Chapter 4: Probing—Everyone is a Good Person, Right?
Yu Xi didn’t know how he had ended up surrounded by these people.
He had used the essential oil Da Jin found for him, and after sniffing it for a while, he felt much better, but his head still felt heavy, and his reactions were a bit slower than usual.
By the time he snapped out of it and realized everyone was gathered in the small corner where he was sitting, it was already too late; there was no chance to escape.
They weren’t doing anything in particular—they were just staring at him.
Their gazes were too frank, too unscrupulous, scanning his entire body like a set of scanners. He could feel that these various lines of sight didn’t contain malice; they were more like a curious scrutiny, as if he were some rare animal. Still, it made him feel completely at a loss.
Every one of Pei Wang’s friends came from an extraordinary background. They were all glamorous, possessing an extraordinary aura. People raised on a silver spoon naturally stood apart from others; their confidence and pride radiated from their very bones, not just from their expensive clothes or posture.
Under the scrutiny of these people, Yu Xi couldn’t help but become conscious of his overly shabby clothes. He felt that staying in this luxurious club was like a misplaced, out-of-tune note in a magnificent symphony, disrupting the entire rhythm and atmosphere—completely out of place.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have followed Pei Wang here in the first place…
“Hey, are you nervous?”
The sudden question made the high-strung Yu Xi flinch. He was a beat late in responding: “N-no.”
He stuttered as soon as he spoke, exposing his nervousness completely. Yu Xi’s ears turned beet red instantly, and he buried his head even lower, looking like a little lamb that couldn’t find a place to hide, huddled into a ball of fluff under the watchful eyes of predatory beasts.
Someone said, “You guys are crowding him so much and staring; of course he’s nervous.”
“As if you aren’t doing the same. Why don’t you stand further back? You’re in my way.”
“Why should I? I still want to ask him a few questions.”
Hearing that someone wanted to ask him questions, Yu Xi—despite his internal panic—maintained his politeness. He looked up at the person and listened seriously.
“How old are you? You look so young. Are you sixteen?”
Yu Xi blinked and answered truthfully, “I’m already eighteen.”
“Holy crap, he said he’s eighteen…”
“He’s actually eighteen.”
“Eighteen…”
“He’s eighteen years old…”
Several people repeated Yu Xi’s answer one by one like a malfunctioning recorder, their expressions sharing a similar look of surprise.
Yu Xi didn’t understand why being eighteen was worth such surprise, and he awkwardly fidgeted with his hands.
Then someone else asked, “Then you must have already graduated from high school? Are you going to university?”
Yu Xi: “I just graduated. I got into Jingda.”
“Wow! Jingda!”
“That’s amazing, he actually got into Jingda.”
“Jingda… that’s incredible…”
“It’s Jingda.”
They began repeating the answer again, passing it along, but the surprise they showed now was different from before. There was a hint of admiration in their eyes.
Yu Xi felt it and secretly swayed his legs, which were dangling off the sofa.
Afterward, these people asked many more questions, such as his College Entrance Examination scores and ranking, which high school he attended, what his hobbies were, what movies he liked, his height and weight, and whether he had ever been in a relationship…
The questions were all over the place. Someone even asked why his eyelashes were so long, if his mouth was so small that he ate very slowly, and if he used perfume because he smelled so nice… Although the questions were strange, Yu Xi answered them all seriously.
Through these questions, Yu Xi gradually relaxed, no longer as tense as he was at the beginning. The others also had glowing eyes, listening to his answers with great interest, with a pile of curious questions still waiting to be asked.
It wasn’t until Pei Wang, who was leaning alone not far away, let out a cough that someone finally remembered their actual purpose.
“What is the relationship between your family and Pei Wang’s mother? We haven’t seen you before.”
Yu Xi thought for a moment. “My mother and Auntie Pei have been friends since middle school. Later, my mother… took me to another place, so they didn’t see each other for many years.”
“So that’s how it is. You got into university here, so your family got back in touch with Pei Wang’s mother?”
Yu Xi nodded. “It’s something like that.”
The true reason wasn’t exactly that, but the university he got into certainly played a role in the relationship between Ms. Pei and his mother.
He had long since developed independence, being much stronger than many of his peers. He had worked many odd jobs during middle and high school to earn money and was fully capable of taking care of himself. He didn’t really need to trouble the Pei family.
But… Ms. Pei had taken the initiative to offer her care, partly because she wanted to use this opportunity to quickly repair the friendship with his mother.
After all, they hadn’t met in over ten years. What separated them wasn’t just time and distance; the cracks created by past mistakes made these two formerly inseparable best friends inevitably uneasy and cautious after their reconciliation.
And Yu Xi was meant to act as the glue.
Of course, Ms. Pei’s kindness toward him was wholehearted. Yu Xi was grateful for this kindness and vowed in his heart to repay it, along with his mother’s share.
Therefore, he had to perform well. At the very least, he had to get along with Pei Wang. To achieve that, he had to endure the trial before him.
Yu Xi lifted his long eyelashes, his clear eyes sweeping over the people around him.
He understood what Pei Wang and his friends were trying to do. They were probing him, testing him, wanting him to back down.
But he wouldn’t give up so easily.
“Staying at the Pei house must be pretty hard, right?” A girl with curly hair sitting closest to him leaned in and whispered in Yu Xi’s ear. “After all, his temper is stinking.”
Her volume was just enough for their circle to hear, but it didn’t reach Pei Wang.
The others nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, yeah, that kid isn’t easy to get along with at all, and he holds grudges.”
“His young master temper is hard to serve; everyone has to spoil him.”
“Has he bullied you? Tell us about it.”
Listening to these people condemn Pei Wang one by one, Yu Xi rubbed his palms and shook his head. “No.”
“Sigh, don’t just endure it. We can all see it; he’s been giving you a hard time. Tell you what, I’ll teach you a trick. I’ll tell you his weakness, and I guarantee you’ll have him under control.”
Yu Xi couldn’t help but show a bit of curiosity. When the girl approached with her hand covering her mouth, he instinctively leaned his ear toward her. He waited for a few seconds but didn’t hear her speak. He looked at her sideways in confusion.
Unbeknownst to him what had happened, the girl was holding her breath, her entire face flushed red. She said, “D-don’t lean so close to me.”
Yu Xi: “?”
While this person was stammering, another person immediately snatched the spot. “Useless thing, move aside and let me speak! Ahem… Come, little brother, I’ll tell you.”
Yu Xi tilted his head and leaned his ear in again.
“Pei Wang’s weakness is—his mother.”
Yu Xi’s eyes widened slightly.
“Are you surprised?” The person who told him laughed.
Yu Xi nodded but didn’t speak.
He was surprised, but not because the weakness was unexpected. Rather, it was a sense of “is that all?”
He had actually known it for a while.
In the less than one day since yesterday, he had figured it out from the things Auntie Wan said every time she stopped Pei Wang from speaking rudely.
She often used Ms. Pei’s words to remind Pei Wang, and then Pei Wang’s expression would become very strange.
He looked defiant, but his words and actions would be much more restrained.
“So, if he does anything to make you unhappy, just go complain to his mother!”
“But you can’t just say Pei Wang is wrong directly. You have to imply it, complain indirectly, and act pitiful. I shouldn’t need to teach you that, right?”
Next, several of them taught Yu Xi some conversation techniques—how to complain without leaving a trail, and how to act pitiful naturally without it looking fake. Yu Xi was stunned by what he heard.
“You guys are really amazing…”
The curly-haired girl laughed. “Understand what to do now?”
Yu Xi nodded, then shook his head. “Thank you all, but I don’t want to complain.”
His answer made them exchange glances.
“Why?”
“Pei Wang doesn’t know me very well yet, so it’s normal for him to be defensive toward a stranger like me. Since you are all his friends, it means he isn’t a bad person, right?” Yu Xi gave a small smile. “Besides, I don’t want to make the relationship between him and his mother worse. Having Pei Wang punished isn’t what I want. I want him to set aside his prejudice and accept me.”
Hearing this, after a brief moment of astonishment, the people surrounding him all broke into smiles.
“He bullies you like this, and you aren’t even angry?”
Yu Xi shook his head. “He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s like… like a sensitive and alert puppy. One day, a stranger suddenly enters his territory; it’s normal for him to have a reaction because he doesn’t know if I’m a friend or a foe. So, I, the stranger, should let him get used to my scent first.”
After saying this, Yu Xi immediately felt his metaphor was a bit inappropriate and hurriedly added, “I’m not calling him a dog as an insult. Puppies are very good. I didn’t mean it as a curse; I just said he’s like…”
Seeing him desperately trying to clarify, several of them let out light laughs.
“Alright, alright, we understand.” The curly-haired girl pressed her hand on his. “That metaphor is actually quite vivid. As expected of a top student who got into Jingda.”
Yu Xi scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed.
At that moment, Da Jin, who had been observing from outside the circle, squeezed his way in.
“Since everything’s been made clear, I’m taking Xiao Xi away.”
He reached his hand out to Yu Xi. Yu Xi instinctively reached back, but before he could stand up, he was interrupted.
“What’s your hurry? We also want to chat with Xiao Xi. How can you hog Xiao Xi all to yourself? Xiao Xi isn’t yours.”
Da Jin’s face turned red. “I-it’s not that I want to hog him. I’m looking out for him. With so many of you crowding him, he must be uncomfortable. I’m taking him to a quieter place to rest.”
Someone burst out laughing. “Yo, yo, yo, you’re quite good at playing the nice guy now. Xiao Xi, let me tell you, this Da Jin is quite bad. Yesterday he was saying in the group chat that he’d help Pei Wang bully you. Don’t be fooled. Only we are the good people, so just stay here and don’t go anywhere.”
“You guys!” Da Jin wanted to curse, but mindful of Yu Xi’s presence, he held his tongue.
“Why don’t we just show Xiao Xi the group chat records and see if it’s true~”
Da Jin was truly getting anxious now and went to grab the phone the person had pulled out. The next second, Yu Xi’s voice rang out, dousing the fire of his anxiety like a spring rain.
“No need. I know Da Jin isn’t a bad person.”
Da Jin turned his head, seeing Yu Xi still sitting there properly, giving him a comforting look.
“Ever since we met, he has been very good to me and has taken care of me. I have to thank him. And I also know that everyone is a good person, right?”
As the words fell, Yu Xi smiled brightly at everyone. His eyes were like crescent moons, and his deep dimples seemed to hold a pool of intoxicating honey that could sweeten a person’s heart directly, causing a wave of numbness.
Everyone froze, their souls seemingly lost to this excessively beautiful smile.
Translator’s Note:
Yu Xi is such an angel! Calling a grumpy young master a “sensitive puppy” is both hilarious and adorable. Also, Jingda (京大) is the common abbreviation for Peking University, the top-tier school in China. Getting in is a massive achievement! And poor Da Jin—he’s already been caught in his own web of lies, but Yu Xi’s “everyone is a good person” strike is just too powerful. It’s the ultimate “Good Guy” buff!
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