Looking for trouble
When the cold water splashed on his face, Ji Jiancheng sighed comfortably, wiping his cheeks with the towel in his hand, and the splashing water fell on the hem of Li Huaizhou's school uniform pants. "The water is too cold," he sniffed and looked sideways at Xie Mo, "Hurry up, or we'll have to soak our feet in cold water." Xie Mo had just turned on the faucet and had no time to collect the water when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He took out his phone and took a look, frowning slightly. He turned to Li Huaizhou and said, "Teacher Zhou called me and said he had something to tell me. You guys go wash first, I'll be back soon."
"What's the matter? It's almost time to turn off the lights." Ji Jiancheng muttered, but still waved his hand, "Go ahead, remember to hurry." Xie Mo nodded, put the washbasin on the table next to him, turned around and walked out of the bathroom quickly. The light stretched his shadow very long, and it disappeared as soon as he turned the corner of the corridor. Li Huaizhou stared at the empty corner for two seconds before retracting his gaze and reaching out to turn on the faucet - the water flow was thin and bitingly cold. After washing, he walked out with Ji Jiancheng. Before returning to the dormitory, he heard a chaotic sound of footsteps not far away, mixed with a few vague laughs and curses, getting closer and closer. Ji Jiancheng also stopped what he was doing, raised his head and glanced at the door, muttering: "Who is this? It's so noisy at this time of night."
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw Zhang Qiang and four or five senior boys standing on the path below the dormitory building, blocking the road tightly. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a wrinkled collar and messy hair. When his eyes fell on Li Huaizhou, they were like ice, with a sense of anger that had nowhere to vent.
Li Huaizhou paused with the towel in his hand, his heart skipping a beat. He hadn't expected this to have a sequel. Zhang Qiang had threatened to get back to him sooner or later, but he hadn't expected to run into him here. Ji Jiancheng also recognized Zhang Qiang, his face instantly darkening. He reached out to block Li Huaizhou behind him and shouted at the top of his voice, "Zhang Qiang, what do you want to do? This is a base, not a school. Don't pick a fight!"
"Looking for trouble?" Zhang Qiang scoffed and took a step forward, his shoes scraping against the ground with a harsh sound. "I'm looking for him. It has nothing to do with you. Get out of the way if you know what's good for you." He pointed his finger directly at Li Huaizhou, the mockery in his eyes almost overflowing. "Weren't you quite good at fighting last time? What's the matter? Today it's just the two of you, and there's no academic nerd to help you?"
Li Huaizhou stepped out from behind Ji Jiancheng, clutching a wet towel, his knuckles white from exerting too much force. He knew he couldn't fight here—the base's rules were posted at the entrance of every dormitory. Fighting not only required writing a self-criticism, but also being criticized and reported to the entire school. In serious cases, he would even receive a demerit. But Zhang Qiang's gaze was too piercing, like a needle piercing his body, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.
"What do you want?" Li Huaizhou's voice was very deep, suppressing the anger in his heart, "If you have something to say, just say it directly, don't pretend here."
"Pretending?" Zhang Qiang took two steps forward and approached Li Huaizhou. The distance between them was so close that he could smell the sweat on his body. "I just want to ask you, weren't you quite arrogant last time? Why, without that academic bully to protect you, you don't dare to speak?" He paused, deliberately lowering his voice, his tone full of malice, "I heard that you...seem to be an unwanted bastard. Only that blind Xie Mo is willing to play with you..."
"Fuck you!" Li Huaizhou clenched his fists so hard that his nails almost dug into his palms. His ears were buzzing. It was okay to call him a bastard, since he had been used to hearing that since he was a child. But he actually called Xie Mo... Ji Jiancheng was also anxious and reached out to push Zhang Qiang: "Can you fucking talk? Your mouth stinks. Turn left to the public toilet."
Zhang Qiang staggered after being pushed, and the five boys behind him immediately stepped forward and surrounded Ji Jiancheng. Zhang Qiang wiped his face, his eyes becoming more fierce: "What, you want to fight? I tell you, Li Huaizhou, this matter is not over today. You embarrassed me last time, and this time I will make you pay double!" Li Huaizhou took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down - he knew that he couldn't fight now, and if he did, it would definitely get out of hand. He turned his head and winked at Ji Jiancheng, lowering his voice and said: "Go call people, find Xie Mo, and the people in the dormitory, hurry up."
Ji Jiancheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. While the boys weren't paying attention, he suddenly swerved around and ran to the end of the corridor, shouting, "Zhang Qiang, wait! Stop using your hands on me!" Zhang Qiang didn't chase him. He just sneered and turned to look at Li Huaizhou: "Call for help? Do you think calling for help will work? Even if the teacher comes today, I'll still deal with you." He reached out and gave Li Huaizhou a shove. "Aren't you pretty capable? Why don't you fight back? Or are you scared?"
Li Huaizhou stumbled back two steps, his back hitting the wall, causing him pain. He stared at Zhang Qiang, his clenched fists tightening and unclenching again. He was afraid, not of Zhang Qiang, but afraid that if he took action, he would destroy the progress that Xie Mo had helped him maintain with great difficulty, and that he would become that "uneducated student" in the eyes of others.
"What? You don't dare to move?" Seeing that he didn't fight back, Zhang Qiang became bolder and took another step forward, reaching out to pull Li Huaizhou's collar, "I'm telling you, today I..."
Before his hand could touch Li Huaizhou's collar, he was grabbed by someone who suddenly rushed over. Xie Mo was panting, sweat still on his forehead, and his eyes were as cold as ice. He stared at Zhang Qiang: "What do you want to do?" Zhang Qiang was hurt by the grab and tried to pull his hand back, but found that Xie Mo was much stronger than he imagined. He turned around and saw Ji Jiancheng and three boys from the class following behind. They all clenched their fists and had gloomy faces. His heart skipped a beat, but he still said: "Xie Mo, this has nothing to do with you, don't meddle in other people's business!"
"He's my friend," Xie Mo's voice was deep, without his usual gentleness. Instead, it carried a chilling sense of oppression. "Try to touch him."
Zhang Qiang was a little frightened by his gaze, but he still said stubbornly: "Friend? Why are you protecting him so much? Do you know how..." Before he could finish the dirty words, Xie Mo suddenly let go of his hand, and then punched him hard in the face. With a dull thud, Zhang Qiang staggered back two steps, covering his cheek that was hit, and his nose bled instantly. He was stunned, staring at Xie Mo with wide eyes, and he couldn't believe his eyes - the usually quiet and nonchalant college bully would actually hit someone?
"Damn it, you lunatic!" Zhang Qiang reacted and screamed, "Fighting in the base will be punished! Are you crazy?"
Xie Mo didn't say anything, but took a step forward, blocking Li Huaizhou. The coldness in his eyes was almost enough to frostbite people: "Even if I have to be punished, I will drag you down with me." His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, and it was heard by everyone with an unquestionable ruthlessness. Li Huaizhou stood behind Xie Mo, looking at his not-so-generous but unusually firm back, and felt like something hit his heart hard - he had only seen Xie Mo like this twice, both times for him, without his usual gentleness, but in the most direct way, protecting him behind him.
Zhang Qiang was frightened by Xie Mo's momentum, but he was still unwilling to give up. He wiped the blood from his nose and shouted to the four boys behind him: "Go on, brothers! Knock them down!" The three boys looked at each other and were about to step forward when they were stopped by Ji Jiancheng and the boys in the class. Ji Jiancheng clenched his fist and punched one of the boys on the shoulder: "You treat us like air?"
For a moment, the path was in chaos. The muffled thud of fists hitting bodies and the muffled groans and curses of the boys mixed together, making people's ears hurt. Li Huaizhou looked at Xie Mo who was blocking him, and suddenly reacted. He clenched his fist, rushed forward and punched Zhang Qiang in the back - he couldn't let Xie Mo bear this alone, and he couldn't let Xie Mo be punished because of him.
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard in the corridor, accompanied by Shen Jianhong's stern scolding: "What are you doing! All of you!"
Everyone stopped and turned to look at the door. Shen Jianhong and Zhou Yu stood there, their faces livid. Shen Jianhong, in particular, had his dark blue uniform collar slightly open from his rapid breathing. His eyes, blazing behind his lenses, scanned the mess on the floor and the blood on Zhang Qiang's face. His voice was so deep it could drip water: "This is outrageous! How dare you fight in the base! Everyone, get out!"
No one dared to move; everyone hung their heads. Zhou Yu walked over, first glancing at Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou with worry in his eyes, then looking at Zhang Qiang and the senior boys, his brows furrowed tightly. "Go upstairs!" The office lights were so bright that they hurt the eyes. Shen Jianhong sat behind the desk, a thermos in hand, his fingers tapping heavily on the tabletop, making a "dong dong" sound that seemed to knock on everyone's heart.
"Tell me, what happened?" Shen Jianhong's eyes swept over everyone and finally landed on Zhang Qiang. "You tell me first, why did you fight?" Zhang Qiang covered his still bleeding nose, his eyes dodging, but he still insisted: "Li Huaizhou started it first! He..." "You're talking nonsense!" Ji Jiancheng immediately retorted, "It was obviously you who started the fight first, and you pushed Huaizhou. Xie Mo stopped you, and you still wanted to fight!"
"That's right, we all saw it, you were the first to start it," the boys in the class echoed. Zhang Qiang was speechless, his face flushed and then pale. Shen Jianhong frowned and turned to look at Xie Mo: "Xie Mo, tell me, what happened?" Xie Mo stood straight, his face no longer cold, returning to his usual expressionless look. He looked at Shen Jianhong, his voice calm but clear: "Zhang Qiang was the first to cause trouble for Li Huaizhou, and he said some bad things, and he pushed him first, so I started to start it."
"What?" Zhou Yu immediately pressed on, his eyes filled with worry. He knew Li Huaizhou's situation, so he usually tolerated even the smallest things. Xie Mo paused, glanced sideways at Li Huaizhou, and saw that he lowered his head, his hair hanging down, covering his eyes. He continued, "It's just... very unpleasant words." Zhou Yu's face darkened, and he turned to look at Zhang Qiang: "Did you really say that?"
Zhang Qiang opened his mouth to refute, but lowered his head under Zhou Yu's gaze, not daring to speak. Shen Jianhong sighed heavily, and put the thermos cup in his hand on the table with a "bang" sound: "The base has regulations. No matter the reason for fighting, you must be criticized and write a self-criticism. It will be read in front of all the teachers and students at the opening ceremony tomorrow morning!" He paused, and his eyes swept over Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou, with a bit of disappointment in his eyes: "Especially you, as a role model for students, you actually joined in the fight, is that right?" Xie Mo didn't say anything, just lowered his head. Li Huaizhou raised his head, looked at Shen Jianhong, and said softly: "It's my fault. It has nothing to do with Xie Mo. Just punish me."
"What's the connection?" Shen Jianhong glared at him. "If you used violence, it's a connection. Everyone must write a self-criticism, no less than 3,000 words, and hand it to me before 7 a.m. tomorrow. Not a single word less!" It was almost ten o'clock when they came out of the office. Most of the lights in the corridor were off, and only the emergency lights emitted a faint light, illuminating the ground. The boys in the class left first. Ji Jiancheng patted Li Huaizhou on the shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry. If I had called for help earlier, this wouldn't have happened."
"It has nothing to do with you." Li Huaizhou shook his head, his voice a little hoarse, "This is originally my own business." Ji Jiancheng wanted to say something, but Xie Mo said: "You go back first."
Ji Jiancheng nodded and turned to walk back to the dormitory. They were the only two people left in the corridor. The emergency light fell on Xie Mo's face, half bright, half dark. Li Huaizhou looked at him, his throat seemed to be blocked. He wanted to say "I'm sorry" and "Thank you", but he couldn't open his mouth.
"Let's go back to the dormitory and write a self-criticism," Xie Mo spoke first. His voice had returned to its usual gentleness, but with a subtle hoarseness. He reached out and gently touched Li Huaizhou's arm. "You weren't hurt just now, were you?" Li Huaizhou shook his head, his eyes falling on Xie Mo's hand - his knuckles were a little red, and he must have used a lot of force when he hit Zhang Qiang just now. "Your hand..."
"It's okay." Xie Mo put his hands behind his back and smiled, "It will be fine in a while." Li Huaizhou's nose suddenly felt a little sore. He lowered his head, looked at his own shadow on the ground, and whispered, "I'm sorry, it's all because of me that you have to write a self-criticism and get punished."
"What are you talking about?" Xie Mo stopped, turned around, and looked at him seriously, half-jokingly. "How could I let my boyfriend be bullied?" The light from the emergency light fell on Xie Mo's eyes. Li Huaizhou looked at him and suddenly felt that all the grievances and uneasiness in his heart were dispelled by these eyes. He reached out and gently touched Xie Mo's red knuckles, saying softly, "Thank you."
Xie Mo didn't say anything, just smiled, stretched out his hand and gently rubbed his hair, like comforting a wronged kitten: "Let's go." When they returned to the dormitory, the other nests discussed how to write together. Li Huaizhou and Xie Mo found a table by the window, moved two chairs to sit down, and took out paper and pen from their schoolbags. The table was small, and their arms would occasionally touch each other, which was warm and comforting.
Li Huaizhou held the pen, his mind full of the scene in the bathroom just now - Zhang Qiang's ridicule, Xie Mo's back blocking in front of him, the dull sound of fists hitting his body, and Xie Mo's red knuckles. "Still thinking?" Xie Mo saw that he hadn't started writing for a long time and glanced at him sideways.
Li Huaizhou's face was a little red. He lowered his head and looked at his self-criticism. Suddenly, he remembered the snow pear candy in his pocket. He stretched out his hand and took out a lollipop from his pocket.
"Here you go." Li Huaizhou handed the candy over, his voice a little "sweet"
Xie Mo was stunned for a moment, took the candy, and suddenly smiled. He opened the candy wrapper and put the candy into his mouth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
