Watching Wei Xiaochi tearfully wipe his face, Jiang Zhan almost blurted out, “Are you looking to die?” but managed to swallow the words back.

Wei Xiaochi had taken a few punches to the face, his cheeks alternating between blue and purple, especially the left side, which was swollen. But Han Ziyang still recognized him immediately.

Han Ziyang poked Wei Xiaochi’s left cheek. His touch wasn’t forceful, but Wei Xiaochi’s beta features twitched involuntarily.

That was an authentic, natural reaction.

It seemed like the bruises weren’t from makeup, they were real.

Han Ziyang was confused. “What happened to you? Got beaten up and then decided to run into the middle of the street?”

After the basketball team’s training ended, they were leaving the school when Wei Xiaochi suddenly dashed out, aimlessly heading toward the street.

If it weren’t for Jiang Zhan’s quick reflexes in stopping him, a truck could’ve easily turned Wei Xiaochi into a mangled mess.

Wei Xiaochi’s throat felt clogged, as if there were two pounds of wet cotton stuffed inside, making his words unclear.

Han Ziyang noticed his lips moving but couldn’t hear a word he was saying.

“Speak up, you a mosquito? Even a mosquito’s buzzing is louder than your voice,” Han Ziyang said, poking at Wei Xiaochi’s swollen face.

Jiang Zhan stood in front of Wei Xiaochi, his expression sour as Han Ziyang kept poking at him. Annoyed, Jiang Zhan slapped Han Ziyang’s hand away.

Han Ziyang’s hand turned red, but he didn’t dare say anything and quickly pulled it back.

Wei Xiaochi’s trademark glasses were missing, and it took Jiang Zhan a good ten seconds to recognize him. He frowned and asked, “Who did this?”

Today’s events had terrified Wei Xiaochi, and his body was still in disarray—his limbs were weak, and he couldn’t speak properly.

Luckily, Fang Zhixin had chased after him. He was afraid Wei Xiaochi might report him to the police, so he followed.

To his surprise, Wei Xiaochi was surrounded by a few imposing alphas. When Fang Zhixin looked closely—damn, they were all old acquaintances.

Fang Zhixin wasn’t unfamiliar to Jiang Zhan; after all, they had fought several times.

Seeing Fang Zhixin here, Jiang Zhan didn’t need Wei Xiaochi to explain anything. He understood instantly. He lowered his gaze, lazily stretched his wrist, then landed a punch that knocked Fang Zhixin to the ground.

Jiang Zhan looked down from above at the curled-up Fang Zhixin as if looking at a pile of trash.

“You still not satisfied?” Jiang Zhan pulled Fang Zhixin up by the collar and kneed him in the stomach. “Then come at me. Picking on him? What kind of bullshit is that?”

Han Ziyang: ???

What’s going on? Is Jiang Zhan actually standing up for the four-eyed guy?

And based on what he said, it sounds like Fang Zhixin bullied Wei Xiaochi to provoke Jiang Zhan, so Jiang Zhan is stepping in.

Wait, what happened between these two that I don’t know about?

Just as Han Ziyang was still puzzled, his sharp eyes spotted two sneaky figures.

His memory was sharp, unlike Jiang Zhan, who had slight face blindness. He instantly recognized them as the two troublemakers who always hung around Fang Zhixin.

The two yellow-haired boys sensed Han Ziyang’s gaze, and a chill ran down their spines. They turned to flee.

Han Ziyang casually threw his messenger bag at Jiang Rui’s face with a cold smile. “Why rush to leave when you’re already here?”

He took three quick steps and launched a kick to one of the yellow-haired boy’s back, sending him stumbling. “You think we’re dead, coming to cause trouble at No. 2 High?”

Han Ziyang couldn’t believe they had the guts to pick a fight at No. 2 High.

Fang Zhixin was from the vocational high school’s basketball team, and their reputation was terrible. They had a habit of playing dirty during games and using unsporting tactics.

A while ago, during a match between two schools, Fang Zhixin had deliberately tripped one of Han Ziyang’s teammates, injuring him so badly that he was out for the rest of the game.

The player who got injured was Li Suilin, the class president in Wei Xiaochi’s class. He twisted his ankle and was still recovering at home.

The day Jiang Zhan borrowed money from Wei Xiaochi, they had been planning to confront Fang Zhixin.

Han Ziyang had spotted Fang Zhixin’s basketball team celebrating at a dingy little restaurant. He called Jiang Zhan to ask if he wanted to get revenge for the dirty play.

That day, Jiang Zhan was in a hurry and didn’t hear Wei Xiaochi identifying himself.

Almost everyone at No. 2 High knew which class Wei Xiaochi was in, so when Jiang Zhan borrowed money from him, he asked if the person knew him. If they did, a simple inquiry would lead them to find him in Class 7.

Wei Xiaochi had no idea about Jiang Zhan’s reasoning at the time. When Jiang Zhan asked, “Do you know me?”, Wei Xiaochi thought he was being threatened.

The last time at the little restaurant, they didn’t get a good enough beating, so this time, Fang Zhixin, out of his mind, was essentially asking for it. Han Ziyang and the others had no reason to hold back.

The main members of the No. 2 High basketball team were all alphas, with an average height of 6 feet 1 inch, standing together like a wall of brick. They surrounded Fang Zhixin and the two yellow-haired boys in the middle.

Jiang Zhan didn’t get involved. He hailed a taxi and told Wei Xiaochi, “Get in.”

Wei Xiaochi was still in shock, his emotions all over the place, trembling and unable to respond properly.

Seeing that Wei Xiaochi wasn’t moving, Jiang Zhan seemed a little impatient. He went ahead and shoved him into the taxi.

Wei Xiaochi wanted to resist, but Jiang Zhan stepped in beside him and told the driver, “Hospital.”

Wei Xiaochi, being considerate, saw that Jiang Zhan was only taking him to the hospital. He shrank into the corner of the taxi, silent and small as a quail.

After the emotional rollercoaster of the day, even though Wei Xiaochi’s tears had stopped, his body occasionally twitched uncontrollably.

The taxi driver wasn’t much of a talker, focusing on the road without uttering a word. The car was quiet, and every sound felt unnaturally clear.

Jiang Zhan heard Wei Xiaochi mumbling something, and turned to look at him.

Wei Xiaochi’s dry lips moved, but he barely made a sound.

Jiang Zhan heard buzzing in his ears. He had a bad temper and couldn’t stand this kind of noise. “What are you saying? Speak louder.”

Wei Xiaochi shrank back, his neck drawing in as he muttered, “Medical fees.”

“Medical fees?” Jiang Zhan looked confused.

Noticing Jiang Zhan hadn’t understood, Wei Xiaochi gathered the courage to say, “Tell… Fang Zhixin to pay for my medical fees.”

Wei Xiaochi valued his life, but when it came to money, he felt like his life could be sacrificed.

Jiang Zhan glanced at Wei Xiaochi’s multicolored face. Just moments ago, he’d looked utterly terrified, and now he was already thinking about having Fang Zhixin pay for medical fees.

Jiang Zhan nonchalantly responded with a dismissive “Mm” and said, “Got it.”

Wei Xiaochi saw this as an opportunity and quickly followed up, “Fang Zhixin also broke my glasses. He should pay for that too.”

To make sure Jiang Zhan heard, Wei Xiaochi leaned in closer, only to quickly withdraw again.

“Got it.”

Jiang Zhan muttered as if he had heard, but Wei Xiaochi didn’t see any action. He felt a little anxious. “Can you call your friends now?”

Jiang Zhan didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Han Ziyang.

As soon as the call connected, Jiang Zhan got straight to the point. “Is Fang Zhixin still near you?”

“Yeah, I’m currently giving him a lesson in love, what’s up, Zhan-ge?”

“Get him to pay the medical fees and for the glasses.”

Han Ziyang sounded confused. “What glasses? Did Fang Zhixin break Xiao Siyan’s glasses? Wait, is he okay?”

Jiang Zhan didn’t have the patience to explain and hung up abruptly.

Wei Xiaochi muttered a quiet “Thank you.”

If you thought about it, Jiang Zhan did bear some responsibility for today’s beating. If he hadn’t helped Jiang Zhan, Fang Zhixin wouldn’t have thought to cause trouble.

If Jiang Zhan had paid him back the money quickly, Wei Xiaochi would’ve avoided this disaster.

But then again, Fang Zhixin had brought it on himself, and Jiang Zhan didn’t tell him to take his anger out on Wei Xiaochi.

So if Jiang Zhan really helped him get back the medical fees, Wei Xiaochi would still be grateful.

Playing basketball without getting injured was practically impossible. Even someone like Jiang Zhan, a top alpha, couldn’t avoid the occasional bump or bruise during a game.

Jiang Zhan was well-acquainted with the hospital, so he had Wei Xiaochi sit in the waiting area while he took care of the paperwork and got a consultation card.

Since it was a quiet time at the hospital, Wei Xiaochi was seen quickly.

“Besides your face and arms, does anything else hurt?” the emergency doctor asked.

Wei Xiaochi winced, clutching his side. His face turned pale. “My ribs hurt.”

Earlier, when Wei Xiaochi struggled, Fang Zhixin had kicked him in the stomach several times.

The doctor had Wei Xiaochi lie down on the bed and lifted his shirt to examine his abdomen. He noticed a patch of bruising on Wei Xiaochi’s right side.

“Relax, don’t tense up,” the doctor said, pressing on a spot on Wei Xiaochi’s abdomen. “Does it hurt?”

Wei Xiaochi sucked in a breath. “Yes, it hurts.”

The doctor pressed around a bit more, observing Wei Xiaochi’s reactions.

“Nothing’s broken. Just take some anti-inflammatory meds, avoid strenuous activity, and rest for a few days. You’ll be fine,” the doctor said as he used the computer to order the medication.

When Wei Xiaochi slowly got off the bed, Jiang Zhan helped steady him.

Wei Xiaochi paused. “Thanks.”

After leaving the emergency room, Jiang Zhan gestured to a nearby bench. “Wait here. I’ll go get the meds.”

Wei Xiaochi looked at Jiang Zhan’s broad shoulders and pressed his pale lips together. At the critical moment, the school bully actually seems reliable.

His body felt like it had been dismantled and put back together. Every inch of him hurt. He slumped weakly against the bench, not wanting to say a word.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a shadow suddenly loomed above him.

Wei Xiaochi opened his eyes to see Jiang Zhan holding a bag of medication—some oral, some for topical use.

Jiang Zhan handed him the bag. “Read the instructions.”

“Okay…” Wei Xiaochi hurriedly took it, reflexively saying, “Thank you.”

Jiang Zhan raised his eyelids and glanced at him. This beta always looked so timid and slow, especially after getting beaten up, he looked even more foolish.

Jiang Zhan didn’t rush off. He leaned lazily against the wall and asked, “How are you getting home?”

Wei Xiaochi was honest. “I’ll take the bus.”

Jiang Zhan frowned, gesturing to his face. “I mean, how are you going home like this?”

How’s he going to explain that he got beaten up?

Wei Xiaochi was just as anxious. Wei Dongjian wouldn’t be back until the next morning, but if he went home looking like this, he’d probably get scolded.

After a while, Wei Xiaochi weakly perked up. “I’ll go back later, just don’t let them see me. Thanks for today. How much are the medical fees?”

Speaking of which, Jiang Zhan suddenly remembered something. “Han Ziyang sent a thousand over earlier. That’s Fang Zhixin paying for your medical fees.”

Fang Zhixin wasn’t from a wealthy family, and his allowance wasn’t much, but he could still scrape together a few hundred.

The other two yellow-haired boys also pitched in, and together they gave Han Ziyang a thousand.

As a standard rich second-generation, Jiang Zhan felt that amount was pitiful. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is it enough to buy a pair of glasses?”

Unlike Jiang Zhan, who was disappointed, Wei Xiaochi was more than satisfied. He hadn’t expected to get so much from Fang Zhixin.

“It’s enough, it’s enough.” Wei Xiaochi nodded vigorously, his face full of surprise.

He pulled out his phone and quietly opened WeChat.

The movement was suggestive, but Wei Xiaochi kept his manners and said, “You’ve covered my medical fees. You can take it out of this.”

“Then send me the rest.”

Author’s Note:

Wei Xiaochi’s nickname “Little Four Eyes” is such a plain and unremarkable nickname.