Chapter 12

Black motorcycles speed across the sea bridge.

The whistling and honking were incessant. Zhong Wan wasn't wearing a helmet; he stared intently at the headlights ahead, his eyes bloodshot, and faint traces of blood were visible on his forehead beneath his blond hair.

Tonight is his coming-of-age night.

The day before the banquet, Grandpa made a special trip back to Vis City from the capital, Avalon. Zhong Wan was led upstairs by the old butler and made to kneel on the cold floor to await punishment, while Grandpa sat behind his desk, ignoring him and concentrating on his work.

I don't know how much time passed.

Zhong Lin finally looked up from his work, came to Zhong Wan, and handed her the medical report from the housekeeper.

"One is seriously injured, one is in critical condition, and one is still in a coma."

Zhong Wan smirked defiantly, "Punish me then."

Anyway, he's been beaten so many times since he was a child, and all his skills were learned from his father. His personality has become more and more violent. His grandfather has always known this, but he has never disciplined him.

The father is to blame for not teaching his son properly. The way he is today is the result of their actions, and they should pay the price.

Zhong Lin stared at him and actually laughed: "Zhong Wan, do you think you're being brave?"

Zhong Wan looked up and met his gaze coldly: "I think I'm ridiculous."

Before Zhong Lin could answer, he continued with a sarcastic remark: "Who is this banquet for tonight? Me? But I turned 18 last month. It was my father who heard that you liked children born in September because he thought it was auspicious, so he changed my birthday to September without my permission."

"You feel ashamed to have such a stupid son, don't you? I feel ashamed too. Nobody dares to expose him, so every year they pretend not to know and celebrate for me. The way you celebrate is also embarrassing, you know?"

Zhong Lin didn't speak until Zhong Wan stopped talking, then said, "Are you done talking? Go wash up if you're done."

"Many business partners will be here tonight, so clean up properly. I'll have Butler Mo release you from your confinement at 7:30."

“Ah Wan, I know you’ve always been ambitious, otherwise you wouldn’t have consistently ranked at the top of your class since you were a child.”

The old man raised his hand and pressed Zhong Wan's shoulder firmly, his voice calm and authoritative: "On the night of the young master of the Zhong family's coming of age, even the greatest sins will be forgiven. I will not hold anything that happened before tonight accountable."

“After tonight, I will treat you as an adult. Zhong Wan, you'd better watch yourself.”

Take care of yourself.

Zhong Wan could only sneer.

He was stripped of all his smart devices, leaving only the watch on his wrist, and escorted to the solitary confinement cell. At seven o'clock, the watch suddenly beeped, displaying a password and iris scan.

Zhong Wan found it really interesting.

He laughed, thinking that the person who sent the password didn't understand the Zhong family at all. Besides the electronic lock, his grandfather was also guarded by a string of bodyguards when he was in solitary confinement. Zhong Wan opened the door, only to be met with a stun gun that grazed her forehead.

Fresh blood dripped down.

He became excited, his eyes red as he broke free from the bodyguard's grasp. As he passed his mother's room, he paused.

"Which dress do you think I should wear... Ah Wan? It's alright, the old man knows what he's doing and won't do anything to him."

The roar of locomotives filled the air.

Zhong Wan, expressionless, rode her heavy motorcycle out of the Zhong family's encirclement and onto the cross-sea bridge from the main road. The night sky and the motorcycle's headlights mingled before her, and Zhong Wan suddenly felt a strong urge to just rush off the bridge and die that very night.

Will his mother have any regrets after he dies?

He won't die.

Why should he die? He should kill everyone who makes him unhappy.

The motorcycle roared into St. Weston, crashed into the estate, and smashed the ornate decorations on the lawn.

The servants screamed, and the blond boy's temples throbbed: "Shut up!"

"Get out, all of you!"

No one dared to speak, and the servants left in fear, as if a ghost were chasing them.

Zhong Wan kicked over two tables, turned off the lights, and locked the manor gate, making it impossible for anyone to open it.

After doing all this, he suddenly sat down on the dining chair in the yard, looked down, and vaguely saw the dazzling array of food and cakes on the long table in front of him.

Although the lights in the yard were all off, the aroma didn't lie; the scent lingered in his nostrils even through the darkness.

It's so quiet.

Tonight was supposed to be lively.

Zhong Wan suddenly stared blankly into space.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

Suddenly, a cheerful voice singing a birthday song rang out from behind me.

Zhong Wan paused, then turned around abruptly with an icy coldness.

In the darkness, a boy unexpectedly appeared, carrying a cake covered with candles, and walked out of the room with a smile. His innocent face stopped in his tracks when he saw the messy scene in front of him.

Zhong Wan narrowed her eyes, and a few seconds later, she suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"Talking about peacock green."

He called out Green Sparrow's name word by word, stood up, and slowly approached the boy, his voice hoarse: "You're quite bold."

Did he send you the password?

What was he planning to do by sneaking in here?

Tan Quelu seemed startled, panicking like a rabbit, looking around for the servants: "No, I just came to give you a birthday present..."

Zhong Wan was displeased and grabbed his chin, turning it around so that he would only look at her.

Tan Quelu hates it when others touch him.

He slapped Zhong Wan's fingertips away and then smeared the cake with candles on her face.

The cream mixed with burning candle wax scalded the blond boy, causing him to recoil sharply.

Zhong Wan yelled angrily, "Tan Quelu!" His hair was on fire!

Tan Quelu, however, thought he was happy. She paused for a moment, then started clapping and screaming, "I'm here! Happy birthday, Zhong Wan!"

"Talk about peacock green!"

"I am here!"

"Talk! Bird! Green!"

"I am here!"

The system inside Tan Quelu's mind screamed with laughter: "Hahaha! Serves you right for showing off!"

Zhong Wan was furious!

Tan Quelu watched F1 burn for a few more seconds before taking pity on Zhong Wan and hurriedly picked up two bottles of juice filled with ice from the table, then poured them over Zhong Wan's face.

Sizzle.

The smell of burnt hair, mixed with the aroma of green grapes and cream, suddenly filled the air.

Zhong Wan's face was covered in icy juice and cream. Her perfectly bleached platinum blonde hair was singed a few centimeters off her forehead. A small piece of ice slid down from her temple, running along her sharp jawline and forming a string of dripping water droplets.

How pathetic!

Tan Quelu clearly saw the raging anger in his eyes, but she still couldn't help but laugh. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she tilted her head back and pointed at him: "Zhong Wan, you look like a drenched, creamy chicken, hahaha!"

Zhong Wan was so angry that she wanted Tan Quelu to get out immediately.

But as his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he saw the boy's beautiful face, radiant and joyful in the moonlight. That overflowing smile almost extinguished his anger.

How long has it been since anyone smiled at Zhong Wan like that? Pure, intimate, and warm.

He actually knew that Tan Quelu had overheard their gossip before the fight in the lounge that day. The other party had interrupted them when those rumors involved his mother.

So he didn't bother him again.

...If only Tan Quelu's methods of infiltrating this place were more sophisticated.

That way, I might be able to pretend to be blind.

Thinking of this, Zhong Wan suddenly lost interest.

He lifted his foot, walked past Tan Quelu expressionlessly, and slowly wiped the cream off his face with a few napkins.

After a long pause, Zhong Wan turned on the light and looked coldly at Que Lu: "What do you want?"

"Money, or designer clothes, jewelry, cars, and houses? Name your price."

Peacock looked at him blankly and innocently: "What?"

"Do you want me to make things even more unpleasant?" Zhong Wan's gaze was cold as she sneered, "Fine, didn't you come to give me a gift? Where's the gift?"

It's just an excuse, isn't it?

Tan Quelu murmured twice, "Oh, you mean the gift? Here—"

The boy looked down and pulled a simple gift bag from the lawn under the dining table. He opened it and found a large red handmade parasol inside.

"Happy birthday!"

"......"

Zhong Wan gritted her teeth: "Tan Quelu, are you kidding me?!"

"Where did I trick you?" Tan Quelu frowned, somewhat displeased. "This is an umbrella I made myself. I attached every frame myself. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

Actually, no, there are machines in the juvenile detention center. This one is a defective product that was returned because the green one didn't meet the quality standards.

Zhong Wan was taken aback for a moment.

Did he make it himself?

...That's true. Tan Quelu was a special admission student. You could tell from his clothes that he was very poor. He couldn't afford any expensive gifts, so he could only give things he made himself.

Take a closer look, this umbrella is actually quite beautiful. The vibrant bright red color proves Tan Que Lü's sophisticated aesthetic sense, and the comfortable feel of the handle demonstrates Tan Que Lü's excellent craftsmanship.

In short, it's in no way inferior to those five-figure umbrellas, and it's quite presentable.

Zhong Wan took the handmade umbrella, her tone disdainful: "...Okay, I'll accept it reluctantly."

Let's take another look at what clothes to wear.

Tan Quelu looked at him with a smile: "So you're not angry anymore? I'm sorry about just now, it was really just a conditioned reflex."

What kind of tone is that? It sounds like they're being coquettish. Are they even that close?

Zhong Wan twitched her lips, just about to make her usual sarcastic remark.

Tan Quelu suddenly raised her hand, her fingertips touching his forehead, and frowned slightly: "Wait, you're injured? It's bleeding here."

The boy's fingertips were warm, covered with a very thin layer of calluses. He wasn't gentle; on the contrary, he pressed hard, the calluses pressing mercilessly against the bleeding wound, like flames burning through the heart.

Zhong Wan reacted drastically, taking a step back and angrily shouting, "What are you doing!"

"I'm here to check your wound." Tan Quelu was baffled: "Are you sick? Why are you reacting so strongly?"

He turned around and said, "Then I'll call a doctor for you."

Zhong Wan's ears turned bright red. It was the first time someone had touched her face, and her heart was pounding wildly. An unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity was racing through her mind.

He gripped the umbrella tightly, intending to have a doctor handle it, but upon seeing the slender figure in the green robe, his hand moved faster than his mind, grabbing the boy's wrist first.

A cold palm touched and then withdrew: "Wait, don't go... I'm fine, no need to do anything."

Tan Quelu turned her head: "Are you really alright?"

“...Really.” Zhong Wan withdrew her gaze, staring coldly at the lawn. After a long while, she stiffly changed the subject: “You helped me celebrate my birthday, what do you want in return?”

Tell me, and I'll do anything I can for you.

Is it true or false?

Tan Quelu stared at Zhong Wan suspiciously: [System, is F1 really that generous with its players?]

The system affirmed: "The host already gave him a handmade umbrella, that's normal. The welfare NPCs all reciprocated with their handmade umbrellas!"

Too.

Tan Quelu smiled and shook her head: "No need."

"What do you mean you don't need it anymore?" Zhong Wan's mouth was habitually sarcastic. She frowned and stared at Que Lü, her voice cold: "Don't pretend with me. Just say it. I know you deliberately sneaked in tonight."

"You think you're being clever? You idiot. In the eyes of those in power, many things don't need evidence. They think that if you did it, you did it, don't you understand?"

"Hurry up and state your demands, or get out. I don't have time to watch your act."

That's incredibly stupid. You went to great lengths to make him happy, and now you're trying to take advantage of the situation to ask for something in return.

Without warning, Tan Quelu raised her hand and slapped Zhong Wan across the face: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the courtyard.

Zhong Wan stood frozen in place, tilting her head in disbelief as waves of tinnitus accompanied by relentless pain washed over her.

He trembled, staring at Tan Quelu with shame, shock, and anger, not understanding why the person who had just been smiling and wishing him a happy birthday had suddenly turned on him. He raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

He changes his attitude as quickly as turning the pages of a book; his change of heart when talking about peacock green is faster than that of a middle-aged impotent man.

A note from the author: