DCISBS chapter 68

Fortunately, Lu Nanyang’s body was strong. After the fever broke, he recovered quickly. By the next day, aside from a lingering cough, he was more or less back to normal.

“I just finished a project, so things are quiet at school right now,” Xie Quan said. “If you’re still not feeling well, take one more day off.”

“You seriously underestimate your husband’s constitution,” Lu Nanyang said while putting on clothes. “Back when I was in the army, I once trained in the rain with a 39°C fever. Took some meds at noon and was fine by the afternoon.”

Xie Quan raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “Your what?”

Lu Nanyang chuckled to himself, then turned and wrapped his arms around Xie Quan’s neck, using a cutesy tone to say, “Husba~and.”

Xie Quan instantly got goosebumps.

But Lu Nanyang doubled down, striking a flirtatious pose in front of the dressing mirror and winking at him. “Husband, do I look handsome in this outfit?”

“…Handsome,” Xie Quan said flatly, not wanting to encourage him.

“Do you mean the outfit is handsome or I’m handsome?” Lu Nanyang pushed, refusing to let it go. “Are you saying I’m only handsome with clothes on?”

“…”

“Do you think I’m getting old and unattractive, not as good-looking as others?” Lu Nanyang looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Is it that you don’t love me anymore?”

“The door’s right there, get the hell out!” Xie Quan snapped, unable to take it anymore.

Lu Nanyang laughed so hard he almost couldn’t straighten his back. After putting on his shoes, he paused at the door, looking a bit reluctant to leave. “Then I’m going now?”

“Mm.”

Lu Nanyang paused, then just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he turned back with big watery eyes, like a little puppy abandoned by its owner. “We don’t have any classes this afternoon. What about you guys?”

Xie Quan found it both funny and a little heartbreaking.

“No need to wait until afternoon. I’ll bring you lunch at noon,” Xie Quan said.

The puppy eyes instantly lit up. “Deal!”

“Deal. What do you want to eat?” Xie Quan asked.

“No. Don’t tell me,” Lu Nanyang said, walking out the door with an upbeat tone. “I like surprises.”

Watching Lu Nanyang leave, Xie Quan didn’t even realize he still had a smile on his lips.

Xie Quan used to dislike surprises. He didn’t like anything that went beyond his control.

But now, after meeting Lu Nanyang, he thought maybe the occasional surprise in life wasn’t such a bad thing.

……

During the last class in the morning, Xie Quan requested to leave early and walked from the medical school to the law and politics school.

The walk wasn’t short; if he didn’t leave early, it’d be hard to arrive by lunchtime. Thinking about how many times Lu Nanyang had brought him lunch before — always on time — Xie Quan really couldn’t imagine how he managed it.

By the time he reached the teaching building, class had already ended. There were quite a few students standing around chatting casually. Among them, he immediately spotted the most handsome one standing under a tree, hands in his pockets, smiling brighter than the sun in June.

Xie Quan walked over. “Do you know what you look like right now?”

“What?” Lu Nanyang kept smiling.

“Like that mangy dog in my old courtyard,” Xie Quan commented. “Every time someone threw it a bone, it grinned exactly like you are now.”

“You’re terrible,” Lu Nanyang protested. “How can I be a mangy dog? At least I’m a golden retriever — handsome, with smooth, flowing fur.”

“Alright, graceful golden retriever,” Xie Quan said, stuffing the lunchbox into his arms. “Eat first.”

Lu Nanyang opened the lid, and the aroma immediately wafted out. He let out a gasp. “Pork ribs! Did you make this or buy it?”

The ribs were stewed to tenderness, fragrant but not greasy, with just the right amount of seasoning.

How did he even have time to cook all this?

“I marinated the meat last night, slow-cooked it this morning, and packed it after the first class,” Xie Quan explained. “Not a big deal.”

Not a big deal?!

For someone like Lu Nanyang, who didn’t cook at all, this was hell-level difficulty.

Thinking about how this was the same Xie Quan who once even disliked touching the bedsheets Lu Nanyang had slept on — and now he’d spent all this time and effort cooking — Lu Nanyang felt like his heart was being warmed by a gentle stream, flowing through his entire body.

Just as he sat down on the steps and picked up his chopsticks to dig in, a girl’s voice suddenly came from behind.

“Lu Nanyang, someone’s looking for you.”

“Who?” This was Xie Quan’s voice. He frowned and looked at the girl.

“He came in from that entrance. He should be around… there.” She pointed. “That’s him.”

Xie Quan followed the direction of her finger and saw a guy wearing a baseball cap, followed by several others.

The guy looked familiar, but Xie Quan couldn’t immediately recall where he’d seen him before.

The guy scanned the crowd, his gaze eventually landing on them. Then he changed direction and started walking straight toward them.

To be precise — straight toward Lu Nanyang.

At that moment, Xie Quan suddenly remembered. That was Lu Zhanlei, Lu Nanyang’s younger brother — the biological son of the Lu family.

Everything that happened next unfolded too fast.

Lu Nanyang stood up from the steps just as Lu Zhanlei arrived in front of him. Xie Quan could see from his posture that he came with bad intentions, but by common sense, he thought they’d at least exchange a few words first.

But no — Lu Zhanlei walked up and punched Lu Nanyang square in the face without hesitation. Blood instantly gushed from his nose.

Everyone around froze. It wasn’t until Lu Zhanlei grabbed Lu Nanyang’s collar and looked ready to throw another punch that Xie Quan reacted. He grabbed Lu Nanyang with one hand and shoved Lu Zhanlei away with the other.

“What are you all staring at! Break it up!” Xie Quan shouted at the crowd.

Only then did people come to their senses. Some guys stepped in to break up the fight, while the girls ran to call a teacher. The area in front of the building was thrown into chaos.

But Lu Zhanlei had clearly come prepared, bringing people with him and targeting Lu Nanyang specifically. Even with Xie Quan and others trying to help, Lu Nanyang still got hit a couple more times.

“You think you’re hot shit now, huh?!” Lu Zhanlei kicked Lu Nanyang viciously. “Stop pretending to be a fucking good guy!”

“Lu Zhanlei!” Xie Quan yelled.

Though Xie Quan wasn’t as good at fighting as Lu Nanyang, he knew a few tricks to subdue someone quickly and painfully without causing lasting damage.

But just as he was about to move, Lu Nanyang grabbed his wrist — his grip was tight — and shook his head at him.

Xie Quan had seen Lu Nanyang fight. Even if Lu Zhanlei tripled his reinforcements, they wouldn’t be able to beat him. But Lu Nanyang didn’t fight back at all. He just let Lu Zhanlei hit him — in front of his classmates.

While Xie Quan was still frozen in shock, Lu Zhanlei somehow found a wooden stool and raised it, ready to smash it down on Lu Nanyang.

His eyes were bloodshot, completely red, and his expression was so twisted that he didn’t even look like a rational human being.

Everyone was startled, but no one dared to step forward to stop him. Everyone knew the two Lu brothers didn’t get along, and especially in this kind of situation, it was better to offend the second young master than provoke the true heir.

Only Xie Quan shouted angrily, “Lu Zhanlei, are you crazy? He’s your brother!”

Lu Zhanlei finally turned his attention to Xie Quan. “Who the hell do you think you are?! You think you have the right to meddle in the Lu family affairs?!”

Then he threw the stool viciously at Xie Quan.

The solid hardwood struck Xie Quan squarely on the shoulder. The pain nearly knocked the breath out of him, and his ears rang from the impact.

The scene turned into total chaos—people screamed and shouted. More and more students gathered to watch the drama, while others, frightened, pulled their friends away to leave.

“Stop it, stop it—!”

“Hurry, the teachers are coming!”

No one knew which student had called a teacher, but the crowd that had been watching quickly scattered without a trace, leaving only the Lu brothers and Xie Quan still in place.

“What’s going on here? Why are you fighting at the entrance of the teaching building?”

The person who came was likely the dean of the School of Political Science and Law. He looked to be under fifty, but the top of his head was nearly bald. He wore thick glasses that screamed academic, and his neatly tucked-in shirt gave him a stern air.

“Because some goddamn idiot was waving around in front of me!” Lu Zhanlei cursed.

Xie Quan was briefly stunned that someone would dare speak like that to the dean. Wasn’t he afraid of getting expelled?

But the dean turned his gaze straight to Lu Nanyang and sternly asked, “Speak. What happened?”

It seemed everyone had reached a consensus when it came to the Lu brothers.

As a seasoned self-interested realist, Xie Quan could understand why people made such choices.

But that didn’t mean he agreed with them.

“Excuse me, sir,” Xie Quan said, suppressing his anger, “but if your eyesight is even halfway decent, you should have seen clearly who threw the first punch. Lu Nanyang didn’t fight back at all.”

The dean immediately turned his fire on Xie Quan. “Which department are you from? Not our School of Political Science and Law, are you? What business is it of yours to get involved in this?”

Xie Quan’s gaze turned sharp, and he was about to argue further, but Lu Nanyang cut in.

His hair was messy, his collar had been yanked halfway open by Lu Zhanlei, and a clear bruise darkened the corner of his mouth. His eyes, which had just recently held a smile, were now dim and lifeless. He said calmly, “It’s fine, sir. It was my fault.”

Xie Quan said nothing more. He stared at Lu Nanyang, chest full of tangled emotions that threatened to explode.

The dean’s eyes swept over the three of them, finally settling on Lu Nanyang. He said in a low voice, “You, come with me to the office.”