Chapter 7
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At 1:15 PM, Liang Chong personally drove and brought Ning Yiwei back to the campus because Ning Yiwei had “already made an arrangement to occupy a seat together with Zirui.”
Liang Chong had graduated from D University over three years ago and had come back a few times since then, so he was somewhat familiar with the roads on campus. He stopped on a nearby road closest to Building 6 and let Ning Yiwei come closer to carefully examine the gauze behind Ning Yiwei’s ear.
The gauze was taped and stuck to Ning Yiwei’s skin, which looked quite noticeable, but fortunately, there were no signs of bloodstains.
Liang Chong gently pressed Ning Yiwei’s head, his expression concealed from view. Ning Yiwei could only sense the touch of Liang Chong’s fingers on his neck, causing an itching sensation. Liang Chong maintained silence for a moment, which made Ning Yiwei increasingly anxious. Finally, he couldn’t resist and asked, “It didn’t tear, did it?”
“No,” Liang Chong released his hand, setting Ning Yiwei free. He then tucked the wound care instructions that the secretary had printed into Ning Yiwei’s book, closed Ning Yiwei’s backpack zipper, and said, “You can go now. Send me a text after class.”
Ning Yiwei readily agreed and got out of the car. He walked slowly along the path, making his way inside.
Zhou Zirui was waiting for him downstairs and noticed the large gauze behind Ning Yiwei’s ear. With a worried expression, he asked, “Y-Yiwei, are you feeling better?”
“Much better,” Ning Yiwei said. “The doctor just wanted me to take it easy to prevent the wound from reopening.”
The two of them walked slowly towards the stairs. The lecture was scheduled in the large classroom on the third floor. When Ning Yiwei and Kong Zong entered, the classroom was empty. They chose the best seats in the front row.
After a while, more people gradually filled the classroom. Classmates who were familiar with Ning Yiwei spontaneously came over to inquire about his injury.
Ning Yiwei was an honest person and spoke the truth. “Yesterday, I went to the nightclub with Zirui, that FXV CLUB. We were recognized by our enemies and they hit me with a bottle.”
Surprisingly, not a single classmate believed what Ning Yiwei said. Everyone simultaneously showed disdainful expressions, accusing Ning Yiwei of bragging without any evidence.
“It must have been when you fell while being chased by that crazy dog in the small grove yesterday,” a female classmate asserted confidently. “Someone in my neighboring dormitory also encountered it.”
Everyone expressed their agreement with this speculation and began collectively attacking Ning Yiwei’s vanity. It was absurd that despite being chased by a dog and falling, he claimed to have gone to a nightclub and had enemies following him. It was like a fairy tale, similar to a childish elementary school student claiming to be a 17-year-old heir to an 8-country mixed-blood castle.
Ning Yiwei strongly disagreed and said, “Who falls in such a way that the back of their ear gets injured? Zirui can vouch for me.”
“Y-Yes, it’s true,” Zhou Zirui stood firmly by Ning Yiwei’s side and gestured, “A tattooed guy, b-bald head, a whole arm covered in tattoos, he had a large d-dragon tattooed!”
However, Zhou Zirui’s testimony only made the classmates become even more incredulous. They shook their heads and returned to their own seats.
Professor Zhu was known as an early bird. He entered the classroom ten minutes ahead of time and saw Ning Yiwei and Zhou Zirui. As he got closer, he noticed Ning Yiwei’s injury and asked in astonishment, “Xiao Ning, what happened to you?”
Ning Yiwei, consumed by anger from not being trusted, stubbornly explained to the professor, “I got chased by a dog in the nearby small grove yesterday and ended up tripping and falling.”
Professor Zhu sympathetically looked at him and patted his shoulder. “I have heard about this incident as well. I heard that the dog carrying the rabies virus was very fast. Thankfully, it didn’t bite anyone, otherwise, it could have been dangerous.”
Ning Yiwei nodded silently, speechless.
The lecture ended after four o’clock. Ning Yiwei and Zhou Zirui hurriedly approached Professor Zhu to ask a few questions along with some other classmates. They leisurely walked downstairs together and went to the nearest cafeteria to have dinner.
Zhou Zirui said that Ning Yiwei needed rest and voluntarily joined a few other classmates in line to get food for Ning Yiwei. Ning Yiwei sat alone at the dining table, lowering his head and messaged Liang Chong, “Class is over. Having dinner with Zirui at the Cafeteria 4.”
Liang Chong, who knows what he was occupied with, replied in a distracted manner, as if not paying full attention, “Okay.”
Soon, another message came, “My meeting ended early. I’ll come pick you up shortly.”
Ning Yiwei responded with a simple “Okay” to Liang Chong and boredly opened the lecture notes on plasma physics that he had just saved on his phone. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him calling his name, “Ning, Yi, Wei.”
The tone of the voice was all too familiar. Even without turning around, Ning Yiwei knew who it was.
Kong Zong noticed Ning Yiwei’s silence and approached him, holding a bowl of green bean soup. He lowered his head to look at Ning Yiwei and said, “I heard that you were chased by a dog in the small grove and got bitten on your ear.”
He was half a head taller than Ning Yiwei, sporting a trendy hairstyle, and dressed stylishly. His skin was fair, though slightly darker than Ning Yiwei’s. He had large eyes, but their shape was unappealing, and due to small pupils, they appeared weird.
“I heard you were chasing someone in the small grove last night,” Ning Yiwei tilted his head, looked at Kong Zong for a few seconds, and smiled.
Kong Zong, after a few seconds of stupefaction, gradually comprehended the meaning behind Ning Yiwei’s words. His face turned red, and he shouted loudly at Ning Yiwei, “What do you mean, Ning Yiwei? Do you have the guts to say it again?”
Considering Kong Zong’s personality, physical appearance, pronounced eye protrusion, and the significant disparity in his intellectual abilities compared to his father, Professor Kong Shenfeng, Ning Yiwei reasonably suspected that Kong Zong might be dealing with a severe case of hyperthyroidism and had not sought medical treatment.
However, since Ning Yiwei needed to rest and didn’t want to escalate the conflict with Kong Zong, he didn’t engage further and lowered his head to continue studying his lecture notes.
Feeling slighted by Ning Yiwei, Kong Zong’s frustration turned into anger. He glanced down at the freshly filled bowl of green bean soup in his hand, and a malicious thought arose inside him. He tilted his hand, deliberately splashing the green bean soup toward Ning Yiwei’s injured ear.
Ning Yiwei sensed Kong Zong’s action and quickly ducked. Kong Zong missed his target, and the soup splattered onto the long dining table and chairs behind Ning Yiwei.
Several passing students slowed their steps, casting sidelong glances at the standoff between the two.
Ning Yiwei was momentarily stunned, furrowing his brow, then took a step back. He looked down and noticed a few drops of the splashed soup on his white T-shirt and on the chair next to him.
Zhou Zirui approached with two food trays and noticed Kong Zong and his empty bowl, as well as the table soaked in soup. He immediately understood what had happened and questioned Kong Zong, “What did you do?!”
Ning Yiwei felt some pain behind his ear but ignored it. He stared coldly at Kong Zong, who returned the gaze, creating a tense atmosphere between them.
“What’s going on here?” a middle-aged woman’s voice came from behind. Zhou Zirui turned to look and recognized a somewhat familiar face, someone he seemed to have seen before.
She was carrying a bag of steamed buns and upon seeing Kong Zong, her furrowed brow relaxed. “Xiao Zong?”
Kong Zong’s expression immediately changed, adopting a somewhat aggrieved look. He said, “Auntie, I slipped and spilled the soup. I almost spilled it on this classmate.”
Zhou Zirui remembered. This woman seemed to be a teacher from the School of Humanities. Her surname was Liu, and she had taught them a compulsory humanities course in their freshman year. It seemed she was here at the cafeteria to buy the limited edition meat buns sold at 5 PM.
“Oh,” said Teacher Liu, casting a glance at Ning Yiwei. “I thought it was something serious.”
“He did it on purpose,” Ning Yiwei suddenly stood up and said to Teacher Liu, “Kong Zong wanted to splash the green bean soup on my wound but missed.”
“Don’t make baseless accusations,” Kong Zong, feeling empowered, straightened his back and said to Teacher Liu, “Auntie, my hands really just slipped.”
Ning Yiwei laughed and humorously repeated Kong Zong’s words, “Slipped, huh?”
Ning Yiwei’s contemptuous expression, which was already something Kong Zong despised, further fueled Kong Zong’s already overheated brain. He clenched his fist, consumed by both new grievances and old resentments, wishing he could punch Ning Yiwei in the face.
“Kong Zong, are you b-being childish? This is the cafeteria, not s-s-some palace intrigue drama!” Zhou Zirui stood up for Ning Yiwei beside him.
Another female classmate who witnessed the whole incident chimed in and said to Kong Zong, “I saw you intentionally splash the injured student with green bean soup. Besides, if you can slip while standing, maybe you should consider changing your shoes.”
Teacher Liu, after hearing the female classmate’s account and observing the expressions of Ning Yiwei and Kong Zong, roughly understood what had happened. However, since her husband and Professor Kong were good friends and she had watched Kong Zong grow up, she felt somewhat protective. She decided to calm the situation and said, “Alright, let’s all be more magnanimous. You are university students, is it worth making a scene over such a trivial matter in public?”
But Ning Yiwei wasn’t willing to let it go. “Teacher, did you see how the incident unfolded? Why do you say I have a small mindset?”
“……” Teacher Liu intended to mediate, but being confronted by this undergraduate student’s direct defiance made her feel uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and tried to assert her authority, asking Ning Yiwei, “Which department are you from?”
Ning Yiwei raised an eyebrow and remained silent, his disdain evident in his gaze.
“In that case, let me take note of it,” realizing that her approach wasn’t having a positive effect, she added, “Let me see if there’s any way to mediate this issue.”
Ning Yiwei stayed silent, and she continued, “This standoff between you and Kong Zong won’t lead to a solution.”
“Never mind, Auntie,” Kong Zong calmed down and spoke in a conciliatory tone, “I apologize. Let’s just consider it my mistake. I’m sorry.”
Teacher Liu looked at Kong Zong, hesitation visible in her eyes. She was about to try to defuse the situation further when Kong Zong turned to her and said, “Auntie, let me carry your bag of steamed buns and accompany you home. My dad video-called me yesterday and mentioned my uncle…”
Kong Zong and Teacher Liu left, and the onlookers’ curious gazes dispersed.
Ning Yiwei felt a lingering frustration in his heart and thanked the girl beside him. He initially had little appetite, but when he saw a plate of his favorite dish that Zhou Zirui had fetched for him, he didn’t want to waste food or undermine Zhou Zirui’s effort in the queue. So he silently sat down and began eating, keeping his head down.
After a few bites, Zhou Zirui suddenly called out, “Yiwei, Yiwei!”
Ning Yiwei looked up and saw an expression of fear in Zhou Zirui’s eyes. Zhou Zirui pointed toward the right side of Ning Yiwei’s face and said, “Your bandage…”
“What?” Ning Yiwei realized that the area where the bandage was wrapped felt itchy, painful, and hot. He reached out and touched the bandage, only to find his hand covered in blood.
He instantly lost his appetite and told Zhou Zirui, “I’ll go wash my hands first.” Carrying the food tray, he went to the sink and poured the water, staining the white plastic tray with a tinge of crimson. People passing by noticed the blood-soaked bandage on Ning Yiwei, but he paid no attention. He walked to the edge of the sink, washed his hands thoroughly, and then returned.
After finishing his meal, Zhou Zirui placed his tray aside and walked over to Ning Yiwei, saying, “Yi-Yiwei, don’t worry. Let’s go to the campus clinic and r-re-wrap the bandage.”
Ning Yiwei shook his head and said, “Liang Chong will be here soon. I have extra bandages in my backpack. Can you help me change it?”
In the evening, the campus was bustling with people. They found a bench behind a Maxwell statue and sat down. Ning Yiwei opened his backpack, took out the prepared wet wipes, disinfectant tools, and bandages. “Luckily, I came prepared. Otherwise, Liang Chong would scold me again.”
“He’s q-quite good to you.” Zhou Zirui helped Ning Yiwei unwrap the bandage, gently wiped the intact skin stained with blood, and pressed it against the wound.
Ning Yiwei didn’t refute Zhou Zirui’s words. This time, the bleeding from Ning Yiwei’s wound wasn’t slowing down. They silently and carefully changed Ning Yiwei’s bandage.
As Ning Yiwei put things away, he said, “Zirui, it’s really unfair.”
Zhou Zirui nodded vigorously, agreeing with Ning Yiwei’s perspective.
“He is Professor Kong’s son. Even if he barely made the admission requirements, he has advantages over me,” Ning Yiwei complained softly as he neatly folded the extra bandages and put them into a small bag. “He bullies us in the research group, abusing his power.”
“S-small-minded individual,” Zh-Zhou Zirui stuttered, “He’s no match for you, f-far inferior. He can’t even c-compare to one of your white blood cells. He’s jealous of you!”
“He’s jealous of you too,” Ning Yiwei said, handing a bottle of hand sanitizer to Zhou Zirui. He whispered, “Because he is far behind us, and we will leave him further and further behind.”
“Right,” Zhou Zirui took it and squeezed a handful of foam onto his hands, “You’re right, Yiwei.”
After washing their hands, Liang Chong’s call came through. As Ning Yiwei answered, Liang Chong said, “I’m at the entrance of Cafeteria 4. Where are you?”
“I’m sitting on a bench behind the Maxwell statue,” Ning Yiwei said slowly, “I’ll come find you.”
“Stay there, don’t move,” Liang Chong said, “I’ll come over.”
After ending the call, Ning Yiwei brought his wound closer to Zhou Zirui’s eyes and anxiously said, “Take a look, can you tell?”
Zhou Zirui carefully observed and looked at the slightly crooked tape that he had applied. He concluded, “Hmm.”
It didn’t take long for Liang Chong to arrive. He walked briskly in front of Ning Yiwei, looking down at Ning Yiwei and Zhou Zirui leaning against each other. He couldn’t help but ask them, “Why are you hiding here?”
Ning Yiwei looked at Liang Chong and suddenly decided to pick up the strap of his backpack. He handed the backpack to Liang Chong, who took it without hesitation. Liang Chong unintentionally asked Zhou Zirui, “Did Ning Yiwei not eat dinner properly?”
Zhou Zirui didn’t know whether to speak or not. He mumbled softly, “A-ate.”
Liang Chong smiled at Zhou Zirui, thinking he was shy, and then asked Ning Yiwei, “Do you want to sit a while longer?”
“No.” Ning Yiwei stood up, waved goodbye to Zhou Zirui, and took a few steps with Liang Chong. Suddenly, Liang Chong held his hand.
Liang Chong held Ning Yiwei’s hand too tightly. It felt somewhat awkward for two guys to hold hands in school. Ning Yiwei had never seen such a precedent, so he tilted his head slightly and glanced at Liang Chong.
Liang Chong didn’t look at him. He kept his gaze forward, and awkwardly explained, “It’s to monitor your walking speed in real-time. Can’t walk too fast.”
“Alright.” Ning Yiwei accepted the explanation, and they walked together along the pathway towards where Liang Chong parked.
As dusk settled in, most people hurriedly passed by, paying no attention to them.
They walked slowly, much slower than if Liang Chong was walking alone. As Ning Yiwei walked, he thought to himself that he didn’t care about others. As long as his parents, Liang Chong, and Zhou Zirui were on his side, they absolutely must stand firmly with him.
There was no room for hesitation.
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I really love Ning Yiwei and Zhou Zirui’s friendship.