47 : Homophobic

 Song Shi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stiffly looked up at the photo.

The person in the photo was none other than himself, and the other protagonist was Tan Xiuyuan at that time.

At this time, the two were still pretending to be in a relationship. The angle of this photo was tricky, and the two were still in the first semester of their first year of high school.

He had forgotten what he was doing when this photo was taken. Tan Xiuyuan in the photo had grown very tall by then, half a head taller than Song Shi at that time.

The other person was supporting himself on one side of him, his head slightly tilted as he looked at the person in front of him. His back was to Song Shi's tall figure, which blocked half of him, and the exposed side of his head was tilted up to face Tan Xiuyuan.

The warm yellow light from above shone on the two of them, and the atmosphere was ambiguous. Coupled with their actions, it really looked like they were kissing.

Not many people knew that Song Shi was pretending to be in a relationship with the other person. At that time, only Tang Ze and a few others knew, but the two of them were always together. Mainly because the other person was always pestering him, their interactions were more or less seen by others, which made people think that their relationship was unclear.

This photo doesn't prove anything, but if you try to investigate, you'll always hear something.

Song Shi squinted at the photo, then turned to the other person: "Conditions."

Zhang Su smiled at him, then turned off his phone and put it in his pocket: "Simple, kneel down and apologize to me at the freshman orientation tomorrow, and never come back to Yangcheng again."

The man with his hands in his pockets scoffed: "What are you afraid of?"

Zhang Su paused for a moment, then tilted his head: "You're the one who caused the Zhu family's trouble, aren't you? Although I don't know how you got that evidence, our Zhang family doesn't have any shady dealings." "

Is that so?"

The emotions that were about to explode had been suppressed time and time again, but now seeing Song Shi's contemptuous look again, his anger immediately flared up.

Why was he so nonchalant? Why did he act so indifferent? Song Shi, someone like you deserves to go to hell, and I will ruin your reputation!

Zhang Sumeng grabbed Song Shi's collar: "Song Shi! Are you really not afraid? Aren't you afraid...!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a force pulling him backward from his collar, so strong that he couldn't break free. His hand then released Song Shi's collar, and he was pushed backward.

His anger still simmering, he was jerked back: "Damn it! Who the hell is looking for death?!"

The person behind him was tall, wearing only a simple white long-sleeved shirt because of the heat outside. He had tucked the sleeves into his arms while carrying things, revealing his strong arms.

He was considerably taller than Zhang Sumeng, with a few strands of hair damp with sweat clinging to his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes lowered, coldly glaring at him. It was already afternoon, and the sun was slowly setting.

Sunlight streaming through the window shone on half of his profile, while the other half disappeared into darkness.

Such a person appears exceptionally terrifying when expressionless, and with their broad arms, no one wants to provoke them. Zhang Su, being a man of pragmatism, quickly shut his mouth.

The other person was withdrawing their outstretched hand when Zhang Su saw them fall silent. He straightened his disheveled collar, glanced at Song Shi, and then walked away.

Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped. The person who had grabbed him earlier took another step to the side, firmly blocking his path.

Zhang Su, lacking any fighting skills, could only swallow hard: "What are you doing!"

"Your words seem to have upset my childhood friend. Perhaps you could apologize to him?" The person's face was completely obscured by sunlight, the entire face backlit and shrouded in darkness, their tone devoid of emotion.

"Why should I…!" Before he could finish, his henchman tugged at his sleeve: "Brother Zhang… the Chen family…"

Zhang Su took a deep breath. Just you wait! He turned to Song Shi: "I'm sorry!"

Then, swallowing his anger, he quickly left. When

Chen Zhoumu finished moving his things and came upstairs, he saw this scene. The two were at the bottom of the stairs. Although Song Shi

's view was somewhat blocked and his expression was blurry, he still felt uncomfortable with the other person. Sure enough, as he approached, he saw that the other person was blocking Song Shi's way, and the person in front was talking loudly. Although Song Shi didn't easily show his emotions, he still sensed something after spending so much time with the other person.

Chen Zhoumu couldn't bear to see Song Shi like this. Although he didn't know or hear what the two were talking about, he subconsciously sided with Song Shi.

Song Shi stared blankly at the person who came. To be honest, he didn't care who it was now—he would even accept it if it was Tan Xiuyuan—just not Chen Zhoumu. He didn't know what he had heard, or how much he had heard.

He lowered his head slightly, wanting to go back downstairs. He didn't want to talk yet, and he didn't want to hear what the other person was asking, because at least for now, he hadn't thought of a reason to brush him off.

However, the other party didn't want him to leave, and even seemed determined to keep him there. Song Shi didn't make any big moves, still keeping his head down and not looking at the other person. The two stood at the top of the stairs, and finally Chen Zhoumu spoke.

"Who is that person? I overheard your conversation with Tan Xiuyuan last time. You went to Xia City because of a fight, was it him?"

Song Shi's hands, which were in his pockets, clenched slightly, and then he nodded slightly.

Don't ask, don't ask me anything. Even if you ask, I'll just make up excuses for you. So, please don't ask me, a voice whispered in Song Shi's heart.

After a long while, he still didn't hear the other person's voice. Just when he thought the other person was going to give up, his head was lifted slightly by a force.

It turned out that Chen Zhoumu, who was standing in front of him, cupped his face in his hands. He felt the touch on his cheeks, and the warmth of the other person's palms warmed his skin. Because of the other person's action, Song Shi had to look up at him.

Chen Zhoumu lowered his gaze to Song Shi, a hint of seriousness creeping into his usually carefree, flirtatious eyes. He spoke, "Song Shi, I won't interfere much. I want you to tell me your story willingly, so don't hide from me or be afraid of knowing anything. Even if I know, I'll stand by your side without hesitation."

These words struck Song Shi like an axe, leaving him stunned. He hadn't expected such a statement. He expected Chen Zhoumu to ask many questions—why he fought with that person, what they had said, and whether anyone else was involved.

But Chen Zhoumu asked nothing. Instead, he said he would stand by Song Shi's side no matter what. He had never heard such words before, not even from Tang Ze when this incident occurred.

Their eyes met, and Song Shi met Chen Zhoumu's now slightly more formal gaze, then nodded slightly and gently slapped Chen Zhoumu's hand away.

"I understand." I'll tell you someday.

Chen Zhoumu watched as the other person put their hands back into their pockets and then walked downstairs. If one day he really wanted to tell him these things, he would tell Song Shi his secret, regardless of whether the other person accepted it or not, he thought.

Zhang Su, having just swallowed a mouthful of resentment, was now looking at the information at the back door, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

[Boss, the investigation into the Zhu family has been completed; it was Zhu Mingjing who betrayed the Zhu family.]

He scoffed at the information. The Zhu family deserved it; such people were born evil. Even if they were found, as long as they had Zhu family blood flowing through their veins, how could they be good at heart? Moreover, the head of the Zhu family was using Tong Ru as leverage to control her.

Perhaps Zhu Mingjing had been planning to bring down the Zhu family from the day he entered. Although his early life wasn't comfortable, he had at least lived a decent life. But after entering the Zhu family, wasn't everything controlled by Zhu Youting?

The fate of a pitiful person is just a piece of paper in the hands of those in power, easily blown away by the wind. So, from the moment she returned to the Zhu family, she had been doing dirty work for Zhu Youting.

Those so-called "students" were just a front; the Zhu family's biggest business was the gray human trafficking industry chain in cooperation with Singapore.

Zhu Mingjing selected suitable students in economically underdeveloped places like Xia City, luring ignorant, naive, and unexperienced adults or minors to the infirmary, taking photos or forcing them to do things. With these methods, he could better control that group of people.

The children they selected were all from divorced families or orphans. Giving the parents a sum of money would sever all ties with the children.

These children would then be transported to Singapore's red-light district to be used as tools for men or women.

Zhu Youting's biggest mistake was kidnapping Tong Ru to Singapore; perhaps no one knew that Zhu Mingjing actually had feelings for his mother.

Zhang Su was lost in thought when the cigarette burned his fingertips, bringing him back to his senses. Then, a message popped up.

[Brother Su, I found out about Chen Zhoumu in Xia City. He's well protected by the Chen family. The information I found was mostly trivial, except that his health seems to be poor.]

[And he seems homophobic.]

Zhang Su's furrowed brow relaxed after seeing the next message. He gave a slight smile and whispered, "Homophobic? This is interesting."

He then swiped his phone, and the photo from the stairwell popped up again. Anyone could misunderstand at first glance, let alone someone who hates homosexuals.

Song Shi, what will you do this time? This time, neither Tang's sycophant nor Tan Xiuyuan came back. Looks like they're going to be abandoned again, aren't they? Did they think

they'd be better off just because they left Yangcheng for somewhere else? Dream on! Even if I go to hell first, I'll drag them down with me.

A few people were crammed into Chen Zhoumu's room. They were all from Xiacheng No. 1 High School who had come to Yangcheng together. Although the students in Class 1 weren't familiar with Song Shi, they got along well with Chen Zhoumu.

There was a person with lighter-colored hair among them. The others were chatting. Song Shi had just been pulled into Chen Zhoumu's dorm, but he didn't know there were other people there. He had only been in Class 1 for less than five months.

Plus, he didn't interact much with others, so he didn't know many people. But he recognized this person; he was the classmate who had joined the volleyball team at the last minute.

Sure enough, after a while, the person approached. He was a little shorter than Song Shi, with brownish hair. Only when he got closer did Song Shi notice that the other person's eyebrows were also a light color.

The other person spoke first: "My name is Zhang Qianyi. We played ball together before, do you remember?"

Song Shi nodded. The other person was a bit too enthusiastic, and then the others who were chatting with him also gathered around.

Chen Zhoumu went to the restroom, so he wasn't in this space. The room was well soundproofed.

Zhang Qianyi smiled, revealing a pair of bright white teeth with prominent canines on either side. He laughed heartily: "By the way, how did you get so close to Chen Zhoumu?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's the first time I've seen him treat someone so well. Even He Xi doesn't always get this kind of treatment."

"And you've only been here a short time, but he seems to take good care of you. Did you know him before?"

The others chimed in after hearing the voices.

Song Shi looked at their gazes and then put his phone away: "Why do you ask that?"

"Ahem." Someone glanced instinctively at the restroom door, and after seeing nothing, looked away. The heads of the others began to gather in the middle.

The person began in a breathy voice: "I heard Mu Ge is homophobic! Meaning, how could someone like that be so close to a guy?"

"And anyone who knows about the campus gossip knows about him, but there are actually CP (couple) posts about you two!" (

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