Zhou Zhuoyuan had meant to lower his eyelids, but Pei He’s gaze burned too fiercely. The hand clamped on his shoulder held him fast, its unyielding pressure forcing him to tilt his head up and meet those eyes.
A thread of anxiety crept into Zhou Zhuoyuan’s questioning tone. “What if you stop liking me someday? What if you stop caring about me?”
Pei He didn’t so much as blink. “I’ll like you for the rest of my life. I’ll care about you for the rest of my life.”
Damn this irrational high school kid—words like “for life” rolled off his tongue so easily. First it was a five-year promise; now he was demanding a lifetime one. Give him an inch, and he’d take a mile.
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s breathing grew ragged.
For the third time, Pei He declared it an absolute must. “This is what you promised me before. You have to keep your word, and I’ll keep mine too—caring for you for life. No ‘what ifs’ about it.”
A long moment passed under that unwavering stare. At last, Zhou Zhuoyuan conquered his shame and unease. He agreed to Pei He’s demand, binding their futures together with words that carried no true weight.
“Okay.”
~~~
On his day off, Zhou Zhuoyuan’s friends came to visit, bearing a massive bouquet of fresh flowers.
He passed the flowers to the caregiver to arrange. “Actually, I’m getting discharged tomorrow.”
Ji He perched on the edge of the bed. “So what really happened? I heard those kidnappers didn’t want money or anything—they just wanted to take you. They’ve been grilling them for days and got zilch.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan blinked in surprise. No one in the Zhou family had mentioned any of this to him. He’d assumed they’d already nabbed the culprits.
He started replaying the kidnappers’ behavior in his mind. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. If they weren’t after leverage against the Zhou family, why hadn’t they hurt him?
A familiar stuffiness bloomed in his chest, sweat beading on his forehead. Pei He took the opening to nudge Ji He aside, rubbed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s back, poured a cup of water, and held it to his lips.
Zhou Zhuoyuan sipped from his hand. He heard Sun Yuqing asking, “Master, are you really getting out tomorrow? It was terrifying—those guys had guns. You weren’t hit at all?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s gaze dimmed. “I wasn’t hit. But someone nearly died trying to save me.”
Clang!
Something hit the floor. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw He Tiaosheng bending to retrieve her phone.
She picked it up and sniffled. “You weren’t even shot, and you still spent all that time in the Intensive Care Unit. If you had been…”
Zhou Zhuoyuan hated seeing a girl cry. He fumbled awkwardly to sit up, only for Pei He to press him back down.
He rushed to reassure her. “Don’t dwell on that nonsense. Look at me—I’m fine now, recovering like a champ. I’ll be up and at ’em tomorrow. No need to worry.”
He Tiaosheng wiped away her tears. “Yeah. As long as you’re okay.”
~~~
The next day, Zhou Zhuoli drove them back to school. He’d had another custom watch made for Zhou Zhuoyuan, but both of the young man’s wrists were already wrapped in Buddhist prayer beads, and he had no interest in adding a watch.
Zhou Zhuoli was at a loss. “Just wear it for a couple days. I’ll get a pendant made instead.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan took it with obvious reluctance. He was even thinner now than before the kidnapping; the strap had to buckle at its tightest notch.
Zhou Zhuoli rode shotgun. In the rearview mirror, he caught sight of Zhou Zhuoyuan’s pallid complexion. The urge to chew him out for sending away his bodyguards welled up, but the words died in his throat.
He’d figured he could hold his tongue until discharge, then let loose. But even now, he couldn’t force them out. And the way Zhou Zhuoyuan had assigned both bodyguards to Zhou Zhuoyi—could he be terrified that if his brother got hurt, the family would blame him outright?
The thought made Zhou Zhuoli’s nose sting. He turned to Zhou Zhuoyuan. “I’ve got six people posted at every entrance now. When you head out—no matter where, no matter who’s with you—you take at least three along. Understood?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan murmured an “oh.” “You really can’t figure out who sent those guys?”
Zhou Zhuoli deflated. “No leads. We’ve vetted everyone with any connection to the Zhou family—nothing. Zhuoyuan, we weren’t trying to keep it from you on purpose.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan made no reply. He had no idea how long these days of constant vigilance would drag on. He let out a quiet sigh.
The car neared the school, weaving through dense traffic and throngs of students. Zhou Zhuoyuan gazed idly at the crowds outside until a familiar figure caught his eye. His heart clenched.
He told the driver to pull over, flung open the door, and bolted out.
Zhou Zhuoli and Pei He, baffled, piled out after him and gave chase.
At the busiest intersection, Zhou Zhuoyuan yanked the dazed He Tiaosheng back onto the sidewalk. His chest throbbed from the sudden exertion, and lingering fear set his gripping hand to trembling. “What the hell are you doing?!”
He Tiaosheng snapped out of her daze. She grabbed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s wrist in return. “What’s wrong with you? I was just running an errand for the teacher, so why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell again?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes widened instantly. He glanced at Pei He and Zhou Zhuoli, who had rushed to his side with worried expressions, then back at the bewildered He Tiaosheng. He wanted to explain that no, her earlier look and movements had clearly screamed suicidal intent. But now, with her acting so perfectly normal, he couldn’t help doubting his own sanity—was it all just a hallucination?
Zhou Zhuoyuan slowly released her arm and forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I saw you heading straight for the middle of the road. That was dangerous.”
He Tiaosheng looked a little embarrassed. “Oh, I see. My safety awareness really is pretty lacking.”
~~~
Later, Pei He carried Zhou Zhuoyuan back on his back. The moment they entered the school gates, Zhou Zhuoyuan honored their prior agreement and mentioned the tightness in his chest. Without a word, Pei He hoisted him up. Zhou Zhuoyuan started to protest, but then he heard the sour edge in Pei He’s voice. “What do you mean by that? Qinglan can carry you, but I can’t? That day, I was lugging your bags while watching him carry you!”
Zhou Zhuoyuan quickly backpedaled. “That’s not what I meant at all. It’s just… there are a lot of people around right now…”
Pei He didn’t reply, so Zhou Zhuoyuan buried his face and grumbled, “Fine, fine, go ahead and carry me. They can’t see me anyway, so only you’ll look ridiculous.”
Pei He let out a soft chuckle.
Zhou Zhuoyuan had always loved the deep, pleasant timbre of his voice. A faint blush crept across his cheeks.
As they approached the dorms and the passing students thinned out, Zhou Zhuoyuan finally lifted his head. He whispered in Pei He’s ear, “Actually, I thought He Tiaosheng was trying to kill herself back there. My instincts were screaming it at me. Didn’t you sense anything off?”
Pei He frowned, his tone grave. “She was suicidal? I didn’t notice. All my attention was on you.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan murmured, “I hope I was just overthinking it.”
~~~
They soon fell back into their study routine, though the doctor had strictly forbidden Zhou Zhuoyuan from skimping on sleep like he used to. Pei He supervised him rigorously, ensuring lights out by 10:30 every night.
Fortunately, Zhou Zhuoyuan outperformed his previous mock exam results after returning to school, and Pei He’s scores held steady too. This did much to alleviate his pre-Gaokao nerves.
On the first day off after the scores were posted, Zhou Zhuoyuan treated his friends—who’d spent the past few days fretting over him—to a meal. This time, he included Guan Qi, mostly at Pei He’s insistence. Pei He pointed out that while Guan Qi seemed fine with Zhou Zhuoyuan now, there was no guarantee his feelings wouldn’t twist again later.
Zhou Zhuoyuan tolerated Pei He’s jealousy to an almost absurd degree.
At the table, Zhou Zhuoyuan raised his glass of pomegranate juice and announced his new boyfriend, Pei He. To his surprise, none of his friends batted an eye.
Sun Yuqing clinked glasses with a crisp “clink.” “So you two just made it official? I figured you’d been together forever.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan paused, then realized he had indeed started leaning on Pei He ages ago.
Ji He’s heart ached as he knocked back one glass of pomegranate juice after another.
Someone kicked off the talk about post-Gaokao plans. Ji He wanted to travel, Guan Qi planned to get his driver’s license, Sun Yuqing aimed to pick up a summer job, and He Tiaosheng shared her dream of becoming a teacher and volunteering to teach in the countryside.
Zhou Zhuoyuan hemmed and hawed, too embarrassed to speak up at first. After some good-natured ribbing, he admitted he wanted to do charity work—helping people who couldn’t afford treatment get the medical care they needed.
Sun Yuqing let out a disappointed scoff. “That’s so vanilla. I thought you were holding out because you were going on a honeymoon with your wife or something.”
Pei He arched an eyebrow. “If I tag along, doesn’t that make it a honeymoon?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan stared into his glass of pomegranate juice, his eyes curving into delighted crescents.
