FIO CH69

Chapter 69: A Decade of Unrequited Love

The scene shifted rapidly, like pages of a book being flipped through at high speed, skipping over the unimportant parts in between, turning over in an instant.

Dreams are always abstract and elusive; the person involved doesn’t feel anything amiss but instead feels immersed in the experience.

Physical education class, free activity time. Zhou Zheng wandered outside the class, standing in the farthest corner, with a purplish-red mark on his lips, his hands in the pockets of his school uniform, and his eyes vacant as he let his thoughts drift.

A group of girls crowded over, and Zhou Zheng quickly moved aside. They chattered in front of the bulletin board, discussing: “This row is all outstanding graduates. Let’s see if there’s any handsome ones…”

“Those who get on this list are all bookworms; there’s no way they could be handsome.”

“Well, actually, the quality here is quite good. Look at the first and third ones; they’re incredibly handsome and have great grades!”

“Let me see… Wow, really!!!”

“The fifth one is not bad either!”

“I like the first one the most. He’s the most handsome. When he smiles, his eyes curve like a crescent moon.”

This description reached Zhou Zheng’s ears, and he blinked, showing some reaction. He looked up. The first place on the honor board featured a familiar face, matching the contours of the young man, with curved eyebrows and eyes.

It was him. Looking further down, it read Class Three, Grade Six, Lu Fangchi. The introduction mentioned that he was an outstanding graduate who had attended a provincial key junior high school…

Zhou Zheng’s eyes, dark as a malevolent spirit’s, lit up. He stared intently at the photo. Knowing his name and school, Zhou Zheng felt as if he had found a new direction. After class, instead of staring blankly at the ceiling, he began to write diligently, working hard. After wasting a stack of draft paper, he finally wrote a thank-you letter that he considered perfect in his heart.

On a Friday of a certain week, he skipped the last class of the day. With the thank-you letter, which had gone through countless drafts, in his pocket, he followed the map and walked for an hour to Lu Fangchi’s school.

It was still early, and the school gate was deserted. Zhou Zheng found a corner of the wall to stand in, his eyes fixed tightly on the entrance. His palm was sweating, and he was rehearsing his opening words in his mind.

Time ticked by slowly. When the “ding-dong” of the class bell rang, signaling the end of the day and the music for going home began to play, the school gate slowly opened, and the cheerful voices and laughter of teenagers in their prime came from within.

Zhou Zheng straightened his body, instinctively took a step forward, then stepped back, stretching his neck and staring intently at the entrance, afraid of missing that familiar figure.

After about ten minutes, Lu Fangchi’s outstanding figure appeared at the school gate. He was accompanied by the thin boy from that night, as well as two other young men. One had dark skin but a cheerful smile, with a wristband on his hand and a basketball in his arms. The other wore rimless glasses, occasionally pushing the frames with his middle finger, exuding an air of scholarly refinement; he was likely an academic star.

They all seemed so outstanding and dazzling, a world apart from Zhou Zheng, who felt like a rat in the gutter. If he were to approach them now, he would surely disrupt the harmonious scene. Zhou Zheng’s feet were nailed to the spot, and he didn’t move an inch until their figures disappeared and the students at the school gate had all left.

That day, he returned home in a daze, with the sky completely dark. Li Xia, as usual, was not at home, and fortunately, Zhou Dawei wasn’t there either. Zhou Zheng escaped a beating and lay in bed, alone with his feelings of inferiority…

Grass that grows in the crevices of rocks is always resilient, and so is Zhou Zheng. After that day, he didn’t continue to be depressed but instead became full of energy. With a goal to chase, he was determined to study hard, get into Lu Fangchi’s school, and be worthy of him, so that one day he could stand by his side with pride.

Zhou Zheng felt as if he had unblocked the Ren and Du meridians and began to study furiously. He had a lot of catching up to do. Li Xia and Zhou Dawei couldn’t afford to pay for tutoring, so he kept running to the teachers’ offices to ask questions over and over again.

No teacher would refuse a child who is serious, hardworking, and ambitious. Moreover, Zhou Zheng was smart and quick to understand. Coupled with his diligent night studies, he climbed to the middle of his class within half a year, made it to the top within a year, steadily improved in the final semester, and finally broke into the top ten in his grade, fulfilling his wish to be admitted to the No. 1 Junior High School, Lu Fangchi’s school.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, in the early hours of the morning, a thin figure stealthily and nimbly climbed into the school, ran to the honor board, took out a small knife prepared in advance, cut open the curtain, and took away the photo of the top student.

On the path of chasing Lu Fangchi, Zhou Zheng always seemed to be one step behind. There was an insurmountable gap and an awkward age difference of three years between them.

This meant that when Zhou Zheng entered junior high, Lu Fangchi was graduating from the third year of junior high and moving on to high school. When Zhou Zheng reached high school, Lu Fangchi graduated again and entered university. When Zhou Zheng finally followed him into university, it was a four-year program, but the damned internship period was beckoning to the graduating students, and Lu Fangchi was no exception. After the internship, he didn’t come to school much, and this seven-year pursuit was always marked by missed opportunities.

Moreover, Zhou Zheng’s inner timidity and inferiority complex always got in the way. Countless thank-you letters he had written were never sent. He always retreated after just a distant glance at the school gate. He wanted to wait, to hold back. To wait until he was more outstanding and then make a stunning appearance in front of Lu Fangchi.

But opportunities never wait for anyone, and fate is always playing tricks. Zhou Zheng realized that his seven-year pursuit and the obsession with gratitude had subtly undergone a qualitative change. The nocturnal emissions during puberty, the discussions and fantasies about sexual objects, and the pounding heart all reminded Zhou Zheng that this was love.

So this is what love feels like. Zhou Zheng looked up at Lu Fangchi, who was speaking as an outstanding graduate representative on the stage, and his heart was filled with immense joy.

For the first time, he was grateful to his younger self from seven years ago. Thank goodness you worked hard; otherwise, the gap would be too wide.

But reality always goes against one’s wishes. After the graduate speech, Zhou Zheng sneaked backstage to get a few more glimpses of Lu Fangchi, only to find a delicate and lovely omega clinging to his side.
The omega pouted her red lips and cooed as she handed water to Lu Fangchi, “Brother Chi, here’s your water.”

Zhou Zheng’s Adam’s apple trembled, and he told himself internally that this was all normal. Lu Fangchi had always been popular, having topped the school’s popularity list for the most desirable partner for four consecutive years. It was only natural that people would fawn over him.

Zhou Zheng watched as Lu Fangchi reached out to take the water, his Adam’s apple rolling as he drank, “Gulping” sounds escaping his throat, a few drops of water spilling from the corner of his lips and trickling down his smooth, delicate neck. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded at the omega who was acting coquettish towards him, “Thank you.”

“I’m thirsty too, let me have a sip,” the omega said again.

Zhou Zheng’s brows furrowed instantly at the unreasonable request…

However, without hesitation, Lu Fangchi hesitated for just two seconds before handing over the half-drunk bottle of water he had been drinking from to the omega.

The omega smiled sweetly, her voice even more cloying, “Thank you, Brother Chi.”

Their interaction naturally caught the attention of others backstage, who began to whisper amongst themselves, “Are they together?”

“Judging by that behavior, it seems pretty likely.”

“A persistent woman can wear down even the hardest heart. Xie Xing has been after him for a year now; even a stone would have been warmed up by now.”

“Ugh… My crush has been so effortlessly won over? I should have tried harder to pursue him.”

“Haha, he always seemed like the type who would be easy to get with a bit of persistence.”

“Well, at least Xie Xing is good-looking. It’s better than him ending up with someone unattractive, right?”

“I’ll just wait for a breakup.”

Love and heartbreak happened on the same day, like a roller coaster ride, soaring to the heavens one second and then plunging into the abyss the next. Zhou Zheng’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a hand, the pain almost unbearable, making it hard to breathe. He stumbled out of the backstage area, dazed and disoriented.

Then he stepped into a black vortex, and his entire body kept falling downward into the darkness. Zhou Zheng thought he was about to crash to his death, but he landed steadily on the ground.

The audience was filled with flashing cameras, the bright flashes blinding. A host nearby was asking, “Mr. Zhou, what are your thoughts on winning this game award?”

Zhou Zheng glanced to his right again; Lu Fangchi was standing less than half a meter away from him. The realization that they were on the same stage to receive an award made Zhou Zheng’s heart race.

He should have been excited, joyful, and ecstatic. His hand was on the microphone handle, but the words that came out were uncontrollable, “It’s great, but it would be even better if I weren’t with someone.”

The innuendo was too obvious, and the audience erupted in an uproar. Liu Zhu, sitting in the front row, was frantically blinking and giving signals. The executives from Lu Fangchi’s company had their faces more or less stiffen with embarrassment.

However, the person on stage, Lu Fangchi, smiled and leaned down to the microphone with great magnanimity, “I’ll take your words as a good omen. Zira will stand on an even bigger podium.”

A brilliant retort, met with applause from the audience.

At the banquet, Lu Fangchi noticed Zhou Zheng walking straight towards him with a glass of champagne in hand. He was about to quietly slip away when he was cornered by the other party.

Lu Fangchi moved to the left, and Zhou Zheng followed to the left. Lu Fangchi moved to the right, and Zhou Zheng followed to the right. No matter what, he was determined to find something to do, to cause trouble for Lu Fangchi.

Zhou Zheng raised an eyebrow and spoke sarcastically, “Don’t like me?”

Come on. Who exactly doesn’t like whom? Lu Fangchi sighed inwardly, narrowed his eyes, and put on a fake smile, “How could I?”

“Enough,” Zhou Zheng cut through his insincerity, irritably saying, “There’s no one else around, stop pretending.”

Lu Fangchi’s smile disappeared in an instant, and he coldly looked at Zhou Zheng, “Move aside.”

Zhou Zheng ignored him, standing still like a wall, tilted his head back to finish the champagne in one go, and looked deeply into Lu Fangchi’s eyes, moving his lips, “Don’t you have any other impression of me?”

Lu Fangchi furrowed his attractive brows, puzzled by the alpha’s inexplicable words, “What other impression should I have?”

“Besides being arrogant, looking down on everyone, and being indifferent to others,” Zhou Zheng asked seriously, even a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.

Lu Fangchi didn’t understand, thinking he was having another episode, and sneered, “It seems you have a good self-awareness.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out, glanced at it, and put it back without answering.

The phone persisted in ringing, again and again. Lu Fangchi lightly furrowed his brows and heard Zhou Zheng ask, “Aren’t you going to answer? Maybe it’s something important.”

This seemed to strike a chord with Lu Fangchi. He pursed his lips, took out his phone, and brought it to his ear, preparing to step aside to a corner to answer the call.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zheng still wouldn’t let him go, using the same trick to block his way like a hawk catching a chick, raising his eyebrows with a provoking look, “Answer it right here.”

The voice of Xie Xing came through the receiver, and Lu Fangchi had no choice but to stand still and say, “Hello.”

“Brother Chi, I’m drunk. Come pick me up,” Xie Xing’s drunken voice came through, followed by the noise of heavy metal rock music.

Xie Xing’s love for nightclubs was the catalyst for their breakup. Lu Fangchi’s brows furrowed into a frown, and he bluntly reminded her, “Xie Xing, we’ve broken up. You should take care of yourself before you drink.”

Xie Xing ignored these rational words and just repeated drunkenly, “Come pick me up. Are you coming or not?”

It was impossible to reason with a drunk person. After a week of the cold war, this was the result. Lu Fangchi hung up the phone with great disappointment.

Zhou Zheng’s voice sounded in front of him, “You broke up?”

How amusing. The alpha actually looked delighted, his bright eyes and cheerful demeanor showing his joy.

So eager to see his own embarrassment? Lu Fangchi pursed his lips into a straight line and retorted, “Mr. Zhou’s interest in other people’s love lives is just like that of the village gossip.”

With that, Lu Fangchi walked around Zhou Zheng and left.

Zhou Zheng couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up. The more he thought about it, the wider his smile became, revealing his neat teeth.

Feeling that his smile was too unrestrained, he straightened his back, looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, and then smiled again.

He walked briskly through the underground garage, casually jingling the keys in his hand, whistling a tune as if something extraordinarily joyful had happened.

It was indeed a joyous occasion. After three years, he was finally about to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Zhou Zheng stepped into the car with his long legs, stepped on the gas, and drove out. The car sped along the overpass, overtaking one vehicle after another, just like his currently cheerful mood.

Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred ahead. A white puppy darted into the middle of the road. Zhou Zheng’s eyes widened, and he instinctively jerked the steering wheel. The car collided straight into the overpass. The airbag deployed instantly, and before falling into the darkness and unconsciousness, the alpha thought to himself that he had yet to confess his decade-long secret love to Lu Fangchi…