DXXZL - 2

Driver Lao Liu came to pick up Zhu Xingyao after school. The car passed by an old residential area called Hexi Lane, the strangest place near the bustling center of Jiangcheng City. While the surrounding areas had been developed into prosperity, this place remained untouched by demolition. Just two streets away from here was Xingyuan Villa, where Zhu Xingyao lived.

She gazed out the window and was surprised to see two students in Jiangcheng No. 1 High School uniforms standing at the narrow alley entrance. The tall, lean silhouette belonged to Jiang Tu.

Opposite him stood a petite girl. To Zhu Xingyao’s astonishment, Jiang Tu even took the pink backpack from the girl’s hands and hung it on the handlebars of his bicycle. The girl tilted her face up and smiled at him. Zhu Xingyao sat up straight in surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at the two figures. Even as the car drove farther away, she couldn’t help but turn her head to look back.

This piqued Lao Liu’s curiosity. Unable to resist, he asked, “Miss, should I stop the car for you?”

Zhu Xingyao slowly turned back and said there was no need. She had simply never seen Jiang Tu talk to a girl before, let alone help carry her backpack. A girl who could get Jiang Tu to help with her backpack must have a special relationship with him. But then again, it was none of her business.

She placed her hands on her knees and sat up properly once more.

Jiang Tu pushed his bicycle into the narrow alleyway. Because the houses were so close together, they blocked the light, making it increasingly dark the deeper one went. The outer walls of a few buildings had been repainted a few years ago, supposedly for the sake of urban aesthetics.

It was just past six o’clock, but inside, it already looked like night. His family lived on the first floor. Before he even reached the building, Jiang Tu heard Jiang Jinhui cursing loudly: “I’m telling you! This area will eventually be requisitioned for development. Whether compensation is calculated per person or by area, it’ll be worth over a million yuan. Repaying your twenty thousand yuan is nothing! It’s pocket change!”

“Maybe next year, this place will be demolished. I’ll give you a two percent interest rate.”

“What reason do I have to lie to you?!”

Bang—

Jiang Tu threw down his bicycle, kicked open the door, and walked emotionlessly toward Jiang Jinhui. Without even looking at who was on the phone, he snatched the old mobile phone from his father’s hand, held it to his ear, and coldly said, “If you lend him money and he can’t pay it back, I won’t repay you a single cent.”

With that, he hung up and tossed the phone back.

Jiang Jinhui gnashed his teeth in anger, glaring at his son, who was now half a head taller than him. He cursed, “What are you doing?! Do you really not see me as your father anymore?”

Jiang Tu ignored him completely, walked out of the house, and removed the pink backpack hanging on the bicycle. He carried it to the first floor of the opposite building and handed it to a middle-aged woman. “Aunt Lin, this is Lin Jiayu’s backpack.”

He and Lin Jiayu were the same age, grew up in the same neighborhood, attended the same elementary and middle schools, and now went to the same high school. Sometimes they did part-time jobs together. She was the girl closest to him. However, living in this area meant everyone was more or less poor. But Lin Jiayu’s parents were honest and hardworking, and their situation was much better than his family’s—not everyone was unlucky enough to have a gambling-addicted father.

Aunt Lin took the backpack, glanced across the street, and kindly offered, “Your mom is working the night shift tonight. Why don’t you bring Xiaolu over later to eat with us?”

Jiang Tu declined, “No, thank you.”

Around seven o’clock, Jiang Lu finally returned home after playing to his heart’s content.

Jiang Jinhui had already left. Where he went to gamble didn’t need to be said.

—

Sunday evening, Jiang Tu removed his apron after finishing a day of part-time work at the café. By the time he stepped out of the café, it was already seven o’clock.

The café was located near the city center square. After walking a few hundred meters, he entered an internet café and dragged Jiang Lu out from behind someone’s chair, where he had been watching a Warcraft match.

By the time Jiang Lu realized what was happening, he had already been dragged to the doorway. He immediately began to struggle: “Brother… let me go! They’re in the middle of a match—I haven’t finished watching yet! Let me watch just twenty more minutes…”

“What does their match have to do with you?”

“I’m just taking a quick look! Let me go back for twenty minutes…”

As Jiang Lu struggled, he flailed his arms without restraint. Suddenly, slap —Jiang Tu’s glasses were knocked off and flew several meters, landing near a flower bed.

Two seconds of silence.

Jiang Tu frowned and raised his eyes. Standing near the flower bed, he saw a girl with a red cello case on her back. She wore a white sweater, an English plaid skirt, and her smooth black hair draped over her shoulders. Bathed in the dim yellow glow of the streetlights, she looked fresh and beautiful.

She was staring at him, wide-eyed with shock.

His fingers suddenly loosened.

Seeing that he had knocked off his brother’s glasses, Jiang Lu, fearing punishment or scolding, quickly turned and ran: “I’ll go home by myself later!”

Jiang Tu didn’t bother chasing him. Instead, he stared at Zhu Xingyao as she moved. Carrying her large cello, her movements were awkward, and she bent down slowly. Her hand brushed against the back of his hand, causing both of them to freeze momentarily.

Zhu Xingyao straightened up, lowered her gaze to Jiang Tu, and noticed that he looked better without his glasses. His bangs fell over his eyebrows, his thick black lashes framed his eyes, and the outer corners of his eyes slightly tilted upward, giving him a cold and aloof appearance.

Jiang Tu quickly picked up his glasses and put them back on. Straightening up, he looked down at her. Zhu Xingyao stood in front of him, glancing behind him: “Was that your younger brother just now? He looks quite similar to you.”

Jiang Tu gave a faint “Mm,” his voice low and deep.

Jiang Lu bounded back into the internet café. Zhu Xingyao remembered Li Xixi mentioning that Jiang Tu had a younger brother five years younger than him, who was very troublesome.

Seeing it firsthand, he indeed seemed quite mischievous.

Zhu Xingyao asked, “Aren’t you going to chase after him?”

Jiang Tu hadn’t expected her to witness such an embarrassing moment. If she hadn’t been standing right in front of him, he would have gone after Jiang Lu.

This wasn’t their first conversation. He knew she often carried her cello to this building during holidays. There was a private music studio upstairs where she likely went for lessons or practice.

During the summer vacation, she had bought lemonade from the café where he worked a few times while carrying her cello. Once, when the cashier was in the restroom, he had handled the transaction. At the time, he was wearing a mask, and she hadn’t paid much attention to him. Even if she had, she probably wouldn’t remember.

He glanced at her: “Never mind, if he wants to watch the match, let him finish.”

Zhu Xingyao was momentarily at a loss for words. She suddenly recalled Zhou Qian complaining about her younger brother, saying how naughty and infuriating he was. Li Xixi had asked if there was any solution, and Zhou Qian had said: “Yes, beat him up, and he’ll behave.”

“Your younger brother…” she pointed toward the internet café, her tone unusually serious, “if he really becomes too disobedient, just beat him up. Zhou Qian said her brother behaves after being beaten.”

Jiang Tu looked at her with slight surprise, not expecting her to say something like that.

A black Mercedes-Benz pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down, and Ding Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, looked over: “Xingyao, get in the car quickly.”

Zhu Xingyao didn’t wait for Jiang Tu to respond. She glanced at him and said, “I’ll be going now.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “See you… tomorrow at school.”

Jiang Tu paused for a moment, nodded: “Mm.”

Zhu Xingyao smiled, opened the car door, placed her cello inside, and carefully climbed in, lifting her skirt. Zhu Yunping was on the phone, and upon hearing the car door close, he drove off.

Ding Yu glanced at the rearview mirror: “Was that boy your classmate?”

Zhu Xingyao suddenly felt a pang of regret. Jiang Tu’s father was a violent gambler, and he had grown up in such an environment. Yet here she was, suggesting that “beating him up” was a solution…

Wasn’t that stupid?

Distracted, she nodded: “Mm, I just happened to run into him.”

Ding Yu didn’t think much of it and smiled, explaining: “Did you wait long? There was an issue with a patient at the last minute, which delayed me.”

“Not for long.”

Zhu Xingyao lowered the car window and glanced at the rearview mirror. Jiang Tu had already walked far away, his figure tall and slender.

…

Jiang Tu returned to the internet café. By then, Jiang Lu had finished watching the match and didn’t need to be dragged; he followed Jiang Tu home on his own. It took them half an hour to walk to the alley entrance.

A small figure with a ponytail stood at the mouth of the alley.

Jiang Tu looked up as Lin Jiayu ran over to explain: “The streetlight is broken, and it’s too dark. I was afraid to go back alone and was just about to call my dad to pick me up when you two came back.”

The streetlight had been out for two days. Jiang Tu glanced at the pitch-black alley entrance and walked ahead, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Lu complained: “Sister Jiayu, you’re such a scaredy-cat.”

Lin Jiayu: “Mind your own business.”

Jiang Lu let her walk in front: “I’m not afraid. You go ahead of me, and my brother and I will protect you.”

Lin Jiayu ignored the little brat and gingerly held onto the edge of Jiang Tu’s shirt. Jiang Tu frowned, quickened his pace, and the fabric slipped from her grasp. Lin Jiayu sighed, stomped her foot, and muttered, “How stingy! Can’t even hold on for a moment. We used to hold hands and play house when we were kids. The older we get, the harder it is to get along.”

She caught up with him and said to his back, “By the way, Brother Liang said one of their clerks requested leave on Sunday and can’t work the night shift. Do you want to take the shift? If you do, I’ll let him know.”

Jiang Tu’s part-time job was different from others’. He only had one fixed part-time job, but whenever someone needed a replacement and it didn’t conflict with his school schedule, he would take it—day or night, regardless of the type of work—because temporary replacements paid better.

Sometimes even Lin Jiayu thought he was pushing himself too hard.

As they passed through the alley, a faint light began to seep through ahead, coming from the windows of the residential buildings.

“Then let him know for me.”

Jiang Tu’s voice was flat.

Lin Jiayu said: “You should buy a new phone. It’d be more convenient.”

Most high school students had phones by this time, as long as they weren’t caught using them during class. Jiang Tu had previously owned an old keypad phone for contacting work, but it had been broken during a fight with debt collectors.

The three arrived at their doorstep, and Jiang Tu gave a faint “Mm” before everyone went their separate ways.

Pushing open the door, dinner was already laid out on the table. Jiang Jinhui was still not home. When he wasn’t around, the house felt somewhat like a proper home. Shu Xian came out from the kitchen holding a plate and smiled at them: “You’re back. Wash your hands and eat.”

Jiang Lu was starving and rushed over to grab chopsticks.

Without hesitation, Jiang Tu pulled him away sternly: “If you test my patience again today, I’ll beat you.”

Jiang Lu: “….”

Reluctantly, he put down the chopsticks and followed his brother to wash his hands.

While washing his hands, Jiang Tu suddenly remembered Zhu Xingyao earnestly saying, “Beat him up once, and he’ll behave.” For some reason, it made him chuckle slightly, and the corner of his mouth curved upward.

Jiang Lu ran off as soon as he finished washing his hands, as if he had seen the King of Hell.

…

Monday morning, Zhu Yunping rarely had time to drive Zhu Xingyao to school. Seeing this, Li Xixi couldn’t help but exclaim: “Every time I see your dad, I can’t help but think of mine. Both are 40-year-old middle-aged men, but mine has a beer belly and is starting to bald. I can’t imagine how embarrassing it’d be if he goes bald within three years and comes to a parents’ meeting! Uncle Zhu is different—he keeps in great shape, elegant and handsome, like a gentleman.”

Zhu Xingyao reminded her: “Even if he goes bald, he’s still your dad…”

Li Xixi was worried: “I know, but I’m afraid baldness is hereditary.”

Zhu Xingyao: “….”

Unable to resist, she said: “Does your dad know how much you dislike him?”

Li Xixi laughed carelessly: “How dare I let him know!”

Zhu Xingyao walked into the school and left behind a sentence: “Next time I visit your house, I’ll tell him.”

Li Xixi: “….”

Back and forth at the school gate, all the students wore the same uniform—loose and baggy, without much style. But some people had good figures, and even this kind of clothing looked good on them. Zhu Xingyao was one of those people. Li Xixi could feel everyone’s eyes unconsciously following her, so she quickly caught up and fiercely said: “If you dare say that, I’ll cut ties with you!”

Zhu Xingyao was fearless: “I’m pretty, and you wouldn’t dare.”

After the flag-raising ceremony, when they returned to the classroom, the subject representatives began collecting homework. This was the first time Zhu Xingyao had encountered difficulty in collecting assignments. She stood at the last desk in the first row, troubled by the sight of the boy whose entire head was buried on the desk, seemingly fast asleep.

Jiang Tu was sleeping, his glasses removed and placed on top of a stack of books, with his hand resting on them. His fingers were long, paler than most boys’, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out clearly, making them look both slender and strong.

Zhu Xingyao glanced at his desk—it was neat and tidy, but there was no sign of the homework notebook.

Ding Xiang always seemed to be copying assignments.

He quickly glanced at Zhu Xingyao, then lowered his head to continue copying. “Jiang Tu’s homework is with me, and I’ll finish copying it in a moment.”

So he had done his homework after all.

Seeing Ding Xiang copy every word meticulously, Zhu Xingyao couldn’t help but say: “Can’t you write your own homework once? I feel like I see you copying every day. By the way, Jiang Tu got a perfect score in physics, while you barely passed last month’s exam.”

Ding Xiang blushed under the goddess’s words, deliberately wrote a wrong answer, coughed, and said: “I won’t let you catch me copying next time.”

Zhou Qian came over, annoyed: “Are you an idiot?! Is that what Zhu Xingyao meant?”

Because of the earlier mockery about her underdeveloped figure, Li Xixi still held a grudge against Ding Xiang and immediately joined in attacking him: “Stars meant for you to copy with some level of competence, okay? Idiot!”

The math representative walked over and cursed: “Ding Xiang, hurry the hell up!”

The Chinese representative: “Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

The chemistry representative: “Hurry!”

Ding Xiang: “….”

In an instant, Jiang Tu’s desk was surrounded by people, noisy and chaotic.

Jiang Tu propped himself up on his elbows, sitting upright, and slept restlessly. His hand moved slightly, pushing the glasses forward a bit. After Ding Xiang finished copying, he stood up abruptly and slammed the homework on the desk: “Here, here, here! Stop nagging!”

The homework notebook accidentally hit the leg of the glasses, knocking them off. Everyone failed to see what happened, only noticing something falling.

Zhu Xingyao was the first to collect the homework and had just taken a step forward when disaster struck unexpectedly.

Crunch—

A crisp sound rang out.

She looked down at her feet—the black-framed glasses that had been next to Jiang Tu moments ago were now crushed underfoot. The frame, of poor quality, broke into three pieces.

Zhu Xingyao: “….”

Everyone turned to look, stunned.

Ding Xiang was dumbfounded: “Oh shit! No way…” He glanced at Jiang Tu’s desk, but the glasses were gone. He looked at Zhu Xingyao, then at Jiang Tu, speechless. “Uh…”

“It must’ve been Jiang Tu’s glasses, right? I didn’t even have time to see clearly before it fell.”

“I didn’t see it either…”

“It seemed to fly off suddenly.”

It was too noisy.

Jiang Tu leaned on his elbow and sat up straight, frowning as he looked up. Without his glasses, his features appeared sharp, and his eyes showed extreme impatience, silencing everyone around him.

Zhu Xingyao pursed her lips and turned to him: “Uh… I accidentally stepped on and broke your glasses…”