Chapter 13

Ma Jie, panting and gasping, said, "I dare not anymore. I'll wash it for you."

"Then hurry up."

Ma Jie, crying, squatted down to take off my bed cover and sheets. Seeing him cry as if his heart was broken, it seemed like I had bullied him. What kind of person is this, lacking skills but learning to do evil from others!

After washing, Ma Jie laid his sheets on my bed, bustling around like a little housewife. I directed him to get me a glass of water and a bowl of instant noodles, and he did everything as I asked, clearly submitting to me.

I had just lain down when I heard the door to our dormitory open, as if someone had come in. I had no friends here, and both Monkey and Huang Jie were at the internet cafe, so it couldn't be for me. I didn't even bother to lift my head. But I noticed the dormitory suddenly became quiet, as if the person who came in was someone important. I looked up and saw Da Mao smiling warmly by my bed.

I thought he had come to beat me, and I instinctively tried to jump down, but Da Mao held me down. "Don't move, don't move. You're injured, lie down and rest. Come, let me apply some medicine, it will help you heal faster!"

As if by magic, Da Mao produced a bottle of red medicine.

I stared at Da Mao, not knowing what he was up to.

"Come, let me help you apply it."

Da Mao sat down, lifted my shirt, and exclaimed, "Oh, you're all bruised and purple. Those bastards really went too far. I'll deal with them tomorrow!" He then started to apply the medicine to my body.

I reached out and pushed the bottle away. "What do you mean?"

Da Mao still smiled. "Nothing, they beat you up this afternoon, so I came to apply some medicine."

I still looked at him warily.

"Ha ha ha," Da Mao laughed. "Look at you, are you afraid I'll poison you? Wang Yao came to me this afternoon and said not to cause you trouble anymore. I said okay, no problem, I can even treat you as a brother. Although Wang Yao scolded me last night, we actually have a good relationship, or she wouldn't have come to me. Since she asked, I couldn't refuse her!"

He paused and continued, "From now on, you're my person. If anyone dares to cause you trouble, they'll have to step over my dead body!"

I was stunned. Did Da Mao want to recruit me?!

"Lie down first." Da Mao pressed me down and started applying the red medicine to my back. "Last night, I had no choice. Xing Qiu is my brother, how could I not help him? Although I openly helped him, I secretly beat him up. Why did you drug Lin Ke'er? Is that something a person should do? It's really despicable!"

"I feel the most guilty towards you. You didn't do anything wrong, helping Lin Ke'er is fine, but you ended up getting beaten up for nothing. I feel very, very ashamed. As for Monkey, I think he deserved it. He's too arrogant and overbearing. I've been lenient with him, but look at how he keeps acting! And you've seen, he has no friends, no one wants to be with him! He's borrowed a lot of money from you, right? You should know his character!"

"I think you're a talent. On the first day, you dared to hit Zhou Kun. Is that something an ordinary person would do? I've always admired you. Even without Wang Yao's words, I wanted to get closer to you. Lin Ke'er is now one of the Thirteen Roses, why don't you come and be one of the Ten Princes?"

I was stunned, completely not expecting Da Mao to say such things.

The dormitory was silent, clearly Ma Jie and the others were stunned too.

"Hey, say something." Da Mao patted my back. "Come, this side is done, turn over, let me apply it to the front."

Da Mao turned me over and started applying the medicine to the front. His technique was good, like a professional doctor, making me feel very comfortable. Da Mao continued, "What's good about being with Monkey? You have to buy him food every day, he's more of a master than a master. If you come over, as a Ten Prince, you'll be powerful and respected, and no one will dare to touch your Lin Ke'er. Then—"

"Do you know Huang Jie?" I interrupted him, suddenly speaking.

"What?" Da Mao was taken aback.

"Huang Jie." I said seriously.

"Oh, I know, he used to be in the same dorm as Monkey, but they broke up over money."

"No, they're brothers." I said. "Monkey has a friend, and Huang Jie is one."

"Oh, I see, that's nothing, they won't amount to much."

"And me." I said, pushing Da Mao's hand away. "I'm also Monkey's brother."

Da Mao was stunned, his hand frozen in mid-air.

I sat up, put on my slippers, and walked to the door, opening it. "I'm not interested in being a Ten Prince. If you came to recruit me, you can leave now."

Da Mao's face turned very ugly. "What's good about Monkey, you want to follow him?"

"I'm not following him, we're brothers. Once brothers, always brothers. Even if he has many flaws, he's still my brother. Brothers mean everything, and you wouldn't understand. You can leave now."

Da Mao stood up, his hands trembling slightly, clearly out of anger. I wouldn't be surprised if he came at me to fight. In the end, he calmed down and put on a warm smile. "Very good, I admire you more and more. I hope you consider my suggestion carefully."

He placed the medicine on my bed and slowly walked out.

I closed the door, picked up the bottle of red medicine, and threw it out the window, then lay down to sleep.

The dormitory was very quiet, no one dared to say a word. But I knew that by tomorrow, the news of my refusal to become a Ten Prince would spread throughout the school.

Sure enough, the next day, during the break in military training, Liu Yina shook my arm and asked for details. "Zuo Fei, you're really my hero. If you weren't already with Lin Ke'er, I'd snatch you away!" Lin Ke'er blushed shyly but also showed a proud smile, as if I had brought her glory. Then several of the Thirteen Roses came over, asking about the situation last night, making me realize how fast information spreads.

Finally, even Wang Yao, the big shot, came over to ask if it was true. I said it was true. Wang Yao said, "Not bad, I didn't expect you to have such backbone. Are you going to stick with Monkey?" I said, "I'm not following him, we're brothers. We even fought over who would be the leader last night!"

This made Wang Yao laugh. She giggled for a while, then suddenly grabbed my collar and leaned in close. I glanced down and saw her chest, and with her light summer clothes, I saw everything, making my face turn red and my heart race. At that moment, Wang Yao asked, "Is Monkey planning to take revenge?"

I was stunned, unsure whether to tell Wang Yao, as the revenge plan was a secret.

"Alright." Wang Yao suddenly let go of me. "Seeing you hesitate, I know he's planning to take revenge."

I was stunned. "My goodness, I didn't say anything, how did you know Monkey was planning to take revenge!"

Wang Yao clearly relaxed. "I thought he had lost his way, but now it seems I was worrying too much. Tell him if he needs any help, I'll support him fully."

She spoke in a low voice, only audible to us. The other girls wisely chatted elsewhere.

I nodded, feeling this girl was very smart, as if nothing could be hidden from her.

"Alright." Wang Yao stepped back. "Now, let's talk about something important. When are Zuo Fei and Lin Ke'er getting together?"

This question made the girls who were chatting nearby rush over, all showing excited expressions.

"Right, right, when are you getting together? I want to eat your wedding candy!"

I didn't expect Wang Yao to suddenly bring up this topic and was at a loss for words.

The girls were all beaming, their eyes shining with gossip, as if they were about to watch a grand drama. I looked at Lin Ke'er, whose face was as red as a tomato. Wang Yao continued, "You two, hurry up, everyone is waiting. Take advantage of the good weather and get it done, so you don't have to worry about it."

Actually, I was quite willing. Lin Ke'er is so beautiful, and it would be a great honor to be with her. We had been desk partners for a year, so we had a good foundation. But seeing how shy Lin Ke'er was, I felt she would rather hide in a hole. I said, "Don't tease us, can we talk about this privately?"

"No, no, you two have to decide today. I don't have that much patience." Wang Yao smiled, and the other girls joined in.

"Alright, let us discuss it, okay?"

Without waiting for their agreement, I pulled Lin Ke'er's hand and walked away. Under a tree, Lin Ke'er's face was still very red.

I said, "Alright, it's just the two of us. What do you think?"

Actually, I felt our relationship was already natural, and I had passed their sisters' tests, proving I was a reliable man. If not, Wang Yao and the others wouldn't have teased us. Now, it was just a matter of breaking the last barrier.

Lin Ke'er lowered her head, twisting her clothes, and after a long time said, "I'll think about it?"

I laughed. "Alright, think about it."

I knew girls needed to be reserved, and agreeing too quickly would be embarrassing. Besides, I was mainly focused on revenge, and matters of love were not my primary concern. So, I pulled Lin Ke'er's hand and went back, and a group of girls rushed over.

"How did it go? How did it go?"

I deliberately put on a sad face. "Lin Ke'er didn't agree."