Chapter 34: Brother

“Who the f*ck are you calling an idiot? You’re the real idiot. You dare talk to my brother like that? You got a death wish or something?”

Li Lin Guan had been strolling over casually, not yet grasping the situation, when he saw someone pointing at Qiao Xia and cursing.

That was all it took for him to snap. He flicked away the cigarette dangling from his lips, grabbed the offender by the collar with one hand, and slapped him hard across the face with the other.

A few sharp smacks were enough to turn the student’s cheek bright red.

Clearly, he wasn’t holding back.

The student who had been so brazen with Qiao Xia now cowered before Li Lin Guan like a frightened chick. Even as he was being publicly slapped, he didn’t dare make a sound.

He was the very picture of a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong.

Watching Li Lin Guan with his distinctive style, Qiao Xia couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Do you really need to dress so outrageously to intimidate people these days?’

The thought of himself adopting a similar style, his own lips painted black as he murmured melancholic, stylized nonsense… The image sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, and he quickly banished the horrifying thought from his mind.

Normal was better.

No matter how flamboyant the outfit, fists still did the real talking.

Li Lin Guan himself had acted high and mighty when they first met, but in the end, he couldn’t even take a single punch.

If the sudden accident with the steel bars hadn’t interrupted their fight, Qiao Xia was confident he could have beaten the punk until he was crying for his mother.

Still, life’s twists and turns were truly unpredictable.

Just yesterday, Qiao Xia would never have imagined he’d be calling Li Lin Guan his brother. Nor could he have foreseen the string of terrifying events that would so drastically upend his life.

And on top of it all, there was the school beauty Duan Yulan’s bizarre behavior, which had churned his once-calm existence into a raging sea.

“Li Ge, I didn’t know he… that this big brother was your brother. If I had known, I would never have said that.”

Finally, the student in Li Lin Guan’s grip spoke, his voice trembling on the verge of tears. His pathetic display bored Li Lin Guan.

Shoving him away, Li Lin Guan gave him a parting kick for good measure. The student didn’t even dare to look back, simply scrambling up the stairs, desperate to get off the first floor.

After that display, the students who had been so vocal with their complaints about Qiao Xia fell silent.

Just moments ago they had been clamoring to get out. Now, they could only stand awkwardly in place.

Qiao Xia shot them a look of contempt. They really knew how to pick their targets. When Li Lin Guan had first shown up at his classroom door looking for a fight, he certainly hadn’t been this cowardly.

Still, this outcome wasn’t bad. At least it would save him a lot of trouble.

As long as the glass doors on the first floor of the academic building remained shut, the red-eyed patients couldn’t rush in and infect anyone else.

While Qiao Xia couldn’t change the larger situation outside, he could ensure the safety of this building. That was something, at least.

“Qiao Xia, what are you doing here?”

After dealing with the troublemaker, Li Lin Guan swept his gaze across the other students. When they all averted their eyes, he nodded in satisfaction and walked over to Qiao Xia, his tone casual and inquisitive.

He acted so familiar, as if he and Qiao Xia had known each other for years.

Qiao Xia didn’t know what to make of it, but considering Li Lin Guan had just solved a problem for him and his attitude had changed so completely, there was no reason to remain hostile.

“I saw a notice saying a terrifying infectious disease is spreading across the country. Then I saw what happened at the school gate, and it looked exactly like the symptoms of these ‘red-eyed patients.’ It’s better to be safe than sorry, so I came to guard the entrance. We can’t let anyone open these doors and let them in.”

With the immediate conflict diffused, Qiao Xia took the opportunity to explain the situation to everyone, using Li Lin Guan’s question as a starting point.

Whether these students believed him or not wasn’t his problem.

Right now, all Qiao Xia wanted was for them to stop causing trouble and stay put in the building. That would be a victory in itself.

“Huh? Red-eyed patients? How come I haven’t heard anything about this… Well, since you’re so insistent, I’ll stay here with you. Keep some of these clueless idiots from running their mouths.”

Li Lin Guan scratched the back of his head in confusion. He admitted he hadn’t heard anything but agreed to help guard the door anyway.

For some reason, Qiao Xia felt a small spark of gratitude.

In a world where he was seemingly the only one with a ‘cheat,’ some things were destined to be a lonely burden.

The constant misunderstanding and opposition were grating.

It felt like everyone else was living a peaceful life while he alone shouldered a heavy weight.

His earlier desire to fight the crowd of onlookers stemmed not only from the frustration of his foreseen death but also from a deep-seated indignation.

If he were some benevolent saint, he probably wouldn’t feel this way.

But he wasn’t.

In saving himself, he was also saving everyone else. Qiao Xia didn’t ask for their gratitude, just for them not to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, such a simple wish was often just that—a wish.

If Li Lin Guan hadn’t shown up, Qiao Xia was certain a fight with the other students would have been inevitable. So, for this unexpected show of support, he felt he should offer something in return.

If for no other reason than for Li Lin Guan’s backing. That alone was enough.

“If you really do run into the red-eyed patients, throw things or make noise to distract them, then run. I’ve encountered them before. They aren’t fast, but if there are too many, escaping their encirclement is extremely difficult.”

As Li Lin Guan came to his side, Qiao Xia leaned in and whispered the instructions.

This was precious wisdom gained from being killed by Liu Dali multiple times in his premonitions. If he weren’t in such a good mood, he would never have shared it with Li Lin Guan.

Seeing Qiao Xia’s secretive demeanor, Li Lin Guan, who had been skeptical about the outbreak, began to have second thoughts. Could what Qiao Xia was saying be true?

But he hadn’t heard a thing about it recently.

Surely an epidemic of any kind would have some warning signs.

Besides, a few of his lackeys were insufferable gossips. They would know at the first hint of trouble and report it to him immediately.

Even when Li Lin Guan explicitly told them not to bother him with such trivial matters, he couldn’t stop their eagerness to share rumors.

So he had no choice but to listen.

Come to think of it, he might have heard the term ‘red-eyed patient’ mentioned once or twice… but he hadn’t paid it any mind, and now he couldn’t recall the details.

“Are the red-eyed patients really that bada—”

*Thud.*

Li Lin Guan was about to press Qiao Xia for more details when a dull sound from beyond the glass doors cut him off.

He turned his head in annoyance, his eyes landing on the entrance.

Through the glass, he locked eyes with a student whose face was a mask of sheer terror.

Then, his gaze drifted downward.

As a torrent of blood erupted from the student’s severed neck, splattering across the glass, his head tumbled to the ground.