CH 6

To be honest, such a tense situation was a very serious scene.

Huo Ran was very sure that before Kou Chen spoke, he had already prepared to turn around and leave. If they didn’t let him, then he could only stay and fight. 

But right now, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He laughed out loud.

He set off Xu Zhifan, who laughed even louder than him.

They really shouldn’t have done that, it pissed off the third years immediately. 

“Looking for trouble, are you?” The popular girl’s face was ice cold. Although Huo Ran and Xu Zhifan were the ones laughing, she still continued to stare at the cause of the problem, Kou Chen.

Huo Ran observed the four guys. Indeed, they have mouths. He didn’t get why the girl was still the only one throwing insults at a time like this.

Girls like her really were uncommon at their school.

“The bathroom’s too far,” Kou Chen tugged at his pants. “It’s gonna cost you guys to stay and watch.”

“What class are you in?” One of the guys finally spoke.

Kou Chen turned his head slowly. From just the side of his face Huo Ran could see ‘are you itching for a beating, you dare ask me what class I’m in?’ written on his face.

“Do your research next time,” Kou Chen said nonchalantly. “Know thy enemy and know yourself.”

They stayed silent and looked at each other, seemingly a bit hesitant. 

“Second year, Humanities 1.” Kou Chen sighed. “Kou Chen, you can come find me after you ask around. Should I leave you my number?”

“Let’s go.” The popular girl frowned, glancing at Kou Chen again, before dragging the girl beside her by the arm.

The girl stumbled as she was dragged along.

As they brushed past Huo Ran and Xu Zhifan, Huo Ran glanced at the girl that was being dragged along. She was even less pretty than the popular girl, and she kept her head down the whole time. 

Huo Ran sighed. He knew some girls liked hanging out with people they thought of as below them, to make themselves feel better.

After they left, Xu Zhifan glanced at Kou Chen, who was still standing next to the fence with his head down. He hesitated before saying: “You’re really peeing?”

“Nope,” Kou Chen laughed, pulling up his pants. “I just went to the bathroom. I wasn’t gonna come over, but I saw you two so I followed.”

“Where’s Xu Chuan?” Xu Zhifan asked. 

“The infirmary.”

“Hm? Is he sick?” Huo Ran asked.

“Sick my ass,” Kou Chen tsked. “The new school nurse is really pretty, I bet he’s gonna start hurting everywhere the next few months”

“…Oh.” Huo Ran was a bit speechless. 

“Wanna go out to eat?” Kou Chen checked the time on his phone, “It’s about time.”

Huo Ran couldn’t help but check the time as well: “It’s not even four yet, what timezone are you in…”

“When you’re hungry you gotta eat,” Kou Chen turned to sit on the stone tablet beside the building. “Let’s get everyone first, you guys call Jiang Lei and Hu Yi.”

Xu Zhifan sent a message in the groupchat telling Jiang Lei and Hu Yi to come to school so they can go out and eat. 

Huo Ran looked at Kou Chen: “What if those third years come looking for you?”

“Let them come then,” Kou Chen stretched out his legs, “I’m just saying, only in a top school like yours can these people become school bullies. In my old school, a fight would’ve started, you wouldn’t even need a girl to shoot off her mouth…”

Huo Ran stayed silent, and Kou Chen pitched his voice: “Looking for trouble? Fuck off, gonna punch you with my widdle fists.

“Fuck.” Xu Zhifan laughed. 

“I’m serious,” Kou Chen waved his hand, “If they really come looking for me, I’ll be waiting. I’m just worried they won’t even come.”

Jiang Lei never willingly came to school, but hearing they were going out to eat, even if it was by Kou Chen’s invitation, he rushed over with Hu Yi.

But it looks like Wei Chaoren really did live quite far away. They sat in the infirmary ‘keeping Xu Chuan company’ for an hour before he arrived. 

As soon as he walked through the door, he pointed at Xu Chuan: “Come on, come on, let’s go eat. It’s gonna turn into a terminal illness if you keep pretending.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Xu Chuan whined, clutching a hot water bottle. He nearly popped it after hearing Wei Chaoren. “Is there a date pit in your head?”

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Kou Chen caught him from behind, but he shrugged off his hand and sighed.

Their moods soon got better, seeing as it was the beginning of autumn, and one gets hungry easily. Especially after hearing that they were about to go eat at a pretty decent buffet.

Although Huo Ran still wasn’t too fond of the trio, he still happily crawled into the taxi like everyone else. 

He was too happy, to the point that it took him a while to realize that Kou Chen was sitting beside him.

“Why are you in this car?” Huo Ran started.

Xu Zhifan sat in the front seat, only he and Kou Chen sat in the back.

“Go ask Jiang Lei,” Kou Chen said. “I wanted to get in the first car but I couldn’t squeeze past them.” 

Hu Yi must’ve been dragged into the car by Jiang Lei. Huo Ran was a bit speechless. Jiang Lei was someone that thought MSG soup was delicious. What right does he have to run to the front after hearing about good food?!

“We don’t have to go to such an expensive place just for a normal meal.” Xu Zhifan said. “There goes two months of living expenses.”

“The three of us can eat a lot, only buffets are worth it.” Kou Chen said, “I have my sister’s employee card, we can get a discount.”

He turned back to Huo Ran: “That female sister of mine.” 

“You’re so fucking vindictive.” Huo Ran almost didn’t get what he meant, “Childish.”

“The one throwing insults is the childish one,” Kou Chen said. “Being scared of ghosts is childish too…”

Huo Ran turned to look at him.

“Your sister works there?” Xu Zhifan interrupted their stare off. 

“Mhm.” Kou Chen nodded, “But she works in administration.”

Huo Ran didn’t say anything, choosing to look out the window.

He realized that Kou Chen was really sociable, able to keep up a conversation with anyone. If Xu Zhifan wasn’t here, he’d probably be chatting up a storm with the driver.

So annoying. 

Noisy.

Xu Zhifan you traitor!

Huo Ran frowned, putting pressure on his finger, cracking the joint.

Before he could do another finger, a crack sounded from beside him. 

Huo Ran glanced at Kou Chen. What’s wrong with him?

Keeping eye contact with Kou Chen, he pressed down on his middle finger. Crack.

Kou Chen did the same. Crack.

“The restaurant…” Xu Zhifan turned around, “The…” 

Huo Ran pressed down his ring finger. Crack.

Kou Chen also pressed down his ring finger. Crack.

Thumb. Crack

Also thumb. Crack. 

“You two must’ve skipped some grades to get here!” Xu Zhifan turned back around. He couldn’t be bothered to talk to them anymore.

The battle continued.

Even though there’s no point in all this, he still couldn’t lose.

Huo Ran was counting. He pressed down the last pinky finger. Crack. 19 cracks. 

But the 20th crack didn’t sound.

Kou Chen’s finger didn’t crack.

Huo Ran immediately felt satisfaction. He raised his hand, raising it in front of Kou Chen’s face, wiggling his fingers slowly.

Kou Chen watched him blankly, pressing down on his pinky again. 

Still no sound.

“Just cut it off.” Huo Ran said.

“Fuck.” Kou Chen looked down at his hand, pressing his left pinky to the palm of his right hand.

Crack. 

It finally sounded.

“My OCD thanks you.” Xu Zhifan said.

“No problem, it’s what I should do.” Kou Chen said.

Huo Ran put his hands down. He felt that something was off about that sound, it was a bit forced. Xu Zhifan turned around too. 

“AH——” Kou Chen held it in for three seconds before crying out loud. He screamed with his hand held in the other, “I broke my finger——”

“Oh my!” The driver startled, stopping the car at the side of the road.

To be honest, if Huo Ran didn’t see Kou Chen press down, knowing that it took quite some force, he would’ve thought this dumbass was pretending.

His scream was too exaggerated. He almost wanted to lean down and check if his finger fell off. 

“Let me see.” Huo Ran reached out.

“Don’t touch it!” Kou Chen shrunk back, “It hurts, fuckkkkkk… It hurts so much, I can’t move my finger! Sir go to the hospital first go to the hospital I’m gonna die——”

“Let me see!” Huo Ran yelled, grabbing his wrist.

“AH——” Kou Chen yelled again. 

“Stop yelling!” Huo Ran pointed at him.

“…It hurts, fuck!” Kou Chen said, “What are you looking at? Are you having fun? Why don’t you blow on it and see if you can stick the bone back toge-”

“Don’t move.” Huo Ran gripped his wrist tightly, then he held his finger and tugged it outwards.

Who knows if it was from pain or shock, but Kou Chen went silent, only letting out a groan from the back of his throat. 

Fate blocked his throat.

“It was dislocated.” Huo Ran let go of his finger, it was back in place now. “Try moving it, it shouldn’t hurt anymore.”

Kou Chen stared at him, curling his pinky after a long while. “Damn?”

Huo Ran dug around in his bag, pulling out a roll of sports tape. He wrapped it around his finger: “Alright, put some ice on it when you get home. It’ll be fine in a couple days. If it swells then get it checked at the hospital.” 

“It’s probably fine.” The driver sighed in relief. “When we were young, we’d just push it back in if we dislocated something… You know your stuff.”

“If he wasn’t yelling like that I could’ve fixed it faster.”  Huo Ran glanced at Kou Chen. “His screaming made me nervous.”

“Thanks.” Kou Chen wiggled his finger.

The driver continued driving towards the restaurant. Probably because Kou Chen’s yells were too soul-stirring, they all stayed silent. 

A long while later, Kou Chen sighed emotionally: “I wouldn’t have thought… Huo Ran, you’re pretty awesome.”

“I wouldn’t have thought that you…” Huo Ran sighed, choosing to leave that sentence unfinished, seeing as today’s meal was Kou Chen’s treat, and that he helped de-escalate the situation earlier by putting it upon himself.

But… Even though the image of Kou Chen fiercely announcing that he needed to piss was still fresh in his mind, Huo Ran couldn’t help but think that if those people really did come knocking, Kou Chen might be crying on the ground.

Rumours were indeed only rumours. 

At their seat in the restaurant, Jiang Lei began speaking as soon as he sat down: “A dislocated joint is nothing. Last time I went hiking with Huo Ran, the kind that’s for half a month, I fell in a ditch and dislocated my shoulder. He pressed one foot to my chest and tugged at my arm, crack!”

“It broke.” Kou Chen frowned, cradling his own left hand.

“Broke my ass, it was fixed. “Jiang Lei shrugged his shoulder. “It’s been a couple months now and it’s perfectly fine.“ 

“That’s exactly what I’m looking for.” Kou Chen said. “Let’s get food first, then I’ll make a note.”

Huo Ran circled around, returning with a plate of food. He saw that Kou Chen had already returned, and he had three empty plates in front of him as he munched happily through his fourth plate.

“Is the alcohol over there free?” Hu Yi asked.

“If there’s no price tag it’s free.” Kou Chen said. “Get me one too if you’re going over.” 

“Okay.” Hu Yi nodded, getting up.

Huo Ran felt a bit unbalanced. It’s only been two days and this guy is talking to these three like old friends.

That damn thing.

“Huo Ran.” Kou Chen ate fast, setting down his chopsticks as everyone else was still eating. “Are you in a wilderness club or something?” 

“Nope.” Huo Ran said, “I’m only in a biking club.”

“Then you go camping by yourself?” Kou Chen asked.

“Mhm.” Huo Ran took a bite out of his chicken wing. He was willing to talk about stuff like this. “If I run into some experienced people then we’ll go together, if not, I’m on my own.”

Kou Chen glanced at Jiang Lei. 

“He doesn’t count. He’s like a main quest NPC, you can’t go around him, and if you don’t finish the quest he won’t let you through.” Huo Ran said.

Kou Chen laughed: “Then tell me, what do you need to bring?”

“…It’s not that I don’t wanna say, but you shouldn’t go for three days at a time with no experience.” Huo Ran said, “You can start with an outdoor picnic.”

“I’ve been picnicking for years in our neighborhood park.” Kou Chen said, “I have a lot of picnicking experience.” 

Huo Ran looked at him, shoving a piece of meat in his mouth.

“I bet you’re going out for National Day, right?” Kou Chen didn’t give up. “Just tell me what you bring.”

“I’ll be going out for a while then, there’s a lot of stuff…” Kou Chen interrupted Huo Ran before he could finish.

“Take me with you.” Kou Chen said. 

“What?” Huo Ran started, hurriedly saying after he realized, “I still haven’t decided yet…”

“I won’t get in the way,” Kou Chen said. “You even took Jiang Lei along, I’m a lot better than him.”

A lot better than him?

Huo Ran couldn’t help but think back to Kou Chen’s piercing screams resonating in the car, 

I can’t be so sure.

Huo Ran sighed. He wasn’t a shameless person, Kou Chen already got everything out of him, and trying to go back on everything wasn’t his style.

He could only stay silent.

But to such a sociable and shameless person like Kou Chen, silence basically meant ‘mhm, okay’. 

There was still a while until National Day holidays, so Huo Ran chose to not dwell on this problem. He looked up at the group of people talking and eating.

“I thought nobody was brave enough to go over to the haunted building,” Xu Chuan said. “The third years actually hang out over there?”

“What are they doing there?” Hu Yi asked.

“Smoking? Chatting? Wei Chaoren said, “Making out? Group dating?” 

“In my old school,” Kou Chen drank his alcohol, “They’d be taking protection fees, no other possibility.”

“No way?” Jiang Lei was shocked, “We’re Fuzhong.”

“Right? You top school students are so well-behaved. No fighting and no cursing.”

Huo Ran stayed silent, he didn’t think much about it before. Doing homework was out of the question, but there were still quite a few students here that hide around to smoke. 

“Hey, Kou Chen,” Jiang Lei asked. “With the way you’re talking, have you accepted protection fees before? Seeing as you’ve even hit a teacher.”

Kou Chen laughed without saying anything, an enigmatic expression on his face saying ‘aren’t I good at pretending?’.

As Huo Ran ate a piece of meat, Kou Chen still ended up speaking: “It’s because I offended too many people, I had no choice but to leave.”

Huo Ran choked, swallowing the meat in his mouth with difficulty. 

This damn guy!