The silence lasted for the duration of a song.
In the middle of the night, the two people in the back seat were silent after being picked up. Xiao Chen
felt extremely pained by their lack of conversation. Unable to tolerate it any longer he turned off the
radio and said, "Can you two say something? Drivers love to chat, you know. Show some respect, thank you."
It doesn't take any research to realize that this is indeed true.
He Chuan Zhou asked with concern, "How's his hand?"
"We checked, and it's nothing serious. We'll get an X-ray tomorrow." Xiao Chen couldn't help but get excited
as he spoke about this, frequently glancing at the back seat. Unfortunately, the limited space prevented
Zhou Tuoxing from seeing his anger. He asked seriously, "Bro, be honest with me. You didn't do it on
purpose, right? You're not just reluctant to let go of your driver, are you?"
He Chuan Zhou had previously joked about Zhou Tuoxing's right hand always being in trouble. Unexpectedly, it
came true; it got hurt again just a few days after healing.
She didn't dare to say anything similar again, fearing it would come true once more.
Influenced by Brother Huang, the criminal police team, despite firmly believing in science, they sometimes
thought that all sorts of unlucky words could attract trouble. So, they had to be optimistic birds when
entering the precinct.
Zhou Tuoxing responded to his doubts with silence, showing disdain for Xiao Chen's assumption.
Xiao Chen was used to his aloofness. Slowing down the car, he squinted to find the way while teasing, "Zhou
Tuoxing, why do you get beaten up so often?"
Zhou Tuoxing, not happy, responded vaguely, "Because violence is bad."
Xiao Chen was stumped by this, half laughing and crying, saying, "If you can't fight back, why don't you
run? You have legs for a reason!"
Zhou Tuoxing remained silent.
Xiao Chen switched targets and joked, "Captain He, our Tuo looks cool but has no combat skills. Please bear
with him."
Before Zhou Tuoxing could defend himself, Xiao Chen continued, "Captain He, you might not know this, but
back in school, Tuo was known as an ascetic monk. He spent all his time studying and ignored all the girls
who liked him. People were surprised we became friends."
The topic changed so quickly that Zhou Tuoxing didn't know how to join in. Xiao Chen's description was
greatly exaggerated; there weren't that many girls interested in him. But he didn't know whether to clarify.
He instinctively turned to observe He Chuan Zhou’s expression, wondering if she found stories about him
boring or annoying.
She didn't.
He Chuan Zhou only said one sentence after getting in the car but kept her eyes on the front seat, looking
serious.
Xiao Chen effortlessly balanced chatting and driving. He always managed to think of topics and continue
talking non-stop, preventing any awkward silences, even if the other person wasn't enthusiastic.
He glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes curving into a smile, teasingly saying, "Thanks to Tuo, I became
the school's undisputed social butterfly. Many people who wanted to team up with Tuo for group projects
approached me instead. He doesn't know that I made a lot of friends using his name."
He Chuan Zhou half-closed her eyes. After the back seat light dimmed, her facial features became more
blurred.
In Xiao Chen's hearty laughter, she added, "I know."
Zhou Tuoxing had poor grades before, transferred three times, and due to inconsistent curricula and
interruptions, fell significantly behind. He couldn't keep up or understand the lessons. His father didn't
care, letting him coast through, aiming to fulfill the nine-year compulsory education requirement.
Strictly speaking, Zhou Tuoxing's childhood was tumultuous, leading to a solitary and unruly personality
disliked by most teachers.
In middle school, to avoid his father's violence and hide his injuries, he frequently skipped classes,
becoming seen as a delinquent beyond help.
Later, He Xu pressured him to study, and it took about a year for him to adapt. He discovered he was smart
and realized he could change his life by going to college.
He had strong analytical skills and self-discipline, fully immersing himself in a task. He Chuan Zhou found
it torturous to study with him because his foundation was so weak. Explaining middle school concepts
required including elementary ones.
In his third year, he didn't even know what common denominators were.
He Chuan Zhou commented, "He likes to get to the bottom of things."
From fractional addition, he could extend to high school content unknown to He Chuan Zhou.
He had no concept of test boundaries, only focusing on solving his questions. So, He Chuan Zhou found him
both foolish and strangely smart.
"Right," Xiao Chen recalled, sighing, "Our tutor liked him a lot, always using him as an example to scold us
for being distracted. It was miserable."
He Chuan Zhou smiled slightly, noticing Zhou Tuoxing's gaze on her. She turned to meet his eyes briefly
before looking out the window, expression unchanged.
Xiao Chen hinted, "You two must have been close before. No wonder Tuo risked his life to help you this time.
It's his first time playing hero."
He Chuan Zhou replied, "No."
Xiao Chen paused, a bit anxious, wanting to speak up for Zhou Tuoxing.
A man can take a beating, but not for nothing.
Just as he was about to speak, He Chuan Zhou added, "Not the first time."
Xiao Chen: "… Huh?"
It was during the summer before their third year of high school.
Their middle school allowed direct promotion, but He Chuan Zhou was recommended for the advanced class. Zhou
Tuoxing, after brief study, barely secured a spot in the regular class.
He wanted to use the summer to catch up, hoping to switch classes with a good placement test score.
He Xu highly praised his rare ambition and hoped He Chuan Zhou would support his dreams and nurture his
spirit. He Chuan Zhou rolled her eyes.
Her home had air conditioning, but she rarely used it. They usually studied at a nearby bookstore.
Zhou Tuoxing always wore long sleeves to hide his bruises. Occasionally, when He Chuan Zhou accidentally
pressed his arm, he would let out a pained grunt.
This made He Chuan Zhou furious.
Zhou Tuoxing was a late bloomer, possibly due to malnutrition, and was still under 1.7 meters by middle
school graduation.
He Chuan Zhou thought he might remain short, but by the second year of high school, his genes kicked in, and
he shot up, becoming tall and reliable.
But that was later. At that time, Zhou Tuoxing couldn't resist his father. He was 20 cm shorter and had a
smaller build, looking like a monkey in front of him.
In the sweltering heat, his father's temper worsened. Regardless of his luck in gambling, he had endless
anger to vent daily.
Seeing Zhou Tuoxing grow up, instead of relenting, his father became more brutal, fearing he'd resist one
day, constantly using harsh means to subdue him.
He Chuan Zhou couldn't stand it and often urged him, "Fight back! At least don't just take it. Or call the
police?"
Zhou Tuoxing opened his mouth to explain but didn’t know how to express himself. He hesitated and said, “But
he’s still my dad.”
He Chuan Zhou hesitated and asked, “But isn't he still a person?”
Zhou Tuoxing replied, “The police can’t do anything about it. And I don’t want him to have a criminal
record. If he does, I won’t be able to become a police officer in the future.”
Zhou Tuoxing was very resistant to this issue. He had many concerns about it. For instance, he couldn’t beat
his dad, or sometimes his dad was nice to him when not drinking. Also, his dad never hit him too hard and
promised to change. Most importantly, he was his dad.
At her age, He Chuan Zhou couldn’t understand his family situation and thoughts. She felt that his way of
thinking was a mistaken, vicious cycle, revolving in a plane completely different from hers.
She couldn’t understand why Zhou Tuoxing still had expectations for his father.
And she couldn’t understand how someone like his father could even be a father.
That morning, Zhou Tuoxing wasn’t feeling well. He had been kicked in the back, and his chest and back were
aching. After sitting with He Chuan Zhou for two hours doing practice exams, he said he wanted to go home
and rest.
“My dad went out today,” Zhou Tuoxing said with some happiness. “He shouldn’t be back until after ten
tonight.”
He Chuan Zhou frowned, wanting to say something but holding back. She told him to lie down more at home and
to go to the hospital if it got worse.
At noon, as He Chuan Zhou was getting ready to go home for lunch, she realized Zhou Tuoxing had left in a
hurry and forgotten his practice exams.
She hesitated about returning them the next day but was worried about his condition worsening at home alone.
Since his dad was out playing cards, she bought two lunches, packed her bag, and went to check on him.
In the scorching summer heat, the 1.5-kilometer walk left He Chuan Zhou drenched in sweat, her lips pale.
She sat in the cool stairwell to drink water, rested briefly, and then climbed to the sixth floor.
She had never been to Zhou Tuoxing’s home, only knowing from He Xu that it was 601.
The blue door plate hung on the left side of the door, which was ajar. Behind the half-closed door came the
rough, filthy curses of an adult, filled with vile and offensive language.
The voice carried a chilling malice and murderous intent, hard to believe it was directed at his own child.
The deep, powerful voice matched the image of a brutal, strong middle-aged man in her mind, making He Chuan
Zhou feel a bit scared. Her lips dried, and she hesitated, wanting to leave.
But she didn’t hear Zhou Tuoxing’s voice, only the man’s angry shouting and sounds of smashing, like a
one-man show.
She didn’t know how Zhou Tuoxing was doing. Thinking of his face before he left, she considered for a few
seconds, then gathered her courage. She put down her bag and lunch, freeing her hands, and quietly slipped
through the door.
She wanted to take a look, maybe grab Zhou Tuoxing and run, and if necessary, call the police.
He Xu had said that many men who committed domestic violence only dared to hit their own children, not
outsiders, especially since her father was a police officer.