Xiang Yu wore a black turtleneck coat, half of his handsome and refined face was covered by the black collar, revealing only a pair of bright eyes, which made him stand out even more in the night.
He greeted Li Yifan through the bedroom door. Li Yifan was busy initiating a team fight in the Rift and didn't hear what was being said outside very clearly. He only heard snippets of "go out" and "come back soon," so he responded with "uh-huh" several times. By the time he realized what was happening, Li Yifan was already gone.
After the White Dew season, the night breeze carried a slight chill. It must be said that the security in this area is indeed quite good. Xiang Yu walked around outside for a long time with his hands in his pockets. The city center hospital was just ahead. He didn't encounter anything along the way.
Nothing to do is better. I've already submitted my moral score to the system this month, so I'd rather have some free time for the remaining half of the month.
Xiang Yu returned the way he came, jogging along the roadside as he ran, familiarizing himself with the surroundings. If nothing unexpected happened, he would spend the rest of his high school years in X City.
"You fucking say that again—"
The shouts and curses made Xiang Yu slow down and look toward the source of the sound. It was the parking lot attached to the hospital, with a sign at the entrance that had a big "C" written in white on a blue background.
The city's central hospital has three affiliated parking lots. Parking lot C is the most remote and the smallest, so it usually has the fewest vehicles parked there and hardly anyone is there.
"Damn it, I spent so much money raising you, and this is how you repay me!"
"You have money but won't give it to me? I'm your own father! I gave birth to you, so you should pay back the money I owe you!"
A loud "smack" echoed in the silent parking lot.
The girl, sitting in a wheelchair, looked frail and weak. Before she could react, the man slapped her so hard that the wheelchair was knocked to the ground. She covered her swollen and red face, but because her leg was in a cast, she couldn't stand up.
The man was drunk, his face flushed, and his shouts and curses were sometimes loud and sometimes soft. The woman didn't say a word, but just stared at him with eyes full of hatred and vigilance, wary that he might attack again.
Unexpectedly, this look once again triggered the man's nerves, and he raised his hand to slap her again.
"How dare you glare at your father!"
Before the slap could land, it was grabbed. The man's first reaction was to try to break free, but he failed. He then started cursing at the person blocking his way.
"Who the hell do you think you are! What business is it of yours if I'm disciplining my own son?!" The man met those deep, calm eyes and felt inexplicably afraid. He pretended to spit on the ground, "Let the hell go!"
After saying that, he clenched his other fist and swung it toward the other person's face.
Xiang Yu didn't dodge. He raised his hand and caught the fist. He released the hand that was holding the man's wrist and threw a hook punch down, hitting the man in the stomach. Taking advantage of the moment when the man bent over in pain, he slammed down with his elbow, knocking the man down instantly.
These two blows completely stunned the man, and he lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Xiang Yu didn't even glance at him, but instead straightened the wheelchair and helped the girl up.
"hiss."
Having just fallen off her wheelchair and hit her injured leg, the girl gasped in pain as the injury aggravated.
"Thank you." Because half of her face was swollen, the girl could only manage a slight smile at Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu: "It's nothing."
The girl nodded politely, maneuvered her wheelchair to the man, and changed her expression to one of indifference. "I told you last time, don't expect to get a single penny from us. What's yours has already been given to you. Your incompetence is your own problem."
Having said a bit too much, her cheeks started to sting. The girl covered her face and continued, "The caregiver has already called the police for me since I was out past my allotted time. If anything happens, just talk to the police."
After saying that, he pointed to the camera on the utility pole to the side and said, "There is surveillance here."
"You fucking dare to scheme against my father! I'll fucking..."
"Sister—" A loud shout came from afar, interrupting the man's cursing.
"Xiao Luo?" The girl turned her wheelchair and watched as Xu Youluo led a group of people to her.
"Damn it, Luo Zai, slow down! Your sister's over there!"
Wang Zehao hadn't put down the fruit basket he was carrying; he was leaning on his knees, panting heavily.
"I told you to eat less."
Yang Shuhuan held the flowers, her breathing a little erratic. She had run so fast that sunflower petals had fallen all the way down her path.
"My deskmate?" Gu Chen noticed Xiang Yu next to Xu Youqing and his eyes lit up. "What are you doing here?"
Gu Chen carried a box of pure milk and ran the same distance. His breathing was not disordered at all, but his face turned slightly red from running for so long.
"Just passing by."
Xiang Yugang spotted the group from afar, his gaze lingering on them with surprise before finally settling on Xu Youqing and quickly withdrawing it. Based on their conversation during the day, he quickly sorted out his thoughts.
The girl he helped was Xu Youluo's older sister.
"Sister, are you alright? Aunt Hu said you went to the C parking lot. What are you doing here?" Xu Youluo asked anxiously. Seeing that Xu Youqing's clothes and plaster were covered in dust, she reached out to help brush it off, but was stopped by the other party in a hurry.
"Don't—ouch." Xu Youqing was afraid he would notice the sudden pain in her leg, so she spoke too hastily, which aggravated the injury on her face.
"Sister, what happened to your face again?" Xu Youluo's eyes were a little red, and she was so anxious that she was about to cry when she said this. She leaned over and gently blew on Xu Youqing's face, while glancing at the man who was getting up not far behind her.
His expression froze for a moment, then he immediately understood what was going on. He walked past Xu Youqing, angrily raising his fist and charging over, shouting, "Li Yue! You son of a bitch, how dare you hit my sister!"
[Author's Note: Gu Chen: How could I run into this? It seems I have a special connection with my deskmate.]
Chapter Six: Gu Chen, Listen to Me!
Chapter Six Gu Chen: Listen to me, my deskmate!
Inside the waiting room of the Fuxing Road Police Station in City X, Li Yue stood up again, slammed his fist on the table, and roared at Xiang Yu, who was sitting in a chair to the side: "Are you blind?! Didn't you see how he beat me? All you did was criticize and lecture me?"
Xiang Yu didn't look at him, busy with the self-criticisms written as punishment.
After being confronted with a table-slamming remark, twice in fact, even the most patient policeman couldn't tolerate someone like Li Yue. "So what if I give him a lecture? You hit a disabled underage girl and you think you're in the right?!" he yelled, pointing to a corner. "How did he hit you? You're perfectly fine and running around like a baby!"
Li Yue was indignant; he couldn't swallow the insult of being beaten. "That's my daughter! What's wrong with me teaching her a lesson?!" he shouted, rolling up his sleeves. "She fucking hired people to beat me up, aren't you going to do anything about it?!"
The policeman looked at the bruise with a complicated expression. It wasn't black or purple, and frankly, he thought that even a simple fall while running would have resulted in a more serious injury. He was asking if this was the result of someone beating him up.
He couldn't help but glance at Xu Youqing, who was sitting next to Xiang Yu, covering her face with an ice pack. The little girl was looking down at her leg in a cast. She looked up when she felt his gaze, but when she noticed Li Yue's angry eyes, she quickly looked down again, looking pitiful and submissive.
The policeman was at an age where his sense of justice was overflowing, and seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her and couldn't help but say what was on his mind.
“I’ve talked to those kids outside and found out what’s going on. You’ve been divorced from your ex-wife for seven years and you didn’t take any of the kids. Now you’re drinking and hitting people, so it’s no wonder you can’t go.”
Upon hearing this, and seeing Xu Youqing's expression, Li Yue couldn't help but yell, "You fucking act! Do you think I don't know what you're like?! You fucking—"
The policeman slammed his hand on the table, splashing water from his teacup onto the surface. "Stop fucking bastarding around here! This is a police station! If they weren't waiving the charges against you, you'd be in jail right now, you know that?"
Upon hearing that he would have to pay compensation and be detained, Li Yue chickened out and became much quieter, though he still kept muttering curses.
With surveillance present, the incident was not difficult to handle. Li Yue was detained a little longer because of his poor attitude in admitting his mistake, while Xiang Yu, who had a good attitude, left the waiting room with Xu Youqing more than half an hour later. As soon as the people outside saw the two of them come out, they quickly surrounded them.
Wang Zehao: "Wow, new classmate, we listened to Brother Chen talk about what happened at Shengshi Shopping Mall yesterday afternoon for most of the day before we realized that our hero was right next to us."
Yang Shuhuan gave Xiang Yu a thumbs up: "Awesome!"
Xiang Yu glanced at Gu Chen, whose eyes had been fixed on him the whole time. Their eyes met, and the latter gave him a bright smile, saying, "It's all praise for you."
"...Thank you." Xiang Yu accepted the other party's kindness with a sense of unease.
The group left the police station in pairs. It has to be said that the police station chose a good location, a bustling area with a street full of snacks and night markets. The aroma of barbecue and fried skewers wafted out as they went out, making their stomachs rumble.
Gu Chen chuckled, turned around and said with a smile, "I specifically made sure you ate dinner before coming out. Are you already hungry?"
Wang Zehao swallowed hard as he looked at the outdoor barbecue stalls. "I had no choice. I got hungry as soon as I got to the parking lot, and I've been holding it in until now." He then frowned. "Everyone must be tired. How about we grab a late-night snack?"
Yang Shuhuan: "Promising."
Wang Zehao ignored him, glancing suggestively at Xiang Yu with a憨憨 smile on his round face: "The new classmate is very active, he must be hungry too, right?"
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I've only eaten one bowl of instant noodles since 6 p.m., which is quite tiring. Anyone would be hungry by now, so I nodded.
Gu Chen made the decision: "Okay, let's grab a late-night snack before heading back."
The group made a quick decision; before the Xu siblings could even speak, the matter was settled. They were led to the barbecue stall in a daze. After asking about dietary restrictions, Gu Chen ordered. After the waiter left, he pulled Xiang Yu next to him and started chatting. The other boys played on their phones, creating a harmonious scene.
"I'm a little tired, I'll go back to the hospital to rest first." Xu Youqing said at the right time, her tired face making it hard to persuade her to stay.
"Okay, you should get some rest." Gu Chen looked at her and agreed. She nodded slightly and said goodbye to everyone present.
Xu Youluo didn't say anything. Seeing that her sister was about to leave, she got up and ignored her sister's attempts to persuade her. She silently said goodbye to everyone present and pushed the two siblings in wheelchairs away together.
Xiang Yu stared at Xu Youluo's receding figure, feeling that Xu Youluo seemed rather unhappy.
"Stop looking, Luo Zai is just like that." Gu Chen picked up the chrysanthemum tea that the shopkeeper had given them to help them digest and poured a cup for everyone. "He just can't stand Xu Youqing doing anything behind his back. He values his sister more than anything else."
Xiang Yu had no interest in prying into other people's stories. He lowered his eyes, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The tea was slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste, which suited his taste.
They clearly showed a lack of interest in this topic.
Gu Chen seemed not to notice, taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and continued, "That man is Luo Zai's biological father. He and Luo Zai's mother started their own restaurant chain together, but after they got rich, he became unfaithful and kept a college student as a mistress. It wasn't long before they were discovered, and he decided to go all the way and get a divorce. They split their assets in half, and he didn't even ask for custody of the children. He left decisively and gracefully. The siblings live with their mother. Luo Zai's mother is a strong-willed woman; she re-registered the brand she received with a new trademark and built a thriving business—"
"...I didn't ask you any of that." Xiang Yu didn't know how to start a conversation with Gu Chen, who talked non-stop. She held back for a long time before interrupting him when he was already halfway through his story.
Gu Chen looked at him, blinked, and said, "I know, I'm the one who wants to talk, just listen." Then he started talking to himself again.
"In the end, the siblings were given the status of rich second-generation heirs. The man, however, was different. According to Luo Zai, his business went bankrupt due to poor management. He took out a bank loan to alleviate the crisis, but the female college student absconded with the money, leaving the man with a mountain of debt. Desperate, he wanted to remarry his ex-wife. However, Luo Zai's mother married a businesswoman, forming a powerful alliance, and she was in J City on business. The man somehow found out that the siblings were studying here, and before the start of the semester, he even blocked them several times, demanding money to pay off his debts..."
Gu Chen showed no sign of stopping, explaining everything in great detail.
"..." Xiang Yu didn't want to listen, nor did she understand why this guy knew so much about other people's family affairs. She opened her eyes wide, lowered her head, and tried her best to clear her mind.
Wang Zehao burst out laughing when he saw Luo Zai's expression and whispered, "When school first started, Luo Zai was in a bad mood every day, so Chen Ge, as the class monitor, went to find out what was wrong."
Yang Shuhuan continued, "That's the situation. Just let it go in one ear and out the other. Brother Chen is a chatterbox; he'll shut up once he's finished talking. He usually won't force you to listen—" Before he could finish the word "listen," Brother Chen noticed that his new classmate wasn't paying attention, so he reached out and grabbed the classmate's arm, looking unhappy.
Gu Chen: "Why aren't you listening to me, deskmate?" he said, his brows furrowing slightly.
"..." Xiang Yu rolled her eyes at him, speechless.
Wang Zehao and Yang Shuhuan, as if seeing a ghost, discerned the word 'wronged' from Chen Ge's expression.
Yang Shuhuan looked bewildered, his mouth still open. Seeing Xiang Yu's suspicious gaze, he quickly changed the subject and said, "Of course, there are two other possibilities."
[Author's Note: Xiang Yu: I won't listen! I won't listen!]
Chapter Seven: His Not-So-Smart Appearance
Chapter Seven: A Missed Opportunity: His Not-So-Smart Appearance
The barbecue here was indeed delicious. The four of them ate their fill. When Gu Chen went to pay the bill, the waiter said that a girl had already paid for their table.
I know who it is without even thinking.
"Sister Xu is really something, she actually paid the money secretly." Wang Zehao let out a huge burp to the side. "This makes me feel really embarrassed."
Yang Shuhuan was so choked by the burp that she held her breath. She raised her hand and punched him, gritting her teeth and saying, "Get lost, I see you're enjoying your food."
"Hey, isn't this a rare treat? You know my mom's cooking is bland and tasteless." Wang Zehao dodged away, then stuck to him again, reaching out to hook his arm around his neck. "I'll come to your house to eat next time. My Liu mom's cooking is so delicious."