On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 13: Brotherhood Is in the Heart

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Brotherhood Is in the Heart

Even if Zhou Hao hadn’t come home or bought another weapon tonight, which would have instantly cleared his name, Chen Mo’s trip still wouldn’t have been a waste.

Though he hadn’t pinpointed the killer, he felt he was onto something subtle. The idea just hadn’t fully clicked into place yet.

Soon, Chen Mo arrived near Zhou Hao’s house.

He had hoped to find Zhou Hao’s house dark, but to his disappointment, the lights were on.

Chen Mo’s heart sank. He actually had a pretty good impression of Zhou Hao...

Zhou Hao had a reputation as a notorious school bully, but in reality, he mostly went after other bullies.

After he targeted them, they began secretly fabricating and spreading malicious rumors about him. As a result, his reputation soured, yet his notoriety grew.

After all, if even the regular bullies were afraid of him, just how vicious must he be?

In reality, Zhou Hao had never bullied an innocent student. His whole school-bully act was just a front to protect himself.

Knowing this was why Chen Mo treated him as a good friend.

His school-bully act, his friendships with thugs outside—he did it all for himself and his mother. A widow and her son were always easy targets for all sorts of harassment.

Zhou Hao befriended local thugs just so his mother would face less trouble when she was running her street stall.

He should have been a good person, deep down.

At least, as far as Chen Mo knew, he wasn’t a bad person.

But as the saying goes, you can know a person’s face, but not their heart. Chen Mo couldn’t be sure if, after wearing the mask for so long, Zhou Hao might have truly awakened the malice in his heart.

He took a deep breath and slowly walked to Zhou Hao’s front door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Chen Mo knocked gently on the door.

Soon, the door opened with a CLICK. Zhou Hao stood there, shirtless, with a towel draped over his head.

"Holy shit, Old Mo? What are you doing here? It’s so late, why aren’t you home? And where’d you get the raincoat?" Zhou Hao looked Chen Mo up and down, wondering what on earth he was doing, wandering around in such a downpour late at night instead of sleeping at home.

"Teacher Li lent it to me." As Chen Mo spoke, his eyes swept over the room. In a single glance, he spotted a brand-new fruit knife on Zhou Hao’s desk.

’So it was Zhou Hao. He was the person in the police report—the one the shopkeeper couldn’t get a good look at—who bought a fruit knife late at night.’

"You ran into Teacher Li? Sorry about before. Something came up with my mom, and I was in such a rush I forgot to lend you an umbrella first," Zhou Hao said with an apologetic smile. "It’s pouring out there. Why don’t you come in?"

Chen Mo took off his raincoat and entered Zhou Hao’s home.

"So, Old Mo, what are you doing out so late instead of being at home?" Zhou Hao asked, drying his hair with the towel, a puzzled look on his face.

"You just got back?" Chen Mo asked at once, noticing Zhou Hao’s wet hair.

"Yeah. The storm’s really bad out there. My umbrella barely did any good," Zhou Hao replied, then looked at Chen Mo. "You still haven’t told me what you’re up to."

"It’s nothing. I just like walking around in the rain," Chen Mo lied.

"You’re a real weirdo, you know that?" Zhou Hao didn’t give it much thought. He pushed a bowl of fruit on the table toward Chen Mo. "Have some fruit."

"You took off in such a hurry earlier, you dropped your knife. Did you forget about it? Why’d you buy a new one?" Chen Mo said, picking up the fruit knife from Zhou Hao’s desk.

"Holy shit! No wonder I couldn’t find it when I checked all my pockets. So I dropped it? Where?" Zhou Hao asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Teacher Li found it. He probably threw it out with the trash. It’s mixed in with a bunch of garbage by now. You’d feel gross using it even if you found it."

"Forget it, then. I already bought a new one anyway," Zhou Hao said with a carefree grin. "I’d used that stupid knife to cut some wood earlier and dulled the blade, so it wasn’t working great. No big deal."

Zhou Hao’s smile was natural, but Chen Mo’s heart grew heavy.

’Zhou Hao’s time of return matched the time of the crime. And he really had gone and gotten a new weapon—the exact same type the medical examiner suspected was used in the murder.’

’It was becoming very difficult for Chen Mo to rule him out, even if he wanted to.’

"Zhou Hao..." Chen Mo considered how to phrase his next words.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing Chen Mo’s strange expression, Zhou Hao’s loyalty kicked in. "Did something happen? Someone giving you trouble? If you’ve got a problem, just tell me, man."

’Zhou Hao had heard that Chen Mo had powerful connections, but seeing him this troubled meant he must have run into someone even tougher.’

’Zhou Hao figured his own life wasn’t worth much, so he wasn’t afraid of anyone.’

’If someone like that really existed, he’d willingly stick his neck out for a friend.’

"We’re friends, right?" Chen Mo said after a moment’s hesitation.

"What do you mean, ’friends’? We’re brothers," Zhou Hao said with a laugh, patting Chen Mo on the shoulder. He was now even more convinced that something was wrong.

"Then I’ll just say it," Chen Mo said, looking Zhou Hao in the eye. "I don’t want to see you end up in jail someday for doing something stupid. I hope you’ll think more about the consequences of your actions. Your mom can’t afford to lose you."

Zhou Hao was taken aback by his words, then replied, a little touched, "I know what I’m doing. But if... and I’m just saying if... something really were to happen to me, I’d need to ask you to help look after my mom."

"No problem. On one condition: you don’t get into trouble for..." Chen Mo paused, searching for the right words. "...for breaking the law. Fights don’t count."

’It was impossible to stop Zhou Hao from getting into fights, but he could at least be warned off other things.’

"Other people might not know how I operate, but you do, don’t you? Don’t worry, I won’t," Zhou Hao said with a small smile.

"Alright, that’s all. I just came by to tell you that. I should get going," Chen Mo said, getting up to leave.

Zhou Hao didn’t try to make him stay. It was only after he saw Chen Mo off that he grew puzzled.

’How did Old Mo know I was planning to sell fake cigarettes to that bunch of scumbags at school? If even he knows, this thing could be exposed easily. I’d better tell Old Zhang we’re calling it off. Getting caught would be a huge problem.’

’Seeing Chen Mo wandering near his house tonight, and hearing his hesitant words, Zhou Hao figured he must have heard about the plan from somewhere. But since he wasn’t sure, he could only try to talk him out of it first.’

’He couldn’t help but be deeply moved. In this awful weather, Old Mo actually came all this way through the storm just to talk him out of something like this! To have a brother who cared so much... he was a true friend, a rare find!’

’Nothing more needs to be said. Old Mo... our brotherhood is something I’ll keep in my heart!’ he thought, melodramatically thumping his chest as he watched Chen Mo’s retreating figure.