Chapter 45
Jiang Wenyu left. Before leaving, he didn’t drop any harsh threats against Chi Aibei.
Lin Xiu’s words forced him to recognize his dispensable status in the Jiang family. He wasn’t as smart as Jiang Yu, nor as steady as Jiang Wenshi. In his father’s eyes, he was useless except for causing trouble. Whether he existed or not posed no threat to the Jiang family.
As the group walked out of the alley, Chen Fei spoke nervously, “Um, Brother Xiu, we’re leaving now. About Brother Cheng…”
Lin Xiu gave him no guarantees. “Go.”
Chen Fei regretted it so much his intestines were turning green. If he had known this kid was Lin Xiu’s brother, he wouldn’t have come even if his own father asked him for help.
Chen Fei didn’t dare ask Lin Xiu not to tell Shen Yicheng. The group walked away dejectedly.
Watching them go, Qi Yuan asked Lin Xiu, “How do you know those guys? And they call you Brother. They’re all older than you, right?”
Lin Xiu: “They like calling me that. I can’t control it.”
Although the fight didn’t happen, and he didn’t get beaten up, plus Jiang Wenyu ran away with his tail between his legs, Chi Aibei was in a great mood—so happy he didn’t even notice Lin Xiu’s dark expression. “Brother, you were amazing! You scared Jiang Wenyu off with just two sentences. When you dragged me over, I thought you were going to let him hit me.”
Lin Xiu released his grip on Chi Aibei’s wrist. “Go back for the exam.”
Chi Aibei chased after Lin Xiu, saying a few more things. Seeing Lin Xiu ignoring him, he was puzzled until Wang Xu suddenly tugged him from behind. “What are you blabbering about? Can’t you see Lin Xiu is angry?”
Chi Aibei, having never seen Lin Xiu angry, tilted his head curiously to look at him. “Brother, are you angry?”
Lin Xiu: “No.”
Only then did Chi Aibei realize that since Jiang Wenyu left, Lin Xiu hadn’t looked at him once. If he really wasn’t angry, he wouldn’t act like this.
Chi Aibei reached out to hold Lin Xiu’s hand. “Brother, I was wrong.”
Wang Xu raised an eyebrow… Wait, who holds hands to apologize? Isn’t that a bit ambiguous?
Before Wang Xu could finish imagining things, Lin Xiu pulled his hand back. A lukewarm “Mn” followed—it was unclear if he accepted Chi Aibei’s admission of error or was just brushing him off.
Wang Xu didn’t know, but Chi Aibei did. Lin Xiu was truly angry. The reason likely wasn’t that he almost got beaten up, but that he snuck out to schedule a fight.
Watching Lin Xiu walk coldly ahead without waiting for him, only one thought remained in Chi Aibei’s mind… It’s over. I can’t coax him back.
By the roadside, Chen Fei and his group squatted in a row. Some smoked, some drank water. Despite being tough characters in the boxing ring, they were currently panicked.
Zhou Yu screwed the cap onto his water bottle. “Was Brother Xiu wearing a high school uniform just now?”
Wang Tian took a drag of his cigarette. “Seems like it.”
Zhou Yu ran a hand through his hair. “So he’s a high school student?”
Wang Tian was also wondering about this.
Zhou Yu: “So why are we calling a high schooler ‘Brother’?”
Wang Tian looked at Chen Fei. “I just followed Brother Fei’s lead.”
The others nodded in agreement; they did the same.
Chen Fei glared at them. How was he supposed to know Lin Xiu was a high schooler? He didn’t wear a uniform when he came to the gym. And the first time he came, he fought Shen Yicheng. With those hard fists, who could tell he was a high schooler?
Chen Fei had nearly chewed through his cigarette butt. “Does it matter what we call him? If we don’t call him Brother, do we call him Little Brother? Do you dare?”
They looked at each other. It wasn’t a question of daring. It was mainly that aura Lin Xiu carried; even Shen Yicheng would jokingly call out “Brother Xiu,” let alone them. Even if Lin Xiu was just a high schooler, at the gym, he remained “Brother.”
Wang Tian brought the topic back to what they least wanted to discuss. “We almost caused trouble for Brother Xiu’s brother today. Do you think Brother Xiu will be mad?”
Chen Fei: “Nonsense. If someone looked for trouble with your brother, wouldn’t you be mad?”
More importantly, Lin Xiu’s expression earlier looked like he was already angry.
Zhou Yu panicked. “So what do we do?”
Chen Fei wanted to know too. He finished his cigarette and stood up. “Wait here until school gets out. We’ll apologize properly to Brother Xiu’s brother. Say some nice things. That kid looks easy to talk to; maybe he can put in a good word for us.”
…
Chi Aibei couldn’t put in any good words; he was like a clay idol crossing a river—hardly able to save himself.
After returning to school, Lin Xiu ignored him completely. When they came out after the exam, Lin Xiu didn’t ask how he did. Even Lin Yang noticed something was off with Lin Xiu, but he didn’t dare ask, only silently observing the state of the two.
At the classroom door, Jiang Yu asked Chi Aibei, “Did Lin Xiu catch you? Is he mad at you?”
Chi Aibei nodded in distress. “Mn. What do I do?”
This question stumped Jiang Yu. “You’re asking me? All my ideas come from you. If you ask me, how would I know?”
Chi Aibei sighed. He had always thought coaxing Lin Xiu was a simple matter. Now he realized he had been naive.
Lin Xiu was easy to coax because he had never actually been angry with him before. Now that he was truly angry, Chi Aibei’s bag of tricks was useless. No matter what move he made, Lin Xiu wouldn’t take the bait.
Lin Xiu seemed genuinely intent on ignoring him.
After school, Lin Xiu didn’t eat with Chi Aibei at school. As soon as he walked out of the main gate, he saw several conspicuous figures standing there like they were collecting protection fees. Students leaving the school walked around them.
Chen Fei hadn’t expected that after waiting all afternoon, they wouldn’t see the person they were waiting for, but instead ran into Lin Xiu.
Lin Xiu walked over. “What are you doing here?”
Seeing Lin Xiu wearing a school uniform and carrying a backpack, Chen Fei and the others were dazed for a moment. Their shock at Lin Xiu being a student didn’t decrease; it increased.
Chen Fei snapped out of it after someone nudged him. “Brother Xiu, you’re out of school?”
Looking at Lin Xiu in his uniform, Chen Fei felt his own words sounded strange. A guy who graduated years ago calling a high schooler “Brother”—it seemed sick.
Chen Fei looked behind Lin Xiu. “Um, where’s our brother?”
Lin Xiu: “Is something wrong?”
Afraid he would misunderstand, Chen Fei quickly said, “We scared him today. We wanted to apologize and maybe treat the little brother to a meal.”
“Maybe another day. He lives on campus and usually doesn’t come out.” Lin Xiu hooked his finger around his backpack strap. “Also, his courage isn’t that small. You didn’t scare him.”
Anyone who dared to go out for a scheduled fight had plenty of guts.
However, what Chen Fei noticed was Lin Xiu saying “another day.” That meant he was willing to give them a chance to apologize.
Chen Fei wasn’t stupid; he knew this meant Lin Xiu didn’t plan to tell Shen Yicheng about this incident.
Lin Xiu was about to leave, but seeing them still standing there, he said, “Don’t stand around here. Can’t you see people are walking around you? Go back.”
Chen Fei nodded and reached out to push the others. “Right, we’re leaving now. Thanks, Brother Xiu.”
Lin Xiu’s phone vibrated in his pocket for a long time. He took it out, saw it was Chi Aibei calling, and directly hung up.
This kid’s guts were getting bigger and bigger. Before, the trouble he caused was inside the school, but now he dared to run outside the campus. If he hadn’t arrived in time today, and if Jiang Wenyu hadn’t hired Chen Fei, Chi Aibei would likely have taken a beating.
Lin Xiu didn’t know how to discipline a child. The only thing he could do was let him reflect on his own properly. Otherwise, next time, he’d probably try to ascend to the heavens!
In the cafeteria, Chi Aibei had almost poked a hole in his meal tray. Looking at the hung-up call, he sighed heavily.
Jiang Yu: “He didn’t pick up?”
Chi Aibei nodded. “Do you think Brother will ignore me forever?”
Jiang Yu didn’t think so. Lin Xiu probably just wanted to teach him a lesson. But Lin Xiu’s “cooling off” method was a bit too cruel; it would be better if he just scolded him.
Seeing Chi Aibei wilting, Jiang Yu couldn’t bear it. He said, “Don’t be like this. Tomorrow, just apologize to him properly. He won’t ignore you.”
Chi Aibei looked up. “Really?”
Jiang Yu: “Really…” Probably.
Jiang Yu wasn’t sure either. Lin Xiu had been moody lately. Before, he suddenly ignored Jiang Yu, and now it was Chi Aibei’s turn. But he believed the Little Fool could handle it. After all, he had so many cunning ideas; using just a couple of moves should be enough to win Lin Xiu over.
Jiang Yu significantly underestimated Lin Xiu. For the next two days, he didn’t see Lin Xiu give Chi Aibei the time of day. No matter how Chi Aibei pestered him, Lin Xiu remained unmoved.
The idea was originally Jiang Yu’s, but watching Chi Aibei try to coax Lin Xiu made Jiang Yu—who usually had to self-heal when angry—insanely jealous.
Watching Chi Aibei not only refuse to give up but even draft “battle plans” over the past two days, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but say sourly, “I thought you said you didn’t know how to coax people?”
Chi Aibei, who had been full of enthusiasm, instantly deflated upon hearing this. He drooped his head and said despondently, “Facts prove I really don’t know how. Otherwise, Brother would have been coaxed back by now.”
Seeing him wilt again, Jiang Yu wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to run his mouth right now?
Jiang Yu comforted him, “Alright, don’t be listless. Lin Xiu is being unreasonable too; it’s such a small thing, is it worth being angry for so many days?”
Chi Aibei shook his head. “It’s not Brother’s fault; it’s mine. I shouldn’t have hidden the fight from him.”
Jiang Yu was speechless. “I’m speaking up for you here; can you give me some face?”
Chi Aibei looked up and stared at him numbly. “Will giving you face make Brother talk to me?”
Jiang Yu: “…” Damn it, no!
Seeing him like this, Jiang Yu once again felt the gap between himself and Lin Xiu in Chi Aibei’s heart. He asked, “Do you care that much whether he talks to you?”
Chi Aibei lay on the table. “He is the source of my life, the meaning of my existence here.”
Jiang Yu frowned. “Are you…”
Chi Aibei: “Am I what?”
Are you in love with Lin Xiu?
Before Jiang Yu could say the words on the tip of his tongue, He Chenjiang suddenly walked over.
He knocked on Chi Aibei’s desk. Chi Aibei thought it was Lin Xiu and looked up sharply. Seeing it was him, his already irritable mood worsened.
He Chenjiang: “Come home with me tonight.”
Chi Aibei thought he was sick in the head. “Why should I go home with you?”
In the past, whenever He Chenjiang was ordered to take him home, Chi Aibei would happily make a noisy fuss. Now, seeing the look of utter refusal on his face, He Chenjiang felt like he was seeing his past self. Karma hits fast; his own unwilling expression back then must have looked just like Chi Aibei’s now.
He Chenjiang suppressed the indescribable regret in his heart. “My mom says you haven’t been to my house in a long time. She told me to bring you back for dinner tonight.”
Eat dinner? Chi Aibei wanted to eat poison right now. Maybe pull a bitterness ploy (self-injury ruse) to get Lin Xiu to pay attention to him!
He slumped back onto the table. “I’m not going.”
He Chenjiang glanced at Lin Xiu, who was walking into the classroom from outside. The scene from yesterday where those people called him “Brother” was still vivid in his mind.
This was the “good student” in the teachers’ eyes. Putting on a high-and-mighty act inside the school, but who knew what kind of people he mixed with outside? Letting Chi Aibei follow him would lead him astray sooner or later.
Seeing Chi Aibei ignoring him, He Chenjiang said, “I’m just passing the message. If you’re not going, call my mom yourself.”
Chi Aibei buried his face in his arms, speaking without looking up. “Whoever’s mom it is makes the call. What’s it to do with me?”
“Make way.”
Lin Xiu’s voice, even when cold, sounded better than He Chenjiang’s. Chi Aibei shot his head up. One second he was depressed, but upon seeing Lin Xiu, he instantly became sunny and bright. “Brother.”
Lin Xiu let out an “Mn,” which counted as the only response he’d given him in two days.
Hearing Lin Xiu respond, the smile on Chi Aibei’s face deepened.
He Chenjiang watched the smiling face that originally belonged to him now directed at someone else. He was practically soaking in vinegar (jealousy). “Anyway, I delivered the message. Go or not, it’s up to you.”
Chi Aibei looked at Lin Xiu obediently, but his words were incredibly stubborn. “Oh, I’m not going. I have to attend evening self-study.”
He Chenjiang gritted his teeth, thinking, You’re last in the class! What the hell are you studying for?!
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