Chapter 13 The One I Could Cling To
Our dean was a strict woman, and Zhou Ke was my classmate.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses and looked quiet and restrained. I had hardly ever spoken to him.
But after the rumors about Mu Weiyi spread, he stepped in to help me.
Because his mother ran the grade, the issue was handled quickly. The students involved got punished, apologized to me, and wrote self-criticism reports.
After things calmed down, I found Zhou Ke to thank him.
Only then did I realize he looked quiet but was actually very talkative.
In just a few sentences, he found common ground and brought us closer.
"I have a younger brother too, and we're close. So I can understand how you feel about losing your sister."
"Don't take other people's words to heart. Older siblings like us are always easy to misunderstand, aren't we?"
His tone was gentle and easy, like someone I had known for years.
It was almost funny—someone as lowly and selfish as me was always drawn to people this upright and kind.
I put on my mask again, pretending I really was a sister grieving her lost little sister, and kept talking with Zhou Ke.
"Could it be that you, Zhou, have suffered misunderstandings because of your brother too?"
"That's a long story." He smiled, neither confirming nor denying. "But my brother is just like your sister—very lovable. You would understand."
I couldn't help it. I grew closer and closer to Zhou Ke.
He became the only person I could hold on to in the middle of all this.
That same year, the county government issued new policies. They cracked down harder on child trafficking. Cameras went up everywhere in public areas. A special task force was even set up for missing women and children cases.
That meant the chance of finding Mu Weiyi had increased.
The more uneasy I felt inside, the more desperately I wanted to stay near Zhou Ke.
He never showed the slightest impatience. Instead, he showed almost saint-like tolerance and even shared his own past.
"After my father died unexpectedly, my mom raised me and my brother alone. My brother... he's a special child. But he's lively and often says funny things to make Mom laugh. Naturally, she favors him more."
When he said that, he lowered his head and pushed up his glasses.
I couldn't see his eyes clearly, but I sensed a trace of loss.
Those small, imperfect moments made me like him even more.
Even... feel sorry for him.
"Then do you ever..." I gathered my courage and asked carefully, "do you ever feel a little envious of your brother?"
He didn't answer right away. After a silence, he gave a small nod.
I almost burst into tears.
Such an excellent, upright boy was—in some way—my kind too.
We became good friends. We talked about everything. No suspicion. No holding back.
Then one day, after I yawned, Zhou Ke leaned over.
"Nanfang, did you not sleep well last night? Your dark circles look pretty bad. How long has it been like this?"
I mumbled that it had been a while.
The next day, he secretly pressed a few pills into my palm.
"I have insomnia too. I get medicine from the hospital on a schedule. Take these. If you can't sleep, just take one. It's fine."
His face fell when he saw my hesitation.
"What... even you don't trust me?"
I gave in and closed my hand around the pills.