Chapter 23

Thinking this, Li Jichuan forced himself to regain focus.

Today, he found it unusually hard to concentrate.

“I think… your idea is good. If it hasn’t caused you too much trouble, it’s worth a try.”

Seeing him agree, Su Pu relaxed completely, a smile blooming across his face.

So sweet, the dimples in his cheeks were full of honey.

Li Jichuan felt his heart stir again. Before letting an even more improper expression show, he used being busy with work as an excuse to send Su Pu away.

Su Pu left the office smiling, feeling accomplished, but before leaving, he felt there was still something he needed to confirm…

Yet he couldn’t remember.

Back at the café, he washed his hands, put on his apron, and stepped into the prep area from the break room.

Passing the cashier, he saw Ouyang helping a customer wearing a cycling helmet place an order.

The customer’s skin was pale, eyes cast down, avoiding any eye contact.

Ouyang’s voice carried a little, “Sir, this size is large, and this one is extra-large. Which would you like?”

The customer simply shook his head.

“Hey, no—I mean, which size would you like? You have to tell me…” Ouyang raised his voice, thinking the customer hadn’t heard him.

Su Pu stepped in. As a person with a disability, he was extremely sensitive to such situations.

The person across from him might be hearing-impaired.

He waved toward the little helmet and began signing.

The kid in the helmet quickly looked up, saw him, and excitedly stood on tiptoe.

“Uh, I… I can hear.”

The little helmet took two steps back and bowed toward them.

“Last… last night… thank you… for helping me… I’m here… to say thanks.”

Su Pu and Ouyang exchanged glances for a moment.

Last night… helping him out…?

Looking at the “little helmet” in front of them—slim, pale—Ouyang realized the fight last night might not have been about Su Pu at all.

Half an hour later, Su Pu and Ouyang had clocked out. Su Pu made three cups of coffee and carried them to a corner table in the shop.

The little helmet had been removed, revealing neat, chestnut-colored short hair, skin so pale it seemed almost translucent.

“Th-thank you both… for last night,” he mumbled, fidgeting at his neck.

Ouyang waved him off. “No problem. Chivalry is kind of my style… but can you tell me exactly what happened last night?”

The boy glanced at him in surprise, then lowered his head and sighed quietly.

Why did everyone keep asking him to talk? He just wanted to go home.

Su Pu typed out a message and showed it to him:

【We got drunk last night. Could you tell us what happened?】

The boy continued fidgeting with his neck, his pale skin now flushed red—almost unnervingly so.

Ouyang stopped him. “Hey, you’re already red… don’t worry about that. What’s your name, by the way?”

The boy kept his head down and after a long moment said,

“Pei Zhicheng.”

“Oh, Pei Zhicheng… that’s a nice name,” Ouyang said with a smile, waving a hand in the air.

“My name’s Ouyang. This is Su Pu. I go to University A; he’s already graduated. How about you?”

Pei Zhicheng, having just lowered his hands from his neck, raised them again at the mention of himself, instinctively fussing with his skin.

Ouyang realized—this kid probably had some kind of compulsion. He had a roommate like that once, who washed their hands so much during finals they literally rubbed the skin raw.

“Never mind, just tell us what happened last night,” Ouyang said gently. “No need to fuss with your neck.”

“Uh…”

Pei Zhicheng took several deep breaths before speaking.

“Last night, I… was cornered by a group of thugs. They… tried to force me to go with them. And then… you… appeared.”

Pei Zhicheng quickly glanced at Ouyang.

“You kicked one of them down, and then they tried to lift you… and you… shielded me… told me to run…”

Ouyang listened, recalling the scene—yes, that seemed familiar.

“And then?” he asked.

“They lifted you…,” Pei Zhicheng said.

“Huh??” Ouyang was confused. “I didn’t fight back?”

Pei Zhicheng shook his head quickly.

“You got hit in the stomach… twice.”

Ouyang muttered softly, “No wonder my stomach hurt this morning…”

“And then… did they hit you too?”

Pei Zhicheng shook his head again. “No… no.”

He looked at Su Pu. “Then… you and your boyfriend… appeared.”

Su Pu froze, a big question mark in his mind.

【Boyfriend?】

“Yes… you were sitting on his lap. You two came out in the wheelchair…”

“…”

Su Pu and Ouyang fell silent.

They hadn’t gotten out yet… looks like they rode all the way home sitting down…

Pretty convenient, actually.

Su Pu finally reacted:

【So… did the person with me get hit?】

Pei Zhicheng shook his head.

“He fought them off…”

Ouyang could hardly contain himself. “Huh?”

“Wait… you mean a guy in a wheelchair, one-on-two, beat both of them?”

Pei Zhicheng obediently nodded. “Y-yeah, you could say that.”

“One of them held you, the other tried to grab Su Pu, and then… his wrist got twisted by your… boyfriend.”

Ouyang’s mind was blown.

Pei Zhicheng continued.

“The remaining one… went after him, but Su Pu kicked him a few times. He even bit his hand, sat on top of him, hit him, and yanked his hair…”

Ouyang turned to look at Su Pu, who seemed completely serene.

Bro, you fight like a beast?

Su Pu rubbed his jaw—no wonder his mouth hurt today.

Biting… that explains it.

No wonder Li Jichuan had given him that weird look this morning—he must have been shocked.

Even Su Pu was surprised at his own combat strength.

Perhaps the moment he realized someone was threatening Li Jichuan, he went absolutely berserk.

“Anyway… anyway, that’s how it went. Before long, the police arrived, along with your… driver, and then they left.”

Ouyang and Su Pu both felt a profound awakening, as if they now understood the world—and themselves—on a whole new level.

“But… how did you even find us?” Ouyang asked, baffled.

Pei Zhicheng pulled out Ouyang’s part-time work ID from his pocket.

“You… you dropped this…”

“Oh, thanks!” Ouyang exclaimed, clutching the ID like a treasure. “I thought I’d lost it. Replacing it would’ve cost two hundred…”

Pei Zhicheng shook his head frantically.

“No, no, I mean… thank you. Thank you for helping me, for saving me…”

Ouyang blushed, scratching the back of his head with a goofy smile.

“Oh… it’s nothing.”

Pei Zhicheng nodded earnestly.

“This… this was really important. My psychologist has me do regular socialization training to build awareness—awareness that if a crisis hits, I need to escape. But when I couldn’t protect myself, you gave me hope…”

Ouyang and Su Pu were both silent, struck by the weight of his words.

Ouyang clenched his fists, holding back tears.

So he hadn’t been as useless as he thought. Even when drunk, unconscious, and powerless, he could still step up for someone else in danger.

If a person’s entire life is just about fame or fortune, that’s so shallow.

If given a choice, he’d rather be an ordinary, kind person—someone who stops injustice when they see it, who cries when life hurts…

A person with a clear conscience, who stands by justice—life wouldn’t be wasted.

Thinking this, Ouyang’s eyes reddened, and he looked at Pei Zhicheng gratefully.

“I… I should thank you, too.”

A flash of confusion crossed Pei Zhicheng’s eyes.

Thank you, for showing me that every act of effort and kindness never truly goes to waste.

That goodwill will return in another form, at the perfect moment, giving strength to the one who gave it, allowing them to face the world bravely, no matter how long the journey…

Meanwhile, Su Pu’s thoughts were also in turmoil.

Running away in danger is a human instinct.

So why had he been able to overcome that instinct, fully embracing the danger that came toward him?

He knew that many things in his heart needed an outlet.

He had to face them, overcome them, to live a calm, ordinary life.

But it was… so hard.

A few days later, Su Pu and Ouyang set up a pop-up booth for their brand on A University’s campus.

The theme this time was to teach people about coffee.

The event included hand-brewed coffee tutorials and a workshop for making scented candles from coffee grounds.

Both activities required immense time and patience. During downtime, Su Pu and Ouyang handed out surveys produced by Li Jichuan’s company to the students.

Since they had nothing better to do, the students cooperated, answering seriously.

Each of them took responsibility—one for the coffee class, one for the candle workshop—occasionally nodding to each other across the tables.

When Su Pu gestured to invite Ouyang for a meal after the session, Ouyang gave him a quick “OK.”

Su Pu smiled contentedly, lowering his gaze to the students diligently filling out the questionnaires.

After an activity requiring high concentration, the brain naturally stays focused for a while, making the responses more sincere than incentivized or phone surveys.

Aside from the A University pop-up, Su Pu contacted colleagues from other stores to help collect survey answers.

Being a flagship location, their requests were taken seriously, and the submitted responses were of high quality.

In the afternoon, the sun was bright.

Sunlight caught on Su Pu’s eyelashes, softening his entire being.

“Su—Pu—”

But the voice echoing in his ears immediately dragged him into a cold pit.

Su Pu opened his eyes and sluggishly turned around.

Behind him stood Su Hui, face flushed with anger.

“You’re deliberately messing with me, aren’t you?”