Coming to His Rescue

“I see,” Li Qi said cheerfully, changing the subject. “This dish is good. Here, Brother Zhou, try one.”

Seeing that Jiang Zhou had stopped asking, Chen Ju breathed a sigh of relief. The meal passed amid cheerful chatter. Chen Ju kept his head down and ate the whole time; he couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

As the meal was ending, everyone discussed where to go for karaoke. Chen Ju had planned to head back, since he had an early shift the next day and would need to get up early.

But he glanced at Jiang Zhou beside him and pressed his lips together. He didn’t get many chances to spend time with Jiang Zhou like this, so he had to make the most of it.

After they picked a karaoke place, everyone left in groups. People kept stopping Jiang Zhou to chat, and Chen Ju couldn’t squeeze through to him, so he could only follow quietly behind.

“Hey, Chen Ju! After all these years, how come you’re still acting like a little kid?” Li Qi had had a few drinks and was already tipsy. He draped his thick arm over Chen Ju’s shoulders and pulled him close like an old buddy. “Be honest—have you been secretly getting anti-aging shots?”

Li Qi’s alcohol-laden breath washed over Chen Ju’s face. Chen Ju felt uncomfortable. Ever since that incident in high school, he had disliked physical contact with others. It made him feel physically sick.

“N-no.” Chen Ju stammered again, lowering his head uncomfortably as he tried to put some distance between himself and Li Qi.

But Li Qi was oblivious. Laughing, he tightened his hold and pinched Chen Ju’s cheek. “Whoa! Your cheeks are so soft, too. What a shame! If you were a girl, I’d absolutely dote on you!”

Everyone took it as a joke and burst out laughing. Two drunk male classmates staggered over.

“Is it really that soft? Let me try!”

“Yeah, let me feel it too!”

Chen Ju’s face turned pale. The laughter and voices around him grew indistinct. He stood rigid, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Amid the chaotic din, a hand suddenly seized his wrist and pulled him over like a little chick. Then a cool, clear voice said, “Knock it off.”

The warmth around his wrist and that cool voice brought Chen Ju’s drifting awareness back to him. His small face was pale and almost translucent, with only a faint pink tint to his lips.

Chen Ju looked anxiously to the side. Jiang Zhou, who had been chatting with others up ahead just moments earlier, was now standing behind him like a wall.

They had only been joking around because they were drunk. At Jiang Zhou’s words, they laughed it off and started chatting about something else.

Chen Ju’s cheeks grew hot. Looking at Jiang Zhou, he suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and murmured, “Thanks.”

Jiang Zhou let go of his hand and said coolly, “I just thought it was too loud.”

Hearing Jiang Zhou’s reply, Chen Ju gripped his backpack strap. He knew he was reading too much into it. Jiang Zhou had always hated him; how could he possibly step in to help?

Still, he was very happy, because no matter what, Jiang Zhou had come to his rescue.

Jiang Zhou lowered his eyes to the smile on the lips of the slight, small-framed man standing before him. A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, then he looked away.

The KTV was dark and noisy. Everyone was crowded onto the sofas, with platters of fruit and beer on the table in the middle, while music videos played on the big screen.

Chen Ju had felt uncomfortable ever since he walked in. He disliked dark, cramped spaces like this; they made it hard to breathe and made his heart pound.

Just then, he spotted an empty seat beside Jiang Zhou. The surrounding seats were all occupied, but that one spot was still open.