Can’t Shake Him Off
I thought that once I escaped that house, I could return to my normal life.
I was too naive.
Guess that’s what being a college kid means.
Zhou Shou’s so-called “pursuit” seeped into my life in a suffocating way.
I tried to find the right word to describe it, and after scrolling through the internet for a while, I found the perfect one—
“Force.”
One afternoon, right after the last class ended, my phone lit up with a notification from an unfamiliar local number.
I answered, ready to reject some housing loan or swimming class promo, when a familiar voice came through the speaker.
“Class over? I’m at the East Gate,” Zhou Shou’s deep voice said. “Come find me. I’ll drive you to work.”
I had no idea how he got my class schedule or my part-time shifts.
All I knew was—his presence made my skin crawl.
“No need! I can go myself!” I shouted into the phone and immediately hung up.
I grabbed my friend and deliberately took the West Gate instead, blending into the crowd and hurrying toward the bus stop.
But before we even made it far from the campus, a familiar car stopped right beside us. The window rolled down, revealing Zhou Shou’s expressionless face.
“Get in.”
My friend looked at me, confused.
“I said no!” I snapped, dragging my friend in the opposite direction. Curious eyes turned toward us from all around, the embarrassment and anger boiling up until I couldn’t stay calm anymore.
Zhou Shou got out of the car, took a few strides forward, and was already in front of me. He completely ignored my friend and grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Zhou Shou, let go!” I struggled hard, his grip tight enough to hurt.
“Uh, sir? Could you maybe—” my friend started to say, trying to step in.
But Zhou Shou shot him a cold look, and my friend immediately fell silent, instinctively taking a step back.
“I’m his boyfriend,” Zhou Shou said flatly. “We just have a small disagreement to work out.”
And just like that, in front of everyone, Zhou Shou forced me into the passenger seat. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, cutting off every curious gaze and sound outside.
“What the hell do you want?” I glared at him. “Don’t you have a job?”
“I’m a shareholder. I don’t have to be in the office all the time,” Zhou Shou said as he leaned over to fasten my seatbelt. “From now on, I’ll pick you up after every class. If you have work, I’ll drive you to your shift.”
“You’re stalking me?”
“Caring for you.”
“Bullshit!”
This wasn’t care—it was naked surveillance and control.
From that day on, Zhou Shou became a shadow I couldn’t shake off.
His car would appear near my classroom building right on time, no matter where I tried to hide. He’d always find me, drag me into the car, and either silently drive me back to the dorm or take me straight to his place.
My friend worriedly asked if I wanted to call the police. I just waved it off, saying I could handle it.
Could I, though?
Or should I just end it all myself?
Every night shift, at exactly ten, that tall figure would appear again. He’d casually buy something, sit in the dining area, and watch me—openly, unblinking.
He’d just sit there quietly, eyes never leaving me, waiting for half an hour until my shift ended, then driving me home—to his home.
And strangely enough, once we were there, he’d only have dinner with me, then hold me as we slept. Nothing else.
My coworker Li-ge noticed something was off. He quietly asked if I’d gotten into trouble. Every time we switched shifts, he’d watch Zhou Shou warily.
My life was completely crushed and distorted.
The pressure of my studies, the exhaustion from work, and Zhou Shou’s constant, suffocating “companionship”—it all pressed down on me like three mountains.
I became silent, tense, jumpy—every small sound could nearly make me break.
Refusing was useless. Fighting back only brought harsher control.
Just like he said, he was “pursuing” me—ignoring my will, ignoring my pain.