Chapter 11 You Should Have a Good Life

Lin Chuge told Chi Haiyin that she had something to do and was going out. After receiving permission, she left home.

Uncle Wu drove her to the place and stayed in the car waiting.

She had agreed to meet Pei Zhou at the central commercial street.

It was a little past eight in the evening, the busiest time when crowds were coming and going, yet Lin Chuge quickly spotted Pei Zhou.

The boy wore a cold expression, his face showing an unpleasant look as if he hated the whole world. But with his tall figure, long legs, and handsome features, he still drew many glances from passersby, especially women. Lin Chuge walked up to him, deliberately avoiding his gaze, and asked, “At this hour, why did you call me out here? Do you have something to say?”

Pei Zhou glanced at her. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

As if worried she might sneak away, he turned and grabbed her arm at the same time.

Lin Chuge was forced to follow closely behind him. They wove through the crowd until they reached a quiet alley with almost no one around. She had never noticed before that such a silent place could exist near such a bustling commercial street.

The noise faded far behind them.

Facing Pei Zhou alone, Lin Chuge tightened her grip on the phone in her palm.

Even though she didn’t believe he would harm her, the pressure he exuded made it impossible not to feel nervous.

She lowered her head in silence.

Pei Zhou bent slightly, staring at her.

He went straight to the point without beating around the bush. “Did you call the police?”

So it was about that.

After a few seconds, Lin Chuge nodded, admitting, “Mm, it was me.”

Once admitted, there was no doubt about what followed—a temper completely ignited. His anger was written all over his face. Furious, he slammed a fist against the wall behind her. “Are you fucking sick in the head? What the hell does this have to do with you?! Calling the damn cops?!”

The dull thud by her ear made her body tremble. She couldn’t help but feel afraid of his outburst.

But she forced herself to look at him and said, “Pei Zhou, I’m not sick.”

“I know, I know it’s meddling in someone else’s business.”

“I also knew that if you found out it was me, you’d be angry, you’d blame me.”

“But I just couldn’t pretend I didn’t know.”

“I wasn’t trying to go against you. I just… just didn’t want something bad to happen to you.”

“You’re already seventeen this year.”

“At this age, if you break the law, you’ll be criminally responsible.”

“You keep fighting with those messy people—what if they hurt you? And what if you hurt them? If you get hurt, you suffer. If you hurt someone badly and get sentenced, that’s even scarier.”

As she spoke, her eyes grew red.

“To you, I really am an insignificant person. We don’t even know each other that well.”

“But I still hope you’re okay.”

“I want you to grow up well, safe and sound, to become a really, really good man.”

At that moment, Lin Chuge felt she was truly foolish.

Just two dreams—if she hadn’t taken them seriously, she could’ve pretended nothing had happened.

Why bother worrying, fussing, and only making herself annoying when she couldn’t even help?

What was the point?

Maybe, it was just to give herself peace of mind.

If she had to watch Pei Zhou slide down the wrong path without doing anything, she really couldn’t be at peace.

She could understand his anger, but her heart still felt wronged.

Who wanted things to be like this?

She lowered her head, tears slipping down uncontrollably. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from making any sound. In the end, she whispered, “Pei Zhou, I just don’t want to see you hospitalized for fighting, and I don’t want to see you in prison for fighting either. You should have a good life.”

Her words were nasal, clearly choked with tears.

Pei Zhou heard it—she was crying but stubbornly refusing to cry out loud in front of him.

Before seeing her and hearing her words, he had been so irritable he wanted to beat someone just to vent.

Now, his anger had vanished completely.

I want you to grow up well, safe and sound, to become a really, really good man. You should have a good life.

Someone had said similar words to him when he was little—promised to always stay by his side. But that person had abandoned him, gone to another world, never to return, leaving him to grow up alone.

When that person left, the family he had was broken too.

His father remarried, built a new family, but that home had nothing to do with him.

Pei Huafeng had a new wife, soon new children.

But for him, losing his mother also meant losing his father.

Even Pei Huafeng didn’t care what became of him.

Even if he ended up in the police station or at the precinct, Pei Huafeng only ever sent an assistant to deal with it.

So he couldn’t understand what Lin Chuge was thinking.

What’s the point? Once, twice—really, what’s the point? You stop him once, can you stop him for life?

Why waste time and energy on him?

Pei Zhou’s throat bobbed.

His eyes stung faintly. He looked away, still barking, “What the hell are you crying for?”

Lin Chuge was silent a moment, then murmured, “You’re too fierce… I’m scared…”

“But… I’m sorry for making you angry.”

Pei Zhou still scolded her: “Just mind your own studies from now on. Stop meddling in things that don’t concern you.”

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t do the same thing again.

He was fierce, but compared to earlier, it wasn’t nearly as frightening. In fact, his gruff scolding somehow eased the tension between them, no longer as sharp and hostile as before.

“Can’t you stop fighting?” She grew bolder after a pause, no longer quite so afraid.

She muttered softly, “What’s the point of fighting anyway?”

Her persistence almost made him laugh in exasperation. He jabbed a finger at her forehead, annoyed but also helpless. “They hit you that day—whether it was on purpose or not, how could I not get revenge for you? Stupid!”

The spot he poked tingled strangely.

Lin Chuge covered her forehead with her hand, looked up at him, and let out a silly “Ah?”

Coming back to her senses, she cautiously confirmed, “You… avenged me?”

Pei Zhou clicked his tongue, full of disdain. “Pig.”

She just stood there dumbly, unsure how to react.

It wasn’t that fighting for her made it all okay, but inside she couldn’t quite describe what she felt.

“Thank you.” After a long while, she forced out two words, then added, “Pei Zhou, I understand your intentions, but you don’t have to go this far. And honestly, instead of fighting for revenge, if you could just—”

He cut her off: “Don’t even bring up studying.”

That was exactly what she had meant to say, but his defensive look made her want to laugh.

“Wrong guess.”

She acted casual. “What I meant was… could you treat me to a meal instead?”

She rubbed her stomach. “I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

“So hungry.” As soon as she said that, her stomach growled twice, right on cue.

Pei Zhou: “…”

He gave her a sideways glance, not caring if she was faking it or not. Then he stepped out of the alley. “Then let’s eat.”

“Oh.”

She grinned behind him and quickly followed his stride.

·

This city’s central commercial street was always crowded at night, lively and bustling.

Naturally, a food street wasn’t far away.

Taking charge, Pei Zhou led her there and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

When he looked at her, he saw her eyes light up, already glued to the snacks at the stalls by the entrance.

“I want to eat everything!”

With food in front of her, all her bad mood disappeared. “Only kids pick one thing!”

“Hopeless.”

He tugged her arm, leading her deeper in. “These stalls aren’t that good. If we eat, we’ll eat the best.”

In less than half an hour weaving through the food street, Lin Chuge was carrying a beef pie in her left hand and a grilled chicken leg in her right, happily eating as she walked. Pei Zhou carried several other snacks for her, occasionally glancing back at her.

“Pickled beef rice noodles—want some?”

As they approached another stall, he asked.

She swallowed her bite quickly and rushed forward. “Yes! Yes!”

“Extra spicy, less green onion, lots of cilantro!”

He chuckled. “Lots of cilantro?”

“Mm-hmm!” She nodded with a smile. “Thanks, Pei Zhou!”

He made no comment.

At the stall, he ordered her a bowl of noodles.

She followed him in high spirits. But when they turned to leave, she bumped into someone. The other person was holding a bowl of beef meatball soup. With the impact, their hands slipped, and the soup spilled all over Lin Chuge’s clothes.

The soup was scalding. It burned her enough to let out a couple of whimpers.

The other person quickly apologized, fumbling to pull out tissues to wipe her clothes, but the scene was chaotic.

Pei Zhou, just having paid, saw the mess. The crowd clogged up the space, so he pulled stunned Lin Chuge aside.

The person who’d spilled the soup kept apologizing.

Realizing it wasn’t intentional, Lin Chuge said, “I wasn’t careful either, so I share the blame.”

She didn’t make a fuss and let them leave.

Pei Zhou frowned. “Did you get burned?”

She looked down at her dirty uniform, shook her head. “Should be fine.”

But her good mood had dimmed.

He looked at her again and said, “You need to change clothes. We’ll get some burn ointment too.”

“Come on.”

He pulled her forward a few steps. She blinked. “Where are we going?”

“My place is nearby.”

He paused, then explained, “No one else there. I live alone.”

Hearing she’d be going to his house, she hesitated.

Noticing she’d stopped, he turned. “What, you think I’ll take advantage of you?”

That wasn’t it.

She shook her head. He continued coldly, “Or would you rather ride home dirty? Or… maybe you’d prefer I take you to a hotel?”

Lin Chuge: “…”

Of course not. With some guilt, she said, “Sorry to trouble you.”

Pei Zhou led her home.

It was her first time going alone to a male classmate’s unfamiliar home, so she couldn’t help feeling nervous. Once inside, she didn’t dare look around.

He bent, took out a new pair of men’s slippers from the shoe cabinet, and set them at her feet.

“Only have these. Make do.”

“Thank you.”

After changing shoes, she followed him into the living room.

He set the food on the coffee table and turned on the TV.

“Sit for a bit, watch some TV, eat something. I’ll step out and be back soon.”

She nodded obediently. “Okay.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “If anyone comes, don’t open the door. Wait till I’m back.”

She nodded again.

Glancing once more at the stains on her uniform and legs, he went to fetch a clean towel, dampened it with warm water, and handed it to her. “Wipe up.” When she took it, he pocketed his phone and left again.