Chapter 8 You'd better keep your word

 "..." 

The cold brown pupils flickered briefly, a gleam flashing past. 

Jing Zheng xuan stared into Huai Xu's eyes, lips pressed into a thin line, and calmly said, 

"Nothing special. Not very good."

"Not very good? We were almost at the school gate, and he specifically called you out," 

Huai Xu's tone turned slightly nuanced.

Jing Zheng xuan pondered over the words, then said after a moment, 

"He stopped me halfway."

Huai Xu looked up from applying the medicine, glaring. 

"That's not the point."

"Don't worry about it," 

Jing Zheng xuan stroked the back of Huai Xu's hand. 

 "He's on the same team as me, always overly friendly, and talks nonsense."

Huai Xu pushed his hand away, nodded thoughtfully, and said, 

"That makes sense. You couldn't possibly be in a group fight. You stopped learning martial arts a long time ago, right?"

Jing Zheng xuan: "..."

The sudden shift to fighting caught Jing Zheng xuan off guard. 

He hesitated, carefully observing Huai Xu's expression.

As Huai Xu wrapped the bandage, he continued, 

"And if you were in a fight, you'd have more injuries than this, right?"

"?"

Jing Zheng xuan blinked, hesitatingly nodding. 

"Right...?"

Seeing him nod, Huai Xu put away the medicine box and suddenly stormed toward the door. 

"If that's the case, I’ll ask him directly why he spread rumors about you being in a group fight! This could lead to a school punishment. What is he thinking?!"

He spoke while walking, his tone fiery with anger.

Caught off guard, Jing Zheng xuan immediately followed to grab his hand. 

 "Don’t."

Huai Xu turned back, his face seemingly flushed with anger, teeth clenched. 

"Let go. I have to confront him."

"He meant no harm," 

Jing Zheng xuan pulled him back.

"How do you know he meant no harm?" 

Huai Xu struggled but eventually stopped, panting. 

"Fine, I won’t ask now, but I’ll ask this afternoon. After all, he's on your team and easy to find."

Jing Zheng xuan’s heart skipped a beat. 

He sighed, pulling Huai Xu to sit on the sofa. 

Partially conceding, he admitted, 

"What he said... was partially true."

Huai Xu crossed his arms, frowning deeply. 

"What do you mean?"

After a pause, Jing Zheng xuan scooted closer, holding Huai Xu’s hand tightly, 

 his tone sincere but hesitant. 

"It was... an act of justice."

"What?!" 

Huai Xu struggled to pull his hand away, but it was firmly held.

Jing Zheng xuan moved closer, almost whispering, 

"But he did most of the fighting. I just stepped in to help."

Huai Xu’s frown deepened.

Seeing his disbelief, Jing Zheng xuan added, 

"He rushed in so suddenly, I couldn't stop him. I was worried he’d get hurt, so..."

"What about your other teammates?" 

Huai Xu remained skeptical.

Jing Zheng xuan rubbed his hand.

"They were behind us. They only came after it was over."

"And the coach?"

"The coach had left early for something."

Huai Xu stared at him in silence for a long time.

Sensing his wavering, Jing Zheng xuan elaborated further. 

"Those punks were weak. By the time I got there, he’d already beaten them up."

"Really?" 

Huai Xu’s hand stopped resisting, and he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really," 

Jing Zheng xuan met his gaze unwaveringly, exuding sincerity. 

"He’s quite good at fighting. They didn’t even touch him."

"Then how did you get hurt?" 

Huai Xu was still doubtful.

Jing Zhengxuan gently cupped Huai Xu’s face, rubbing lightly. 

"Probably just bumped into something while walking."

"Are you sure it wasn’t scratches from those punks? If it is, it might carry bacteria. You need to get it checked at the hospital."

"Definitely not." 

Jing Zheng xuan gazed at him sincerely again.

"Why didn’t you call the police?" 

Huai Xu pressed on.

Jing Zheng xuan explained, 

"He rushed in so quickly, I didn’t even have time to react before the fight started."

After pondering for a moment, Huai Xu looked into Jing Zheng xuan’s eyes and asked, 

"Do you remember the promise you made me?"

"I remember," 

Jing Zheng xuan nodded. 

"To prioritize my own safety, and if possible, call the police instead of intervening."

\

During middle and high school, Jing Zheng xuan often got into fights. 

Although he always won, he inevitably got injured, which pained Huai Xu deeply.

After numerous incidents, Huai Xu couldn’t endure the constant worry and 

made Jing Zheng xuan promise not to fight anymore and to stop practicing martial arts.

At the time, the two had a heartfelt conversation, and Jing Zheng xuan readily agreed.

But promises were one thing; keeping them was another.

It wasn’t that Jing Zheng xuan enjoyed fighting, 

but too many harbored ill intentions toward Huai Xu.

Huai Xu had been attractive since he was young, resembling a beautiful doll. 

 He received love letters as early as elementary school and grew even more captivating in high school, adored by everyone.

However, with admiration also came trouble. 

Local delinquents often targeted Huai Xu, either openly or covertly, 

but all were fiercely dealt with by Jing Zheng xuan before they could reach him.

For this reason, Jing Zheng xuan couldn’t stop practicing martial arts. 

He had to protect Huai Xu at all times.

To avoid worrying him, Jing Zheng xuan played a double game—

keeping his promise on the surface while continuing his training in secret.

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise," 

he said, looking at Huai Xu with unwavering calm.

Finally, Huai Xu relaxed a bit, poking Jing Zheng xuan’s forehead. 

"You better keep your word."

"Absolutely," 

Jing Zheng xuan held his hand, masking the melancholy in his eyes. 

"Take a nap. You have class this afternoon."

"Mm."

---

On Friday afternoon, after the first class ended, 

Huai Xu and his roommates were hurrying to their next class 

when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

Huai Xu turned around and smiled. 

"Senior?"

The three roommates glanced at the person and followed suit, 

greeting him with a respectful 

"Senior." 

Then, understanding the situation, 

they tactfully went ahead to secure seats in the classroom.

Xie Kaiyan returned a warm smile. 

"I heard you were having class here, so I thought I’d drop by. Also, I brought the class notes for you."

"Ah! How could I forget?" 

Huai Xu slapped his forehead. 

"I’m so sorry, Senior. I’ve been busy these days and completely forgot about it. I can’t believe I made you come all this way. I feel terrible."

"It’s nothing. I had some business in this building anyway, so it wasn’t a bother," 

Xie Kaiyan handed him a tote bag. 

"I didn’t bring all the notes this time; I thought it might be too heavy."

Huai Xu took the bag gratefully. 

"Thank you, Senior. I’ll go through these first, and then I’ll ask for the rest later."

"Sure," 

Xie Kaiyan adjusted his glasses. 

"There’s also a carton of milk in the bag. Make sure you drink it while it’s still warm."

Curious, Huai Xu opened the bag and found a box of plain milk inside. 

He beamed. 

"Thank you so much, Senior. You’re always so considerate."

Xie Kaiyan chuckled. 

"It’s no big deal. Go on, get to class."

"Alright, thank you again, Senior. See you!" 

Huai Xu jogged off to the classroom.

"See you," 

Xie Kaiyan replied, watching his slender but upright figure 

until it disappeared at the staircase before he turned and left the building.

When Huai Xu entered the classroom, Zhang Yilang excitedly asked, 

"Xie Kaiyan?! The top graduate student in Year One! Huai Xu! How do you know him?!"

Scratching the back of his head, Huai Xu smiled bashfully. 

"I participated in the school anniversary performance. He was on the planning team and also the host."

"But that doesn’t explain why he came all this way to deliver notes to you," 

 Wu Ke leaned on his chin, looking skeptical. 

"I don’t see him delivering anything to anyone else."

At the mention of the notes, Huai Xu remembered the milk in the bag. 

He pulled it out, poked in a straw, and took a sip. 

"That’s because nobody else asked him."

Chen Pan feigned a sage-like tone. 

"No, no. I sense there’s more to this story."

Huai Xu gave each of them a playful flick on the forehead. 

"Stop overthinking. Focus on your studies. Senior Xie is just being kind and looking out for his juniors."

All three rubbed their foreheads and stayed quiet.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. 

The four sat in the front row and listened attentively.

When the class ended, Jing Zheng xuan was already waiting at the door. 

After bidding farewell to his roommates, Huai Xu joined him.

Noticing the empty milk carton in Huai Xu’s hand, Jing Zheng xuan frowned deeply. 

He stared at it for a long moment. 

That wasn’t the milk he had prepared for Huai Xu.

Throwing the carton into a nearby trash bin, Huai Xu turned and smiled at him. 

"Let’s go."

It was Friday, and both of them surprisingly had no extracurricular activities. 

Normally, one of them would be rehearsing in the club activity room, 

and the other would be training at the basketball court.

Even though the National Day celebration had just ended, 

the school anniversary performance and the inter-school basketball finals were fast approaching. 

Their schedules would soon become hectic again. 

It was the perfect time to head home for a visit.

"Alright," 

Jing Zheng xuan carried Huai Xu’s backpack and asked casually, 

"Were you hungry this afternoon?"

"No."

"Then that milk..." 

Jing Zheng xuan tilted his head, studying the youth beside him with dark, intense eyes.

"Oh, that," 

Huai Xu realized what he meant. 

"Senior gave it to me, so I drank it while it was warm."

Jing Zhengxuan: "..."

His grip on Huai Xu’s backpack strap tightened, his knuckles turning white. 

Lips pressed into a straight line, he worked to keep his voice steady. 

"He... came to see you?"

Huai Xu nodded. 

"Yes, he brought me class notes. It’s a good thing he did. I’ve been so worried about your injury these past few days that I completely forgot about it."

Jing Zhengxuan: "..."

He glanced at his own arm, which was almost fully healed. 

What a pity.

As they reached the school gate, a sleek black Phantom was already waiting for them. 

Numerous students passing by couldn’t help but steal glances.

"Is that Jing Zheng xuan’s car?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, handsome and rich. He’s got to be the dream boyfriend for so many girls."

"Not just girls. Plenty of guys are into him too."

"True, but his temper isn’t easy to handle."

"You don’t get it. Who wouldn’t want to cry tears of joy in a Rolls Royce Phantom?"

"Ha! Classic!"

The chauffeur opened the car door for Huai Xu and Jing Zheng xuan before driving off.

Meanwhile, a slim figure lingered at the school gate, 

watching the Phantom’s taillights disappear, lost in thought.

He had prepared so much, and Huai Xu was concerned with this instead?

---

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