The moment the words left my mouth, she lunged at me, claws out. But brother Xiao Hei, quick as ever, stepped in to block her. Furious at being stopped, she shouted, “Let me go!”
Brother Xiao Hei remained silent, holding her back firmly.
Frustrated by her inability to reach me, she turned her anger toward Chen Qiao Luo. “What kind of service is this? Bringing these people in here? Do you want me to get you fired right now?”
Chen Qiao Luo glanced at me, his expression unreadable. After a long pause, he finally walked over, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out of the room.
His grip was so tight it hurt, and it wasn’t until we were outside the KTV that he let go. By then, the streets were almost deserted, though faint echoes of singing could still be heard from inside.
I rubbed my reddened wrist and looked up at him.
His face was tense, his expression hard. Almost through gritted teeth, he shouted at me, “Zhu Yun Hao, what do you want from me?”
“What do I want?” I shot back. “Chen Qiao Luo, why don’t you think about what you’ve become? During the morning assembly today, your name was brought up again. Director Xu said that if you don’t return to school, you’ll be expelled.”
Chen Qiao Luo froze for a moment before responding defiantly, “Then let them expel me. I don’t want to go to school anyway.”
“Chen Qiao Luo,” I said sharply. “Have you thought about Aunt He Pei? She’s worked so hard to raise you and put you through school. Do you think she did all that so you could throw your life away?”
“Throw my life away?” He suddenly let out a bitter laugh, his eyes cold. “Zhu Yun Hao, do you think everyone is as lucky as you? Do you even know why I’m working so hard? Do you think I enjoy putting up with those people and their orders?”
“I’m telling you, you don’t understand anything.” He stared at me, emphasizing every word. “Do you know why I never talk about my dad? It’s because he’s in prison. A few years ago, he accidentally killed someone. And me? I’m the son of a murderer. Ever since then, I’ve had to endure countless looks of disdain. But it doesn’t matter. They’re just irrelevant people—no matter how much they look down on me, I don’t let it bother me.
“But you probably didn’t know this, did you? My family is drowning in debt because of what my dad did. I don’t want my mom to bear all of it alone. I don’t want to see her swallow her pride at work, suffering silently, and still have to keep pushing herself. I can’t stand seeing her so exhausted anymore.”
This was the first time Chen Qiao Luo had ever spoken about his family. I was so shocked that I couldn’t find the words to respond. I’d vaguely guessed before that his father was no longer around, but I never imagined it was for this reason.
Biting my lower lip, I eventually said softly, “Chen Qiao Luo, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” he replied, looking at me.
After hesitating for a while, I finally spoke again. “Chen Qiao Luo, come back to school. I know you want to give Aunt He Pei a better life, but you’re not capable of that yet.”
“I know, but I can’t wait any longer,” he said. “Zhu Yun Hao, go back. If you’re really disappointed in me, just pretend we were never friends.”
With those words, he didn’t look at me again. He turned and went back inside.
I don’t even remember how I got home. It felt like my soul had been completely drained. When Dad saw me in that state, he couldn’t help but grow worried.
Perhaps it was the sadness of Chen Qiao Luo’s story that overwhelmed me. I suddenly hugged Dad tightly.
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