Chapter 35: Equipment Room

Chapter 35: Equipment Room

The moment Xu Zhou collapsed, Xu Xingli's mind went blank, and he instinctively reached out to catch him.

Although he practiced Taekwondo, Xu Zhou was taller and heavier than him, causing him to stumble back several steps. If Jian Ran and Duan Yi hadn't stepped forward to support them, both of them would have ended up sprawled on the ground.

Xu Xingli actually had little recollection of what happened next. There was only a noisy clamor, countless figures passing by him. Someone tried to take Xu Zhou away, but he wouldn't let go.

Finally, he saw white coats, and only after being gently coaxed by Duan Yi did he slowly hand Xu Zhou over.

He saw them place Xu Zhou on a stretcher. Xu Zhou merely frowned, sweat beads forming on his forehead.

The mountain road was winding, and the crowd swayed like ants moving house, sometimes breaking off, sometimes continuing. The only constant was the person on the stretcher.

Xu Xingli watched them walk further and further away until Xu Zhou disappeared from sight. He finally reacted, leaping down the steps three at a time, rushing to catch up.

The "dee-woo dee-woo" siren of the ambulance echoed at the foot of the mountain. In the midst of the chaos, Xu Xingli and Duan Yi accompanied them.

Fortunately, Xu Zhou had no major issues; he had simply fainted from being too nervous due to his acrophobia.

Upon hearing this news, Xu Xingli breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, he frowned again.

Is acrophobia *that* severe? If this were in the past, Xu Zhou would have fainted the moment he stepped onto that skywalk. How could he have walked there and back, gotten off the skywalk, and *then* fainted?

Xu Zhou's acrophobia seemed less severe than before. Could it be, as Duan Yi said, that he had been undergoing desensitization therapy recently?

Wait, he seemed to have overlooked something: why would Xu Zhou need desensitization?

Another thought sparked in his mind.

He somewhat suspected that Xu Zhou might be like him, or at least knew a thing or two about the previous life.

This idea had existed for a long time, and it *still* made him incredulous. But the doubts in his heart had always been there, and recent events were truly difficult to explain.

From that inscrutable glance at Xu Yu's welcome banquet when he was reborn, to this person *now* walking onto the glass skywalk.

He had wanted to ask before, but Xu Zhou was very likely to lie to him. For some reason, this person was unwilling to be frank, desperately hiding these things that were clearly very important to him.

Was he worried that he would beat him up?

That was certainly something to consider. If the time, place, and people were right, Xu Xingli would act. Similarly, Xu Xingli would also stay far away from him, avoiding him completely, never speaking to him again for the rest of this life.

But to be honest, Xu Xingli didn't want Xu Zhou to be the same as him.

This was absurd.

Xu Zhou in this life was good, he had to admit. Regardless of whether it was due to family affection or something else, at least his good feelings towards him were relatively pure. It was only because he was Xu Xingli that Xu Zhou was willing to treat him well.

And if Xu Zhou remembered everything from the previous life, then what did being good to him in this life count as? Mixed with guilt, apology, and even some indescribable emotions, it became a necessity. To compensate, Xu Zhou had to treat Xu Xingli well.

And then Xu Xingli, who still couldn't control his heartbeat when facing such a Xu Zhou, would become a complete joke.

So, it wasn't just Xu Zhou who was avoiding this matter, but Xu Xingli as well.

Therefore, Xu Xingli believed whatever Xu Zhou said. Just like now, Xu Xingli believed that Xu Zhou had only undergone desensitization therapy, which was why he wasn't as afraid of heights as before.

It seemed that this was indeed the case, and it was also possible that the situation was so urgent at the time that Xu Zhou's brain didn't react immediately, temporarily overriding his acrophobia.

After Jian Ran and the others arrived at the hospital, Lin Xie explained everything that had happened.

The girl had just come out of the restroom and was washing her hands at the sink when Zhang Wei and his group cornered her.

Zhang Wei threatened her, saying that if she didn't go with them, Song Yijin would also be in danger. Although in Xu Xingli's eyes, this was all nonsense; given Song Yijin's family status, Zhang Wei couldn't do anything to her. But for Lin Xie, who wasn't aware of the truth, this was a very serious matter.

So Lin Xie went with them. She originally planned to escape midway, but these people were too cunning. They deliberately gave her a chance to escape, then quickly blocked her way back to the convenience store, forcing her to run down another deserted path.

Finally, they arrived at the glass skywalk. This was a dead end. Lin Xie knew it was bad and, caught off guard, took out her phone to call. But before she could dial, Zhang Wei discovered her, snatched the phone, and threw it off the cliff.

Lin Xie was surrounded by them and was forced to retreat onto the skywalk. Just as her back hit the railing, with nowhere left to escape, Xu Zhou found them.

He rushed onto the skywalk, shielding the girl, and twisted Zhang Wei's outstretched hand, almost making him double over in pain.

Normally, Zhang Wei wouldn't dare to touch someone from the Xu family, but there were no cameras here, and Xu Zhou was alone, so he got ideas.

However, these malicious intentions hadn't been acted upon yet when Xu Xingli and the others arrived.

What happened next was what Xu Xingli saw.

After a moment of silence, Xu Xingli asked, "He rushed up without hesitation? And he was able to twist Zhang Wei's hand?"

Lin Xie frowned and thought for a moment, but probably couldn't quite recall the details, so she just shook her head: "I'm not quite sure."

These dirty things—every bit of recollection brought a bit of pain. Xu Xingli pursed his lips and finally didn't press the matter further.

However, Lin Xie spoke up on her own: "But I remember very clearly that Brother Xu Zhou was trembling at the time. I initially thought he was just too angry, but I didn't realize it was because of acrophobia."

The atmosphere became silent for a moment.

Finally, the girl suddenly stood up and, without warning, leaned forward, her voice trembling: "I'm so sorry! I didn't expect this to happen either."

This action startled both Xu Xingli and Duan Yi. They immediately stood up and helped her to her feet.

Xu Xingli shook his head and said, "We're fine; you don't need to apologize to us."

Duan Yi also nodded: "Yeah, yeah, we're really fine. Xu Zhou definitely won't say anything about it either, you don't have to be like this."

The girl's eyes immediately reddened, and the several big boys present were instantly at a loss.

"Don't cry! Did I hurt you just now?" Xu Xingli frantically fumbled in his pocket for tissues, and Duan Yi and Jian Ran were also scrambling.

Seeing their appearance, Song Yijin smiled helplessly, took out a pack of tissues from her handbag, pulled out one to wipe Lin Xie's tears, and said, "Don't overthink it. You're so tired today, let me take you home first."

"I..." Lin Xie opened her mouth, then remembered that there was no point in her staying there, so she nodded. As she left, she bowed to Xu Xingli and the others.

The boys also returned her bow, feeling awkward.

Then the situation spiraled out of control.

Lin Xie bowed again, and the boys followed suit. Lin Xie bowed again, and the boys followed her lead...

Song Yijin was amused by the scene: "Are you guys worshipping the God of Wealth here?" Finally, she took Lin Xie's arm and led her away.

The three boys straightened up, looked at each other, and Duan Yi finally sighed: "Ah, after this incident, poor Lin Xie. What a huge psychological shadow this must leave her with. And that guy Xu Zhou, who has to take sleeping pills to fly, has never seen a scene like that before! But it's a good thing he had desensitization therapy before, otherwise, this matter wouldn't be over today, and both of them would be in trouble."

Xu Xingli blinked and looked at him, asking, "When did my brother begin his treatment?"

This question stumped Duan Yi. He narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then finally said, "He told me last month that he was undergoing desensitization. As for when he began, I don't know; he didn't tell me."

Xu Xingli: "Do you know where he's receiving treatment?"

"Hiss—" Duan Yi scratched his head, racking his brain, and then suddenly got angry: "I just realized this guy doesn't tell me anything! No, when he wakes up, I'm going to scold him good!"

Not getting an answer, Xu Xingli pouted.

Seeing this, Duan Yi immediately said, "Let's ask him when he wakes up. If you want to know, Xu Zhou will definitely tell you."

You really don't know this person at all. Xu Xingli gave a wry smile.

Xu Xingli could see his brother's flaws clearly. Xu Zhou would definitely not tell him the truth.

Xu Xingli waved his hand casually, then thought of something and asked, "Was Lin Xie's phone thrown away?"

This question reminded Jian Ran. He nodded sharply and then raised his chin, like a child wanting praise: "I gave her one on the way here just now."

Duan Yi blurted out, "You're awesome, Ranran! So sensible!"

Xu Xingli also gave him a thumbs up, then felt something was off and asked, "Did she accept it?"

Jian Ran nodded vigorously: "I was afraid she wouldn't accept it, so I just stuffed it into her bag."

Xu Xingli: "..."

Duan Yi: "..."

Praised too early.

Duan Yi: "So she doesn't even know there's a new phone in her bag? Will she think that beast surnamed Zhang put it there and then throw it away?"

Jian Ran froze: "..."

Seeing him stunned, Duan Yi and Xu Xingli almost simultaneously lowered their heads, and then soft laughter erupted.

Jian Ran was both embarrassed and anxious. He slapped each of them on the shoulder and said, "Don't laugh! I still have more if it's thrown away! I'll personally give it to her tomorrow!"

Their shoulders shrugged, and after finally laughing enough, Xu Xingli cleared his throat and said seriously, "Lin Xie won't accept it. It's better to give her something useful."

Jian Ran looked at him and asked, "What?"

"An alarm."

Xu Xingli took out a small white object from his backpack and handed it to Lin Xie.

Lin Xie found the phone in her bag when she went home last weekend. At first, she was startled and wanted to throw it away. But the phone was new, and she remembered what she and Jian Ran had talked about, so she was cautious. She brought the phone to school on Monday to return it to Jian Ran.

Jian Ran tried his best to persuade her, but she still didn't accept it. Jian Ran could only sheepishly take back the new phone and then stopped her, saying, "We have one more thing to give you."

Then Xu Xingli timely took out the alarm and put it in her hand.

Xu Xingli had also thought about it for a long time. Lin Xie was targeted by Zhang Wei and was alone. He didn't know how Zhang Wei knew her whereabouts or when he would go after her, so buying an alarm was the most appropriate thing.

"If Zhang Wei bothers you again, just press this. It's very loud. You can also record by pressing it twice continuously," Xu Xingli introduced to her.

Lin Xie was stunned.

To alleviate her concerns, Xu Xingli added, "This isn't expensive. Just consider it our gift for our fiftieth day anniversary of becoming friends!"

Jian Ran also nodded vigorously in agreement: "It's not expensive at all!"

Lin Xie was amused and no longer hesitated, taking the alarm and saying, "Thank you." Then she remembered something and added, "How is Brother Xu Zhou?"

Xu Xingli reassured her: "He's doing great. He was discharged from the hospital yesterday, went to the company to be president today, and will be on a business trip tomorrow. He's full of life, don't worry."

Lin Xie smiled: "That's good. Please say hello to him for me."

Xu Xingli nodded: "He'll be very happy."

Unfortunately, these words were spoken in the morning, and in the afternoon, Xu Xingli was cornered.

His physical education class was archery. After changing clothes, he went to the equipment room to get his gear, and the door was locked.

He held an arrow in one hand and a bow in the other. A black wristband was on his slender and strong wrist, making his skin appear even fairer, and even the veins on his arm were clearly visible.

"Hey! Little deafy, we need to settle some scores!" the person behind him shouted rudely.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingli merely rotated his wrist, stretching his muscles. When he turned around, his tall and slender figure formed a stark contrast with the person opposite him. He didn't have an aggressive appearance, which often made people overlook his height of 1.82 meters and the smooth muscle lines on his arms.

Only then did Zhang Wei realize that Xu Xingli was a little taller than him.

Zhang Wei: "..."

Xu Xingli calmly lifted his eyelids, looked down at him, forced a smile, and his tone was extremely cold: "We don't seem to have any relationship, do we?"

Then he ignored Zhang Wei and walked straight towards the door, unwilling to say another word of nonsense.

Zhang Wei laughed in anger, took a step to block his way, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Do you think you can get out of here?"

As soon as he said this, the equipment room suddenly echoed with "bang bang" sounds, and four other students emerged from nowhere.

Xu Xingli snorted.

It was the same in the previous life; these few people surrounded him here, beat him half to death, and smashed his hearing aid.

But in this life, he had specifically learned a few moves to subdue enemies in one go. At this moment, he was accumulating strength in his hands, his gaze constantly scanning, ready for battle.

Unfortunately, before he could show his skills, the door to the equipment room was knocked.

"Thump. Thump."

Only two knocks, no more, no less, not too light, not too heavy.