KM: Chapter 23

When You Chen returned to the classroom, Ji An's desk was already empty. The principal had detained him in the office, and Ji An's parents had taken him away. Ji An's last glance back was filled with emotions so deep they were unfathomable, including grievance, sadness, pain, determination, regret, and guilt. And a fondness so intense it could be felt in a single glance.

You Chen couldn't grasp it. The sight of Ji An's swollen left cheek pained him deeply, as if he had swallowed a heap of glass shards, cutting his throat and causing such agony that he wanted to roar, yet the pain was so intense he couldn't make a sound.

He watched Ji An's silhouette gradually blur, watched the office door close. He was detained in the office for one class period, and forty-five minutes felt like a lifetime.

Their life together seemed to have already ended.

After being released from the office, he ran frantically back to the classroom, but it was too late. Ji An was gone, his belongings were gone, and Ji An had disappeared. All traces of Ji An were slowly withdrawing from his world.

In despair, You Chen kicked a desk, finding himself unable to even shout. Ji An wasn't mute, but Ji An had rendered him mute.

Thus, he finally understood the pain of being unable to voice one's emotions. Ji An had suffered like this, unable to speak of his pain or fear, unable to say 'stop' or 'don't do this,' unable to even verbally resist violence.

You Chen sat dejectedly on a chair, staring at Ji An's desk for a long, long time.

As school was about to end, he suddenly remembered something, grabbed his backpack, and rushed out of the classroom. The classmates all watched his figure fly out, unanimously sensing the sadness of impending loss.

You Chen ran to Ji An's house as fast as he could, then raised his hand and knocked forcefully on the door, repeatedly calling Ji An's name, loudly calling Auntie, asking to see Ji An.

No one responded to him, yet the light from the window clearly indicated someone was there.

You Chen called many times, but receiving no response, he could only lower his voice, pleading with a humility he had never shown before.

"Auntie, I beg you, let me see Ji An."

"Ji An, come out and see me."

Ji An was locked in his room. You Chen's voice was so loud that he heard it, but all he could do was cry.

From beginning to end, he seemed to be constantly crying, shedding tears meaninglessly. He couldn't do anything; he was always so useless, unable to protect himself or help others.

The only thing he could do for You Chen was to minimize the impact You Chen would suffer.

You Chen didn't stop his pleading until his legs went numb and his throat began to sting. Only then did Ji An's mom open the door from inside.

Meeting You Chen's surprised and delighted eyes, Ji An's mom turned her face away and said, "You should go. I won't let An An come out to see you. Also, we've already bought tickets. Tomorrow, we'll leave this place."

You Chen stood there, stunned, his fingers starting to tremble uncontrollably, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound.

"An An won't cling to you anymore. Don't try to find out where we've gone, and don't come looking for An An again."

"It's An An who was thoughtless. I apologize on his behalf."

Ji An's mom gave You Chen one last look, said 'go,' and closed the door.

You Chen stared blankly at the door. The twilight behind him gradually faded on his white shirt, casting a glow on his silhouette, making it appear even more desolate as night fell.

More painful.

You Chen just stood there, for a long time, until he felt that his life with Ji An had truly ended.

When he turned around again, the sky had grown dark. He didn't know what time it was. Xu Ren called him, asking how he was and where he was. He said, "Xu Ren, help me arrange a meeting with Zhou Yin."

"Huh?" Xu Ren was taken aback. "But You-ge, after what he did, he probably won't dare come out tonight."

You Chen looked at the endless asphalt road, paused for a moment, and said, "Please, I'm begging you."

Xu Ren was so startled he nearly dropped his phone.

"No, no, bro, don't, don't. I'll do everything I can to get it done for you, okay? Don't be like this, don't be like this."

"Bro, don't be like this."

Xu Ren's voice was noticeably trembling.

"You're making everyone uncomfortable, bro."

You Chen let out a light laugh, so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Help me arrange a meeting with him. Just send me the location."

"Okay, bro, wait for me. Don't rush."

"Alright, thanks."

You Chen hung up the phone, went to the supermarket, bought a dozen beers, took them to the supermarket entrance, sat on the furthest edge of the stairs, and began to drink bottle after bottle.

He seemed like a down-and-out vicious dog, the natural oppressive aura in his demeanor hadn't dissipated, yet was forcibly mixed with too much despondency, as if his spine had been broken in a fierce fight, trying hard to straighten his neck but having to bow.

He was arrogant and conceited, savage and domineering, always getting what he wanted no matter what. He had never been a good person, with a temper so foul and actions so reckless that he had received countless disciplinary actions, his name known far and wide.

He had never lost a battle.

This one defeat was about to crush his bones, making him too pained to lift his head.

You Chen wished he could get drunk, wake up, and continue holding Ji An, asking if being with him made Ji An happy. But the more he drank, the clearer he became, knowing he could never hold Ji An again.

The phone in his pocket rang a few times. He opened it to see the location Xu Ren sent, stood up, gathered the trash, threw it away, and took a taxi to the location.

When You Chen arrived at the bar, Zhou Yin was heavily intoxicated.

Xu Ren really knew him well, knowing to arrange the meeting here.

He intended to kill Zhou Yin in front of everyone.

You Chen casually picked up a bottle of wine and threw it with great force in Zhou Yin's direction. The bottle shattered with a bang on Zhou Yin's left shoulder. Zhou Yin cried out in pain, and before he could react, You Chen grabbed his collar and landed a vicious punch on his face. He nearly lost consciousness, his head buzzing, his mouth opening but unable to make a sound.

People screamed, some jeered, and You Chen picked up a broken bottle nearby and stabbed it into Zhou Yin's stomach. Zhou Yin let out a low roar, blood gushing over You Chen's hand.

You Chen threw away the bottle, grabbed Zhou Yin's hair, dragged him from the sofa to the ground, and then stomped hard on Zhou Yin's face. Zhou Yin shuddered violently and spat out blood.

Xu Ren stood nearby, his heart pounding, shouting, "You-ge! Take it easy! Don't kill him!"

You Chen paused, stopped his actions, bent slightly to take a bottle of wine from the table, opened it by knocking it on the table corner, straightened up, and downed half the bottle in one go. Then he turned the bottle towards Zhou Yin's face and lifted it high, pouring the remaining wine down.

Just as Xu Ren breathed a sigh of relief, the next second, You Chen smashed the bottle hard on Zhou Yin's head.

The screams and cheers in the room reached their peak, and You Chen's eyes were filled with blood.

"Damn! You-ge!"

Xu Ren hurriedly rushed over to hold You Chen, forcefully pulling him back.

"You-ge, calm down, okay? Don't kill him, it'll cause trouble, you know? Don't, calm down."

You Chen broke free from Xu Ren, gave Zhou Yin one last kick, then collapsed onto the sofa behind him, closing his eyes.

"Drag him out, send him to the hospital, I'll cover the medical expenses."