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After Chen Zhaochi hung up the phone, Cheng Mi didn’t stay in a daze for long. She quickly reacted and looked for Hong Mao’s number.
Chen Zhaochi sounded badly injured. Li Zhiyu was definitely not doing well either.
Hong Mao was Li Zhiyu’s brother, and they were always together. It was right to ask him about Li Zhiyu’s situation.
But after dialing, the call was not answered for a long time.
Did something happen to Hong Mao too?
Cheng Mi didn’t call again after the first attempt.
The next morning, at the breakfast table and on the way to school, Cheng Mi didn’t mention the phone call from Chen Zhaochi in the middle of the night to Si Tingyan.
It was precisely because she understood Si Tingyan that Cheng Mi was sure she couldn’t mention it to him.
Si Tingyan appeared calm and rational, but in reality, his extremism was always awake inside him. For him, extremism wasn’t a loss of control; instead, he was soberly letting it drag people down.
If this phone call from Chen Zhaochi made Si Tingyan aware, he would definitely do something, and he wouldn’t involve her or listen to her.
Cheng Mi didn’t want to risk Si Tingyan getting himself into trouble.
She also needed to be on guard at all times and could only move between school and home.
________________________________________
At school, Cheng Mi and Si Tingyan parted ways at the stairwell on the second floor.
Not long after she got back to the classroom, the bell for morning reading rang. Every day, a class representative would lead the reading from the podium, but today, the bell rang twice, and no class representative appeared.
Yesterday was English, today was Chinese.
A girl in front casually said to her deskmate: “Why isn’t the class monitor here yet?”
The class monitor for Cheng Mi’s class was Chu Xinhuo.
The girl’s deskmate took out her Chinese textbook and put it on the desk: “I don’t know. Is she sick? I’ve never seen her be late before.”
“It’s definitely not being late,” the girl said. “Did you forget that her mom is our grade director? Chu Xinhuo would be scolded to death by her mom if she were late.”
A little later, the homeroom teacher, Wei Xiangdong, came in through the classroom door. He slapped his physics lesson plan on the door twice: “If the class monitor isn’t here, you won’t read, is that it? Put away your practice papers. Do your exercises when it’s time to do them, and read when it’s time to read. All of you, pick up your Chinese textbooks and continue reading from where you left off last time.”
After saying that, he turned and went out of the classroom to talk to someone outside.
The person standing outside the Class 4 classroom was not a stranger; it was the director of studies for the third year, Chu Xinhuo’s mother.
The grade director was famously strict and fierce. People who hadn’t seen her might imagine her to have a ferocious appearance, but that wasn’t the case.
To be able to have a beautiful daughter like Chu Xinhuo, she must have been very good-looking herself.
The grade director had an oval face and a bun at the back of her head. She would smile, but she had an aloof aura. Making eye contact with her would make you feel a lot of pressure.
She and Wei Xiangdong were probably talking about Chu Xinhuo outside.
Cheng Mi didn’t pay much attention until halfway through the morning reading when Zheng Hongkai’s deskmate and a boy across the aisle started whispering to each other.
Zheng Hongkai’s deskmate liked Chu Xinhuo. The other boy kicked his leg across the aisle, teasing him by saying his goddess was here.
He also said to hurry up and save her, or Chu Xinhuo would be lectured by the grade director.
Cheng Mi heard this and subconsciously glanced out the window. When she did, she not only saw Chu Xinhuo but also Hong Mao.
Hong Mao wasn’t standing with Chu Xinhuo. She didn’t know what he was saying to Wei Xiangdong and the grade director.
And Chu Xinhuo was silent, standing in front of the grade director with her eyes lowered.
________________________________________
The class bell rang just then, and the hallway gradually filled with people.
Unsurprisingly, Chu Xinhuo was taken away by her mother.
Cheng Mi closed her book and left the classroom. She found that Hong Mao was also waiting for her.
Cheng Mi walked toward him. When she reached him, Hong Mao said to her: “I was on my way to school and checked my phone. I just saw you called me last night.”
Cheng Mi: “It’s nothing.”
Hong Mao asked her: “Were you going to ask me about Li Zhiyu’s fight?”
It was rare for Hong Mao’s mind to work so quickly. Cheng Mi said: “How did you know?”
“Why else would you call me at that time?” Hong Mao asked. “But how did you know about Li Zhiyu’s fight?”
Chen Zhaochi was the one who called her, but Cheng Mi only said vaguely: “He came and asked me who injured Si Tingyan’s hand.”
At the mention of this, Hong Mao became angry: “I don’t know what’s wrong with Li Zhiyu. Si Tingyan doesn’t give a damn about him, but he’s acting like he doesn’t care about his own life for his brother.”
Halfway through, he remembered Cheng Mi’s relationship with Si Tingyan.
He glanced at Cheng Mi: “Damn it, my temper is a bit short. Please bear with me.”
Other matters were more important now. Cheng Mi didn’t respond to him. She asked: “How is Li Zhiyu now?”
“He’s hospitalized. The injuries are pretty bad. He woke up for a while last night. Damn those guys, they went for the kill.”
Li Zhiyu was seriously injured, and Hong Mao’s face just looked a little tired from staying up all night.
Cheng Mi: “You weren’t with Li Zhiyu last night?”
“No,” Hong Mao probably also felt that Li Zhiyu was being disloyal. He was a little annoyed: “He didn’t say anything to me. Damn it, I only found out he was in trouble when the emergency room called me. I jumped out of bed and went to the hospital.”
Hong Mao continued: “Those guys are all from the streets. Li Zhiyu also knows some people. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, so he didn’t want me to get involved.”
Li Zhiyu was actually quite loyal. He was very clear-headed about this matter involving his brother.
Cheng Mi asked Hong Mao how Li Zhiyu found Chen Zhaochi: “How did he find him?”
Hong Mao leaned against the hallway and looked back at her: “Isn’t it a coincidence? One of the guys from that group knew Li Zhiyu. They had a few drinks together, and the guy spilled everything.”
“Did you call the police?”
“Yeah,” Hong Mao said. “But what’s the use? Those guys aren’t afraid of being in jail. It’s like eating a normal meal to them.”
“And Li Zhiyu also beat him up pretty badly. In a fight like this, the loser goes to the hospital, and the winner goes to jail. Now both sides are injured. Li Zhiyu might also have to go in. His dad will have to get involved.”
Hearing this, Cheng Mi asked: “The other side is also hospitalized?”
Hong Mao replied: “Yeah, the two ringleaders are hospitalized now, so they can’t be arrested. The ones who didn’t get involved are fine. They’ve been arrested, but there was no surveillance at the fight location, so these guys will probably only be detained for a few days.”
Cheng Mi frowned slightly, remembering that Chen Zhaochi had enough strength to call her last night, and now he was hospitalized.
Hong Mao didn’t notice. He sighed: “Li Zhiyu was just called back by his dad for the past half-month. Damn, he comes back and this happens. I think this time, he won’t be able to leave even if he wants to. Luckily, it was because of something Si Tingyan caused, otherwise, his dad would disown him.”
This was the first time Cheng Mi had heard about Si Tingyan’s biological father. Even Si Huiru never mentioned him at home.
Cheng Mi naturally asked: “Does Si Tingyan’s dad get involved with him?”
“Of course. If it weren’t for his dad’s permission, would Li Zhiyu even be here? His dad has always wanted to bring Si Tingyan back.”
It wasn’t hard to guess that Si Tingyan hadn’t agreed to go back.
Chu Xinhuo walked up the stairs from the hallway. She didn’t go to the classroom and instead walked toward the girls’ bathroom.
From where Cheng Mi and Hong Mao were, they could only see her back. She was tall and graceful, with her long hair tied up high. Just her back gave a sense of aloofness and pride.
She wasn’t wearing a school uniform. She was wearing a white dress.
Hong Mao’s gaze moved away from her back and returned to Cheng Mi: “Can you do me a favor?”
Cheng Mi knew what he was going to ask her for without him having to say it.
He wanted her to help comfort Chu Xinhuo.
Sure enough, Hong Mao said: “It’s easier for you girls to comfort each other. I’m a boy, and I don’t know how to comfort her. Chu Xinhuo stayed in the hospital all last night and ran out to meet me, keeping it from her mom. The grade director is so fierce. I was so worried for her when I sent her back just now. She probably won’t have a good time when she gets home tonight.”
Cheng Mi’s gaze fell on Chu Xinhuo’s back until she turned into the girls’ bathroom.
After Hong Mao left, Cheng Mi went to the girls’ bathroom.
When she went in, Chu Xinhuo was washing her hands. Her face in the mirror was cold, but her eyes were red. She wasn’t crying, she was holding back tears.
She had probably been holding back a lot in the hospital last night and had just been scolded.
When someone came in, Chu Xinhuo pretended to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. But because the back of her hand was wet, it made it hard for her to open her eyes.
Cheng Mi also walked over to wash her hands and handed her a tissue.
Chu Xinhuo looked up at her, water droplets hanging on her eyelashes. They weren’t tears. Two seconds later, she took the tissue from Cheng Mi’s hand and said: “Thank you.”
She was only wearing a dress, with no jacket.
The weather in Fengxun was getting cooler, and it wasn’t a warm midday yet. Chu Xinhuo had been cold all night, and her fingertips were a little pale.
Cheng Mi had brought her jacket, which she had left in the classroom before, and handed it to her: “Put it on.”
Chu Xinhuo didn’t refuse. She took it: “Did Li Junyang send you?”
Li Junyang was Hong Mao’s name.
Cheng Mi passed on Hong Mao’s words to her: “Li Zhiyu is fine with the police.”
Chu Xinhuo’s eyes were a little cold, just like her mom’s. She looked at Cheng Mi: “I know.”
Not many people came to the girls’ bathroom during morning reading. It was empty and a little chilly.
The class bell rang from the hallway, ear-piercing and urgent.
“Don’t worry too much. Go back to class.” Cheng Mi said to her.
Chu Xinhuo nodded.
She turned off the water to leave but suddenly stopped and said to Cheng Mi: “Be careful of Zheng Hongkai recently.”
They were all in Class 4, so Chu Xinhuo naturally knew Zheng Hongkai.
“What’s wrong?” Cheng Mi asked.
Chu Xinhuo was smart. She knew that the group of people who had a conflict with Li Zhiyu must have a lot of resentment toward Cheng Mi and Si Tingyan.
She said: “He went to find the person who fought with Li Zhiyu last night.”
Zheng Hongkai went to find Chen Zhaochi.
Cheng Mi wasn’t too surprised. After his feud with her broke out, Zheng Hongkai never came back to school.
His hand was almost crippled, he was detained, punished by the school, and everyone despised and spat at him.
It would be strange if he didn’t hate Cheng Mi with his narrow-mindedness.
And the last time she saw Chen Zhaochi with him at the barbecue restaurant, Cheng Mi knew that evil would be drawn to evil and that Zheng Hongkai would get together with Chen Zhaochi.
Cheng Mi smiled at Chu Xinhuo: “Thanks.”
________________________________________
Twelve a.m.
The lights in the bar were swaying, and the electronic music was blasting.
Zheng Hongkai got up from the sofa, reached across the table to pour a drink for Chen Zhaochi, and his voice was hoarse in the roaring room: “Damn, bro, you’re awesome! You managed to escape from the hospital!”
Chen Zhaochi wasn’t wearing a hospital gown. His face was covered in bruises. There were open wounds on his face. It didn’t make him look pathetic; instead, it added a touch of brutality and menace.
His legs weren’t crippled. He could still walk, so they couldn’t keep him confined.
Chen Zhaochi seemed to be the same as usual, and yet he wasn’t.
Lately, he had been serious and manic, and there was no smile on his face. But tonight, he was smiling as usual, but it was a smile that was clearly just on the surface and always felt a little creepy.
The people drinking here tonight were the usual group: Li Chu, Qi Yunmiao, Zheng Hongkai, and a few other familiar faces.
Since Qi Yunmiao had teamed up with Chen Zhaochi to spread rumors about Cheng Mi, she had been connected to Chen Zhaochi. They occasionally drank together at night. She had been in Chen Zhaochi’s circle even longer than Li Chu.
She was sitting on the side, not very interested in listening to them talk.
Li Chu was being hugged by Chen Zhaochi next to him.
Zheng Hongkai clinked his glass with Chen Zhaochi and asked him: “I went there last night, and the police were asking questions. Did they come today?”
Chen Zhaochi looked at him: “What do you think?”
They would definitely continue to ask questions and would also do an injury assessment. This was already a criminal case. Li Zhiyu’s mistake was hitting him. If he hit him, Li Zhiyu would also be held responsible.
At this age, they weren’t afraid of death. They fought without thinking about the consequences. They were young and hot-headed. The one who hit the hardest was the one who had the most face.
Zheng Hongkai said with fawning flattery: “Li Zhiyu, that son of a bitch. Damn, I’ve been hating him for a long time. Damn, I finally got some revenge today!”
He talked as if he was the one who had beaten him.
Chen Zhaochi didn’t speak. His face suddenly became gloomy at one point.
He had always been indifferent to Zheng Hongkai, but he suddenly turned to him: “You hate Cheng Mi too, right?”
Zheng Hongkai snorted through his nose: “That bitch. I’m going to kill her.”
He vented his anger through gritted teeth, but was choked by Chen Zhaochi’s next words.
“When?” Chen Zhaochi sounded casual, but his eyes were on him.
Zheng Hongkai almost couldn’t respond: “I’ll see. I haven’t figured out how to kill her yet.”
Today, Chen Zhaochi seemed to have a lot of patience with Zheng Hongkai: “Isn’t it easy?”
Chen Zhaochi poked at Zheng Hongkai’s sore spot in front of everyone: “You just groped her, and you didn’t even get to do it, and she messed you up like this. Your hand is almost crippled, you can’t go back to school, and everyone is cursing you. Didn’t your dad beat you up again when you got home today?”
He said, gesturing to the injury on his arm.
At this age, boys cared about their pride. Zheng Hongkai was immediately hit where it hurt. He pulled down his sleeve to save face: “Fuck, I’m the one who chose not to go to school!”
His frustration and anger toward Cheng Mi were already written all over his face.
Chen Zhaochi said: “What’s the rush? Save that anger for when you get to fuck her later.”
As soon as these words were said, the faces of everyone with their own thoughts around him paused.
Including Li Chu and Qi Yunmiao.
Li Chu quickly returned to her natural state. Qi Yunmiao looked at him with a faint glance.
Chen Zhaochi said to Zheng Hongkai: “You groped her and didn’t succeed, and you got messed up like this. Then get your revenge.”
The electronic music was fanning the flames.
“Don’t you hate Si Tingyan? You can deal with him too, and sleep with his woman. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, isn’t that great?”
“Get a few more people. It’ll be even better,” he smiled.
For a moment, Zheng Hongkai felt his scalp tingle from Chen Zhaochi’s gaze, but even more so, his anger and ambition surged. No one said anything.
At this moment, Qi Yunmiao, who disliked Cheng Mi the most here, suddenly spoke up: “Chen Zhaochi, aren’t you disgusting?”
Chen Zhaochi heard this and looked at her, his eyes wandering: “What? You should be happy that I’m dealing with Cheng Mi for you.”
“Is it honorable to use such despicable means?”
Chen Zhaochi looked at her, saying one word at a time.
“To make people’s lives miserable, you have to use despicable means.”
He said: “Qi Yunmiao, you’re not so noble. What you did before wasn’t much better. Didn’t you spread rumors that she was a prostitute? Now that it’s about to become true, don’t tell me you’re not happy?”
Qi Yunmiao was silent, looking at him.
At this moment, Zheng Hongkai spoke up, trying to smooth things over because of Qi Yunmiao: “Let’s drink, let’s drink.”
________________________________________
The clouds were high on Wednesday. There was occasional sunlight.
Si Tingyan and Cheng Mi walked out of the rarely-used bathroom on the sixth floor one after another. The passion was locked away under the scholar’s appearance once again.
One after the other, the two of them walked past students who were all wearing black and white school uniforms.
When they reached the third floor, Cheng Mi went straight down, while Si Tingyan went to the right, toward his own classroom.
Outside the classroom hallway for Class 1, Grade 11, Fu Xinwei tugged on Qi Yunmiao’s sleeve: “What’s wrong, Miao Miao? You seem so distracted today. What are you thinking about?”
Qi Yunmiao wasn’t interested in answering her. She had come from her own class to Class 1 after the bell rang, but Si Tingyan wasn’t here. But she didn’t leave and had been waiting here.
Even though she knew that Si Tingyan couldn’t be fooled by her rumors about Cheng Mi and that he wouldn’t like her.
She waited a while longer, and the class bell rang. Qi Yunmiao had to go back.
She said to Fu Xinwei: “Never mind. I’m leaving.”
But as she turned around to leave, she saw Si Tingyan.
Qi Yunmiao’s scattered thoughts solidified at that moment. After hesitating from last night until now, she walked toward Si Tingyan with almost no hesitation.
“Hey,” Fu Xinwei called out from behind her. “Don’t you have to go up that way?”
Qi Yunmiao ignored her and walked straight toward Si Tingyan.
Si Tingyan also noticed her.
Finally, they met. Qi Yunmiao stopped in front of Si Tingyan.
She looked at Si Tingyan: “I have something I need to tell you.”
Si Tingyan didn’t seem particularly interested and tried to walk past her.
Qi Yunmiao turned around and followed him: “It’s about Cheng Mi.”
Si Tingyan stopped and looked at her with a hint of coldness.
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