Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 88

Fu Shizhao’s footsteps abruptly paused, subconsciously raising a hand to lower his cap’s brim. A student jogging behind him swiftly passed, then quickly overtook the two figures not far ahead.

The inner circle of the rubber track was surrounded by grass. Fu Shizhao took a few steps inward to avoid inconveniencing other students on the playground.

The two figures not far away also moved a few steps toward the inner circle, onto the grass, indicating they didn’t intend to continue forward for the moment. Fu Shizhao simply sat on the grass, listening intently, bathed in the faint moonlight.

Wei Haifan hadn’t expected Tang Mian to ask such a direct question.

He realized… well, some people were more sensitive in this regard, especially Tang Mian, being an art student; he should be more emotional and sensitive to the emotional fluctuations of those around him.

Once anyone showed even a hint of “ill-intentioned” closeness to him, he might detect it immediately. He thought his attempts had no effect.

But… Tang Mian had already noticed.

Why had he been so calm before, treating him no differently from other classmates, but now suddenly passed him a note and said such things?

A bold thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He had been pursued by others before. At first, he observed quietly, treating that person no differently from other friends. After all, although he wasn’t picky about his diet, he also wasn’t indiscriminate.

Gradually, as time passed and they got to know each other better, an answer would surface in his mind—acceptance or rejection.

If he chose to reject, he would intentionally distance himself from that person. If he chose to accept, he would actively show goodwill and respond.

Was Tang Mian’s action a kind of “response” to him? So straightforward.

And even… more appealing.

Locking eyes with those beautiful ones, Wei Haifan’s hand by his side nervously curled up a bit. His throat felt like it was smoking. “Yes.”

Even though he usually had a way with words, now he suddenly found himself tongue-tied.

Tang Mian blinked.

Wei Haifan felt like even his eyelashes were seductive. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Tang Mian’s arm, repeating, “I like you.”

Fu Shizhao, sitting on the grass, tightly grasped the withered grass he’d plucked during the day, trying to restrain himself from rushing over immediately.

Tang Mian lowered his eyelashes, freeing himself from his grip and taking a step back, calmly asking, “When did you start liking me?”

Wei Haifan almost instinctively answered, “From the moment I first saw you.”

After answering, he actually felt a little guilty. After all, he hadn’t broken up with Zhan Wanqi at that time. But Tang Mian shouldn’t know about these private matters.

Even if he were exposed later, he was confident he could cover it up. He was adept at seamless transitions, experienced in comforting the next one.

A flicker of disgust flashed in Tang Mian’s eyes, hidden in the moonlight and undetected by Wei Haifan.

He hadn’t noticed Wei Haifan’s little schemes at all; it was all guessed from Fu Shizhao’s series of reactions.

Since Fu Shizhao had some undisclosed thoughts about him, it added another reason for his fight with Wei Haifan from the previous life. He had invited Wei Haifan out today to confirm this.

He hadn’t expected Wei Haifan to actually have feelings for him…

It was probably the same in the previous life.

He had foolishly been friends with such a scumbag who had “ill intentions” towards him for so long.

What was that “liking you from the moment I first saw you” nonsense? At that time, hadn’t he still been with Zhan Wanqi? And then he even got that girl pregnant. Disgusting.

Seeing Tang Mian remain silent with his head lowered, Wei Haifan was a bit unsure of the situation. He speculated that Tang Mian might be shy, but he was usually an outgoing and proactive person. Since Tang Mian had given him such an opportunity, he had no reason not to seize it.

As the weather grew warmer, everyone wore short sleeves. Tang Mian was very slender; one hand could easily circle his arm.

Tang Mian left some hair down, tied back with a small hair tie, revealing his beautiful ears and neck.

Wei Haifan took another step towards Tang Mian as he backed away, once again grabbing his arm and lowering his head, leaning close to his right ear. “Do you want to be with me?”

If Tang Mian nodded in agreement, he could kiss him the next second.

But Tang Mian continued to struggle, his voice cold. “Let go.”

This was completely unexpected for Wei Haifan.

What did Tang Mian mean?

This was not in the script.

After coaxing him with so many heartfelt words, he was rejected. Was Tang Mian playing hard to get?

Wei Haifan couldn’t understand, but subconsciously increased the strength of his grip. He didn’t want the person in front of him to escape; he had to make things clear.

Tang Mian winced in pain.

Just as Tang Mian was about to kick him directly, a figure suddenly appeared beside them and punched Wei Haifan.

Wei Haifan’s nose twisted, and he let go of Tang Mian’s arm, staggering back several steps before stabilizing himself, avoiding falling to the ground.

Two streams of blood flowed from his nose, making him look like a wretched mess.

Fu Shizhao’s punch wasn’t restrained, just as heavy as in the previous life. Two girls who were strolling nearby noticed the commotion and stopped, watching curiously.

Wei Haifan instinctively touched his nose, only to find blood on his fingertips. His gaze fell on the boy wearing a duckbill cap, who was inspecting Tang Mian’s arm with his head lowered.

He squeezed out his words from between his teeth. “You…”

He recognized him; this person was Tang Mian’s younger brother, the academic genius from the science class. How did he end up here?

Fu Shizhao’s expression was grim. He didn’t pay attention to Wei Haifan but instead reached out and touched the area on Tang Mian’s arm where Wei Haifan had pinched him, making a clear circle.

“Does it hurt?” Fu Shizhao didn’t explain anything.

Given the current situation, there was nothing that needed explaining. Everyone knew what was going on, and it was time to speak frankly.

Tang Mian lowered his eyelashes, and his ears turned slightly red as he mumbled, “Mm,” acknowledging the pain.

He noticed people stopping to watch and murmured, “Let’s… go somewhere else to talk.”

Before Fu Shizhao could reply, Wei Haifan, who had been “neglected” on the sidelines, suddenly rushed over.

Being played and then hit, he had no reason to endure it. If he didn’t retaliate now, he wouldn’t have another chance. He wasn’t afraid of making a scene.

Wei Haifan was tall, with considerable strength for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. However, Tang Mian wasn’t worried. He instinctively stepped back a few steps, afraid of getting involved and hindering Fu Shizhao.

He was aware of Fu Shizhao’s skills.

He wouldn’t injure the opponent while hurting himself as he did in the previous life. However, some minor injuries were unavoidable.

But Wei Haifan had it worse. Fu Shizhao directly knocked him to the ground, landing blow after blow, making it too painful for him to get up. In the end, it escalated to a hospital visit. This incident spread throughout the entire school.

The most widely circulated version was “Wei Haifan confessed to Tang Mian, got rejected, and then tried to attack him but got beaten up by Tang Mian’s brother and ended up in the hospital.”

Students who secretly brought their phones to school were buzzing about it on campus forums, while those without phones spread the news through word of mouth. Soon, Wei Haifan’s middle school dark history was dug up as well.

At the same time, Zhan Wanqi, who had been absent from school recently and resting at home, suddenly received a text message on her phone. It was from her good sister.

[Have you seen the forum on your school? Tonight is a good opportunity.]

Staring at the message, Zhan Wanqi’s pupils trembled slightly.

There was a warm bowl of corn and pork rib soup on the table. The corn was sweet corn, and the ribs were pork ribs, filling the whole room with a sweet aroma.

Recently, she had been behaving unusually, taking leave and staying at home. Her parents were very worried about her, afraid that she was having some mental issues due to study pressure, but they didn’t ask too many questions. Instead, they cooked many delicious dishes for her every day.

After reading the posts on the school forum, Zhan Wanqi felt nauseous. That scumbag had only kicked her out not long ago and was already thinking about hooking up with someone else seamlessly.

She knew Fu Shizhao, the top student in their grade’s science class who always won first prize in math competitions.

She also knew Tang Mian, Fu Shizhao’s brother, who was an art student. She had seen him when she went upstairs to find Wei Haifan. He was a very handsome guy.

That scumbag was completely different from their league. He didn’t deserve them.

Getting beaten up and ending up in the hospital… He deserved it.

Zhan Wanqi scrolled through many replies exposing Wei Haifan’s middle school dark history, knowing that her sister must be behind it, her fingertips holding the phone turned slightly pale.

She had been doing mental exercises for herself for several days, and her sister had been consoling her all along.

She was still a minor and should confess this matter to her parents. With her sister’s connections with the police, they could make Wei Haifan accountable for his actions.

She used to be an irredeemable love-brained girl, quite cowardly too. Not anymore.

There were still so many people who loved her.

Recently, she hadn’t been going to class, and her parents had spent all their time after work accompanying her; the class teacher had even made a home visit once, bringing her recent homework; her best friend would send her messages every day and even come over, though she guessed it was because of Wei Haifan’s affair, comforting her for a long time, but she still didn’t dare to tell her the truth.

There were still so many people who loved her…

She couldn’t let herself fall because of a scumbag like this and let them worry again. She couldn’t show her wounds to everyone.

But she could do what her sister said, let her parents negotiate with the police, and her information would be kept hidden, and everyone would help her. She would also try to find peace with herself.

Zhan Wanqi covered the almost untouched bowl of corn and pork rib soup, got up, pushed open the door, and the living room lights were bright. Her parents were sitting on the sofa watching the evening news, the newscaster’s voice on the TV was clear and steady.

Seeing her come out, their gazes fell on her. The little dog in the house wagged its tail quickly and stuck to her leg.

Mother: “Have you finished the soup? Do you want me to add some more?”

Father: “Do you want to go out and walk the dog? Dad and Mom will accompany you.”

Zhan Wanqi’s eyes instantly turned red.

In the hospital, Tang Mian sat beside Fu Shizhao, lips pursed as he helped him apply the band-aid.

[T/N : Probably the school infirmary.]

Fu Shizhao took out the phone that Fu Yu had sent over and used the anonymous SIM card to send a text message to Zhan Wanqi. Then he opened the campus forum and replied to a few posts with a dummy account.

Zhan Wanqi replied to him with a text message — [Thank you, sis, I’m going to confront him.]

Fu Shizhao hastily replied to her, “You can do it.”

Finally, Tang Mian finished treating his wounds, and Fu Shizhao finished his tasks, turning off his phone.

They didn’t need to worry about Wei Haifan’s follow-up. The corridor was empty, with only occasional doctors and nurses passing by, very quiet. Under Fu Shizhao’s slightly nervous gaze, Tang Mian suddenly took off his right ear hearing aid.

Fu Shizhao’s fingers by his side instinctively curled up, unintentionally brushing against the wound on them without feeling any pain. They both understood what Tang Mian’s action meant.

In the previous life, he took off Tang Mian’s right ear hearing aid in the hospital.

The two were very close, Tang Mian looked calmly into his eyes and said, “It’s your turn.”

Fu Shizhao’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, reaching out to hold his right hand and putting the hearing aid back on. At the same time, he leaned towards him, mimicking the tone of the previous life, saying by his right ear —

“Are you an idiot? Can’t you tell when someone likes you?”