Chapter 71

"So last year, when he gave a apology under the national flag, he talked about these things..." Jian asked in a low voice.

Her gaze was too bright, and Chen Zhoujing inadvertently turned his eyes away: "Well, he didn't mess around anymore after that. Your cousin contacted him."

Jian Qingyao was much more ruthless than him, dragging Yu Chao directly to block the building downstairs.

Although Qian Xiaoren is not a good person, he is quite filial to his family. Every afternoon when he has nothing to do, he goes to his mother's stall to help pack things up and pick her up from school. On weekends, he works odd jobs at his father's auto repair shop.

Jian Qingyao squatted downstairs at his house, waiting for him and his mother to come home. He pretended to be a familiar classmate and chatted with his mother for a whole week.

He and Yu Chao ate his mother's cooking for free for a week, which angered Qian Xiao so much that he had someone block him.

Jian Qingyao wasn't angry. He didn't know when he had met a few young men from his father's auto repair shop. When they arrived, Qian Xiao was forced to explain that they were friends and even treated Jian Qingyao and Yu Chao to dinner.

Chen Zhou was shocked to find that Jian Qingyao was a genius.

It was after those events that my impression of him changed considerably.

He turned his head, Jian Sheng frowned, and was about to explain that Jian Qingyao hadn't taken action directly when there was a knock on the door.

Chen Zhou sat up straight, and the knocking grew louder.

He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Xu Weining didn't seem like a real person, fearing that Xu Weining might suddenly appear.

"Come in," he called out towards the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside in, and a cacophony of rustling sounds rushed in.

The two exchanged a glance, then looked towards the door.

Several people came out from around the corner, each carrying something in their hands.

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You guys....."

The people standing at the foot of the bed placed their belongings on the small tea table.

"Holy crap, Chen Gou, I missed you so much!!!" He Shang was the first to step forward, put the fruit basket in his hand on the table next to him, and put his free hand on Chen Zhoujing's shoulder.

"How did you get beaten up like this!" He pulled him away, then looked at his expressionless face and frowned.

"Your brother Chen has done something to rid the people of a scourge." Shen Xuzheng leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a smile on his lips.

"Why didn't you tell us? If you had, we would have helped you!" He Shang punched his shoulder.

Chen Zhou let out a startled cry and took a step back.

Jian Sheng subconsciously tugged at him: "You have a wound on your shoulder too?"

Chen Zhou stared at He Shang in surprise: "He's too strong, he's not hurt at all."

He smiled and saw that Jian Sheng still had a frown on her face: "Really, there isn't any. I'll pull it down and show you."

As he was about to pull on her clothes, he saw that she wasn't yelling at him as usual, but just waiting quietly. Chen Zhou's hand, which was pulling on her clothes, froze for a moment.

Xu Xiao spat and said, "How dare you take off your clothes in front of so many people? Shameless!"

"Who took off their clothes? Get out." Chen Zhoujing lowered his hand and said again, "Really, no one did."

Standing at the foot of the bed, Lin You walked over to Jian Sheng and put her hand on her shoulder: "If Chen Gou says no, then no."

"No means no." Chen Zhou winked at her, smiling without any temper.

Jian Sheng didn't say anything, just gave a faint "oh".

Chen Zhoujing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Xiaxia walked to the bedside, pulled He Shang aside, pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked, "What's wrong with Qian Xiao?"

He Shang wanted to speak, but after hearing this, he didn't say anything more and leaned against the chair, looking at Chen Zhoujing.

All eyes were on him. Chen Zhoujing leaned back and explained his conflict with Qian Xiao in a few words.

"Damn it, what an idiot! Is that all? He just messed with you because he didn't like you?" Xu Yanghe angrily punched the bedpost at the foot of the bed, her face slightly flushed.

Shen Xuzheng shook his head and walked to Qi Jing's side: "What he said was already very nice."

Qi Jing looked up, then casually turned her head away.

Shen Xuzheng happened to be wiping her head as she looked down at her soft hair, and raised his hand to stroke the ends of her hair, which were almost waist-length.

Xu Yanghe's expression darkened, and he walked away from Qi Jing. Just as he was feeling indignant, there were three knocks on the door.

They don't seem like they're here to see a patient; they seem more like they're here to collect a debt.

After the door opened, a boy wearing a hospital gown and leaning on a cane appeared around the corner.

His expression was sour, and there was a small, barely noticeable bruise on one side of his mouth.

The sparkling earring on her earlobe caught their attention first.

Yu Chao limped to the small sofa, sat down, opened his dark eyes, and casually uttered a curse: "Damn it."

“The patients in the next ward could hear you.”

Tell me about it.

His wild and unrestrained movements stood out from the more docile people in the room.

However, he didn't care, behaving as if he were with an acquaintance, his behavior appearing completely natural.

Shen Xuzheng walked over to him and sat down: "What happened to your leg?"

"He didn't say anything, so why are you all so agitated?" Yu Chao said coldly, "Bullshit, Yu Wang brought a group of acquaintances and led me and him into an alley..."

"Do you know how they tricked me? They lured me in first, saying Chen Zhoujing was inside. When I rushed in, I found dozens of people waiting for me. Although I have a reputation, I only have rudimentary skills. Damn it, I almost knelt down. Before I could even react, this guy had already rushed in."

"I just stared at him blankly..."

"Damn, this is the first time I've known that there are such narrow and cramped alleys in Yanjiang."

"They still had something in their hands, which they used to hold me and him, so there was no way we could escape."

“Those dozens of people inside were like lunatics, they didn’t know their own strength. They beat me and him up first, and when we fought back, we didn’t really dare to move because the man was holding a sharp knife.”

"I started fighting with him, damn it!"

"Chen Zhoujing is really ruthless when he fights. He doesn't care about friend or foe at all. I was almost thrown away by him."

"To injure the enemy by a thousand, you will lose ten thousand of your own."

Yu Chao tapped the coffee table with his cane, and amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, he casually picked up a bag of original-flavored potato chips that someone had brought, tore open the packaging, and started popping them into his mouth one by one.

In the silence, there were the sounds of plastic bags being torn and the crunching of his chewing.

His remarkably calm description made the battle seem like a trivial matter discussed with an old friend.

Xu Xiaxia raised her hand, then lowered it again. "Let them eat it. Consider it feeding the dog. At least the dog has a conscience."

On the bed, Chen Zhou chuckled, breaking the silence: "Didn't I beat you up back?"

Yu Chao chuckled and said, "Oh."

"What happened to you two...?" He Shang looked back and forth at the injuries on their bodies and faces. "You two didn't end up fighting each other, did you?"

“互殴个毛，他拎着我揍，揍的那些人围着看......”余朝啧了一声，“不过他还挺聪明，后面......”

“After that, I didn’t move and let him hit me until he was out of the alley. Just then, the police arrived,” Chen Zhoujing continued.

“You two…” Lin You’s lips twitched. “Ruthless people.”

“Who would have thought that those people were all big and burly…” Chen Zhou exclaimed again, “I don’t know where Yu Wang got to know these people.”

"Your conflict has dragged me into it, and you've even misunderstood me." Yu Chao's lips were pressed into a straight line.

"What misunderstanding?" He Shang asked.

“Those rumors were all made up by Qian Xiao from beginning to end, and had nothing to do with him.” Shen Xuzheng shrugged. “Qian Xiao thought that the two of them were irreconcilable, so he approached Yu Chao, used Yu Chao’s name to spread rumors, and finally washed his hands of it, stirring up conflict.”

"I'm really curious, what's going on between you and Shen Shuting? And what's going on between Qian Xiao and him? It's not just that he doesn't like you, is it?" Xu Yanghe clicked her tongue and asked Chen Zhou in surprise from the hospital bed.

Chen Zhoujing didn't speak, and lowered his eyes.

He Shang continued, "Yu Wang, that leader, is Shen Shuting's girlfriend. They had some conflicts in junior high school. Shen Shuting shifted the blame for Yu Wang being expelled and not being able to afford school to Chen Zhoujing, and that's how a series of things happened."

When Chen Zhoujing explained, he only mentioned the minor conflict between him and Qian Xiao, and briefly mentioned the incident with Yu Wang in junior high school. He Shang knew the details, but didn't say anything. Chen Zhoujing's nonchalant attitude clearly indicated that he didn't want to bring up the past.

"Damn, this is complicated." Xu Xiao rubbed his arms. "I used to think she was pretty, but she's so wicked. I must have been blind."

"And this Qian Xiao, he's mentally ill, acting inexplicably."

Jian Sheng, who had been keeping his eyes down and not speaking, slowly lowered his head, his index finger tracing the edge of the bed.

She remembered something Shen Shuting had said to her that day.

Maybe I liked the wrong person.

Once the bonds between people are formed, they are hard to break.

Jian Sheng may not have understood at the time, but at some point in the future, he will suddenly realize what liking is.

She loved him for who he was, so she accepted everything about him.

None of this should have prevented her from shining in her field.

"What are you thinking about?" Lin You bent down and squeezed her shoulder.

Jian Sheng looked up and saw that they had changed the subject, their faces smiling, no longer as heavy as before.

She pursed her lips: "It's nothing."

Lin You didn't speak, but quietly watched her for a while. When Chen Zhoujing came over, she slowly walked to the small sofa where the noise had started.

Seeing her leave, Chen Zhou coughed in surprise.

Jian looked at him and said calmly, "What?"

Chen Zhoujing pinched the back of his neck: "Hiss..."

"Does it hurt again?" she asked.

"Hmm." He nodded, blinked, and a hint of grievance flashed in his pupils.

Jian Sheng simply watched him quietly, without paying any attention to anything.

Chen Zhou's heart pounded: "Are you angry?"

"How could I dare?" Jian Sheng crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Anyway, she didn't tell me the details."

"No, I'm afraid you..." Chen Zhoujing stopped speaking, afraid that she would worry, but he couldn't say it.

Jian Sheng let out a long sigh and turned his head back: "I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

"Then can we stop fighting from now on?"

Her use of the word "be careful" sounded like a plea.

Chen Zhou was startled, then instantly enveloped in a warm feeling. He softly hummed in agreement, confirming, "Okay, no more fighting."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Then you have to agree to one condition."

"you say."

"You are not allowed to get angry with me for no reason, no matter who it is for, and you are not allowed to refuse."

"good."

"I'll treat you to sweet soup; you can't refuse."

"good."

"Once I'm better, I want to see the wheat fields again. You can't refuse."

"All is well."

"wait for me........"

"Oh dear, you've already stated three conditions..."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, these three will do for now."

After being discharged from the hospital, Chen Zhoujing treated a few people to a meal, which happened to coincide with the end of a monthly exam.

On the way back, Jian Sheng went upstairs and pulled Mai Tian down.

The two strolled leisurely through the residential area.

The evening breeze was warm, and Jian Sheng rolled up her sleeves to her wrists.

Chen Zhou noticed her subtle movements, glanced at her a few times, then looked up again. After she finished, he casually said, "I'm a little curious..."

Jian Sheng looked up and asked, "Hmm?"

"I've never seen you wear short sleeves." He spoke softly, watching her expression as he spoke.

I saw her expression freeze for a moment, then return to calm.

Chen Zhou was startled: "It's okay, wearing long sleeves means you won't be exposed to the sun."

Jian nodded in a simple voice: "Yes."

She had grown accustomed to wrapping herself up tightly, to enduring the biting cold winds of winter, and to the sweltering, windless feeling of summer.

"Let's sit over there?" Chen Zhou pointed to the lawn not far away.

Around 7 or 8 p.m., the lawn was crowded with people. Several children were chasing each other and laughing, while elderly people chatted and fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans. Several young people holding mobile phones occupied the seats.

The two walked to a quieter spot on the lawn and sat down.

"Wheatfield, sit down." Chen Zhoujing pulled Wheatfield down and gestured for him to sit.

As he waved passionately, Mai Tian slowly turned his head.

“Hey! Wheatfield!” He walked over and ruffled his fur a few times.

"Sit down, sit down!" Wheatfield still wouldn't listen, pretending not to see him.

Jian Sheng had already sat down, cross-legged, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Wheatfield barked twice, shook its head, and ran to lie down next to Jian Sheng.

"They actually won't listen to me!" Chen Zhou was shocked and discouraged. He walked over to her and sat down on the lawn next to her.