Huo Chao opened the microphone once more. “I will restrain myself and correct my mistakes in the future. I won’t let everyone down. That’s all for today’s self-reflection. Thank you all.”
After finishing, Huo Chao decisively turned off the microphone.
Once the sound from the microphone ceased, the empty broadcasting room fell silent.
At this moment, only Huo Chao and Shu Er remained in the spacious broadcasting room.
Shu Er felt that Huo Chao’s act of playing the game of saying one thing to the public and another to her was quite skillful. Though his tone had sounded emotionless, he had at least said what needed to be said and reflected on his mistakes.
But was it all just a formality?
Because right after his public statement, he had turned to her and said something completely different.
Shu Er tilted her head and asked, “Brother, you just said you wouldn’t let everyone down, right?”
Huo Chao lazily replied, “That’s a lie.”
Shu Er’s beautiful eyes brightened. “Then which parts were true?”
Huo Chao sighed.
“The parts I said to you.”
After confirming her guess with the person involved, a deeper smile spread across Shu Er’s face.
She felt wonderful being looked after by someone.
Could she walk confidently through No. 1 Middle School in the future? If the sky were to fall, Huo Chao would be there to support her.
At that moment, a female student from the student council, who had taken the initiative to leave earlier, opened the door and peeked in. “Senior Huo, since the self-reflection is done, you can leave now.”
“Okay.”
After arriving in the classroom, Ning Meng hurriedly came over to Shu Er and whispered, “Little Ear, was the microphone broken or something? It was cutting in and out, and when the boss spoke, the sound just disappeared. I was so nervous; I thought something had happened.”
Shu Er paused for a moment before realizing why the microphone had sounded like it was malfunctioning.
Huo Chao had first addressed the entire school and then spoke to her directly, so he had turned off the microphone in between.
Since she was present, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual. But for the other students, it must have seemed as if the microphone was malfunctioning.
Shu Er didn’t elaborate on the reason, simply saying the microphone was fine. If she mentioned that Huo Chao had put on a front for everyone while still preparing to do things his way for her, it would likely stir up quite a commotion.
She had garnered enough attention recently; she didn’t need any more notoriety.
Ning Meng patted her chest. “Luckily, the boss’ self-reflection went smoothly. This should be over now.”
Shu Er nodded. Compensation has been made, the reflection has been completed, and the boy has gone to the hospital and was fine. So this matter could be put to rest.
However, through this incident, Shu Er realized that the male lead wasn’t as dense as he seemed; he could occasionally say things that hit the right note.
Ning Meng appeared busy in the afternoon. When Shu Er found a moment, she asked what was keeping her occupied. Ning Meng said she was busy eating melons.
With so many high schools in Beijing, there were countless romantic entanglements between boys and girls, resulting in endless melons.
Ning Meng joined a lot of big groups from various schools. Every day, she would share a lot of gossip.
Shu Er wasn’t interested in other people’s gossip and naturally didn’t join Ning Meng in it.
However, during the second-to-last period in the afternoon, Ning Meng suddenly gasped, capturing Shu Er’s attention.
“What’s wrong?”
Ning Meng, looking startled, said, “Little Ear, it turns out there’s a sophomore in Beijing who’s also named Shu Er.”
Shu Er was taken aback for a moment. Shu Er?
That name wasn’t very common. Could Ning Meng be talking about the heroine, Shu Er?
She glanced at the teacher at the podium, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, who was busy writing on the blackboard and couldn’t pay attention to her.
Shu Er lowered her head, leaned over, and asked in a low voice, “Then what?”
Ning Meng also lowered her voice, “Her friend, a girl named Li Mo, was asking about you and Mr. Huo in a WeChat group. She said your names sounded similar and nearly mistook you for her friend. I got curious when I saw that message in the group, so I asked a question. It turns out that girl’s last name is Shu, like ‘comfortable,’ and the ‘Er’ is like in ‘Er Kang.’”
Shu Er had been concentrating on listening to Ning Meng about the female protagonist and her friend, but when she heard Ning Meng’s description, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Just mentioning ‘Er Kang’ made her think of Er Kang’s hands and his iconic big nose.
Shu Er’s previously serious mood was completely disrupted by Ning Meng’s remark.
She knew Li Mo; to put it nicely, she is Shu Er’s good friend, but to put it bluntly, she is just Shu Er’s licking dog. Birds of a feather flock together, and neither of them is a good person.
But why was Li Mo trying to dig into her relationship with Huo Chao?
Were they that curious about them?
Ning Meng continued, “This girl seems to know a lot; she’s been asking for your photos and Mr. Huo’s videos in the group. I don’t know why she’s so nosy; it’s as if she wants to dig up your entire family history.”
Shu Er naturally couldn’t guess that Li Mo’s curiosity stemmed from jealousy towards her. Whether it was because of Huo Chao’s generous spending on her or his explosive temper, after being embellished by the other gossipmongers, these events had taken on a more fantastical hue.
It wasn’t just Li Mo; many boys and girls across Beijing were now intensely curious about her.
However, Shu Er was currently unaware that she had become a figure of legendary status among many high school students in Beijing.
Ning Meng whispered, “I feel like she’s going to come to No. 1 Middle School.”
Shu Er was startled. “Why would she go here?”
“Probably to catch a glimpse of you?”
This was also Ning Meng’s guess. She said, “Li Mo said in the group that she would visit No. 1 Middle School with her friends. She has already planned the route and asked if there are any boys in the group willing to be her guide. It seems that she is very good at dealing with things. She also said that she would treat the boys who will guide her to dinner. She has become familiar with many people in No. 1 Middle School.”
Shu Er pursed her lips.
She had a hunch that maybe soon, she would be able to meet Shu Er and her friends.
While Shu Er and Ning Meng were sharing gossip, Huo Chao and his group happened to be in self-study classes. He, Xu Chen, and Zhao Zhifeng were studying how to knit the bag in the back of the classroom.
Xu Chen was good at needlework. He had knitted a whole scarf by himself before. He was the most delicate and skillful of the three of them.
No matter what you knit, the beginning and the end are the hardest and most complicated, so the beginning of the knitting process was given to Xu Chen.
Zhao Zhifeng wailed, “Why do I have to do this too?!” Why did he, a bystander, have to participate in such a sissy activity?
Did he still have any dignity?
Xu Chen deftly maneuvered the knitting needles in his fingers while teaching, explaining in his calm voice, “After picking up the needles, knit the first stitch of the first row, then the second stitch, and continue knitting one stitch at a time…”
Zhao Zhifeng felt like his head was about to explode. “What is this? Brothers, this is harder to understand than a divine script!”
As Xu Chen talked about knitting, not only Zhao Zhifeng but Huo Chao as well felt the onset of a headache.
Eighteen years of life, and Huo Chao had held many things in his hands—a pen, a stick, even a knife. He could fight, ride a motorcycle, and play the piano. But needles and thread? He had never touched them, let alone even seen them up close.
Huo Chao, who rarely cursed, couldn’t help but mutter, “Fuck, is this even a thing humans are supposed to do?”
So why had he agreed to let Shu Er rope him into this?
Meanwhile, Xu Chen remained calm as always after picking up the needle and thread. This type of work seemed to soothe him. He continued, “Once you’re familiar with it, you’ll see that knitting isn’t hard at all.”
Zhao Zhifeng refused to accept it. “I don’t want to be familiar with this, not at all.” He turned toward Huo Chao, pleading, “Brother, Brother Chao, have mercy, please! I’d rather recite a hundred English essays and solve a hundred physics problems than do this!”
Huo Chao pursed his lips, silently watching Xu Chen’s deft movements. Upon hearing Zhao Zhifeng’s plea, he unexpectedly cracked a smile. “Good brothers share both joy and hardship.”
As soon as Huo Chao spoke, Xu Chen chimed in, “If there’s wool, we knit together.”
Zhao Zhifeng collapsed onto the table, his face pressed against the surface. “Just kill me now. I don’t want to live anymore.”
Neither Huo Chao nor Xu Chen paid him any mind. Zhao Zhifeng had no escape; he was roped into this, whether he liked it or not.
After Xu Chen completed the first row at an excruciatingly slow pace, he turned to Huo Chao. “Ah Chao, do you think you’ve got the hang of it?”
Huo Chao rubbed his temples. Just watching the process had already made his head spin. Now that Xu Chen had stopped, all the steps seemed to vanish from his mind.
“Do it again,” Huo Chao said, his expression serious.
Xu Chen patiently replied, “Okay.”
After explaining the technique again, he handed the knitting needles and yarn to Huo Chao. “Here, Ah Chao, give it a try.”
Huo Chao took the materials with a stern face, his movements stiff as he awkwardly wrapped the yarn around the needles. Why had he ended up in this situation in the first place?
Zhao Zhifeng found the scene amusing. He secretly recorded the moment on his phone and quickly uploaded it on his Moments.
“Capturing this moment: Brother Chao’s first attempt at knitting a bag for a girl.”
The video was only ten seconds long, but that was enough for everyone to grasp what was happening. Within just a minute, Zhao Zhifeng’s post was flooded with reactions.
Likes and comments skyrocketed.
A crowd of people found the situation surreal.
[Is this really Mr. Huo? I can’t believe it!]
[This damn sweet and enviable love.]
[For a girl??? Is it that girl that everyone’s been talking about? What’s her name? Shu Er?]
[What’s their relationship? Are they dating?]
[I’m so envious.]
[By the way, Zhao Zhifeng, although you and Mr. Huo are brothers, are you sure he won’t beat you to death for filming this?]
[The hospital’s WiFi is pretty good, go ahead and rest easy.]
[Brother, if you’re still alive tomorrow, post a status to let us know you’re safe.]
Zhao Zhifeng initially didn’t respond to any of the comments, grinning at the responses as he read through them. However, when he read the last few sentences, he couldn’t help but snicker.
He had intentionally made sure that Huo Chao and Xu Chen didn’t see his post when he uploaded it, so they were completely unaware of what he had done.
At that moment, Huo Chao glanced up at him, his tone flat. “Zhifeng, it’s your turn now.”
Zhao Zhifeng was taken aback, staring at Huo Chao.
“No way!” he exclaimed internally.
Reluctantly, he took the knitting needles from Huo Chao.
What else could he do?
Once you step into the game, you eventually have to pay the price.
