Zhao Jian and Wen Liu snapped back to their senses and hurried over to help Lu Mingzhou up.
The three of them huddled at the doorway whispering for a long while, and in the end they didn’t even enter the classroom they just left.
As they were leaving, Ling An and Lu Mingzhou’s eyes met. The moment their gazes locked, Lu Mingzhou immediately lowered his head, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and quickened his pace to leave.
Lu Mingzhou was genuinely panicked. He never expected that bookworm to be so ruthless and to have gotten together with Ling An, no less.
Lu Mingzhou’s family background wasn’t bad either, and plenty of people had fawned over him from the start of the school year.
Back then he wasn’t in this class yet; it was by chance that it all happened.
He ran into a thin, frail boy gnawing on a steamed bun in the cafeteria.
Jiang Shu had fair skin and delicate features. Such a good-looking boy immediately caught Lu Mingzhou’s attention.
Lu Mingzhou went up to strike up a conversation, but Jiang Shu just stared at him fixedly, then walked straight away.
Lu Mingzhou wouldn’t give up. He found out which class Jiang Shu was in and transferred directly into it.
He made advances toward Jiang Shu several times, but Jiang Shu only ever buried himself in those wretched books.
Rejected twice, Lu Mingzhou felt he’d lost face, so he simply set his hands on Jiang Shu.
They dragged Jiang Shu into the bathroom and beat him up.
From then on, Jiang Shu was bullied by them constantly.
Lu Mingzhou had thoroughly investigated Jiang Shu’s background and knew he had no ability to resist him at all.
He gave the noodle shop couple a sum of money to make sure Jiang Shu wouldn’t have it easy even at home. The moment the couple got the money, they agreed without hesitation.
Lu Mingzhou never imagined Jiang Shu would get a chance to turn things around.
Anyone Lu Mingzhou said he wanted to target at school, no one would dare help.
But he never expected Ling An to transfer into their class and on the very first day, Jiang Shu had already latched onto him.
Ling An, he had seen before, at a cocktail party.
Back then, Ling An had been surrounded by an entourage, his expression cold, his eyes hiding something sinister and violent. That kind of menace made them all afraid to meet Ling An’s gaze.
And yet a man like that had been bewitched by a frail little pretty boy.
By the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.
On the third day, he sent someone to that noodle shop, only to find it had been demolished and turned into a public toilet.
As for that greedy couple, no one knew where they’d gone, Lu Mingzhou still hadn’t found them to this day.
The thought that if Jiang Shu just whispered a few words in Ling An’s ear, he would be the next target,
Lu Mingzhou’s cold sweat poured out uncontrollably, his mind going blank. Then something occurred to him; he gritted his teeth, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
Seeing the three of them leave so readily, Jiang Shu let out a breath of relief.
He’d truly been afraid they would fly into a humiliated rage and come back for revenge.
Ling An found his look of narrow escape amusing.
He ruffled Jiang Shu’s fluffy hair, then leaned close to his ear and murmured, “What’s wrong, wifey? Scared?”
With that, Ling An gently bit Jiang Shu’s earlobe.
It made Jiang Shu’s cheeks flush crimson, his nervous eyes darting everywhere, his lips parting slightly yet no words coming out—he just gave a small nod.
How could he not be afraid! Every wound on his body was their doing, and every nightmare was a replay of those scenes of humiliation.
Jiang Shu didn’t dare look back on it. The mere thought made him tremble uncontrollably, his chest heavy as if crushed by a great weight, leaving him unable to breathe.
But thankfully, it was all in the past now.
Looking at the person beside him, meeting Ling An’s eyes, Jiang Shu’s heart gradually settled.
He took Ling An’s hand in return. “I’m not afraid anymore.” He said it very softly.
So softly that it was carried away by the wind, yet landed right in Ling An’s heart.
Those exquisite peach-blossom eyes held an indescribable tenderness and lingering fear.
The morning passed quickly, and at noon the two of them had a meal before heading back to the dorm to sleep.
Just then, a classmate came looking for Jiang Shu, saying that Wu Ying needed him and asking Jiang Shu to come to the office.
Jiang Shu went into the office, while Ling An stood at the doorway waiting for him.
Jiang Shu stayed inside for over an hour.
When he came out, there was an irrepressible smile on his face.
Seeing Jiang Shu so happy, the corners of Ling An’s mouth couldn’t help curving upward either.
As Jiang Shu walked toward him, Ling An pulled him into his arms by the slim waist.
He looked down and asked with a smile: “What were you talking about in there that made you so happy? Tell me about it.”
The boy’s smile was impossible to suppress as he answered brightly: “The city is holding a math competition, and the teacher told me to sign up. I was just filling out the paperwork in there.”
“What’s so fun about that? Look how happy you are.”
“That lousy school probably only has you as a student who can hold up its reputation. If it weren’t you, they wouldn’t find anyone else.”
Even so, Jiang Shu was thrilled.
As long as he placed in the top three, he would qualify for the national competition.
The prize money and resources then would more than double. He could become better, and only then would he have the confidence to stand by Ling An’s side.
The two returned to the dorm in high spirits.
The moment they reached the dorm door, Ling An’s mood soured.
He pulled Jiang Shu back just as he was about to push the door open, shielding him behind him.
Ling An stepped forward and kicked the door.
The kick was powerful and heavy—Ling An even channeled Spiritual Power into it, and one kick sent the door flying.
The dozen or so people lying in wait behind the door were knocked flying along with it, all the way onto the balcony.
For a moment, wails of pain rose and fell throughout the small dorm room.
Ling An’s kick hadn’t just sent the door flying—it had scared the guts out of them too.
Seeing Ling An walk in, the dozen or so men clutching clubs in the room trembled as they got up, huddling together in the corner.
No one dared speak first. The scene turned eerily strange.
It wasn’t until Ling An spoke first that the silence was broken.
“Who sent you here?”
A single short sentence, without a trace of emotion, yet it sent a bone-chilling chill through everyone present—including the onlookers watching the spectacle.
The huddled crowd scattered, exposing Lu Mingzhou in the middle.
Lu Mingzhou had been standing right at the front.
He had planned to club Ling An over the head the moment he opened the door.
But he never expected that Ling An wouldn’t even step inside—instead, their whole group got kicked flying through the door.
He had been at the very front, so his injuries were the worst; he was still spitting up blood.
With nowhere to hide from Ling An, Lu Mingzhou dropped to his knees on the spot.
His whole body shook uncontrollably, his mind a blank, he couldn’t understand why he had done something so stupid.
Seeing that things were going wrong, Jiang Shu immediately stepped in and tugged at Ling An’s hand.
Telling him not to act rashly. If he beat Lu Mingzhou to death, they would be in serious trouble.
Even without Jiang Shu’s reminder, Ling An knew he couldn’t kill him.
The apocalypse was coming, and he wanted to live quietly. He didn’t want to stand out.
Besides, Ling An thought the feeling of being lovey-dovey with his wife on campus was wonderful.
He didn’t want it disturbed by irrelevant people at all.
Ling An pulled out a rope and said something in a cold voice.
Upon hearing these words, Lu Mingzhou’s already grim face instantly turned pale as paper. His body trembled slightly, as if he had suffered a tremendous shock.
After a long while, he finally came to his senses and stood up in a daze. At the same time, the group of people who had come along with Lu Mingzhou also began to stir, seemingly preparing to head together to the school’s sports field.