Chapter 2
The morning flight landed in Lincheng just as Zhong Yuxiao woke up. He stepped out of the airport and directly into the car his family had sent.
The Zhong family’s butler was also in the car. Upon seeing him, he handed over the new phone card Zhong Yuxiao had requested. “Sir and Madam are waiting at home. The eldest young master is still at the company. Second Young Master, would you like to go home first or go to the company?”
Asking about going to the company likely meant Zhong Zhili wanted to see him.
Zhong Yuxiao switched to the new SIM card and checked the time. “Uncle Qin, please take me to get a haircut first.”
Qin Yun had been the Zhong family’s butler for decades, watching Zhong Zhili and Zhong Yuxiao grow up. He had long treated them as his own children. “Second Young Master, this hairstyle is very novel, quite different from when you were young.”
Zhong Yuxiao met his smiling gaze and ruffled his hair. “Cool, right?”
“Very cool.”
Zhong Yuxiao’s parents were very open-minded. He grew up surrounded by praise, and the biggest setback he encountered might have been his brother’s occasional stern face.
“I think it’s pretty cool too.” He smiled, nestled in the car seat, boredly looking out the window. The car was moving fast, the scenery outside flashing by. Zhong Yuxiao took out his glasses and put them on. “It’s been cool for too long. I want to change my hairstyle to welcome the upcoming… well, married life.”
The rimless glasses added a touch of gentle temperament, and Zhong Yuxiao, with his half-closed eyes, looked inexplicably docile.
Qin Yun froze, thinking of his unruly fiancé, his brows furrowing deeply.
That wastrel from the Xi family, how could he be worthy of their Second Young Master?
“Unworthy.”
No matter how one looked at it, he and Zhong Er were not a match.
Xi Shi opened the car window. The scent of roses from the passenger seat was strong, making him frown.
He had just received a message from Xi Chongyang. Zhong Er didn’t like taking pictures, and the photo was from a Zhong family portrait taken years ago before he went abroad. He stood behind Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, shoulder to shoulder with Zhong Zhili, with gentle eyes and a well-behaved appearance.
And he hated bookworms the most.
Xi Shi was annoyed and tossed the flowers into the back seat.
The afternoon sun was very gentle, gilding the gates of Lincheng University. Perhaps influenced by the fiancé forced upon him by Xi Chongyang, the more Xi Shi looked at the school, the more displeased he became.
So annoying.
Xi Shi never forced himself to do anything he didn’t want to do. He left as soon as he felt like it. Not long after, he received a call. It was from the lover he had been intensely involved with recently, who was whining coquettishly, “Xi Shi, I’m out. Why didn’t I see you?”
“Something came up.”
“I specifically skipped class, how could you just—”
Before he could finish, Xi Shi hung up.
He was always generous and tolerant towards his ambiguous partners, without the airs of a young master. His lovers often took advantage of his favor. When he was in a good mood, Xi Shi didn’t mind, treating it as a playful banter. When he was in a bad mood, he couldn’t be bothered to listen to their whining.
At a red light, Xi Shi glanced at the rearview mirror. A sports car was following closely behind him, honking frantically.
He was in a hurry to leave and had taken the flashy pink car from the old mansion. He used to get approached often when driving this car, and occasionally encountered idiots who deliberately tried to cut him off. Over time, Xi Shi stopped liking driving this car.
After the light turned green, the car behind continued to follow. A head of bright yellow curly hair poked out of the window. “Hi, beautiful car, let’s be friends~”
Bad luck today, he encountered another idiot.
Xi Shi cursed under his breath.
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, the curly-haired guy deliberately edged closer, trying to force him to stop. The distance between the two cars suddenly narrowed. It was a two-way road with little traffic. Through the one-way glass, Xi Shi glanced coldly, stepped on the gas, and directly rammed into the other car.
The two cars scraped against each other for more than ten meters before stopping at the green belt.
“Fuck! Do you even know how to drive?!”
Curly Hair looked heartbrokenly at the scratches on his car. He had just picked up the car, hadn’t even driven it out to show off before it became like this.
Xi Shi opened the car door. Curly Hair’s eyes widened, the curses caught in his throat. “Xi… Young Master Xi?”
The collision wasn’t serious, just a bad scrape. Xi Shi closed the car door, took out his broken phone, and sent a message: “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? Not a beautiful woman, disappointed?”
Curly Hair tucked his tail and forced a smile. “Young Master Xi, you’re joking.”
Lincheng wasn’t that big. People in the wealthy circles often saw each other. Xi Shi was the originator of the prodigal sons in the circle, proficient in racing and partying. All the unruly younger generations knew there was such a reckless person above them.
“Was your phone just accidentally broken in the collision? My fault, my driving skills aren’t good, it was an accident. I’ll have someone buy a new one and send it over right away.”
Curly Hair bowed and scraped, acting like a grandson, not mentioning the ridiculous flirting from earlier. Xi Shi sneered, threw his phone into the car, and lit a cigarette.
The traffic police arrived quickly, along with the Xi family’s lawyer. Xi Shi threw the car keys to the lawyer and took the new phone from Curly Hair. “Let’s go through the procedures and reimburse him for the phone.”
It wasn’t the first time the lawyer had handled this kind of thing. He was very experienced and agreed.
There were no casualties, and the scrape was minor. The two parties settled privately. The traffic police gave a verbal warning and left. Xi Shi left the matter to the lawyer, took the phone, and was about to leave.
“Young Master Xi, what about the flowers?”
The flowers were specially ordered green roses, prepared for his recent lover.
“Throw them away.”
The lawyer was about to leave with the flowers when Xi Shi called him back, taking out a single undamaged flower.
The stem was neatly trimmed, without thorns, leaving only two leaves. There were still water droplets sprayed on the petals, reflecting a lustrous green halo in the sunlight.
His long fingers hooked the stem. Xi Shi suddenly looked at the trembling Curly Hair. “Is this color nice?”
Curly Hair had long been scared silly, nodding blankly. “Nice.”
Xi Shi raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, and turned around with the flower, his long legs easily stepping over the roadside railing. His flashy shirt was tucked into his belt, revealing a smooth waistline.
The friend who came to deliver the phone asked in a low voice, “How did you offend this plague god?”
Curly Hair looked dejected, glancing at his “injured” car and then at the departing man, pouting. “Just my luck.”
How was he supposed to know that Xi Shi was so secretly flamboyant and liked pink?
Zhong Yuxiao dyed his hair black and got a simple trim. He looked even more serious now.
He received an email from Lincheng University.
Returning to China had been a plan for a while. Seeing that Lincheng University was recruiting lecturers, Zhong Yuxiao sent his resume. He hadn’t received any news and thought he had no chance.
He didn’t go to the company, asking the driver to take him to Lincheng University.
Zhong Yuxiao had no interest in inheriting the family business. He had told his family years ago that the company would be managed by Zhong Zhili, and he would receive dividends every year.
University teachers had many holidays, and the job sounded respectable, especially the niche subject he applied for, with only one class on Mondays. It perfectly suited Zhong Yuxiao’s personality – unable to completely slack off and live idly, but also unwilling to work diligently from nine to five.
Lincheng University had originally finished recruiting lecturers, but the person they had chosen suddenly decided to go abroad, so they contacted Zhong Yuxiao.
Zhong Yuxiao had no experience, but he had studied abroad for many years and had excellent grades, making him a good second choice.
The interview ended in the evening. When he got home, he happened to run into Zhong Zhili, who had just gotten off work. Zhong Yuxiao slowed down to wait for him, rubbing his sore neck. “Brother.”
The barber chair wasn’t comfortable to lie on. He had a bad neck, and lying down for over an hour made it sore. After that, he went to deal with work matters, keeping himself tense, and hadn’t yet relaxed.
Zhong Zhili nodded, his gaze sweeping over his face. “Uncomfortable?”
Zhong Yuxiao returned to China every year for the New Year, and his parents would also fly abroad to visit him. With convenient transportation nowadays, even being half a world away wouldn’t make them miss each other too much. The two brothers weren’t estranged.
“My neck is a little sore. I’ll be fine after some rest.”
“Ask Chu Yi to come over and take a look at you tomorrow.”
Chu Yi was the Zhong family’s private doctor.
Zhong Yuxiao’s birthday was on the Lantern Festival, and his name was taken from the festival. When he was born, he was fair and soft, and his family called him Little Yuanxiao (Little Lantern Festival).
Zhong Yuxiao was often sick as a child, worrying his family. His mother prayed for peace amulets and visited temples, trying all sorts of methods. For a while, she even listened to a wandering Taoist priest and raised him as a girl.
Chu Yi’s father was the first doctor hired by the Zhong family. After he retired, Chu Yi, who graduated from medical school, took over his work.
The two were about the same age. Chu Yi would occasionally visit him abroad, so they were relatively familiar.
“Okay.” Zhong Yuxiao casually asked, “Uncle Qin said you had something to discuss with me. What’s up?”
After dyeing his hair, he went straight to Lincheng University and hadn’t had time to go to the company.
“I want to talk to you about Xi Shi.” Zhong Zhili’s eyes darkened slightly. Everyone in Lincheng knew that Young Master Xi was a playboy. He was extremely dissatisfied with this future brother-in-law. “Xi Shi is not a good person. Just go through the motions when you meet him. Don’t worry about saving face for the Xi family. I’ll handle it.”
Zhong Yuxiao raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”
His brother rarely showed his emotions. His attitude had been indifferent before, but now his words were filled with disgust for Xi Shi, clearly showing his disapproval of the marriage.
He hadn’t done anything; the problem could only lie with Xi Shi.
“Did my fiancé cause trouble?”
There weren’t many people who could anger Zhong Zhili like this. His cheap fiancé was quite capable.
Zhong Zhili frowned. On his way home, he passed by the Chenxi office building and happened to see the legendary Young Master Xi, his future brother-in-law, with a new hairstyle, beating someone up in front of his own company.
Leaving aside whether Xi Shi’s thuggish fighting style was undignified, his attire clearly showed he didn’t take the marriage seriously.
Zhong Zhili had never approved of Xi Shi’s lifestyle, and now he was even more against Zhong Yuxiao getting involved with him. It was best not to even meet, and just call off the marriage directly.
“He doesn’t deserve you.” Zhong Zhili glanced at his approaching parents and stopped talking.
“Our precious Xiaoyao is finally home!”
Zhong’s mother trotted over, followed by his father. “Our son isn’t going to disappear. Slow down, be careful not to fall.”
The two were childhood sweethearts, a loving couple, and their relationship was exceptionally good. They had never had a serious argument. Zhong Zhili and Zhong Yuxiao’s first impression of love came from their parents.
“Dad, Mom.”
Zhong Yuxiao smiled and hugged his parents. Thinking of Zhong Zhili’s hesitant and obscure expression, his curiosity deepened.
Deserve or not deserve.
He wasn’t a good person either.
The meeting with Xi Shi was scheduled for three days later. After dinner, Zhong Yuxiao learned that the two families had even set a wedding date. The meeting was just a formality, a supplementary blind date ritual.
“Xiaoyao, this is too rushed. I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
“If you know it’s unfair, you shouldn’t have agreed.”
As soon as Zhong Zhili finished, he was called to the study by his father. Zhong’s mother held Zhong Yuxiao’s hand and sighed. “Xi Shi is indeed a bit absurd.”
The information Zhong Zhili sent was very detailed. Xi Shi’s absurd deeds over the years were countless, but Zhong Yuxiao hadn’t even looked at it, and didn’t know what kind of absurdity it was.
No matter how absurd, could he be more absurd than him?
Far away from home, his family only knew that he liked men and didn’t know much about his life abroad. Zhong Yuxiao didn’t intend to hide it, but less trouble was better. He wouldn’t go out of his way to announce that he changed bed partners every day.
“Xi Shi’s mother and I were best friends. Before you were born, we often chatted together. At that time, Xi Shi was only one or two years old, and after he was fed, he would stare at my belly. We even joked about arranging a marriage for you two.”
Mentioning her deceased friend, a trace of sadness appeared on Zhong’s mother’s face. “It’s a pity that Xi Yue got sick later.”
When Xi Shi was almost five years old, Xi Yue became pregnant with her second child, but unfortunately miscarried at seven months. She suffered from depression and later committed suicide.
“Xi Shi lost his mother at a young age, his father didn’t care for him, and he had a stepmother who mistreated him. He’s a pitiful child.”
Xi Shi’s father, Shi Fengsheng, married a new wife shortly after Xi Yue’s death. The new wife was Xi Shi’s aunt, Xi Yue’s cousin.
This wasn’t uncommon in wealthy circles, but from Xi Shi’s perspective, it was bound to be disgusting.
Zhong Yuxiao still remembered his first encounter with Xi Shi. The little cripple used him as an excuse, hitting his half-brother with a crutch, and yelling about killing his father.
Frankly, he admired the young master’s personality. If Xi Shi was still like he was as a child, married life should be quite interesting.
“The Xi family’s young master should have many choices. Why did he choose me?”
Shi Fengsheng married into the Xi family and had always worked at the Xi family’s company, Chenxi International. Therefore, Xi Shi took the Xi surname and grew up with Xi Chongyang, becoming the young master of the Xi family.
After Xi Yue’s death, to prevent Zhong’s mother from being saddened by the memories, the contact between his family and the Xi family decreased. He didn’t know why Old Master Xi had taken a fancy to him.
“Maybe because Xi Shi likes you?” Zhong’s mother hesitated. “You met him when you were six or seven years old, and he said he wanted to marry you.”
Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t help but laugh, resting his chin on his hand, and said lazily, “Could it be that just because of a casual childhood promise, he’s liked me for twenty years?”
He didn’t believe it.
“The Xi family’s situation is very complicated. You’ve been abroad all these years, so you don’t know much about it. Old Master Xi wants to find a good home for his grandson.”
Every family had its own troubles. The Xi family’s troubles were not only difficult to deal with, but also repulsive.
Someone who was worthy of the Xi family and also well-known to them…in the wealthy circles, only the Zhong family remained.
Zhong’s mother patted his hand. “Between you and your brother, the Xi family would definitely prefer you.”
Zhong Zhili went to military school and had a promising future in the army. Zhong’s father’s health wasn’t good, so he had no choice but to retire from the army and take over the company. Everyone in Lincheng knew that the eldest Zhong son was ruthless. If someone set their sights on him, it wouldn’t be a marriage, but a ghost marriage.
Ghost marriage.
Zhong Yuxiao was amused by the thought.
“You might have forgotten, but when you were little, you were almost kidnapped. It was Aunt Xi Yue who saved you.”
Xi Chongyang brought up this matter, asking them to help Xi Yue’s child.
Zhong’s mother felt a pang of sadness in her heart. After Zhong Yuxiao was almost kidnapped, she started believing in Buddhism, becoming a vegetarian on the first and fifteenth of each month, and paying more attention to karmic relationships. For reasons both emotional and logical, this marriage was difficult to refuse.
“It just so happens that you also like men. Xi Shi isn’t bad looking. You two can try getting along. If it doesn’t work out, divorce is also an option. After all, two men won’t have children.”
Zhong Yuxiao was speechless.
From the shock and incomprehension when he came out to the current trial marriage suggestion, his parents’ change in thinking was a bit too drastic.
He didn’t know what his father and brother talked about. After they came out of the study, Zhong Zhili didn’t continue to object to the marriage, but privately sent Zhong Yuxiao a message.
[Zhong Zhili: If you don’t like him, dump him. Don’t worry about the Xi family.]
Zhong Zhili was five years older than him. Their parents had a good relationship and sometimes couldn’t give their children enough attention. Zhong Yuxiao was practically raised by Zhong Zhili, who took care of his studies and life since childhood. He even told Zhong Zhili first when he came out.
An older brother is like a father; this was the case in the Zhong family.
But he wasn’t a child anymore. It was just a man; he didn’t need to ask his family for help, he could handle it.
Moreover, he didn’t dislike this marriage.
Unlike Zhong Zhili’s rejection, Zhong Yuxiao readily accepted the marriage with Xi Shi. Marriage in his life was no different from eating a meal or sleeping with someone. A marriage certificate couldn’t restrain him.
It was said that the eldest Zhong son was not to be trifled with, but in fact, Zhong Yuxiao was far more wild at heart than Zhong Zhili. He didn’t care about social conventions and had no reverence.
“Xi Shi…”
Zhong Yuxiao opened Xi Shi’s profile again, looking at the young master’s absurd behavior over the years, and chuckled.
The current Xi Shi seemed even more interesting than when he was a child. Lincheng’s number one top?
Tsk.
He was increasingly looking forward to the blind date in three days.
