A Chilly Night’s Deception

The moon hung high above the willow branches, a time for lovers to meet after dusk.

Wait, no, that’s not right! No date, Yang Laoer, absolutely no date!

October’s night wind had already begun to carry the chill of autumn. It swept across their face, chilling their body with a subtle coolness.

Their clothes were thin, and they couldn’t help but hug their arms, shivering. Then, a weight settled on their shoulder. A large, somewhat worn jacket was draped over them.

“Wear this. Don’t catch a cold. Things aren’t like they used to be; a young lady isn’t as tough as a man,” Guo Hao’s deep voice resonated from behind. His tall, sturdy figure then moved in front of them, shielding them from the oncoming night breeze.

Despite his thoughtful gesture, they merely bit their lip, casting a glance at him, a hint of playful indignation in their expression.

“What’s wrong? You’ve become a girl, but instead of learning to be ladylike, you’ve learned to be petty? Still mad at your Big Brother over what happened earlier?” Guo Hao chuckled, catching their slightly resentful glare as he turned back.

“Hmph, whose fault is it that you, Big Brother, actually helped that perverted Yang Laoer tease me?” they grumbled, pouting.

“Alright, alright, Big Brother was in the wrong. Fourth Brother, don’t be angry anymore. A young lady shouldn’t always be pouting; you’ll soon be able to hang a soy sauce bottle from your lips!” Guo Hao said, half-coaxing, half-joking.

They rolled their eyes at his seemingly honest and guileless face, feeling the lingering warmth of his jacket. After a moment of silence, they slowly sighed, a wry smile gracing their lips. “Alright, alright. I wasn’t going to tell you about this, knowing you’d all make fun of me. And I was right!”

****

At that moment, Yang Laoer’s smile was so lewd yet radiant, like a blooming chrysanthemum. As they watched his grin, their own grandiose words from back then echoed powerfully in their mind.

‘…If I ever turn into a girl, I’ll let you, Brother Yang, have a taste first…’

The memory struck them with a sense of unreality, as if a lifetime had passed. Once they came to their senses, they instantly regretted their foolishness. Why had they been so perverse, rushing back to the dorm just to set themselves up?

“Fourth Brother, a true man should keep his word. Although you can no longer be categorized as such, you were still a man when you said those words!” Yang Laoer reminded them, a hint of emotion in his voice.

Bound by the outrageous words they had indeed uttered, they remained silent, watching to see how he intended to proceed.

“But don’t worry, your Second Brother is very humane. You can choose any position you like. How’s that?” Yang Laoer said, smacking his lips. Judging by his demeanor, he was already choreographing the actions in his mind.

They gazed at his utterly lewd face, their stomach already churning with disgust. His repeated teasing pushed them past their limit. Ignoring his head injury and their own depleted internal energy, they launched a furious attack. With a move called “Dark Clouds Pressing the City,” they flipped their palm and smacked him squarely on the head.

Unexpectedly, Linghu Ruoxu also acted simultaneously. He, too, used his palm as a sword, executing the same move, “Sole Splitting of Mount Hua.” With a loud *smack*, he struck Yang Laoer on the forehead, sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Damn it, Second Brother, how could you be like this? It was just a joke, and you’re actually holding onto it?” Before they could speak, Linghu Ruoxu had already preempted them, directly reprimanding the vulgar Yang Laoer.

Though their friendship with Linghu Ruoxu had always been good, his sudden intervention to defend them, rather than joining the lewd Yang Laoer in adding insult to injury, deeply moved them.

“Exactly, exactly! Third Brother is right!” Unable to formulate their own insults, they immediately echoed Linghu Ruoxu’s words.

“Right? And for matters like this, one should always observe seniority, and also consider the traditional virtues of respecting the old and cherishing the young, Fourth Brother. Don’t you agree?” Linghu Ruoxu smiled faintly at them, encouraged by their support, and continued.

Normally, they would have realized at this point that his words seemed to be straying from simply reprimanding Yang Laoer. However, at that moment, they were still filled with gratitude towards him, so they suspected nothing and replied without a second thought, “Yes, yes, Third Brother is absolutely right!”

Linghu Ruoxu’s smile grew even more pronounced. Only then did they detect a hint of cunning on the face of this usually outwardly shy, yet secretly mischievous, young man.

“So, respecting the old and cherishing the young, that means Big Brother should go first, I’ll be second. Sorry, Second Brother, you’ll just have to cover the rear. How does that order sound, Fourth Brother?” He spoke, laughing all the while. To them, his once warm, radiant smile now seemed as lewd and disgusting as Yang Laoer’s, like a chrysanthemum…

A kick to the groin sent Linghu Ruoxu tumbling from his chair. “Pah! So you little rascal were waiting for me here!” they spat in exasperation and anger. “I’ve seen through you all; aside from Big Brother, none of you are any good!”

As they spoke, they involuntarily turned to look at Guo Hao, who had remained silent. He had been staring blankly at the unconscious Yang Laoer and the snickering Linghu Ruoxu on the floor. Noticing their gaze, he presumably registered their recent words and offered them a sincere, honest smile.

That smile filled them with a profound sense of security. Indeed, the dorm’s Big Brother was far more reliable than those two unruly fellows, Yang Laoer and Linghu Ruoxu.

Yet, who could have known that this usually honest and upright Big Brother also had his unscrupulous moments?

“Well, I don’t think that’s fair. For the sake of fairness, why don’t we draw lots to decide who goes first?” Guo Hao grinned slightly, a mischievous glint appearing on his otherwise honest face.

It took them a moment to grasp the meaning of his words. A wave of humiliation and fury surged through them. They grabbed the pen holder and stack of books from their desk and hurled them at Guo Hao, shouting, “You! You! There’s not a single reliable one among you!”