Days will gradually grow warmer.

“Mistaken identity?” Zhang Pa said. “Alright, I believe you. But if you did something wrong, you have to be punished. How will you make it up to me?”

“Compensate?” the man clutching his crotch shouted. “Money, I’ll give you money.” Grimacing in pain, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash, just over a thousand.

Zhang Pa accepted it with a smile. “Seems a bit skimpy.”

“It’s not little, we still need to see a doctor.”

“See a doctor? Fair enough.” Without even glancing at the two knives on the ground, Zhang Pa kicked the man in the leg. “That’s your lesson.”

The kick wasn’t painful, but the man, having fallen, still had the strength to beg for mercy. “Big brother, I was wrong, please let me go.”

Zhang Pa sighed. “This is a school—what you did was really bad.” As he spoke, he glanced around. Just as he suspected, there were security cameras in the area.

He considered calling the police, but worried these two would endlessly pester him for medical expenses. Yet he didn’t want to let them off so easily either.

“We’re going to the hospital, both of you,” Zhang Pa said.

“No, big brother, really, there’s no need.” The man tried to sit up, still clutching his groin.

“Don’t be shy,” Zhang Pa replied.

“It’s not that I’m being polite…”

“But you ambushed me. What should I do about that?” Zhang Pa asked. “Give me a good reason.”

“We really made a mistake,” the man insisted, refusing to admit anything.

Zhang Pa smiled, glancing at the knives on the ground. “Say, what if I pick up a knife now, stab you to death, and run? Who would know I did it?”

The man’s face turned pale. “Don’t…”

“Of course, killing someone over a petty matter isn’t worth it. But what if I just stabbed you twice? After that, I run—what could you do to me?” Zhang Pa was patient, chatting leisurely.

It wasn’t too late yet, and someone walking home passed by, paused at the scene, and immediately turned away.

Zhang Pa called out, “There are two muggers here, go find campus security!”

The passerby was obedient, immediately running off.

“Lucky for you,” Zhang Pa said, standing up to wait for security.

Soon, two guards came running, and a moment later, four more arrived. When someone tried to pick up the knives, Zhang Pa reminded them, “Use a plastic bag.”

The guards thanked him, took the two men back to the security office, and called the police.

There was no other way—even though Zhang Pa disliked calling the police, with witnesses and surveillance footage, he had no choice.

Armed robbery in the music academy’s residential area? A serious matter. Before the school authorities could even ask questions, the police began interrogating the suspects overnight and finally got some information out of them.

As the victim and main witness, Zhang Pa proactively handed over the thousand-odd yuan, explaining its origin.

When the police searched the criminals, they found the rest of the cash. Just a glance at the consecutively numbered hundred-yuan bills showed there was something suspicious—a clear sign of a hired hit. The questioning intensified.

By morning, the police had made significant progress. Zhang Pa, however, was released early. Another witness, Liu Xiaomei, was also summoned for questioning to corroborate Zhang Pa’s account.

After giving their statements, as they stood at the police station entrance, Liu Xiaomei said, “I knew you could handle bad guys.”

Zhang Pa was curious. “You’ve seen me fight before?”

Liu Xiaomei grinned. “I know a lot about you.”

“Like what?” Zhang Pa asked.

“Not telling,” Liu Xiaomei said. “Walk me home again.”

Zhang Pa glanced at the time. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

“I actually think you did the right thing. Some things must be reported to the police,” Liu Xiaomei said.

If even a beauty says I did the right thing, then it must be so, Zhang Pa thought, escorting Liu Xiaomei home.

On the way, Liu Xiaomei said, “You see, the world’s so dangerous. Why not move nearby and protect me?”

Zhang Pa laughed. “By rights, you should be scared, but I don’t sense any fear from you at all.”

“Who says I’m not scared? I was terrified. Look, I’m sweating cold,” Liu Xiaomei pointed to her forehead.

“That’s a mighty big drop of cold sweat, very chilling indeed,” Zhang Pa joked.

Liu Xiaomei laughed. “Exactly, exactly. I’ve worked up an appetite—how about a bite to eat?”

“Aren’t you watching your figure?” Zhang Pa asked.

Liu Xiaomei was very conscious about her body—she never ate oily food or rice, even at hotpot, she stuck to vegetables. Like today’s spicy hotpot, Zhang Pa had been the main eater; Liu Xiaomei only picked at the veggies.

“But what if I’m hungry? If my blood sugar drops and I faint, and then I run into a bad guy…”

“Alright, you win, let’s go out for a late-night snack,” Zhang Pa said.

“But I have no idea what to eat,” Liu Xiaomei replied.

“How about eating me?” Zhang Pa offered, stretching out his right hand.

“No seasoning, you smell terrible.” Liu Xiaomei batted his hand away, then reconsidered. “Forget it, I’ll just go home. If I fall asleep, I won’t be hungry.”

“Good idea. That’s how I used to comfort myself,” Zhang Pa said.

“You must have had a rough time before. How about I take care of you? If you stick with me, I’ll make sure you’re fed three meals a day,” Liu Xiaomei said.

Zhang Pa immediately voiced his support. “Great idea! Even better, let’s get a marriage certificate at the civil affairs office so you can feed me for life.”

Liu Xiaomei laughed, “You don’t act like a real man at all.”

“Who cares about dignity at a time like this? That’d be stupid. All I want is to win your favor. If you’re willing to keep me, why would I refuse?” Zhang Pa replied.

Liu Xiaomei shook her head, laughing. “Ah, what a pity—you agreed too quickly, I’ve lost interest.”

“That’s not fair! You can’t just go back on your word,” Zhang Pa protested.

“Don’t blame me, blame your lack of ambition. If you’d said no, my stubborn streak would’ve kicked in and I’d insist on keeping you. Then, if you pretended to nod reluctantly, wouldn’t that be perfect?” Liu Xiaomei burst out laughing.

“That’s not right. You’re toying with my feelings. I’m hurt—you need to heal my wounded heart,” Zhang Pa said.

“Nope,” Liu Xiaomei replied.

They joked and chatted all the way to the dormitory. At the entrance, Liu Xiaomei looked up and sighed, “It’s so high. I have no energy to climb.”

Zhang Pa blinked, crouched down, and said, “Hop on.”

Liu Xiaomei tilted her head at him, and he repeated, “Hop on.”

“This is your idea,” Liu Xiaomei warned, then moved behind Zhang Pa and lightly leapt onto his back.

Zhang Pa supported her with both hands. “You’re really light.”

“I have to be,” Liu Xiaomei replied, giving a playful “giddy-up.”

So up the stairs they went—eight floors in one go, Zhang Pa carrying her all the way.

At her door, Liu Xiaomei hopped down lightly and asked, “Tired?”

“Not at all, not even a bit.” It was true—compared to climbing eight flights of stairs, Zhang Pa much preferred the feeling of Liu Xiaomei on his back. If only he could carry her forever.

“But I’m worried you’ll get tired,” Liu Xiaomei said, unlocking the door and inviting him in. As she was about to close it, she suddenly smiled. “You planned this, didn’t you? Carrying me upstairs so I’d have to get you water, and you could come inside, right?”

“Is your nickname Liu the Strategist?” Zhang Pa laughed.

“Exactly.” Liu Xiaomei pulled out her phone. “Let’s take a selfie.” She stood very close to Zhang Pa and commanded, “Smile.”

She then made him take a selfie with his phone and set it as his wallpaper, only then content to fetch water.

“I’m not thirsty anymore,” Zhang Pa said.

“So you’re blaming me, huh?” Liu Xiaomei returned with the water.

Zhang Pa glanced at the time, downed the glass, and said, “I have to go.”

“Ride slow on the way back. And—you’re really good,” Liu Xiaomei said.

“So you’re handing me a nice-guy card already? Isn’t it a bit early?” Zhang Pa joked.

“Hehe, too late now. What can you do about it?” Liu Xiaomei opened the door. “Go on, or I’ll want you to stay the night.”

“No way, I’m afraid I’ll lose my virtue,” Zhang Pa shot back as he hurried out.

Liu Xiaomei laughed. “I’ll let you off this time, but one day, I’ll get what I want.”

“Dream on. I’m a model student with perfect morals,” Zhang Pa declared righteously.

With the door half-open, Zhang Pa stood outside and Liu Xiaomei inside—both beaming at each other, a feeling called happiness filling the air.

Liu Xiaomei whispered, “Bring your face closer.”

“I won’t,” Zhang Pa said, but still leaned in. Liu Xiaomei pressed her index finger to her lips, then gently touched it to his cheek. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

“Goodnight,” Zhang Pa replied, heading downstairs. Only when he’d reached the seventh floor did Liu Xiaomei gently close her door.

So, Zhang Pa was elated, practically flying down the stairs, full of energy as he pedaled home. He was going so fast, the chain snapped.

That’s what it means for joy to turn to sorrow.

Still, Zhang Pa was happy, pushing his bike the rest of the way home.

Almost home, he noticed many kindred spirits—people out running. Zhang Pa was delighted and caught up to one, asking, “Who’s fighting whom?”

Sure enough, there was another fight in Xingfuli. People were chasing and being chased, quite a spectacle.

A TV station once did a program, investigating night shifts in emergency rooms from May to October, and found a shocking statistic: every hospital, every night, had admissions from fights. Some hospitals were extreme, treating more than twenty patients with lacerations in a single night.

One can imagine how many drunken brawls happen every night.

When Zhang Pa asked, the man glanced at him and yelled, “Get lost!”

Zhang Pa was in too good a mood to care, pushing his bike and jogging ahead, passing several people before he suddenly recognized the two being chased.

He picked up speed and caught up, laughing, “Out for a night run?”

The two fleeing were Bandit and Da Wu, who’d been job-hunting together lately. At Zhang Pa’s words, Bandit turned to look and immediately stopped running. “Let’s deal with them.”

Zhang Pa said, “Are you nuts? Run!”

Seeing Zhang Pa not stopping, Bandit hurried after him. “You tricked me!”

“What’s this about?” Zhang Pa asked.

Bandit had no breath to reply—only short answers to save energy.

“Are you planning to lure them into Xingfuli?” Zhang Pa asked.

Bandit nodded. Zhang Pa turned and shouted, “Stop chasing! Ahead is Xingfuli. If you keep going, you’ll never come back!”

The name ‘Xingfuli’ had quite the effect—the pursuers hesitated, slowly stopped, hands on hips panting heavily, those still able to shout cursing Bandit and Da Wu.

Zhang Pa called out to Bandit and Da Wu, “Stop running, they’re not chasing anymore.”

Exhausted, Bandit and Da Wu stopped and stuck out their tongues, panting hard. Zhang Pa walked over and asked, “So, why were they after you two?”