The Sick Villain Just Want to Live

At the end of evening self-study, Zhu Tong cleaned up the table and subconsciously turned to look at Shao Ming.

In the past two days, his feet were inconvenient, and Shao Ming almost always accompanied him when he crossed the road when leaving school. It was only when he was about to speak that he remembered that his feet were already healed.

His heart inexplicably felt a loss. 

Just as he was about to greet him and left, his deskmate had already stood up.

Shao Ming covered his pen with its cap and threw it into his pen container Locking his gaze to Zhu Tong’s, he said, “Finished? Then let’s go.” 

Zhu Tong: “My feet are already…”

Shao Ming has already supported him skillfully, fully ignoring what Zhu Tong said.

“…”

The bicycle stopped at the teaching building1. 

When getting in the backseat of the bike, Zhu Tong hesitated for a moment. He looked at the school’s direction, feeling that it was so far away. He then firmly sat down. 

“Then I’ll go first.” Luo Suo greeted them and turned back to the dormitory.

Shao Ming nodded. He felt his clothes being clung, specifically around his waist. His lips quietly upturned. 

The bicycle drove out from the school gate, crossed a road, and approached the side of the road where Uncle Liu parked. Zhu Tong habitually let go of his hands first and planned to jump off, mumbling, “Thank you…”

Before he could finish his thanks, the bicycle suddenly made a sharp turn when it neared to the side of the road.

Zhu Tong lost his balance, and instinctively tightened his grip. Instead, he hugged Shao Ming’s waist tightly. His tone was a mix of confusion and shock as he asked, “Where are you going?”

They’re already arrived! 

A wave of sudden warmth came from the shorter youth’s grip, making Shao Ming smile in satisfaction. Without turning his head, he cheekily replied, “I’m taking you somewhere.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

So where are they going?

The bicycle suddenly accelerated, Zhu Tong continued holding Shao Ming’s waist to balance himself. His head turned to the side, looking at the throng of people they passed by. 

Obviously the sudden turn and lane change not only scared Zhu Tong, but also scared Uncle Liu who had been waiting for Zhu Tong. Seeing his young master being “abducted”, Uncle Liu quickly got into the driver’s seat and drove up to follow.

Shao Ming seemed to have noticed something, and directly led Zhu Tong into a narrow alley where cars couldn’t get in.

Uncle Liu parked at the entrance of the alley. The car window slid down, revealing Uncle Liu’s distraught face, shouting, “Young Master!”

Zhu Tong didn’t know what Shao Ming wanted to do, so he could only turn around and shout at Uncle Liu in response: “I’m fine, Uncle Liu, you go back first!” 

Uncle Liu: “…”

Shao Ming: “Pfft.”

He laughed in front of him and said, “How do you know you’re okay? Aren’t  you afraid that I’ll abduct you and sell you?”

Zhu Tong hugged him and replied, “No way you’ll sell me. I won’t fetch any price.” 

Shao Ming: “…”

After a moment of silence, Zhu Tong repeated his earlier question, “So, where are we going?” 

Shao Ming turned another corner and didn’t answer. “Hang on tight, we’ll arrive at our destination soon.” 

When he said that, he really told the truth. 

The bicycle quickly stopped on the edge of a guardrail. Shao Ming said, “Here we are.”

“…”

After the bicycle stopped, Zhu Tong jumped out of the backseat.

As soon as he got up, he saw a pool of clear water reflecting the bright city lights. Not far away, a bridge on the other side also was reflected on the rippling surface. The dotting lights were blurred and became hazy. It was like the starry sky; a quiet, contemplative piece of beauty. 

Gongshui County got its name because of a Gongshui River that runs through the whole city.

Zhu Tong has always known that there was such a river here, but he has never been there. But today, Shao Ming actually brought him to the river!

He turned his head to look at Shao Ming, and ran to the guardrail excitedly. Standing on the edge of the guardrail, the scenery on the river became clearer. 

The water surface was sparkling, and the scenery reflected was conformed by the gentle ripple of the river’s course. It was like an isolated world, free of the world’s impurity and blemishes. 

Zhu Tong was awed. 

Shao Ming put the bike away, strode towards him and gently said, “It’s been a long time since you transferred here from another school. You haven’t had the time to visit the county’s namesake?” 

Zhu Tong looked at him and replied in a low voice, “How do you know…”

What Shao Ming said was true. He never visited here, as he was always stuck in school and his hotel room to study. The only exception was last weekend’s visit to Shao Ming’s milk tea shop. 

Shao Ming continued, “Although our county is small, the night view is not bad.”

Zhu Tong looked at the large centerpiece surrounded by neon lights in the middle of the river, and nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

His fascination was beyond words. Shao Ming glanced at Zhu Tong’s smile, feeling his heart was touched somehow. He leaned over and spoke in a soft voice, as if afraid of disturbing the quiet environment, “This is my apology, is Young Master Zhu satisfied?” 

Zhu Tong: “Huh?”

‘What apology?’

Shao Ming continued to look at him. “You haven’t talked to me all night.”

Zhu Tong subconsciously denied it, “How can I…”

But he paused mid-way, because it was true. He really hadn’t said anything to Shao Ming this night. 

“That’s because…” Zhu Tong tried to find a reason, “I have too much homework tonight. It burdened my thoughts.”

–Also, what did that have to do with an apology? 

Shao Ming only mysteriously said, “You didn’t ask me any questions.”

“…”

That’s because none of the homework questions were difficult.

He blinked in a daze, and suddenly had a guess, “You think I’m angry?”

Shao Ming raised his eyebrows and looked at him in return.

Zhu Tong clarified, “I’m not angry.”

Shao Ming: “You…”

“I just don’t know what to say to you.”

 “…”

 Zhu Tong felt that Shao Ming was too sensitive. With just one afternoon without much chat, he started to doubt him. He misunderstood that his silence meant anger, so he took him to this river as an appeasement. 

He turned his head, gazing straight to Shao Ming’s eyes. His expression became a little more serious. “I’m afraid of talking to you and being misunderstood by you if I say a bad word. I helped you, but I didn’t mean anything else. You are a friend, and my dealings with Yuan Shaozhou is partly because I want to protect you, but also because he was being a pest to me.” 

When he was looking for someone to teach Yuan Shaozhou a lesson, he didn’t even think about using it to increase his favorability. So he could tell this to Shao Ming in a very confident tone – he didn’t lie, after all. 

Zhu Tong continued, “I know that there are many people who like you, and there must be some who approach you with malicious intentions. But the thing is, this does not mean that everyone who showed inexplicable favor to you has this intention. I know that there will be genuine people who approach you with pure intentions. So you don’t have to pay attention to what people like Yuan Shaozhou say.”

Shao Ming’s eyes widened slightly.

Zhu Tong paused for a while. With hesitation in his voice, he asked, “Do you understand what I mean?”

Shao Ming, who really had the intention of bringing Zhu Tong here because he thought he had said something wrong, fell silent. After a minute or so deep in thought, he emerged with a small smile on his lips. He said in an almost-whisper, barely caught in Zhu Tong’s ears, “Do you think this is the case? Things will be better for me in the future?” 

Zhu Tong said with a firm nod, “Of course.”

Even if he didn’t know Shao Ming’s ending, with his current academic performance, he knew that Shao Ming will be successful in the future! 

Shao Ming looked at the firmness in his eyes, but couldn’t tell why Zhu Tong was so resolute. 

This person has more confidence in him than himself.

He did not refute Zhu Tong’s words, but smiled and said, “Okay, I understand.” 

Zhu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Speaking of this, Shao Ming shouldn’t doubt and test me again in the future, right?’ He thought as he turned his head back to the river. 

The night view of Gongshui County was really beautiful.

At this moment, Shao Ming tilted his head again, with playfulness in his eyes, “Now, do you know what to say to me? Are you still afraid?”

Zhu Tong: “…”

Did he accidentally dig a pit for himself? 

He didn’t know what to say to that. 

But Shao Ming had already turned around and pulled the bicycle over again, not waiting for an actual answer for Zhu Tong. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s go now.” 

Zhu Tong asked in return, “Where are we going now?”

“I’ll take you to see the river, probably cycling around here in a circle for a while.”

Zhu Tong’s eyes lit up immediately, and he sat down obediently.

Shao Ming waited for him to sit still, then turned around and asked, “Have you ever been to riverbanks before?”

Zhu Tong shook his head and said, “No, I didn’t go out much before.”

Shao Ming got reminded of Zhu Tong’s health condition. The hand holding the handlebar of the bicycle tightened, and he reminded him in a soft voice, “Then you should hide from the wind, so as not to catch a cold.”

 Zhu Tong nodded in agreement, and grabbed the clothes on his deskmates’ waist.

Near the river at night, there were not many pedestrians walking on the road. During this tranquil time, a bicycle slid slowly by the riverside. 

Accompanied by the starry sky and the cold evening wind, the two youths silently enjoyed the night scene. Zhu Tong raised his head and looked at the horizon for a while, but he felt the cold night’s air chilling his body. He shrank his head behind Shao Ming’s back, feeling that Shao Ming at this moment was really very reliable.

The bicycle carried two people around the river, and passed by Shao Ming’s homestay during their trip back to Zhu Tong’s hotel. The taller youth turned his head and glanced, and an idea came to his mind.

‘Should I ask Zhu Tong to move back here?’

for clarity: administrative building – teacher offices, headmaster’s office, etc; teaching building – where classes are held.