Chapter 12: Why Didn’t Chi Xingcun Invite Him?

Chapter 12: Why Didn't Chi Xingcun Invite Him?

The next day, Chi Xingcun called Xie Yean over to his house again.

Xie Yean was a poor, pitiful thing—no one had ever been kind to him growing up, which had made him extremely cold and aloof to the outside world.

But unexpectedly, a special person had appeared in his miserable life—someone exceptionally clean, almost naive, and kind to him.

Xie Yean couldn't bring himself to be cold toward him, because he always did things beyond what Xie Yean could anticipate.

That evening, when Xie Yean was about to leave, Chi Xingcun grabbed him again.

"I'll take you to get a haircut tomorrow. That barber is very famous, and I could only book an eight a.m. slot, so... stay the night here. We'll need to get up early for the haircut."

Xie Yean stared at Chi Xingcun for a moment, still unable to tell whether he was lying, so he nodded. "Mm."

The wealthy young masters at school all looked down on poor students like him, so why was Chi Xingcun different? Why did he always want him to stay over?

Was it because he was afraid of the dark?

At night, this villa had only Chi Xingcun in it—the servants all lived in the small house out back.

That night, Xie Yean lay down for the first time in a villa like this, on a bed like that.

Perhaps because it was his first time sleeping on such a nice bed, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He grabbed his phone and saw it was already 2 a.m.

He knew he should go to bed early, but he couldn't help tapping on Chi Xingcun's avatar in his contacts.

It was a bit ordinary—not extravagance, not a yacht, not expensive jewels, not designer watches, not a pedigreed pet, but... a sunflower in full, adorable bloom.

Kinda plain...

Why was this young master so special?

The next morning, Xie Yean reached over and turned off the alarm, getting up with bags under his eyes.

After washing up, he headed to the hallway and saw the butler still knocking on Chi Xingcun's door.

He stepped forward.

"Should I wake him up?"

The butler immediately smiled and said, "Why don't you go in and wake him up? Our young master really likes you. If I were the one to wake him, he'd probably throw a fit again."

Likes... Xie Yean froze for a moment, then entered the room.

A lump was bulging under the covers of the huge bed, which was two meters forty wide.

Xie Yean walked over.

"Time to get up, Young Master."

His voice was like a clear, flowing stream, reaching Chi Xingcun's ears.

Chi Xingcun groggily opened his eyes.

"Mmm..."

His sleepy, muffled voice was especially adorable.

A tuft of Chi Xingcun's messy black hair lay sprawled on the pillow.

Chi Xingcun wanted to go back to sleep, but suddenly remembered the lie he'd told Xie Yean yesterday and bolted upright in bed.

His fair forehead was exposed, his eyes big and round, dark and shiny, still a bit drowsy, looking up at Xie Yean. His lips were a soft plum pink—really cute.

"What time is it?"

"Seven fifty-six."

Chi Xingcun hopped out of bed and dashed to the bathroom.

Xie Yean went downstairs and saw the butler setting breakfast on the table.

"No time for that," he said.

The butler hid a giggle behind his hand. "The young master arranged for our private barber—there's no need to book an appointment. He only said that 'cause he wanted you to stay and keep him company."

Why would he trust someone he barely knew so completely?

That was another thing Xie Yean just couldn't figure out.

Chi Xingcun finished washing up and came downstairs, blinking at Xie Yean with an innocent look, hoping to be forgiven for sleeping in.

Xie Yean, however, had no clue what he was up to—he just thought he looked adorable.

"The butler said the appointment got pushed back an hour, so we can have breakfast before heading over."

When Xie Yean said that, Chi Xingcun was a little surprised. He looked at the butler, who had just caught on as well and nodded.

Chi Xingcun was happy the butler had played along. After breakfast, he and Xie Yean got in the car and headed out.

Chi Xingcun watched the scenery go by the window the whole way, spotting a Ferris wheel in the distance, small from far away... Even though he'd done all this stuff in his past life, he still really wanted to do something fun that would make him happy.

He wanted so badly to be happy, but since he'd been reborn, nothing seemed to make him happy anymore.

Sometimes he didn't really want to smile, but he'd gotten very good at it.

When they arrived at the salon, Chi Xingcun spent twenty minutes talking to the barber about the hairstyle he wanted for Xie Yean. When they finished, the barber finally led Xie Yean to the shampoo station.

Xie Yean had never been to a salon this fancy. The moment he saw it, he was reminded again of the gap between him and Chi Xingcun—he was just a passerby in Chi Xingcun's life, only here to make money.

"Come on over, Young Master Chi. What style are we going with this month?" Tony pulled out the chair, inviting Chi Xingcun to sit.

Chi Xingcun usually got a haircut once a month, but oddly, he hadn't come last month. Tony had almost thought he wasn't going to show up this month either.

Chi Xingcun smiled and said, "Not me. I'm not getting one."

Just then, a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Ooh, look who's here?"

The moment Chi Xingcun turned his head, the other guy's arm wrapped around his back and landed on his shoulder.

Qin Liyi leaned in close to his face.

"I don't come looking for you, so you never come find me even once?" Qin Liyi's expression was dark. He was smiling, but it clearly didn't reach his eyes.

He and Chi Xingcun used the same barber at this salon, and every time Chi Xingcun came for a haircut, he'd always ask about him.

As it turned out, he hadn't even asked about him, and just showed up on his own?

What's the deal? Chi Xingcun was just getting out of his bed last time, and now he's acting like a stranger?

Before Chi Xingcun could respond, Xie Yean finished washing his hair and walked out from the back room, calling out to him.

"Young Master."

Qin Liyi turned his head too, and seeing the young man staring at Chi Xingcun, he knew he was addressing Chi Xingcun.

"Who is he?"

Qin Liyi rested his chin on Chi Xingcun's shoulder, his voice drifting low and cold into Chi Xingcun's ear.

Chi Xingcun's friends, the people he knew from school—he knew all of them. But this guy in front of him, where did he come from? How come he'd never seen him before?

Moreover, the delighted, noticeably brighter gleam in Chi Xingcun's eyes when he saw the other person made him very uncomfortable.

"He's a model I hired to pose for me while I paint," Chi Xingcun said, shrugging his shoulder away from Qin Liyi's chin as he spoke, then walking toward Xie Yean.

"You look way better with your forehead showing." Chi Xingcun's eyes lit up as he smiled at Xie Yean, flashing a row of white teeth.

Xie Yean's gaze flicked over Qin Liyi's face, then dropped to Chi Xingcun's.

"Yeah."

Then Xie Yean sat down in front of the mirror and let the stylist do his thing.

But his eyes kept drifting from the mirror to Chi Xingcun behind him.

Qin Liyi watched Xie Yean's pretty face pop up next to Chi Xingcun and felt seriously annoyed.

He grabbed Chi Xingcun's wrist and yanked him into the empty changing room, pinning him against the wall.

Xie Yean's hand immediately gripped the armrest of the chair.

He quickly snapped back to reality and was held back by the stylist.

"It's fine, they grew up together, they're super close and always bicker like this. It's just that arguing in front of other people doesn't look great, so they ducked into the fitting room, hahaha."