Guan Qi’s old friends—whom Zhou Zhuoyuan might as well call Gang A—had him convinced they were gunning for him.
It had only been two days since Gang A’s showdown with Guan Qi when Zhou Zhuoyuan got a call from the Dean of Students. She told him someone had gotten into a fight with kids from the school over him and ordered him to report to her office right away.
The Dean of Students was a kindly middle-aged woman. She waved over the baffled Zhou Zhuoyuan, drew him close, and said softly, “Don’t worry, dear. Tell your teacher everything, and she’ll have your back.”
Diligent, obedient students at the top of the class like Zhou Zhuoyuan were always teacher’s pets. The Dean had spotted his name near the top of the grade reports plenty of times and heard his homeroom teacher rave about how little trouble he caused.
She had no reason to suspect Zhou Zhuoyuan of any wrongdoing. Still, with schoolkids getting beaten up, protocol demanded she hear his side.
It wasn’t until he drew nearer that Zhou Zhuoyuan realized the guy slouched defiantly against the wall was Lin Boxu.
Lin Boxu caught sight of him, and his face twisted uncomfortably.
The Dean shot a sharp look at Lin Boxu, who was staring intently at Zhou Zhuoyuan, and asked, “This man claims he’s your brother. Do you know him?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan went quiet.
Lin Boxu swallowed hard, tense.
“I know him.”
Lin Boxu nearly cracked a grin at that—until Zhou Zhuoyuan added, “But he’s not my brother.”
It was about the response he’d expected. Lin Boxu rubbed his nose in disappointment but kept his mouth shut.
The Dean pressed on. “He says he overheard our students cursing you out at the school gate and that they’d bullied you in the bathroom earlier. Is that true?”
Gang A must have spilled the beans. Zhou Zhuoyuan shot a glance at the cowering, battered group. Lin Boxu had been running with street toughs since middle school, so those losers were no match for him.
Zhou Zhuoyuan answered straightforwardly, “It’s true. My classmates can back me up.”
The Dean smacked the desk in fury. “What do you punks have to say for yourselves?”
They all shrank back like scared quails, not daring to breathe.
The Dean marched over, jabbing a finger at each one in turn, her voice thick with frustration. “You slack off on your studies to bully classmates, tank your grades, and now that you’re caught, you play innocent? What were you thinking before?”
Teacherly protectiveness won out, though. Once she’d finished chewing them out, she turned to Lin Boxu. “Mr. Lin, I apologize for taking up your time. Our students have been a disgrace. Next time something like this happens, please come to us teachers first—we’ll sort it out. Now that we’ve cleared things up, you’re free to go.”
Lin Boxu glanced at Zhou Zhuoyuan, who betrayed no reaction. Straightening his collar, he said, “Little Yuan’s the type to bottle up his hurts. I hope you’ll see justice done and keep an eye out for him.”
The Dean’s demeanor eased. “I will. I’ll handle this right and make sure Zhou Zhuoyuan doesn’t suffer any more.”
Lin Boxu cleared his throat politely—worlds away from his earlier attitude. “That reassures me. Your school’s reputation as a century-old powerhouse is well deserved. No wonder Little Yuan was so set on enrolling here.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan felt a wave of revulsion.
He couldn’t shake the suspicion that Lin Boxu’s future doting stemmed from some weird parent-role fixation.
Once Lin Boxu had gone, the Dean settled back into her chair and gave Zhou Zhuoyuan’s back a comforting pat. “All right, kiddo. Besides that bathroom business, have they picked on you any other times?”
Gang A could see it plain as day: the teacher was taking Zhou Zhuoyuan’s word as gospel. If he piled on, they’d be toast. They gazed at him with desperate, pleading eyes.
Zhou Zhuoyuan saw no point in embellishing. “No, just the one time,” he said plainly.
The Dean eyed him dubiously. “For real? You don’t have to fear them—your teacher’s got your back.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan cracked a genuine smile. “Really, Teacher. No lie.”
Only then, seeing no trace of hesitation in his grin, did she buy it. “By the book, we’d slap them with a formal warning on their records and make them write self-criticisms, then apologize to you in front of everyone. Sound good?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan hadn’t even hoped for punishment—a warning could be wiped before graduation, but it’d keep Gang A on their best behavior for a stretch. “Sure, but skip the public apology. They can just say sorry to me now.”
Gang A practically wept with gratitude. Zhou Zhuoyuan was a saint—not only did he hold back on ratting them out, he even vouched to lighten their sentence.
They poured real sincerity into those apologies, utterly forgetting it was Zhou Zhuoyuan who’d thrown the first punches.
Zhou Zhuoyuan had just stepped out of the Dean of Students’ office when Lin Boxu, who had been waiting at the stairwell corner, blocked his path.
He let out an impatient tsk. “What do you want now? Didn’t I tell you not to come looking for me after I gave you the money? How do you have the nerve to show up here?”
Lin Boxu said nothing. He simply pressed the two damp cards into Zhou Zhuoyuan’s hand.
The thought of the sweat smeared on them made Zhou Zhuoyuan reflexively fling the cards away. They clattered onto the stairs.
Lin Boxu hurried over to pick them up. Realizing why Zhou Zhuoyuan had thrown them, his face gradually flushed red. “Your germaphobia is that bad? Do you really think of yourself as some pampered Eldest Young Master?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan gritted his teeth, regretting that he’d bothered with him at all. He turned and started climbing the stairs.
Lin Boxu felt awful, but he chased after him anyway. He wiped his hand on his clothes before grabbing Zhou Zhuoyuan’s arm. “Can’t you just listen to me for once?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s chest heaved with anger. “Have you ever talked to me properly?”
Lin Boxu’s voice rose even louder. “You haven’t talked to me properly either!”
Zhou Zhuoyuan glared at him. “Fine. Go ahead. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
Seeing that Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t about to bolt, Lin Boxu finally released his grip. “I found a job. I’m here to pay you back.”
With that, Lin Boxu glanced down at the cards in his hand. He felt in his pocket—thank goodness he’d grabbed a couple of tissues on his way out. He meticulously wiped down both cards with them before shoving them into Zhou Zhuoyuan’s palm once more.
Lin Boxu’s expression was fierce. “I’ve transferred every cent of what I used right back. Now you can keep them without throwing them away!”
The cards still carried Lin Boxu’s body heat. Zhou Zhuoyuan rubbed his thumb over the surface before pocketing them.
Only then did the tension drain from Lin Boxu. He straightened up with righteous indignation. “I’ve got a job now. I’m not some beggar. Take me off your blacklist—WeChat, phone, all of it. I know you’ve blocked me everywhere!”
Rather than agreeing, Zhou Zhuoyuan pulled out his phone to check the card balances.
Lin Boxu watched from the side, growing frantic. “I told you I transferred the money. Why would I lie? Unblock me first!”
Zhou Zhuoyuan finished checking at his leisure. Then he asked abruptly, “What about the money from before? When are you planning to pay back what you took from me back then?”
Lin Boxu froze, then fell back on his old habit of mockery. “You don’t even recognize Mom and Dad anymore, but you’re still claiming the money they gave you is yours?”
He’d said the same thing in his past life. This time, Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t argue. He simply put his phone away.
Seeing Zhou Zhuoyuan about to leave again, Lin Boxu panicked. “I’ll pay you back, but I don’t have it all right now. How about a thousand a month from here on out? Deal?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan stood on a higher step, looking down at Lin Boxu. Backlit as he was, Zhou Zhuoyuan couldn’t make out his expression. “No need. I don’t lack your money. Zhou Zhuoli wires me a hundred thousand in a single day.”
Lin Boxu suddenly felt like he’d been played for a fool—like someone had slapped him hard across the face. Rage and humiliation turned his eyes bloodshot. “Right, because he’s got more money than me, you go crawling to him calling him big brother. Does he even give a damn about you? Did he stand up for you when you got bullied this time? He’s got his own precious little brother. And you’re fine groveling at his feet? Fuck! I’m such an idiot. I was scared of getting you in trouble and took a half-hour scolding from that woman inside!”
“Are you done?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s calm tone only made Lin Boxu feel more like a ridiculous clown. He stood there panting like a wild animal until Zhou Zhuoyuan continued, “Do you need me to unblock you?”
Lin Boxu was stunned for a long moment.
His brain hadn’t caught up yet, but his mouth beat it to the punch. “Of course! Do it now!”
Zhou Zhuoyuan lowered his gaze and tapped a few times on his phone.
Lin Boxu, ever one to push his luck, added, “And from now on, no ignoring my messages. You have to pick up when I call.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan looked up at him, and Lin Boxu immediately fell silent.
He said, “No calls from me Monday through Saturday.”
Was this him agreeing? Lin Boxu was utterly shocked. He’d fought with Zhou Zhuoyuan since they were kids, and his little brother had always been stubbornly unyielding. Lin Boxu had never imagined he’d be this agreeable.
He spent the entire night puzzling over Zhou Zhuoyuan’s motives, but that didn’t stop him from firing off more than twenty messages the very next day after being unblocked.
One about how someone had sent a massive exercise ball that a bunch of them together couldn’t even budge. Another about forgetting to give the delivery guy the pickup code and getting reported. Then something about running into old buddies on the way home and telling them he’d turned over a new leaf…
Zhou Zhuoyuan had been rattled to his core during the day. As soon as he got back, he turned on Do Not Disturb for Lin Boxu’s messages.
They had lived under the same roof in the past but had never been this close. Zhou Zhuoyuan had five years of feelings from his previous life to draw on, but what about Lin Boxu? Had he truly turned over a new leaf?
He picked and chose which messages to reply to. Amid his bewilderment, he couldn’t help chuckling at the occasional amusing bit.
It was truly wonderful to be alive.
In his past life, right before New Year’s, Lin Boxu had originally planned to come visit him. But Zhou Zhuoyuan had sternly refused. The holiday wasn’t long to begin with—a round trip would eat up most of the time—and New Year’s flights were exorbitantly expensive. Besides, Lin Boxu had only just visited during National Day.
He had laid out his reasoning logically, and in the end, Lin Boxu had been convinced.
