“I won’t do it again…” Ma Jie stammered, his voice trembling. “I’ll wash it for you.”

“Then hurry up.”

Tears streamed down his face as he crouched on the ground, removing my bedding and sheets. He sobbed as if he were the one being bullied—as if I were the villain. What kind of person was he? Lacking both courage and capability, yet still choosing to act maliciously.

After finishing, Ma Jie even spread his own clean bedsheets over my bed, bustling about like a dutiful housewife. Seizing the opportunity, I instructed him to pour me a glass of water and prepare a cup of instant noodles. He complied with every request. It seemed he had truly submitted.

Just as I lay down, I heard the door creak open. Someone had entered the dormitory. I had no friends here—Houzi and Huang Jie were at the internet café—so whoever it was, they certainly weren’t looking for me. I didn’t even bother raising my head. But then, an eerie silence settled over the room, as if the newcomer carried significant weight.

Curious, I finally looked up—only to see Da Mao standing beside my bed, grinning.

Instinctively, I prepared to leap down, assuming he had come to attack me, but Da Mao pressed me back onto the bed. “Relax, relax. You’re injured, aren’t you? Stay put and rest. Here, let me put some medicine on you—it’ll speed up your recovery!”

Like a magician producing a trick, he suddenly held a bottle of red medicinal liquid in his hand.

I stared at him, completely baffled. What was he up to?

“Come on, let me help you.”

Da Mao sat down and lifted my shirt. “Damn, you’re covered in bruises. Those bastards really did a number on you. Just wait until tomorrow—I’ll make sure they pay for this.” With that, he started applying the medicine to my wounds.

I immediately pushed his hand away. “What are you trying to do?”

Da Mao kept his smile. “Nothing at all. You got beaten up this afternoon, didn’t you? I’m just here to help you with your injuries.”

I remained on guard, scrutinizing him carefully.

“Hahaha…” Da Mao burst into laughter. “Look at you—do you really think I’m trying to poison you? Wang Yao came to me this afternoon. She told me not to trouble you anymore. I said fine, no problem, I can even treat you like a brother.

“You see, even though Wang Yao scolded me last night, she and I actually get along pretty well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to me, would she? Since she made the request, I couldn’t refuse her favor.”

He paused before continuing, “From now on, you’re under my protection. If anyone wants to mess with you, they’ll have to step over my dead body first!”

I was stunned. Was he… trying to recruit me?

“Lie down,” Da Mao instructed, pressing me back down as he resumed applying the medicine. “Last night, I had no choice. Xing Qiu is my brother—how could I not help him? But don’t think I let him off easy. I gave him a good beating in private.

“Tell me, why the hell would you drug Lin Ke’er? What kind of low-life does something like that? It was disgusting, truly disgraceful! But you… you were innocent. You did nothing wrong. You simply helped Lin Ke’er, and for that, you got beaten up several times. I feel incredibly guilty about it.

“As for Houzi? Well, he had it coming. He’s too arrogant, too reckless. I’ve been more than tolerant with him, but look at the way he behaves—constantly overstepping boundaries. And you’ve seen it yourself: he doesn’t have a single true friend. No one wants to be around him!

“He must’ve borrowed money from you a few times already, right? By now, you should have figured out what kind of person he is.

“But you? You’re different. You have potential. On your very first day, you dared to smash a brick over Zhou Kun’s head. Do you know how rare that kind of courage is? I’ve always admired you. Even if Wang Yao hadn’t said anything, I still would’ve wanted to bring you in.

“Think about it—Lin Ke’er is already one of the Thirteen Roses. Why don’t you join us too? How about becoming the Tenth Prince?”

I was dumbfounded. I never expected Da Mao to say such things.

The dormitory fell into a heavy silence. Even Ma Jie and the others were too shocked to speak.

“Well? Say something.” Da Mao patted my back. “Come on, I’m done with your back. Turn over, let me treat the front.”

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He flipped me over and continued applying the medicine. His movements were precise and gentle, almost like a professional physician. It felt oddly soothing.

As he worked, he went on, “What’s so good about hanging around Houzi? You have to buy him meals every day—he treats you like a servant! But if you join us as the Tenth Prince, you’ll have power, prestige, everything you want. No one would dare lay a finger on Lin Ke’er anymore. And in the future…”

“Do you know Huang Jie?” I interrupted him.

Da Mao paused. “What?”

“Huang Jie,” I repeated, my tone serious.

“Oh, yeah. He used to be in the same dorm as Houzi, but they fell out over money.”

“No. They’re brothers,” I said firmly. “Houzi does have friends—Huang Jie is one of them.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Da Mao scoffed. “Well, that doesn’t change much. Two nobodies together still amount to nothing.”

“There’s also me,” I added, shoving his hand away. “I am Houzi’s brother too.”

Da Mao froze, his hand suspended in mid-air.

I sat up, slid on my slippers, and walked to the dormitory door, pulling it open.

“I have no interest in being the Tenth Prince. If you came here to recruit me, you can leave now.”

Da Mao’s face darkened. “What’s so great about Houzi that you insist on following him?”

“I’m not ‘following’ him. We are brothers,” I said. “Once brothers, always brothers. No matter his flaws, he’s still my brother. And being a brother means…” I hesitated, then shook my head. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand. Just leave.”

Da Mao stood up. His hands trembled slightly—whether from anger or something else, I couldn’t tell. For a moment, I thought he might attack me. But he forced himself to calm down, smoothing his expression back into an amiable smile.

“Impressive. I like you even more now. Think it over carefully.”

With that, he placed the bottle of medicine on my bed and strolled out.

I shut the door, picked up the bottle, and without hesitation, threw it out the window. Then I climbed into bed and closed my eyes.

The dormitory remained eerily silent. No one dared to say a word. But I knew that by tomorrow, the entire school would know—I had rejected Da Mao’s offer to become the Tenth Prince.

And sure enough, the next day during a break in military training, Liu Yina clung to my arm, bombarding me with questions. “Zuo Fei, you’re incredible! If you weren’t already with Lin Ke’er, I’d snatch you up myself!”

Lin Ke’er, blushing beside me, couldn’t hide her proud smile, as if my actions had brought her honor.

Soon, several other members of the Thirteen Roses gathered around, demanding details of last night’s events. I was once again amazed at how fast news traveled.

Even Wang Yao was intrigued enough to seek me out. “So it’s true? You really turned him down?”

I nodded.

She smirked. “Not bad. I didn’t expect you to have such backbone. Are you really planning to stick with Houzi?”

“I’m not ‘sticking with’ him. We’re brothers,” I replied. “In fact, last night, we even fought over who should be the boss.”

Wang Yao burst into laughter. She chuckled for a moment before suddenly grabbing my collar, leaning in close to my ear.

My gaze dropped instinctively—straight into the neckline of her summer blouse. My heart pounded.

Then, in a hushed, teasing whisper, she asked, “Is Houzi planning revenge?”

I hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether I should reveal the truth to Wang Yao, as the plan for revenge was meant to be kept secret.

"Enough." Wang Yao suddenly released me. "Seeing how hesitant you are, I already know he's planning revenge."

I was dumbfounded—my goodness, I hadn't said a single word, yet she had already figured it out!

A visible sense of relief washed over Wang Yao's face. "I was really starting to think he'd lost his edge. Turns out my worries were unnecessary. Just tell him that if he needs any help, he only has to say the word—I’ll fully support him."

Her voice was hushed, meant only for my ears. The other girls, sensing the moment, tactfully stepped aside to chat among themselves.

I could only nod in response, feeling as though this girl was as sharp as ice, as if nothing could be hidden from her.

"Alright then." Wang Yao took a step back. "Now let’s talk about the real matter at hand—when are Zuo Fei and Lin Ke’er getting together?"

The moment she said this, the other girls, who had been idly chatting, immediately swarmed around us, their faces lighting up with excitement.

"Yes, yes! When will you two make it official?"

"I want to eat your wedding candies!"

I was caught completely off guard by Wang Yao’s sudden question and stood frozen, at a complete loss for words.

The girls' faces were beaming, their eyes sparkling with curiosity, as if they were about to witness the grandest spectacle of the century. I turned to glance at Lin Ke’er, only to see that her face had turned as red as a ripe tomato.

Wang Yao continued, "Hurry up already! We’re all waiting. The weather’s great—just make it official now, so you two don’t have to keep sneaking around without a proper title."

To be honest, I was more than willing. Lin Ke’er was breathtakingly beautiful, and walking around with her would definitely be a source of pride. Besides, we'd been desk mates for a year, so there was a foundation between us. It wouldn’t feel awkward at all. But seeing her so shy, looking as though she wanted to dig a hole and disappear into it, I said, "Come on, don’t stir things up. Let the two of us talk about it privately, alright?"

"No way, no way! You have to decide today—I don’t have that much patience," Wang Yao said with a grin, as the other girls joined in, urging us on.

"Alright, alright, let us discuss it first, okay?"

Without waiting for their approval, I grabbed Lin Ke’er’s hand and led her away. Under the shade of a tree, her face was still burning red.

"Alright, it’s just us now. Tell me—what do you think?" I asked.

I felt that our relationship had already reached a natural conclusion. I had even passed the test set by her friends, proving that I was a man worthy of trust. Otherwise, Wang Yao and the others wouldn’t have been so eager to push us together. Now, it was just a matter of breaking that final, thin layer of hesitation.

Lin Ke’er kept her head down, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. After a long while, she finally murmured, "I… I need to think about it."

I couldn’t help but chuckle. "Alright, then take your time."

I understood that girls needed to maintain a sense of restraint. Agreeing too quickly would seem too easy. Besides, my current focus was on revenge, and romance wasn’t exactly at the top of my priorities.

So, I took Lin Ke’er’s hand again and led her back. As soon as we returned, the group of girls immediately swarmed around us once more.

"Well? How did it go?"

I deliberately pulled a long face. "Lin Ke’er didn’t say yes."