Rebirth of the Spiritual Power King of Pop Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Shut Up

Lei Xing also entered the villa, returning shortly after with a stack of stools. He separated them one by one; they were the perfect height to match the barbecue grill. Before long, Jiang Mu pushed out a dining cart, every tier filled with various skewers—everything from vegetables and meats to a full assortment of seafood.

“Did you forget the seasonings?” Lei Xing asked, glancing at the cart.

“Uh… I forgot,” Jiang Mu replied, rubbing his nose.

“I’ll go get them.” Lei Xing stepped back inside and quickly emerged with an array of bottles and jars, an assortment so complete it rivaled a professional barbecue stall.

Xiahou Qian watched from the sidelines. Although everyone except Sikong Quan treated him well—some even taking the initiative to speak with him out of courtesy—he still couldn’t fully integrate. He felt like a mere bystander. Even with Chi Shaochen standing right beside him, that feeling remained unshakable.

Xiahou Qian sat next to Chi Shaochen. Chi Shaochen took it upon himself to handle the heavy lifting of the grilling, telling Xiahou Qian to just focus on eating later. Having never done this before, Xiahou Qian didn’t argue; he simply sat quietly by the man’s side, waiting to be fed.

The others were also busy grilling their favorite items, making for a very lively scene.

On Xiahou Qian’s other side was Lu Ke, who chatted with him from time to time while grilling, likely afraid he wasn’t accustomed to the setting. While Xiahou Qian didn’t actually feel out of place, he accepted Lu Ke’s kindness nonetheless.

On Chi Shaochen’s other side was Liu Jinbai. The two seemed to be discussing serious business. Xiahou Qian couldn’t be bothered to listen, and seeing that the food wouldn’t be ready for a while, he decided to go to the washroom to wash his hands.

“Where is the restroom?” Xiahou Qian asked Chi Shaochen.

“I’ll take you,” Chi Shaochen offered.

“No need, just tell me how to get there.” It was just inside the villa; he wasn’t a child, and he didn’t need a chaperone for such a short distance.

“Alright.” Chi Shaochen gave Xiahou Qian detailed directions.

In truth, Chi Shaochen was slightly uneasy. He planned to stay by Xiahou Qian’s side properly once he finished speaking with Liu Jinbai. Business could be discussed anytime, but while he wouldn’t usually worry—given Xiahou Qian’s maturity beyond his years—the youth’s state today was clearly off.

None of them noticed when Sikong Quan quietly slipped away shortly after Xiahou Qian left.

Xiahou Qian found the restroom without issue. When he stepped out after washing up, he saw Sikong Quan standing by the sink, waiting for him with an expression that screamed he was looking for trouble. Xiahou Qian looked at him with cold, lowered eyes before ignoring him entirely to turn on the tap.

Xiahou Qian loathed this kind of inexplicable hostility, yet he didn’t even have the desire to ask why. It was precisely this behavior—completely disregarding Sikong Quan—that further enraged the young master, who had been pampered since childhood.

“You’re not worthy of Brother Chi at all! So what if you graduated from the Huaxia Conservatory of Music? You’re still just a small-time star! Everything you have is because of Brother Chi, isn’t it? Who knows what kind of methods you used to bewitch him…”

“Shut up!” Xiahou Qian’s voice was slightly cold, a storm brewing in his eyes. But Sikong Quan, who was currently enjoying his own tirade, clearly didn’t notice—or simply didn’t care.

“Humph~ Even if Brother Chi likes men, he shouldn’t be with someone like you! Uncle and Auntie Chi could never look down on someone like you. You’re just a plaything to him. After all, you do have a decent face…”

Bang! Xiahou Qian sent a kick into Sikong Quan’s chest, knocking him to the ground. His head slammed right against the wall.

“Ah!” Sikong Quan screamed in pain.

Xiahou Qian walked toward Sikong Quan step by step, his gaze icy. Ignoring the malice and rage in the boy’s eyes, he pressed the sole of his shoe directly against Sikong Quan’s cheek, looking down at him coldly.

“Continue.”

This was the scene that Chi Shaochen, Liu Jinbai, and the others walked into.

They had suddenly heard a tragic scream from outside. Chi Shaochen’s first thought was of Xiahou Qian, and he bolted toward the first-floor restroom without stopping to distinguish if the scream actually belonged to his partner. The others followed suit without a second thought.

Sikong Shuo had felt a bad premonition when he noticed Sikong Quan was missing on the way over. Knowing his brother’s temper and the fact that they were the only ones at the villa today, he was certain whatever was happening involved Sikong Quan. However, he had never heard his brother scream so pitifully, so for a moment, he couldn’t tell if the sound came from Sikong Quan, Xiahou Qian, or one of the villa’s helpers.

But even having guessed his brother was involved, seeing his younger sibling being stepped on by Xiahou Qian was still a rather complicated feeling.

To be honest, he didn’t particularly like this brother of his—the boy was completely spoiled. But he was his biological brother, and after his mother had helped the boy pester him into bringing him along today, he’d had no choice.

Initially, he hadn’t understood why Lu Ke had suddenly proposed a gathering, but seeing Chi Shaochen arrive with Xiahou Qian, the main reason became clear: it was an introduction. Who would have thought his brother would pick a fight with the guest of honor? Even with Sikong Quan being the one beaten, he knew perfectly well that his brother was the one who had started it.

If even his own brother thought so, the others were even more certain.

Chi Shaochen was at the front. He swept a casual glance over the scene and knew Sikong Quan wasn’t seriously injured, so he didn’t waste another look on him. He pulled Xiahou Qian aside and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

Xiahou Qian looked up blankly at Chi Shaochen, not moving, just staring quietly. Chi Shaochen was about to say something else when he saw tears begin to fall rapidly from Xiahou Qian’s eyes.

Seeing this, Chi Shaochen was scared to death.

Xiahou Qian had never cried in front of him. There had been no complaints, no grievances. He was a man just like him. Although he was much younger, Chi Shaochen usually treated him as a peer. Xiahou Qian was not the type of partner who became weak just because he was with a man; his occasional spoiled behavior was merely for affection.

Xiahou Qian was just as excellent and mature as he was. He could hold the stage in a bar, intimidate elites in a company, organize tasks he wasn’t familiar with clearly, and strike back against provocations with a few words. In private, they laughed and played only because Xiahou Qian had said his smile was beautiful and should only be shown to him.

Xiahou Qian cried silently, but the constant stream of tears left Chi Shaochen at a loss. He hurried to pull the youth into his arms, one hand constantly stroking his back to comfort him.

The two of them seemed to form a world of their own.

On the other side, Sikong Shuo and Lu Ke helped Sikong Quan up. Sikong Quan, feeling both afraid and aggrieved, hugged Sikong Shuo and began to wail, not forgetting to lodge a complaint.

“I only said a few things to him and he actually kicked me! He even stepped on my face! What does he think he is, daring to treat me like this! I—”

“That’s enough!” Sikong Shuo’s initial worry and heartache vanished. Seeing Sikong Quan like this, he knew the boy was fine—his spirit was quite lively, even if his brain still wasn’t working. If he didn’t like Xiahou Qian, he should have just ignored him. Instead, he had to go out of his way to provoke someone, and this time he had hit a hard wall.

The others looked at Sikong Quan, then turned back to Xiahou Qian. Most wondered if Sikong Quan had said something so terrible it drove Xiahou Qian to tears. But Lu Ke, who knew Xiahou Qian a bit better, felt it wouldn’t be that simple. He turned to Sikong Quan.

“What did you say to him?”

“I just said he isn’t worthy of Brother Chi. I was telling the truth! He’s just like those kept little stars, only relying on Brother Chi’s favor. Who knows what kind of tricks he used to latch onto him.” Perhaps because Xiahou Qian and Chi Shaochen were nearby, Sikong Quan’s voice wasn’t loud, but Lu Ke and the others heard him clearly.

The others were speechless at Sikong Quan’s behavior but found it hard to say anything. Only Sikong Shuo, as the elder brother, massaged his temples and looked at his sibling with a headache.

“Whether he’s worthy of Chi Shaochen has nothing to do with you! What right do you have to interfere in their business? You think you’re so great? You feel superior to Xiahou Qian? Then tell me: if you weren’t my brother, if you weren’t a member of the Sikong family, what could you do? Could you even feed yourself? What right do you have to look down on others? Those people in the past only let you bully them because they feared the family behind you. You really think they were afraid of you?”

Even other profligate heirs knew how to distinguish who they could afford to offend. His brother, however, didn’t even know that much. Setting aside Xiahou Qian’s future achievements, the fact that he was Chi Shaochen’s partner was enough. Chi Shaochen had brought him here to meet them and introduced him as a lover; even a fool should understand how much Chi Shaochen cared for and respected him. One should look at the owner before beating the dog, let alone the person Chi Shaochen held in the heart of his palm.

“I’ll take him back first,” Sikong Shuo said to Lei Xing, Lu Ke, and the others after silencing Sikong Quan. He then dragged his brother away.

Lei Xing, Jiang Mu, Lu Ke, and Liu Jinbai looked at each other, then at Chi Shaochen and Xiahou Qian. The words “What do we do now?” were practically written on their faces.

“Let’s go back outside first,” Liu Jinbai finally spoke.

The four returned to the courtyard only to find that everything they had been grilling was burnt. They had to take it off and throw it away.

“Let’s keep grilling, I’m hungry,” Lu Ke said, picking up new meat skewers and placing them on the rack.

“I’m hungry too,” Jiang Mu echoed as he resumed work.

Lei Xing and Liu Jinbai had no choice but to continue. Although they weren’t hungry yet, they would be later. It would be a waste of an entire afternoon’s preparation if they didn’t eat this food now.

“A perfectly good gathering, ruined by that Sikong kid,” Lu Ke grumbled. He really didn’t like Sikong Quan.

“I just can’t figure out why Xiahou Qian cried,” Jiang Mu asked. Since the person in question wasn’t there, he figured no one would mind if he asked.

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