Chapter 16: As long as you are here, no one can bully me

Yin Xiuzhu couldn’t directly ask Yin Zhenggong for something. Unlike when he was younger, there was no need to be petty. As long as he could achieve his goal, it was fine.

Yin Xiuzhu first found Xu Xiaoming and taught him what to say.

As for why Xu Xiaoming was so obedient, firstly, he had been somewhat intimidated by Yin Xiuzhu since that night. Secondly, Xiaoming was a bad student, even worse off than Qi MuMu.

Yin Xiuzhu didn’t help him cheat. Yin Xiuzhu just guessed the questions before the exams and told him.

At first, Xu Xiaoming was skeptical, but later he found that the guessing accuracy was as high as eighty percent. He was convinced and willing to be at Yin Xiuzhu’s beck and call.

The words Yin Xiuzhu taught him to say weren’t difficult, mainly choosing the right occasion.

Xu Xiaoming found a time when both his father and Mr. Yin were present and finished discussing important matters. He ran over and persuaded his dad to let him go to the summer camp while mentioning Yin Xiuzhu since they were at Mr. Yin’s house.

No matter how much Yin Zhenggong ignored Yin Xiuzhu privately, he still had to maintain appearances. When Xu Xiaoming brought it up in front of him, he could only nod in agreement.

The next day, Yin Xiuzhu received a call, and his father’s assistant informed him about the summer camp arrangements.

Everything proceeded smoothly without any flaws.

When Yin Xiuzhu hung up the phone, he felt calm. Without expecting anything, there would be no disappointment. Compared to this nominal father, he cared more about those who genuinely treated him well.

With that, Xu Xiaoming had to go to the summer camp. However, he was also worried. Thinking about Yin Xiuzhu and Tyrant Qi, he suddenly felt like a lonely cabbage caught in the middle.

As the saying goes, enjoy blessings alone and let your brother endure the hardships for you. Xu Xiaoming rushed to Fang’s house overnight. Inside Fang Junqi’s house, he cried and made a scene, almost to the point of hanging himself.

Fang Xiaopang didn’t want to go, but he didn’t want to cut ties with Xu Xiaoming either. Reluctantly, he followed along.

Qi Mu despised the two of them as hangers-on, not realizing that they also looked down on him!

In the scorching heat, staying home and playing games was much better than coming out to sunbathe—what a brainless hobby!

Considering safety issues, they didn’t go abroad but chose a well-developed small island. Even so, it was quite far from City B, requiring a flight of two to three hours.

The four boys went together to check in and then looked at their seats.
Xu Xiaoming was in 1A, Yin Xiuzhu in 1C, Qi Mu in 1D, and Fang Junqi in 1F.

In the first-class cabin, there were only four seats in a row. Xu Xiaoming and Yin Xiuzhu were seated together, while Qi Mu and Fang Junqi were also together. There was an aisle separating Yin Xiuzhu and Qi Mu.

Qi Mu stared for a moment and then confirmed, “So Junqi and I are sitting together?”

Xu Xiaoming also noticed and his expression changed. Spending three hours next to Yin Xiuzhu? Jumping out of the plane might be better!

“Let’s switch seats!” Xu Xiaoming rushed forward in a single stride and said to Qi Mu.

Qi Mu replied, “Your seat is so good. It’s by the window.”

“I don’t want to sit by the window,” Xu Xiaoming insisted.

Fang Junqi expertly exposed him, “Last time we went to Jeju Island, didn’t you make a huge fuss about needing a window seat? You even said that if you didn’t get a window seat, you would die on the plane.”

Xu Xiaoming: “…” You fat idiot, can’t you shut up for once?

Receiving Xu Xiaoming’s glare, Fang Junqi shut his mouth.
Qi Mu glanced at Xu Xiaoming, who shuddered, unsure of what had offended this bully.

“Fine,” Qi Mu’s voice was cool. “Let’s switch seats.”

Xu Xiaoming trembled with fear, still unclear about where he had gone wrong.

Yin Xiuzhu also noticed and looked towards Qi Mu.

Qi Mu had already strode ahead, preparing to go through security.

Xu Xiaoming pulled Fang Junqi along behind him, chattering incessantly, “Are you trying to kill me?”

Fang Xiaopang looked innocent, “I was just telling the truth.”

Xu Xiaoming was infuriated, “You can spit your truth to your sister!”¹The correct English translation should be “Your truth can go to hell”, but it wouldn’t make too much sense in this conversation.

Fang Junqi replied, “I don’t have a sister.”

Xu Xiaoming: “Ask your mom to give birth to one for you!”

Fang Junqi: “If she did, will you still have the nerve to curse?”

Xu Xiaoming: Damn, sometimes I really can’t tell if this fat idiot is genuinely stupid or just pretending!

After passing through security, they headed to the airport lounge. Fang Xiaopang suddenly realized, “Is Qi Mu mad at you?”

“No kidding, it’s practically written on his forehead!” They entered the airport lounge, and Xu Xiaoming even tried to please Tyrant Qi by pouring him a glass of cola. Qi Mu didn’t even look at it and poured himself a glass of orange juice instead.

Xu Xiaoming proactively handed him the remote control, but Qi Mu ignored him, focusing on drinking orange juice and cracking melon seeds.

Xu Xiaoming felt uneasy. He turned around and saw Fang Xiaopang holding two hamburgers, three grilled wings, and four pies. Irritated, he said, “Are you reincarnated from a starving ghost?”

Fang Junqi replied, “I left home too early this morning and didn’t eat breakfast.”

Xu Xiaoming muttered, “…” This was disastrous. If the first day of the trip was like this, how could he survive the rest of the six days and seven nights?

Yin Xiuzhu naturally couldn’t miss Qi Mu’s discontent, but like Xu Xiaoming, he didn’t understand what Qi Mu was upset about.

If there was any reason, it was probably about switching seats.

Did Qi Mu not want to sit with him? Yin Xiuzhu’s heart tightened, but he tried not to dwell on it.

Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any other reasons.

After boarding, Qi Mu and Yin Xiuzhu were in the front. Qi Mu asked, “Do you want the window seat?”

Yin Xiuzhu shook his head and said, “I’m fine with the aisle seat.”

Qi Mu went in first and took Xu Xiaoming’s original seat. Xu Xiaoming and Fang Junqi also took their seats, separated by the aisle but still in the same row. They were able to hear each other clearly.

Yin Xiuzhu finally asked, “Do you not want to sit with me?”

His voice was quiet when he said this, and he didn’t look at Qi Mu. His lowered eyes trembled imperceptibly.

Hearing this, Qi Mu and felt a pang of heartache. He shot Xu Xiaoming another stern look.

Xu Xiaoming: “!” What did I do wrong?

“I’m upset with Xu Xiaoming,” Qi Mu replied.

Yin Xiuzhu paused in surprise. Xu Xiaoming perked up his ears, eagerly listening, desperate to know why he was being sentenced to death.

Qi Mu explained, “Why does Xu Xiaoming not want to sit with you? We’ve been classmates for so many years. What’s wrong with sitting together? Why did he immediately ask me to switch seats as soon as he saw that he was going to sit with you?”

Yin Xiuzhu was completely stunned.

Xu Xiaoming and Fang Junqi were speechless.

Qi Mu continued indignantly, “I considered him as a friend, and yet he is treating you like this. I’m done with him.”

“It’s a misunderstanding!” Xu Xiaoming exclaimed, “I didn’t, I’m not, I…”

Qi Mu looked past Yin Xiuzhu at him, “Did I force you to switch seats?”

Xu Xiaoming hesitated, “…” Xu Xiaoming was indeed the one who suggested it first. Damn, how should he explain this now!

After arguing for a while, Yin Xiuzhu finally came to his senses. He reached out and firmly grasped Qi Mu’s hand, his voice steady but clearly under tight control, “It’s okay.”

Qi Mu was taken aback by the forcefulness of Yin Xiuzhu’s grip. Was he still upset?

Deciding not to argue with Xu Xiaoming anymore, Qi Mu turned to Yin Xiuzhu and held his hand back. He said, “If you feel wronged, speak up. Keeping it all inside just makes you an easy target.” Then he shot a glare at Xu Xiaoming.

Yin Xiuzhu felt the warmth of Qi Mu’s grip on his hand, and it seemed to burn like fire. His emotions were so intense that he couldn’t find words to describe them. The immense joy he felt was overwhelming, filling every corner of his being.

“No one is bullying me,” Yin Xiuzhu struggled to keep his voice calm. “As long as you’re here, no one can bully me.”

He spoke these words with a double meaning, in a low voice that only Qi Mu could hear.

Xu Xiaoming wasn’t in the mood to listen anymore. He felt so unjustly treated, it was worse than the story of Dou E! He felt so aggrieved that he almost wanted to jump off the plane!

Fang Junqi asked him, “Should we switch seats?”

Xu Xiaoming, touched and tearful, said, “Ah, you’re always so good to me.”

Fang Junqi replied, “I’m afraid that you’ll die on the plane.”

Xu Xiaoming: “…”

Qi Mu was the type to speak his mind and move on, especially with Yin Xiuzhu smiling the whole time. Seeing that Yin Xiuzhu didn’t seem truly upset, he let him off the hook.

Xu Xiaoming offered him all the snacks from his fruit tray.
Qi Mu declined, saying, “Be nicer to Yin Xiuzhu. We’re all friends here.”

Xu Xiaoming thought to himself, “Why does he need me to be nice to him?”

Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud. He could only nod repeatedly, and Qi Mu even offered him the watermelon from his own fruit tray—knowing Xu Xiaoming loved watermelon.

The three-hour journey passed by quickly.

The first hour was spent arguing, the second watching movies, and the last hour everyone slept peacefully.

Yin Xiuzhu couldn’t sleep. He didn’t want to sleep at all.

After everyone had fallen asleep and the flight attendants stopped coming around, Yin Xiuzhu unabashedly gazed at Qi Mu.

At this moment, he didn’t understand his own feelings or what the growing flame in his heart represented.

He simply wanted to look at Qi Mu, to cherish him immensely—for being the person who had given him all warmth and brightness.

Upon reaching their destination, the welcoming teacher from the summer camp arranged for them to stay in a small villa by the seaside.

The summer camp wasn’t starting until the next day, and there were only about seven or eight people in total. The activities were relaxed, starting with a visit to the Ocean Museum to learn about marine biology, followed by supervised snorkeling, and a day planned for touring a decommissioned submarine, among other things.

Today was just a gathering day with no scheduled activities, mainly for settling in.

The villa wasn’t large, and the conditions weren’t luxurious—it had only two bedrooms. When it came time to decide rooms, Xu Xiaoming’s survival instincts kicked in, “I’m fine sleeping with anyone. I consider you all like brothers!”

Qi Mu glanced at him and smiled warmly, “That’ll do.”

Xu Xiaoming: “…” Please, whatever happens, don’t let me really live with Yin Xiuzhu. He’d have nightmares every night!

Yin Xiuzhu didn’t want to live with him anyways, but if they did end up in the same room, the eventual outcome of separating rooms was as inevitable as the seating arrangement on the plane.

Yin Xiuzhu and Qi Mu shared one room, while Xu Xiaoming and Fang Junqi shared the other.

They all went upstairs together and saw the two adjacent bedrooms.

Both bedrooms had a view of the sea when the windows were opened, and their layouts were almost identical. The only difference was that the first room had a large bed, while the second had two single beds.

This……

Xu Xiaoming hurriedly pleaded, “Please, have mercy on me. Let me have the room with the double bed. If I have to share with Fat Fang here, he’ll kick me off the bed ten times in one night!”

Qi Mu: “…”

Fang Junqi chuckled, “Ten times? I remember last time you ended up sleeping on the carpet the whole night.”

Xu Xiaoming looked aggrieved, “And you dare to mention that!”

Qi Mu, feeling generous, said, “Alright, you guys take the room with the double bed. Yin Xiuzhu and I will take the room with the large bed.”

Xu Xiaoming happily entered to his room.

Qi Mu and Yin Xiuzhu also entered their room with their luggage. Qi Mu dropped his suitcase and said, “It’s so hot. I’m going to take a shower first.”

With that, he lifted the hem of his shirt and started taking it off.

The problem was, his short-sleeved shirt had a small collar with two buttons. Used to wearing T-shirts, he forgot to unbutton it before trying to take it off, and it got stuck around his neck.

Qi Mu exclaimed in frustration, “Help me, I can’t get it off!” What a lousy piece of clothing. I’m never wearing this again!