《Slow-Witted》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1


    ¡°BANG!¡ª BANG!¡ª¡±


    ¡°BANG£¡ BANG£¡ BANG!¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s eyes snapped open, the darkness looming over him almost left him breathless.


    It took him a while to comprehend that he was in his own room and the one banging on the door could only be Aunt Chen. ¡°How much longer do you intend to sleep? You¡¯re going to be late for school.¡±


    Aunt Chen¡¯s voice was dampened by the door to his room, causing it to be muffled. Fu Jia opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Aunt Chen pushing the cleaning cart outside his room. She couldn¡¯t be considered pretty, her brows and eyes were drooping. Even when she smiled, her countenance was laced with a trace of distress.


    Everytime Fu Jia looked at her, he was often reminded of his late mother.


    He hated the fate represented behind such faces.


    By the time Aunt Chen put on her rubber gloves, it signaled a new day of work had begun. ¡°Out of bed? Go grab a sponge from the storeroom. I forgot to take it out earlier on.¡±


    Nodding his head, Fu Jia walked toward the storeroom which was located at the far-off corner of the row of servants¡¯ rooms. It was the smallest and was the only dark room in the entire villa without a window.


    As he took the sponge, Fu Jia¡¯s eyes swept past the knives of different sizes on the shelf, before eventually taking the sharpest and smallest one and placed it into his pocket.


    When he handed the sponge to Aunt Chen, she warned him repeatedly, ¡°Use the back door when you¡¯re heading to school later. Don¡¯t pass by the living room.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Aunt Chen lowered her voice into a whisper. ¡°Fengfeng puked earlier in the morning and both the master and madam are very anxious about him. With the doctor coming and going, don¡¯t you go and bother them.¡±


    She made it sound so ambiguous but Fu Jia knew what she meant. The son of this family was ill and both the masters of the house were upset so there was no need for him to add oil into fire with his irksome presence.


    Fu Jia gave a nod, feeling nothing deep down.


    The Fengfeng Aunt Chen mentioned was his half-brother, Lin Fengxun. Since young, Lin Fengxun was frail, constantly plagued by illness and had never left the house before. Even when he studied, they would hire a private home tutor to come over and teach him.


    Apart from their facial features, the difference between the two of them were as contrasting as black and white. They¡¯re born similar in appearance. Just one glance and anyone could tell they were brothers.


    Fu Jia bought greasy steamed buns and soymilk in an alley near the school. The meat inside the bun tasted sour and salty while the tasteless soymilk was watery. Yet Fu Jia still ate them as if he was savoring every last bite.


    As soon as he entered the classroom, Fu Jia felt someone was staring intently at him. The person sitting at the corner, named Liu Cheng, was the most disobedient student with the worst grade in class. Fu Jia was very positive that he wouldn¡¯t be able to pass the college entrance exam or even finished his studies in this high school. The reason why he was still here was all for the sake of saying ¡°I studied in high school before¡± in the coming future.


    His hobby was to receive protection fees. And the criteria of his ¡°to-be-protected¡± targets were very simple. He would always go for those who was a loner or introverted and Fu Jia basically fit every single one of his standard.


    Straightening his back, Fu Jia touched the item in his pocket before turning around to look at Liu Cheng right in the eye.


    Surprised by his action, the anger of being offended instantly welled up from the bottom of Liu Cheng¡¯s heart.


    He stormed towards Fu Jia and ferociously kicked the legs of his desk.


    ¡±What¡¯re you looking at? Do you have the money?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up behind the school after the first lesson,¡± said Fu Jia as he stared at him.


    Liu Cheng felt that there was something wrong with his expression because he wasn¡¯t scared in the least and instead looked calm as though victory was firmly in his grasp. He didn¡¯t think that Fu Jia was bold enough to resist him so he grinned, saying, ¡°You seemed to know your place.¡±


    The first class quickly came to an end with Fu Jia and Liu Cheng leaving the classroom one after another.


    A small forest with lush trees could be found behind the school. However, the planning wasn¡¯t well done so it was hidden from sight by the school building, completely shrouded in its shadow. This was a place that people like Liu Cheng liked, especially since he could beat up or swearing at people without being caught.


    Liu Cheng pulled out a cigarette for a smoke, moving smoothly from lighting it up to breathing out a puff of smoke. ¡°Give me the cash. Do you seriously think that you can grow money just by standing there without moving?¡±


    With his back against the tree, Fu Jia reached out his hand to him.


    Liu Cheng¡¯s eyes narrowed because of the smoke, but he could still clearly see that there were no red notes in his hand except for a small cutter.


    Raising his hand, he smacked Fu Jia¡¯s head until his face twisted to the side. ¡°Are you screwing with me?¡±


    As though he was incapable of feeling pain, Fu Jia straightened his neck and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have money. Keep dreaming of getting money from me.¡±


    Liu Cheng found the entire situation to be absurd. Was he hearing things? What gave Fu Jia the audacity to talk to him like that? Clenching his fists, he looked like he was about to hit him, ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡±


    Fu Jia removed the outer shell of the cutter and threw it to the ground. He pressed the cutter against his own neck, and threatened, ¡°Since you¡¯re not scared of the teachers, are you afraid of the police? I¡¯m going to slit my own throat right now and call the police after. Do you want to bet if they¡¯ll arrest you?¡±


    Liu Cheng cursed angrily, spitting out the burning cigarette to the ground. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fucking middle schooler and can be intimidated by your empty threats?¡° He took a step closer to seize the cutter in Fu Jia¡¯s hand.


    Fu Jia released his grip, allowing him to snatch the cutter away.


    Liu Cheng was so pissed to the point that he was fuming with rage as though he had been greatly humiliated. He swore, raising his foot to kick Fu Jia in the stomach.


    He had utilized about twelve percent of his own strength. Fu Jia supported himself against the tree but was still forced back a couple of steps before collapsing to the ground.


    Liu Cheng quickly went up and gave him another kick.


    Precisely at that moment, frantic footsteps could be heard from behind them as several teachers running over in a hurry. When they saw the cutter in Liu Cheng¡¯s grip, they yelled loudly to stop him, ¡°What are you doing?! Put down that cutter this instant!¡±


    Fu Jia weakly inclined his body against the wall, feigning a terrified expression on his face.


    The teachers rushed over to restrain Liu Cheng and detain the cutter in his hand. Liu Cheng instinctively struggled to get out of the teacher¡¯s grip but his efforts were fruitless. When his eyes fell on Fu Jia by chance, he didn¡¯t miss the trace of glee contained in his eyes.


    There was no point in arguing. Even though Liu Cheng tried to defend himself, how could the teachers believed in his words? He was an infamous delinquent at school. Furthermore, every single one of them witnessed the moment Liu Cheng kicked Fu Jia.


    The teachers brought Liu Cheng away, leaving behind a male teacher to comfort Fu Jia.


    He patted Fu Jia¡¯s back and muttered in dismay, ¡°Fortunately a student notified us. Sharp instruments are prohibited to be brought to school. How could he be so bold to do something like this?¡± Although the general population of  No. 16 High School was undisciplined and chaotic, they were still afraid of bloodshed.


    Fu Jia nodded in response. How could it not be accurately on time? He had bought 20 RMB worth of snacks for that student, in order to persuade him to seize the opportunity at the right time, not a second less and not a second more.


    ¡°Thank you sir. I¡¯m not scared anymore. I¡¯ll return to class now.¡± replied Fu Jia.


    The teacher smiled with ease, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. We¡¯ll discipline Liu Cheng properly.¡±


    The teacher accompanied Fu Jia into the classroom. Sitting obediently in his seat, Fu Jia flipped open his textbook, acting like a good student. But as soon as the teacher disappeared from his sight, he suddenly shut the book and ran downstairs without rest, back to the small forest behind the school.


    The cigarette Liu Cheng spat out earlier was still there.


    Fu Jia picked up the cigarette, pocketing it before running off to the shop inside the school complex to buy a lighter. When the bell rang, he didn¡¯t return to the classroom and instead went to the washroom.


    Taking out the cigarette, he used his sleeve to meticulously wipe the area where the mouth was and then stuffed it into his own.


    He tried his best to mimic Liu Cheng¡¯s actions but it still looked clumsy. When he finally lit it up with difficulty and took his first drag, a burning sensation corroded his lungs. He tried to hold it in without coughing.


    This was his spoil.


    After his private study was over, Fu Jia went back to the Lin Family¡¯s villa, keenly aware that something was out of place.


    ¡°Madame¡¯s nephew has arrived,¡± said Aunt Chen.


    Fu Jia was taken by surprise, ¡°Which nephew?¡±


    Aunt Chen threw him a strange look, ¡°Who else could it be?¡±


    Fu Jia pursed his lips.


    As Aunt Chen stared at him, she seemed to see right through him. Her pair of droopy eyes were clouded with an emotion resembling pity. ¡°He¡¯s in the garden with Fengfeng.¡±


    Responding with a grunt, Fu Jia returned back to his room.


    There were times when he would love to own a proper bedroom.


    The room he lived in was a servant quarter with inadequate lighting and ventilation. Whenever the raining season arrived, his blanket would be so damp he could wring water out of it. But if he managed to find the right angle, he would be able to see the Lin Villa¡¯s garden through the cracks on his window.


    In the brightly lit garden, Lin Fengxun sat on his wheelchair with his back facing Fu Jia. A young man stood beside him. Lin Fengxun tilted his head to say something and the young man bent down to listen while adjusting the blanket covering him.


    Duo Duo, the golden retriever Lin Fengxun raised, approached his owner with a ball in its mouth, running around his owner in circles incessantly.


    The young man ruffled Duo Duo¡¯s head, and following its active movements, he turned towards Fu Jia¡¯s direction.


    His handsome face was tilted down.


    Fu Jia stared at him with insatiable hunger, his scorching gaze burned brightly, as though should it reach a certain degree, he would be able to own that person for real.


    Lin Feng turned around, his lips parting to say something.


    Having seen those lip movements for almost ten years, Fu Jia could easily read it without fail¡ª


    ¡°Bro Qi¡¯an.¡±


    Fu Jia mimicked his action, making the same motions.


    There was a hole in his heart, a hole so vast and dark that was dragging him in, tempting him to fall into its depth. He was that close.

 CH 2

    Chapter 2


    Lu Qi¡¯an accompanied Lin Fengxun until the clock almost struck ten in the evening. His aunt Lu Wanqing stopped him when he was about to leave.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay for the night? I¡¯ll ask the driver to pick up your stuffs for you. Is there anything you need?¡±


    To which Lu Qi¡¯an replied, ¡°Nothing in particular. There¡¯s no need to trouble the driver.¡±


    Lu Wanqing smiled, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve stayed here frequently so some necessities are already available. If you need anything else, you can use Fengfeng¡¯s.¡±


    Lin Fengxun chimed in, ¡°Yeah! Yeah! Bro Qi¡¯an can wear my pyjamas.¡±


    Lu Wanqing looked at her son helplessly and said, ¡°How can Qi¡¯an fit into your clothes? You¡¯re younger than him by three years and you only eat in small portion most of the time, so you¡¯re still two sizes smaller than Qi¡¯an now.¡±


    Lin Fengxun retorted resentfully, ¡°I just don¡¯t have the appetite to eat!¡±


    Lu Wanqing felt her heart ached as she didn¡¯t expect her son would reply to her in this manner so she quickly changed the subject. ¡°Qi¡¯an, which room would you like to stay in for the night?¡±


    Lin Fengxun scrambled to suggest, ¡°Bro Qi¡¯an, sleep with me.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an refused the invitation. ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you by the bedside until you fall asleep as usual.¡±


    Lin Fengxun knew even though his stubbornness would not be completely tolerated, Lu Qi¡¯an would still indulge his behavior to the greatest extent. He was incredibly happy deep down, yet he still feigned an upset expression on his face. ¡°Fine then.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was a man of his words. After washing up, he stayed by Lin Fengxun¡¯s bedside and accompanied him until he fell asleep.


    As Lu Wanqing watched this scene unfold before her very eyes, she felt an unexplainable warm sensation gushing forth from the bottom of her heart.


    Lin Fengxun had never left the house since childhood and he had never experienced school like other children his age, so he had neither classmates nor friends who he could play with. Only Lu Qi¡¯an would play with him, slowly turning into his sole companion. That was the reason why he still behaved like a child even though he was already fourteen years old and always clung to Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Fortunately Lu Qi¡¯an was a nice boy. Although he was reserved and taciturn since young, he was extremely patient when dealing with Lin Fengxun.


    ¡°Good night,¡± said Lu Wanqing.


    Lin Fengxun waved to her as he answered, ¡°Good night, Mom!¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an also replied. ¡°Good night, Auntie.¡±


    Lu Wanqing shut the door with a smile.


    As the sound of his aunt¡¯s footsteps travelled further away, Lu Qi¡¯an helped Lin Fengxun tucked the edges of his blanket in before saying, ¡°Now that she¡¯s gone, let¡¯s talk about why you vomited earlier.¡±


    Frowning, Lin Fengxun revealed a disgusted look on his countenance. ¡°It¡¯s because I saw him.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    ¡°Fu Jia,¡± Lin Fengxun spat out the name with difficulty, as though the very mention of it would dirty his tongue.


    Lu Qi¡¯an kept his silence.


    Lin Fengxun continued, ¡°He was at the edge of the living room on the first floor yesterday. It seemed he was searching for Aunt Chen.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an still didn¡¯t utter a single word at that.


    Lin Fengxun sat upright in an instant. ¡°Bro Qi¡¯an, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an helped him pull up his blanket to cover his shoulders. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    Instead, Lin Fengxun was rendered speechless. What did he want to hear? He wasn¡¯t sure either.


    He had already decided to treat Fu Jia as an invisible being from the start, without a trace of hatred or dislike in order to show his complete rejection of him. But as he expected, he wasn¡¯t able to do it. He still hated him to his very bones, to the extent where he would feel like throwing up at the sight of Fu Jia.


    He eagerly hoped that someone would use an obscene language that he could never think of to insult Fu Jia. The dirtier, the better.


    ¡°Just say something,¡± Lin Fengxun softened his tone and began to shamelessly act like a spoiled child, ¡°Say something loathful about him.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know him well enough so there¡¯s nothing I can say.¡±


    Lin Fengxun punched the mattress with full force. ¡°I just hate him so much!¡± Having nowhere to vent out the resentment swelling in his chest made him feel uncomfortable all over.


    Seeing how pale he¡¯d become, Lu Qi¡¯an took hold of his hands. ¡°Fengfeng, lie down.¡±


    Feeling awkward, Lin Fengxun declared, ¡°No.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an gently patted his tensed back. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to see him again, tell Aunt Chen to ask him to stay out of your sight as much as possible.¡±


    Lin Fengxun covered up half of his face with the blanket. ¡°I even hate Aunt Chen now.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an frowned, ¡°Fengfeng, lie down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Lie down,¡± the tone in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice changed.


    Startled by the change of tone, Lin Fengxun looked towards him cautiously. ¡°Bro Qi¡¯an¡­¡±


    ¡°Lie down. Staying up late is detrimental to your health.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice became gentle once again, as though he wasn¡¯t the one who spat out those same words coldly in a harsh manner earlier.


    Feeling relieved, Lin Fengxun was afraid to be stubborn anymore and lie down on his bed obediently. He didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all as the ruckus he raised before made him all the more awake.


    Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Fengfeng. You¡¯re a boy. You need to know how to be open-minded.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Lin Fengxun responded half-heartedly.


    Lu Qi¡¯an knew he didn¡¯t take his words to heart. ¡°You can hate him but don¡¯t let this hatred affect your health.¡±


    Lin Fengxun really felt an urge to cover up his ears.


    Lu Qi¡¯an continued to lecture him for a good twenty minutes, to the extent that Lin Fengxun finally fell asleep, feeling utterly worn out. He remained seated for a while longer. After he was sure Lin Fengxun wouldn¡¯t kick his blanket away, only then did he leave the room quietly.


    Lin Fengxun¡¯s room was located on the third floor while the guest room was on the second floor. As he went down the small flight of stairs situated at the side of the villa nearby, he ran into Aunt Chen who was wiping the handrail.


    Aunt Chen nodded at him.


    Stopping in his tracks, Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Aunt Chen, I have a favor to ask.¡±


    When she heard his words, Aunt Chen withdrew her hands, resting them before her lap stiffly.


    ¡°Please tell Fu Jia to be more careful to not go near the living room on the first floor again and use the back door to move about,¡± said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Before he could finish, Aunt Chen was already nodding in a repetitive manner, as though she had already expected what he was going to tell her from the very first word she heard.


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Chen.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just a small thing. A trivial matter,¡± Aunt Chen started to sweat a little because of his gratitude.


    Lu Qi¡¯an continued to head down. As he passed by the middle platform of the stairs, he noticed  there was another person cleaning the stairs, crouching down on the staircase to spray some water. He repeated the action three times before wiping it with a cleaning rag.


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t bother to move quietly so there was no way he hadn¡¯t notice his presence. Yet he still remained unmoved on the spot, he didn¡¯t even bother to look up.


    He was donning his high school uniform. Lu Qi¡¯an recognized the clothes. No. 16 High. It had the worst quality of education amongst a dozen or more schools in the mix. Basketball was the only thing they were good at, having used to be a strong competitor he faced when he was competing in the city league tournament.


    And the only person who would wear the uniform from that school could only be Fu Jia.


    Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    The staircase was so pitifully narrow that it was difficult for him to pass with Fu Jia blocking the way.


    Fu Jia showed no signs of moving.


    When Aunt Chen heard the commotion, she¡¯d rushed over in a hurry, her eyes widening in shock the moment her gaze landed on Fu Jia. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wipe the ones on the first floor? How did you get here? Hurry up and move!¡±


    Fu Jia still refused to look up, but his movements stopped, both of his hands were propped on the floor.


    Towering from above, Lu Qi¡¯an could only get a look of the back of his neck as well as the protruding shoulder blade on his lean back.


    Aunt Chen called out again, ¡°Fu Jia?¡±


    Fu Jia finally responded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My legs are numb. Please wait for a while.¡±


    He looked up, staring directly into Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s eyes.


    Those were a pair of eyes so dark resembling a bottomless abyss.


    This thought suddenly emerged in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s mind. He understood well enough that he made a wrong analogy. Did eyes which couldn¡¯t reflect light even exist? Still, Fu Jia¡¯s pupils were so black that when coupled with the faint smile adorning his face, they seemed as though they¡¯d never shine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use the other stairs,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an made a move to turn around.


    But Aunt Chen stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Please don¡¯t. I¡¯ll get him to move. Fu Jia, please hurry and step aside.¡±


    Fu Jia kneaded his thighs. ¡°No can do. I still can¡¯t stand up. Why don¡¯t you step over me? I don¡¯t mind,¡± he smiled, revealing a toothy grin.


    Lu Qi¡¯an furrowed his brows and stayed silent.


    Fu Jia made a weird expression before raising his brow, the corner of his lips curling downwards as though saying, ¡°What to do?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an looked away from him and asked, ¡°Aunt Chen, why do you let him do the cleaning?¡±


    Both Aunt Chen and Fu Jia were taken by surprise.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Aunt Chen fell into a stutter, unable to explain coherently to Lu Qi¡¯an. ¡°He wanted to help me because I always worked until late night so¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an interrupted her instantly. ¡°He¡¯s a guest of my uncle. It¡¯s inexcusable to make him do the cleaning for you. If I inform my uncle about this, he would fire you without hesitation.¡±


    He made it sound nice. ¡®A guest of my uncle.¡¯


    The expression on Aunt Chen¡¯s feature quickly turned to fear.


    Fu Jia stood up from his crouching position on the floor with a speed that¡¯s faster than a high jump athlete. Moving to the side, he tightly pressed himself against the wall, indicating Lu Qi¡¯an to pass through, ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Please go ahead.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an went downstairs and left without saying a word.


    Rooted to the spot, both Aunt Chen and Fu Jia didn¡¯t utter a single word. After a long while, Aunt Chen began, ¡°You heard him. Don¡¯t go to the living room from now on and use the back door.¡±


    Fu Jia answered noncommittally.


    As she stared at him, a look resembling pity was reflected in her eyes once more.


    Fu Jia hated that kind of expression. People often casted that look to look at poor dogs and cats who were abandoned by the roadside. And yet all they did was looked and showered them with pity to their heart¡¯s content, before turning away to go about their merry way.


    Aunt Chen said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to help me anymore.¡±


    Fu Jia gave no response.


    After hesitating momentarily, Aunt Chen placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. ¡°Do you want to move out?¡±


    Fu Jia answered with determination, ¡°No.¡±


    He mustn¡¯t move out.


    He hadn¡¯t lose yet.


    Having brought home by his father when he was eight, Fu Jia could only remember a few snippets about his childhood since then.


    His father¡¯s villa was enormous with row of servant quarters on the first floor. His father had led him there while holding his hand and said, ¡°Stay here for the time being.¡±


    And he¡¯d remained there for a decade.


    He lived in the room of a maid called Aunt Chen. Akin to a rat in the villa, his father, father¡¯s wife and son would avoid the very sight of him.


    Aunt Chen¡¯s son would come over to freeload a meal every night and burnt his hand with a cigarette butt, while threatening him not to cry out in pain. If he cried out by accident, he would add another one. The most despicable thing was  whenever Aunt Chen had almost caught him smoking, he would use Fu Jia¡¯s hand as an ashtray, making him wrap the burning cigarette in his fist to hide it from Aunt Chen.


    Whenever he delved into his memories, there was a scene that he would always recall first amongst others. It would emerge without exception, unfailingly parading in front of his mind¡¯s eye, going back and forth repeatedly, only appeased and moving onto the next one after it deemed to have tortured him enough.


    It was a cloudy day and Fu Jia was hiding in the garden, blowing at the scar on his palm originating from cigarette burns, when he heard children laughter coming from the house.


    A young boy had said, ¡°Bro Qi¡¯an, I want you to catch a dragonfly for me!¡±


    The other boy¡¯s voice tried to sound more mature as he replied, ¡°Sure. Wait for me here.¡±


    It was soon followed by a push of the door, the sound of footsteps walking across the garden accompanied by the brushing of plants against clothes. By the time the sound stopped, Fu Jia had looked up in fear at the young boy who had discovered him unintentionally.


    But the boy remained calm when he saw him. He wasn¡¯t bothered in the least by his presence since catching dragonflies was his main concern right then.


    He began to pounce on the dragonfly as it started to move about. The rays of sunlight that shone on this moment began to appear illogical as it seemed to follow and flicker against the boy¡¯s movements. After all, this was a memory and precisely because it was a memory that Fu Jia was able to use up all of his imagination to beautify it.


    It was unknown how long had passed, the dragonfly began to move in Fu Jia¡¯s direction. Without giving it much of a thought, he instinctively reached out to catch it.


    It prompted the boy to stop in his tracks. ¡°Can you give it to me?¡±


    Fu Jia answered, ¡°S-sure¡­¡±


    Stretching out his arm, the boy reached out to grab the dragonfly from his grasp before handing him a band-aid.


    It had a Spongebob Squarepants cartoon print on it.


    Fu Jia¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily in shock.


    ¡°You¡¯ve a scar on your hand.¡±  After the boy said that, he left carrying the dragonfly.


    Fu Jia tore open the packaging of the band-aid in a daze before sticking it on his hand. His movements were clumsy, and he had even caused the sticky parts of the band-aid to stick together by mistake, but eventually, he managed to successfully use it to cover up his scar.


    After Aunt Chen looked at him briefly once he had returned to his room, Aunt Chen¡¯s face twisted into anger as she yelled, ¡°Where did you get this from?¡±


    Gripping onto Fu Jia¡¯s hand, she stared at the Spongebob Squarepants band-aid wrapping his finger in trepidation and anger.


    Smiling momentarily, Fu Jia didn¡¯t utter a single word, hoping that he could be let off easily.


    Raising her hand, she landed a sound slap on Fu Jia¡¯s face.


    She had been doing cleaning chores for years at end so her hands were covered with a thick layer of calluses. It hit Fu Jia with a force that shook him on the spot, making him unable to yelp out in pain even when he wanted to.


    ¡°How could you steal Fengfeng¡¯s stuff?¡± Aunt Chen reprimanded in a fit of rage.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± He defended himself softly, afraid to gaze into her furious eyes.


    ¡°You still dare to lie! I saw with my own eyes that Fengfeng had a band-aid like this on him today! Nobody bought this for you so if you didn¡¯t steal this, where did it come from then?¡± Aunt Chen held up Fu Jia¡¯s collar, dragging him to the corner of the walls to stand in punishment. ¡°Madame has asked me to keep an eye on you. She was right! If you dare to take Fengfeng¡¯s belongings again, I¡¯ll break your hand!¡±


    With an expression devoid of all emotions, Fu Jia only mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

 CH 3

    Chapter 3


    It was almost time for him to execute his plan.


    Fu Jia thought as he washed the dishes.


    He would work part time at a small restaurant near the school on weekends. Since he had worked there from the moment he turned sixteen, he had already put aside quite a small sum of savings in two years time.


    He had a card with him where his father, Lin Qing would transfer funds to regularly. However since the card was kept by Aunt Chen, even if Fu Jia wanted to withdraw a penny from it, he would need to report clearly to Aunt Chen where the money was being spent on. Aunt Chen would then write it down in full detail before handing them to Lu Wanqing to be checked from time to time.


    Leaving work at sunset, Fu Jia wandered around the street and eventually found himself at No. 6 High.


    The only difference between this highschool and his was that his school had an extra ten added to the number, making up the number 16. No. 6 High is a famous school in the entire country while No. 16 High was notorious far and wide.


    Studying had always been a painful experience for Fu Jia. He was thrown into elementary school when he was eight with no prior education, so he suffered terribly throughout his studies. His classmates were on average younger than him by two years, yet their progress was always a hundred times better than him.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Lin Qing paying the tuition fees, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to study at No. 16 High at all.


    It was supposedly a weekend, yet the gates to No. 6 High were wide open with a few students bustling about the entrance.


    Thinking of his own plan, Fu Jia laid his sight on a male student wearing a pair of thick spectacles and stopped him before the student turned around the corner.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The male student stared at  Fu Jia up and down in puzzlement.


    Fu Jia was also checking him out. He estimated their body size and height, coming to a realization that their physiques were very similar.


    ¡°Sell me your uniform,¡± Fu Jia demanded.


    ¡°Ah?¡± The male student thought he was hearing things.


    Fishing out two hundreds bucks, Fu Jia repeated once more, ¡°This money is yours if you sell me your uniform.¡±


    The student¡¯s eyes were drilling right through them.


    He was overloaded with skepticism so it took Fu Jia a ton of effort to persuade him. In the end, not only did he spent 200 bucks on a school uniform, he even went to the supermarket nearby to buy a pair of pants and put on his coat.


    After the deal was made, Fu Jia asked, ¡°Do you know who is Lu Qi¡¯an? He¡¯s from your school.¡±


    On hearing that, the male student nodded hard, ¡°Of course I do. Who doesn¡¯t know him at school?¡±


    ¡°Then do you know what class he¡¯s in?¡±


    The male student clamped his mouth tight.


    Fu Jia understood what he meant but he would no longer bribe him with money anymore. Fishing out the cutter, he twirled it in his hand, the tip of the blade occasionally pointing towards him or the male student.


    The male student instantly answered without fail, ¡°He¡¯s in Class 2-1.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Fu Jia put the cutter away. ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    Akin to a gust of wind, the male student disappeared into thin air.


    Fu Jia stared at the uniform in his grip and changed into them at the supermarket¡¯s washroom.


    Not only was No. 6 High great in academic, they were also famous for their school uniforms. Although all the sportswears in the entire city were monotone in color, No. 6 High¡¯s color schemes and lines were of the most succinct and generous, mainly made out of dark blue and white colors, without any kind of fancy and flowery patterns.


    Fu Jia lifted the clothes to take a closer look. Even their clothes were top quality.


    He checked himself out in the mirror, realizing that he looked as nice as the other students when he was donning the uniform.


    When Monday came along, he skipped the last period in the morning, changed into the No. 6 High¡¯s school uniform and went to camp near the school early. The moment the school bell rang at noon, a large influx of students came pouring out. Taking advantage of the crowd, Fu Jia slipped into the school.


    He wasn¡¯t in a hurry the slightest bit. Starting from the nearest teaching block, he searched for sophomore class 2-1 on each floor one by one. When he couldn¡¯t find the class on the first block, he even went to a store to buy a piece of bread, behaving so natural that it seemed like he was a regular patron of the shop.


    Eating most of the bread as he continued his search, he eventually found the class in the end.


    The door was shut tight and there was only a person left in the classroom. Fu Jia rested his body against the railing in the corridor, acting as though he was waiting for someone. The person seemed to be eating his lunch in the classroom and had no intention of leaving, which frustrated Fu Jia to no end.


    By the time he finally finished his meal and walked out with his lunch box in hand, Fu Jia had already kneaded the bread in his hand into mush.


    Entering the deserted classroom, he flipped through every textbook on the desks, examining the names on the title page. Very quickly, he found the name ¡®Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯ at the third row.


    A handwriting so bold and powerful.


    He knew a calligraphy scroll that Lu Qi¡¯an had gave to Lu Wanqing on her birthday was hung in the Lin Family¡¯s villa. Lu Wanqing loved it so much that she had it displayed in the most conspicuous place in the house.


    Lin Fengxun was also the proud owner of a number of calligraphy written by Lu Qi¡¯an as Lu Qi¡¯an had often spend his time teaching him how to write them while holding his hand in the yard when he was young. Even if it was a wasted paper, Lin Fengxun would always tell Aunt Chen to keep them for him.


    With face devoid of all emotions, Fu Jia placed all the textbooks on the desk surface, flipping them open one by one. Then, he sprinkled the bread crumbs in his hand, distributing them fairly onto the pages before flipping all of them to a close. He pressed them forcefully and placed them back in their rightful place.


    Taking out a note he had written earlier, he casually took a stapler from the neighboring desk and stapled it hard on the inner walls of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s bag.


    When he was about to leave with his foot sticking out of the classroom door, the student who went out to wash his lunch box had just came back.


    ¡°Hey, who are you?¡±


    Fu Jia ignored him.


    He couldn¡¯t fathom where did all this anger came from.


    In the recent two years, he had become even weirder than before.


    ¡°Fengfeng,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an called out softly, carrying a large box in his hands.


    Lin Fengxun was still peeved. Leaning against his seat in the wheelchair, he pulled up the blanket to cover his face, refusing to say a single word.


    Lu Qi¡¯an wasn¡¯t angry by his actions and neither did he move to pull the blanket away. All he did was just ask, ¡°Why did you not eat your medicine on time again?¡±


    Lin Fengxun shook his blanket, indicating that he was still upset with him.


    Lu Qi¡¯an carried on, ¡°Fengfeng, Auntie would cry secretly if you didn¡¯t eat your medicine properly. Even if you don¡¯t care about your well-being, don¡¯t you care about Auntie too?¡±


    Lin Fengxun pulled down his blanket. His entire eyes were already clouded with tears yet he still held on, stopping his tears from cascading down his cheeks. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s always my fault!¡±


    ¡°I never said that.¡±


    ¡°You did!¡± Lin Fengxun finally burst into tears.


    Lu Qi¡¯an did not comfort him right away. Only until after his crying had died down a little, then he opened the box in his hand.


    He tilted the box slightly so that Lin Fengxun could look inside.


    Taking a glimpse of the stuffs inside, Lin Fengxun saw that there were an assortment of things such as watches, toy cars, jigsaw puzzles, wooden blocks. They were the sort of toys he loved most to play with but he still said, ¡°I don¡¯t need presents.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an shut the box. ¡°I never said these are for you.¡±


    Lin Fengxun was stunned by his words.


    Placing the box on the ground, Lu Qi¡¯an grabbed hold of Lin Fengxun¡¯s hand. Everytime when he was about to lecture Lin Fengxun, he would act this way as though it was a type of comfort.


    ¡°Is the medicine too bitter for you?¡±


    Lin Fengxun turned his head to the side and nodded.


    ¡°I know you love sweets and hate medicine with passion. You also hate those instruments measuring your body. But Fengfeng, you can treat all of these like a game.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an continued to explain in an unhurried pace, ¡°Every time you encountered an obstacle that you can¡¯t overcome, it meant you¡¯re facing a battle. Honestly, life is just one big marathon. Those who clench their teeth and persevere until the end are the true winners.¡¯¡±


    He opened the box again, taking out a jigsaw puzzle while he¡¯s at it. The image was a picture of Lu Wanqing when she was still a teenager. She was smiling beautifully. ¡°Taking your medicine when you wake up early is a kind of game too. If you drink it, that means you win. If you drink it without throwing up, that means you win another round.¡±


    He handed the jigsaw puzzle to Lin Fengxun, ¡°And I¡¯ll be here by your side. Every round you win, I¡¯ll always encourage you, praise you and reward you with a present. Fengfeng, will you work hard with me?¡±


    Lin Fengxun was stupefied for a long time. After a while, he grasped the jigsaw puzzle tightly, nodding his head desperately. As he stared at his mom¡¯s smiling face, his tears kept rolling down his cheeks yet not a sound was heard from him.


    Lu Qi¡¯an fed Lin Fengxun his medicine. The two children leaned against each other, working on the jigsaw puzzle on the round table in the yard together. The sun was very bright that when it shone on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s hair, it turned golden in color. His eyes also became brighter and clearer, resembling a light brown color of the fluffy cushion placed on the sofa.


    Lin Fengxun only played for a while before he began to feel drowsy so he told Lu Qi¡¯an that he wanted to sleep. Lu Qi¡¯an helped him reclined his wheelchair, tucked in his blanket and put on his eye mask so he could sleep soundly.


    Fu Jia was leaning against the cold wall, witnessing the scenes unfolding before his eyes. He felt his entire body turning numb. His legs, mind, as well as the hand that was scalded by the cigarette to the point it became infected was also numb.


    When it came to games, there was so much more Fu Jia had to fight for than Lin Fengxun.


    This train of thought suddenly emerged in his mind, along with a strong need to compete with other people.


    Although he was still a kid, he was very much aware of how laughable his life is. But what¡¯s the point of knowing that? Even if he proved that he¡¯s more miserable than Lin Fengxun to the whole world, who would rush over to pity him?


    During lunch break, Aunt Chen was taking a nap in her own room, her breathing heavy.  Fu Jia cautiously walked out of the room, ran out of the back door and dived through the small crack in the garden fence surrounding the villa. He was still young, and was horribly thin so slipping through it was an easy feat for him.


    The moment he got through, he stepped on a tree branch, emitting a crisp ¡®crack!¡¯ into the air.


    Lu Qi¡¯an glanced over and caught sight of Fu Jia who appeared suddenly out of nowhere. His expression unwavered, he stared at him with the usual calm expression on his countenance.


    Frozen stiff, Fu Jia didn¡¯t dare to budge an inch.


    Lu Qi¡¯an stuck up his finger to his lips and made a ¡®Shh!¡¯ gesture. Frantic beyond measure, Fu Jia pursed his lips tightly.


    Lu Qi¡¯an approached him, ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°You remember me?¡± Fu Jia was surprised to say the least.


    ¡°Please be quiet,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an made another shushing gesture. ¡°I remember. Is your hand healed by now?¡±


    Fu Jia shielded his hands behind his back. ¡°It¡¯s getting better. Thank you for the band-aid.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded, ¡°You¡¯re welcome. But it¡¯s not appropriate for you to come here so hurry up and go home.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded, ¡°I know. I just want to ask you a question. Can I?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was silent. He studied Fu Jia quietly, his eyes devoid of all emotions. There were no signs of pity nor hatred. In short, his eyes showed nothing at all.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± he replied.


    Sucking in a deep breath, Fu Jia went on to ask, ¡°You said life is like one big marathon and there are so many mini competitions inside it and those who persevere will emerge as the true winners. I just want to ask for a person who doesn¡¯t have anyone to encourage him, or anyone to praise him, how should he hold on in life?¡±


    ¡°So you heard me,¡± said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Fu Jia nodded, pointing to a small gap at the fully covered nearby window of a servant room. ¡°I saw you guys from there. If I stretched my head out a bit, I can hear a little.¡± He wasn¡¯t in the least guilty about being caught. Instead, it sounded like he was showing off.


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded. He wasn¡¯t angry. Instead, he thought for a while and replied Fu Jia¡¯s question, ¡°Dignity.¡±


    Fu Jia revealed a puzzled look. He learnt this word before but he didn¡¯t quite understand what it meant.


    So Lu Qi¡¯an explained to him, ¡°You feel upset that you lost and you felt like you¡¯ve been looked down on. That feeling is a result of your dignity at work. Since you don¡¯t want to admit defeat, you have to win.¡±


    Fu Jia still didn¡¯t quite get his explanation but he knew what Lu Qi¡¯an said was right.


    He didn¡¯t want to lose.


    ¡°Now that I did what you asked, run along now,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an drove him away.

 CH 4

    Chapter 4


    The first class in the afternoon was language and literature. Lu Qi¡¯an flipped open his textbook and was greeted by the sight of bread crumbs firmly stuck on the pages.


    They were densely packed together, making it look utterly disgusting.


    He shut the book and placed it at the top edge of the table, refusing to touch it anymore.


    When Li Qinhe, who was sitting beside Lu Qi¡¯an, saw that he wasn¡¯t using his textbook, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an replied, ¡°Someone¡¯s idea of a practical joke.¡±


    Li Qinhe made an ¡®O¡¯ shape with his mouth and went on to probe, ¡°Nobody dares to provoke you! Someone at this school actually have the guts to mess with you?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an fell silent, completely ignoring Li Qinhe¡¯s existence.


    Li Qinhe knew he was mad. They¡¯d grown up together, so he knew about Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s fastidious personality better more than anyone else. In all of No. 6 High, no other male student was as neat and tidy as Lu Qi¡¯an. The most obvious evidence of this was that none of the pages in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s textbooks were creased. Not even one!


    ¡°How are you gonna listen in class?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an did not reply him.


    Li Qinhe let out a sigh.


    Before the teacher even left the classroom, Lu Qi¡¯an picked up all his textbooks and threw them directly into the trash bin. The dozen or so textbooks hit the bottom of the bin with a loud ¡®bang!¡¯ and it made the entire class fall silent.


    Li Qinhe approached him and asked, ¡°Was it really necessary to dump all of them?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an shot him an icy glare. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy a new set from the Academic Affairs Office. Don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    Li Qinhe surrendered his hands in mid-air. He didn¡¯t have the capability to calm him down. Since young, Lu Qi¡¯an had yet to meet anyone who could soothe his temper, so he¡¯d get enraged easily when provoked. Other people could only let him be and give him time to recover on his own.


    By the time he returned to class with the new books, class had already begun. The teacher was speechless when he caught sight of Lu Qi¡¯an carrying a mountain of books with him, only remembering to allow him to come in to take his seat after a brief moment.


    Lu Qi¡¯an sat in his seat and went to dig out a pen from his bag without looking down. Based on his memories, he tried to feel for the pen. Instead, the back of his hand was cut by a sharp object which shouldn¡¯t have even been in the bag in the first place.


    He pulled out his hand to examine it. The skin broke, but luckily there was no blood.


    After rummaging through his bag, Lu Qi¡¯an finally found the culprit. A note was stapled into his bag. Afraid that it wouldn¡¯t stay in place, the perpetrator even stapled it an extra four to five times. A couple of them weren¡¯t stapled on properly so the sharp ends were pointing upwards, cutting him as a result.


    Something was scribbled on the note, ¡¯Are you angry? If you are, come look for me at the second streetlamp near the school gate at 9:30 p.m.¡¯


    Lu Qi¡¯an threw his bag to the side.


    What ugly handwriting.


    The moment class was over, under the shocked gazes of all his classmates, he threw the entire bag into the bin.


    At 8 o¡¯clock in the evening, Fu Jia skipped his lesson and rushed to No. 6 High.


    He hummed an unknown tune, feeling extremely content throughout the entire journey. He hadn¡¯t had dinner yet, but he was in such a good mood that it didn¡¯t matter if he¡¯d eaten or not. He felt that he would feel even more happy once it was all over and have supper after.


    He was leaning against the second streetlamp located outside No. 6 High, yet he was donning a No.16 High uniform.


    The security guard appeared and gave him a few stares. Upon seeing that he was just standing there without doing anything, he didn¡¯t go forth to interrogate him.


    Soon, all classes were dismissed.


    Among the large crowd of black and white uniforms, the crimson-colored uniforms of No. 16 High stood out exceptionally amongst the crowd. All kinds of eyes fell on Fu Jia as they walked past him, but he didn¡¯t mind it in the slightest bit, thinking of himself as air.


    The number of students who came out five minutes earlier was greater than the number that came out later after school. Fu Jia had his attention fixated on the school gate, unwilling to miss any figure that walked by.


    After a good few more minutes passed by, Lu Qi¡¯an finally showed up.


    He looked somehow different yet similar than the one etched in Fu Jia¡¯s memories. Every time Fu Jia saw him, he would always visit the Lin family¡¯s villa as Lin Fengxun¡¯s brother, his entire being exuding a mature and staid vibe that shouldn¡¯t exist on a young man at this age. But now he was wearing his school uniform, and that lightened his entire presence a little. Yet, as expected, beneath the surface, there still seemed to be a certain¡­


    ¡­heaviness to his presence.


    Taking in a deep breath, Fu Jia watched as he walked closer towards him.


    One step, two steps¡­


    As Fu Jia counted the steps, he realized that his heartbeat was actually beginning to follow the pace of his gait.


    Five, six¡­ When Lu Qi¡¯an reached Fu Jia¡¯s side, his footsteps showed no signs of stopping and continued walking forward.


    Stunned momentarily, Fu Jia turned around and realized that he had already walked past the third streetlamp.


    Fu Jia wanted to laugh.


    He felt as though a heavy blow had landed on his heart. It felt so sore that he instantly perspired.


    Where did he get the confidence that he would be able to seize Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s attention by disgusting him? Not once in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s life would he fly into a terrible rage because of hating something. He would only ignore it and move on.


    Fu Jia broke into a run to catch up to him.


    ¡°Lu Qi¡¯an!¡± He shouted.


    However, Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s walking pace didn¡¯t slow down at all.


    Fu Jia hastened his pace and gave chase for a few more steps. With one grip, he pulled Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s uniform. ¡°Are you blind? Didn¡¯t you see me?¡±


    Stopping in his tracks, Lu Qi¡¯an turned around, his gaze landing on Fu Jia¡¯s hand. ¡°Let go.¡±


    Fu Jia argued back, ¡°Are you blind?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice sounded apathetic as he replied, ¡°I saw you. What¡¯s your point?¡±


    Fu Jia smiled in exasperation. The words that came out of his mouth didn¡¯t even hit him as he shouted, ¡°Is this how your aunt taught you to be polite to others?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an frowned.


    The grin on Fu Jia¡¯s face grew wider as he continued, ¡°I was never taught any manners anyway. Sorry about that.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an reached his arm out to grab a hold of Fu Jia¡¯s wrist before he pulled his hand away. Naturally, Fu Jia wasn¡¯t willing to let go without putting up a fight, but Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s grip was too strong. There was no way he¡¯d be able to struggle against it.


    His wrist was in so much pain that it almost felt it was going to be dislocated. Before Fu Jia himself could cry out in pain, he loosened his grip and let go, pretending as if it didn¡¯t matter at all.


    ¡°Do you have to be so rough?¡± Fu Jia pretended to be at ease. ¡°I just wanted to¡­yeah, get to know you. You know, for a person like me to be able to even exchange a few words with you, I could only resort to extreme measures.¡±


    ¡°You can wait at the school gate like the stalker you¡¯re. You didn¡¯t have to do things to that extent.¡±


    Stalker.


    What he said was brilliant.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Fu Jia nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Then, I¡¯ll come and wait for you here next time. Is that okay with you?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an just stared at him without saying a word.


    Fu Jia felt his heart drop, and he was suddenly at a loss for words.


    Why didn¡¯t he scold him, hit him, or turn his back on him? Why was he staring at him as though he was worth nothing?


    Ever since Fu Jia saw Lu Qi¡¯an for the first time, he couldn¡¯t figure out the answers to the questions.


    ¡°If you really want to get to know me, don¡¯t resort to such senseless and stupid tactics.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°You should go back now to study, take evening classes, and get transferred from No. 16 High to No. 6 High. Then you can get to know me as my new schoolmate.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an turned around to leave. ¡°Don¡¯t come and find me again from now on. I¡¯ll be asking the driver to pick me up inside the school.¡±


    Speechless, Fu Jia looked on helplessly as Lu Qi¡¯an walked further and further away before he hopped into the Lu family¡¯s car at the intersection.


    He crouched down instantly as waves of pain rippled across his stomach.


    ¡°Fu Jia?¡±


    Before Fu Jia could enter the room after returning from the yard, Aunt Chen was already awake.


    She glared at Fu Jia. ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    Without saying a single word, Fu Jia shook his head roughly.


    Aunt Chen¡¯s anger came without warning. She stood up and shrouded Fu Jia in her own shadow. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not?¡±


    Despite the fact that he was trembling with fear, Fu Jia still shook his head vigorously.


    Aunt Chen looked around and found a cane near the sofa. She swung it in the air, hoping that the sound of it swishing through the air could wake up Fu Jia¡¯s painful memories. ¡°Tell me quick!¡±


    Refusing to say anything, Fu Jia took a step back.


    Taking a deep breath, Aunt Chen gripped the cane tightly and swung it down on him.


    Aunt Chen would always hit his buttocks without fail. And that was only the place she would ever hit because she was confident that it wouldn¡¯t leave a trace.


    ¡°Where have you been? Did you go and steal Fengfeng¡¯s belongings again?¡± Aunt Chen was most afraid of this. She didn¡¯t care how much Fu Jia caused a ruckus in the servant room, but he mustn¡¯t run out. When Lin Qing placed him here, he had already sealed Fu Jia¡¯s fate as a servant. And since he was a ¡®servant¡¯, then it was all the more important for him to not disturb the masters.


    Fu Jia understood what the word ¡®steal¡¯ meant. He hated that word with passion.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± He pleaded. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I never did!¡±


    Aunt Chen grew angrier when she heard him quibble about what happened the last time. ¡°You still refuse to admit it? Do you seriously need me to beat you to death to understand what it means to stay put?¡±


    She lifted her hand, swinging the cane down once more. This time, she aimed for the back because she was too enraged beyond measure.


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t dodge. He didn¡¯t even quiver. He glared at Aunt Chen ferociously with reddened eyes.


    Aunt Chen was shocked.


    Those weren¡¯t the kind of eyes that a child should have. The amount of hatred entrapped in them was so strong that it couldn¡¯t be dispelled. It was as though if he had been given a cutter and that he would kill her without hesitation.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Aunt Chen could only force that word out and she fell silent after that.


    Ever since that incident, Fu Jia never shed any tears again. And Aunt Chen never hit him anymore.

 CH 5

    Chapter 5


    With his head propped on his palm, Fu Jia felt there was an awl stirring up his brain, sobering him up one moment while confusing him again in the next.


    Five minutes later, he tossed the exercise book aside. His hand lifted and dropped a few times, but ultimately he decided not to throw the pen away.


    He received the exercise book from the teacher when he went to register for evening classes. The teacher said he wouldn¡¯t even be able to keep up with the lowest level classes if he could not finish and have a solid understanding of the problems in this book.


    Fu Jia gritted his teeth and did two more questions before his train of thought was disrupted by a clamor outside the window.


    He found an angle from which he could see the yard and saw the finely arranged table sets and the large crowd that came and went.


    It was the end of May, the fifteen birthday of Lin Fengxun. When the boy was born, the doctor said he would not be able to live past five. When he was five, the doctor said he would not be able to live past ten. Later, although the doctor never brought up that kind of funeral talk again, the Lin family and the Lu family retained the habit of throwing big parties for Lin Fengxun¡¯s birthdays. This time they made it exceptionally big, inviting nearly half of the entire business circle.


    The people were mainly coming for the Lu family. Lu Zhiyuan, Lu Wanqing¡¯s big brother, had an unusual amount of influence in the business community. Anyone would wish to use this opportunity to deepen their ties with the Lu family or to get close with them.


    Lu Qi¡¯an came together with Li Qinhe. As soon as they arrived, they went straight up to Lin Fengxun¡¯s bedroom.


    Li Qinhe shoved the present in front of Lin Fengxun, blocking his line of sight,  ¡°Guess who?¡±


    Lin Fengxun looked on helplessly. ¡°Brother Qinhe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Li Qinhe broke into a grin. ¡°Happy birthday Fengfeng!¡±


    Lin Fengxun took over the box and said, ¡°Thank you brother Qinhe.¡±


    Li Qinhe ruffled his hair. ¡°Do you still really need to thank me?¡±


    Lin Fengxun did not exchange anymore pleasantries. Although he was smiling, the expression he had on his face wasn¡¯t warm enough.


    Li Qinhe didn¡¯t mind it at all as he knew this brat would only be intimate with Lu Qi¡¯an. ¡°Where¡¯s Sis Wanqing? I¡¯m gonna go say hi.¡±


    Lin Fengxun looked out the window. ¡°She¡¯s in the yard. She hasn¡¯t left since early this morning and insisted on doing everything on her own to feel at ease.¡±


    Li Qinge smiled and went to fist bump Lu Qi¡¯an. ¡°That¡¯s how the Lu family does things.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an seamlessly avoided his hand and said to Lin Fengxun, ¡°Fengfeng, I¡¯m going to take him to the yard. I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±


    Lin Fengxun nodded.


    The two of them walked out of the room. Before the door was shut, Li Qinhe hugged his arms and gave them a good rub.


    The way Lu Qi¡¯an addressed others was rather estranged. He would never leave out the last name when he was addressing his peers. Lin Fengxun was the only exception where he would call him ¡®Fengfeng¡¯ before him.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met Fengfeng afterwards, I wouldn¡¯t have believed that a Lu knew how to smile.¡± Li Qinhe ridiculed. ¡°Especially Uncle Lu! I almost wet my pants the first time I met him. But then leaned down to pick up Fengfeng the moment he saw him and even laughed until wrinkles came out.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an shot him a look. ¡°Did you want my father to carry you instead?¡±


    Whenever Li Qinhe recalled that scene again, goosebumps broke out all over his body in an instant. ¡°No. No thank you¡­¡±


    Sure enough, Lu Wanqing was currently engaged in a conversation with a middle aged person at the yard. Upon catching sight of Lu Qi¡¯an and Li Qinhe approaching her, she quickly excused herself.


    ¡°Sis Wanqing, you must be exhausted!¡±


    ¡°You rascal! How dare you arrive this late! It must be your dawdling that made Lu Qi¡¯an late too.¡± Lu Wanqing reprimanded him smilingly. ¡°Do you have idea how many uncles here are asking me for Qi¡¯an?¡±


    Li Qinhe hurriedly begged for forgiveness. ¡°It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯ll definitely be here earlier next time.¡±


    Lu Wanqing laughed. She liked it when Li Qinhe said ¡®next time¡¯. She liked to see today being celebrated again and again, in each and every one of the coming years.


    She wanted her son to live on for a long time.


    ¡°Almost all the guests are here. Auntie, I¡¯ll go bring Fengfeng down.¡± said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Lu Wanqing looked around her surroundings before nodding. ¡°Go ahead. By the way, please help him put on a thin coat. It¡¯s a bit hot and stuffy right now.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an heeded her request and went upstairs to carry Lin Fengxun down to the yard. This was his usual routine ever since he was strong enough to carry Lin Fengxun so he was extremely reliable and proficient in doing it.


    Before they entered the yard, Lu Qi¡¯an placed Lin Fengxun down so that he could walk on his own. Although his leg muscles were atrophied and it was tough for him to move, Lin Fengxun was proud person so he wasn¡¯t willing to let other people see how he wasn¡¯t able to walk on two feet. Thus, he even especially went through great lengths and time to practice for that sake alone.


    He gradually walked towards the crowd and everyone moved to open up a pathway in succession as they gave him a round of applause. Lu Wanqing came to his side, wrapping her arm around his shoulders affectionately. All eyes were on this pair of mother and son, conveying their blessings to them. The atmosphere in the air was heartwarming yet bustling with noise and excitement.


    Out of everyone there, only Fu Jia had his eyes on Lu Qi¡¯an.


    For all this while, he looked solely at Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He himself also had no idea as to when he was unable to part with that crevice, only knowing how to peer at them all day long as if the world inside there had become his only source of joy.


    All of a sudden, Lu Qi¡¯an turned around and looked in Fu Jia¡¯s direction.


    From the yard, it looked nothing more than a poorly lit, unremarkable corner.


    Fu Jia¡¯s eyes ran into Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s. The intangible glance seemed to have nailed him firmly to the spot.


    But he promptly realized that it was impossible. It was so bright outside and so dark within. How could Lu Qi¡¯an possibly see him?


    However, Lu Qi¡¯an just stared at him emotionlessly like that and mouthed something to him.


    He said two words, none of which required him to open his mouth wide.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Fu Jia repeated after him, ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡±


    Don¡¯t look.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Li Qinhe asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an withdrew his eyes.


    Li Qinhe glanced towards that direction, but nothing strange was there. It was just one of those dark corners which could be found in every villa.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Just when Li Qinhe was about to ask more about it, someone walked over to them from afar. The man came with quite a lot of fanfare¡ª he even brought two body guards with him.


    Li Qinhe could not stop sighing, ¡°He still came.¡±


    The man walked straight up to Lu Wanqing and offered his hand, greeting, ¡°Sister-in-law. Qi¡¯an. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an and Lu Wanqing frowned simultaenously.


    Lu Wanqing didn¡¯t take his hand. ¡°It definitely has. I thought you¡¯d forgotten this place and would never visit again.¡±


    The man¡¯s name was Lin Heng. He was Lin Qing¡¯s younger brother, and Lin Fengxun¡¯s uncle.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, how can you call it ¡®visiting¡¯? This place belongs to the Lin family, so of course I¡¯ll always try to find time to come back.¡± Lin Heng retracted his hand very naturally. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother? It¡¯s really too thoughtless of him to not come back even on Fengfeng¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Lu Wanqing replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing out there. But the family has me, so it doesn¡¯t matter whether he comes back or not.¡±


    Li Heng smiled. He didn¡¯t say anything else and turned away to chat with other people.


    Lin Qing had always been a ¡°immature¡± person since his early youth. He didn¡¯t want to inherit the family business and indulged himself in arts instead. However, it was not like he had any brilliant pieces to present. For the majority of the time, he was simply ¡°roaming around the world¡±.


    In the eyes of his parents who had already passed away, the one and only time when Lin Qing was ¡°mature¡± was when he married Lu Wanqing. Unfortunately, they died too early to see how Lin Qing, little by little, handed the family over to this woman, nor were they aware how Lu Wanqing crowded out the other family members.


    Just like his mother, Lin Fengxun also felt sick every time he saw this uncle of his. ¡°Why does he have to come? We didn¡¯t invite him!¡±


    He disliked how Lin Heng looked at him and his mother. There was greed hidden behind those eyes, so secretive yet intense. It very much reminded him of a ferocious wolf lurking after its prey.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Wanqing gently stroked his back. ¡°Mom and your brother Qi¡¯an are all here.¡±


    Ever since she was still a child, Lu Wanqing had never feared anything.


    Because the Lu family would protect her always.


    As night drew to a close, the guests gradually took their leave, and the yard was soon left as empty as it always had been.


    But Lin Heng showed no intention of leaving.


    Lu Wanqing knew he didn¡¯t come all the way to here for nothing. Since the man would not give up without wreaking havoc, she simply went over to invite him herself, ¡°The family is having dinner together tonight. You can come if you want.¡±


    Lin Heng laughed wholeheartedly, ¡°Sister-in-law, you finally have some kind words for me. That¡¯s right, we¡¯re all family. There¡¯s no point in making things difficult for each other.¡±


    Lu Wanqing didn¡¯t reply. Her face looked cold and indifferent.


    Originally, only Lu Wanqing, Lin Fengxun and Lu Qi¡¯an would be having dinner here, so the kitchen had prepared accordingly. Now, with the sudden addition of another guest, they had to cook his share at the last moment. Therefore, despite there were four people sitting at the table, only three of them had appetizers in front of them.


    Lin Heng didn¡¯t show any discontent. In fact, he was smiling ear to ear, ¡°Fengfeng, I came in a hurry and didn¡¯t have time to prepare gifts for you. Tell me what you want now. Whatever it is, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    Lin Fengxun politely declined with a fake smile, ¡°There¡¯s no need for uncle to spend any money on me. I have mom and brother. They¡¯ll buy me anything I want.¡±


    Lin Heng burst out into a peal of laughter. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Sister-in-law and Qi¡¯an pamper you so much that there¡¯s nothing they would not get for you. I¡¯m the one being silly.¡± After he finished, he put away the smile and changed into a melancholy expression, the whole process was done as fast as switching two cards. ¡°Unfortunately, health cannot be bought with money. If it can, even if uncle has to spend everything I have¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Heng.¡± Lu Wanqing¡¯s cold voice interrupted him. ¡°We¡¯re eating now. Why do you bring up these nonsense?¡±


    She glanced at Lin Fengxun. After making sure that his face wasn¡¯t moved by those words, she let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What nonsense? Isn¡¯t this a normal family conversation?¡± Lin Heng sounded puzzled, but he still dropped the topic. It just so happened that his appetizer had arrived, so the four of them ate quietly for a moment.


    However, before the peace was able to last for even five minutes, Lin Heng spoke again. ¡°I finally managed to find some time to come home, yet not everyone is here.¡±


    No one responded to him.


    Lin Heng arched his brows and continued himself, ¡°I know my brother¡¯s temper, of course. He can¡¯t even stay still for one month out of a whole year. But Fengfeng has two brothers, and only one of them is sitting here. That doesn¡¯t seem right, does it?¡±


    The atmosphere froze instantly before he even finished speaking. With a ¡®clink!¡¯, Lin Fengxun accidentally dropped his fork on the ground.


    Lu Wanqing forced herself to stay calm and told the servant to bring a new one.


    ¡°What¡¯s my nephew¡¯s name again? Is it¡­Fu Jia?¡± Lin Heng turned his eyes to Lu Wanqing. ¡°Sister-in-law, do you think I got it right? It¡¯s Fu Jia, isn¡¯t it? Fu Jia.¡±


    Every time the name was pronounced, it was like a knife slashing across Lu Wanqing and Lin Fengxun¡¯s hearts. Lu Wanqing put down her silvers and snapped, ¡°Lin Heng! If you don¡¯t want to eat, then forget about it, so we can see you off earlier too.¡±


    Lin Heng shook his head, ¡°Why would I not want to eat? It¡¯s just that this is supposed to be a family dinner, yet a family member is not invited to the table even though they¡¯re clearly at home. It¡¯s going to create such a bad impression of the Lin and Lu families if other people were to hear about it.¡± He stood up as he spoke. ¡°If you won¡¯t invite him, then I will.¡±


    He looked around. ¡°I wonder which room Fu Jia lives in. Sister-in-law, is he in the second floor or the third?¡±


    Lu Wanqing¡¯s face was already ashen. She pushed her plate away and said, ¡°I¡¯m done. Aunt Chen, come and clean this table. Let¡¯s see our guest out.¡±


    Lin Heng revealed a chilling smile, ¡°Well, I thought you wouldn¡¯t give Fu Jia a decent room. Should I go search in the storage or the servant rooms? Out of everyone who¡¯s sitting here, neither sister-in-law or Qi¡¯an is his blood relative, and Fengfeng, the only one related to him, is a cold-blooded child who only cares about the Lu¡¯s and can¡¯t see the Lins at all!¡±


    ¡°Get out of my house!¡±


    It was Lin Fengxun who exploded this time. His face was completely drained of blood as he shouted in a piercing voice, ¡°How my family eats or who my family invites has nothing to do with you! Get lost!¡±


    As soon as he finished, he started to gasp for breaths, his lips showing a purplish color.


    But Lin Heng didn¡¯t even shoot him a glance. He went on himself, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll start with the servant rooms.¡±


    Panicked, Aunt Chen who stood behind everyone anxiously looked at Lu Wanqing.


    But Lu Wanqing was only concerned with her son. She walked to Lin Fengxun and started patting him slowly on the back, softly saying, ¡°Fengfeng, slow down. Try to breath slowly¡­¡±


    As if he didn¡¯t see Lu Wanqing and her son, Lin Heng walked straight toward the servant rooms. But as soon as he moved, Lu Qi¡¯an got up and called him, ¡°Uncle Lin, please wait.¡±


    Lin Heng pulled on a fake smile. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an walked toward him as he said, ¡°I heard from my father that a news company of yours isn¡¯t doing very well recently. If it loses the few funding chains it has left, not even a god would be able to save it.¡±


    Lin Heng¡¯s smile froze.


    ¡°My father also said that a person¡¯s luck might change for the better if they do more good deeds and know their place.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an pulled the corners of his mouth into a hint of a smile, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Five minutes later, Lin Heng left the Lin¡¯s villa.


    Lin Heng had gone, but the villa had flown into a panic. People carried Lin Fengxun to his room in a fluster and called the doctor. The majority of the night was spent in getting the boy examined and getting him to take his meds.


    After the doctor left, Lin Fengxun fell into a deep sleep. Lu Wanqing sat next to her son as she watched over him. She looked so physically and mentally exhausted that she didn¡¯t even pay attention to her messy hair.


    After sending the doctor out, Lu Qi¡¯an walked to Lu Wanqing¡¯s side and said, ¡°Aunt.¡±


    Lu Wanqing raised her head and gave him a glance. ¡°Qi¡¯an¡­¡±


    Her voice broke.


    Lu Qi¡¯an tried to comfort her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. Father will take care of Lin Heng.¡±


    Face buried in her hands, Lu Wanqing replied with a muffled groan.


    By the time she put her hands down, she had already resumed her normal state. In fear of disturbing Lin Fengxun¡¯s rest, she hurriedly led Lu Qi¡¯an out of the room.


    ¡°You should go rest. It¡¯s getting late.¡±


    But Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Lu Wanqing was so tired that she could hardly raise her hand. But seeing how serious Lu Qi¡¯an looked, she still nodded and asked the kitchen to bring some tea.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask aunt, why won¡¯t you let Fu Jia move out?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an went straight to the point.


    Lu Wanqing¡¯s eyes looked perplexed. ¡°Why the sudden question about this?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an answered, ¡°Since it makes you and Fengfeng so miserable whenever you see Fu Jia, then don¡¯t look at him.¡±


    Humans should avoid the things that cause them pain.


    Lu Wanqing felt a throbbing pain in her temple. She held her head for quite a while before replying, ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t think it through very well at that time.¡±


    She recalled, ¡°When I suddenly heard that Lin Qing had a son that was already a few years old, I was so pissed off that I couldn¡¯t focus on anything else. You know how stubborn and strong-minded I am, so much so that I just can¡¯t stand a blow like that at all. I was in a fit of pique and had Lin Qing bring the child back. I put him in the servant¡¯s room and sent people to guard him day and night to humiliate Lin Qing and to humiliate¡­that woman surnamed ¡®Fu¡¯.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an only listened quietly.


    ¡°I started to regret it later. Fengfeng¡¯s body¡­would fall apart every time he saw Fu Jia, and so would I. I feel sick around him. Both of us do. So why would I keep him in this house to disgust us further?¡± Lu Wanqing gave a bitter laugh. ¡°But Fu Jia has grown up already and hates us to an unclear extent. I¡¯ve told Aunt Chen to ask him to move out. She tried driving him away, persuading him, and even begging him, but he just wouldn¡¯t leave. It¡¯s so¡­¡±


    Lu Wanqing tucked some stray hair behind her ears. She found it a bit laughable that she had been discussing these trivialities with someone like Lu Qi¡¯an who wasn¡¯t even an adult. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. You¡¯re still a student. You shouldn¡¯t have to be concerned with this.¡±


    Since Lu Wanqing was reluctant to continue, Lu Qi¡¯an had no intention to ask further about it. He nodded, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go back first. You should rest early.¡±


    Lu Wanqing hadn¡¯t thought that he would leave. She suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here tonight? Fengfeng would feel a lot more relieved if he sees you after he wakes up tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I need to go back and talk with my father about Uncle Lin.¡±


    This took Lu Wanqing by surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a child. You don¡¯t have to worry about these things.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an stoode up. ¡°But I¡¯m going to grow up sooner or later.¡±


    With a smile, Lu Wanqing got up as well and sent him to the door herself. Staring at his back as he left, she felt as if she were looking at her brother when he was still young.

 CH 6

    Chapter 6


    Instead of leaving immediately, Lu Qi¡¯an asked the driver to wait for him at the door for ten minutes and turned to the villa¡¯s courtyard.


    He needed to solve one problem.


    Before he could get any closer, he could vaguely see a blurred figure curled up under the trees in the shadow of the yard. It was only when his vision finally cleared up that he knew it was Fu Jia.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was still ten steps away from him, but he stopped in his tracks.


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t think of it as a big deal. He stood up, brushing away the dirt and grass stuck on his body. As he approached Lu Qi¡¯an, he asked, ¡°How did you know I was here?¡±


    He sounded pleased with himself.


    Lu Qi¡¯an replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m here specially to see you.¡± His eyes fell on the poor servant¡¯s room window behind him.


    Fu Jia nodded, looking even more pleased.


    It just so happened that he, too, was there waiting for Lu Qi¡¯an. He had no idea where the sudden feeling of triumph came from, but he knew exactly what Lu Qi¡¯an meant¡ªHe remembered having been told that he could see the yard from that window.


    ¡°Oh, what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I would like to request you to move out of the villa,¡± answered Lu Qi¡¯an.


    The expression on Fu Jia¡¯s face instantly darkened.


    Had the members of the Lu family ever truly ¡°requested¡± anything before? The words he said sounded so odd.


    Rather than a request, it sounded more like an order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never move out,¡± Fu Jia said. ¡°I¡¯m living the life here. I don¡¯t have to pay rent, and the meals are free. Where am I going to find another superb place like this again?¡± As he finished, he flashed a deliberate smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in you staying.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an argued.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fu Jia asked in confusion.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s expression finally softened a little, but it was only for a slight moment. ¡°I meant exactly what I said.¡± He continued, ¡°If you¡¯re still unwilling to leave, I¡¯ll have you driven out.¡±


    Consumed with anger, Fu Jia laughed lightly. ¡°And you think it¡¯d be meaningful to drive me out?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an frowned.


    Not only was this kid¡¯s handwriting bad, but he also had poor comprehension.


    He felt that he had said all there was to say and that he was ready to leave without saying anything more. But as soon as he wanted to turn around, Fu Jia rushed forward to grab his arm.


    The way he grabbed him was rude and vicious, no less than a bunch of kids fighting in the street. There was no sense of propriety in his actions and he didn¡¯t care about the consequences either.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can leave like that,¡± Fu Jia retorted, as he heavily emphasized the words one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll admit was immature when I was young, but I¡¯m different now. Don¡¯t you even dare think about tossing some random words behind for me to rack my brains over and leave!¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t like people suddenly invading his personal space, let alone when that person was Fu Jia.


    This was already the second time it had happened in such a short time.


    ¡°Let go,¡± he demanded.


    Fu Jia raised his brow. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an pursed his lips. Instead of pulling his hand away as he did last time, he said, ¡°The villa is located far from the city. Won¡¯t you be late since you have to waste so much time trying to get to school?¡±


    Akin to a disc getting stuck in a CD player, Fu Jia froze.


    School?


    It was no doubt that the villa was situated rather far from No. 16 High. To avoid being late, Fu Jia would have to wake up before the crack of dawn. The school did not care that he was late every day anyway.


    As he froze, his grip on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s arm loosened. Lu Qi¡¯an only had to move to the side to evade his hand.


    His words only served to confuse Fu Jia further. Was this Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s way of scolding him for being bad with his studies or was it a form of satire that wasn¡¯t taught in the books?


    ¡°So, you think that it¡¯s more meaningful for me to move out so I can study more easily?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an asked in reply, ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Fu Jia sneered in response. ¡°Like a dog, they brought me here and then drive me out. I don¡¯t have any dignity at all. What¡¯s so meaningful about that?¡±


    The tone of his voice did sound slightly bitter and harsh.


    The moon wasn¡¯t visible tonight amongst the dense clouds, so it might rain at night. Fu Jia felt that his current mood reflected the current weather. A storm was brewing within him, and all he needed was some kind of opportunity.


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t seem to mind whether his words would be used as a window for such an opportunity. He added, ¡°You seemed to have misunderstood what dignity means. Staying here means the exact opposite. You¡¯re hurting your own self-esteem.¡±


    He pointed at the window and said, ¡°Was the scenery that nice that you had to hide there and look? If you really wanted to look that badly, then come out into the open and see.¡±


    In that instant, Fu Jia felt all the blood in his body surging up towards his head. His mouth was trembling. He then bit the inside of his mouth, savoring the sweetness of his own blood.


    Seeing that he had fallen silent, Lu Qi¡¯an turned to leave for real this time.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Fu Jia whispered.


    The voice was too low for Lu Qi¡¯an to hear. Neither did Lu Qi¡¯an know either that Fu Jia had never once spoke out loud after living in the Lin villa for ten years. It was a completely subconscious act, and he didn¡¯t have to deliberately control it.


    Turning around, Fu Jia did not spare another look at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s departing figure.


    Unlike when he was young, Fu Jia had come to the yard by climbing through the window. He seldomly did that, but since he was an eighteen-year-old adult, his first climb was so smooth that he looked like a veteran. However, today was an exception as he had almost twisted his wrist near the window ledge.


    Lying down on the bed, he napped unsoundly for a good two to three hours, his consciousness waking him up from time to time. It was only until the darkest of the night did a sudden roar of thunder wake him up completely.


    Rain was pelting the window, as though reminding him of something.


    He got up, switched on the lights, and began to pack his luggage.


    Everything about his life in the villa was arranged by Aunt Chen. She had been very harsh and strict at the start, and Fu Jia would occasionally go without meals at certain times in the day, have one sock missing from a pair, as well as having two holes in his trousers. But as time went on, Aunt Chen treated him better and would often ask him if he¡¯d had his fill, or ask what he would like to eat tomorrow. Although the necessities he needed in life was still lacking, it could be considered enough.


    Initially, Fu Jia wanted to take all it away with him. However, in the end, he only took his high school uniform and the No. 6 High¡¯s uniform he bought earlier.


    The most important things were his textbooks. God knows why a high school student would need so many textbooks to begin with, but Fu Jia went to wrap them up tightly in plastic bags so as not to get them soaked in the rain when he left later.


    Finally, he ended up with a small bag, as well as a school bag that looked like it was about to burst.


    As he breathed, Fu Jia felt more relaxed than ever before.


    The moment he opened the door, he heard Aunt Chen call out to him, ¡°Fu Jia?¡± Her voice was laced with drowsiness and sounded slightly muffled.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to school,¡± he replied.


    Aunt Chen did not say another word. Instead, Fu Jia caught wind of the sound of her getting out of bed, running to open the door.


    No lights were left on in the servant quarters¡¯ corridor, but it did not hinder Aunt Chen from seeing him as clear as day.


    ¡°You¡­¡± She knew where Fu Jia was going, yet she said, ¡°It¡¯s still early. You can sleep a little longer.¡±


    Fu Jia shook her head. ¡°I want to leave earlier today.¡±


    With a guilty look on her face, Aunt Chen glanced over herself before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not dressed yet so I won¡¯t be seeing you off.¡±


    Fu Jia laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve never done that before, so I wasn¡¯t hoping for it.¡±


    Aunt Chen fixed her stare on him and suddenly said, ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go get you something.¡± She returned to her room, and without even turning on the lights, she felt her way around the darkness, taking out a card from the bedside table.


    ¡°Take this with you.¡± She handed the card to Fu Jia. ¡°Madame once said that if you¡¯re willing to leave one day, she will keep depositing money into this card until you graduate from college.¡±


    Fu Jia did not make any move to receive it. ¡°You take it. Like what you¡¯ve always done before.¡±


    Aunt Chen smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Why are you still latching on to the past? You are only in your first year of high school. There will be times when you will need the money in the future¡­¡±


    After piecing together words in his mind, Fu Jia found that he was incapable of bringing himself to say horrible things like ¡°I don¡¯t need the Lins¡¯ dirty money.¡± He found it strange too, wondering why an ill-bred, rude person like him couldn¡¯t bring himself to utter any cruel words to them.


    Fu Jia said, ¡°You use it. I¡¯m already an adult.¡±


    Wiping away a non-existent tear from her eyes, she said, ¡°Come find me then, when you need the card in the future.¡±


    Fu Jia was relieved. Now this was the Aunt Chen he knew. Compassion might overtake her for a brief moment, but reality would ultimately determine her true nature.


    Turning to leave, Fu Jia did not look back at Aunt Chen, but he knew that Aunt Chen¡¯s eyes would twinkle with relief, implying that she was glad that he was finally gone.


    She definitely would be able to get a good night¡¯s sleep once she went back to her room, going so far as to pray that he would never come back before she went back to bed.


    Fu Jia had the same idea as her.


    After waiting by the roadside for a long time, he finally managed to hail a taxi to go to school.


    The more he dwelled on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s words, the more he thought that living at school was more in accordance with what Lu Qi¡¯an meant in making it easier for him to study. It was also the most meaningful thing to do.


    The school gate wasn¡¯t open yet since it wasn¡¯t almost time for class. Fu Jia climbed over the gate with a wet, broken umbrella and his bags in hand and went to the office to find the teacher on duty. He went on to explain that he wanted to stay in school, giving the low blood sugar teacher quite a shock.


    ¡°What about your parents?¡± asked the teacher.


    Having already thought of a reason earlier, Fu Jia explained, ¡°They¡¯re already divorced and didn¡¯t want to be concerned with me. All they did was give me some cash to fend for myself. I¡¯m unable to get in touch with them now either. Teacher, please help me out.¡± He feigned a pitiful look.


    The teacher exclaimed in a hurry that he would lend a hand as he patted Fu Jia¡¯s back, trying to comfort him. He even bought Fu Jia a warm breakfast to eat.


    In the end, he did not even need to go through any procedures or paperwork and was instantly brought to the dorm. The teacher even brought him a blanket to sleep with.


    The teacher also went off to buy him a bag of daily necessities and said, ¡°Feel free to contact me if you run into any trouble.¡±


    Fu Jia bowed and thanked him again and again.


    Although there were eight beds in the dorm, the spots weren¡¯t filled up. The room was only occupied by three people who woke up to the commotion. One was eyeing him while huddling in his blanket. Another one poked his head out to take a glimpse before he turned around to continue sleeping.


    The remaining one asked, ¡°Are you new?¡±


    Afraid that he would wake the other student up, Fu Jia didn¡¯t answer. He nodded in response instead.


    The person smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m Liu De.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s hand froze while he was making his bed.


    Every student in No. 16 High knew that Liu De and Liu Cheng shared the same last name. Although they were not related by blood, their ties were closer than that of family. Both of them worked as small-time thugs under the same mafia gang.


    Liu De whistled, ¡°I know you. You¡¯re pretty amazing, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 CH 7

    Chapter 7


    Fu Jia stood up straight and smiled. ¡°Right back at you.¡±


    Liu De was different from Liu Cheng. Liu Cheng was a fiend, a monster who many avoided everywhere he went. Just one look at him would instantly set off the alarm that he was a horrible student. On the other hand, Liu De was the complete opposite. He still performed well in such a school environment as No. 16 High and easily became an exceptionally rare, good, and obedient child in the eyes of the teachers. Only those students who had been brutally beaten up by Liu De knew how horrible he was as a person.


    ¡°My brother is still suspended,¡± Liu De said.


    Fu Jia remained unaffected and continued to make his own bed. ¡°He never liked coming to school anyway. Aren¡¯t I basically doing him a favor?¡±


    Liu De raised his brow, replying, ¡°Still acting tough? You should be kissing up to me right now.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Liu De was starting to get agitated by Fu Jia¡¯s words. ¡°Then I swear I¡¯ll make your life here a living hell.¡±


    Without saying another word, Fu Jia only reached out his hand to flatten the bed sheets before covering up his pillows with pillowcases.


    Rolling out of bed, Liu De walked into the bathroom. After the sound of running water stopped, he came out carrying a bucket of water. ¡°The water is rather cold with today¡¯s weather.¡±


    Fu Jia ignored him.


    Gnashing his teeth, Liu De lifted the bucket and dumped the water over Fu Jia.


    Ice-cold water splashed down Fu Jia¡¯s head and drenched him from head to toe, splattering all over the bed and the floor.


    Fu Jia shivered amidst the cold.


    He already knew what to expect when Liu De got out of his bed, yet he didn¡¯t avoid it. It was obvious that the other two in the dorm were on Liu De¡¯s side too. Rather than getting caught and pressed down under their hands to accept this bucket of water, he¡¯d rather let things end up like this instead.


    Using his sleeve to wipe away the water on his face, Fu Jia turned around to stare straight at Liu De. ¡°What else have you got? Bring it on.¡±


    Liu De was furious beyond measure, yet he didn¡¯t show it. Instead, he smiled and nodded, studying the surroundings of the dorm. Ultimately, his gaze landed on the washroom and he said, ¡°Sure. There¡¯s still some time left before class starts. Why don¡¯t you stay in the toilet?¡±


    He gave it some thought ¡ª his bed was thoroughly drenched anyway, so he couldn¡¯t take a nap anymore. Thus, Fu Jia said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll bring a book in.¡±


    Liu De burst out laughing. ¡°The heck? You planning to study in there?¡±


    Opening his school bag, Fu Jia took out the knife he¡¯d stored inside. He then used the knife to remove the plastic seal of the book and found the workbook.


    ¡°Who says I can¡¯t?¡± Fu Jia zipped up his bag, but he held on to the knife, protracting and retracting it in his grip. ¡°You can keep splashing water, or put bugs on my bed, and put nails in my shoes too. If you run out of ideas, you can even run off to the girl¡¯s dorm to ask for new tricks to play with. But do not touch my books.¡±


    As he placed the knife back in his pocket, he said, ¡°If you really piss me off, I¡¯ll drag you down with me to hell. I¡¯m not afraid of dying.¡±


    Liu De stared at him for a long time in silence.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± he said with disbelief.


    Fu Jia nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± He then strolled into the bathroom and locked the door from inside.


    Hearing the sound of the door being locked, the other two guys in the dorm stopped pretending to be asleep. They got up and said cautiously, ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    Liu De¡¯s face was dark as he patted the guy on the back and said, ¡°Go. Cut his sheets up.¡±


    Fu Jia spent almost an hour studying in the washroom. The clamorous sounds of the day students arriving at school gradually travelled in from outside.


    Walking out, he saw that there was no one else in the dorm. First, Fu Jia changed out of his wet clothes and then turned his dry pair of shoes upside down, giving them a good shake before putting them on. As expected, two nails fell out.


    Next, he lifted the blanket and caught sight of the torn bedsheet that had been cut into pieces. Not minding it in the least, he carried both his blanket and mattress and his wet clothes to the porch so he could dry them.


    The weather had turned sunny after the evening downpour and it was sunny enough for the rays of sunshine to hit the porch. But since it was still early in the morning, there was a slight chill in the air.


    Leaning on the railings, Fu Jia enjoyed the weather for a while before stretching relaxedly.


    His life had begun anew.


    That wonderful thought of starting a new life only lingered in Fu Jia¡¯s mind for thirty minutes tops before vanishing like smoke into thin air.


    ¡°This question is asking you to find the zeros of a quadratic function. First, we need to determine whether the zeros exist, and in order to do that, we need to use the method we learnt yesterday¡­¡±


    Clutching his head, Fu Jia dug his fingers into his hair and gave it a good yank, with the hopes that it would make his stupid brain a little brighter.


    But he failed. Ever since the teacher said a particular word, he had been lost and could not understand a thing. He began to ponder again and again over the worth of studying, wondering if it¡¯d be more worthwhile if he gave up now and saved up money to start a business instead.


    ¡°¡­Do you understand?¡± After explaining this problem, the teacher placed the chalk on the desk. She was only asking rhetorically. Usually, nobody would bother to respond to her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Fu Jia raised his hand.


    All the students and the teacher looked as though they had seen a ghost.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The teacher asked back hesitatingly. ¡°Which part don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    Fu Jia honestly answered her inquiry, ¡°I don¡¯t understand everything you explained so far.¡±


    Sighing, the teacher subconsciously assumed that Fu Jia was causing trouble in her class. ¡°Then come see me in my office after class today. Don¡¯t delay your classmates¡¯ studies.¡±


    Fu Jia gave it some thought before nodding in acknowledgement.


    After class with a book in hand, he followed the teacher into the office. The teacher would constantly look back along the way, afraid that Fu Jia would stab her the second he had the opportunity.


    When the teacher saw the notes Fu Jia had written down in his book after he flipped it open, she realized that this student was serious.


    Due to the limited amount of time they had between classes, the teacher chose a few simple questions to explain. But even so, she had to repeat it several times for Fu Jia to fully understand them.


    The bell soon rang and yet, Fu Jia didn¡¯t plan on leaving.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going back to class?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t fully understood this part yet,¡± replied Fu Jia.


    The teacher was utterly delighted. Although this student was rather slow to pick things up and had a poor theoretical foundation, his attitude towards learning was a trait that was hard to come by. ¡°What subject do you have this period? You can ignore it if it¡¯s not that important.¡±


    After thinking about it for a while, he realized that it was English.


    The thought of English made him feel as if he were trapped in a swamp, sinking in deeper the more he struggled.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I go to class.¡± Fu Jia put the workbook away.


    Just like that, Fu Jia would run after the teachers after the end of every class. The staff members in the office were wary of him at the start, but soon they were numb to his presence and even felt a little annoyed.


    Fu Jia spent his break time and evening in the classroom. Apart from going to the washroom, he only returned to his dorm to retrieve his blanket. He even set a rule for himself to practice one question before he could eat one spoonful of rice. Unfortunately, by the time his dinner had turned completely cold, he had barely even taken a few mouthfuls of it.


    The possessed state he was in lasted until the end of the first self-study period that night. Only then did Fu Jia close his workbook.


    Picking up his school bag, he smoothly climbed over the wall and left.


    It was still the same old entrance to No. 6 High and he was still waiting at that very same street lamp. As he leaned back against the lamp, Fu Jia took out his workbook to continue his revision.


    But he soon noticed that the moment he reached the place, he couldn¡¯t concentrate as well as he had before. Even though he knew clearly that classes were still ongoing in No. 6 High and there was not a single soul at the gate, Fu Jia still couldn¡¯t stop himself from looking from time to time.


    In a distracted state, the topic that had already been difficult in the first place became even more complicated than before. Fu Jia shoved the workbook into his bag in frustration, his actions so rough that it almost tore the cover.


    So he stood like that, staring at the school gate of No. 6 High. He was used to doing things like this anyway.


    Probably because he had prior experience, this time Fu Jia felt that he didn¡¯t have to wait as long before Lu Qi¡¯an came walking out. Afraid that he would turn around and get into the car, Fu Jia went against the crowd to chase after him, yelling, ¡°Lu Qi¡¯an!¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t look surprised to see him. However, he didn¡¯t show any intentions of slowing down for Fu Jia.


    Cursing, Fu Jia couldn¡¯t be bothered whether he ran into others or not. He instantly came before Lu Qi¡¯an, blocking his way. ¡°Are you pretending you didn¡¯t see me?¡±


    The anger in his words was enough to set someone on fire. Lu Qi¡¯an gently pushed Fu Jia¡¯s shoulder and moved him to the side before saying, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stand and talk in the middle of the road even if it¡¯s urgent.¡±


    Fu Jia actively moved two steps to the roadside. ¡°Is this okay then?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an did not reply.


    Fu Jia was then reminded of his actions earlier when Lu Qi¡¯an had placed his hand on his shoulder, giving it an extremely gentle push. It appeared to be more like an embrace than a shove.


    He laughed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask your driver to pick you up inside the school?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an ignored him.


    Fu Jia pointed to himself. ¡°Were you waiting for me to find you?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an raised his hand to look at his watch. Fu Jia took notice of the watch. It looked incredibly exquisite with a dark brown strap and a silver watch face, but he couldn¡¯t tell what brand it was.


    It was only after looking at the time that he seemingly verified that he had some free time to chat with Fu Jia. So he parted his mouth to explain, ¡°I normally stay in an apartment near school so there¡¯s no one to drive me. The driver came that day because I was heading to my aunt¡¯s place.¡±


    Fu Jia replied with an ¡®Oh.¡¯


    Apparently, Lu Qi¡¯an was driven to the Lin¡¯s villa that day, while he was still rushing to catch the night bus as usual. In the end, he needed to travel a total of thirty minutes on foot.


    He knew he should have moved out of the villa sooner.


    Fu Jia took a deep breath and said, ¡°I moved out of there.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an only nodded, looking as indifferent as usual.


    Fu Jia was already accustomed to his indifferent personality. He added, ¡°You requested me to move that time, and by doing so, I actually did you a favor, which is equivalent to you owing me a favor.¡± He paused as he said this point, waiting for Lu Qi¡¯an to refute him, though he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°So, you owe me a favor, right?¡± Fu Jia anxiously repeated one more time.


    ¡°You can say that.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an responded.


    He admitted it so easily that Fu Jia was somehow at a loss for words, confused as to what he should do next. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Since you owe me a favor, you have to repay me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an agreed with him again.


    Feeling hot all of a sudden, Fu Jia quickly pulled his bag to the front. He then took out the workbook and said, ¡°Then teach me how to solve this.¡±

 CH 8

    Chapter 8


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s line of sight then landed on the workbook with the title, ¡°First Year Subjects Basic Exercise Volume 1¡±. Judging by the thickness of the book, there were probably more than one hundred pages inside.


    ¡°You have trouble solving these?¡± asked Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Puzzled, Fu Jia replied, ¡°Am I not allowed find it difficult? If I didn¡¯t have trouble solving them, I wouldn¡¯t be asking you to help me.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an then reached out with his hand. ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    Fu Jia handed him the workbook. After Lu Qi¡¯an swiftly skimmed through it, he said, ¡°If you have trouble solving these problems, then you shouldn¡¯t work on them. Read the textbooks first.¡±


    Although Lu Qi¡¯an wasn¡¯t belittling him at all, Fu Jia still felt like he was calling him an idiot indirectly. He pulled the workbook back out from Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s grip, shoving it roughly into his bag. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I want. Just tell me if you¡¯re willing to help or not.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an took another glance at his watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s late.¡±


    Fu Jia looked like he had been shot with a bullet, so his tone grew louder and sounded more threatening, ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to leave you alone?¡±


    ¡°I never said that.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Fu Jia shut his lips tightly to avoid spitting fire the moment he parted them.


    ¡°What I mean is, it¡¯s already late. It¡¯s inconvenient for me to teach you now.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an explained, ¡°Tomorrow is a Friday so there are no late self-study periods at school. If the time is convenient for you, then you can come find me.¡±


    Fu Jia was stunned.


    He almost thought he was hearing things.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t avoid his and his expression was the same as before. Fu Jia, on the other hand¡­ avoided his eyes, the unfounded anger burning in his heart was extinguished instantly at the speed of light. The corners of his lips were itching to curl up but he still composed himself and asked, ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll come find you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice sounded especially low when he said it.


    Then he left. Fu Jia wanted to stop him from leaving but he had said all there was to say. If he continued pestering him any longer, then he was being unreasonable.


    On the way back to No. 16 High, the word ¡°alright¡± kept resounding in his mind. Whenever he thought of it, it seemed like he was able to sense the vibration of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s throat.


    He headed into a convenience store, bought a bottle of water, and drank half of it in one gulp.


    The dorm was deserted as the trio was nowhere to be found once he got back. Fu Jia habitually took out his workbook to read it through, but before he could even start a question, he was suddenly reminded of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s words.


    He tossed the workbook onto the pillow and took out his textbook instead. While he was deliberating whether he should start with Mathematics or English first, a knock sounded on the door.


    Opening the door, he was greeted by the teacher who had sent him to the dorm yesterday standing in the doorway.


    ¡°Fu Jia, how¡¯re you doing so far? Used to it yet?¡±


    Fu Jia nodded continuously, ¡°Yes. Everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    The teacher chuckled cheerfully. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re getting along well with your roommates? Liu De has good grades and he¡¯s nice too. I purposely assigned you two together so he that can take care of you too.¡±


    Fu Jia smiled in response, ¡°He takes very good care of me. Thanks, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°I feel so much more relieved,¡± said the teacher. ¡°I¡¯ve done the other paperwork for you other than the payment. Come with me to the administration office for a while.¡±


    The personnel working at the administration office had already gone home for the day. Seeing that Fu Jia had yet to return to his dorm, the teacher specially waited until now for his return.


    ¡°Sure. Please wait for a while, I¡¯m going to grab my card.¡±


    The payment didn¡¯t take up much time so Fu Jia soon found himself back at the dorm. Upon coming back, he realized the room was unlocked.


    Liu De and the others were back.


    He gave the door a push but it didn¡¯t budge at all. Since the door was unlocked, that meant that it was bolted on the inside. Fu Jia said, ¡°Open the door.¡±


    Nobody came to open the door but he could hear the sound of faint laughter coming from inside.


    Fu Jia started to heavily pound on the door. ¡°Open the door! Or risk losing your sleep once I smash the door open and the supervisor comes running!¡±


    This time around, the door was unbolted quickly. The person who came to open the door was Liu De¡¯s lackey, while Liu De was lying on the bed with his legs dangling off the side, bobbing up and down.


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t care in the least about Liu De¡¯s harassment towards him since they were in school anyway with the teachers and dorm supervisors around to keep order. So no matter what fuss Lie De raised, he could only pull nauseating parlor tricks like a girl who¡¯d never grown up. As for the tricks he played, Fu Jia had already long known them by heart.


    Fu Jia walked over to his own bed but took only two steps before he paused in his tracks.


    Countless scraps of papers of all sizes were strewn everywhere on the ground, spreading from the edge of his pillow to the bed¡¯s surroundings.


    If a workbook consisting of more than a hundred pages was torn up properly, it could definitely be shredded enough to create a mess such as this.


    Stunned, Fu Jia stood there for several seconds.


    After a momentary pause as the gears turned in his mind, he clenched his fist and sent a punch flying towards Liu De.


    Liu De was obviously surprised by his sudden attack,  and he couldn¡¯t react in time since he was lying on his back. Therefore, the punch landed squarely on his cheek.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± The two lackeys jumped up with a start and immediately rushed to Liu De¡¯s aid.


    Hands gripping tightly onto Liu De¡¯s collar, Fu Jia was about to give him another punch but was stopped by the other two kids and knocked off his feet. One of them was rather clever and gave Fu Jia a kick in the stomach. Taking advantage of the moment when he doubled up in pain, they pinned down his arms.


    Liu De covered his face as he fumed in anger. ¡°Are you insane?! There are three of us here! Do you have a death wish for hitting me?!¡±


    Ignoring him, Fu Jia glared daggers at Liu De. The intensity in his eyes made the two lackeys cower slightly in fear.


    Liu De rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯re you two staring at him for? Hit him! You can¡¯t kill him just by looking!¡±


    Soon, the lackeys reacted and began to shower Fu Jia with a multitude of kicks and punches. Their experience in fights made them aim for places where it hurt the most and where their victims were unable to fight back.


    Fu Jia bit back his silence as he curled into a ball on the ground, attempting to protect the weakest parts of his body. The moment the two lackeys let up a little, he suddenly exerted all his strength and lunged at Liu De once more.


    Caught off guard again, Liu De received another punch in the face. This time, the punch landed about one centimeter away from his eye so he was seriously getting pissed off. He jumped at Fu Jia and the number of people hitting the boy went from two to three.


    ¡°Are you nuts?! All I did was rip your book apart and you hit me twice for it? I swear I¡¯m going to kill you for that today!¡± Eyes reddening, Liu De swore out of spite and fished something out of his pocket.


    It was Fu Jia¡¯s cutter.


    Fu Jia finally spoke, uttering a word so foul that he greeted Liu De¡¯s entire family generation with it!


    With a loud, angry curse, Liu De shifted the blade out of its shell and plunged it into Fu Jia¡¯s chest. Fu Jia retaliated by grabbing hold of his wrist to push it back, the tip of the blade hovering a very short distance away from his stomach.


    Since the two of them were fighting with real weapons now, the lackeys were scared out of their wits, unable to move. They quickly released their hold on Fu Jia and backed away.


    ¡°You can try killing me. Let¡¯s see if you can get out of prison in this lifetime,¡± said Fu Jia.


    A vein pulsed furiously on Liu De¡¯s temple. ¡°I¡¯m not of age yet so they won¡¯t be able to lock me up for good. By the time I¡¯m out of there after eight or ten years, nobody will have known where your body is buried.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far,¡± said Fu Jia.


    Liu De raised his brows. ¡°Now you know to admit defeat?¡±


    Fu Jia closed his eyes and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Liu De was relieved beyond measure. He would never dare to murder someone cold-bloodedly even if he was forced to. The problem was that now that the situation had transpired into this mess, if Fu Jia were to fight against him again, making him lose face as a result, there was a chance that he might seriously do something crazy to teach Fu Jia a lesson.


    He spat out a foul word and said, ¡°None of this would have happened if you¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, he froze. In a flash, Fu Jia seized the cutter and gave him a hard shove.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hurt a fly by protracting the entire blade like that.¡± Fu Jia shifted almost half of the blade back emitting a series of clacks and explained, ¡°This is a box cutter. The blade would have snapped before you could even stab it into someone¡¯s clothes. The effect is definitely better when you only leave a small part of it out of the shell.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Liu De stared at Fu Jia, a strong wave of alarm rippling through his body.


    Without answering, Fu Jia only raised his hand and without hesitation, he plunged it straight at Liu De¡¯s neck with absolute precision!


    All of the muscles in Liu De¡¯s body went stiff. He raised his arms to block the blade, but since Fu Jia¡¯s movement was firm and decisive, he wasn¡¯t able to grasp Fu Jia¡¯s hand and could only hope he would be able to knock his hand away.


    Perhaps because Fu Jia had used up too much energy when confronting Liu De earlier, or maybe he just didn¡¯t want to seriously kill him, but his hand was smacked away by Liu De. The blade fell from his grip and was sent flying as a result, leaving a slash wound on the back of Liu De¡¯s hand and a cut across Fu Jia¡¯s right face.


    Everyone fell silent at that moment.


    Blood oozed from the wound. Fu Jia lowered his head, and used his hand to wipe it away. It was wet.


    ¡°Do you still want to fight?¡± he asked.


    Liu De had yet to fully recover his wits so it took him a long while to reply to him.


    His entire back was drenched in sweat.


    Fu Jia knew the fight was over. Walking over to his own bed, he started picking up the scraps one by one.


    Liu De watched his movements, his face ashen. He seemed to have thought of something and ran out of the room in a hurry, closing the door shut with a loud slam. The two lackeys who were left behind exchanged speechless glances with each other and gave chase after him after a brief moment of hesitation.


    As Fu Jia watched the door slam shut, he let out a sigh of relief when he heard the footsteps travel further and further away. Soon, the straight posture he held finally collapsed as he fell into a squat at the edge of the bed, burying his head deep in the pillow. He pressed a hand to his abdomen.


    ¡°Oww¡­.¡± He wailed loudly in pain. It was fortunate that his cries were muffled by the pillow. Otherwise, if Liu De heard him, he would probably get into another fight.


    Squinting his eyes, Fu Jia waited for the pain to subside a little before he continued to pick up the scraps of paper.


    After he was done cleaning up, he ran down the stairs and bought a couple of rolls of tape before the boss unrolled the curtains to his kiosk.


    Seated before his desk, Fu Jia patiently taped the torn papers together one by one. He was exceptionally terrible in arts and crafts. When the lights finally went out at midnight, Fu Jia had only managed to tape together a couple of pages. He went to Liu De¡¯s desk to look and as expected, found a charged table lamp. He continued to stick the papers together under the light of the table lamp.


    As the electricity was gradually consumed, the light shining from the lamp became dimmer and dimmer. When it completely died down, Fu Jia had only stuck about a dozen pages together. His eyes were already bloodshot to the extent where they ached with soreness and uncontrollable tears refused to stop cascading down his cheeks.


    Fu Jia returned the lamp to its rightful place, collapsed back on the bed, and gave up entirely.


    Even it was Lu Qi¡¯an, it was more than enough to teach Fu Jia by using a dozen of pages. Even if there more pages were available, he wouldn¡¯t be able to put them to use at all, so he might as well just tape them together next time.


    With this in mind, Fu Jia fell into a deep sleep.


    The next day in class, the moment Fu Jia entered the classroom, all eyes fell on him. To be exact, they were all staring at his face, which made him even more confused.


    It was already time for the lesson to start, yet the student sitting in front of him was still staring at him with no signs of stopping. Fu Jia asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡±


    In a state of panic, the person in the front desk hurriedly turned forward, as though Fu Jia was nothing more than a dangerous entity.


    Fu Jia wanted to get to the bottom of things, but the teacher stepped in at that moment. Standing before Fu Jia, he asked anxiously, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    All the students turned to look at them.


    ¡°Class is dismissed for now,¡± announced the teacher. ¡°Fu Jia, come. Follow me to the office.¡±


    Only then did Fu Jia realize that it was probably due to the wound on his face.


    The teacher brought him to the staff office and handed him over to another teacher. All it took was one look at his face to make the teacher urgently bring him to the infirmary.


    Only now did Fu Jia see the wound on his face as he stared at the mirror. He had ignored it for one night so it had indeed turned into a rather frightening state.


    The doctor tended to his wound and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Fu Jia randomly came up with an excuse. ¡°I shattered a glass cup and cut my face by accident.¡±


    The teacher cried out in disbelief. ¡°How is that even possible? It wouldn¡¯t have gone to the face.¡±


    Giving it some thought, Fu Jia explained, ¡°There was water in the cup. I slipped and fell when I stepped on it. That¡¯s all there is.¡±


    The teacher still had this nagging feeling that it sounded illogical in some sense, but Fu Jia was so adamant with his explanation that he could only answer with a warning, ¡°Please be careful next time.¡±


    The doctor helped him put a piece of gauze on his cut and said, ¡°I can only help you treat it to this extent. Once school is over, you still need to get your parents to drop you off at the hospital to get it checked. Do you understand?¡±


    Fu Jia nodded in reply. ¡°Yes. Thank you, Doctor.¡±


    The teacher butted in, ¡°Do you want to borrow my cell phone to call your parents?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head in response. He didn¡¯t have any parents. He didn¡¯t even know the numbers to Lin Qing¡¯s cell phone, nor did he know Aunt Chen¡¯s number either. He¡¯d lived at the Lins¡¯ for the past ten years, but all he got was a written cell phone number of Lu Wanqing¡¯s secretary. However, he didn¡¯t take it with him when he left the villa.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Teacher,¡± assured Fu Jia. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back home after school.¡±


    The teacher gave him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Not bad. Quite strong for a little guy.¡±


    A grin emerged on Fu Jia¡¯s face.


    But of course, instead of heading home, Fu Jia went to No. 6 High.


    He still waited at the same spot, but this time, Fu Jia was extremely patient. When he caught sight of Lu Qi¡¯an, he did not instantly run over. Instead, he waited for the boy to finally come to his side.


    Fu Jia had a sudden insight.


    Lu Qi¡¯an noticed the gauze on his face at first glance.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.

 CH 9

    Chapter 9


    Fu Jia cocked his head slightly to the side, hoping to conceal that part of his face. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Broke a cup.¡±


    Unfortunately, Lu Qi¡¯an was not the type of person to be fooled that easily. ¡°There¡¯s no way the shards hit your face.¡±


    Annoyed, Fu Jia burst out loud. ¡°Well, I¡¯m dumb. I tripped and fell face-first onto the glass shards. Are you satisfied now?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an fell silent, but his gaze was still fixated on the gauze. Fu Jia was not sure whether Lu Qi¡¯an believed his lies or not.


    Embarrassed after being stared at for so long, Fu Jia felt that letting Lu Qi¡¯an know that he was being bullied would be a blow to his dignity. He wanted Lu Qi¡¯an to think that he led a good life in school and was not struggling.


    So, he changed the subject. ¡°Where are we headed to now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just go wherever,¡± replied Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Fu Jia retorted, ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the type to do things so casually.¡±


    In fact, Lu Qi¡¯an simply said that as a form of courtesy. ¡°Then let¡¯s go to a nearby cafe.¡±


    Walking ahead, he led the way with Fu Jia lagging one step behind him. Dusk fell and elongated both Lu Qi¡¯an and Fu Jia¡¯s shadows, and a small section of their silhouettes crossed and merged with each other.


    Unable to contain the smile forming on his face, Fu Jia trampled on the head of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s shadow.


    The two suddenly stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m just stepping on bugs,¡± Fu Jia said while stifling a laugh.


    Instead of looking behind him, Lu Qi¡¯an continued to walk ahead.


    Although Fu Jia was now afraid to stomp on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s shadow, he still ¡®stepped¡¯ on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s ¡®head¡¯ from time to time. Nobody was headed in the same direction as them, and the people who passed by all seemed to be in a hurry. They were the only ones consistently walking at the same pace towards a similar destination together.


    Fu Jia was in awe at the entire situation.


    He wished that this road would stretch on a bit longer. Just a little longer.


    He stepped on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s shadow the entire way until they finally arrived at the cafe¡¯s doorstep. He raised his head, and the sight in front of him completely took his breath away.


    The cafe was decorated in a contemporary style. The glass windows were wiped until they were as clear as a mirror, and anyone who peeked in would be able to see the high-end interior as well as the meticulously-dressed customers sitting inside.


    As he turned to look at Lu Qi¡¯an standing beside him, he realized that, although Lu Qi¡¯an was dressed in a school uniform, there was a certain sophistication about him¡ª


    The sophistication unique to people of wealth.


    Fu Jia did not dare to hesitate for even one moment. He explained truthfully. ¡°I can¡¯t afford this place. Why don¡¯t you put up with me and pick somewhere else?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an looked towards him. ¡°You can¡¯t afford this place?¡±


    Fu Jia gave it some thought before answering, ¡°I can probably pay for half a cup of water at most.¡±


    Instead of saying things like ¡°I can afford it¡± or ¡°I can treat you¡± and anger Fu Jia, Lu Qi¡¯an only said, ¡°My aunt gave you a card. Didn¡¯t Aunt Chen give it to you?¡±


    There was a look of astonishment in his eyes.


    And this made Fu Jia¡¯s heart clench in pain.


    Lu Qi¡¯an thought he would have taken the card.


    Frowning, Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Let me call the villa.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Fu Jia let out a restrained laugh. ¡°I gave the card to Aunt Chen. Do you seriously think I¡¯ll take Auntie¡¯s money? Weren¡¯t you the one who said I was trampling on my dignity and drove me away from the villa?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was clearly caught off-guard by his remark.


    Fu Jia pinched the palm of his hand with his fingers, hoping that the pain could make him sound a little less hostile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Forget about it.¡± Eyes fixated on the ground, he continued. ¡°Let¡¯s go in. I still have enough for a cup of water.¡±


    Instead, Lu Qi¡¯an uttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Needless to say, Fu Jia was surprised at the sound of his apology.


    Rather than addressing the burning question in his mind, Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°We can go to the apartment I¡¯m staying at right now.


    Shocked, Fu Jia subconsciously asked, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to waste to make jokes like that.¡±


    Fu Jia fell into a momentary silence. It was only after a while did he respond cautiously. ¡°Oh¡­Sure.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an proceeded to lead the way.


    As Fu Jia trailed after him, even when Lu Qi¡¯an swiped his card to enter a small community and assisted Fu Jia in registering as a visitor, Fu Jia still found the whole situation to be surreal.


    Lu Qi¡¯an should be hating him. Although his disgust of Fu Jia didn¡¯t run as deep as Lin Fengxun and Lu Wanqing, it should be enough for him to avoid Fu Jia like a plague.


    This notion was deep-rooted in Fu Jia¡¯s mind for nearly a decade.


    When the two of them stepped into the elevator, Fu Jia suddenly felt nervous.


    This is real. This is not fake. Lu Qi¡¯an is seriously bringing me to his home. A home without Lin Fengxun and Lu Wanqing around.


    ¡°Change your shoes first before going in.¡± After he entered the house, Lu Qi¡¯an handed Fu Jia a newly-opened pair of slippers.


    Looking around the apartment while changing his shoes, Fu Jia could tell Lu Qi¡¯an had the entire place to himself, and this was only a temporary residence. The size of the place was just right, neither too spacious or too narrow, but there was no presence of life in this home.


    ¡°Your slippers are on the wrong feet.¡±


    ¡°?¡± Fu Jia looked down at his feet in confusion. Indeed, he had put them on incorrectly .


    This was too embarrassing for him to bear, but, thank god, Fu Jia was incredibly thick-skinned. ¡°You can¡¯t really tell which one is supposed to go on the right or left. I think it¡¯s fine even if I wear them this way.¡±


    Since Fu Jia didn¡¯t seem to mind, Lu Qi¡¯an would not go as far as to say anything else. He pointed towards the innermost room and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be in the study room later. There¡¯s a fridge on your left. If you¡¯re thirsty, feel free to grab some water from it.¡±


    Fu Jia shrugged him off with a wave. ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡±


    Initially, there was only one chair in the study, so Lu Qi¡¯an moved another one in and placed them side-by-side. The chair was a completely different design from the table and it did not have a back to lean against. On top of that, it was also shorter than the other chair. Hence, when the two of them sat down, Fu Jia realized that he had to constantly raise his chin to look up at Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Feeling somewhat awkward about the situation, he tried to play it safe by constantly looking down to examine the floor beneath his feet.


    As Lu Qi¡¯an lowered his gaze to look at Fu Jia, the scene he saw¡ªthe other boy¡¯s nape and protruding shoulder blade¡ªsuddenly reminded him of the day he saw Fu Jia on the staircase in the Lin¡¯s villa. At that time, the thing that attracted him the most were these parts.


    But why?


    At the moment, he did not have the answer.


    Trying to suppress the awkwardness he felt, Fu Jia opened his school bag and pulled out the dozen workbook pages he stuck together earlier.


    The way he mended the book was utterly clumsy and disorderly. Tape could be found in all sort of places, and the size was not even uniformed to begin with. The whole book looked like it was picked up from a scrapyard.


    Forget about solving the problems on it, it was difficult to even make out the questions themselves.


    Lu Qi¡¯an took the thin, tattered book. He rubbed his fingers against the edge with the pieces of tape sticking upwards and asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Fu Jia held his head in an evasive manner, and replied casually. ¡°Nothing happened. I tore it up for fun.¡±


    ¡°And then you decided to stick them back together? One page at a time?¡±


    Fu jia knew his explanation did not make sense, but he did not want Lu Qi¡¯an to figure out the truth. The way Lu Qi¡¯an was interrogating him made him feel like he was being looked down upon. Was it amusing to make him confess all the pathetic and shitty things that happened to him?


    ¡°Since when were you interested in this sort of thing? Do you love digging up someone else¡¯s humiliating incidents that much? Isn¡¯t your time too precious to waste?¡±


    Fu Jia yelled back in outrage, but the feeling was quickly replaced with a pang of regret. What was he doing? Using Lu Qi¡¯an as an emotional punching bag and lashing out at him¡­


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel like telling me, you can reject me. There¡¯s no need for satire.¡± Picking up the workbook again, Lu Qi¡¯an pushed the book in front of Fu Jia and pointed at two areas that were stuck together incorrectly. ¡°You can¡¯t use this anymore.¡±


    Without even sparing it a single glance, Fu Jia cried out, ¡°I spent five hours putting them back together, and now you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s useless?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be faster if you buy a new one.¡±


    The tone in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice surprisingly softened.


    Fu Jia was at a loss for words.


    He was right. Why didn¡¯t he think of that earlier?


    Feeling hot-headed, Fu Jia stared at the tattered book he stuck together. Placed on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s wooden desk, it appeared conspicuously out of place.


    All of a sudden, he felt similarly. A misfit in this apartment. A person who does not even deserve the shoes on his feet. A person looking all out of place on the shorter chair. He was boiling with rage but there was no outlet for him to vent his frustrations. Quickly, he reached out to shove the workbook into his bag before standing up on his feet in one swift movement. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it today. I¡¯ll buy a new one. I¡¯ll let you know then.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an called out to him.


    Fu Jia helplessly stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to buy a new book. The questions weren¡¯t right for you anyway so I¡¯ll create a few problems for you to work on. Which subject are you the weakest at?¡±


    As Fu Jia stared at the wooden floor, he grinded the tip of his toes against it before saying, ¡°Maths¡­¡±


    This was the conclusion he came to after a difficult on-going battle deciding between mathematics and English.


    ¡°Which topic is your weakest in maths?¡±


    ¡°¡­Functions.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lowering his gaze, Lu Qi¡¯an began to write on the paper.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to waste your time. It¡¯s not that easy to come up with questions.¡± All Fu Jia could think of was to sit back down on the chair, but since he had decided to leave so determinedly, how he could he go back on his word so soon?


    ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult. Give me ten minutes at most.¡±


    To which Fu Jia replied, ¡°Then what am I going to do while you write the questions?¡±


    Without even looking up, Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°You can read a book.¡±


    Fu Jia intentionally fought back. ¡°Well, what books do you have that I can understand? Do you have any books from high school?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an stopped what he was doing and looked up to stare at him.


    Panic washed over him, but he could not be blame as it was already puzzling enough to find someone staring at you without uttering a single word.


    ¡°What?¡± He pretended to sound relaxed.


    ¡°You can look at me since you¡¯re so good at it anyway.¡±


    After tossing that out there, Lu Qi¡¯an continued to look down and write.


    All Fu Jia could do was stare at him in a state of shock with his heart almost bursting out of his chest.


    He did not dare continue to look in the next second, so he cautiously controlled where his gaze landed.


    He sat back down on the short-legged chair, keeping his limbs to himself, and was puzzled as to why his heartbeat would not slow down.

 CH 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°Try solving these first.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an handed the problems he made to Fu Jia, which pulled the boy out of his long, distracted state.


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Upon receiving the book filled with black ink scribbled on the pages, he fished his pencil case out of his bag while reading over the questions. As he felt around inside his bag, he realised that there was only a pencil that was about the size of a thumb, and its tip was also dull.


    Where did his newly-purchased pen go? Goddammit, that Liu De!!


    Cursing under his breath, Fu Jia awkwardly asked Lu Qi¡¯an, ¡°Do¡­you have a cutter? I need to sharpen my pencil.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s cutter never leaves his side, but the box-cutter was already stained with Liu De¡¯s blood from earlier so he was utterly disgusted with it. He did not have a chance to buy a new one to replace it yet.


    Lu Qi¡¯an then handed the pen he was holding over to Fu Jia in response. ¡°Here. Use this.¡±


    Fu Jia reached out to grab it but ultimately decided not to in the end. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to afford it if I were to drop it by accident, so I¡¯ll stick with mine. Just hand me a cutter? Any cutter will do, even a kitchen knife.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an placed the pen in front of him. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    There was no reaction from Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Fu Jia understood his stance on the matter. Regardless of whether he was willing to accept it or not, since Lu Qi¡¯an said that it was a gift for him, Lu Qi¡¯an will never ask for it back.


    Picking up the pen, Fu Jia could faintly discern the warmth from the man¡¯s fingers that once gripped it.


    The palm of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s hand must be warm.


    He removed the cap and began to solve the questions.


    In the very beginning, Lu Qi¡¯an spent the time watching Fu Jia tackling the problems. However, after he realised that Fu Jia was not making progress¡ªthe first question was still incomplete after two minutes¡ªLu Qi¡¯an turned his attention elsewhere and retrieved a book from the bookshelf to read.


    Lu Qi¡¯an came up with a total of eight problems, but Fu Jia only had the knowledge to do half of it. He could not even understand the questions being asked in the other half.


    This made him a little embarrassed to even mention it out loud.


    ¡°Done?¡± Seeing that Fu Jia was still stuck, Lu Qi¡¯an closed the book.


    ¡°Almost,¡± Fu Jia assured stubbornly.


    Lu Qi¡¯an shuffled closer to look at his answers before saying, ¡°You only got one right.¡±


    Not bad, Fu Jia thought to himself. It was good enough that he did not acknowledge that he got seven of them wrong.


    Maintaining this close proximity between them, Lu Qi¡¯an began to explain the problems to Fu Jia. ¡°For this question, you seem to have trouble understanding which topic it¡¯s examining¡­¡±


    Fu Jia listened seriously, occasionally asking questions. However, this did not last long as he soon was distracted. He stared at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s fingers while he listened, but whatever the other boy said fell on deaf ears.


    Suddenly, Lu Qi¡¯an fell silent.


    Fu Jia instinctively looked up at him.


    At first glance, Fu Jia felt his heart race wildly as blood surged to his head, but the emotions that washed over him soon dissipated the moment he clearly saw the expression on Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s face.


    It was an expression he knew all too well. There were no signs of happiness or disgust in them. There was absolutely nothing.


    Suddenly, he felt compelled to ask, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an slightly raised his brow as though he was asking, ¡®like what¡¯.


    ¡°Like¡­¡± Fu Jia pondered for a while, trying to find an appropriate way to describe it. ¡°Like you¡¯re looking at nothing.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Lu Qi¡¯an leaned back against his chair, and as a result, widened the distance between them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically how I see it, anyway. Take Aunt Chen for an example. She always looks at me with that pitiful look in her eyes. As for your brother¡­Although he doesn¡¯t see me often, I¡¯m certain about how much he wanted to glare me to death.¡± To be honest, Fu Jia really did not want to mention anyone from the Lin¡¯s Villa, but he did not know how to describe the feeling to Lu Qi¡¯an and used them as examples.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the way I look at you?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an asked. ¡°Are you hoping that I¡¯ll pity you or hate your very existence?¡±


    To which Fu Jia asked in reply, ¡°Do you not pity¡­or hate me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± There was no doubt in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice. ¡°I don¡¯t pity or hate you.¡±


    Fu Jia pathetically lowered his gaze.


    Even when he received the answer of his dreams, he realised that he was at a loss and clueless as to how he should handle it.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Fu Jia was certain. ¡°Both your aunt and your brother hate me so much. There¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t feel the same.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a reason to hate you yet,¡± explained Lu Qi¡¯an. ¡°You probably have a hard time believing it, but I¡¯ve always tried to treat you as objectively as possible. Putting aside your background and the environment you were in, I¡¯ve always thought of you as an independent person.¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Look up.¡±


    Fu Jia obediently raised his head, but he kept his eyes fixated on the table surface, refusing to look at Lu Qi¡¯an in the eyes.


    Lu Qi¡¯an continued. ¡°There¡¯s no denying that I was thinking of my aunt when I asked you to move out, but the bigger part of it was because you told me that you wanted to get to know me better.¡±


    Fu Jia responded with a moody, non-committal sound.


    He did say that, but where did it go wrong?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be friends with a person who would subdue themselves to stay in a servant¡¯s room, a person who wouldn¡¯t leave no matter how they were driven away. However, I¡¯m willing to be friends with someone who would leave that place, study hard, and live for themselves,¡± explained Lu Qi¡¯an. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±


    After staying silent for about five seconds, Fu Jia vigorously shook his head before furiously nodding in reply.


    His ears were so red they looked like blood was dripping from them. ¡°I understand now.¡±


    His voice trailed off, sounding exceptionally docile.


    ¡°Now that you understand, continue.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The corner of Fu Jia¡¯s lips curled up into a grin. ¡°Here.¡± He pointed to the third question on the paper. ¡°I didn¡¯t get what you were saying earlier. Can you please explain it again?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an proceeded to explain the problems to Fu Jia again with more detail than before. Two hours later, Fu Jia finally understood all eight problems.


    Leaning against the back of his chair, Lu Qi¡¯an twisted his neck to relax the strain in his muscles.


    Fu Jia carefully tore off the paper with Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s questions as well the ones Lu Qi¡¯an used to further his explanations. He then folded them up before putting them away in his bag. ¡°How long will it take for me to get transferred into No. 6 High at this rate?¡± He asked.


    After giving it some thought, Lu Qi¡¯an replied, ¡°Results won¡¯t improve overnight. Perhaps you should consider repeating the year instead.¡±


    Fu Jia almost choked on his saliva.


    He pulled up the zipper on his bag in a hurry. His action were so rough that he almost pulled off the zipper.


    Was he that dumb?


    In any case, he already overstayed his welcome. Fu Jia did not want to wait for Lu Qi¡¯an to kick him out, so he stood up on his own accord and said, ¡°Thank you for today. I¡¯m going to head back first. It¡¯s Saturday tomorrow, can I come over again?¡± He tried to make it sound half-hearted on purpose.


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll inform the guard earlier so you can come straight-in.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fu Jia bit his tongue to hold back a smile.


    Standing up, he casually picked up the short stool. ¡°I¡¯ll help you put this back.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to since we need it tomorrow again.¡±


    Fu Jia placed the stool back down. This time, he could not control the smile emerging on his face, so he lowered his head, doing his best to hide it from view.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now!¡± He turned around to leave.


    Before he could, Lu Qi¡¯an called him to a stop. ¡°Fu Jia.¡±


    Fu Jia almost forgot how to turn around.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do pay the hospital a visit to treat the wound on your face.¡±


    Fu Jia was not sure why. He did not bother himself with this injury since he did not find it painful. He had even completely forgotten about it.


    However, the moment Lu Qi¡¯an said that, he suddenly found the pain to be unbearable. It hurt so much. It was so painful that all the areas of his body beaten up by Liu De and his gang last night were all screaming in agony.


    ¡°I know,¡± answered Fu Jia. ¡°I¡¯ll go there now.¡±


    He did not look back and hurriedly left Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s apartment. There was someone waiting for the elevator outside, but Fu Jia could not bring himself to wait a second longer. He directly went to push open the door to the staircase and ran down as fast as his legs could carry him.


    He had to leave here quick.


    If he did not, he would not have the heart to leave.


    He ran out of the neighborhood without stopping. Covered in sweat, he gasped for air as he supported himself on his knees while resting by the roadside. It was only then did his breathing start to slowly recover.


    On the way back to No. 16 High, he stopped by a small clinic to replace the medicine on his wound.


    The doctor said that the weather was warm lately so it would be better not to have the wound covered by the gauze. However, when Fu Jia thought about the fact that he needed to meet Lu Qi¡¯an tomorrow, he still insisted to make the doctor cover up his wound.


    It still hurt.


    The pain ached until Fu Jia fell asleep. Even when he was dreaming, there was no denying the throbbing pain he felt.


    Saturday was an off-day for the students of No.16 High, but it was different for No. 6 High as they have a whole day of classes ahead of them. Early in the morning, Fu Jia went to wash the dishes at the restaurant he was part-timing at.


    In-between classes, Lu Qi¡¯an stopped Li Qinhe who was about to head next door to look for his girlfriend and said, ¡°Do me a favor.¡±


    Shocked out of his wits, Li Qinhe asked, ¡°There¡¯s still something that you couldn¡¯t do?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t bother with formalities and said, ¡°Help me find someone who¡¯s in the same class as Fu Jia in No. 16 High. Ask them to find out what¡¯s been happening to Fu Jia.¡±


    ¡°Fu Jia?¡± Li Qinhe was more confused than ever. ¡°Am I hearing this right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡±


    Li Qinhe¡¯s eyes darted around for a while. He seemed to have misunderstood Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s intentions as he cried out upon realisation. ¡°Oh! I get it now! You¡¯re looking for someone to mess with him right? I¡¯ve plenty of experience in this! Leave this to me!¡± He even gave his chest a little pat.


    Lu Qi¡¯an frowned at his reply. ¡°You have experience?¡±


    Li Qinhe flashed a grin. ¡°Hehe. You have no idea about this, but Fengfeng and I share a little secret that¡¯s hard to come by. Fengfeng was still a kid back then. He couldn¡¯t take the new medicine, so in order to cheer him up¡ªyou could say I was willing to do anything for him.¡±


    He scratched his head, feeling that he should not sound proud saying this, so he held back the flaunting tone from his voice. ¡°Fengfeng told me to make Fu Jia suffer. He always stayed at home to get better, so he couldn¡¯t go to school, let alone have any friends. So why could Fu Jia go and make friends? I asked someone to help ostracize Fu Jia from the class and pin the blame on him for stealing.¡±


    He thought about it in detail. ¡°I think Fu Jia was in junior high that time?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was silent.


    He knew that he did not know Fu Jia that well, but what he did not expect was how much he did not know about him.


    ¡°Was that the only time?¡± he asked.


    Li Qinhe nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an stared him in the eyes. ¡±


    Intimidated beyond measure by the glare, Li Qinhe was beginning to feel something was amiss. ¡°Maybe there are a few more times after that? But those were just small pranks¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an pursed his lips into a thin line, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t do that this time. I¡¯m asking you to find someone to help Fu Jia.¡±


    Needless to say, Li Qinhe was surprised.


    Lu Qi¡¯an went back to his seat, one-sidedly ending the conversation.


    Anxious, Li Qinhe went over in a hurry and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you? What if Fengfeng find out about this?¡±


    Taking in a deep breath before letting it out, Lu Qi¡¯an explained, ¡°Li Qinhe. We can love Fengfeng with all our hearts but we mustn¡¯t spoil him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Li Qinhe was in a state of panic. ¡°I heard you went to look for Fu Jia and asked him to get the hell out of the villa. I thought you could differentiate between who¡¯s dear to you and who¡¯s not. What¡¯s up with the situation now?!¡±


    ¡°I also thought you knew what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong.¡± There was a incredible chill in Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice. ¡°You can measure some things with the same perspective, but you can¡¯t apply it all the time to other situations. Do you seriously think Fu Jia deserved to endure all those things you did to him?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Qinhe parted his mouth to defend himself but to no avail. Not a word left his mouth.


    ¡°Sit down. Class is going to start soon,¡± ordered Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Giving his head another scratch, Li Qinhe was dispirited for a long while before he gave an answer, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll look for someone in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It was the usual thanks that came from the Lu¡¯s where not even a tiny bit of sincerity could be felt.


    Li Qinhe sat back down in his seat and leaned over his desk facing away Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s direction.


    He suddenly recalled something.


    At that time, they were still young and he came over to the villa to play with the others in the yard.


    He had noticed there was a dark corner in the yard that was bare with nothing planted.


    He suggested to Lu Qi¡¯an, ¡°Lu Qi¡¯an, why don¡¯t we plant a lemon tree there? We can even eat them once they¡¯re ripe in the future!¡±


    Before he even finished, he was already exhilarated at his own idea.


    ¡°No,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said while shaking his head in refusal. ¡°That place mustn¡¯t be covered up.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Qinhe stomped his foot. ¡°It¡¯s so empty, and it¡¯s hideous to boot!¡±


    ¡°We just can¡¯t.¡± At that age Lu Qi¡¯an was already equipped with the patience to explain to others. ¡°I have a friend there.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± Li Qinhe asked in confusion. He did not understand what Lu Qi¡¯an was saying.


    Underneath the rays of sunshine, Lu Qi¡¯an beamed to his surprise.


    He said, ¡°Why else did you think I always brought Fengfeng here to play?¡±

 CH 11

    Chapter 11


    After school was over, Lu Qi¡¯an returned to his apartment where he lived alone.


    The rooms were well-kept since the cleaner would come every afternoon to clean up as well as prepare dinner for the day in the kitchen.


    This maid had always been responsible for the job ever since Lu Qi¡¯an started to live alone. Apt in managing her time, she always left before Lu Qi¡¯an returned so the chances of them meeting were nil.


    Neither his father nor Lu Wanqing knew about this. They always thought the maid stayed at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s apartment and looked after him most of her time, even accompanying him when eating.


    But should the two of them ponder more about it, they would soon realise that Lu Qi¡¯an had not been staying with anyone else for years.


    It began ever since he understood that his aunt¡¯s words of ¡°I¡¯ll look after you in place of your mother¡± which could never genuinely replace anything.


    Once he was done with his meal, he sat in the study to read until the doorbell rang.


    He opened the door, and there stood Fu Jia on the other side, carrying an old black school bag and wearing a uniform that was washed until it lost all color.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was not blind. He could tell Fu Jia always tried to make himself appear more calm and at ease, often doing things such as straightening his back or looking at him straight in the eyes. But the fingers on both of his hands that lay by his side would always curl up unnaturally.


    He was nervous.


    Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°Change your shoes before coming in.¡±


    Fu Jia let out a sigh of relief. His palms were sweaty. He wiped them on his shirt before he crouched down to untie his shoelaces.


    ¡°Why do you keep reminding me to change shoes? Do you think I¡¯m the type of person to stroll into someone¡¯s house with their shoes on?¡± asked Fu Jia.


    ¡°I never said that,¡± answered Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Fu Jia shrugged his shoulders in response. ¡°Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You keep twisting my words,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an continued. ¡°Changing shoes is my only request to you for coming here. I don¡¯t find my action in reiterating it again excessive.¡±


    Fu Jia, currently in the middle of slotting his feet into the slippers, almost wore them on the wrong side again upon hearing that.


    He struggled for a while before asking, ¡°What do you mean by the only condition?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to change your background or parents.¡± Seeing that Fu Jia changed into the correct shoes, Lu Qi¡¯an went ahead into the study.


    Caught by surprise, Fu Jia hurriedly followed suit.


    Lu Qi¡¯an already prepared the questions needed for today. After the two of them settled down in the study, he handed the book to Fu Jia. ¡°Try working on these twenty questions first.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s head began to throb in pain after he took a look. ¡°Why are there so many?¡±


    ¡°Different difficulty levels,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an explained. ¡°The first ten questions are slightly easier to solve. Refer back to the textbook. It¡¯s not that hard.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded with difficulty before he replied, ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    He buried his head to read the questions, but Lu Qi¡¯an noticed the white gauze still on his face and asked, ¡°Did you stop by the hospital?¡±


    Fu Jia instantly replied without thinking, ¡°Yeah, I went.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Shiyi Hospital,¡± Fu Jia bullshitted without thinking things through.


    Lu Qi¡¯an went on to probe even more. ¡°When are you going to get that changed again?¡±


    ¡°This is just a light injury. I don¡¯t need to get it change all the time.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a light injury, there¡¯s no need for you to always keep that on.¡±


    Fu Jia fell silent.


    He could not believe he forgot about the fact that Lu Qi¡¯an was the most difficult person to fool he had ever met in this lifetime.


    He flipped a page of the textbook, feigning ignorance.


    It was fortunate that Lu Qi¡¯an did not attempt to interrogate him any further.


    Lu Qi¡¯an took out a book from the shelf and flipped it open in his hand. He took great care of the books he held when reading; he would always use both hands to hold them and flip the pages very gently and lightly.


    By the time he recovered his senses, Fu Jia already watched Lu Qi¡¯an flip two pages.


    As though he were awoken from a dream, Fu Jia quickly lowered his head to read the question word by word. It took him several attempts before he finally managed to immerse himself in it.


    One was busy solving problems while the other was reading. Time passed at a regular pace, neither too fast nor too slow. The rays of nightfall gradually darkened as time passed. The room was lit up with warm colors, and everything was at peace.


    All it took to break this peace was a sharp sound of a phone ringing from outside. It was the landline telephone in the living room.


    With a frown, Lu Qi¡¯an placed the book down before leaving the study in a hurry.


    He seemed anxious. What happened?


    Fu Jia stopped writing, and soon, his mind drifted elsewhere. The pen nib was standstill on the paper, leaving behind a blotch of ink.


    One minute later, Lu Qi¡¯an returned. The moment he entered he said, ¡°That¡¯ll be all for today.¡±


    Fu Jia guessed what happened, but he still asked, ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°Something happened at the villa so I need to head back now.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an returned the book he placed on the table to the bookshelf. ¡°The driver will be here any minute. You can continue to stay here if you want, but I won¡¯t be back soon.¡±


    Fu Jia was itching to say something, but his throat felt exceptionally dry. All he managed to do was form an o-shape with his lips. He stared absentmindedly as the ink stain on the paper grew in size.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now,¡± he replied eventually. ¡°How about tomorrow? It¡¯s a Sunday so you won¡¯t have classes right?¡±


    But Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at the villa tomorrow too.¡±


    Fu Jia felt his stomach fall.


    Very quickly, he nodded in understanding. ¡°I got it. Let me know when you¡¯re available, since it¡¯s impossible for my results to improve overnight anyway.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an remained silent.


    Picking up his bag, Fu Jia directly walked out of the study room and crouched down by the door to change his shoes.


    The phone rang again, and Lu Qi¡¯an answered it. Fu Jia was not sure what the other person on the line said to have Lu Qi¡¯an reply in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon, Fengfeng.¡±


    It was then followed by another reply. ¡°Endure it for a while longer. The pain will subside soon.¡±


    The tenderness in his voice then made Fu Jia calmed down. Fu Jia walked out of the apartment. The moment the door slam shut, the voice Lu Qi¡¯an used to soothe Lin Fengxun over the phone was also barred away from the outside world.


    He patiently waited for the elevator to arrive.


    He patiently walked out of the neighborhood.


    But he was incapable of bringing himself to patiently continue walking.


    It hurt. It hurt so much that his vision blurred.


    He reached out to touch his face, and discovered that the gauze well-stuck to his face had somehow came loose during god knows when. The moment he touched it, he came into contact with the wound. It was wet, the same condition it was in on the first day.


    He was terribly mad at and disappointed in himself.


    No matter how severe and painful his injury was¡ªeven to the extent that he fainted¡ªLu Qi¡¯an would not suddenly appear to cheer him up.


    What was he doing, fighting with Lin Fengxun for what reason? Why was he so jealous of Lin Fengxun? All that brat could ever be was a chronically-ill patient! The sort that needed people to look after for a lifetime!


    Fu Jia was healthier and more free. He had so much more. He could earn money, could buy houses, and could even have the chance to own his own villa one day!


    He had everything.


    Everything except for Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He pulled the gauze from his face before tossing it to the floor and viciously trampling all over it. Once he was done venting his frustrations, he continued to walk ahead. Yet, after he took a few steps, he doubled back to pick up the dirty gauze from the ground before tossing it into a trash bin by the road.


    It¡¯s gonna be okay, Fu Jia.


    He thought to himself.


    Might as well go to the hospital to have it check out.


    He came to Shiyi Hospital and got blasted in the face by the doctor.


    ¡°Do you want to disfigure your face that badly?!¡±


    Ashamed, Fu Jia shook his head.


    The wound was originally unlikely to be infected, but Fu Jia had been concealing it beneath a gauze and did not change it which caused his wound to quickly worsen in this weather.


    ¡°Where are your parents?¡± The doctor wrote down his record in a flurry, before typing away on the computer. ¡°Go, borrow a phone from the nurse outside. Get your parents to come here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that.¡± Fu Jia feigned a pleasing smile to curry favor from the doctor. ¡°My parents are busy so they won¡¯t have the time to come here. I can pay myself since I have some cash on me.¡±


    ¡°This is a blade wound!¡± the doctor exclaimed. ¡°You got into a fight didn¡¯t you? I have to tell your parents about this. It¡¯s fine if you kids are just pulling punches but using real knives and guns is a big no-no!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I¡¯m already of age¡­¡± Fu Jia continued, ¡°Please hurry. I still need to head home to finish my homework.¡±


    The ER doctor on the night shift did not have all the time in the world to keep arguing with Fu Jia. Since Fu Jia insisted to not bring his parents into this mess, the doctor had no choice but to let him go.


    Trying to hold back the pain, Fu Jia went to pay. The doctor told him to come back for a check up in two days, but Fu Jia absolutely did not dare to step foot in there anymore.


    Upon returning to his dorm with both medical card and medicine in hand, Fu Jia pushed open the door and noticed that there was a stranger inside. The stranger sat beside his desk with one leg crossed over the other and lips smacking as if eating something.


    Fu Jia stopped right outside the room, afraid to head in.


    It was a girl wearing a miniskirt instead of pants for a school uniform, which violated the regulations.


    Confused as to whether or not he went to the wrong dorm room, he took two steps back.


    The stranger then instigated conversation. ¡°Fu Jia, aren¡¯t you gonna say hi to your own classmate?¡±


    Fu Jia was surprised to find that the smile she had on her face was¡­incredibly friendly.


    ¡°Classmate?¡± asked Fu Jia dubiously. ¡°I don¡¯t think I know you.¡±


    Feeling awkward, the stranger rubbed her own nose for a while. ¡°I just got transferred to your class today. You¡¯ll know when Monday comes around. My name is Cen Mengke.¡±


    Fu Jia pointed at the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, but this is the boy¡¯s dorm. How did you even get in here?¡±


    ¡°My, my.¡± Cen Mengke fished out a tissue paper before spitting out the stuff she was chewing in her mouth. Looking at the color of that thing alone, it should be a betel nut. ¡°Boys can¡¯t enter the girl¡¯s dorm, but it doesn¡¯t matter if a girl comes here.¡±


    Fu Jia was suddenly struck by a possibility. With a voice as cold as ice, he asked, ¡°Did Liu De send you?¡±


    Bringing a girl to the boy¡¯s dorm¡­Fu Jia could not even imagine the horrifying troubles it would bring! If the girl before him were to start randomly spouting something bad against him, there would be no need for him to come back to school anymore.


    Cen Mengke appeared stunned by the name for a brief moment. ¡°Sorry, who?¡±


    Ignoring her completely, Fu Jia turned to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get the supervisor. I never stepped foot inside the room. The surveillance camera in the hallway can justify that.¡±


    ¡°W-wait up¡­!¡± Cen Mengke stopped him. Clasping her hands together, she widened her eyes to look more adorable. ¡°If the supervisor finds out about this, we¡¯re done for¡­¡±


    Her facade did not fool Fu Jia. Instead, he felt his skin was crawling all over. ¡°Classmate, out with it! Tell me what you want with me.¡±


    Startled, Cen Mengke unfolded her hands and said, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not planning anything.¡±


    At the exact same moment, footsteps sounded behind Fu Jia, signalling the return of Liu De and his two lackeys.


    Liu De arrogantly walked in. The moment his eyes landed on Cen Mengke, he was caught by surprise and forcefully stopped in his tracks.


    His two lackeys were also puzzled and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    By the time they were done, Liu De slapped their backs until they both yelped out in pain.


    The expression on Cen Mengke¡¯s face was as innocent as ever.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± asked Liu De. He lowered his voice into a whisper, looking as though he were scared to talk loudly in front of Cen Mengke.


    Cen Mengke grinned. ¡°Why don¡¯t you three sleep elsewhere today? I want to talk to Fu Jia alone.¡±


    Liu De¡¯s expression went sour, but he nodded obediently before hauling his two lackeys away.


    Although Fu Jia was considered a fool, even he was able to tell that something was not right. Fu Jia confronted Cen Mengke. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Cen Mengke childishly made a firing pistol gesture with his hand by her lips. ¡°It¡¯s just that the boss of those three turns out to be my boss too.¡±


    Spreading her arms apart and looking enchanted as she drowned herself in the feeling, she said, ¡°All the delinquents in No. 16 High answers to me. I¡¯m the biggest bad around here.¡±


    Arms still wide apart, Cen Mengke waited for Fu Jia to flatter her.


    But Fu Jia was very dismissive about it. ¡°Ah, I see¡­ I¡¯m Fu Jia, but you already knew that.¡± He was still standing outside the room with no intention of heading in. He asked her, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Cen Mengke was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all you have for me now that you know my true identity?¡±


    Annoyed, Fu Jia asked again. ¡°What the hell are you doing here for?¡±


    Cen Mengke hugged her arms and gave a snort, deciding not to bicker with Fu Jia. Looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s your deal with Lin Qinhe?¡±


    What on earth? It did not occur to Fu Jia immediately as to which Li Qinhe she was talking about, so he said, ¡°I have no idea who he is.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea?¡± Cen Mengke¡¯s eyes instantly widened in surprise. ¡°Then why did he ask me to get transferred to your class to protect you? You¡¯re Fu Jia, aren¡¯t you? Fu, with the radical ¡®Ren¡¯. Jia, meaning commendation?¡±


    Frowning, Fu Jia seemed to have thought of something and asked once more, ¡°Li Qinhe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the boss of my big bro. You do know No. 6 High right? He¡¯s the biggest baddie in that school!¡± When Cen Mengke spoke of him, she was so proud that her eyebrows were about to shoot into the air.


    Fu Jia¡¯s expression quickly turned for the worse. ¡°I know of him.¡±


    Instead of saying he knew him, he said he knew of him.


    He was positive that young master Li thought the same as well, and did not want to associate with someone like him.


    A beaming smile blossomed on his face. ¡°I have nothing to do with him, but, if you really want to know that badly, our relationship is the kind where I¡¯ll pummel him the moment I see him.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Cen Mengke¡¯s mind sank into chaos.


    Gripping onto the door handle, Fu Jia explained, ¡°I already had a taste of his pranks, and I don¡¯t really want to be on the receiving end of it anymore. Stay put while I go and get the supervisor.¡± With that said, he slam the door shut with a loud bang.


    Cen Mengke¡¯s mind instantly blanked out.


    Outside, Fu Jia could her banging the door while she cried out in disarray. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! I¡¯m seriously here to protect you! I even transferred classes for it!¡±


    Her cries fell on deaf ears.


    Fu Jia found the supervisor on the first floor. After the supervisor heard his story, he slammed the table in shock and got up and hurriedly made his way to Fu Jia¡¯s dorm. But when the door was flung open by the two, not a single soul was found except the wide-open window.


    The supervisor checked the surveillance footage. He instantly had a migraine when he saw the female student sneaking her way into the boy¡¯s dorms.


    ¡°She¡¯s a repeat offender,¡± The supervisor said in exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s¡­not easy to discipline her. Why don¡¯t you all change the lock?¡±


    Fu Jia expressed his understanding and thanked the supervisor before going back to his dorm.


    Naturally, he would not go and change the locks as it required him to fork out the money to do so.


    That night, Liu De and the other duo did not come home so Fu Jia spent a peaceful night studying in his dorm until the lights went out. He then went to bed.


    After turning around in bed for a while, he had the soundest sleep since he moved out of the Lin¡¯s Villa.


    However, although he fell into a deep sleep, he did not have a good rest at all.


    If he knew what he would dream of, he would have rather chose to stay up all night.


    Never did he want to dream of a person whom he could never have in reality. Ever.

 CH 12

    Chapter 12


    Fu Jia instantly saw Cen Mengke in class on Monday.


    The girl also saw him and immediately yelled loudly across the room. ¡°Fu Jia!¡±


    Frowning, Fu Jia ignored her and made a beeline towards his seat.


    As Cen Mengke approached him, she complained loudly, ¡°You almost got me into serious trouble yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the capability to do so,¡± said Fu Jia. ¡°You¡¯re blocking the light. I want to study.¡±


    Cen Mengke cluck her tongue as she sneered. ¡°Stop it with that good student facade. I already took a look at your grades. It¡¯s hilarious that you¡¯re able to rank that low in No. 16 High alone.¡±


    She could have talked about anything else, but the moment she dragged his grades in, Fu Jia instantly boiled with anger. He threw his school bag onto the table and seethed in anger. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    However, Cen Mengke was not intimidated by his outburst. She glared. ¡°I don¡¯t care what sort of problems you have with Li Qinhe. He asked me to protect you, so now you¡¯re my lackey. How can a lackey be this mad at his boss? Apologize to me now!¡±


    His lips pursed tight. Fu Jia did not utter a single word.


    Cen Mengke was hard to deal with. If she were someone like Liu Cheng or Liu De, he could easily punch or curse them without feeling any guilt at all. Just bring it on, and he would fight back the same. Cen Mengke, on the other hand, was a girl. Not only that, she kept raving on and on about how she was here to protect him. What should he do in this situation? It was outrageous to hit her or curse at her.


    Despite that, making him apologize was out of the question. There was no way he would apologize to one of Li Qinhe¡¯s subordinates.


    The more he thought about it, the only solution was to ignore her.


    Thus, Cen Mengke watched on as Fu Jia took out a literature and language book out of his bag with his eyes closed and flipped to a page with classical chinese literature on it.


    ¡°Are you seriously going to study?¡±


    Fu Jia ignored her.


    ¡°Fu Jia. Fu Jia!¡±


    Still, Fu Jia ignored her.


    At a loss, Cen Mengke changed her target to the student sitting in front of Fu Jia. ¡°Hey, you! Change seats with me!¡±


    The student in front was scared out of his wits. Shrinking back in fear, he reflexively stood up before sitting back down again. In order to look after the newly transferred Cen Mengke, the tutor had her assigned to sit in the first row. Who on Earth in this class was willing enough to sit in the first row?


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Cen Mengke urged him again.


    The student could only stand up in grief.


    Cen Mengke sat back down and slapped the surface of Fu Jia¡¯s table, but Fu Jia was still motionless as though there were a protective barrier separating them.


    Bored out of her mind, she rested her upper body on the table as she surveyed the entire class. Her attention quickly shifted. ¡°Fu Jia, why are you the only person in class without a desk-mate?¡±


    Ever since she transferred here, the total number of students in the class became odd, so it was natural that a student would have to sit on their own. However, Fu Jia was not sitting in the last row, nor was he sitting at the corner. So why was he the one without a desk-mate?


    ¡°Did your desk-mate move after I transferred here? Or has it always been like this where no one wants to sit with you?¡± exclaimed Cen Mengke in realization. She finally found the problem where she could showcase her prowess as a boss.


    Yet, Fu Jia still ignored her.


    Not minding it in the least, Cen Mengke continued to sweep her gaze around and casually picked out a female student who looked weak and easy to bully. She then commanded, ¡°Come out with me.¡±


    The female student was so scared that she trembled in fear.


    Cen Mengke dragged her out into the hallway by her wrist and blocked her off in a corner to get to the bottom of this.


    Fu Jia seriously did not have any desk-mate since the beginning.


    Prior to this, the total number of students in the class was an even number, but not a single soul was willing to sit next to Fu Jia. Everyone took turns to sit in the lonely remaining seat as if the class collectively gathered all their power to cut Fu Jia off.


    ¡°The hell is wrong with your class?¡± asked Cen Mengke.


    Scared out of her wits, the female student lost the ability to form full sentences. ¡°He¡­He likes stealing¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡­he.¡± She mustered her courage. ¡°Someone in our class was his junior high school friend. When school started, he told us that Fu Jia likes stealing things from other people. He was even caught, but he refused to repent¡­¡±


    Cen Mengke was shocked.


    ¡°Who accused him? Where¡¯s the proof in that?!¡±


    Shaking her head, the female student refused to expose the person.


    Once Cen Mengke let her go, she leaned against the wall and was lost in her own train of thought.


    After, she walked a little further and gave her own lackey a call to ask about what happened before.


    ¡°Framing someone for stealing¡± was a common tactic used by delinquents like them. They would shove an item not belonging to the person into their drawers and find a suitable time to ask someone to publicly accuse the person for stealing. Then, they would arrange a so-called ¡°witness¡± as well as a few other people to cause a ruckus, resulting in the wrongly accused to lose their chance to clear their name.


    What happens later would not concern them anymore. The wrongly accused would naturally be isolated and pushed aside, and they would even get punished or bullied by the students in the name of justice. The others would not give a damn as to how long the person would have to bear this foul name.


    But now it was different. Now, Fu Jia was her subordinate.


    She was responsible for him until the end.


    Walking back into the classroom in large strides, she stood before her desk with no intention of sitting down. Instead, she sucked in a lungful of air and moved the table.


    Her large movements instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the classroom.


    Under their heated gaze, Cen Mengke moved the table one step at a time towards Fu Jia¡¯s side. With a loud bang, she pushed the two tables together.


    She then ran off to drag the chair over before loudly declaring to every other students in the room, ¡°I¡¯m Fu Jia¡¯s desk-mate now. I¡¯m also his boss, so refrain yourselves from spreading rumours about him behind my back.¡±


    With her words, the entire classroom sank into silence.


    Having covered her new lackey in an extravagant manner brightened up Cen Mengke¡¯s mood immensely. She then sat down with a smile on her face.


    Anxiously anticipating something, Fu Jia looked towards her. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to protect you.¡± Cen Mengke looked like there was nothing wrong with her actions.


    Lowering his head, Fu Jia wrinkled the page in his hand.


    Although Cen Mengke had said Li Qinhe was the one who sent her, there was no way Li Qinhe would pull something like this without reason. So it could only be¡­


    Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He shut his textbook and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Cen Mengke felt so smug that she lifted her nose up high into the air.  ¡°It was nothing! As your boss, it¡¯s expected of me to do something like this for you!¡±


    Fu Jia did not pay attention to her words.


    He did not understand what Lu Qi¡¯an was trying to pull here.


    Was it out of kindness? Or out of concern? He could not get it.


    He suddenly recalled the dream he had that night, the dream where Lu Qi¡¯an did not leave because of one measly phone call and instead, accompanied him to the hospital.


    When the doctor tended to his wound, the pain he felt was so agonizing that his face scrunched up completely. Lu Qi¡¯an was there, sitting by his side, and comforted him saying, ¡°Endure it a while longer.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s countenance in the dream was a blur, but his voice was as clear as day itself.


    This has been the case for the past ten years. When Fu Jia tried to sneak glances from the servant¡¯s room, he could only hear Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice. He could never see his face.


    This was the reality he had to face¡ª¡ªeven his dreams were stolen from Lin Fengxun.


    The morning class passed in a blur, but Fu Jia did not make a move to have lunch. He stayed in the classroom to study.


    Cen Mengke was caught between dozing off, stuffing herself with snacks, and reading novels. Her morning went by delightfully well. Seeing that Fu Jia intended to study, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t. It¡¯s important not to starve yourself! Since this is my first day as your boss, lunch is on me!¡±


    Without even raising his head to look at her, Fu Jia answered, ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Cen Mengke clicked her tongue and snatched his textbook from his grip. ¡°Let go!¡±


    Caught unaware, Fu Jia¡¯s book was snatched away by her. This frustrated Fu Jia greatly. He coldly said, ¡°Give it back.¡±


    Cen Mengke shoved the book into her drawer. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Give it back.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Using her gender as an advantage, Cen Mengke raised the pitch of her voice.


    Taking in a deep breath, Fu Jia tried to control himself from losing his cool so he would not beat Cen Mengke up.


    Giving Cen Mengke the cold shoulder, he took out another textbook. Cen Mengke tried to grab that, too, but was stopped by a series of knocks on the door.


    The classroom door was wide open, so why would someone knock on the door?


    Both Fu Jia and Cen Mengke shifted their gaze towards the door at the same instant and were shocked to see the person standing there.


    The tall person at the door donned a school uniform from No. 6 High.


    Lu Qi¡¯an lowered his hand, and his eyes landed on Fu Jia. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Eyes widening in shock, Cen Mengke appeared to have lost her voice for a moment. ¡°Lu¡­Lu¡­¡±


    Stammering for a long while, she could not even manage to say his full name.


    The inexplicable astonishment that exploded in Fu Jia¡¯s heart caused him to stand up at once. His waist bumped against the table and knocked the book off the table.


    When Lu Qu¡¯an approached them, he bent over to pick up the book. ¡°Did you have lunch yet?¡± He handed the book back to Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia took the book and shook his head. ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°We can go together.¡±


    Fu Jia lowered his head. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    One after another, the two strolled out of the classroom and left a shocked Cen Mengke behind who appeared as though she were hit by a bolt from the blue.


    The moment they were out of the door, Fu Jia was covered in sweat under the rays of the noon sunshine.


    Although the distance between them was half a person apart, as they walked together, Fu Jia seemed to be able to feel the warmth radiating off Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s body.


    ¡°Why did you come here to find me?¡± Up until now, he still had not recovered from his shock.


    Lu Qi¡¯an glanced at Fu Jia¡¯s face, discovering that the gauze was still there. He answered evasively, ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the hospital.¡±


    Subconsciously, Fu Jia touched his wound. Despite being told not to use the gauze earlier, he still stubbornly went and did it anyway. Now that the wound was worse, he had no say on this matter anymore.


    ¡°I went,¡± Fu Jia explained. ¡°I admit I lied to you that day, but I did go after.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an slowed down his pace as he walked ahead. ¡°Which hospital did you go to?¡±


    ¡°Shiyi Hospital.¡±


    ¡°You said the same thing last time.¡±


    This time, Fu Jia panicked. ¡°I really did go! Am I that dumb to use the same lie two times? You can go take a look at my medical booklet and the prescribed medicine in my dorm if you don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an came to a stop and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We can go take a look at your medical booklet.¡±


    Fu Jia was absolutely shocked. That meant Lu Qi¡¯an wanted to visit his dorm.


    Was that even possible?


    In order to save money, he stayed in the block with the worse facilities. It was extremely old and the orientation was not that good either. The paint on the inner walls of the building were already coming off, the railings were rusty, and every time he used the stairs he had to be cautious of how he moved to avoid getting dirty.


    Sighing, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. How about you wait for me here? I¡¯ll run back to my room and get you the medical booklet.¡±


    But Lu Qi¡¯an asked back, ¡°Am I not allowed to visit your dorm?¡±


    Fu Jia hesitated for a moment. ¡°Not really¡­¡±


    His shyness came out of the blue, but it was probably due to the fact that he felt nervous, or it was more likely because of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s sudden appearance. He had been so surprised that he was still trapped in a state of confusion.


    Go then. Nothing wrong with it. He thought.


    ¡°Then please don¡¯t complain about it.¡± Changing directions, he led Lu Qi¡¯an to his dorm.


    Ever since Cen Mengke came here, Liu De and his lackeys never came back. Fu Jia was not sure where they were staying. He opened the door. Inside was still as empty and deserted as before.


    He looked around and could not find a suitable place for Lu Qi¡¯an to sit down. It was impossible for him to go buy a wooden chair now, either, so he could only brazenly point to the plastic chair placed in front of the table. ¡°Sit there.¡±


    Fortunately, Lu Qi¡¯an did not mind and sat down without a moment of hesitation.


    This made Fu Jia felt more at ease. He crouched down in front of the locked cabinet and unlocked it with the keys he always kept with him and then rummaged around for a bag with the hospital¡¯s logo on it. He hastily picked it up for Lu Qi¡¯an to see. ¡°See. I really did go to the hospital.¡±


    Reaching out to receive the bag, Lu Qi¡¯an flipped through the medical booklet found inside. Just when he flipped to a certain page, he read aloud, ¡°Blade wound.¡±


    Fu Jia felt a little awkward. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an flipped another page. ¡°Excessive coverage of the wound with gauze induced an infection.¡±


    Fu Jia felt even more awkward. ¡°I thought it would¡¯ve been better if I covered it¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an continued to read the record. ¡°Recommended to return for a check up the next day¡ªdid you go?¡±


    Fu Jia made a grab at his hair. ¡°Actually, all I need to do is just apply the medicine on time. I don¡¯t have to go if it didn¡¯t worsen.¡±


    ¡°Apply the medicine on time?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an took out the medicine bottle. It had a sticker that says to apply it three times a day. ¡°Now should be the time you apply it the second time. How many times have you done it?¡±


    ¡°I forgot. But I did¡­¡± Ridden with guilt, Fu Jia avoided the question. He did not have enough time this morning so he did not apply it at all. Not even once.


    Standing up, Lu Qi¡¯an gave up his chair. ¡°You sit here.¡±


    Fu Jia thought he found the chair uncomfortable. ¡°Why? Do you need me to add a cushion?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lowering his gaze, Lu Qi¡¯an scrutinized the instructions on the medicine bottle. ¡°You sit here. I¡¯ll help you apply the medicine.¡±


    Fu Jia was stunned.


    ¡°You¡¯re unwilling?¡± asked Lu Qi¡¯an.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Fu Jia denied it without hesitation. He sat down on the plastic chair. For the first time, the chair did not feel as uncomfortable as it looked.


    Lu Qi¡¯an  leaned over close to Fu Jia. Afraid to look up, Fu Jia desperately glued his eyes to the ground.


    Lu Qi¡¯an gently touched the gauze on Fu Jia¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m going to remove this now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sweat broke out on Fu Jia¡¯s palms as he warned himself to not feel too nervous.


    Once the gauze was peeled off, a reddish cut that was neither deep nor long was revealed. It did not reach the point where they would need to sew the wound close, but since it was already infected, it was a rather gruesome sight to look at.


    Lu Qi¡¯an used a pair of tweezers to pick up a cotton ball and swab it with the medicine. After warning Fu Jia once, he touched the wound with the cotton ball.


    Judging from Fu Jia¡¯s reaction, it did not seem painful in the least as Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s actions were incredibly gentle.


    But how could it not hurt at all?


    It was just that the man was so close that Fu Jia could clearly count how many eyelashes he had. He did not have any attention left to care about whether or not the wound hurt anymore.


    After applying the medicine, Lu Qi¡¯an helped him put on fresh gauze. ¡°Done.¡±


    Fu Jia looked down at his own hands. To remain calm, he had pinched the back of his hand until it turned red.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an put the things away. ¡°Apply the medicine on time. Go to the hospital if it worsens.¡±


    Mulling over it for a while, Fu Jia said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an responded with silence.


    It was the same thing again. He was standing there while Fu Jia was sitting down, revealing a slender neck with his head lowered.


    He was too thin.


    Lu Qi¡¯an thought to himself. He did not come to No. 16 High the moment his class ended without even having lunch for no reason.


    ¡°Fu Jia,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s the end of May with one month left to go until your finals. If your rank in the city is good enough, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for you to transfer to No. 6 High for your second year once school reopens.¡±


    Fu Jia was a little loss as he replied, ¡°What?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an had no intention of repeating himself again.


    Fu Jia thought about his words again before his eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now,¡± said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    ¡°Wait a second!¡± cried out Fu Jia in a flurry. ¡°Are we not going to have lunch together?¡±


    Shooting a glance at his watch, Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°My intention was to see how the injury on your face was doing. Now that I¡¯ve checked it out, there¡¯s no need for us to have lunch together anymore.¡±


    Disappointed, Fu Jia replied, ¡°I see¡­¡±


    He neither stood up nor said anything else on the matter.


    This was similar to bidding him goodbye.


    Fu Jia regretted it as soon as Lu Qi¡¯an turned around and took a step. Fu Jia stood up suddenly, and his hands latched onto Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s arm in a strong grip. It happened in such haste that the chair was knocked over by accident, releasing a dull clang as it hit the ground.


    In order to apply the medicine, Lu Qi¡¯an had his sleeves rolled up, his arm bare for all to see. Lu Qi¡¯an could feel the coolness of Fu Jia¡¯s palm as well as his slight sweat.


    Lu Qi¡¯an looked confused.


    So there were still times he did not comprehend everything.


    But, he did not order Fu Jia to release him immediately.


    Eyes glued to him, Fu Jia parted his lips, but no sound came out.


    He seemed to have lost the ability to speak at this very moment.


    All his impulses were channeled into a single action¡ªhe threw himself towards Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Arms up in the air, he wrapped them around Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s neck into a tight embrace.


    His movement was impetuous and clumsy, causing Lu Qi¡¯an to almost lose his footing and balance.


    Caught off guard, Lu Qi¡¯an regained his composure and began to struggle to get Fu Jia off him. However, this only served to make Fu Jia hug him even tighter.


    His expression darkened as an icy tone surged through his voice. ¡°Let go.¡±


    Fu Jia pretended he did not hear him and tightened his grip even more. He buried his head into Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s neck and took in a deep breath.


    So this was what Lu Qi¡¯an smelled like.


    His scent was fresher and cooler than the aftermath of an early spring rain.


    Like a dog, he kept sniffing here and there, around his neck and shoulders, which angered Lu Qi¡¯an greatly. ¡°Release me this instant!¡±


    Refusing to let go, Fu Jia moved closer to Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Please wait for me. I¡¯ll definitely study twice as hard¡­¡±


    He was blowing his breath directly into Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s ear. Infuriated, Lu Qi¡¯an did not bother to restrain his strength anymore. With one rough shove, he pushed Fu Jia away and coldly berated, ¡°What is wrong with you?¡±


    Fu Jia staggered backwards, having been pushed away. Yet, his bright, clear eyes were still completely focused on Lu Qi¡¯an.


    In that instant Lu Qi¡¯an was forced to admit that he was wrong when he met Fu Jia on the stairs in the villa that time. How could he think that Fu Jia¡¯s eyes would never shine?


    Fu Jia¡¯s eyes were twinkling like the stars, filled with light from a flame that burned from the very depths, carrying the intention to ignite him.


    Lu Qi¡¯an took a deep breath and gradually regained his composure. The anger in his eyes was also gradually dissipating away.


    Everything happens for a reason. If it were not for that look in his eyes, Full Jia would not have been able to withstand a decade.


    ¡°You should calm down.¡± After saying that, Lu Qi¡¯an turned to leave.


    Fu Jia was left behind with his hands quivering uncontrollably against his will.

 CH 13

    Chapter 13


    May, June, July.


    During the scorching summer.


    The classroom was filled with students sitting for an exam and with proctors sitting at the front and the back of the room trying hard not to fall asleep. Fu Jia stopped writing and looked up at the ceiling fan suspended above which creaked as it spun. His vision was a blur.


    He rubbed his eyes, and only then did he realize that his sweat dripped into them.


    ¡°The exam is now over. Everyone, please stop writing.¡±


    After the bell rang out loud, the proctors stood up and allowed the candidates to leave the exam room. As Fu Jia went along with the moving crowd, the sun outside blazed fiercely and dazzled him.


    Once he exited the school, Fu Jia instantly made a beeline to the KTV bar located several blocks away.


    As he entered the back door of the KTV, Fu Jia greeted his boss before he changed into his work clothes.


    When Cen Mengke said that she wanted to be Fu Jia¡¯s boss, her words were not just for show. In the past two months, she found out a lot of about Fu Jia, such as the fact that he intended to transfer to No. 6 High as well as the fact that he would work part-time at a restaurant outside of the school the moment he had any spare time.


    Thus, Cen Mengke introduced a teacher from No. 6 High to Fu Jia and also went out of her way to find and introduce a new job which paid more than washing dishes all day long.


    ¡°You¡¯re on your school break starting from today, right?¡± asked the owner.


    Fu Jia cautiously nodded. ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯ll need to stay here from now on.¡±


    With a cigarette in his mouth, the owner laughed. ¡°No problem! There¡¯s plenty of space in the bar.  it¡¯ll take a toll on you if you¡¯re planning to stay here since sometimes you¡¯ll barely get any sleep at night.¡±


    Nodding in acknowledgment, Fu Jia assured him, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can do the night shift.¡±


    Working throughout the night would earn him more cash. He had to seize this opportunity during this school break to earn more. If he really did successfully transfer to No. 6 High, he would not be able to continue working anymore as the school was very strict in this aspect. Students were forbidden to take up part-time jobs during the school terms.


    The wait for the release of the final exam¡¯s results was extremely grueling and agonizing. At times, Fu Jia actually thought that after working overnight he would instantly crash and sleep like the dead until the afternoon. However, he would always startle himself awake after a couple of hours or so and would no longer be able to fall asleep.


    It was difficult for Fu Jia to painstakingly wait until the day his results were released. As he stared at the grade for each subject he took, he sank into a confused state.


    Was this considered good or not?


    He headed back to the KTV and worked nonstop from noon until the evening. He then seized the opportunity during his dinner break to make a phone call with the lousy phone he had.


    After Cen Mengke gave him the No. 6 High¡¯s teacher contact number, Fu Jia went and bought the most outdated cell phone model¡ªthe sort with keypads on it. The only number stored on it was this Mr. Wang¡¯s phone number.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Wang? I¡¯m Fu Jia, the one Cen Mengke mentioned to you last time¡­¡±


    Mr. Wang seemed to try to recall who he was. He paused briefly before laughing and said, ¡°Yeah, I remember you.¡±


    Tightly gripping the phone, Fu Jia said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. My results for the final exam¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Mr. Wang cut him off. ¡°Mister Fu, your father already sent someone over to talk to me about it. Don¡¯t you worry! Leave this to me. I¡¯ll contact the administration office on No. 16 High¡¯s side as well to transfer your enrollment over. I¡¯ll contact you again by calling this number if there¡¯s anything else I need you to do. Is that alright with you?¡±


    His response had caught Fu Jia by surprise.


    Was he hearing things or was Mr. Wang clearly mistaken?


    The two words he was about to utter seemed to entangle itself tightly around Fu Jia¡¯s tongue, making it hard for him to pronounce clearly and smoothly. ¡°My father?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Mr. Lin Qing¡¯s secretary got in contact with me a few days ago,¡± Mr. Wang clarified.


    Fu Jia almost lost his grip on his cell phone.


    Mr. Wang continued to say something more, but Fu Jia was incapable of listening to anything else. He only acknowledged Mr. Wang with a couple of non-committal sounds.


    He was stuck in a trance for a long while after the call ended.


    His father, Lin Qing?


    What a joke! Fu Jia gave an absurd laugh, his body turning as cold as ice. Thinking that the cold came from a strong air conditioner in the KTV, he went out through the back door and stood under the sun for a while. He eventually recovered, regaining the heat he lost before heading back in to continue submerging himself in work.


    When he was about to set foot through the door, he noticed a colleague of his looking around in all sorts of direction as if he were looking for something. The moment the colleague caught sight of Fu Jia with a turn of the head, he hastily called out, ¡°Fu Jia!¡±


    Fu Jia walked over. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Go to the front desk. Someone seems to be looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± In that split second, Fu Jia had a premonition.


    He rushed to the front desk, and as expected, there was a woman dressed in a well-fitted business suit sitting on the sofa waiting for him. Seeing Fu Jia approaching her in quick steps, she stood up and nodded in his direction. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mr. Lin¡¯s secretary.¡±


    It really was Lin Qing.


    Fu Jia stared at her coldly and did not utter a single word.


    There was only indifference in the secretary¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mr. Lin is waiting for you outside. Follow me.¡±


    Twisting his face away, Fu Jia shot back at her, ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to say to the likes of him, and I don¡¯t know you. You should leave.¡±


    The secretary smiled. ¡°That won¡¯t do. Mr. Lin never liked this place to begin with. If he wishes, you won¡¯t be able to work here as a server anymore.¡±


    The indifference in her tone made the whole thing seem completely irrefutable.


    Taking in a deep breath, Fu Jia straightened his back and said, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    A grin emerged on the secretary¡¯s face.


    Lin Qing¡¯s car was just waiting outside. The secretary led Fu Jia all the way to the side of the car and gently knocked on the window when she arrived. ¡°Mr. Lin?¡±


    The window rolled down and revealed Lin Qing¡¯s figure sitting within the car.


    Lin Qing had always been unruly and headstrong since he was young. Although he was born into the Lin family, he stopped his studies ever since he graduated from elementary school, arguing with his family that he wanted to take up art. The Lins hired an art teacher for him, but before two days could even pass, he wanted to learn music instead. In the following years, he learned everything there was to learn in art.


    After he grew a little older, he could not keep himself still anymore and traveled all around the world to the point where his family could not see him year after year. By the time he came back, his hair was already quite long and was dyed blonde which angered his mother so much that she collapsed.


    But only men like him, who were as passionate as a burning flame and had many tricks up their sleeves, have the ability to conquer the infamously difficult Lu Wanqing.


    Currently, Lin Qing, who was now past the age of forty, had his shoulder-length hair tied at the back of his head and looked so young that he looked like he was the same age as Fu Jia.


    Narrowing his eyes, Lin Qing said, ¡°Get in the car. We¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Fu Jia did not make any sign to move. Seeing this, the secretary hurriedly moved to open the door and ushered him to go in. ¡°Get in.¡±


    Only then did Fu Jia slip into the car. The secretary shut the door, leaving both him and Lin Qing locked up in an airtight space alone. The very thought of it made his skin crawl.


    He could smell the thick cologne permeating from Lin Qing¡¯s body.


    And it made him sick.


    The prologue of their play went down like this:


    ¡°Thank you for moving out,¡± Lin Qing said quickly. The first two words flashed by very lightly as if he said it incorrectly.


    Fu Jia sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t say that to me. I didn¡¯t move out because of you.¡±


    Lin Qing silently smiled. His hands alternated between clasping together and settling on his knees.


    The very thought of even glancing at Lin Qing disgusted Fu Jia to no end, so he tore his gaze away and stared down at his hands which were clenched into fists. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with Mr. Wang? Did you send someone to spy on me?¡±


    Lin Qing laughed out loud. ¡°It made me very curious when you suddenly moved out. For a decade, you¡¯ve always been a mangy mutt. I wondered why you were suddenly enlightened. It had me a little worried, so of course I had to keep my eye on you for a while.¡±


    Fu Jia was furious, boiling with anger to the point where his entire body shook. He gripped the door handle tightly and attempted to get out, but no matter how much he tried, how much force he used, he was not able to swing the door open.


    ¡°Open the door,¡± Fu Jia ordered with a trembling voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re not done yet,¡± said Lin Qing. ¡°The time you spend here as well as how many words you have to take in, it all depends on me. You neither have a say in the matter nor have the right to do so.¡±


    Fu Jia clenched his fists even tighter than before. He had to bite down on his tongue to control himself from lashing out and sending a direct punch to Lin Qing¡¯s face.


    Lin Qing could clearly see the veins pulsing on Fu Jia¡¯s temples as well as the incessant quiver that shook his body. He continued, ¡°I¡¯m very surprised that you enjoy studying so much. If you had shown such interest at the start, I would have already sent you to No. 6 High earlier on. But I¡¯m still very curious as to how you came to like studying? I¡¯m not the studious type. It¡¯s the same for your mom.¡± Here, he paused momentarily before continuing again. ¡°Fu Xiaoli¡­¡±


    Before he could even finish, Fu Jia punched the car window which shook the car. ¡°Does this even concern you?¡±


    Lin Qing frowned in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to contact Mr. Wang with your own efforts. Do you have any idea about your ranking? It¡¯s a joke.¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with you,¡± Fu Jia said through gritted teeth.


    As Lin Qing stared at him, his gaze gradually turned cold. ¡°You should be thanking me on your knees. If I didn¡¯t help you, you would never get into No. 6 High in your lifetime.¡± He added, ¡°Tell me. Why do you want to transfer schools? Why do you want to go and pester Lu Qi¡¯an?¡±


    His breath hitched, and Fu Jia snapped to look at Li Qing in bewilderment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about using those cheap tricks of yours.¡± Lin Qing¡¯s voice was dripping heavily with annoyance. He glanced at Fu Jia, seemingly able to see right through his ploys. ¡°What is yours will be yours. What is not yours will never be yours. Lu Qi¡¯an is not that easy to deceive. Regardless of how you hard you try to curry favor with him, he will not grant you the benefits you seek. You¡¯re the same as Fu Xiaoli, adept in clinging to people like leeches. However, your attempts are futile. No matter how you pour the water at a great height, it will always come flowing down.¡±


    He tapped the touchpad next to him, unlocking the Fu Jia¡¯s side of the door. ¡°Leave.¡±


    Mimicking Lin Qing¡¯s action from before, Fu Jia laughed in silence.


    He really was a mirror image of Lin Qing, so this laugh of his resembled Lin Qing¡¯s perfectly.


    Turning towards Lin Qing, he whipped out his hand¡ª


    ¡ªAnd sent a hard slap which cut sharply through the air across Lin Qing¡¯s head.


    Lin Qing¡¯s mouth opened in disbelief as he forced back a cry of pain and gaped. Touching his face, the area he was struck had gone completely numb.


    ¡°Fu Jia!¡± Lin Qing tried to hold back his anger. ¡°Don¡¯t act as if I owe you anything! I could have ignored you when you were eight and let you starve or freeze to death on the streets. But I still took you in and brought you back to the villa. Who the hell do you think you are to have the right to criticize me?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you anything either!¡± Fu Jia bellowed back at him without raising his volume, but every word was uttered viciously with deep hatred as though they could bite down and snap off Lin Qing¡¯s neck on Fu Jia¡¯s behalf.


    He rammed opened the car door and ran out as fast as his legs could carry him.


    Lin Qing watched Fu Jia¡¯s retreating figure with a grim look on his face, not saying a single word.


    There was an undying cloud of heat steaming in the summer evening that was desperately trying to seep into Fu Jia¡¯s body. When he covered his ears tightly, it would enter through his mouth and nose, and when he shut them tight, it would dive in through his pores.


    He stumbled and barged into the KTV¡¯s washroom, turned on the tap, and then washed his head under the water. But he could not get rid of the heat.


    He felt like he was about to explode as his blood began to boil from the depths of his body. The blood coursing through his veins that came from Lin Qing and Fu Xiaoli. The blood disgusted him to no end and made him sick to the point that Fu Jia had an insuppressible need to vomit.


    And so he did. He puked everything out.


    The whole world finally quieted down.


    The only thing that echoed in Fu Jia¡¯s ears was his own gasp for breath.


    He suddenly thought of Lu Qi¡¯an.


    It was Lu Qi¡¯an who said that he did not need to change his parents nor his background. It was Lu Qi¡¯an who said that he would treat him objectively and disregard everything around him.


    Did those words still count now?


    Fu Jia raised his head and met his own bloodshot eyes reflected in the mirror.

 CH 14

    The next day, Cen Mengke brought a group of friends to where Fu Jia was to play.


    ?


    More than ten people went inside the KTV''s ''Supreme Box'', clamouring for a pile of snacks. It took three pages for Fu Jia to finished recording their order.


    ?


    After he delivered the last fruit tray, Fu Jia was stopped by Cen Mengke. There was a lot of noise inside the box, so she yelled in Fu Jia''s ear: "You play with me. I know your boss, there''s no issue!"


    ?


    Fu Jia''s brain was about to be pierced by her voice, he quickly pushed her away and agreed: "I know, I know, don''t yell."


    ?


    Cen Mengke laughed at him, she also felt it was too noisy and grabbed the microphone on the table to command loudly: "Be quiet, change it to a ballad!"


    ?


    When the untuned singing halted, everyone hurriedly switched to another song and the roaring noise that could reach the heavens settled down.


    ?


    "How is it, the results should have come out, you did well right?" Cen Mengke nudged Fu Jia''s shoulder.


    ?


    Fu Jia had a headache when she mentioned this subject, and nodded perfunctorily.


    ?


    Cen Mengke''s smile deepened: "You have contacted Mr Wang right, he doesn''t have any problems. Do you need to go through any formalities to transfer? When are you going to tell?"


    ?


    Fu Jia keenly noticed there was something wrong with her words, and wondered: "Why are you so sure that there''s no problem with Mr Wang?"


    ?


    Cen Mengke slapped the table and laughed, then concealed herself by eating a piece of watermelon: "That''s for sure, it''s the teacher I introduced to you¡­¡­"


    ?


    Fu Jia''s first reaction was: Cen Mengke has a relationship with Lin Qing. But he quickly denied this thought. Cen Mengke only met him because Li Qinhe and Lu Qi''an knew Fu Jia, so she can''t be involved with Lin Qing.


    ?


    Both the Lu Family''s father and son hated Lin Qing, Fu Jia was certain about this.


    ?


    The problem should lie with Mr Wang.


    ?


    Fu Jia continued to ask: "How did you know Mr Wang?"


    ?


    Cen Mengke looked up at the ceiling: "I just know. Your boss, me, have great resources, didn''t you realised it on the first day?"


    ?


    She made up her mind to act shamelessly, whatever Fu Jia asked she wouldn''t answer, which made him a little angry.


    His mood has been gloomy ever since yesterday''s events, he didn''t know how long this feeling would last.


    ?


    He stood up: "You play, I still have work."


    ?


    Cen Mengke grabbed him: "Don''t go, don''t go, I still have unfinished business!"


    ?


    She knew it was useless to use force on Fu Jia, but just a little tenderness have a miraculous effect on him, hence she fluttered her large eyes and said: "sit down, I''ll hurry up this time and talk about business."


    ?


    Fu Jia stared at her.


    ?


    Cen Mengke continued to blink.


    ?


    Fu Jia reluctantly sat back.


    ?


    He wasn''t someone who couldn''t tell what''s good and what''s bad. Cen Mengke had always sincerely helped him, a girl who had been treated coldly by him so many times before could still be so energetic.


    ?


    It was him that was too much.


    ?


    Cen Mengke patted the younger bro next to her, and he immediately handed her a big box. She carried it in her arms and opened it as if she was presenting a treasure, and said: "This is a gift for your transfer."


    ?


    After speaking, she took out a brand-new set of No.6 High''s uniform.


    ?


    "Prepared it for you, lest you felt it was too expensive and buy second-hand ones from people at school."  The quality of No.6 High''s uniform was top-notch in the city, even the price was top-notch. In regards to Fu Jia''s financial situation, Cen Mengke would naturally think like this.


    ?


    Fu Jia didn''t just fail to pick it up, he also pushed it back: "I can''t have this."


    ?


    Cen Mengke rolled her eyes: "Hey, how come such a big man is so petty? You don''t even dare to touch this thing?" She continued to search through the box and pulled out a new schoolbag: "Look at this, this is for you too. Come touch the fabric, wow, I want all of this¡­¡­"


    ?


    Of course, she was talking nonsense.  Although this schoolbag was of high quality, it wasn''t her taste. The bag was completely black, other than the grey line encircling the edge, the colours and layout were simple and general. Fu Jia glanced at the tag hanging from the bag, it was at least a dozen pages thick with every kind of language, telling him how expensive this was.


    ?


    Fu Jia said, "Thank you, but I don''t want these things. If I accept them, how it is different from taking your money?"


    ?


    Cen Mengke''s rolled her eyes more: "You are really petty!" She spoke faster, "Besides, these things aren''t given by me to you, so you aren''t taking my money, but Lu¡­¡­"


    ?


    By the time she mentioned this, she woke up and stopped on the name "Lu". She almost choked on herself.


    ?


    It was Lu Qi''an who bought the schoolbag and sent it to Li Qinhe, saying: "Help him buy somethings for school." Then, Li Qinhe passed her the schoolbag and repeated Lu Qi''an''s words. She ran here and there, gathering all kinds of things before coming here to offer the treasure.


    ?


    However, she couldn''t say it.


    ?


    It''s really suffocating her.


    ?


    Fu Jia looked at her suspiciously: "Lu?"


    ?


    "I''m really full. I can''t believe I passed by here to receive blame!" Cen Mengke forcibly threw the name ''Lu'' away and angrily tossed the bag, "Do you want it or not? I don''t want this dark thing anyway, and this uniform and this,"


    She kicked the box and the items inside tangled in a mess. "And this pile of stationery isn''t Holle Kitty''s, so what would I do with it? If you don''t want it, throw it away, I don''t want it either."


    ?


    After she snapped, she turned around and left.


    ?


    "Cen Mengke!" Fu Jia wanted to catch up, but Cen Mengke''s younger bro stopped him.


    ?


    Fu Jia couldn''t do anything but said to the boy: "You take that box back and return it to your boss."   The little bro smiled foolishly: "Ok."


    ?


    Fu Jia let out a sigh of relief and left the room to continue working.


    ?


    When he returned to the place arranged for him to rest in at midnight, he saw the box beside the bed.


    ?


    Fu Jia: "¡­"


    ?


    July, August.


    ?


    During the bitter summer.


    ?


    This holiday, Lu Qi''an returned from studying abroad and stayed at the Lin Family''s villa for three days.


    ?


    During the past three days, he didn''t carry Lin Fengxun to the courtyard to play, making Lin Fengxun a little confused. He complained about him: "Bro Qi''an is lazy, he doesn''t want to carry me now."


    ?


    Lu Wanqing laughed at this: "It''s you who''s too big and heavy, who would want to carry you."


    ?


    Lin Fengxun looked angry and comical, he pushed his mother to let her out.


    ?


    Lu Wanqing didn''t like to disturb the two children''s freedom, so she rose up to leave his room.


    ?


    "Aunt, I''ll leave with you." Lu Qi''an stood up.


    ?


    Lin Fengxun looked lonely: "Bro Qi''an, are you leaving?"


    ?


    Lu Wanqing was also surprised: "You''ve only stayed for a few days, why are you leaving?"


    ?


    "I''m going to stay with Dad for a while." Lu Qi''an said, "It''s better to go as early as possible, else there''s no suitable time after school starts."


    ?


    Lin Fengxun understood. He felt very disappointed, but he didn''t ask him to stay. Lu Qi''an''s holiday was late this year and he studied abroad soon after. He didn''t say goodbye to his father before he left, and didn''t see him after he came back. Calculating from this, the pair of father and son haven''t met each other for several months.


    ?


    Lu Wanqing frowned: "Qi''an, your father¡­"


    ?


    "Yeah." Lu Qi''an nodded, "Don''t worry, I realise and understand."


    ?


    Realise and understand, but not necessarily forgiven.


    ?


    Lu Wanqing smiled helplessly: "You and Sister-in-law really have the same temperament¡­¡­" She patted her son''s head, "Fengfeng, say goodbye to Qi''an."


    ?


    Lin Fengxun was unwilling to let go: "Bro Qi''an, goodbye."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an rubbed his head too: "Goodbye, I''ll find time to see you again."


    ?


    Lu Wanqing wanted to personally help Lu Qi''an pack his luggage and drive him there, but as soon as she opened the suitcase, a call from work took her away.


    ?


    Aunt Chen took over what she was doing with quicker hands and feet, she was much faster than Lu Wanqing.


    ?


    "Young Mr Lu, you should go to the living room on the first floor and wait for me." When Lu Qi''an stood close by her, Aunt Chen''s heart couldn''t calm down.


    ?


    She was a little scared of Lu Qi''an.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an could see Aunt Chen''s nervousness, he nodded and went down.   There was someone in the living room, it was Lin Qing. He sat on the sofa drinking coffee. He was neatly dressed as if he just returned from outside.


    ?


    When Lin Qing heard footsteps, he looked over and saw Qi''an. He spoke with a pleasant tone: "Qi''an, long time no see"


    ?


    Lu Qi''an nodded to him: "Long time no see, Uncle Lin."


    ?


    Lin Qing beckoned to him: "Come Qi''an, this is a rare opportunity. Let''s sit down and have a cup of coffee together."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an refused: "I don''t like coffee."


    ?


    Lin Qing wasn''t embarrassed, he smiled happily: "Then we won''t drink coffee, chatting is also good."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an didn''t refuse anymore and sat opposite to Lin Qing.


    ?


    Lin Qing glanced upstairs, towards Lin Fengxun''s room and exclaimed: "Thank you for coming here often to see Fengfeng, so that Fengfeng isn''t too lonely."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an had a smile on his face, but nothing in his eyes: "No, I just come here a bit more than you, Uncle Lin."


    ?


    With this sentence, he bluntly revealed his dislike for Lin Qing.


    ?


    The young man in front of Li Qing didn''t want to hypocritically exchange compliments.


    ?


    After realising this, Lin Qing began to laugh hollowly and loosen, he leaned against the sofa as if he was boneless: "Qi''an, if you are angry because Fu Jia disturbed you, I apologise."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an raised his eyes to look at Lin Qing: "Fu Jia''s matter has nothing to do with me."


    ?


    Lin Qing pretentiously shook his head in shame: "I caused this disaster, I must apologise. But, I don''t understand something. After Fu Jia moved out, I have been sending people to monitor him. I know he contacted a teacher named Mr Wang and wants to transfer to No.6 High. I thought Fu Jia was muddle-headed  and wanted to annoy you, so I planned to cut his contact with Mr Wang."


    ?


    His eyes widened when he reached this point: "I didn''t expect the person pulling the strings was you, Qi''an."


    Lin Qing was amazed: "Why are you doing this? Fu Jia is just like his mother; if someone gave him a pole, he''ll climb on it. You might have good intentions, but I don''t know how long he would continue to pester you. I have beaten Fu Jia this time, but if you soften and let him pester you again, don''t blame me." After he spoke, he laughed aloud. In his eyes, Lu Qi''an was soft-hearted with Fu Jia and would offer a helping hand, but this was a childish act that made others laugh.


    ?


    However, Lu Qi''an also smiled.


    ?


    "Uncle Lin, although I call you uncle, you aren''t considered my elder. What I want to do or how I treat others has nothing to do with you."


    ?


    His words were so satirical that Lin Qing frowned.


    ?


    "You don''t understand? Then let me simplify it." Lu Qi''an spoke with a mocking smile: "It''s none of your business."

 CH 15

    August, September.


    ?


    During the long summer.


    ?


    At the start of the new semester, Mr Wang took Fu Jia through his admission process, and he moved into the new dorm.


    ?


    The dorms of No.6 High had a standard design: A monotone bedroom for four, with an air conditioner and a bathroom. When Fu Jia entered, all three roommates were there. They met Fu Jia for the first time, and despite their unfamiliarity, they were very enthusiastic. Their friendliness made Fu Jia a little uncomfortable.


    ?


    Just like how Cen Mengke suddenly jumped in front of him and stated "I want to protect you¡¯, this pure kindness was strange to Fu Jia too.


    ?


    Because it was unfamiliar, it was difficult for him to reciprocate.


    ?


    At No.6 High, students would be rearranged into new classes based on their grades every semester, so Fu Jia¡¯s sudden presence wasn¡¯t shocking.


    ?


    The headteacher was also extremely considerate, he didn¡¯t tell the class that he was a transfer student, and arranged for the class monitor to be his desk-mate.


    ?


    The class monitor introduced himself as soon as they met: "Hello, you can call me Big Head." He touched his freshly shaved head and explained with a silly smile: "Don¡¯t be too surprised, my head is small now, but before it was shaved it looked like I had electrified hair. I was teased by everyone, and Big Head became my nickname."


    ?


    Since desks were joined together, and there wasn¡¯t much distance between them, it seemed like desk-mates used it for chatting.


    ?


    Big Head had a smile, but Fu Jia wasn¡¯t used to it.


    ?


    During his first year of high school, his desk-mate kicked over his desk in front of everyone at their class meeting, and pointed at the fallen items and claimed he stole them.


    ?


    Then, the classmates sitting nearby stood up to testified one after the other.


    ?


    All the classmates yelled in unison: "Get out! Get out!", and smashed his body with books. He wasn¡¯t willing to go and kept explaining, so his desk-mate grabbed his hand and dragged him out.


    ?


    Everyone used his desk to block the door and he used all his might to knock on the door, whilst repeating his incoherent explanation over and over again. Only a burst of ridicule came from the classroom.


    ?


    Fu Jia was in a daze, but Big Head was very patient and waited for his reply.


    ?


    He smiled and asked: "Since you were teased for it, why use this nickname?"


    ?


    Big Head laughed out loud: "I asked this too. But, only close friends would call me by this nickname, it¡¯s actually quite interesting."


    ?


    Fu Jia wondered for a bit, yet couldn¡¯t realise what was so interesting.


    ?


    Getting to know Big Head was only the beginning for Fu Jia¡¯s transfer to No.6 High. This bald young man looked simple and honest and was unexpectedly popular. After the first lesson ended, Big Head took Fu Jia to the circle of boys. The break was so short that Fu Jia only managed to introduce himself, but Big Head¡¯s friends immediately became brothers with Fu Jia.


    ?


    During lunch break, Big Head didn¡¯t let go of Fu Jia and went with him to eat. Seven or eight boys joined the tables together in the cafeteria, they were so full of energy, even the female classmates on the neighbouring table picked up their tray and ran away. Fu Jia didn¡¯t know what to say, so he immersed himself in the meal. Someone suddenly threw him a boiled egg, picked a chopstickful of veggies and said: "Old Fu, let¡¯s swap food."


    ?


    Old, Old Fu?


    Fu Jia held the egg, feeling a little lost.


    ?


    The school ended at the same time as his previous one. After the first day of school, there were no evening self-study classes and, Fu Jia wanted to leave but was blocked by Big Head: "It¡¯s rare that there¡¯s no evening self-study, let¡¯s play basketball together. Us nine are missing someone."


    ?


    Fu Jia refused: "I¡¯m not going, I have something to do."


    ?


    He wanted to look for Lu Qi¡¯an all day, but was always drag along by Big Head to ¡®make friends¡¯.


    ?


    "How come you got something to do? You¡¯re living in the dorm, there no need to be afraid of being scolded for going home late. Let¡¯s go play basketball and eat dinner."


    ?


    Fu Jia changed his excuse: "I don¡¯t know how to play, let¡¯s forget it."


    ?


    "That¡¯s easy, can¡¯t the nine of us teach you?" Big Head¡¯s smile was extremely sincere.


    ?


    Fu Jia glanced outside the windows, and seeing that students were pouring out of the classroom he gave up: "Okay, but don¡¯t ask me tomorrow, I really have something to do."


    ?


    Big Head nodded and gave a toothy smile: "Just today then."


    ?


    The outdoor basketball courts were really popular this summer evening. By the time Fu Jia and Big Head came, the sports ground was full of people, there was also a crowd forming beside the basketball court. It was as lively as a whole school gathering. Luckily, Big Head¡¯s friends left early and found a space.


    ?


    "Big Head!" They waved at Fu Jia and Big Head.


    ?


    "Coming!" Big Head shouted back and turned to Fu Jia: "We¡¯ll be doing some passes first, and I¡¯ll explain the rules to you. You look at how the person next to you is playing, when you have an understanding, we¡¯ll start to play. Just keep on dribbling and you¡¯ll get it."


    Fu Jia felt it wouldn¡¯t be as easy as this: "Or I could stand on the side and watch you play."


    ?


    "That¡¯s no fun." Big Head disagreed, and he pointed somewhere, "Look there, the seniors are playing. It''s not that complicated, just block the taller players."


    ?


    The setting sun was also in that direction, hindering his view, but after Fu Jia squinted to see, he froze.


    ?


    "See the person wearing blue sneakers, that''s Senior Lu. He¡¯s very tall and there¡¯s a person on the other team responsible for blocking him." Big Head continued, "But we don¡¯t have such a strong player here, or someone that tall. You can just play as you wish."


    ?


    Right after he spoke, Lu Qi¡¯an happened to receive a pass, jumped up to dunk and scored.


    ?


    He had been playing for a while, the sweat on his forehead slid down, and his tight leg muscles burst with every step.


    Upon seeing Fu Jia stare at Lu Qi¡¯an in a daze, Big Head stretched out his hand in front of him and waved: "Scared? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not as good as that senior, we just play casually."


    ?


    Fu Jia suddenly looked at Big Head and asked, "Can I play with them?"


    ?


    Big Head: "¡­"


    ?


    "What are you thinking?" Big Head punched him, ¡°You don¡¯t like us?¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia looked back at that court again: ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ?


    ¡°No buts,¡± Big Head¡¯s friends were anxious to play, ¡°You don¡¯t dare to play with us, but want to play with the seniors? They¡¯re all at the school team level and won a lot of competitions. You¡¯re unfairly treating us, let¡¯s play together ok.¡±


    ?


    Big Head took this accusation seriously, he gave him a shove and took the basketball thrown by his friend. He passed it over to Fu Jia.


    ?


    Fu Jia was startled and hurried to catch it. He finally caught it in an extremely embarrassing position.


    ?


    Everyone hearty laughed


    Perhaps it was because he was standing on the court in full spirit, or because they laughed like how friends would, or maybe because Lu Qi¡¯an was nearby, Fu Jia couldn¡¯t help laughing too.


    ?


    He tossed the ball back to Big Head in a perfect parabola.


    At the same time, Lu Qi¡¯an stopped and ignored the ball passed to him by his teammate.


    ?


    As soon as he stopped, all ten players stopped too.


    ?


    ¡°Sorry,¡± He apologised, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest for a bit, find someone to replace me.¡± He left the court and Li Qinhe followed, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an leaned over, wiped his sweat with a tissue taken from his bag and didn¡¯t answer.


    ?


    Li Qinhe pinched his chin and thought, "Tired? That¡¯s impossible, he didn¡¯t even use a tenth of his full strength. Thirsty?¡± When he mentioned this, he saw someone from a distance and waved.


    ?


    There was a long-haired girl with bright eyes calling her friend, who had the same-lengthed fluttering hair, over. They trotted over with bottles of mineral water.


    ?


    Li Qinhe clapped his hands: ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s take a break and drink some water.¡±


    ?


    The long-haired girl went straight to Li Qinhe¡¯s side and gave him two bottled water. Li Qinhe took it with a smile and smooth-talked: ¡°My wife is really good.¡±


    ?


    The girl blushed.


    ?


    When the players on the court saw this scene they didn''t have the heart to keep on playing, they started to stomp and boo. Li Qinhe¡¯s favourite thing to do was to be publicly affectionate, it wasn¡¯t too much, he just hugs his girlfriend.


    ?


    His friends made more noise. They already attracted a lot of people, but after this, they attracted the entire sports grounds¡¯ attention. Of course, this included Fu Jia, who was engrossed in watching the ball and not wanting to mess up the pass.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an wasn¡¯t involved in his friend¡¯s racket. He lightly leaned on the basketball stands and gazed in Fu Jia¡¯s direction.


    ?


    The setting sun made Fu Jia¡¯s eyes gold.


    ?


    Then, as they stared at each other, this view was carved into Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s eyes.


    ?


    From the moment Fu Jia stepped onto the court, Lu Qi¡¯an noticed him.


    ?


    He looked fine on his first day of school. His school uniform was new, his schoolbag was also new, and there were no signs of injury: no gauze on his face, and no scar. He also made some new friends.


    ?


    The pace of the game was getting faster and faster before, and Lu Qi¡¯an couldn¡¯t find a reason to keep on being distracted by him.


    ?


    But¡­¡­ever since the start, as long as he and Fu Jia could see each other, Fu Jia would always stare at him.


    ?


    He didn¡¯t like when, he really disliked when Fu Jia¡¯s gaze wouldn¡¯t fall on him.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s stare made Fu Jia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, his eyes grew unsteadily for a moment before staring back again.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t move away.


    ?


    Fu Jia gritted his teeth and ran towards Lu Qi¡¯an.

 CH 16

    Fu Jia didn¡¯t even take two steps before Big Head responded and quickly dragged him back: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ?


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Fu Jia stopped and explained in hurry: ¡°I¡¯m going to look for a friend.¡±


    ?


    Big Head didn¡¯t believe this at all: ¡°Friend? Those seniors over there are your friends?¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia¡¯s heart throbbed from his words. He and Lu Qi¡¯an couldn¡¯t be described as friends. When Big Head questioned him, it was too quick for him to come up with an answer so he said whatever came to his mind. Even though they weren¡¯t friends, they spoke a couple of times before, so looking for him wasn¡¯t something bad, right?


    ¡°Not a friend, but there''s a bit of friendship¡­¡­No, it can¡¯t be counted as friendship¡­¡­¡± The more Fu Jia explained, the more uncertain and impulsive he felt. Lu Qi¡¯an only glanced at him, and blood rushed to his head, forcing him to run towards him. What did this mean?


    ?


    Big Head was amused by his confused appearance: ¡°What is it? Fine, fine, fine. I understand, you have no friendship with others but want to cultivate it, right?¡± He patted Fu Jia¡¯s shoulder and comforted him: ¡°No problems, I¡¯ll help you next time. Tell me, which senior do you want to know?¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t reply, but turned his head to look at Lu Qi¡¯an and found him looking at another direction as if their previous stare was only Fu Jia¡¯s illusion.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an had come to No.16 High to look for him at the end of May, and he has never seen him again ever since.


    ?


    He didn¡¯t look for him, because he couldn¡¯t help think of the last time Lu Qi¡¯an scolded him: ¡°Why are you going crazy?¡¯¡±, then slamming the door as he left. It made him completely muddleheaded.


    ?


    Fu Jia thought for a while and said to Big Head: ¡°Do you know Senior Qi¡¯an? I want to get familiar with him.¡±


    ?


    ¡°Ah?¡± Big Head froze at the name.


    ?


    Fu Jia was afraid he didn¡¯t hear it clearly and repeated, ¡°Lu Qi¡¯an.¡± He didn¡¯t notice it, but he enunciated the three words heavily, almost to the point of gnashing his teeth.


    Big Head gave a hollow laugh: ¡°This is a little difficult¡­¡­¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia realised Big Head¡¯s embarrassment, but didn¡¯t lose hope: ¡°It¡¯s fine, thank you, Big Head. I can think of a way myself.¡±


    ?


    ¡°Wait, wait,¡± Big Head appeared solemn, ¡°Fu Jia, I¡¯ll try this time. To tell you the truth, I got to know others at mealtimes and can be regarded as the leader of communication. The only blank I have is Senior Lu, but since you asked me for help this time, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ?


    When Big Head¡¯s friends heard him say this, their expressions became grave: ¡°Big Head, this is not a joke.¡±


    Big Head lowered his head, his expression a little empty: ¡°If I provoked him, I won¡¯t be able to hang out in school anymore, so you guys can¡¯t abandon me.¡±


    ?


    The friends looked at each other as if they would definitely run far away.


    ?


    Big Head exploded, he started grabbing people to beat and the boys instantly shouted. They were bustling with noise and excitement, just like how they played before.


    ?


    Before joining them, Fu Jia looked at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s direction again.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    ?


    Fu Jia was unable to voice out his disappointment. He looked all around and surveyed the entire courts. He eyes penetrated the crowds, and looked at each person, but couldn¡¯t find him.


    ?


    ¡°What are you looking at, come here!¡± Big Head shouted at him.


    ?


    Only then did Fu Jia return to his senses.


    ?


    He played with Big Head until sunset, most people on the basketball courts were gone. He didn''t know when those people who had played with Lu Qi¡¯an left. When they left, many onlookers went as well, and the entire court looked deserted.


    ?


    Fu Jia¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t stray far from the three words, ¡®Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯; it came and went away repetitively. He couldn¡¯t help ask Big Head: ¡°Listening to your description, Lu Qi¡¯an seems fearful?¡±


    ?


    Big Head let his friends leave first, and stayed on the court to chat with Fu Jia. He nodded vigorously: ¡°He¡¯s very fearful. Can you imagine this; a teacher often asked him to help write the papers for the lower grades. The difficulty makes people wish they were dead.¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia recalled the questions Lu Qi¡¯an wrote for him, it seemed nothing terrifying.


    ?


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough? He¡¯s more fearful than any teacher at No.6 High, how horrible do you want him to be?¡± Big Head said, ¡°Let me tell you, Senior Lu made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to bother making friends with us, so who else would dare to approach him?¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia smiled.


    ?


    This was the case.


    He was the only one who was brave enough to pull the tiger¡¯s beard again and again.


    ?


    After they talked, Big Head went home and Fu Jia returned to the dorms.


    ?


    On the way, he tried to recall if Lu Qi¡¯an was as terrible as Big Head described, and the answer was no.


    Although Lu Qi¡¯an always spoke coldly to him and ignored him, Fu Jia never thought he was fearful. The reason was probably that he had seen Lu Qi¡¯an treating Lin Fengxun gently many times before.


    ?


    There were too many, too many times, that when he closed his eyes he always accidentally enter those memories.


    ?


    Since Big Head agreed to help, Fu Jia temporarily endured it and concentrated on studying. Coincidently, there was something that fried his brains.


    No.6 High had weekly tests.


    ?


    When Fu Jia heard about this for the first time, his lost attitude surprised Big Head: ¡°What, didn¡¯t you take the tests when you were a freshman?¡¯


    ?


    Fu Jia remembered he had to conceal his transfer student identity, so he casually said: ¡°I thought would be different for sophomores.¡±


    ?


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much, ¡° Big Head forced a smile, ¡°At a place like No.6, it¡¯s good enough there are no daily tests.¡±


    Fu Jia grabbed a handful of hair in irritation, ¡°What is normally tested on the first week?¡±


    ?


    Big Head recalled: ¡°It should be similar to freshman year. That time, we were tested on primary school knowledge and what was taught during the first week. It should be the same this time, we should be tested on what we learnt last year.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s head expanded: ¡°Are there key points?¡±


    ?


    The way Big Head looked at him was not right: ¡°We¡¯ve been back for a week, and you still want to know the key point? Everything is a key point.¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia had to shut up.


    ?


    This week, Fu Jia had to struggle keeping up with the fast and strict rhythm of No.6 High¡¯s teachers, and find time to review the freshman content. Every night, his lamp was on until two in the morning.


    ?


    If it weren¡¯t for Big Head¡¯s timely information, he would have found an opportunity to help Fu Jia meet Lu Qi¡¯an already. Fu Jia couldn¡¯t keep delaying it.


    ?


    Fu Jia was working on questions while Big Head chattered nonstop: ¡°Do you remember what I told you last time, that a teacher often asks Lu Qi¡¯an for help to write questions for the lower grades? That teacher is actually our school director, Mrs Liu. She seems to be familiar with Lu Qi¡¯an, every time he helps her out with the papers, she¡¯ll eat with him at the staff canteen.¡± Big Head continued, ¡°According to reliable sources, the Director will ask Senior Lu for help tomorrow.¡±


    As he spoke, Big Head moved closer to Fu Jia and unconsciously lowered his voice: ¡°When Senior Lu and the Director are having their lunch, we can pretend to meet them by chance¡­¡±


    ?


    Big Head proudly repeated his plans and waited for Fu Jia to praise him.


    ?


    But, Fu Jia just nodded and replied: ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ?


    The two looked at each other, Big Head pretend to be confused while Fu Jia was really confused.


    ?


    This made Big Head feel strange.


    ?


    Fu Jia¡¯s reaction was different from what he expected. He always thought Fu Jia and his goal were the same: To be friends with Lu Qi¡¯an.


    ?


    Many students wanted to make friends with Lu Qi¡¯an, especially Big Head. He had tried many times before but to no avail. Once he did it too obviously and was taught a lesson by Li Qinhe, he suffered a lot from it.


    ?


    He stayed at a respectful distance from Lu Qi¡¯an from then on, and always wanted to get close but didn¡¯t dare to try. This time it was Fu Jia who wanted this, not him, so he could relax.


    ?


    But Fu Jia¡­¡­seemed to not realise what he was doing.


    ?


    At noon the next day, Big Head led Fu Jia into the staff canteen. It wasn¡¯t massive and had a few unoccupied seats. In order to be inconspicuous, Big Head and Fu Jia waited for the Director and Lu Qi¡¯an in the corner with their plates.


    After ten or so minutes, a lady in professional attired walked in with Lu Qi¡¯an beside her.


    ?


    Fu Jia watched them take their seats and suddenly felt a little nervous.


    ?


    The Director stayed on her seat, while Lu Qi¡¯an got up and went to order food. Big Head seized this opportunity and walked over with his food.


    ?


    Fu Jia quickly followed.


    ?


    ¡°Mrs Liu, what a coincidence!¡± Big Head exaggerated.


    Mrs Liu was puzzled when she saw Big Head. After thinking for a few seconds, she realised that Big Head was her student, and said with a smile: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence, why did you sneak into the staff canteen?¡±


    ?


    Big Head scratched his head: ¡°Isn¡¯t the food better at the staff canteen, I wanted to try it. It¡¯s such a rare chance, Mrs Liu, let¡¯s sit and eat together.¡±


    ?


    Mrs Liu glanced at Lu Qi¡¯an and bluntly refused: ¡°It¡¯s fine to just greet each other. I brought another student for lunch, so don¡¯t trouble me.¡±


    ?


    Big Head pretended to not understand: ¡°Mrs Liu, you can¡¯t be like this.¡± He pushed Fu Jia forward and said: ¡°This student really admires you, Mrs Liu, and wants to have a meal with you. Please give him face this time.¡±


    ?


    Fu Jia, who was used as a shield for no reason, showed a stiff smile and nodded in cooperation.


    ?


    Mrs Liu was troubled, she looked at Lu Qi¡¯an and he had finished ordering and noticed the events here.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an glimpsed at Big Head, and Big Head swallowed back the name, ¡®Senior Lu¡¯.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an picked up the food and walked over, his gaze skipped over Big Head and landed on Fu Jia.


    ?


    At this moment, Fu Jia truly experienced the word cowardly.


    What should he say? Would Lu Qi¡¯an be angry or not?


    ?


    ¡°Sorry Qi¡¯an, should we find another place?¡± Mrs Liu suggested.


    ?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an put down the food and sat beside Mrs Liu, ¡°Let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ?


    Mrs Liu was surprised, but as long as Lu Qi¡¯an said it was fine, she had no qualms about it.


    ?


    Big Head smiled happily and sat down. When he saw Fu Jia dillydallying, he reached for his food and placed it opposite to Lu Qi¡¯an.


    ?


    The dishes Fu Jia picked were his usual ones. Whether it was at No.16 or No.6 High, or the student or staff canteen, all his three dishes were vegetarian. This was because it¡¯s compulsory to have at least three dishes, otherwise, Fu Jia would only order one.


    ?


    Out of the four, only Fu Jia¡¯s food was bright green. Mrs Liu and Big Head thought nothing was wrong, that it was Fu Jia¡¯s dietary habits. After Lu Qi¡¯an saw Fu Jia¡¯s dishes, he asked: ¡°Why is it all vegetables?¡±


    ?


    ¡°Ah?¡± Fu Jia didn¡¯t dare to confirm that Lu Qi¡¯an to talking to him.


    ?


    Lu Qi¡¯an stopping talking, he pushed the untouched plate towards Fu Jia and stood up: ¡°I¡¯ll order another one, please wait.¡±


    ?


    This was a weird moment.


    ?


    Mrs Liu and Big Head, who had no relationships, looked at each other like comrade-in-arms, their eyes filled with the same question marks.

 CH 17

    "I couldn''t tell¡­¡­Senior Lu is very enthusiastic¡­¡­" Big Head broke the silence.


    ?


    However, no one responded to his words. Mrs Liu sized up Fu Jia seriously: "You and Qi''an know each other?"


    ?


    This question pulled Fu Jia out of his shock. He thought Lu Qi''an would ignore him, so he thought about possible scenarios on how to start a conversation with him, but¡­¡­


    ?


    He looked down at the plate Lu Qi''an gave him. It had nothing special, just a classic meat and vegetable combo; with a side dish of fish, beef and broccoli. He reached out to pull the plate closer bit by bit and traced the rim.


    ?


    He gave it to me, it''s mine.


    ?


    He nodded and responded with certainty: "Yeah."


    ?


    Mrs Liu smiled: "That''s rare, that child is very weird, other than his family, I''ve only seen him with Li Qinhe and ignore others.


    ?


    Fu Jia felt proud from Mrs Liu''s words, but said, "We''re not very familiar."


    ?


    After hearing this, Big Head became dispirited and poked his food.


    ?


    "I think you are familiar" Mrs Liu beckoned to Fu Jia, "Qi''an is the same as his mother, he''s an extremely picky eater, yet gave you his food. You must have a good relationship with him."


    ?


    Just then, Lu Qi''an came back with another plate. Mrs Liu ended the conversation and looked at Lu Qi''an with a gentle gaze, then at Fu Jia. The smile on her face became warmer.


    ?


    "Thank you." Fu Jia looked at Lu Qi''an and thanked.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an also looked at him and said, "No worries."


    ?


    Big Head was completely blown away by the exceedingly natural dialogue between the two. He lowered his head even more, and ate as seriously as he completes tests.


    ?


    Mrs Liu was very happy and asked Fu Jia: "Why have I never seen you before? What''s your name?"


    ?


    Fu Jia was eating and felt very comfortable, so he replied confidently: "I''m Fu Jia."


    ?


    "Fu Jia¡­" Mrs Liu immediately realised who he was. Lu Qi''an asked for her help a few days ago with transferring a student from No.16 High to here. Although she arranged for someone else to do that, she still remembered the name ''Fu Jia''.    "Which class are you in?"


    ?


    "Senior 2 Class 7" {T/N: Senior 2=Year 11}


    ?


    Once Mrs Liu, who was also the Director, started chattering she won''t stop. She continued to ask: "How old are you? You look younger than Qi''an."


    ?


    "I started school late, I''m already of age."


    ?


    "How did this happen? Your parents don''t worry?"


    ?


    Fu Jia was in a good mood and very cooperative.


    Moreover, after seeing Mrs Liu''s enthusiasm and Lu Qi''an''s attitude towards her, she and Lu Qi''an should be more than teacher and student.


    ?


    "They aren''t worried." Fu Jia smiled. He looked at Lu Qi''an and deliberately said, "I have a relative in my family who is a teenager and haven''t gone to school yet."


    ?


    Mrs Liu laughed and thought he was joking, so she said, "I know, your family must love you dearly and didn''t want you to go to school."


    ?


    "Maybe." Fu Jia nodded in agreement.


    ?


    Mrs Liu was immersed in the joy of discovering Lu Qi''an''s new friend, she stopped eating and chatted with Fu Jia. She asked about Fu Jia''s family situation all the way to his studies, while Fu Jia easily made up lies to entertain her.    Mrs Liu was so invested, she didn''t notice Lu Qi''an''s mood. While Fu Jia distracted her with his lies, he still focused on Lu Qi''an.


    ?


    He seemed...not too happy.


    ?


    Therefore, after Mrs Liu asked how he was revising for the weekly test, Fu Jia changed the topic: "Mrs Liu, please forgive me. The food is about to go cold, and I still haven''t eaten most of it. This would waste Lu Qi''an''s kindness."


    ?


    This sentence made Fu Jia feel ecstatic.


    ?


    "Lu Qi''an''s kindness!"


    ?


    Kindness!


    ?


    "That''s true," Mrs Liu showed a guilty expression, ''Blame my mouth, I''m too used to talking to students that I can''t stop. In fact, Qi''an doesn''t like to talk and eat. When we eat together, it''s so quiet. Qi''an is different from his mother at this point, when she was young, she¡­¡­"


    ?


    Mrs Liu suddenly stopped.


    ?


    She paused just before: She was very talkative.


    ?


    She opened and closed her mouth, a tract of embarrassment appeared on her face.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an didn''t like eating outside, but Mrs Liu often invites him to eat here under the pretence of asking him to help out with the papers. At first, she would always chat with Lu Qi''an and tell him stories about her friends. But, when she saw that Lu Qi''an was in a bad mood, she tries to restrain herself.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an didn''t like listening to her chatter, because she would always bring up his mother.


    ?


    There were some things that outsiders couldn''t talk about.


    ?


    "I''ll stop talking,'' Mrs Liu said, "Hurry up and eat, go study when you are finished. It''s your most important years, go back and review for the weekly test after eating."


    ?


    Big Head, who had been silent the whole time, was even more hurt by this. Why did he come here and had to listen to his teacher urging him to review?


    ?


    After they finished, the four separate. Lu Qi''an left with Mrs Liu and headed towards Senior 3 building. The Senior 2 building was on the other side, and Fu Jia followed Big Head while looking back every three-step.


    ?


    Big Head suddenly stopped.


    ?


    Fu Jia almost ran into him and looked up. Big Head was pale, his eyes looking resentful. He asked: "What''s wrong with you, do you have a stomachache?"


    ?


    Big Head shook his head, and complained, "Fu Jia, are you playing with me¡­¡­Who is the one that needed to be introduced to Senior Lu? You don''t need my help¡­¡­"


    ?


    Fu Jia was amused and apologetic, he apologised, "I''m sorry, I didn''t think it would be like this. I thought I wasn''t familiar with Lu Qi''an."


    ?


    Big Head turned away in dejection and ignored him.


    ?


    Was Fu Jia showing off?


    ?


    When they returned to the classroom, the sulking Big Head lied on his desk and napped, but Fu Jia was energetic. He spread out his textbooks, then exercise books and began to review for the weekly test.


    ?


    Whenever he writes on an exercise book, he would clip the paper clip that Lu Qi''an gave him on the cover.


    ?


    He had used many exercise books, but that paper clip still looked as good as new.


    ?


    After the evening self-study period ended, Lu Qi''an returned to his condo, and just as he walked into the estate, Lin Fengxun called him.


    ?


    Lin Fengxun sleeps early, and he would often call Lu Qi''an before going to bed. For someone like Lin Fengxun, who stay at home all day, every day, Lu Qi''an managed to constrain the frequency of his calls to once or twice per week.


    ?


    "Bro Qi''an, are you home yet?"


    ?


    "Almost there," Lu Qi''an replied.


    ?


    "Oh¡­¡­I''m sorry to disturb you on your way home." Lin Fengxun said with a smile, "I''ve finished showering and took the medicine. Before I took my medicine, I was reading an English book, there are so many things I don''t understand. time you come, can you help me read it? Also, I''m going to sleep soon, Aunt Chen will take my phone in five minutes¡­¡­"


    ?


    Lu Qi''an listened to him babbling while talking the elevator to his floor: "Don''t be stubborn tonight, give your phone to Aunt Chen on time, don''t make things difficult for her."


    ?


    "Oh¡­" Lin Fengxun wasn''t willing and dragged on, "I know, but I haven''t called mom today. She hasn''t been home for several days, I purposely didn''t call her to see if she would be worried!"


    ?


    "That''s not a reason to be stubborn. You can call Aunt tomorrow morning, understand?"


    ?


    Lin Fengxun quietly rolled his eyes and whined: "No¡­¡­"


    When the elevator stopped, Li Qi''an stepped out and walked to his door.


    ?


    Lin Fengxun continued, "Just one more minute, Bro Qi''an. I''ll tell my mom goodnight."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an didn''t reply.


    ?


    An unexpected guest stood in front of his door.


    ?


    Fu Jia was leaning against the door of his condo, looking down at a book. He seemed to be silently reading the text, subvocalizing with each word.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an whispered to the phone, "No." Then hung up.


    Fu Jia heard his voice and closed the book with a bang before hurriedly stuffing it into his bag.


    ?


    He looked a little overwhelmed. He had stuffed the book in so violently that a corner was still sticking out when he started to pull the zipper, then it got stuck.


    ?


    Fu Jia''s face burned, so he felt it alone and placed the bad behind him.


    ?


    He said: "I have some questions I want to ask you."


    ?


    Fu Jia felt quite proud saying it.


    ?


    This excuse was so perfect he gave himself full marks.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an said: "Move aside."


    ?


    "Huh?" Fu Jia was stunned.


    ?


    "You''re blocking the door."


    ?


    "Oh¡­" Fu Jia obediently moved aside


    ?


    Lu Qi''an walked to the door and unlocked it as if no one else was there.


    ?


    Fu Jia closed his eyes, he didn''t dare look at the password and repeated the excuse without his previous confidence: "I have some questions¡­"


    ?


    Lu Qi''an interrupted him: "There is a guard in front of the dorm, if you rush back now, you might be able to get in."


    Fu Jia didn''t care: "It doesn''t matter if I stay out once or twice."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an continued: "No.6 High has strict rules. If you don''t hurry back, you would be criticised on the notice board."


    ?


    Fu Jia was frustrated. However, he wasn''t scared by Lu Qi''an''s words, instead, he shamelessly said: "That''s fine. I''ll go to Mrs Liu tomorrow morning and tell her that I spend the night hanging out with you. She''ll definitely help me, right?"


    Lu Qi''an was silent.


    ?


    Fu Jia couldn''t help but feel guilty, he was afraid that his shamelessness would anger Lu Qi''an.


    ?


    With a beep, Lu Qi''an opened the door of the condo, turned around and said to Fu Jia, "Come in."


    ?

 CH 18

    "Come in."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an was frank and decisive, but Fu Jia froze in place.


    ?


    He couldn''t believe how simple it was.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an looked at him: "Not coming in?"


    ?


    Fu Jia shook his head and stepped inside.


    ?


    His apartment was still the same, without any sign of life. In the shoe cabinet, three pairs of brand-new slippers were neatly arranged, just like in a store.


    ?


    Fu Jia randomly took a pair and noticed that even the corners of the shoe cabinet were spotless.


    ?


    Because Lu Qi''an loved cleanliness, he changed the slippers that others had used, not because he hated him, right?


    ?


    Fu Jia didn''t ask.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an went to the living room with Fu Jia following behind him.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an sat down on the sofa. It was a beige, fabric sofa and had no creases except where he was sitting. Fu Jia looked at the spotless sofa and hesitated to sit down.


    ?


    He asked: "Aren''t you going to the study?"


    ?


    Lu Qi''an picked up the jug in front of him and poured water into a glass beside it. He didn''t drink it and left it on the table: "No, here''s fine."


    ?


    Fu Jia looked left and right, instead of sitting next to Lu Qi''an, he sat on a smaller sofa on the side. He held the schoolbag on his lap and searched for an exercise book.


    ?


    After taking out the exercise book, Fu Jia flipped to the page where he made a notation before and handed it over, and said: "I marked every question, there''s not many, only around ten."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an took it and looked: "These questions are difficult for you. On average, each question takes ten minutes."


    ?


    "Ten minutes?" Fu Jia was a little surprised.  He was here to pester him, but it was late and he wasn''t shameless enough to ask him to explain something in great detail for a hundred minutes. In fear that Lu Qi''an may misunderstand his intentions, he waved and said: "Then one is enough, just one."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an turned to look at him: "One?"


    ?


    Fu Jia didn''t dare to hesitate and nodded vigorously: "Just one."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an stopped asking and started to discuss the question. His estimation was accurate: Although he only needed three or four minutes to explain once, Fu Jia couldn''t understand. He had to slow down and explain again. In the end, it really took ten minutes.


    ?


    During this time, Fu Jia properly sat on the sofa motionless. He had memorised the questions, so it didn''t matter if he couldn''t see it.


    ?


    One meant one, and Fu Jia nodded after Lu Qi''an finished and said ''I understand." Lu Qi''an closed the exercise book and gave it back.


    ?


    Fu Jia stretched out his hands to take it, and thanked, "Thank you."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an replied lightly: "No worries."


    ?


    Fu Jia sighed and acted as nonchalantly as possible: "Then, I''m going."


    Lu Qi''an glanced at his watch: "The school is closed now."


    ?


    ?


    Fu Jia shrugged and joked: "I''ll see if I can go to Mrs Liu, or stay in a hotel or sleep in the park." He cheered himself up and smiled.


    ?


    Of course, Lu Qi''an didn''t smile.


    ?


    He didn''t find it funny, he was certain Fu Jia would sleep in the park if he left.


    ?


    Fu Jia wouldn''t go to Mrs Liu, he didn''t even dare sit on his sofa, where would he get the courage to find a teacher who wasn''t close to him? Fu Jia wouldn''t go to a hotel, he wasn''t even willing to buy a meat dish, how could he be willing to spend money on accommodation?


    ?


    He probably thought that since he was able to enter this apartment today and stay for more than ten minutes, it was alright to sleep in the park overnight as compensation.


    Lu Qi''an pushed the glass to him, saying: "Drink, ok."


    ?


    Fu Jia eyes widened in surprised and shook his head: "I''m not thirsty."


    Lu Qi''an looked at his dry, chapped lips and replied: "You look thirsty."


    ?


    ?


    Fu Jia subconsciously rubbed his lips with the back of his hand: "Maybe. But you can drink it, I''ll pour myself one." After he finished, he quickly declined, "No, I''m going now, I''ll buy some water later."


    ?


    He was lying again.


    ?


    He wasn''t willing to buy water, and would probably wait until morning to go to the cafeteria and drink the free water.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an knew that Fu Ja couldn''t have saved so much. If he didn''t move out of the Lin Family''s villa, Aunt Chen would be responsible for all of his clothing, food, shelter and transportation. The school expenses would also be deducted from the card Aunt Chen took. Even if he moved out, as long as he didn''t transfer to No.6 High, didn''t study hard all day and could work part-time, he didn''t have to be so frugal.      Lu Qi''an knew it all.


    ?


    Because he knew it, he said: "Drink, it''s getting late. You can stay with me tonight."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an''s tone rarely fluctuates, even in heated discussions. It was precisely because of this that people couldn''t figure out his true thoughts. There''s no telling if his words were sincere or superficial.


    ?


    Fu Jia has a scale in his heart. He knew what could be taken seriously and what couldn''t. He would accept a meal with complacency, but Lu Qi''an words now couldn''t be accepted.


    He shook his head and said: "No if I stay here¡­it would be inconvenient for you."


    ?


    ?


    The glass full of water was placed between them, no one moved towards it. Lu Qi''an responded: "I know you won''t go back to school, how could I drive you out? It''s only for one night, there''s no need to mention inconvenience."


    ?


    Fu Jia throat was dry and he felt a little dazed.


    ?


    Should he take this seriously?


    ?


    He thought for a while and explained: "Don''t worry, I won''t go to Mrs Liu. I only said that because I was scared you wouldn''t let me in. I''ll go back to the school''s dorm and plead them. I won''t go to a hotel and the park was a joke."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an clenched his hands, lightly pressing his knuckles as if he was deep in thought. His expression didn''t change, he was very calm. But, Fu Jia keenly felt that he wasn''t feeling good.


    ?


    To put it bluntly, he was angry.


    ?


    If someone paid attention to another for a decade, he would develop a deep understanding of their actions and behaviours.


    ?


    "Are you scared I would feel burdened?" Lu Qi''an asked.


    ?


    Fu Jia nodded stiffly: "Yeah."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an pursed his lips, then said coldly: "Then you go."


    ?


    Fu Jia was stunned.


    ?


    He carefully recalled their conversation, realised what happened and anxiously explained: "When I changed my shoes, I saw that all the slippers were replaced with new ones, but I only wore them once or twice before. I thought you didn''t like me, so I¡­¡­"


    ?


    Lu Qi''an frowned and interrupted: "I never asked you this."


    ?


    He accentuated the word, ''this''.


    ?


    Fu Jia took a deep breath, hid his trembling hands behind him and replied: "Yes, you never asked for me, it was always me that looked for you. So, every time you said something I would change and learn from it."


    ?


    After talking about his deepest thoughts, Fu Jia felt much better: His hands stopped shaking and the pressure on his chest lightened. He continued: "I''m just¡­scared of making you unhappy. That time when you came to find me at No.16 High, I made you angry and you scolded me."


    ?


    Fu Jia was an adult, a year older than Lu Qi''an, but now his words and tone were like a child''s.


    ?


    He lowered his head and didn''t notice that Lu Qi''an grip was getting tighter and tighter, to the point where his knuckles became white.


    ?


    He also didn''t notice that Lu Qi''an stared him from the beginning to end, not even shifting away his eyes once.


    ?


    "What are you scared of? That time I only asked you to calm down and didn''t say anything else."


    ?


    "You not only told me to calm down, but you also called me crazy." Fu Jia remembered this crucial point.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an retorted: "You suddenly rushed up and hugged me, pulling my neck here and there. Haven''t you thought about asking for my consent before doing that, shouldn''t I scold you for it?"


    ?


    Fu Jia recalled the good scent he smelled on Lu Qi''an then.


    He felt embarrassed: "You came to see me suddenly and helped me apply medicine. I thought you¡­would agree."


    ?


    ?


    The two fell silent.


    ?


    On that afternoon, the abrupt hug felt as hot as fire.


    ?


    It was a long time before Lu Qi''an said: "Ask for my consent next time."


    ?


    Fu Jia was taken aback.


    ?


    This kind of thing... could happen again?


    ?


    Before he could comprehend, Lu Qi''an stood up and said: "It''s late, I''ll take you to the guest room. You can relax, I won''t be angry."


    ?


    "I won''t be angry''-- This promise was enough to be called precious.


    ?


    Fu Jia opened his mouth, no words came out, then closed it and followed him obediently.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an''s guest room was small, only a single bed could be placed inside and there''s no private bathroom. Despite this, the windows were large, and the location was good, making the room look transparent and bigger.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an stood by the door to let Fu Jia in: "You know where the bathroom is. I''ll use the one in my room, so you can use it as you please."


    ?


    Fu Jia rummaged through the cabinet to find the items he needed for washing. He seemed a little absent-minded. He didn''t look back but responded with a view of his back.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t say more, he reached out to close the door.


    ?


    "Wait, wait." As soon as he pulled the door, Fu Jia stopped him.


    ?


    Fu Jia hesitated and said, "Do you still remember, I told you before that I want to get to know you?"


    ?


    This was what he said to Lu Qi''an at the gates of No.6 High. That day was also the first time he entered the school. He used a foolish way to disgust Lu Qi''an, ultimately trying to get his attention.


    ?


    "I haven''t told you why. Actually, I pestered you like that because I felt that you were different from others and those in the villa. Many years ago, I received a band-aid from you, do you remember? After that, I thought you might be willing to play with me¡­"


    ?


    He opened up his desired for Lu Qi''an layer by layer, and found the root cause, hoping to impress him.


    ?


    He told him his heart and soul, without realising that he was no longer at the age suitable to say the three words, "play with me."


    ?


    Lu Qi''an was startled by his childishness. In a daze, it seemed that cicadas crepitated in his ears and his eyes passed through the Lin Family''s courtyard to see Fu Jia squatting next to the weeds. He was just a child, hiding so pitifully and blowing on his fingers.


    ?


    Underneath the overcast sky, the weeds were wet, the child was sweating and his clothes were also wet. His entire being appeared so awkward.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an claimed to be a person who treated everything equally, but that time he failed: He came to catch dragonflies but was attracted by a strange child.


    ?


    He deliberately swooped the dragonfly to the child''s side, but the child only stared at him blankly. He had to use some techniques before the stupid boy knew how to catch the dragonfly with his hand.


    ?


    He asked him: "Can you give me the dragonfly?"


    ?


    The child kept staring at him as if he didn''t hear it.


    ?


    He wasn''t angry, just found him funny.


    ?


    Lu Qi''an keep the pose of closing the door, putting his hand on the doorknob lightly and didn''t speak.


    ?


    Fu Jia continued, with the seriousness of wanting to cut his heart open for Lu Qi''an to see and said: "Lu Qi''an, you are very good to me."


    ?


    The door was half-opened, and the shadow blocked half of Lu Qi''an''s face. He was silent for a while and asked softly: "Really?"


    ?


    He didn''t know if he was asking Fu Jia or himself.


    ?


    "Good night." As he spoke, he closed the door.


    ?

 CH 19

No content

 CH 20

    It is said that in the high school where she taught, she had been rated as the most popular teacher among students for several consecutive years because she was gentle and cheerful, allowing students to feel the care of family.


    Lu Wanqing was gradually moved by her, but she never changed her words. Until Qi Bing passed away, she never called her ¡°Sister Bing¡±


    Towards the end, Qi Bing left her with a calm and lifeless look in her eyes. She didn¡¯t yet know that Qi Bing held a deadly medicine bottle in her hand, didn¡¯t know she was determined to die early; she merely begged her with tears: hang on, hang on.


    Qi Bing couldn''t speak, and blinked in her direction.


    With this response, Lu Wanqing was very encouraged, saying: Sister-in-law, don''t worry, I will help you take care of your family until  you get better. You must recover from your illness at ease and get better soon.


    Lu Wanqing never thought these words would become the final regret of her life.


    Qi Bing has been dead for ten years, and these words have tortured her for ten years.


    She couldn''t help but think, if she hadn¡¯t said that at that time, would anything have changed?


    In the distance, the driver pushed Lin Fengxun in the wheelchair and gradually approached.


    Lin Fengxun looked at her and waved his hand, "Mom!"


    Lu Wanqing smiled at him.


    She looked normal.


    As if the one in pain and regret in front of the tomb just now wasn¡¯t her.


    In the afternoon, Fu Jia, who had just finished the last subject of the exam, straightened his waist and found that he was sweating in the air-conditioned classroom.


    Big head couldn''t wait to discuss with him: "Lao Fu, how did you do this time? At noon I also saw that Teacher Liu invited you to dinner, you have to tell me about it..."


    Before he finished speaking, Fu Jia stood up with his bag and interrupted him: "Sorry, I''m in a hurry."


    As if enlightened, Big Head asked tentatively, "Is it... Senior Lu?"


    Fu Jia didn''t answer and just grinned. No longer caring about Big Head, he rushed out of the second-year high school building and rushed into the third year of high school against the crowd of people.


    Fu Jia didn''t know which class Lu Qi''an was in after entering the third year section, or whether he had already left the classroom. Fumbling along the way, he finally found Lu Qi¡¯an in Third Year, Class 1, packing his things by the window in the front row.


    Fu Jia leaned against the back door, patiently waiting for him to come out.


    But he, a stranger, leaned on the door and kept looking in with a strange smile on his face. He was so conspicuous that many people in the classroom looked at him.


    Unlike everyone else, Lu Qi¡¯an continued doing his own thing. Li Qinhe next to him was the opposite. Turning his head and seeing Fu Jia, his face immediately sank.


    Fu Jia treated him as nothing and continued staring at Lu Qi''an,  making Li Qinhe''s heart burn.  He stood up from his seat and walked towards Fu Jia. The classmates felt the murderous aura on him and made way for him one after another.


    "Hey, Fu Jia." Li Qinhe put his hands in his pockets and shouted unceremoniously.


    Fu Jia looked at him and reacted exactly like him.


    He put away his smile and stared, his face cold enough to scrape ice.


    Li Qinhe frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?" He was taller than Fu Jia, and when he asked this, he deliberately raised his chin to look at Fu Jia with a condescending gaze.


    Fu Jia smiled silently.


    He stepped into the classroom, regulating his breathing2, "It''s none of your fucking business?3"


    This sentence was loud and clear.


    The classmate onlookers were all stunned and Li Qinhe was also stunned for two seconds. Then, he asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"


    Fu Jia once again became angry4,  "I said it¡¯s none of your business. We¡¯re not familiar with each other,  why should I report to you what I''m here for?"


    Li Qinhe¡¯s temples throbbed with anger.  He stepped forward, pushing Fu Jia''s shoulder with the back of his hand, trying to push him out of the classroom: "Let¡¯s talk outside."


    Fu Jia was pushed by him and almost fell backwards. He held onto the door frame, his anger rising, "Going outside, do I have anything to say to you?"


    Li Qinhe cursed silently, raised his hand to grab Fu Jia''s arm, and led him outside of the classroom. "I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t think I won¡¯t deal with you just because you''re at No. 6 High.  Hurry up and get out!"


    Fu Jia stubbornly held on to the door frame, unwilling to step back.  New and old hatred piled together, making him especially want to hit people. But he held back, only gritted his teeth and cursed, sending greetings to Li Qinhe''s entire family.


    "You..." Li Qinhe clenched his fists.


    Seeing that the two were about to fight5, there was an uproar in the classroom. It was common to see these types of events around Li Qinhe, so no one went to tell the teacher and no one stopped him, simply watching with excitement from the sidelines.


    Lu Qi''an turned around and saw the two of them were blocking the door and arguing. They were surrounded by classmates, some of them even from other classes. His eyes turned cold, and he shouted, "Fu Jia, what are you arguing about? ¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t high or low, but it simultaneously frightened Fu Jia and Li Qinhe.


    Li Qinhe quickly let go of Fu Jia, put his hands on the sides of his head, and touched the back of his head.


    Unexpectedly, Fu Jia didn¡¯t expect to be ¡°named and shamed¡± by him. Feeling suffocated in his heart, he lowered his head and kept his hands and feet by his side in a well-behaved manner.


    "It¡¯s nothing..." Fu Jia said, "I''m here to find you. I wanted to wait for you to come out but I didn''t expect it to be like this."


    Lu Qi''an approached him with a cold tone, but his eyes gradually warmed, "You shouldn''t swear in public."


    Fu Jia was taken aback and nodded stiffly.


    He didn''t think it was shameful to swear at Li Qinhe, but if Lu Qi''an said it was not good, then he was willing to admit his mistakes and correct them.


    Li Qinhe was in a good mood as he watched Fu Jia being criticized, and couldn''t help laughing.


    In the next second, Lu Qi''an''s eyes pointed towards him like a knife.


    "You come out with me."


    Li Qinhe felt a chill in his heart and wanted to explain, "No, I was just clearing my throat..."


    Lu Qi''an didn''t say a word and walked out of the classroom first. Li Qinhe understood that he was being serious and hurriedly corrected his attitude, following behind him.


    The two walked all the way to the staircase6  at the end of the corridor, avoiding the onlookers. Fu Jia also followed but, feeling awkward, he kept a certain distance from them.


    Li Qinhe said before Lu Qi''an, ¡°I know I started it today, but I had no choice. He has a foul mouth.¡±


    Fu Jia was furious, hearing Li Qinhe complain first with bad intentions7, he sneered and said, "Did I say something wrong? Tell me, what does it matter to you if I come here to find someone?¡±


    "How is it none of my business," Li Qinhe was so angry that steam was coming out of his ears8, "I¡¯m a friend of Qi¡¯an. If you want to bother him, of course I will stop you!"


    Their voices got louder and louder, making Lu Qi¡¯an feel unbearable9, ¡°Still being noisy?¡±


    "Of course we¡¯re being noisy," Li Qinhe decisively said, ¡°This person surnamed Fu transferred to No. 6 High. If I don¡¯t clarify the situation,  who knows how he¡¯ll bother you in the future. I must make things clear today!¡±


    Fu Jia was already itching to make trouble to the extent that he couldn''t hold it in anymore10. When he opened his mouth, he almost breathed fire, "What¡¯s unclear? Lu Qi''an and I are now alumni, we have a senior and junior brother relationship. I came to find him for a normal conversation, what are you getting in the way for?"


    Li Qinhe spit11 and said, "Normal, where are you normal? Back then your mother-"


    "Enough!" Lu Qi''an''s expression was even worse than both of them combined. He said to Fu Jia, "You go to my classroom and wait for me. You saw where it was, the third seat by the window."


    Fu Jia didn''t move.


    He clearly heard Li Qinhe say the two words, "Your mother".


    Lu Qi''an repeated himself, "Fu Jia,  go inside and wait for me."


    Fu Jia gritted his teeth, didn¡¯t speak, and returned to Lu Qi''an''s classroom along the corridor.


    Lu Qi''an confirmed that he had entered before saying, "Li Qinhe, do you know what you are doing?"


    Even if Fu Jia wasn¡¯t in front of him, Li Qinhe was still angry, "I know, I''m helping you! You paid attention to him once, why are you still doing so the second and third time? Fu Xiaoli in the beginning received money from Uncle Lin, drugged him, and later used the child as a bargaining chip for threats. This behavior is shameless, and now Fu Jia is exactly the same as her. Haunting you like a ghost, he even transferred to No.6 High, what''s next?"


    He became more agitated as he spoke, his face flushing red. Lu Qi¡¯an stared at him coldly, extremely calm.


    "I''ll tell you what he''s going to do next. " Lu Qi''an said, "He wants to concentrate on studying in the No. 6 High, prepare for the college entrance examination, enter a first-tier university in the future, and have a life that is completely opposite to the present. In the future, he won¡¯t have any connection to the Lin family or the Lu family. He will have an independent character and life.¡±


    Lu Qi''an firmly said, "These things, I will help him do them. The reason he is in No. 6 High is because I helped him behind his back. He will continue to cling to me also because I deliberately guided him in the past.¡±


    Li Qinhe was completely stunned.


    "I want to explain clearly to you that you are now interfering in my private affairs. The private affairs between Fu Jia and me."


    Lu Qi''an finished saying these unpleasant words first. Seeing that he couldn''t say a word with his open mouth, he slowed down his tone, "Li Qinhe, I won¡¯t overexplain, but you are my friend and I hope you can understand me. I won¡¯t force you to support me, I just hope you can understand."


    Between people, even if they were on opposite sides, as long as they understood each other they are able to move forwards.


    Just like how he could never let go of Qi Bing''s death, was unable to let go of his fathers behavior before her death, but he could try his best to understand them.


    -


    *Not proofread*


    1. С±ù½ã/Xiao Bingjie: small sister Bing.


    2. Æø³Áµ¤Ìï- Chinese medicine terminology, also used in martial arts (wuxia, xiaxia). It means to open your meridians, regulate your yin and yang, your qi, etc. (https://baike.google.com/item/%E6%B0%94%E6%B2%89%E4%B8%B9%E7%94%B0/4519413)


    3. ¹ØÄãƨÊÂ/gu¨¡n n¨« p¨¬sh¨¬- None of your business/fucking business/damn business. Pretty rude, basically.


    4. The dantian is mentioned here again *covers face and cries*


    5. ¶¯ÆðÊÖÀ´/d¨°ng q¨« sh¨¯u l¨¢i- The direct translation was ¡°were about to start their hands.¡± The temptation to translate this to ¡®were about to throw hands¡¯ was so strong hahahaha.


    6. ÐÝϢƽ̨ÉÏ/rest platform- The platform between staircases, or the floor before climbing the stairs.


    7. Ìýµ½ÀîÇߺͶñÈËÏȸæ×´- The direct translation would be ¡°Hearing Li Qinhe wickedly/evilly complain first¡±        but¡­. That felt a bit childish¡­.


    8. ÆßÇÏÉúÑÌ/q¨© qi¨¤o sh¨¥ng y¨¡n- idiom: to be so angry fire comes out of your 7 orifices (mouth, eyes, ears, and nostrils).


    9. ÈÌÎÞ¿ÉÈÌ/r¨§n w¨² k¨§ r¨§n-idom: to feel unbearable, can¡¯t bear it anymore, to feel fed up.


    10. ¸µ¼ÎÔ­±¾¾Í´À´ÀÓû¶¯µÄ³¹µ×ѹ²»×¡ÁË: I probably butchered this sentence, have a go at it if you know how to read Chinese.


    11. ÅÞ/p¨¥i: if you''re a seasoned danmei reader, you may recognise this ¡®pei!¡¯ as spitting onomatopoeia. The english version is ¡®ptui!¡¯ Both sound silly.

 CH 21

    ¡°You¡­..¡± Li Qinhe painfully said, ¡°You want to help Fu Jia?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an ¡®ens¡¯ in agreement.


    Looking at him so indifferent, Li Qinhe frustratedly lowers his head, his momentum all gone. He understood, with Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s personality, if he does something that disgusts Lu Qi¡¯an, even getting a sentence like ¡°You are my friend¡± for comfort, will be something very difficult..


    He said: ¡°You want me to understand you, but if you aren¡¯t willing to explain anything, how am I supposed to understand?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an doesn¡¯t say anything.


    Li Qinhe knew he wouldn¡¯t get an answer. Not explaining anything is indeed bad, however explaining everything is also not realistic. He stopped and thought for a moment, carefully searching for the suitable adjective, ¡°Honestly even if you didn''t say anything, I could still guess some things. From the very beginning, I felt that you treated Fu Jia differently, different from Wanqing jie, and even FengFeng.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Lu Qi¡¯an acknowledges, ¡°Different people will always view things differently¡±.


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m saying is different.¡± Li Qinhe said seriously, ¡°Wanqinq jie still has Fengfeng, they both know that the way they treat Fu Jia is wrong, that Fu Jia didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and that we are venting our anger on him. We try our best to control ourselves, and yet we have only managed to stop hating Fu Jia, but we still have prejudice in our hearts. This is a feeling that the people on Wanqinq jie¡¯s side should have, but you are completely different; it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t hate Fu Jia, but is that all you feel? Is it that you¡­.like him a little?¡±


    This doubt had lingered in Li Qinhe¡¯s heart for many years, and before this, it was only a vague feeling. But right after he had asked those questions, he was finally sure of his own doubts.


    He grew up with Lu Qi¡¯an, and is Qi¡¯an¡¯s closest peer. Because Li Qi¡¯an¡¯s personality is naturally cold, when the two interact, Li Qinhe would usually maintain a certain distance from the other. This allowed him to observe Lu Qi¡¯an, and therefore he was able to notice many unusual details about him.


    Ever since Qi Bing passed away, Li Qi¡¯an original quiet personality became even more extreme; he became reticent and unsociable. He had even stopped talking to his father and aunt. So why, for 10 years, would he frequently go to the Lin family to see Lin Feng?


    Li Qinhe used to think that it was because Lu Qi¡¯an felt bad for Lin Feng, so he would frequently go and accompany him. But now, a certain guess made Li Qinhe¡¯s heart jump.


    The ¡°like¡± that Li Qinhe said doesn¡¯t have any other meaning, he meant ¡°like¡± as in how he liked Fengfeng, and how FengFeng liked him, the platonic kind of love.


    But in Li Qi¡¯an¡¯s heart, does this ¡°like¡± really not have any other meaning?


    He never thought in that direction. In the past it never crossed his mind, now he doesn¡¯t dare to think about it, and in the future he doesn¡¯t need to think about it.


    Li Qi¡¯an blinked, ¡°Like? If only it was such a shallow feeling, then it would be easy to deal with¡±.


    His tone was flat, like it didn¡¯t concern him. Li Xinghe¡¯s eyes widened, he panicked.


    Looking at Li Qinhe¡¯s face that slowly changed from bewilderment to panic, Li Qi¡¯an had a hint of a smile in his eyes, it was not very genuine, as if it was purposely shown to comfort people: ¡°I can deal with my own affairs. If you don¡¯t have anything else to do, just leave, don¡¯t you always complain that your girlfriend has waited for you for a long time?


    After persuading Li Qinhe to leave, Lu Qi''an stood in place for about ten seconds before heading to the classroom.


    Earlier, the three had argued for a while, then he and Li Qinhe talked for a while. The classroom¡¯s third year students had already left. In the empty classroom, Fu Jia didn¡¯t sit, but stood cautiously at the desk, staring at the book in his hand.


    Yesterday, when he was waiting in front of Lu Qi''an''s apartment, he was leaning against the wall to read a book. If someone who didn''t know his past saw him, they would definitely think that Fu Jia was a hard to come by good student.


    Lu Qi''an walked towards him, and even though he didn''t call out to him, Fu Jia quickly noticed him. His shoulders moved and he closed the book abruptly, turning the cover towards him and hugging it in his arms.


    Lu Qi''an noticed the book in Fu Jia''s arms. No matter how well you hide the high school textbooks, it is useless. Each subject has its own unique characteristics, and you can differentiate just by looking at the corner of the book.


    He didn¡¯t bother to care, instead he asked: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sitting?


    Fu Jia hugged the book very tightly, saying that standing was more comfortable.


    But in an unfamiliar environment, how can standing be more comfortable than sitting?


    Lu Qi''an said: "I rarely take notes in physics. The physics book is almost blank, there is nothing to see. If you want to look at my notes, you can look at chinese.¡±


    Fu Jia, embarrassed, opened his hand, he was indeed holding a physics textbook. He put the book back on Lu Qi''an''s desk and said, "I¡¯m not interested in looking at your notes, I was bored waiting here, so I wanted to flip through the textbooks for the third year, to see what the difficulty is like¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded, following Fu Jia¡¯s words: ¡°How¡¯s the difficulty?"


    His question stunned Fu Jia. He didn''t even understand anything, what does he know about the difficulty? He thought about it and said: "It''s okay... I''ll work hard."


    He has no assurance towards his studies, and is only able to say some flowery words.


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded, his facial expression had no changes, making it difficult to tell if he was satisfied with Fu Jia¡¯s answer.


    Before Fu Jia came searching for him, Lu Qi''an had been organizing the table. Although the school did not mandate that seats should be rearranged during the weekly test, Lu Qi''an''s head teacher was strict, and insisted that the weekly test must have random seating. The one who sat on Lu Qi''an''s seat earlier had moved the things on the table around, so the physics book was randomly placed on the table.


    He tucked the book in and asked: ¡°Why are you looking for me today?¡±


    Hearing him ask, Fu Jia realized that he(Fu Jia) had been holding back for a long time. There was no one here to interrupt him now, so he said excitedly: "Because the weekly test is over. I wanted to tell you: the questions you circled for me appeared on the math test, and I answered them correctly, so I should end up with a good score.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an looked at him, his eyes clearly saying ¡°so?¡±.


    The excitement Fu Jia had diminished by half with that look. He didn¡¯t think too much, just that he put in a lot of effort to pass the test, and felt a sense of accomplishment.


    He urgently wanted to tell someone, urgently wanted to receive¡­


    A compliment.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an asked.


    Fu Jia nodded hesitantly: ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    He nodded his head too slowly, making it look more like he was shaking his head instead.


    Lu Qi''an restrained his temper: "Just say what you want to say."


    Fu Jia looked around, but said nothing. Almost all the people in the classroom had already left, and only a few people were still sitting in their seats. Although they didn''t look his way, they might have been silently paying attention to what was going on.


    Fu Jia said, "Are you going back to the apartment to rest now? I''ll send you out of the school gate. We can talk while we walk."


    Lu Qi¡¯an agreed: ¡°Ok.¡±


    One in the front, one in the back, they walked out of the classroom and down the stairs. The stairs were wide and void of people, the two of them could walk side by side, however FuJia purposely stayed a step behind, following Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s back.


    He was still thinking about how to say what he wanted to say, or if he should say it at all?


    This state of walking in separate rows continued until the two walked out of the building. Lu Qi''an slowed down and waited for Fu Jia to catch up, but before Fu Jia thought it through, he subconsciously slowed down.


    On both sides of the road leading to the school gate, camphor trees grew. They walked in the shade, slower and slower, and finally stopped.


    Lu Qi''an turned around and said, "Let''s just talk here."


    Fu Jia almost bumped into him. He still hadn¡¯t prepared himself yet, so he said ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we walk.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an looked at him ¡°The walk from here to outside the school gate is only 3 minutes. Are you able to finish within that time?¡±


    ¡°But¡­won¡¯t I delay you from going home to rest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Fu Jia breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his head and gathered up his courage to say, "Actually... I want to ask you for a reward."


    His voice shook.


    "I mean, although you pointed out a question for me, it''s not easy for me to get a place in the weekly test, so I want to ask you for a reward." He paused and added: " Isn''t that how you had encouraged Lin Feng to eat medicine before?"


    Fu Jia hated mentioning Lin Fengxun, especially during his alone time with Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He said this vaguely, but Lu Qi¡¯an still understood it.


    He once let Fu Jia watch him bring a gift to coax Lin Feng to take his medicine. That time, Lin Fengxun vomited because of the bitter medicine, which made Lu Wanqing angry, and then Lin Fengxun refused to take the medicine.


    Fu Jia saw the whole process from the window, and ran to the courtyard to ask him, "A person that has no one to encourage him, no one to praise him, how is he supposed to persist?


    At that time, he had acted knowledgeable and gave him an answer, telling Fu Jia that he had to use his own dignity to motivate himself. But now it seems like he did a cruel thing. He showed Fu Jia something beautiful, and attracted his attention, only in the end to throw him a bitter fruit.


    Lu Qi''an neither agreed nor refused: "Talk clearer."


    Fu Jia didn''t say it right away. He looked at Lu Qi''an, and his face slowly turned red.


    "Just treat it as me asking for a favor, okay?" Fu Jia said, "If I can rank in the top 20 within the class for the weekly test, can you... just let me hug..."


    Fu Jia''s voice gradually became lower, and for the last word, Fu Jia only mouthed it.


    He lowered his head very low, almost buried it in his chest.


    This allowed Lu Qi''an to see the clean back of his neck ¡ª¡ª Fu Jia trimmed his hair very neatly and never left any excess hair.


    For no reason, Lu Qi''an suddenly had an urge: he wanted to touch the back of Fu Jia''s neck, only a light touch with his fingertips was enough, he wanted to know whether that piece of skin was cold or hot, wanted to know if the transparent fine hair is as soft as he thought.


    However, Lu Qi''an was good at suppressing his impulses, which was his habit.


    ¡°Why do you want to hug?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    His tone was decisive and didn¡¯t leave room for questioning.  Fu Jia¡¯s blood ran cold, but still said ¡°Then top ten. If I can get into the class¡¯s top ten, then you let me hug, just an ordinary hug. I promise it won¡¯t be like the time in No. 16 High, where I rubbed your neck¡­..¡±


    As he talked, Fu Jia¡¯s face turned red.


    Fu Jia worried that Lu Qi¡¯an knew that his condition of "entering the top ten" was no different from giving up. Even if Lu Qi''an highlighted all the questions in the math test for Fu Jia, there was still little hope of getting into the top ten.


    Lu Qi''an looked at Fu Jia''s eyes, his eyes penetrating, as if he could see through him.


    "Why do you have to hug me? You can ask for something else."


    In an instant, Fu Jia''s heart almost jumped out of his chest.


    The reason  Fu Jia insisted on a hug, does Lu Qi¡¯an really not understand?


    Could he not understand?


    ¡°I want this.¡± Fu Jia said, ¡°I just want this.¡±

 CH 22

    Chapter 22


    ¡®I have to¡¯¡¯ or ¡®I definitely won''t¡¯, Fu Jia almost never spoke like this.


    With the exception of quarrels, it was usually reserved for children who were clamouring to buy something at the mall. During those moments, they¡¯d say to their elders: "I have to have this!¡±


    In Fu Jia¡¯s memory, Lin Fengxun was someone who¡¯d constantly say this because he had the right to be willful. Moreover, elders were always willing to indulge him.


    For Fu Jia, Lu Qi''an was neither his elder nor was he someone that¡¯d condone his willfulness.


    He only said this because he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    After a brief moment of considering it, Lu Qi¡¯an answered: ¡°No.¡±


    A predictable answer.


    Although Fu Jia expected it, he was still sorely disappointed.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± he opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t continue.


    After thinking about it back and forth, he could only say: ¡°Then just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    After several seconds, Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°En.¡±


    This concluded the two¡¯s conversation.


    No. 6 High School¡¯s weekly test results were usually announced on the following Monday, but it made no difference to Fu Jia what his results were. He was indifferent.


    During the weekend, Fu Jia studied as he should, and made friends as he should. He forced himself to forget about Lu Qi¡¯an, forget about the Lin family. Once he let down his vigilance against other people, everything ran smoothly.


    With Big Head¡¯s help, he made more friends in class and even went out for hotpot off-campus with his roommates. During this period, his roommates learned that Fu Jia was the oldest out of everyone and gave him the name ¡®Boss Fu¡¯.


    Big Head¡¯s nerves were much tenser in comparison. As the class monitor, he was under a lot of pressure. No. 6 High School was a school that valued ??academics. No matter how strong Big Head was in other aspects, if his studies weren¡¯t up to standard then teachers would consider him an unqualified class monitor.


    On Monday, Big Head didn¡¯t immediately read his report card once he received it. Instead, he flipped it over and pressed it on the table, and through his mouth came out murmurs of worship toward Buddhist deities that Fu Jia had both heard of and never heard of.


    At last, he turned over the report card¨C third in class.


    Big Head wow¡¯d to himself, then covered his mouth that couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    Fu Jia looked down at his report card¨C eighteenth in class.


    His mood immediately plummeted.


    He made a very accurate guess. Even though Lu Qi''an marked down the question worth the most points and appeared as the final question on the math test, top twenty was the best he could do. And it was barely within the top twenty too, he was on the cusp of failing English.


    Big Head was hugging and kissing his report card on the side, showing it off in all four directions before creeping up to Fu Jia with the intention to peek at his report card. With quick hands, Fu Jia crumpled the report card into a paper ball and held it in his palm.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Considering how hard you studied, it¡¯s impossible for you to have failed. Lemme take a look!¡± Big Head smiled as he talked.


    Fu Jia hid his paper ball even more: ¡°"It''s faster to count my ranking from the end than from the start, so stop asking.¡±


    Big Head thought he was joking: "Impossible, hurry up and lemme see.¡±


    Big Head didn¡¯t mean to make fun of Fu Jia, he sincerely thought that Fu Jia¡¯s grades were good.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one in the class who thought so. During this first week at No. 6 High School, Fu Jia studied an outrageous amount. During class breaks, others would chat or play on their PSPs, even the more well-behaved students would read recreational books. It was only Fu Jia who would sit in front of his desk to study. If no one called on him to hang out, then he wouldn¡¯t take a break on his own. This often made Big Head feel guilty whenever he called on Fu Jia to hang out.


    Getting to know Fu Jia a bit more, Big Head was surprised by Fu Jia¡¯s lack of hobbies and bad habits. He didn¡¯t smoke or drink, nor did he have any experience with video games. He didn¡¯t play basketball or soccer, or even touched a toy car.


    Big Head could only come up with one conclusion: Fu Jia had an extremely strict family.


    The more Fu Jia hid, the more curious Big Head got. He spent an entire three morning periods relentlessly asking Fu Jia for his report cards. The fourth class was PE, and the whole class had to leave the classroom and head to the track field.


    Fu Jia put the vocabulary cards he made into his pocket and got ready to leave for PE class. But as soon as he raised his head, he saw Big Head¡¯s hand sneaking into his desk.


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Big Head rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.


    Fu Jia sighed and took out the paper ball, then carefully flattened its wrinkled surface with his thumbs.


    ¡°Have a look,¡± Fu Jia gave the report card to Big Head, ¡°Only eighteenth place. I was too embarrassed to show you.¡±


    Big Head quickly took the card, and immediately saw the number ¡®18¡¯. But he reacted fast and didn¡¯t show any surprise. Instead, he laughed and said: ¡°It''s the first test of the semester. You¡¯ll improve next time, you¡¯ll improve next time~ And see, the math questions were so difficult this time. You did well."


    ¡°Really?¡± Fu Jia took back the report card and put it in his pocket. Big Head definitely couldn¡¯t have imagined that Lu Qi¡¯an had carried him through a question. If Big Head had also reviewed that question in advance, he might¡¯ve been able to take first place.


    Big Head patted Fu Jia¡¯s back in encouragement, took hold of him, then called over their other friends to go to PE class together.


    According to standard procedure, the first half of PE class was under the teacher¡¯s instructions to participate in a collective class activity. A lot of teachers would take the chance to cut down group activity time so that they could decrease their own working hours. But the PE teacher in charge of Fu Jia¡¯s class was the annual bannerman#, so half the class time meant half the class time. No more, no less.


    After assembling together, the teacher instructed them to run 180 meters as a warm-up exercise. The girls¡¯ resentment shot up to the sky, but couldn¡¯t refuse instructions either. All they could do was run in front of the boys and drag down the class pace as much as possible.


    Led by the female students, their class slowly ran from the east end of the track field to the west end. They were next to the indoor gymnasium, as well as the basketball courts. Fu Jia absentmindedly looked over, then got startled.


    He had already been trying so hard to control himself: don¡¯t think about Lu Qi¡¯an, don¡¯t let your thoughts carry away.


    He didn¡¯t think he would see Lu Qi¡¯an here. Was he also taking PE class? Why didn¡¯t he see him last Monday?


    Lu Qi¡¯an wasn¡¯t playing on the court, but standing to the side with Li Qinhe. At this moment, a girl ran over from nearby, first handing a bottle of water to Li Qinhe, then another to Lu Qi''an. He took the bottle of water and murmured something. Based on his mouth movements, it should be a thank you.


    Fu Jia lost his focus, slowing down his pace, which the male student behind him didn¡¯t notice. With one heavy step, he stepped down on Fu Jia¡¯s heel.


    ¡°Hsss¡­¡±


    He was in so much pain that he took in a sharp inhale of cold air.


    The male classmate who stepped on him was startled, then quickly helped him walk to the side. Following him, Fu Jia limped out of the queue of running students, then squatted down once he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore.


    The male classmate followed suit and squatted down: "I''m sorry. You¡¯re not injured, are you?"


    Fu Jia glanced down, there was some broken skin and a bit of blood around where he got stepped on, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He knew it wasn¡¯t the other¡¯s fault as he was the one who got distracted first, so he waved his hand, untied the shoelace, then half-covered the wound with the heel of his shoe: ¡°It¡¯s alright, only a skin wound on the heel.¡±


    When he put the shoe back on, it rubbed against the wound and Fu Jia shook in pain. He held himself back from making a sound, then stood up as if nothing happened.


    The male classmate sighed in relief and then said: ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s run and catch up to them.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Fu Jia nodded.


    The male classmate started running first, followed by Fu Jia. He was in pain with every step he took. He tried his best to steady himself, making it seem like there was nothing wrong with his stride.


    He didn¡¯t want Lu Qi¡¯an to find out that something so dumb had happened to him. Even if there was little chance of Lu Qi¡¯an noticing what had happened, he still paid attention to every step he took.


    Brisk movements and a straightened back, one¡¯s running form had to look good.


    He raised his hand, pretending to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and secretly looked at Lu Qi¡¯an, but unexpectedly found that Lu Qi''an was also looking at him.


    This was rare. It had always been him who looked over first and waited for Lu Qi¡¯an to return his gaze. This time, he had turned his head without any expectation and immediately met Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s eyes.


    With one glance, it felt like Fu Jia could read his eyes.


    They seemed to say: Fu Jia, come here.


    Fu Jia quickly retracted his gaze and stared straight ahead, but quickly lost his focus. Even his footsteps became perfunctory.


    When did Lu Qi¡¯an start paying attention?


    The sports field was so big, it didn¡¯t make sense for Lu Qi¡¯an to notice him amidst a crowd of people. Could it be that Lu Qi''an heard him shout when his foot got stepped on earlier?


    Fu Jia sped up his pace, quickly turning at the corner of the track and leaving the basketball court behind him. But he was so conscious of what was behind him that the hairs on his back stood up, causing a mild itch that he wanted to scratch.


    The way they looked at each other this time was very similar to the time Fu Jia saw Lu Qi''an on the basketball court on the first day of school.


    During that time, Fu Jia¡¯s feelings weren¡¯t as clear yet. He didn¡¯t believe that he and Lu Qi¡¯an  were really staring at each other, and once he did realize, he had already turned to run towards him.


    If he dared to do it then, why didn¡¯t he dare to do it today?


    Fu Jia was out of breath and raised his hand to beat his chest, halting his steps as he regulated his breath.


    If one left the group without permission and didn¡¯t notify the teacher of their absence, they¡¯d definitely be scolded and deducted merit points once they were busted. But Fu Jia couldn¡¯t be bothered to think so much anymore.


    He took a deep breath, then turned around to walk over only to realize that Lu Qi''an was no longer there.


    He was at a loss, glanced under the basketball hoop twice, then straightened his gaze forward¨C


    He saw Lu Qi''an walking towards him.


    Walking towards him¡­ Why¡­w-w-why was he coming here?


    Fu Jia turned around like a spinner top toy, shrinking his shoulders. It took two seconds before he realized how obvious and idiotic he was behaving.


    ¡°Fu Jia?¡± It was Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice.


    Fu Jia turned around stiffly and faced him.


    There were less than three steps between them. Fu Jia looked up and vividly perceived Lu Qi''an''s countenance. This was a big mental blow to Fu Jia, who was convinced that Lu Qi¡¯an wouldn¡¯t move away from the basketball hoop.


    Fu Jia¡¯s brain short-circuited, and he was too empty-minded to come up with anything to say.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s brows furrowed and slowly shifted his gaze downwards, staring at his feet. He also came to attend PE class. Other teachers took up his class period last week, so he didn''t know that Fu Jia''s PE class was at the same time as his.


    Seeing Fu Jia here was a coincidence. Earlier, he and Li Qinhe were taking a break on the side instead of playing basketball. Li Qinhe was bored to the core, so he began to watch girls run on the track field as a way to pass time. It just so happened that Fu Jia''s class was passing by with the girls running in front, which greatly excited Li Qinhe so he bumped against Lu Qi''an''s shoulder for him to watch too.


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t have any feelings towards Li Qinhe¡¯s passions in life, so he casually swept a glance over. Yet unexpectedly, he saw Fu Jia and set his eyes on him.#


    How long this stare lasted, Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t keep count.


    He turned his eyes away before Fu Jia noticed him, but continued to take note of that side. In turn, he didn¡¯t miss the moment when Fu Jia¡¯s foot got stepped on, nor did he miss the moment he squatted down and revealed his reddened heel.


    ¡°If you¡¯re injured then go to the infirmary. Why are you still running?" Lu Qi''an''s words took on a reproachful tone.


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t know that Lu Qi¡¯an saw him, so he said: ¡°I didn¡¯t get injured.¡±


    Lu Qi''an''s frown deepened. His expression was unhappy to begin with, but now it was even more obvious.


    He didn''t speak, simply squatted down and reached out to untie Fu Jia¡¯s shoelace.


    Fu Jia¡¯s hands jerked straight and stood in place like a nail, not daring to move around.


    After untying the shoelace, Lu Qi''an gently pressed down on the heel of the shoe and said: "Take your feet out."


    Fu Jia desperately shook his head: ¡°No¡­¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s fingers pressing down on his shoe, he might¡¯ve ran off a dozen or so steps to find a spot where he could hear Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s voice distinctly but wouldn¡¯t see his face.


    Fu Jia lowered his head with complicated emotions, while the squatting Lu Qi''an raised his head and stared at him with unpleasant eyes.


    They¡¯ve known each other for ten years, but this was the first time¨C


    ¡°Take it out,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an repeated. Fu Jia closed his eyes, somewhat unable to bear it.


    For the first time¡­Lu Qi¡¯an was looking up at him.


    It was a completely different experience looking at Lu Qi¡¯an from this angle. The arc that connected his brow bone to his nose bridge was highlighted, and the orbit of his eyes looked extraordinarily deep. Framed in this orbit was a pair of upward-lifted eyes that possessed a sharp quality where the corner and tail lifted.


    Fu Jia was fascinated like never before. He was uncontrollable, and pulled out his foot from the shoe like an obedient marionette.


    He didn''t care whether they were in public, and he didn''t care what his feet smelled like after wearing sneakers all morning¨C he couldn''t care.


    Lu Qi''an supported the front of Fu Jia''s ankle and checked the back of his foot. The bloody wound was visible even without taking off the sock.


    It wasn¡¯t originally this severe, but Fu Jia ran half a lap after he injured himself, rubbing the wound against the tough shoe interior. The wound had worsened by double.


    Looking at the shoe again, the large blood stain inside made the scene all the more tragic.


    Fu Jia moved his foot around, wanting to hide his injured foot behind the other leg. Although he didn''t smell anything, the weather was hot and he had just exercised. How could his foot not have a smell?


    ¡°Stop looking at it¡­,¡± Fu Jia said, ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Doesn¡¯t hurt either.¡±


    He really didn¡¯t feel any pain. What really concerned him was how his foot turned hot at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s touch.


    Lu Qi¡¯an silently let go of his hand, stood up, then turned his back to Fu Jia: ¡°I¡¯ll carry you to the infirmary.¡±


    Fu Jia was quite bewildered.


    He didn¡¯t show his pain, so the pain went away. But now there was someone who thought he was in pain.


    In an instant, the pain from the wound surged out like a tide.


    He hummed back in response.


    Lu Qi''an bent his knees and lowered his body so that Fu Jia could place his hands on his shoulders. Fu Jia¡¯s movements were very careful. He didn¡¯t really dare to touch Lu Qi¡¯an, so he leaned back instead of sticking close to him and kept his hands on top of where clothes covered his shoulders.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was resolute and directly held the back of Fu Jia¡¯s thighs with his hands.


    ¡°Lean forward more. I can¡¯t carry you like this,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said. Fu Jia blushed and hugged his neck weakly with his arms.


    ¡°Lean forward more.¡±


    Fu Jia took his time to shift a centimetre forward.


    ¡°....¡± Lu Qi¡¯an was quiet for a moment, then forcefully lifted him up.


    Fu Jia''s centre of gravity was unstable and caused him to fall backwards. Almost falling off, he subconsciously tightened his hold and pressed himself against his back.


    ¡°Got a secure hold?¡± Lu Qi¡¯an asked.


    They stuck together without leaving any room. When one person spoke, the other person could feel the vibrations of their body.


    The same went for heartbeats, Fu Jia realized. His heart was beating so fast that he was sure Lu Qi¡¯an could feel it.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Fu Jia said, then hugged him even tighter.

 CH 23

    Chapter 23


    Fu Jia was trembling.


    He wrapped his arms around him tighter and tighter, and the tighter the hold the more obvious his trembling was.


    He used too much strength, causing discomfort to Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s neck and shoulders. But Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t express this aloud.


    The school''s infirmary was near the dormitory area, quite a distance away from the sports fields, so Lu Qi''an took Fu Jia to the emergency medical room in the gymnasium. Although the room was close and convenient, there normally weren¡¯t any teachers on duty.


    Despite having no teachers around, the infirmary was still unlocked. Lu Qi''an walked in and squatted down in front of a couch: "Come down?"


    Fu Jia didn''t react for a long while.


    Lu Qi¡¯an switched to a stern tone: ¡°Come down.¡±


    This time, Fu Jia obediently let go of his hold.  He landed on his feet, with one foot on the cold tile floor, causing him to realize that they had left the shoe he had taken off back on the track. He was now barefoot.


    Fu Jia scrunched his toes, glancing at Lu Qi''an carefully.


    Lu Qi¡¯an pretended he didn¡¯t see anything and said: ¡°You stay here, I¡¯ll go find a teacher.¡±


    Fu Jia anxiously shook his head: ¡°No need! Just stay here¡­¡±


    His eyes wandered around: ¡°The door wasn¡¯t locked, which means that there¡¯s a teacher on duty today. Maybe he¡¯ll come in a bit, so we can sit here together and wait for him.¡±


    Fu Jia spoke with confidence, but lost this same confidence after he finished speaking. He reluctantly added: ¡°Is that okay¡­¡±


    Lu Qi''an stood up straight and said: "There¡¯s someone in the office next door, let me go ask."


    As Fu Jia sat on the couch, he rubbed the cushion with conflicted emotions, and nodded.


    Fu Jia was worried that he wouldn¡¯t come back once he left, but Lu Qi''an said that he¡¯d be back soon, and he really did return within five minutes.


    "The teacher on duty is temporarily busy, I¡¯ve already contacted her. She¡¯ll try to get here within 20 minutes."


    Fu Jia made an ¡°en¡± sound, but didn¡¯t care at all whether the teacher was coming. He said to him: ¡°Thank you¡­ then what¡¯re you going to do now? Are you going back to class?¡±


    He gave Lu Qi¡¯an an even stare.


    He wanted Lu Qi¡¯an to stay here.


    "I''m neither a patient nor a doctor, so I have no reason to stay here," said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Instantly, Fu Jia¡¯s eyes dimmed and his shoulders drooped. Even his back bent considerably. He used everything he could muster to show his disappointment.


    He whispered, "You need a reason for everything you do."


    His voice was very light as if he finally understood the truth.


    "What did you say?" Lu Qi''an frowned.


    Fu Jia took a deep breath, straightened his back again, and said: ¡°My foot¡¯s in pain, I''m scared, and I want you to stay here and accompany me. Are those reasons enough?"


    Lu Qi''an was slightly taken aback.


    Would a normal person act like this? Saying ¡®I''m afraid¡¯ so energetically, with such a determined look on his face.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t answer right away. He understood that Fu Jia was making a fuss for no reason. With all things considered, he should go back to class. He didn¡¯t have a note of absence from the teacher, nor did Fu Jia. He should go back to the sports field and explain the situation to his teacher, and then explain it to Fu Jia''s teacher. Otherwise, a student¡¯s sudden disappearance from class will greatly trouble the teacher.


    He knew what he should and shouldn¡¯t do, but he didn¡¯t immediately reject Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia said he was in pain; said he was scared.


    After a lot of thinking, Lu Qi¡¯an only had this one thought in his mind.


    In the end, he decided to stay next to Fu Jia.


    The couch in the emergency medical room was very small, with just enough space for the two of them to sit on and left no more than a distance of two fists. One reach, and they could touch the other.


    For a long time, neither of them spoke. They simply sat next to each other.


    Fu Jia''s palms gradually dampened with sweat.


    "I..." he said, "I just need you to accompany me until the teacher comes over, it only takes twenty minutes."


    Lu Qi''an didn''t look at him, then quietly said, ¡°En¡±.


    Fu Jia peeked twice at him, and seeing that he was neither angry nor frowning, felt more relaxed.


    Fu Jia racked his brains to come up with something to say that would make Lu Qi''an happy. Soon, he thought of studying, then connected the thought to weekly tests, before finally recalling his report card.


    "I happen to have this week¡¯s report card with me," he said in a tone that seemed to be showing off a treasure, "I can show it to you.¡±


    Because Big Head wanted to peek at it earlier, he slid the report card into his pocket. Now that he was excitedly taking it out, the wrinkled folds of the report card were exceptionally noticeable. He didn¡¯t think anything of it when he was showing it to Big Head, but now he felt like he couldn¡¯t display this in front of Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He said, ¡°Wait a moment,¡± while working hard to smooth out the wrinkles.


    Seeing the tattered paper in his hand, Lu Qi''an thought of the time when Fu Jia came to his apartment asking for help with the workbook he taped together.  At that time, his face was wounded. The two times were very similar, so he asked: "Why is it wrinkled?"


    Fu Fu# didn''t remember what happened last time and said: "I crumpled it myself."


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s tone was indifferent: ¡°Fu Jia, you fell by yourself and managed to get a knife wound in the face from it, tore a workbook by yourself and managed to glue it back together, and now you crumpled your report card by yourself. So next, are you going to say that you stomped on yourself today and managed to get a wound from it?¡±


    After the words spilt out of his mouth, Lu Qi¡¯an was a bit taken aback. Fu Jia¡¯s little lies actually drove him to say such irrational words, acting as if he was someone who¡¯d been severely angered.


    Fu Jia was startled. His damp hands lost their grip and wiped off some ink from the report card.


    Both his hands froze, and then he said: ¡°It¡¯s the truth this time. Someone wanted to look at my report card, but I felt embarrassed, so I crumpled it up.¡±


    He covered the report card with his hand and said: ¡°Then¡­then let¡¯s not look at it.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an organized his emotions and replied: ¡°It¡¯s fine, show it to me.¡±


    Fu Jia said: "The paper¡¯s too dirty, why don¡¯t I read it for you?"


    Lu Qi''an reached out, pushed away Fu Jia''s hand, and then took the report card away. Fu Jia''s hand froze in its pushed-away position.


    The ranking of ¡®eighteenth¡¯ was the most noticeable detail on the paper. Apart from that, there wasn''t any red ink on the paper, meaning that Fu Jia didn¡¯t fail any subjects.


    For an incompetent student who had just transferred from No. 16 High School to No. 6 High Middle School, it was quite remarkable to achieve this result upon the first attempt at No. 6 High School¡¯s depraved weekly tests.


    Even if¡­ Lu Qi¡¯an carried Fu Jia through a question.


    "Why are you embarrassed? You did well on the test," As he spoke, he folded the report card in half and handed it back to Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia was very pleasantly surprised: "Did I do well on the exam?"


    He was so ecstatic that he forgot to use his hands and take the report card back.


    When he didn''t take it back, Lu Qi''an grabbed his wrist and pulled his palm closer, and placed down the folded report card: ¡°Not bad, but not great either. There¡¯s still room to improve, so don¡¯t relax yet.¡±


    Fu Jia glanced blankly at the palm of his hand, and then blankly looked back at Lu Qi''an.


    Was he imagining it?


    Lu Qi''an praised him, and with such a gentle attitude too.


    He was only in eighteenth place¡­.did a grade like this suffice?


    Did it have the ability to please him?


    The moment Lu Qi''an was about to let go of his hand, the moment his fingertips were about to pull away, Fu Jia took his hand into his.


    "L-L-Lu Qi¡¯an, I...I have something to tell you!" He stammered a bit, but nonetheless, his tone was resolute.


    His hand suddenly being held, Lu Qi¡¯an struggled to keep calm. His face tensed, but at the least, he didn¡¯t shake off Fu Jia¡¯s hand, nor did he frown.


    ¡°If you want to say something, then say it. But talking doesn¡¯t require hand-holding.¡±


    This tone was cold. This was the Lu Qi''an that Fu Jia was familiar with.


    He let go of his hand, but his lingering fingers brushed against the back of Lu Qi''an''s hand.


    This behaviour could be considered perverted. Fu Jia held some resentment towards himself, but he really felt out of control.


    "What I want to say is¨C Lu Qi''an, you¡¯re too good to me..." Fu Jia''s voice dropped, then rose again: ¡°You are so good that I want you. I want you so much.¡±


    After saying these words, the tense strings in Fu Jia''s mind loosened. This wasn¡¯t to say that these strings slackened, but that they completely snapped.


    Because Lu Qi''an didn¡¯t like his rudeness and unreasonableness, he tried hard to be well-behaved and sensible. He achieved it, yet no matter how much he tried, his nature remained the same.


    He was a person who¡¯d use goodwill as a stepping stone. If given a bit of hope, then he¡¯d snatch all that he could from the hands of the other.


    If one person said to another, ¡®I want you,¡¯ what would that mean?


    This could have many interpretations: crazy, serious, or even sexual.


    Lu Qi''an wasn''t surprised, and even kept a calm demeanour: ¡°You want me. How do you want me?¡±


    Fu Jia''s mood was complicated.# #


    He never understood what sort of ¡®want¡¯ he felt either.


    At the start, Fu Jia didn¡¯t even want to approach Lu Qi¡¯an. His feelings changed one day when he dreamed that he beat Lin Fengxun and snatched Lu Qi''an away from him. Through this dream, he realized that he felt jealous of Lin Fengxun.


    He had never been jealous of the love Lin Fengxun received from his parents or his affluent lifestyle. He¡¯d even feel pity towards this bedridden little brother. But when he watched Lu Qi''an through the small window, he began to feel jealous.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was an older brother who loved to teach others and pretend that he was an adult. He never smiled and acted unhappy all day long.


    But he was also so meticulous, gentle and considerate. He knew everything Lin Fengxun wanted to know and could help him solve any problem.


    Fu Jia also wanted such a person.


    Not only that, but he wanted Lin Fengxun to no longer have Lu Qi''an. He wanted no one else in the world to have Lu Qi¡¯an but him alone.


    Step by step, day by day, his jealousy evolved into a longing for Lu Qi¡¯an, and this longing was his only appeal to the concept of love.


    Romantic love, platonic love, and even familial love, he projected all this onto Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He wants him, wants him so much that he¡¯s turning crazy.


    ¡°I want you to love me.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s words were firm.


    The medical room was silent for several seconds. Lu Qi''an closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was only calm and indifference in his eyes.


    He said: ¡°Impossible.¡±


    Fu Jia stared at him fiercely, this ruthless sentence had caused him to tremble all over.


    He took a deep breath, and when the fresh air entered his body, he grabbed Lu Qi''an by the collar and pressed on him, looking for his lips. Lu Qi''an was caught off guard and for a moment he was crushed under, unable to move. Fu Jia seized this opportunity to kiss him on the lips with his eyes closed.


    It was a kiss, yet it wasn¡¯t like a kiss. Fu Jia simply crashed into him, and he wouldn¡¯t do anything else except rub his mouth against Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s.


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t completely close his lips due to surprise, but Fu Jia didn¡¯t use this opportunity to let himself in.


    Soon, Lu Qi''an reacted and pushed him away, then pressed him against the back of the sofa. Lu Qi¡¯an used a hundred percent of his strength, but half its effect was in vain as Fu Jia¡¯s limp body pulled away after one push.


    Moreover, Fu Jia¡¯s face was abnormally red and his eyes oddly misted over.


    Lu Qi''an''s face was blue and red, with a frown he rubbed his lips using the back of his hand.


    Fu Jia looked at him, unable to immediately come to his senses. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to describe his current mood as ecstatic. He wasn¡¯t ashamed of kissing in the school''s infirmary, nor was he ashamed of kissing others forcibly. He simply thought of its endless aftertaste and wanted to do it a thousand times again.


    Lu Qi''an''s eyes were full of anger, but Fu Jia didn¡¯t feel any fear. He swallowed and leaned towards Lu Qi''an again.


    "No," said Lu Qi''an, "We¡¯ve agreed that you need to get my consent to do such a thing."


    Fu Jia nodded and asked: "Then can I kiss you?"


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s face instantly darkened: ¡°No.¡±


    Fu Jia still wasn¡¯t put off and continued to say: ¡°From today onwards, I want to pursue you, pursuing you as a suitor, is that okay?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s expression was complicated. He didn¡¯t answer right away.


    Suddenly, the clicks of high heels interrupted the two of them. The sound approached from afar and gradually got closer. A few seconds later, a female teacher walked into the infirmary while panting.


    ¡°You¡¯ve waited for a long time, classmate,¡± She was holding her bag and coat in one hand, and a shoebox in the other, "How is the injury? Has it stopped bleeding?"


    She tossed the things she was holding onto the desk as she spoke, and only then did she have time to look at the two students sitting inside.


    With this glance, it was clear that something was strange. The two boys were sitting so close that one was practically on top of the other, and although both of their faces were red, one of them had a tight frown and anger almost bursting out his eyes.


    Just as she was about to ask, the one with a pale face stood up from the couch, nodded to her, greeted "Hello", and then left the infirmary.


    "What happened here¡­" She had a feeling that the two students had a conflict. Though she found the situation a bit humorous, she couldn¡¯t laugh anymore once she looked at the one who stayed behind.


    Fu Jia''s eyes were completely red, staring at the floor in a daze.


    He didn''t cry, but the female teacher was worried. If she hadn''t known about his injury from the phone in advance, she would have thought that Fu Jia had a bone or internal injury.

 CH 24

    Chapter 24


    The female teacher squatted down and asked in a low voice: "Student, what''s wrong with you? Let me see your wound."


    Fu Jia raised his hand and vigorously rubbed his eyes. Though his eyes became redder, his complexion also improved.


    He stretched out his foot for the teacher to examine.


    After examining it, the teacher confirmed that it wasn¡¯t a serious injury and breathed a sigh of relief. She softly said: ¡°I will help you disinfect the wound first, then apply the medicine. It will hurt a little, but please bear with it." As she spoke, she took out medicine from the cabinet.


    While cleaning the wound for Fu Jia, the female teacher''s movements were as gentle as possible, and she frequently observed his expression. In her opinion, if Fu Jia''s eyes were red because of this small injury, then he must be a person who is afraid of pain. He might cry in pain when the medicine was applied.


    But in actuality, Fu Jia seemed a little sluggish during the whole process and didn¡¯t convey any responses. After applying the medicine, the teacher said, "It''s all right," twice before he came back to his senses.


    The teacher was a little helpless and didn''t know how to comfort him. She took the shoebox that was left on the table when she came in and said: ¡°Come try it on and see if it fits your feet.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t inside this infirmary earlier, she wasn¡¯t far away from it either. The reason why it took nearly twenty minutes to get here was because when Lu Qi''an contacted her, he specifically asked her to buy a pair of shoes, then specified to buy the kind with heels that could be stepped on. As for the cost, he would ask the dean, meaning her immediate boss, Liu-laoshi, to give her the payment.


    As soon as she heard Liu-laoshi''s name, the female teacher agreed and even drove out of the school to a nearby store to find shoes that met the requirements.


    Fu Jia was a little disoriented when he saw the brand-new shoes in the shoebox.


    The teacher gave him a suspicious glance: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    When Lu Qi''an contacted her, he clearly explained the injury, the shoe size, the problem of expenses, as well as its resolution. Unexpectedly, Fu Jia himself acted like he didn''t understand the situation.


    Fu Jia shook his head and said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thank you, laoshi.¡±


    He stepped on the heel of the shoe to put it on¨C not too big or too small, just right.


    Fu Jia quickly figured out that Lu Qi''an asked his teacher to buy it for him, and with his way of handling things, he definitely wouldn¡¯t let him pay for it.


    What Fu Jia couldn''t figure out was that even if Lu Qi''an noticed that he had lost a shoe, how would he know his shoe size?


    Fu Jia couldn¡¯t improve his mood and soon gave up thinking about it. The impulsive confession before used up all his energy, and now he was both tired and uncomfortable. He just wanted to go back to the dormitory and have a good sleep.


    After leaving the infirmary, Fu Jia returned to the sports fields to find his PE teacher. But he stayed in the infirmary for too long, and now class had been dismissed. Since it was lunch break, there were only a few scattered students left on the fields. He wandered back and forth around the fields, but couldn''t find the PE teacher''s office. He didn''t want to ask others either, so he gave up and went straight back to the dormitory.


    The roommate and Fu Jia were in the same grade, but they weren¡¯t in the same class. No one knew what happened to him nor did they notice his strangeness, so everyone went on to do their own thing. Seeing that they didn''t react, Fu Jia concluded that his sudden disappearance from class didn''t cause any major trouble, allowing him to fully relax.


    He washed his face with cold water, laid in bed, curled up his body as much as possible, and then covered his head with a duvet. From lying down to falling asleep, Fu Jia took under ten seconds. Because he fell asleep quickly, there wasn¡¯t anything on his mind, nor did he dream about anything.


    By mid-September, the temperature had cooled down but indoors was still much warmer than outdoors. Fu Jia only slept for half an hour before the heat woke him up.


    He was sweating all over, his upper body was especially serious as his collar was soaked. Because he slept on his stomach, his forehead was pressed against the pillow and now the pillow was wet. Although, the moisture on the pillow might not have entirely originated from sweat.


    He didn¡¯t feel very well physically, but Fu Jia was in good spirits and had a clear mind. This feeling was very subtle, like an autumn rain that was more refreshing than cold.


    His roommates were all taking a nap, so Fu Jia tiptoed out of bed, went to the bathroom to sprinkle himself with a cold shower, and then changed out of the sweaty clothes.


    When he was showering, he was careful not to get water on the wound, but he still couldn''t avoid being splashed. It hurt a little, but Fu Jia didn''t think it mattered.


    He wouldn¡¯t break down over something so insignificant.


    Whether it¡¯s an injury or a rejected confession.


    During afternoon class, Fu Jia was taught a lesson by Big Head who grabbed his collar. "You actually skipped class!" Big Head said angrily, ¡°Fortunately, I reacted fast and told the teacher that you had diarrhea. Tell me quickly, where did you go? You didn¡¯t say a thing to me!¡±


    Fu Jia apologized to him, pointing at his foot: ¡°It can¡¯t be counted as skipping class. There was a small problem, so I went to the infirmary. "


    When he heard the word infirmary, Big Head was stunned for two seconds. He bent down to look, and saw that Fu Jia''s wound had been properly treated with a piece of thick gauze attached to it; one shoe was properly worn, while the other shoe was stepped on by his heel. He smiled with ill intentions: ¡°Fu Jia, you look like you went to plant rice seedlings in the fields.¡±


    Fu Jia was taken aback for a moment, and took it seriously: "Then I''ll put on my shoes properly." As he spoke, he began to squat down.


    Big Head immediately stopped him: ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t. I was just joking.¡±


    Fu Jia thought nothing of it at first, but began to feel uncomfortable once Big Head said his piece: ¡°Isn¡¯t it very sloppy-looking?


    Big Head comforted him: "It''s okay. You don''t have a girlfriend and you''re not chasing others, so what are you afraid of? Just be sloppy and heal your injury first.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s face turned dark before he even finished speaking.


    He didn''t say a word, just directly bent down and lifted the heel up.


    ¡°Damn!" Big Head shouted loudly, "You¡¯re gonna be this hard on yourself?¡±


    Fu Jia moved his foot, but didn''t feel any discomfort: ¡°It''s fine if I don''t move around. Either one, sitting in class doesn¡¯t involve moving. Wearing it like this right now is fine.¡±


    Big Head rubbed his chin, lost in deep thought.


    It turns out that Fu Jia actually cares this much about his image? Or is it that¡­ he has a girl he likes?


    He was still contemplating when he heard Fu Jia say: "Big Head, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Big Head said, ¡°Ask, you can ask anything you want.¡±


    Fu Jia said solemnly: "Boys... how do they usually pursue the person they like?"


    "Huh?" Big Head was dumbfounded. After a while, he slapped the table: "No way, do you really have someone you like?"


    Fu Jia raised his hand and motioned downwards: "No. Be a bit quieter, be a bit quieter.¡±


    Big Head cooperated and lowered his volume: "Then why are you asking this?"


    Fu Jia scratched his head, a little troubled. He often lied, but when it came to this kind of thing, he didn¡¯t know how to lie and this would be his first time.


    He reluctantly said: ¡°I¡­ I have a friend¡­¡±


    "Oh..." Big Head drew his voice and interrupted him, "So it¡¯s your friend."


    He was very cooperative and didn''t ask any more questions, and also answered seriously: ¡°When it comes to pursuing girls, just do as you like. Girls at our age are easy to understand. Take her to and from school, buy her breakfast, gift her jewellery and cosmetics, it¡¯s really simple.¡±


    Big Head subconsciously assumed it was a girl, and never considered the possibility of other genders.


    Fu Jia frowned: "Not this kind of¡­¡±


    Taking him to and from school? Lu Qi''an didn¡¯t seem like the type to need an escort. Buy breakfast? There was an auntie who¡¯d take care of three meals a day at Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s apartment. Jewelry, cosmetics, that''s even more ridiculous¡­


    ¡°Not this kind?¡± Realization dawned upon Big Head, ¡°I understand. Have you reached the point where you can proceed to the next stage? Then be bold. Go up to her and hug her, kiss her. She might say no aloud, but her heart¡¯s actually looking forward to it.¡±


    Speaking of this, Dato let out a freakish laugh.


    Fu Jia''s face turned blue.


    Saying no aloud, but looking forward to it in their hearts¡­


    Shit, what Big Head said was complete nonsense.


    Fu Jia thanked him perfunctorily then ignored Big Head. No matter how much Big Head pestered him about ¡®that girl¡¯, Fu Jia ignored him.


    Throughout afternoon classes, Fu Jia would be distracted from time to time.


    He wanted to pursue Lu Qi''an now. Although he didn''t get the other party''s consent, he had already declared it in front of Lu Qi''an, so he would definitely persist.


    The question was: how to pursue?


    After thinking hard all afternoon, Fu Jia finally realized that maybe he should ask a female friend.


    The next day at noon, Fu Jia asked Cen Mengke to meet at the KTV he used to work at during summer vacation.


    Ignoring the outlandish lights in the KTV, and the howling ghosts and wolves in the background, this place could be regarded as a hideout, which could be used to talk about serious business.


    Cen Mengke hasn''t changed much, there was still a miniskirt under the outer school uniform. Her two ears added together amounted to over ten poked holes that were covered with all sorts of colourful things shining bright under the lights.


    Sitting next to Fu Jia, she said dramatically: "Wow, you look completely different now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Cen Mengke said, ¡°The temperament of an academic really is different. You used to look¡­¡± she paused, ¡°Very unhappy? That¡¯s not right either. Regardless, it felt quite worrying. Seemed like you¡¯d hit whoever you disagreed with.¡±


    Her tone and words seemed playful, Fu Jia smiled and didn''t take it seriously.


    However, the concept of "beating people" had already become unfamiliar to Fu Jia. In the past, he would carry an army knife with him all the time, and sometimes he would buy sandpaper to sharpen the knife.


    He didn¡¯t need it anymore.


    Fu Jia said: "I''m asked to meet up because I want to ask you some questions."


    Cen Mengke nodded: "I know, you said it on the phone. Go ahead and ask."


    Fu Jia cleared his throat and asked calmly, "I want to know how you girls pursue boys..."


    ¡°What?" Cen Mengke thought she heard wrong: "Chasing men? You said it the other way around."


    Fu Jia¡¯s ears were hot to the point that it thwarted his composure. He covered it with his hands and said, "That¡¯s right. I wanted to ask how you girls pursue boys."


    Cen Mengke froze for a moment, going from doubting Fu Jia to doubting herself. Could this perhaps be a new rising trend in No. 6 High School? Or was it that¡­ People who were good at studying wanted to study the psychology of the opposite gender.


    Fortunately, Fu Jia thought of an excuse in advance and explained: ¡°I made a friend in No. 6 High School who¡¯s a girl. Recently, she wants to pursue someone she likes, so she wants me to help by asking you for advice.¡±


    Cen Mengke felt that this was unfathomable: "I don''t know her, why would you bend over backwards to ask me?¡±


    Fu Jia bit the bullet and said: ¡°She''s heard of you. Aren''t you very popular in No. 6 High School? Maybe there''s a good way to go about it.¡±


    Cen Mengke suddenly realized.


    "So that¡¯s how it is," she accepted. She had been popular with boys since she was in junior high school. Although she never bragged about it, she still felt very proud when others mentioned it first.


    "Well, it''s very simple. When women chase men, they are separated only by a thin veil.# Generally speaking, as long as the girl is interested, the boy won¡¯t say no either.¡± Cen Mengke slightly raised her chin, her face full of confidence.


    Fu Jia said: "What if the other party is hard to deal with?"


    "Hard to deal with?" Cen Mengke was a little worried. What did hard to deal with mean? There had never been a man who was hard to deal with in her entire life.


    She tried hard to remember what her sisters did when they chased their boyfriends and said: "Then... try your best to care for him and move him.¡±


    Fu Jia gave a heavy nod and suddenly felt enlightened.


    It seemed that Cen Mengke was the reliable choice. He asked: "How exactly?"


    Cen Mengke spoke as she reflected: "Look, girls are characteristically gentle and delicate. Subtlety and quietness are the corresponding manifestations of these characteristics.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded. Both were so excited that neither noticed the wrong lines in her words.


    "To start, a love letter needs to be written. Girls are very shy, so it''s much better to write their thoughts on paper then show it to the other party,¡± As Cen Mengke spoke, she began to use her memories to fabricate nonsense, ¡°Then it''s delivering food. Pay attention here. You have to give something hand-made so that you can display your virtue."


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Cen Mengke chuckled with a ¡°hehe¡±.


    On this day, Fu Jia learned a lot from her.


    The next morning when Lu Qi''an came to the school, he found that there were some things on his seat that didn¡¯t belong to him.


    When he picked it up, he saw that it was a carton of milk. There was also an envelope tied with a pink ribbon wrapped around the carton. The envelope was also pink.


    He frowned and wanted to throw this hot potato away, but then he noticed a small word written on the corner of the envelope¡ª


    Jia.

 CH 25

    Chapter 25


    With his hand hanging in mid-air unable to move up or down, Lu Qi¡¯an simply held the milk carton.


    Li Qinhe, who was sitting near him, was the first to notice his abnormality. After seeing the milk carton and the pink envelope, he sneered: ¡°Which class is this girl from? She doesn¡¯t know how to read the room at all, giving you milk even when you¡¯re lactose intolerant.¡±


    He reached out, trying to yank the milk carton away from Lu Qi''an''s hand: "I''ll drink it for you."


    He yanked, but couldn¡¯t yank it away. He yanked again. Still nothing.


    When he wanted to try again in disbelief, Lu Qi''an raised his head and coldly made Li Qinhe loosen his grip: "Don''t touch it."


    Lu Qi''an''s actions were merciless, making Li Qinhe feel very wronged. He covered the spot where he was beaten and said: "Aren''t you lactose intolerant...why won¡¯t you let me drink?"


    It was common for girls to deliver gifts to Lu Qi¡¯an, and Lu Qi''an would throw away such things without exception. Among the girls, there were very few that¡¯d give milk, and most of these occurrences happened only when the first-year high school students first started school. It only took a bit of getting to know Lu Qi¡¯an that the girls would find out he¡¯s lactose intolerant.¡±


    Lu Qi''an stared at the milk and the envelope in his hand, his face dismal and uncertain.


    Li Qinhe stared and stared, not daring to provoke him anymore. He quietly sat back in his seat, not even daring to let his eyes wander.


    With no one bothering him, Lu Qi''an gradually cooled down. He calmly opened the envelope and read the letter in his hand.


    The letter reads:


    Lu Qi''an,


    How are you?


    Sincere greeting to you.


    After weighing upon this several times, I chose to express my heart to you through a letter. When I wrote these words, my heart felt like it was being set on fire. My love for you has become unbearable, tormenting me like torture yet intoxicating me to the heavens.


    How lucky I am to meet such a dazzling you in my life.


    Please accept me and let me treat you well.


    Miss you, miss you, miss you.


    I wish you happiness.


    Fu Jia.


    Li Qinhe was sitting in frustration and ranting to his girlfriend through SMS when he suddenly heard a burst of suppressed laughter from his side. It was very short, lasting only one syllable.


    He stared at Lu Qi''an as if he had seen a ghost, and saw that his head was turned to one side, his fist covering his lips, and the corner of his mouth had a slight upward arch.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was laughing?


    Next, he saw Lu Qi''an put his hand down, regaining his cold expression. But he carefully folded the letter and returned it back in the envelope. Considering this affectionate gesture, it appeared that he wanted to keep this letter.


    Li Qinhe was baffled.


    ¡°Qi¡¯an, are you okay?¡± he asked carefully. His attention was completely captured by the pink love letter in his hand.


    Studying his expression, Li Qinhe suddenly realized that with Lu Qi''an''s temperament, why would he rush to open the love letter given by others in the classroom? He looked like he couldn''t wait to open it.#


    Li Qinhe''s heart skipped a beat.


    It¡¯s over.


    Over the course of the subsequent week, every morning Lu Qi''an would take out a carton of milk and a love letter from inside his desk, and every morning Lu Qi''an would open the letter and read it during the first period.


    Li Qinhe seized this opportunity, sat next to him, and stared at Lu Qi''an to death. He didn''t have the courage to snatch the love letter over and read it, nor did he dare to sneak a peek. He could only observe Lu Qi''an''s expression as he read, trying to uncover any clues. It was a pity that Lu Qi¡¯an only smiled on that first day, for the rest of the week he kept his face blank as he read the letters.


    From opening the letter to reading it, then putting the letter back in the envelope again, the whole set of actions was impeccably watertight.


    The next incident happened the following Monday¨C the milk and the love letter were cut off at the same time.


    That morning, Lu Qi''an looked normal. But Li Qinhe, having known him so well, knew there was something wrong with him.


    Lu Qi''an was colder than usual, emitting a low pressure for a long time, which made people afraid to approach or talk to him. Not only that, but Lu Qi¡¯an would become distracted from time to time, motionlessly staring off into nothing.


    Seeing him like this, Li Qinhe was in complete awe.


    A master! Whoever wrote the love letters must be a master of love!


    Who could play with Lu Qi''an''s feelings so freely?


    This trick of playing hard to get, retreating for a further advance, was too beautifully played.


    First, use a week¡¯s worth of time to launch a fierce attack using milk and love letters, and then once Lu Qi¡¯an got used to it, abruptly cut off all supply.


    This method must have come from a master!


    Li Qinhe¡¯s heart itched unbearably, he was dying to know who this ¡®master¡¯ was. He took out his phone and asked his female friends one by one to see if there was any information.


    Li Qinhe could never have imagined, not even in his next life, that this so-called love master would be Fu Jia. And what he could never imagine, not even in his next-next life, was that the reason why Fu Jia stopped delivering the milk and letters was¨C


    He was broke.


    Following Cen Mengke''s teachings, Fu Jia began to pursue Lu Qi''an by delivering milk and writing love letters. In reality, Cen Mengke never came up with this rancid idea of ¡®delivering milk and love letters together¡¯. She only gave two examples, saying that things like milk or love letters were good ways to keep things going. By persevering, the other party would easily be moved.


    From Fu Jia¡¯s perspective, if both methods were effective, then why not do both at the same time?


    Because it was for Lu Qi''an, Fu Jia couldn¡¯t be negligent. The milk he chose was the most expensive option at the on-campus store, as was the envelope and letter paper for writing love letters.


    Fu Jia was full of confidence at the beginning. He prepared himself to live frugally for a long time, determined to deliver gifts for a whole year. But last weekend, the school required an administrative fee, which made Fu Jia almost vomit blood.


    He couldn''t afford to deliver milk anymore, and even if he could deliver it for another day or two, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to deliver it for a whole year in the future.


    The night before Monday morning, Fu Jia tossed and turned and practically didn¡¯t get any sleep. After the sun had risen, he woke up early and wandered back and forth in front of the store, before finally buying a bottle of water.


    A regular bottle of mineral water.


    He squeezed the bottle tightly, hyping himself up.


    Monday was a rare opportunity because Fu Jia''s class and Lu Qi''an''s class will have PE class at the same time.


    The injury on his foot wasn¡¯t fully healed yet. During class, Fu Jia asked the teacher for leave and sat by the flower bed to rest. Fu Jia brought the water he bought earlier this morning and stared at the basketball court before him from afar.


    As expected, Lu Qi''an was playing basketball with his classmates.


    Fu Jia stood up and resolutely walked to the basketball court.


    A stranger approached, but didn¡¯t attract Lu Qi¡¯an or his classmates¡¯ attention. Whenever Lu Qi¡¯an and Li Qinhe played basketball with others, unrelated spectators would often come over to watch. So whether it was the students standing on the sidelines or the people playing on the court, such as Li Qinhe, none of them noticed Fu Jia.


    It wasn''t until the intermission, when everyone went to the sidelines to drink water and wipe off sweat, that Li Qinhe felt a little weird.


    Just now, did Lu Qi''an lose his focus? He made a few low-level mistakes, and who knew where his eyes drifted off to?


    Li Qinhe felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu because this wasn¡¯t the first time that Lu Qi''an suddenly lost his focus on the basketball court.


    Li Qinhe wanted to ask, but just as he was about to take a step forward, he caught sight of Fu Jia''s figure and saw him passing through the crowd to squeeze to Lu Qi''an''s side.


    Fu Jia stretched his arms straight, held the water bottle up high, and said loudly: "L-Lu-xuezhang,# are you thirsty? Do you want to drink some wadder?"


    It¡¯s over! He stuttered, he mispronounced the word water.


    The water bottle in Fu Jia''s hand began to shake as his arm trembled.


    Fu Jia''s plan today was: deliver water to Lu Qi¡¯an. This was not taught by Cen Mengke, but a method he came up with himself. He was inspired by last gym class, when he saw a girl give Lu Qi¡¯an a bottle of water. When Lu Qi¡¯an accepted it, his heart felt very uncomfortable.


    If others could give it, why couldn¡¯t he?


    Now, he really did give it, but the entire basketball court fell silent because of his words.


    Who taught Fu Jia all this?


    If the one being pursued wasn¡¯t himself, they¡¯d definitely be scared off by Fu Jia¡¯s recklessness. After just exercising, Lu Qi''an was still a bit out of breath.  He took a deep breath, exhaled again, and steadily took the water bottle from Fu Jia''s hand.


    Fu Jia was very excited, his face turning red: "I... I''m here to bring you water."


    ¡°I know. Let¡¯s go talk somewhere else,¡± his voice was also steady.


    Fu Jia¡¯s mind and heart raced. He asked: ¡°Why go somewhere else?


    ¡°To talk.¡±


    He grabbed Fu Jia''s wrist and led him far away. During their walk, one walked behind the other, and Fu Jia obediently followed Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s footsteps.


    They eventually stopped under the shade of a tree that couldn¡¯t be seen from the basketball court.


    The two hadn¡¯t seen each other for a week. It was fine if they didn¡¯t meet, but only when they were together again did Fu Jia realize how ineffective the repetitions of  ¡®miss you¡¯ were in his love letter.


    It wasn¡¯t as simple as repeating ¡®miss you¡¯ three times. Rather, it was more like ¡®miss you too much¡¯, ¡®miss you like crazy¡¯.


    Ignoring how Fu Jia was peering into him with shining eyes, Lu Qi''an raised the water bottle in his hand and asked him: "Who taught you this?"


    Fu Jia replied truthfully: "I came up with it myself."


    Lu Qi¡¯an lightly frowned, clearly not believing him: ¡°Then what about the milk and love letters?¡±


    Hearing him directly say the words ¡®love letter¡¯, Fu Jia¡¯s face slightly warmed up. He said: ¡°I¡­I learned it from a book.¡±


    He didn¡¯t rat out Cen Mengke.


    When Lu Qi¡¯an thought of those love letters, excluding the beginning and ending, there were only sour and cringeworthy lyrical lines that gave one a headache.


    ¡°Stop all of this,¡± he said firmly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop,¡± Fu Jia said just as firmly.


    He absolutely couldn¡¯t accept stopping. He mentally prepared himself enough before he started, and he was even more encouraged after consulting Cen Mengke.


    He will never give up.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s tone grew colder: ¡°I don¡¯t like any of this.¡±


    Fu Jia insisted on not giving in and asked him instead: "Then what do you like?"


    Lu Qi''an pursed his lips and fell silent.


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t speak either, waiting for his reply.


    Fu Jia''s eyes had always been stubborn, Lu Qi''an knew that. From the first time Fu Jia ran from the Lin family villa¡¯s domestic workers¡¯ room to the courtyard to confidently ask him bold questions, he had always been so stubborn.


    After a long time, Lu Qi''an said: "I don''t like anything."


    The rejection in his words couldn''t be more obvious. Fu Jia opened his mouth and said: "Impossible. It¡¯s impossible for a person not to have something they like. You¡¯ve said before that you like someone who¡¯s good at studying.¡±


    These weren¡¯t Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s original words, but that didn¡¯t stop him from interpreting it like this.


    He said: "The results of the weekly tests came out last week. This time you didn¡¯t circle questions for me, but I still improved. I was fourteenth. If I work harder, I can enter the top ten. You will definitely like that."


    Fu Man looked at him expectantly, and Lu Qi''an saw the request within his eyes.


    Lu Qi''an clenched his hands tightly, his fingertips numb. Whenever he tried to force himself to calm down but couldn¡¯t, his fingers would tingle as if his blood had frozen and couldn''t reach his fingertips.


    He told himself: You can¡¯t. You can¡¯t.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    He said.


    It felt like swallowing a piece of ice to his stomach during the midst of deep winter.

 CH 26

    Chapter 26


    Many days later, Lu Qi¡¯an could vividly dream of the moment he rejected Fu Jia, and how his face had instantly paled.


    Like a small child, he clenched the clothes that covered his chest and looked around everywhere as if he couldn''t believe it. He wanted to speak but his lips trembled, and he couldn''t utter a word for a long time.


    In the end, he ran away.


    The injury on his foot shouldn¡¯t have fully healed yet, but when he came to see him, his shoes were tidily worn. He probably didn¡¯t have the heart to mind it as he ran, but it was clear that one foot was impaired.


    He stood in the same spot, staring at Fu Jia¡¯s back silhouette with his blood frozen. The feeling he felt at this moment would often appear at the end of the dream, forcing him to wake up in cold sweat.


    It was the same tonight as well.


    Lu Qi''an glanced at the clock, it was only three o''clock in the morning.


    But he couldn¡¯t fall back asleep anymore.


    He sat up and opened the drawer next to the bed, this was where he kept all the love letters that Fu Jia wrote to him for a week. The drawer was locked, so Auntie Miao wouldn¡¯t be able to open it. Even if it was secretly opened, he¡¯d find traces left behind.


    He took one letter out and read it under the dim glow of the bedside wall light. The light wasn¡¯t bright enough, but it didn¡¯t matter as he had already long memorized the contents by heart.


    Each of Fu Jia''s love letters was very similar. They began with a greeting to Lu Qi¡¯an, and the middle was filled with sour and cheesy passages that must¡¯ve been plagiarized or rewritten from who knows where. While feeling disgusted, Lu Qi¡¯an still memorized it.


    The sentences at the end were probably written by Fu Jia himself:


    Miss you, miss you, miss you.


    I wish you happiness.


    Lu Qi''an put the love letter away as usual, turned off the light, and laid back on the bed, but his fingers were trembling.


    He would have to endure the overnight coldness and numbness of his fingers.


    Since his mother''s death, Lu Qi''an has seldom been happy.


    Losing a loved one was depressing, but that alone may not necessarily stop Lu Qi¡¯an from leaving behind his sadness and facing life positively.


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t know his mother very well. Not only was he unfamiliar with her, Lu Qi¡¯an also somewhat rejected her.


    Qi Bing fell ill before Lu Qi''an gained awareness of the world, and lived alone on the third floor of the villa. Lu Qi''an had always been told by his father and aunt to not disturb Qi Bing''s rest, and not to make a ruckus in her room. Coupled with the fact that domestic workers and medical staff came and went with solemn expressions, Lu Qi''an went up to the third floor less and less.


    When being urged by his grandma and grandpa, he¡¯d visit once a day. But when no one was watching over him, he¡¯d only go once a week.


    But he never approached closely, he simply stood by the door and quietly called out: "Mama."


    When this happened, Qi Bing would lift her head from the sickbed with great difficulty and stare at him with wide eyes. The stare was too intense, as if her eyes wanted to peer through every organ in his body, sending chills down Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s spine and making him want to escape.


    Over time, the third floor where Qi Bing was located became the place Lu Qi''an was most afraid of in his childhood.


    When his mother passed away, he ignorantly followed his family to the funeral without shedding a single tear. The funeral was also the last time he saw his grandpa and grandma. Grandma was being held by grandpa, and his uncle was steadying her hands and feet. But even with two people restraining her, she still desperately leaned forward and cursed hysterically: You Lu family are all cold-blooded, my daughter was killed by you!


    There were also a lot of other curses that Lu Qi¡¯an couldn¡¯t remember clearly anymore.


    Protected by his aunt, he hid behind his father. He looked at his father''s stiff back and wondered with a sense of perplexity why his father didn''t deny it.


    Then one night, the young Lu Qi''an hid in a room to peek at Qi Bing''s old photos and found a picture of Qi Bing holding him in his arms, looking at him lovingly.


    Qi Bing''s eyes were as tender as flowing water.


    In an instant, Lu Qi''an realized.


    Whenever he went to see Qi Bing, Qi Bing¡¯s stare didn¡¯t mean she wanted to eat him or beat him, she didn''t have any harmful ill will towards her son. She only wanted to use her eyes to ask Lu Qi¡¯an to come closer, come closer to her bedside and accompany her for a bit.


    Her husband didn¡¯t love her, no matter how much she tried. Her sister-in-law didn¡¯t like her, no matter how hard she tried. No matter how long she tried, no one liked her. She only had her son, only this one son.


    She looked at her son, asking nothing of him but to stay in her room for a while.


    Facing the Qi Bing who was like this, Lu Zhiyuan worked all day and rarely visited her; Lu Qi¡¯an feared her and avoided her like she was a snake.


    The one who visited most was Lu Wanqing, but she had been estranged from Qi Bing for over ten years.


    They were all murderers.


    Among them, there was no doubt that he, Lu Qi¡¯an, was an accomplice.


    All of a sudden, the world was turned upside down and collapsed. Heartbreak and physical breakdown were not enough to describe Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s anguish.


    He was too young to know how to deal with this pain, and he didn''t dare to tell anyone. Every night he would securely lock the door and take out his mother¡¯s photo that he kept hidden under his pillow. Hugging it, he¡¯d struggle for a long time before he could fall into a light sleep.


    Before it was light out, he would wake up and carefully hide the photo back under the pillow, then wait with open eyes for the caretaker auntie to rouse him from bed.


    He didn''t feel sorry for himself, nor intend to improve this terrible state. He thought he was the most unforgivable, so it might be better to torture himself like this.


    What changed everything was his encounter with Fu Jia.


    Upon first encounter, the crying boy hiding in tall grass interested him. Glueing his eyes on him simply because he gave him a bandaid was even more interesting.


    One person finding another person interesting, this was often the beginning of all affairs between people.


    After that day, Fu Jia began to peek at him from the window. This child didn¡¯t know how to disguise himself, almost his entire body was leaning out of the window.# How could this be considered peeking? Fortunately, Lu Qi''an covered Lin Fengxun''s line of sight with his body, and even put Lin Fengxun to sleep to help conceal Fu Jia.


    What he didn¡¯t expect was for Fu Jia to run over and ask questions about what he casually said to coax Lin Fengxun to take his medication.


    He didn''t want to respond to him at first, but Fu Jia''s eyes touched him very much. Pitiful, determined, and full of yearning.


    It was a yearning for him.


    Just like that, Lu Qi''an was dragged off the cliff by Fu Jia.


    From that day on, he used playing with Lin Fengxun as an excuse to frequently come in and out of the Lin family villa, making noise in the courtyard to lure Fu Jia out for a look.


    Fu Jia didn''t know that Lu Qi''an could notice him, but Lu Qi''an knew that this was a communicative, two-way affair. He enjoyed Fu Jia¡¯s dependence on him, his need for him, and he stood there perfectly, responding to Fu Jia.


    As if he was repenting.


    It was also from this day onwards that Lu Qi''an no longer needed a picture of his mother to fall asleep, and he no longer tossed and turned every night, having nightmares again and again.


    A few years passed like this, and on the anniversary of his mother''s death, Lu Qi''an had an argument with Lu Zhiyuan. Lu Zhiyuan smashed the flower stand# on his head and he bled profusely, blood even flowed into his eyes.


    His aunt was frightened to tears and knelt in front of the grave. She cried and pleaded to Qi Bing, then after a while, she broke down and asked her why she had to commit suicide and cause their family to become like this.


    Lu Qi''an''s heart was numb. Not knowing who to hate, he simply moved out of Lu''s house and lived alone in the apartment. During the early days of moving in, he returned to his previous insomniac sleeping pattern, and this time even pictures of his mother didn''t help. Later on, he tried imagining before bed that Fu Jia was next to him and looking at him with those dependent eyes. Sure enough, he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.


    In the same year, Lu Qi''an made up his mind to bring Fu Jia out of the abyss.


    He had already missed the chance to save his mother. He mustn¡¯t watch Fu Jia sink and break down, then die in front of him.


    He believed he could do it, and he did do it well. When he became an adult, Fu Jia heeded his advice and left the Lin family. He also listened to his words and studied hard, transferring to No. 6 High School without a day of slacking off.


    If¡­


    If Fu Jia hadn''t fallen for him, everything would have gone perfectly.


    He will watch from afar as Fu Jia gets admitted to an excellent university, drifting far, far away from the Lu and Lin family with each step, gaining close friends and lovers while enjoying a successful career.


    If he hadn¡¯t also fallen for Fu Jia, everything would have gone perfectly.


    He won¡¯t be softhearted at every turn anymore, helping him, taking care of him. He will adamantly reject Fu Jia and make him give up on his desires. From here onwards, he will no longer try to show off his good points in the courtyard, acting like a courting male peacock.


    No matter how much he has to restrain himself or act coldly, he still won¡¯t allow the what-ifs to become reality.


    It was too laughable. Confronting his feelings made such a coward out of him. Whether it was studying, athletics, or social interactions, he had absolute confidence. Yet he didn¡¯t have the confidence to cherish his lover.


    He was Lu Zhiyuan''s son, and like him, he only had an advantageous family background and appearance, but there was nothing good about his character. They were neither gentle nor cheerful, but gloomy like old men.


    He wanted to bring Fu Jia out of the quagmire, but if he chose to love Fu Jia, then instead of saving Fu Jia he may instead push Fu Jia into the deep abyss like Lu Zhiyuan did to Qi Bing. What would he do then?


    He couldn¡¯t do that.


    He must endure.


    With his eyes open, Lu Qi''an stayed up from three o''clock in the morning to sunrise.


    He washed up like usual, put on his watch, then left his room.


    It was too early, so Auntie Miao hadn¡¯t left yet. She looked at Lu Qi¡¯an in surprise and said: ¡°How come you woke up so early today?¡±


    Lu Qi''an raised his hand to check his watch, only to realize that he had read the wrong time. He said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, continue on,¡± then went back into his room.


    He sat on the chair, his entire body aching.


    He couldn¡¯t.


    But as expected¨C


    Miss you, miss you, miss you.

 CH 27

    Chapter 27


    Fu Jia stared at the report card before him, completely stunned.


    After a while, he patted the nearby Big Head and said: ¡°Big Head, come here and look at what this word says¡­¡±


    Tilting his head, he saw Fu Jia staring at his report card in a daze. Finding it weirdly funny, he said: ¡°There are so many words on this piece of paper, which word are you talking about?¡±


    Fu Jia pointed to the word ¡®ninth¡¯ in ¡®Ninth Place¡¯ and said: "This one."


    Big Head rolled his eyes.


    On the fourth weekly test of No. 6 High School, Fu Jia ranked ninth place in the class. The moment he got the report card, he almost jumped out of his seat.


    Was he this powerful? Was he really this powerful?


    This was the top tenth!


    It had been a month since school started, and tomorrow would be October 1st, which signalled the long-awaited holiday for students. After class, surrounding classmates were all talking about where they were going for the National Day holiday, and how to take full advantage of this holiday that was earned through extra remedial classes. Fu Jia didn''t pay attention to these things and happily looked at his report card.


    I really want to show this to Lu Qi¡¯an, he thought.


    But¡­ It wasn''t a good time right now.


    Ever since he was explicitly rejected, Fu Jia¡¯s life became a three-stop circuit: dormitory, classroom, and cafeteria. It was as if he had completely given up on pursuing Lu Qi''an.


    Now, he planned to hold back his enthusiasm but prove his determination to Lu Qi¡¯an by preparing a secret gift.


    During lunch, Fu Jia rejected his friends¡¯ invitation to eat together and hurried back to the dormitory while it was empty, took out a small bag, and then quickly left with the small bag to find an obscure corner of the campus.


    He looked around in all four directions, and only upon concluding that the coast was clear did he open the small bag. He took out two long wooden knitting needles, and trailing along the needles was a woven piece of¡­


    Scarf.


    That¡¯s right, he wanted to knit a scarf for Lu Qi¡¯an!


    After he ran away that day, he began to search for a more exciting and impactful way to pursue Lu Qi''an, and then he thought of this.


    This idea originated from Cen Mengke, who at the time said: ¡°If writing love letters doesn¡¯t work, it probably means that the other party is a practical person who doesn¡¯t appreciate superfluous things. Then let¡¯s talk practical with him by handweaving gloves and a scarf. And if this doesn¡¯t move him, then he¡¯s just inhumane.¡±


    Fu Jia thought this made sense, but at the time he thought scarf-knitting was overly feminine and difficult to learn, so he ignored this idea.


    The most important thing was, how could anyone gift scarves in September and October? It was usually a gift reserved for Christmas or New Year¡¯s.


    But now, Fu Jia was out of options.


    In the bag was also a yellowed book titled ¡°Encyclopedia of Wool Weaving¡± that Fu Jia found in the library.


    He spread the book open and placed it on his lap, delicately picked up the knitting needle, adjusted the wool, then positioned his hands according to the pictures in the book, muttering silently: ¡°Weave through it¡­ pull it over, twist it here, then loosen it¡­¡±


    His hands followed clumsily as he read.


    He chose dark grey wool, which was quite pricey. In contrast, the knitting needles he used were cheap. When he first started, Fu Jia didn''t even know where to put his hands, nor did he examine his equipment; as a result, a splinter from the cheap needles was poked into his palm. He almost gave up then.


    The splinter was too teeny to see under broad daylight, yet it still hurts when touched. It was completely aggravating. Under the lamp light, Fu Jia picked up a knife and broke two layers of skin before he managed to pick out the splinter.


    After so many days, Fu Jia became more and more efficient, and the barbed knitting needles were smoothened by his hands, no longer poking him with splinters.


    Fu Jia continued to knit until the end of the lunch break, during which he ate a bun he bought early in the morning. He tore off the small section he had woven and repeatedly examined it; feeling like his entire day¡¯s work had hardly made any progress, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    He put everything back in the bag and returned to the dormitory as if nothing had happened.


    His roommates had all woken up from their nap. While packing for their next class, one saw Fu Jia carrying in a bag and smiled: ¡°Went to the woods to recite books again?¡±


    Fu Jia hid the small bag well and said: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Another roommate also found it funny: ¡°Just recite inside the dormitory next time. Even thunder wouldn¡¯t wake the three of us up, so you can recite whatever you want.¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head: "That''s so embarrassing.¡±


    They left the dormitory together and each went to their respective classes.


    The afternoon was the same. As soon as Fu Jia heard the bell that signalled the end of class, he readied himself to burst out of the classroom. Beside him was Big Head, who noticed how tense he was and thought about how strangely he¡¯d been behaving recently, so he hurriedly stopped him: ¡°Ai, ai, ai. What are you rushing off for?¡±


    Fu Jia had long thought of an excuse: ¡°Going to the cafeteria.¡±


    Big Head clicked his tongue, completely disdainful: ¡°The holiday¡¯s starting tomorrow, so who cares if you miss a meal? Don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t rush, there¡¯s something I want to discuss with you. My treat this time.¡±


    Fu Jia looked troubled and said: ¡°Do you have to treat me?¡±


    Big Head¡¯s face immediately fell: ¡°You don¡¯t even want to be treated?¡±


    Fu Jia had no choice left. He nodded and said: ¡°Okay, okay.¡±


    Big Head gestured a victory hand sign behind his back and a group of boys hooted and whooped, then gathered towards Big Head.


    Fu Jia was startled. He asked Big Head: "Why are there so many people?"


    ¡°Hehe, everyone wants to ask you for a favour.¡± Big Head put an arm over his shoulders, and then others also rushed up, half-pulling as they dragged Fu Jia off to the cafeteria.


    On the way, Fu Jia struggled repeatedly but failed. His face was already turning a bit ugly, but his tone was still friendly: ¡°Say what you want clearly, I can¡¯t eat a free meal off you without knowing first.¡±


    Big Head comforted him: ¡°Simple, simple, just one little thing. It¡¯s the National holiday coming up, right? Some of us brothers got a driver¡¯s license and wanna go on a road trip out of town.¡±


    Fu Jia grunted and nodded, then said: ¡°I got it, but I don¡¯t know how to drive?¡±


    Big Head was completely speechless, then patted his head: ¡°Am I the sort of person to fool others into becoming a kuli?# I want to invite you along, as well as any of your friends.¡±


    Fu Jia understood, and felt a little embarrassed: ¡°So it¡¯s like that¡­I misunderstood. But I don¡¯t have time during the break, I have to¡­¡±


    Seeing that he was about to refuse, Big Head quickly interrupted him: ¡°Boss, Boss Fu, just treat this as a small favour to us brothers. Wouldn¡¯t it be fun to hang out together? A road trip, how freeing is that? Aren¡¯t you friends with Lu-xuezhang? Can you help invite him too?¡±


    Fu Jia was startled, he halted his footsteps and stopped in place.


    ¡°No,¡± he said without hesitation.


    Listening to his firm tone without room for negotiation, Big Head became anxious: ¡°Don¡¯t refuse so quickly. Just help me ask, and see whether he wants to come.¡±


    Fu Jia was about to get mad: ¡°I can¡¯t do something like this.¡±


    Big Head persuaded patiently: ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. Let¡¯s go to the cafeteria first and talk it over. Let¡¯s go eat first. Let¡¯s get stir-fry instead of deep-fry, okay?¡±


    They were about to enter the cafeteria but Fu Jia refused to move, leaving them stuck at the cafeteria door to their embarrassment.


    ¡°No means no. I¡¯m leaving,¡± Fu Jia said.


    Big Head lowered his tone and gripped his arm: ¡°Boss Fu, why don¡¯t you think it over? You¡¯re close with Lu-xuezhang anyways, something this insignificant shouldn¡¯t matter too much.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s temper skyrocketed once he heard the word ¡®familiarity¡¯, so he said loudly: ¡°Who said I¡¯m close with Lu Qi¡¯an? We¡¯re not close¨C he¡¯ll get mad if I pull something like this!"


    Big Head¡¯s expression stiffened, and he felt put on the spot.


    Anyone could see that Fu Jia was genuinely angry.


    The mood was in a deadlock, and Big Head¡¯s friends looked at each other; none knew what to say. Suddenly, someone sharp-eyed saw two figures approaching and said with excitement: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the dean and Lu-xuezhang?¡±


    Everyone turned their heads and looked over, it really was Liu-laoshi and Lu Qi''an. They were walking towards the cafeteria, but in a different direction than the ordinary students, heading to the staff canteen instead.


    The boy¡¯s voice was high and clear. With so many years of experience, she was extremely sensitive to the word ¡®dean¡¯. She immediately turned in their direction.


    The boys weren¡¯t afraid of being discovered, they all shouted at her in unison: ¡°Hello, dean!¡±


    Liu-laoshi shook her head in distress, and said to Lu Qi''an: ¡°Sorry, these little brats really are¡­¡±


    She finally managed to catch Lu Qi¡¯an for a meal and really didn¡¯t want to be disturbed by others as it would negatively impact Lu Qi¡¯an.


    "It''s okay, you can go ahead," Lu Qi''an said as he turned to look at the group of boys. Fu Jia was stuck in the middle with lowered eyes and a face full of discomfort. It wasn¡¯t clear why he seemed so evasive. Then there were others rubbing against him, grabbing his arm.


    Grabbing his arm.


    "Why are you guys blocking the cafeteria entrance? If you want to eat, then eat properly. If you¡¯re not eating, then leave!¡± Liu-laoshi scolded.


    The boys snickered and said, "We know!"


    Teacher Liu sighed and said to Lu Qi''an: "Alright, let''s go.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t move. He slightly lowered his head, then whispered something to her.


    After listening, Liu-laoshi was very surprised: "Really?"


    She carefully examined the boys and sure enough, she saw a boy who looked familiar to her.


    ¡°Fu Jia, you haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet, have you? Since we bumped into each other, why don¡¯t you come eat with us?¡± Liu-laoshi invited.


    Before the specially-selected Fu Jia could react, he was pushed to the front by the jeering boys.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He frightfully peeked at Lu Qi¡¯an from the corner of his eyes, subconsciously wanting to step back.


    Behind him, Big Head smiled at him with eyes full of meaning: "Bro, I''m counting on you!"


    Liu-laoshi smiled amicably and waved: ¡°Come here.¡±


    Fu Jia knew that it didn¡¯t matter whether or not he wanted to go, the choice was no longer his. Gritting his teeth, he moved towards Lu Qi¡¯an and Liu-laoshi step by step.


    When the boys behind him saw this scene, they smiled in satisfaction, then went into the student cafeteria together.


    Fu Jia: ¡°...¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an: ¡°...¡±


    Liu-laoshi: ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She stared at the two children who seemed like they were wooden stakes as they stood face to face with each other; they didn¡¯t talk or look at each other, both refusing to move. In the end, she said: ¡°What are you doing standing there? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an let out an ¡°en¡±, then stepped to the front. After that, Fu Jia moved as well.


    Liu-laoshi followed them, feeling like there was something odd going on.


    With previous experience in mind, this time Liu-laoshi took the initiative to order a sumptuous meal for Fu Jia. By comparison, the meat dish Fu Jia grudgingly ordered last time was like a relief ration for refugees.


    Fu Jia couldn''t refuse and kept saying thank you as he accepted Liu-laoshi''s well intentions.


    ¡°No need to thank me. If you have to thank anyone, then thank Lu Qi¡¯an,¡± Liu-laoshi said with a smile.


    Fu Jia pinched the chopsticks and acted bashful for a long minute before whispering: "Thank... Thank you, xuezhang.¡±#


    After speaking, he quickly fed himself a mouthful of white rice.


    With an indifferent attitude, Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°No need to thank me.¡±


    This tone made Teacher Liu feel chilly just by listening to it. She couldn''t help verbalizing her guess aloud: ¡°What happened? Did you guys have an argument?¡±


    Fu Jia frantically shook his head.


    How dare he have an argument with Lu Qi¡¯an?


    The most argumentative and easy-to-anger person here was Lu Qi¡¯an. Angry all day every day, without even a reason behind his anger. Those who didn¡¯t know him would even think that he was the one who was rejected.


    Seeing that Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t respond, Liu-laoshi gave up and switched topics.


    ¡°Oh right, today happens to be Monday. The weekly test results should be out, right? Fu Jia, how did you do?¡±


    When this topic got brought up, Fu Jia¡¯s spirits instantly soared. He quickly swallowed whatever was in his mouth and said: ¡°Nothing too great. I placed ninth in the class.¡±


    After saying this, Fu Jia¡¯s whole body felt comfortable.


    Who¡¯d have thought that there¡¯d come a day when Fu Jia could do so well on a test and still pretentiously say that he didn¡¯t do great?


    Liu-laoshi had once been involved in Fu Jia¡¯s transfer process and was well aware of Fu Jia¡¯s circumstances. Hearing of his ability to get such a result within four weeks was a pleasant surprise: ¡°That¡¯s quite good. It looks like you¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    Fu Jia gave a modest smile. He was filled with hope as he looked at Lu Qi¡¯an, trying to wring out even a smidgen of admiration from his eyes.


    But there was none.


    Fu Jia took a deep breath and told himself not to be disappointed; the future is long.


    Liu-laoshi also glanced at Lu Qi¡¯an. Seeing that he had no desire to speak, she helplessly relied on herself to liven the atmosphere. She said to Fu Jia: ¡°Since you did so well in the exam, have you made any plans for the holidays? Are you going to reward yourself by going somewhere to play?¡±


    Fu Jia instinctively shook his head, but then thought of something.


    Holiday¡­


    Although he wasn¡¯t going to invite Lu Qi¡¯an on a road trip for Big Head, going on a trip together really was a good idea.


    He could invite Lu Qi¡¯an for himself!


    Fu Jia put down his chopsticks and said earnestly: ¡°I did have some thoughts about it. Actually¡­ I really want to invite Lu-xuezhang on a trip together.¡±


    Liu-laoshi raised her eyebrows in surprise, and then said with great support: ¡°That¡¯s great. You two can walk around and relax. It¡¯d be beneficial to both your studies and health.¡±


    Fu Jia and her both looked at Lu Qi¡¯an once she finished speaking, waiting for his reply.


    Lu Qi''an clenched his chopsticks tightly and didn¡¯t speak.


    After a few seconds, he relaxed the strength in his hand, put down his chopsticks, and then said: ¡°I¡¯m done eating. Apologies, I¡¯ll head out first.¡±


    Liu-laoshi didn''t expect it would turn out like this: ¡°Qi¡¯an?¡±


    Fu Jia was caught even more off guard by Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s reaction. He thought he would reject the proposal or open his mouth to lecture him, but he never thought that he¡¯d find it unbearable enough to leave immediately.


    His heart ached. He immediately stood up and said: ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. I take back what I said before. How about¡­how about I leave instead.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an left his seat, then raised his eyes to look at Fu Jia. Upon looking at each other again after such a long separation, Lu Qi''an''s eyes didn''t seem to possess any emotions that a human ought to have. He pushed the chair in and said, "I''ll head out first.¡±


    He turned around, his back figure clear-cut.


    ¡°Qi¡¯an, are you okay?¡± Liu-laoshi called out, but Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t look back.


    Her heart full of worries, she wanted to chase after Lu Qi¡¯an. But Lu Qi''an''s expression was full of rejection, so in the end she stayed still.


    She invited Lu Qi¡¯an for dinner for the sake of helping him to loosen up, and didn¡¯t expect that it¡¯d turn out so tumultuous. Recently, Lu Qi¡¯an was in bad shape. Not only was he gloomier than before, even his carefully maintained grades were suffering; in the past two weeks, Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s weekly test score had dropped at an unbelievable rate. For Lu Qi¡¯an, who was strict with himself, this was completely abnormal.


    Liu-laoshi checked his test papers and discovered that while there was nothing wrong with Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s problem-solving ability, careless mistakes were made in unreasonable areas and some questions were even left blank. His psychological state was clearly the issue.


    She let out a heavy sigh. Seeing that Fu Jia had yet to recover and was staring blankly into the direction Lu Qi¡¯an had left in, she tried to comfort him and lift his spirits up: ¡°It¡¯s okay. Qi¡¯an has been unstable lately. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded and forced himself to cheer up. The two of them worked together and managed to finish the meal.


    After saying goodbye to Liu-laoshi, Fu Jia left the canteen and gradually recovered his spirits.


    He¡¯d been scared off by the angry Lu Qi¡¯an again.


    Dammit!


    He cussed to himself to boost his courage.


    He must finish knitting the scarf within the three-day National holiday. If he doesn¡¯t do a good job of it, then his surname isn¡¯t Fu!

 CH 28

    Chapter 28


    On the first day of the National Day holiday, the city''s temperature dropped and rain poured down heavily.


    Fu Jia and his roommates were all woken up by the sound of rain. When everyone woke up, the sky was as dark as twilight, causing everyone to think that it was still early. Yet once they checked the time, they realized that it was already 7 o¡¯clock in the morning.


    Fu Jia habitually changed into his summer school uniform after he got up, and so did his roommates. When someone opened the door connected to the balcony, the cold, moist air from outside was blown in by the wind, and the four of them immediately shrank in their necks.


    A roommate touched the socks that were hanging to dry on the balcony. Not knowing whether to cry or laugh, he said: ¡°It¡¯s over. They¡¯re all wet.¡±


    Everyone took a look at the cold wind and rain outside, and hurriedly dug out the autumn school uniforms from the closet.


    Under the cover of an umbrella on his way to school, Fu Jia shifted the school bag to his frontal side and hugged it, using his hands to protect it from rain.


    A roommate was very curious and asked him: "Why are you holding the school bag? Is there some sort of treasure in it?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head and said vaguely: "Nothing much. There¡¯s just a gift for someone here."


    Seeing that he didn''t want to elaborate, the roommate didn''t question any further.


    After Fu Jia arrived at the classroom, Big Head pounced on him like a hungry tiger that smell prey, ??and asked him anxiously: ¡°Boss Fu, how did things go?¡±


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t show him a good expression, and directly ignored him.


    Big Head clasped his hands together and apologized sincerely: ¡°This time was my fault, I¡¯ll never let you do something like this again, okay? Now hurry and tell me how it went yesterday. Did it work?¡±


    Fu Jia coldly said: ¡°He said no.¡±


    Big Head was unwilling to give up: ¡°Really?¡±


    Fu Jia imitated Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s ice-cold demeanor: ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?¡±


    Big Head folded and begged for mercy: ¡°Got it, got it. I¡¯ve troubled you this time, Boss Fu. Let me give you a shoulder massage.¡±


    Seeing his face full of doglike servitude, Fu Jia¡¯s anger diminished by half and he eased his expression. Big Head wasn¡¯t a bad guy, he just wanted to rub shoulders with Lu Qi¡¯an. Wasn¡¯t this normal? Lu Qi¡¯an was such an excellent person, who wouldn¡¯t want to get close to him? What¡¯s more¡­ He didn¡¯t ask Lu Qi¡¯an for Big Head at all, and even showed his temper in front of Big Head¡¯s friends.


    ¡°In the future, don¡¯t invite so many people to eat with me without my consent,¡± said Fu Jia.


    Big Head nodded again and again: ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    Only then was Fu Jia completely mollified.


    There was no overnight feud between boys in high school, and not to mention that Big Head was so flexible, the two quickly returned to their previous state.


    Big Head wanted to show his sincerity by treating Fu Jia to lunch, but was refused by Fu Jia.


    ¡°You¡¯re still mad?¡± Big Head said with a hurt expression.


    Fu Jia shook his head, glanced at the schoolbag in his seat, and said, "No, I have other things to do."


    The weather forecast reported a temperature of 16¡ãC to 20 ¡ãC with torrential rain.


    Fu Jia calculated the time, and when the last class of the morning was about to end, he went to the office to find the homeroom teacher for sick leave using the excuse of "unbearable abdominal pain".


    After begging and begging, the homeroom teacher took a look at his steadily rising weekly test scores and reluctantly approved his sick leave. Fu Jia hugged his stomach, left the office with a face of gratitude, then immediately recovered his vigorous vitality.


    He took the umbrella from the classroom, then hugged the schoolbag in his arms as he left the second-year education building and walked to the third-year education building. Along the way, he slowly stepped through stagnant water pooled on the ground and hummed to the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella, feeling more relaxed and happy than ever before.


    In order to finish knitting the gray scarf in his arms, Fu Jia pulled three all-nighters. Every morning when she woke up, her eyes were dry and bloodshot, and a bunch of white hair grew out of her temples. He woke up with dry and bloodshot eyes every morning, and even grew some strands of white hair along his temple.


    Although he suffered harshly, Fu Jia enjoyed the whole process very much; the more difficulties and setbacks, the more courageous and confident one becomes. As long as he thought about how this scarf might make Lu Qi¡¯an happy, he would feel that it was all worth it.


    When Fu Jia arrived at the third-year education building and began to climb the stairs, the school bell began to ring. Fu Jia quickened his pace and sped to Fu Jia¡¯s classroom.


    He furtively snuck a peek inside and saw that the teacher was still standing behind the podium and hadn¡¯t dismissed class yet. Scared of being discovered by Lu Qi¡¯an and spoiling the planned surprise, Fu Jia pressed his back against the wall, hiding his figure. He quietly listened to the sound of the rain outside and his own speeding heartbeat.


    After several minutes, the teacher finally announced class dismissal and the students opened the door to pour out of the classroom.


    Fu Jia clutched the school bag in his arms and nervously stared at those who came out, one by one.


    Not him, not him, not him.


    That¡¯s Li Qinhe!


    Fu Jia quickly turned his back and covered his face with the school bag. Fortunately, Li Qinhe¡¯s girlfriend was smiling and waving from closeby, and Li Qinhe only had eyes for his beautiful girlfriend.


    Fu Jia let out a sigh of relief and continued to stare at the people who were coming out.


    Not him, not him, not him.


    Not him, not him, not him¡­


    Still not him.


    Fewer and fewer people came out, until finally there was no one coming out anymore. None of them were Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Fu Jia¡¯s heart was agitated. He carefully walked to the classroom¡¯s backdoor, then peeped inside.


    There were only two boys left in the classroom. Seeing Fu Jia looking over, they were puzzled and couldn''t figure out the situation. And their faces couldn¡¯t be more unfamiliar to Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia was dumbfounded.


    The two boys in the classroom looked at each other and asked aloud: "Classmate, what''s the matter?"


    ¡°I¡­¡± Fu Jia faltered, ¡°I want to look for someone.¡±


    The taller boy nodded and amicably said: ¡°Who are you looking for? Everyone''s gone now, but when they come back in the afternoon, I can help let them know.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Fu Jia walked into the classroom and pointed to Lu Qi''an''s seat: "I came to find Lu-xuezhang.¡± He had stayed next to Lu Qi''an''s seat for a while before; no matter how the seating arrangement changed, he could still recognize where Lu Qi¡¯an was.


    The tall boy nodded and said: "Lu Qi''an, he..."


    "Wait, wait.¡± He was cut off by the shorter boy beside him.


    He raised his eyes and frowned at Fu Jia, then said: ¡°Classmate, haven¡¯t you been to our classroom before?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Fu Jia nodded, ¡°Yes, I have. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The shorter boy sneered and said: "Then I understand now."


    He remembered Fu Jia, especially that day when Fu Jia brazenly stepped into their classroom and opened his mouth to Li Qinhe to say, "None of your damn business.¡±


    Taking a closer look, this tall and thin boy exhibited a similar behavior in PE class, and was even more blatantly shameless than the previous time. He actually ran directly to their class to deliver water to Lu Qi''an.


    He looked down on this kind of person the most.


    He studied well and his family was affluent; he felt very fortunate to be able to study with the Lu and Li pair in the best class of No. 6 High School. He had always looked down on those who had bad grades and came from a lowly family background. These people picked up hoodlum habits from society to practice on campus grounds, social climbing and currying favours with studious students of good family backgrounds.


    From his viewpoint, Fu Jia was such a person.


    ¡°Lu-xuezhang went to the office for some matters,¡± the shorter boy said, ¡°But he told me before that if a tall and thin student came to ask for him, then ask that student to help him buy a cup of coffee from the cafe on the northern end of campus.¡±


    He planned to straighten out Fu Jia.


    Only the first sentence of what he said was true. Today, Lu Qi¡¯an was unprecedently late for class, striking fear of an unknown enemy into the hearts of the dean and homeroom teacher who had always adored him. They worried that there was something wrong with his physical health. Waiting for his arrival as if waiting for the stars and moon, they immediately took him to the infirmary, and after confirming that he was fine, took him to the office for a heart-to-heart talk without letting him go.


    But now, it was most likely that he had already gone to eat lunch with the dean.


    Hearing his words, the tall boy gave him a strange look but didn¡¯t stop him.


    Sensing the strange atmosphere between them, Fu Jia didn''t believe what the boy said and replied: ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll go to the office to find him.¡±


    ¡°Ai, hold on, little junior. You really are ignorant¨C if you go disturbing Lu Qi¡¯an, what else would happen other than angering the teacher?¡± The shorter boy stopped him and said earnestly, ¡°Listen to your xuezhang, there¡¯s no need for this xuezhang to lie to you. Lu Qi¡¯an really did tell me to ask you for coffee. If I explain the logic behind this request, then you¡¯ll understand. People, right, good-faith is the most important of all. If you want to make friends, then you have to make contributions to show dedication. If you can¡¯t even buy him a cup of coffee, then what¡¯s the point? From how I see it, this is a test. A test to see whether you genuinely want to become his friend.¡±


    The tall boy turned his head and covered his mouth, trying his best to hold back laughter.


    The short boy¡¯s words muddled Fu Jia.


    Was it really like that? There seemed to be some logic to it, yet it was still quite bizarre.


    The tall boy also gradually found it entertaining, then solemnly said to Fu Jia: ¡°Classmate, it really is like this. Plenty of people heard him say it at the time, and so did I. If you really want to make friends with Lu Qi''an, then you''d better go buy it quickly. Once the teacher dismisses him, he¡¯ll probably head back home. There¡¯s about¡­ten minutes left. If you don''t make it in time, then we won''t hide it for you either. We''ll just tell him that you won''t buy him coffee. "


    Both of them maintained an air of composure, acting as if they were seniors answering their junior¡¯s questions with great care.


    Fu Jia clenched his fists, turning it over and over in his head. No matter how much he doubted their words, he didn¡¯t dare let go of that little worry in his heart.


    What if?


    What if Lu Qi¡¯an really was testing him?


    The current him, he couldn¡¯t even neglect a tenth of a thousandth of a chance.


    He walked to Lu Qi''an''s desk, put his school bag on the table and said: ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll go buy it now. May I trouble xuezhang to look after my bag?¡±


    The short boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn''t expect him to really believe it and said with a smile: "Okay, I''ll help you look after it. Off you go, quickly."


    Fu Jia thanked him again, then picked up the umbrella and rushed out without hearing the sudden burst of laughter from the two boys in the room.


    As there were only ten minutes, Fu Jia sprinted. He didn''t have a watch, so he counted the time mentally; the more he counted, the faster his internal clock ticked, and his heart grew increasingly anxious.


    During the rainstorm, his pants were quickly soaked by splattering water. He had an umbrella, but it made no difference, the rain splashed past it without hindrance, and the umbrella instead added a barrier of resistance that slowed him down.


    He closed the umbrella and picked up his speed.


    When he arrived at the cafe, the drenched Fu Jia startled the server. Seeing this, the people in line kindly let him go in front of them, and the barista moved faster than usual.


    Fu Jia took the coffee, and didn''t even have time to say thank you before he rushed out to hurry back to the school.


    Considering that the coffee was for Lu Qi''an, Fu Jia took off his coat and carefully wrapped it around the cup, hugged it in his arms, then ran.


    Faster, faster.


    In the end, it only took him seven minutes to return to the classroom.


    He held onto the door frame as he gasped for breath, not a single part of his body was dry.


    The two boys in the classroom were shocked when they saw him. The tall boy glanced at his watch and said in surprise: "So fast?"


    Fu Jia''s face was wet from rainwater, and some of it also got into his eyes. His vision was a bit blurred, but he could still see that the two boys were playing with something in their hands.


    Moreover, the bag that was placed on Lu Qi''an''s desk before he left had already been opened.


    They were holding something gray and fluffy.


    It was no longer neat and clean, half resting on the ground, the other half being held in someone''s hand. Its ends were frayed and unravelling, a complete mess.


    Fu Jia stood up straight and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they were bloodshot. He glared at the two boys and said: "You guys were playing around with me.¡±


    Seeing that his expression wasn¡¯t right, the taller boy quickly said: "Junior brother, we just wanted to joke around with you.¡±


    ¡°You were making a fool out of me,¡± he said word by word.


    The short boy''s face remained unchanged, he snorted coldly and said: ¡°So what if we were?¡±


    Fu Jia stopped talking. He tore off the school uniform wrapped around the cup of coffee and threw it on the ground, then walked towards them with the coffee.


    It seemed as if the first sound made during a dark rainstorm that imitated night skies, during the moment he walked into the classroom and water dripped off the umbrella in his hand¡­#


    Fu Jia heard a loud roar.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna fuck your mom!¡±


    He raised his hand and ruthlessly smashed the coffee cup on the boy''s head. The paper cup burst open in an instant and hot coffee splashed all over the boy''s face, causing him to cry out in pain.


    Some of the splashed coffee also landed on Fu Jia¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t even blink as he rushed towards the boy and began to punch.


    The strength and the viciousness in his eyes terrified the two boys who were in third year of high school.


    The short boy was bleeding from the blow, but Fu Jia didn''t let go. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the table behind him, then swung a second punch without hesitation. The male student hurriedly blocked with his hands and shouted at the other person who had frozen in fright: ¡°Hurry up and call the fucking teacher!¡±


    The tall boy frantically ran out.


    During the lunch break, there was only a male teacher left in the nearest office. He hurried to the classroom with the tall boy and saw that the two were brawling relentlessly on the ground, both sides covered in blood.


    He and the tall student tried pulling them apart separately to no effect. Fu Jia had gone crazy with rage, he kicked and stomped trying to escape the teacher''s hold, then dragged the teacher down to the ground with him and even scratched a bloody mark on him.


    They yelled so loudly for help that they practically rattled out everyone in the whole building. More and more people came over to help end the fight until finally, the situation was brought under control.


    Seeing that the situation was acutely serious, the male teacher made a phone call to the dean.


    As the short boy had guessed, Liu-laoshi really did take Lu Qi''an to eat in the staff canteen. She answered the call without minding Lu Qi''an and listened to the situation while sitting in front of him. She then turned pale with shock: ¡°Fighting? There¡¯s a second-year fighting with a third-year?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an froze.


    He and Liu-laoshi stared at each other with serious expressions. Liu-laoshi immediately reacted: "Could it be Fu Jia?"


    They frantically rushed to the third-year education building. When they arrived at the classroom, onlookers had surrounded the front and back doors so tightly that they couldn''t squeeze in no matter how hard they tried.


    "Stay out of the way, stay out of the way!" Liu-laoshi pushed the crowd aside. She let Lu Qi''an go in first, and then followed after.


    The spectacle before them was a bit scary.


    The classroom that was originally tidy was now a scene of chaos; desks and chairs were turned over, and most of the books that were originally placed on the desks were now scattered on the ground, trampled by people coming and going. The floor was a complete mess.


    More than a dozen people were in the room, some were standing and some were sitting. At the centre of the classroom, they were packed into a small area of open space and working together to restrain Fu Jia and another boy.


    If they hadn''t seen it with their own eyes, no one would¡¯ve believed that this was all caused by only two people.


    Lu Qi''an walked in and squatted beside Fu Jia to examine his condition.


    Fu Jia laid on the ground with countless hands pressed on his back to prevent him from moving. He was dirty and in disarray, cutting a very sorry figure, but that wasn¡¯t important. There was blood oozing from his mouth and nose, which was what concerned Lu Qi¡¯an the most.


    Fu Jia was hit in the eye during the fight, blurring his vision a bit, but he recognized Lu Qi''an''s silhouette in an instant. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, wanting to get up.


    The person holding him down was terrified, and seven or eight pairs of hands worked to press him down harder.


    ¡°Let go!" Lu Qi''an turned pale and roared ferociously, "Stop pressing him! All of you, let go!¡±


    His roar was so hoarse that the whole classroom fell silent.


    The person holding Fu Jia was stunned, then loosened his hold. But everyone was frightened by Fu Jia¡¯s aggression, and didn¡¯t dare to completely let go.


    The short boy on the other side was in a worse condition than Fu Jia. His eyes were completely swollen, his nose was bleeding ceaselessly, and blood mixed with saliva oozed between the gaps of his teeth; it didn''t stop oozing for a long time despite pressing cotton against his mouth. He was terrified. He sobbed soundlessly and tears flowed to the lower half of his face, mixing together with blood and the coffee that Fu Jia had smashed into his face earlier; the colour was indescribable.


    Hearing Lu Qi''an''s voice, he felt extremely wronged and hissed to complain: ¡°Dear teachers and students! It was this lunatic who began hitting first. You¡¯ll see once you check the surveillance.¡±


    When Fu Jia heard his voice and reflexively got up to beat him. The person holding him down was yelled at by Lu Qi''an before and couldn¡¯t react in time, letting him crawl up from the ground.


    Lu Qi¡¯an noticed his movements and hugged him tightly, letting him kick and hit from his embrace, then held him even more tightly. He whispered into his ears in comfort: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s me.¡±


    Seeing this, Liu-laoshi hurried over to help.


    Fu Jia breathed heavily before gradually calming down, and then tightly grabbed Lu Qi''an''s clothes.


    Feeling him tremble in his arms, Lu Qi''an pressed his lips into a tight line. Both his hands were cold as ice.


    Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the short boy cried even harder, shouting at the top of his lungs: ¡°Teachers! Are you even being reasonable?! It was him who raised his fists first, hurry up and call the police! This kind of student must be expelled. He must be expelled!¡±


    While he was speaking, blood froth spewed out of his mouth, horrifying those around him.


    Seeing this, the other teachers hurried to his side to comfort him, anxiously calling to ask where the ambulance was and why it hadn''t come yet.


    Conversations buzzed in and out of the classroom, the busy crowds discussing which party was in the right, and which party was in the wrong.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was so angered that it inverted into a calm demeanor. He knew that the other party''s injury was more serious than Fu Jia''s, and there were so many teachers and classmates who witnessed it with their own eyes. If Fu Jia really did raise his fist first, this matter would not end well.


    ¡°Auntie Liu, watch over him for me,¡± he said to Liu-laoshi.


    Liu-laoshi was stunned, and took Fu Jia from his hands. Seeing that Fu Jia refused to let go of Lu Qi''an''s clothes, she gently pried him away.


    Lu Qi¡¯an had called out Auntie Liu, not Liu-laoshi.


    Lu Qi''an stood up with steady composure: "Feng Jing, calm down first, emotional agitation isn¡¯t conducive to closing your wounds.¡±


    Feng Jing was the name of the short boy.


    Feng Jing glanced at Lu Qi''an. He certainly wanted to say something, but he didn''t want to howl at Lu Qi''an, so he just turned his face away angrily.


    ¡°Feng Jing, your confidence in the surveillance footage shows that the one who raised his fist first should be Fu Jia¨C that is, this second-year junior brother,¡± said Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Feng Jing was dissatisfied: ¡°Calling it ¡®should be¡¯? It really was him who¡­¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an frowned tightly and interrupted him, ¡°No one would go all out against another person for no reason while knowing that there are surveillance cameras. Before the matter is properly investigated, we can¡¯t judge who¡¯s in the right or wrong yet.¡±


    He took a deep breath, observing the dissatisfied eyes of the people around him, and knew that the bystanders sympathized with whichever party took more damage. He slowed his words and said: ¡°The current situation is so chaotic and has yet to be sorted, so don''t rush to bring up the police or expulsion yet. The reality is that Fu Jia hit you first, and everyone can see that your injuries are more severe. May I suggest letting Fu Jia apologize to you first, and then we can discuss matters in detail afterwards. Does everyone agree with resolving it like this?¡±


    His approach was clear. Even in such a situation, his speech was neither fast or slow, allowing everyone to hear him distinctly and understand his desire to mediate.


    As the dean, Liu-laoshi was the first to answer: ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this then. Those standing at the door, are you entertained now? When the stretcher comes later, how will it get in?¡±


    The onlookers shyly avoided her eyes, then retreated outside one by one.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Fu Jia in her arms and softly said: ¡°Fu Jia, for today, just apologize to your senior first. This doesn¡¯t automatically default you as the guilty party in this situation, but he is your senior and his injuries are more severe than yours. Just apologize and comfort him first, okay?¡±


    Before she finished speaking, Fu Jia raised his head from her arms and absent-mindedly looked at Lu Qi''an.


    Lu Qi''an also looked at him, both his hands were clenched and slightly shaking.


    Liu-laoshi was slightly shocked.


    Suddenly, she understood what the strange feeling was when she invited Fu Jia to eat together and watched the two children¡¯s rising back figures.


    The sense of exclusivity between the two of them was too strong. As long as the two of them looked at each other, everything else was excluded by them.


    They only had each other, only looked at each other, and only acknowledged each other.


    Fu Jia opened his mouth and asked hoarsely, "Why do I¡­have to apologize?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an whispered: ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re in the wrong.¡±


    Fu Jia''s eyes were empty, and he asked again stubbornly: "Why do I have to apologize¡­¡±


    Lu Qi''an''s heart was numb, and he reluctantly said: "I already said, this doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°In your eyes, isn¡¯t it that everything I do is wrong? You¡¯re not satisfied with anything I do.¡±


    Fu Jia spoke.


    He waved Liu-laoshi¡¯s  hand away, crawled up from the ground with his hands and feet, and then struggled to stand still.


    ¡°I give up,¡± he said with gritted teeth, then pushed away those in his way and ran out of the classroom.


    Lu Qi¡¯an, who remained in place, lost feeling in every part of his body.


    Two seconds later, he ran out to give chase.


    His figure was panicked.

 CH 29

    Chapter 29


    The weather forecast reported a temperature of 16¡ãC to 20 ¡ãC with torrential rain.


    Lu Qi¡¯an chased at a very quick speed, but once he ran down to the second floor, he could no longer hear the footsteps of anyone running.


    He looked down from the corridor and saw Fu Jia in short sleeves, rushing into the less than 20 ¡ãC torrential rain, and staggering off to the northern direction.


    Despite knowing the other couldn¡¯t hear him, he still shouted out: ¡°Fu Jia!¡±


    No one responded.


    He quickly went downstairs and followed Fu Jia into the rain, but there wasn¡¯t a sign of anyone in the northern direction anymore. He chased along the way that Fu Jia ran in, and continuously called out Fu Jia''s name, but the sound of the rain was so deafening that his voice was quickly drowned out and he couldn¡¯t even hear himself clearly.


    He quickened his pace and shouted again: "Fu Jia!"


    In his memory, he had never howled so exhaustively before.


    There were no education buildings in the north, only the woods and a school laboratory. The route was complicated with many forked trails along the way. Lu Qi¡¯an intuitively picked out a path and searched from beginning to end. When he couldn¡¯t find anyone, he could only go back to the starting point and continued searching down another path. The rain was too heavy, and Lu Qi''an quickly became completely soaked. He rarely blinked because he was searching so anxiously, causing the rain to block his vision and slowed down his speed more and more.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t know how long he had been looking for, but he never gave up. Finally, he found Fu Jia behind the laboratory building.


    At first he couldn¡¯t be sure if there was someone there. Looking from a distance through a curtain of rain, the silhouette of that person didn''t look human, but rather a mass of discarded objects. Lu Qi''an approached closer and once he saw that the person was trembling, he became sure it was Fu Jia. He squatted with his back against the wall, hugging his body with both hands and his head buried deeply between his arms, curling up as much as possible.


    He was protected from rain by the protruding eaves above his head. Although he was splashed by rain, at least he didn¡¯t stay in the rainstorm this entire time, which made Lu Qi''an heave a sigh of relief.


    He didn¡¯t approach rashly. Instead, he stopped a step away from the eaves and shouted hoarsely: "Fu Jia."


    After searching for so long, and shouting for so long, Lu Qi''an''s voice had already become raspy.


    Fu Jia''s hands moved, but he didn''t raise his head, nor did he relax his body. Even though there was no more space behind him, he still shrank back and said: "Don''t come here."


    His voice was buried by his hands, muffled and inaudible.


    Lu Qi¡¯an cleared his throat. To prevent suddenly turning dumb and forgetting how to speak properly, he spoke word by word: ¡°It¡¯s too cold outside. Let me take you somewhere to shelter from the rain.¡±


    Fu Jia''s body trembled even more.


    He raised his head, but before Lu Qi¡¯an could make out his expression, he already began to vigorously shake his head while saying: ¡°You¨C If you want to take shelter from the rain, then you can go by yourself. No need to mind me.¡±


    Lu Qi''an took a deep breath and softened his voice: "You''re injured, you can''t get rained on again."


    Fu Jia still refused to raise his head and make eye contact with him. Pulling the corners of his mouth, he sneered: ¡°What does that have to do with you? In your opinion, shouldn¡¯t I be the one to blame for getting hurt? You don¡¯t like me, and you¡¯ve said before that you don¡¯t pity me, so you shouldn¡¯t care whether I¡¯m dead or alive.¡±


    His tone was unsteady, but because an unyielding spirit supported him, the whole monologue came out articulately.


    Lu Qi''an clenched his hands so tightly that his joints ached. He relied on the pain to maintain his composure, and refrained from showing a loss of control on his face.


    Fu Jia had been obedient for so long that he almost forgot about the gloomy demeanor Fu Jia maintained when he hadn¡¯t moved out of the Lin family villa. Now, he was the same as before; hostile towards everything around him, with an air of rejection like a spike personified.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t blink, letting the rainwater flow into his eyes and causing them to become more and more bloodshot.


    He said: ¡°I care about you, and from now on, I will take care of you.¡±


    His tone was decisive, as if he was not only telling Fu Jia, but also making a promise to himself.


    Fu Jia''s eyes became hot, and he couldn''t help letting out a vague sob from his throat. He was trembling like a leaf as he stammered: ¡°I don¡¯t need¡­ you can go.¡±


    Lu Qi''an stood there without moving, biting his words heavily as he spoke: "I''ll take care of you, Fu Jia, don''t give up."


    For a moment, Fu Jia was stunned. He couldn''t help but raise his head, then looked at Lu Qi''an¡ª


    Since the time the two of them have met, Lu Qi¡¯an had never been so flustered. However drenched Fu Jia was, Lu Qi¡¯an was just as drenched, and that was on top of him traversing back and forth through the muddy forest, his pants and jacket covered in sprays of mud.


    Fu Jia closed his eyes, but couldn''t stop the tears from pouring out. As he mentally broke down, he hugged his head in an attempt to hide his crying.


    Fu Jia hated himself very much, because when he said aloud the sentence, ¡°I¡¯m giving up¡±, he truly was determined to give up. He rushed into the rain aimlessly and ran without a direction in mind, deciding that even if Lu Qi''an came to look for him, or even to apologize to him, he would still shoo him away with the most unwelcoming tone.


    But hearing Lu Qi''an''s words of "don''t give up", he couldn¡¯t stay firm anymore; when he looked up and saw that Lu Qi''an was thoroughly drenched by the rain like him, he couldn''t do anything except cry out in pain.


    Fu Jia wondered why he felt so distressed upon seeing this, why he felt like he couldn¡¯t bear it at all. He didn¡¯t want to scold him or drive him away anymore, he just wanted to block the rain for him, he wanted to bring him to a dry and warm place.


    He hated himself, but he couldn¡¯t control himself.


    Lu Qi''an took a deep breath, took off his jacket, walked under the eaves, then squatted down in front of Fu Jia and asked him: "Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    Fu Jia was slow to react, and it took him a long time to shake his head.


    Lu Qi''an shook his jacket, put it on Fu Jia''s back, and said: ¡°Use this jacket to block the rain for now, and I¡¯ll carry you back to the school building. The ambulance should be here by now, so I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡±


    His jacket was so soaked that it could even drip water. But the school uniform was waterproof to a certain degree, so it was better to use it as cover than be directly exposed to the rain.


    Fu Jia pushed his hand away, and even wanted to rip off the jacket. He said: ¡°I won¡¯t go to the hospital.¡±


    Lu Qi''an grabbed both sides of the jacket, wrapped Fu Jia inside, pulled him towards himself, and  then said: ¡°Then where do you want to go?¡±


    Fu Jia was suddenly pulled closer by him; his mind blanked out and his tears also stopped.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s face was very close. Fu Jia stared at his bloodshot eyes, but not only did he not find them scary, he felt they were gentle.


    Fu Jia held his breath and couldn¡¯t speak.


    Lu Qi¡¯an shifted his hands further, putting it around his back and circling him, and said: ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, then we¡¯re going to the hospital.¡±


    Fu Jia sniffed and shook his head with all his strength.


    Lu Qi''an sighed and said: "Then I''ll take you to my apartment."


    Fu Jia still shook his head.


    Lu Qi''an pulled up the two sleeves of his jacket and tied a knot by Fu Jia''s chest, then said: ¡°If you shake your head again then we¡¯re going to the hospital. You wait for me here, I¡¯ll go borrow an umbrella.¡±


    After speaking, Lu Qi''an stood up and walked into the rain again.


    Fu Jia blankly stared after him, his first reaction was that since Lu Qi¡¯an was gone, he could run away now.


    But the reality was, his body didn¡¯t move an inch.


    He struggled for a few seconds, moved his legs, and then discovered that he had been squatting for so long that his legs had already lost all sensation. When he moved again, the pain was so intense that his whole body couldn¡¯t exert any strength.


    Fu Jia leaned against the wall to sit on the ground, covered his legs, and decided not to run away.


    Because his legs were numb, it was because his legs were numb.


    He wiped his face and felt a mixture of sweat, rain, and tears wet his hands.


    He kept convincing himself: it was because his legs were numb.


    While waiting for Lu Qi''an, Fu Jia kept finding excuses for himself, and convincing himself bit by bit until Lu Qi''an came back.


    The rain was already significantly lighter.


    Lu Qi¡¯an had borrowed a plaid-patterned umbrella from who knows where. Although there was only one umbrella, its large size could cover the two without a problem. Seeing him gradually approaching, Fu Jia was in a complicated mood. Even though he kept comforting himself with the excuse that he didn¡¯t leave because his legs were numb, by the time Qi¡¯an returned with a borrowed umbrella, he really had just stayed here obediently. He was straight-up more well-behaved than a pet dog.


    Lu Qi''an walked under the eaves. When he saw that Fu Jia had changed from squatting to sitting, he closed the umbrella and put it against the wall, half squatted down to look at him on eye-level, and said: ¡°You hold the umbrella, I''ll carry you to the apartment.¡±


    Fu Jia turned his face away and said icily: "Why should I go together with you? I want to go back to the dormitory."


    Lu Qi''an said without hesitation: ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± His tone was understated, but Fu Jia could hear how resolute he was.


    "You¡­" Fu Jia opened his mouth, and the phrase ¡®on what basis¡¯ got stuck in his throat. He was on the verge of almost saying it.


    But almost was just an almost. Such rude words, it couldn¡¯t be easily said aloud even at the peak of his anger.


    Seeing that he held back from speaking, Lu Qi''an explained: ¡°You can''t go back to the dormitory now. You ran out so suddenly that the teachers couldn¡¯t resolve the situation well. No one is coming for you currently because problems from the other side have tripped them over, and I¡¯ve already come out to look for you. If you let the teachers find out that you didn''t go to the hospital or meet with your parents, but went back to the dormitory instead, do you know what they would do?"


    Fu Jia didn''t answer him.


    He had already smashed the broken jar to pieces#, and now he wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. When he hit someone, he was prepared to bear all consequences. No matter what happened, in that moment he would definitely raise his fist.


    Moreover, he even gave up on Lu Qi''an, so what was he afraid of?


    Fu Jia didn''t care, but Lu Qi''an was quite serious: "They will contact your parents.¡±


    In an instant, Fu Jia¡¯s body froze.


    "Come to the apartment with me, and I will tell the teacher that you¡¯ve been picked up by your parents and taken to the hospital for examination. Liu-laoshi will also help convince the other teachers," As Lu Qi¡¯an spoke, he passed him the handle of the umbrella, ¡°You have to change your clothes as soon as possible and come back with me. I¡¯ll piggyback you."


    Fu Jia gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t take his umbrella, but used the wall to support himself and exerted all the strength in his legs to stand up from where he was sitting. But he was both physically weak and nervous; his legs constantly trembled, causing his movements to be slow and embarrassing.


    Slowly, Fu Jia straightened himself by holding onto gaps between the bricked wall, and said: "I want to walk by myself."


    His tone was stubborn.


    Lu Qi''an was silent for two seconds, and didn¡¯t continue to insist. He also stood up, then opened the umbrella and enveloped the two of them under its shadow.


    As they were on the backside of the building on a rainy day covered by an umbrella, the lighting was particularly dim. Fu Jia couldn''t see Lu Qi''an''s expression clearly, and only heard him say: "Okay."


    Fu Jia breathed a sigh of relief.


    He tried to move his feet and found that it wasn¡¯t as difficult as he imagined. With exception to his somewhat flimsy footsteps, the feeling of pain wasn¡¯t as severe as before. If he wanted to run away, he definitely could¡¯ve left before Lu Qi''an had come back.


    But he didn¡¯t.


    Fu Jia walked out from under the eaves, and Lu Qi''an followed him with an umbrella. The two walked very slowly; Fu Jia didn''t speak and Lu Qi''an didn''t speak either.


    After walking at a snail pace to the school gate, Lu Qi''an hailed a taxi. The apartment was very close to the school, and since traffic flow increased significantly on rainy days, going by car may not be faster than walking.


    Fu Jia raised this question: "Why hail a ride when we¡¯re so close by?¡±


    A car stopped in front of the two of them, Lu Qi''an stepped forward and opened the rear door: ¡°Take a ride or let me piggyback you, you can choose freely.¡±


    Without even thinking about it, Fu Jia sat in the backseat. Lu Qi''an followed in and sat next to him.


    Fu Jia leaned against the car door on his side, staring out of the car window while staying away from Lu Qi''an as much as possible. But the window hazily reflected the inside of the car, and despite Fu Jia trying to ignore it, he still couldn¡¯t help being attracted to the reflection.


    He lowered his arm to prop against the window and closed his eyes.


    Although there were many cars on rainy days and they were on the road during peak afternoon rush hour, there was only one traffic light on the way to the apartment so the drive didn¡¯t take too long.


    Before entering the community, Lu Qi''an explained the situation to the guard and let the car drive into the courtyard.


    The car stopped, and Lu Qi''an got out first after paying. He opened the umbrella and went around to Fu Jia''s side, then opened the car door and lowered the umbrella as he waited for him to come out.


    Fu Jia turned a blind eye to this and turned around, trying to get off from the other side of the car.


    Lu Qi¡¯an lightly frowned and reached out to grab onto the article of clothing on Fu Jia¡¯s chest¨C it was the jacket he had wrapped Fu Jia in by using the sleeves to tie a knot, and it was that very knot that he grabbed.


    Fu Jia tilted forward and almost fell out of the car door.


    Lu Qi''an let go in time, and took a step back. His lips were pressed into a tight line, and his eyes looked extraordinarily dark as he stood against the light.


    Although his actions were acquiescent, Fu Jia examined his expression and actually felt a sense of anger from it.


    Fu Jia thought about it, and stopped acting difficult. He got out of the car and went under the umbrella.


    Lu Qi glanced at him expressionlessly, closed the car door, and then nodded to the driver. Once the driver started the car and drove away, he began to walk towards the apartment.


    He didn''t let Fu Jia walk in front, nor did he didn''t pay attention to whether Fu Jia followed him. He simply walked forward on his own. This was completely different to how he was acting at school, before they got into the car.


    Fu Jia followed him, both angry and nervous.


    Why was it Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s turn to be angry? Shouldn¡¯t he be the angry one right now, and Lu Qi¡¯an being the one to carefully observe his expression?


    The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the angrier he got, the more he couldn''t let it go. After entering the building, Fu Jia deliberately lagged behind a few steps, a full meter away from Lu Qi''an.


    Lu Qi''an''s footsteps paused, but he didn''t stop. He continued to walk forward and pressed the elevator button.


    The elevator arrived quickly and it was empty. Lu Qi''an directly walked in, while Fu Jia deliberately dawdled for a few seconds before following in, then stuck to a corner to distance himself from Lu Qi¡¯an.


    On the surface, Lu Qi''an did not respond to this.


    This lasted until they reached their floor. When Lu Qi''an stepped out of the elevator and saw that Fu Jia was still dawdling inside, his seemingly calm expression finally disappeared completely.


    He took a quick step, stretched his arm and grabbed the knot on Fu Jia''s chest, then pulled him out forcefully.


    Fu Jia''s center of gravity was unstable, and he cried out, but Lu Qi¡¯an firmly held him in place with his other hand.


    Fu Jia was furious and said: "Why are you..."


    He only said these three words, and Lu Qi''an lowered his hands, put them around his waist, then lifted him up. At the same time, Lu Qi''an lowered his body, placed Fu Jia¡¯s abdomen against his shoulder, and carried him over his shoulder.


    Fu Jia''s upper body instantly faced the ground head first and his mouth fell open in a daze, but he didn¡¯t dare to move.


    Lu Qi''an held him in place with one hand, and unlocked the door to the apartment with the other.


    After entering, he walked straight into the master bedroom where he slept in, lowered himself on the side of the bed, then placed Fu Jia on the bed with both hands around his waist.


    Fu Jia stared at him blankly, letting him dictate the entire process.


    Lu Qi''an stood up straight, his expression looking much better. He was finally willing to speak and said: "Stay here and don''t move."


    He took a set of clothes from the closet and entered the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, not forgetting to close the door either.


    Fu Jia watched him walking back and forth, his head was still recovering from the ten-seconds anti-gravity lift and couldn¡¯t think straight.


    In less than a minute, Lu Qi''an came out of the bathroom. He changed into the set of clothes he brought in, but instead making his way towards Fu Jia, he stood outside the bathroom door and observed Fu Jia. Seeing that he had remained in the same rigid posture without moving, Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s face looked better again. He said: "I want to examine the wounds on your body. I can''t let you take a bath directly, so I¡¯ll wipe  you down with a towel first." After he finished speaking, he went back in again, this time without closing the door. Although Fu Jia couldn''t see what was going on in the bathroom from his angle, he could hear the sound of water.


    Very soon, the sound of water stopped and Lu Qi''an came out with a basin and a towel. He placed a chair by the bed and placed the basin and towel on it, then adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner from its original 28¡ãC to 30¡ãC. After preparing all of this, he moved a second chair to sit in front of Fu Jia and said: ¡°Okay, take off your clothes now.¡±


    Fu Jia: ¡°?¡±


    He shrank backwards, shaking his head frantically.


    Lu Qi''an repeated in a low voice: "Take off your clothes."


    Fu Jia shook his head even more fiercely.


    Lu Qi''an raised his hand and reached out to Fu Jia, but Fu Jia quickly ducked away and shuffled back to the centre of the bed with his feet, shivering and trembling.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t speak. He used one hand to prop himself on the bed and grabbed Fu Jia''s ankle with the other. Dragging him back, he said: "If you don''t take it off, I¡¯ll help you take it off."


    Fu Jia''s face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He shook his head frantically, then nodded desperately, completely losing his ability to speak.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t know what he was trying to express: "So who¡¯s taking it off?"


    Fu Jia''s eyes widened, he excitedly pointed at himself excitedly and whispered: "I''ll take it off, I''ll take it off."


    Only then did Lu Qi''an let go of his hand.


    Fu Jia clutched his chest, feeling that his heart was beating violently; for every beat, every part of his body would also quake.


    Why was he so dizzy?


    Lu Qi''an looked at him calmly, his eyes seemed to say: "Please do it."


    Fu Jia avoided his eyes, then reached out to untie the jacket that Lu Qi''an gave him. This step wasn¡¯t difficult, completed after just one second, but what¡¯s next was taking off the t-shirt under the jacket.


    Fu Jia grabbed the hem of the t-shirt and tried to lift it up, trying two whole times without success.


    Lu Qi¡¯an waited patiently for his third attempt, and once he failed, he asked: "Do you need my help?"


    Fu Jia immediately said: "No!"


    He took a deep breath, and took off his shirt with a desperate momentum. He felt a little cold once the skin of his upper body was exposed¨C not because the room¡¯s temperature was too low, but because his skin was too hot.


    Fu Jia quickly hugged himself, raised his back, and bent his waist, trying to cover as much as she could. The thought of exposing his naked body to Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s gaze, including his stomach, navel, and nipples, made Fu Jia think he was going to die.


    The speed of Lu Qi''an''s breathing accelerated in an instant. He raised his hand and put a fist to his lips, and coughed lightly.


    Fu Jia''s whole body was flushed and he shrank inwards with the wish that he wasn¡¯t inside this apartment, not even existing above-ground, but below the foundation of this building, a place that Lu Qi''an would never see.


    Lu Qi''an stood up, then went to the closet for a blanket to give Fu Jia. Fu Jia grabbed the blanket, acting as if he was frozen in the midst of a deep winter with sub-zero temperature. He desperately wrapped the blanket around and around his body, until it was finally airtight.


    Lu Qi''an looked at his flushed face and said: ¡°I remember that your mouth and nose were bleeding. Open your mouth first, and let me see if there¡¯s anything wrong with your teeth.¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head and said incoherently: ¡°No... No, there¡¯s no problems with my teeth, no problem at all, and there¡¯s no problems with my body, it¡¯s just that I was anxious at the time, so I bit the flesh in my mouth, and a little blood came out.¡±


    His lips opened and closed, and Lu Qi''an''s gaze shifted from his eyes to his mouth¨C his red tongue was visible.


    He approached Fu Jia and said: "Open your mouth."


    "I..." Fu Jia wanted to refuse, his mouth was opened by saying the word ¡®I¡¯. Although the opening was small, it was prolonged by his hesitation. He immediately shut up and switched to shaking his head.


    Lu Qi¡¯an repeated again: ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    This time, his voice was hoarse.


    Fu Jia''s gaze shifted quickly, and he noticed that Lu Qi''an was getting closer and closer. He had no choice but to retreat, and could only open his mouth with an, "Ah."


    Lu Qi''an''s eyes darkened. He stretched out his hand, pressed against Fu Jia¡¯s nape, and leaned closer.


    He displayed what a qualified forced kiss should be like to Fu Jia, meaning that at the moment lips and teeth met, he reached his tongue in and intertwined it with the other party¡¯s, sucking from time to time, evading from time to time, then carefully licking other areas in the oral cavity.


    Fu Jia moaned vaguely and limply fell back.


    Lu Qi''an supported his body, withdrew his tongue, and switched to gnawing on Fu Jia''s upper and lower lips.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he kissed him for, or how long he should kiss him for. Although he had more understanding than Fu Jia, this was also the first time he had done it. Theoretical knowledge was useless, putting it into practice required instinctive actions.


    Simply put, do whatever you want to do.


    By the time he let go of Fu Jia, both of them were panting.


    Falling into some unknown stupor, Fu Jia¡¯s mouth was open, his soul no longer inhibited his body, and his eyes were unfocused.


    Lu Qi¡¯an pinched his face and said: ¡°The next time you force a kiss on me, remember to stick out your tongue like this.¡±

 CH 30

    Chapter 30


    In just the span of less than a minute, Fu Jia went through the three stages of doubting the world, doubting Lu Qi''an, and doubting himself.


    Then he realized Lu Qi''an really did kiss him. This wasn¡¯t his imagination, because he had no idea that kissing could be done to the extent that not only did lips and teeth touch, but even tongues were intertwined.


    Compared with what he did to Lu Qi''an in the infirmary, this was much more comfortable. The moment he realized this, Fu Jia''s blanket-wrapped body heated up rapidly. The room¡¯s air conditioner was on, and the blanket was also a winter blanket, which was tightly wrapped around him, airtight to the point of almost suffocating him to death.


    He pulled at the blanket, freeing his upper body from it. This time he endured his shame, didn''t wrap both hands around his body, and also didn''t tremble.


    After being kissed by Lu Qi''an, this bit of shame couldn¡¯t amount to much.


    He was sweating all over, and shook as he asked: "Why did you¡­ s-suddenly act like this?¡±


    After pinching Fu Jia''s face, Lu Qi''an withdrew his hand. There was a lasting sensation of heat on his fingertips because Fu Jia¡¯s face was too hot.


    He asked back, "Don''t you want to?"


    Fu Jia''s forehead was full of sweat; intent on not getting distracted by him, he said: ¡°It¡¯s not a question of whether I want to or not. The question is, you don¡¯t like me¡­so why did you still kiss me?¡±


    His heart was full of confusion.


    One must be responsible for the words they¡¯ve said. Time runs on its own speed, but ideas and circumstances are ever-changing, often trapping people by what they¡¯ve said in the past.#


    Lu Qi''an thought for a while and said: ¡°That time you hurt your face, you deceived me and said that you hurt yourself by falling down. Do you remember?"


    Fu Jia didn¡¯t understand why he brought that up at a time like this. He tried hard to recall his mental state at that time, but his memory was blurry. A few months were enough for him to separate those dark feelings from himself. Looking back now, he only felt strange and distant.


    Fu Jia whispered: "I remember, but I didn''t mean to deceive you.¡±


    "I know, but do you still remember why you deceived me?" Lu Qi''an asked.


    Fu Jia lowered his head, finding it difficult to put into words: "Because I feel very ashamed."


    "En," Lu Qi''an replied, as if to placate Fu Jia. He raised his hand to wipe away sweat from Fu Jia''s forehead, and slowly said:, "So you should be able to understand that if you can lie, I can lie too."


    One ought to be responsible for what they say, and he was ready to be responsible for everything.


    This sentence of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s was too tactful, Fu Jia took half a day, but still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. He stammered: ¡°So¡­so¡­¡±


    Did you trick me?


    Do you like me?


    He actually reached the critical moment, and the pork bone was delivered to his mouth, but he didn¡¯t dare to open his mouth and bite down.


    Lu Qi''an didn''t patiently wait for him to figure it out bit by bit. He picked up the towel he had prepared earlier, soaked it in the basin of hot water, wrung it dry, and then said to Fu Jia: "Give me your hand.¡±


    Fu Jia hesitated for a moment, then held out his hand.


    Lu Qi''an held his wrist, pressed the towel on the inside of his arm, and asked: "Is it hot?"


    The towel was warm and moist; a little hot, but it felt comfortable to Fu Jia, who had been drenched in the rain.


    Fu Jia quivered, holding back from hiding away, and said, "It''s fine.¡±


    Upon confirming that the temperature was suitable, Lu Qi''an let go of Fu Jia''s wrist and switched to supporting his shoulder, wiping from the neck, then gradually downwards.


    When he brushed against Fu Jia''s collarbone, Fu Jia reacted strongly. Not only did he dodge backwards, he also used his hand to shield his chest.


    Lu Qi''an carefully observed his expression, after making sure that he was blushing from embarrassment and not because he was showing discomfort, he pulled his hand away and continued to wipe his body.


    Fu Jia was very thin, a bit thinner than what Lu Qi''an had always imagined: his abdomen was slightly sunken in, and his ribs were prominent. This was not the physique of what a boy his age should have.


    Fu Jia was brought home by Lin Qing only after he turned eight. Before he was eight years old, his living condition wasn¡¯t optimistic at all, and he even wandered on the streets for a while. After being taken back to the villa by Lin Qing, although Auntie Chen was there to take care of his daily life, Auntie Chen never gave her sincerity to Fu Jia, and the most she did was keeping him alive.


    Lu Qi''an wiped Fu Jia''s entire upper body from top to bottom without avoiding nipples, navel or other sensitive parts, as attentive as carrying out a formal job. He changed the water twice as he wiped, ensuring that the towel was always hot.


    Fu Jia was not as calm as he was, feeling tortured both mentally and physically. Goosebumps were left in the wake of everywhere that Lu Qi¡¯an wiped with the towel, and even after the towel was lifted away, a numbing itch still lingered.


    When Lu Qi''an put the towel back into the basin and didn''t pick it up again, Fu Jia breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the torment was finally over.


    The next second, Lu Qi''an said: "Take off your pants."


    With a bang, Fu Jia heard the sound of the world collapsing.


    With eyes full of horror, he shrank back and said, "No..."


    As if he didn''t hear anything, Lu Qi''an reached out and grabbed his ankle. Fu Jia¡¯s feet were still ice-cold despite being warmed up in this toasty room for such a long time, causing his attitude to harden. He asked: "Why are you refusing? You have injuries on your legs, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Fu Jia frantically shook his head, so anxious that his eyes reddened: ¡°No! Let go of me first, and talk later, okay? Just wait..."


    Fu Jia bent his waist in an attempt to shrink his body, he reluctantly put his hesitant hands between his legs, trying his best to cover something up.


    Lu Qi¡¯an was worried that he was trying to cover an injury. Frowning tightly, he stood up from the chair and pressed towards him from the bedside, using strength to break his hands apart¨C


    Even if Fu Jia mustered all his strength, he still wasn¡¯t a match for a serious Lu Qi¡¯an, let alone now when he only had half a breath left. Lu Qi''an controlled his hands with just one hand, making him obediently place his hands above his head. At the same time, Lu Qi''an pressed against Fu Jia''s thighs with his knee, forcing him to spread out his body.


    This posture was very convenient, with one glance Lu Qi''an could see where Fu Jia was desperately trying to cover.


    It was¡­his crotch, where a distinct shape bulged out.


    As another male, Lu Qi¡¯an quickly realized what had happened. Seeing that he saw it, Fu Jia almost fainted on the spot.


    It would¡¯ve been fine if he hadn¡¯t been exposed, but once revealed, the lustful flush of Fu Jia¡¯s body was laid bare to see.


    He had an erection.


    Lu Qi''an took a deep breath. The root of his tongue was numb, yet there was a sweet taste. It seemed to taste the same as Fu Jia¡¯s tongue that he had licked earlier.


    "You..."


    He only said one word, and Fu Jia pleaded: ¡°Don¡¯t look¡­it¡¯ll go down soon.¡±


    Lu Qi''an pressed his lips into a tight line, feeling a mild headache. Lust was an unreasonable thing, he didn''t deliberately tease Fu Jia, yet Fu Jia still reacted.


    The reason was very simple.


    Lu Qi''an closed his eyes, forced himself to calm down, relaxed his hold on Fu Jia''s hands and knees, and then sat back on the chair beside the bed.


    He clenched both his hands and didn¡¯t speak.


    Fu Jia raised his head and glanced at him, then quickly knelt down on the bed to curl up into a ball, pulled the blanket over himself, and remained motionless. "I¡¯ll be okay soon,¡± Fu Jia buried his face in his arms and spoke sullenly.


    He never dreamed that such a day would come for him and Lu Qi¡¯an. When he hugged and kissed Lu Qi''an before, Lu Qi''an turned blue with anger and even called him a lunatic, yet today he took the initiative to hug him, kiss him, and even used a towel to wipe his body.


    His movements were so attentive and gentle that even a stone would soften, never mind Fu Jia who longed for Lu Qi¡¯an so much every day that his intestines were about to break apart at the thought of him.


    He said that he¡¯ll be okay after waiting a moment, but the reality was¡­ Fu Jia was completely disheartened: how could he soften it down?


    Lust came very naturally. His focus had been following along Lu Qi''an''s hand, and he didn''t notice his lower body¡¯s abnormality. By the time he found out, it had already been hard down there for who knows how long.


    He put a hand in his mouth and bit down, holding back the intensely uncomfortable urge to touch down there and ejaculate hard and fast. He tried his best to endure it, but he still couldn''t help twisting his waist around to let his hard cock rub against the bed sheets.


    He buried his head, but he knew that Lu Qi''an hadn''t left. Sitting right next to him, maybe he could clearly see his acts of secretively grinding the sheets. To his despair, he realized that if Lu Qi¡¯an doesn¡¯t leave, it¡¯s likely that he will cum on the bed sheets.


    Just as his head was spinning, the blanket covering his body was lifted off. Fu Jia looked over with moist eyes to find Lu Qi¡¯an gazing at him with the gentleness of coaxing a child.


    Fu Jia¡¯s nose was sour, and he couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°I¡¯m so uncomfortable¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said as he picked him up along with the blanket, half taking him into his arms.


    Fu Jia reached out and circled his arms around his neck, and in this moment, the entire day¡¯s worth of grievances erupted. He arched his neck without direction and said: ¡°It was them who tricked me first, what happened today wasn¡¯t my fault, they¡¯re the ones who deceived me and told me to buy coffee for you. It was raining so hard outside, and I was scared to get the scarf wet so I left it in the classroom, but when I came back, they took apart the scarf and even stomped it to the ground¡­¡±


    He was babbling, but Lu Qi¡¯an thought about the scene back then, and could almost piece together what had happened. Fu Jia was not only twisting his neck back and forth, but also kept rubbing his lower body against him. Although thin, Fu Jia was still a boy, and Lu Qi¡¯an could hardly keep him contained in his embrace.


    He reached into the blanket wrapped around Fu Jia and caressed the fabric over Fu Jia¡¯s erect penis. That thing was hot to touch, raising high to form a large, protruding bulge against his pants. Clearly, it had been in a restrained state for a long time.


    He had only touched it lightly, and Fu Jia emitted a delicate and sharp sound from his throat, arching his back and kicking his feet. Afraid that he would fall off the bed, Lu Qi''an lightly reprimanded him: "Don''t move!"


    Fu Jia couldn''t hear anything as he gasped out puffs of air against his neck. Lu Qi¡¯an felt somewhat helpless, released his hand, and began to distract him by talking to him: ¡°What¡¯s the story with the scarf?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head, still unable to comprehend. He felt Lu Qi''an take his hand away and anxiously straightened his waist, wanting to rub his crotch against this hand. Lu Qi''an''s breathing accelerated, feeling a rush of hot air release through his body, leaving his mouth dry and burnt. He sighed and put his hand back, stroking Fu Jia¡¯s cock from over his pants.


    His hand technique was clumsy and rough, but Fu Jia hummed in pleasure. Lu Qi¡¯an endured his fervor as he listened to him hum, and asked again: ¡°What¡¯s with the scarf?¡±


    Fu Jia''s eyes were out of focus, and he stammered out: "I knitted it for you..."


    After saying the last word, his body spasmed. He came.


    Lu Qi''an felt the penis quiver in his hand, as well as the accompanying wetness. His body tensed up.


    It was the first time Fu Jia came at the touch of someone he liked, and the pleasure was so intense that he couldn¡¯t return to his senses for a long time.


    His out-of-focus expression radiated satisfaction from sexual pleasure, Lu Qi¡¯an stared at it for two seconds before moving his eyes away. With a hoarse voice, he said: ¡°In any case, the next time you encounter this kind of thing, don''t rush to fight.¡±


    Fu Jia was now happy to hear anything that Lu Qi¡¯an had to say, finding everything he said satisfactory. He wanted to directly agree with a ¡°Okay, okay, okay.¡± But after he thought about how much grievance he had suffered, he thought he should continue acting wronged to ask Lu Qi¡¯an for compensation. So he forced on a dissatisfied expression and said: ¡°Then what should I do? Let myself get bullied for nothing?¡±


    Although his words came out like this, his voice was very soft, and his eyes were gentle.


    Lu Qi''an looked at him, contemplating on what to say to calm him down. ¡°I know the other party was at fault in this situation, but if you can¡¯t restrain your temper and raise your fist first, then you¡¯ll be viewed as a perpetrator instead of the victim.¡±


    Fu Jia pretended to be solemn and asked: ¡°Then what do I do?¡±


    Lu Qi''an saw the smile in his eyes and knew that he wasn¡¯t listening at all. Feeling helpless and resigned, he continued to reason with him.


    Maybe, Fu Jia staying by his side in the future will mean that he no longer has to worry so much about rationality.


    He couldn¡¯t help thinking that it would¡¯ve been better for him to give up on those unnecessary worries earlier on.


    It would¡¯ve been great if he had stayed by Fu Jia¡¯s side earlier.


    If he had been able to foresee today¡¯s determination on the day he first met Fu Jia, he never would¡¯ve left after only giving him a band-aid. He wouldn¡¯t have left him alone in that corner of the courtyard and wouldn¡¯t have let him sit on the ground alone to blow on his hurt hand.


    Lu Qi''an held Fu Jia''s hand and used his thumb to carefully search Fu Jia¡¯s palm in an attempt to find those cigarette burns of the past. He said: ¡°If something like this happens in the future, report to me directly.¡±

 CH 31

    Chapter 31


    After Lu Qi''an said this, Fu Jia became completely obedient. He successfully took off Fu Jia''s pants, stripped him naked, then continued to wipe his lower body with a towel.


    Fu Jia was very well-behaved, lifting his leg when he was asked to lift his leg, and turning over when he was asked to turn over. In the end, Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t find any new injuries on his body, only four or five old scars.


    Fu Jia said: "That senior really didn¡¯t know how to fight, and the couple of people that tried to break us apart afterwards were no good at fighting either. They couldn''t hurt me."


    Lu Qi''an watched him roll around on the bed naked without covering his crotch in the slightest. With a dark face, he covered him with the blanket.


    ¡°Get dressed, then get some rest. I¡¯ll help you ask for a leave of absence in the afternoon,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an took out a set of pyjamas and underwear from the closet and handed them to Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia accepted the items and asked: ¡°Then what about you?¡±


    His eyes were always fixated on Lu Qi''an, afraid that if he looked away for even a second, the person would disappear.


    Lu Qi¡¯an said with patience: ¡°Taking a bath.¡±


    Fu Jia was taken aback, then suddenly realized that Lu Qi''an had been drenched in the rain for as long as he had, but had been busy taking care of him since they came back; instead of taking a bath, he merely changed his clothes.


    Lu Qi''an stayed in place for a few seconds. After seeing that Fu Jia didn''t speak again, he went to the bathroom.


    Fu Jia picked up the clothes and put them on, and soon heard the sound of rushing water from the bathroom. After he finished dressing, he couldn''t help but clutch the shirt collar for a sniff, but he couldn¡¯t smell anything.


    He laid down on the bed, sniffing around like an animal, and finally smelled Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s scent on the pillow. Intoxicated, he laid on it and closed his eyes happily.


    Lu Qi¡¯an came out of the shower as fast as he could, but Fu Jia had already fallen into a deep sleep by then.


    It was a double bed, but he slept on the edge of the bed nearest to the bathroom, with one arm stretching out and the other hugging the pillow, he kept half his face buried in the pillow.


    Lu Qi''an wiped his hair until it no longer dripped water before walking to the bed, then grabbed Fu Jia''s outstretched hand and stuffed it under the duvet. Next, he pressed the back of his hand against Fu Jia''s forehead to make sure that he wasn¡¯t sweating or feverish.


    After finishing these tasks, he sat on the chair and watched Fu Jia without moving an inch.


    He didn''t count how long he watched for, nor was he ruminating over anything in his mind. He simply matched his breathing to Fu Jia¡¯s, feeling incomparably at ease as if someone was comfortingly patting his back.


    By the time he looked away, his neck was somewhat stiff.


    He walked out of the room, gently closed the door, then gave Liu-laoshi a call in the living room. Up until then, his phone had been set on silent mode, and received countless calls and texts from Liu-laoshi.


    "Hello, Qi¡¯an?" Liu-laoshi''s anxious voice transmitted from the other end of the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. I¡¯ve worried you earlier.# How¡¯s the situation on Feng Jing¡¯s side now?¡± Lu Qi''an walked to the window and found that the rain had let up a lot, but dense clouds still darkened the sky. It was likely to return to torrential rain at night.


    Liu-laoshi released a long sigh and said: ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital right now. Feng Jing¡¯s okay, the injuries on his body aren¡¯t severe or mild,# but his teeth are loosened quite a bit. But since the roots aren¡¯t damaged, it will heal after some recuperation.¡±


    There was a burst of noise from the other end of the phone, and it took several seconds to quiet down. It seemed that Liu-laoshi had moved to somewhere with fewer people. ¡°But Feng Jing and his parents were very emotional and kept demanding for Fu Jia and his parents to come over and apologize face to face.¡±


    Lu Qi''an frowned and asked: "Have you contacted Fu Jia''s parents?"


    Liu-laoshi¡¯s talking speed distinctly quickened once this was brought up: ¡°Contact them? That we sure did, and the contact information was found from Fu Jia¡¯s files, but when we called the number, the other party claimed to be Fu Jia¡¯s father¡¯s secretary, and even said that Fu Jia¡¯s father didn¡¯t have time for this sort of thing so we should stop contacting them. When we called again later, the other party stopped picking up. Now Feng Jing''s parents are asking me for Fu Jia''s mother, but there¡¯s no record on file, so where would I find her? I don¡¯t even know where Fu Jia is right now¡­¡±


    Once she spoke of this, Liu-laoshi became very angry. The secretary who answered the phone didn¡¯t even bother listening to the situation and interrupted her as soon as they heard the name ¡°Fu Jia¡± with the excuse that their boss wasn¡¯t free, then told her not to bother them again.


    Liu-laoshi felt that it was unbelievable. Leaving the secretary¡¯s phone number on the school record wasn¡¯t a strange occurrence, but what was strange was the secretary¡¯s cold attitude. What kind of secretary was this? After hearing that something had happened to the boss¡¯s son, they didn¡¯t have any intention of passing on the news, and even adopted a nastier attitude than when they first picked up the phone.


    Was this normal? If what happened today wasn¡¯t a trivial incident of fighting between students, but something that left Fu Jia¡¯s life in danger, could a supposed father still act so indifferent?


    Liu-laoshi didn¡¯t know about the Lin family mess, but Lu Qi¡¯an had a clear understanding. Since Lin Qing left his secretary''s phone number, he would never let Fu Jia have the chance to get in touch with him.


    Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°Please don''t worry, Fu Jia is here with me. He doesn¡¯t have any external wounds but feels pain when certain areas are pressed. There should be some deep bruising, but it doesn¡¯t seem like he has to go to the hospital immediately. If any problems come up tomorrow, I¡¯ll take him then. As for his parents, there¡¯s no need to contact them.¡±


    Liu-laoshi was taken aback by what he said. Why would Fu Jia be with him? Why did Lu Qi¡¯an know so much about Fu Jia¡¯s situation? Her heart was full of questions, but she chose to solve immediate problems first: ¡°What do you mean by no need to contact? If Fu Jia and his parents don¡¯t make an appearance, Feng Jing¡¯s parents won¡¯t take it lying down. Even if Fu Jia is fine, he still has to come to the hospital. The matter can only be resolved if the children of both parties talk things over face to face.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an subconsciously chilled his voice: ¡°Feng Jing¡¯s parents are at the hospital, but Fu Jia¡¯s parents aren¡¯t. What would Fu Jia do once he gets there? Apologize under the pressure of the other party¡¯s parents as he stands alone?¡±


    On the other side of the phone, Liu-laoshi widened her eyes. Blocked by his questions, she was unable to speak for a moment: ¡°This¡­¡±


    After Lu Qi''an spoke, he immediately realized that his tone was bad. Liu-laoshi had taken the trouble to help him, so he shouldn''t act like this.


    ¡°Liu-laoshi,¡± he took a deep breath and patiently said: ¡°I will come to the hospital later and speak to Feng Jing¡¯s parents. As for Fu Jia¡­I won¡¯t let him go.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t want Fu Jia to apologize anymore.


    Doesn¡¯t want him to face the anger of others, the accusations of others.


    On the other end of the phone, Teacher Liu fell into deep silence. After a long time, she said: ¡°Come then. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±


    Lu Qi''an thanked in a low voice: "Thank you."


    ¡°Ai,¡± Liu-laoshi sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. There are some things that are easier for you to handle alone than for me to help you, so what need is there to thank me? What matters is that you¡¯re happy, it¡¯s what your mom would have wanted.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±


    After hanging up the call with Liu-laoshi, Lu Qi''an stood in place and carefully contemplated for a few minutes before making a second call.


    Just as Lu Qi¡¯an expected, the rain picked up again in the evening. People standing under the rain couldn¡¯t talk at all, not only would they be splashed by the rainstorm, their voices would also be completely masked by the rain.


    Lu Qi''an and Feng Jing''s family walked out of the large hospital building together. Feng Jing''s parents said goodbye to Lu Qi''an one after another with smiles hanging off their faces, but Lu Qi''an couldn''t hear a word, and just nodded perfunctorily.


    He walked to the parking lot under the cover of an umbrella. Seeing him approach, Lu Zhiyuan''s assistant hurriedly asked the driver to get out of the car to help open the door, and then used an umbrella to shield him from rain as he sat into the car.


    Seeing him take a seat inside, the assistant gave him a slight smile: ¡°Hearing you say that you¡¯re at the hospital, I rushed over without even changing my clothes. In the end, everything here was settled within two sentences. Please advocate a raise for me to Mr. Lu.¡±


    The way to deal with Feng Jing''s parents was very simple; Feng Jing''s father had been fighting for an opportunity to study abroad for the past two years.# This wasn¡¯t difficult for Lu Qi''an, it was simply a matter of adding a name to the roster.


    Of course, Lu Qi''an made it very clear that Feng Jing was also at fault for this matter, so he must transfer to another school during this critical period of third year high school.


    The car moved. Lu Qi''an said to the assistant: "Today, I¡¯ve troubled you."


    The assistant shook his head and said, "I can''t take those words seriously. But you¡¯re aware as well that I will report everything that happened today in detail to Mr. Lu.¡±


    Lu Qi''an looked out of the car window and nodded: "I know."


    The car quickly arrived at Lu Qi''an''s apartment. The driver wanted to take the umbrella and open the door for Lu Qi¡¯an, but was rejected by him. The assistant looked up at the apartment and said, "Why don''t I go up for a look? I haven''t visited in so long, and I''m worried that the housekeeper auntie is neglecting you."


    Lu Qi''an refused: "No need. She¡¯s always been utmost responsible.¡± As he spoke, he opened the car door and walked out with an umbrella.


    The assistant sighed and said: "How about I hide what happened today for you, and you tell Mr. Lu yourself once you have the chance to?¡±


    Outside the car, Lu Qi¡¯an nodded towards him and closed the door. The rain pattered loudly, and he didn''t hear the assistant''s words.


    Lu Qi¡¯an slowly walked into the apartment building and pressed the elevator button. He had walked slowly during this entire hospital trip, but the hems of his pants were still splashed wet from rain and made him uncomfortable.


    After reaching his floor, Lu Qi''an quickly walked to his apartment and opened the door.


    In the living room, Fu Jia sat blankly on the sofa, looking like his soul had drifted out of his body. Hearing the sound of Lu Qi''an opening the door, he aggressively jumped up from the sofa. Starting from his eyes, his whole person was revived.


    Lu Qi''an walked into the room, saw Fu Jia standing motionlessly by the sofa, and asked, ¡°Woke up?¡± He glanced at his watch and said, ¡°Auntie Miao should¡¯ve already come over by this time. Did she give you any difficulties?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head.


    ¡°En,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an walked to the storage cabinet in the living room to take out the first-aid kit. This was prepared by Auntie Miao, who regularly restocked the medicine in it. ¡°How was your rest? I¡¯ll help take your temperature.¡±


    Fu Jia lowered his head and whispered: "Where have you been?"


    His muffled voice had a heavy nasal sound. ¡°I thought what happened before was only a dream¡­ When I woke up, you were gone, and I couldn¡¯t find you anywhere.¡±


    Lu Qi''an''s hands halted, and the first-aid kit almost fell from the cabinet.


    Fu Jia raised his head, and his eyes were slightly red: "Can I hug you?"

 CH 32

    Chapter 32


    If it wasn''t for the fact that Lu Qi''an tended to get angry at every turn, preventing Fu Jia from figuring out the reason behind his temper, Fu Jia definitely would¡¯ve rushed over right now to involuntarily hug him.


    Fortunately, Lu Qi¡¯an didn¡¯t refuse. He pushed the first-aid kid in his hands back into the cabinet, then walked up to Fu Jia with his arms open.


    They were already standing so closely that they were almost stuck together, but Fu Jia still couldn¡¯t help but take half a step forward and let his whole person fall into Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Lu Qi''an was almost hit by him, leaned back a bit, then raised his arms to hug Fu Jia.


    Fu Jia also tightened his hold and buried his face on his shoulder.


    When he woke up this afternoon, the room was covered in darkness as if it was deep into nighttime. He looked around in all four directions but didn¡¯t see any light.


    At that moment, an extreme sense of fear rose in his heart as if he had returned to the past, lying in some dark and cramped room. Whenever he awakened from his dreams and opened his eyes, he would see a room filled with black. This heavy darkness choked his neck, pressed down on his chest, and took away his breath.


    Once he escaped that sort of life, Fu Jia never wanted to go back. Even just thinking of the possibility terrified him.


    Lu Qi''an patted him on the back: "Do you feel discomfort anywhere?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head, brushing his fluffy hair back and forth against Lu Qi''an''s neck. Lu Qi¡¯an raised his hand to help him smooth out the top of his head, then touched his forehead: ¡°Raise your head, let me check if you have a fever.¡±


    Fu Jia continued to shake his head, taking the initiative to rub against Lu Qi''an''s hand with his forehead, and said: ¡°No.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an couldn¡¯t feel at ease and carefully used the palm of his hand to test his temperature. Deciding that it was a bit hot, he said: ¡°Let me use a thermometer to check.¡±


    Fu Jia grasped his hand and said: ¡°I really don¡¯t have one. It¡¯s because you just came back from outside that your hands are too cold. Let me warm it up for you and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    He placed Lu Qi''an''s hand between his hands, gently rubbed each of his fingers, and inquired: "You haven''t told me where you went yet."


    Lu Qi''an''s palms were itchy after being touched by him, but he didn''t stop him, letting him touch as much as he wanted. "I went to the hospital to resolve today¡¯s situation."


    Fu Jia was stunned, and his hand movements also stopped: "Resolved?"


    "En," Lu Qi''an grabbed this chance to pull his hand out, "Both seniors have taken responsibility for their mistakes. One voluntarily transferred to another school, and the other will find an opportunity to apologize to you.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an said everything in a relaxed and natural tone. Fu Jia nodded sluggishly, somewhat believing him, but somewhat lacking the confidence to believe him.


    The joy in his heart had already sprouted a flower, but he still pretended to be cool and collected externally, and said: ¡°Actually¡­I was also at fault for this matter. I was too impulsive.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was a bit surprised, not expecting him to apologize. Over this matter, Fu Jia had lost his temper big time and even said extreme words like, ¡®You don¡¯t care whether I die or not.¡¯


    Lu Qi''an contemplated for a while, and instead of comforting him, he said, "Next time, take this as a warning.¡±


    No matter which side was at fault for today¡¯s matter, Fu Jia¡¯s tendency to be impulsive whenever anything happened must be corrected. Even if he didn¡¯t wrong others, getting injured in a fight was wronging himself.#


    Fu Jia hummed obediently and hugged his arms around Lu Qi''an''s neck, wanting to bury his face in his shoulder again.


    Lu Qi''an leaned backwards, blocked his shoulder to push him away, and said: ¡°Wait, I need to wash up first.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s body was warm, but Lu Qi¡¯an was chilled to ice by the cold rain outside, and his coat was also somewhat damp. It was fine to hug him once, but he was worried that Fu Jia would catch a cold if they continued to hug.


    Fu Jia refused to let him go and said: "Then I''ll stay by you and watch you take a bath."


    ¡°No,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an adamantly refused, ¡°You go eat first. Since Auntie Miao already came, she should¡¯ve also prepared dinner for you.¡±


    Aunt Miao really did prepare a dinner for two. Before cooking, she even asked Fu Jia what he liked to eat, and whether he had anything he couldn¡¯t eat. Acting as a professional who deserved her high salary, she didn¡¯t show surprise at encountering unfamiliar faces at her employer¡¯s home, didn¡¯t ask Fu Jia for his background, and left quietly once she finished her work.


    Fu Jia carefully studied Lu Qi''an''s tone and felt that the ¡®no¡¯ was very firm. There shouldn¡¯t be any room for negotiation, so he reluctantly let go: ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m not hungry yet. I¡¯ll wait for you to finish showering so that we can eat together.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an agreed.


    Fu Jia sat back on the sofa, watching Lu Qi¡¯an go into the master bedroom and closing the door. Fu Jia didn''t avert his gaze and continued to stare at the door of the master bedroom.


    Consequently, when Lu Qi''an finished showering and walked out of the bedroom, he was met with Fu Jia¡¯s glistening eyes as soon as he opened the door.


    Lu Qi¡¯an felt a little helpless.


    He didn¡¯t walk towards Fu Jia, but to the dining area instead: ¡°It''s getting late, hurry up and eat dinner. We still have to make a trip to the school later.¡±


    He sat at the dining table, turned off the rice cooker¡¯s heat preservation switch, then picked up a bowl and filled it with rice.


    Fu Jia quickly followed and sat across from him: "Why do we have to go to school?"


    Lu Qi''an put the bowl full of rice in front of him, passed the chopsticks over, and said: ¡°Eat first, then we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Fu Jia happily held the bowl and chopsticks he was handed and nodded. Where they¡¯re going or why they¡¯re going wasn¡¯t important to him, the important thing was staying together with Lu Qi¡¯an. Just this was enough.


    Auntie Miao¡¯s meals were all ordinary Chinese home cooking, nothing fancy. Fu Jia had always thought that Lu Qi¡¯an preferred western cuisine, because that¡¯s what Lu Wanqing ate. But looking at it now, even though they were all one Lu family, Lu Wanqing liked to eat western cuisine, but Lu Qi''an didn¡¯t.


    Just like how Lu Wanqing didn¡¯t like Fu Jia, Lu Qi¡¯an liked him regardless.


    Thinking of this, Fu Jia¡¯s heart felt unbearably sweet. He took one bite from Auntie Miao¡¯s dishes and felt that he had eaten the most delicious thing he¡¯s ever had in his whole life.


    Auntie Miao¡¯s skill was more than ten thousand times better than the school cafeteria.


    One of the reasons why Lu Qi''an continued to employ Aunt Miao was because of her good culinary skills. Auntie Miao''s salary was the highest in the industry, and her own ability also represented the highest level in the industry. If the food she cooked wasn¡¯t as good as the school cafeteria, Lu Qi''an would immediately fire her.


    Fu Jia ate happily for a while, then suddenly thought of a question: ¡°Why did Auntie Miao immediately leave after cooking?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an was taught by his father since he was a child to ¡®keep quiet when eating, keep silent when sleeping¡¯.# But when Fu Jia asked him aloud, he halted his chopsticks without objection, and answered: ¡°I asked her to work on staggered time with me.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded, remembering how it went when he stayed overnight at Lu Qi''an''s place. Auntie Miao came over at the crack of dawn, but she didn¡¯t disturb Lu Qi¡¯an, and left as soon as she made breakfast. Fu Jia continued to ask: ¡°Why do you stagger the time? What if you were delayed by something, or came home late? Wouldn¡¯t the food be cold by then?¡±


    Lu Qi''an lowered his eyes and said: "I don''t like eating with other people."


    It didn¡¯t matter if the food was cold. Compared to eating with others, eating cold food was easier for him to accept.


    Fu Jia glanced at his own bowl: "But..."


    ¡°You¡¯re the exception,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an interrupted him.


    Fu Jia was like someone who had been hit by cotton candy; his tickled face made him want to laugh. He couldn''t help biting his chopsticks, and whispered: ¡°So it turns out I¡¯m the exception¡­¡±


    As he pondered carefully, Liu-laoshi¡¯s slight smile suddenly flashed in his mind.


    That¡¯s not right, Lu Qi''an also ate with Liu-laoshi. He nervously asked: "Is Liu-laoshi also an exception?¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded.


    Fu Jia¡¯s happy mood immediately diminished.


    When Fu Jia heard him bring up the scarf, he was a little embarrassed, and very regretful that he revealed the story of the scarf back when he was spaced out, so he rushed to say: ¡°That thing¡¯s not important anymore.¡±


    Lu Qi''an looked up at him: ¡°I took the scarf back with me and put it in the cabinet by the door. The next time Auntie Miao comes, I¡¯ll ask her to help clean it.¡±


    At that time, as soon as he saw the surveillance footage, he immediately went to the classroom to search for the scarf. No one knew where the scarf came from, so the students piled it in a corner with other unwanted items to be collected by the janitor. Lu Qi''an bent down, used his hands without hesitation to rummage through the pile of things, and found the awfully dirtied scarf that had been trampled on.


    He took the scarf to the washroom and rinsed the surface dirt off with water, then put it in a ziplock bag and took it to the hospital, and then took it back to the apartment.


    Fu Jia was both happy and dejected: ¡°Thank you for helping me find it, but... let me handle my own things.¡± It was something he wanted to give Lu Qi¡¯an, so he didn¡¯t want others to do it for him. But¡­so what if he washed the scarf? This was something to present to Lu Qi¡¯an, but it had been trampled on by others, and taken apart by someone he hated. He would never present it as a gift to Lu Qi¡¯an again.


    Lu Qi¡¯an nodded: ¡°It¡¯s yours, so you should decide what to do with it.¡±


    Because he brought up the scarf, Fu Jia''s mood went from sunny to cloudy, and afterwards he simply focused on eating silently. This invisibly sped up the pace of their dinner.


    Fu Jia ate fast, but his appetite was larger than Lu Qi''an''s, so the time between the two of them putting down their chopsticks wasn¡¯t too far apart. Fu Jia took the initiative to stand up, wanting to tidy up, but was stopped by Lu Qi''an: "Go get changed, we¡¯ll head to the school later."


    Fu Jia sat in place and asked: ¡°Why are you going to school?¡±


    Fu Jia''s mood was no longer as good as before, and his thoughts began to turn negative. He thought Lu Qi¡¯an was either sending him to the dormitory to rest, or sending him to be disciplined by teachers.


    Lu Qi''an wiped his hands with a tissue and stood up: ¡°To help you carry your luggage. From now on, you¡¯ll live with me in this apartment. You can sleep in the guest room, but if you don¡¯t think the guest room is big enough, you can also stay in the master bedroom.¡±


    Fu Jia¡¯s breathing and heart rate accelerated together.


    His lips moved, but he was somewhat speechless. It was like someone had yanked the curtains open while he was sitting in the dark, and the sun was so blinding that it took him time to adapt.


    Immediately afterwards, the first words that came out of Fu Jia''s mouth were: "Can I?"

 CH 33

    Chapter 33


    The clothes that Fu Jia had came in were completely soaked from rain, so he could only wear Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s clothes when heading to school.


    Lu Qi¡¯an asked Fu Jia to select something he liked from the closet, but Fu Jia didn¡¯t select anything and directly took his school uniform.


    It¡¯s not because he was heading to school and wanted to respect school rules by wearing the uniform, but because¡­ Lu Qi¡¯an was a student, so what he wore most frequently should be his school uniform, right? It might smell like Lu Qi¡¯an.


    He pinched the collar and sniffed it, perhaps it was a psychological effect, but he actually had the impression that he was being hugged by Lu Qi¡¯an.


    Lu Qi''an''s clothes were a size too big for him, and the sleeves and pants were too long. Lu Qi¡¯an looked at it and said: ¡°How about you change out of the school uniform?¡±


    Fu Jia shook his head: ¡°No.¡±


    Lu Qi''an fell silent and didn¡¯t try to convince him or ask him for the reason. He helped him roll up his sleeves, and then squatted down to help him roll up his pant legs.


    After everything was prepared, Lu Qi''an dragged a large suitcase from the apartment, and took a taxi with Fu Jia to school.


    It was currently evening self-study period, and Fu Jia¡¯s roommates haven¡¯t returned yet. Fu Jia opened the door of the dorm room with a key, pressed the light switch, and made a ¡®come in¡¯ gesture to Lu Qi''an.


    Lu Qi''an pushed the suitcase and walked in. Looking around, it took no effort to identify Fu Jia''s bunk.


    The barest and cleanest bunk must be Fu Jia''s.


    Sure enough, Fu Jia walked up to the plainest bunk and asked: ¡°How should we start tidying up? Are we taking away the mattress and duvet?¡±


    The dormitories of No. 6 High School all had loft beds with desks. Lu Qi''an raised his hand and felt around Fu Jia''s mattress and duvet, but he didn''t feel the puffy softness that a bedding should have, and said: ¡°No need, just bring what you need.¡±


    Fu Jia nodded and opened his wardrobe. The wardrobes in student dormitories were very small, but the inside of Fu Jia¡¯s was far from full. At a glance, there were only a few sets of school uniforms, some tight-fitting clothes, a thin summer quilt, and a spare set of bedding.


    After taking away the quilt, Fu Jia quickly emptied out the wardrobe. A few articles of clothes were stacked together, occupying only a pitifully small corner of the suitcase.


    Lu Qi''an''s face darkened. Fu Jia didn¡¯t notice right away and continued to tidy up his bookcase. Compared with the wardrobe, Fu Jia''s bookcase was much more filled out. But compared with his three roommates, it still seemed empty.


    The study stations of the three roommates were jam-packed. Two of his roommates stuffed their bookcases full of extracurricular books, and the other filled his space with all kinds of snacks, along with a video game console on his desk. As for Fu Jia, he was counting his textbooks one by one, as if he was counting some remarkable treasure.


    It wasn¡¯t until he organized everything from his desk and was about to pack it into the suitcase that he realized something was wrong with Lu Qi¡¯an. He stopped moving about and asked: ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Lu Qi''an didn''t answer but lowered his eyes and looked away. Fu Jia was a little confused, so she followed up and asked: "Why aren¡¯t you talking? You¡¯re not mad, are you?¡±


    Fu Jia unconsciously used the word ¡®angry¡¯. Although it was hard to believe, in his opinion, Lu Qi''an was someone who¡¯d get angry anytime and anywhere for inexplicable reasons, and he didn¡¯t know how to coax him even if he tried.


    Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s mood truly wasn¡¯t great. He shook his head and said, "No, packing up to here is enough. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Fu Jia was still worrying about the towels and toiletries in the bathroom, but suspecting that Lu Qi''an was angry, he nodded and said: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    On the way back to the apartment, Lu Qi''an rarely opened his mouth to speak. Fu Jia tried to talk to him a few times, but only received a short answer back, convincing Fu Jia even more that Lu Qi¡¯an was mad.


    After entering the apartment, Lu Qi''an finally spoke first willingly and asked: "Which room do you want?"


    Fu Jia''s heart tightened.


    Here comes the multiple-choice question! Will he pick the right answer and appease Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s anger, or will he pick the wrong answer and add fuel to fire?


    Fu Jia bit his finger, his eyes sweeping back and forth between the guest room and master bedroom, before finally settling his line of vision upon the master bedroom. Just like that, he stared at the master bedroom, but then pointed to the guest room and said: "Guest room?"


    There was no change to Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s expression.


    His heart pounding, Fu Jia muttered ¡®no good¡¯ to himself.


    "Okay," Lu Qi''an nodded and opened the guest room¡¯s door.


    Fu Jia finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Because he stayed overnight before, Fu Jia was very familiar with the guest room, and unpacked his suitcase as if he had returned to home grounds.# He didn¡¯t have many things, so he didn¡¯t ask Lu Qi¡¯an for help, and since Auntie Miao had kept this room clean and made the bed immaculately neat, Fu Jia only had to put away his things and he was done.


    At the thought of living here for a long time into the future, Fu Jia couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat flustered. He reached out to pat the bedsheets and sat his butt down on the edge of the bed.


    Watching him goofily grin at the bed and seeming very satisfied with the room, Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s mood greatly improved. He said: ¡°Rest early, and you can come to me if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Fu Jia said with a smile.


    Lu Qi''an nodded, then turned and left the room without forgetting to close the door.


    Fu Jia laid down on the bed, his body was comfortable, but his heart felt a little empty and lonely. Was the guest room the right answer? Even if it was for Lu Qi¡¯an, it wasn¡¯t for him.


    He remained paralyzed on the bed, mildly drowsy. To avoid falling asleep just like this, he patted his face to energize himself, then walked out of the room to wash up in the bathroom. On the way, he noticed that the door to the master bedroom was closed, and his heart felt even more empty.


    He lingered in the same spot, and in the end, didn¡¯t go back into the guest room. Instead, he walked to the master bedroom, held his breath at the doorstep, then lightly knocked on the door.


    One second, two seconds¡­


    No response.


    Fu Jia couldn¡¯t be sure¨C was Lu Qi¡¯an asleep or did he not want to talk to him? He gasped heavily. He took two steps back to the guest room, but then turned around again unwillingly. This time, he didn''t knock on the door, but opened it directly with the hope that Lu Qi''an didn''t lock it.


    With a click, the door opened.


    Fu Jia froze at the door, staring into the room with wide eyes. Lu Qi''an didn''t sleep, he was borrowing the warm yellow glow of the bedside light to read a book. He didn''t show any surprise at Fu Jia coming in, he simply watched him quietly and waited for him to speak.


    Fu Jia gripped the door handle and stammered: ¡°I¡­Actually, since this is the first day I¡¯ve moved in, I¡¯m a little afraid¡­ I¡¯m scared to sleep alone, so I wanted to come here and sleep by you, is that okay?¡±


    This excuse was rotten beyond repair. This certainly wasn¡¯t the first time he stayed here. He wasn¡¯t scared the first time he actually did stay over, so why was he suddenly scared now?


    Such a rotten excuse, but Lu Qi¡¯an still accepted it. He put the book down, then patted the empty half of the bed beside him and said: ¡°Yeah, come here.¡±


    Fu Jia took a closer look and discovered that there were two pillows on the bed, and there happened to be an empty space big enough for another person next to Lu Qi''an, as if he was waiting for someone.


    Fu Jia didn''t even know where to put his hands. He closed the door, marched to the edge of the bed with his right arm in sync with the same direction as his right leg, then lifted a corner of the duvet and laid in half his body.


    Lu Qi''an glanced at him, then reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.


    The room suddenly plunged into darkness. Fu Jia couldn¡¯t see anything, only hearing the sound of Lu Qi¡¯an lying down, so he also shrank into the duvet and laid himself flat on the bed.


    Fu Jia¡¯s heartbeat was fast and hurried. He didn''t dare to move his retracted hands and feet, but Lu Qi''an kept moving. Then, a warm hand stretched out and hugged Fu Jia''s waist.


    "Come closer, or you''ll fall."


    Dazed and confused, Fu jia shifted his strength and moved inwards, climbing into his embrace bit by bit. Their bodies stuck close to each other, and their breaths blended together. Fu Jia''s eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and upon making out Lu Qi''an''s face and that pair of focused eyes, his face began to flush.


    In the dark, Lu Qi''an hugged Fu Jia tightly and slowly kissed him. He didn''t use too much force, and he didn''t stick out his tongue. He simply kissed Fu Jia''s upper and lower lips gently.


    Fu Jia hugged him back just as tight, eagerly pressing against Lu Qi¡¯an and wishing he could melt into his body. In order to comfort him, Lu Qi increased his strength, and then pressed his hand against the back of Fu Jia''s head to gently stroke his hair. Fu Jia calmed down quickly and began to kiss Lu Qi''an back in tune with Lu Qi''an''s rhythm. He tried hard to learn, but he still couldn¡¯t time his breaths, and soon suffocated to dizziness.


    After the kiss, Fu Jia leaned against Lu Qi''an and gasped for air, his hands still tightly clutching his clothes.


    Lu Qi''an hugged him, stroking along his back to help calm his breathing, and said: ¡°From now on, you can do whatever you want without asking for my permission.¡±


    His tone was like coaxing a child, and Fu Jia was so coaxed by it that his whole body heated up, and his heart softened into a puddle of water.


    ¡°Forget everything about the past,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°The Lin family¡¯s affairs, the Lu family¡¯s affairs, and your mother¡¯s affairs. If you can, forget all these things and treat today as your first day in life.¡±


    Fu Jia was stunned for two seconds and his throat dried, and then he choked up in an instant.


    He clasped onto Lu Qi''an''s neck tightly and said hoarsely: "Y-you¡¯re mine."


    He paused, and then added: "You belong to me alone."


    A smile formed within Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s eyes, and he confirmed: ¡°I¡¯m yours.¡±

 CH 34

    Chapter 34


    That night, Fu Jia''s sleep was extremely light, and he had to be hugged by Lu Qi''an to stay asleep. As soon as Lu Qi¡¯an let him go to turn over, he would wake up immediately and shrink into Lu Qi''an''s arms again.


    He was such a pest that Lu Qi¡¯an was repeatedly woken up by him. After a few times, even if he wasn¡¯t sleeping uncomfortably, he unconsciously controlled himself not to turn over.


    In the early morning, Lu Qi''an woke up on time with half of his body pinned under Fu Jia. Fu Jia was still sleeping, lying in his arms like a small stove. Lu Qi''an moved his body and froze.


    Like always, he had a morning erection. This was a common occurrence for him, and it would go down by itself after closing his eyes and waiting awhile. But today, Lu Qi¡¯an waited a full five minutes, but his thing down there still didn¡¯t soften.


    He used the hand that was free from Fu Jia to prop up his body, but as soon as he moved, Fu Jia woke up and grabbed onto his chest and hazily asked: ¡°Where are you going¡­¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an gave up and directly sat up: ¡°I''m going to take a shower. You can sleep for another thirty minutes, and I''ll call you when it¡¯s time.¡±


    Fu Jia still hasn''t woken up yet, he rubbed his eyes and said: ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy¡­Can I ask for another day off?¡±


    Lu Qi''an nodded and said: "Sure, but the school¡¯s fiercely competitive. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll get into the top ten on next week¡¯s rankings.¡±


    Fu Jia was so startled that he woke right up.


    Lu Qi¡¯an helped him make the bed, then went to shower. Fu Jia rubbed his face, a little downcast. This thing called studying¡­really wasn¡¯t easy to do. After taking half a day off yesterday, he didn¡¯t know whether he could keep up with class today.


    He also climbed out of bed, then went to the bathroom to wash up.


    As usual, Auntie Miao prepared breakfast before Lu Qi¡¯an got up and knew to make a meal accommodating for two, setting aside servings of soy milk and milk.


    After Fu Jia and Lu Qi''an had breakfast, they walked to school together. The two of them walked at a much slower pace than if they were to walk alone, because Fu Jia would secretly hold Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s hand on roads with fewer people. Lu Qi¡¯an would sometimes indulge him, and sometimes he would dodge his hand to evade attention from passersby. Fu Jia treated this as a sort of game, and played happily, causing his steps to become slower and slower.


    Lu Qi¡¯an played along with him the entire way, only stopping once they arrived at campus. Before they separated at the crossroad, Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°Don¡¯t invite others for lunch, we¡¯ll go back together.¡±


    Thinking of how his three meals a day would be like this in the future, he couldn¡¯t help laughing and said: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll come find you as soon as class is over.¡±


    His eyes followed Lu Qi¡¯an as he walked away, all the way until his figure disappeared into the education. Only then did he walk to his own education building. The moment he stepped into the classroom, almost every student glanced at him, turned back to pat their friends while saying something, and then turned around to look at him again.


    Fu Jia knew it was because of the fight yesterday and felt a little suffocated. Yesterday, he could run away without caring about anything, but today, he must face it head-on.


    Fu Jia pretended as if nothing had happened and walked straight to his seat. Big Head happened to be in his seat as well, and Fu Jia originally thought he would excitedly run over to ask all sorts of question, but Big Head only gave him a cautious glance without any other reactions.


    Fu Jia took the initiative and talked to him: "Big Head, did the teacher assign any homework yesterday afternoon?"


    Big Head¡¯s reaction was still very restrained. He nodded and said: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll pass it over in a moment.¡±


    In No. 6 High School, teachers would definitely leave homework for every class, and routinely distribute exercise booklets for evening self-study. Fu Jia must make up for these as soon as possible.


    It was very strange that Big Head didn¡¯t ask anything, but Fu Jia was also happy to relax. After taking the homework from Big Head, he put his head down and got to work.


    Big Head endured for three questions¡¯ worth of time, until he finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. He said loudly: ¡°Boss Fu! Why don¡¯t you take me as your younger brother?¡±


    Fu Jia stopped writing in surprise: "Huh?"


    ¡°You sent Feng Jing to the hospital with your fist, but in the end, he was the one who transferred schools, and not you! That¡¯s tooooooo awesome!¡±# Big Head gave a thumbs up with both his hands.


    He had a loud voice, and spoke the first sentence the loudest, attracting many students in the class to look over. Fu Jia frowned, dropped the pen on the desk, and said with dissatisfaction: ¡°What do you mean by sending him to the hospital with my fist? Did I not get beaten by him as well? It was him who provoked me first, on top of destroying my things. Can¡¯t I get some room to breathe?¡±


    Big Head wasn¡¯t frightened away. Contrarily, he thought the gesture of throwing the pen on the desk was mad cool, and said dramatically: ¡°You can, of course you can! Our Fu-ge# did the right thing, I haven¡¯t found that Feng Jing pleasing to the eye since the start. All he¡¯s got going for himself is some decent grades, some seniority, and a family with some bit of money, and he still pulls up like a hyped up fool.# We should¡¯ve vented some of our anger a long time ago.¡±


    He babbled non-stop, but Fu Jia acted like his words were wind to his ears,# and this attitude filled Big Head with more admiration, so he pestered Fu Jia even more to take him as his little brother.


    ¡°Second-Year Male Student Violently Attacks Third-Year Senior¡±, this headline swept No. 6 High School. What¡¯s more was that the victim of this incident was forced to transfer, while the original perpetrator remained unscathed.


    Not only were the people in Fu Jia¡¯s class pointing him out, even people from other classes and other grades ran over to take a look at Fu Jia live in action.


    Most students only heard gossip but weren¡¯t clear on the specifics of the fight. Considering that the senior who was beaten left school, and the junior who beat someone wasn¡¯t even punished, there was the impression that an exchange of money and power took place. There was even the melodramatic idea of the commoner being beaten by spawns of the rich, and yet the commoner was left with nowhere to redress their grievances.


    Only Fu Jia himself knew that he didn¡¯t get out of it unscathed.


    During class break, the homeroom teacher who monitored the class took Fu Jia to his office. The homeroom teacher wasn¡¯t at the scene of the incident when it happened. By the time he got the news and rushed to school, Fu Jia had already disappeared. Since Fu Jia also took a leave from school during the afternoon, he had been holding back his energy and wanted to properly discipline Fu Jia.


    The homeroom teacher lectured for ten minutes in one breath, while Fu Jia listened with his head down, maintaining a favorable attitude of repentance.


    Seeing that he had obediently repeated the words ¡°I was wrong¡±, the homeroom teacher¡¯s anger subsided greatly, and his complexion improved. He said: ¡°I know, Feng Jing was the one initially at fault, but violence is absolutely unacceptable. After discussion, school management decided not to punish you, but merit points will still be deducted. Can you accept it?


    Fu Jia nodded again and again.


    Only then did the homeroom teacher show a satisfied expression, he patted Fu Jia on the shoulder and said: ¡°Good luck, study hard, and don¡¯t be affected by this incident. Also, the school requires you to write a self-reflection.¡±


    Fu Jia was taken aback: ¡°Self-reflection?¡±


    The homeroom teacher nodded: ¡°Yes, with a minimum of two thousand characters. Hand it in during morning self-study tomorrow.¡±


    Hearing the words ¡®two thousand characters¡¯, Fu Jia was about to black out.


    For a long time, Fu Jia thought that his weakest subjects were math and English. Because he started school late and lacked a studious attitude, his arithmetic ability was very weak and he had close to zero intuition for English.


    As for Chinese, Fu Jia relied on rote memorization to barely raise his grade to an unconcerning level. But¡­never mind him writing a 800-character essay, a 2000-character reflection report? Was that something a normal person can do?


    After his morning classes ended, Fu Jia walked to the third-year education building to wait for Lu Qi¡¯an. He stared at the people pouring out of the exit, and thinking about how he could now go home to eat with Lu Qi''an, his complicated mood towards the reflection assignment went away. And by the time Lu Qi''an came out of the building, he had already forgotten about the self-reflection.


    Walking side by side with him out of the school, Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°Next time you can wait for me in your classroom.¡±


    After entering the third year of high school, teachers would delay class dismissal almost every day.


    It was delayed for about five minutes today, so Fu Jia didn''t wait long, but there were always ten or twenty minute delays as well and Lu Qi''an didn''t want Fu Jia to stand downstairs to wait for him then.


    Fu Jia didn''t know what he was thinking and said: "But how can I sit still then?"


    Lu Qi''an looked at him and asked: "Isn''t it cold?"


    Fu Jia looked around, ignored the passing pedestrians who were coming and going, leaned close to Lu Qi''an, and then stealthily held his hand: "Just warm me up then.¡±


    Lu Qi''an''s heart softened, and he grasped his hand. Though the roads were crowded with pedestrians during lunch break, he never let go.


    As for Fu Jia, because he clung onto Lu Qi''an the entire time, by the time he arrived at the apartment, his face was red and his body temperature was high enough to sweat.


    When changing shoes at the door, Lu Qi''an naturally let go of his hand. Fu Jia then realized that his hands were covered with sweat, but Lu Qi''an still wasn¡¯t repulsed by him.


    The two of them went to the bathroom together and washed their hands to get ready for lunch. Fu Jia thought of the fight, and then thought of the rumours going around in school. He looked at Lu Qi''an with some hesitation and asked: ¡°Did you do something¡­about my situation?¡±


    Lu Qi''an was wiping his hands with a towel, and when he heard the question, he stopped moving and answered: ¡°Didn¡¯t do much. Why are you asking like this? Did your classmates say something to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything¡­¡± Fu Jia was a bit embarrassed, ¡°It''s because I heard people say that Feng Jing''s family is quite rich, and he was so confident at the time that he came off like he was going to fight me to death. But in the end, nothing happened, and I didn''t have to pay a penny, and he transferred himself to another school. I was thinking, was it you¡­¡±


    Did you spend a lot of money? Did you¡­ borrow the power of elders from the Lu family?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said, ¡°I only went to the hospital and chatted with Feng Jing¡¯s parents. Liu-laoshi was there too, and everyone sorted it out together. His parents are reasonable people who understood that Feng Jing provoked the incident and didn¡¯t want to pursue it further. As for transferring schools, it¡¯s only because Feng Jing''s father moved abroad for work, so he immigrated overseas with him.¡±


    The more he casually spoke, the more Fu Jia didn¡¯t dare to believe it: ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an confirmed.


    Fu Jia nodded and finally chose to believe him unconditionally.


    Whenever anyone came to ask, he repeated to them what he told Big Head earlier in the morning. With a magnanimous attitude, he bored his drama-seeking listeners away.


    In the academically striven No. 6 High School, the fact that Fu Jia¡¯s fight could be talked about for an entire day was already considered a miracle. By the end of evening self-study, the students were exhausted and couldn¡¯t remain interested in this matter anymore.


    Fu Jia was sorting out homework to take home by his desk, and when he touched the math sheets, he suddenly had a flash of realization and remembered the 2000-character self-reflection the homeroom teacher had assigned.


    Fu Jia opened his eyes wide and almost dropped his school bag. The reflection must be handed in tomorrow morning, but he hasn''t written a word yet.


    He dragged his heavy steps to the third-year education building and discovered that Lu Qi''an was already waiting for him under the streetlight.


    There were very few pedestrians on the way back, but Fu Jia didn''t play the hand-holding game, nor did he pester Lu Qi''an to talk. He kept his head hung, thinking who knows what.


    Before he could bump into a streetlight, Lu Qi¡¯an tugged his elbow and pulled him aside.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Fu Jia raised his head in a daze: "It''s nothing, I''m thinking about my unfinished homework."


    Lu Qi''an let go of him and didn''t continue speaking.


    After getting home, Fu Jia brought up doing homework, and Lu Qi''an took him to the study. After entering, Fu Jia found that there were two chairs in front of the desk where there used to only be one chair.


    Lu Qi¡¯an never brought homework home because evening self-study was enough time for him to finish the day¡¯s worth of homework. He took a book from the shelf and sat on a chair: "If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask me.¡±


    He was going to accompany Fu Jia to do his homework.


    Fu Jia''s spirit was revived as if he had been injected with a shot of chicken blood,# and he instantly had inexhaustible strength. He sat next to Lu Qi''an and moved their chairs a little closer, and then moved it a little more closer.


    He took out the math sheets, huffing and puffing as he calculated, and the usually time-consuming and labour-intensive final math question was now solved with ease. Next were his English comprehension questions. There were only three questions, and they were also completed quickly.


    He rummaged through his school bag but couldn''t find any other homework other than an essay-composition notebook. He closed his eyes in pain and took out the notebook, opened the first page, and then wrote down the words ¡®Self-Reflection Report¡¯.


    After that, he had nothing to write about.


    After a whole thirty minutes, Fu Jia scratched his head over the hundred or so words he had written, sometimes frowning, and sometimes mumbling. Lu Qi''an saw that he was pointing the pen at himself with his mouth opening to bite, so he quickly interrupted: "What are you writing?"


    Fu Jia quickly covered the composition with his hands, but the words ¡®Self-Reflection¡¯ still peeked out from between his fingers.


    Lu Qi¡¯an put down his book and said: ¡°Let me see.¡±


    Fu Jia thought about the stuff he wrote down, and he had so much shame it could reach underground: ¡°No¡­my writing¡¯s too awful.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an said: ¡°It can¡¯t be too bad. Let me see.¡±


    Fu Jia hesitantly took his hand away and said: ¡°Then you can¡¯t laugh at me once you read it.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an made an ¡°en¡± sound and took Fu Jia¡¯s notebook, then held it up with both hands to read.


    Fu Jia wrote:


    Dear respected teacher,


    Dear leaders and teachers,


    I was wrong! I deeply recognize my mistakes, I was wrong, I was really wrong. As a student, I was really wrong to use violence against my seniors. I am a mouth moth of society, the crumbs of society, a broken cog of society¡­


    Lu Qi''an closed his eyes and didn''t read any further. Looking back on Fu Jia''s ability to write love letters, he could expect this unfathomably bizarre self-reflection, so he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    Fu Jia observed his expression with his heart in his throat and asked: ¡°How is it? My writing¡¯s okay, right? I really don¡¯t know what else to write. Two thousand characters! Other than acknowledging my mistakes, what else can I write?¡±


    Lu Qi''an took a pen from the bookshelf, tore off the page written by Fu Jia, and said: ¡°You go wash up first, I¡¯ll help you write it.¡±


    Fu Jia clutched his heart tightly with a face full of shock.


    "After I¡¯ve finished writing, you can just copy it." Lu Qi''an contemplated for two seconds, and words began to flow out of his pen.


    Fu Jia looked at his side profile. His heart was sizzling hot, as if he contained a pit of fire.


    He sat beside Lu Qi''an and didn''t leave. When Lu Qi¡¯an stopped writing to think, he put his hand on his shoulder and leaned over to give the corner of his lips a kiss.


    The kiss was about to end, but before Fu Jia let go, he suddenly thought of something and leaned in again, stuck out his tongue and gave his lips a lick.


    ¡°Thank you¡­I¡¯ll go shower first,¡± Fu Jia blushed and stood up from the chair, then left the study.


    Lu Qi''an looked normal on the surface and was about to continue writing but found that he had completely forgotten the sentence he had planned.

 CH 35

    Chapter 35


    Fu Jia returned to the study after taking a shower and found that Lu Qi''an had already written to the second page. He rarely put down his pen to contemplate on what to write, but even writing two thousand characters continuously would take a while to complete, so he didn¡¯t know when Lu Qi¡¯an would finish writing.


    Fu Jia sat next to him and watched him write, feeling sleepier and sleepier as he watched, and couldn¡¯t help lying on the table with his arms pillowing his head.


    ¡°Go sleep first,¡± Lu Qi¡¯an said.


    Fu Jia shook his head, his eyes fixating on his fingers, then yawned.


    One person observed, while the other one wrote, but the observer was getting drowsier while the writer was getting more efficient.


    Soon, Fu Jia fell asleep at the table.


    Lu Qi''an put down his pen and picked Fu Jia up from the chair. This time it was a princess carry, so he had to hoist Fu Jia up first, but Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s slight movement woke Fu Jia up.


    Leaning into Lu Qi''an''s embrace, he unconsciously retracted his hands to the front of his chest, making his whole person look one size smaller. He asked with a nasal tone: ¡°Are you finished writing?¡±


    Lu Qi''an carried him back to the master bedroom, wrapped him snuggly in the duvet, and said: ¡°Finished writing."


    Fu Jia nuzzled the duvet and said in a trance: ¡°Okay, then you sleep first, and I¡¯ll go copy it down.¡±


    Lu Qi¡¯an pressed down and stopped him from moving, and then said: ¡°Copy it tomorrow morning. You sleep first, and I¡¯ll come back after a shower.¡±


    Fu Jia was so sleepy that he immediately stopped resisting after Lu Qi¡¯an put it like that, then hugged the duvet tightly and continued to sleep.


    Lu Qi''an turned off the light, sat beside him, and didn¡¯t leave until he completely fell asleep.


    There was only one paragraph left to write for the self-reflection essay, Lu Qi''an couldn''t care less about penmanship, so he finished it hastily. He didn''t have the patience to tidy up the study room like he usually did either.


    After washing up, he laid next to Fu Jia and reached out to cuddle him.


    Fu Jia knew it was him, so he moved around and clung onto him little by little.


    It was another sleeping position where neither of them could easily turn over, but Lu Qi''an didn''t reject it.


    In the dark, he silently observed Fu Jia for a while, then naturally drifted to sleep.


    For so many years, he didn¡¯t know that he could sleep so peacefully.


    After two weeks, Fu Jia completely got used to this kind of life. Excluding class time, he and Lu Qi¡¯an were glued to each other at practically every moment; they went to and from school together, ate three meals a day together, and slept together at night.


    No one knew the reason, but despite never having intimately lived with Lu Qi¡¯an before, they didn¡¯t need an adjustment period at all. Both sides unconditionally tolerated the other, as if they had already rehearsed for this lifestyle in their hearts.


    This couldn¡¯t be described as a dream come true, because not even in Fu Jia¡¯s wildest dreams could he imagine something this good.


    In the recent two weekly tests, Fu Jia''s performance stabilized to the top ten of the class, hovering between seventh and eighth place. Although it was difficult to improve this ranking, it wouldn¡¯t drop easily either. Big Head felt awed by Fu Jia due to the previous fight, so he stopped using him as a stepladder to get to Lu Qi¡¯an as well. Fu Jia steadily studied for school, and steadily made new friends, living an ideal life.


    It wasn¡¯t until a certain PE class that Fu Jia realized he neglected a major issue. That day, he split from Big Head after group activities, and rushed to the basketball court to find Lu Qi''an. He looked forward to the physical education class very much, because he had justification to magnanimously stand on the court sidelines to watch Lu Qi''an play and pass water to Lu Qi''an.


    Because of his enthusiasm, Lu Qi''an''s classmates all became familiar with him and at the same time knew that he was the one who transferred Feng Jing to another school. Seeing him run over, they clicked their tongues and sighed: "He''s here again."


    Most people were curious about Fu Jia because of the incident with Feng Jing, and surrounded him with the intention of enjoying a show.


    Only Li Qinhe and one other person in the class knew the inside story, and no one could understand how his heart despaired. When he saw Fu Jia waving to Lu Qi''an, and Lu Qi''an responding to Fu Jia, he almost fainted on the spot.


    Fu Jia was standing on the side of the court, and everyone around him withdrew three feet away. Only one girl stepped forward to say hello: "Hi~ You¡¯re here again."


    Fu Jia learnt from Big Head that this girl was the third year classroom one¡¯s class flower.# Her personality was very likable, both gentle and kind, and she was popular not only in No. 6 High school, but the whole city¡¯s high school circles.


    Fu Jia also greeted her amicably: ¡°Hello.¡±


    Their interaction was caught by Li Qinhe''s knife-like eyes.


    Class Flower covered her mouth and smiled. Ignoring Li Qinhe, she said to Fu Jia: ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Li Qinhe like you? He¡¯s always so fierce. Do you guys have beef with each other?¡±#


    Fu Jia laughed coldly and said: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know either. I don¡¯t know him at all, so maybe he¡¯s got a personality problem.¡±


    Class Flower had a low standard for humour, because of Fu Jia¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t stop laughing. She said: ¡°It¡¯s really so weird. Lu Qi¡¯an gives you special treatment, so how come his best friend doesn¡¯t like you?¡±


    Fu Jia grasped the key point and asked her: ¡°Special treatment?¡±


    Class Flower nodded: ¡°Yeah. You see, Lu Qi¡¯an wouldn¡¯t look outside the court when he played basketball before, but once you come, he¡¯ll look over from time to time and will even greet you. Also, do you remember what happened the first time you gave him water? It really surprised me, you loudly asked in front of so many people and even mispronounced the words, but he didn¡¯t get mad and even left with you.¡±


    Fu Jia felt sweet in his heart, and couldn''t help but want to laugh: "So that¡¯s it¡­that doesn¡¯t even count for much."


    Class Flower carefully observed his expression and saw the unconcealable pride in his eyes, and said: ¡°He really is so good to you. Could it be that¡­you¡¯re his relative?¡±


    "Huh?" Fu Jia looked at her, "Why do you ask that?"


    Class Flower turned her head and saw a bunch of girls eagerly looking at her. She said with some embarrassment: ¡°Someone trusted me with this favour. Well, you know why. Lu Qi¡¯an is too difficult to approach. We finally managed to find out about your breakthrough, so I wanted to ask you for some information. I think Li Qinhe doesn¡¯t want to see you around because he¡¯s jealous that Lu Qi¡¯an is closer to you, isn¡¯t that the case?¡±


    Though Fu Jia agreed with her last sentence, there were her words of ¡°Well, you know why¡±. What did he really know? Fu Jia had a bad premonition, and alarm bells rang out in his heart.


    Sure enough, Class Flower continued: ¡°After class, I''ll treat you to milk tea, okay? Can you tell me...if Lu Qi''an has a girlfriend?¡±


    For a moment, Fu Jia stared straight ahead.


    His heart was overwhelmed, there were ten thousand lions roaring inside. If it wasn¡¯t Class Flower who was standing next to him, but Li Qinhe or Feng Jing, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control cussing the other person out.


    He stared fixated on Lu Qi¡¯an inside the court, and said without thinking: ¡°He has one, and they¡¯re very in love. You should give up.¡±


    He spoke extremely fast and his tone was firm.


    Class Flower let out a bewildered sound.


    Fu Jia stared at her: ¡°I already told you to give up. Don¡¯t ask anymore.¡±


    Seeing his fierce look, Ban Hua tilted her head for some unknown reason.


    On the way home with Lu Qi''an during lunch break, Fu Jia kept staring viciously ahead.


    It was fine when he didn¡¯t notice it, but after noticing it, Fu Jia realized that many people were looking at Lu Qi¡¯an in the wrong way. While Lu Qi''an was undoubtedly an excellent person, how could those teachers and classmates unabashedly look at him with so much appreciation and love?


    Even he was afraid of angering Lu Qi¡¯an if he showed explicit affections.


    ¡°What kind of girl do you think is pretty?¡± Fu Jia asked.


    Girl? Lu Qi''an frowned lightly.


    He didn''t answer, and Fu Jia didn''t mind, so he continued to ask: ¡°Is long hair pretty? Or big eyes? Mm¡­pouty lips just like this, with dimples as well. Is this considered pretty?¡±


    Fu Jia tried his best to describe the appearance of Class Flower from his memory and imitated her pouting lips and dimpled cheeks with his fingers.


    Lu Qi''an asked him expressionlessly: "Do you think it''s pretty?"


    Fu Jia said truthfully: ¡°Pretty!¡±


    Lu Qi''an turned his face away and said: "Then yeah, pretty.¡±


    Hearing the word "pretty" from his mouth, Fu Jia was filled with a sense of crisis. He frowned and thought about the countermeasures, but he didn''t notice that Lu Qi''an''s face had turned cold.


    Encountering a problem related to girls, Fu Jia''s first reaction was to go to Cen Mengke. But Fu Jia¡¯s free time was all spent with Lu Qi¡¯an now, so he had no chance to meet Cen Mengke. He could only consult with Big Head as the next best thing.


    After making up a story about an imaginary friend, Fu Jia said: ¡°Big Head, my friend recently got together with someone they¡¯ve been chasing for a long time¡­¡±


    As soon as Fu Jia began, Big Head immediately had a look of ¡®I get it, I get it, I get it¡¯. He was sharper than Cen Mengke, so Fu Jia didn''t intend to explain, and just let him think that he got a girlfriend.


    Fu Jia continued: ¡°As for his girlfriend, she¡¯s a little cold, not talkative, and has a bad temper. She¡¯ll get angry if you¡¯re not careful, and you won¡¯t know why either.¡±


    Big Head clicked his tongue and said, "Then your friend has worked hard... It''s rare to meet such a troublesome girl nowadays."


    Fu Jia retorted with dissatisfaction: "They¡¯re not troublesome."#


    Big Head burst out laughing and changed his words: ¡°Alright, alright. She¡¯s the most considerate person in the world, okay? Go on.¡±


    Hearing him praise Lu Qi''an, Fu Jia felt a lot better and lightened his tone: ¡°I¡¯m thinking, they¡¯re like this because they¡¯re not close enough with their boyfriend yet. And since they haven¡¯t been dating for long, they haven¡¯t done anything meaningful either. Do you think that makes sense?¡± He asked Big Head, "How can they become more intimate so that their boyfriend is the only one they see?"


    This was a very bold statement. To be the only person in the other¡¯s eyes, the intense exclusivity behind this idea was very impactful to high school students. Big Head widened his eyes and wowed.


    ¡°Your thinking is too impressive.¡± He got closer to Fu Jia, and his ideas gradually swayed off the proper path, moving towards topics that young and hotblooded boys were interested in. He asked furtively: ¡°You two¡­No, what stage have they hit?¡±


    As thick headed as Fu Jia was, even he could understand what that meant once he saw Big Head¡¯s meaningful eyes. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he couldn¡¯t help frowning. When he said he wanted to become closer with Lu Qi¡¯an, he didn¡¯t necessarily mean in that aspect. Whatever can make Lu Qi¡¯an like him more was fine.


    But¡­It should be normal for a couple to be asked about that sort of thing by others, right? Thinking over it carefully, the dynamic between Lu Qi''an and him had always been very dull. Even though they already lived together, there were only typical hugs and kisses. The only time they were intimate was when Lu Qi¡¯an used his hand, and it was just that one time. And since Fu Jia was a quick shooter that day, he didn¡¯t get to enjoy it much.


    Although he was in high school, Fu Jia was already a legal adult. He understood that he wasn¡¯t a girl, he wouldn¡¯t get pregnant, and he didn¡¯t have to guard his first time.# In modern society, affectionate couples don¡¯t need to act so restrained, at least not like Lu Qi¡¯an, who didn¡¯t seem to have any desire for him.


    He didn¡¯t know the specifics of how to do it with people of the same gender, but he knew that cuddling and kissing wasn¡¯t making love. It was more intimate than that.


    Was it because of Lu Qi¡¯an¡¯s cold personality, or because¡­ he wasn¡¯t as pretty as girls were?


    Fu Jia thought for a while, then answered Datou: ¡°As long as they¡¯re willing to, doing anything is okay.¡±


    Datou froze for two seconds, choking on his own saliva, he waved his hand: ¡°That¡¯s not it, Boss Fu. Is your internal heat too lively these days?# What¡¯re you thinking? This mindset is too dangerous, we¡¯re still high school students who can¡¯t mess around!¡±


    Fu Jia belatedly realized how lousy his words were and felt somewhat uncomfortable: ¡°Then¡­pretend I didn¡¯t say it.¡±


    Big Head stared at him in dejection to the point Fu Jia¡¯s cheeks reddened to a blush. He scratched his hair with a conflicted feeling and said: ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll download something on an USB tomorrow, and you can watch it yourself. But let me tell you, only watch those kinda things to vent. Don¡¯t get physical with girls so easily.¡±


    Fu Jia felt uneasy talking about this kind of topic to outsiders and didn¡¯t want to talk to Big Head anymore. He stood up from his seat and said, "Let''s talk about it tomorrow, I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡±


    Big Head stared at his retreating figure and ruefully shook his head.


    Next day after school, Big Head deliberately kept Fu Jia in the classroom, and once all their classmates left, he handed the USB to Fu Jia as promised.


    Given Big Head¡¯s accommodating attitude, along with his provocative and loud words of, ¡°What¡¯re you shy for? Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t seen enough of these kinda movies?¡±, Fu Jia and him gathered close together to discuss how to properly use the USB. Big Head took out his handwritten notes and told him which teacher¡¯s work in which folder was the most classic, and which work was rich in technical content worth learning.


    Fu Jia listened carefully and soon forgot about the time.


    Ten minutes later, Lu Qi¡¯an, who hadn¡¯t seen Fu Jia waiting for him at the third year education building, came to Fu Jia¡¯s classroom to look for him. There were only Big Head and Fu Jia left in the empty classroom, huddled together talking about who knows what.


    That focused appearance was identical to how Fu Jia talked to the girls in PE class.


    Lu Qi''an pressed his lips into a tight line, his eyes filled with frost.

 CH 36

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 CH 37

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 CH 38

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 CH 39

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 CH 40

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