Chapter 55
Zhong Yuxiao’s target was Shi Chengze. Xi Shi had some blood ties with Shi Chengze, so no matter what the reason for the fight, it would be criticized.
He quickly took down a few people, and taking advantage of Xi Shi being entangled, he was the first to drag the young master who had been causing trouble behind the scenes into a private room.
“Who are you?”
The young master was a few years younger than Zhong Yuxiao and wasn’t bad-looking. He even resembled Xi Shi a bit. But remembering what Xi Shi had said, Zhong Yuxiao found him to be repulsive.
“If you want to know who I am, it’s simple. Spend some money and ask the school bully at No. 1 High School.”
Shi Chengze’s heart skipped a beat. “How did you know?”
He had paid someone to cause trouble for Xi Shi and had even changed his number, not revealing his identity.
It wasn’t hard to know. Zhong Yuxiao wasn’t interested in explaining it to him. Now that he had confirmed his identity, and that the information from the private investigator was correct, there was nothing more to say.
“You came to cause trouble for me because of Xi Shi?” Shi Chengze looked him up and down. “What can he give you? Don’t follow him anymore.”
He thought Zhong Yuxiao was just a subordinate of Xi Shi, and he confidently offered better terms.
“I see you’re good at fighting. If you can beat Xi Shi, I’ll give you ten thousand yuan.”
Shi Chengze had done this sort of thing before, so he was skilled at “stealing” people. Zhong Yuxiao scoffed, his tone turning colder. “Ten thousand yuan? You’re very generous.”
“So, if you follow me, you’ll get more than you would with him.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not following Xi Shi for money. You can’t give me what I want.” Zhong Yuxiao grabbed Shi Chengze and slammed his head on the table. He looked down at him, his pale gold eyes filled with a coldness that was very different from his usual gentle tone.
“You can keep that ten thousand yuan. I’ll add some more to it, and you can use it to spend more time in the hospital.”
Shi Chengze felt a chill run down his back. “You, what do you want?!”
“First civility, then force. Now that I’m done talking, it’s time to start.”
It was easy to beat up a young master who only knew how to play and cause trouble. Zhong Yuxiao’s attacks were much more ruthless than Xi Shi’s. He knew where to hit to cause pain, but not leave visible damage.
When Xi Shi entered, Shi Chengze was no longer arrogant. He was crying and wailing, crawling on the ground, his face covered in tears.
Xi Shi stood at the door and clearly saw Zhong Yuxiao grab a bottle of wine and smash it on Shi Chengze’s shoulder.
“Ah–“
The bottle shattered, and red wine splashed all over Shi Chengze, looking like a large pool of blood.
Amidst Shi Chengze’s screams, Zhong Yuxiao saw a pair of legs, and he slowly looked up. From a few meters away, he met Xi Shi’s eyes.
Xi Shi didn’t react, like he had been shocked. He just stared at him.
Time seemed to slow down infinitely. Zhong Yuxiao’s heart was filled with anxiety. Even though it had only been a few seconds, Xi Shi seemed to take forever to come to him.
Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t control his worsening mood. He felt an urge to pull Xi Shi into his arms, so that he wouldn’t ignore him again.
The commotion had been too loud, and the owner, seeing Shi Chengze on the ground, was frightened. He quickly called 120, but he wanted to call the police as well. However, Xi Shi stopped him. “This is a family matter, no need to call the police.”
“Are you sure it’s a family matter?” The owner asked suspiciously.
“I’m his half-brother.” A hint of disgust flashed in Xi Shi’s eyes. Half of his blood came from the same person as Shi Chengze, which made him feel disgusted with himself. “He’s my father’s illegitimate son.”
Their eyebrows and eyes resembled Shi Fengsheng, looking five or six parts similar. The owner understood and didn’t interfere any further.
Shi Chengze was carried out, and Xi Shi walked over, taking a tissue and wiping the spilled wine on Zhong Yuxiao’s hand.
He didn’t say anything. He was just looking at Zhong Yuxiao silently.
The silence amplified the anxiety in Zhong Yuxiao’s heart. In Xi Shi’s eyes, he had always been a kind and obedient childhood friend. If he suddenly tore away that disguise, he didn’t know if Xi Shi would accept him as he was now.
Would he think that he was different from the person he knew? Would he feel like he was a stranger, and no longer want to be his older brother?
Many thoughts flashed through Zhong Yuxiao’s mind, each one like the sword of Damocles, making him feel flustered.
Finally, the judgment he had been both anticipating and fearing arrived.
Xi Shi chuckled softly, his tone much lighter than Zhong Yuxiao had expected. “So, does that mean I should change how I call you, and call you ‘gege’ now?”
Zhong Yuxiao’s eyes lit up.
Xi Shi’s heart skipped a beat. He had seen the sunrise before, and at the moment when night and day changed, the sun leaped out of the horizon, releasing infinite light, a magnificent miracle.
But even the most magnificent miracle couldn’t compare to the light in Zhong Yuxiao’s eyes. Just a glance was enough to capture all his attention.
“It seems like I…”
Xi Shi clicked his tongue, his words trailing off.
They weren’t going to eat, and Xi Shi calmly discussed the compensation with the owner, paid for the damages, and then called Shi Fengsheng, reporting the location.
“Come quickly. If you’re late, you might not see him.”
Before Shi Fengsheng could react, Xi Shi hung up the phone.
Those who had been eating with Shi Chengze knew Xi Shi’s identity and had also caused trouble for Xi Shi with Shi Chengze. They didn’t dare say a word after being beaten and quickly dispersed.
Xi Shi asked the owner for a first aid kit, and Zhong Yuxiao held out his hands.
“Did I say you could treat my wounds?”
Zhong Yuxiao did as he was told, putting the first aid kit on his lap. “I’ll do it for you. Sit still.”
He had dragged Shi Chengze into a private room, leaving the rest to Xi Shi. Xi Shi looked more severely injured than him. There were bruises around his mouth, and scratches on his face. The specks of blood didn’t affect his handsomeness, and it looked like the trendy “war-torn” makeup.
Zhong Yuxiao dipped the cotton swab in iodine, applying it carefully, his expression serious.
Xi Shi joked, “Your expression is so intense, am I going to be disfigured?”
“Not really, but you can’t use makeup this time.” Zhong Yuxiao showed him the cotton swab that he had used to wipe away the blood. “It won’t heal for at least a week. Your grandfather will worry if he sees it.”
Hearing him mention Xi Chongyang, Xi Shi remembered that his bodyguards still hadn’t arrived. He might as well have them come.
He wasn’t worried about Shi Fengsheng, but with Zhong Yuxiao, he wanted to be careful.
“It’s fine. I didn’t put on makeup last time to hide it from my grandfather.”
Xi Chongyang was very concerned about his safety, and Xi Shi hadn’t meant to hide it from him. They had no secrets between them. Xi Shi thought of Xi Chongyang as his last remaining family member, and he didn’t even hide his feelings for Zhong Yuxiao.
Zhong Yuxiao paused. It wasn’t to hide it from his grandfather, then why did he do it?
Perhaps it was more than just wanting to leave a good impression on the other person.
A hint of sweetness rose in Zhong Yuxiao’s heart. “I seemed to have scratched my hand while fighting. It hurts a bit. Can you take a look?”
His fingers, which were used to writing, were slender and white, but his knuckles were a little swollen. He had hit someone too hard. Zhong Yuxiao’s face was clean and white, a stark contrast to the injured Xi Shi.
“You’re good at fighting. Did you learn taekwondo?”
Zhong Yuxiao’s fighting style was proper, unlike his own, which he had learned from street fights.
“I learned martial arts for a few years.” Zhong Yuxiao made a fist and touched his hand. “You’re welcome to cling to me.”
Xi Shi was noncommittal and applied some cream on his hand. “There are a lot of restaurants on this street. You can go and have dinner later.”
“Won’t you come with me?”
“I have some things to take care of.”
Zhong Yuxiao knew that he had to meet with Shi Fengsheng. Xi Shi hadn’t hidden their call from him. “I’m not hungry. I’ll wait for you to finish.”
Xi Shi looked at him helplessly. Zhong Yuxiao was pretending to be confused and focused on his hand.
Before Shi Fengsheng arrived, the bodyguards that Xi Chongyang had sent arrived first.
Xi Shi sighed in relief. “It’s fine if you stay, but don’t say anything. If you can do that…”
Before he could finish, Zhong Yuxiao had already interrupted him. “Okay, I’ll be a quiet flower vase.”
Xi Shi knew that wasn’t true. He was a ticking time bomb, looking innocent but capable of causing a lot of damage.
Shi Fengsheng arrived quickly. Not only was it him, but Xi Le was there as well.
The ambulance hadn’t arrived yet, and Shi Chengze was placed in the private room. As soon as he saw Shi Fengsheng and Xi Le, he started crying loudly, unable to breathe. “Papa, Mama, I, I… I just wanted to eat dinner, and gege, gege he…”
“Shut up.” Zhong Yuxiao’s head was hurting from the noise.
As soon as Shi Chengze saw him, he remembered the pain from being beaten, and he immediately fell silent, tears streaming down his face, which was redder than the spilled red wine.
Xi Shi turned his head and glanced at him. Zhong Yuxiao smiled. “Okay, okay, I’ll shut up.”
Xi Shi turned around and blocked him from view.
Xi Le hugged Shi Chengze, her face filled with hatred when she saw Xi Shi. She seemed to hate him.
Zhong Yuxiao suddenly remembered what Xi Shi had said earlier. For the past few years, Xi Shi had become a thorn in Xi Le’s heart, making her unable to ignore him.
“Xi Shi, are you trying to force us to death?!”
Xi Le was hysterical, wanting to pounce on him. “For so many years, even a rock would have warmed up by now! We sent you to a private school, gave you a wealthy life, we’ve been more than generous to you! How do you repay us? You almost killed your own brother!”
Shi Fengsheng stopped her, saying calmly, “Okay, calm down.”
“Calm down? How can I calm down? Look at what he did to our Chengze!”
“I’ll take Chengze to the hospital first. I’ll handle the rest.”
Xi Le was reluctant, but since the ambulance had arrived, she had to leave with Shi Chengze.
Before leaving, she looked at Xi Shi, her eyes filled with venom. “This isn’t over, you just wait!”
Zhong Yuxiao was amused and was about to step forward when Xi Shi stopped him. “Did you forget what you promised me?”
Zhong Yuxiao choked. He suspected that Xi Shi was doing it on purpose, torturing him and giving him internal injuries.
“Xi Shi, you went too far this time.” Shi Fengsheng’s face was grim.
“Is this going too far?”
Xi Shi’s face was filled with sarcasm, and his bodyguards surrounded him, blocking Shi Fengsheng. “What about forging a psychological report and sending your son to a mental hospital? Did that go too far?”
