Didn't look at him
"Give it to me." Lu Zi also stretched out his hand, and Zhao Dakun quickly handed him a cigarette.
"Tell me," Lu Ziyi tapped Cheng Xiaorui's face with the cigarette box, "what would it look like if you smoked with this face?" He took out a cigarette and forced it between Cheng Xiaorui's lips, which were slightly open due to panting.
"Go away..." Cheng Xiaorui turned his head and spit out the cigarette, "What on earth do you want to do!"
Lu Ziyi chuckled softly and suddenly leaned close to his ear: "Take this pack of cigarettes with you. After school, meet in the alley behind the old teaching building." His voice was soft, but it carried an irresistible command. "The dean won't check on you, but we reek of cigarettes, and it would be difficult if we were caught."
Cheng Xiaorui raised his head suddenly, and met Lu Ziyi's deep eyes: "Don't be crazy, what does your investigation have to do with me? Why should I--"
"Shh..." Lu Ziyi pressed his thumb against his Adam's apple, the cigarette butt in his other hand dangerously close to his neck, "If you move again, you'll get a scar on your face, which won't look good."
Cheng Xiaorui could feel the scalding cigarette butt just a few millimeters from his skin, and he really wanted to tear the man in front of him to pieces. Cheng Xiaorui gritted his teeth, finally snatched the pack of cigarettes, pushed Lu Ziyi away with all his strength, and stumbled out of the bathroom.
Zhao Dakun looked confused: "Brother Lu, what's wrong with you? Aren't you never afraid of being investigated?"
Lu Ziyi stood up and adjusted his cuffs slowly: "Well, I want to see some fun." A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
After Monday morning's class, Cheng Xiaorui hid the pack of cigarettes Lu Ziyi had thrown him in the restroom in his schoolbag and ran to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was as noisy as a pot of boiling water at noon. He ordered the cheapest cabbage and tofu stew, which cost three yuan and fifty cents. He had calculated it so that he could fill his stomach and save money.
He sat in the corner with his plate in hand, the stainless steel spoon scraping against the bottom of the plate, making a small sound. Suddenly, a burst of laughter broke out at the neighboring table, and he tensed up reflexively, only to relax slowly after confirming that the laughter was not directed at him.
When he returned to the dormitory, the corridor was quiet. Cheng Xiaorui fumbled for the doorknob. The moment he pushed open the door, he found it was a six-person dormitory. Zhao Dakun and Zhou Mingxuan happened to share a room with him. Who knows why, maybe it was simply because they disliked Cheng Xiaorui, and that unreasonable dislike was enough to justify their targeting him at every turn.
Furthermore, these two were inherently malicious and sinister. Seeing Cheng Xiaorui standing at the door, the lively atmosphere in the dormitory froze instantly. Someone even coughed a few times, bringing the ongoing conversation to a halt.
Cheng Xiaorui returned to his upper bunk. As he climbed the ladder, he heard the lower bunkbed deliberately shaking the bed frame, causing the iron bars to collide with a sharp "clang." He pretended not to hear and carefully tucked his schoolbag under his pillow. Several springs protruded from the low-quality cotton wool, pricking the back of his neck.
Time raced against time, and Cheng Xiaorui fell asleep. Half asleep, half awake, he was transported back to the rainy night of his tenth year. The wheels of his father's suitcase rolled across the marble floor of the entrance hall, the sound like thunder rolling through his eardrums. Then a black Mercedes crushed the moonlight in the puddle. It was the year his father abandoned him and his mother. He trembled in his dream, and in reality, his fingers unconsciously clutched the sheets.
He woke with a start, his forehead drenched in sweat. He couldn't sleep, and didn't want to. His lunch break was short, so he tiptoed out of bed. Everyone else was fast asleep, so he didn't want to disturb his roommates. He glanced at Zhao Dakun, who slept with his mouth open. A trickle of saliva hung from the corner of his mouth. Zhou Mingxuan muttered a curse word in his sleep.
Cheng Xiaorui walked towards the balcony, a cool breeze caressing his cheeks. The iron railings were rusted and felt rough and grainy to the touch. He suddenly remembered that he still had something in his bag called a "perpetual motion troublemaker." This was the nickname Cheng Xiaorui had given them in his mind: those people had unlimited energy and were always looking for trouble.
Given Lu Ziyi's relentless nature, he'd definitely pick a fight again today. Cheng Xiaorui could almost imagine the mocking and malicious smile on his face, followed by the shoving and harsh words that would follow.
He couldn't refuse. Refusing would only make things worse, and the next "wait" would be even worse.
What Cheng Xiaorui feared most wasn't even the upcoming challenges, but the prospect of returning home—he dreaded the prospect of his mother seeing the bruises and scars he might have. Every time, his mother's eyes, always tender yet weary, would instantly fill with unconcealed heartache and tears. The mere thought of that image was more painful than any fist could ever strike him.
Cheng Xiaorui clutched the hem of his clothes tightly. The bruises from last week had not completely faded, and there was still a yellow scar on the inside of his thigh. It was the mark where Lu Ziyi hit him hard with a basketball, and he didn't have time to dodge it at that time.
"No fighting today..." He still had the painkillers he'd stolen from the infirmary in his school uniform pocket. His mother had become suspicious. Last Wednesday, when he lied about falling in gym class, she'd seen the redness in her eyes, just like when she'd found his school uniform buttons ripped off last month. Her trembling fingers traced his collar, but she didn't ask any questions.
Cheng Xiaorui took a deep breath and touched the three remaining coins in his pocket - he had to go to the convenience store to buy concealer tomorrow. The last time he bought it, it couldn't cover the bruises on his cheekbones.
"Also... Mom's birthday is Friday. What gift should I get her..." The breeze blew away his mumbling.
————
It was afternoon physical education class, a sunny day in the summer. The plastic track had been exposed to the sun repeatedly, and some cracks were obvious. The students were playing their own games. Cheng Xiaorui sat in the shade of the sycamore tree, his sketchbook resting on his lap.
Screams came one after another from the basketball court in the distance, and that familiar yet unfamiliar figure was rising into the air.
Lu Ziyi's slender figure stretched like a bow beneath his dark blue basketball uniform, his fair skin and arm muscles flexing in smooth curves. With a swish, the basketball traced a perfect parabola through the air, and his sneakers scraped sharply against the court as he landed.
"Bang!" The moment the three-pointer went in, a tsunami of cheers erupted from the sidelines. Cheng Xiaorui saw five or six girls grabbing onto the guardrail and jumping up. One girl, wearing a pink JK uniform, was so excited that she threw her cheering stick into the air.
"Senior Ziyi, look here!"
"Ahhh, that fadeaway jump shot was so cool!"
Amidst the shouts, Lu Zi casually wiped the sweat from his forehead. His sweat-soaked basketball jersey clung to his waist and abdomen, revealing the faint outline of his muscles.
Cheng Xiaorui unconsciously clenched his pen. This bad boy who always had a stern face and was looking for trouble in the classroom now had a bright smile on his face that he had never seen before.
Suddenly, a petite figure on the sidelines caught Cheng Xiaorui's attention. The girl, wearing a pale yellow dress with twin ponytails, looked incredibly adorable, her hair fluttering like butterfly wings as she trotted. The mineral water bottle she clutched was shrouded in tiny droplets of water, reflecting specks of light in the sunlight.
The girl's sweet voice pierced the din, and Lu Zi turned abruptly, his frozen brows melting instantly. He trotted over, his tone tinged with unconscious resentment and heartache, "Didn't I tell you to wait in the shade?" As he bent, beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and as he took the water, his knuckles brushed the girl's cheek.
The girl with twin ponytails stood on tiptoe and suddenly threw her arms around Lu Ziyi's waist. Gasps echoed from the sidelines, especially from the girls, whose eyes widened in shock.
The hand, still wearing a wristband, hung in mid-air, hesitating for a few seconds before finally landing gently, almost clumsily, on the girl's back. "Alright," he lowered his voice, a gentleness Cheng Xiaorui had never heard before, "I'm all sweaty, and I'm going to stain your skirt."
The girl looked up. "But I'm transferring schools next semester..." Those words flicked a switch. Lu Ziyi suddenly removed his wristband and slipped it around the girl's wrist. The oversized wristband immediately slipped down to her elbow. He lowered his head and said something. The girl's tears and laughter echoed through the sidelines, causing heartbroken sighs to echo.
Cheng Xiaorui was stunned. It turned out that the guy who only took the lead in bullying others could also look at others with such doting eyes. It turned out that his bony fingers could not only tear up my homework books, but also wipe away other people's tears so carefully.
“…”
At this moment, Zhao Dakun came running over and put his arms around Lu Ziyi's neck, staring at the girl with sparkling eyes: "Sister Wanqing is here again! You are getting cuter and cuter..."
"Ahem!" A deliberate dry cough interrupted him. It was Zhou Mingxuan. With a playful smile on his face, he nudged Zhao Dakun with his elbow, "Don't dwell on it. Sister Wanqing has only Brother Lu in her heart from beginning to end..."
"Go away! Can you think a little healthier?" Zhao Dakun gave him a middle finger in annoyance. "I'm just appreciating it, and it's not good enough!"
"Brother Dakun! Brother Mingxuan! You're here too!" The girl turned around, smiling brightly, "I'll go get you some water too!"
"No, no, no! Sister Wanqing, you can't do that!" Zhou Mingxuan smiled and waved his hands quickly, "Don't bother in this hot weather, we can buy it ourselves, thank you for your kindness!" Cheng Xiaorui just looked at them and couldn't hear the conversation over there at all. Unexpectedly, Lu Ziyi suddenly turned around, his eyes fixed on him across half of the playground.
Oh my god, what a coincidence! Cheng Xiaorui was shocked.
Cheng Xiaorui slammed the sketchbook shut on his lap, as if burned by that gaze. He stood up too quickly, slamming his knee hard against the hardwood edge of the bench. A sharp pain shot up his nerves, causing his temples to throb.
He gasped and frantically held onto the bench. It was then that he realized—he had been sitting in this position for so long, but the sketchbook was still a glaring blank.
"Oh my god..." He cursed softly, an indescribable irritation and guilt welling up in him, "Was I just...looking at Lu Ziyi the whole time?"
This realization filled him with an inexplicable wave of shame and anger. He clutched his sketchbook tightly, as if trying to convince himself, and lowered his voice, practically squeezing it out through his teeth: "Anyone who looks at him... knows he's a bully... I hate him the most..."
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