Fool

Wu Qie’s gloom and silence continued until Zhao Guipu appeared.

The man in a perfectly tailored suit looked completely out of place among the group of middle-aged parents who had already begun to show the soft roundness of middle age.

He had even arrived late.

Yet the moment he appeared, the parent of Xie Yi, who had been shouting just seconds earlier that “the person who beat my son must pay the price,” immediately fell silent.

The other man was merely the owner of a factory that did rough machining of aircraft components.

He had some money—enough to pay the tuition and donation fees of Hongtie Middle School—but nowhere near enough to move in upper-class social circles.

Naturally, he didn’t recognize Zhao Shu’s face.

But middle-aged men like him still kept the habit of reading newspapers and watching the news.

And in local business news or magazines, it was very common to see the current head of the Zhao family.

Wu Qie held his waist and felt that the moment Zhao Guipu appeared, the ringing in his ears finally quieted.

Soon, Lin Zuwen’s father arrived as well.

He treated Xie Yi’s father like invisible air and instead enthusiastically thanked Zhao Guipu.

Thanked him for raising Zhao Shu so well.

For educating such a socially responsible and manly young man.

The middle-aged man who had been yelling just ten minutes ago was now left standing awkwardly to the side.

Wu Qie stood nearby.

Watching Lin Jiayin tightly gripping Zhao Guipu’s hands.

He wanted to laugh.

But it felt inappropriate.

With the help of Class F’s homeroom teacher smoothing things over, the whole mess was quickly settled.

Zhao Shu didn’t even receive a punishment for excessive self-defense.

The matter was brushed aside lightly.

From beginning to end, Zhao Guipu never even spoke directly with the other parents.

He barely even gave them a glance.

Only when the teachers politely escorted the parents out of the office did Zhao Guipu turn around voluntarily.

He looked at Wu Qie and asked,

“How’s your waist?”

Wu Qie froze for a moment.

Then lowered the hand that had been supporting his waist.

Suddenly he felt a bit embarrassed.

Only now did he realize that his earlier posture—holding his waist—looked a little too delicate.

Almost like he was deliberately hinting at something or filing a complaint.

After all, he had only twisted his waist slightly.

“It’s nothing—”

Before he could finish speaking—

The man had already frowned slightly and walked back toward him in two steps.

He bent down.

Then lifted the hem of Wu Qie’s shirt.

The sudden exposure of skin to the cold autumn air made goosebumps instantly rise.

A moment later, rough fingertips brushed against his skin.

Wu Qie couldn’t stop himself from trembling slightly.

His lips moved as if to tell the other man not to touch him.

But when he saw Zhao Guipu’s lowered gaze studying the injury seriously—

Every word got stuck in his throat.

Mr. Zhao was probably just being kind.

Just concerned.

So refusing would feel both impolite and ungrateful.

While Wu Qie remained silent and tried to convince himself of that—

Zhao Guipu’s expression finally changed.

The man’s slightly rough thumb gently pressed and rubbed the bruising already turning blue around the young man’s waist.

When Wu Qie hissed from the pain and his skin tensed instantly, Zhao Guipu seemed to snap back to his senses and slowly withdrew his hand.

“How did it get this bad?”

Zhao Guipu lifted his gaze.

His eyes drifted toward Zhao Shu.

“You said on the phone it was just a minor bump.”

The blame in his tone was extremely obvious.

For the first time since earlier, Zhao Shu finally saw Wu Qie’s injury clearly under proper lighting.

The bruising had spread widely.

A chaotic patchwork of purple and blue.

It looked far worse than a “minor bump.”

He rubbed the tip of his nose.

Skipped the excuses.

And quietly prepared himself to be scolded.

Unexpectedly—

Zhao Guipu didn’t say anything.

This man who had been forced to take over the family business right after graduating high school and had fought his way through the brutal world of power and money—

Whether in business battles or real life, he was always decisive and ruthless.

Yet now his brows drooped.

His expression carried helplessness.

As if he had encountered a truly difficult problem.

He sighed.

Then told the driver waiting outside to bring some bruise medicine from the car for Teacher Wu.

As for why bruise medicine happened to be in his car—

No one dared to ask.

Zhao Guipu left with Zhao Shu.

Before getting into the car, the driver had already gone to deliver the medicine.

The surroundings were quiet with no one nearby.

One leg already stepping into the car, Zhao Guipu paused.

Holding the car door, he turned slightly and asked his younger brother,

“Ah Shu… do you really dislike the Wu family’s child that much?”

Otherwise it wouldn’t make sense that ever since the engagement was announced, the two of them had been clashing nonstop and ending up in the infirmary every few days.

If word got out, it would sound terrible.

Being asked so directly, Zhao Shu moved his lips.

His first instinct was to answer “yes.”

But somehow the words twisted midway.

He raised an eyebrow.

“What, does my opinion matter?”

“Of course.”

“……”

“There’s no one around.”

“Who are you putting on this humanitarian act for?”

Brothers were still brothers.

No one could cross that blood relationship.

Outside, even the boldest person wouldn’t dare speak to Mr. Zhao like that.

But Zhao Shu looked completely calm.

Being mocked like that, Zhao Guipu only smiled briefly.

“You’re my younger brother.”

“Of course I’m on your side.”

The car door closed.

The vehicle drove away.

That’s what he said.

But reality was a little different.

At lunchtime, Zhao Shu discovered that his credit card couldn’t even pay for a bottle of water.

Facing the confused convenience-store auntie and the intense stares of surrounding classmates, Zhao Shu felt a rare sense of helplessness.

I’m really done with this.

He shoved the water into the arms of the small follower beside him and left the store.

Then called Zhao Guipu.

The man on the phone spoke calmly,

“When you stop barking everywhere like a Chihuahua and learn how to behave elegantly, your credit card will be unblocked.”

His voice was deep.

Refined.

Zhao Shu felt the veins in his forehead twitch.

“I’ll apologize to him!”

“But I really didn’t mean it! I didn’t see it was him!”

“Oh?”

“Now you suddenly remember to apologize?”

“What were you doing earlier?”

“Your credit card suspension has been extended for another month.”

“……Are you trying to starve me to death?!”

“I heard hunger helps clear the mind.”

“Take this chance to think about the question I asked earlier.”

“What question?”

“If you hate this marriage alliance so much that you keep injuring your Beta fiancé every few days…”

“Then we can change the person.”

The man paused briefly.

“But Lin Zuwen—don’t even think about it.”

“Why are you bringing that up again?”

“I already told you I didn’t see it was him!”

“He’s a Beta—no smell—he just appeared out of nowhere—”

“So many excuses.”

“That means you don’t want to change the fiancé.”

“What?! I didn’t say that!”

“……”

After a strange silence, Zhao Guipu spoke again.

His voice carried undisguised disdain.

“I’m hanging up.”

“Your attitude is terrible.”

“I clean up your mess every few days.”

“Do you think I’m idle?”

Before Zhao Shu could protest again, the call ended cleanly.

This “brotherly disharmony” left the young Zhao heir completely confused.

He ended up mooching lunch from someone else and spent the entire afternoon in a daze.

But the surprises weren’t over.

That evening during basketball team practice, Zhao Shu saw Teacher Wu sitting quietly in the rest area.

Today, however, Teacher Wu wasn’t wearing his usual gentle and friendly smile.

He sat there expressionless.

“Oof.”

“Think about what you did today,” the temporary striker teased.

“If it were me, I’d be mad too.”

Zhao Shu pointed at himself.

He had done plenty of bad things growing up.

But being blamed for something that wasn’t really his fault—

That was a first.

He also couldn’t exactly tell people,

“My fiancé spent the whole day upset because another Alpha copy-pasted one careless sentence in a group chat.”

The basketball bounced twice in Zhao Shu’s hands.

Hard enough that it felt like it could crack the floor.

Today’s training was still intense.

Afterward, during the summary session, Zhao Shu lay there like a corpse with a towel covering his face.

Silent.

If his chest wasn’t rising and falling violently and sweat wasn’t pouring down like rain, people might have thought he was dead.

During the review, Wu Qie occasionally spoke.

Not many words.

But each one was sharp and precise.

Whenever a player’s name was mentioned, they would suddenly realize something.

Because Wu Qie always pointed out the tiny technical details they themselves hadn’t noticed.

This time again—

Zhao Shu didn’t hear his own name mentioned.

Until the session ended.

The head coach announced dismissal.

Zhao Shu sat up.

The towel slid off his face.

And suddenly he saw a figure blocking the gym lights in front of him.

Holding a basketball, the black-haired Beta looked down at him calmly.

“……”

Zhao Shu picked up the towel from his lap and tossed it aside.

“Your waist doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Of course it still hurt.

Bruises like that didn’t magically stop hurting.

But maybe it didn’t hurt as much as his pride.

Zhao Shu thought silently.

Right in front of him, the black-haired Beta—1.79 meters tall—completed an astonishing slam dunk.

Before Zhao Shu could even be shocked by the jump height, the violent rattle of the rim revealed exactly how foul the dunker’s mood was.

Wu Qie landed heavily.

Sweat soaked his originally soft black hair.

His eyes, damp with sweat, looked much brighter than his usual dull expression.

Wu Qie wiped the sweat from his chin casually.

Hands on his knees.

He tilted his chin toward the Alpha.

“What are you staring at?”

“Tired?”

Zhao Shu curled his lips slightly.

He thought that Pei Qingyu was actually a bit pitiful.

One meaningless sentence in the group chat—

And he had unknowingly been promoted to ultimate villain.

He couldn’t tell if it was schadenfreude.

But somehow his mood improved.

He walked up to Wu Qie in a few steps.

Snatched the basketball from his hands.

Spun it on his finger.

Then bent down slightly to look directly into Wu Qie’s unusually sharp eyes.

“What do you like about Pei Qingyu?”

“Don’t tell me it’s because he’s good at studying.”

“……”

Wu Qie glanced at him speechlessly.

Then walked to the sideline and took a few sips of water.

After a moment, he found it strangely fascinating that he could calmly explain his emotional journey to Zhao Shu.

Just a few days ago—

They had practically wished each other dead.

Wu Qie described his first meeting with Pei Qingyu in a flat tone.

But he couldn’t help emphasizing one thing.

Back then, he had caused trouble as a random outsider.

Yet the host didn’t blame him.

Instead he rescued him from that humiliating situation.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Zhao Shu stared at the sports drink in Wu Qie’s hand.

He wondered whether the drink had gone into Wu Qie’s stomach—

Or straight into his brain.

He looked dumb.

And maybe he actually was dumb.

Where should he even start explaining this?

“So you’re saying…”

“He didn’t blame you even though you, some random passerby, ruined the banquet his family hosted?”

“And he helped you escape?”

“Yes.”

“Pei Qingyu is that kind of good person.”

“Wu Qie.”

Zhao Shu set down the basketball.

His expression unusually serious.

“When I went around asking everyone like a rabid dog who the hell you were…”

“It was Pei Qingyu who told me your surname was Wu.”

“The Wu family of Penang.”

Some things didn’t need to be explained fully.

The young Alpha watched with satisfaction as Wu Qie fell into deep thought.

The plastic bottle in Wu Qie’s hand crunched.

After a long pause, Wu Qie tilted his head.

Then slowly said,

“Oh.”

His face showed almost no emotion.

It was hard to tell whether he had fully understood the implication.

He stood up slowly.

Returned to the court with Zhao Shu.

There were about ten minutes left until eight.

Tonight’s extra practice had been Wu Qie’s idea.

Playing basketball meant thinking less about complicated things.

“Disillusioned?”

“…Not really.”

“Still angry?”

“That’s not something I can control.”

“You know it’s impossible with Pei Qingyu.”

“So why get angry?”

Wu Qie froze.

Then realized Zhao Shu actually made sense.

The murderous glint in his eyes slowly faded.

“If my brother didn’t have such a weird brain, I would’ve assumed I’d marry an Omega too.”

“Any Alpha would think that way.”

“Pei Qingyu too.”

“Just like he wouldn’t pity a real stranger.”

“And wouldn’t notice an insignificant Beta.”

After saying that, Zhao Shu suddenly darted past him.

“BANG!”

He slammed the basketball into the hoop exactly the same way Wu Qie had earlier.

The ball bounced on the floor.

Zhao Shu turned back.

The figure standing in the middle of the court still faced away from him.

The white gym lights stretched his shadow long across the floor.

Wu Qie turned his head.

The look in his eyes instantly made Zhao Shu adopt a defensive stance.

They fought for position.

Ran.

Chased.

The court echoed with heavy breathing and the screech of sneakers against wood.

Wu Qie passed Zhao Shu.

Completed a reverse layup right in front of him.

But after landing, he staggered back two steps.

Then simply collapsed flat onto the floor.

The basketball fell from the hoop.

Heading straight toward his face.

Wu Qie didn’t dodge.

He just closed his eyes.

Before the ball hit him—

A sweaty hand caught it.

Drops of sweat fell from the wrist onto Wu Qie’s nose.

“I know.”

Wu Qie opened his eyes.

The overhead lights reflected strange halos in his pupils.

“I know anger alone can’t solve anything.”

He paused.

Maybe the bright lights made him dizzy.

Maybe the quiet gym felt strangely peaceful.

Maybe the Alpha standing beside him was unusually quiet.

“For example…”

“Before I turned eighteen…”

“Every day I prayed that if I could keep playing basketball…”

“Even becoming an Omega would be fine.”

Yet even after lowering his expectations again and again—

After praying with all his strength—

That wish never came true.

So before being forced to accept giving up the one thing he loved—

Being quietly angry was the only thing he could do.

After Wu Qie finished speaking, Zhao Shu stood there silently for a while.

Then grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

The basketball was shoved back into Wu Qie’s arms.

“I owe you an apology.”

“Oh.”

“For what exactly?”

Zhao Shu glanced at the bruise on his waist.

Pressed his lips together.

After a moment he muttered quietly,

“Sorry.”

“But it was too noisy back then.”

“I didn’t hear it was you.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t hear you. Speak louder.”

“Sorry! I’m! Sorry!”

“Stopping an Alpha from harassing an Omega is fine.”

“But beating someone that badly isn’t.”

“And attacking someone who tried to stop the fight.”

“You should apologize to anyone you hurt.”

Wu Qie paused.

“Is this about your credit card?”

Zhao Shu rolled his eyes.

He had no idea how Wu Qie even found out about that.

Maybe Zhao Guipu had teamed up with him.

Completely unnecessary.

It made him look like he had ulterior motives.

As if he actually needed that credit card.

He had plenty of private money anyway.

Red envelopes every holiday could feed him for ten years.

“You can just accept the apology.”

“No need to make things difficult for your polite business-alliance partner.”

“After all, the one who made you upset wasn’t me.”

“Mm.”

“It wasn’t you.”

“Your taste really is questionable though.”

“Liking Pei Qingyu isn’t that different from liking a frog.”

Zhao Shu commented.

“At least I wouldn’t make you that angry.”

It wasn’t exactly confidence in his own character.

Nor did it carry any romantic implication.

—The logic was simple.

“If you treat me like trash, then you won’t get angry at any stink I produce.”

Wu Qie sat cross-legged on the floor with the basketball in his arms.

He thought seriously for a moment.

Then nodded slowly.

For the first time since meeting Zhao Shu, Teacher Wu actually agreed with something he said.

“You’re right.”