Being "Crushed" - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Old Zhou? Hang in there, I’ll go buy you some medicine right now!”

“…By the time you’re done buying anti-diarrheal meds, will I still be alive, bro? Forget it! Some kind soul already fed me.” Zhou Shangqing took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed, “Bro, do me a favor and come over, yeah?”

Lu Sifang let out a sigh of relief, but asked with concern, “Why so serious?”

In fact, by the time he picked up the call, he was already on his way to Zhou Shangqing’s room. As he arrived, the door happened to be ajar — a gentle push and it opened.

The moment he stepped in, he was greeted by Zhou Shangqing’s pale, weak, and dazed round face — staring blankly at his phone like a man possessed.

At the sound of the door, those lifeless eyes suddenly narrowed, flashing with a faint trace of killing intent as he shot a sharp look at Lu Sifang — so sudden, even the flesh on both his cheeks jiggled.

Lu Sifang felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes widened in alarm, expression turning cautious. “What’s wrong? Not feeling well?”

Zhou Shangqing stared at him for a long moment before slowly forcing a tight smile — the kind that didn’t reach the eyes — then beckoned with a single finger, “Come here, Sifang.”

Lu Sifang: Why do I have a bad feeling about this…

Still, he obediently complied. His tall, straight figure stood upright before Zhou Shangqing, waiting for him to speak.

“Bro, you just said you went out to buy medicine for me… right?” Zhou Shangqing asked with a squinty-eyed grin, every word squeezed out like he was gritting his teeth.

Lu Sifang rubbed his nose, a little guilty. “…Yeah.”

Zhou Shangqing’s smile grew sweeter. His round eyes shifted meaningfully to Lu Sifang’s completely empty hands. “So… where’s the medicine?”

Lu Sifang glanced down at his own hands and froze. A bit sheepishly, he chuckled and tried to make excuses. “Uh, there was a little accident…” He even gestured to show just how little this “accident” was.

Zhou Shangqing stared at the gesture for a few seconds before his eyes lit up like he had an epiphany. He slowly picked up his phone and turned the screen toward Lu Sifang.

“This ‘little accident’… you mean this?”

Lu Sifang leaned in and his eyes instantly widened.

On the phone screen was a very clear photo of him and Song Yuhan standing at the hotel entrance, locked in a tense standoff. But from the angle — the two looked intimately close, as if they were in the middle of a kiss.

To make matters worse, the person who took the photo had even kindly added a soft pink filter and some cutesy hearts — the whole vibe was so intimate it felt like it was about to spill off the screen.

Lu Sifang: “……”

He should’ve been furious.

But for some reason… the second he saw the photo, a flicker of glee bubbled up in his heart.

He’s lost it.

Realizing he couldn’t deny it, he admitted, “Ahem, sorry. It really was an accident. Even I didn’t expect it…” He quickly tapped on the photo and saved it to his own phone.

Watching him go through the entire process, Zhou Shangqing nearly blacked out. His eyes rolled as if he might faint then and there. He took deep breaths, trying to suppress his rage.

But it was too late — a string of scrambled curse-code burst from his lips:

“*&￥#%@!! Have you no shame?! I dragged this sick, broken body over mountains and seas to accompany you to this competition in Zhonggang! You said you were going to buy me medicine, and then you went off to flirt with a pretty girl at the door?! You realize your final’s tomorrow, right?! You trying to kill me?!”

Lu Sifang rubbed his ringing ears. Knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t argue — just cleared his throat and offered, “I mean… it’s not that serious. You’re okay now, right? I did make sure the hotel would send up medicine as soon as it arrived…”

“What? You just said it’s not that serious…???!!” Zhou Shangqing exploded, laughing twice in disbelief like he’d been betrayed by the heavens.

“Bro! Let’s not even talk about the medicine. Do you know what percentage of your fans are ‘girlfriend fans’? 88.69%!! And you’re telling me a romance scandal with some beauty is ‘not that serious’?!”

Lu Sifang frowned. “…Girlfriend fans?”

Zhou Shangqing stared at him, utterly speechless. Then, deadpan:

“Rice noodle fans. Snail noodle fans. Beef brisket noodle fans — whatever helps you sleep at night!!!”

God, the emperor’s not worried but the eunuch’s burning with panic… Forget it. His head was spinning. His stomach hurt. He was exhausted. Let the world burn.

Watching Zhou Shangqing collapse onto the bed with a dramatic groan, Lu Sifang stood still for a few seconds before concluding, “Hungry, huh? Fine, I’ll order you takeout as a peace offering…”

The moment food was mentioned, Zhou Shangqing’s eyes sparkled, and he popped right back up like a Weeble. “But speaking of that…”

He took a deep breath and finally worked up the nerve to ask:

“All those times pretty girls threw themselves at you, you didn’t even flinch. Just stood there like a statue. If one of them so much as brushed you, you’d bounce away like a spring-loaded trap. You’re basically a walking mimosa plant… and don’t even get me started on your texts. Straight-up rejection across the board! Couldn’t even leave one for me!”

Even thinking about it made Zhou Shangqing ache. Why did he never get that kind of luck?

He clutched his chest in dramatic pain and continued, relentless:

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you took a vow of celibacy. So why now? What’s with this whole scandal moment right before the finals? Is it something in the Zhonggang water? Did it revive your dead love life? I want local specialties, by the way. Thanks.”

Lu Sifang casually searched for light, healthy food on his phone. Most of what Zhou said went in one ear and out the other — until he heard the word “mimosa plant.” His fingers suddenly paused. His gaze dimmed slightly.

After a moment, he replied offhandedly: “Maybe.”

Whether or not Zhou Shangqing heard him wasn’t clear. He was already lost in his own analysis, stroking his chin like a philosopher.

“In my opinion… even monks have desires. The only difference is, the one who stirs his heart has always been just that one person. So… who was it that managed to break through your fortress of self-control? … You done ordering yet?”

Then, in a flash of realization, as if he’d connected some terrifying dots, Zhou Shangqing’s expression snapped into one of sheer horror.

“No way. No way. Don’t tell me you ran into her here in Zhonggang!!! That girl in the picture… d-d-don’t tell me it’s S-S-Song—”

Before he could finish, Lu Sifang quickly interrupted, tone flat:

“I think you’re not sick from the food. I think you’re just delirious. You’re not even speaking clearly anymore. Eat and go to bed. Stop guessing nonsense.”

Though he turned away quickly, Zhou Shangqing still caught a glimpse of a faint, unnatural blush on the tip of Lu Sifang’s ear.

His mouth fell open in shock, then immediately clamped shut with both hands, eyes wild with the look of a man who’d just uncovered a world-shattering secret.

“So this… scandal… Should I be stepping in, or staying out of it?” he asked vaguely, still testing the waters.

Lu Sifang thought back to the photo. Because of the angle, plus his own tall build, Song Yuhan’s face had been completely obscured — just the top of her head barely visible.

And…

He remembered what she’d said to him earlier. His face darkened slightly — a touch of wounded pride, maybe.

Nobody would recognize her. Nobody could, except herself.

Let it be a warning — so she wouldn’t forget what happened between them tonight.
He wouldn’t. Not for a lifetime.

As for himself — the media could speculate however they wanted. He didn’t care what others thought.

“You’re already sick as a dog. Just leave it alone.” He casually flicked his fingers, stretched lazily, and stood up.

“Going to work out,” he said breezily, heading back to his room for a few rounds of training before tomorrow’s finals.

Watching the unusually tired figure walk away, Zhou Shangqing’s gaze was full of awe and admiration. Deep inside, he sighed:

As expected of Brother Fang!!
That physique! That stamina!! Terrifying!

God was so unfair — couldn’t he spare Zhou a little of that?

He patted his slightly chubby belly (still round despite years of dieting) and angrily opened his phone to reply to the paparazzi.

His tone? Arrogant and merciless — completely pissing them off.

Within the hour, the paparazzi released the full HD version of the photo. The post immediately shot to the top of the entertainment and sports trending boards, headlined:

“Scandal! Skateboarding prodigy Lu Sifang caught in hotel rendezvous with mystery beauty the night before finals — steamy kiss caught on camera!”

Comments flooded in — the internet exploding with gossip:

• “No way he has time to date! Finals are tomorrow! This is fake news!”

• “Stop spreading rumors! Focus on the real news — the competition!”

• “Am I the only one dying to know what the mystery girl looks like? First dating scandal ever for Lu Sifang (＾－＾)V”

• “Seriously? Who even follows athletes from niche sports? Lol. Everyone knows people in sports circles are the biggest players.”

• “Just started stanning this skateboarding hottie and he’s already in a scandal. Typical jock.”

• “He’s in his twenties — this kind of thing is totally normal.”

• “No one cares. Stop wasting public bandwidth.”

• “Can’t even see her face. Where’s the so-called kiss?”
  — From: Xue Shi, ATK Skate Club, 1:13 AM, Zhonggang IP.