Chapter 80 (First Update)

The weather was lovely in the afternoon, with a hint of drowsy urging in the air. Sunlight streamed through the window into the classroom, falling directly on Luo Yan's profile.

She was unusually sleepy; although she was staring at the blackboard, her eyelids drooped uncontrollably.

If even she is like this, one can only imagine how the other students are.

The mechanics teacher talked for a long time on the podium, looked around, and tapped the table: "Wake up, everyone."

Luo Yan jolted awake, instinctively sitting up straight. She pinched her thigh, her eyes widening in pain, and gasped for breath. Yet, she had to force an innocent smile when she met the teacher's gaze.

The teacher laughed, "Where did you all go last night to steal things?"

Students who liked to chime in cheered from below, instantly making the atmosphere lively, and Luo Yan also became much more energetic.

But this brief digression only aroused a little interest; soon she had to fight her instincts again.

I didn't absorb much of the content from the lesson.

As soon as the bell rang, Luo Yan slumped onto her desk.

This was very rare for her, and even Zhou Xiuhe knew about it, so she kept passing by during breaks, hesitating whether or not to ask him.

But he didn't seem to have the right or status to ask. He leaned against the corridor railing, seemingly lost in thought, and lingered until the bell rang. Only when he saw Luo Yan straighten up and rub her eyes did he feel a little relieved and return to the classroom.

Luo Yan was unaware that she was causing others worry. She rubbed her face with both hands, and feeling that it wasn't enough to refresh her, she slapped her forehead hard.

It was already red from sleeping, and now it looks even redder all over.

The classmate sitting next to her looked and said, "Luo Yan, are you alright? Your forehead is so red."

Luo Yan couldn't see her current appearance. She couldn't help but want to yawn, but she turned her face away to suppress the yawn before saying, "It's nothing, I'm just so sleepy."

A classmate, having caught the virus, covered his mouth with his hand, saying, "I really want to sleep for a while too."

The teacher noticed that the class's condition hadn't improved even after a ten-minute break, so after teaching half the lesson, she simply gave up: "Alright, alright, that's enough for today. You can go back to your books."

Anyway, he always goes overtime, so he's never worried about not finishing his lectures.

No one was reading; a large group of people were lying down.

As a result, Luo Yan was full of energy when the school bell rang.

She decided to finish today's notes first, so she borrowed the class monitor's desk to sit in the classroom and write. As she was writing, she heard a cough and looked up.

Now that there was no one else around, Zhou Xiuhe asked, "Were you feeling unwell this afternoon?"

Luo Yan: "No, I'm just sleepy."

That's good. Zhou Xiuhe: "I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow."

They didn't have classes that night, so the whole dorm was going out for a meal to celebrate one of their roommates' birthdays.

Luo Yan waved goodbye, copied down the remaining lines, and began to study on her own based on the notes.

But if self-study were that easy, no one would need to go to school.

She couldn't figure it out by working on it behind closed doors, so she continued to study it at her brother's shop after school in the evening, and unconsciously put her hand in her mouth and bit it.

Luo Hong rarely caught her "making a mistake," so he tapped the wrench on the ground and said, "Claws."

Luo Yan didn't hear it the first time, but she realized it the second time: "I know."

Zhou Weifang happened to hear this when he entered the store and asked, "What do you know?"

"Why are you asking?" Luo Hong said. "No, don't you have any work to do? Why are you here again?"

They usually don't know how to be polite when they talk, but it's rare for them to open their mouths with nothing but disdain.

Luo Yan glanced at her brother strangely, but still tried to smooth things over: "They came to help."

Zhou Weifang was actually there to pick up the chains; he had run out in his shop. But he was going to go with the flow this time: "It's okay, I won't argue with him."

Luo Hong wanted to hit him with a wrench, his eyes practically rolling to the sky: "How many deals can I possibly handle by myself?"

That doesn't sound very enthusiastic. Zhou Weifang: "Everything is difficult at the beginning."

Look, they're even offering comfort.

Luo Yan covered her brother's mouth, which was about to utter something unpleasant, and said, "Ignore him, sit down."

Zhou Weifang, feeling smug, raised an eyebrow provocatively while Luo Yan wasn't paying attention.

Luo Hong gave him the middle finger and shoved his sister's hand away: "You go away too, I'm busy."

Oh, Luo Yan shrank back into her chair and noticed Zhou Weifang looking at the book she had turned upside down on the table. She didn't say anything.

Zhou Weifang remained silent, because he hadn't understood a single word, and after a while, he frowned and gave up.

Luo Yan smiled and said, "Don't be too discouraged, I didn't understand it either."

Zhou Weifang thought that everyone's "lack of understanding" must be at different levels, so he tentatively asked, "Why didn't you walk with your classmates today?"

He didn't expect to see her here when he came.

Luo Yan explained, noting that he didn't seem to have brought any books, but still asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Zhou Weifang shook his head, watched her raise her hand to slap her face, and asked, "Radish, do you have any mosquito coils?"

Luo Hong, unaware that his sister had been bitten, scoffed, "You're tough as nails, go back to your shop and be delicate."

Zhou Weifang: "Yes or no?"

Luo Yan assumed he had been bitten like her and said, "My mom should have taken it."

She got up and searched the shelves, standing on tiptoe to see if there was anything high up, craning her neck as far as she could.

Zhou Weifang: "Please sit down, I'll find it."

Luo Yan was truly unable to do so, so she gave up the space to him.

Zhou Weifang was tall and spotted it immediately. As he took it down, he pulled a match out of his pocket.

Luo Yan: "Give it to me, I'll have some."

Zhou Weifang: "No need, it'll burn you."

After lighting it, he nudged Luo Yan towards him, pulled over a chair, sat down, and remained silent, doing nothing.

Luo Yan didn't need to give her brother any special treatment and just read her book.

With her head bowed, bathed in the warm yellow light, she appeared exceptionally gentle and serene, even the few stray strands of hair looked demure.

After Luo Hong finished his work, he noticed that his childhood friend was staring at his sister. He reached out and put his arm around Luo Hong's neck from behind, saying, "I'm not busy, you can go back now."

Zhou Weifang shrugged indifferently: "I'm not busy either."

Luo Hong had known for a long time that he was shameless, and he became even more rude and aggressive.

The two looked like they were about to fight, which made Luo Yan look up.

But then she noticed Zhou Xiuhe standing at the shop entrance. She put down her book, walked past the two bickering men, and went straight to him: "Have you finished eating?"

Zhou Xiuhe: "I just finished eating. I guessed you hadn't gone back yet, so I came to try my luck."

Luo Yan touched her nose: "You've been drinking?"

Zhou Xiuhe, who was not a drinker, simply squeezed his hands together and said, "Just half a cup, just for fun."

He then reached over her shoulder to greet the others.

Luo Hong nodded in acknowledgment, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his childhood friend's forced smile. He thought to himself that he should have tied him up and sent him back earlier, and silently patted his shoulder.

Luo Yan had her back to them and was completely unaware.

But perhaps it was a man's intuition, Zhou Xiuhe was very perceptive, and he ran his fingertip across the spot in front of Luo Yan's ear: "Bitened by a mosquito?"

There were still people around. Luo Yan gently nudged him and said reproachfully, "Are you drunk?"

Why not pretend to be drunk? Zhou Xiuhe nodded: "Yeah, I'm a little dizzy."

As I said, Luo Yan said, "I'll take you back to your dorm."

Zhou Xiuhe: "No need, it's just a few steps."

His eyes sparkled: "The teachers are all on the playground."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan stepped back, feeling that the area near the school gate was also unsafe.

Zhou Xiuhe called her with a half-smile, "Yanyan."

Luo Yan stuck out her tongue, feeling a strange sense of unease. She thought her brother must be watching, so she put her hands together and said in a coquettish tone, "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Take your time."

Zhou Xiuhe was making a lot of little gestures today. He patted the top of her head and turned his head away, saying, "Brother, I'm leaving now."

Luo Hong couldn't wait for him to hurry up, but he still had to say, "Okay, slow down."

After everyone left, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Yan turned around and caught this moment, asking, "Brother, are you nervous?"

Luo Hong said awkwardly, "What do I have to be nervous about?"

She quickly changed the subject: "Does anyone want something to eat? I'm hungry."

Luo Yan raised her hand: "I'm hungry too."

Zhou Weifang's gaze swept over her reddened earlobes, his chest looking as if he had just performed a boulder-breaking act, and he said, "I'll go buy it. What do you want to eat?"

"No, no, I'll go," Luo Yan said.

Luo Hong, however, said, "It's alright, let him go."

He felt that his childhood friend probably needed some peace and quiet right now.

Luo Yan listened to her brother and did not stop him anymore, and continued to sit down and read.

After watching for a while, she noticed her brother was still standing in front of her and asked, "What's wrong?"

What could Luo Hong say? He weakly raised his hand and then lowered it again: "It's nothing, just focus on your studies."

He didn't even need to say it; it's utterly absurd.

Luo Yan's eyes darted around, then she suddenly realized: "Are you out of money?"

Luo Hong: "Yes, your brother is incredibly rich."

Luo Yancai didn't believe her: "You know where the money is, just take it yourself."

My sister's good, my childhood friend's good, and at first glance, Zhou Xiuhe seems good too. Luo Hong didn't know which side to take for a moment, tugging at his hair: "I know, I know."

Luo Yan usually makes eye contact with whoever she's talking to. But she was afraid of putting too much psychological pressure on her brother, so she kept her gaze on her book and spoke casually, thus missing this moment.

Luo Hong ripped out two strands of hair, wincing in pain. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and greeted the stranger, "Hello, need car repairs?"

The other person said, "Yes, can you take a look at this and see why I can't stop?"

There are no convenient service points at Jiaotong University. The nearest place to repair cars is a kilometer away. So when Luo Hong first opened, business was alright. He didn't make a fortune, but he was able to slowly recoup some of his initial investment.

When someone came, Luo Yan was even happier than her brother. Afraid of disturbing his business, she shrank further into the corner, completely unaware that the male guest had been watching her intentionally or unintentionally.

When Zhou Weifang returned from buying late-night snacks, he saw her, stood in front of Luo Yan, and gave her a warning look.

He looked fierce and menacing, and people, afraid of getting beaten up, quickly hid away, taking the opportunity to smoke a cigarette.

The smell of smoke inevitably drifted in, and Luo Yan wrinkled her nose.

Since they were running a business, it wasn't really appropriate to say anything if someone wanted to smoke. Zhou Weifang handed her a peach: "Smell this, it smells good."

It had a faint fruity aroma. Luo Yan took it and asked, "Where did you buy it? It's still open at this hour."

Zhou Weifang: "In the past, a tricycle was reduced to just these few hard parts."

Luo Yan wasn't surprised that he knew she loved hard peaches, because there was an embarrassing story behind it—when she was little, she once misunderstood Zhou Weifang for bullying other children and scolded him harshly. Later, when she tried to make up, it happened to be peach season, and she eagerly brought a peach to apologize.

During those holidays, people couldn't even get enough to eat, so who would have the leisure to buy peaches to eat? It was only because Luo's parents saw that their daughter loved peaches that they were willing to buy them.

Zhou Weifang had eaten one of these when he was a child, and after taking two bites, he knocked out one of his already loose teeth.

Seeing the blood flowing, Luo Yan screamed in terror, "Someone's dead!!"

She feels a little embarrassed when she thinks about that naiveté now, and touches her face.

Zhou Weifang also remembered this, and when he washed another one for her, he said, "Be careful of your teeth."

He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's money is obligated to do his bidding.

Luo Yan gave him a light glare, said thank you, and took a bite of the peach: "Aren't you going to eat some?"

Zhou Weifang joked, "I have a phobia of it, I can't eat it."

"Why can't I get through?" Luo Yan couldn't help but kick him.

Zhou Weifang neither dodged nor avoided the question, but when he thought of Zhou Xiuhe, his smile faded a little.

Luo Yan didn't realize it, but thought the peaches were really good. She thought she would buy some next time she saw a tricycle, but she didn't know if Zhou Xiuhe liked them.

Zhou Weifang could only see her smiling, and his mood improved as well.

After Luo Hong finished repairing the car, he looked at it and felt a buzzing in his head, whether from squatting for too long or something else. He pressed his brow and pulled a chair over to sit down.

The screeching sound of the chair legs scraping against the concrete floor seemed more like a warning. Zhou Weifang pretended not to notice and calmly said, "Eat, what are you looking at me for?"

Luo Hong picked up a pig's ear with his chopsticks, and the aroma made him speechless.

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Author's Note: Yesterday, while correcting typos in Chapter 78, I accidentally copied Chapter 79, resulting in duplicate content. Therefore, I've added an extra section to Chapter 78. Please refresh the page to check it again.