Chapter 7
Ren Yi choked. “What arranged marriage… I didn’t run away from home, I was studying properly.”
“Give it a rest. If your family didn’t donate a building, did you really think you could graduate?” Ren Ke shook her head disapprovingly. “They’re father and son; it doesn’t matter how much they fight. But you getting involved…”
Ren Yi pouted. “But Sis, the Xie family doesn’t even care about Brother Yuan’s health. I can’t just be disloyal, can I?”
Ren Ke smiled and shook her head again, deciding not to discuss this with Ren Yi anymore. After all, she would be there to support the Ren family in the future.
“An Alpha like that has to eat inhibitors like rice,” Ren Ke said meaningfully. “You should know that, right?”
Ren Yi scratched his head, embarrassed. “I know. That special inhibitor, you should help me ask around about it too, Sis.”
Ren Ke suppressed a smile, her tone gentle. “Then let me ask you again, what exactly did you guys do last night?”
“Played mahjong all night.” Ren Yi held up an index finger, saying gloomily, “A whole night! And I didn’t win a single hand.”
Ren Ke wasn’t surprised in the least. “Mn, with your skills, that’s normal.”
“What’s normal?! It was clearly just bad luck!” Ren Yi immediately retorted. “Unlike Brother Yuan—he could use whatever tiles others discarded!”
Ren Ke looked at Ren Yi like he was an idiot. “Little brother, how about we quit mahjong?”
“No way.”
Ren Ke said just as gloomily, “Brother Yuan this, Brother Yuan that. Is he your biological brother, or am I your biological sister?”
“Of course, you’re my biological sister.” Ren Yi gave an ingratiating smile. “I’ve told you everything I know, Sis. As for Dad…”
“Depends on your performance.” satisfied with the gossip, Ren Ke sat on the sofa in the outer living room, continuing to scroll through the gossip app. “Hurry up and get ready, come home for dinner.”
“Got it, Sis.”
After being taken back, Xie Wangyuan slept until the next evening, finally waking up from hunger.
After showering, Xie Wangyuan stood in front of the mirror, puffing out his cheek to examine the corner of his mouth and the side of his face, where the marks were no longer obvious.
Opening the wardrobe, Xie Wangyuan started to disdain his younger self again. “Tsk, terrible taste. Forget it. Going to school, that counts as attending my own funeral.”
Xie Wangyuan reluctantly picked out a blue T-shirt and put it on. It was a bit tight. Then, he couldn’t find any suitable underwear that fit; they were all too small.
In the end, he had to go commando, putting on a pair of loose grey athletic shorts. Cursing, he left the room. “Not a single piece of clothing. Might as well have stayed at the clubhouse.”
“No suitable endorsements for Lele? Didn’t you say a new mobile phone endorsement was just negotiated recently? Then give the better one to Lele; don’t worry about the others. Lele has been wronged these past two days, so take good care of him…”
Xie Wangyuan leaned against the middle of the staircase, listening to Xie Tiancheng finish his call with his back turned. Expressionless, he went downstairs and entered the dining room.
Xie Tiancheng placed his phone on the coffee table, glanced at him, and frowned. “What kind of outfit is that?!”
It was past mealtime, and the dining table was empty. Xie Wangyuan’s stomach hurt from hunger. He managed to find a few pieces of chocolate in the refrigerator, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
“…Go up and change!”
After finishing eating, Xie Wangyuan walked carelessly up to Xie Tiancheng. “So sorry, Dad. These are the only high school clothes I can fit into. If you really can’t stand looking at me, I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow for full-body bone reduction surgery?”
The muscles on Xie Tiancheng’s jaw tightened. “If you live at home, remember to come down on time. There’s no reason for me to wait for you to eat, nor will I have the kitchen cook for you separately. Also, quit smoking.”
“My schedule is like this, and I can’t quit smoking.” Xie Wangyuan bit on his cigarette, mumbling, “Why don’t you just have Uncle Wang send me back to my own house?”
Xie Tiancheng looked at Xie Wangyuan with suspicion for a long while. Thinking that he had suspended his cards and he probably couldn’t cause any trouble, he said coldly, “If you have no money, stay put honestly. Stop embarrassing the Xie family outside.”
Xie Tiancheng called for Butler Wang and instructed, “Send him there. Watch him enter the door before coming back.”
Facts proved that when a person is unlucky, they really stay unlucky.
“Uncle Wang, are you playing me on purpose?”
Just ten minutes into the drive, the car broke down. Parked on the side of the highway with the hood open, the sweating driver didn’t stop working. Butler Wang stood aside, looking awkward. “Second Young Master, it really broke down.”
Xie Wangyuan looked around. Except for the surrounding barren mountains and the straight highway in front of him, the night was vast and empty.
Butler Wang hung up the phone and said, “Second Young Master, a tow truck has been dispatched. Will you go back with me? I’ll send another car to take you.”
Xie Wangyuan said irritably, “Tsk, forget it. You guys go back. I’ll find someone to pick me up.”
After calling to confirm Ren Yi was free, Xie Wangyuan sent his location, squatted on the curb, and started smoking.
By the third cigarette, after refusing Butler Wang’s suggestion again, the tow truck drove away, and Xie Wangyuan stood up.
The night temperature in the mountains was lower. Xie Wangyuan rubbed his exposed arms, looked down at his abstract outfit, and laughed out of sheer anger.
He was still wearing the flip-flops from his shower, and he hadn’t dried his hair, so without needing to think, he knew it must be a bird’s nest now.
A cold breeze blew, and Xie Wangyuan finally felt what it meant to have a chilly crotch. He couldn’t help but curse his younger self fiercely for having a brain fart and wearing these kinds of shorts.
After cursing to his heart’s content, Xie Wangyuan immediately forgave himself. After all, without these shorts, he might have been mistaken for a late-night highway flasher by passersby and reported to the police.
Walking back and forth a few steps didn’t warm him up, so Xie Wangyuan could only squat back down and continue smoking.
Just two puffs later, rain droplets hit his face. Xie Wangyuan couldn’t even curse anymore; his whole head and face radiated a thick gloom.
Not far away, car lights flashed twice. Xie Wangyuan squinted and turned his head. Seeing it was coming from the direction of the villa complex, he turned his face back.
A red Mercedes sped past him with flashing lights, then slowly reversed.
The passenger window rolled down. The driver seemed very curious about him, leaning his body hard toward the window, looking a bit ridiculous as he was restrained by the seatbelt in the driver’s seat.
Soon, the man got out of the car, walked around the front, and leaned against the passenger door. “Thought I saw wrong. Isn’t this our Second Young Master Xie who just got on the hot search?”
Hearing this sarcastic tone, Xie Wangyuan, who had already smoked too much and felt a bit nauseous, didn’t even lift his eyelids. “What, if I’m not on the hot search, you don’t recognize your daddy?”
“Xie Wangyuan, you…” The man took two deep breaths and continued sarcastically, “It’s freezing and raining. Why is Second Young Master Xie here alone? I might be a bit short-sighted; where is this new fashion trend from?”
Xie Wangyuan extended his arm and flicked ash onto the man’s shoe. “Long tongue, short sight. If you don’t want to be discovered, shut your beep mouth, Gossip Guy.”
Gossip Guy: “…”
His face twisted for a moment, then he grinned. “Xie Wangyuan, you’re terrified people won’t know you’re back, causing such a big scene. But the Xie family is too careless. How could they dump our Second Young Master Xie here without preparing more clothes? If you don’t mind, you can take the one I’m wearing?”
“I mind,” Xie Wangyuan replied crisply. “Humans and animals are different. I think it’s dirty.”
Gossip Guy’s face darkened. “Xie Wangyuan, what capital do you have to be as arrogant as before? Your little lover is in my hands right now. I advise you to think clearly.”
Xie Wangyuan finally looked up, casually sizing up the Alpha in front of him. He looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember who it was at all.
Xie Wangyuan gave up thinking and said lazily, “Your daddy has too many lovers. Which one are you talking about? But they’re all the same; they’re all your little daddies. Serve them well.”
The rain grew heavier. Gossip Guy lost interest in continuing this unwinnable war of words with Xie Wangyuan. He feigned politeness, “What a pity. I happen to have no umbrella in my car, so Second Young Master Xie will have to suffer in the rain. Second Young Master Xie, take care of your health; there are so many Betas in the clubhouse waiting for you, right? I won’t waste your time. After all, your time is precious. In just this short while, it’s probably time to switch partners.”
Xie Wangyuan stood up abruptly. Gossip Guy stepped back warily. Seeing he wasn’t going to strike, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, meeting Xie Wangyuan’s mocking gaze, he flew into a rage out of humiliation. “Xie Wangyuan!”
“Coward. If you don’t want me to stuff this cigarette butt in your mouth, get lost.” Having scared the man, Xie Wangyuan felt even more irritable. “Don’t be an eyesore to your daddy here.”
Feeling he had lost face by being scared just because Xie Wangyuan stood up, yet sensing that staying would only cause him to lose more face, Gossip Guy left with a final “I won’t disturb Second Young Master Xie’s elegant mood of appreciating the rain” and drove off.
In the rain, Xie Wangyuan got a face full of exhaust fumes. His face instantly turned black. “F*ck, where did that idiot come from?”
Tired of standing and tired of squatting, Ren Yi still hadn’t appeared. Xie Wangyuan couldn’t help but make another call, learning that the rain had caused traffic jams in the city and he would have to wait a while longer.
Xie Wangyuan’s face grew even darker. His wet clothes clung to his body, giving him goosebumps.
Having skipped several meals, even with his high tolerance for smoking, half a pack down made Xie Wangyuan feel a bit unwell, constantly nauseous and wanting to vomit.
Leaning against the lamppost, Xie Wangyuan put another cigarette in his mouth, thinking today might be his unlucky day and he shouldn’t have gone out.
But he really couldn’t remember where he had seen that Gossip Guy. Xie Wangyuan wondered, had he offended that many people in the past?
On the other side of the road, accompanied by approaching headlights, a horn honked twice. Ren Yi turned the steering wheel to reverse, apologizing, “Sorry, Brother Yuan, delayed by traffic.”
Xie Wangyuan extinguished the cigarette and pulled out two tissues to wipe the rain from his face and body. “It’s fine.”
Ren Yi glanced at Xie Wangyuan’s clothes, guessing he must have had another falling out with his family. “Still going to the hotel first?”
Warming up, Xie Wangyuan rolled down all the windows, extending his hand to feel the wind speed outside. “Cards are suspended. I have no money to pay you.”
“Why so polite with me!” Ren Yi joked. “It’s only because I presented as a Beta in high school. Otherwise, with our relationship, my dad would have shamelessly latched onto you back then.”
When Ren Yi was in middle school, the Ren family had just come to C City to develop. Their conditions were good, but to the rigid old families of C City, the Ren family was like a rootless nouveau riche.
Ren Yi wasn’t a strong character either; he got bullied right after transferring. Xie Wangyuan, annoyed by the noise, had casually helped him out, and over the years, they had become friends.
“That’s not impossible. Better than the ones my dad tries so hard to shove at me.” Xie Wangyuan began to seriously consider the feasibility of this, but glancing at Ren Yi, he looked away with disdain. “Forget it. I know you too well; I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Ren Yi: “…”
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