Chapter 12: InvitationâIf Yu Xi Simply Pleaded Softly, Zhang Xingkuo Would…
The Sheng sisters and the Meng family were located in the same direction. After seeing Yu Xi into the Pei household, the three of them walked toward their own homes under the glow of the setting sun.
Sheng Yunzhuan tossed a chocolate into her mouth and let out a sigh. “Sister, I feel like Xiao Xi hasn’t had a very good life these past few years. Heâs too thin. I wonder if heâs even been eating well… And those clothes of his, is his family really that frugal?”
Sheng Yunshu turned on her E-ink reader. “Why don’t we just snatch him back home and raise him properly ourselves?”
Sheng Yunzhuan burst out laughing. “You really do know me best. I truly want to, but our home isn’t exactly a paradise either.”
“Mhm.” Sheng Yunshu knew this was mere fantasy and unrealistic. “We should just take more care of him.”
“Does that even need saying? Right?” Sheng Yunzhuan asked Meng Shen. Turning her head, she found that the man still had a dazed, soul-lost expression on his face. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I say, thatâs enough. Are you really going to keep reminiscing until now?”
Meng Shen didn’t react, completely immersed in his own world.
Sheng Yunzhuan was speechless. “It was just Xiao Xi giving you a smile… He smiled at me several times too.”
The three of them walked together, but it was almost entirely Sheng Yunzhuan speaking. Sheng Yunshu responded occasionally while reading her book, and Meng Shen was like a silent block of wood. However, Sheng Yunzhuanâs spirits weren’t dampened at all; she could talk incessantly by herself.
They had interacted in this manner for over ten years, and they had actually developed a strange tacit understanding. They all held a silent agreement not to mention a single word about Yu Xiâs return to the other two people; they wished the others would come back as late as possible.
Yu Xi stood before Pei Wangâs door, hesitating for a long while before raising his hand to knock.
“Pei Wang, are you there?”
Fortunately, the situation he imagined of being rejected at the door didn’t occur. Within a few seconds, Pei Wang came to open the door for him.
“Is something the matter?”
Yu Xi saw headphones hanging around Pei Wangâs neck; he seemed to be busy. He straightforwardly pulled out the gift box in his hand. “This is for you.”
Pei Wang arched an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“A birthday gift for you. It might not be especially pretty…” Yu Xi kept both hands behind his back, his fingers quietly tangling together. “Do you want to open it and see?”
Pei Wang knitted his brows, wanting to say “not needed,” but the words inexplicably stopped at the tip of his tongue when he met Yu Xiâs gaze, which was brimming with expectation. After a moment of internal struggle, he still unwrapped the gift box.
The gift box was only about the length of a palm. He thought it would be some perfume or a watch, but after opening it and seeing the wooden Gundam carving lying inside, his entire person froze.
“You… made this yourself??”
Yu Xi nodded, scratching his cheek as he observed Pei Wangâs expression.
He couldn’t see any joy, but it certainly wasn’t dislike either. Rather, it was a very… awkward expression, as if what he held wasn’t a gift, but a hot potato he didn’t know how to handle.
“I-I saw many of these placed on the cabinet in your study, so I searched online and found there are many series, all looking different. I didn’t know which one you liked, so I picked the one that looked most like the ones you have… Compared to those you’ve collected, the one I made is a bit ugly. If you don’t want it, don’t force yourself to accept it…”
Seeing Pei Wang remain silent for so long, Yu Xi reached out, wanting to take the gift box back. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly pulled it back, making him miss.
He looked at Pei Wang in surprise. Pei Wang avoided his gaze and squeezed out a sentence: “I didn’t say I didn’t want it.”
Then, he slammed the door shut.
Yu Xi stood dazed for a long while, unable to figure out whether Pei Wang liked it or not.
…But since the gift was accepted, it should be a good thing, right?
Yu Xi didn’t dwell on the matter further and slept peacefully. Early the next morning, he was awakened by Pei Wang knocking on his door. He was still in a daze when a heavy box was shoved into his arms.
The box was printed with a logo of a famous digital brand.
“What does this mean?”
Pei Wang didn’t look at him either, arms crossed over his chest. “Iâve upgraded all of these to the latest models. The old ones are too redundant, and I find them taking up too much space, so Iâm giving them to you.”
“But…”
Pei Wang let out a “Tsk” to interrupt. “No more ‘buts.’ If I give them to you, just take them. Do you think you won’t need them once university starts? If you don’t like them, just take them and sell them as second-hand.”
After saying that, he gave Yu Xi no chance to refuse, turning around and leaving.
Yu Xi only had time to say thank you to Pei Wangâs back. Returning to his room and opening the box, he found a phone, headphones, a tablet, and a laptopâeverything was included. Furthermore, none of them showed any signs of use; they didn’t look like old items at all.
Pei Lexin had mentioned wanting to buy these for him at the dining table before, but he had refused. For Pei Wang to think of giving these to him, he must have taken it to heart during the meal.
This wasn’t a simple return gift, but a gesture of goodwill from Pei Wang.
Since then, after the two had exchanged gifts, their relationship underwent a significant change.
Specifically, Pei Wang no longer deliberately slighted Yu Xi. During meals, he would occasionally sit beside Yu Xi, and if there was a problem he couldn’t solve, he would take the initiative to knock on Yu Xiâs door… These changes were naturally seen by the others in the Pei household.
The first time Pei Wang served soup to Yu Xi, Pei Lexin was so shocked her chopsticks fell to the floor; she almost suspected her biological son had been swapped.
After observing for a few more days and discovering that the two were truly becoming close, her heart, which had been hanging for many days, finally settled.
She was both surprised and not surprised. She had confidence that as long as they lived together, a day would come when Pei Wang would see Yu Xiâs goodness and accept him, but she hadn’t expected the speed to be so fastâless than half a month.
Now, looking at her troublesome son, she no longer sighed or frowned; her eyes were full of gratification.
Pei Wang felt awkward being watched and slapped his chopsticks down. “Mom, can you stop looking at me with that kind of gaze lately? I can’t even eat my food.”
“Not looking, not looking.” Pei Lexin turned to serve dishes to the two children, mentioning another matter with a beaming smile. “By the way, I heard that the son of the Zhang family won the championship in some overseas racing competition. They plan to hold a victory banquet the day after tomorrow. Iâm busy with work, so you two go in my place and deliver a gift.”
Yu Xiâs heart paused.
Pei Wang arched an eyebrow. “Is our family that close with theirs?”
“We weren’t close in the past, but this time the Zhang family sent me an invitation.” Pei Lexin had Auntie Wan bring it over, spreading the invitation for the two to see.
On that invitation, the place for the guest’s name held not only Pei Lexin’s name but also Yu Xi’s.
Pei Wangâs eyes widened. “Why is Yu Xiâs name also there?”
Pei Lexin wagged her index finger. “You wouldn’t know this, but our Xiao Xi was not only liked by the kids when he was little, but also by many elders. Back then, Zhang Xingkuo’s mother was especially fond of Xiao Xi. Sheâd always use her sonâs name as an excuse to bring Xiao Xi to their house, and once he was there, she wouldn’t want to let him back. Sheâd claim the two children insisted on sleeping together, but actually, she found her own son too wild and rowdy. Sheâd always wanted one like our Xiao Xiâwell-behaved and beautiful, someone everyone would love to have at home, right?”
Pei Lexin smilingly poked Yu Xiâs already reddened cheek.
“Auntie Pei… itâs because Xingkuo’s mother is a good person. I-Iâm very grateful to her.” Yu Xi looked at the invitation, and a bit of sweetness couldn’t help but overflow from the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t expect her to still think of me.”
Pei Lexin nodded. “So you should go and pay her a visit. You don’t need to worry too much about the rest; Iâll prepare the gifts. If thereâs anything you don’t understand at the banquet, Pei Wang will be there to guide you.”
Then, she gave Pei Wang a serious warning: “You better take good care of Xiao Xi, do you hear me?”
Pei Wang curled his lips. “Just focus on your own business. Iâm not as unreliable as you think.”
“If you were truly reliable, would you have taken Xiao Xi to that club and called over a group of those good-for-nothing friends…”
“Momâ!” Pei Wang quickly called for a stop. “Thatâs all in the past, please stop mentioning it.”
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Yu Xiâs expression.
Yu Xi didn’t mind, still staring at the invitation in a daze.
“An invitation?”
“Mhm.”
Yu Xi sat at the table, stroking Yu Xiaohe while on the phone with Sheng Yunshu.
“The Zhang family sent it to the Pei house; my name is on it.”
“So thatâs how it is. Does Xiao Xi want to go?” Sheng Yunshu asked.
Yu Xi said softly, “I don’t know either.”
It was precisely because of his internal conflict that he had called Sheng Yunshu.
Sheng Yunshu: “Actually, Xiao Juan and I were already planning to take you along.”
Yu Xi was stunned.
“Xiao Xi also wants to see him, right?” Sheng Yunshuâs voice was soothing. “The victory banquet is just the opportunity. With us accompanying you, you won’t need to be overly nervous.”
With Pei Wang and friends like Sheng Yunshu, it indeed greatly diminished Yu Xiâs worries.
But…
Yu Xi was thinking, what kind of person was the grown-up Zhang Xingkuo?
He still remembered that as a child, it was Zhang Xingkuo who first noticed him and brought him into the group of children, which led him to gain much friendship and joy.
Zhang Xingkuo was the “childhood king” among them. No matter what game they played, he was definitely the one to lead everyone and set the rules. He could always think of many novel and unseen ways to play, doing everything possible to let them experience different kinds of fun.
In games, he was also always the one who wonâthe bravest, the fastest runner, the one who kicked the ball the furthest.
Zhang Xingkuo also had a strange interest: carrying Yu Xi on his back and running everywhere, as if he had inexhaustible energy every day.
Yu Xi called him “Xingxing,” yet he always wanted Yu Xi to add the word “Gege,” because he wanted to be like Gu Chuanzhou.
The person Zhang Xingkuo hated most was Gu Chuanzhou. It was enough that the adults always ranked Gu Chuanzhou first, but Gu Chuanzhou was clearly a latecomer, yet he took away so much of Yu Xiâs attention.
At that time, the words Zhang Xingkuo said most often were: “Xiao Xi, you must put me first. I will be the absolute best to you, and you should be the absolute best to me too. Thatâs only fair.”
Zhang Xingkuo also said: “Xiao Xi, itâs either him or me. You can’t choose Gu Chuanzhou, and you definitely can’t leave me behind, otherwise Iâll never forgive you in this life.”
Little Yu Xi was very distressed.
He didn’t understand why he could only choose one; he wanted everyone to be together happily.
Fortunately, Zhang Xingkuo was very easy to coax.
When Zhang Xingkuo saw him getting close to Gu Chuanzhou and grew angry, Yu Xi only needed to hold his hands together under his chin and softly plead, “Xingxing Gege, youâre the best,” and Zhang Xingkuo would forget everything and agree to anything.
Would the grown-up “Xingxing” still be so easy to coax?
Translator’s Note:
Hello~ Hello~
- Pei Wang’s “Tech Gift”: In Chinese “Group Pet” novels, the “Extra/Old Items” trope is common for tsundere characters. He clearly bought the latest iPhone/MacBook series for Yu Xi but was too embarrassed to say it.
- Gundam (éŤé – GÄodĂĄ): As mentioned before, Gundam culture is huge among young men in China. For Yu Xi to hand-carve a wooden one is a massive labor of love!
- Zhang Xingkuo (ĺźľćé): His name “Xingkuo” literally means “Star Vastness/Vast Stars.” He’s the classic “Rebellious Young Master” archetype.
- Xingxing Gege (ććĺĽĺĽ): “Xingxing” is a cute nickname (Little Star), and “Gege” means older brother. It’s much more intimate than just using his name.
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