Chapter 3
By the time they left the hospital, it was already dark. Lin Xiu took Chi Aibei to a nearby noodle shop for dinner.
Lin Xiu ordered Chi Aibei a bowl of beef noodles, while his own bowl had barely any meat.
Chi Aibei knew Lin Xiu was poor, but not this poor. He kept his thoughts circling in his mouth, but finally couldn’t help himself: “Brother, shouldn’t we move Grandma to another hospital?”
Chi Aibei had been pondering this all afternoon. The people who came to the hospital today hadn’t caused trouble without reason; there had been a real medical accident. Being treated in a hospital where an accident had occurred made Chi Aibei feel uneasy.
After all, according to Lin Xiu’s tragic trajectory, anything bad could happen to him. Even though Grandma Lin was in the hospital now, there was no guarantee that they would avoid the original plot.
Lin Xiu wasn’t surprised by his abrupt question. He slurped his noodles and calmly said: “I haven’t thought about it.”
Seeing Chi Aibei constantly stirring the noodles in his bowl, Lin Xiu tapped his bowl with his chopsticks: “Eat quickly. I’ll take you back after you’re done.”
Seeing Lin Xiu’s unconcerned attitude, Chi Aibei didn’t know how to make him take this seriously: “I think it would be better to change hospitals.”
Lin Xiu also wanted to change hospitals after what happened today, but if he had the ability, he wouldn’t have listened to Grandma Lin and let her recover at home.
Lin Xiu didn’t respond.
After finishing their noodles, Lin Xiu sent him back to school. Along the way, Chi Aibei didn’t mention changing hospitals again. He knew Lin Xiu’s situation; changing hospitals might be too much pressure for him.
Chi Aibei asked: “Brother, are you coming to school tomorrow?”
Lin Xiu didn’t answer: “Go inside. Don’t climb the wall again.”
Chi Aibei knew he wouldn’t be coming. He’d seen Lin Xiu’s leave of absence note when he dealt with the big, fat man earlier.
Just as Lin Xiu was about to leave, Chi Aibei suddenly grabbed him: “Brother, can I have your phone number?”
Lin Xiu looked at his hand gripping his clothes. Seeing that the hand showed no sign of letting go, Lin Xiu said: “Let go.”
Chi Aibei thought he didn’t want to give it, and his head drooped in disappointment, but his grip remained tight.
Lin Xiu said: “I’ll get a pen; let go first.”
Chi Aibei suddenly looked up, showing a small canine tooth. He released his grip, and as Lin Xiu got the pen, he leaned his head to peek into Lin Xiu’s bag.
Lin Xiu looked at the head about to dive into his bag, pushed it away, and then pulled Chi Aibei’s arm, writing a phone number on it.
The pen scratching against his arm was itchy. Before Chi Aibei could laugh, he heard Lin Xiu say: “Don’t call me unless it’s important.”
Chi Aibei nodded. Whether or not he would listen depended on how close their relationship would become in the future: “Brother, see you the day after tomorrow.”
Lin Xiu paused in the act of putting the pen back in his bag, and instead, tucked the pen into the small pocket on Chi Aibei’s chest where his meal card was kept—he probably wouldn’t need it anymore.
Lin Xiu said: “We might not see each other at school anymore.”
Chi Aibei was stunned: “Ah?”
Lin Xiu gave the simpleton a reassuring smile: “Thank you for accompanying me to see Grandma today. Goodbye.”
Chi Aibei was still pondering the meaning of Lin Xiu’s “we might not see each other at school anymore” when Lin Xiu had already walked far away. Watching the figure receding under the streetlight, his heart sank.
No way?
Could it be what he thought?
That’s not how the novel went!
Chi Aibei belatedly wanted to chase after him: “Brother!”
Suddenly, his arm was grabbed, and an unfamiliar voice sounded behind him: “What are you yelling about?”
Chi Aibei jumped, turning to bump into a “black wall”…
The man wore a suit and silver-rimmed glasses, towering over Chi Aibei. His eyes, behind the lenses, held a faint chill. He glanced in the direction Chi Aibei had been chasing: “Who were you calling?”
Chi Aibei pulled his arm away, stepping back: “Who are you?”
The streetlight was dim, making the man’s furrowed brow indistinct: “Who do you think I am?”
Chi Aibei looked him up and down, thinking: How should I know?
Chi Wendong was used to his frequent erratic behavior: “The school called saying you were missing. Where have you been all day?”
Chi Aibei blinked, analyzing his words word by word—the only people the school could contact were his family.
He looked at Chi Wendong incredulously: “You’re… my father?”
Goodness, he’s so young! Did the original owner’s mother eat really well?
Chi Aibei carefully observed the other’s face, trying to find a single wrinkle on that youthful face. But the streetlight wasn’t bright enough. He looked for a long time without finding any signs of age. He thought, This must be a stepfather, right? But no, in the novel, the simpleton’s father is his biological father!
Even though he was used to Chi Aibei’s erratic behavior, Chi Wendong was still taken aback by the question. His tone became sharper: “…What are you rambling about? I’m your brother!”
Chi Aibei realized: “…” Oh! Sorry, I forgot I have a brother.
Before transmigrating into the book, Chi Aibei, although well-provided for, didn’t have a peaceful life. His parents died in a car accident when he was twelve, leaving him and an inheritance in the care of his mother’s close friend and lawyer.
That lawyer, Meng Da, was male, liked men, and was not only a chatterbox but also a master debater. If someone annoyed him, he could argue them into a frenzy. The child he raised gradually became just as unruly.
Whenever his relatives fawned over him for money, he would imitate Meng Da’s skill of saying whatever was needed to get his way.
Meng Da often instructed him to use his strengths and exploit others’ weaknesses. Chi Aibei’s strength was his ability to talk nonsense, and now he had another—he was an “idiot.”
The “idiot” disguise allowed him to do many things without restraint, like what he was about to do. But there was something else bothering him—his brother, Chi Wendong.
In this novel where everyone except the main character was a villain, his brother was a uniquely evil antagonist. Fortunately, he was relatively good to Chi Aibei, and he hadn’t bullied Lin Xiu.
Chi’s mother, seeing Chi Aibei, who had just been sent back to school and was now brought back by Chi Wendong, turned to scold him: “Why did you bring him back?”
Hearing Chi’s mother’s tone, Chi Aibei secretly worried for her, thinking, You better not yell at him too much, or when his villainous consciousness awakens, you’ll be the first to go!
Chi Aibei secretly glanced at Chi Wendong and saw him with a usual expression. Chi Aibei couldn’t help but shiver inwardly.
This isn’t habit; he’s clearly accumulating ammo, waiting to unload it all on them at once.
Chi Wendong noticed Chi Aibei’s furtive glance and looked over: “Didn’t you say you had something to tell Mom and Dad?”
Chi Aibei didn’t dare to act up in front of Chi Wendong. He nodded obediently, then looked at his parents and loudly announced: “I’m not going to school anymore! I’m going to work! I’m going to make money!”
Chi’s father: “????”
Chi’s mother: “!!!”
Chi Wendong: “…” Such a sudden announcement.