Chapter 6
Zhou Le instinctively closed his eyes.
The massive impact toppled his already unstable, dilapidated moped.
A sharp pain shot through his palm.
Looking at his hand, he saw the skin had torn, blood seeping through, mixed with dirt, making it look even worse.
Zhou Le didn’t have time to feel the pain. He quickly bent down to check on Xiao Bai in the delivery box.
Xiao Bai barked twice, then stopped, snuggling against Zhou Le’s arm as if trying to comfort him.
Though Xiao Bai could be a bit of a troublemaker, when it mattered, he was well-behaved and heartwarming.
Seeing that Xiao Bai wasn’t hurt at all, Zhou Le breathed a sigh of relief.
“Damn it! Why is it you again, Zhou Le? Are you cursed? How do you keep running into us? Were you following us again?”
The people getting out of the car were all familiar faces: Lu Jingran, Chen Nan, and Sheng Qi’an.
Zhou Le hadn’t expected to run into them like this.
He gently patted Xiao Bai to calm him down, placing him back in the box on the back seat, then righted his moped.
“I wasn’t following you, it’s just... your car hit me...” Zhou Le said softly.
Chen Nan’s eyes widened, “What did you say?!”
Chen Nan continued, “Now you're blaming us?”
“Oh, I get it. You didn’t get that 1,000 yuan from Liu Yanyan, so now you’re trying to extort money, huh?”
“I’m not!” Zhou Le’s voice rose a bit.
Even though he didn’t have much money, he wasn’t the type to extort people. Every cent he earned was clean.
But sometimes, people wouldn’t listen.
Even if he denied it a hundred times, they would still doubt and slander him because he was the poorest.
Chen Nan, angered by Zhou Le’s defiance, snapped, “You dare shout at me? You really want a beating!”
“He didn’t. Shut up,” Lu Jingran suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on Zhou Le.
Chen Nan, who had half-raised his fist, lowered it immediately.
Sheng Qi’an pulled him aside.
Zhou Le hadn’t expected that.
He stared blankly at Lu Jingran, who had taken a few steps closer.
It was the first time Zhou Le had seen Lu Jingran in casual clothes.
Dressed in all black, clean and handsome, Lu Jingran stood under the warm glow of the streetlamp, looking like the male lead in a movie.
It felt unreal.
Lu Jingran looked down at him, “Are you hurt?”
Zhou Le shook his head.
His palm was throbbing, and he moved his hand slightly, stepping back.
He had already been accused of extortion, and if he admitted to being hurt, it would only make things worse.
Zhou Le didn’t want to be misunderstood like that.
Lu Jingran quickly noticed, “What’s wrong with your hand?”
Zhou Le instinctively pulled his arm farther back, “It’s nothing, just... scraped a little. I’ll put some ointment on it at home, and it’ll be fine.”
Lu Jingran didn’t respond but continued staring at him.
Chen Nan, growing impatient, urged, “Lu-ge, we need to go. My mom’s been calling, and the party’s about to start.”
They were on their way to a party at Chen Nan’s house. It was his birthday, and since their parents were all acquainted, they often gathered for such events.
Zhou Le, sensing the situation, quickly moved his battered moped out of the way to give the black car space to pass.
Lu Jingran opened the passenger door, glanced at Zhou Le, and got in.
In the rearview mirror, Zhou Le could be seen blowing gently on his injured palm, frowning slightly from the pain.
He stood by his moped in the night, watching the car drive farther away.
The boy had pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, wrapping it around his small face, his nose red from the cold night air.
For some reason, Lu Jingran felt a pang of sympathy when he saw the faintly envious look on Zhou Le’s face.
He looked like a small, abandoned puppy, longing for warmth.
Just like Nuan Nuan, who had gone missing before.
“On the way, stop by a nearby pharmacy,” Lu Jingran said.
When Zhou Le returned home, Cheng Ying immediately noticed something was off. “What happened? Why do you look like this?”
“It’s nothing,” Zhou Le muttered, holding Xiao Bai, looking downcast.
Cheng Ying wheeled herself closer, carefully examining her son.
She knew him better than anyone. Normally, when he came back from making deliveries, he was all smiles because he was happy about earning money. But today, he seemed really low.
Worried, Cheng Ying pressed, “What happened? Don’t hide it from me; I’ll worry.”
Zhou Le hesitated but still insisted it was nothing. He just held Xiao Bai and stared blankly at the entrance.
Cheng Ying didn’t believe him. She was about to ask again when she spotted the wound on Zhou Le’s hand. “What happened? How did you get hurt?”
Realizing he couldn’t hide it anymore, Zhou Le briefly told her about the accident.
However, he didn’t mention that Chen Nan had accused him of trying to scam them.
Cheng Ying tended to his wound and, after making sure there were no other injuries, finally relaxed.
“Is the moped okay? Should we ask Uncle Zhou to repair it?” Cheng Ying asked.
Uncle Zhou was an elder who had given Zhou Le a job and helped their family out a lot. Even though they didn’t have much money, they still needed to pay their dues.
Zhou Le explained, “Uncle Zhou said it’s not badly damaged, just a bit of paint chipped. He can handle it himself; no need for the repair shop.”
Cheng Ying sighed in relief and patted Zhou Le’s head. “Le Le, you’ve worked hard.”
It wasn’t hard. In fact, life was pretty good now.
Making one or two thousand yuan a month was already great. Once he finished school and started working, he’d earn even more.
Though he thought this way, as Zhou Le lay in bed, he couldn’t help but think about how Lu Jingran and Chen Nan had shown up in front of him, wearing clothes that looked anything but cheap.
One by one, they had stepped out of the black car, exuding an air of authority that was hard to ignore.
... While Zhou Le was rushing to deliver food, they were heading to a banquet in a luxury car.
No wonder they thought he was trying to extort them. After all, their status was worlds apart...
Zhou Le didn’t say it out loud, but he felt a faint sense of loss and envy.
He cuddled Xiao Bai in his blanket and muttered to him.
“Xiao Bai, wouldn’t it be nice if I were like the class leader?”
“An Alpha, from a wealthy family, good at studies, and even handsome, with the school beauty chasing after him.”
As he spoke, Zhou Le couldn’t help but smile, his thoughts turning sweet.
Xiao Bai barked twice in his arms, as if mocking his daydream.
After his little fantasy, Zhou Le felt better.
Everyone has their own life to live, and it’s a journey you must walk step by step.
Slow and steady was fine.
He just hoped that tomorrow, he wouldn’t run into Chen Nan and his group again. Those Alphas were really too much for him to handle.
With that thought, Zhou Le hugged Xiao Bai and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Zhou Le got up early to line up at the baozi shop.
Someone at school had asked him to bring breakfast, and at 1 yuan per delivery, he could easily make 10 or so yuan in a morning.
It was easy money, but sometimes he ran into jerks.
“Tsk, didn’t I ask for the corn and meat baozi? What is this cabbage and meat nonsense? It’s disgusting. I’m telling you, I’m not paying today. What did you even bring me?” Xiao Lan grabbed the baozi from Zhou Le and strutted away.
Zhou Le couldn’t help but feel the urge to spit at him.
He clearly asked for cabbage and meat, but now he was acting like he had asked for corn and meat. What a joke.
Grumbling, Zhou Le sat back down.
Lin Xiaoxiao, hearing what happened, couldn’t help but comment, “You should know by now that Xiao Lan’s a thug. Why do you still buy for him?”
Zhou Le sighed, “You think I want to?”
It’s not like he had a choice.
It’s best not to provoke people like him if you can avoid it. After all, you can’t expect a thug to behave reasonably.
Still, Zhou Le decided that next time Xiao Lan asked him to bring food, he would find a reason to refuse.
Zhou Le took out the baozi he had bought for Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan from his backpack.
Both of them immediately noticed the injury on his hand. “What happened? How did you get hurt?”
Cheng Ying had only given him basic first aid, not even wrapping it in gauze. His right palm was exposed, showing the scabbed flesh, which looked a bit scary.
The slight sting in the air was bearable, though Zhou Le was already used to such small injuries. Helping Uncle Zhou move things before had caused worse scrapes than this.
“I’ll go buy some proper bandages after school,” Xia Linchuan said, frowning at the sight.
Lin Xiaoxiao examined his hand closely, feeling a bit sorry for him. “You really need to be more careful! Does it hurt?”
Seeing how worried they were, Zhou Le couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s nothing. It’s far from the heart, see? Look at your faces, ha ha.”
“Ha ha, my ass!” Xia Linchuan said, full of bravado. “Tell me! Who did this to you? I’ll get revenge for you.”
Zhou Le felt touched.
At that moment, Lu Jingran and Chen Nan walked in through the front door, a group of them with their backpacks, strolling into the classroom.
Zhou Le glanced at them, then looked at Xia Linchuan expectantly.
Xia Linchuan: “?”
Zhou Le subtly gestured toward the group of Alphas with a tilt of his chin.
The meaning was clear without words.
Xia Linchuan blinked, then laughed, “I think you’ll be fine. That wound will probably heal by itself in a couple of days. Enjoy your recovery, ha ha.”
Zhou Le: “...”
Zhou Le: You coward!
Even if Xia Linchuan had agreed to help him get revenge, Zhou Le wouldn’t have allowed it.
What kind of people were Lu Jingran and his group?
They were the kind of people he needed to avoid for the rest of his life.
Though they weren’t scum like Xiao Lan, it was best not to have any dealings with them either. Zhou Le had already decided: from now on, he wouldn’t take any jobs related to the three of them.
It was best to live a simple life, without getting involved in the world of school idols, Alphas, or beauties. That world wasn’t for someone like him.
As he was thinking this, Zhou Le looked up and locked eyes with Lu Jingran.
For some reason, Lu Jingran kept staring at him, as if he had zeroed in on Zhou Le.
Zhou Le felt a wave of nervousness wash over him and quickly lowered his head, breaking eye contact.
Oh God, oh heavens, oh please, Dad, did I offend them again?
Wait... could it be that the car’s paint got scratched? How much would that cost?!
Zhou Le wanted to die from worry.
As he was lost in his thoughts, a plastic bag was gently placed on his desk.
Inside were various anti-inflammatory ointments, bandages, and antibacterial medical tape.
“This is for you. Wrap your hand.”
“If you leave it like that, it’ll get infected, and you’ll get sick.”
Zhou Le blinked.
For a moment, it felt like the whole world went silent when Lu Jingran spoke.
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