Chapter 21: Start of School—This Child Hasn’t Even “Opened Up” Yet…
When Gu Chuanzhou arrived at the Zhang house, Sheng Yunzhuan immediately showed off the grass-woven grasshopper Yu Xi had given her.
“I’m the first to receive one! You don’t have one, do you?”
“Then congratulations.” Gu Chuanzhou’s expression was flat as he met Yu Xi’s gaze.
Yu Xi felt an inexplicable panic in his heart and quickly lowered his head, picking at his fingers.
He couldn’t distinguish whether this emotion was due to feeling guilty toward Sheng Yunzhuan or Gu Chuanzhou.
Coincidentally, Gu Chuanzhou was also being “bad,” deliberately coming to him and asking, “Xixi, they all have one. When will it be my turn?”
Yu Xi gave him a small glare. “You don’t get one.”
Taking advantage after getting a good deal.
A smile flashed through Gu Chuanzhou’s eyes as he spoke with a serious expression, “It’s okay. I can do without one.”
Yu Xi didn’t want to play along with his act, asking, “How did you know I was here?”
Gu Chuanzhou said, “I just had to ask to find out.”
As for who he asked, he didn’t say.
Yu Xi wanted to ask more but was interrupted by August’s barking.
He was holding a whole bag of meat jerky in his mouth, with Zhang Xingkuo chasing him from behind.
“August, put that down! You aren’t allowed to eat that much!”
August didn’t listen, scurrying around with the meat jerky in his mouth, making Zhang Xingkuo run everywhere.
Until he turned around and bumped into Gu Chuanzhou’s leg. Belatedly realizing there was another person in the house, he immediately froze, tucked his tail, and backed away, attempting to flee.
But with just a light glance from Gu Chuanzhou, he became behaved, whimpering and obediently letting go of his mouth.
The approaching Zhang Xingkuo saw his spineless behavior only in front of Gu Chuanzhou and was even more furious, giving him a swat on the head. “Where’s your smugness from just now? Can’t you be a bit more firm!”
August let out a pitiful “Awooo,” not even daring to bark too loudly, and looked at Gu Chuanzhou’s face on the other side like a human.
However, Gu Chuanzhou didn’t care about him at all, never looking over again as he spoke with Yu Xi.
“Is Xixi about to start school soon?”
Yu Xi nodded. “Mhm.”
“I’ll see you off then.”
“Aren’t you very busy?”
Yu Xi didn’t want to trouble others. It was just handling the enrollment process; he would be completely fine on his own.
To his surprise, on September 1st, everyone came, including Pei Wang, who started school on the same day as him.
Pei Lexin, who had originally wanted to take a day off, saw the lively group of people and felt at ease leaving Yu Xi to them, returning to the company for work.
Yu Xi clutched the straps of his backpack, feeling a bit at a loss. “Actually, there’s no need for so many people…”
“For such an important day, of course we all have to see you off.” Sheng Yunzhuan took his backpack straps and handed them to Pei Wang.
In the next second, Yu Xi’s suitcase and bedding were also taken by Gu Chuanzhou and Zhang Xingkuo and carried to the trunk of the car.
Before Yu Xi could react, he had already been pulled into the passenger seat by Gu Chuanzhou, and then some snacks to pass the time were shoved into his hands.
The journey from the villa area to Beijing University took less than half an hour, but because it was the peak of the enrollment season, there was a slight traffic jam, and the school entrance was crowded with people.
Three luxury cars lined up one after another, especially eye-catching. Many volunteers welcoming freshmen at the entrance turned their heads, wanting to see which freshman was causing such a scene.
What they saw were handsome men and beautiful women with extraordinary temperaments and appearances getting out of the car one by one. If a red carpet were laid on the ground, passersby would mistake it for a red carpet event in the fashion circle.
“Holy crap, which family’s young masters and ladies are these…”
“It seems they are all taking care of that boy in the middle?”
“These cars must cost over ten million. I hate rich people!”
Yu Xi was flanked by several people as they walked. From the moment he got out of the car, he felt the gazes and discussions from all directions. He was so constrained he almost didn’t know how to walk. The tips of his ears were bright red, and he only dared to look down at the road.
But his overly enthusiastic friends didn’t care about being high-profile and acted separately.
Gu Chuanzhou, who was most familiar with Beijing University, took Yu Xi to submit materials at the registration point. The Sheng sisters went to process the campus card and water card. Zhang Xingkuo went to collect the military training uniform, and Meng Shen found the dormitory building in advance.
What would originally take one person an entire morning to complete was finished in less than twenty minutes.
Yu Xi was still in a daze when he was led to the dormitory.
Because it was registration day, the dormitory building didn’t strictly control the entry and exit of personnel. Thus, the matters in the dormitory were also taken over by the other five people. Yu Xi simply couldn’t find a chance to help.
Simply seeing his other friends busy while he was idle, Yu Xi naturally couldn’t sit still, wanting to grab some work. But no matter where he went, he was driven away, and finally, he was picked up by Zhang Xingkuo and pressed firmly into a chair.
“Don’t cause trouble. Just sit and rest for a while; you’ll get tired later.”
Yu Xi, who hadn’t done anything since entering the school gate: “?”
He was stunned for a long while, then turned his head to meet the eyes of his two dumbfounded roommates. He pursed his lips in embarrassment and said softly, “Hello.”
The two came to their senses simultaneously.
“Hello, hello.”
“Your family members are really many, quite lively…”
Yu Xi didn’t even know how to explain, so he introduced himself first.
The three exchanged names. Yu Xi learned that the two roommates were from out of province, so they had registered a day early. They were also from the same high school and knew each other.
“The place we’re from is very remote; you probably haven’t heard of it. But the mangoes grown there are very famous. I’ll have my family send some over for you to try if there’s a chance.”
Yu Xi smiled slightly. “I know. I lived there for a while when I was little.”
Hearing this, the two were a bit surprised and looked at Yu Xi again. “I really wouldn’t have thought.”
“Come, these are meeting gifts for you. Please take good care of our brother in the future.” Sheng Yunzhuan returned from the supermarket. She had bought more daily necessities and snacks to distribute to Yu Xi’s roommates.
The two were overwhelmed by the gesture.
“Thank you, this is embarrassing.”
“It’s okay. Since we’re in the same dormitory, of course we’ll help each other.”
Sheng Yunzhuan then offered to treat them to a meal. The two accepted the invitation and went to a high-end restaurant.
The five of them settled everything for Yu Xi. Before leaving, they gave him many reminders and told him to call them anytime if he needed anything. They said one of them would always have time to come find him or pick him up back to Huze Junting, and they gave many precautions about the upcoming military training.
Sheng Yunzhuan looked at Meng Shen with quite some envy. “You’re lucky; your school is just a few hundred meters away from Xiao Xi’s, so you can see him anytime.”
But overall, having someone nearby to accompany him made everyone feel more at ease.
Gu Chuanzhou gave a final reminder: “I have to go on a business trip tomorrow and don’t know how long it will take to return. Xixi, take good care of yourself.”
Yu Xi was slightly stunned. “Okay… you too.”
He stood at the entrance of the dormitory building, waving goodbye to his friends.
It was lively when they came, but now that they separated and it became quiet, he actually felt a bit lonely.
He was originally someone who was very good at being alone. It was just that the time he spent back in the capital this past month was too fulfilling and happy, making it hard to get used to being alone now.
This low mood reached its peak when he found a stack of cash from a drawer.
A note was tucked inside the cash, with a message written on it.
— We all pooled together a bit. Each person didn’t contribute much, so don’t be reluctant to spend it! Our Xiao Xi should buy more delicious food. Don’t lose the meat you’ve finally gained during this period. Take good care of yourself for us!
It was Sheng Yunzhuan’s handwriting, gathering everyone’s concern for him.
Yu Xi held it in his hand, feeling his nose turn sour.
His two roommates happened to pass by and noticed, coming closer.
“Wow, your family really treats you well.”
“My mom also secretly tucked money into my suitcase, just afraid I wouldn’t take it.”
“Parents are all like that, just afraid we won’t have enough to eat. My grandma prepared a bag of pancakes for me in advance to eat on the bus; I almost stuffed myself to death.”
“But it’s still best for someone like Yu Xi who lives locally. Family can pick you up and drop you off, and you can go back anytime. By the way, they are your brothers and sisters, right? Are they all biological?”
Yu Xi, who had tucked the money away properly, looked up and answered, “They aren’t biological; they are friends who take care of me.”
This answer surprised the two, as they thought people who could go to this extent must be family.
“Then your relationship must be really good; they settled everything for you.”
Yu Xi couldn’t help but smile, his peach blossom eyes curving and his dimples showing. His tone carried a bit of happiness and a small pride: “Yes, our relationship is very good.”
At his smile, the two roommates were a bit dazed.
“Yu Xi, you’re really good-looking. I’ve never seen many as good-looking as you in my life.”
“Yeah, yeah, when you and your friends came in, I was shocked! I thought your whole family’s genes were too excellent, each one looking so incredible.”
Yu Xi was embarrassed by the praise and changed the subject, suggesting they go for a walk and familiarize themselves with the campus environment.
The two readily agreed, and the three went out together.
Beijing University covered a large area and had a history of several decades. The library alone could take several hours to explore. While walking down the tree-lined avenue, freshmen would occasionally pass by and ask them for directions.
“Sorry, we’re also new here and aren’t very clear.” Yu Xi said apologetically.
“Ah… I see. It’s okay, it’s okay. Sorry to disturb you.” The girl walked away with a red face.
“Let’s go.” Yu Xi turned to call his roommates, only to find them both looking at him with meaningful eyes. “W-what’s wrong?”
“Actually, they all did it on purpose, right? Otherwise, why would they ask you and not us?”
“Let me ask you first, are you in a relationship?”
Yu Xi shook his head, and the two let out a synchronized sigh.
“It’s over. With you here, there’s no hope for us to get out of being single.”
“The three of us walking together, they’ll definitely all be looking at you. If I were a girl, I’d choose you too… Wait, someone like Yu Xi should be popular with both men and women, right?”
The other person nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”
Then the two asked in unison, “Do you like men or women?”
Yu Xi was stunned. “I-I don’t know either.”
“How can you not know?”
Yu Xi was a bit amused: “Ordinary people wouldn’t ask that, so I’ve never thought about it.”
Before this, living with his mother was a struggle. Half of his mind was on part-time jobs to earn money, and more was on his studies, solely wanting to get into a top university to make something of himself and lead a good life with his mother.
Romance wasn’t something he should think about; it was too extravagant.
“Think about it now.”
Yu Xi actually started thinking seriously: “Hmm…”
Seeing that Yu Xi hadn’t come up with an answer for a long while, the roommates suggested an idea: “Those friends of yours are all so high in appearance value. Haven’t you ever had your heart beat faster for anyone?”
Heart beating faster…
Inexplicably, what first surfaced in Yu Xi’s mind was that day in the fitting room, with Gu Chuanzhou being very close to him, and the burning palm pinching his thigh.
His heart rate was indeed very fast then, but it shouldn’t be romance; it was nervousness and embarrassment.
Thus, Yu Xi gave a negative answer: “No.”
Hearing this, the two roommates looked at each other again and reached a common conclusion.
— This child hasn’t even “opened up” yet.
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