Chapter 592: Saving Zhou Zihuai – 1

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“In the future, I’ll write out all your scores and the things that you guys need to watch out for after every test. Now, if you’ve gotten enough rest, let’s head to the sports field,” Fu Zhi said.

Fatty lay down on the table and said, “We have to run for 30 minutes, and I can’t take it! I couldn’t even walk on the way home yesterday! Sister Zhi, can I not run?”

“Absolutely. Running is all about exercising, and if you don’t want to run, you can exercise in another way entirely.”

Fatty’s eyes lit up. “Really? What kind of way?”

“Boxing,” Fu Zhi replied as she pointed at herself. “With me.”

“Ah, I think I’m suddenly filled with power. I could run a thousand more laps!” Fatty jerked up from his seat and rushed to the sports field.

“Slow down, Fatty!” Wang Yu shouted.

Many students from other classes used Class 21 as an example and began to work hard for the exams.

The tutoring sessions continued as usual, and everyone had gotten used to Fu Zhi’s quotes by now.

She got down from the podium and said, “There’s no love without a reason, and there’s no hate without a reason either. Everything has a purpose, so don’t bring a language question to a math tutoring session next time.”

The rest of the students were caught between tears and laughter. After they were split into small groups, Song Fang approached Fu Zhi with a test paper in his hand and asked, “Sister Zhi, can you explain these questions to me?”

Fu Zhi realized that Zhou Zihuai had not been coming to school lately.

Although Ye Jiu was in Song Fang’s group, he just wanted to sleep and he did not care about other people at all.

Besides, he got his answers right by guessing, so there was no use asking him either.

After Fu Zhi explained the questions to Song Fang, she asked, “By the way, do you know where Zhou Zihuai has been lately? Why doesn’t he come to class anymore?”

“Zihuai?” Song Fang asked. Then, he paused for a moment before continuing. “I think he asked Xiao Ma for a leave of absence. He would take leave from Xiao Ma every now and then, but this time, it seems to be a bit long. Maybe something happened at home.”

Every student in Class 21 knew that Zhou Zihuai’s stepfather was an alcoholic and a gambler. Whenever Zhou Zihuai did not come to school, he was helping his stepfather get rid of the people who came to his house demanding their money back.

Song Fang had also lent Zhou Zihuai some money before, so he did not think too much of it. He just sent a text message to Zhou Zihuai and asked if he needed money or not.

Fu Zhi nodded after she heard what Song Fang had said.

The tutorial class lasted a little longer that day, and Fu Zhi only dismissed them at 9:10 p.m.

None of them expected that they would receive news from Zhou Zihuai so soon.

At around midnight…

Fu Zhi was sleeping when her phone rang. She picked her phone up and sat up in a daze.

“Song Fang?”

If Song Fang was not sleeping at twelve o’clock to call her up and ask her about math problems or play games, Fu Zhi would crack his skull open the next day.

“Sister Zhi! Oh god, you’re still awake!” Song Fang’s voice erupted before Fu Zhi could ask anything. “I received a text message from Xiao Ma just now because Zhou Zihuai is one of my closest friends. Mrs. Zhou said that he ran away from home two days ago and she can’t find him. They want me to help them look for him…

“Xiao Ma said that his dad beat him up and he was admitted into the ICU two days ago. Then, he ran away when the nurse was not paying attention to him. Sister Zhi, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

As Song Fang was talking, the trepidation in his heart grew. Even though he knew Zhou Zihuai’s father had always treated him badly, he had not expected him to beat him until he was admitted into the ICU.

Fu Zhi sprang up from her bed and switched on the light beside her bed.

“Where are you guys right now? I’ll come find you.”

“At the Flying Fish Cyber Cafe,” Song Fang replied. “Don’t forget to put on more clothes. It’s freezing out here.”

Fu Zhi hung up the call and went out of her room.

Lu Yushen was drawing in the living room. When he saw Fu Zhi, he blinked and asked, “Where are you going?”

“I need to go look for my classmate,” Fu Zhi replied as she put on a beige jacket.

“I’ll go with you.” Lu Yushen put his drawing down on the table and got to his feet. He followed Fu Zhi and took a beige trench coat from the hanger.

“I’ll drive you there,” he said.

“You know how to drive?” Fu Zhi asked, her voice thick with disbelief.

“A little bit,” Lu Yushen said while going to the garage.

Before Fu Zhi could put on her shoes, her phone rang. She thought it was a message from Song Fang, but her eyes widened when she saw the name of the sender.

It was Zhou Zihuai.

Lu Yushen drove the car out of the garage and Fu Zhi hopped in. She clicked on the message and read it.

Since they were separated by the screen, Fu Zhi could not sense Zhou Zihuai’s feelings.

[It’s 12:00 a.m. right now, and I’m sorry for disturbing you. I guess you will get this message the next day. I’ve been thinking about whether I should send this message to you or not. My brain is blank, and I don’t know what I should do. The doctor said that it’s a miracle I’m still alive. When I woke up, I was still lying in the hospital and I heard my parents discussing my brother and how I was going to support the family in the future. My mother’s pregnancy was sudden, and my father didn’t want the baby, but my mother told him that I could work and study to take care of him and my brother after I went to college. It is a traditional virtue to serve your elders, but I don’t know why, but I felt suffocated. It’s like something keeps piling up in my heart.

[I have no idea how I should continue my life. I can’t see any future ahead. When I saw another patient’s father peeling an apple for his son, I have no idea why but I felt like crying. Maybe I am overthinking, but I feel as if there’s a big rock weighing on my chest whenever I see my grades dropping. I’ve always felt that all I am is an investment that must be completed to bring high returns to this family. Do you know why I chose to talk to you? It’s because when you first came to our class, I could see nothing but loneliness in your eyes. However, as time went by, you made more and more friends, and I can see the light coming back to your eyes now. I can’t say whether I’m envious or relieved. I just feel that I’m incompetent and useless, but this will be the last time. I hope I’m not bothering you too much. I’m going to look for my own light. I wish you the best for the rest of your life.]

‘The last time? What does he mean this will be the last time?’

Fu Zhi frowned and called Song Fang. “Zhou Zihuai just sent me a message. What did the police say? Did they find anything?”

“They’re tracing Zhou Zihuai’s IP address, but he has switched off his phone. His mother is still looking for him. Do you have any other way to find him, Sister Zhi?”

“Stay on the line for a few minutes. I’m going to send an address to you. We’ll meet up there.”

“Okay!” Song Fang heaved a long sigh of relief, as he could feel a weight get lifted off his chest.

He remembered that Fu Zhi was a professional hacker. She should be a lot faster and dependable than the police.

Fu Zhi switched on her laptop and began checking the address.

Lu Yushen glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes as he drove the car forward.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

Fu Zhi shook her head. Her fingers continued to dance nimbly across the keyboard, and she soon got an IP address.

It was next to the biggest river in Yu City.

Fu Zhi immediately sent the address to Song Fang, and Song Fang’s expression changed.

“D*mn it! Has he gone mad? What the hell is he doing there?”

“Let’s go look for him first.”

Fu Zhi hung up the call and sent a message to the police station.

After receiving her text message, a police officer called Fu Zhi, as the police realized the gravity of the situation.

“We need to verify your information first. Besides…” the police officer said. “Invasion of personal privacy is against the law. How did you find this address?”

Fu Zhi told him who she was.

As soon as the police officer found out she was Fu Zhi, after he ascertained that it was not a prank, he immediately dispatched a team to Zhou Zihuai’s location.

The tide level at the river varied every night. The river should be frozen in the winter, but there were some holes on the surface of the ice, as some fishing activities were going on. Judging from the condition of the river, it would be extremely difficult to retrieve him should he really jump in.

Lu Yumo woke up when he heard the engine of the car. He stormed out of his room and walked downstairs. Mama Zhang had already gone back to her house, and he only bumped into the security guard. He asked, “Where are Fu Zhi and my brother?”

“I’m not sure. I heard them say that they were going to look for their friend,” the security guard replied.

Lu Yumo pressed his lips firmly, feeling abandoned by his siblings.

“How could they not wake me up?” He mumbled. Then, he put on a jacket and sat outside the gate.

The security guard asked, “What’re you doing? Are you not going to sleep?”

Lu Yumo shook his head. “No. I’m going to wait for them here. I want to ask them why they didn’t wake me up.”

“Well, suit yourself. I’m going home, as I don’t feel like working tonight,” the security guard said as he headed out of the gate.

Lu Yumo was speechless.

—

Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhou had contacted the media and the news of her son going missing soon spread across the internet.

Most youngsters nowadays liked to stay up late. Therefore, a lot of netizens heard the news and began rushing toward the river as well.

[If he really wanted to kill himself, why did he have to go to the river? Couldn’t he just die alone?]

[A person who really wants to die won’t tell everyone that he’s going to kill himself! I think he’s just another attention-seeker!]

[How can you guys say something like that? Many people trapped in extreme situations will unconsciously send a distress signal!]

[Well, I think it’s a little bit late.]

[Is he one of the students from No.1 High School? I heard that a lot of students from Class 1 and Class 2 have transferred to another school. Is it possible that this student is related to the transfer?]

[I know him. His name is Zhou Zihuai, and he’s in Class 21, the same class as Fu Zhi. My cousin is studying in No.1 High School, and she told me that Fu Zhi is the reason the students from Class 1 and Class 2 withdrew from No.1 High School. Why does Zhou Zihuai want to kill himself by jumping into the river? Don’t you think something is fishy about this?]

[There’s nothing fishy about it. We should focus on him and not Fu Zhi, as he’s the one who wants to kill himself.]

[That’s right! You can’t blame everything on Fu Zhi!]