Chapter 24
Jiang Yu waited outside the mall for a long time before seeing Chi Abei run out. “Why were you so slow?”
Chi Abei said: “I just saw a brother in a wheelchair being bullied, so I helped him.”
Jiang Yu looked at Chi Abei, his legs showing, wearing a jacket over his shirt. “Why do you like to meddle in other people’s business so much?”
Chi Abei said: “I just like to meddle. It’s probably my mission.”
What mission, Jiang Yu thought he was just bored.
Jiang Yu: “Do you do this to everyone?”
Chi Abei looked at him: “Do what?”
Jiang Yu, who had also been helped by his “mission,” said: “Carrying out your mission, meddling everywhere.”
Chi Abei glared at him. “Is ‘meddling’ the only word you know? You’re a top student and haven’t learned the four words ‘acting justly’?”
…
On the third floor of the mall, Jiang Yu was positioned in a corner by Chi Abei. He squatted there, waiting, for over an hour. When he saw Chi Abei and Lin Xiu coming out of the gym, Jiang Yu stood up abruptly, his numb legs almost making him kneel on the spot.
Jiang Yu’s legs were numb. Seeing Chi Abei giving him signals from afar, he limped over, awkwardly greeting Lin Xiu. “What a coincidence, running into you both here.”
Lin Xiu glanced at his legs, then turned to Chi Abei.
Chi Abei was using his eyes to ask Jiang Yu what happened to his legs. Seeing Lin Xiu looking over, he quickly pretended to be nonchalant. “Brother Jiang Yu, is your leg okay?”
Jiang Yu twitched his mouth, thinking, you dare ask? I should have come later if I knew I’d have to wait this long!
Jiang Yu: “It’s fine, just twisted it.”
Lin Xiu watched them quietly.
He hadn’t understood why Jiang Yu would willingly participate in the little fool’s schemes, but after yesterday’s events, he understood how easy it was to buy someone off.
The little fool’s shared indignation meant Jiang Yu would probably be devoted to him from now on.
Chi Abei tugged at Lin Xiu’s sleeve. “Brother, what a coincidence! We ran into Brother Jiang Yu here.”
Lin Xiu looked at him without speaking.
Chi Abei didn’t notice Lin Xiu’s penetrating gaze, and pretended to ask Jiang Yu, “Brother Jiang Yu, were you alone?”
Lin Xiu’s expression said it all. Jiang Yu was already embarrassed enough, and hearing Chi Abei continue to ask made him even more awkward. “…Yeah.”
It was Jiang Yu’s turn to speak, but he hesitated.
Chi Abei kept giving him signals, his eyes almost twitching, before Jiang Yu stammered, “It’s almost noon, should we get something to eat? I’ll treat…”
Lin Xiu: “You guys go ahead.”
Seeing him leave like that, Jiang Yu was relieved. If Lin Xiu had agreed to eat with him, he would have been embarrassed enough to get a stomach ache.
Chi Abei hissed at Jiang Yu, blaming him for his poor articulation and lack of sincerity. He jogged to catch up with Lin Xiu. “Brother, where are you going?”
Lin Xiu: “To work.”
Chi Abei: “Even if you’re working, you need to eat.”
Lin Xiu didn’t want to be manipulated by the little fool like Jiang Yu was: “I’m not hungry.”
Things didn’t go as planned, and Chi Abei was a little frustrated. He looked back at Jiang Yu, who was standing there like a wooden post… utterly useless!
Chi Abei gestured at Jiang Yu with a sigh of disappointment, then ran after Lin Xiu.
It wasn’t that Jiang Yu didn’t want to stop them; his legs were too numb. Moving them felt like needles pricking him.
Watching them leave, Jiang Yu was speechless.
What had he even come for?
…
On the bus, Chi Abei texted Jiang Yu, reprimanding him: 【What were you doing? You promised to treat my brother to dinner, why didn’t you say anything!】
Jiang Yu: 【……My legs were numb.】
Chi Abei: 【Your numb legs affected your mouth? If you said one more thing, my brother might have agreed to eat with you. You’re so useless!】
Jiang Yu: 【……Didn’t you realize he already knew we were in cahoots?】
Chi Abei hadn’t noticed.
He glanced at Lin Xiu, who was staring out the window, and didn’t see anything to suggest he’d discovered their plan.
Chi Abei: 【Impossible, I didn’t show any flaws. How could he possibly have found out?】
Jiang Yu didn’t argue: 【Why don’t you ask him if he found out.】
Since the meal wasn’t happening, Chi Abei might as well ask directly: “Brother, did you realize Jiang Yu wasn’t just coincidentally meeting us?”
Lin Xiu “Mmmed.”
Chi Abei didn’t understand. He thought he’d acted perfectly. “How did you figure it out?”
Lin Xiu turned to look at him. “He wouldn’t waste time hanging around the mall.”
Chi Abei: “…”
He’d overlooked Jiang Yu’s persona as a study machine.
Seeing his regretful but unrepentant expression, Lin Xiu said, “Don’t do this again.”
“Oh.” Chi Abei reluctantly agreed, but didn’t mean it. “Brother, why aren’t you friends with him anymore? Did he do something to upset you?”
Lin Xiu: “No.”
Chi Abei couldn’t understand. “Then why are you avoiding him?”
Lin Xiu: “We’re classmates, there’s no such thing as avoidance.”
Chi Abei didn’t believe him. Lin Xiu’s avoidance was too obvious; he clearly wanted to cut ties with Jiang Yu, never to speak again.
Chi Abei suddenly remembered something. “Brother, could it be because…”
Seeing him hesitate, Lin Xiu looked at him. “Because of what?”
Chi Abei thought he might have made a mistake. He said, “Could it be because I said last time that he likes you, so you’re ignoring him?”
Yes, that must be it. He’d asked Lin Xiu if Jiang Yu liked him, then asked Jiang Yu to bring him breakfast—he must have misunderstood!
Lin Xiu admired his wild train of thought. He was about to say no, when he heard Chi Abei say, “Brother, you misunderstood. He’s not that kind of like. He’s straight, really, completely straight.”
Lin Xiu swallowed the words forming on his lips. He looked at Chi Abei. “How would you know about this kind of thing?”
Chi Abei didn’t really know. The novel didn’t specify Jiang Yu’s preferences; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Lin Xiu if Jiang Yu liked him.
Chi Abei regretted his loose tongue. This was a disaster!
Chi Abei said: “He’s really straight. In the bathroom, he even stared at me. When I told him to stop, he said I was stingy and that he did it too.”
Lin Xiu: “…” What kind of nonsense are you two discussing behind my back?
Fearing he might say something more shocking, Lin Xiu said, “It’s not because of that.”
Chi Abei persisted: “Then why?”
The bus arrived at their stop. Lin Xiu stood up. “Because I don’t need friends.”
_______________
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