Once Zhou Anyang had composed himself, he put on a magnanimous air and continued, "Everyone, don't blame our Shu Le. He's used to acting this way. I'm usually so easygoing that I've spoiled him."
Xiang Lin hated pretentious people more than anything. He tossed his empty cake plate onto the table, feeling uncomfortable all over after listening to Zhou Anyang.
"Zhou Anyang, don't you disgust yourself, talking like that?" Especially since he knew about Zhou Anyang and Jiang Gechen's schemes. "You spoiled him? Seems to me you're the spoiled one!"
Everyone's expression shifted. After all, Xia Shule was the heart of their group, not Zhou Anyang. But Zhou Anyang was clearly putting himself in charge now, and that made them all more or less uncomfortable.
Ruan Jiaojiao sighed and spoke up bluntly. "I've been holding my tongue for ages. Are you saying Shu Le slit his own wrist just to frame you? Honestly, don't take this the wrong way, but if Shu Le hadn't hung out with you, I wouldn't have given you the time of day!"
Zhou Anyang's eyes instantly reddened. He knew Ruan Jiaojiao was blunt, but he hadn't expected her to dare speak to him so directly. "Isn't that a bit much? What about everyone else? Do you all think that too?"
Zhou Anyang looked around. These people were like robots, not one of them willing to speak. Even Wang Nuosen merely looked at him.
He knew they had simply been oppressed by Xia Shule for too long.
Now that things had come to this, Zhou Anyang felt he couldn't keep pretending. There was no point in playing along with Xia Shule anymore. Everyone would surely know who was right and who was wrong. He might as well lay his cards on the table. He still had Brother Jiang backing him, after all.
Looking at their faces, he felt increasingly wronged. He had never fit in, right from the start. Xia Shule had never genuinely wanted him around, so why should he keep treating him sincerely?
He had only wanted to punish him, not actually kill him. Did they really have to gang up on him like this?
"You can stand Xia Shule's oppression, but I can't! Every one of you is willing to swallow your grievances just to cling to the Xia Family, fawning over a completely useless rich brat! If anyone else has had enough, come with me!"
Zhou Anyang spoke with righteous conviction and fiery passion, moving even himself. He firmly believed he could snap them out of it with his rebuke. He was clearly no different from Xia Shule, except he didn't oppress everyone.
If these people were willing to put him on a pedestal the way they did Xia Shule, he would definitely treat them well too!
Watching him, Xia Shule figured he was all fired up now.
Fine, if you're all fired up, I'll add some fuel. "Anyone want to leave with him? I won't stop you."
This was a good chance to see exactly what kind of person he, Xia Shule, was in everyone's eyes.
Did they all think the same way as Zhou Anyang? At that moment, Xia Shule felt a little unsure of himself. After all, before his awakening, his character really had been spoiled and willful.
The room was quiet. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Zhou Anyang frowned, looking as though he was risking everything as he heroically defended the others. "Shu Le, don't threaten them."
"?" Okay, okay. Xia Shule actually laughed.
Still, there was dead silence. Unsure, Zhou Anyang lifted his head and looked around at everyone.
He discovered that they were all looking at him strangely. Some had their arms crossed, others had their chins raised. In short, every one of them looked proud, with a trace of... increasingly obvious hostility.
They... had really been brainwashed by Xia Shule for too long!
Panic rose inside Zhou Anyang. "Don't listen to his threats. As long as we fight back together, there's nothing he can do. Besides... besides, Brother Jiang is on my side. You all know what's going on!"
Xia Shule scratched his head, finally catching on. So this whole performance meant Zhou Anyang saw him as a bully? As a landlord oppressing the peasants?
So that's it. No wonder Zhou Anyang was so hostile toward him. He had cast himself as the victim all along.
Silence hung over the room, everyone wearing an expression that was hard to describe.
Finally, the boy who had asked why Brother Jiang wasn't there-Zou Xueyu-spoke. "Uh... then why don't you just leave, Anyang?"
"Huh?" Zhou Anyang couldn't believe it. "You've all been brainwashed by him, haven't you?!"
That has to be it! The Xia Family must have threatened all of them! Otherwise, there's no way this could be happening.
Zou Xueyu found it hard to say, but he still pursed his lips. "If Shu Le hadn't helped you back then, those people would've beaten you to death. All these years, we've treated you as one of us. If that's how you feel, just leave on your own."
Zhou Anyang's eyes went wide. He didn't believe these people really thought that way.
Of course. How could I not understand? These people are all sons and daughters of prominent Jingjiang families. Why would they hang out with the son of some nouveau riche? They'd never give up a chance to suck up to Xia Shule.
If they look down on me, they should just say so. Why come up with all these roundabout excuses?!
For power and influence, they could actually put up with Xia Shule like this, refusing to cast off their shackles with him. The world was just that mercenary. Zhou Anyang admitted that he had lost because of his family background.
The room was quiet. Everyone agreed with what Zou Xueyu had said.
Xia Shule looked around. Every face was expressive and resolute. This was the world of a novel, but these people were his good friends. This was the world he had grown up in.
Zhou Anyang slapped the table and stood, as though he had made some great decision. "You all look down on me. Fine. Xia Shule, we'll see about this!"
He turned and strode toward the door. Just as his hand closed around the handle, Ruan Jiaojiao spoke.
"You're the one who looks down on yourself."
"..."
Zhou Anyang said nothing. He tightened his grip on the handle, pressed it down, and left.
Xiang Lin said, "Let me know once you get the evidence. I'm going to beat the shit out of them!"
Ruan Jiaojiao said, "Forget 'them.' Just beat up Zhou Anyang. Jiang Gechen's trained in Muay Thai. You can't take him."
Xiang Lin said, "..." He looked up at the ceiling, pretending he wasn't embarrassed.
Chen Jin said, "What just happened... It feels like a dream... I never even realized he was actually...!"
Xiang Lin said, "It would've been a miracle if you had..."
He Jiaping said, "Once someone's inferiority complex gets bad enough, they start thinking everyone's bullying them."
Zou Xueyu said, "He's actually thought this way all along? What an ungrateful bastard!"
Ruan Jiaojiao said, "You can't expect everyone to be grateful. Everyone's different. You've learned your lesson this time, haven't you, Xia Shule?"
Xiang Lin said, "The more I think about it, the angrier I get." (He clenched his fists.)
Chen Jin said, "I used to think he was just introverted. Turns out he was bottling up all those strange ideas."
Wang Nuosen sat off to one side with his head lowered and eyes downcast. He hadn't said a word, and no one knew what he was thinking.
They chatted for quite a while before Ruan Jiaojiao became the first to notice Xia Shule zoning out. His eyes were blank, his thoughts elsewhere.
Ruan Jiaojiao assumed he was upset about Zhou Anyang's betrayal. "Xia Shule, what are you thinking about? Just be more careful about who you trust from now on. Don't dwell on it!"
Xia Shule abruptly came back to himself. He hadn't actually been thinking about Zhou Anyang.
He had been wondering... if these people also broke free of the plot's control, would they still defend him the way they did now? Was it genuine affection or the plot? He was a little confused.
Xia Shule smiled. "I'm fine. He's nothing."
Xiang Lin knew he wasn't happy and assumed Zhou Anyang was the reason, so he kept finding ways to cheer him up throughout the meal.
The mood was cheerful and harmonious, as though that little fiasco had never happened.
They even agreed to head somewhere else afterward for a few drinks.
Of course, Xia Shule had completely forgotten he was injured. He ate with great enthusiasm and just as happily agreed to go to a bar.
"Young master~ Your phone's ringing! Your phone's ringing!"
Xia Shule's phone rang. The ringtone was a recording of a parrot he had kept in high school. Back then, whenever a call came in, the parrot would shout those words. Eventually, Xia Shule had simply recorded it and used the audio as his ringtone.
It had been Xia Shule's first pet, and he had been terribly reluctant to part with it. With this ringtone, it felt as though it was still by his side.
The caller ID showed Yan Zhiyi.
Oh, has that damned man finally made up his mind?
Hmph. What did he even need to think about for so long?
"Hello?" A smug look appeared on Xia Shule's little face.
"Be at the Yan Residence before nine."
It was rather noisy on the man's end. Xia Shule could faintly hear a woman crying and making a scene, along with the sound of things being smashed. In short... it was a mess.
But he didn't give it much thought.
"What?" Xia Shule could hardly believe his ears.
He pulled the phone away to check the time. Eight o'clock.
It would take at least an hour to get there from here. How was he supposed to arrive before nine? Had that damned man gone mad?!
"I'm..." Before he could finish saying, "I'm out," he put the phone back to his ear, only to find that the other man had already hung up.
*...?*
Forget it. My life's on the line. Besides, I'm the one asking him for a favor.