“Willing to bet and willing to accept the loss.”
Hua Sheng did not want to hear this phrase for a long time.
Despite it being late autumn, Hua Sheng was drenched in sweat. The sweat had soaked through the short-sleeved shirt underneath his goose-yellow hoodie, sticking to his body and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
He was like a small boat without oars, drifting helplessly in the raging waves of the ocean. His body was a sail sewn together with patches, and the old mast swayed unsteadily from side to side.
The torture of the raging wind and rain finally ended. Hua Sheng tried his best to take a few deep breaths.
He pushed Zuo Xingyun away, walked to the side of the bed with shaky legs, and quickly pulled on his clothes.
Zuo Xingyun was not wearing his glasses, so Hua Sheng’s back looked blurry. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the wrinkled clothes, the narrow waist, the collar tucked inside, and finally stopping on his messy, curly hair.
Hua Sheng had his back to him, but he could feel the gaze everywhere, like pins and needles on his back.
He turned around, meeting Zuo Xingyun’s obsessed eyes head-on.
That gaze was almost tangible. If it could touch, it would be gently tracing every inch of skin on his face.
Hua Sheng had a foul look on his face, clearly displeased, as he raised a fist at him. “Take back your disgusting gaze. Keep looking, and I will beat you to death.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly felt Zuo Xingyun’s gaze drop visibly.
Hua Sheng’s expression froze, and he was stunned.
What kind of look was that on Zuo Xingyun’s face? It looked like he was the one being bullied.
Hua Sheng looked at him suspiciously, only to see Zuo Xingyun sigh lightly, then shift his gaze away in disappointment, leaving behind an ambiguous remark.
“You really don’t remember.”
Hua Sheng was startled. He could not imagine why Zuo Xingyun would blurt out such a nonsensical sentence.
What? What do I not remember? Did we meet before?
“What do you mean?” Hua Sheng frowned and asked. “Poor book… ahem, Zuo Xingyun, what do you mean by that? Should I remember you?”
Zuo Xingyun sighed silently and shook his head.
Hua Sheng hated riddles the most. What was the point of saying only half of what you mean? Was he trying to tease him? What recognition?
Damn it! Did I have a grudge with this poor nerd before? Impossible! I hate people like him every time I see them!
“Cut the crap, I am going home!” Hua Sheng pushed Zuo Xingyun’s chest, raised both hands, shook the jingling handcuffs, and frowned. “Unlock these, hurry.”
Zuo Xingyun stared at his face and suddenly grabbed his hand. A lingering, unreadable emotion flashed in his beautiful eyes.
He stared blankly into Zuo Xingyun’s eyes, and suddenly, a phrase popped into his head.
Love at first sight, eternal as the world.
Hua Sheng was a poor student; he did not understand the deep meaning of such a phrase, but he felt that the emotion in Zuo Xingyun’s eyes matched it perfectly.
Suddenly, it felt as if his bones had been scraped by a blade, and goosebumps surged from his tailbone all the way to the back of his neck.
No way, this pervert. Does he really like me?
Damn, I have grown this big, I have been confessed to by many girls, but I have never encountered a suitor of the same sex.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Hurry up and let go.”
“A top student cannot break his word, right? Damn it, you have kissed, touched, and licked me. It is time to let me go home, isn’t it?”
Zuo Xingyun looked at his ears, which were red to the roots, and hummed.
But he did not let go.
“What are you humming for? Let go! You damn pervert!” Hua Sheng spat angrily.
Zuo Xingyun obediently released him. Hua Sheng immediately bounced up. Gone was the weakness from before, and he instantly returned to being the same aggressive, bristling school bully.
He picked up his pants from the floor, retreated to the corner farthest from Zuo Xingyun, pulled them on quickly, and tied a knot at his waist in a panic. A dead knot.
Zuo Xingyun sighed silently, stood up, walked to the computer desk, opened the first drawer on the left, and took out a small silver-white key.
He tapped his phone screen; it was 23:32 Beijing time.
Hua Sheng stretched his neck and asked, “What time is it?”
Then, he turned to lift the curtain. The street lamps outside were shining quietly; thin fog swirled, and the night was heavy.
Few people passed by, or rather, there was no shadow of a person to be seen.
“11:00 PM.” A pleasant voice came from behind Hua Sheng. The sound was extremely close, as if it were whispered right against his ear. Hua Sheng could still feel the heat on his earlobe.
He jerked like a frightened rabbit and jumped away by reflex.
“Damn it, can you not talk so close to me?” Hua Sheng covered the back of his neck, cursing without a single kind word. “Are you sick? What? It is already 11:00 PM!”
As if realizing something, Hua Sheng grabbed his school uniform hanging on the chair, hurriedly pulled out his phone, and as expected, one unlock revealed 26 missed calls and several text messages.
[Big Brother: Are you home?]
[Sister: Little Peanut, your big sister is back. I have prepared a gift for you.]
[Big Brother: It is 10:30. Where are you?]
[Sister: Where are you? You should be out of night study by now. Hey, what happened to missing your big sister?]
[Big Brother: Did you go to the hospital to see Dazhi? I could not get through to him. Hua Sheng, where are you? Call back.]
[Sister: Peanut, why are you not replying? Where did you run off to? Mom, Dad, and all of us are worried.]
[Big Brother & Sister: I am coming to find you.]
It is over.
Hua Sheng’s heart sank. His phone had a tracker; they would find him sooner or later. Looking at the last message sent half an hour ago, they must be almost here.
Hua Sheng was as anxious as a headless fly, spinning around in circles. “Damn it, my brother and sister are coming to find me. My phone has a tracker. What do I do? Damn it, hurry up and unlock me!”
Hua Sheng held his hands out in front of him, complaining anxiously. “This is the place you picked. And damn it, it is an internet cafe! They never let me come to places like this!”
Zuo Xingyun’s gaze was locked firmly on his lips. Hua Sheng’s rosy lips were opening and closing, chattering like a little conversationalist.
“If they find me, it is over. Damn it, what do I do? I need an excuse, I must find an excuse.”
He paced back and forth, even forgetting that the handcuffs were still clanking on his wrists.
Running now was obviously not an option. They probably already knew the tracker pointed to this dumpy internet cafe. If he ran and got caught on the road, would that not just make it look more suspicious? No, no, he could not run.
He placed his hands on Zuo Xingyun’s exercise book, and suddenly, an idea struck him.
“I have got it. Just say you are helping me with tutoring.” Hua Sheng slapped the book, turned to him abruptly, his eyes shining. “Stinky bookworm, if they find us, just say the teacher assigned you to tutor me. Yeah. Just say it is a study mutual-aid group. We just happened to be assigned to the same group.”
Hua Sheng’s excuse was so practiced because he had often been forced to participate in such inexplicable class activities. Yet he was always the one being helped. Those top students were either arrogant and looked down on him, or they did not take him seriously at all, begrudgingly explaining the problems to him.
Pah, he did not need that kind of help.
“A study mutual-aid group?” Zuo Xingyun questioned. “Why would you tutor at an internet cafe?”
Hua Sheng exploded the moment he heard that. “How the hell should I know? You are the one who brought me here! You! How dare you ask?”
“Coffee shops, study rooms, libraries, bookstores, classrooms. Why here?”
Zuo Xingyun stared into his eyes and said with a straight face, “You said you wanted to teach me a lesson. Those places were not suitable for that.”
“And here it is? Your shitty little room is not even bigger than my dog’s kennel!”
Zuo Xingyun nodded, completely unoffended. “Hmm, I am a poor bookworm.”
“Hua Sheng was speechless.” Zuo Xingyun’s expression looked so innocent. He endured and endured. “Forget it, I am leaving now. I will never have anything to do with you again! Zuo Xingyun, you better wait and see!”
Saying he will never have anything to do with me, and then threatening me to wait and see.
Zuo Xingyun could not fathom what was inside Hua Sheng’s simple brain, but seeing him want to leave, he subconsciously raised his hand to press on his shoulder.
“Do not touch me.” Hua Sheng shrugged, evading his touch. He then remembered his hands were still handcuffed and shook them at him. “Unlock it.”
“I promise you.” Zuo Xingyun said, his expression earnest. “A study mutual-aid group.”
“It is too late for promises.” Hua Sheng was no longer buying it and hummed. “Unlock it for me. I am leaving now. I do not believe they can find.”
Before he could finish, the phone screen in his right hand suddenly lit up.
Hua Sheng was startled and jumped. He picked up the phone, and the words “Big Brother” were clear as day.
Before he could be surprised, the door was knocked.
Three rapid knocks, carrying a bit of suppressed anger.
Hua Sheng held his breath, his back instantly pressed tight against the wall, his legs turning to jelly.
Zuo Xingyun caught sight of Hua Sheng’s expression and knew he was on pins and needles. He pursed his lips and walked toward the door.
“Hey!” Hua Sheng grabbed his hand, squeezed his sleeve, and did not forget to lower his voice, asking in surprise, “What the hell are you doing? You! Going to open the door now? Are you crazy?”
The handcuffs clanked as he moved. Hua Sheng was going insane. “Do not go! Do not go! Outside, it must be someone looking for me. We absolutely cannot be seen like this. Hurry up and unlock this.”
At this moment, Hua Sheng looked truly pathetic.
Messy hair, disheveled clothes, flushed cheeks, and the suspicious-looking handcuffs. It looked nothing like a study session.
Hua Sheng was a person who could not lie. Although he had gotten into plenty of trouble since childhood and his grades were poor, he was quick to admit his mistakes. Overall, he was still a good kid.
“Yun’er, what are you doing inside?” A man’s loud, resonant voice came from outside the door, sounding full of energy. “Have you seen a student named Hua Sheng? There is someone looking for him downstairs, looking very anxious.”
Hua Sheng’s expression stiffened, and a hint of anxiety surged in his heart. His brain began to run at high speed.
Only one person was looking for him, so it could not be his mom. She would definitely be with his dad, but his dad was currently in Malaysia, basically ruling that out. His sister never stayed up late; she would definitely be sleeping before 11:00 PM, and it was unlikely she would come alone. Ruling that out.
So it was most likely his big brother, Hua Xu.
“It is over, it is over, it is over, it is over.” Hua Sheng muttered, his face pale. “My brother came alone. It is over.”
Zuo Xingyun blinked his eyes and tilted his head to look at his expression. “What is wrong?”
Hua Sheng broke out in a cold sweat, staring at him, ashen-faced.
Hua Xu, as the eldest young master of the Hua family, was the oldest of the three children. The age gap between him and his sister, Hua Yu, was only two years, but he was nine full years older than Hua Sheng.
Because their father ran a business and ran all over the world, and their mother sometimes followed, Hua Sheng had basically lived with his two siblings and the housekeeper/auntie since he could remember.
Because he was the oldest and the most mature, Hua Xu shouldered the responsibility of teaching and protecting his younger brother and sister.
As a high-quality Alpha, Hua Xu had the demeanor of a wealthy heir. He was strict yet loving toward his younger brother and sister and decisive in his actions. His sister was more impulsive and loved to tease Hua Sheng when she had nothing else to do.
In Hua Sheng’s eyes, his big brother was a reliable backing and the strictest older brother. He was the type who would actually hit him, and if he did, the whole family would stand on his side.
By comparison, he still preferred to be close to his sister.
If his sister and big brother had come together, Hua Sheng would not have been so terrified. At least when big brother started to hit, sister could pull him away.
“Yun’er, are you in there? They said they saw you bring a classmate upstairs, is that true?” The door was knocked again, and the uncle continued, “Downstairs seems to be his family, and they are very anxious. Hurry up and let him out, they are about to smash the shop.”
The first half was full of energy, but the last sentence was clearly whispered, meant only for Zuo Xingyun.
Zuo Xingyun nimbly unlocked the handcuffs for Hua Sheng and tucked them under the original pillow.
“I…” Zuo Xingyun had barely said one word when he was fiercely pounced on by Hua Sheng, his hands covering Zuo Xingyun’s mouth.
Zuo Xingyun was pushed onto the bed, and Hua Sheng was straddling his thighs. At this moment, their positions were reversed, identical to their posture not long ago.
“Do not say it!” Hua Sheng’s expression was serious, covering Zuo Xingyun’s mouth tightly. “Zuo Xingyun, if you say it, you will kill me!”
Zuo Xingyun looked confused. He raised his hand to grab his wrists.
Hua Sheng immediately used his legs to circle and tighten around his waist, anxious. “If you say it, I will never be finished with you!”
Zuo Xingyun remained unmoved, easily restraining his hands. He sat up straight. Hua Sheng ended up just like a crab, his hands held by Zuo Xingyun and his legs hanging around his waist, changing as Zuo Xingyun changed his posture.
“Hey, you cannot be this disloyal. Even if the deal does not work out, the friendship should remain. The parents’ hearts are pitiful! You have to think, if you open the door and he finds me here, looking like this, how much trouble will it cause your dad? My brother is not the type to let things slide, he will smash your little shop to pieces.” Hua Sheng’s lips were like a motor, outputting words non-stop. “Yes, I am going to get a beating, but he will not beat me in front of so many people. If I get beaten, at most, I will get beaten at home. If I tell my brother everything you have done to me, see if he does not peel your skin off!”
Soft and hard tactics, both firm and gentle, and he was quite sharp-tongued.
But none of this had any effect on Zuo Xingyun. He stared at Hua Sheng for a while, moved his lips, and raised his volume. “I am here.”
Hua Sheng had goosebumps from his toes to his arms. At this moment, it was exceptionally quiet outside the door, so quiet that he could hear a burst of rapid footsteps approaching from far to near, as if someone was coming upstairs.
It was Hua Xu, it must be his brother!
“Since you are in there, why did you not say anything for so long? Hey, uh? You are here, uh. Yun’er, open the door.”
“That is classmate Hua Sheng inside? Your brother is here to find you.” The uncle twitched his mouth, trying to appease the tall man beside him. “Hahaha, do not worry. Let me ask. Yun’er, open the door.”
Hua Sheng struggled with his wrists and coaxed him in a low voice, “I do not know him, I do not know him. Help me, please help me.”
Zuo Xingyun was a smart person and knew the importance and urgency of the situation, but he remained silent for a long time. The knocking on the door was like a death spell, one louder than the next, striking Hua Sheng’s tense nerves. Another second, and Hua Xu might break the door down.
“Damn it, fuck!” Hua Sheng cursed under his breath, looking at him viciously. This Zuo Xingyun was just going against him, tormenting him, playing with him, fighting a psychological war, damn it!
“Do you not like me? I am telling you, as long as you do not let him find me here.” Hua Sheng gritted his teeth, leaned close to Zuo Xingyun’s ear, and lowered his voice. Every word was squeezed out from between his teeth. “Whatever you want me to do next time, I… I promise I will not resist.”