Chapter 83 The Arrival of the School Beauty

Chapter 83 The Arrival of the School Beauty

Ning Song sat at the dumpling stall until the owner packed up.

He got up to head home, stopping halfway in the shadows for a while, his hands turning icy cold and red.

It snowed heavily all night, and the next morning Li You was woken by voices. Opening his eyes, he saw Ning Song and Zheng Xiaobo sitting at the table outside eating breakfast.

Seeing that he had woken up, Zheng Xiaobo, munching on a fried dough stick, said, "We were just about to call you. Ning Song bought breakfast; come over and eat."

Li You lay back down, staring at the pillow for a while, feeling a heavy sadness in his heart.

After a bit, he got up and saw Ning Song sitting on a stool, sipping soup.

He sat down beside him.

Zheng Xiaobo asked, "Is your family moving soon?"

Ning Song seemed to have a slight cold, speaking in a muffled voice, "The floor is being redone, so it'll probably be next month."

After finishing their meal, Zheng Xiaobo went out to throw away the trash. Li You asked Ning Song, "Do you not care at all about what I said yesterday? Neither about me nor about yourself?"

"Say whatever you want," Ning Song replied, "but we need to wait until you're better. Consider me selfish."

He moved the table to the doorway and started doing his homework facing the door, with an iron rod on the table.

Zheng Xiaobo came back, clicking his tongue.

What a pretty little chili pepper.

Li You, helpless, returned to the bedroom and lay down.

Zheng Xiaobo came in to check on him, then took his phone and sat down next to Ning Song.

Ning Song said, "Xiaobo, do you have winter break homework? Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Zheng Xiaobo immediately ran back into the bedroom with the phone.

Just as he lay down, Li You kicked him. "Go sit outside."

Zheng Xiaobo got up, "Why don't you go?"

He looked at Li You.

Li You said, "Less talk."

Grumbling, Zheng Xiaobo got up, found a chair, and sat down in the main hall.

As soon as he sat down, he heard Qiao Qiao's voice from outside, "Closing up?"

Looking up, Zheng Xiaobo saw Qiao Qiao and Fan Duoduo trudging through the snow, dressed like dumplings.

With more people around, the atmosphere became lively. The Mahjong Hall turned into a card-playing venue, with several people gathered around playing cards.

Li You lay in bed playing with his phone, hearing the laughter of Qiao Qiao and the others. He got dressed and went outside to shovel snow.

When Liu Fang and the others arrived, the group grew even larger. A dozen young men made Zheng Xiaobo feel quite secure.

Though they were all good-looking but useless male students, their numbers were intimidating.

They liked to gather during winter break, and snowy days left them with no other place to go. They spent the day playing together, and by evening, they bought a lot of food and drinks.

It was cold, so they bought two bottles of wine.

With so many people, a few sips each quickly emptied the bottles.

Li You went back to his room and brought out another bottle of cheap white wine. Qiao Qiao and the others found it too harsh and didn't like it, leaving only Li You and Zheng Xiaobo drinking a lot.

Li You's face turned bright red from drinking. Going outside to smoke, he saw Ning Song wearing his down jacket's hood, standing in the cold wind making a phone call.

In the cold wind, Li You heard Ning Song stammer, "Had a little."

Ning Song seemed slightly drunk, his voice sounding warm and slow. After hanging up, he turned and saw Li You, putting his phone in his pocket.

His down jacket's hood was large and furry, making his face appear pale and small.

Li You stubbed out his cigarette and went back inside.

Ning Song followed and sat back down in his seat.

"Did the clingy one check up on you again?" Qiao Qiao asked with a smile.

Ning Song smiled but didn't say anything, turning to sneeze.

Liu Fang immediately handed him a cup of wine, "Just heated it up."

Ning Song took it and drank another sip.

Qiao Qiao said, "That's too much; don't get drunk."

Liu Fang looked at Ning Song with a smile, his eyes almost unable to leave his face, saying, "I think Ning Song can handle his liquor."

Ning Song's alcohol tolerance wasn't actually worse than Li You's. He could drink quite a bit. In the orphanage, a group of them started drinking with the older kids in elementary school. Initially forced, they later got used to it. Compared to smoking, he preferred drinking. When he first started working, he often bought those small bottles of cheap white wine from a nearby convenience store in winter. Drinking warmed him up and made him feel soft and cozy, lessening the cold.

Thus, he was very familiar with this type of wine.

It evoked distant memories.

Li You always reminded him of his former self. He thought that half of their bond was because they were the same kind of person.

After drinking that cup of wine, he became much quieter. While everyone else was talking, he went to fetch Li You's cheap bottle of wine again, intending to pour another glass, but Li You put the bottle behind his back.

He tilted his head and gestured with his hand.

His face, usually pale as snow, now had an enchantingly beautiful flush.

Li You ignored him.

Ning Song lowered his head, his jet-black hair soft and obedient, looking pitifully submissive.

Everyone was chatting enthusiastically when the glass door outside suddenly rattled. Fan Duoduo came out of the restroom, pulling up his pants, and said, "Someone is knocking."

Zheng Xiaobo, who had been talking to Liu Fang, jumped up at these words. But Fan Duoduo had already run over and opened the door, revealing Pu Yu, his head covered in snowflakes.

Fan Duoduo asked, "It's snowing again?"

Pu Yu nodded, and everyone greeted him warmly, turning to Ning Song with smiles, noticing that he was hanging his head motionless. "Is Ning Song asleep?"

Qiao Qiao laughed and put his arm around Ning Song's shoulders. Ning Song lifted his head, and everyone froze.

Because Ning Song's face was streaked with tears.

Only Li You, smoking a cigarette, lowered his head.

"What happened?" Liu Fang asked anxiously.

Seeing Pu Yu through the crowd, Ning Song lost control, his mouth twisting, distorting his handsome face.

Ning Song bowed his head, his shoulders shaking.

Everyone was shocked by this sudden change, unable to understand why. Qiao Qiao leaned closer, hugging his shoulder and explained with a laugh, "He gets sentimental after drinking, hahaha."

Zheng Xiaobo's lips twitched, his eyes reddening.

He thought about how both the Ning Song who sat with a metal rod at the door and the Ning Song who cried after drinking moved him deeply.

Li You knew exactly why Ning Song was crying.

How could he not feel anything?

Not knowing what to say, he simply took a drag from his cigarette.

Pu Yu was also surprised, walking over and asking, "What's wrong? Did you drink too much?"

Ning Song shook his head.

Qiao Qiao stood up to offer his seat. "Brother Yu, take my seat."

Pu Yu sat down, tilting his head to look at Ning Song.

But Ning Song stood up, swaying slightly, almost falling, only to be caught by Qiao Qiao.

Pu Yu stood up and asked, "Are you leaving?"

Ning Song nodded.

Everyone got up to see them off. Outside, the snow was heavy, forming a thin layer on the ground. Ning Song staggered, barely able to walk, until the cold wind outside made him realize that the person supporting him on the left had a tattooed hand.

The tattoo on the back of the hand was blurry and incomplete, with obvious scars. The four fingers were strong, but the little finger was weakly curled.

He turned his head and met Li You's face, reaching out to rest his hand on Li You's shoulder: "Brother You."

Li You responded with a nod.

Ning Song shook his head, the north wind tousling his hair. Pu Yu, worried he might be cold, pulled the hood of his down jacket over his head.

The hood was too deep, blocking Ning Song's view. He pushed it away, turning to frown at Pu Yu, clearly displeased.

Pu Yu let him be.

Ning Song looked back at Li You, lifting his hand, but before he could speak, he choked up.

He wanted to tell him that he didn't know if this would make Li You uncomfortable, but no matter what, nothing was more important than safety.

Nothing was more important than health.

Nothing was more important than having a healthy body.

He, as someone who had once been disabled, was telling him this.

But nothing could be undone, which pained him the most.

He couldn't find the words.

Liu Fang still smiled, saying to Fan Duoduo, "I never expected Ning Song to be like this when drunk."

"Should I go with you guys? Can he walk?" Qiao Qiao asked Pu Yu.

Pu Yu replied, "No need, I came by car."

"Where's your car?"

"It was blocked by another car, so I parked at the next intersection."

Everyone saw them off to the car.

Ning Song slumped in the car, his unfocused eyes watching the people outside. Pu Yu immediately got in, waving to Qiao Qiao and the others: "We're off."

He closed the car door and drove backward, making a U-turn at the intersection. Pu Yu reached out to touch Ning Song's forehead again: "Why did you drink so much?"

Ning Song leaned against him, speaking in broken sentences: "I told you... not to come."

The place wasn't far from the Ning family home. The car stopped at the foot of the steps. Uncle Zhang, fearing Pu Yu might have trouble carrying Ning Song, followed closely to support them. Ning Song's tears and snot had wetted the back of Pu Yu's neck.

They brought Ning Song home, and Liu Fen and Ning Wei were both shocked. Liu Fen followed them into the bedroom: "Why did he drink so much?"

Ning Wei stayed in the living room, chatting with Uncle Zhang who had accompanied them back.

Pu Yu came out and said: "Uncle Zhang, you can go back now. I won't be leaving tonight."

Uncle Zhang nodded: "I think he might have a fever. It's best to give him some medicine. Be careful since he's drunk."

Ning Wei saw Uncle Zhang off. When he returned, he found Pu Yu and Liu Fen busy undressing Ning Song and taking off his shoes. Seeing Ning Song uncooperative, Liu Fen said: "Let him keep the sweater on." She leaned over to feel his forehead, which was indeed warm.

Liu Fen gave him some fever-reducing medicine to see how he would respond, but soon his fever worsened.

Ning Song's health had improved recently, but it used to be very poor, so the couple worried about his condition worsening again. They quickly dressed him and took him to the clinic for an IV drip.

Unexpectedly, this woke Ning Song up.

"Pu Yu. Pu Yu." He called out.

"Mm, I'm here," Pu Yu replied, "I'm here."

He held onto Pu Yu tightly, as if he might disappear.

After a while, he kept calling: "Dad, Mom."

Liu Fen and Ning Wei watched by his side, with Liu Fen constantly scolding: "Why did you drink so much? Why did you start drinking?"

Ning Song reached out to hug her: "Mom."

Clearly, he was quite confused.

The confused Ning Song clung to people almost desperately, which made Pu Yu feel uneasy rather than pleased.

After finishing the IV, he became more lucid and calmer.

Back home, after lying down for half an hour, Ning Song woke up shivering.

Pu Yu immediately leaned over: "Are you awake?"

Ning Song stared blankly with dull eyes and said: "My tolerance is so bad now."

"Have some water." Pu Yu handed him a cup of warm water.

Ning Song sat up and drank a few sips, noticing Pu Yu wearing a sweater and sitting by the bedhead.

After drinking the water, he fell asleep again.

Pu Yu tucked him in and said: "Now can you tell me what happened?"

Ning Song then told him about Li You, and as he spoke, he started crying again.

Pu Yu held him close.

It was the first time Pu Yu had seen Ning Song cry like this. He kissed his eyes, knowing these tears weren't for him, yet he felt no jealousy.

After Pu Yu and Ning Song left, the others continued playing for a long time. Once everyone else had gone, Zheng Xiaobo, still not sleepy, mopped the floor of the hall, went to the bathroom, and carefully locked the doors. He glanced at the surveillance footage outside.

Snowflakes fell, turning the world outside into a black-and-white scene.

Rubbing his hands, he returned to the bedroom, where Li You had already turned off the lights. He quickly climbed into bed, saying: "It's really cold."

Li You seemed to be asleep.

But he knew he wasn't.

So, after lying there for a while, he mentioned Ning Song again.

Li You suddenly spoke: "It's really frustrating to see him cry like that."

The next morning, Li You got up early.

He called Pu Yu first to ask how Ning Song was doing.

Zheng Xiaobo listened as Li You chatted with Pu Yu. After hanging up, Zheng Xiaobo asked: "How is he?"

"He said they gave him an IV yesterday, and his fever has subsided now."

A few minutes later, instead of Pu Yu, a car arrived—a black, shiny vehicle with an intimidating license plate number, all identical digits. It parked at the entrance, attracting neighbors to come out and watch.

The driver didn't get out but remained seated inside, staying parked outside their Mahjong Hall all day.

Zheng Xiaobo said: "Damn, it's true that brute force isn't always the best solution."

Indeed, the Four-Eyed Guy's men came, saw the parked car, and left.

In the evening, the snow stopped, and the sky suddenly cleared, revealing a brilliant sunset. Qiao Qiao and the others were outside building a snowman when they saw Ning Song, dressed like a mummy, arrive.

Carrying a bag of hotpot ingredients.

Upon seeing him, Liu Fang teased him about getting drunk the previous night. Ning Song just smiled, looking somewhat pale and embarrassed, saying: "I'll quit drinking."

"Don't, today I brought some fine wine from my dad's collection," Liu Fang said.

Li You came over, took the hotpot ingredients from Ning Song, and both felt awkward, avoiding eye contact.

Ning Song stayed behind to help build snowmen. Li You said, "You haven't had enough pricks yet."

Zheng Xiaobo clicked his tongue. "Clearly words of concern, but why do they sound so unpleasant coming from you?"

Qiao Qiao and the others laughed. Li You kept his head down, smoking.

They built two huge snowmen on either side of the Mahjong Hall's entrance, like two great guardians.

In the evening, they had hotpot. Li You and the others invited the people in the car several times, but the two big brothers refused to come in for food.

Qiao Qiao said, "They look like professional bodyguards; probably worried about getting fined."

"Really?" Ning Song and he held steaming boxes, slurping sweet potato noodles while looking out the door.

The moon was large, hanging in the sky.

After the hotpot, everyone went back. Qiao Qiao offered to share a cab with Ning Song.

Ning Song quickly waved him off. "No need, no need. I'll walk back, it'll help digest the food. I ate too much today."

Once Qiao Qiao and the others left in the car, Ning Song started walking. Just around the corner, after a few steps, he saw Pu Yu standing at the intersection, almost blending into the shadows of the building.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ran over. "I told you not to wait. Aren't you cold?"

"I'm freezing," Pu Yu said.

Ning Song rubbed his hands. The two walked home together.

"You smell like hotpot," Pu Yu said.

"I'll take you next time. For now, bear with it."

Li You followed them from a distance, wrapped in his coat. Seeing Pu Yu's figure, he turned back.

Pu Yu had been outside all day. It was the first time he asked Pu Guanting to help him with something personal. Pu Guanting was too busy and told him to talk to his secretary, and he hadn't even eaten dinner yet.

Ning Song treated him to a bowl of small wontons.

Pu Yu sat on a small stool, unable to stretch his legs. Actually, it was colder at night when the sky cleared up, and the boss was shivering.

Ning Song looked up and said, "The moon is so bright tonight."

Pu Yu glanced up.

Lower Harbor was very cold and dark, but the moon was large and bright.

Pu Yu's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a message from Li You.

Li You said, "Next time, just come into the shop. I'm afraid you'll freeze to death outside, and someone will cry again."

Pu Yu was stunned for a moment before putting the phone back in his pocket.

Pu Yu didn't used to like Li You and never considered him a formidable rival, but from then on, he respected him the most.

No matter how cold it was, a bowl of hot wontons on a winter night warmed the belly.