After getting hurt, Jiang Chen spent a thoroughly lazy weekend being waited on hand and foot. With endless good food and drinks delivered straight to him, he couldn’t have been happier.
By the time Monday rolled around, he was seriously considering skipping school altogether. But Gu Xin had already arranged everything for him, leaving Jiang Chen with no choice but to drag himself to class.
Gu Xin’s limited-edition bicycle had been brought back from school on Sunday, but because it didn’t have a backseat, they had to switch to Jiang Chen’s bike. Gu Xin pedaled while Jiang Chen hitched a ride. This drove Jiang Zheng wild with envy…how did an absolute luxury like this fall into the hands of his incredibly lazy brother instead of him? What a tragic waste of a perfectly good setup.
Every Monday morning, student monitors from the Discipline Department stood guard at the school gates, keeping a hawkish eye out to ensure everyone was wearing their uniforms and name tags. More importantly, students were strictly forbidden from riding their bikes through the gate. Since today was a Monday…which meant the weekly flag-raising ceremony…the scrutiny was tighter than usual.
Gu Xin pulled over just outside the gates so Jiang Chen could get off and walk.
Standing right at the entrance was the mixed-race sophomore girl they had run into before. The moment she spotted Gu Xin, her eyes lit up. Her gaze was so blatantly obvious that it was impossible for Jiang Chen to miss.
Stepping up, Jiang Chen purposefully slid into the space between the older girl and Gu Xin. Using his height, he successfully blocked her view. Gu Xin, busy talking to Jiang Chen, didn’t notice a thing.
“I’m going to park the bike,” Gu Xin said. “Go ahead to the classroom first. Skip the flag-raising ceremony so your hand doesn’t get bumped in the crowd. I’ll let the teacher know.”
Jiang Chen was more than happy to follow this particular order. However, he did manage to use his perfectly fine left hand to carry Gu Xin’s backpack up to the classroom for him; after all, only his right arm was injured.
The classroom was nearly empty, save for a few students dropping off their bags before immediately rushing downstairs for the ceremony.
Before long, Jiang Chen was the only one left.
His seat faced the sports field directly, giving him a crystal-clear view of the flag-raising ceremony through the window.
As the national anthem swelled, the entire faculty and student body stood in neat, unified rows, watching the flag slowly rise.
Last week, the Dean of Academic Affairs had dragged Jiang Chen and Gu Xin up onto the main stage as a public warning. This week, the school was introducing a strict new policy.
It all stemmed from an incident the previous week. A dozen high school seniors had finished a monthly exam and, finding no food left in the cafeteria, went out to eat at a small local shop. The excursion resulted in a massive outbreak of acute gastroenteritis, landing multiple students in the hospital. Terrified that this would disrupt their children’s college entrance exam prep, furious parents immediately swarmed the school demanding answers, catching the attention of the local education bureau and the media. Because the school couldn’t definitively prove the hospitalized students had gotten sick from off-campus food, they had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill. Over the weekend, school leadership had held an emergency meeting to map out a new management strategy.
Effective immediately, no students were permitted to eat lunch at outside restaurants; everyone was required to eat in the school cafeteria, which promised to guarantee a sufficient food supply.
Down on the field, a collective wail rose from the students. No more lunch choices—stuck with cafeteria food forever. How tragic!
Once the ceremony concluded, everyone flooded back into the classroom.
Wei Meng immediately marched over to complain about the ban on outside dining, only to freeze when he spotted the thick layers of gauze wrapped around Jiang Chen’s right hand.
“Chen-er!” he gasped, completely shocked. “What happened to you? How did you get hurt?”
Jiang Chen shot a quick glance at Gu Xin, who was busy organizing his desk with his head down. Guessing his friend was out of earshot, Jiang Chen gestured for Wei Meng to lean closer. “I’ll tell you at lunch. Just don’t let Gu Xin know.”
Wei Meng nodded vigorously, though his voice didn’t drop a single decibel: “I knew there was more to this injury! If I find out which dumbass did this to you, I’ll murder him!”
Jiang Chen smacked him with his good hand. “Keep it down! Go back to your seat and don’t bring up my injury again.”
“Oh,” Wei Meng mumbled. Still thoroughly confused, he tried his best to lower his voice. “But why can’t Gu Xin know?”
“Just because,” Jiang Chen snapped impatiently.
Defeated, Wei Meng was shooed back to his own desk.
Because his injured hand made it impossible to move comfortably, Jiang Chen hadn’t slept well the past two nights. Throughout the morning lectures, he sat propped up on his chin, utterly exhausted, spending every ten-minute class break face-down on his desk trying to catch up on sleep.
Wei Meng, naturally a social butterfly, was on great terms with practically everyone in class. By the end of the second period, he headed off to the restroom with a classmate and unexpectedly crossed paths with Gu Xin.
Gu Xin called out to him just as he was about to head back. “Wei Meng, wait up.”
Most of Wei Meng’s interactions with Gu Xin revolved around Jiang Chen, as the two belonged to different social circles within the basketball team.
“What’s up, Class Monitor?” Wei Meng asked.
“I need a favor.”
Wei Meng couldn’t imagine what the perfect class monitor could possibly need from him, but being easygoing, he didn’t overthink it. “Lay it on me. If I can help, I will.”
Gu Xin led him into a quiet corner in the hallway. “I want to know how Jiang Chen got hurt. He didn’t tell me the truth. You two are so close, he’ll definitely tell you if you ask.”
The moment Jiang Chen’s injury was mentioned, Wei Meng’s temper flared again. “Tell me about it! He told me this morning he’d fill me in at lunch. I bet someone picked a fight with him. Why wouldn’t he tell you the truth, though?”
Gu Xin let out a soft sigh. “He probably thinks I won’t be of any help. I don’t exactly have any experience when it comes to fighting.”
In that exact split second, Wei Meng felt a surge of pride, cementing his status as Jiang Chen’s ultimate number-one brother. After all, only he and Jiang Chen shared that ride-or-die bond forged in the trenches of street fights!
“Don’t sweat it, Monitor,” Wei Meng consoled him proudly. “You didn’t go to No. 19 Middle School, so you don’t get how street fights work. I’ll get the full story out of him at lunch and let you know.”
Gu Xin watched him like a hunter watching a target walk straight into a trap. “But you can’t let Jiang Chen know I asked. I have a plan.”
“What kind of plan?” Wei Meng’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Gu Xin kept his cards close to his chest, refusing to give anything away. “I need to know exactly who did it first.” He emphasized again, “Remember, absolutely do not let him find out that I know.”
Wei Meng shot him a knowing look. “I get it, I get it. Secretly getting revenge for Chen-er. Ninja style!”
Seeing how Wei Meng wore his every emotion on his sleeve, Gu Xin felt a sudden pang of worry about whether this operation would blow up in his face. But right now, Wei Meng was the only person Jiang Chen would confide in without keeping his guard up. He had no choice but to place his bets on him.
“Right,” Gu Xin agreed smoothly. “Ninja style.”
“Got it, Monitor! I’m off. Catch you on WeChat!”
Having accepted his top-secret mission, Wei Meng immediately went into full secret-agent mode. Shaping his hand into a prop gun, he peeked stealthily around the brick wall.
Gu Xin was utterly speechless at this display of sheer, childish middle-school syndrome. “Just go.”
“Roger that! I will not compromise the mission!” Wei Meng declared, pressing his back against the wall as he sidestepped his way toward the classroom.
Gu Xin walked back out in the open, deliberately keeping his distance.
Meanwhile, Wei Meng was still completely immersed in his own imaginary spy thriller soundtrack, entirely oblivious to the heavy judgment radiating from Gu Xin. How does Chen-chen survive hanging out with Wei Meng every day? Gu Xin wondered.
The moment the final morning bell rang, Gu Xin was called away by a teacher due to his abrupt departure from Saturday’s hosting rehearsal. This left Jiang Chen and Wei Meng to head down to the cafeteria together.
Following Jiang Chen’s precise directions, Wei Meng piled their trays with food, and they finally tracked down a table. Having held his tongue for the last two periods, Wei Meng couldn’t wait any longer.
“Alright, who did this to you?” Wei Meng demanded between bites, his anger boiling over. “Give me a name and I’ll go break the bastard in half!”
Jiang Chen had been bottling it up for two days himself. Driven by a teenage boy’s stubborn pride, he hadn’t told a soul, stubbornly maintaining he had just taken a spill.
“On Saturday morning, your dear old dad here stopped by a convenience store on the way to school,” Jiang Chen began, referring to himself as Wei Meng’s father in their usual banter. “And I ran into those three idiots from the sophomore tier.”
“It was them?!” Wei Meng slammed his fist down. “How the hell did they jump you? Screw them, I’m going to pay them back double!”
“Oh, I’m definitely getting even,” Jiang Chen muttered, his eyes narrowing. “But I have to wait until this hand heals first. Let’s let them think they won for now.” He wasn’t about to let this slide either.
Remembering Gu Xin’s strict orders, Wei Meng quickly probed, “How exactly did you get hurt, though?”
When it came to fighting, Jiang Chen had absolutely nothing to hide from Wei Meng. The two of them had practically been an inseparable tag-team back at No. 19 Middle School, trading blows with their rivals on a regular basis. Their deep bond was forged in the fire of countless brawls; in Jiang Chen’s book, Wei Meng was his absolute best brother, second only to Gu Xin.
“I was just about to ride off when those three cowards rushed me from behind and dragged me right off my bike. They bent my front wheel entirely. They wanted a three-on-one, but you know your dad doesn’t take hits lying down. I fought back. I kicked one straight in the junk, landed a solid punch on another one’s face, and threw the last guy right into a pile of trash. When they realized I wasn’t an easy target and a crowd started forming, they lost their nerve and backed off, so I left.”
Naturally, the fight hadn’t been nearly as effortless as Jiang Chen made it sound…otherwise, his scrapes wouldn’t be this severe. After all, he had been dealing with three Alphas at once.
“Unbelievable. What absolute human garbage, ganging up on one guy! Show some damn shame!” Wei Meng fumed, wishing he could beat them into a hospital bed. “I am personally going to end them.”
The words had barely left Wei Meng’s mouth when Gu Xin appeared, carrying his lunch tray.
He sat down smoothly in the empty seat right next to Jiang Chen, acting completely oblivious. “What are you guys talking about?”
If there was one person Jiang Chen feared finding out about his brawls, it was Gu Xin. He couldn’t quite explain why, but he absolutely hated the idea of Gu Xin getting dragged into his messy street fights.
Quickly changing the subject, Jiang Chen blurted, “Oh, just about the weekend talent show selections! Did our act make the cut?”
Gu Xin played along flawlessly. “I just saw the list in the faculty office. We passed.”
Jiang Chen’s face fell in immediate disappointment. “How on earth did we pass?”
This time, Gu Xin didn’t glare at him. Instead, he said gently, “If your hand isn’t healed in two weeks, we’ll just pull the plug on the performance.”
Hope flared in Jiang Chen’s eyes, but then he remembered how hard Gu Xin had worked practicing the piano with him every day. Guilt-ridden, he quietly looked down at his tray.
Over the weekend at home, Gu Xin had fed him everything, so eating hadn’t been an issue. Today, however, he had ordered a side of fried pork ribs. With his left hand being clumsy and uncoordinated, the ribs kept slipping from his chopsticks, clattering back onto the plate with every attempt.
Watching him struggle, Wei Meng offered helpfully, “Man, that looks rough. Want me to just eat those for you?”
Gu Xin, however, calmly set his own chopsticks down. “Hand me your chopsticks.”
The contrast between the two friends couldn’t have been sharper.
Jiang Chen knew exactly what Gu Xin was trying to do. “Just use yours. You still have to eat your own food anyway. Swapping back and forth is a pain.”
Gu Xin hesitated for a fraction of a second before using his own chopsticks to pick up a piece of pork rib and holding it out to Jiang Chen. “Open up.”
Jiang Chen happily accepted the bite, completely satisfied. Now this is service, he thought. Xin-bao is always so thoughtful. Wei Meng, on the other hand, was completely useless…they had been talking for ages and the guy hadn’t offered him a single piece of meat.
Wei Meng was a fast eater, leaving him to sit across from them while Jiang Chen waited to be fed and Gu Xin carefully split his attention between feeding his friend and eating his own lunch. Sitting there, Wei Meng suddenly felt an intense, inexplicable wave of awkwardness wash over him.
“I want some of your braised eggplant,” Jiang Chen pointed with his chin.
“You can grab the eggplant yourself,” Gu Xin replied.
“Just scoop a bite for me while you’re at it.”
Gu Xin scooped up a piece of eggplant and popped it directly into Jiang Chen’s mouth. Jiang Chen didn’t have to lift a single finger the entire meal. By now, several nearby students were openly staring. Not far away, Yang Xiu and the rest of the crew from their group chat were watching the scene unfold, completely dumbfounded.
Our Class Monitor’s dedication to helping others is truly inspiring, they thought.
As for Wei Meng, after enduring the awkwardness for what felt like an eternity, he finally squeezed out a comment he thought was hilarious: “Chen-er, you know you look exactly like a little baby being spoon-fed right now? Hahaha!”
Jiang Chen swallowed his eggplant and promptly kicked Wei Meng under the table. “Drop dead!”
Suppressing a grin, Gu Xin turned his sparkling, amused eyes toward Jiang Chen. “Baby Chen, do you want some more?”
Jiang Chen shot Gu Xin a fiercely annoyed glare and huffed, “Screw off, I’m done eating!”