Chapter 29: A Dog
Yu An was unaware of Zhou Xia’s terror. He sat beside him and offered a friendly smile. “Um, can we sit with you?”
Zhou Xia hadn’t even swallowed the food in his mouth. He stared blankly at Yu An. He wanted to refuse, but meeting Yu Anâs beautiful, pleading eyes, the words wouldn’t come out.
Zhou Xia lowered his head and pointed randomly at the empty seats nearby. “Sit wherever you like.”
Yu An took a seat, his eyes curving into crescents. “Thank you, Brother Zhou Xia. You’re so nice.”
Zhou Xiaâs face turned a bit red. He made a tiny sound and shoveled two more mouthfuls of rice. “No need to thank me. No one sits here anyway…”
The rich kids looked down on him, and the poor kids disliked him for being a “bookworm.” Zhou Xiaâs enthusiasm for getting into Boya was slowly vanishing amidst daily self-doubt.
Thinking back, this was the first time someone was willing to sit beside him to eat. Zhou Xia stole a glance at Yu An, and his pressed-together lips slowly relaxed.
Setting aside that eerie fear, Zhou Xia felt that this little young master, Yu An, was actually quite goodâwell-behaved and polite, with a sweet smile that could unknowingly improve one’s mood.
Much more likeable than the other rich kids.
Yu An didn’t know Zhou Xiaâs opinion of him had quietly changed from a terrifying little rich kid to a slightly terrifying but actually nice little rich kid.
He was looking around for Fu Yunshu, waiting to be fed, when he suddenly heard a burst of mocking laughter from the neighboring table. Yu An looked over and saw several Middle School boys looking at them with smiles that were far from friendly.
“Hey, Zhou Xia. Even if you can’t find anyone to play with, you shouldn’t resort to playing with a primary schooler.” One of the boys, with his school uniform open, laughed out loud as he spoke. “If you’re that desperate, just run some errands for us, buy us some water, and we might be willing to let you hang out with us.”
As soon as he spoke, the others chimed in. “Exactly. How can a ‘Great Scholar’ follow a primary schooler all day? What if your IQ drops to a primary school level too?”
“Right? Doesn’t the ‘Great Scholar’ rely on those useless points of his to stay in this school? If he turns stupid, will he be kicked out?”
“This primary schooler looks quite cute, though. How did he end up with Zhou Xia? But as the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; this little junior probably isn’t very smart either.”
In the face of his classmates’ cold mockery, Zhou Xia lowered his head and didn’t defend himself or fight back, looking like a weak and easily bullied rabbit. But while a rabbit might bite when cornered, he might not even do that.
As Yu An listened, Xiao Bai in his pocket gently pecked his waist. It used a voice only they could hear to remind Yu An: [Little master, don’t just sit there like an idiot. This person is insulting you! Scold him back!]
Insulting him?
Yu An was dazed for a moment before belatedly realizing that the “stupid and clumsy primary schooler” they mentioned was himself. This was outrageous!
Yu Anâs little face puffed out with anger. “I’m not stupid. You’re talking nonsense.”
To his surprise, the group of annoying Middle Schoolers laughed even harder.
Yu An: “…”
I feel insulted.
Xiao Bai couldn’t stand seeing Yu An being bullied and immediately stepped forward. [Little master, don’t be afraid. You just move your mouth, and I’ll help you scold them to death.]
Yu An didn’t need Xiao Bai right now. He put on what he thought was his “fiercest” expression and glared at the Middle Schoolers. Although he had social anxiety, he would still bite back if provoked!
“Are you very impressive?” Yu Anâs tone was as soft as ever, as if he were truly curious about this question, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. “You look quite impressive, but I remember the top student in the third year of Middle School is Zhou Xia. So, what are you impressive at?”
Someone immediately retorted, “Whatâs the use of only being able to study? Won’t you just end up working for us in the future?”
Yu An looked at that person, tilted his head, and his voice remained sweet and soft. “So, Brother, you also know you can’t beat Brother Zhou Xia in studying? Then you’re truly useless, Brotherâyou can’t even study well.”
The person choked. It was the first time they had encountered a “persimmon” that was both hard and soft like Yu An.
Looking into Yu Anâs clear lake-blue eyes, he was momentarily speechless, feeling an inexplicable sense of bullying the weak.
Klold took in his reaction. He wasn’t surprised; an Ushatos in its juvenile period lacked self-defense abilities and would rely on the gray patterns on its body to confuse attackers.
According to Kloldâs observation, this albinistic Ushatos cub would use his eyes to confuse enemies, triggering a protective desire in others toward himself to avoid danger.
The boys were stunned for several seconds, falling silent. The boy who had started the provocation was the first to snap back. He pinched his thigh hard and let out a sneer. “Kid, you’ve got quite a temper. But let me teach you a lesson today: don’t stick your neck out for others, or do you believe I’ll hit you along with him?”
In his guess, a pampered kid like Yu An surely grew up sheltered and might have a “heroic” mindset, but with a bit of intimidation, he would immediately hide far away in fear.
But on the contrary, Yu An not only showed no fear but instead opened his eyes wide in surprise and called out, “Brother!”
The boy smiled smugly. “It’s no use trying to flatter me now.”
A cold voice suddenly came from behind him. “The ‘Brother’ he’s calling is me. What does it have to do with you?”
The boy whipped around and saw Fu Yunshu staring at him with icy eyes. He felt as if he were a prey being watched by a venomous snake hidden in the jungle; in the next second, he would become a cold corpse.
The boy, who lived in an ivory tower, felt his heart tremble. He watched blankly as Fu Yunshu set a bowl of steamed pork with rice flour before the primary schooler, his expression softening and a smile appearing in his eyes. “Eat first. I’ll settle this.”
Yu An had been hungry for ages. Smelling the fragrance of the steamed pork, he nodded and sat beside Zhou Xia to eat with him.
The reason the boy had the courage to act so arrogantly at school was entirely because he was Fu Yu’s lackey. The Fu family was a top-tier family in Kyoto, and he dared to use their name.
The name Fu Yunshu was not unfamiliar to him. Fu Yu would curse this older brother of his every time, but the fear within the curses was also very evident.
Fu Yunshu was not someone to be trifled with; the boy knew this very well. He immediately put on a flattering smile. “A misunderstanding. Itâs all a misunderstanding. We were just joking with the little junior. No malice.”
Fu Yunshuâs gaze was unreadable. “Is that so?”
“Yes, yes.” The boy bowed and scraped, but his eyes held a trace of resentment. He glanced at Yu An and Zhou Xia. “…Big Brother Fu, we are of the same kind. Why stick your neck out for them and ruin our harmony?”
“What harmony is there between us?” Fu Yunshu asked back, his long black eyelashes drooping. “A dog raised by Fu Yu has nothing to do with me.”
Boy: “…”
Since things had been said so bluntly, staying there would be a complete lack of shame. He couldn’t help but look at Yu An and Zhou Xia. What magic did these two have to make Fu Yunshu treat them so differently?
Zhou Xiaâs background was simple, but Yu An… the boy was certain he hadn’t seen this child in Kyoto, and there was no Yu family among the prominent families.
The group left in a sorry state. Yu An didn’t care about them, focusing entirely on eating the fragrant and tender steamed pork. Xiao Bai was very happy with Fu Yunshu’s performance. [Little master, you should hang out with Little Fu more in the future and learn his way of shutting people down. Of course, Xiao Bai can help the little master scold people; thatâs not a problem at all.]
Yu An shook his head as he ate. “Papa said scolding people is bad.”
So he didn’t want to learn how to scold.
Klold: [Right. Stop the nonsense; just eat them directly.]
Yu An: “…”
I don’t think that’s what I meant either?
Soon the Gu twins returned with their trays. Seeing Yu An and the others sitting with Zhou Xia, they thought Yu An had already settled things with him and sat down as well.
In a flash, Zhou Xia was surrounded. His hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and he lowered his head without a word, only hoping to finish eating and leave as soon as possible.
Gu Yixing was the first to notice the strange atmosphere and asked what had happened while they were away. Yu An briefly described the event.
Finally, he let out a resentful huff. “They actually said I’m stupid. I’m clearly not stupid at all.”
Usually, Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun would praise him as a smart and sensible baby. His papas must be right, so Yu An felt he wasn’t stupid at all.
Gu Yixing and Gu Ersheng couldn’t help but laugh. Gu Yixing draped an arm around Yu Anâs shoulder with great loyalty. “Itâs okay. If they bully you, we’ll bully them back next time.”
But come to think of it, the little young master of the Lin family being bullied by a lackey was truly unbelievable.
Then again, Yu An had always lived at Blue Moon Bay; most people he interacted with were of his own social class. It was normal that he didn’t know how to use his status to suppress others.
After this commotion, Yu An and the others were the last to leave the cafeteria. The snow snake secretly occupied a corner of the table, happily nibbling on spinach, while the Giant-eared Rabbit stood by watching it eat.
Yu An couldn’t resist the temptation and gave the rabbit a squeeze, discovering it was just very fluffy and not actually fat. Yu An went to ask the cafeteria auntie for a fresh carrot and held it out to the Giant-eared Rabbit. “Here, eat.”
It looks quite pitiful.
The Giant-eared Rabbit sniffed the carrot under Yu Anâs gaze, let out a whimper, and took a small bite as if enduring a great humiliation.
[Blegh…]
Yu An: “…?”
Klold let out a sigh and explained: [The Giant-eared Rabbit is a carnivorous Xenogenic; it doesn’t eat carrots.]
Zhou Xia also said the same. For a moment, the expressions of the people at the table were quite somethingâlooking at the vegetarian snow snake and then the carnivorous rabbit, they felt a sense of subversive confusion.
After finishing lunch, Yu An had to return to the Primary School building. This time, Zhou Xia didn’t leave alone but followed Fu Yunshu and the others to send Yu An back before they left together.
In the afternoon, during class, Yu An received a message from Lin Huaichen. Lin Huaichen was asking if he wanted to go home with him. Yu An thought for a moment and refused.
To his surprise, Lin Huaichen didn’t try to persuade him further. [Then stay out for a night tonight. Send me a message if you want to come back tomorrow~]
Thus, that night, Yu An had his first experience staying in a dorm. Under Lin Huaichenâs financial arrangement, Yu An, Fu Yunshu, and the Gu twins stayed in one dormitory.
Gu Yixing and Gu Ersheng were of a restless nature. They found a deck of cards from somewhere and dragged Yu An and Fu Yunshu to play Fight the Landlord. Yu An didn’t know how, so he sat obediently and watched them play.
Once he had a general grasp of the game rules, Yu An tried a few rounds himself, only to end in crushing defeat.
There was no help for it; Gu Yixingâs luck was incredibly good. Often, before Yu An could play more than a few cards, Gu Yixing would end the game with a series of straights and “airplanes.”
Yu An stared blankly at his full hand of cards. What happened? Why did the others finish before I even started?
Gu Yixing laughed and patted Yu Anâs shoulder. “Little An-an, don’t ever play cards with others in the future, or you’ll lose until you’re left with only your undies.”
Yu An looked at him gloomily, his competitive spirit rising. “How about… one more round?”
But the next second, the dorm matron knocked on their door. “Go to sleep early, or I’ll cut your power.”
Yu An looked at the timeâit was already ten o’clock without him realizing it, and he hadn’t even bathed!
His mood for playing cards vanished instantly. Yu An hurriedly went to wash up. Fu Yunshu helped him take his dirty clothes to the laundry machine downstairs and hung them on the balcony for him.
Yu An, wearing his bear pajamas, gave him a grateful hug. “Thank you, Brother.”
Fu Yunshu pinched his soft cheek. “Go to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow. If you oversleep, I’ll pull your quilt off.”
When Yu An lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with his eyes open, he suddenly began to miss his papas in the silence of the night. After a thought, he used Xiao Baiâs screen to send a “Goodnight” to Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun respectively.
But unexpectedly, neither of them replied to him. This shouldn’t be; Yu An knew them bothâthey were true night owls. They should definitely still be awake at ten o’clock.
What were they doing then? Were they so focused they didn’t even reply to his message? Yu An rubbed against his pillow in gloom.
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