“A dress?”
“What dress?”
“Why are you buying a dress?”
Song panicked instantly upon hearing this, his ears turning bright red. “W-what dress? There isn’t any dress.”
Lu Beihuai stiffened, his inner thoughts coming to an abrupt halt. He looked up and saw the three people he hated most standing behind Song. The moment their eyes met, his face darkened.
They agreed he would wear a dress for me, so why did he bring these guys here?
Jingchu Xie frowned when he saw Lu was shirtless with so many wounds. Was he beaten up?
Then he noted with some annoyance that the guy actually had muscles. But why take off his shirt? Is he showing off to Song on purpose?
He bounced the basketball in his hand twice, then gave it a casual push, letting the signed ball roll to Lu’s feet.
“Lu Beihuai, this is an apology for you.” Xie met Lu’s eyes, facing that invisible pressure head-on. He raised an eyebrow and smiled brightly. “Sorry about before.”
Ming Zhou and Tingsi Shen also held up paper bags and placed them on a nearby cabinet, offering apologies just like Xie.
But it felt completely insincere.
Song frowned and glanced at the three of them. “Apologize seriously.”
Xie made a clicking sound with his tongue. “How am I not being serious?”
Song noticed Lu’s expression getting uglier. Feeling the tension, he quickly grabbed Zhou’s arm and whispered a plea, “Ming Zhou, can you please lead the way properly?”
Zhou nodded nonchalantly. “Fine.” He glanced at Xie and Shen, tilted his chin, and then looked at Lu. “Sorry.”
The other two simply followed suit.
Song: “…”
It would have been better if they hadn’t said anything. They sound like they’re ready to start a fight in the next second.
He peeked at Lu, whose face was completely dark. Sob… this is even scarier.
But he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn’t let the atmosphere turn into a standoff. His goal was to get Lu to let go of the past or at least soften things. Their attitude needed to be sincere.
At least compared to Lu, these three “young masters” had relatively better tempers.
“Um… have you taken your medicine?” Song quickly changed the subject to break the tension.
Lu grabbed a black T-shirt from the sofa and pulled it on wordlessly. After smoothing it out, he looked at Song. “How can I take it if you don’t feed me?”
“Lu Beihuai!” Xie shouted, unable to take it anymore. “Who do you think you are, ordering people around?”
The faces of Zhou and Shen also changed. They never expected Lu would dare to speak like that now.
Lu ignored them completely and picked up a glass from the coffee table to drink water.
Song quickly grabbed Xie’s raised arm, signaling him to calm down. “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s how it should be.”
He turned and walked to the dining table. He saw that except for the morning dose, the medicine in the bag hadn’t been touched at noon. He wanted to say something, but decided against it. He couldn’t win an argument with Lu.
He put the anti-inflammatory pills on the bottle cap and walked over to Lu.
“Take them now.”
Lu looked up at Song, then glanced at the three annoying people by the door. He shifted his gaze back to the medicine in Song’s hand. “Come here and feed me.”
“LU BEIHUAI!!!”
Song saw Xie behind him was about to explode. His head throbbed. He shouldn’t have brought these three hotheads along. They said they came to apologize, but now he was afraid they would ruin his plan.
He took a deep breath, poured the medicine from the cap into his palm, and handed a pill to Lu. “Open your mouth.”
The old window had no curtains and faced the setting sun. The glow of the sunset was fading, pouring a soft light into the room and onto the boy feeding the medicine. This quiet, obedient image was reflected in Lu’s deep eyes.
The shadows of those sitting on the sofa and the three figures at the door stretched out infinitely, seemingly spreading toward the boy’s silhouette, creating a subtle sense of confrontation and encirclement.
Lu calmly accepted the angry glares from the others. He grabbed Song’s wrist, pulled him closer between his legs, and used Song’s palm to tip two pills into his mouth.
This invisible provocation was no less intense than the basketball shot from before.
“Song Qie, come over here,” Zhou said.
Song pulled his hand back, looked over his shoulder, and shook his head slightly at the three of them. “We’re here to apologize.”
Oh my god, brothers, trust me! Do not provoke Lu Beihuai, or you’ll lose everything in the future!
“Come here.” Zhou stretched out his hand toward Song with a cold face.
Song was about to speak when he felt Lu’s hand suddenly let go. He blinked, met Lu’s gaze, and his spine instinctively stiffened. Terrified, he quickly grabbed Lu’s hand back.
“Go ahead.” Lu’s voice was flat as he let go again.
Seeing him let go, Song actively grabbed Lu’s hand and looked at the other three. “You guys come over. The five of us need to talk properly.”
Lu stared at the hand holding his own.
See? He likes me especially.
He’s already on my side.
Five minutes later—
Four tall high school boys were sitting in the small living room. Their long limbs made the small red plastic stools look inadequate. The only small one among them was sitting restlessly on the sofa.
“I want to state first that this is a signal of friendship.” Song weakly raised his hand, looking around at the four of them. His gaze landed on Lu. “I said before I wouldn’t bully you anymore. My apology for what happened in the past is serious.”
He then looked at Zhou and the others.
Zhou remained silent.
Shen avoided eye contact.
Xie frowned, looking totally confused. “Song Qie, I know he saved you, but is this really necessary? Isn’t an apology enough? We brought gifts and said we’re sorry. What else do you want?”
“If I hadn’t led you guys to bully Lu Beihuai, you wouldn’t have this attitude. So, I have the responsibility to lead this apology. I was the one in the wrong.”
The boy on the sofa sat with his hands on his knees, eyes lowered in a sincere posture. His voice trembled slightly from nerves, and even his fair ears turned red.
“If Lu Beihuai hadn’t saved me…” Song slowly looked up at Lu. “I might be dead.”
And because of Lu, he was alive.
Perhaps the cause and effect couldn’t be proven by science, but he truly had been given a second life. No matter how much evil the original “Song Qie” had done, he could use this second life to stop the tragedy before it happened.
“Bei-huai, I apologize again for what I did to you. Until you forgive me, I am willing to compensate you for anything, as long as it doesn’t break my morals or the law.”
Zhou looked at Song in shock, his expression asking Is it really that serious?
Song knew these three young masters came from wealthy backgrounds and were too proud to see their behavior as bullying. But as someone with a mental age of twenty-three—who also knew the future plot—he felt differently.
Even if he couldn’t change them, he had to do what he could.
He wanted to live. That kind of death was too ugly.
“Ming Zhou, Tingsi Shen, Jingchu Xie, I want to make one thing clear to you too. If you still think there’s nothing wrong with how you acted, that it was just a joke, and you continue to target Lu Beihuai, then I think we might need to reconsider being friends.”
Lu’s gaze followed Song’s hand, which was gripping his pants tightly. His knuckles were white from tension. Finally, Lu looked at Song’s face, which looked like it was on the verge of tears.
He was even holding back a nervous sob to say those words.
And he still says he doesn’t like me? He’s going this far for me.
“If you think I’m wrong, that’s fine.” Song moved his feet a small step toward Lu. He took a peek at Lu and saw he was expressionless. Taking a deep breath, he plucked up his courage and said:
“Anyway, I’m sticking with Lu Beihuai.”
Right, that’s it. Stick to the big boss’s side, and everything will be fine.
Zhou, Shen, and Xie: “…?” Wait, why does that sentence sound so wrong?
The three of them looked at each other, and a ridiculous thought popped into their heads simultaneously.
“Song Qie, are you…?” Zhou looked at Song in disbelief. “G…?”
Song: “?”
Xie looked like he’d been electrocuted. He jumped up, agitatedly rubbing his hair. He pointed at Song but couldn’t find the words. He wanted to speak but was afraid of being hurtful. He raised his hand and then put it down.
Shen’s expression was subtle and complex. He looked at Lu, then at Song. “Song Song, are you for real?”
Song was stunned by their exaggerated reactions. Had he said something wrong? Hearing Shen’s question, he glanced at Lu and immediately stated:
“I’m not playing. I’m very serious.”
He even raised his hand to swear to Lu, showing his sincere desire to be friends.
Zhou, Shen, and Xie: “…”
Their faces darkened instantly. Of all the people to like, why like a calculating guy like Lu Beihuai?
Lu remained calm, his eyelids drooping slightly as he raised an eyebrow.
See? Song Qie is completely in love with me.
A deep love.
Song had no idea their thoughts were so complicated. Seeing their silence, he thought the atmosphere had calmed down, so he relaxed. He stood up and smiled, waving his arms.
“Since we’re all sitting down together, why don’t we do a set of practice problems?”
Building friendship through studying is a great method! And it’s not awkward!
“…”
Song saw the three of them had expressions that said “Do I look like I want to do that?” and then he looked at Lu. “What about you? Do you want to do it?”
—What about you? Do you want to do it?
In the minds of hot-blooded, hormone-driven teenagers, those words were full of double meanings.
Xie was the first to explode. He slammed the table and looked at Song. “Why do you only ask Lu Beihuai? Why don’t you ask if we want to do it together?”
Song had been smiling, but the sudden shout made his heart race. His face turned pale. “…I-I did ask if we should do the problems together.”
That loud voice… honestly, my ears are going to burst.
He instinctively touched his chest.
Just then, his other wrist was suddenly grabbed. He was pulled back and found himself sitting on the sofa again.
“Everyone’s hearing is normal. Why do you have to speak so loudly?” Lu let go, stood up from his small stool, and walked to the kitchen with the glass. “Jingchu Xie, can you not hear yourself?”
There was a hint of displeasure in his calm voice.
Xie was about to explode again, but Shen held him down and pointed at Song. Seeing Song’s pale face, Xie realized his loud voice had scared him. He felt frustrated and annoyed at himself.
“Damn it! Lu Beihuai, you’re just acting spoiled because he likes you!”
Song stared blankly at Lu’s back as he entered the kitchen. He looked down at the wrist that had just been touched, then looked up as Lu handed him a glass of water.
This glass…
It looked like…
He had drunk from it.
He hesitated and reached out to take it, but Lu’s hand pulled back slightly. He looked up in confusion.
“It’s a clean glass. If you don’t like it, don’t drink.” Lu put the glass on the nearby coffee table and walked back into the kitchen. “I’m poor. I don’t have much to serve you. If you don’t mind, we’re having instant noodles for dinner.”
Song quickly stood up. “I’ll eat! I’ll eat! Do you need help?”
He walked into the kitchen, wanting to help Lu.
Seeing Song go in, Xie and the others followed.
And so, four tall guys stood in a tiny kitchen. The small one squeezed through the gaps. For these wealthy boys who had never lifted a finger, they had never even entered a kitchen. Their life experience came entirely from their families.
They all craned their necks to watch the noodles cooking on the stove.
Lu stood before the stove in a loose black T-shirt, his broad shoulders slightly hunched. He stirred the noodles with one hand and kept the other in his pocket.
His features were naturally sharp and cold; when he frowned slightly, he looked gloomy, as if the noisy voices behind him were making him irritable.
The gas stove crackled, and the boys behind him cheered “Whoo! Whoo!” The water in the pot was boiling. Packets of instant noodles were added one by one, followed by the seasoning. The aroma of shrimp and fish cake noodles filled the air.
“Holy cow, these noodles smell so good!”
“They’re not just ‘water noodles,’ idiot. They’re instant noodles.”
“It’s called shrimp noodles.”
Song couldn’t help himself. He turned to correct them: “All wrong! This is ‘Chef Lu’s Special Shrimp and Fish Cake Noodles’!”
“Oh?” Shen stood with his arms crossed, looking at Song with a half-smile. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
Song’s ears turned red instantly at the teasing. He blinked and muttered softly, “Can you guys do it? The ones Beihuai cooked smell really good.”
He leaned in to take a sniff.
But as he lowered his head, a broad palm covered his forehead and pushed him back.
Song blinked, looking at Lu.
“The steam is hot.” Lu lowered his hand and turned off the fire. “Who can help me get the bowls?”
“I will! Where are the bowls?” Song raised his hand.
Lu pointed to a small cupboard behind them.
It happened to be right next to Zhou.
Zhou looked back and turned to get them. “I’ll get them.”
The wealthy boys had never done chores before, so this part was a bit chaotic. Even just taking five bowls involved a lot of careful coordination.
Song saw he had nothing to do, so he looked at the big pot of noodles. “I can carry this.”
“You can’t carry it.” Lu picked up the pot by the sides with his bare hands and walked out as if nothing was wrong, seemingly unfazed by the heat.
Song: “…” Okay, how insulting.
He followed him out.
The last light of the sunset faded, and night fell as the boys’ silhouettes disappeared inside.
The living room was very small and had no dining table. The five of them huddled around the coffee table on small plastic stools, holding their bowls and eating noodles. It was incredibly crowded.
But for these young boys, it was a brand-new experience—especially for the young masters who had never been in such an environment.
They had never eaten instant noodles before. The first taste seemed better than any gourmet meal.
Song held his small bowl and peeked at the people in front of him.
He never thought the five of them could sit here so peacefully. Once they sat down, it felt special.
Well, his ears were finally quiet.
Xie felt he wasn’t full yet and was about to take another bite, but Lu’s chopsticks blocked him. He looked up.
“The Young Master hasn’t finished, and you’ve already eaten everything.” Lu frowned when he saw Song had barely touched his bowl.
Song caught Lu’s look and immediately lowered his head to start slurping noodles frantically.
“Cough, cough, cough—”
He ate too fast and choked.
Shen was faster. He took away Song’s bowl and chopsticks, patted his back, and handed him the water. “Why are you eating so fast?”
Lu subtly withdrew his own hand, but his gaze remained on Song, whose eyes were red from coughing.
His Adam’s apple moved.
Am I that scary? It’s just a bowl of noodles, and he eats like a cat.
“Song Song, when did you become so obedient to Lu Beihuai?” Xie looked at Song, then at Lu, feeling more and more annoyed.
Song took a sip of water to recover and thanked Shen. He thought to himself: It’s not that I’m obedient, it’s just that Lu Beihuai is too scary!
“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.” Lu took Song’s bowl and added more noodles from the pot.
Song looked at the mountain of noodles and fell silent. Hearing Lu’s words, he was a bit confused. He leaned in to ask, but then saw Lu look at him again.
“…” He silently straightened up and obediently lowered his head to eat.
Forget it, a step back leads to a brighter future.
Lu quietly watched this cat-like, obedient face. Seeing him eating quickly, and feeling the confused, frowning stares of the other three, he put down his chopsticks, took a tissue, and wiped Song’s mouth.
Song jumped back in fright. “!!!”
“The Young Master’s mouth is all dirty, like a little dirty cat.”
Song looked at Lu in shock, but his face was held so he couldn’t hide. He felt like his whole body was about to catch fire.
Xie looked away and took a deep breath. Help me, my ears are dirty now.
Zhou and Shen accepted the comment with complicated expressions.
Song: “…” He quickly reached out to stop Lu, but met that deep gaze and could only lower his hand obediently, letting him wipe his mouth.
Sob… I’m such a coward.
“Finish it. It’s just a small bowl.” Lu threw the tissue into the nearby trash bin and saw Song holding his chopsticks without moving. “Do you want me to feed you?”
Song waved his hand weakly. “No need, I’ll eat it myself.”
As he ate, the pairs of eyes in front of him kept staring. He silently picked up the bowl and turned his body to eat, but he still couldn’t stand the intense gazes. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can—can you stop watching me eat?”
When he got nervous, his voice sounded like he was about to cry.
Zhou felt his resolve soften at the sound. He pursed his lips and stood up. “I’m full.”
Shen also stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Only Xie was still resting his chin on his hand, staring at Song. “Song Song, I really feel like you’ve become a different person since you came back from being sick.”
Song’s back stiffened.
…Crap, they suspect me.
“You’ve become so good at acting spoiled.” Xie thought about it and laughed. “It’s quite cute.”
Song: “…” That kind of behavior, I couldn’t learn it in a lifetime.
“I’ll clean up.” Lu stood up suddenly, walked to Xie, and leaned down to start clearing the bowls from the table.
Song felt embarrassed seeing Lu clean up the bowls they had used. He quickly put down his own bowl. “I-I’ll help you wash them.”
“Are your noodles finished?” Lu asked.
Song was terrified by the look and obediently sat back down. He picked up his chopsticks as if he hadn’t just stood up and continued eating.