"If you can control your emotions now before talking to me, I can still communicate with you. If you can't calm down, then I don't think there's any point in us communicating."
"You think I want to talk to you?" Chen Zhuo retorted without hesitation.
Chen Ke remained expressionless, but his gaze towards Chen Zhuo was unfathomable. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Are you sure?"
······
The two were locked in a standoff for only a few seconds, but the turmoil of emotions surging within Chen Zhuo made him feel as if three hours had passed.
He would never have to see Chen Ke again, never have to talk to him. The thought of this possibility made Chen Zhuo feel that this was something he could only hope for. But when he actually faced the possibility of this happening, he opened his mouth but could not say a word of affirmation.
Looking at Chen Ke, who was now living a respectable life, Chen Zhuo wanted to tear off his perfect facade and return to his former hypocritical, ruthless, selfish, and disgusting demeanor, instead of the saintly figure who would calm him down no matter what he said or did.
Have you thought it through?
A calm voice sounded above Chen Zhuo's head. He lowered his head, his face full of disgust. See, it was that same emotionless voice. He had been this calm and composed ever since he saw Chen Ke again.
On the other hand, he... well...
Chen Ke is right. He should learn to control his emotions, and at least not show them in front of him anymore, otherwise it will be of no use.
Because no matter how angry, irritable, or painful you are, he won't feel it, nor will he feel any guilt.
There's a saying that goes, "There's no such thing as true empathy in the world."
"You're right, I won't have any feelings towards you anymore." Chen Zhuo said in a low voice, then took two steps back to distance himself from Chen Ke. He slowly raised his head, his face even colder than Chen Ke's.
The system silently complained, "Master, you and your brother should open an ice factory together; it'll definitely save on electricity bills."
Ignoring the system's words, Chen Ke's gaze fell on Chen Zhuo with uncertainty. He said, "Not bad, you were able to compose yourself so quickly. You're finally showing some manly qualities."
!!
These words made Chen Zhuo's temples throb, and his hands clenched into fists.
Fortunately, things are at least calm on the surface.
"Get in the car," Chen Ke said, and then got into the car.
Chen Zhuo curled his lips in a mocking smile. "What makes you think I'll get in your car just because I've controlled my emotions?"
Chen Ke rolled down the car window. "I bought back the house my parents used to live in. If you still act like you hate and despise me, do you think my parents will refuse to go back because of your feelings? Or do you think they're doing just fine living in that dilapidated alleyway?"
······
Zhou Shanhuai, carrying a fresh grass carp, hummed a song as he walked along the narrow street in a good mood.
Chen Zhuo had figured things out and went back to school. He received his monthly allowance today, and he still had several hundred silver dollars in the bank as savings. Thinking about all this, Zhou Shanhuai felt that life was becoming more and more enjoyable.
Before he could even step out of the street, two burly, thuggish-looking men with menacing expressions emerged from the corner of the wall with ill intent.
Zhou Shanhuai's heart skipped a beat, and his face became uneasy.
When they first moved here, Aunt Liu kindly reminded them that they shouldn't walk alone on the other side of the alley, as they could easily encounter thugs.
Because this road was a shortcut to the alley, Zhou Shanhuai wanted to go back early to help Song Xiaowen cook the fish so that Chen Zhuo could eat it when he got home, so he took the shortcut for the first time.
Having walked more than halfway down the street, Zhou Shanhuai figured that if it really was a criminal, he wouldn't run past even if the criminal turned back. So he lowered his head and tried to hurry through.
The two burly men blocked the road without any hesitation, clearly indicating that they had no intention of letting Zhou Shanhuai, whom they had been waiting for, go.
Looking at the two solid walls of flesh in front of him, Zhou Shanhuai nervously swallowed and tried to speak calmly, "My two brave warriors, is there...is there something you need?"
"Hehe, you're really something. Do you really need us to tell you anything in this situation?"
Zhou Shanhuai hesitated for a moment, then handed over the large grass carp in his hand, saying, "You two strong men, this fish is for you."
"Damn it, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Give me all the money you have on you."
Zhou Shanhuai's heart skipped a beat. Normally, he would have taken out all the money he had without hesitation, since it might only amount to two or three silver dollars. But not today. He had just received his monthly paycheck, which was a full 70 silver dollars.
The two thugs were repeat offenders. As soon as they saw Zhou Shanhuai start to hesitate and be afraid, they knew that he really had money on him. They looked at each other and their eyes flashed with surprise. The burly man said, "What's in your bag? It's so heavy. Take it out and let us brothers see it."
"These are just some ledgers, but they are very important to me. It wouldn't be good to take them out and get them dirty."
"Stop talking nonsense! Do you think we're discussing this with you? Hurry up!"
"Two burly men, there really is only an account book in the bag... Hey, stop, stop!"
The two men had little patience. Seeing that Zhou Shanhuai was unwilling to take it himself, they immediately took over. Zhou Shanhuai was unwilling to have his wages, which he had worked hard for a month, snatched away like that, and rushed forward without hesitation to try to take it back.
But how could his weak, scholarly physique be a match for the thugs? One of the burly men gave him a hard shove, and Zhou Shanhuai fell to the ground with a "thud!"
"dad!"
With a roar, Chen Zhuo charged forward like an enraged beast. Before the two thugs could even see who he was, one of them was kicked in the chest and sent flying backward, landing on the ground howling in pain.
"Dad! Are you hurt anywhere?" Chen Zhuo immediately squatted down to check on Zhou Shanhuai's condition.
Seeing this, the other thug didn't even bother to help the other person who had been kicked away. He grabbed Zhou Shanhuai's bag and turned to run towards the street corner.
Zhou Shanhuai was shocked. "Chen Zhuo, the bag! Quick, he took the bag!" The bag contained not only his monthly allowance but also the shop's account books. If it was stolen, he would lose his job.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuo was about to get up and chase after him when he saw Chen Ke appear at the street corner.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way now!" the thug roared as he ran, "I'll tell you—"
Before the last two words, "Get out of here," could be uttered, "Bang!" Chen Ke dragged the thug from behind and struck him on the head with a stick, knocking him unconscious with his eyes rolling back.
"Are you alright?" Chen Ke asked, looking at Zhou Shanhuai and Chen Zhuo, who were still stunned.
Zhou Shanhuai's eyes widened in disbelief. "Chen, Chen Ke, what are you doing here?" After saying that, he suddenly looked at Chen Zhuo beside him, fearing that he might have a violent reaction. But Chen Zhuo said softly, "He came with me."
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