paper had caused such great damage. There were many thin, shallow cuts on his hands and face, all made by the paper.

After treating Fang Qian’an’s face, the nurse glanced at his gauze-wrapped hand.

“What’s wrong with your finger?”

The nurse looked a bit anxious.

“An old injury, it’s—”

Fang Qian’an was still somewhat impatient, and planned to say it was nothing, but when he glanced at Li Xiu to the side, his voice stuck in his throat.

Li Xiu didn’t seem to be paying attention to the activity on Fang Qian’an’s side at all.

Seeing the nurse approach, he obediently placed the ointment back into the medical case.

Then he turned his head and gave an expressionless goodbye.

“Teacher, I’m going back first.”

“Oh. Okay. You do that.”

Then Li Xiu walked out of the infirmary without a sideways look.

That little cripple Li Xiu actually thought things were settled between the two of them?!

As Fang Qian’an was distracted, the nurse had already diligently pushed up his sleeve.

“Aiya, these injuries of yours—”

The school nurse sucked in a breath of cold air.

When she was disinfecting Fang Qian’an’s exposed wounds, she didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong with the young master in front of her. 

Who would have thought that Fang Qian’an’s arm would look so terrible under the cover of his clothing? At a glance, the layers of cuts and bruises were simply shocking. It could be said that there was no good skin at all.

Bam—

Just then, Fang Qian’an suddenly kicked the table and pulled his sleeve down quickly.

That handsome face was instantly filled with gloom. The nurse made the mistake of meeting Fang Qian’an’s eyes, and her throat constricted. She was too frightened to speak.

But Fang Qian’an soon returned to normal.

“Don’t worry about this,” he said mildly, holding the arm that had just been touched by the nurse. He gave a smile. “It’s from practicing Muay Thai.”

The school nurse: “Oh…..oh…..Muay Thai, ah. The subcutaneous bleeding looks rather serious, so it’s best to have it dealt with.” 

The nurse swallowed, speaking continuously. “Then that’s it for your injuries. Remember not to shower within eight hours, and keep yourself warm. You can go now, Student Fang.”

As she spoke, the nurse threw the alcohol swab into the trash can, then took a new one out of the medicine case.

Fang Qian’an was about to leave, but the school nurse’s actions gave him a faint feeling of dissonance.

Immediately after, he heard the nurse say: “That classmate at the door, you can come in now—”

Fang Qian’an couldn’t help but glance at the door.

It was empty. No one was there.

His footsteps paused.

The school nurse turned to look at the door and frowned, startled: “Eh? That classmate is gone? The cut on his face was a bit serious. It could easily become infected if not cleaned. Student Fang, if you see him when you go back, you should tell him to come to the infirmary.”

“Cut?”

Fang Qian’an keenly heard that the nurse didn’t seem to be talking about Li Xiu.

Sure enough, he heard the nurse say in the next moment: “Yes, ah, the classmate who came with you two. That really tall one was injured too, wasn’t he?”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 7 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 9

After Liu Zhenqing changed his clothes and went out, he saw Huo Fenglie sitting by the river bank, having a meal with everyone.

Liu Zhenqing walked over with a sullen face. Huo Fenglie didn’t dare to look up at him, but silently handed over some fish with the bones removed.

With a cold scoff, Liu Zhenqing grabbed some grilled fish from the side and ate it while ignoring Huo Fenglie.

Han Ye watched, saying: “What are you doing? General Huo has already prepared it for you.”

“I don’t want to eat what he prepared.” Liu Zhenqing clearly expressed his displeasure with Huo Fenglie.

Han Ye was puzzled. Wasn’t he fine just now? He changed clothes, and was disagreeable in the next moment.

But Liu Zhenqing’s attitude had Huo Fenglie at a loss, and he could only look at him silently.

He seized the opportunity at the right time to pass the water. Ignored. He passed the fruit. Ignored.

Han Ye watched Huo Fenglie’s overtures as Liu Zhenqing refused to accept them. He couldn’t stand idly watching anymore, and used his arm to jab him.

But Liu Zhenqing simply ignored Huo Fenglie, and in the end, Huo Fenglie ate the fish he had prepared himself.

When they got in the carriage, they found that the ice had been refilled.

“General Huo used his internal strength to do it, which is very labor-intensive,” Han Ye informed him.

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curled, and he was about to say something when he saw Huo Fenglie lift the curtain and start to come in. Liu Zhenqing’s face suddenly darkened. He picked up the fan to the side and pressed it against Huo Fenglie’s shoulder to push him out.

“Chen Jiangyue is so bored. You can ride horseback this afternoon, don’t come in.”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he pushed Huo Fenglie out of the carriage without a glance at his expression. 

The carriage started to move, and Huo Fenglie could only stand on the roadside looking at Chen Jiangyue. As if sensing its master’s pitiful aura, Chen Jiangyue leaned forward and nuzzled him. Huo Fenglie sighed, and could only mount his horse.

Although he was willing to be used by Qing-ge to relieve his loneliness, there was still a conflict in his heart that he was unable to get over so quickly. But it seemed that…..he had made Qing-ge unhappy, which was not what he wanted to see.

On the carriage, Han Ye narrowed his eyes at him and said: “If you’re actually upset, I’ll help you poison him.”

Liu Zhenqing was secretly peeking out through the curtains, and was surprised to hear this. He said with a smile: “I thought you would say I’m being unreasonable.”

“Yes, ah, it looks like you’re making unreasonable trouble. In any case, it’s not unusual for you to bully people, especially honest people,” Han Ye said bluntly.

“But you would still help me?” Liu Zhenqing said in bewilderment.

Han Ye said matter-of-factly: “You’re my master. He isn’t.”

Right, the people from Medical Valley protected one another even when they were in the wrong or unreasonable.

Smiling, Liu Zhenqing said: “I’ll ask you for poison if I really can’t bear it anymore later. This kid should be taught a lesson. He’s still rebellious. If I don’t make him learn how to behave, wouldn’t I be a weak husband, ah?”

“You’re the husband?” Han Ye raised an eyebrow.

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “You still know this?”

Han Ye immediately harrumphed, then devoted himself to reading medical texts. Seeing its usefulness, he dragged Liu Zhenqing to study together. Liu Zhenqing was only interested in medical skills in relation to Huo Fenglie, and had a bad attitude the rest of the time. Having been angry all day, Han Yu rolled his eyes, and Liu Zhenqing was so frustrated that he regretted driving Huo Fenglie away.

They approached Nanfeng City. The plan was to go straight to Medical Valley for treatment before going to Nanfeng City. But looking at the sky, it would be too late no matter where they went, so they stayed overnight in a nearby village.

Looking at the communal bed in front of him, Liu Zhenqing said directly to Han Ye: “Sleep with me.”

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind to grasp Liu Zhenqing’s wrist. He turned back to look at Huo Fenglie with a raised eyebrow.

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes and said nothing, simply holding his wrist.

Han Ye looked over: “Does it matter who sleeps with whom?”

Looking at the communal bed before them, there was a half-person-high board set up with bamboo in the middle. It was said to be two beds, but it was actually just a single bed with another single alongside it.

The coachman went to sleep with the old men, leaving just the four of them.

In the end, it was Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie on one side, with Han Ye and the medicine boy on the other.

As Liu Zhenqing lay in bed, he suddenly recalled the last time he had slept on such a communal bed. When Huo Fenglie changed their positions to shield him from the wind, Liu Zhenqing had thought he was about to do something to him. Thinking about it, it was rather funny.

Now, Er-gou wouldn’t do anything he wanted Er-gou to do to him. It was annoying as hell. Although he was still clinging to him, it wasn’t enough.

When Huo Fenglie lay down, Liu Zhenqing deliberately turned his back and lay on his side with an angry appearance.

Sure enough, the other approached after a while and tugged at his clothes, whispering: “Qing-ge, I’m sorry. Don’t be angry, it’s all my fault.”

Liu Zhenqing continued to ignore him, having made up his mind to teach Er-gou a lesson. He sniffed coldly to indicate that he wasn’t asleep, and just intended to ignore him.

The people next to them also fell asleep one after the other. After a while, the little medicine boy’s soft snoring could be heard, and Han Ye’s breathing became calmer.

The windows were open. The stars could be seen outside, and the chirping of summer insects could be heard.

Looking at this, Liu Zhenqing’s heart inexplicably softened. Fine. On such a beautiful night, he couldn’t bear to make Er-gou sleep uneasily.

When he turned around, he was taken aback to see that Huo Fenglie wasn’t asleep either. He hadn’t even closed his eyes for sleep, and was looking at him steadily. The moment he turned around, bright light flashed in his dark eyes, as if he was surprised.

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curled up when he saw Huo Fenglie like this, and just as he was about to lean in and speak softly, he saw a look of determination suddenly flit across Huo Fenglie’s face.

A big hand was suddenly resting on Liu Zhenqing’s slim waist. Liu Zhenqing trembled, looking at Huo Fenglie with disbelief and expectancy.

Huo Fenglie looked somewhat uneasy, but although his eyes were averted, his body drew closer as he leaned forward and whispered: “Qing-ge, do you still want it?”

This hoarse, sexy voice was like lightning passing through every inch of Liu Zhenqing’s skin.

It was lethal. Once Huo Fenglie took the initiative, Liu Zhenqing could feel the changes in his body and had no ability to resist.

He let out a soft mmm almost without thinking about it.

Huo Fenglie’s hand moved slowly, and Liu Zhenqing also took the initiative. Huo Fenglie only froze for a moment this time, and then let Liu Zhenqing do it.

Liu Zhenqing smiled. Sure enough, Er-gou could only endure it so long. It was obvious…..Liu Zhenqing drew close to Huo Fenglie’s ear and whispered: “Bad dog!”

Very soon, a shifting sound brought Liu Zhenqing back to his senses. He had been completely lost in pleasure just now. If he hadn’t covered his mouth in advance, he would have woken up the two people next to them.

Liu Zhenqing looked up tremblingly, only to see Huo Fenglie with his teeth clenched tightly with his brow knitted, a hard-pressed look on his face. Unable to endure his palpitating heart, Liu Zhenqing raised his head and kissed him.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes immediately opened wide. Liu Zhenqing ignored the shock in his eyes and continued to kiss him, finding a way for the two of them to cover up their final sounds.

Huo Fenglie started to get up to fetch some water for cleaning, but Liu Zhenqing held them back. For now, he just wanted to hold Huo Fenglie and didn’t want him to leave.

Huo Fenglie could only briefly wipe them down with a handkerchief. Then he embraced Liu Zhenqing tenderly, and couldn’t help pressing an extra kiss to his hair.

Such a quiet, beautiful night also diluted Huo Fenglie’s inner conflict.

The two of them were holding each other and absorbing each other’s gentle presence, when suddenly, there was a scream outside.

Huo Fenglie jumped up at once. He dressed himself, took his sword, and rushed to the door to investigate.

As soon as the door opened a crack, there was constant shouting, and Han Ye and the medicine boy were also woken up.

“There are bandits.” Huo Fenglie looked back at Liu Zhenqing and said, “All of you stay here.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

Huo Fenglie ducked out swiftly.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Han Ye and the little medicine boy, saying: “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

“Of course I’m not afraid. If they fall into my hands, their lives will be worse than death,” Han Ye scoffed.

The little medicine boy seemed just a little bit frightened.

Liu Zhenqing smiled, and was about to say something when he saw Han Ye’s nose twitch. Then he looked at him in a flash, eyes full of disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing instantly thought of something and gave an awkward smile.

Han Ye’s face turned dark: “There are others here!”

Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched, and he expressed his innocence: “It wasn’t me this time. It was Fenglie doing bad things.”

Han Ye’s anger was not light: “Only a ghost would believe you!”

Liu Zhenqing really found it difficult to argue. But in any case, he felt comfortable, and he also felt Huo Fenglie’s attitude softening. Perhaps Er-gou would confess to him at the next opportunity. But according to the current situation between the two of them, they were pretty much there whether it was said or not.

Listening to the commotion outside, everyone quickly dressed. When they opened the door, they saw fire already blazing outside. There was burning, killing, and looting, and the old man who let them stay overnight was so terrified that Liu Zhenqing spoke a few words of comfort to him. The group of them waited in the courtyard.

Very soon, there was only the sound of crying outside, which proved that Huo Fenglie had pretty much solved the problem.

After a while, holding up his bloody sword, Huo Fenglie dragged in a fellow with a bloodied head.

With Huo Fenglie’s martial arts, it was only a matter of minutes to deal with ordinary people. Liu Zhenqing was about to step forward when the sound of horse hooves approached.

Han Ye heard it and asked: “Are there more?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head, and Huo Fenglie also looked in the direction of the sound. It was familiar to both of them.

Only well-trained war horses could make such neat, loud hoofbeats.

And Chen Jiangyue, who was stabled nearby, was not too happy. Pawing its hooves, it seemed dissatisfied with the horses’ noise.

Soon, the silhouettes of a cavalry could be seen. They rushed toward Huo Fenglie without slowing, and seemed to intend to surround him.

Huo Fenglie stood calmly without even lifting his sword.

At this time, a fierce neigh echoed through the night sky like a dragon’s roar.

Many of the war horses rushing in front came to a stop at this sound, almost throwing their masters from their backs.

Sensing the threat of a top horse like Chen Jiangyue, the horses revealed their uneasiness and stopped moving forward, much to the bewilderment of their owners. They seemed to sense the danger ahead just like their horses, and drew their swords one after another.

“Who the hell are you!”

Huo Fenglie looked at their clothes with a frown, clearly recognizing something.

At this time, one person and one horse walked out from the group of people.

The horse was already tall, but was dwarfed by the tall, strong military commander atop it. That person was young and mighty, smiling as he said loudly: “That sounds like a rare good horse. I didn’t expect such a thing to be hidden here. I’ll take a look…..”

As soon as he spoke, he saw the person in front of him clearly.

The visitor instantly came to a stop, momentarily stunned. Then he let out a cry, dismounted his horse, and rushed toward Huo Fenglie.

Just as everyone was on edge at the sudden approach, they saw the person hug Huo Fenglie, laughing as he said loudly: “Brother Huo! Brother Huo!”

Liu Zhenqing next to him instantly knew this person’s identity. The men accompanying him also dismounted one after another. Although they didn’t know why their boss was so enthusiastic, the other party happened to be named Huo. Soon, some of them guessed what was going on and looked at Huo Fenglie with wide eyes.

Huo Fenglie reached out and patted the excited man hugging him.

The visitor immediately let go with a silly smile, taking two steps back to kneel and salute Huo Fenglie.

“The last commander of Nanfeng City pays homage to the great general guarding the country!”

The people behind him instantly knelt down.

And when the surrounding villagers heard the title “General who guards the country,” they were all so shocked that they knelt down at once, all abuzz. Not because they were frightened, but because they were kneeling down for the general who guards the country, as if beholding a god.

Although Liu Zhenqing had come all this way and knew that the people of Great Zhou regarded Huo Fenglie as the god of war, the places further south seemed to regard Huo Fenglie even more highly.

Han Ye stepped forward and whispered in Liu Zhenqing’s ear: “In front of outsiders, please desist from bullying others. Huo Fenglie’s prestige in the south completely surpasses that of the emperor.”

Liu Zhenqing felt that these words weren’t good, but they were not wrong. After all, the people in the south were so far away from the emperor, who wouldn’t come this far south even when he was on tour. They would never see him once in their lifetimes. Therefore, they were more likely to adore those they could see, those who could protect them like Huo Fenglie, who once defeated the Southern Three Kingdoms Alliance and left behind legendary exploits.

After telling everyone to put out the fires and rescue people first, Huo Fenglie handed over the only job left to Dai Tingyu.

“Brother Huo, why didn’t you go directly to the city when you came, ah? We’ve received the Imperial edict.” Dai Tingyu handed the people over to his subordinates without a care, completely attached to Huo Fenglie.

“It’s past the time limit to enter the city,” Huo Fenglie said, walking toward Liu Zhenqing.

“Brother Huo is still like this. Now that you’ve come, our city lord will open the city gates to welcome you all night long,” Dai Tingyu said with a smile.

And at this time, as Dai Tingyu was following him, he instantly recognized the King of Hell, Han Ye.

“Yo, Doctor Han.” Dai Tingyu’s eyebrows rose.

Han Ye cupped his hands unenthusiastically. After all, he had been active nearby all year round. Even though Han Ye didn’t care to meet the people of Nanfeng City, he would still know a few of them.

Dai Tingyu said in a low voice: “Brother Huo, the two of you are traveling together? Are you unwell?”

It was unsuitable to spread the news of Huo Fenglie’s illness, not to mention that there were so many people here.

Dai Tingyu truly cared about Huo Fenglie, but Huo Fenglie hadn’t intended to tell him about going to Medical Valley at all. It was really troublesome to meet Dai Tingyu at this time.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing gave a couple of weak coughs, and said with the appearance of a willow bowed by the wind: “Answering Commander Dai, Doctor Han came with us in order to treat my illness.”

“Who is this?” Dai Tingyu looked at the frail young man before him in puzzlement.

“Liu Xiaozhu, of the Imperial Merchant Liu family.” Now that the Imperial Merchants had been acquitted, Liu Zhenqing felt more confident in reporting his name.

As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Tingyu’s expression changed, and he appeared somewhat awkward.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here!

Chapter One Hundred << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Two

Once they got in the car and he turned on the air, He Chuzhou placed his palm in front of the air vent to check the temperature, and his gaze fell naturally onto the passenger seat.

Sitting there was Pei Xi, holding a cup of milk tea and drinking it intently.

He Chuzhou: “Do you like the flavor?”

Pei Xi nodded, and said after a two-second pause: “I don’t know what the other flavors taste like either. Chuzhou, have I never drank milk tea before?”

He Chuzhou couldn’t answer this question, since he had never drank it before: “Why do you ask?”

Pei Xi thought deeply: “It feels like this is the first time I’ve tasted milk tea. It’s different from what I had imagined…..”

Imagined?

A person who was usually so busy with work that he forgot to eat still had time to imagine what milk tea tasted like.

He Chuzhou was inexplicably poked by the cuteness: “Then what did you think milk tea should be like?”

Pei Xi said concisely: “Milk made out of tea.”

“Milk made out of tea?”

He Chuzhou repeated this, rather in agreement: “That’s very reasonable, but if it really lived up to its name, the milk tea shop wouldn’t have so many strange flavors.”

“There could be,” Pei Xi said.

He Chuzhou raised an eyebrow: “For example?”

Pei Xi: “For example, milk made with green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, red tea, and black tea.”

He Chuzhou: “……?”

Pei Xi: “It can also be further subdivided. White tea and yellow tea can be made with Yin Zhen tea, black tea with Pu’er tea, oolong with Tieguanyin and Dahongpao, and green tea can be made with Longjing Biluochun.”

“When you have finished subdividing it downwards, you must move up to a larger category and change the source and type of milk, developing a hybrid blend…..”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi gave a clear and concise explanation. When he looked up, he found that He Chuzhou had a strange look on his face and hadn’t responded for some time. He could only wonder: “What is it?”

“Nothing, ah, it’s nothing,” He Chuzhou said.

Only a breath after he finished speaking, he suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. He lowered his head and covered his face, shoulders shaking with laughter.

“?”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “Chuzhou, is what I said funny?”

He Chuzhou waved his other hand: “It’s not funny. It’s very serious, not funny at all.”

Pei Xi frowned: “Then what are you laughing at?”

“It’s just that I was suddenly and indiscriminately shot with knowledge points, and I was caught a little off guard.”

That was about enough. He Chuzhou suppressed his laughter, wanting to affirm Pei Xi’s whimsical idea.

As soon as he raised his head and met the other’s innocent and confused eyes, the corners of his mouth curved again uncontrollably.

God.

“Why are you so cute, ah!”

He couldn’t pretend. He wouldn’t pretend anymore. It was like an outbreak of cuteness aggression, and he wanted to take this person and bite him on the spot.

Unfortunately, the reality was that he could only rub this person’s head carelessly from a seat away.

“There are so many milk tea shops, but none of them have had an idea like yours. I can register a trademark for you later, and you will be the first one in the country.”

“Chuzhou, this is just a personal, one-sided perception that arose from incomplete exposure to general knowledge. It isn’t creative or cute.”

Pei Xi solemnly corrected He Chuzhou’s description of him. Withdrawing his gaze, he picked up the milk tea and took a sip: “And I don’t intend to open a milk tea shop. You were just laughing at me.”

There was still a smile on He Chuzhou’s lips, but he gave no further explanation, simply leaning back in the seat with a relaxed expression. With one hand on the steering wheel, he looked sideways at Pei Xi under the nighttime lights.

Pei Xi had a small temper and was very forgetful regarding trivial matters such as chatting to relieve boredom. There was no need to go out of his way to coax him. If he just kept silent, he would recover on his own.

Just like now. In just two sips of milk tea, he had already completely vented the anger of the previous second as he carefully tasted the coconut beads he sucked up through the straw.

Lowering his head while he chewed, he thought to himself: “My imagination is really no good. I couldn’t imagine putting such crispy coconut beads in milk tea to heighten the taste.”

He Chuzhou stared at the eyelashes that unconsciously fluttered as he thought, along with his slightly puffed-out cheeks, and silently took a deep breath.

Then he rubbed his face vigorously.

He wanted to bite this person again.

Who on earth taught him to be so unscrupulous and cute every day?

Who could let him go when he was this cute?

It was just a pity.

A pity that he had long legs. It was likely that one day he would run away and never come back.

It would be nice if he didn’t run away, and just stayed obedient like this…..

Realizing what strange thoughts were occurring in his head, he smiled widely for a moment, then restrained himself.

After a long while, he clicked his tongue and patted his forehead. Withdrawing his gaze from the passenger seat, he simply started the vehicle and set off for home.

*

*

Wu Qing: [You went back?]

Wu Qing: [You really went back?]

Wu Qing: [You haven’t played with the 4D glasses yet. How about I get one and send it to you?]

Wu Qing: [Hey! Say something, Lao He!]

Wu Qing: [Are you still there?]

Wu Qing: [Tell me honestly, are you in a relationship with Pei Xi? I won’t object.]

Wu Qing: [How long has it been since you snatched the bracelet from that person at the auction, ah?]

Wu Qing: [No way, were you two just pretending to be sworn enemies, and were actually secret boyfriends?]

Wu Qing: [Good brother, don’t tell me that I’m also a part of your games]

Wu Qing: [……]

Wu Qing: [God damnit, I will buy a pair of red high heels and hang myself in front of your house for you to see! ! !]

He Chuzhou came out of the shower and saw the messages on his phone popping up. He opened it and looked at Pei Xi, who was sitting on the bed: “Xinxin, do you want to play with 4D glasses?”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “Are they like the ones in the cinema?”

He Chuzhou described them to him: “When you put them on, you see a bunch of people dancing around you.”

Pei Xi shook his head decisively: “No.”

He Chuzhou had thought he would at least think about it: “Why not?”

“I don’t like too much noise and excitement.”

Pei Xi lifted the quilt and lay down, leaving a space beside him as he looked at He Chuzhou obediently: “Having you is enough.”

He Chuzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he suddenly couldn’t respond.

Great, he was about to say that they would stay in separate rooms tonight, but now he couldn’t say it.

He finally gave in after a long moment, scratching behind his ears.

Fine, fine, one more time was okay.

If he really got kicked again, he would just wait until Pei Xi was clear-headed and have a good talk with him.

On the other side, Wu Qing continued to type and send messages wildly. But in the end, after a long time, he only received this underwhelming reply:

[Forget it, those glasses are too ugly. Pei Xi doesn’t like them. You can keep them for yourself.]

Wu Qing: “…..”

Wu Qing: “…..?”

Wu Qing: “????”

Wu Qing: [He Chuzhou, you treacherous @#&..! @#*（@——￥@……&! !]

*

*

At first light, the phone on the carpet was awakened by the first notification of the morning and buzzed.

Wrapped in the quilt, He Chuzhou was disturbed by the noise, and when he opened his eyes in a daze, he met another pair of beautiful eyes very close to him.

“……”

“……”

After a long and silent period of staring at each other, He Chuzhou’s rusty brain unconsciously began to spin.

It was dawn.

Pei-calico had woken up.

Ah, Pei-calico seemed to be awake.

It was time to run again.

Should he start dodging in advance right now?

Otherwise, he would be kicked again soon—

His mechanical thinking was interrupted when the person beside him sat up.

He tried his best to keep his eyelids open as he watched Pei Xi step over him without a word, get out of bed, change out of his pajamas, and put on his shoes…..

So sleepy. So confused.

Why hadn’t he kicked him today?

When they looked at each other for the last time, Pei Xi had a complicated expression on his face. His eyes showed his hesitancy to speak, but he said nothing in the end, and turned toward the door with pursed lips.

“There are sandwiches packed up in the refrigerator.” 

He Chuzhou’s voice was low and hoarse, with the sleepiness of someone who was not completely awake: “No matter how busy you are at work, you must remember to eat. You’ve gotten so thin…..”

Half a minute later, the door opened and closed.

He Chuzhou slowly turned over with his arms around the quilt, buried his face into the pillow beside him, and fell halfway asleep again.

It was very strange.

He obviously used the same shampoo and shower gel, so why did it smell so different when it was on Pei-calico?

*

*

In the Pei Group building, the president’s office.

Pei Xi sat behind the computer and stared at the text-heavy screen, his thoughts already drifting away.

He couldn’t be entirely blamed for thinking badly of someone to this degree.

Who would have thought that “duck heads,” from the mouth of Wu Qing, a reputable playboy, would be actual duck heads.

It was his fault for misunderstanding He Chuzhou this time.

It was him who unilaterally convicted that person without understanding the whole story.

But taking a step back, was his belief entirely unreasonable?

A few days was simply not enough time to see everything about a person.

Besides, when they were at the club the night before, He Chuzhou seemed to be accustomed to everything about the nightclub scene, and was obviously a frequent visitor…..

Right.

He suddenly remembered. This morning was obviously a good opportunity, but he forgot to take the two letters of guarantee with him before leaving.

The sudden regret made him frown subconsciously, but he frowned for only a moment before letting it go.

Never mind.

If they stayed, they stayed.

He Chuzhou was not the type of person who would mock or threaten him with those guarantees.

Knock knock.

There were two light knocks on the door, and Xiao Gu outside asked whether to take a visitor to the office first or directly to the conference room.

Pei Xi: “The conference room. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Xiao Gu gave his regards and left quickly.

Pei Xi let out a low exhale and temporarily set aside his chaotic thoughts, continuing to focus on his work.

The afternoon work came to an end, but an hour later, he needed to conduct an online meeting with several management personnel from the overseas branches.

There was not much time to waste on dinner. After he got home, he had originally planned to go directly back to the study to prepare for the meeting, but when he passed by the kitchen, he happened to think of something and stopped in his tracks.

Three minutes later, a package of pasta was lowered into boiling water.

It didn’t take long to make a pasta dish, and including the time to eat, there was definitely enough time.

When he finally took out the cooked shrimp, his movements halted as the image of He Chuzhou single-mindedly peeling shrimp for him appeared uncontrollably in his mind.

He obviously had no obligation to take care of him like that, but he still worked hard to arouse his appetite.

It was such a troublesome and thankless thing, but he still enjoyed doing it…..

A shrimp rolled back into the water with a small splash.

He belatedly realized that his mind had wandered again and closed his eyes forcefully, making himself stop his thoughts there.

Indeed, he couldn’t go to him again.

Their relationship was far from the point where he could continue to cause trouble for the other without any psychological burden.

When it came to moving forward, the highly self-disciplined President Pei had never been bound by procrastination.

He could not stay in his right mind all the time, so he could only limit his actions through external terms.

After the meeting, he left the study, then turned off his cell phone and hid it in a cabinet in the guest room. Then he went to the door and turned off the fingerprint lock function, locked the door from the inside, and hid the key in the bottom of the shoe cabinet.

Everything was ready, and if nothing unexpected happened, he wouldn’t step a foot out of this house until he was sober again.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned off the entrance hall light and dragged his tired body back to the bedroom.

Three hours later.

Having awoken from a nightmare, Pei Xi stood in the entrance hall with a pale face, dazed and covered in cold sweat.

In the corridor next to the door was the property manager, whom he had called up in the middle of the night using his home environment and monitoring system, and was struggling over how to open the completely locked door.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 20 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 22

“Li…..”

“Li Xiu!”

One call after another came from afar.

Li Xiu took a sharp breath. When he suddenly leaped up uncontrollably, the loud noise startled the people standing next to his table.

“What’s wrong with you?”

As he heard this person’s exclamation, the familiar classroom came into view. Li Xiu gasped for air and realized that everything just now was only a dream.

The person who woke him up was a male classmate he didn’t know very well.

“Right, sorry, I fell asleep,” Li Xiu murmured, his voice a little hoarse.

Even now that he was awake, the cold and unpleasant feeling from his nightmare still lingered on his body.

“Eh, um.” The classmate lowered his head. His lips curled out of Li Xiu’s sight, and he said: “The math teacher asked you to go to the copy room and get the newly printed papers.”

“Ah?”

“…..The teacher said you should take them back to class and distribute them. He’ll use them in the next class.”

Li Xiu rubbed his temples.

“Okay.”

His math scores were among the best of his subjects, so he usually dealt with his math teacher a lot. Li Xiu naturally didn’t think too much at this time, and went directly to the school’s copy room per his classmate’s words.

The second he walked in, Li Xiu realized that something was wrong.

There were no papers in the copy room at all, only a boy leaning at the door, immersed in playing on his cell phone as usual. The external sound effects were the harsh electronics of a video game.

It was Fang Qian’an.

With no hesitation, Li Xiu turned and fled from the copy room. However, Fang Qian’an moved much faster than him. While playing on his cell phone, he kicked the door with his foot, blocking off Li Xiu’s escape route with the Game Over sound effect.

“Fang Qian’an, what are you going to do?”

Li Xiu sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to calmly look at Fang Qian’an.

When he lost another game, Fang Qian’an’s lips curled as he casually put his phone back in his pocket, then raised his eyes to look at Li Xiu.

As always, those light-colored irises and small pupils made Li Xiu feel uncomfortable.

At the same time, a strong sense of self-loathing arose. Li Xiu cursed himself several times as a fool — his feet were cumbersome, and the teacher would never make Li Xiu carry heavy objects, so how could he make him carry papers?

Even if it was moving exam papers, it was impossible for Li Xiu to do it alone.

If he hadn’t been distracted by the low-grade fever and nightmare today, he would have thought of it.

The was a trap set by Fang Qian’an specially for him.

“Tell me, what am I here for? If a puppy bites someone, how should it be dealt with under normal circumstances…..” Fang Qian’an said this and raised his hand toward Li Xiu.

There was still gauze on his index finger.

“I can’t press the buttons flexibly when my finger is covered in gauze. Don’t you know that from yesterday to today, I’ve been pressing the buttons without feeling them?”

The boy said this to Li Xiu with a chilling tone of resentment in his voice.

To tell the truth, if Fang Qian’an had spoken harshly to Li Xiu like Wang Rongfa, or Song Cheng this morning, Li Xiu would not be as upset as he was now.

But the way Fang Qian’an was speaking now…..

Li Xiu felt goosebumps rise.

He was also aware that he had really offended Fang Qian’an the other day.

That moment in the villa, Fang Qian’an saw real blood. When Li Xiu went home at night and brushed his teeth, the taste of another person’s blood lingered in his mouth.

And Fang Qian’an also said yesterday that he would have a “chat” with Li Xiu the next day.

The matter of biting Fang Qian’an would not be that easy to move past. Li Xiu had expected this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had sleep paralysis that morning and dreaded coming to school. But he hadn’t expected Fang Qian’an to emerge so quickly.

Or….

That he would come in person.

He had been harassed by Wang Rongfa and that flock of idiots for so long, and Li Xiu could more or less see that Fang Qian’an actually looked down on the people around him.

It was said to be a close group, but in fact, they were all seeking benefits by getting closer to Fang Qian’an. The great young master only tolerated them reluctantly, and was too lazy to drive those doglegs away. This was how this group of people had become so domineering and reckless at school. 

In his limited memory, no matter what happened, Fang Qian’an just maintained his distance and played on his phone.

Sometimes Li Xiu couldn’t help but have the illusion that for Fang Qian’an, those who bullied others and those who were bullied were actually the same to him.

And at present, Fang Qian’an, who always watched these farces indifferently, seemed to have suddenly walked out from behind a glass wall and come directly to Li Xiu. 

Li Xiu’s face went tense, and a layer of cold sweat formed on his back.

Some disgusting memories suddenly resurfaced. Under the mental stress, an inexplicable dull ache began in the ankle that Fang Qian’an had kneaded wantonly yesterday.

“I can pay for your medical expenses,” Li Xiu said.

“…..Ha?”

When those words fell, even Fang Qian’an wore a dumbfounded expression.

Li Xiu had no doubts at all that Fang Qian’an had never heard similar words in his life.

He, Li Xiu, had offered to pay the medical expenses for the Fang family’s prince.

Let alone Fang Qian’an, Li Xiu also felt it was laughable after he spoke.

The scrawny, gaunt, crippled boy’s eyelashes twitched slightly due to his nerves, and he lowered his head uncontrollably to stare at Fang Qian’an’s hand.

After a night, there was still a hint of dark red under the bandage on the tall boy’s index finger.

As expected, after a brief silence, Fang Qian’an laughed.

“Pfft….wait, do you think I’m lacking your family’s medical expenses?”

Fang Qian’an crossed his arms with a light scoff and walked directly in front of Li Xiu as he leisurely spoke.

As Fang Qian’an approached, Li Xiu swallowed dryly and began to instinctively retreat.

He glanced surreptitiously at the environment in the copy room. The door was being blocked by Fang Qian’an, but the window was open, and the copy room was on the second floor…..

If he were a healthy person, he might consider jumping out the window to escape.

Unfortunately, Li Xiu was not.

He was a cripple who even ran crookedly.

He felt that pressure in his chest once again, a strong self-hatred.

Then Li Xiu began to look for things at hand that could be used to protect himself. It was truly a pity that in the copy room, apart from the copy machines and piles of textbooks and copy paper piled on the metal shelves, there weren’t any useful weapons.

And during the brief time Li Xiu spent trying to find a way to defend himself, Fang Qian’an had unknowingly forced him into a blind corner.

In addition, Fang Qian’an was much taller than Li Xiu.

Li Xiu’s body was comparatively thinner, and Fang Qian’an’s, even among well-developed high school students, could be considered the most outstanding.

A height of nearly 1.9 meters allowed him to dominate the basketball team.

It was said that for safety, he was also very good at Muay Thai and Taekwondo.

He was called a prince not entirely because of his financial backing, but also because his fists were very ferocious.

And when such a person leaned directly over Li Xiu, that sort of unbridled aura like that of a carnivorous beast became even stronger.

Fang Qian’an’s large shadow fell over Li Xiu’s eyes.

At this moment, that shadow completely engulfed the pale, thin boy.

Li Xiu bit his lower lip.

“Then what are you going to do? Beat me up again?” A strong sense of crisis, the dizziness from his low-grade fever, and his extreme resistance toward strong males combined to make the boy’s voice come out sharp. 

He raised his head and glared at Fang Qian’an, his eyes bright and fierce.

“Otherwise, how about I reach out and you bite me back?” He scoffed coldly, a hint of malice in his tone.

He raised a hand toward the very close Fang Qian’an.

Hadn’t Fang Qian’an said he was a dog?

Then if a dog bit a person and couldn’t afford compensation, was it possible for a person to bite the dog back?

After hearing Li Xiu’s reply, Fang Qian’an paused his movements, and his whole person hesitated subtly.

“You—”

Just as he was about to step forward and grab the reckless cripple, a buzz suddenly sounded in the copy room, which held just the two of them.

All of a sudden, the copier placed in the center of the room started up automatically.

Zizi—zi—

With the starting of the copier, a large amount of copy paper began to spray out at an abnormal speed.

Before Fang Qian’an could react, there was a sudden gust of cold wind in the room.

Rustle—

In an instant, the paper on the copy tray rolled up as if a heavenly maiden was scattering flowers.

Fang Qian’an stared at this scene in astonishment. There was a sudden pain in his cheek, which turned out to be a piece of copy paper that directly slashed across him, making a cut on his skin.

He grabbed the piece of paper reflexively and looked down. It still carried the heat from the copy machine, and the paper was pure red.

Fang Qian’an thought to himself in some confusion: Wait, wasn’t the school’s test paper copy machine supposed to print in black and white? Since when did it print in color….?

Before he knew it, at the same time Fang Qian’an was distracted by the copy machine, Li Xiu didn’t think too much of this at all and suddenly ran out from under him with his back arched.

“You dare to run?!”

Fang Qian’an abruptly returned to his senses. Inexplicably, he disregarded everything else and directly reached out to hook Li Xiu.

But Fang Qian’an was entirely unaware that the moment he took action, the shelf used to store paper and materials in the copy room fell directly toward him.

Li Xiu didn’t know why he looked back.

This was obviously such a good opportunity…..

However, at that moment, a chill came over his soul and Li Xiu suddenly turned around for a reason that couldn’t be explained.

Just in time to see the solid, heavy frame collapse behind Fang Qian’an.

“Look out!”

Li Xiu subconsciously stretched out his hand.

Fang Qian’an had originally intended to yank Li Xiu back, but when he raised his arm, Li Xiu was the one to pull him forward hard.

He didn’t expect that Li Xiu would turn around and pull him, and without a halt to his steps, he hit Li Xiu directly and the two fell to the ground.

Boom—

What sounded at the same moment was the deafening roar of the iron frame impacting the ground.

……

In the next few seconds, Fang Qian’an was somewhat unable to return to his senses.

Several textbooks had smashed onto his feet, and his calves felt raw, as if he had been kicked many times when playing ball.

But that was nothing at all, because the overturned metal frame was now lodged next to the sole of his shoe.

If Li Xiu hadn’t grabbed him just now and made him fall forward a few more steps, the metal frame wouldn’t have just missed hitting him.

The textbooks and paper at school were not flimsy things, so the copy room used solid steel shelves that reached to the ceiling.

Such was the weight that if he was really smashed hard, Fang Qian’an might have been directly smashed into reincarnation.

Even the mind of the most lawless prince of a powerful family would go blank for a moment when encountering such an accident.

“Ugh…..”

Then a muffled groan came from beneath him.

Fang Qian’an turned to look at the young man directly below him.

Li Xiu’s face was pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and there was a bright red wound on his lip that was oozing blood.

That had been scratched by the pendant Fang Qian’an was wearing around his neck when he fell down.

That flash of red fell into his eyes, and Fang Qian’an felt his heart suddenly shrink. He couldn’t help but ask nervously, “A….are you hurt?”

“You’re okay…..”

Li Xiu endured the pain and didn’t care about anything else, rolling his eyes at Fang Qian’an. “Did you…..grow up eating pig feed? Get…..off me…..”

Not every frail youth could bear the full weight of an adolescent boy standing nearly 1.9 meters tall.

When Li Xiu was pressed down by Fang Qian’an, he felt as if his internal organs were about to be squeezed out through his throat.

Once Fang Qian’an hurriedly lifted himself from Li Xiu, the originally tense atmosphere between them became a little more subtle.

Li Xiu had fallen and become Fang Qian’an’s flesh pad, and couldn’t get up for a while. He could just barely sit up halfway to lean against the wall, staring dazedly at the absolutely chaotic scene before him. 

Fang Qian’an stared at Li Xiu’s ugly expression. After a moment of hesitation, he said very stiffly: “Hey, um…..are you really okay?”

He recalled that Li Xiu was a cripple. Seeing that he couldn’t stand up, he proceeded to reach out toward the leg of Li Xiu’s trousers.

Pa.

Then the back of his hand was slapped fiercely.

“Scram.”

The youth’s merciless scolding came to his ears.

Fang Qian’an let out a tsk and abruptly stopped his hand.

“Fuck, isn’t it good that laozi is concerned about you this time?!” he muttered, but his voice was less than strong.

There was even a bit of…..a strange and unfamiliar guilty conscience.

Likely because Fang Qian’an hadn’t expected that Li Xiu would take action to help him.

There was still a bloodstain at the corner of Li Xiu’s mouth, and due to the injury, his originally pale lips looked particularly plump, with a garish beauty.

Fang Qian’an’s eyes remained disobediently on that red hue. In addition to the previous fright, there was an inexplicable gloom in the pit of his stomach.

“Cough.”

Li Xiu tried his best to calm his breathing, then raised his head to look at Fang Qian’an.

“We’re even now,” the boy said quietly.

Fang Qian’an stared blankly for a moment: “What?”

Li Xiu raised his hand, straightening his index finger: “Actually, you deserved it for bullying me at school. But…..forget it. Anyway, I saved your life just now, so let’s consider it a clean slate, okay?”

“It’s not me who made people bully you, other than…..”

Fang Qian’an became increasingly fidgety when he saw Li Xiu’s appearance of giving way to the enemy.

“Come on…..it’s rare for me to fuss over a cripple like you,” he grumbled.

In order to relieve the particular discomfort filling his body, Fang Qian’an turned his head to look at the copy machine that had malfunctioned previously.

“So this kind of garbage is still used in rural schools…..”

He thought: all of this trash would need to be replaced.

A small breeze blew, and another sheet of copy paper fluttered to his feet.

Glancing at it, Fang Qian’an couldn’t help but let out a “Yi.”

Li Xiu glanced at him. 

“I’m fine, I just remembered…..”

Hadn’t these copy papers been red before?

But at present, all Fang Qian’an saw were boring test questions with black characters on a white background.

Fang Qian’an didn’t continue to speak, because Li Xiu wasn’t saying anything at all. Only then did he realize that there was no need to explain anything to the little cripple in front of him.

As for his confusion between memory and reality, couldn’t it be that he saw wrong just now?

Fang Qian’an was distracted by Li Xiu, so he didn’t think overly much at this time.

The overturning of the copy room shelves caused quite a stir, and very soon, teachers and students on duty came to investigate.

Of course, with Fang Qian’an’s abilities, he should be able to calm the situation down quickly.

Li Xiu wasn’t worried about this…..or rather, he didn’t have the chance to worry.

Because when the outsiders arrived, Fang Qian’an had someone take him directly to the infirmary.

His euphemistic words were: “This guy looks really bad. It’s best to have him checked out before he brings bad luck in front of me.”

A moment later, the haughty, arrogant school bully wiped at the long-dried blood on his face again and added dryly: “I need to find someone to put medicine on this face.”

……

Then, he left with Li Xiu.

Therefore, neither Li Xiu nor Fang Qian’an knew that after the noisy crowd dispersed, the teachers locked the door temporarily.

Silence returned to the copy room. The copier, which was unplugged from the power supply and had been deformed by the metal shelves, started up again with a sizzle.

There were small, densely-packed characters on the paper.

It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme

It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme

It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme

It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme

It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme It’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme it’sme

[A-Xiu]

[It’s me]

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 6 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 8

Li Xiu didn’t sleep well that night.

All through the night, there were nightmares.

In his dreams, he seemed to have returned to the Xiao family villa at dusk.

Slimy, twisted monsters surrounded him, entangling him with their deformed tentacles. The stale smell of the fermentation of dust and mold in the room was like gangrene in the bones, and Li Xiu almost couldn’t breathe.

[Shhhh—]

Was this the sound of the wall covering peeling off? 

No, that wasn’t right…..

[Shhhhh…..shh…..]

It was the sound of something huge squirming, the moist sound produced by the friction between the mucus on the body and the ground’s surface.

Li Xiu opened his eyes wide and looked at the window of the old room.

The sun set in the west. Its light was red, and it stretched the tall, thin shadow of the school janitor outside the window. Then…..the janitor changed little by little before Li Xiu’s eyes, turning into something twisted and evil that could not be described.

It slipped in, and Li Xiu saw its mouth open slightly. Scarlet lips grinned all the way to the ears, revealing teeth that had been carefully cared for since childhood, exceptionally white and neat.

The monsters had already been eaten by it.

[Zzz…..A-Xiu…..]

A vaguely familiar voice sounded next to Li Xiu’s ear.

The voice was odd and mechanical, with the characteristic aspect of an animal imitating human intonation.

[A-Xiu…..my A-Xiu, ah…..]

[You look so good when you cry.]

The monster’s touch was cold, like leather dripping with sticky juices.

Li Xiu couldn’t move. 

He only felt that his body was being constricted by the other party little by little, and his consciousness within the nightmare gradually became blurred.

The last thing that stuck in his mind was a glimpse of the wall of the room he had seen before he was completely swallowed up by the monster.

In reality, behind the wall covering were densely-packed talisman papers pasted in number. But in his dream, Li Xiu saw countless eyes.

There were no whites in those eyes, just pure black pupils.

Every eyeball moved nimbly, staring at Li Xiu with intent.

*

“Wu, it hurts to death…..”

When he got up the next day, Li Xiu still felt that sticky feeling on his body left over from the nightmare.

He soon discovered the source of this unpleasant feeling—he had sweated so much last night that his pajamas were soaked.

Fortunately, the handful of pills he casually took the night before were effective, and when Li Xiu woke up, his low-grade fever had subsided. The pain that had even kept him from breathing too hard had faded quite a bit.

Even the bruises on the corner of his mouth and his forehead, which he had thought would turn shocking overnight, did not look too exaggerated at this time.

Li Xiu’s health was much better than he had expected the day before.

However, when he thought of having to face Fang Qian’an’s group again today, emotions as turbid and heavy as mud spread from the depths of the young man’s body like a levee.

He knew very well that if he didn’t leave quickly, there would be no way to ensure that he entered the classroom before those people stopped him, but his body refused to listen to him and stopped on the bed in the same position as when he sat up.

It wasn’t until there was a slight noise outside the door that the overwhelming “sleep paralysis” feeling finally dissipated.

Li Xiu was taken aback, thinking that his grandmother had come to wake him up. But in the last few years, as the elderly woman grew older, she rarely woke up so early anymore. There were an occasional few times when Li Xiu saw his grandmother in the kitchen when he woke up. It was likely because the old woman became confused again and misremembered the time.

He didn’t want his grandmother to notice anything unusual about him.

Li Xiu took a deep breath. He rallied himself, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.

“Grandmother, stop working, go to sleep—”

He lowered his head in order to prevent her from seeing the abnormalities on his face, planning to persuade his grandmother to return to her room and sleep.

But when he reached the door of the kitchen, Li Qiu was stunned.

The soundproofing in the old house was not good. Li Xiu had indeed heard the movement of dishes and chopsticks in the kitchen.

But now, the early morning light fell on a cold and silent kitchen.

“Hu…..hu….hu…..”

His grandmother was still sleeping.

In the poorly soundproof rooms, the old woman’s dull snores were clearly audible at this moment.

Li Xiu frowned and looked at the kitchen chopping board.

An empty bowl lay there.

That was a bowl Li Xiu could never mistake.

A bowl that only his “gege” could use.

Li Xiu clearly remembered that after “feeding” his gege the other day, he washed the bowl as always and placed it deep in the cupboard.

In recent years, his gege’s things had become more taboo to his grandmother, and the ordinary rice bowls used by their family to eat were always kept separate from his gege’s bowl. 

But presently, the bowl he had washed with his own hands had a layer of dried brown filth in the bottom of it.

Just as the neighboring auntie had complained to the tenant, Li Xiu’s grandmother was indeed a “witch” who set up a mourning hall in her own home.

As for the neighboring auntie calling her a fraud, Li Xiu couldn’t argue with her. After all, he could see more clearly than others that his grandmother was indeed pretending. 

But for so many years, his grandmother had struggled to support Li Xiu by relying on the meager funds she obtained through that pretending. 

Growing up, Li Xiu often saw his grandmother tinkering with all kinds of strange things at home, and had also seen many of the things she used to fool people.

So this morning, Li Xiu didn’t think too much about it after being dazed for a long moment, and directly came to the most reasonable explanation.

The noise he heard had probably come from next door, and as for the empty bowl with filth in it, it must be that his grandmother was confused again last night and accidentally took his gege’s bowl to mix something.

Although there was still a lingering chill on the back of his neck, Li Xiu’s instincts still led him to choose the most normal and reasonable guess to explain this morning’s episode.

Li Xiu pursed his lips and quickly washed the bowl again, putting it away. Then he carried his school bag and left the house.

Click—

The moment he closed the door, Li Xiu was in a trance, and seemed to hear some strange and off putting noise in the kitchen again.

He thought about opening the door to investigate, but when he glanced at the time, the uneasiness in his heart was replaced by panic. 

He was almost late.

*

Through the thin door, the boy’s panicked footsteps quickly disappeared.

In this dilapidated old house, only the old woman’s snoring remained.

Li Xiu was in a hurry to catch up with his morning self-study, and naturally had no idea that after he left, his grandmother’s bedroom door suddenly cracked open with a creak with nobody touching it.

In the pitch-black bedroom, the old woman’s originally regular snoring was suddenly replaced by wild, beast-like sleep talk.

“Rice is delicious. Come, little baby, come and eat, you will be full and fat…..”

“Eat more…..grow taller…..”

Although it was completely out of tune, if one listened carefully, it could still be discerned as a nursery rhyme.

Clink.

On the empty kitchen table, a clean porcelain bowl tipped onto it with a crisp sound.

*

Qiming Secondary School—

“Hey, cripple.”

A hand was placed on Li Xiu’s shoulder, nearly making him stagger.

Li Xiu abruptly stopped walking. Gasping for breath, he turned to look at the two boys beside him with a tense expression. 

Even though he had expected it, Li Xiu was still fretful when he was blocked by these guys downstairs because he had left too late.

“It’s strange, ah. Shouldn’t you be like a turtle with its head in its shell today?”

When he turned around, someone raised his feet and stopped in front of Li Xiu, blocking the way.

That boy was a head taller than Li Xiu and had hair like a mess of weeds. The odor of cigarette smoke in his mouth when he spoke made Li Xiu grimace.

Li Xiu knew this person. He was Wang Rongfa’s loyal little brother, named Song Cheng.

And behind Li Xiu was another “friend” of Song Cheng’s. This guy was just like Song Cheng. He was on the lower rung of this small group, and his characteristic was that his face was full of pockmarks. Li Xiu didn’t know his real name. He only knew that Wang Rongfa and the others all seemed to call him by his nickname, Amazi.^[1] 

Li Xiu kept his eyes lowered and didn’t look at him, for fear of making himself sick.

“Hey, speak up. Weren’t you really brave yesterday? You dared to bite Fang-ge.”

“That’s right, we haven’t settled yesterday’s account with you yet.”

In his impression, these two people were not qualified to be close to Fang Qian’an on normal days. Li Xiu could guess that these two were so invigorated and came to block him early in the morning just to please Fang Qian’an.

Li Xiu narrowed his eyes.

Surrounded by two guys with malicious intentions, Li Xiu took the time to glance around.

The bad news was that this place was in a blind spot, where few students would pass by. It would be difficult to attract the attention of a patrolling teacher even if he shouted at the top of his voice.

And the good news was…..

Other than Song Cheng and Amazi, there was no one else.

Fang Qian’an hadn’t come, and neither had Wang Rongfa.

This actually let Li Xiu breathe a small sigh of relief.

“What are you looking at, little cripple? Are you thinking of going to complain to a teacher?”

Song Cheng noticed Li Xiu’s small movements and sneered mockingly.

Li Xiu remained silent.

The young man’s expressionless face fell into Song Cheng’s eyes and made him even more agitated.

What he hated the most was how Li Xiu seemed to not care about anything.

He was just a cripple, yet acted so high and mighty.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Song Cheng took a step forward.

Then he saw Li Xiu raise his eyes and look past him, his eyes lighting up slightly.

“Teacher Chen—” Li Xiu called.

Song Cheng subconsciously froze when he heard Li Xiu call to a teacher, and in the next second, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen as Li Xiu elbowed him hard. It could be said that this cripple was crafty. He knew he wasn’t strong enough, so he used an elbow instead of his fists.

Then, while Song Cheng was bent over in pain, Li Xiu picked up his school bag weighing dozens of kilograms and hit Amazi on the head. Seeing that Amazi had been dazed by the blow, he began to run while dragging his leg.

“Fuck your mother, you really have a death wish—”

Amazi covered his nose and wiped away the heat flowing from his nostrils. Furious and spluttering, he reached out to grab Li Xiu.

Li Xiu’s back tensed, and he felt his school bag being grabbed.

Then, as the strap of the school bag loosened, something seemed to be thrown out.

“Ahhhhh—”

He heard two screams.

Glancing from the corner of his eye, Li Xiu saw Song Cheng and Amazi flapping their arms as if frightened as they jumped on the spot.

This was…..wait…..

Li Xiu quickly realized that what had flown out seemed to be the bag of rice he had put in his school bag the day before and had planned to dispose of at school today.

Heaven knew what Song Cheng and Amazi thought of the rice, but it was clear that they were frightened.

Was it necessary to scream so miserably?

This thought flitted through Li Xiu’s mind.

He didn’t even look back. Taking advantage of the brief period where the two were scared, Li Xiu ran as hard as he could.

The crippled Li Xiu ran very slowly and staggeringly.

Fortunately, after escaping the blind spot, he immediately saw the grade supervisor doing inspections.

…..Likely for this reason, Song Cheng and Amazi huddling in the corner didn’t catch up in the end.

*

Li Xiu successfully arrived at the classroom before morning self-study began.

Unfortunately, he was stopped before entering the classroom.

Li Xiu turned around to see a handsome young face — this man had graduated from a top foreign school, and the principal had recruited him from a well-known elite school with great difficulty. Now, he was the head teacher of Li Xiu’s class.

Compared to other teachers, he was so handsome that he almost appeared out of place in the school.

But among the students, he was good-looking, his teaching was relaxed, and he had a humorous speaking style. Even online, the man could be considered an internet celebrity because of his appearance. 

He never put on airs as he taught, unlike other teachers. But when he saw him, Li Xiu’s movements reflexively tensed.

“Teacher Ouyang, good morning.”

As quiet as a mosquito, Li Xiu gave a quick hello and turned to slip into the classroom.

But Teacher Ouyang’s palm pressed down on his shoulder.

The man regarded Li Xiu with great concern.

“I heard that you had a dispute with some classmates recently?”

As always, the young teacher sensitively took into account the fragile and sensitive self-esteem of the adolescent students, and even the rumors of bullying he had heard became less harsh in his mouth.

Li Xiu avoided Ouyang’s gaze and said softly, “…..I didn’t.”

His resistance caused a look of helplessness to flash across the man’s face.

“En, that’s good. If you encounter problems in your studies or in life, you can come to me.”

“En, thank you, Teacher,” Li Xiu said quickly. “I’m really fine.”

Then he grasped his school bag tightly and inconspicuously shook off the man’s hand, walking swiftly into the classroom with his head lowered. 

Since he was a child, his physical disability had made him very sensitive to the gazes of others. Thus, he could clearly sense that after he turned around, Teacher Ouyang’s eyes remained focused on him for a long, long time.

Just like a good teacher who cared about his students.

*

“What’s wrong with you?”

When he sat down, the female classmate next to him caught a glimpse of Li Xiu’s unzipped school bag, then saw the injuries on his face.

The girl frowned as she questioned him.

“Did those two idiots go looking for you again?”

Sensing the girl’s concern, Li Xiu pressed his fingertips lightly but still shook his head.

“No.”

When his words fell, the boys behind them who had heard their conversation laughed.

…..It was practically an open secret that Wang Rongfa and several others bullied Li Xiu on campus. To them, Li Xiu’s answer just now sounded utterly ridiculous and pretentious.

Before Li Xiu could say anything, the expression of the girl at their shared table became ugly.

“Li Xiu, why not go and find a teacher? I can help you testify—”

Li Xiu opened his school bag with a rustle. When the wrapped up rice bag had become loose, rice mixed with ashes was scattered everywhere inside.

He gathered the rice with lowered eyes, tied the bag again, and took out his homework.

“Do you want to copy it?” he asked.

“Ahhhh, yesyesyes. Li Xiu, you are my god. My eternal god. How did you know I didn’t complete it—”

As expected, the girl’s attention was diverted, and she didn’t ask about Li Xiu’s bullying afterward.

For a girl whose hair pins cost several months of living expenses for Li Xiu, the things that happened to Li Xiu were indeed a bit too distant.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

*

Song Cheng’s and “Amazi’s” seats were empty until morning self-study ended.

Li Xiu didn’t care.

Whether it was Fang Qian’an or Wang Rongfa, the people in the small group around them were generally the same.

Either their family was rich, and it didn’t matter how well they did on the university entrance exam since they would be going abroad anyway, or their family was completely rotten and they didn’t care about it at all. As for the teachers of Qiming, they already let these people do as they pleased.

It was common for them to skip classes, and uncommon for them not to skip.

In any case, Li Xiu felt a little more at ease now that there were fewer people in class who were full of malice toward him.

The effects of the medicine subsided a little after he got to school. After the second class, Li Xiu realized that he once again had a low-grade fever. With his body feeling so uncomfortable, he really didn’t want to dedicate any more energy to such tedious people.

He was different from them.

He had no father, no mother, and no money.

He needed to work harder than normal people, and could only barely maintain this fragile life.

The debuff brought on by the low-grade fever was stronger than Li Xiu had thought.

He had originally planned to write half of his paper during class, but accidentally fell asleep.

Still, there were nightmares.

He dreamt of Song Cheng and “Amazi” still standing in the shadowy corner of the stairwell. Whining sounds came from the tall boys’ mouths, as if they were screaming and crying. However, their mouths were blocked by something, and all that came out in the end were indistinct whimpers.

As if they were aware of Li Xiu’s presence, the two suddenly turned their faces.

[Wuwu…..]

The boys’ faces were swollen and distorted. They really were crying.

However, what seeped continuously from their eyes were not tears. Instead, what fell were tiny maggots, squirming unceasingly in thick blood.

Groups of small bulges rose and fell under the boys’ skin.

Their mouths stretched open.

Even more maggots spurted out.

Li Xiu stepped back at once, and in the next second, fell into a cold embrace.

The person was much taller than him.

The other party’s body was so cold that Li Xiu couldn’t help but tremble.

The person placed their cold hands gently on Li Xiu’s shoulders.

[Zizi…..Ah…..Ah-Xiu…..]

He couldn’t say what that sound was.

It was low, gloomy, wicked.

But there was an indescribable familiarity to it.

Li Xiu froze entirely, instantly overwhelmed with terror.

[…..So pitiful…..so pitiful to be bullied, ah, A-Xiu.]

[My Ah-Xiu.]

---

[1] To my uncultured beginner-Mandarin self, this seems like an acne joke. (阿麻仔) Like, A-Pockmark. Please correct me if I’m wrong. ⮐

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 5 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 7