Chapter 6: Chi Xingcun Is a Little Sun

Chapter 6: Chi Xingcun Is a Little Sun

Back in the day was back in the day; now, back at his biological parents' home, Chi Xingcun ate leftovers and sometimes even went without meals. A hole-in-the-wall joint like this was already a rare treat.

"We only just met, that's all." Chi Xingcun tugged his hand away, but Qin Liyi still held it tightly.

Qin Liyi pulled him over to the car, leaned back against the roof, and held Chi Xingcun in front of him.

"What's wrong? Still upset? Let me take you to Matela for a special meal. You know how hard it is to get a table at Matela, right? I only managed to get this one reservation—so let me use it to cheer you up, okay?"

Chi Xingcun hesitated for a moment but couldn't refuse Qin Liyi in the end, so he let himself be pulled into the car.

Grinning, Qin Liyi lowered the sun visor for him and drove to the restaurant.

During the meal, Qin Liyi kept fussing over Chi Xingcun throughout.

Chi Xingcun was very quiet, only getting all worked up when Qin Liyi deliberately teased him.

Qin Liyi made a point of taking a photo of the table and sending it to Fu Chenzhan: "If you don't treasure the young master, I'll just take him home myself."

About half a minute later, Fu Chenzhan replied: "Where?"

Qin Liyi: "Matela's new restaurant. I told you before to bring the young master here to try it—he loves Matela's cooking—but you couldn't be bothered. Well, looks like I'll have to be the one to bring him here instead of you."

Fu Chenzhan stared at Qin Liyi's message with a blank face, completely unbothered.

If anyone else were this attentive to Chi Xingcun, he might think they had feelings for him. But with Qin Liyi, that was out of the question—the guy was a cynical playboy who didn't take anyone or anything seriously. He only did these things because he found them fun, just to entertain himself.

They'd grown up together, and Qin Liyi absolutely loved hovering around Chi Xingcun, always coaxing and indulging him. Even though he knew he didn't like Chi Xingcun that way, he still spoiled him, and seeing the other guy smile made him happy.

What a twisted taste.

But Fu Chenzhan knew that even without Qin Liyi meddling in the middle, Chi Xingcun would still keep circling around him. In fact, with Qin Liyi around, he saved himself a lot of trouble when it came to soothing Chi Xingcun.

If Qin Liyi weren't there, Chi Xingcun would definitely cling to him crying—at home, at the company—sobbing and accusing him of not giving him enough attention.

Except... it had been a month and three days since Chi Xingcun had come to see him...

That was weird.

Not only did he avoid seeing him, he avoided everyone. Even Qin Liyi hadn't had a chance to coax him.

Fu Chenzhan figured that after Qin Liyi finished cheering him up today, Chi Xingcun would probably come looking for him tomorrow.

No—knowing Chi Xingcun's personality, he'd probably come running over tonight, unable to wait.

In that case, he should head home first, make a dinner Chi Xingcun would like, pour two glasses of red wine, download the movie Chi Xingcun had been wanting to watch, and put on fresh sheets.

If he didn't do all that, Chi Xingcun would throw a fit again.

......

"Come on, tell me—what have you been doing this past month? Why were you hanging out with students from Keda?"

Qin Liyi kept pestering him, looking like he had to know no matter what.

"Just auditing a class..." Chi Xingcun said quietly.

"Auditing a class?" Qin Liyi tilted his head, couldn't resist reaching out to pinch the soft, fair cheek in front of him, but Chi Xingcun dodged. "Our young master doesn't even go to his own classes. Fu—"

He'd barely gotten one word out before Chi Xingcun shot him a glare. He quickly covered his mouth, blinking as if begging for forgiveness, then said, "What class could possibly make our young master go all the way to Keda just to sit in on it?"

His eyes were brimming with curiosity.

Chi Xingcun turned his head slightly away: "That was then, this is now..."

"What's different?" Qin Liyi propped his chin on his hand, blinking in confusion.

"I'm going to get serious about studying now!" Chi Xingcun puffed out his chest, putting on a look of being full of energy and courage.

But for some reason, Qin Liyi felt like the guy in front of him was just putting on a brave face. He wouldn't even meet his eyes—his gaze kept darting away, and his shoulders couldn't quite square.

Like someone who'd been badly hurt and had become timid and skittish.

Something really was different about him...

Chi Xingcun had always been a bit airheaded, full of energy all day, shining like a big sun wherever he stood.

The only person who could make him wilt like a withered sunflower was Fu Chenzhan.

Although the people in their circle had privately mocked Chi Xingcun for insisting on liking someone who didn't like him back, if anyone actually dared to bully Chi Xingcun, who could really just stand by and watch?

After all, who hadn't been warmed by Chi Xingcun's unique sunshine and smile?

The young masters in their circle looked glamorous on the surface, but none of them could do whatever they wanted. They were either beaten down by their parents' comparisons, forced to study, or pushed into the family business early. Every single one was short-tempered, lifeless, depressed, and burned out.

But whenever Chi Xingcun, with his big, sparkling, cute, and innocent eyes, came up to them, the frustration in their chests would magically melt away. Just teasing Chi Xingcun or chatting with him for a bit would magically lift their mood, and they couldn't help but smile.

Even their parents would break into smiles when Chi Xingcun showed up, suddenly turning into understanding, easygoing parents who happily told them to drop whatever they were doing and go play with Chi Xingcun.

Honestly, if it weren't for Chi Xingcun bridging the gaps between them, their family businesses would probably be fighting each other to the death, like a pack of... soulless, heartless beasts.

Qin Liyi's personality wasn't like this with everyone. Without Chi Xingcun around, or when it had nothing to do with Chi Xingcun, he was also someone who kept to himself and had a cold expression.

But with Chi Xingcun around, or when it involved him, something would instantly light him up, making him proactive and even meddlesome.

Probably because he'd spent his whole life watching Chi Xingcun, he could tell right away—Chi Xingcun had something on his mind, and Chi Xingcun was unhappy.

But if it were because of Fu Chenzhan, Chi Xingcun's unhappy expression had never looked like this before. Could there be something else going on?

After dinner, Qin Liyi pulled Chi Xingcun straight into the car and took him to his place.

He knew Chi Xingcun had no classes today—he'd memorized his schedule after seeing it just once.

At the apartment, Qin Liyi pulled Chi Xingcun down onto the sofa.

"Wanna study, or play games?"

He had a tablet in one hand and a game controller in the other.

He sat down next to Chi Xingcun, typed in the tablet password, opened it, and searched for Chi Xingcun's major courses, from freshman to senior year.

"Even though half the semester's already gone, I know you haven't been attending class, so start from the very beginning. If you don't get something, just video-call the professor and ask."

"The latest horror game—which one do you want?"

His handsome, flashy face curved into a grin as he winked at Chi Xingcun.