pjbooks Chapter 219 Extra: Wen Zhaoyue x Wen Yan
Chapter 219 Extra: Wen Zhaoyue x Wen Yan
Thus began Wen Zhaoyue's estranged school life with Wen Yan.
Wen Yan was very self-aware.
Every morning, he would get off the bus some distance from the school gate, and after school, he would never go to the teaching building. Instead, he would walk alone to the corner of another street and wait quietly for the bus to pick him up.
The two people were like two parallel lines, extending separately on campus and never intersecting.
Wen Zhaoyue was quite satisfied with his understanding, but he was still an eyesore.
"Why are you wearing this again?" She frowned and looked him up and down, her tone sarcastic.
"Didn't Old Deng buy you anything new? You're dressed like a beggar, aren't you ashamed?"
"Don't always follow me around," she said, turning back to glare at him after a few steps. "Like a tail, isn't it annoying?"
"Can you stop smacking your lips while you eat? Your shabby appearance is disgusting."
Every word was like a knife, but Wen Yan just lowered her eyes and quietly replied, "I know, sister," or "Okay, Wen Yan."
She was as docile as a little animal with no temper; no matter how much she poked her, she couldn't draw a drop of blood.
Occasionally, when he was spoken to harshly, he would simply purse his lips, lower his head, and let his eyelashes tremble slightly. His pale face would then appear pitiful, making people's hearts soften for no reason.
Wen Tingyun couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up to remind her, "Wenwen, don't be so harsh with your words."
Wen Zhaoyue glared at him defiantly, but a nameless anger was burning inside her.
So the idea of getting rid of him came to mind.
Pour cold water into the blanket, deliberately put chili water in the food, and stir mustard into the water before handing it to him to drink.
There are countless variations, repeated over and over again.
But Wen Yan always accepted his fate passively.
Even when he was exhausted, his face turned pale, his lips were chapped, and he developed a low-grade fever in the middle of the night and was taken to the hospital by Butler Lin, he would only shake his head and say, "It's okay, it's not my fault, sister."
The voice was soft and gentle, like punching cotton; it was utterly boring.
Moreover, Wen Yan had always been thin and timid, with small arms and legs, looking as if he would fall over with a gust of wind.
Sometimes she was afraid that she would hurt him too much and ruin him.
After thinking it over, I gave up on the idea of bothering him.
So the three years following elementary school were generally peaceful.
The days passed by in a blur until they entered junior high school.
That afternoon after school, Wen Zhaoyue, for the first time ever, didn't take a car home. Instead, she, Jiang Shubai, and Wen Yu turned into the alley behind the school.
Wen Yan followed at a distance, and as they passed the alley entrance, he heard muffled thuds and screams coming from inside.
He paused, then glanced inside.
Deep in the alley, three or four boys lay sprawled on the ground, their faces bruised and battered.
Some people were curled up in a ball, clutching their stomachs; some had blood all over their faces from their noses; and some were clutching their wrists that had been stepped on, gasping for breath in pain.
Jiang Shubai was shaking his reddened wrist and rubbing it on his pants with a look of disgust.
Wen Yu leaned against the wall, casually flexing his knuckles, his expression indifferent, as if he had just finished something incredibly boring.
Wen Zhaoyue stood in front of the group.
Backlit, the expression on her face was something Wen Yan had never seen before.
Disgust, indifference, condescension, as if looking at something filthy.
There wasn't a trace of the arrogant and domineering childishness he usually displayed. He searched his mind and could only find one word to describe it.
The judge.
Wen Zhaoyue rolled her eyes and whispered a few words to Jiang Shubai and Wen Yu.
After listening, Jiang Shubai's face revealed a malicious smile.
He quickly rummaged through his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a packet of chili powder, his movements as practiced as if he had done it countless times.
Wen Yu chuckled and took out a lighter from his pocket. He didn't light it, but just flipped the metal casing between his fingers, making a crisp "click" sound, one after another.
Jiang Shubai grinned, unscrewed the mineral water bottle, poured the entire packet of chili powder into it, shook it, and squatted down in front of the boys.
"Hey guys, weren't you all pretty talkative just now? Thirsty? Have some water to moisten your throats."
The boys tried desperately to shrink back, but Wen Yu kicked them back one by one.
Jiang Shubai grabbed the leader's chin and forced half a bottle of chili water into his mouth.
The man was choked so badly that tears and snot streamed down his face. He lay on the ground coughing violently, his throat sounding like it had been burned, emitting hoarse howls.
Wen Yu, holding a lighter, slowly approached another boy's hair.
Before the flames even touched him, the man was already trembling with fear and begging for mercy.
Wen Yu didn't actually burn it, but just flicked it near his ear with a "pop" and then snapped it shut, over and over again, until the man broke down and cried.
The remaining two were forced to squat in the corner, each with a paper cup balanced on their heads. If either of them dared to move, Jiang Shubai would splash the remaining chili water on their faces.
After the two had finished playing, Wen Zhaoyue slowly walked forward.
She used her toes to lift the chin of the leader, forcing him to look up at her.
His gaze was cold, as if he were looking at a pile of mud.
"If I see you touching girls again, or spreading rumors about them—"
She spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but every word carried a chilling coldness.
"Don't blame me for breaking that piece of yours."
As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled her foot back and stomped hard on the man's hand lying on the ground. The knuckles made a slight "crack" sound, and the man let out a shrill scream.
Wen Zhaoyue withdrew her foot expressionlessly, turned around and gave Jiang Shubai and Wen Yu a high-five in turn.
The three of them, arms around each other's shoulders, left the alley chatting and laughing.
His silhouette, bathed in the sunset, looked as if he had just finished a fun and righteous game.
Wen Yan stood quietly in place, motionless.
The scene from earlier kept replaying in my mind: the girl was backlit, her face contorted with disgust like a poisoned knife, every word carrying an unquestionable judgment.
He was trembling, he was excited.
Something he couldn't explain well welled up in his chest and got stuck in his throat; he couldn't swallow it or spit it out.
What if, what if his sister looked at him with that same gaze?
If one day she discovers that he is not the obedient and docile younger brother he appears to be at all, and that his approach to her was from the very beginning driven by ulterior motives, calculations, and ulterior motives.
Does she see him that way too? Like he's a pile of filthy stuff?
Will he end up like those people from before, trampled underfoot and begging for mercy?
Thinking of the childish pranks his sister had played on him in previous years, Wen Yan suddenly laughed.
It turns out that his sister went easy on him.
She would never act like that when she truly hates someone.
And what about her relationship with him?
He lowered his eyes, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
In the alley, the men who had been beaten were getting up, cursing and swearing.
"Damn it, that bitch."
One man, clutching his swollen lip, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, "One day I'll make her kneel and beg for mercy..."
"Exactly, isn't it just because their family is rich?"
The other rubbed his aching back, his face full of resentment, "My family isn't poor either, why would I be afraid of her?"
"Just you wait," the third man said, leaning against the wall as he stood up, his eyes filled with malice. "I'm going to get my hands on her no matter what, then we'll see how arrogant she is."
The man in the lead slowly got up, his wrist, which had been stepped on, was swollen and he was in so much pain that he was gasping for breath.
He stared at the alley entrance, his face full of resentment, and squeezed out each word through clenched teeth.
"What, the eldest daughter of the Wen family? She's just a little bastard abandoned by her parents. She'll get her own turn eventually, and when I catch her, I'll have my way with her."
As soon as they finished speaking, the group exchanged a knowing glance, their laughter laced with nauseating malice.
Wen Yan stood at the alley entrance, listening quietly.
The setting sun sank behind him, casting his shadow long and long, stretching into the depths of the alley.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were like ice.
My sister is still too kind-hearted.
Such a filthy creature won't learn its lesson from a beating.
If you're going to remember something, you have to remember it deeply.
It will be etched into my bones, into my blood, and into the rest of my life. Whenever I think of this day, I tremble all over.
He lowered his head and suddenly laughed.
Then he lifted his foot and slowly walked over.