Zhang Weilei was actually a little younger than Chen Hansheng. After dropping out of school, he lived a rough life, and with Zhang Weiyu protecting him, he had mostly avoided trouble—except for that time he was beaten by Chen Hansheng in front of Hong Kong City High School.
What upset him the most was that Zhang Weiyu didn't want to help him take revenge, and instead, he had gotten to know Chen Hansheng. That beating was all for nothing.
When Zhang Weiyu came to seek refuge with Chen Hansheng, Zhang Weilei was extremely unwilling, but had no choice. Now, Chen Hansheng wanted him to shave off his proud, thick hair, and Zhang Weilei refused outright.
However, when he turned around, Zhang Weilei realized his older brother hadn't come with him.
"Zhang Weiyu is such an idiot. He should be careful, or Chen Hansheng will sell him out!"
Zhang Weilei didn't stop walking and planned to leave the campus, but was blocked at the gate by a security guard holding a rubber baton.
"Leave, but first, give back the money you stole."
"Stole money? Are you crazy?"
Zhang Weilei was already in a bad mood, and being stopped for no reason made him even more irritable.
The security guard thought that someone who stole things would still be so arrogant, and the victim had already called the police.
"I advise you not to be so stubborn. As an outsider who enters the school and steals, I can call the police on you."
The guard's tone carried a heavy warning.
"I'm not stealing anything, damn you."
Zhang Weilei impatiently shoved the security guard aside. "Get out of the way."
"Slap."
The security guard swung the baton.
The guard didn't dare strike students of the school, but for an outsider who entered to steal and dared to resist when being stopped, he had no hesitation.
"Damn!"
Zhang Weilei groaned in pain, clutching his waist. The rubber baton, though wrapped in rubber, was very hard, and its spiral design made it intensely painful to be struck by.
"Slap."
Another hit.
Zhang Weilei collapsed to the ground, unable to stand, and knelt on the ground with a "thud."
"You're such a coward, thinking you're all that."
The security guard spat disdainfully. "I'll notify Chen Hansheng and tell him we caught the outsider who stole his money."
When Chen Hansheng received the call, he was about to go over. Zhang Weiyu originally planned to follow, but Chen Hansheng laughed and stopped him, saying, "Don't go. You won't be able to bear seeing it. I promise it's just some superficial injuries."
Zhang Weiyu, being carefree, nodded and didn't go.
Behind the school gatekeeper's office, there was a storage room for equipment, with fire-fighting tools and rarely any lights. The room was dim and eerie, and Zhang Weilei groaned while being locked inside.
When he saw Chen Hansheng, he spat angrily, "Chen Hansheng, you bastard, you're framing me!"
Chen Hansheng smiled and took out 200 yuan from his pocket, tossing it next to Zhang Weilei. "Who's framing you? This is the money you stole from me."
Zhang Weilei froze. He never expected this kind of turn of events.
"So, your brother is pretty clever. He never conflicts with me, not because I can fight." Chen Hansheng pulled out a pair of scissors from his pocket, grinning as he stepped closer. "It's because I'm worse than you guys."
"What are you doing? Don't come near me, get away!"
Zhang Weilei's struggles were useless, as he couldn't muster enough strength. He could only watch as Chen Hansheng snipped off his hair, "snip snip, snip snip."
As his scalp grew colder, Zhang Weilei finally resigned himself and lay on the cold ceramic tiles of the storage room. He suddenly missed Hong Kong City.
Back then, although he had no money, he was happy and free, without any constraints.
Now, he still had no money, but not only had he lost his freedom, he had lost his hair as well.
At first, Zhang Weilei resented Chen Hansheng, then he blamed Zhang Weiyu. If it wasn't for him bringing him out to work, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
Finally, Zhang Weilei blamed himself. Why did he have to fight in the factory? The conditions there were actually quite good.
As he thought about it, Zhang Weilei started crying.
Chen Hansheng was puzzled. "What the hell are you crying for? Do you know what it means when I help you cut your hair?"
"It means that in twenty years, you'll have something to brag about. In early April of 2003, Chen Hansheng cut my hair."
"Damn you, woo woo woo…"
Zhang Weilei thought, "I'm in this state, and you're still bragging."
Chen Hansheng sighed. The kid just didn't believe it.
After cutting his hair, Chen Hansheng patted his pants and left, instructing the security guard, "This kid is a friend's brother. Just lock him in the storage room for the night to work off his wildness."
The security guard agreed with a smile.
When Chen Hansheng returned, Zhang Weiyu asked how it went.
"Your brother is doing well," Chen Hansheng smiled and said. "He's just a bit too polite. When I helped him shave his head, he was so moved he cried."
…
The next morning, Chen Hansheng went to the storage room to pull Zhang Weilei out and took him back to the business base. Zhang Weiyu could hardly believe it.
His usually arrogant brother had become so obedient. He silently squatted in the corner, shrinking his head while basking in the sun. When a part-time university student accidentally stepped on him while delivering packages, he even voluntarily pulled his foot back.
"You see, the saying 'a filial son is raised by a stick' is not without reason," Chen Hansheng proudly boasted to Zhang Weiyu.
Zhang Weiyu felt some pain and some emotion. He thought to himself, if only I had known, none of this would have happened. All the humiliation in Zhang Weilei's life had been swallowed by Chen Hansheng.
Soon, Shen Youchu returned from the cafeteria with breakfast.
She first prepared Chen Hansheng's breakfast, then he pointed to Zhang Weilei in the corner, signaling for her to bring him a bag.
Sometimes, Chen Hansheng had to play the villain, but the "good person" role would be taken by Shen Youchu, like when she helped Huang Hui wash fruit on the train.
He didn't need these good deeds, but Chen Hansheng was willing to create them for Shen Youchu.
Shen Youchu walked over with a bag of breakfast, gently saying, "Eat something."
Zhang Weilei raised his head. Under the sunlight, the girl, although wearing a mask, had such kind and gentle eyes, and her black hair swayed in the spring breeze.
She was beautiful, but there was not a hint of malice.
"Thank you."
Those words were almost forgotten by Zhang Weilei, but at least he could still recall them in his mind.
Shen Youchu put the breakfast down beside him and returned to room 101. Zhang Weiyu even stood up to thank her.
Chen Hansheng waved his hand with a smile, signaling that it wasn't necessary to be so polite.
Another day passed, and in the evening, Zhang Weilei finally didn't have to sleep in the storage room. There was a ready bed in warehouse 102.
"Brother, have you slept yet?"
Zhang Weilei suddenly asked.
"No."
Zhang Weiyu replied briefly.
"Today, that girl…"
Before Zhang Weilei could finish his sentence, his chest tightened. It turned out that Zhang Weiyu had jumped up, grabbing his chest and making it hard to breathe.
"What the hell are you thinking?!"
Zhang Weiyu, with a grim expression, said, "That's Chen Hansheng's person. You can't even think about her. Didn't last night teach you a lesson? You'll be played to death by him out of nowhere!"
Zhang Weilei stared blankly at Zhang Weiyu, suddenly breaking free from his grip. "I didn't think, and I don't dare to think. I just wanted to say that girl looks like a goddess. Chen Hansheng isn't worthy of her!"
"Can you match her?"
"I'm not worthy either. No one in this world is worthy of a goddess."
After a brief silence in the warehouse.
"Brother, you weren't this afraid of Chen Hansheng before."
"He told me something today. After hearing it, I feel like an idiot."