The Misunderstanding of Fourth Brother’s ‘Wife’

Leaving aside Yang Laoer, who was still wailing as if he had lost a parent, I naturally understood, after his outburst, what these two gentlemen before me were misunderstanding. I was like a mute who had swallowed a bitter herb, unable to express my suffering.

To explain would be futile; to remain silent would be equally so. I could only stand there, dumbfounded and speechless.

Linghu Ruoxu, who had been reflecting by the wall on his bed, had heard the commotion and stealthily crept down at some point. He now stood to the side, staring blankly at me.

He mumbled, “So you’re Fourth Brother’s wife?”

To be honest, his voice wasn’t particularly loud. However, because Guo Hao and I were currently exchanging silent, dumbfounded glances, and Yang Laoer had just quieted down, Linghu Ruoxu’s words sounded exceptionally clear and grating.

Struck by such a frank and direct statement, I felt a surge of indignation. I shot a fierce glare at Linghu Ruoxu, the same fellow I had playfully teased at the school gate that morning. He immediately looked a little guilty, unconsciously shrinking back slightly behind Guo Hao.

“Hmm, could it be that, Little Sister… young lady, you really are our Fourth Brother’s girlfriend?” Guo Hao asked again, still finding it hard to believe.

I opened my mouth, about to explain, but just then, Yang Laoer, having miraculously recovered from his lamentations, suddenly snapped out of it. He exclaimed in surprise, sensing something amiss.

“Wait, her age seems a bit off!”

At his words, the gazes of the other two swept over me in unison, scrutinizing me from head to toe. Linghu Ruoxu, who had been too nervous to get a clear look earlier, even timidly approached, holding his palm level with my head to gauge my height.

“She does seem a bit young. I even said earlier that she didn’t look like a Tianwu University student, but rather someone from Tianwu University Affiliated Middle School!” Guo Hao mused, observing Linghu Ruoxu’s actions.

“Could it be that Fourth Brother actually has a penchant for… younger partners?” True to form, Yang Laoer’s imagination always ran wilder than the others in such matters.

“Impossible, I don’t think Fourth Brother is that kind of person!” Guo Hao, always protective of his dorm mates, immediately retorted.

“But, think about Fourth Brother’s usual reserved yet subtly flirtatious demeanor,” Linghu Ruoxu countered, surprisingly siding with Yang Laoer this time. “And the things he dabbles in when bored are such dry, almost perverse subjects like the *Records of Jianghu* and *History of Shenzhou*. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to have become warped himself, would it?”

Guo Hao, either realizing he was outnumbered or swayed by Linghu Ruoxu’s argument, stroked his freshly shaved chin and mused, “That’s true, actually…”

Seeing that they had finally reached a consensus, Yang Laoer declared indignantly, “Damn it! I never expected Fourth Brother to be such a beast, preying on such a young girl! He’s even defiling the flowers of the nation! It’s absolutely infuriating! As long as I, Yang Chun, draw breath, I absolutely cannot tolerate such bestial conduct!”

Listening to this, I felt utterly helpless, only able to roll my eyes at the scoundrel with an expression of utter disdain.

He was speaking so righteously now, seemingly taking it upon himself to protect the innocent. Yet, who was the scoundrel who had just tried to flirt with me and asked if I was already betrothed to someone else?

****

As the four of us in the dorm room were squawking like chickens and ducks at the entrance, people from neighboring dorms, perhaps hearing the commotion Yang Laoer created, opened their doors to secretly observe what was happening. They likely also caught sight of me, a rare commodity in a martial arts university like Tianwu University, probably considered as endangered as giant pandas in Bashu or Siberian tigers in the Northeast. This only piqued the bachelors’ interest further, and more and more heads poked out of dorm doors.

It was almost as if they were about to form a circle around me, treating me like a street performer!

I later described my feelings at that moment to these gentlemen from my dorm. Yang Laoer curled his lip and sharply retorted, “You might as well say you were selling yourself. More people would have gathered then!”

****

Regardless, the feeling of being gawked at by so many people was truly unpleasant. Moreover, Yang Laoer was already discussing with the other two how their distant, yet present, Fourth Brother was suspected of luring… [censored]… and violating a minor. He insisted that Fourth Brother should be tied up and sent to the magistrate’s yamen, locked in prison, and made to suffer physical pain and experience the torment of being… [censored]… himself.

Listening to his increasingly outlandish remarks, the more decent Guo Hao had yet to express an opinion. But Linghu Ruoxu, outwardly shy and quiet yet inwardly depraved, was already nodding repeatedly. By the looks of it, he was practically ready to help Yang Laoer implement his plan, despite the kindness I had often shown him by helping him get meals!

Under such constant exposure, or rather, being exposed to such scrutiny, and the double pressure, I felt on the verge of collapse. I had been hesitating whether or not to honestly reveal my identity to these scoundrels, but who knew that fate had other plans? Before I could even speak, these rascals had already concocted so many baseless scenarios. If I were to tell any more illogical lies, Heaven knew if they would conjure up a Divine Condor Egg or some other absurdity.

“That… actually…” The situation, which in Yang Laoer’s mouth was quickly turning me into the male lead of an island nation’s adult film, had somewhat muddled my mind. I no longer cared about Principal Dugu’s supposed instruction not to reveal my true identity to others. I made up my mind and began to speak.

To my surprise, the moment I parted my lips to speak, Yang Laoer and his companion, who had been animatedly talking and gesticulating, along with Guo Hao, who had been frowning, all turned their gazes towards me. Their expressions were intensely focused, as if they were waiting for me to personally admit that I was my own girlfriend or something similar…

“Actually, I, I am Liu Fang…” I had somewhat considered the circumstances of saying these words, but when the words reached my lips and I was in the thick of it, I still couldn’t help but feel a moment of disorientation and embarrassment. My cheeks flushed, undoubtedly turning crimson.

“Hmm, what are you to Fourth Brother?” Guo Hao and the others fell silent for a moment, presumably waiting for me to continue. However, I had no continuation.

“I said, I am… I am that… Liu Fang…” I repeated, enduring the awkwardness.