TLCBITAR Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Zhou Family in Chaos

In the blink of an eye, the sun had already set.

Zhou Zhou paused outside the shopping mall, hesitating whether to return to the Zhou family or to his brother’s place.

Before he could decide, his phone rang.

Seeing Zhou Hongwei’s name on the screen, he answered the call.

“Isn’t school on vacation? Why aren’t you coming home?” A male voice, laced with anger, came through the phone.

Zhou Zhou put one hand in his pocket, lowered his head slightly, and jokingly replied with a smile, “Missing me?”

Silence ensued on the other end, with only heavy breathing audible.

“Huh?”

“Where are you? I’ll send the driver to pick you up.”

“Huiyue Shopping Mall.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the call was abruptly ended.

How bizarre. What was Zhou Hongwei up to, actually taking the initiative to call him home?

Zhou Zhou couldn’t figure it out, so he simply opened his drama app and continued watching his trashy romance.

The dim yellow light shone on him, adding a touch of gentleness to his features.

With a “beep,” a black Hummer with the license plate 8888 pulled up on the road beside him. It was obvious who it belonged to.

Zhou Zhou glanced at it and then lowered his head, ignoring it. The female lead wasn’t here right now, and it wasn’t plot time, so he wanted to minimize contact with the male lead to avoid ruining the storyline.

[Tsk, what’s he doing stopping here? Don’t bother me while I’m watching my show.]

Pei Yanlie lowered the car window, his dark eyes fixed on him, his gaze falling on his injured shoulder.

The area was blackish-red and seemed even more swollen. This guy was just letting it go like that, not even treating it.

Madam Wen, who was sitting in the back seat, retracted her gaze and softly asked, “Yanlie, do you know that boy?”

Pei Yanlie pondered for a moment before answering, “He’s a junior at Beicheng University, and also the younger brother of an old classmate.”

Madam Wen nodded knowingly. Seeing her son staring at the boy without saying hello, a hint of doubt arose in her eyes.

Her gaze fell on the boy again. He was looking down, and most of his face was hidden by the brim of his hat. She could only see the curve of his red lips.

He was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His outfit was very trendy, especially those leopard-print flip-flops, which caught her eye.

The boy suddenly raised his hand to adjust his hat, and the sight of the Five Emperors Coin Bracelet on his wrist made her expression falter for a moment.

A very familiar bracelet. Wasn’t that the one she had given her son? Why was it on his wrist?

“Why are you just staring at him?” Madam Wen glanced at her son out of the corner of her eye, suppressed her curiosity, and asked softly.

Pei Yanlie withdrew his gaze, a dark light flashing in his eyes. He slowly stepped on the gas pedal, and the car drove forward. Only when the figure was completely out of sight did he say in a low voice, “Mom, can people possessed by spirits also get hurt?”

Madam Wen was a little surprised, not expecting her son to suddenly change the topic. Something was up.

She carefully considered her son’s question, and after a moment of thought, she replied, “Spirits are ethereal, while humans are physical. Even if someone is possessed, they are still flesh and blood, and will be affected by the outside world. That can’t be changed.”

Pei Yanlie didn’t turn his head, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. His deep voice carried a hint of doubt, “If someone who’s possessed wears an exorcism item, will they be harmed by it?”

Madam Wen smiled knowingly and replied softly, “No, it will only protect them and keep them safe.”

Pei Yanlie gave a deep “hmm.”

He had grown up under Madam Wen’s guidance and was deeply influenced by her, believing strongly in ghosts and gods.

Suddenly being able to hear Zhou Zhou’s thoughts, he naturally thought of this possibility.

Madam Wen felt that her son was acting strange today. She had never heard him mention metaphysics or anything like that before.

Could it be because of that boy?

She couldn’t figure it out, so she decided not to think about it anymore and took out her Buddhist prayer beads from her bag to play with them.

The black Hummer disappeared at the end of the road, and only then did Zhou Zhou look up, curl his lip, and mutter, “Instead of having a good romance, he’s messing around with metaphysics. Speechless.”

He raised his left hand and glanced at the Five Emperors Coin Bracelet, scoffed, and yanked it off, casually stuffing it into his pocket.

Anyway, Pei Yanlie didn’t have telescopic vision and wouldn’t know if he was wearing the Five Emperors Coin Bracelet or not.

After waiting in place for ten minutes, a black BMW pulled up beside him.

Zhou Zhou, holding his phone in one hand, opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and glanced at the driver before leaning lazily against the car door and saying, “It’s you again.”

Uncle Chen turned his head and gave an ingratiating smile, “Young Master Zhou, the previous incident was a misunderstanding. I guarantee that nothing like that will happen again.”

“Deliberate actions can hardly be attributed to a misunderstanding. Alright, alright, just drive your car and stop talking nonsense.” With that, he pressed play and continued watching his drama.

Uncle Chen turned back around, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. He couldn’t believe that Young Master Zhou’s personality had completely changed after going to college.

However, he was just a small driver for the Zhou family, and he didn’t dare to be angry or say anything, fearing that the master would be displeased and fire him.

The BMW gradually drove away from Huiyue Shopping Mall, heading in the direction of the Zhou family.

Along the way, Zhou Zhou occasionally chuckled, and Uncle Chen couldn’t help but look up at the rearview mirror, seeing the excited look on his face, as if he were possessed. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Back at the Zhou family, it was already completely dark.

Zhou Zhou reluctantly turned off his phone, removed his earphones, and walked into the Zhou family villa with a lazy gait.

His stepmother, Yang Xueyun’s, laughter could be heard from inside.

As soon as Zhou Zhou appeared, she stopped laughing, forced a smile, and feigned concern, “Xiao Zhou, it’s been so long. Are you settling in well at school?”

Yang Xueyun had wavy hair and maintained her appearance well, her skin glowing as if it were emitting light.

She was wearing a pink sportswear set, and her entire outfit made her look like a college student.

It wouldn’t be out of place to say that she was Zhou Nian’s sister.

“It’s only been a few days, Aunt Yang, have you reversed aging?”

Yang Xueyun’s face turned green and white. She restrained herself and didn’t retort.

Zhou Nian walked down the stairs with a lollipop in her mouth. She spotted Zhou Zhou standing in the living room at a glance.

She sized him up and, seeing his non-mainstream outfit, said disdainfully, “From gloomy style to non-mainstream style, you’re hopeless.”

Zhou Zhou swept a glance at her with the corner of his eye, too lazy to pay attention to her. He started walking towards the second floor.

Zhou Hongwei had called him back, but he was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t want to face those two sarcastic women.

“Hey, I’m talking to you! Why are you walking away!” Zhou Nian was displeased and scolded his back.

Zhou Zhou didn’t stop. Only when he reached the second floor did he walk to the railing, look down at her condescendingly, and say, “With that voice, even a shrew can’t compare to you.”

The lollipop fell out of Zhou Nian’s mouth. She glared, looking up at the figure on the second floor, the knives in her eyes wishing they could materialize and tear him to shreds.

“If you have the guts, come down here! What are you pretending to be hiding on the second floor!”

Zhou Zhou propped his hands on the railing and teased, “Oh, are you using reverse psychology now?”

…

Zhou Hongwei had just returned when he heard the chaotic sounds coming from the house.

His gaze fell to the ground. The shattered vase lay quietly scattered on the floor, with a leopard-print flip-flop thrown beside it.

He immediately flew into a rage and roared, “Who broke my vase!”