Chapter 28: Zhou Zhuoyuan: If it were Zhou Zhuoyi lying here, everyone…

The first day after the holiday, at noon, Zhou Zhuoyuan received a call from Zhou Zhuoli. His brother said that Zhou Zhuoyi missed him and told him to come home that evening.

Zhou Zhuoyuan refused without a moment’s hesitation and immediately blocked the number. This was one of the perks of boarding school—if Zhou Zhuoli called again, he could just claim his phone had been confiscated by a teacher and wouldn’t be returned until the holidays.

It wasn’t until evening that his phone rang again. This time, it was an unfamiliar landline number. The familiar voice on the other end was clearly suppressing its anger. “You blocked me?!”

Zhou Zhuoyuan gave his pre-prepared excuse without any sincerity. “No, my phone got confiscated.”

“You’re full of it!” Zhou Zhuoli let out a laugh that sounded more like exasperation at the half-hearted lie. “Get out here right now. Little Yi and I are waiting for you at the gate.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan bristled at the high-handed demand. “I already said I’m not going home. Will you cut it out?!”

It was always like this—they never cared about his feelings when making decisions.

Sometimes, Zhou Zhuoyuan truly couldn’t fathom it. They clearly didn’t like him, and they would all be happier and more content as a family without him. So why force him to watch their lives from the sidelines? Did his awkward outsider status somehow make their harmony shine even brighter?

Because Zhou Zhuoyi was waiting in the car, Zhou Zhuoli didn’t argue with him. Instead, he softened his tone. “Come on, it’s been ages since you came home. Mom and Dad miss you too. I’ve already talked to your teacher. Hurry up and come out.”

When Zhou Zhuoyuan had first returned to the Zhou Family, he’d actually been quite affectionate toward him, even hinting multiple times that he wanted his big brother to pick him up after school. Zhou Zhuoli had only thought the kid had no sense of boundaries. He was swamped with work every day—how could he possibly have time for that? Did he think Zhou Zhuoli was Little Yi or something?

So this time, by coming in person, Zhou Zhuoli had expected to see Zhou Zhuoyuan’s face light up with flattered surprise. Maybe not outright flattery anymore, since Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t the awkward, green boy he’d been two years ago. His reaction might be more tsundere now, but deep down, he’d surely be thrilled.

He hadn’t anticipated the phone going completely unanswered. After trying several times with no success under Zhou Zhuoyi’s watchful eyes, Zhou Zhuoli forced a smile. “Something must have come up at school. I’ll go find him.”

Zhou Zhuoyi nodded obediently, which finally quelled the anger in Zhou Zhuoli’s heart. He found a small shop near the school gate and used their landline to call again. Worried that Zhou Zhuoyi might get impatient waiting, he held back his temper even when Zhou Zhuoyuan gave such a flippant excuse and rude response. Instead, he tried appealing to emotion and reason.

Zhou Zhuoli figured that with such gentle coaxing, Zhou Zhuoyuan would surely come running out, deeply moved.

He’d forgotten his own previous assessment of this little brother: bad-tempered, clueless, immune to both the carrot and the stick.

Zhou Zhuoyuan blocked that landline number too.

Ten minutes later, a teacher called Zhou Zhuoyuan out. Zhou Zhuoli was standing in the hallway, his face dark as thunder.

Zhou Zhuoyuan felt no guilt whatsoever about blocking him. He said impatiently, “What exactly do you want? I told you I’m not going home. You’ve already wasted enough of my time.”

Zhou Zhuoli ground his teeth. “Little Yi’s time and mine are more valuable than yours. We’ve been waiting at the gate for ages without complaining—what right do you have to gripe?”

“Heh.” Zhou Zhuoyuan let out a cold laugh. “Who says your time is more valuable? Did you learn ‘all men are created equal’ and let it go in one ear and out the other?”

Zhou Zhuoli didn’t want to keep bickering in circles. “Fine. You wouldn’t want me telling Mom and Dad about you getting into a fight with some punks and ending up in the hospital, would you?”

At first, while taking care of him in the hospital, Zhou Zhuoli hadn’t connected the dots. The post-surgery Zhou Zhuoyuan had looked so frail and helpless that pity had clouded his judgment. It was only in the following days that he realized Zhou Zhuoyuan must have gone along with hiding the hospitalization because he feared their parents finding out he’d gotten into a fight and tarnished his image as the good student at home.

~~~

Because of his health, Zhou Zhuoyi always sat in the front passenger seat. From afar, Zhou Zhuoyi saw Zhou Zhuoli leading Zhou Zhuoyuan out from the school gate.

Zhou Zhuoyuan got into the car first, pressing himself tight against the right-side door, his head turned toward the window. He didn’t want to spare another glance at the people behind him.

Zhou Zhuoli sat in the back seat too, in a normal position. The space between him and Zhou Zhuoyuan was wide enough to fit another Zhou Zhuoyi.

Zhou Zhuoyi asked worriedly, “Big Brother, are you in a bad mood?”

Zhou Zhuoli snapped irritably, “Don’t mind him. He’s always like this.”

After the car had driven a short way, Zhou Zhuoli finally couldn’t stand his awkward posture anymore. He grabbed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s arm and yanked him closer. “There’s so much room—why are you squeezing over there?”

Caught off guard, Zhou Zhuoyuan nearly tumbled into his arms from the momentum. “Are you nuts?!”

He thought he’d shouted it fiercely, but the words came out hoarse and feeble.

Earlier, in the heat of anger, Zhou Zhuoli hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Now, hearing that sound and feeling the scorching skin beneath his hand, he realized something was wrong. “Why are you so hot? Are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“You’ve got issues!” He’d been perfectly fine at lunch, and He Qinglan had even breathed a sigh of relief about it.

Zhou Zhuoli ignored his words and touched his forehead before immediately telling the driver, “Don’t go back. Head to the nearest hospital.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan pried Zhou Zhuoli’s hand away from him. “Go back. I’m not going to the hospital.”

With Zhou Zhuoli there, the driver naturally wouldn’t listen to him.

He leaned toward the driver’s side and repeated himself, but still received no response.

The driver addressed him respectfully as Young Master, but in reality, he wasn’t taken seriously at all. His needs could be disregarded—his time wasn’t worth as much as Zhou Zhuoli’s or Zhou Zhuoyi’s.

Watching the car turn around up ahead, Zhou Zhuoyuan’s emotions finally crumbled. “I said go back! Not to the hospital! Don’t you understand?!”

“Zhou Zhuoli! Don’t push it too far!” He whipped his head around, his hoarse voice raw with strain that made listeners ache for him. Even in his pain, he had to yell at Zhou Zhuoli. “Why? I said not to go back, but you forced me. Now I say no hospital, and you insist anyway! Why? Are only you two human? Are only you two valuable? Zhou Zhuoli, I’m a person too. Why can’t you ever respect me? Is that so hard? I already agreed to go to the Zhou Family—why treat me like this?”

After he finished, a heavy silence filled the car, broken only by Zhou Zhuoyuan’s slightly ragged breathing.

When they hit a red light, Zhou Zhuoli sighed. “Let’s go home. No hospital.”

Only then did Zhou Zhuoyuan’s emotions gradually settle.

The moment the car stopped, he flung open the door and bolted out like he was fleeing some deadly plague.

Zhou Zhuoli frowned as he stepped out. He’d just closed the car door when he heard a heavy thud against the ground, followed by Zhou Zhuoyi’s panicked cry: “Bro! Bro, are you okay?!”

A chill gripped Zhou Zhuoli’s heart. He rushed forward and saw Zhou Zhuoyi cradling Zhou Zhuoyuan anxiously, his face ashen, tears threatening to spill any second. “Brother suddenly tumbled down the steps. Is he going to be okay?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes were squeezed shut, his lips deathly pale—he’d clearly lost consciousness, or he never would have let Zhou Zhuoyi handle him like that.

Zhou Zhuoli’s heart lurched. He swiftly took Zhou Zhuoyuan from Zhou Zhuoyi’s arms and hurried toward Zhou Zhuoyuan’s bedroom, reassuring him all the while. “Don’t worry, he’s just running a fever. Don’t panic yourself, or you won’t have the energy to look after him.”

Zhou Zhuoyi didn’t dare chase after him at a run, managing only two steps before stopping. For all his words that it was nothing, Zhou Zhuoli sprinted faster than anyone. As he passed the housekeeper, he called out urgently, “Is Doctor Xu home? Get him over here right now to check, and contact the hospital too.”

When Zhou Zhuoyuan came to, he found a crowd gathered around him, crowding the spacious room.

Everyone wore different expressions, but none of them looked pleased.

Unbidden, the familiar thought crept in: If it were Zhou Zhuoyi lying here, they certainly wouldn’t all have these accusatory looks on their faces.

If they hadn’t forced him to come back, he wouldn’t have been any trouble to them. Back in the dorm, his roommates would have taken care of him just fine.

Zhou Fuxuan was the first to break the silence, his words laced with mockery. “39.2 degrees—you’re really something. Zhuoli tried to take you to the hospital, and you wouldn’t go, huh?”