Chapter 31: Childhood Friend IV (Part 1)

Chapter 31: Childhood Friends IV (Part 1)

Friendship between boys can sometimes be even more inexplicable than between girls.

Tao Tao watched Lin Qiushuang carry Li Su back and was about to ask what happened when Lin Qiushuang bared his teeth at her defensively, like a dog guarding its food.

If she hadn't seen the bright red blood on Li Su's leg, she would have had a good argument with Lin Qiushuang.

Lin Qiushuang set Li Su down on a wooden stump, then quickly pulled out a medical kit from his backpack to treat Li Su's wound.

Li Su was surprised by how skilled Lin Qiushuang was at this. Beside them, Tao Tao said that Lin Qiushuang practiced Sanda (Chinese kickboxing).

When Tao Tao started to elaborate, Lin Qiushuang suddenly coughed loudly to interrupt.

"What, you don't want me to talk about it? Someone here has been practicing Sanda since he was a kid, getting into fights every few days. Injuries are just part of the routine, so he's good at handling wounds."

Li Su looked shocked and cautious.

Seeing Li Su's concern, Lin Qiushuang quickly explained, "I don't like fighting. I only fight those who deserve it. Anyway, we're brothers now, I'd never lay a hand on you."

Tao Tao asked, puzzled, "How did you two become brothers? You weren't even talking to each other before..."

Li Su and Lin Qiushuang both turned away in unison, silently trying to change the subject.

"Forget it. Hey, I see the captain! He's carrying... gasoline!"

With Tao Tao's exclamation, everyone looked toward Song Wuyi, who was approaching from a distance.

Song Wuyi carried a large can of gasoline and had a few yellow fruits stuffed in his coat pocket.

He set down the oil can and fruit, then went to check on Li Su's leg.

Li Su's wound had already been covered with a band-aid, but Song Wuyi noticed a fresh scrape on Li Su's knee. He looked at Lin Qiushuang.

Lin Qiushuang was somewhat intimidated by that look in Song Wuyi's eyes.

He remembered once when he visited the Song family and took a liking to a little Border Collie. While the adults were chatting, he went to play with the puppy.

The puppy grew very attached to him and followed him into the car when it was time to leave.

Later, the Song family's butler came personally to retrieve the dog, and Song Wuyi came along too.

The little dog was happily playing with the other dogs in the Lin family's kennel.

Lin Qiushuang was reluctant to give it back, so he asked if he could buy it or exchange it for one of his own dogs.

Song Wuyi refused everything, but his expression remained calm, as if he wasn't in a hurry to take the dog back.

So Lin Qiushuang said, "Then ask the dog if it wants to go back with you."

Dogs can't talk, but their actions speak for themselves.

Song Wuyi shushed the dog, but the dog either didn't hear or chose to ignore him, keeping its head down and eating the feed from the bowl.

Song Wuyi watched silently for a while, then said, "It's yours."

One night passed.

When Lin Qiushuang came to the kennel the next morning to check on the dog, the other dogs had eaten the little Border Collie, with only a tail left in the feed bowl.

At the time, Lin Qiushuang thought it was just a tragedy caused by the other dogs rejecting the newcomer, so he took the tail to the Song family to apologize.

Song Wuyi looked at him with that same expression—accusatory but indifferent.

Song Wuyi accepted his apology and made the tail bone into a pendant.

Every time Lin Qiushuang saw that pendant from Song Wuyi's backpack, he was reminded of the incident.

He could never understand how his dogs had devoured the Border Collie overnight, especially since they had been playing so well together during the day.

Then, another time, he saw that an owl owned by Song Wuyi at school was wearing a tag from another student.

He kindly reminded the underclassman who often fed the owl, "This owl belongs to someone else. You can't put your tag on it."

The underclassman, realizing his mistake, let out an "Oh" and took off his tag.

"Thanks for the reminder, senior. I thought the owl looked well-fed, so someone must have been feeding it regularly."

Lin Qiushuang glanced at the owl—yes, it was quite plump and tasty.

The next day, the owl died from eating poisoned feed, and the warned underclassman was caught on surveillance feeding the owl and was blamed and eventually expelled.

Song Wuyi, as the owl's owner, watched the protesting underclassman with that same look.

Lin Qiushuang didn't believe the underclassman had poisoned the owl; he could see the affection in his eyes.

Yet when he checked all the surveillance videos, only Song Wuyi and the underclassman had fed the owl.

Thinking back to the Border Collie's tragic death and the poisoned owl, a chill ran down Lin Qiushuang's spine.

He had never been able to understand Song Wuyi's motive, but since it didn't involve him, he eventually stopped thinking about it.

Still, he had developed a different understanding of Song Wuyi than others had—he was sinister and cruel.

When Song Wuyi looked at him like that, Lin Qiushuang hesitated for a moment, then came clean about everything.

Li Su stared at him in shock, and Tao Tao jumped up to scold him.

"How dare you! You're so awful!"

Tao Tao ran over and hit Lin Qiushuang twice; he didn't dodge.

Li Su wanted to intervene, but Song Wuyi had a hand on his thigh, keeping him in place.

Song Wuyi was silent for a moment, then stopped Tao Tao.

"It's fine as long as he's okay."

Those four words from Song Wuyi meant Li Su had forgiven Lin Qiushuang, and also kept Tao Tao from going on about it.

Lin Qiushuang still felt unsettled, only calming down when Song Wuyi assigned him to go find a speedboat alone.

Li Su noticed Song Wuyi seemed unusually quiet.

"Bro, I'm okay. I did take a fall, but at least Lin Qiushuang and I are cool now."

"You like him very much?"

"Uh... I just... long for friends. Lin Qiushuang reminds me of a friend I used to have, he makes me feel really close."

"Okay."

Song Wuyi treated the scrapes on Li Su's knees, then brushed the dust off his pants.

"Since you want to be friends with him, how about I put you in the same class as him when school starts?"

Li Su was surprised: "Can you really decide that?"

Song Wuyi said casually, "It's not hard, as long as you can meet the requirements to get into Class A."

Li Su felt a little sheepish, nodding twice to show he would work hard.

Song Wuyi crouched beside Li Su, holding Li Su's hand, and said, "But you shouldn't have too many friends. One or two is enough. The closer people are, the more easily they can hurt you. Don't give others the chance to hurt you. Lin Qiushuang is okay; you just need to be friends with him."

Li Su remembered the times he was set up and isolated by a few close friends, and accepted what Song Wuyi said.

"Mm, I don't need many friends. I just need you, and Tao Tao too."

Song Wuyi glanced out of the corner of his eye at the girl crouching on the ground picking up pretty pebbles.

Clingy and likes to act spoiled, given time, she would inevitably cross the line.

The excessive closeness between Li Su and Tao Tao had already left Tao Tao's scent on him, making Song Wuyi feel as if a third person was squeezed in between them every time he hugged Li Su.

What an eyesore.

A little puppy can have his own friends.

But

he must not forget his master.