BDBE 6

Chapter 6 After School

After the match, Shen Wanchao was suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Omega classmates. Their eyes sparkled, and they were eager to interview him about his feelings after defeating Zhou Mingchen. 

It seemed that Zhou Mingchen wasn’t the only one who was convinced of his victory. 

Fang Chi, Huo Tingsong, and Yu Tianqing walked up to Zhou Mingchen. Fang Chi, who still hadn’t gave up, asked, “Chen’er, are you really not going to play games tonight?” 

Zhou Mingchen took the jacket he handed him, put it on, and nodded: “A bet is a bet. You three go play.” 

Fang Chi made a bitter face: “If you and Shen-ge aren’t going, what’s the point of just the three of us?” 

As he spoke, Shen Wanchao finally escaped from the Omegas’ encirclement, just in time to hear the audacious Fang Chi still trying to persuade Zhou Mingchen to go. 

“Don’t stay up too late either,” Shen Wanchao kindly advised. “Go home and rest early.” 

Fang Chi was still unwilling to give up. 

Zhou Mingchen was about to advise him to do it next time, but before he could speak, Huo Tingsong patted him on the shoulder and said, “You and Mingchen have been spending almost every night in the internet cafe this week. It’s good to take a few days off.” 

Fang Chi snorted, “You guys can play at home, but I can’t!” 

His anticipated weekend gaming session was ruined, and Fang Chi could only squat down and draw circles to express his resentment. 

Huo Tingsong looked at Shen Wanchao and introduced himself, “My name is Huo Tingsong, and this guy is Yu Tianqing. We’re in Class 13.” 

Huo Tingsong, the kid from the Huo family. 

Shen Wanchao not only recognized him, but had even held him when he was a child. However, he could only pretend it was their first meeting and nodded, “Shen Chao.” 

Huo Tingsong smiled gently. He possessed a maturity beyond his years, and his outstanding appearance made him the undisputed class heartthrob secretly elected by the students. 

He glanced helplessly at Fang Chi, who was sulking, and suggested, “Since we’re not going to the internet cafe, why don’t we go somewhere else to play? It’s the weekend, and it’s a bit of a waste to go straight home.” 

Zhou Mingchen looked at Huo Tingsong strangely. 

Didn’t this guy say before that going out to play was not as good as staying home to do homework? 

Yu Tianqing was worried that Huo Tingsong would have to go home to study, but upon hearing this, he quickly offered his suggestion: “How about going to sing karaoke?” 

However, Shen Wanchao was not moved by the charm of the class heartthrob. He wiped his sweat and shook his head: “No, I have to do my homework.” 

He also thoughtfully reminded the others: “You should also go home early and not run around outside.” 

Zhou, Fang, Huo, and Yu: “…” 

Why did they see the shadow of their mothers in Shen? 

This must be an illusion. 

“Hmm.”

“—”

“10…”

“9…”

“3…” 

“2…” 

“1!” 

“Ding Ding–”

Amidst the countdown of the boys in the back row, the bell rang precisely on time. The moment the teacher said “Class dismissed,” some students packed their bags and ran out of the classroom like rockets. 

Usually Zhou Mingchen and Fang Chi were among the first to flee the classroom after school, but because their gaming session tonight was canceled, Fang Chi’s fragile spirit was shaken, so his packing speed was comparable to that of a sloth. 

Zhou Mingchen, for some reason, was unhurried. 

After the sun set, the temperature dropped. Shen Wanchao took out a scarf from his bag, carefully put it around his neck, and tied a knot. After putting on the scarf, Shen Wanchao stood up and said to Zhou Mingchen, “Go home early and be careful.” 

Zhou Mingchen picked up his bag and slung it over one shoulder: “Let’s go together.” 

When he looked up, Zhou Mingchen caught a glimpse of the scarf around Shen Wanchao’s neck and couldn’t help but pause. 

In the blink of an eye, Shen Wanchao had already walked a few steps away. When he saw him still standing there, he turned back in confusion: “What’s wrong?” 

Zhou Mingchen came back to his senses: “Oh, nothing.” 

Zhou Mingchen remembered that his dad also had a scarf exactly the same as Shen Chao’s. However, scarves of this brand were basically all the same plaid stripes, and it was very common to have the same style. 

After walking a few steps, Zhou Mingchen was still a little concerned and couldn’t help but ask: “Is it so cold that you need to wear a scarf now?” 

Qiongying City was located in the south, and the temperature in early spring was still above ten degrees. Zhou Mingchen, who was a furnace who was afraid of heat but not cold, had long since changed to a single layer of clothing. 

Shen Wanchao subconsciously touched the side of his neck and replied: “Because my glands are underdeveloped, I easily get a fever once I catch a cold.” 

Zhou Mingchen did not expect that this was the reason. His ears turned red suspiciously. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he obediently shut his mouth. 

School had just ended, and the corridor was crowded with students laughing and talking as they left school. 

The two passed by the door of Class 4 of Grade 11. Zhou Mingchen accurately found a figure in the crowd. 

The slender figure doing his cleaning duty with a broom happened to look up and see Zhou Mingchen. 

A flash of disdain crossed Zhou Mingchen’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft snort. 

Because the weather had been brought up, Shen Wanchao grabbed the hem of Zhou Mingchen’s shirt and patted it. His fatherly nagging started kicking in: “Speaking of which, you’re dressed too lightly. Don’t you know what ‘spring cover and autumn freeze’ means? It’s the changing season, you can easily catch a cold. Don’t freeze yourself just to look cool…” 

Before he could finish, Zhou Mingchen suddenly grabbed Shen Wanchao’s upper arm and spun him around 180 degrees. 

Shen Wanchao was caught off guard: “?” 

Zhou Mingchen calmly made up an excuse: “I forgot something, let’s go back and get it.” 

“Oh.” Shen Wanchao didn’t suspect anything, and accompanied him back. 

The two turned and left. A girl leaned out of the classroom at the entrance of Class 4 and said to the person standing outside, “Lin Anyi, you can leave after you finish sweeping. I’m going to throw away the trash.” 

Lin Anyi’s gaze shifted from Zhou Mingchen’s receding figure, and he nodded, “Okay, thank you.” 

A few minutes later, the two returned to the classroom. Zhou Mingchen rummaged through his desk drawer a couple of times, then said he hadn’t forgotten anything and suggested they go. 

Shen Wanchao scrutinized him from head to toe, and genuinely asked, “Have you really been staying up too late and damaged your brain? Should we go see a doctor?” 

Zhou Mingchen: “…” 

He would hold Lin Anyi responsible for this. 

After a while, the two finally walked out of the school gate and were met by a low-key yet luxurious black Maybach. 

The window rolled down, and Zhou Hui’s smiling, handsome face appeared. 

He completely ignored his own son beside him and greeted Shen Wanchao enthusiastically, “What a coincidence, Xiao Shen, it’s great to see you again.” 

Zhou Mingchen: “…” 

Shen Wanchao chuckled and said, “Uncle, don’t you have anything to do?” 

Zhou Hui: “…”

Zhou Mingchen, who had been going to and from school independently since fifth grade, was enjoying the rare treat of being driven around by his father. Once seated in the back seat, he began to wonder what had gotten into his father today. 

Shen Wanchao quietly took off his scarf and handed it to the front passenger. 

“Thank you for the scarf.” 

Zhou Mingchen snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Shen Wanchao, then at his father, and suddenly realized that the scarf might actually belong to his dad. 

Zhou Hui didn’t take it; he continued to look ahead as he said, “Even though it’s March, it’s still cold in the mornings and evenings. Wear it.” 

Shen Wanchao silently withdrew his hand, seemingly willing to accept it. 

The hairs on the back of Zhou Mingchen’s neck stood on end. Without thinking, he snatched the scarf and threw it onto the passenger seat: “He’s right, who wears a scarf this time of year? Put it away!” 

Shen Wanchao was startled, then realized that Zhou Mingchen was angry. 

After his outburst, Zhou Mingchen crossed his arms and turned to look out the car window, adopting a “don’t talk to me” stance. 

The atmosphere inside the car instantly became awkward. Zhou Hui didn’t speak again and focused solely on driving. 

Twenty minutes later, the Maybach stopped on the street opposite Tao Yan’s house. 

As soon as Shen Wanchao opened the door to get out, Zhou Hui remarked, “What a coincidence, a friend of my husband’s also lives in this neighborhood.” 

Shen Wanchao pretended not to hear, and politely smiled, “Thank you for bringing me back, Uncle. Goodbye.” 

After saying goodbye, Shen Wanchao closed the door behind him and left without looking back.

Zhou Hui chuckled, started the car, and parked in an empty spot on the side of the road. Zhou Mingchen sensed something was wrong. He turned off his “don’t talk to me” mode, and asked, “Why aren’t you moving?” 

The car was already off. Zhou Hui took out his phone to reply to messages, and answered, “Wait a little while.” 

“Wait for whom?” Zhou Mingchen frowned. 

Zhou Hui pretended not to hear and continued replying to messages. 

Zhou Mingchen’s mind was in turmoil, he leaned forward and questioned, “That scarf belongs to my dad, right? Why did you give it to Shen Chao?” 

Zhou Hui still didn’t look up, and only lazily gave a “Hmm.” 

This confirmed the first question but didn’t answer the second. 

He had a bad feeling, and Zhou Mingchen’s anger flared up. His breathing became heavy, and he wanted to grab something and punch it, but he gritted his teeth and held back. 

His family hadn’t mentioned it to him, but Zhou Mingchen had his own circle of friends, and he wasn’t unaware of the recent rumors about his father. 

They said Zhou Hui was getting close to an intern at the company, and they’d even been photographed going to a hotel together. 

Zhou Mingchen thought of Huo Tingsong, whose family background was similar to his own, but who had a half-brother born out of wedlock. Even though he and his mother knew about it, they could only turn a blind eye. 

Zhou Mingchen had tried to comfort Huo Tingsong about this, but the guy just chuckled and said it was nothing unusual; almost all of his dad’s friends were involved in affairs, and he was used to it. 

At the time, Zhou Mingchen had said that his father wasn’t, which earned him only a knowing smile from Huo Tingsong. 

Now it seemed the guy was right; his father wasn’t different, he just pretended too well. 

What was going on today? Did he grew tired of the intern secretary, and was now trying to break the law with a minor? 

Zhou Mingchen was furious. He snatched Zhou Hui’s phone and threw it onto the passenger seat, forcing him to look up. 

“Where’s my dad? He’s been gone for days, have you looked for him? Are you getting a divorce? Give me a straight answer.” Zhou Mingchen’s tone was irritated. 

Zhou Hui raised an eyebrow in surprise, he even smiled: “After all these days, you finally remembered to ask about your dad. I thought you’d forgotten about him.” 

Zhou Mingchen immediately felt guilty. He opened his mouth only to close it again, unable to say anything. 

After several attempts, he gave up, and simply sat back down before looking out the window again: “Forget it, don’t bother. I don’t care about your business.” 

It was school dismissal time, and cars were coming and going outside the window. On the zebra crossing not far away, a mother was walking hand in hand with her little daughter. The girl said something, which made the mother’s eyes crinkle with laughter. 

The unique warmth between parent and child was revealed in these smiles. 

The unbearable silence lasted for an unknown amount of time before Zhou Hui suddenly asked: 

“You still have a year before you become an adult. If your dad and I really divorce, who do you want to live with?” 

Without thinking, Zhou Mingchen replied: “I want to live with my grandparents.” 

Zhou Hui: “…” 

Zhou Mingchen huffed, and continued to look out the window. 

Suddenly, Zhou Mingchen recalled the night Shen Wanchao came to the police station to take him home. He was indeed very angry, so angry that he didn’t speak to him all night, but the worry in his eyes when he rushed into the police station was genuine. 

Zhou Mingchen suddenly felt ridiculous, pathetic enough to search for evidence that Shen Wanchao cared about him from such a memory. 

Divorce is divorce, it makes no difference to him anymore. 

Zhou Hui saw his son’s expression clearly in the rearview mirror. He was, after all, just a sixteen-year-old boy; Zhou Hui could see right through him. 

“I won’t divorce your dad.” 

For a moment, Zhou Hui had the urge to make such a promise. 

But the instant he was about to say it, Zhou Hui remembered the mark that had suddenly disappeared, and ultimately, he became dejected and said nothing. 

… 

Shen Wanchao took out his key and opened Tao Yan’s door. 

As soon as he stepped inside, before he even had time to take off his shoes, he sensed an unusual atmosphere in the air, so he stopped and held his breath. 

It sounded like someone was arguing in the room. Tao Yan’s voice was rather soft, and it was hard to hear what they were saying through the door. But the other person was less restrained; his furious roar came through clearly: 

“How long are you going to let that pale-faced¹ boy of unknown origin stay in the house?!”

1. 小白脸, xiǎo bái liǎn refers to a young, good-looking man whose appearance is considered delicate or effeminate. It often carries a derogatory implication that he depends on a woman for financial support. ↩︎