Chapter 27

"Who are you calling honest?" Yue Bin stared at Lu Chi in shock. Trembling, he pointed at Zhuo Yue and said with inexplicable grief and indignation, "Don't let him fool you. He's not honest at all! Do you know how badly he tricked me back then? That bastard's an irresponsible scumbag! A lying scumbag who tattles, too! He totally screwed me over!"

Even now, Yue Bin still couldn't get over that nightmare scene: he had kindly brought late-night snacks for the study group, only to be caught red-handed by the homeroom teacher and his own older brother on his way back to the library—

Damn it, when he got home, he was subjected to a powerful parental double-team beating—his dad had actually pulled down his pants, pinned him over his knee, and spanked him! Worse still, his older brother had used the family camcorder to record the whole thing. Afterward, he even threatened Yue Bin with the video—if he ever dared skip school or cut class again, he'd show it to Yue Bin's friends and let all of Yanjing know how humiliating it was...

Ever since he could remember, the school heartthrob had never dropped his idol baggage. How could he possibly let his friends see that video? His older brother's brutal actions had not only left Yue Bin with severe psychological trauma, but also made him hate Zhuo Yue, that accomplice, even more—if it hadn't been for that friend-selling bastard, how could he have ended up like this?!

He had to place in the top ten of the entire grade on exams, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to expose where his dad hid his secret stash in front of his mom, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to expose which male celebrity his mom had recently praised as handsome in front of his dad, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to badmouth his older brother in front of his future sister-in-law, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to tattle on his parents or older brother to either set of grandparents, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to imitate other students by dating early, fighting, skipping school, or cutting class, or the video would be released; he wasn't allowed to pick out the chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, carrots, green peppers, and cilantro from every meal, or the video would be released; during summer and winter breaks, he had to follow his older brother around and familiarize himself with the company's business, and he wasn't allowed to use being underage as an excuse to roam the world while abandoning his older brother to slave away at home alone, or the video would be released...

Ever since his crafty older brother had recorded that video and used it to threaten him, Yue Bin felt like his whole world had gone gray. To outsiders, he was still the dazzlingly handsome, flawless school heartthrob who worshipped freedom and loved life—supposedly. But Yue Bin knew perfectly well that he was no longer the Yue Bin of old! That accident had left an indelible stain on his life. Tragically, he had no power to resist. He could only make compromise after compromise under his older brother's tyrannical oppression.

But none of this should have happened in the first place!

If not for... if not for the betrayal of a friend he trusted, Yue Bin would have had a chance to avoid getting caught! Yet Zhuo Yue, the snitch, had ruined everything. The funny thing was, before he got caught, he had even been worrying that the study group members were working too hard and had specifically bought them late-night snacks!

Regret clung to Yue Bin like gangrene in the bone. Whenever he recalled what had happened back then, he couldn't help cursing himself for being such an idiot, for trusting people too easily. So every time his older brother effortlessly threatened him with that video, Yue Bin hated Zhuo Yue, the informant, even more. Even though Yue Bin knew Zhuo Yue hadn't really done anything wrong, he still couldn't accept that a friend he had acknowledged would betray him...

Lu Chi: "..."

Though Lu Chi couldn't decipher the secret buried in Yue Bin's heart from the complicated shifts in his expression—dark one moment, bright the next, then red, then white—he could still sense Yue Bin's genuine mix of grief, indignation, humiliation, and fury. It left Lu Chi somewhat puzzled—

It was only getting tattled on for skipping school and cutting class. Even if he held a grudge, there was no need to react this intensely, was there?

The study group members were also shocked by Yue Bin's excessive agitation. They instinctively looked at Yue Bin, then at Zhuo Yue, who sat expressionlessly in his seat, and couldn't help asking, "Hey, you didn't do something else to him afterward, did you?"

Zhuo Yue was a little baffled himself. He carefully reviewed everything he had done and said uncertainly, "Probably... not?"

In truth, Zhuo Yue hadn't interacted much with Yue Bin. Yue Bin had only been in the study group for less than a week before he couldn't stand the boredom any longer and led his friends over the wall to an internet café. After Zhuo Yue confirmed that Yue Bin wouldn't be returning for evening self-study, he called the teacher and Yue Bin's parents. That was why Yue Bin was caught red-handed when he returned to the library. The next day, Yue Bin angrily quit the study group. After that, he and Yue Bin never had any contact again!

To be honest, Zhuo Yue still remembered how livid Yue Bin had looked when he was caught. Zhuo Yue had truly been a little scared, worried Yue Bin would retaliate afterward or even find some way to beat him up!

Yet after that day, Yue Bin never spoke to him again. Even when they ran into each other at school, Yue Bin acted as though he hadn't seen him, as if they had never known each other.

Zhuo Yue remained on edge for more than half a semester. Only after Yue Bin showed no sign of making a move did he gradually relax.

Zhuo Yue said with complete certainty, "Absolutely not. Just that one time."

Absolutely not?

Noticing Zhuo Yue's oddly confident tone, the study group members exchanged looks, unsure what to say—somehow, it felt like the truth wasn't that simple!

Zhang Yang, Yue Bin's longtime best friend who had been by his side the whole time, narrowed his eyes in displeasure. He snorted, folded his arms, and looked down at Zhuo Yue with a grim expression as he delivered a profound truth: "Betrayal only needs to happen once. Who would give you a second chance?"

Zhuo Yue: "..."

He rubbed a hand over his face, wanting to argue that what he had done wasn't betrayal. But when his gaze swept over Yue Bin's inexplicably grief-stricken and indignant face, he found that he lacked the confidence to say it.

Maybe, in Yue Bin and his friends' eyes, what he had done really was betrayal.

Sure enough, people who walked different paths couldn't work together!

Zhuo Yue gave a self-mocking smile—in truth, he rather liked Yue Bin. Yue Bin was unlike every other classmate he had met. He was warm, sincere, eager to help others, quick-witted, and seemed able to get along with anyone. With him around, even the atmosphere seemed much happier. Unfortunately, their values meant that he and Yue Bin were destined never to become good friends—