Chapter 65: Pei He: Don’t Move, I’ll Protect You

Today’s gathering had been He Tiaosheng’s idea, a celebration for her birthday.

Zhou Zhuoyuan had only learned about it at the last minute. Come noon, he had no choice but to head to the mall with Pei He and Guan Qi to pick out a gift for her. The three of them wandered around like headless chickens, drawing curious stares from all sides.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Zhou Zhuoyuan was the first to spot a necklace shaped like a bow. He plopped down in the jewelry store and told Pei He and the others, “I’ll wait here for you guys.”

Pei He wouldn’t hear of it. He grabbed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s arm and dragged him along. “Look at how lazy you’ve gotten. Keep this up, and your muscles are going to waste away.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan trailed unhappily after him. “All high school seniors are like this. I’ll get back in shape once exams are over.”

Pei He shot back, “I’m not. Want to feel my abs?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan laughed. “What happened to caring about your virtue?”

Because the person who’d made him care about it was gone.

The thought surfaced abruptly in his mind, draining the mirth from Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes.

He turned to Pei He. “Sorry.”

It was as if he saw Pei He as a mirror—whenever he felt down, he assumed Pei He did too.

The hand clasped around Zhou Zhuoyuan’s wrist hesitated for a beat.

One part of Pei He urged him to spill everything, to wipe that look off Zhou Zhuoyuan’s face forever. The other part screamed that he could never know.

Guan Qi had no idea what Zhou Zhuoyuan was apologizing for. Once, he’d been the only one who truly understood him. Now, even Pei He had surpassed him.

So that was it. Zhou Zhuoyuan’s willingness to treat him like any ordinary roommate wasn’t mercy or forgiveness. It was a way to force him to watch, eyes wide open, as everyone else overtook the bond they’d once shared.

Pei He slowed his steps until he was walking abreast with Zhou Zhuoyuan. He lowered his voice. “Two grown guys touching? It’s not a big deal.”

The words pulled Zhou Zhuoyuan back to the present. He whispered in reply, “Our orientations aren’t exactly straight, though.”

Pei He’s hand on his wrist felt warmer than his own body heat. It was only then that Zhou Zhuoyuan realized how intimate the gesture seemed.

Pei He pulled back, acting as if nothing had happened.

~~~

That night, evening self-study was canceled. After dinner, He Tiaosheng dragged them all to the KTV to sing. Zhou Zhuoyuan hesitated but didn’t want to ruin the fun.

Truth be told, he wasn’t much of a singer. He’d planned to stick to board games, but He Tiaosheng insisted he belt out a tune.

When Zhou Zhuoyuan finished, the group’s faces had gone pale, their eyes glazed over. Only Pei He and Guan Qi, who’d steeled themselves in advance, offered up some half-hearted applause.

Zhou Zhuoyuan knew full well how bad he sounded and shrugged it off—he had no dreams of pop stardom, after all. “Can I play board games now?”

He Tiaosheng patted his shoulder. “Being tone-deaf is kinda cute, you know.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan deadpanned, “…Gee, thanks.”

Board games by themselves were dull, so they spiced things up with punishments: losers drew a dare card at random.

Unfamiliar with the rules, Zhou Zhuoyuan lost the very first round. He was already regretting tagging along.

His dare? Head to the next room over and score a phone number. Gritting his teeth, he headed out.

Pei He caught the strained look on Zhou Zhuoyuan’s face. After a moment’s thought, he stood. “Gotta hit the bathroom.”

No one had a chance to point out the one right there in their room before Pei He vanished. The colored mood lights swept by, and He Tiaosheng rubbed at her stinging eyes.

Zhou Zhuoyuan had just raised his hand to knock when Pei He appeared at his side. The wave of embarrassment evaporated. “You covering for me?”

Pei He scowled. “Ever heard of a filter?”

A soft-spoken woman answered the door. When she heard it was a dare, she welcomed them warmly inside. A college-aged girl was lounging on the couch.

The woman tugged them down to sit and made small talk. Zhou Zhuoyuan grew antsy—he didn’t want to linger—but he couldn’t bring himself to cut off someone so friendly.

The other girl was bolder. Mid-conversation, she threw both arms around Zhou Zhuoyuan’s. Before he or Pei He could react, a burly guy exploded out of the bathroom, bellowing, “Pretty boy, hands off!”

Zhou Zhuoyuan shot to his feet, dodging around the coffee table, cheeks burning. “Whoa, hold on—you’ve got the wrong idea…”

The woman explained to the guy, but his scowl lingered. He stalked right up to Zhou Zhuoyuan.

Seeing no flicker of fear in those eyes, he burst out laughing. He poured two glasses of orange juice and thrust them forward. “My bad—I overreacted. Juice on me.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan politely turned it down, wariness prickling in his chest. He shot Pei He a frown.

Pei He immediately stepped forward and yanked him slightly behind himself. He turned back with a fierce glare. “Can’t you walk straight when you see a pretty girl?! I told you I should come watch you. Forget the mission—let’s head back right now!”

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s hand, hidden behind his back, was already gripping the door handle. In theory, the KTV door should open from the inside—that was why they had dared to follow the woman in. But after struggling with it for what felt like forever, the door refused to budge. Sweat slicked his palms as he shook his head at Pei He.

The group realized they could no longer keep up the pretense and made no further effort to salvage the situation. The man bellowed, and two more burst out from the restroom, brandishing sticks as they lunged at the pair.

Shattered bottles littered the private room floor. Zhou Zhuoyuan slashed two of the attackers several times with jagged glass shards. He fought with a reckless, all-or-nothing ferocity. Pei He lacked brawling experience, but his regular workouts had honed his body into a capable weapon; he held his own against the onslaught without faltering.

The two women huddled in the corner, trembling. Zhou Zhuoyuan assumed the men had threatened them into compliance. But the moment he was forced to turn away, the soft-featured woman seized a bottle from the floor and smashed it straight at the back of his head.

A sharp buzz rang in Pei He’s ears. His body moved on instinct, throwing itself over Zhou Zhuoyuan. The bottle struck his back instead, exploding into fragments across the floor.

That split-second delay allowed the men behind Pei He to land several heavy blows with their sticks. Zhou Zhuoyuan heard his pained grunts and felt his vision blaze red with rage. He thrashed like a madman, desperate to rise and fight.

Yet Pei He held him in an iron grip, refusing to let him budge an inch.

Zhou Zhuoyuan had no idea where Pei He found such strength amid his injuries. Furious, he spat curses. “You idiot! Let me up so I can fight them!”

Pei He’s voice ground out through clenched teeth. “Don’t move. If I let go now, you’ll just get hit.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan kept raging. “Better than lying here helpless! What the hell are you thinking?! Are you brain-dead or something?!”

Pei He let out another muffled grunt. “Don’t move. I’ll protect you…”

The two of them could hold their own against the three grown men, but adding the two women to the fray would leave them defenseless.

Zhou Zhuoyuan fell silent, the glass shard buried deep in his palm.

The attackers had no intention of killing them. Seeing the pair go still, the three men advanced to subdue them, ordering the women to fetch clothes for bindings. But Pei He suddenly snapped his eyes open, on the verge of breaking free. The other two scrambled in panic to assist.

Zhou Zhuoyuan surged toward the woman who had smashed the bottle at them. She swung her stick at him, but he sidestepped and clamped his hand around her throat. He pressed the blood-smeared glass shard against her slender neck, drawing a thin line of red.

His gaze turned icy as the stained shard gleamed with menace. “Let him go!”

They did dirty work for pocket change, not to risk murder charges. Under the woman’s terrified expression, the three men released Pei He and stepped back.

Zhou Zhuoyuan showed no mercy, pressing the shard deeper amid her agonized whimpers. “Let him go!”

“Little Yuan.”

That steady voice steadied his trembling fingers. He drew in deep breaths, the waves of blackness in his vision gradually receding.

Pei He drew closer, his touch soothing Zhou Zhuoyuan’s body, which was strung taut like a bowstring. “It’s okay.”

The police forced the private room door open from the outside. Dim light spilled in.

Pei He’s warm fingers settled over Zhou Zhuoyuan’s chilled hand. “It’s okay.”

Five minutes later, the group was carted off to the police station. They stubbornly claimed it had been a brawl over jealousy, and the locked KTV door had nothing to do with them.

Pei He had already been rushed to the hospital for treatment. Zhou Zhuoyuan stared down at his freshly bandaged palm, lost in thought.