On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 20: No Misunderstanding, Everyone Gets It

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: No Misunderstanding, Everyone Gets It

"DING-DONG!"

Just as Chen Mo had finished helping Su Yuqing get settled and was lying on the sofa to rest, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Su Yuqing subconsciously took a step back, as if she were afraid of something. Chen Mo didn’t notice her reaction at that moment. He was only worried that she might get attacked if she answered the door. After all, he still hadn’t figured out who the killer was or where they were.

He shot to his feet and shouted, "Wait a minute!"

He pulled Su Yuqing behind him, only to realize he might have overreacted. He quickly laughed it off. "I’ll get it."

It was no wonder he was acting this way. Until he found the real person who had killed Su Yuqing, he was terrified she would be in danger the moment he wasn’t watching her.

After all, given what happened in his past life, who knew if the gears of fate would once again mercilessly crush this poor girl.

Su Yuqing gave Chen Mo a surprised look.

Although she didn’t know what was going on, she could clearly sense that Chen Mo was worried about her—so worried that his protectiveness was a bit excessive.

She didn’t understand why he was acting like this, but seeing how much he cared for her, Su Yuqing’s heart felt as if it were filled with honey, sweet to its very core.

Chen Mo habitually glanced through the peephole before opening the door.

He hadn’t expected the visitor to be Zhou Hao, which immediately put him on high alert.

It wasn’t that Zhou Hao couldn’t come visit. Zhou Hao had come over to his house to hang out before, and they had a decent relationship. Chen Mo certainly wasn’t worried that Zhou Hao would try to harm him.

The alarm bells were ringing for Su Yuqing.

Based on Chen Mo’s research from the previous day, Zhou Hao was still the prime suspect in Su Yuqing’s case. With Su Yuqing right here in his home, how could Chen Mo not be wary of Zhou Hao’s sudden visit?

He was especially alarmed when he suddenly remembered that on this exact day in the original timeline, Zhou Hao had never come to his house at all.

Someone who had never appeared in the previous timeline had suddenly shown up in this one. It was no wonder Chen Mo was being overly sensitive; his vigilance was completely justified.

"Zhou Hao, what are you doing here?" he asked instinctively.

"What kind of question is that? Can’t I come hang out just because?" Zhou Hao said with a smile, holding up a jar he was carrying. "You were wandering around in that storm yesterday, so I was worried you might catch a cold. My mom taught me how to make a soup that’s really good for dispelling wind-chill and dampness, and it tastes great too. I figured I’d brew some for you to try."

Zhou Hao had been moved by Chen Mo’s gesture of coming to persuade him in the rain last night. In his book, you could do without a lot of things, but loyalty was number one.

He was incredibly touched that his brother had treated him with such sincerity. Never mind making soup—if someone came at Chen Mo with a knife right now, he’d be willing to take the blade for him.

You could call him naive, but you couldn’t mock his sense of loyalty.

’So my actions yesterday caused a butterfly effect,’ Chen Mo thought. ’No wonder Zhou Hao, who wasn’t supposed to be here today, showed up at my door.’

Zhou Hao had a carefree personality, but Chen Mo knew he was actually a very thoughtful person, especially when it came to taking care of his mother.

"I didn’t feel anything until you mentioned it, but now that you have, my head does feel a bit stuffy," Chen Mo said with a smile, rubbing his temples.

"Well, no kidding. Look how soaked you got last night. It’d be a miracle if the cold didn’t get into your system. Don’t do that again. Here, hurry up and have a couple of bowls," Zhou Hao said as he started to come inside.

But then, he abruptly saw a girl standing behind Chen Mo.

They all went to the same school. He might not recognize an ordinary person, but how could he not recognize a school beauty like Su Yuqing?

Instantly, his gaze darted back and forth between Su Yuqing and Chen Mo.

"This is Su Yuqing. You know her," Chen Mo said, offering a simple introduction.

"And?" Zhou Hao asked, momentarily stunned.

"And what? Do I need to reintroduce you to me, too?" Chen Mo was also a bit taken aback.

"Get lost! I mean, aren’t you going to introduce your relationship?" Zhou Hao then answered his own question. "Never mind, you don’t have to. Hello, Sister-in-law Mo.

I didn’t realize what was going on here. Looks like I came at a bad time.

I’ll leave this soup. Make sure Old Mo drinks some later. It’s just brown sugar, ginger, and jujube soup. There’s no Chinese medicine in it, not a single toxic ingredient, so you can drink it without worry.

It’s very nourishing for girls too, so you can have some as well, Sister-in-law. I’ll get going now. Don’t want to be a third wheel, haha."

Zhou Hao left the soup and prepared to make a run for it.

"You’ve got it wrong. Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for a bit?" Now that he understood Zhou Hao’s intentions, Chen Mo was no longer suspicious of his visit.

He had always considered Zhou Hao a friend; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so heartbroken when he learned Zhou Hao might be the killer, just as he was when he suspected Teacher Li.

His wariness just now wasn’t because he didn’t see Zhou Hao as a friend, but because the situation was just too complicated.

When your best friend might be trying to kill the girl you like, anyone would step in to stop it. That doesn’t make you a bad friend.

Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, Chen Mo naturally felt apologetic and wanted to ask Zhou Hao to stay and hang out.

"No misunderstanding! It’s about time to switch out with the person at my mom’s side. I have to go see her, so I don’t have time to stay. You and Sister-in-law have a good time." With a knowing smile, Zhou Hao ran out of Chen Mo’s sight.

Watching Zhou Hao go, with his sunny and straightforward personality, Chen Mo found it really hard to believe he could be the killer.

He now felt an urgent impulse to find another, more likely suspect to take Zhou Hao’s place.

After all, secretly suspecting a good friend who treated him with such sincerity was a heavy psychological burden.

When she first saw Zhou Hao, the rumored school bully, Su Yuqing was clearly taken aback and even a little scared.

But after hearing the tone of his voice and seeing his personality, Su Yuqing couldn’t help but feel surprised. "Everyone says he’s a bad-news school bully, but he doesn’t seem like one at all."

"You can’t judge a book by its cover. Zhou Hao is someone with a story. Things with him aren’t as simple as what you hear on the surface."

As he spoke, Chen Mo opened the jar Zhou Hao had brought, and the rich aroma of jujube, brown sugar, and ginger immediately filled the air.

"It’s still warm. You got pretty soaked last night, too. Come on, let’s have some together." Chen Mo smiled as he took out two bowls and a ladle, pouring a serving for each of them.

As they took their first sip of the soup, both of their eyes lit up.

"Zhou Hao really knows his stuff. The amount of ginger is just right—a little spicy, but not overpowering. And the sweetness is perfectly balanced, too."

But as they swallowed, the spiciness finally spread from their throats throughout their bodies.

It was followed by a gentle, warming sensation.

The soup was indeed very effective at dispelling cold and dampness.

Not only that, but the added jujubes also helped to restore energy, nourish the body, and calm the nerves, which could strengthen their immune systems.

For Chen Mo and Su Yuqing, after enduring last night’s storm, it was the perfect nourishing remedy.

"You should have more, Yuqing. You’ve been looking a bit pale lately," Chen Mo said with a smile. "That guy should have added some longan to this, then it would’ve been even better."

"I’ve only ever heard people say bad things about him. I never expected him to be such a nice person," Su Yuqing said with a smile after finishing a bowl of the soup from Zhou Hao.

"It’s all because life forced his hand. He wasn’t supposed to be like this," Chen Mo sighed.

Hearing this, Su Yuqing’s expression dimmed again. Those words—"life forced his hand"—resonated deeply with her as well.