Chapter 35
As soon as Zhang Xiaotian reached the school gate, he heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw it was Lu Yibo.
"Zhang Xiaotian, wait for me!" Lu Yibo quickly caught up with him. "Is your leg okay? You're walking so fast."
"Basically, there's nothing wrong." said Zhang Xiaotian.
"That's great." Lu Yibo's voice was always loud. "I heard Lu Bai was living at your house. I thought it was a serious matter!"
"It's a bit of an exaggeration." Zhang Xiaotian said, "He went home yesterday."
Lu Yibo looked a little disappointed when he heard this: "Ah, you went home? I was thinking if he was still at your house, I would come to see you two one day. I just bought a new game!"
Bringing one home is already nerve-wracking enough, if I bring another one... Zhang Xiaotian smiled bitterly.
"I don't think I have any gaming equipment at home."
"Is that so..." Lu Yibo pondered, "Lu Bai's house is fine... Why don't we go to Lu Bai's house! He has all the necessary facilities! Hey, I saw Lu Bai, Lu Bai! Come on!"
Lu Yibo turned around and waved vigorously. Zhang Xiaotian also turned around and saw Lu Bai swaying forward not far from the two of them. He looked listless. When they turned around to look at him, he hid his gaze for a moment before quickly taking two steps to catch up.
"What are you doing? You didn't even respond when I called you." Lu Yibo went up and hit him, "We just said we were going to your house to play games!"
Lu Bai staggered from the blow but didn't react. He just lowered his head and said, "Oh, come on. You always come here and make my house look like yours."
"What are you talking about? Good brothers are inseparable. You can come to my house as you please!" Lu Yibo patted Lu Bai on the back and raised his chin to Zhang Xiaotian beside him. "Then it's settled. This weekend?"
"Lu Bai and I have to finish learning English first." Zhang Xiaotian said after thinking for a while.
"no problem!"
"Wait, wait, what do you mean?" Lu Bai finally came back to his senses. "Tian'er is going too?"
"Didn't you hear what I told you just now?" Lu Yibo turned around and looked at him, "Or do you not want my Tian'er to go?"
"Whose Tian'er? Whose Tian'er are you talking about? My Tian'er!" Lu Bai became stiff when he heard this, "Who said I can't let Tian'er go!"
"Okay, Tian'er, I won't fight with you."
Lu Yibo was too lazy to argue with him about this and asked him instead: "By the way, what's wrong with you? Why are you so listless this morning?"
"It's nothing." Lu Bai said, trying to cheer himself up. "I'm usually like this."
Lu Yibo smacked his lips. "That's not right, brother. You're not usually like this. You look like you've just gotten dumped by someone you've just dated."
Lu Bai was petrified upon hearing this. He was completely taken aback by his words: "What are you talking about? What object is there everywhere?"
His reaction was really a bit too big, and both Lu Yibo and Zhang Xiaotian looked at him.
Lu Bai was like a firecracker at this moment, his voice getting louder and louder: "Who is so-and-so like you, with your head full of that... thing everywhere! Isn't that stupid?!"
"Fuck, this can't be true, right?" Lu Yibo didn't expect Lu Bai to react so strongly. He couldn't help but go up to him and stroke his fur. "When did you start dating?"
Lu Bai kicked off Lu Yi Bo's hand and said "tsk" loudly: "You are talking nonsense... Forget it, I can't explain it to you clearly. I won't go with you two!" After that, he threw the schoolbag on his shoulder, walked forward grunting without looking back, looking like an old ox going to plow the field.
"I'll be at your house this weekend, so you can pour out all your grievances to me, bro!" Lu Yibo, enjoying the fun, shouted at Lu Bai's back, then chuckled twice and said to Zhang Xiaotian, "It's just that I didn't tell you guys when we got together. That's a bit rude of you."
Zhang Xiaotian nodded. He felt like he saw Lu Bai every day, and he didn't seem to see him getting close to anyone, so he didn't quite believe Lu Bai was dating. But he couldn't explain why he had been acting like this yesterday, when he was perfectly normal. He didn't clarify for Lu Bai, though; he'd probably explain it himself by the weekend anyway.
When Zhang Xiaotian arrived at the classroom, he saw Lu Bai peeking out the door. The moment his eyes met his, he lowered his head as if nothing had happened and even pretended to flip through the things in his hands. Zhang Xiaotian walked over and sat down, and when he put his schoolbag down, he secretly glanced at him.
The test paper was just finished last week, and this guy is pretending to be so powerful, flipping through it like it's serious.
Probably realizing his mistake, after a while Lu Bai cleared his throat vigorously, put away the test paper, changed to a teaching aid, and took a pen, which kept turning at his fingertips like an electric fan.
Zhang Xiaotian really didn't believe that he was in a relationship, but Lu Bai was really weird at the moment.
"What? Are you really going to my house to play games this weekend?"
After a while, Lu Bai seemed to be unable to pretend anymore and said something to Zhang Xiaotian. Zhang Xiaotian saw that he was still hesitant for a long time, as if he had lice, and found it both funny and incomprehensible.
"What? You don't want us to go?" Zhang Xiaotian said deliberately, "Then I'll tell Lu Yibo that I can't go."
"Ah? Who said I don't want to?" Lu Bai got a little anxious when he heard this. "Not to mention that Lu Yibo always comes, you have to come too! If you're worried that you won't be able to play it because you've never played before, I can teach you. It's so easy to get started!"
He takes it seriously when you tease him.
Zhang Xiaotian propped up his face to shield his mouth, afraid that if he smiled, he would reveal his true identity. "Then you still have to teach me. It's too troublesome." At this point, he turned his head away, not even looking at Lu Bai. "How about you play with Lu Yibo? You can play for a while longer."
"No trouble, it's fun to teach you!" Seeing Zhang Xiaotian avoiding his face, Lu Bai anxiously grabbed Zhang Xiaotian's shoulders with both hands and forced him to face him. "Playing with Lu Yibo is not as fun as playing with you... Tsk, how about we just go for it, just like last time, riding a bike? Wasn't it fun last time?"
Zhang Xiaotian was suddenly forced to look Lu Bai in the face. He was about to tell him off, but seeing Lu Bai's inexplicably serious expression, he suddenly wanted to hide. He suddenly felt nervous, thinking that Lu Bai didn't seem to be talking nonsense, nor did he seem to want to ask him a simple question like "Is riding a bike fun?"
"Then... if it's just the two of us, what will happen to Lu Yibo?"
"What?" Lu Bai was in a state of excitement and didn't react immediately after hearing this.
"At the beginning, Lu Yibo said he wanted to play his new game with us, and he also said that we were meeting at your house because you had all the equipment..." After saying this, Zhang Xiaotian finally felt that the atmosphere around them was no longer so tense. He breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Last time, we also agreed to play with Lu Yibo and the others, but in the end we didn't get to play..."
"What... ah, yes!" Lu Bai woke up from his dream, "Let's go together, yes."
"Okay." Zhang Xiaotian patted Lu Bai's hand, and Lu Bai let go of Zhang Xiaotian's shoulders.
The weekend rolled around, and Zhang Xiaotian was back at Lu Bai's house. Lü Yibo was already there, playing with Lu Bai in their room. Zhang Xiaotian, carrying the fruit Lu Bai's mother had prepared for the three of them, quietly sat down behind them, not wanting to disturb them. The two were so engrossed in their play that neither noticed the other person behind them. Lü Yibo's character died, and he dropped his controller. He tried to lean back and stretch, but he didn't notice what was behind him and ended up leaning against Zhang Xiaotian.
"Are you here?" Lu Yibo leaned back comfortably and didn't get up. Zhang Xiaotian nodded.
"Hey, hurry up, it's alive!" Lu Bai was fighting the BOSS alone, but no one showed up for a long time. He turned around and saw Lu Yibo eating fruit from Zhang Xiaotian's hand. He was furious: "Who are you ordering around? Get up from Tian'er!"
"Just eat some fruit, why are you in such a hurry..." Lu Yibo took another bite before speaking to Lu Bai's mother, "Auntie, these oranges you bought are so sweet!"
"It's sweet, right? I bought it at the morning market!" Lu Bai's mother responded with a smile.
"Tian'er, come here, stay away from him. He's so heavy he might break you." Lu Bai pulled Zhang Xiaotian over to sit next to him. Zhang Xiaotian sat down next to Lu Bai, his eyes still glued to the monitor. Seeing that he wanted to play, Lu Bai simply saved the game and started a new one. He and Lu Yibo took turns teaching Zhang Xiaotian, and the three of them played alternately until dinner time came soon.
"It's cloudy." Lu Bai's mother looked out the window and called into the house, "Yibo, Xiaotian, do you want to have dinner at Auntie's house?"
"Hey, what time is it!" Lu Yibo glanced at his phone and said, "I'm not going to eat, Auntie. I'm having a dinner party at my house today!"
"Then come next time!" Lu Bai's mother walked to the door and asked Zhang Xiaotian, "Where's Xiaotian? Let's eat directly at Auntie's house."
"I won't eat either, Auntie." Zhang Xiaotian stood up. "There's someone at home to cook."
"Then Auntie won't keep you two here." Lu Bai's mother called Lu Bai, "Lu Bai, please see them off."
Lu Yibo took a taxi as soon as he left the community, while Zhang Xiaotian was going to walk back.
"I'll take you home." Lu Bai also followed.
Two people walked side by side in the deepening dusk, and the moist air made people feel comfortable and anxious.
"We have to hurry." Lu Bai looked at the sky. "It might rain."
Although Lu Bai was holding an umbrella, they both quickened their pace. Approaching an alley entrance, they suddenly heard voices, one of which sounded familiar, followed by the muffled thud of fists hitting bodies. Both of them sensed something was amiss. Lu Bai glanced at Zhang Xiaotian and headed towards the sound. Zhang Xiaotian followed Lu Bai closely, approaching the alley entrance. He carefully peered inside and discovered it was Li An and a group of strangers.
The leader must have dyed his hair frequently; from a distance, his blond hair looked short and frizzy, resembling a lion's head. He was wearing a half-dried white sweatshirt. He looked much stronger than Li An, and his mouth was full of foul language. He was about to ride on Li An and beat him up. There were two more people following behind him, as if a single command from him would turn the fight into a group brawl.
Although it was a fight, it seemed a bit forced because it was obvious that Ang Lee could not beat him.
"Damn, smell the dog." Lu Bai squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, stuffed the umbrella into Zhang Xiaotian's arms, and before Zhang Xiaotian could react, he rushed over while they were not paying attention. Zhang Xiaotian was seeing this scene for the first time, and subconsciously wanted to follow, but was afraid of causing trouble, so he decided to hide and wait for the opportunity.
Lu Bai took off his coat and, while the men weren't paying attention, slammed it over Wen Zhongyin's head. Then, he punched him in the head, catching him off guard. While Wen Zhongyin was unable to get up, he tried to drag Li An along and leave. But one of Wen Zhongyin's minions reacted, howled, and lunged at him, grabbing Li An's pants before he could even get up. Li An couldn't get away, and Lu Bai had no choice but to stand back up.
"Fuck, you brought someone you know, what a coward, Li An." Wen Zhongyin yanked off Lu Bai's coat and was pulled up by the younger brother behind him. He spat and said to Lu Bai in a boastful tone, "Lu Bai, this has nothing to do with you. I'll let you off this time. Get out of here if you know what's good for you!"
"What are you talking about again?" Lu Bai asked Li An in a low voice.
"It has nothing to do with you." Li An had a swollen spot on his face and poked it with his tongue. "This kid is really a jerk. We agreed it would be just the two of us, but he was the one who led the others first."
"I told you you couldn't beat him, so why are you trying to act so pretentious in front of him?" If the situation wasn't inappropriate, Lu Bai would have wanted to crack open Li An's head to see if there was only the word "flirting" inside. He quietly glanced at the corner where Zhang Xiaotian was hiding, signaling him not to come out, and then tentatively negotiated with Wen Zhongyin: "Brother Wen, what did that brat Li An say? I apologize on his behalf. The school is keeping a close eye on you these past few days, so don't let this bother Director Chi."
"Lu Bai, you are quite good at talking." Wen Zhongyin smiled crookedly, "But the guy next to you doesn't appreciate your kindness. Don't think I can be patient forever. If you don't let me teach him a lesson today, I've been here in vain!" After saying that, he rushed up with his little brother.
Lu Bai had no other options but to charge forward. He first raised his arm to block the incoming punch, then took two steps back to dodge a sweeping kick. Although he had never fought before, his dodging skills were impressive, so even when he was hit, it was insignificant, and he could occasionally return a punch. Li An, however, wasn't as agile, especially since he was Wen Zhongyin's primary target, and he had to withstand several blows head-on. The funny thing was, Li An, despite looking like a tough guy, was surprisingly resilient. Wen Zhongyin and his men had intended for a quick victory, but Lu Bai's dodging and Li An's resistance forced the fight into a war of attrition.
"CAO, Li An, can't you just give in?" Lu Bai shouted at Li An while dodging.
"Why should I? Wasn't he the one who was looking for trouble?" Li An was beaten so hard that he couldn't even talk. "Fuck, you coward Lu Bai, if you're scared, just get lost. Damn, I don't need your help!"
"I'm really leaving, don't fucking cry!"
Although there were only five of them, the entanglement was terrifying enough. Zhang Xiaotian couldn't see the situation clearly from a distance, but he didn't want to rush. He gathered his composure, clenched his umbrella, and took advantage of the chaos to sneak up on them. He happened to see one of Wen Zhongyin's men trying to attack Lu Bai from behind. He took a quick step forward, aimed, and struck the man in the knee.
Lu Bai hadn't paid any attention to what was behind him. By the time he realized there was someone behind him, it was too late to dodge. He'd wanted to just take it head-on. After all, they were all students, fighting just to show off, so they'd probably hold back. But he'd been mentally prepared. The dull pain he'd expected didn't come. Instead, he heard a thud behind him, followed by another wailing sound.
The scene suddenly became as quiet as death. Everyone turned around and saw a handsome man standing tall with an umbrella in his arms. In front of him was a gangster with his back to him, kneeling in a very upright posture.
Note: This is Lu Bai’s personal perspective.
Zhang Xiaotian had only intended to help Lu Bai amidst the chaos, but he hadn't anticipated attracting the attention of others, leaving him frozen in place. Lu Bai, while mentally applauding, was already considering abandoning Li An and running off with Zhang Xiaotian. Seeing his younger brother kneeling before someone else, Wen Zhongyin's expression visibly grew uglier. Suddenly, voices echoed from the alley entrance.
"Right here, the beating is terrifying!"
It's said that people can't stand being talked about behind their backs. In the blink of an eye, several people suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley and were heading this way. The one leading them was indeed Director Chi from their school. Zhang Xiaotian was still holding the umbrella and didn't move. Lu Bai had already reacted. While Director Chi was still far away and couldn't see their faces clearly, he grabbed Zhang Xiaotian, threw Li An and ran away.
Zhang Xiaotian ran desperately, Lu Bai pulling him forward. He could still hear Director Chi yelling, "Stop!" from behind. They ran until they reached an unfamiliar road, stopping only after Lu Bai had breathed heavily. As soon as he released Zhang Xiaotian's hand, he plopped down on the ground. Zhang Xiaotian, exhausted, stood on his knees. This was their first fight, and their minds were still blank.
Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai's dusty face and said, "You just... scared me to death. Why did you suddenly get on top of him?"
"I'm afraid if I don't go up again, I won't dare to do it again." Lu Bai didn't feel any pain even though his face was bruised, and he was still grinning.
Zhang Xiaotian wanted to call him stupid, but he was afraid that if he continued to dawdle, Director Chi would catch up again. So he tried to catch his breath and stretched out his hand to Lu Bai: "Get up, and go!"
Lu Bai was panting and shook his head at Zhang Xiaotian. Just as he was about to speak, a muffled thunder sounded in the sky and raindrops as big as beans fell down.
Zhang Xiaotian had used too much force just now and the umbrella was broken. It was impossible for him to go back to Lu Bai's house at this moment, so Zhang Xiaotian took Lu Bai back to his house directly.
"Come in quickly! It's raining so hard!" Zhang Xiaotian had just opened the door when Lu Bai pushed him in. "I'm going to call my mom and I'll go back after the rain stops. Go wash up first."
"and you..."
Lu Bai spread his hands and showed him the colorful clothes on his body: "I guess I can't wash it off. I'll wipe it off after you finish washing it."
Zhang Xiaotian was worried about Lu Bai and was afraid that Lu Bai would catch a cold, so he quickly took a shower and came out. When he entered the room, he saw Lu Bai sitting on the edge of the bed with his bare chest.
"I want to find the clothes you put here, but it's not convenient to just look through your closet..." Lu Bai explained, but he sneezed before he finished speaking.
"Go wipe yourself first, I'll find it for you later." Zhang Xiaotian pushed him into the bathroom, threw on some clothes, and went in as well. Although Lu Bai had been beaten many times, they were only scary to look at. Aside from the ones on his face, which might not be concealed, the ones on his body were not serious. Zhang Xiaotian took a towel wet with warm water, not knowing where to start.
"Just help me wipe my back." Lu Bai turned around, "I can reach other places, I can do it myself."
Zhang Xiaotian wiped carefully, and was even more careful when he touched the wound, but he still heard Lu Bai's "hiss" when he touched it. As he wiped, he heard Lu Bai ask him: "Didn't I tell you to stay here? Why are you helping me?"
"When did you say that?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him.
"Before the fight even started, I told you with my eyes."
Zhang Xiaotian concentrated on wiping his back: "It's too far away, I can't see clearly."
Lu Bai said "Oh", and after a while he said, "How does it feel? Is this your first fight?"
"Nothing."
Zhang Xiaotian's hands were so light that he dared not even breathe hard. He had lied. Even now, his head still felt numb and his hands were shaking. He didn't understand why Lu Bai had been so reckless, but after thinking about it, he felt that he could understand. After all, he had been classmates with Li An for over a year, and he was not like him.
"Really? Come to think of it, you weren't afraid on the roller coaster last time. Tian'er, you're really brave... Actually, this was my first time fighting too, and I still feel like I'm still not over the excitement." Lu Bai actually sounded a little unsatisfied. "Hey, I found that everyone was just fighting randomly. Before the fight, I thought there would be some tricks or something, but in fact, they just hit whatever they could reach...hiss, be gentle!"
"Just bear with it." Zhang Xiaotian threw the cold towel into the basin with a "pop" and asked him, "Will that guy... come to cause trouble again in the future?"
"I don't know, probably not anymore. But it's okay to come here, there's nothing to be afraid of." Lu Bai looked at the wounds on his body in the mirror and clicked his tongue twice, his tone still carrying a hint of adrenaline. "Maybe I'm quite good at fighting... Damn, there's still some here, I'm burning even if I don't touch it."
"That's almost it. You can handle the rest yourself." Zhang Xiaotian had been planning to help him, but after hearing this, he lost all hope and turned around, opened the door, and left without even a glance. Lu Bai didn't seem to notice either. After Zhang Xiaotian came out, he could still hear him wringing a towel and crying out in pain from the bathroom.
Zhang Xiaotian left the bathroom and went to look for Lu Bai's T-shirt. It wasn't hard to find; he just had to open the closet and see it. It was placed uncomfortably in the center of the closet, away from the other clothes, neatly folded like a gift. Zhang Xiaotian took it out again, placed it on the bed, and couldn't help but touch it.
The pure cotton white T-shirt felt incredibly soft to the touch, with a small embroidered logo on the left chest. Perhaps thanks to the scent beads, the piece still retained a faint fragrance even after being left for so long, though the scent wasn't as pronounced as when it first arrived. Zhang Xiaotian lay on the bed, caressing the texture of the piece. The scent wasn't as comforting as usual; instead, it felt more and more oppressive the more he sniffed at it. Yet, he couldn't help but lean in closer to sniff.
They would fight for classmates with whom they had an average relationship, and would even treat the homes of those they had a close relationship with as their own. It seemed as if as long as they were called "brothers", they would give their heart to them. Zhang Xiaotian suddenly felt that it was not worth losing sleep over Lu Bai before. Maybe his words that night, "The sky is different again" were just a lie.
When Lu Bai came out, Zhang Xiaotian was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at his phone. There was a set of clothes on the bed that he had never seen before.
"I can't find yours. Maybe Auntie washed it." Zhang Xiaotian pointed to the set on the bed. "Wear mine."
Lu Bai picked it up and was about to put it on when Zhang Xiaotian called him back, "Come over and apply the medicine first."
Lu Bai said "Oh" and obediently walked over to sit next to Zhang Xiaotian. Ever since Secretary Wang found out Zhang Xiaotian had sprained his ankle, the family had a lot more medicine on hand. Zhang Xiaotian squeezed some ointment onto a cotton swab and pressed it directly onto Lu Bai's wound, causing him to shiver in pain.
"Gently, gently! The weather is so strong!" Lu Bai grinned, "But it's no wonder. The umbrella was broken. I guess that kid's legs will be sore for a few days."
Thinking of the umbrella, Zhang Xiaotian didn't dare to be so angry anymore. He lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I broke the umbrella."
"It's okay. I've used that umbrella for a long time and it should have broken long ago." Lu Bai didn't care and laughed, "Oh, my Tian'er has really made it. He even learned how to sneak attack. Hahahaha, didn't you see how gloomy that dog's face is? This time he must be so angry that he can't even sleep. Hahahaha!"
Zhang Xiaotian was really angry and wanted to laugh when he saw his heartless look. But when he thought that he might stand up for others without thinking in the future, he couldn't laugh at all.
"Was Tian'er worried about me just now?"
"What are you worried about?" Zhang Xiaotian found a Band-Aid and handed it to Lu Bai, then tapped the corner of his mouth. "You should think of an excuse first. Won't your mother scold you when you get home? Won't Teacher Zhang question you?"
"It's okay. You won't be able to see anything once the swelling goes down." Lu Bai chuckled again, "My Tian'er is worried about me and even helps me fight. He really is a good brother!"
Good brother. Zhang Xiaotian felt inexplicably discouraged when he heard this word, and said with gritted teeth: "Yes, good brother."
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