Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Luo Zhicheng glared at her, his voice full of fury: “Sit down! I have something to say to you too!”

Luo Mu didn’t even feel awkward; on the contrary, she was pleasantly surprised. She raised an eyebrow toward Ji Rongshu, who offered a faint smile. At this moment, the two of them high-fived behind their backs—if the family was going to get scolded, they might as well do it together.

Luo Mu finally didn’t dare to mock the Yan sisters’ previous conversation about the Dark Fairy.

After all, strange chemistry can only be manifested between strange people.

They really were a family—one brain, one logic.

“When will you two ever learn to live in peace?” Luo Zhicheng pointed at the surveillance camera and roared: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to. This camera caught everything clearly!”

Ji Rongshu wanted to laugh but ended up choking, letting out a couple of light coughs. Luo Mu feigned indifference, but since the person in front of her was Luo Zhicheng, she naturally knew what he was going to say.

Words like whether Luo Mu had had enough of causing trouble, or how she acted like a lunatic—Luo Mu was truly sick of hearing them.

“Luo Mu, how old are you now?” Luo Zhicheng cursed loudly. “Have you had enough of this nonsense!”

“I’ve had enough,” Luo Mu said without hesitation, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. “But I’ll do it again next time.”

She truly hadn’t had enough. Those dramatic words she had spoken before were actually heartfelt. For so many years, when she was aggrieved as a child, her father never stood up for her, and she never had a mother’s guidance. Simply surviving had been a state of constant trepidation.

And now, to still have the ability to cause a scene, to be able to confront authority bare-handed—Luo Mu already felt fulfilled.

The arrogance of youth is so precious.

Luo Zhicheng’s face twisted; he was so angry he couldn’t catch his breath. Finally, he waved his hand and forced out a low sentence: “Do whatever you want.”

Do whatever I want?

Luo Mu narrowed her eyes and let out an impatient “tsk.”

She knew very well that Luo Zhicheng’s words didn’t mean she was allowed to be willful. It meant that no matter what Luo Mu did, the outcome would never change.

Since childhood, she had walked her path alone, constantly falling and feeling helpless, yet happily anticipating her father sparing her a single glance, fearing she would fail his expectations.

One day, she gathered her courage but looked back at him with trepidation, only to find that he had paved a brilliant, glorious road for a child with whom he shared no blood.

“Midterms are coming up soon, so both of you get your heads in the game,” Luo Zhicheng took a sip of red wine, his expression grave. “Ashu, you should learn from that boy Zhou Shulei. Ask him to come over tomorrow morning; let your old man get a good look at him.”

Ji Rongshu truly didn’t know why the old man always liked to bring up “Brother Rock.” He gave a bitter smile and nodded.

Luo Mu did indeed know Zhou Shulei—a name she’d heard at every grade-level commendation ceremony since her first year. She knew he was on good terms with Ji Rongshu, so every time the old man mentioned grades, that name was bound to follow.

After a long while, once Luo Zhicheng had left, Luo Mu’s dark expression finally shifted into a faint smile. She complained: “Why is someone coming over tomorrow? I wanted to eat Luosifen (Snail Rice Noodles).”

“Don’t even mention it, I wanted some too,” Ji Rongshu said tiredly.

Luo Mu: “So you’re really inviting ‘Rock’ over?”

“What else can I do? I can’t win an argument against Luo Zhicheng.” Ji Rongshu’s mouth twitched upward as he opened the chat box with Zhou Shulei. “But I can still trade insults with Rock.”

He pressed the voice call button. When a voice came from the other side saying “Hello”—steady and magnetic.

“Rock, come to your grandpa’s house tomorrow morning.”

“Huh?” Zhou Shulei was confused. “Are you sick?”

Ji Rongshu gritted his teeth and said one word at a time: “Whoever doesn’t come is a grandson.”

Before Zhou Shulei could react, Ji Rongshu hung up and gave Luo Mu a thumbs-up. “Done.”

Luo Mu: “Bring him over to listen to Luo Zhicheng’s ‘beep-beep-bap’ nagging together.”

Ji Rongshu: “Good idea.”

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously.

“Believe it or not, Luo Zhicheng is going to ask Rock all those messy questions.” Ji Rongshu laughed until his stomach hurt, feeling a second of pity for Zhou Shulei in advance.

“Is that so? Then I’ll definitely keep an ear out for that.” Luo Mu poured the red wine from the table into her glass, swirled it, and took a few sips.

However, by the next morning, Luo Mu regretted it.

Luo Zhicheng and the two boys were sitting in the living room. The living room and dining room were connected with no obstacles between them. Luo Mu sat at the white marble dining table, picking at a sunflower. She stared at Luo Zhicheng’s silhouette; at least she didn’t have to look at his face.

Zhou Shulei was not the bookish nerd she had imagined. Instead, he wore half-rimmed glasses that defined his sharp jawline, and his voice was low and gentle. Luo Zhicheng clearly liked him, constantly patting him on the back; the boy didn’t instinctively dodge.

“Xiao Zhou, Rongshu here just loves to play,” Luo Zhicheng poured boiling water into the teapot, the refreshing scent of Longjing tea filling the air. “When it comes to studies, I’ll have to trouble you to help him out.”

Zhou Shulei didn’t answer, just smiled and nodded. Instead, Ji Rongshu secretly turned his head to meet Luo Mu’s eyes and gave a look of pure disgust.

Luo Mu instantly understood his meaning: bringing someone over just to praise one and put down the other.

“Rongshu,” Ji Rongshu, who had turned his head, immediately snapped back at the sound of the voice. Luo Zhicheng stared at him sternly. “Are you dating at school?”

Ji Rongshu’s eyelids twitched, and he looked up slightly: “No… no.”

Luo Zhicheng’s heavy expression finally relaxed slightly. He looked at Zhou Shulei and said with a faint smile, “You should learn from Xiao Zhou. He’s focused entirely on his studies and wouldn’t dream of dat—”

“Uncle,” Zhou Shulei interrupted him, pushing up his glasses. “I actually have dated, though we broke up in the end.”

Luo Zhicheng was stunned and gave an awkward laugh: “Is that so? How were that girl’s grades? What was her name?”

Zhou Shulei paused for a moment, not wanting to speak. Seeing this, Ji Rongshu tried to bail him out: “Dad, don’t make it difficult…”

“Yan Qingzhu,” Zhou Shulei said in a low voice, lowering his eyes. “Ranked around the top ten in the grade.”

Yan Qingzhu?

Luo Mu’s pale fingers gripped the sunflower stem, trembling involuntarily. A buzzing sound filled her ears, mixed with static.

“What’s wrong with you?” Luo Zhicheng slapped Ji Rongshu beside him in a low voice. “You can’t even out-score someone who’s dating?”

“They weren’t together for that long…” Ji Rongshu grumbled under his breath.

Zhou Shulei coughed a few times. “Young and immature. It’s in the past now.”

Luo Mu stared at him, an unidentifiable bitterness in her heart along with a stifled fire. She didn’t understand what “young and immature” was supposed to mean.

Her fingers tore at the sunflower petals, unaware of the petals and pollen falling onto the table. Her gaze was fixed on the boy; an inexplicable surge of anger rose in her heart—hard to explain, impossible to grasp.

After a long confrontation with Luo Zhicheng, he was finally willing to let them go.

“Luo Mu, come clean this up.” Luo Zhicheng stood up and turned around, pointing at the coffee table. This was supposed to be the housekeeper’s job, but she happened to be off today. The old man called her without a second thought.

Luo Mu walked forward impatiently, wiping the water stains off the table with a cloth. Zhou Shulei narrowed his eyes, a hint of confusion appearing. Their eyes met; Luo Mu looked up, and the boy’s eyes under his bangs were clear and youthful.

Luo Mu frowned.

Is this the kind of person Yan Qingzhu likes?

Ji Rongshu looked at the two: “Do you know each other?”

Luo Mu shifted her gaze and continued clearing the glasses. “No.”

And she didn’t want to.

“We might have seen each other a few times.” Zhou Shulei stood up and smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes.

Ji Rongshu gave Zhou Shulei a look asking if they should go, and Zhou Shulei nodded.

Ji Rongshu rested his arm on Zhou Shulei’s shoulder. They were about the same height, and they didn’t look out of place standing together.

“Hey, where did you get the courage to confess to my dad?”

Zhou Shulei responded: “It’s not exactly something to be ashamed of.”

Ji Rongshu opened the gate and smiled faintly. “It couldn’t be that you can’t let her go, could it?”

Zhou Shulei paused for a long time, his tone low, and simply gave a brief smile.

Back turned to them, Luo Mu froze with the cloth in her hand. How stupid. Who cares about this crap? But deep in the most hidden part of her heart, a kind of jealousy began to grow quietly, uncontrollably.

When Ji Rongshu returned, Luo Mu was putting the washed glasses back in their place.

Her tone was cold: “You never told me Rock’s ex was Yan Qingzhu.”

Ji Rongshu didn’t know how he had offended this young miss; he was completely bewildered. “You never asked me.”

“Are you really mad?” Ji Rongshu tilted his head to look Luo Mu in the eye. “I figured you didn’t ask, so I didn’t say anything.”

“How was I supposed to ask?” Luo Mu looked at him and punched Ji Rongshu in the stomach. He stumbled back. “Ask when they got together, or ask when they broke up?”

“Holy crap, are you on edge or what!” Ji Rongshu clutched his stomach, hissing sarcastically: “No, seriously, does everyone else’s love life have to be reported to you?”

Luo Mu suddenly realized that this matter had nothing to do with her from beginning to end.

These far-from-glamorous emotions gained the upper hand; it felt like being in a swamp—the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

Is this greed?

Luo Mu clenched her fist, lowering her eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The fleeting emotion that made one foolishly want to monopolize someone—is that greed?

When she was young and lay in Grandma’s arms, Grandma would always murmur that sentence:

“The essence of a human is greed; then one must accept the punishment that greed brings.”

“You couldn’t possibly…” Ji Rongshu’s gaze was full of suspicion. “You couldn’t possibly like Zhou Shulei, could you?”

Luo Mu looked up and stared at him in confusion. After being stunned for a few seconds, she said: “Are you blind, or am I?”

During the review week before midterms, all classes continued. They had to learn new material while reviewing previous knowledge points. That week, every class was high-strung.

After PE class ended and they returned to the classroom, Yan Qingzhu was carrying two cold drinks. She tossed one to Ye Nanqiao, who was wiping away sweat.

“President Ye, catch!”

Ye Nanqiao was startled, stumbling so much her feet almost left the ground. Having barely caught it, she started cursing, until she saw the packaging and laughed with surprise: “Ooh! It’s Green Plum Green Tea!”

“I knew you liked it, so I made a special trip to the convenience store.” Yan Qingzhu played along with her and unhurriedly placed the other bottle on Luo Daier’s desk.

Ye Nanqiao was laughing like the foolish son of a wealthy landlord; getting something for free during student life was always a joy.

“Holy crap, I seriously love you to death!”

Yan Qingzhu returned to her seat and leaned back: “This money came from our big boss, Daier. Go love her instead.”

Luo Daier sat back in her seat, and Ye Nanqiao immediately pulled her into a hug. “I declare that I will protect my sister Luo-Luo to the death!”

Luo Daier was terrified; her chair tilted, forcing her to prop herself up against the desk with one hand, the veins on her arm clearly visible. Yan Qingzhu laughed secretly to herself, watching the back of the normally cold Luo Daier’s ears turn bright red in an instant.

“President Ye, do you want to be sponsored for all your Green Plum Green Tea throughout high school?” Yan Qingzhu didn’t forget to fan the flames: “Ye Nanqiao, I sentence you to love Luo Daier forever. Are you willing?”

This time, she used her full name, and Luo Daier, who was being held tightly, understood her meaning.

Yan Qingzhu’s tone was very solemn, like a master of ceremonies at a wedding, as if declaring marriage vows.

“I’m willing, of course!” Ye Nanqiao’s answer came without hesitation. Amidst her own struggling, Ye Nanqiao didn’t see the fleeting tear or the touch of red at the corner of Luo Daier’s eye.

After their struggle, Ye Nanqiao finally let go, and Luo Daier managed to catch her breath. Yan Qingzhu laughed and rubbed her shoulders. In the gap as Yan Qingzhu lowered her head, she heard Luo Daier’s voice—faint yet sincere.

Thank you.

“It’ll be embarrassing if you cry again,” Yan Qingzhu whispered in her ear. “In the future, at that moment, don’t let your tears ruin your makeup.”

Luo Daier’s emotions, which she had just composed, collapsed like a flood. A thousand feelings surged in her heart, and she ran out of the classroom covering her face.

“I’m going to the restroom first.”

Ye Nanqiao watched Luo Daier leave suddenly and said to Yan Qingzhu aggrievedly: “Did I hug her too hard?”

Yan Qingzhu’s mouth lifted slightly: “No, she just really likes spending money on Green Plum Green Tea for others.”

Ye Nanqiao never had many hidden motives; if Yan Qingzhu said it was so, then it was so. Noticing there was no drink on Yan Qingzhu’s desk, she asked: “Why don’t you have a Green Plum Green Tea?”

Yan Qingzhu didn’t care: “I don’t really like sweet drinks.”

“No way! Our ‘Green Plum Squad’ has to be complete!” Ye Nanqiao didn’t know how she came up with the name, but she immediately tore the plastic wrapper off her own bottle and taped it onto Yan Qingzhu’s thermos. “There! Green Plum Squad!”

Looking at it sideways, the three “Green Plum Green Teas” stood in a neat row, looking quite comical.

Yan Qingzhu offered a slight smile and nodded. Fine, I’ll just spoil her.

But while Ye Nanqiao wasn’t looking, she tore the plastic wrapper off her thermos and stuffed it into Luo Daier’s desk drawer.

It wasn’t until halfway through class that Luo Daier realized something was off with her drawer. When she saw the plastic wrapper, her face showed anger as she thought it was one of Yan Qingzhu’s jokes. But Yan Qingzhu glanced over and noticed there was no wrapper on the girl’s bottle.

Yan Qingzhu murmured in a low voice: “I know you want to paste it in your diary. Go ahead and paste it; I won’t laugh at you this time.”

At this age—innocent and budding—one can’t wait to pour all their feelings into a diary. Joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness remain etched in the heart as time passes.

Luo Daier’s ears turned red, and she quickly tucked the plastic wrapper into her diary.

Years later, when Luo Daier brought this up again, Yan Qingzhu took a small sip of her coffee.

“If you hadn’t mentioned this, I wouldn’t have remembered much.” Yan Qingzhu lightly wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth with a napkin and said peacefully: “I only know that back then, you really did like her very much.”

“I couldn’t find my diary after graduation, and I was really frantic back then.” Luo Daier covered her face with her hands, wanting to hide her own wretchedness. Her eyes welled with tears, and her voice was thick with sobs. “Now, no matter what, I’m never satisfied. No matter what I do, she won’t look back at me.”

“Qingzhu, do you think I’m being too greedy?” Luo Daier slumped on the table, crying until her exquisite makeup was ruined beyond recognition.

It turns out that greed means accepting punishment.

Yan Qingzhu watched her calmly, her gaze like stagnant water, as if facing a mirror and seeing herself clearly. She listened to Luo Daier murmur: “But at that time, I was truly so satisfied and happy.”

“It turns out that I already heard her say ‘I do’ when I was seventeen.”