Chapter 8 008. Why do you hate me?

When Xia Chan and Shen Zhoudu came out after clearing Huang Mao's name, it was already past the halfway point of their lunch break. At this time, even if they returned to "Du", they probably wouldn't have time for a proper lunch break.

Both of them sighed for a moment.

Subsequently, the head of the experimental middle school really dragged Huang Mao to the head of the office and gave him a severe scolding, from his hairstyle to his clothes. Even after Xia Chan and Shen Zhoudu came forward to explain that it was a misunderstanding, they still didn't let him off the hook.

Huang Mao is only seventeen or eighteen years old this year. In the eyes of the dean of students, this half-grown boy who no longer goes to school and has dyed his hair yellow is a sign of a lack of discipline. So he grabbed him and gave him a good scolding.

After learning that Xia Chan often hung out with him, he scolded Xia Chan severely and then comforted Chen Zhoudu several times before letting them go.

At midday on campus, the sun was scorching, casting the shadows of the three people into tiny dots.

Huang Mao had been holding in his anger all afternoon. He had worked all morning and was exhausted, not to mention he hadn't eaten a single bite. He had endured his displeasure to save this pretty boy, and then inexplicably got scolded.

At this moment, her anger was practically boiling over, and she couldn't help but take it all out on Chen Zhoudu. As soon as she stepped out of the school gate, she glared at him fiercely, then tilted her head at Xia Chan and said, "Let's go!"

Xia Chan hesitated for a moment, glancing at Chenzhou Ferry, but decided to go with Huang Mao anyway.

Just as he was about to get on the motorcycle, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let her go.

Seeing him grab Xia Chan's wrist, the blond-haired man became even angrier, his eyes turning cold and menacing as he stared at Chen Zhoudu. "Let go."

He didn't release the sunken boat, but his gaze remained fixed on Xia Chan with a strange and persistent strength.

Xia Chan stared at him for a moment, slightly surprised, before silently getting off the motorcycle and saying to Huang Mao, "You go first!"

"sister!"

Huang Mao immediately became indignant. Xia Chan, however, patted him on the shoulder and ordered him to leave.

Huang Mao held his breath and finally gave up, muttering "Damn it" under his breath before starting his motorcycle and speeding away.

Once they were the only two left at the school gate, Xia Chan asked with a seemingly casual, teasing smile, "What? Are you worried that Sun Qiang and the others will come looking for trouble after we leave, so you're keeping me here for moral support?"

Chen Zhoudu showed no sign of a smile. His brownish eyes stared intently at her as if imbued with some kind of pressure, and he said firmly, "No."

What is that?

"I have something to ask you."

"What?"

"Why do you hate me?" Staring intently at her, Chen Zhoudu asked the question he had wanted to ask most these past few days.

Xia Chan paused in surprise, raising an eyebrow slightly.

She quickly gave an innocent smile, her usually cold eyes seeming to light up with a hint of amusement, "I don't dislike you."

Chen Zhoudu didn't reply; his lips simply tightened into a thin line.

Looking at his expression, Xia Chan inexplicably thought of how she had been acting like she didn't know him at school recently, and tried to ask, "You mean... I've been treating you like a stranger at school?"

He pursed his lips even tighter, truly looking resentful. Xia Chan's smile faded, and she lowered her head. She wanted to say that she just didn't want to attract too much attention, but in the end, she said, "Because you are different from the people here."

The sunken boat ferryman was slightly taken aback.

From the very first day he arrived, everything about him seemed to indicate that he was out of place in this small town.

Dressed in designer clothes, even a simple suitcase costing five figures, speaking in unintelligible Shanghai dialect, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and speaking politely but indifferently, he distanced himself from the people here in every way.

He was very polite, but that politeness was tinged with a sense of distance.

It was as if he was constantly reminding everyone that he was a visitor from elsewhere.

She admitted that he was outstanding, so outstanding that it was dazzling, and he was the most handsome and perfect boy she had ever seen in her life. But because he was too pure and perfect, he seemed even more distant, like an unreal ornament that could only be admired from afar and never touched.

Xia Chan carefully considered her words but ultimately didn't speak. Chen Zhoudu vaguely guessed where their initial problem lay and tried to say, "I know, the day I came... the uncle who accompanied me was a bit impolite to you. I've actually wanted to apologize to you ever since, but I didn't know how to say it. If that's the reason, then I apologize to you, Xia Chan..."

“That’s not the reason,” Xia Chan interrupted her, saying, “Actually, from the very beginning, you never considered yourself a local. Just like you said before, your father used to be from here, but in reality, he never respected his hometown, never considered himself a local, and never respected us.”

"Your dad's attitude towards us that day was actually quite indifferent to us. After all, we've seen plenty of oddballs from all over the country in the hotel business, and we can't afford to get angry. It's just that your attitude at the time told me that you're not from here. Since you're not from here, you're just a temporary guest, so we'll treat you as a guest! We didn't mistreat you because of this, and we even let you stay in our house, right? So I'm not angry, and you don't need to apologize. I just think it's fine for us to keep this distance."

"That's not my dad!" Shen Zhoudu said anxiously, unable to hold back his words. His chest heaved slightly, as if he had some unspeakable bitterness in his heart.

Xia Chan paused for a moment, then smiled indifferently and asked, "Is there a difference?"

Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment and looked at her.

Xia Chan looked him straight in the eye, her smile fading slightly. "When he clashed with us, where were you? Did you say a single word in our defense? Yes, you were complete strangers then, so you had no obligation to speak up for us. You didn't join him in insulting us, nor did you look down on us. You were polite and neutral, but politeness and neutrality are already an attitude. We were actually just treating you the way you treat us. Chen Zhoudu, sometimes silence is complicity. Your politeness can actually be hurtful..."

Staring at his increasingly bewildered gaze, Xia Chan's smile completely vanished. Finally, she said, "Just like that box of chocolates you almost returned."

That evening, after dinner, Chenzhoudu sat alone at the table, lost in thought.

When Grandma went back to her room to answer a phone call and came back to wash the dishes, she saw him sitting there looking sullen and couldn't help but laugh, "Xiao Du, are you unhappy?"

Chen Zhoudu forced a smile at her and rolled up his sleeves to help her wash in the kitchen. "Grandma, let me help you."

Grandma immediately waved her hands, refusing to let him touch it. Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment, then smiled and bent down, speaking softly as if coaxing an elder, "Grandma, I'll pay for two meals less, and you can let me help you wash, okay?"

Who could resist the gentle and handsome man's plea? Grandma Xia finally agreed.

The sound of running water in the kitchen and the occasional clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.

While washing the dishes and chatting, Grandma Xia took the opportunity to ask him why he was unhappy.

Chen Zhoudu didn't know how to say it, and said in a slow voice, "Xia Chan and I... it seems we had a fight."

"Oh?!" The old lady's eyes lit up immediately.

He still didn't know how to explain the situation, so he simply recounted everything that happened at the train station that day, sincerely apologized, and finally said somewhat blankly:

“Xia Chan said that silence is also complicity, and my politeness is hurtful… But Grandma, I really never intended to be an accomplice, nor did I look down on Qing Shui, and I really like it here. However, sometimes I really don’t know how to integrate with everyone, or how to close the distance…”

"Hey!" Grandma Xia waved her hand dismissively, chuckling as she wiped the foam off the bowl.

"In this world, how can people be perfectly compatible and integrated after only a short time of knowing each other? Even in TV dramas, there are always bickering lovers and love-hate relationships, right? It all comes down to compromise and tolerance. You've only been here a short time, and Chan and the others don't know you that well yet, and you don't really know Chan and the others that well either. If you don't know how to integrate, just try to understand, seek common ground, and try to integrate. If you really can't integrate, we won't force it! There are over a billion people in the country, and you don't know everyone, right? Besides, it's not easy to learn to be good, but isn't it easy to learn to be bad? Chan says you're a blank sheet of paper, good in every way, so isn't it easy to splash a couple of drops of dirty ink on that blank sheet of paper!"

Chen Zhoudu was stunned and speechless. Grandma Xia laughed heartily and finally sincerely suggested to him, "Why don't you try to find out about Chan Yatou and the others' lives first?"

Xia Chan, Huang Mao, and Si Yi did not come back for dinner tonight. Xia Chan and Huang Mao guessed that it was because of their unpleasantness with him during the day that they were deliberately avoiding each other. Si Yi was studying at the junior high school in town and called in the evening to say that she had an exam today and would not be coming back.

After washing the dishes, Chen Zhoudu went out alone in the dim light of the night.

He got an address from his grandmother and followed it to a night market on the south side of Tianhe Street. The night market was bustling with people at that time.

The Qingshui Night Market is also a local tradition in Qingshui Town, and it is usually only open in the evenings.

The night market sells all kinds of snacks and trinkets, making it a favorite spot for small business owners and residents of Qingshui Town.

Chenzhoudu followed the flow of people and briefly looked around the night market, with vendors occasionally trying to solicit his business along the way.

He smiled and shook his head, politely declining each offer. But then, in a fleeting glance, he suddenly spotted a figure at a stall not far away.

The night market was brightly lit, with small nightlights wrapped around every stall and the ceiling overhead, making everything sparkle.

She was still wearing her school uniform from the Experimental Middle School, her loose dark blue trousers casually tucked into her Martin boots, leaning lazily against the blond-haired man's motorcycle.

A makeshift stall was towed behind the motorcycle, neatly displaying toys with mortise and tenon joints, wooden bracelets, ornaments, and more, mostly made of wood. A cloth was spread on the ground in front of it with a sign that read "Secondhand Goods Exchange Station," and it had everything imaginable.

Perfume, clothes, lighters... The small blackboard next to it also carefully wrote down the requirements of the exchange station.

Basically, it means you can put your unwanted old items here to sell, set your own prices, for a period of one month, and they will take a 10% commission. If they are not successfully sold after one month, they will be returned in full.

Huang Mao and Si Yi were both by her side, occasionally shouting a greeting.

Siyi was still wearing her junior high school uniform, and occasionally Huangmao would pull down her ponytail and they would bicker and laugh.

When someone comes to ask about something, she squats down and patiently explains it to them;

The person didn't buy anything; he looked around for a long time and eventually left.

She then lazily leaned back, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched the two of them laughing and joking.

Chen Zhoudu was stunned, standing still not far away watching them for a long time. Unconsciously, he slowly walked with the flow of people to them.

Xia Chan glanced at him and seemed slightly taken aback, but her face didn't show any extra emotion.

The blond-haired man was dumbfounded, but the next second his expression turned fierce as he angrily shouted, "What are you doing here!"

A note from the author:

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Thanks to "Hoshino" for the nutrient solution! And thanks to "Fifteenth Floor" for the landmine! [Sprinkling flowers]

Goodnight, babies! See you tomorrow! Goodnight~! [Let me see...]