Chapter 3

Although both Alex and I were very frugal, money was still a headache, especially with Alex's school fees and various expenses. To cover these costs, I took on as much work as I could. I was smart, young, hardworking, and not picky about jobs, so many middlemen liked working with me. But unknowingly, this started to infringe on some people's interests.

Every day, I was thinking about Alex - what to feed him to improve his nutrition, buying new clothes for him as the weather turned cold, getting some milk because he seemed stressed with his studies lately... Little did I know, I had already been targeted.

Once, while serving food, a customer found a toothpick in their dish. They immediately slapped me across the face. I had been working so hard lately, day and night, that this slap made me see stars. My fair cheek immediately swelled up.

But I kept apologizing with my head bowed. The manager came out to handle the situation, and in the end, the customer's meal was comped.

Back in the kitchen, the manager frowned as he questioned me, finally saying that the cost of the customer's meal would be deducted from my wages.

I looked up, "Why? It's not entirely my fault, is it?"

The manager, irritated by my defiance, shouted, "If you can handle it, stay. If not, get out!"

I could only silently endure it.

After the night shift ended, I confronted a few people who had been sabotaging me, "It was you guys, wasn't it?"

They laughed it off, but stopped when they saw me in the darkness.

The leader spoke bluntly, "Working so hard, thought we'd teach you a lesson."

I smiled, which confused them.

I suddenly charged out from the darkness, swinging a brick at them.

It was several of them against just me, but having grown up fighting, I held my own. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore.

The leader gritted his teeth, "Damn, we're done. You got lucky today!"

But I wasn't in great shape either, my injuries no better than theirs.

I felt dizzy and worse than before, sitting down to rest with my eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" A voice woke me up.

It was a female student. I recognized the uniform; Alex had the same one.

The student was very concerned about me and even bought some medicine from a nearby pharmacy to help bandage me up. I waved her off, "It's not necessary."

"No, your injuries..." Our conversation was suddenly interrupted.

"Zack." A familiar voice. I looked up, and there was Alex, his face full of anxiety. Was it my imagination, or did his expression seem a bit cold?

The girl blushed when she saw Alex and softly said, "Alex."

I frowned.

Alex took me home and crouched down to help bandage my wounds, silent all the while.

I felt something wet on my hand. Alex was crying. The usually strong and quiet Alex was crying.

I was at a loss, "Don't, don't cry. It's not like you're the one who got beaten up."

Alex suddenly pulled me into his arms, using all his strength, as if trying to meld me into his bones.

He cried on my shoulder, saying between sobs, "I won't go to school anymore. I'll get a job, I'll earn money..."

I got angry, "Don't even think about it. Your brother is working so hard just so you can study. You can't just decide not to go to school. It's not possible..."

Before I could finish, my mouth was covered.

Alex pressed his lips against mine. I was stunned. The bitterness of tears exploded on my taste buds, and my mind exploded too.

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