He Qinglan treated them to lunch at that Hunan Cuisine Restaurant one noon.
He wasn’t exaggerating; the flavors there were indeed excellent, with a spicy kick that was invigorating and utterly satisfying.
People with sensitive stomachs shouldn’t eat spicy food, but Zhou Zhuoyuan was truly craving it. He took a few bites alongside his rice, secretly praying his stomach wouldn’t ache that night.
Just then, the phone on the table buzzed insistently. A wave of guilt washed over Zhou Zhuoyuan, raising goosebumps on his skin.
He signaled to his roommates before picking up the phone and stepping outside to answer. “Hello?”
It was Zhou Zhuoli on the line, his tone carrying an odd edge. “Hello? You didn’t save my number?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan paused.
He truly hadn’t stored Zhou Zhuoli’s number, though he could have recognized it back then. Now, it had slipped his mind entirely.
Changing the subject, Zhou Zhuoyuan asked, “What do you want?”
“Little Yi’s health has recovered.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan frowned in irritation. “What does that have to do with me?”
“You!” Zhou Zhuoli sounded ready to explode, but someone interrupted him. “Did you get the money I sent you earlier?”
Growing impatient, Zhou Zhuoyuan snapped, “What are you getting at? If it’s nothing, I’m hanging up.”
Zhou Zhuoli rushed through the rest. “That was compensation for the school misunderstanding. And Little Yi wanted me to apologize. Sorry, okay?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan rolled his eyes and ended the call.
Hearing the dial tone, Zhou Zhuoli wondered if he’d misheard.
Zhou Zhuoyi leaned in, whispering, “How’d it go, bro? Did he forgive big brother?”
Zhou Zhuoli held the phone rigidly for a moment, then powered off the screen with calm composure. “Of course.”
Perhaps the call had gotten to him, but when Zhou Zhuoyuan returned, his stomach already felt off. He didn’t dare push it further and stuck to the non-spicy dishes from then on.
~~~
Ji He left early that afternoon, heading home to celebrate his mother’s birthday.
The Ji Family’s banquet would undoubtedly include an invitation for the Zhou Family. But last year, at the birthday celebration for Zhou Zhuoyi and Zhou Zhuoyuan, Zhou Zhuoyuan had embarrassed himself and caused a major scene. After that, Zhu Wan and Zhou Fuxuan stopped bringing him to such events.
That was also why they hadn’t thrown a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Zhou Zhuoyi.
Ji He had extended a personal invitation to Zhou Zhuoyuan, of course—but Zhou Zhuoyuan turned it down. Refusing would have been the strange choice.
Lately, Ji He had stuck around with him until the very end; they’d head downstairs together. Without Ji He today, Zhou Zhuoyuan felt an unexpected loneliness. Habits were terrifying things. Somehow, he’d grown accustomed to Ji He’s company without realizing it.
After penning the final word, Zhou Zhuoyuan closed his book and stared into space for a moment.
He locked the doors and windows. The corridor stood empty.
Or so it seemed. Not entirely—from the shadows by the neighboring classroom door, a boy with striking deep-red hair stepped out.
Liu Kuo ground out his cigarette butt against the wall, his voice icy cold. “You’ve kept me searching far and wide, Lin Yuan.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan genuinely hadn’t expected him to come all the way to school.
Their grudge had formed back in the second year of junior high. Lin Boxu used to snatch Zhou Zhuoyuan’s pocket money and badmouth him to the other students. No one wanted to hang out with Zhou Zhuoyuan—until a transfer student arrived in their class.
The transfer student took the initiative to befriend Zhou Zhuoyuan. Upon learning about his brother, he voiced his outrage on Zhou Zhuoyuan’s behalf. Lin Boxu responded by targeting them both, robbing their pocket money. The transfer student fought back fiercely but was no match for Lin Boxu.
Once Lin Boxu left, the transfer student turned on Zhou Zhuoyuan with bitter frustration. “Why didn’t you fight him with me? You coward—you deserve to get picked on!”
Tears streaming down his face, Zhou Zhuoyuan apologized. “I’m sorry. Don’t walk with me anymore. I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”
An idea sparked in the transfer student’s eyes. “How about this: from now on, give me all your money. We’ll say it’s all spent, so he can’t take any.”
Rather than cutting ties, he’d come up with a solution to help. Deeply touched, Zhou Zhuoyuan agreed right away.
Then one day, the transfer student hemmed and hawed before admitting he’d dipped into the money a bit and would replenish it once he had some.
Zhou Zhuoyuan had been saving up carefully, dreaming of a new backpack. Stunned, he forced a smile. “It’s fine. I’m not in any rush.”
Half a month later, when Zhou Zhuoyuan finally mustered the courage to ask for the money back, the transfer student flashed a smile laced with malice. “No money left. Consider this payment for the emotional distress of being your friend.”
Why?
Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t understand.
Why did being friends with him warrant emotional distress compensation?
Zhou Zhuoyuan stared at him in dazed silence for a long time.
It all started when Liu Kuo told the teacher. The teacher got the money back for him and even made the transfer student apologize.
The transfer student was Liu Kuo’s good friend. When Liu Kuo heard about it, he immediately came looking for trouble—and ran straight into Lin Boxu. Lin Boxu was tall and burly. Without a word, he beat Liu Kuo senseless.
Zhou Zhuoyuan got his new backpack.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last with him for long before Liu Kuo secretly had someone slash it open. There were no cameras in the classroom. Zhou Zhuoyuan couldn’t swallow his pride. He insisted on getting revenge at the first opportunity, and their feud only grew from there. It dragged on all the way until Zhou Zhuoyuan graduated from junior high. He thought it was finally over.
But it wasn’t. When Liu Kuo cornered him in that alley, Zhou Zhuoyuan realized the nightmare was far from finished. The two hot-tempered boys clashed for years, and it ended with Zhou Zhuoyuan’s total defeat.
In the beginning, he had only wanted a new backpack, nothing more.
Seeing that Zhou Zhuoyuan had fallen silent, Liu Kuo took a few steps closer. “Scared already? Weren’t you acting all tough out there? Oh, right—I forgot. You had your little knight in shining armor with you. That’s what you like, isn’t it? Hiding behind someone else’s coattails.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes flickered. “Don’t project your own crap onto me. What can you do besides ganging up on people? Where are your little minions hiding?”
Liu Kuo let out a cold laugh. “You think I need backup to teach you a lesson? I’m more than enough on my own.”
One person.
Zhou Zhuoyuan looked up, his eyes blazing like they were on fire. Without another word, he swung his fist straight at Liu Kuo’s face.
Liu Kuo dodged quickly, but the next punch caught him square on the jaw. He staggered back a few steps and licked the corner of his mouth. Zhou Zhuoyuan’s sudden attack had caught him off guard, but now he was ready. He charged forward again.
The two traded blows in the dim hallway, fists and feet flying in a brutal brawl.
Until Liu Kuo landed a hard punch right in Zhou Zhuoyuan’s stomach.
“Ah!” Zhou Zhuoyuan let out a sharp cry of pain. He bit his lip to stifle it, but anyone could tell that hit had hurt bad.
Liu Kuo stood tall like a boxer who’d just won the match, looking down at Zhou Zhuoyuan from on high.
His triumph didn’t last. Something was wrong. He hadn’t even hit that hard—nothing compared to what Zhou Zhuoyuan had dished out—but Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t recovering. He clutched his stomach with one hand and braced himself against the wall with the other, retching nonstop.
Seeing him like that, Liu Kuo hesitated. “You okay?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s response was to vomit up a mouthful of blood.
Liu Kuo’s mind went blank. He stepped forward to support him.
Zhou Zhuoyuan flinched back on instinct. He only managed a couple of steps before collapsing to the floor.
His stomach felt like it had been twisted into knots. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as pain wracked his body. His hands dug desperately into his abdomen, and he curled up into a tight ball on the ground. He didn’t even dare open his mouth, terrified that a pathetic groan would escape.
Zhou Zhuoyuan wondered if he was going to die right there.
At that moment, only one thought filled his mind: If he died like this—before he could even take down Zhou Zhuoyi—would Zhu Wan feel even a little sad?
Things had gotten serious.
Liu Kuo’s first instinct was to run. He turned and took a few quick steps away, then immediately doubled back.
Zhou Zhuoyuan was already drifting in and out of consciousness. Liu Kuo patted his face and felt only clammy sweat. Blood stained his lips, and where it didn’t, his lower lip was bitten white.
No more hesitation. Liu Kuo slid one arm under Zhou Zhuoyuan’s knees and scooped him up in a bridal carry.
He’d expected it to be a struggle, but Zhou Zhuoyuan was surprisingly light. Liu Kuo shifted his grip and bolted downstairs.
He had snuck in by climbing over the wall, so he wasn’t sure if he’d get stopped by the gate guard while carrying Zhou Zhuoyuan out. But there was no choice—life was on the line. Gritting his teeth, he charged toward the school gate.
Suddenly, headlights blinded him. A car pulled up, and a young woman leaned out from the driver’s seat. “What happened? What’s wrong with this student?”
Liu Kuo saw his salvation. “Teacher! I was roughhousing with my classmate on the stairs, and he passed out. Can you take us to the hospital?”
The young woman panicked. “What? Get in, quick! Why didn’t you call a teacher for something this serious?”
Liu Kuo climbed into the back seat with Zhou Zhuoyuan in his arms. It had been three years since he’d been in school, but apologizing to a teacher still came naturally. “Sorry, Teacher. I didn’t think.”
At the hospital, doctors whisked Zhou Zhuoyuan into the ER. While the young woman ran around handling the paperwork, Liu Kuo slipped away.
By the time the doctor told her that Zhou Zhuoyuan had been beaten and was suffering from a stomach hemorrhage, it was too late. Liu Kuo was long gone.
But right now, tracking down Liu Kuo could wait. The priority was finding Zhou Zhuoyuan’s family to sign the consent form for surgery.
The young woman was a new teacher this year and didn’t recognize Zhou Zhuoyuan at all. She had no choice but to unlock the phone the doctor had handed her, searching through it for contact information for his family.
Curiously, Zhou Zhuoyuan’s phone only had a handful of saved contacts. Fortunately, one of them had a name similar to “Zhou Zhuoyuan”—the one she’d just spotted on the badge pinned to his chest.
She figured it must be his brother, which meant she could reach his parents through him.
The call went through, and a cold voice answered: “What is it?”
Too pressed for time to mince words, the young woman spoke rapidly. “Are you a relative of Zhou Zhuoyuan? He’s suffering from a stomach bleed and needs emergency surgery right away. Can you get his parents here to sign the consent forms? We’re at the XXX Hospital Main Campus Emergency Department.”
