Chapter 33: Zhou Zhuoli: This shouldn’t be how it is

Zhou Zhuoyuan staggered backward unsteadily. After two straight days of high fever, his legs were so weak he could barely stand, and once again, Zhou Zhuoli caught him.

He hated Zhou Fuxuan for that merciless beating, and he rejected Zhou Zhuoli, who had never shown him a kind face. He was just about to snap “Get lost” when Zhu Wan spoke up beside him, her voice trembling. “Listen to me, Zhuoyuan. Let’s go to the hospital. Once you’re better, we’ll take you back to school.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan stopped struggling. Listless and wilted, he let Zhou Zhuoli scoop him up in a princess carry, then leaned against his shoulder and slipped into a dazed sleep.

~~~

The doctor had been right after all. Zhou Zhuoyuan’s illness was more a matter of the heart than the body. After one night in the hospital, his fever broke the next morning.

Zhu Wan hadn’t realized that forbidding him to live on campus would hurt him so deeply. She and her husband had never been strict about the boys’ studies. Under their influence, Zhou Zhuoli and Zhou Zhuoyi had done decently enough in school, but nothing like the relentless diligence Zhou Zhuoyuan showed.

It was strange, really. The Lin family’s eldest son hadn’t even finished high school.

That morning, Zhu Wan fed him his meal. Zhou Zhuoyuan was no longer the half-dead husk from the past couple of days. Instead, he radiated an awkward vitality, like tender leaves and shoots stretching toward the sunlight.

Once he finished eating, the ever-disciplined Zhou Zhuoyuan pulled out his tablet and dove back into his online classes, keeping himself so busy that no one dared interrupt him.

His intentions were plain as day. He was afraid Zhu Wan might change her mind at the last second, so he wasn’t giving her any opening to talk.

But by noon, even he couldn’t hold out any longer. “Are you sending me back to school this afternoon?”

Zhu Wan looked at his anxious expression and sighed softly. “Yes. After lunch.”

Before Zhou Zhuoyuan could secretly cheer to himself, she added, “We’ve bought a house right next to your school. Mom will stay there with you.”

He froze, staring at her in bewilderment. This had been his own request once upon a time, and now that Zhu Wan had finally agreed, it brought him no joy.

Having his mom there to look after him should have been a blessing. He envied his classmates for it. He envied Zhou Zhuoyi. But he had a real talent for making things hard on himself. He couldn’t help wondering if they would think he had picked that fight on purpose, just to force them into accompanying him.

Besides, some things lost their appeal once the moment had passed.

“No,” he said. “I just want to live on campus.”

Zhu Wan couldn’t understand. “Why? Didn’t you say before that you’d live off-campus if I came with you?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan could hardly tell her about his convoluted thoughts. Instead, he dragged He Qinglan into it as a shield. “Because I’m dating someone. My roommate. I don’t want to be apart from him.”

Zhu Wan paused for a moment, then smiled, pressing her lips together. “Our Zhuoyuan’s all grown up. He has someone he likes now.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s ears turned red. He was never one for showing off like that. He’d only said it because he had no choice.

Zhu Wan patted his head. “All right. You can keep living on campus. But you have to eat the meals we send from home for all three meals a day. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver them. Your stomach can’t take any more damage, got it?”

She assumed his stomach problems came from the cafeteria food. Of course, no normal person would guess that his body had been wrecked in his previous life through rebirth.

Eating home-cooked meals wasn’t so bad anyway. If he could stomach them, it saved money. If not, he could always buy extras. With Zhu Wan finally relenting, Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t want to risk any more changes, so he nodded. “Sure.”

~~~

Zhou Zhuoli and Zhou Zhuoyi had picked him up on the way back, and now they were the ones dropping him off too. Zhou Zhuoyi wasn’t supposed to come along, but with Zhou Zhuoyuan sick these past few days, he hadn’t had any chance to spend time with anyone.

Once they were in the car, Zhou Zhuoyuan kept his eyes glued to his phone. For one thing, he needed to update his friends on what was going on. For another, he had zero interest in talking to the two leads.

Zhou Zhuoyi, who had always been sheltered, had no sense for these things. “Bro, you’re really skinny now. I bet there’s something wrong with your cafeteria.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan shot back, “The cafeteria’s fine. Just worry about yourself.”

Zhou Zhuoyi shrank back. “Oh.”

Zhou Zhuoli couldn’t stand seeing him picked on. He was about to say something when he glanced over and saw Zhou Zhuoyuan pressed against the car door, still in that tense, guarded posture.

It shouldn’t be like this.

But what should it be like?

Zhou Zhuoli remembered the first day Zhou Zhuoyuan had come back to the Zhou family. Dressed in the new clothes their parents had bought him, his head held high like a feisty fighting cock. Those beautiful eyes couldn’t hide his thoughts—they had flickered with a hint of curiosity and a whole lot of eager anticipation when they landed on Zhou Zhuoli.

But then Zhou Zhuoyi had appeared, and those eyes had turned venomous, brimming with jealousy and resentment. It had dragged Zhou Zhuoli’s goodwill straight to rock bottom.

He couldn’t tolerate anyone hurting the little brother he had cherished since childhood.

He couldn’t care less about blood ties. The child who had trailed after him in split pants was Zhou Zhuoyi. The one who babbled “goo goo gaa gaa” endlessly before his teeth had even grown in was Zhou Zhuoyi. The boy who, at such a tender age, endured relentless illness and pain yet still comforted him by saying it was all right—that was Zhou Zhuoyi too. No matter what his parents thought, he would always be Zhou Zhuoyi’s pillar of support.

But why couldn’t he bring himself to say anything too harsh to the Zhou Zhuoyuan standing before him now? Was it guilt over forcing him back home this time—had that really been going too far?