Chapter 14: The Vicious Fake Young Master of a Wealthy Family – 14

The Villain Value rose, stalled, rose again. Su Wenyu sat innocently in his chair, not understanding what Zhou Xu’s problem was now.

Hadn’t he already apologized?

In his mind, 520 was singing a running commentary full of congratulations. The Villain Value points gained from this seemed to be convertible into quite a generous chunk of integration points. It marveled at what a natural-born villain Su Wenyu was.

Su Wenyu felt genuinely wronged.

Once the IV drip was finished, Zhou Xu pressed the call button for the nurse to come and remove the needle. Su Wenyu kept his eyes downcast, watching as the nurse withdrew the IV catheter from the back of his hand. Habitually, he pressed down on the Band-Aid to staunch the bleeding.

On the way back, the ache in Su Wenyu’s stomach had mostly subsided. He trailed slowly behind Zhou Xu toward the parking lot.

This time, Zhou Xu didn’t abandon him. He moderated his stride, keeping only a half-step of distance between them at all times.

After they got into the car, Zhou Xu opened his navigation app and asked, “Should I take you straight home?”

“Let’s go to the shop first,” Su Wenyu said, rallying a little energy. He didn’t forget to bring up old grievances, either. “The lunch I specially brought for you is still there.”

Zhou Xu: “…I’ll bring it back for you tonight. I’m sending you home first.”

And without waiting for Su Wenyu to protest, Zhou Xu set the destination to the Su residence, unilaterally deciding to drive him home.

By the time they arrived, it was already past five in the afternoon. Su Wenyu stood outside the gate of his small two-story villa, clinging to the frame of Zhou Xu’s car window, refusing to let him drive off.

“When you come back, could you bring me a little cake? One of those round birthday cakes, with colorful candles,” Su Wenyu requested, gesturing with his hands to illustrate the size and shape.

Zhou Xu frowned. “Haven’t you learned your lesson after what you ate this afternoon?”

“But that was different,” Su Wenyu insisted. “What I ate this afternoon were triangles. They didn’t look like a birthday cake.”

Zhou Xu was baffled. “What do you need a birthday cake for?”

“To celebrate a birthday,” Su Wenyu said. “Today’s the twenty-third. I never told you before, but today is actually my birthday. So you have to be nice to me and stop being so mean. I’m the birthday boy.”

Zhou Xu: “…”

He stared at Su Wenyu, utterly speechless, before retorting, “If you’re going to lie, at least come up with a better one. We were born on the same day. How is it that I didn’t know my birthday was today?”

If it weren’t for the fact that he and Su Wenyu had been whisked out of the delivery room one after the other, their birth weights so similar, the accidental swap would never have happened.

Su Wenyu’s lips moved slightly, struggling to explain. Because the birthday he wanted to celebrate was his real-world birthday.

In his actual world, he was born on August 23rd. The day his rare disease had flared, he hadn’t gotten to blow out the candles on his cake, nor had a chance to eat the little bread roll meant for his celebration. He’d always been stuck on that regret.

Originally, Su Wenyu had planned to stay at the dessert shop until Zhou Xu got off work this afternoon, then buy a small birthday cake and colorful candles on his way back.

Who could have predicted he’d suddenly get sick and end up on a half-day excursion to the hospital’s emergency room?

Watching Zhou Xu’s utterly disbelieving expression, Su Wenyu’s hand slipped dejectedly from the car window frame. “Fine. Just pretend I’m just craving cake.”

Striving for patience, Zhou Xu tried to reason with him. “The doctor said you need to watch what you eat today. Wait another couple of days if you want cake.”

Su Wenyu bowed his head, picking at his fingertips. Quietly, he mumbled, “In a couple of days, it won’t be my birthday anymore.”

Zhou Xu fell silent, truly at a loss as to what Su Wenyu was thinking.

Today was manifestly not his birthday.

But then again, Zhou Xu had never been able to figure Su Wenyu out, so he simply gave up trying. “Go upstairs and rest. I’ll bring your food box back later tonight.”

Su Wenyu took a step back, clearing the way, and watched the car pull away heartlessly, leaving behind only a trail of exhaust fumes.

Back upstairs, Su Wenyu’s spirits remained low. He sat in his recliner by the French window, gazing blankly out at the evening sky, lost in thought.

When people are sick, their minds are easily weakened. Su Wenyu was in precisely that state now.

Control your diet. Don’t eat randomly. You’re sick, so rest. Don’t run around…

Su Wenyu closed his eyes, unwilling to dwell on it further.

It’s fine.

He comforted himself inwardly. It was just acute gastroenteritis. Once it healed, he’d be healthy again.

He would take good care of his body from now on, and never eat four bowls of shaved ice in one go again.

Rocking gently in his recliner, Su Wenyu drifted off to sleep once more.

—

It was past six in the evening when Zhou Xu returned to the shop. The customer flow at this hour was heavy; the dining area was packed with people, and there was still a queue waiting to pay for takeout orders.

Xu Ran spotted him the moment he walked through the door, as if seeing a savior. “Oh, thank god you’re back! How’s that… you-know-who? How is he?”

“Got his IV drip and went home. Ate too much ice. Acute gastroenteritis. He’ll be fine now.” Zhou Xu donned an apron and seamlessly took over the cashier duties—ringing up orders, packing desserts, all while communicating smoothly with the guests.

In no time, thanks to Zhou Xu’s efficiency, the towering queue was halved.

Xu Ran breathed a heavy sigh of relief and hurried to the back kitchen to arrange the last batch of freshly baked buns into the display case.

Once the immediate rush had been handled and the stream of customers temporarily thinned, the staff could finally relax a little.

Zhou Xu checked the time. It was already eight o’clock in the evening.

Tianyuan Li normally closed at nine-thirty. If he wanted a birthday cake made, he’d need to order at least an hour in advance…

Recalling the dejected, wilted look on Su Wenyu’s face when he’d left, Zhou Xu hesitated for a moment, then asked Xu Ran, “Do you have time tonight to make a small cake?”

Xu Ran, who was tidying the last few remaining items in the display case, glanced at the clock. “You need one? If it’s for you, I can squeeze in the time to make one now. We’ve still got all the ingredients.”

“Yeah, just a four-inch cream cake will do. The design doesn’t need to be complicated; just write ‘Happy Birthday’ on it.” Zhou Xu added, “It has to be round.”

“A four-inch cake? You could just grab one of those from the display case. There’s actually a round one left,” Xu Ran pointed out.

Zhou Xu looked. It was a rainbow-themed cake. It could likely fit the “Happy Birthday” message if he wrote on it.

But for some reason he couldn’t quite articulate, Zhou Xu rejected the idea. “Just make a fresh one.”

“Alright.” Xu Ran didn’t mind. As he headed for the kitchen, he idly asked, “By the way, why the sudden need for a birthday cake? Whose birthday is it?”

Zhou Xu paused for a moment, then replied, “Probably… not a birthday. Just… wanting a birthday.”

Xu Ran: “?”

What kind of word game was that supposed to be?

Zhou Xu couldn’t explain it clearly. “Just make the cake. Oh, by the way, did you see the food box Su Wenyu left here at lunchtime?”

He’d made a sweep of the shop earlier and hadn’t found it.

“I put it in the lounge,” Xu Ran said.

Zhou Xu was relieved. At least it wasn’t lost.

After eight o’clock, the customer traffic was light. The front-of-house staff could manage. Zhou Xu followed Xu Ran into the kitchen to watch him make the cake.

Xu Ran was a certified pastry chef who’d paid top dollar for professional training. His technique with the cake batter was impressively proficient.

Zhou Xu leaned against a clear spot on the counter and watched for a while before remarking, “I’ve got about one more week before school starts. After that, I probably can only come help on weekends.”

Xu Ran whisked the egg mixture, saying, “Once school starts, just focus on your studies. You’re not strapped for cash anymore. Enjoy your university life a little. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just hire someone. The shop can manage.”

Zhou Xu didn’t reply, just watched him quietly for a moment.

Feeling Zhou Xu’s intense stare boring into his back, Xu Ran quickly elaborated, “I’m not trying to draw a line between us. I just mean… you’ve worked your ass off for so many years. You were juggling work-study programs the whole time you were in school. You’ve only got your last two years of university left. Just have some fun. Work can wait until after you graduate.”

Zhou Xu hummed in acknowledgment. Then, as if a thought had just struck him, he added, “The Su Family transferred me to S City University.”

Xu Ran was clearly surprised. “They could pull that off?”

Zhou Xu said, “Yeah. X University and S University are roughly the same tier anyway. Plus, the Su family apparently donated a library, a laboratory, and renovated all the dorms. That sped up the administrative process considerably.”

Xu Ran’s jaw dropped in awe. “As expected of the Su family.”

Insanely rich and powerful.

Zhou Xu felt the same. Even now, he struggled to connect himself with such a wealthy, influential family.

It was like someone who’d struggled his whole life in the mud, suddenly plucked and carried into a paradise of peach blossoms. At first glance, it only felt like a mirage.

Xu Ran, for his part, was genuinely happy for him. “If it’s S University, it’s way further from my shop. So you really shouldn’t come all the way here on weekends. If you drop by occasionally just to hang out, that’s more than welcome. Enjoy your new campus life. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even meet someone and find a little romance at your new school.”

As he spoke, he wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. “I’ve heard S University has an insane amount of gorgeous guys and girls.”

Zhou Xu rolled his eyes at him, dismissing it entirely.

By a little past nine, the four-inch cake Zhou Xu had requested was ready.

Xu Ran had carefully piped several delicate flowers onto the surface, writing the words ‘Happy Birthday’ in black frosting. Holding up the finished product, he asked, “Will this do?”

“It’s fine.” Zhou Xu packed the cake himself, placing it securely in a box. He also grabbed a packet of colorful candles and a paper birthday hat. “Alright, I’m heading back first tonight. You handle the cleanup yourself.”

Xu Ran waved him off. “Drive safe on the road.”

Zhou Xu nodded, retrieved his food box from the lounge, and, carrying the cake, walked out the door.

Outside, he had initially planned to take the subway home as usual. But seeing the crowded subway entrance and glancing at the cake in his hands, he hesitated for a moment before hailing a cab.

It was past ten at night when he arrived back at the Su residence. The small two-story villa was completely dark. Even Su Wenyu’s room showed no signs of light.

Zhou Xu stood downstairs, looking up at the dark window. A self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips. He suddenly felt like an absolute idiot for buying this birthday cake.

Just as he was mentally debating whether he should, in the dead of night, just eat this four-inch birthday cake himself, the light upstairs flared on.

Su Wenyu, looking as if he’d just woken up, rubbed his eyes and popped his head out from the terrace balcony, peering down. “Brother?”

Zhou Xu didn’t answer. Su Wenyu’s gaze, however, latched onto the items in his hands.

The moment he recognized what they were, his eyes flew wide, and his mind snapped to full alertness. Leaning over the terrace railing, he cried out in joyous surprise, “Brother! Did you get me a birthday cake?!”

Before Zhou Xu could even get a word out, Su Wenyu was cheering and racing down the stairs. He burst out the front door, his hair a disheveled mess, crease marks from his pillow still imprinted on one cheek.

“Zhou Xu!” Su Wenyu shouted his full name without any honorific. He charged forward without even slowing down, crashing with a thump into Zhou Xu’s chest and wrapping his arms impulsively around his waist.

Su Wenyu raised his head, his face bright with excitement, seemingly oblivious to just how close their proximity was. His eyes sparkled like twin stars as he stared at Zhou Xu and demanded, “Is that birthday cake for me?”