Fang Bozhou frantically straightened his glasses and hugged the books in his arms. He refused, “No, I would rather not. I have something to do.”
“What do you have to do?”
“I have to go to, to”
“Tsk, why are you being so timid? Stand up straight! It is exhausting talking to you. Can you not just answer properly? Why are you stuttering? You are ruining my mood. Walk faster; time is money. My time is worth bills, while a penniless guy like you cannot compare to me,” Jiang Yu said with a tone of disdain.
Fang Bozhou’s face twisted as he listened.
Li Heng pointed at him and said, “Brother Jiang, this guy wants to hit you.”
Jiang Yu looked down at Fang Bozhou out of the corner of his eye. Meeting his gaze, he let out a mocking chuckle. “You want to hit me? That depends on whether you have the ability. If you cannot afford the compensation later, I will call the police and have them throw you in jail. Regardless of whether you are around, Chen Zhiyan is the best. You pose absolutely no pressure to him at all. At most, you are just a little chick hopping around. You even talked big about getting into the top three. Ha, hilarious.”
Fang Bozhou’s eyes turned dark and sinister. He shoved Jiang Yu. “What gives you the right to look down on me?”
Jiang Yu staggered a few steps to steady himself. His face grew cold, and his eyes filled with ruthlessness. He patted his arm and kicked Fang Bozhou down the two steps of the staircase. Standing there, he looked down from above and said, “I look down on you because you use underhanded tricks behind people’s backs.”
“Li Heng, Xu Zhile, you two go. Drag him over there. I have not moved my hands and feet for many days; my bones are getting stiff.”
The Small Woods
Jiang Yu gripped Fang Bozhou’s collar and slammed a fist into his face. He enunciated every word, “The country implemented nine years of compulsory education so well; how did a stinking fish like you manage to slip through the cracks? You really have the nerve to sell other people’s privacy to make money. I bet you will never be able to afford a decent four-course meal in your life. You can only rely on this money to live like a rat in the gutter!”
Before he finished speaking, he threw another punch, beating him until his face was black and blue. “Fuck, I really cannot stand you. Did Chen Zhiyan provoke you? Is it not just that he is more popular than you? Is it not just that he is better looking than you? Is it not just that he is taller than you? Is it not just that his IQ completely crushes yours? Is there any need for such jealousy and hatred?”
“Oh, I get it. You actually like boys too, but your family is too poor and conservative. Your love turned into hatred, so you contacted a bunch of gay guys to disgust Chen Zhiyan. Truly malicious.”
Fang Bozhou was dazed for two seconds before realizing that Jiang Yu already knew he was selling Chen Zhiyan’s phone number. He shouted loudly as if to bolster his courage, “You are talking nonsense!”
“You are the one talking nonsense!”
Jiang Yu continued to swing his fists. He was drenched in sweat from the effort. After standing up, he waved to Li Heng and took Fang Bozhou’s glasses to put them back on him. The three of them took off their nitrile gloves and threw them into the trash can. Before leaving, Jiang Yu said, “See you tomorrow.”
They would not see each other tomorrow, because tonight, Fang Bozhou would be a guest at the police station.
Back in the classroom, Chen Zhiyan looked at Jiang Yu, who was covered in dirt and even had dust on his face. He paused. “Are you cosplaying as a beggar?”
“I am cosplaying your previous life identity, the Chief of the Beggar Gang.”
“How did your hand get injured?”
“I wanted to conquer a kingdom for you, but unfortunately, I lacked the strength.”
“Stop acting crazy.”
“How about I act crazy on you?”
“Jiang Yu.”
“Did you call the police? What if that Fang Bozhou runs away? Where will we catch him?”
“I called them. The police will be here soon.”
Jiang Yu sat in his chair and looked at the injured knuckles on the back of his hand. He poked them a few times but was slapped on the back of the hand by Chen Zhiyan.
“What are you doing?”
“There are bacteria everywhere.”
“I am thick-skinned; why would I be afraid of bacteria?” Jiang Yu remarked that Chen Zhiyan was too controlling. After speaking, he made Chen Zhiyan apply povidone-iodine and a band-aid for him.
Within five minutes, the sound of a police car echoed through the campus. Two officers got out and took Fang Bozhou away. He had wanted to run after Jiang Yu left, but the security guard would not open the gate, so he had to find a corner to climb over the wall. Due to his lack of experience and the pain all over his body from being beaten, he failed to climb over several times. On the final attempt, just as he lifted his leg up, he was pulled down by the police.
The police asked Fang Bozhou what happened to his face. He lowered his eyes to hide his resentment and said Jiang Yu hit him. Then, two more officers went to Jiang Yu’s classroom and took away the involved party, Chen Zhiyan.
Chen Zhiyan wanted to tell Jiang Yu not to drive so fast when he went back later, but in the next second, he saw the police put handcuffs on Jiang Yu.
8:00 PM
Chen Zhiyan and Jiang Yu were picked up from the police station by Mu Chuxia.
In the car, Jiang Yu held Mu Chuxia’s arm. “Godmom, whatever you do, do not tell my mom about today, or she will worry.”
“Are you afraid she will worry, or are you afraid she will beat you?”
“Both.”
After arriving home, Jiang Yu ran to take a shower. Three minutes later, he finished rinsing off. He went to the fridge and grabbed a can of fruit wine. Though it was called wine, it was actually just a drink. The one he took was lychee-flavored; one sip made him feel sweet from head to toe.
Chen Zhiyan came out of the bathroom drying his hair and told him not to be so impulsive next time.
Jiang Yu sneered, “Who the fuck was impulsive? I could not stand him and wanted to punch him to vent my anger. What does it have to do with you?”
“Do I need to remind you that you are already twenty years old? Three against one is considered a brawling; you are the main perpetrator.”
“I do not want to hear it.” Jiang Yu originally felt he was doing a good deed by punishing an evil person, but as soon as Chen Zhiyan started lecturing him, he felt uncomfortable all over. He opened his mouth and began his twisted logic. “Why can I not hit him? According to your logic, if he gives me a slap, I cannot give him one back?”
“Of course you can give him a slap, but the nature of it is different. Moreover, he did not cause you any physical harm.”
Jiang Yu did not want to hear the rest and interrupted directly, continuing his twisted logic. “But I did not want to give him just one slap. If he hits me, it is only right that I hit him back. But initially, I had no intention of hitting him. Being subjected to harm without cause, it is only fair to give back another slap. He spread rumors and sold your phone number; you calling the police was just. Forget it, I cannot make someone like you understand. Stop making me angry. Get lost!”
“Jiang Yu!” Chu Qingzi’s fiery and powerful voice appeared from downstairs.
Jiang Yu choked on his own saliva and coughed. He hurriedly got up from the bed, stuffed the fruit wine into Chen Zhiyan’s hand, and ran to sit at the desk. He took out his laptop and pretended he was just finishing his studies. Seeing Chu Qingzi appear at the door, he closed the laptop completely and looked up in confusion. “Mommy, why are you here?”
He usually called her Mom. He only called her Mommy when he did something bad. Chu Qingzi had completely mastered the transition between these two terms. “You hit someone at school?”
“No. I never hit people.”
Because those he hit were not people. Oh, wait, that seemed to include Chen Zhiyan as well.
“There is surveillance footage.”
Jiang Yu immediately ran a few steps away and stood behind Chen Zhiyan. He grabbed the clothes at Chen Zhiyan’s waist and stood on his tiptoes to peek at Chu Qingzi. “Mommy, this is all Chen Zhiyan’s fault. Who told him to be so cowardly? He did not even dare to let out a fart when he was bullied. I had to take action.”
Seeing that Chu Qingzi did not believe him at all, Jiang Yu bumped Chen Zhiyan’s knee with his own and whispered, “Open your fucking mouth and say something.”
“Godmom, Jiang Yu did it to vent anger for me. Please do not be mean to him.”
Chu Qingzi said, “Even to vent anger, you cannot fight. What if you had to stay overnight at the police station? Could you handle that?” Her eyes landed on Jiang Yu’s finger, and she froze. She walked closer to pull Jiang Yu over and asked if his hand hurt.
Jiang Yu said, “It hurts.”
Chu Qingzi apologized to Jiang Yu and said she should not have used such a harsh tone just now. Jiang Yu let out a hmpf and tilted his head up.
He was not acting cool; he was afraid his tears would fall out.
He hated this dog, Chen Zhiyan, to death.
After a while, Chu Qingzi went home. She told them to sleep early and apologized once more. She did not mention taking Jiang Yu back with her because she knew he would not leave. She also instructed Chen Zhiyan to take care of Jiang Yu’s injury.
Chen Zhiyan went to the first-aid kit to get povidone-iodine, cotton swabs, and band-aids.
Jiang Yu threw them far away. His eyes were red and stubborn. He grabbed his own pillow and blanket and walked toward the door.
Chen Zhiyan’s knuckles curled slightly. He grabbed Jiang Yu’s wrist and asked in a deep voice, “Where are you going?”