Chapter 30: Are You Sincere with Me?

Chapter 30: Are You for Real with Me?

Xue Xue brought up the fact that her son was living with Qin Liyi.

Qin Liyi had never mentioned this to his own parents, so Qin Liyi's parents had no idea. After their initial surprise, they immediately said:

"That's wonderful! Having Xiao Xing with our good-for-nothing son really puts my mind at ease. You have no idea—he's usually a total jerk, but he only acts like a decent person when he's with Xiao Xing..."

Qin's mom went on and on, badmouthing her own son, making Qin Liyi frown deeply, and for some reason, his ears turned a little red.

"Mom..."

He cut her off, annoyed.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop."

"You two kids can head out once you're done eating. We grown-ups still have things to talk about."

Xue Xue spoke up, so Chi Xingcun and Qin Liyi left first.

As the two walked off, passing a wall, Qin Liyi suddenly yanked Chi Xingcun behind it and covered his mouth.

From the dining room, they could hear both sets of parents talking.

"So how's Xiao Xing's relationship with the Fu family's eldest son going? Our son flat-out refuses to go on blind dates—it's driving me insane!"

"I think these things should be left to fate. It's up to the kid's heart; you can't force it. Otherwise, even if they do get together, they'll end up splitting anyway."

"That Qin Liyi—so carefree and irresponsible—who could he ever be sincere with? It's the same no matter who he's with."

Hearing that, Qin Liyi didn't want to listen anymore. He dragged Chi Xingcun away.

Once they got to the garden, Chi Xingcun asked curiously:

"What does being sincere even mean? Didn't your relationships with those girls start out sincere?"

Chi Xingcun knew Qin Liyi went through girlfriends fast, but he figured at least at the start, he genuinely wanted to be with them.

Qin Liyi sat on a tall stone block, looking all carefree and nonchalant: "It was just curiosity. They confessed to me, and since I happened to be bored, I said yes. Then when I got bored, I'd break up. At this age, what's sincerity anyway?"

"..." Chi Xingcun fell silent.

Qin Liyi leaned his face in close: "I know you're sincere with Fu Chenzhan, but people like you are rare. Fu Chenzhan, like most people, is self-interested. Who would just inexplicably fall head over heels for someone they're not even related to? And worse, he's even more selfish and cold-blooded than most."

Chi Xingcun: "He's not anymore."

Qin Liyi: "Alright, not anymore."

Maybe because he'd been too sheltered, Chi Xingcun was especially naive. The moment someone laid reality bare in front of him, he'd take a huge hit and sink into gloom.

In the past, Qin Liyi would go along with all of Chi Xingcun's naive ideas, including his feelings for Fu Chenzhan. But for some reason, today he laid out Fu Chenzhan's flaws right in front of him.

Noticing Chi Xingcun was rattled again, Qin Liyi reached out and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm right here."

"..." Chi Xingcun shot him a look. "I'm not crying."

"I'm just calling it in advance."

"..." Chi Xingcun pushed Qin Liyi away, his eyes darting off, unable to look at him. His pink lips parted slightly. "Then... are you for real with me?"

The second he said it, his whole body went numb with embarrassment, and he grabbed at his pants.

Qin Liyi paused, his gaze dropping to the person in his arms. His smile faded, his face turning serious. His heart jolted, his eyelids fluttered, and he pressed both hands on Chi Xingcun's shoulders, leaning in a little, then smiled again:

"Of course. If I weren't sincere, why would I do all this for you? Why would I care about you this much? Chi Xingcun, you're the only person I'm sincere with."

"..." Chi Xingcun felt awkward, a blush creeping up his cheeks. "Why would you only be sincere with me? That's so weird."

Qin Liyi smiled: "Because you're just too cute. With so many people liking you, it just shows you're really worth liking. So it's not weird that I'm genuinely good to you, right?"

"..." Chi Xingcun said nothing.

Chi Xingcun leaned his head against Qin Liyi's broad shoulder on his own, looking completely drained, his eyelids red, his voice low and soft: "I wanna sleep with you tonight..."

Qin Liyi's heart started pounding again. He squeezed Chi Xingcun's shoulder.

"Sure."

Not far away, Fu Chenzhan stood in a dark corner, his dark gaze locked on them without blinking.

Back in the living room, Chi Xingcun found out Fu Chenzhan had come.

But Fu Chenzhan had only come to drop off a gift. He walked past Chi Xingcun and left.

That night, Chi Xingcun stayed over at the Chi house, and Qin Liyi—this kid ditched by his parents—also stayed.

After Qin's parents left, Chi Xingcun went to the study, where he saw his mom working and his dad on the phone.

The moment his mom saw him, she lit up and called him in.

Even though she'd already talked with her son a lot when they got back that morning, it never felt like enough. She wished she could be by his side every moment, caring for him.

Mostly, she'd asked him a ton of questions, but her son wouldn't tell her anything.

Chi Xingcun walked in, and he clearly caught the exhausted look on his mom's face.

He stood in front of the desk, his baggy white pajamas making him look even thinner. A stiff, unnatural smile spread across his face:

"Um, Mom, Dad, sorry for making you worry... You don't have to fuss over me. You didn't have to come all the way back from abroad. This must be messing with your work, right?"

His dad hung up the phone and looked at Chi Xingcun.

His mom's expression froze, going blank.

She heard her son go on: "You don't need to worry about me so much. I'm already grown up."

For a moment, neither of his parents could say a word.

"Good night."

Chi Xingcun walked out of the study.

Inside and outside, everything went quiet. Xue Xue couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and they streamed down her face.

She broke down, covering her eyes with both hands.

"Honey..." His dad walked over, worried.

Their son's words were clearly shutting them out.

The more they loved and cherished him, the more wounded they felt at this moment.

A sudden distance had grown between them.

They were his mom and dad, after all.

This estrangement with no discernible cause left them utterly devastated.

......

That night, Qin Liyi came from the adjacent room to Chi Xingcun's room.

The two of them lay in the same bed.

Chi Xingcun lay on his back, while Qin Liyi lay on his side, propping his head on one hand, gazing at Chi Xingcun.

"Tomorrow is Fu Chenzhan's birthday banquet. Are you going?"

Chi Xingcun's eyes were fixed on the TV, but he didn't react to the words.

Two weeks ago, the invitation to the birthday banquet had already been delivered to the Chi residence, but Chi Xingcun didn't accept it, so the butler ended up putting it in a drawer.

Qin Liyi started to say something else, but Chi Xingcun cut in:

"I have something to do tomorrow."

"What is it?" Qin Liyi asked.

"Going to sit in on a class at Keda."

"Sit in on a class? Or go look for Xie Yean?"

Xie Yean had disappeared without a trace, and Chi Xingcun had been looking for him all this time.