Chapter 69, the last word was only half uttered...
He uttered half of the last word, and a sharp pain shot through his face.
Wang Kan tilted his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Getting punched was to be expected, but he didn't want to bite his tongue as an extra blow. He glared coldly at Guan Yang, showing no restraint whatsoever, and his punches were utterly ruthless.
In an instant, Guan Yang knew he shouldn't have hit him. Regret, self-blame, worry... all sorts of emotions rolled down like stones from a mountaintop, but were immediately swallowed up by the raging anger that swept in like a mudslide. But Wang Kan's annoying smile made him unable to resist, and he threw another punch, only to have it blocked. He couldn't throw the punch or pull it back, and his knuckles ached from being squeezed. In the stalemate, he was suddenly thrown away like trash.
Enraged, Guan Yang cursed and charged forward again.
"Hello!"
Wang Kan's car was parked outside the yard. When the grandparents saw that Guan Yang hadn't returned, they asked Fang Minzhou to go out and check. She saw Guan Yang being held down on the ground by Wang Kan. Fang Minzhou was startled and quickly ran over. When she saw her, Guan Yang struggled even more fiercely.
Fang Minzhou called out Wang Kan's name and tried to pull him up. Wang Kan looked up at Fang Minzhou, sneered, and got up to release Guan Yang.
Whether he hits someone or gets hit, it's always his fault.
The fleeting disappointment on his face startled Fang Minzhou. Guan Yang suddenly jumped up, ready to hit someone. Fang Minzhou quickly called out to him, but Guan Yang was too engrossed to hear. Wang Kan grabbed his hand again. Fang Minzhou was frantic and stepped forward to try to separate the two, angrily yelling, "What are you doing?!"
Wang Kan shook off Guan Yang once again. Guan Yang staggered back a step, but was stopped by Fang Minzhou. He swallowed hard, trying to control himself, but still glared at Wang Kan like a defiant calf, panting heavily.
It was completely dark. The car headlights cast two straight beams of light, spreading out aimlessly without end. Fang Minzhou stood between the two, sweating profusely from trying to break up the fight. The evening breeze blew by, but her heart was still pounding.
She glanced at Wang Kan again, and after their eyes met and she confirmed that he was relatively calm, Fang Min turned her attention to Guan Yang and asked, "Are you injured anywhere?"
She felt a lingering fear; the scene just now was like a nightmare repeating itself. She didn't dare to think about what would happen to Wang Kan if something had happened to Guan Yang. Fortunately, Guan Yang only seemed to have a few scratches and was otherwise fine.
The wounded beast lurked in the darkness, still dangerous and aggressive, yet also pitiful. He was indeed injured; the light was dim, making it difficult to see clearly, and it appeared there was a split at the corner of his mouth.
Fang Minzhou opened her mouth.
Many years ago, in that summer when he was eighteen, he saw her in the same way.
Memories buried at the bottom of the box are weathered away, the past overlaps with reality, and Fang Minzhou feels like a towel being twisted hard, with a gradually drying pain.
Wang Kan withdrew his gaze and walked to the back of the car to close the carriage door, but Guan Yang stood still.
"What," Wang Kan sneered, "haven't you had enough?"
Guan Yang was about to step forward again when Fang Minzhou pulled him aside. Guan Yang gritted his teeth and, after a long while, dejectedly stepped aside.
"What happened?" Fang Minzhou asked him softly.
Guan Yang suppressed his breathing, glanced away, and dared not meet Fang Minzhou's gaze.
Although she didn't know what had happened, Guan Yang's silence and Wang Kan's injuries somewhat confirmed her suspicions about who was right and who was wrong. Fang Minzhou gently patted the dust off Guan Yang's shoulder, "Go back to your room and rest first."
"sister……"
"No matter what, you can't hit people. What if Grandpa and Grandma find out?"
Guan Yang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
The rear door slammed shut with a loud thud, and Fang Minzhou's heart skipped a beat.
“It’s okay, I’ll talk to him.” Fang Minzhou comforted Guan Yang. “I didn’t tell you, but Wang Kan and I knew each other before, we were friends.”
Guan Yang looked surprised, staring at her intently, as if trying to determine whether she was telling the truth or lying. Fang Minzhou smiled, indicating that he shouldn't worry. Slowly, Guan Yang lowered his eyes and bowed his head again.
Fang Minzhou watched Guan Yang walk into the courtyard, while Wang Kan was already getting into the car to leave. Fang Minzhou walked over and blocked the car door. Under the light inside the car, she could clearly see the redness and swelling on Wang Kan's cheekbone. "Get out, I'll find some ice to put on it for you."
"No need," Wang Kan said curtly.
“If you go back to Jiangcheng to get it treated, the swelling will get even worse.”
"I said, no," Wang Kan said impatiently. "Move aside."
Fang Minzhou pursed her lips, stubbornly refusing to back down.
Wang Kan gripped the steering wheel, barely suppressing her pent-up anger, and turned to look at Fang Minzhou, whose face was serious.
She's still stubborn like this; she won't talk about feelings, she'll only talk about reason.
Wang Kan felt her heart suddenly plummet, as if she had stepped into thin air in a dream. She snapped out of it and hurriedly avoided being dragged into the vortex of memories. At the same time, the anger she had been trying to suppress surged to her head. She pulled out the car keys and stepped out of the car.
The car lights went out, plunging back into darkness. Fang Minzhou wasn't alarmed by the sudden closeness. Like a well-trained soldier, even with Wang Kan's face almost touching hers, her breathing remained perfectly steady. After a few seconds of eye contact, Fang Minzhou turned and pushed open the courtyard gate, assuming Wang Kan would follow without looking back.
Wang Kan stood up straight, and the injured area felt faintly hot.
Hearing the sound of the door slamming and footsteps behind her, Fang Minzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
She intended to take Wang Kan to the restaurant, but since her grandparents were there, she didn't dare disturb them. So she had Wang Kan wait outside the restaurant while she went in to get a pot of water and a bag of ice, and then went upstairs.
She opened her bedroom door, first putting down the kettle and ice pack, then taking a clean towel from the wardrobe, wrapping the ice pack in it, and saying to Wang Kan, who had followed her in but was still standing outside the door, "Come in."
Wang Kan twitched the corner of his mouth, but Fang Minzhou ignored his emotions and simply reminded him, "The door doesn't need to be closed."
Wang Kan paused, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut, the sound neither too loud nor too soft.
Fang Minzhou remained unmoved, without even frowning. He walked over, handed the ice pack to Wang Kan, and reopened the door to the outside.
The ice pack felt heavy in my hand, like an ice block, impossible to crush. Even through the thick fabric, the coldness penetrated straight to my palm.
Wang Kan glanced at the room. The design and layout were similar to the one he had stayed in, but because Fang Minzhou had lived here for a long time, there were obvious traces of her life: light blue bedding, dolls on the bed, books on the table, cushions on the chair, and plants by the window. It was very similar to the room he had visited in Fang Minzhou's room. The towels were also from the same home furnishing brand that she usually used.
"The towel is new and has been washed, but I haven't used it," Fang Minzhou said, adding that it's understandable that Wang Kan would be disgusted by the towel she had used.
The towel, simply rinsed in water, had a fresh, clean feel, a clear indication of hospitality. Wang Kan smiled to herself and applied an ice pack.
Fang Minzhou gestured for Wang Kan to sit on the sofa, poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it towards him. "Apply it for a while now, and then apply it to the ice when you get back to Jiangcheng," she said, pulling open the desk cabinet. "Here's some medicated oil for you too. I heard it's quite effective."
How do you know it works? When did you try it yourself?
"No, I don't fight with anyone, and I haven't been injured recently. This was given to me by my grandma; it's made of herbs. You can throw it away if you think it's useless," Fang Minzhou said seriously.
A chill radiated from his cheeks to his limbs. Wang Kan shut his mouth; only by keeping quiet could he avoid melting away in a pathetic state.
It can only mean that I didn't take it too seriously from the beginning.
Wang Kan felt that Fang Minzhou might not realize one thing: a peaceful breakup requires both parties to let go. Love is not a war, where one party can surrender and it ends. Besides, she wasn't the one who surrendered.
But Fang Minzhou's calm and composed demeanor prevented him from becoming hysterical, as that would only make him feel more ashamed.
After a long while, the towel in his palm became slightly damp. He said, "You don't need to worry about what I'll do. I didn't fight back."
Upon hearing this, Fang Minzhou silently looked at Wang Kan for a while, "Guan Yang is young and has a rather quick temper, but he won't hit people for no reason."
After realizing what had happened, Wang Kan laughed in exasperation.
Fang Minzhou's expression remained unchanged as she continued to ask him, "What did you say to him?"
Wang Kan's malice instantly seeped out like pus. "You really want to hear this?"
"you say."
“I told him to give up, that you wouldn’t like someone like him.”
Fang Minzhou finally frowned, "Why did you tell him all this?"
"Shouldn't you ask him now what he told me?"
Fang Minzhou remained silent.
"Don't tell me you can't tell that guy likes you." Wang Kan bluntly exposed her.
Regardless of whether Fang Minzhou was feigning ignorance or simply slow to react, Wang Kan was fed up with this recurring drama. She always believed that the innocent would clear themselves of any wrongdoing and that everyone was a good person.
“Isn’t that how it is when you’re a teenager? It’s not really liking someone.” Fang Minzhou replied calmly, but the mocking smile on Wang Kan’s face froze.
She was also taken aback, and quickly realized that she had said the wrong thing, but a hint of displeasure had replaced Wang Kan's original sarcasm.
...Her intention was merely to provide an explanation.
It's perfectly normal for teenagers to experience frequent mood swings and develop feelings for others. She didn't subtly belittle Wang Kan, nor did she belittle his past relationships. She remembered both the good and the bad.
But now, what is she supposed to say?
Oh well, she's said more than just this one thing wrong anyway.
“So,” Wang Kan leaned back on the sofa, gripping the ice pack in her hand, and asked Fang Minzhou, “what if he still likes you after a few years?”
Fang Minzhou disliked Wang Kan's pointless and malicious speculation. She wanted to emphasize that Guan Yang was almost a full twelve years younger than them, but there was nothing to talk about with him. "We'll see when the time comes."
Wang Kan smiled enigmatically: "Looks like I misspoke? When did you start liking someone like him?"
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense anymore."
"So what will you say then?"
"Who knows what will happen a few years from now?"
"You're amazing, you're so calm, nothing seems to bother you, you..."
“Okay,” Fang Minzhou interrupted Wang Kan, “then tell me, what kind of person is Guan Yang, what kind of person do I like, and what kind of person were you before?”
The room was quiet, with only the slight rustling of the wind through the windows.
The ice pack made her face numb, and for the first time, Wang Kan realized that Fang Minzhou was actually a madman.
“He’s nothing like me back then,” he said slowly.
"Hmm, doesn't seem like it."
"So I wasn't wrong."
Fang Minzhou had no intention of arguing with Wang Kan anymore. She sighed softly, "It was wrong of Guan Yang to hit you. I apologize to you on his behalf. If you come again later, I will make him apologize to you. But... you shouldn't have said those things to him. Although he is eighteen, he has only recently come of age."
Wang Kan nodded thoughtfully. "I really want to know, if you were to go back ten years, between me and Lin Sinian, whose side would you take?"
"Wang Kan".
“Each of you is equally guilty, but you took his fifty lashes for him,” Wang Kan continued. “You really think of him as your brother.”
"Otherwise what?"
"And what about me? What do you take me for?"
Fang Minzhou was startled. "What do you want me to be?"
Wang Kan laughed again, almost applauding Fang Minzhou's answer, "What do you think?"
"I have no idea."
"I don't know what you mean? Didn't you say you wanted to be friends?"
“I just don’t know. I wanted to be friends with you, but you don’t seem willing. Instead of asking me,” Fang Minzhou said, “you should ask yourself.”
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