DXXZL - 33

At five o’clock that afternoon on July 5th, just after the math exam had ended, Zhu Xingyao found herself in the same testing room as Jiang Tu and Lin Jiayu. Jiang Tu had submitted his paper half an hour early and left, while Zhu Xingyao finished her exam about ten minutes ahead of time. Lin Jiayu, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling with time.

As soon as the exam ended, Li Xixi rushed over to drag Zhu Xingyao and Lin Jiayu downstairs. “Let’s go quickly! The earlier we get there, the more time we’ll have to eat barbecue and sing a few songs afterward.”

They still had another exam the next day, so they planned to head home by eleven at the latest.

Lin Jiayu asked, “Where are Lu Ji and Xu Xiangyang?”

Zhu Xingyao checked her phone and saw a message from Lu Ji. Looking up, she said, “They submitted their exams early and went ahead.” She glanced at Li Xixi, recalling Xu Xiangyang’s earlier plan to confess his feelings to her.

Old Liu was already waiting outside. The three of them got into the car and headed straight for the barbecue restaurant.

Jiang Tu was the first to arrive. After parking his bicycle, Lu Ji and Xu Xiangyang showed up shortly after.

Jiang Tu gave them a quick glance before walking into the restaurant. It was only five o’clock, and the place was still relatively empty. Liang Cheng wasn’t around today either. Turning back to Ding Xiang, he said, “You guys sit first.”

He then walked into the kitchen. Zhou Yuan was astonished. “How does he know this place so well?”

It was the same table near the glass door as last time. As everyone sat down, Ding Xiang explained, “Oh, Brother Tu works here part-time. Back in January, on that snowy day, we even celebrated his birthday here.” Suddenly remembering something, he pointed to the small platform outside the glass door, growing more animated as he spoke. “That day, the goddess—she gave Brother Tu a birthday gift by playing the cello, sitting right there. She was in the middle of playing when it suddenly started snowing.”

Lu Ji was momentarily stunned. Furrowing his brows, he asked, “You mean... Zhu Xingyao played the cello for Jiang Tu as a birthday gift? And it started snowing just then?”

Ding Xiang wasn’t entirely lacking in emotional intelligence. Realizing what he’d said, he quickly scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. “Ah, it was just a birthday gift. Everyone prepared something—it wasn’t anything special. Li Xixi even joked tonight that she wanted the goddess to play the cello for her!”

Lu Ji didn’t say anything further but absentmindedly poked at the charcoal fire in front of him. Xu Xiangyang glanced at him and chuckled. “No way. If Zhu Xingyao plays the cello, she’ll steal my spotlight. I need to talk to her about it later.”

There had been a traffic jam along the way, so Zhu Xingyao and the others arrived just before six.

Zhu Xingyao entered carrying her cello. As soon as she stepped inside, she felt Lu Ji’s intense gaze on her. She froze for a moment before Li Xixi tugged her forward. “Come on, why are you standing there dumbfounded?”

Lin Jiayu didn’t see Jiang Tu and asked, “Where’s Jiang Tu?”

Ding Xiang replied, “In the kitchen.”

A short while later, Jiang Tu emerged, holding a jug of plum juice. He placed it on the table and said calmly, “There’s another exam tomorrow. You girls shouldn’t drink alcohol.”

Lin Jiayu remembered how she’d slept until late morning after drinking two glasses last time, so she quickly agreed, “Alright, I won’t drink.”

Lu Ji glanced up at him and moved the beer bottles away. “Forget it today. No one drinks.”

Li Xixi pouted. “Fine, for the sake of not affecting tomorrow’s exam, let’s skip the drinks. After all, it’s crucial for Old Cao’s lifelong happiness. Tomorrow’s exam is important.”

Halfway through the barbecue, Jiang Tu’s phone rang.

He glanced at it, stood up with a calm expression, and walked toward the back door. It was Shu Xian calling. As soon as he answered, he heard her crying, “That damned Jiang Jinhui owes another debt! How can he be so despicable...”

Shu Xian cried and cursed for over ten minutes before Jiang Tu finally asked in a low voice, “How much does he owe?”

“Specifically, I don’t know—probably tens of thousands...” Shu Xian sobbed intermittently. “Why did I ever marry such a person?”

Tens of thousands... less than Jiang Tu had anticipated.

Twenty minutes later.

He hung up the call, his gaze heavy as he stared at the star-filled sky. A suffocating weight pressed against his chest. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see Zhu Xingyao standing behind him, still carrying her cello.

It was almost seven o’clock now, and the barbecue restaurant was bustling with customers. Their original table had already been vacated.

Jiang Tu’s expression was cold and repressed. Zhu Xingyao felt a pang of unease. She hated seeing him like this—his emotions so deeply buried that it left her feeling helpless. She softly asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Nothing,” Jiang Tu reined in his emotions and quietly asked, “Where are the others?”

Zhu Xingyao hesitated, looking at him with some exasperation. “Xu Xiangyang told me not to play the cello because he wants to serenade Li Xixi with his guitar. He’s been learning from Lu Ji for a month now, and if I were to play, it would make him look bad... So he asked me to hide the cello.”

No one quite knew how Xu Xiangyang planned to confess to Li Xixi, but everyone had conspired to help. Lin Jiayu was tasked with taking Li Xixi out first.

Zhu Xingyao looked up at him and asked, “Where should I put it?”

He raised his hand but stopped midway, then turned to walk ahead. “Follow me.”

Zhu Xingyao made a soft sound of acknowledgment and followed behind him. A server carrying charcoal passed by, so they waited briefly. Just a few steps forward, the strap of her cello was suddenly yanked from behind. She quickly turned around, her eyes widening slightly.

“Tsk, so it really is you, little beauty. Long time no see.” Chen Yi looked down at her, his eyes gleaming.

Almost instantly, Jiang Tu turned around and pulled Zhu Xingyao to his side. His eyes were full of wariness as he glared at Chen Yi and the group of thugs behind him. In a cold voice, he asked, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? What do you think I want? Your dad owes another sum of money. Since he can’t pay up, we’ll collect interest from you instead. Not much—just three thousand yuan.” Chen Yi smirked, glancing at Zhu Xingyao and the cello on her shoulder. “If you can’t pay, it’s fine. Let her play the cello for us, and we’ll call it even.”

“Impossible.”

Jiang Tu’s voice was icy. He pulled Zhu Xingyao closer to him. “Go to the back.”

Zhu Xingyao felt a wave of panic. She was afraid of him getting into a fight—Chen Yi had seven or eight men with him. He’d surely be at a disadvantage. She refused to leave, even reaching out to grab the edge of his shirt. Seeing this, Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Little beauty, I remember telling you how much debt his family is in. Being with him isn’t worth it. With a family like his, he might spend his whole life being dragged down by his father. Are you planning to help fill that hole?”

“Shut up.”

Zhu Xingyao glared at him furiously, though she tried to ignore his words.

Their commotion had already disturbed the other diners. Some who had just sat down got up and left. A server came over and quietly urged Jiang Tu not to cause trouble. Jiang Tu’s face darkened as he took a step forward, staring at Chen Yi. “I’ll give you the money. Come with me.”

Chen Yi kept his hands in his pockets and tilted his chin. “Alright, add the previous five thousand, and it’ll be eight thousand total.”

Jiang Tu narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Zhu Xingyao. Her gaze at this moment must have been complex—worried, angry, sympathetic... He remained silent for a few seconds. Then, unable to bear it any longer, Zhu Xingyao stepped forward.

She stood in front of him. “Don’t force him.”

Jiang Tu looked down at the top of her head and her slender, pale neck. Swallowing hard, his resolve crumbled a little more.

The more Chen Yi saw her like this, the more emboldened he became. He reached out to grab the strap of her cello.

Her cello was precious to her, and she didn’t want this detestable man to touch it. She quickly took a step back. Just as Jiang Tu was about to move in front of her, two men grabbed him from behind. He struggled fiercely.

Meanwhile, Chen Yi seemed to be toying with Zhu Xingyao. Every time she retreated, he advanced.

Several people held Jiang Tu down as he struggled, his face turning red, veins visibly bulging on his forehead and neck.

Zhu Xingyao thought to herself that she would probably never meet Chen Yi under good circumstances. Every encounter with him brought trouble. Her heel caught on the food cart next to the dining table, and she stumbled. Instinctively, Chen Yi reached out to grab the strap of her cello.

The cello slipped from her grasp, and Zhu Xingyao lost her balance, teetering precariously as she began to fall backward.

Her face turned deathly pale, and she let out a startled scream.

Frantically reaching out to grab onto something—anything—she found nothing. The back of her head collided with the sharp edge of the glass table, and in that moment, she felt a searing pain unlike anything she had ever experienced. It felt as though her skull had cracked open...

The restaurant erupted into chaos.

The clattering of pots, pans, and dishes crashing to the floor echoed through the air.

And then came Jiang Tu’s heart-wrenching, desperate cry: “Zhu Xingyao!”

Lu Ji lunged forward, throwing his entire body over her to shield her from the falling debris. Zhu Xingyao’s vision blurred as she caught a fleeting glimpse of Lu Ji’s panicked face before losing consciousness.

Outside the door.

Xu Xiangyang was holding his guitar, while Zhou Yuan and Ding Xiang carried large bags of items. Lin Jiayu had returned with Li Xixi in tow. Their faces turned ashen as they stared at the barbecue shop, which had transformed into a scene of disarray in less than half an hour.

Jiang Tu broke free from the thugs’ grip and charged at Chen Yi, landing a punch that instantly drew blood from the corner of Chen Yi’s mouth.

Jiang Tu’s eyes burned with rage. Grabbing Chen Yi by the collar, his chest heaving with fury, he spat out each word with icy precision: “Chen Yi, if anything happens to her, I’ll make you pay with your life.”

The others finally snapped out of their shock.

“Call an ambulance, quick!”

“She’s bleeding!”

“Don’t let her die!”

...

Lu Ji, dazed from being hit on the head by a hot pot, was forcibly shoved aside.

Jiang Tu looked at Zhu Xingyao’s pale face and the blood staining the floor, feeling like a butcher. Trembling, he scooped her up into his arms and hurried outside. Xu Xiangyang reacted quickly, tossing his guitar aside to hail a taxi. Zhou Yuan rushed to help Lu Ji to his feet.

Lin Jiayu and Li Xixi followed behind, tears streaming down their faces as they wiped their eyes. They were terrified.

At the hospital.

Zhu Xingyao was in the emergency room, while Lu Ji was undergoing tests.

Everyone except Jiang Tu waited anxiously outside. Ding Yu and Zhu Yunping had already arrived quickly after receiving the call. They too were shaken.

Jiang Tu sat slumped on the dark stairwell, his head bowed, utterly defeated and despondent.

After what felt like an eternity, the operating room doors finally opened.

He shot to his feet and rushed out.

The doctor, a colleague of Ding Yu’s, was explaining Zhu Xingyao’s condition to her: four stitches, a mild concussion, and a hospital stay.

Jiang Tu suddenly appeared. Both Ding Yu and Zhu Yunping paused, glancing at him. On the way over, Li Xixi had called them, giving a brief overview of the situation. This was the classmate she had mentioned—the one whose family was drowning in high-interest debt.

Li Xixi had tried to soften their anger toward Jiang Tu, emphasizing how brilliant he was academically, ranking first in the grade.

The young man wore glasses and looked pale, almost resembling Zhu Xingyao in that moment. His clothes were still dirty, stained with her blood, making him appear somewhat intimidating. Yet he seemed unfazed, his voice hoarse as he addressed Ding Yu and Zhu Yunping: “I’m sorry… I dragged Zhu Xingyao into this.”

Ding Yu and Zhu Yunping exchanged a glance, their emotions tangled. How could they blame him for such an accident?

Zhu Yunping patted his shoulder and sighed. “My daughter isn’t seriously injured. Go home and change your clothes. If you’re hurt, get yourself checked too.” He turned to the group of students. “Everyone else, go home. Everything’s fine now.”

Zhu Xingyao had been moved to a ward. Jiang Tu had only managed a fleeting glance at her earlier. He looked at Ding Yu and asked softly, “When will Zhu Xingyao wake up?”

“It could be late tonight or early tomorrow morning,” Ding Yu sighed. “Go home. Everything’s fine now.”

But it would mean postponing exams and classes. Originally, Zhu Xingyao was supposed to leave for Beijing the day after tomorrow to take lessons with Teacher Chen Lan.

Now all those plans were shattered.

Aside from Zhou Yuan staying behind to keep Lu Ji company, everyone else left.

A short while later.

A tall, slender figure returned.

Jiang Tu entered the restroom, removing his clothes to wash off the bloodstains. Though he couldn’t completely clean them, at least he no longer looked as frightening. After wringing out the water, he slipped the damp clothes back on.

He spent the entire night sitting on a bench in front of the hospital.

As dawn broke, he washed his face and gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Disgust filled his eyes.

Zhu Xingyao briefly woke in the middle of the night but fell back asleep. Zhu Yunping had to return to work, and Ding Yu instructed the nurse: “Keep an eye on her. I have to start my shift now. I’ll come back at noon.”

After the nurse finished checking the room, she closed the ward door.

Jiang Tu pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Zhu Xingyao lay fragile and pale on the bed, her head wrapped in bandages. She seemed restless, shifting slightly, her eyelashes trembling faintly. Jiang Tu quietly sat by her bedside, leaning against the chair as he watched her intently.

After a while.

Her delicate fingers twitched.

Jiang Tu lowered his gaze to her hand.

Her veins were so thin that every time she was pricked for an IV, it left multiple needle marks on the back of her hand, bruised and discolored.

After a moment.

Jiang Tu raised his hand, gently hooking his index finger around her pinky.

Her hand moved slightly, as if responding to his touch. Jiang Tu stared at their intertwined fingers, his throat constricting painfully. He lifted his gaze to her pale face. The nurse had just moistened her lips with water.

The girl’s lips were soft and rosy. Jiang Tu averted his eyes, his heart torn between longing and guilt.

For a long time.

Her finger lightly curled around his index finger again, moving slightly.

All his internal struggles, his rationality, collapsed in an instant.

Jiang Tu thought to himself: Just this once, he would be selfish. Perhaps, this would be the only time in his life.

He leaned closer, his right hand still entwined with hers, while his left hand carefully cradled her face. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against hers. The sound of footsteps passing by outside the ward couldn’t drown out the thunderous beating of his heart.

The girl’s eyelashes fluttered faintly.

Jiang Tu swallowed hard, unsure if she was conscious or about to wake up. Almost immediately, he straightened up and turned to leave the room.

A minute later.

The ward door opened again.

Lu Ji walked in. He stopped a passing nurse and asked softly, “Is she still not awake?”

The nurse recognized him, knowing he was Zhu Xingyao’s classmate. Plus, Lu Ji’s handsome demeanor and polite tone made her smile. “She should wake up soon. You can go in and wait. Ring the bell when she wakes up.”

Lu Ji took the seat where Jiang Tu had been sitting moments ago. His gaze lingered on the back of Zhu Xingyao’s hand.

He recalled Jiang Tu’s words to Chen Yi earlier and couldn’t shake the feeling that his instincts were correct—Jiang Tu must have feelings for Zhu Xingyao. Remembering Ding Xiang’s earlier comments, he felt inexplicably irritated.

Zhu Xingyao stirred several times, seemingly struggling to open her eyes.

Instinctively, Lu Ji reached for her hand, leaning closer and calling softly, “Zhu Xingyao, Zhu Xingyao…”

After a long moment.

Zhu Xingyao slowly opened her eyes, her hazy vision focusing on Lu Ji’s handsome profile. Her gaze froze, her eyes widening as she stared at him. Lu Ji’s heart softened under her gaze, and he chuckled softly. “You’re awake?”

Two seconds later.

She realized her hand was still in his.

And then she remembered the warm, gentle touch she had felt earlier. Biting her lip, a faint blush spread across her otherwise pale cheeks. She pulled her hand back, burying her chin into the blanket, her lashes fluttering shyly. Her voice was soft and barely audible: “I haven’t agreed to anything… You can’t do that…”

Lu Ji was momentarily stunned, absently rubbing his fingers together. In a low voice, he murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Zhu Xingyao turned her gaze toward him hesitantly, as if wanting to say something but ultimately deciding against it.

In the end, she said nothing.

Instead, she bit her lip, stealing glances at him every so often.

Watching her like this, Lu Ji’s heart melted, and he couldn’t help but feel a hint of amusement. Smiling, he teased softly, “Zhu Xingyao, why are you so shy?”