Scherzo: a light "joking" or playful musical form.
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'How many slams in an old screen door? It depended on how loud you shut it. How many slices in bread? It depended on how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? It depended on how well you live them. How much love inside a friend? It depended on how much you give them.'
That was a quote by Shel Silverstein.
A friendship was about love between friends. The more you loved your friends, the more they would love you back.
Zhou Yongliang thought to himself, 'Am I love my friends enough that now I'm showered by their love?'
He had been wondering about that since this morning. Since he was injured by the 'accidental' throw this morning, he could see how much his friends loved him. He was so thankful that he was surrounded by good people in his life.
Huang Bo was one of the good people in his life. His dear friend patiently held Zhou Yongliang's arm as the two of them walked over to his brother's car which was neatly parked in the yard.
"At this rate, I look like a little kid who is learning how to walk, right, Huang Bo?" Zhou Yongliang was still able to throw a joke at a time like this, making Huang Bo feel a bit annoyed.
"You are hurt, but you still have the energy to joke, huh?" The blonde student asked annoyedly.
Hearing the annoyed tone made Zhou Yongliang giggled. "It doesn't hurt anymore, Huang Bo," he replied casually. "And, why do you think I can't joke around? I was lucky that my nose didn't break earlier. I'm very thankful for that."
"You are such a simple person, Yongliang," Huang Bo commented as he shook his head.
The brown-haired student just grinned at the comment. "I thought Weisheng gege and Guangli would join us today, but I was wrong," he suddenly changed the subject.
"They have something to do this afternoon. Is it not okay if you just go with me and my brother?"
Zhou Yongliang was a bit taken aback by the question. He turned to his side and found Huang Bo pouted dejectedly.
Zhou Yongliang immediately slung his arm over the blonde guy's shoulders. "It's okay, Huang Bo! I'm happy to have our quality time without Weisheng gege and Guangli," he comforted the other boy while smiling brightly.
Huang Bo finally glanced back at him. "Are you sure?" He asked in a hopeful tone, and Zhou Yongliang nodded. "Alright! I'm also happy to spend more time with Zhou Yongliang!"
Zhou Yongliang could only chuckle as he saw Huang Bo's expression changed drastically. Huang Bo was indeed unique and looked like a baby. Only his body was big, but his mind was like a five years old kid.
After walking for a while, they finally arrived at Hwang Jihyuk's black sedan.
"Huang Bo, what's wrong with your friend?" Hwang Jihyuk, who saw his younger brother carefully held Zhou Yongliang's arm, stormed out of the car and walked hastily to the two figures.
"Yongliang's glasses were shattered when we played dodgeball this morning, so he can't see clearly now," Huang Bo explained. "Yang Liu was the one who threw the ball at Yongliang's face on purpose, gege."
Hwang Jihyuk suddenly looked at his younger brother in shock. "Yang Liu?" He asked incredulously. "Yang Liu is your classmate, right? Why did he do it on purpose?"
"I don't know, ge," Huang Bo answered as he frowned. "No one knows the reason, but it was obvious that Yang Liu deliberately threw the ball at Zhou Yongliang's face. The throw was so hard that Zhou Yongliang's nose became swollen and his glasses broke."
Hwang Jihyuk was still quietly digesting his younger brother's explanation. His eyes were also still focused on Zhou Yongliang's face, which looked miserable. The boy's nose was still swollen and red, just like someone who had a cold and couldn't stop sneezing.
"Should we see a doctor now? I'm afraid Zhou Yongliang's nose is broken or something." The older student finally responded after he finished examining Zhou Yongliang's condition.
Just by looking at his face, others would know that he was worried. Hwang Jihyuk's angelic face turned soft and full of concern.
But, to his dismay, Huang Bo shook his head. "He had already been examined by the school nurse and his nose was not broken. Let's just go to the optician to help Zhou Yongliang to order new glasses, gege. Zhou Yongliang lives alone in Beijing, so no one will take care of him," he answered in a sad tone.
Hwang Jihyuk felt even more pity as he looked at Zhou Yongliang. Without needing to think again, the fair-skinned guy immediately guided Zhou Yongliang toward his car. He even helped Zhou Yongliang got into the back seat of his luxury car. He himself sat behind the steering wheel, and Huang Bo sat on the front passenger seat.
The car just started speeding when Zhou Yongliang suddenly asked, "Is it okay for a student to drive a car, gege?"
Hwang Jihyuk smiled as he stared at Zhou Yongliang through the rearview mirror. "It's okay," he answered. "I have my driving license already, so it doesn't matter."
Zhou Yongliang finally nodded in understanding. Huang Bo's family was rich, and rich people could do anything they wanted.
"My brother's school allows their student to bring a car, Yongliang. That's different from our school, right? Our school only allows students to bring a motorbike," Huang Bo chimed in as he pouted.
"Ah, you are right!" Zhou Yongliang replied. "That's why Yang Liu rides a motorbike to school, right?"
Huang Bo was quite shocked to hear the handsome boy at the back seat suddenly brought a topic about Yang Liu.
"You still have the mood to talk about Yang Liu even after what he did to you, Yongliang?" The blonde student asked.
"Uh?" Zhou Yongliang looked confused to hear Huang Bo's question. "I'm not angry with Yang Liu. Didn't you say that Yang Liu is a good person earlier?"
Huang Bo flinched slightly at the question. He secretly peeked at his brother, and it turned out that his brother was also glancing at him. He could only gulp nervously.
"That's right," Huang Bo decided to turn back to Zhou Yongliang again. "Yang Liu is a good person, but he was so naughty today! How could he throw a ball right at your face?"
Zhou Yongliang seemed to not notice the strange atmosphere at the front seat as he chuckled. "Earlier today, you defended Yang Liu in front of Weisheng gege, but now you are slandering him, Huang Bo. I can't understand you," he commented jokingly.
Huang Bo awkwardly scratched his smooth cheek. "I defended Yang Liu because Weisheng was so annoying. But, deep inside my heart, I was also upset to see Yang Liu's attitude," he replied as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
Now, Zhou Yongliang frowned as he stared at Huang Bo. "Do you really not know why Weisheng gege acted like that to Yang Liu, Huang Bo?" He asked curiously.
Once again, Huang Bo secretly glanced at his brother who was still driving calmly. This time, his brother didn't return his gaze and still focused on the road ahead.
After sighing for a moment, Huang Bo turned to Zhou Yongliang again and said, "I really don't know about that, Yongliang. Perhaps Weisheng will tell us about Yang Liu when he is ready."
The boy at the back seat was not satisfied by the answer and still staring at Huang Bo. The blonde boy squirmed in his seat as he shifted his gaze from Zhou Yongliang.
'It seems like Huang Bo is hiding something about Yang Liu,' the brown-haired student couldn't help but wonder in his heart.
Zhou Yongliang was curious, but he didn't want to press Huang Bo anymore. "Alright," he spoke again. "Let's wait until Weisheng gege is ready to tell us, but please don't fight again just because of Yang Liu. It was so scary to see you two fight earlier."
Huang Bo finally chuckled after he heard Zhou Yongliang's response. "Don't worry, Yongliang. We are all best friends, aren't we?"
Huang Bo and Zhou Yongliang smiled at each other. The atmosphere between them felt so warm, and it contrasted with Hwang Jihyuk's cold heart. No one noticed that his grip on the steering wheel tightened as his expression grew darker.