Chapter 24

Bai Zining now desperately wanted to take back the thoughts he had five minutes ago.

Five minutes ago, he was thinking that, if given the choice, he would rather take a beating himself than let Zhu Shizhou suffer any mental issues.

But then? There have always been parables like “Dongguo and the Wolf,” “The Farmer and the Snake,” and even the saying about a dog biting Lü Dongbin. Even idioms have warned him to beware of burning bridges after crossing them. Yet, he failed to learn anything from these lessons.^[1]Explanation of Idioms: 1. Dongguo and the Wolf (東郭先生與狼): A story from Chinese folklore where Dongguo saves a wolf, only for the wolf to later try to harm him. It serves as a cautionary … Continue reading

Because Zhu Shizhou had just said, “Come on, Ningning, I’ve found you out. What are we going to do about it?”

Bai Zining didn’t know what he meant and remained silent.

Then Zhu Shizhou continued with something even more shocking: “If you don’t come up with a solution, by tomorrow everyone will know that Ningning mei mei who loves wearing skirts, lives in Room 206.”

Bai Zining’s eyes widened. If Zhu Shizhou had the capacity to threaten him, it clearly meant there was nothing wrong with his mental state. Fine, fine, fine—he had actually worried about him earlier.

Pah!

How did he even have the nerve to say something like that?

Bai Zining was now fully awake. All the ambiguous tension and nervous atmosphere vanished into thin air. The dissatisfaction and resentment toward Zhu Shizhou, which had nearly dissipated, began to solidify once more. And this time, it grew several times larger than before.

What kind of foolish things had he done over the past few months? Worrying that Zhu Shizhou might get scammed through an online romance, racking his brain to find ways to subtly warn him, and even risking being discovered by wearing a skirt to take photos just to cheer him up, but this was how Zhu Shizhou repaid him.

That scoundrel! He may look decent and proper when in love, but deep down, he’s just a downright despicable villain.

He must have been blinded by the façade all along. He should’ve realized earlier that Zhu Shizhou is someone who’s incredibly good at putting on an act.

But he couldn’t fight back right now, he was still wearing a skirt. If he started cursing or got into a fight with Zhu Shizhou, and Zhu Shizhou really lost his mind and dragged him outside the dorm, it would be the ultimate humiliation.

So he had to endure it, at least for now, and avoid angering the other party.

In ancient times, Goujian endured hardship, sleeping on firewood and tasting gall^[2]“勾踐卧薪嘗膽” (Goujian endured hardship): Refers to a famous historical story from the Spring and Autumn Period. King Goujian of Yue endured great humiliation, sleeping on firewood and … Continue reading; now, Bai Zining must swallow his pride and compromise. Lowering his head, he asked softly, “I’m really confused right now. Can you let me take a moment to process it? I’ll think it through slowly, okay?”

“No way. Who knows what kind of tricks you’re planning again,” Zhu Shizhou rejected him decisively.

“I won’t lie to you again. I already know I was wrong and will never make the same mistake,” Bai Zining said sincerely. Seeing a hint of hesitation on Zhu Shizhou’s face, he quickly added a show of loyalty. “We’re in the same dorm; there’s no way I can run off. Besides, I still need to keep attending school. Don’t worry, tonight I’ll deeply reflect on myself, and by tomorrow, I’ll come up with a plan to make it up to you. If you’re not satisfied, we can always discuss it further.”

His words were incredibly earnest. Zhu Shizhou scanned Bai Zining, who was looking so obedient and submissive, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. “Alright then. Take your time reflecting, and make sure you think hard. Got it?”

Reflect on your head, seriously reflect my foot! Bai Zining cursed inwardly, but on the surface, he obediently nodded, acting just like a child being scolded and writing a self-critique. “I understand.”

Later that evening, when Cai Yu returned to the dorm, the sight that greeted him was Bai Zining lying on his bed, weak as a thread, his eyes wide open and staring blankly.

Startled, Cai Yu thought Bai Zining was sick. Worried, he asked, “Ah Bai, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine,” Bai Zining replied weakly. “I’m just… contemplating life.”

“And how’s your contemplation going?”

“Complete darkness,” Bai Zining replied, closing his eyes to suppress the urge to cry.

He was thinking about how he could possibly deal with Zhu Shizhou’s unreasonable demands. Zhu Shizhou would surely come up with all kinds of absurd requests, and he would have no choice but to comply. His dignity would be trampled underfoot, reducing him to Zhu Shizhou’s slave. A mere tool for venting, enduring beatings and scoldings, obeying without question.

The thought was terrifying. Imagining such a miserable future, Bai Zining broke out in a cold sweat.

He wanted to get out of bed to change into his pajamas, but as his fingers paused on the buttons of his shirt, a realization struck him. Wait a minute, he was wearing men’s clothes right now, not a skirt. That meant Zhu Shizhou didn’t have anything solid to hold against him!

The alternate account he used for online romance couldn’t be traced back to him, and the photos he had sent didn’t show his face, so there was no definitive proof it was him. Even if Zhu Shizhou brought up the mole on his leg as evidence, he could just have the mole removed. Then there would be no evidence left at all!

Ah-ha! Bai Zining slapped his thigh. His life wasn’t shrouded in darkness, but it was filled with hope and endless possibilities!

Moreover, Zhu Shizhou couldn’t prove that the online romance partner was him, but Bai Zining had countless ways to prove that Zhu Shizhou was one of the parties involved. His WeChat account, the selfies he had sent, the personal details he had casually revealed during their chats—it was all evidence.

Bai Zining felt like he had regained the upper hand because he had something to hold over Zhu Shizhou.

The one acting as a desperate “bootlicker,” shamelessly clinging to their online romance partner, wasn’t him. So why did Zhu Shizhou get to suddenly turn the tables and become the one issuing threats? The power was clearly in his hands.

The more Bai Zining thought about it, the angrier he became. Exactly, why should it be this way?

The more he thought about it, the more energized he became, and his ideas flowed more freely. Bai Zining decided to immediately organize all the chat logs since he’d met Zhu Shizhou, packaging screenshots of Zhu Shizhou’s expressions of affection as evidence.

As he scrolled through the records, Bai Zining frequently paused to look and reflect. That day was his first attempt at making tomato and egg stir-fry; Zhu Shizhou had praised him over a dozen times. This message came when he was being scolded by his driving instructor, and Zhu Shizhou had comforted him. This photo was taken after he burned his hand while cooking, and Zhu Shizhou had asked for his address to send burn ointment and had spent half the day coaxing him.

Honestly, looking purely at their chat logs from before the start of school, it totally read like a pair of sweet, lovey-dovey young lovers in a great relationship.

Because he kept pausing to reminisce every so often, Bai Zining ended up pulling an all-nighter, spending the entire night just to go through two-thirds of their chat history.

The screenshots in his photo album each carried a different memory. He could even recall the excitement, joy, and exhilaration of those heart-fluttering moments.

Stop reminiscing. Bai Zining forcibly suppressed the emotions stirring inside him. Your role now is that of an avenger. You need to reclaim your dignity.

The next afternoon, with two massive dark circles under his eyes, Bai Zining decided to strike first before Zhu Shizhou could come looking for him. He stopped Zhu Shizhou and sent him a compressed file on WeChat.

“What’s this?” Zhu Shizhou asked.

“You’ll know once you open it,” Bai Zining replied.

Zhu Shizhou sat back in his seat and downloaded the compressed file Bai Zining had sent him, titled “Evidence.” Inside, there were nearly a hundred screenshots.

As he scrolled through them, instead of sensing the impending storm, Zhu Shizhou began to laugh. It was as if he’d stumbled upon something delightful.

“So, is this your way of making it up to me? This isn’t enough. Do you have anything else, like…” Zhu Shizhou trailed off without finishing his sentence.

The more Bai Zining watched, the more he felt something was off. This guy was usually so sharp, how could he suddenly become so dense at such a critical moment?

“Zhu Shizhou, take a good look at these yourself. The one saying ‘I like you’ and calling people ‘baby’ online every day is you. The one shamelessly playing the bootlicker after being emotionally stonewalled is also you. The one willingly doing homework and sending money? Still you. Do you dare let others see this side of you? And how are you going to prove the person chatting with you was me? Without proof, I’ll sue you for defamation!”

Spitting out the prepared speech in one breath, Bai Zining raised his chin, feeling as though he’d reclaimed the moral high ground.

Zhu Shizhou’s smile froze on his face. His expression grew complicated, as if he thought Bai Zining had just said something incredibly foolish.

Seeing Zhu Shizhou remain silent, Bai Zining pressed, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“What do you want, then?” Zhu Shizhou asked, fixing Bai Zining with a steady gaze, his expression shifting back to that faintly amused, faintly mocking look.

Bai Zining felt uncomfortable under his stare. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the incident in the dorm yesterday afternoon, when he’d been caught red-handed. The memory left a deep psychological scar on him.

In truth, he didn’t really want to threaten Zhu Shizhou, it was Zhu Shizhou who had gone too far first.

Without thinking, Bai Zining blurted out, “I want you to be my lackey! You have to do everything I say!”

What followed was a long silence. Just as he thought Zhu Shizhou wouldn’t agree, Zhu Shizhou finally spoke, “Set a time limit.”

“One month. Anything less would be letting you off too easily.”

Zhu Shizhou lowered his head, his expression unreadable, and replied, “Alright, I’ll be your lackey for a month.”

Seeing Zhu Shizhou’s seemingly reluctant expression, Bai Zining swallowed nervously. If you had known it would come to this, why bother starting trouble in the first place?

If Zhu Shizhou hadn’t turned the tables on him first, Bai Zining wouldn’t have made such an unreasonable demand.

But words alone weren’t enough. To prevent Zhu Shizhou from pulling any tricks later, Bai Zining suggested drafting an agreement to bind both parties.

They created two copies. Bai Zining dictated, Zhu Shizhou wrote, and both signed at the end. And each keeping one copy.

【Lackey Agreement】

Party A: Bai Zining

Party B: Zhu Shizhou

Through friendly consultation and based on principles of mutual understanding and trust, this agreement is established. Both parties voluntarily agree to bear responsibility for the terms outlined herein.

1. During the agreement period, Party B must unconditionally fulfill all reasonable requests made by Party A. This includes but is not limited to running errands, buying meals, picking up packages, completing homework, giving back massages, serving tea, and fetching water.

2. Party B promises to carry out Party A’s requests without complaint, with wholehearted effort, and to respond promptly whenever called. Party B shall not feign compliance while secretly opposing, nor display anger, nor defame or curse Party A behind their back.

3. Both Party A and Party B must not disclose the contents of this agreement to anyone. Any breach of this clause is at the breacher’s own risk. Party A retains all rights to interpret the terms of this agreement.

Agreement Duration: September 30, 20xx, to October 29, 20xx.

At the end of the agreement period, this agreement shall automatically expire, with no extensions or transfers allowed. Both parties shall consider the matter settled, with no debts or obligations owed to each other.

To ensure its validity, Bai Zining retrieved the red stamp from a previous club activity and, together with Zhu Shizhou, pressed their fingerprints onto the document.

“All done.” Bai Zining picked up his copy, reading it over with satisfaction. “Now that it’s stamped, there’s no backing out.”