DXXZL - 56

The private room was dimly lit. The group had split into smaller clusters, some playing drinking games, others engrossed in a game of Honor of Kings. After Li Xixi finished singing another song, someone from below shouted, “Li Xixi, one more song! I want to hear ‘The Moon Represents My Heart’!”

Li Xixi rolled her eyes. “I’ve been singing for over two hours already. Do you think this is my concert?”

Ding Xiang laughed. “Isn’t it just like a free concert?”

Xu Xiangyang took the microphone from Li Xixi’s hand and handed it to Ding Xiang. “If you want to sing, go ahead. Her voice is already hoarse.”

Xia Jin had stormed off earlier, and after midnight, people began leaving one by one. By now, close to 1 a.m., only about ten people remained in the private room. Zhu Xingyao sat on the sofa, drowsy. The air conditioning was a bit chilly, so she rubbed her arms.

Jiang Tu walked in holding a thin blanket, which he draped around her shoulders.

Zhu Xingyao looked up at him, then silently lowered her head again.

The door to the private room opened, and Zhou Yuan walked in. “You still have over ten people here? Most of our classmates have left, only a few remain.” Class 2’s gathering was in the adjacent private room, booked together by Xu Xiangyang and Lu Ji.

Xu Xiangyang remarked, “That just shows how shallow the relationships are in your class—no one has anything to talk about.”

Nearly a decade had passed since high school, and everyone’s connections had naturally dwindled. Their circles had grown increasingly different, making these large gatherings less meaningful than smaller reunions among closer friends. A group that had been playing Honor of Kings finished their game and stood up. One person said, “Class monitor, I’m leaving.”

“Me too.”

“I’m out.”

“It’s past 1 a.m.—we’re leaving too.”

In an instant, only five people remained in the room: Li Xixi, Xu Xiangyang, Zhou Yuan, Ding Xiang, and his wife. Suddenly, Zhu Xingyao stood up. Jiang Tu grabbed her wrist and quietly asked, “Where are you going?”

Zhu Xingyao pulled away forcefully and whispered, “To the restroom.”

The club’s facilities were excellent, with a restroom inside the private room. After washing her hands at the sink, Zhu Xingyao stepped down and turned the corner, only to collide with a hard body. The impact made her dizzy, and she looked up.

Jiang Tu’s hand rested on her waist as he gazed down at her. Zhu Xingyao pushed him away, annoyed. “What do you want?”

At first, Jiang Tu remained silent, not letting go. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he emotionlessly confessed, “The scumbag you mentioned—it’s me.”

Zhu Xingyao’s mind was spinning. “Huh?”

What was he talking about?

He was confessing his sins.

Jiang Tu looked down at her and softly admitted, “I reported you and Lu Ji for dating early. Are you going to kill me?”

In his heart, he added: And those eighty-seven love letters—they were from me.

________________________________________

In the neighboring private room, only two people remained. Lu Ji sat in the corner drinking, and Lin Jiayu joined him. He turned to look at her, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Lin Jiayu, what do you want to say to me?”

Lin Jiayu grabbed a glass and poured herself a drink.

She raised the glass, downed the liquor, and turned to him. “Lu Ji, haven’t you felt suffocated all these years?”

Lu Ji gave a self-deprecating laugh. “What do you think?”

Lin Jiayu began counting on her fingers. “The starlight lamps, the love letters... I’m curious. What else has Zhu Xingyao misunderstood?”

Lu Ji froze, frowning. “How do you know about the letters?”

Lin Jiayu paused, staring at him intently. “Then why didn’t you say anything? You let Zhu Xingyao stay in the dark. If she finds out...”

BANG —

Lu Ji slammed his glass onto the glass tabletop, startling Lin Jiayu. He sneered. “Why the hell should I say anything? Does Jiang Tu not have a mouth? Can’t he tell Zhu Xingyao himself?”

Lin Jiayu flinched and whispered, “Jiang Tu suffered so much in high school. How could he possibly tell her?”

Lu Ji was visibly agitated. He slumped back onto the couch, his posture defeated. Covering his face with his hand, his voice was low. “Today, several young girls came up to me, saying how handsome and romantic I am, hoping I’d get back together with Zhu Xingyao... But Zhu Xingyao doesn’t like me. Her feelings, the sparkle in her eyes—it wasn’t me who gave them to her. In high school, Zhu Xingyao and Jiang Tu went from sitting in front and behind each other to becoming desk mates. They spent every day together. Jiang Tu acted cold on the surface, but no one realized he was the one with the deepest feelings—not even Zhu Xingyao herself. She trusted everything he said and did naturally, far more than she ever trusted me, her boyfriend.”

This was the first time Lin Jiayu had heard Lu Ji speak so much. She felt a pang of sadness and didn’t know what to say.

Lowering her head, she murmured, “Jiang Tu probably didn’t realize the credit for the love letters ended up going to you.”

The private room fell silent for a few seconds.

Lu Ji removed his hand and stood up, heading toward the door.

Lin Jiayu, startled, quickly followed him.

________________________________________

Outside the restroom corridor, the lighting was dim. Zhu Xingyao stared blankly at Jiang Tu, stammering, “What did you just say?”

The door to the private room swung open—

Jiang Tu took a deep breath and repeated softly, “I said, I reported you and Lu Ji for dating early.” He paused, taking her hand in his left. “Those eighty-seven love letters—they were from me, not Lu Ji.”

As soon as Jiang Tu finished speaking, someone grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out, throwing a punch. Jiang Tu swiftly leaned back, dodging the blow, but his glasses were knocked off.

“Lu Ji, why are you hitting people?!” Lin Jiayu shrieked, stepping back in shock.

Lu Ji’s face was cold as he threw another punch. Jiang Tu, equally icy, retaliated.

The two men fought as if they were enemies with years of pent-up resentment, each blow heavier than the last, the commotion terrifying.

Xu Xiangyang and Zhou Yuan rushed over. Xu Xiangyang cursed, “Shit! Why are they suddenly fighting?” He and Zhou Yuan moved to intervene, but Li Xixi pulled them back.

Li Xixi watched expressionlessly. “Step back and give them space. Let them fight. If they don’t settle this today, they’ll fight later anyway.”

Xu Xiangyang and Lin Jiayu froze, understanding.

Zhou Yuan and Ding Xiang, however, were completely baffled, dumbfounded.

Zhou Yuan asked, “Are you sure we shouldn’t stop them? I’m afraid they’ll kill each other.”

Lin Jiayu backed away. “No, just give them space.”

Zhou Yuan: “...”

Ding Xiang: “...”

Why were these women so brutal today?

Zhou Yuan glanced at Zhu Xingyao, the epitome of trouble.

Zhu Xingyao still stood there, her mind blank. Watching the two men suddenly pummeling each other, she couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or awake.

Li Xixi walked over, worriedly grasping Zhu Xingyao’s hand. It was ice-cold.

“Stars,” Li Xixi said anxiously, “are you okay?”

Zhu Xingyao bit down hard on her lip, leaving a tooth mark. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

It wasn’t a dream.

Her mind was a chaotic mess. Dully, she said to Li Xixi, “Xixi, tell Xu Xiangyang to stop them. Don’t let them fight anymore.”

Xu Xiangyang and Zhou Yuan tried to intervene but failed to separate the two. Just as Ding Xiang rolled up his sleeves to help, Zhu Xingyao suddenly shouted, “Jiang Tu, stop!”

Jiang Tu froze. Lu Ji had pinned him to the floor.

Another punch landed on Jiang Tu’s mouth, and this time, he didn’t dodge. Both men panted heavily, their faces bruised. Jiang Tu struggled to his feet, and Lu Ji stood beside him, his tone dripping with self-mockery. His voice was so low only the two of them could hear: “Zhu Xingyao said our first kiss was in the hospital. Jiang Tu, how many accusations have you thrown at me?”

With that, Lu Ji turned and walked away.

Jiang Tu stood frozen, his head lifting to see Zhu Xingyao, her eyes red, still standing by the restroom door.

Lu Ji paused beside Zhu Xingyao, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Zhu Xingyao’s nose tingled, and tears slid down her cheeks.

Lu Ji bowed his head. Whether or not he had started the mistakes, he had been selfish throughout. From beginning to end, Zhu Xingyao had been kept in the dark. He took a deep breath, pulled the door open, and left.

Zhou Yuan, stunned, hurried after him.

Lu Ji hadn’t gone far. After a few steps, he leaned against the wall of the neighboring private room, pulling out a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket. Finding one intact cigarette, he placed it between his lips and lit it.

“Let’s all leave.”

Li Xixi glanced at Jiang Tu and Zhu Xingyao, feeling that anyone’s presence would be superfluous at this moment.

Within half a minute, the vast private room was empty, leaving only Zhu Xingyao and Jiang Tu.

Zhu Xingyao looked at Jiang Tu. His shirt was wrinkled and dirty, his browbone and eye corner bruised, blood trickling from his split lip. Looking at this battered Jiang Tu, she was reminded of the stubborn, survival-driven Jiang Tu from their youth. Her eyes reddened as an overwhelming sense of injustice and sorrow washed over her.

How good Jiang Tu had been to her in high school?

Zhu Xingyao couldn’t quantify it, but she had trusted him completely, believing he would never hurt her.

The love letters every Friday—they were from Jiang Tu. Yet, that night, he had said he hadn’t attended the welcome party.

The “J” classmate was Jiang Tu.

But the handwriting?

Zhu Xingyao realized Jiang Tu was a master of deception.

The starlight lamp—he had given it to her as a birthday gift. She had loved it so much that she would never forget that scene.

The most beautiful wish is always the most insane.

—August 29, 2008.

Classmate J.

Zhu Xingyao recalled the shock and emotion that letter had brought to her seventeen-year-old self. But the one who had led her to mistakenly believe those letters and the starlight lamp were from Lu Ji was Jiang Tu. Even when misunderstood by the entire school, he had endured silently without explanation.

After she agreed to date Lu Ji...

He... wrote a report accusing her and Lu Ji of early dating?

She had been scolded by Principal Liu, lectured by her parents, gossiped about by the entire school, used as a cautionary tale for years, and insulted by Xia Jin as a “scumbag.”

Yet, that same night, he had taken her outside the walls to play. He was broke but had bet game tokens so she could enjoy herself.

Good and bad.

It was all him.

“Jiang Tu, you really... went too far...” Zhu Xingyao’s lips quivered downward as she weakly sank to the floor, leaning against the wall.

Jiang Tu, panicked, strode over and knelt before her, his right knee pressing against the floor.

“Stars,” his voice rasped.

Zhu Xingyao seemed not to hear him. She hugged her knees, burying her face in them, her slender shoulders trembling as she sobbed in委屈 (grievance). She didn’t know what to do with Jiang Tu. Which side of him—good or bad—weighed more heavily, she couldn’t discern.

Jiang Tu gently pulled her arms apart and lifted her face. Her complexion was pale, her lips trembling, her lower lip bearing the imprint of her teeth. He wiped away her tears with his calloused fingers.

Her wet lashes drooped, unaware of his approach.

Only when his breath brushed against her face and his lips met hers did she startle, her eyes flying open, her lashes fluttering. Jiang Tu knelt, cupping her face and kissing her softly. He sighed against her lips, “The love letters were mine, written with my left hand. The starlight lamp was my birthday gift to you. And the report accusing you and Lu Ji of early dating—it was me too.”

Zhu Xingyao’s heart trembled.

Then he added, “The one who secretly kissed you in the hospital—it was me. Stars, I thought I was restrained and patient, but in truth, I was selfish, ugly, and mad...”

But, I love you. There’s nothing I can do about it.