Take Responsibility

The infirmary of An Cheng No. 1 High.

The school doctor on duty was a woman in her forties who dressed sharply. Her name was Liu Lin, and she was an old classmate of Shi Sui’s mother. She looked after him often, so Shi Sui usually called her Auntie Liu.

Liu Lin looked at the bleeding bite mark on Lu Huaizhi’s forearm and then at the reluctant Shi Sui standing beside him. “You did this?”

Shi Sui kept his face taut. “He provoked me first.”

If Lu Huaizhi hadn’t threatened him with Tian Hongjun, he wouldn’t have come at all. And of all people, it had to be Auntie Liu on duty. Just his luck.

Liu Lin took a brief look and handed the disinfection task to her assistant. She walked to a nearby cubicle, pulled back the partition curtain, and beckoned to Shi Sui. “You, come here.”

Shi Sui looked wary. “What for?”

Ignoring whether he was willing or not, Liu Lin grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over. Before Shi Sui could react, she pulled his shirt up.

Sure enough, his back was a mess of bruises. There was a long, narrow welt near his spine that had already swollen into a menacing shade of purplish-red.

Shi Sui was actually a bit surprised himself.

Last night, one of Brother Niu’s lackeys had picked up a stick from somewhere. Even though Shi Sui had been quick enough to snatch it away, he had still been grazed by it. He hadn’t felt much pain at the time, but after a day, the wound had turned into this.

“Hey, don’t use force!” The young assistant was disinfecting Lu Huaizhi’s arm, but the person in front of him suddenly tightened his muscles. The blood that had stopped was now seeping out again.

Lu Huaizhi unclenched his fist and withdrew his gaze from Shi Sui. “Sorry,” he said in a low voice.

The assistant muttered while stopping the bleeding, “This injury is strange. It’s clearly a bite, but the wound looks like it was torn open…”

Lu Huaizhi kept his eyes lowered and didn’t reply.

Shi Sui didn’t notice the interlude over there. Having his clothes lifted made him somewhat uncomfortable, and he tried to pull them back down. “I’m fine.”

Liu Lin unceremoniously slapped the back of his hand, and Shi Sui instantly behaved.

She did a quick check. Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries that just looked severe. She asked, “Was this from last night?”

Shi Sui remained silent.

“Truly lawless.” Liu Lin had also heard about the incident in South Alley and knew Shi Sui was involved. She glared at him. “Sooner or later, someone will come to set you straight!”

She tossed a bottle of medicinal oil to Shi Sui. “This is for the bruises. Apply it before you leave.”

Having said her piece, she couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. She closed the curtain and went to attend to other students.

Shi Sui knew he couldn’t leave without applying it. He held the bottle in one hand and applied it with the other. For convenience, he bit the hem of his T-shirt to keep it up, applying the oil to the bruises on his front first. He smeared it on haphazardly before trying to reach his back. However, the angle was awkward, and he couldn’t see the injuries, making it a struggle.

While he was working hard, the curtain behind him was pulled open with a clatter.

Shi Sui looked up and met Lu Huaizhi’s eyes.

Lu Huaizhi hadn’t expected to see Shi Sui in such a state—biting his own shirt and revealing a lean waist and abdomen. The injuries didn’t make him look pathetic; instead, they added a touch of indescribable wildness.

Shi Sui noticed Lu Huaizhi quickly shifting his gaze away. He spat the shirt out of his mouth and arched an eyebrow. “Scared?”

He thought Lu Huaizhi had finally realized how dangerous he was after seeing the wounds.

But a second later, Lu Huaizhi turned back calmly. “Not scared.”

“Just… I didn’t know a person could twist themselves like that.” Lu Huaizhi paused. “Like a fried dough twist.”

Shi Sui: “…” He really shouldn’t have asked.

Once the medicinal oil was applied and the bill paid, the two walked out of the infirmary together.

Outside, Shi Sui shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at Lu Huaizhi. “We’re even.”

He had bitten Lu Huaizhi, accompanied him to treat the wound, and paid the medical fees. The matter was over.

“As for last night, as long as you keep your mouth shut, I won’t cause you trouble.” He changed his tone, leaning in close to Lu Huaizhi and narrowing his eyes. “Otherwise… I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

As the boy leaned in, a gust of wind blew the scent of medicinal oil toward Lu Huaizhi. Lu Huaizhi looked down and saw Shi Sui’s thin neck and shoulders.

Usually, his clothes were loose, so he hadn’t noticed how slender Shi Sui was. Back in the infirmary when Shi Sui arched his back, the faint outline of his bones had been visible.

Despite being covered in injuries, he acted as if he couldn’t feel the pain. He remained stoic, and no matter how awkward the posture, he had never asked for help. He was stubborn to the bone.

“Do you fight with people often?” Lu Huaizhi suddenly asked.

Shi Sui frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Lu Huaizhi spoke. “I won’t tell anyone about last night.”

Having received a promise, Shi Sui didn’t waste time. He threw his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave. He still had a shift at the internet cafe.

However, Lu Huaizhi’s attitude confirmed the suspicion in his heart. Being suppressed last night was just an accident; he had exhausted his strength, and Lu Huaizhi had only succeeded because of a sneak attack from behind.

Presumably, Lu Huaizhi knew this too, which was why he didn’t dare use the incident to threaten him further.

But their relationship was still at rock bottom. If Lu Huaizhi was smart, he would stay away.

Yet, no sooner had Shi Sui reached the internet cafe and sat at the counter than a person stood before him.

“Please open a computer for me.”

Shi Sui’s right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. That familiar, annoying, and cold voice…

He looked up, and it was indeed Lu Huaizhi.

This was an unlicensed internet cafe where many middle and high school students came. Shi Sui had been a part-time net manager here for nearly a year, and he had never seen anyone like Lu Huaizhi.

Wearing a clean school uniform and carrying a backpack, he stood straight at the entrance. Amidst the noisy cursing and shouting, he told him he wanted to go online. To say he looked like he was here to cause trouble would be an understatement.

“No more seats.” Shi Sui put on his headphones and directly shooed him away. “Go somewhere else.”

Lu Huaizhi glanced at the hall, which was still a third empty, and changed his approach. “Is there another net manager?”

Shi Sui ignored him.

At that moment, someone else arrived. Shi Sui didn’t avoid Lu Huaizhi as he gave the person a machine number and password. “Three hours. If you go over, come renew it yourself.”

After that, he crossed his legs and went back to playing Happy Pop on his phone.

Listening to the “Great” and “Unbelievable” sound effects in his headphones, Shi Sui found them incredibly pleasant. The corners of his lips couldn’t help but twitch upward. Finally, something was going his way.

He and Lu Huaizhi truly clashed. It had been like that all day, but the catch was that Shi Sui couldn’t do anything to him. Finally catching a break, he naturally had to vent his frustration.

But before Shi Sui could enjoy his arrogance for long, he was suddenly knocked on the head.

“What are you doing, kid? Can’t you see the guest waiting?”

A beautiful woman with wavy hair pushed Shi Sui’s chair aside and walked up to Lu Huaizhi. She tossed her hair and smiled charmingly. “Little handsome guy, here to surf the web?”

Lu Huaizhi looked at Shi Sui, who had been pushed aside, paused, and then nodded. “Mhm.”

“Ten yuan an hour.” The woman wrote the machine number and password on a slip of paper. She didn’t hand it over immediately, instead leaning her arms on the counter. “Is the little brother alone?”

Shi Sui saw the familiar smile on her face and his temple throbbed. “Sister Lulu, he’s a minor…”

Li Lulu was the owner of the internet cafe and lived in the apartment above Shi Sui’s. Knowing Shi Sui’s difficult situation, she had let him work there.

She was beautiful and outgoing, which led many people with bad intentions to cause trouble. The internet cafe almost went under until Shi Sui’s first day on the job. Someone tried to stir up trouble and got handsy with Li Lulu while drunk. Shi Sui said nothing; he just picked up a nearby chair and smashed it over the man’s back.

Since then, no one dared to pick a fight. However, Li Lulu had principles; she didn’t go after the local students.

Reminded, Li Lulu noticed the school uniform Lu Huaizhi was wearing, and her smile faltered. “A high schooler?” She had been too busy looking at his face.

She quickly adjusted her expression, handed the slip to Lu Huaizhi, and winked at him. “You know Xiao Shi, right? I’ve put you in the seat closest to him. No need to thank me.”

She had assigned Lu Huaizhi the computer right next to the aisle, directly in front of the counter. Originally, it was for her to admire the handsome guy up close, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

Still, the interaction between these two kids was quite interesting. She was happy to watch the show. Li Lulu rubbed Shi Sui’s hair. “I’m going to play a few games. You two continue.”

Lu Huaizhi didn’t overstay his welcome. He turned to leave but was stopped by Shi Sui.

“Pay up.” Shi Sui tapped the QR code on the counter, expressionless. “Minors are charged an extra five yuan.”

A walkway separated the two. Shi Sui sat at the counter, half-heartedly playing Happy Pop while keeping an eye on the person in front of him.

The environment of the internet cafe was complex. Smoke swirled overhead; even with the air conditioning on full, the pungent smell of cigarettes lingered. Curses were constant, and the slamming of mice and keyboards was a common sight. When people got angry, they slammed the tables so hard it seemed they wanted their teammates on the other end to hear it.

In this atmosphere, Lu Huaizhi looked normal. He took out his own over-ear headphones from his backpack and a copy of… Five Years of Gaokao and Three Years of Simulation?

Seeing the familiar cover, Shi Sui was so shocked he almost dropped his phone. Is this guy f*cking sick? Coming to an internet cafe to do practice problems.

Earlier, he had even thought Lu Huaizhi was sent by Tian Hongjun to spy on him. Shi Sui watched until his eyes grew tired but didn’t see Lu Huaizhi doing anything unusual, so he gave up.

He looked down at his phone and saw Wang Cheng had sent several messages.

[Wang Wang: I got your deskmate’s previous grades. Holy sh*t, it’s insane!] [Wang Wang: I’m definitely sticking to this new golden thigh!]

Below was a spreadsheet. Clicking it, Lu Huaizhi’s name sat at the top, with a gap of nearly 30 points between him and second place. More ridiculously, his math and physics scores were nearly perfect. No wonder Wang Cheng was so excited.

[Wang Wang: Apparently, he was the school hunk at Qinghe. His desk was filled with love letters every day, but he only focused on studying. Not a single rumor.] [Wang Wang: As expected of a top student, his heart is as still as water.] [Wang Wang: What are you doing? You’re so slow to reply.]

Shi Sui had heard enough of his praise for Lu Huaizhi and slowly typed a response. [ss: Part-time job at the cafe.] [Wang Wang: Oh. Guess what the top student is doing right now?] [ss: Doing Five-Three in a black internet cafe.]

But in the end, Shi Sui didn’t send that message. Otherwise, Wang Cheng would definitely harass him with questions. It was annoying.

Shi Sui chatted casually for a bit. Looking up again, he found Lu Huaizhi gone, though his bag was still hanging on the seat. Probably went to the bathroom.

He took a sip of water and saw someone sneakily approaching Lu Huaizhi’s seat. Very suspicious. Just as the hand was about to reach for the headphones on the desk, it was slammed down.

Shi Sui applied force, twisting the man’s wrist. “Hmm? Stealing under my nose?”

The man wailed in pain. Knowing Shi Sui’s reputation, he quickly apologized. “I was wrong! I won’t do it again!” These headphones were a newly released limited edition and incredibly expensive. He had been blinded by greed for a moment.

Shi Sui’s eyes darkened. “Get out. Don’t come to our cafe again.”

After the person left, Shi Sui irritably stuffed the headphones into Lu Huaizhi’s bag. Leaving something like this out in the open was asking for trouble. As he zipped up the bag, his eyes inadvertently caught the large words displayed on the computer screen—

How to pursue someone.

Shi Sui arched an eyebrow in surprise. Lu Huaizhi had someone he liked? The top student was also into puppy love? Didn’t they say he had no rumors at Qinghe?

Moreover, Lu Huaizhi was clearly reading this guide very seriously. His notebook was filled with notes—

[Approach them actively, for example, treat them to milk tea.] [Get their contact information.] [Find topics and take the initiative to chat every day.] [Create accidental encounters and show up in front of them often.] [Give gifts and create small surprises.] [Praise them often and express your liking.]

Looking at the list, it was clear he had put a lot of effort into it.

Just then, Sister Lulu’s extremely frustrated voice came from behind. “What kind of sh*t is this AD playing? If I scattered some rice on the keyboard, a chicken would play better than you!”

A spark of inspiration hit Shi Sui. No way… Does Lu Huaizhi like Sister Lulu? Tsk, little brat. Sister Lulu doesn’t date minors.

Shi Sui smirked gloatingly, already envisioning Lu Huaizhi’s miserable state when he became lovesick.

“What are you doing?” A question came from behind him.

Lu Huaizhi was back.

Shi Sui immediately straightened up, moved his gaze away from the notes, and covered his mouth with a fake cough. “Nothing.”

Then, his sharp eyes caught the milk tea in Lu Huaizhi’s hand. Two cups. So he had gone to buy milk tea?

And the first rule of the guide was: [Approach them actively, for example, treat them to milk tea.] Lu Huaizhi’s ability to take action was quite good. He was just a bit dull; the milk tea was already condensing, yet he just stood there like a statue.

Shi Sui pointed to the rows behind Lu Huaizhi, hinting, “Sister Lulu is sitting over there. She’s been shouting for so long, she’s probably thirsty.”

He really wanted to see what kind of expression the stone-faced Lu Huaizhi would make when his confession was rejected.

Unexpectedly, Lu Huaizhi looked at him. “What about you? Are you thirsty?”

Shi Sui was confused. “Whether I’m thirsty has nothing to do with—”

The second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat. Lu Huaizhi took one of the cups of milk tea out of the bag and held it out to him.

“I’m treating you to milk tea.”