Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Cheng Xun sang with a serious expression, looking almost soulful.

But paired with his voice, it was nothing short of a public disturbance.

After finishing, Cheng Xun turned his face to Lu Xingshu and raised an eyebrow, as if to say: You asked for this.

Lu Xingshu looked down and let out a low, soft laugh.

The group messed around until about nine o’clock before dispersing. The three of them headed toward the bus stop together; any later, and they’d miss the last bus.

No one expected to run into a group of uninvited guests in a place like this.

It was unclear how long Wang Ke and his delinquent “big brother” had been lying in wait, but the moment they stepped out of the second floor, they were cornered.

A dim alleyway, a group of thuggish teenagers, flickering streetlights, and a sky with no stars or moon.

A perfect night for a dark deed.

Cheng Xun’s face darkened as he stared coldly at the gloating idiot across from them. Wang Ke himself was nothing to fear, but the “non-mainstream” dressed punk standing next to him looked like trouble. This was likely the “heavy hitter” from the other school—the one who had supposedly spent time in juvenile detention.

Xie Qiubai hadn’t been on his guard; he’d posted photos of them singing at the KTV to his social feed hours ago. When classmates asked where he was, he had answered honestly. With his massive friend list, it was highly likely someone had screenshotted it and tipped off Wang Ke.

Joy leads to sorrow.

Cheng Xun’s expression stayed icy as his right hand slipped into his pants pocket, seemingly preparing to dial 110. Unfortunately, his movement didn’t escape their notice.

The leader of the punks spat his cigarette onto the ground and snarled, “You’re looking for death.”

Luckily, they weren’t carrying weapons; it seemed they just wanted to “teach them a lesson” without escalating things too far.

They were outnumbered three-to-one, which Cheng Xun could handle, and while Xie Qiubai was usually unreliable, he knew how to fight. The only unknown variable was… Lu Xingshu.

Cheng Xun bit his lip. Spotting an opening, he shoved Lu Xingshu toward the weakest-looking side and shouted, “Go! Run first!”

Lu Xingshu, slightly dazed from the shove: “…”

However, he didn’t run. Instead, he leveled the weakling who tried to punch him with a single strike.

Cheng Xun kicked the punk closest to him, pivoted, and landed two punches on the person beside him, dropping two people in seconds.

Xie Qiubai handled Wang Ke easily, but he was struggling against the leader. Moreover, more people seemed to be approaching from the distance, and they appeared to be carrying something.

Dirty tactics. They had actually called in more lackeys.

Seeing that the odds were turning against them, Xie Qiubai used all his strength to shoulder-charge through a gap, creating a path. He bolted with incredible speed, yet still felt the need to act tough: “Damn it! Xun-ge, tactical retreat!”

As Cheng Xun ran, he pulled out his phone and called the police. This area was remote with many branching alleys; he wasn’t sure they could escape on foot, so notifying the authorities of their general location was the priority.

He couldn’t focus on two things at once. By the time Cheng Xun calmed down, he realized the punks were no longer behind him and Xie Qiubai—but Lu Xingshu was nowhere to be seen.

“Shit…” Xie Qiubai gasped for air. “He didn’t… intentionally split off from us to lure them away, did he?”

Cheng Xun remained silent, but his heart sank. He knew that was highly likely. Given Lu Xingshu’s “suffer-in-silence” hero complex, it was exactly something he would do.

“Hide somewhere far away, call your dad, and then report to the police again,” Cheng Xun ordered quickly. Without looking back, he ran back toward the way they came. “I’m going to find him.”

“Holy shit, Cheng Xun! You f-ing…” Xie Qiubai cursed. He chased him for a few steps before remembering Cheng Xun’s instructions. He gripped his phone, dialed the number, and followed after Cheng Xun while calling his father.

But the night was too dark and Cheng Xun was too fast. Xie Qiubai actually lost him.

As Cheng Xun ran back, he grabbed a discarded broom from the roadside. He stepped on the bristles and snapped the handle off to use as a weapon.

Following the faint light and sounds, he finally found his target in the back alley of a small bar. The bar was closed today, leaving the area in near-total darkness.

Cheng Xun gripped his makeshift club and charged around the corner—

In the dim alley, under a flickering light, the cold youth stood at the far end. He could see blood on Lu Xingshu’s face.

Lu Xingshu was in a defensive stance, while several punks—including Wang Ke—were sprawled on the ground. It seemed they had thinned out while chasing them, giving Lu Xingshu the chance to take them down one by one.

Cheng Xun glanced at Wang Ke and cursed him silently for being useless. He felt a wave of relief seeing that Lu Xingshu didn’t seem too gravely injured.

But when he saw the weapon in the leader’s hand—a folding knife—his heart leapt into his throat again.

He stayed silent, launching a swift, accurate sneak attack from behind, landing a heavy blow with his stick on the punk’s wrist. The knife clattered to the ground; Cheng Xun lunged forward and kicked it away. With a backhand swing, he slammed the stick into the man’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

In an instant, the expensive-looking folding knife vanished into the trash piles behind the bar.

As Cheng Xun rushed to Lu Xingshu’s side, he didn’t forget to deliver a sharp kick to Wang Ke’s leg. The boy, who had been playing dead on the ground, let out a pained shriek.

Lu Xingshu swayed slightly, but Cheng Xun caught him.

He had intentionally lured the group here to let the others escape. He wasn’t afraid of a ten-on-one fight, but he was bound to take some hits. These punks fought dirty, aiming for blind spots.

Cheng Xun leaned in and whispered, “Let’s go.”

The two supported each other as they moved toward the alley exit. The sound of sirens drifted in from the distance… along with Xie Qiubai’s voice.

Cheng Xun smelled faintly of lime—a scent that, in this moment, felt incredibly grounding. Lu Xingshu turned his face to look at him, his focus landing on the small bead-like shape of Cheng Xun’s upper lip.

Suddenly, Cheng Xun’s eyes widened.

Lu Xingshu sensed something was wrong—a rush of wind behind his ear, a cold chill passing by his neck that gave him goosebumps.

He felt Cheng Xun shove him away with immense force. Lu Xingshu slammed against the wall, but when he looked up, he saw the leader had somehow picked up a glass bottle and was lunging toward where Lu Xingshu had just been standing.

That spot was now occupied by Cheng Xun.

The sound of shattering glass echoed, and time seemed to freeze.

The stick in Cheng Xun’s hand fell. His body swayed, and he began to tip backward.

Without a second thought, Lu Xingshu kicked the punk in his most vulnerable spot, sending him flying several meters. His arm hooked around Cheng Xun’s waist, firmly catching his falling body.

Blood stained Cheng Xun’s forehead, clouding his beautiful round eyes, but he still found a tiny bit of strength to grip Lu Xingshu’s arm.

“Good… you’re okay.”

The world spun for Cheng Xun. Wrapped in Lu Xingshu’s arms, he lost consciousness.

Ambulances, police cars, the chaotic scene, and a completely out-of-control Lu Xingshu… Cheng Xun saw none of it.

When Cheng Xun woke up again, he was lying in a hospital bed.

The ceiling was a stark, clinical white. Having lost too much blood, everything he looked at was blurry. His bed was by the window, separated from the next patient by a curtain.

Grandmother sat on a chair beside him, looking frantic. Seeing him finally wake, she nearly burst into tears, but she managed to stay composed enough to call the doctor over.

Cheng Xun’s condition wasn’t too dire; he hadn’t suffered a scalp tear. After checking for internal head injuries, the medical staff cleaned the wound, applied anti-inflammatories, and stitched him up. It shouldn’t leave a major scar.

To his surprise, Xie Qiubai was there as well. But Lu Xingshu was nowhere to be seen.

Cheng Xun blinked and croaked, “My throat is so dry…”

Grandmother immediately stroked his face with motherly concern, then grabbed the thermos on the nightstand to go get hot water outside.

Xie Qiubai had offered to go, but Grandmother wanted him to stay and talk to Cheng Xun, especially since “Xiao Shu” wasn’t here.

Then, through Xie Qiubai’s exaggerated narration, Cheng Xun learned what happened after he passed out. The police and Xie Qiubai’s father had arrived, but by then, Lu Xingshu had completely lost his cool. He had picked up the stick from the ground and begun an indiscriminate attack on the fallen punks.

If the police hadn’t intervened, things would have turned catastrophic.

Even Xie Qiubai had been taken to the station for questioning, but Lu Xingshu’s situation was more serious, so he wasn’t out yet. Xie’s father had paid the medical bills and, after checking on Cheng Xun, had gone back to the station to pick up Lu Xingshu. He hadn’t slept all night either. Having an adult handle things made everything a bit smoother.

Grandmother had insisted on not letting Mr. Xie pay, but Xie Qiubai had been drowning in guilt, claiming it was all his fault—his grudge with Wang Ke, his insistence on a lunar birthday party at a KTV, and his arrogant social media post.

It was a total guilt trip. But seeing a big guy like Xie Qiubai so distraught at his bedside, Grandmother couldn’t say much.

Cheng Xun’s head was thumping from all the noise. He turned his face toward the window and realized it was already morning. His eyes widened as he realized Lu Xingshu might have spent the entire night at the police station. Panic flared in his eyes.

He tried to sit up, even attempting to get out of bed.

“Holy shit, Cheng Xun, are you crazy?” Xie Qiubai lunged forward to stop him. “Lie the hell down! Stop looking for more trouble!”