Chapter 59
To avoid Di Zuo, they missed out on the post-dinner hot spring soak last night. Early the next morning, Chi Aibei dragged Lin Xiu to the bathhouse.
Lin Xiu stepped out to buy drinks and happened to run into Di Zuo, who was on his way to the restaurant.
Di Zuo was mid-yawn. He looked at Lin Xiu. “Soaking in the hot springs this early?” He glanced behind the curtain. “Are you here alone?”
“Mm,” Lin Xiu replied.
Di Zuo didn’t believe him. Looking at Lin Xiu, he couldn’t help but recall He Youyou’s words from yesterday. He walked toward Lin Xiu and asked abruptly, “Do you like guys or girls?”
Because of Chi Aibei, many people were different from his previous life, but Di Zuo’s psycho tendencies remained consistent.
Seeing that Lin Xiu didn’t speak, Di Zuo decided to stop beating around the bush. “I like guys. To be clear, I like Chi Aibei.”
Something so obvious didn’t need to be said; Lin Xiu had already seen through it. “And?”
With the mindset of knowing one’s enemy, Di Zuo said, “So I want to ask you—do you like guys or girls? If you like girls, then there’s no problem. But if you like guys, you’d better not like him, because I’ve set my sights on him.”
“If I remember correctly,” Lin Xiu said, “I believe I told you he is a minor.”
Di Zuo used what he had just learned: “Haven’t you heard of the ‘nurture-type’?”
“You’re going to nurture him?” Lin Xiu remarked. “In that case, you should probably discuss this with Chi Wendong. Telling me is useless.”
Despite Di Zuo laying his cards on the table, Lin Xiu’s attitude remained completely unmoved. Di Zuo thought that He Youyou might have just been ‘shipping’ glass shards this time.
Chi Aibei saw that Lin Xiu hadn’t returned for a long time and came out to find him. He saw Di Zuo happily patting Lin Xiu on the shoulder before walking away.
Chi Aibei was stunned. He had only looked away for a second, and Di Zuo had already found an opening!
He ran over, anxious. “What did he want with you? What did he say?!”
Lin Xiu looked at the person who had suddenly charged over.
Chi Aibei’s brows were knit tight. “Gege, didn’t I tell you to stay away from him?”
Lin Xiu looked at Chi Aibei, who was guarding him against Di Zuo like he was a thief. And this guy wanted to pursue him?
“You’re the one who provoked him,” Lin Xiu said. “Why are you telling me to stay away?”
Chi Aibei was only doing this to keep Di Zuo stable. Although everything was currently heading in a good direction, what if…
“So what exactly did he say to you?” Chi Aibei pressed.
Lin Xiu had no intention of repeating Di Zuo’s words. He draped a towel over Chi Aibei’s head. “Nothing.”
Chi Aibei pulled the towel down. Lin Xiu suddenly asked, “Do you like guys?”
Chi Aibei was taken aback. “Why ask that?”
“What kind of boys do you like?” Lin Xiu continued.
Though Chi Aibei didn’t understand the reason for the question, his answer was swift. “I like guys like Gege.”
Lin Xiu looked at him. “Like me?”
Chi Aibei’s words had no hidden meaning, but he noticed Lin Xiu put emphasis on the words “like me.” He corrected himself: “No, it’s not that I like people ‘like you.’ It’s that I like you.”
Lin Xiu paused for a moment. He reached out and pinched Chi Aibei’s cheek, giving it a gentle tug. “Do you talk to everyone like this?”
Chi Aibei’s cheek was pulled, causing his mouth to leak air. He held onto Lin Xiu’s hand and mumbled unclearly, “I only talk like this to you.”
He Youyou happened to pass by the restaurant and accidentally caught sight of the two of them “flirting” so early in the morning. She took out her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Meng Ying.
He Youyou: [Look, my fruit tree has blossomed.]
In the afternoon, Chi Wendong came to pick them up. In the car, Chi Aibei said, “Ge, I’m not staying at the hotel anymore.”
Chi Wendong thought he wanted to go home. “Good. Our parents aren’t around these days anyway…”
Before Chi Wendong could finish, Chi Aibei added, “I’m going to stay at Lin Xiu Gege’s house.”
Lin Xiu put down his phone and looked at Aibei. “Did I say I was taking you back? You’re just talking to yourself now.”
Chi Aibei said with a beaming smile, “Since I like you so much, just take me back. Otherwise, I’ll be so pitiful living in a hotel alone.”
Chi Wendong watched as Chi Aibei acted spoiled toward Lin Xiu, suddenly feeling a bit sour. Although Chi Aibei acted spoiled with him too, it seemed more natural when he did it with Lin Xiu.
“It’s finally a holiday,” Chi Wendong said. “Don’t go being a nuisance to others.”
Chi Aibei looked at Lin Xiu. “Gege~”
Lin Xiu ignored him and spoke to Chi Wendong. “It’s no trouble.”
Chi Wendong glanced at him. “Really no trouble?”
Lin Xiu felt that the question wasn’t just about whether it was a ‘trouble’ or not. He asked back, “Do you want me to answer that it is or isn’t?”
Chi Wendong paused. He clearly hadn’t expected his jealousy to be detected. He gave a helpless smile. “Must you be so cunning at your age?”
“Aren’t you the same?” Lin Xiu countered. “Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable keeping everything bottled up?”
It was uncomfortable. But Chi Wendong hadn’t grown up in a loving environment; he didn’t know how to express himself. He had clearly stated that their parents weren’t home and he was the only one there, yet Chi Aibei still insisted on going to Lin Xiu’s. Was Lin Xiu’s house really that great?
Chi Wendong looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Seeing Chi Wendong being stubborn for the sake of his pride, Lin Xiu didn’t expose him. “Forget it then.”
Lin Xiu hadn’t visited his grandmother in a long while. This time, he brought the old lady home to stay for a couple of days.
Chi Aibei wasn’t good at nursing the sick, but he was very diligent when it came to running errands like bringing tea and water.
Inside the room, the old lady pulled Lin Xiu aside and asked, “Is this child living with us now?”
Lin Xiu massaged the old lady’s stiff fingers. “It’s summer break. He didn’t want to go home, so I let him stay.”
Lin Xiu often brought Chi Aibei to the nursing home, and now that it was the holidays, he had brought him home. The old lady found it strange. “Won’t his parents say anything?”
“His parents don’t care about him,” Lin Xiu said. “His brother agreed.”
Lin Xiu spoke casually, but the old lady could hear that “don’t care” didn’t simply mean they left him alone. This child had always been like this—the more he didn’t want to discuss a topic, the more nonchalant he sounded.
The old lady sighed. “Such a good child. How can there be so many ungrateful people in this world?”
Lin Xiu knew the old lady wasn’t just talking about Chi Aibei’s parents, but was thinking of his own situation. When he was little, his grandmother would often tell him about his mother. Later, she stopped. She probably realized he wasn’t interested.
At night, after the old lady took her medicine and went to bed early, Chi Aibei sat on the sofa. The TV volume was so low it was almost inaudible.
Lin Xiu walked past the TV. “Watching a mime show?”
Chi Aibei hugged his legs, peeked at the half-closed bedroom door, and whispered, “Gege, maybe I should go back home tomorrow.”
Lin Xiu was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized why he said that. “Did you hear what I said to Grandma this afternoon?”
Chi Aibei had heard it. Furthermore, he noticed that Grandma’s mood hadn’t been as good since then. It was rare for her to be back, and he felt like he was in the way.
Lin Xiu reached out and ruffled his hair. “I was wondering why you stopped being my errand boy this afternoon. Turns out you were overthinking things. Grandma’s mood isn’t because of you; it’s because of me. Don’t worry about it.”
Chi Aibei looked up, Lin Xiu’s hand still on his head. “Because of you?”
Lin Xiu didn’t really want to talk about it, but seeing Aibei blame himself, he explained anyway. “Specifically, it’s because of my mother. I’ve never met her. She left not long after giving birth to me and never came back. Grandma gets upset every time she’s mentioned. She’ll be fine after a night’s sleep. Don’t worry.”
Chi Aibei knew these things. He looked at Lin Xiu, who was calmly mentioning his mother. “Gege, have you ever thought about looking for her?”
Lin Xiu hadn’t, nor was he interested. “Why would I look for her? To provide for her in her old age?”
Lin Xiu sat down beside Chi Aibei and stretched. In a rare moment of relaxation, he leaned back on the sofa with his legs extended. “She didn’t raise me. If I find her, I’ll have to support her. That would be a huge loss for me.”
Chi Aibei’s brain took a sharp turn. “But if they come back to seek maintenance from you, I think you legally still have to pay child support or alimony.”
Lin Xiu hadn’t expected such a response. He turned to look at him and suddenly couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Chi Aibei was baffled by the laughter. He didn’t know what he had said that was so funny.
Perhaps because he had been suppressed for too long, Lin Xiu’s laughter was almost uncontrollable. “What exactly is inside that head of yours? Why is your logic always so different from everyone else? You should just study law in university. You seem to have a lot of research in this area.”
Chi Aibei didn’t know how the topic had turned to this. Though he didn’t want to continue, he followed Lin Xiu’s lead. “But the legal codes are so hard to memorize.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiu laughed even harder. Chi Aibei was so startled he quickly moved to cover Lin Xiu’s mouth. “Gege, stop laughing! You’ll wake Grandma up!”
One hand wasn’t enough. Chi Aibei knelt on the sofa, pinning one leg over Lin Xiu and using both hands to cover his mouth. “Stop laughing! What’s so funny?!”
Lin Xiu was pinned down and couldn’t move. He patted Chi Aibei’s arm and said muffledly, “I’m not laughing anymore. Get up, you’re crushing me.”
Chi Aibei moved his leg and released his hands. He knelt there, looking at Lin Xiu in fear. “Gege, you seemed like a crazy person just now.”
The mirth in Lin Xiu’s eyes hadn’t faded. He pinched Aibei’s face. “Next time you see a crazy person, don’t charge in. Remember to run.”
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