Sheng Yuan returned home with the candied haw on a stick, changed his shoes, and entered the bedroom with the treat in hand.
Sheng Wang was sound asleep on his small wooden bed.
[System: What should we do now?]
“What do you mean, what should we do?”
[System: The kid is sleeping, he can’t eat the candied haw.]
“As long as our minds don’t waver, there are always more solutions than difficulties.”
[System: ?]
In the next second, Sheng Yuan directly lifted the child from the bed.
Truly Ambitious was dumbfounded.
‘Damn it!
Is this the brilliant solution you came up with!
I didn’t expect you to become such a dog!
If you can’t be a decent person, at least don’t be so despicable!’
Your caring big brother worked hard to bring back this candied haw, how can you, my younger brother, refuse to eat it. Isn’t that unfilial?
Sheng Yuan was determined not to let Sheng Wang bear such a crime.
Sheng Wang woke up groggily, disturbed from his pleasant dream, and the five-year-old boy’s mouth curled up, ready to cry.
“I hate you, big brother…”
Sheng Yuan took out the candied haw on a stick.
Instantly, the boy burst into a toothy grin. “I love you, big brother!”
[System: …]
Such smoothness at such a young age.
Truly a despicable little brother.
Sheng Yuan: “Keep close to those who are virtuous.”
[System: The second half of the sentence is the better part, actually.]
The control over sweet treats in the house was strict for Sheng Wang. He could only have candy once every five days. But the young child had a sweet tooth, and yesterday he pestered Sheng Yuan to buy candy for him.
Sheng Yuan said that by the time he returned, Sheng Wang would be asleep.
Sheng Wang made a solemn promise that he could wait.
“You little devil, you can’t even keep your promise.”
Little did Sheng Yuan know that the boy had already forgotten the agreement between them.
Sheng Yuan playfully flicked his nose. “Liars should worry about growing long noses.”
Sheng Wang giggled happily, hugging the candied haw on a stick and taking a bite. Sheng Yuan looked at him, feeling a sense of resignation, while Sheng Chenggong and his wife reconciled their accounts in the living room.
“Eat quickly, then brush your teeth.”
“I understand, big brother.”
Sheng Yuan handed him some tissues, paid no further attention, and went to the bathroom to change his clothes. After drying his hair, he sat at the desk and began writing a thousand-word self-criticism for skipping the evening study session.
Since his bicycle was parked at school, Sheng Yuan got up 15 minutes earlier the next day and walked to school.
At six in the morning, the streets were bustling with people, mostly students and working professionals.
“Have you heard? Yesterday, a few hooligans couldn’t get the contact information they wanted, so they stopped a girl and dragged her into an alley just up ahead.”
“That’s terrifying! What happened to the girl afterwards?”
“She called the police later.”
“Wait, there was something before she called the police. I heard she was rescued.”
“Who rescued her?”
“I don’t know. That area has blind spots in the surveillance cameras, and the police couldn’t find anyone. But it’s speculated that a delinquent took those guys into the alley and beat them up. The girl posted online to thank the person, saying that if they saw the message, they could contact her, and she would pay for their medical expenses.”
“Is there a description?”
“Right here.” The female student took out her phone and pointed to a paragraph. “A little brother wearing a black baseball cap and a red and green baseball jacket, thank you for saving us yesterday.”
“Although delinquents aren���t good people either, he did a good job dealing with those scumbags.”
“I actually think delinquents are quite cool.”
“Be careful what you say. Ever since the rise of delinquency, public safety has worsened.”
Sheng Yuan accidentally overheard their conversation as the green light turned on, and he crossed the pedestrian crosswalk with the flow of people.
At No.1 Middle School, he made a detour to the teaching building before going to class.
He lightly tapped his fingers on the door.
“Zuojin ran away last night?! Did you come back…oh, wait. Come in!”
The Headmaster looked around curiously.
“You’ve come.”
Sheng Yuan walked in, raising the self-criticism letter in his hand.
The Headmaster was on a phone call. He nodded when he received an answer, and gestured for Sheng Yuan to place it on his desk.
Sheng Yuan put down the letter, turned to leave, and as he closed the door of the teaching office, he heard the Headmaster’s sigh.
“When will this Yu Zuojin save me from worrying?”
Shen Ge was puzzled. After he returned Yu Zuojin home yesterday, did the guy run out on his own again?
After lunch, Sheng Yuan arrived at Room 408, opening the door to a scene that resembled a garbage dump.
Wherever he looked, it was a mess.
With every step he took, he kicked some debris on the floor. At this moment, Yu Zuojin was laying on his bed, with his back to the ceiling.
Even though he was lying diagonally, his legs hung in the air, and he refused to tidy up the clutter piled at the foot of the bed.
His delinquency value had also increased.
Sheng Yuan narrowed his eyes.
He examined Yu Zuojin’s attire.
He was sleeping on the bed, fully dressed, without even taking off his clothes or shoes.
A black hat and a red and green baseball jacket…
“Did you get into a fight last night?”
His calm voice resonated above Yu Zuojin, tinged with seriousness.
The latter remained motionless, lying on the bed.
Sheng Yuan approached, leaning closer. Yu Zuojin felt his breath, and he avoided it with annoyance.
He didn’t want to see Sheng Yuan anymore.
Never wanted to see him again.
‘So, he was awake.’ Sheng Yuan sat at the edge of his bed, pulling down his hat. “I’m asking you a question.”
His tone carried a sense of interrogation.
Running out of the dormitory in the middle of the night and getting into a fight as well.
In just one night, he brought several surprises.
“You don’t need to worry about it!”
Yu Zuojin’s tone was fiercely menacing, a hoarse growl like a lurking monster, emanating a dangerous sound. His face was buried in the pillow without looking at Sheng Yuan.
‘Tsk, so fierce.’ Sheng Yuan looked at him, pretending to be hurt as he pouted.
“Your attitude makes gege very sad.”
The originally furious Yu Zuojin froze for a moment, turned his head away, and distanced himself from him.
From Sheng Yuan’s perspective, he could see the bulging veins on Yu Zuojin’s neck.
He hadn’t even gotten angry yet, but this guy was already quite worked up.
“I guess you didn’t take any of what I said seriously, did you, Yu Zuojin?”
Sheng Yuan directly called him by his full name.
Yu Zuojin got up in a fit of anger and raised his hand, ready to push Sheng Yuan onto the bed.
Before he could act, he met Sheng Yuan’s reproachful gaze.
“I’ve told you about the risks of fighting and brawling. Did you not listen to anything and act recklessly? What if you got injured!”
His movement paused.
He looked at his raised hand.
Sheng Yuan seemed to know what he was about to do.
His eyes stared at the other person in disbelief, and the astonished gaze made Yu Zuojin feel a sense of guilt.
This bastard wearing rabbit underwear wanted to hit him.
Sheng Yuan bit his tongue, rolled up his sleeves and approached. He pressed his hand against Yu Zuojin’s broad back, and delivered two slaps to his buttocks.
Your Brother Sheng won’t indulge you.
Yu Zuojin was half a head taller than Sheng Yuan, and he had more strength than him. He obediently endured the two slaps and lay quietly on the bed.
Sheng Yuan sat at the edge of the bed.
Using violence to counter violence is not advisable.
But sometimes reason doesn’t work, and one can only resort to force.
Seeing that Yu Zuojin had calmed down and no longer had the fierce and defiant look from before, Sheng Yuan’s voice became calm.
“Although you got into a fight outside the dormitory yesterday, I also heard that after you ran out, you bravely came to the aid of two girls.”
Yu Zuojin, who simply wanted to find someone to fight: “…”
“You did a good thing, but it was too risky. What if you got hurt? Next time, call the police in advance.”
As he spoke, Sheng Yuan looked over Yu Zuojin to see if he had any injuries.
He examined his whole body but couldn’t find a single mark.
Finally, he found a small cut on Yu Zuojin’s right ear.
He reached out and touched it.
“Does it hurt?”
Yu Zuojin stiffened. His backwas facing Sheng Yuan, and after a long silence, he nodded.
“Did someone hurt your ear yesterday?”
“Yes.”
In the next moment, Sheng Yuan saw the delinquency value on top of Yu Zuojin’s head increase by ten points.
Sheng Yuan: ?
————————
Author’s Note:
Yu Zuojin, who deliberately claimed someone else caused his ear injury: It was someone else who hit me.
Attempting to gain Brother Sheng’s sympathy.
He liked it when others cared for him, and the two slaps on his buttocks made him feel satisfied (shouting “pervert”) (runs away).