MDPWU Chapter 16

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The two walked out of the alley one after the other. Tong Tong, with a cold expression, limped forward.

Zhou You followed with a pitiful look, carefully hooking his finger around the strap of Tong Tong’s backpack.

They hadn’t even walked 100 meters before Tong Tong couldn't go any further. His ankle felt like it had been smashed by a hammer.

"Alright." Seeing his pale face, Zhou You didn’t argue anymore and bent down to scoop him up. "I already apologized. Are you a firecracker? Always blowing up at the smallest thing."

Tong Tong had no energy to argue. His face was drained of color from the pain.

His mom and the doctor both suggested he take a break at home, but he refused.

At home, he couldn't do anything to help anyway. As his mom said, his priority was to focus on his studies.

Zhou You hailed a cab. As soon as they got in, he scooted closer little by little. "Still mad?"

"No." Tong Tong thought to himself, I don’t get mad at idiots.

"Oh yeah." Zhou You pulled out his phone. "Wanna see a picture of my dog?"

"…………"

Tong Tong turned to look at him for a long time, making sure that he wasn’t trying to provoke him.

Nope. Zhou You was just genuinely excited to show him a picture of his dog.

Tong Tong let out a deep breath. "Fine, let me see."

"Then add me on WeChat." Zhou You grinned. "You can see it if you add me."

Tong Tong was momentarily stunned.

Not bad, he thought. Zhou You’s not entirely dumb.

He didn’t blatantly ask for his WeChat—he even came up with an excuse about the dog photo.

Still, this reminded him.

It was time to start his secret crush.

But his foot hurt today, and he was too lazy to be in love.

He decided he’d start tomorrow.

They exchanged WeChat contacts.

Tong Tong stared at Zhou You's profile picture in silence.

It was a close-up of a dog's face.

A big black nose, fierce-looking black eyes with short, funny brown eyebrows, and tall, pointy black ears.

"A Doberman?" Tong Tong guessed.

"Yeah!" Zhou You looked delighted. "My grandpa gave him to me when I was a kid. Cool, right?"

Tong Tong nodded and thought for a moment. "It kinda looks like you."

That didn’t sound right. He was about to explain—

But Zhou You slapped his thigh. "Yeah! I think my dog looks like me too!"

"…………"

Tong Tong didn't reply.

Honestly, Zhou You and the dog didn’t look alike.

But Zhou You had a similar aura to a Doberman—strong, loyal, and gentle.

"You know," Zhou You started, "when they’re puppies, their ears don’t stand up on their own. You have to tape them up, or they flop over. Looked ridiculous."

Tong Tong watched him grin, his big white teeth showing.

He decided to take back his previous judgment.

Correction: Zhou You wasn’t a Doberman.

He was a Husky—the dumbest kind.

When they arrived at the school gate, Tong Tong refused to let Zhou You carry him again.

He leaned on Zhou You’s arm and hobbled into the school.

As soon as they entered the classroom, a boy walked in with a stack of papers. "Zhou You, Mr. Li said your school uniform has arrived. Go pick it up from the logistics office."

"Got it." Zhou You didn't hesitate.

Before leaving, he suddenly scooped Tong Tong up again, carrying him effortlessly through the narrow aisle, dodging the noisy crowd.

He placed Tong Tong securely on his seat. "Little sis, I’m off. Want me to bring you something to drink?"

"Get lost."

Zhou You laughed and ruffled Tong Tong’s hair. "Got it!"

Tong Tong rolled his eyes and threw Zhou You's backpack onto his desk.

Then he pulled out his own bag, checked his homework, corrected a math mistake, and started previewing today’s lesson.

Less than ten minutes later—

Shrieks from the girls. Yells from the boys.

A wave of commotion rolled in from the hallway like a rising tide.

Tong Tong frowned, unsure of what was going on, and looked up toward the front door.

At that moment, Zhou You walked in, head slightly lowered, brows furrowed, looking a bit impatient.

Tong Tong's movement froze in surprise.

He looked at Zhou You, who had changed into a new set of clothes, and unconsciously swallowed, tightening his grip on the pen.

Zhou You was wearing the simplest summer uniform of their school—a full set of casual black suits with an ordinary white shirt underneath.

But his height and physique made everyone passing by feel overshadowed.

The inexplicable defiance in Zhou You was wrapped within the uniform, like a blade with its edge concealed.

At first glance, he didn’t seem as fierce, but his presence became even sharper.

With the cheers from the hallway behind him, Zhou You slowly walked toward him.

Tong Tong suddenly became nervous, and as his breathing quickened, he feared he might trigger an asthma attack.

The moment Zhou You’s eyes met his, the impatience on Zhou You’s face disappeared, replaced by a grin that showed his teeth.

Tong Tong pressed his hand against his chest, tilting his head up to look at the person standing in front of his desk.

Zhou You smiled, slowly bent down, and then slowly opened his mouth: "What are you staring at? Looking all dazed like that?"

It was as if a floating bubble had been popped.

Tong Tong: "……"

Zhou You wasn’t bothered by Tong Tong’s cold expression. He grinned, leaned closer, and placed a bottle of orange juice on his desk. "Take a sip, clear your head."

Tong Tong: "……"

The corner of Tong Tong’s mouth twitched as he picked up the orange juice but didn’t drink it.

"What’s wrong? You don’t like orange juice?" Zhou You sat down, leaned over, and whispered, "Listen, you shouldn’t always drink cola. That stuff’s bad for you—it kills sperm."

"Speak Mandarin." Tong Tong couldn’t stand the contrast of Zhou You’s formal attire and his strong rural accent.

"Alright." Zhou You straightened up, smiled at him, and repeated clearly in standard Mandarin, "Kills sperm."

The class bell rang.

Zhou You bumped Tong Tong’s shoulder twice, squinted at him with a grin, and then finally turned his attention to the lesson.

This class, for once, Tong Tong found it hard to focus.

He kept glancing at Zhou You without realizing it.

Zhou You must have noticed his gaze because, while the teacher was writing on the blackboard, he turned slightly and winked at Tong Tong. But he didn’t say anything.

What actually surprised Tong Tong was that even though Zhou You usually talked a lot, he never spoke during class.

He just had a habit of sleeping in math class.

Even though he struggled with reading Chinese characters and reciting poems in Chinese class, he still listened attentively.

Math, on the other hand, seemed completely beyond him.

Tong Tong sighed. Zhou You wasn’t great at Chinese, seemed even worse at math, but at least his English was decent.

Last time, the English teacher had him do a self-introduction in English, and his pronunciation was surprisingly good.

But the college entrance exam wasn’t just English.

The morning classes flew by. During the lunch break, Tong Tong, Zhou You, and Zhuang Qian went out to get some food.

"Let’s grab something to drink first." Zhuang Qian pointed at a bubble tea shop ahead. "What do you guys want?"

"Orange juice." Zhou You answered without hesitation.

"Cola." Tong Tong looked up at the sun, feeling a bit dizzy from the heat, and quickened his pace into the bubble tea shop.

"Dude, it’s a bubble tea shop." Zhuang Qian rolled his eyes.

Zhou You followed Tong Tong inside.

There was quite a long queue, and he ended up standing in front of a group of girls who barely reached his chest.

Within three seconds, more than ten girls who were ahead of him all stepped back and lined up behind him.

Zhou You: "……"

"You go first, big bro." A girl behind him whispered.

Zhou You turned around and flashed them a one-second smile.

The girls who had moved behind him immediately scattered and ran away.

"……"

After a brief silence, Zhou You cautiously turned to Tong Tong and asked, "Didn’t Zhuang Qian just say I was so good-looking it hurt his eyes?"

Tong Tong glanced at Zhou You, who had now taken off his jacket and casually draped it over his shoulder.

Sorry, but their schoolgirls didn’t like his type.

Zhou You’s style had no market here.

"You don’t get it. That’s just how girls are." Zhuang Qian slung an arm over Zhou You’s shoulder. "The girls here are just shy. They act the same when they see me."

Tong Tong shrugged and went to find a seat.

Not even three minutes later—

Over twenty girls had approached, asking for Zhou You’s WeChat.

Zhuang Qian, who was still waiting in line, was in shock.

"Weren’t they supposed to be shy?" Zhou You asked him in a low voice.

"………"

After a moment of silence, both of them understood. Neither spoke again.

Once they got their drinks, they sat down.

Tong Tong took the iced milk tea Zhou You handed him, pressed it against his neck to cool down first, and then started drinking.

He wasn’t just sensitive to heat in the summer—he was also prone to heatstroke and could faint without warning.

"What’s the deal with Xiao Kai from Class 5?" Zhuang Qian asked while sipping his drink.

Tong Tong frowned, clearly annoyed. "I don’t know."

"Rumor has it," Zhuang Qian glanced at his expression before continuing carefully, "just a rumor, that your dad’s company fired his dad. His family’s been struggling financially. Back when your family was doing well, he didn’t dare mess with you, but now he’s probably trying to get revenge."

Tong Tong was silent for a moment, recalling the one time he had seen Xiao Kai at his dad’s company.

Xiao Kai’s eyes were slightly red, and his father had forced him to call Tong Tong “Young Master Tong”, as if he wanted to say something. But at the time, Tong Tong was in a hurry to meet up with his friends.

He had only glanced at Xiao Kai before walking away.

"Then this Saturday, I’ll bring a few of my good buddies with me." Zhuang Qian said.

"Make it clear—it’s not your fight." Tong Tong sipped his milk tea and explained in a low voice, "My family’s situation is what it is. Whether they show up or not is one thing, but you have to be clear with them—I can’t pay them back."

Zhuang Qian nodded. "I’m going anyway."

Zhou You sat to the side, glancing at Tong Tong. After a while, he quietly reached out and patted his back.

Tong Tong turned his head to look at him.

Zhou You smiled. "Don't worry needlessly. You think I'd let a cripple like you go on? Leave everything to me."

Tong Tong sighed. "That's not what I'm worried about."

Zhou You raised an eyebrow. "When I said 'leave everything to me,' I wasn't just referring to that."

"Alright then! Saturday morning at seven, we'll meet under the biggest phoenix tree in Yanshan Park!" Zhuang Qian slapped the table.

With a loud 'bang.'

The girls in the milk tea shop all screamed in fright.

Time passed quietly as Tong Tong’s foot gradually healed.

Saturday morning, two minutes past seven.

Tong Tong sat in the car, looking out the window at the group of twenty or so people standing or squatting under the phoenix tree. He sighed.

Then, he looked at the various objects they were holding—sticks, clubs, sugarcane, badminton rackets, ping pong paddles, and electric mosquito swatters—and sighed again.

He really didn’t want so many people to get involved because of his problems.

Especially not on a Saturday morning—waking up at seven was no easy feat.

"Wow, quite the lineup," Zhou You chuckled as he got out of the car and pulled a large bag from the trunk.

Tong Tong looked at the twenty or so faces again, wiped his own face roughly with his hand, and got out of the car.

Zhou You, carrying a massive military-style bag, walked a little slower.

Zhuang Qian approached, holding an iron rod. "Wait a second, Zhou You."

"What's up?" Zhou You put down the huge bag.

"Are you here for a fight or a picnic?" Zhuang Qian tapped the military bag with his steel pipe. "What’s in this massive thing?"

"Oh! Not bad, you guessed it!" Zhou You exclaimed in surprise and unzipped the bag.

As he pulled things out, he introduced them, "This is my fishing rod, bait, barbecue grill, charcoal, fish-scaling knife, salt…"

Zhuang Qian: "……"

"Hold on…" Zhuang Qian looked horrified. "You do realize what we're here for today, right?"

"Of course, why?" Zhou You asked, confused. Then, before Zhuang Qian could answer, he suddenly understood and explained, "Ah, you just don’t get it. Listen, I did my research—this lake has amazing fish. After the fight, we can have grilled fish. I even bought all these tools specifically for today."

Zhuang Qian: "……"

"I'm great at grilling fish," Zhou You added proudly.

"What is he doing?" Zhuang Qian asked, looking grimly at Tong Tong. "This is a serious duel! He’s not taking it seriously at all! No respect for the opponent!"

Tong Tong sighed. He had already been forced to listen to Zhou You introduce all this stuff before they arrived.

He really couldn’t stop him.

"Wait, you didn’t bring anything?" Zhuang Qian suddenly noticed that Tong Tong had come empty-handed.

"I did." Tong Tong glanced at them, then slowly pulled a white sheet of paper from his pants pocket and unfolded it.

As the white paper was fully revealed, even Zhou You was stunned.

"You brought an exam paper?!" Zhuang Qian was horrified.

"No," Tong Tong said calmly. Then, he reached into both sides of his jacket and pulled out another stack of white papers.

"Ten exam papers," he said matter-of-factly.

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