Chapter 52
After breakfast, Zhong Yuxiao and Xi Shi rode to school together. When they got out of the car, Xi Shi volunteered to carry Zhong Yuxiao’s bag.
“Aren’t you ignoring me?”
Because he had been exposed for washing his underwear so early in the morning, Xi Shi had been cold the entire time. He was usually very talkative, but he hadn’t said a word on the way, staring out the car window instead.
Zhong Yuxiao tugged at the bag strap, but Xi Shi ignored him and walked straight ahead.
Zhong Yuxiao was at a loss.
Xi Shi had always acted like the older brother in front of him and had never lost his temper with him. Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t imagine what Xi Shi was like when he was angry, and he didn’t know how to coax him.
“Why are you spacing out? Follow me.” Xi Shi turned his head and looked at him, his expression cold. “Do you still want your bag or not?”
Zhong Yuxiao was relieved and his tone became lighter. “Others use a hostage to order around their followers, are you using my bag to order me around?”
Xi Shi patted the bag, threatening him. “This is my hostage. If you don’t listen to me, I’ll rip it apart! And I’ll tear up your homework. You wouldn’t want to not submit your homework, would you?”
Zhong Yuxiao took a deep breath to control himself from laughing. Xi Shi probably watched too many movies. When he threatened people, he looked like a young gangster from a police movie, very convincing.
He went along with Xi Shi and entered the convenience store.
After the weather turned cold, the convenience stores started selling hot drinks. Different flavors of milk were displayed in the hot beverage machine. Zhong Yuxiao chose a strawberry-flavored milk and took a bottle of yogurt from the nearby cooler.
Xu Linfeng suddenly appeared from a corner. “Zhong Er, you and him are more than just acquaintances, right? I just saw him get out of your car!”
Zhong Yuxiao paused and realized that he was talking about Xi Shi. He casually hummed.
“The milk is six yuan, and the yogurt is eight yuan, a total of fourteen.”
“And add two lollipops, strawberry flavored.”
Zhong Yuxiao paid and walked outside with the items.
Zhong Yuxiao’s cold attitude made Xu Linfeng even more suspicious. He remembered what he had just heard and seen, and asked worriedly, “Zhong Er, is Xi Shi bullying you, making you buy him things?”
He had been following them from the school gate, and he had vaguely heard Xi Shi threatening Zhong Yuxiao, wanting to spend his money and ordering him to buy things.
“No.” Zhong Yuxiao’s tone was a bit impatient.
Childhood friend, playmate… Those were simple terms that could sum up his relationship with Xi Shi, but Zhong Yuxiao didn’t want to say them out loud. He wasn’t satisfied with those terms. He and Xi Shi shouldn’t be just that.
“We’ve known each other for a long time.”
Xu Linfeng realized that since Xi Shi was able to ride in Zhong’s family’s car, their relationship must be extraordinary.
He was relieved, then became worried again. “Zhong Er, you should still stay away from Xi Shi. I heard the school bully is planning to get revenge on him. If you’re too close, you’ll get targeted too.”
“Where did you hear about the revenge plan?”
“I went to the internet cafe after school yesterday and overheard it. It should be happening in the next few days. I heard the school bully hired some outsiders.”
Zhong Yuxiao frowned slightly, inwardly calculating. He said casually, “Okay.”
Xu Linfeng could tell that he wasn’t taking it seriously, and he was both tired and curious. “What exactly is your relationship with Xi Shi?”
Before Zhong Yuxiao could answer, an arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulder. Xi Shi was smiling lazily. “I want to know too. Xiaoyao, what do you think our relationship is?”
“…”
Zhong Yuxiao turned his head. “Why did you come in here?”
Xi Shi clicked his tongue. “What do you think?”
He had been waiting outside for a long time, but Zhong Yuxiao hadn’t come out. When he came in, he saw that it was his classmate who had been talking to Zhong Yuxiao for so long who was blocking him.
Xi Shi looked at Xu Linfeng, his voice clearly becoming impatient. “Classmate, do you have a lot of friends?”
Xu Linfeng didn’t know why he was asking this and shrank his neck. “Not…not really.”
Xi Shi had a heroic record of taking down the school bully, and now Xu Linfeng was afraid of him. He thought of the picture of Xi Shi holding a stool and wanted to run. He couldn’t help but feel that Xi Shi’s eyes were filled with hostility towards him.
As if he had stolen something important from Xi Shi.
Damn it, how could he dare to take anything from such a ruthless person? Xu Linfeng felt helpless.
“Since you don’t have a lot of friends, then don’t bother my classmate so much, okay?”
“…”
Zhong Yuxiao glanced at the time. “You should go to class.”
The third-year students had early morning self-study, and teachers would monitor them every morning. Those who were late would have their names recorded and be punished the next week.
Zhong Yuxiao handed him the milk and yogurt, and Xi Shi whistled. “Strawberry flavored.”
“You really like it.”
The milk was still warm from the hot beverage machine. The pink liquid was visible through the transparent bottle. Without drinking it, you could imagine the sweet and sour strawberry taste.
“I do like it, but you know, I don’t drink milk.” Xi Shi put the milk into Zhong Yuxiao’s bag and only took the yogurt. “Remember to buy strawberry yogurt next time.”
He didn’t care about being punished for being late. He had received even harsher punishments at his old school. But in front of his childhood friend, he should be a good role model.
“Wait.” Zhong Yuxiao called out to him.
Xi Shi raised his eyebrow and chuckled. “What is it? Did you change your mind and want your older brother to escort you to the classroom door?”
Zhong Yuxiao put a lollipop into his pocket. Xi Shi was still wearing the sports jacket, which was dark blue and made his skin look even whiter.
“The lollipop is strawberry flavored.” Zhong Yuxiao threw his bag over his shoulder. “Remember to come pick me up after school.”
Xi Shi tilted his head.
Yesterday at the Zhong’s house, it had been Zhong’s parents who had invited him for dinner, and staying overnight was unexpected.
“Why?”
Zhong Yuxiao seemed to have been waiting for him to ask, and answered calmly, “My bag is too heavy, I don’t want to carry it.”
That reason was so ridiculous. He hadn’t let anyone else carry his bag yesterday.
Tsk.
Xi Shi smiled. “So the lollipop is payment?”
“If you want to think of it that way, it’s not impossible.”
“My services are expensive. One lollipop isn’t enough. If you want me to carry your bag, you need at least…” Xi Shi paused and twirled the lollipop between his fingers. “At least two lollipops.”
Zhong Yuxiao knew that Xi Shi must be good at spinning a pen.
He took out the remaining lollipop, but he didn’t give it to Xi Shi directly. “That was just a down payment. I’ll pay the rest tonight.”
He seemed surprised that he had another lollipop. Xi Shi muttered meaningfully, “You used to give me all the candy.”
He was talking about when they were little. When Zhong Yuxiao had something good to eat or play with, he would give it to him. If he had two candies, little Zhong Yuxiao wouldn’t give any to anyone else, and he would keep both candies for him.
It wasn’t that Zhong Yuxiao had to give him all his candy, he didn’t care about having one or two pieces of candy. What he cared about was that he wasn’t as important to Zhong Yuxiao as he had been when they were little.
He could no longer get all the candy from Zhong Yuxiao, which meant that his position in Zhong Yuxiao’s heart had decreased.
Xi Shi didn’t say anything about picking him up after school, and with a lollipop in one hand and yogurt in the other, he walked away, his back looking a bit lonely.
After he was gone, Xu Linfeng finally dared to speak. “So Xi Shi is your brother?”
“No, he’s not my brother.” Zhong Yuxiao corrected him seriously. “We’re not related by blood.”
Huh?
Xu Linfeng’s head was filled with question marks. Of course he knew that Zhong Yuxiao and Xi Shi weren’t related by blood, and they had different surnames, but “gege” wasn’t something you could only call a blood relative.
Did Zhong Yuxiao have a hidden brother complex, only acknowledging Zhong Zhili as his brother and pretending to be polite with Xi Shi, while in reality they were distant?
Xu Linfeng chuckled awkwardly. “You two seem to have a good relationship.”
Zhong Yuxiao didn’t like people touching him. His classmate usually made sure not to touch him, but just now Xi Shi had put his arm around him, and Zhong Yuxiao didn’t react at all.
“We’re quite close.” Having just denied that he was his brother, Zhong Yuxiao now affirmed that he and Xi Shi were close. “I’ve known him since I was born. We were arranged to get married when we were kids, and he almost became my fiancee.”
Xu Linfeng’s mind went blank.
Although, if there was an arranged marriage, Xi Shi was older than Zhong Yuxiao, so the correct phrasing should be that he almost became Xi Shi’s fiance, right?
After school, Xi Shi arrived on time. Zhong Yuxiao had already packed his bag and handed it to him.
“Why are you so obedient this time?”
“Because I paid you.”
Zhong Yuxiao gave him the remaining lollipop, and said suddenly, “I was always planning to give it to you.”
“What?”
Xi Shi wasn’t one to overthink things, and he had forgotten about the small issue from the morning a few minutes ago.
“Both lollipops were for you. They were always for you.” Zhong Yuxiao opened a lollipop and stuffed it into his mouth.
Xi Shi’s mouth was blocked, unable to speak. He just raised his eyebrows.
Zhong Yuxiao said slowly, “If I have two candies, I’ll give them all to you. The ‘two’ here is just a general term, it could be replaced with different numbers, and ‘candy’ could also be replaced with other items.”
He was talking in a roundabout way, and it took Xi Shi a while to understand.
His mouth was filled with the sweet and sour taste of strawberries, and Xi Shi regretted it a bit. He shouldn’t have saved the lollipop from this morning, he should have eaten it. It tasted better than any candy he had ever eaten, and it was so sweet it reached his heart.
“You’d give me all the candy? You like me that much?”
Zhong Yuxiao paused, looking up at him. Their social distance was not close, but he could smell the strawberry scent coming from Xi Shi, just like their relationship. There wasn’t any intimate label, but they were close enough to feel each other’s emotions.
“I don’t like candy, so I’ll give it all to you.”
As for whether he liked Xi Shi, Zhong Yuxiao didn’t answer.
