After school, Lin Wanwan went to the back door of the school as usual, preparing to feed the stray cat.
"Hey, Wanwan." A familiar voice called out to her.
Lin Wanwan turned around and saw Li Zeyu walking towards her. The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.
She still remembered the first time she met Li Zeyu was also at this place.
That day, she was squatting in the corner, feeding the stray cat. Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded behind her, "No wonder Pany has gotten so chubby recently. It turns out you've been feeding it."
Lin Wanwan turned around and saw a tall, handsome boy smiling at her.
She nodded a little shyly and said, "Pany? Is that the name you gave it?"
"Yeah, I used to be the one feeding it. Hello, I'm Li Zeyu, the student council president." The boy reached out his hand and introduced himself cheerfully.
"Hello, I'm Lin Wanwan." Lin Wanwan stood up and shook his hand.
Just like that, the two became friends because of a stray cat.
Since then, Li Zeyu would often "run into" Lin Wanwan here, chat with her about school affairs, or feed the cat together.
Gradually, Lin Wanwan found that in front of Li Zeyu, she could be herself without any reservations.
"Wanwan, what happened to your face?" Li Zeyu asked with concern.
"Ah, it's nothing. I accidentally bumped into something." Lin Wanwan didn't want Li Zeyu to worry.
Li Zeyu frowned, seeming not to believe her, but didn't press further.
After feeding the cat as usual, the two parted ways to go home.
As Lin Wanwan was about to walk to the place where the driver usually picked her up, suddenly, a few figures flashed out from the shadows and blocked her way.
Leading them was none other than Zhang Xuefei.
"Isn't this our school beauty Lin Wanwan? Hanging out at school so late, how shameless." Zhang Xuefei said mockingly, and the delinquent boys behind her let out vulgar laughs.
Lin Wanwan's face turned pale. She subconsciously retreated but was blocked by the wall behind her.
"Zhang Xuefei, what do you want to do?" She pretended to be calm, but her voice was trembling.
"What do I want to do?" Zhang Xuefei laughed gloomily, "Of course, to teach you a good lesson, you bitch, and let you know the consequences of angering me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the delinquent boys behind her rushed up with clubs in their hands.
Lin Wanwan screamed and closed her eyes in fright.
But the expected pain didn't come.
"Stop!" An angry voice roared.
Lin Wanwan opened her eyes and saw Li Zeyu appear out of nowhere, blocking in front of her.
"Li Zeyu, don't meddle in others' business." Zhang Xuefei obviously didn't expect Li Zeyu to show up.
"I can't just stand by and watch you bully Lin Wanwan." Li Zeyu shielded Lin Wanwan behind him and said in a deep voice, "Run, Wanwan, I'll hold them back."
Li Zeyu blocked Lin Wanwan and got into a fight with them.
Lin Wanwan wanted to step forward to help but was too scared to move.
In the chaos, Lin Wanwan saw someone take out a knife from his pocket and viciously stab Li Zeyu when he was off guard.
"Be careful!" Lin Wanwan shouted, but it was too late.
Li Zeyu let out a groan and covered his abdomen. Blood seeped out from between his fingers, staining his shirt red.
Seeing this, they were so scared that they threw down their clubs and fled in all directions.
"Senior! Senior, don't die!" Lin Wanwan threw herself over and hugged Li Zeyu.
"Wanwan..." Li Zeyu smiled weakly and took out a small box from his pocket, "This is... the gift I prepared for you..."
His hand gradually dropped, and the box fell to the ground.
Lin Wanwan picked up the box while crying and held it tightly in her hand.
Amid the sirens of the ambulance, she prayed and prayed that Li Zeyu would be alright...
In the hospital, Lin Wanwan sat outside the operating room, her body cold all over.
She looked around. The white walls and pungent smell of disinfectant made her feel incredibly scared.
All of this seemed to drag her back into the abyss.
At this thought, Lin Wanwan's body trembled involuntarily, and tears dripped down.
"Wanwan!" An anxious voice came.
Lin Wanwan looked up and saw Zhou Shen walking over quickly, his face ashen.
His clothes were a bit disheveled, his tie crooked, and his hair a bit messy, obviously having rushed over.
"Uncle..." Lin Wanwan threw herself into Zhou Shen's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Zhou Shen held her tightly, as if he wanted to knead her into his bones.
"It's okay, Wanwan." He whispered in Lin Wan's ear, "I'm here. With me here, no one can hurt you."
Lin Wanwan cried even harder.
Zhou Shen gently patted her back, but his gaze gradually turned gloomy.
He glanced at the blood-stained small box in Lin Wanwan's hand, and his eyes grew even darker.
"That Li Zeyu, he took a knife for you?" He asked, his voice terrifyingly low.
Lin Wanwan nodded and said through sobs, "He saved me, Uncle... But now he..."
"Don't be afraid." Zhou Shen interrupted her, "He'll be fine."
Zhou Shen stroked Lin Wanwan's face distressingly, "Alright, don't cry anymore. Follow Assistant Wang home first, and I'll handle the rest."
"But..." Lin Wanwan looked in the direction of the ward, hesitating a bit.
"He has family to take care of him, you don't need to worry." Zhou Shen said in a tone that brooked no argument, "As for you, you've suffered such a big shock and need to rest well."
Lin Wan nodded weakly, allowing Zhou Shen to lead her away.
Outside the window, the night was gradually deepening.
The hospital lights seemed especially pale.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one.