CH 2

At the end of the school vacation, Xie Zhongxing packed up his belongings early in the morning and got ready to return to school.

In fact, home wasn’t very far from school. There was a direct bus route that would take him there in less than half an hour and very convenient, but Xie Zhongxing still chose to live at school.

Nanyang High School was a newly built school. Because the budget was sufficient, they were willing to spend more money while building it, so the school’s outer gates and overall appearance was very grand with two three-metre-high stone elephants guarding each side of the gates.

In addition to the school facilities, the school shareholders had also spent a lot of money on the teachers such that all fields were well-integrated. With the addition that this wasn’t a public school, the fees were naturally very expensive, and one semester would typically cost about eight or nine thousand. (KKnotes: 1200-1400 USD) With Xie Zhongxing’s family conditions, that was without a doubt something he couldn’t afford, but he had the fees waived and even received a scholarship and living allowances all because he had placed first in the high school entrance examination when he first enrolled into this school.

Xie Guoxu’s family however knew nothing about how his results were and only believed what Xie Zhongxing had revealed to them on the surface.

It was also because of this that Xie Zhongxing didn’t live in too much distress.

Many times, Xie Zhongxing wondered if he was really Xie Guoxu and Liu Xiu’s biological son, but if you combined the nice features on Xie Guoxu and Liu Xiu’s face and looked at his face, it couldn’t be said that he wasn’t their child.

Xie Zhongxing didn’t understand why there was such a big difference in treatment between the two children, but he had already learned to not expect anything.

Please read this from kk translates

When he was done packing, it was still early. Xie Guoxu walked out his room shirtless and, seeing Xie Zhongxing at the door, he suddenly gathered the tiny bit of paternal love in him and asked, “Going to school?”

Xie Zhongxing paused a little and nodded.

Xie Guoxu asked, “Do you have money?”

Xie Zhongxing looked up at him. Xie Guoxu’s eyes met with his dark eyes briefly before he quickly averted them away, “If you don’t have money, borrow some off Teacher Wang. Once you make something out of yourself in the future, you can pay her back.”

Xie Zhongxing said, “I’m leaving.”

After saying that, he opened the door and left without looking back.

Xie Guoxu drank some water and returned back to bed.

Liu Xiu asked sleepily, “He left? You didn’t give him money, did you?”

Xie Guoxu answered, “I didn’t. Doesn’t that Teacher Wang treat him pretty well? She even sponsored Zhongxing to go to school. I think we should just let him be her son.”

Liu Xiu snorted, “That child is a white-eyed wolf that will never warm up. Every cent that I spend him makes me sick in my stomach.” (KKnotes: White-eyed wolf that will never warm up is used to describe someone ungrateful who would bite the hand that feeds them.)

Xie Guoxu: “When I asked you to give him away back then, you insisted on raising the price. Just for the sake of five thousand yuan you were left stuck with him. It’s well-deserved retribution for your greed.” (KKnotes: Approximately 800 USD)

Liu Xiu: “What do you know? That man from Beijing was clearly very rich and he was even wearing a gold watch. You think he was lacking in five thousand yuan?”

Xie Guoxu: “If he wasn’t lacking in money, why did he walk off as soon as you raised it to five thousand?”

Liu Xiu was annoyed, “Forget it, I don’t want to talk to you. I’m sleeping!”

Xie Guoxu also stopped talking. The room once again fell into silence.

Xie Zhongxing on the other end was unaware of this argument between his parents. He had arrived at school early, and the school gates had not yet opened.

He appeared quiet and obedient but there was also madness in his bones. He left the lavish school gate and circled around to a towering wall surrounding the school. After raising his head to take a look, he took off his backpack, threw it over the wall and then took a few steps back. With a short run-up, he managed to climb over the two-metre-high fence.

The dim sky was starting to brighten now. After another hour, it would be morning reading. (KKnotes: Where students read traditional classics or English early in the morning)

Xie Zhongxing returned to the dormitories. Someone was already awake and was sitting on the bed reading with a small nightlight. When he saw Xie Zhongxing return, he whispered, “You’re back.”

Xie Zhongxing nodded at him and turned and proceeded to open his cabinet and unpack.

His actions were already very light, but someone still shouted in anger, “So noisy! Can’t you let us sleep?!”

Xie Zhongxing’s actions stopped. He didn’t continue unpacking.

When it was time, the dormitory manager knocked on the doors one after another and the dormitory residents finally got up.

Nanyang High School was rich, so even the dormitories were rather good. Four people shared a room, and they had a private bathroom as well as air-conditioning and a boiler. It was very luxurious.

The tall boy who greeted Xie Zhongxing wore glasses and had a reserved appearance with refined features. He was the math representative in his class, Zhong Yiming. The one with the bad temper was called Fu Dongling. His appearance was plain, but his limbs were very well-built, something typical of a sports student. There was also another person called Zhao Zhao. Although he was short, his appearance was delicate and beautiful. If you disregarded his height and his personality, it was a face that girls found very attractive.

Xie Zhongxing’s personality was on the colder side. He wasn’t very talkative, and he also wasn’t very keen on socialising so only his relationship with Zhong Yiming was good, and his relationship with the others weren’t too great.

Unlike the other male dormitory rooms, their relationship in this room wasn’t very good so there wasn’t much talk as they got up and got ready to go to the cafeteria.

Days like this weren’t very different from the usual. This ordinary high school life was however the peaceful life Xie Zhongxing had always been looking forward to.

For the coming weekend, Xie Zhongxing had asked his class teacher Teacher Wang to give Xie Guoxu a call and tell him that he needed to take extra classes so that he didn’t need to go home.

After explaining to Xie Guoxu, Teacher Wang hung up the phone and said to Xie Zhongxing, “I’ve spoken to your father.”

She didn’t ask Xie Zhongxing why he didn’t want to go home either. Over the past two years, she had basically figured out his family’s situation.

After Xie Zhongxing thanked her, he returned to the dormitories.

In the dormitory, Fu Donglin happened to be loudly boasting about his birthday party which would be held at Jinyu Hotel and the boys from the other rooms had also gathered in the room, making it very rowdy.

When Fu Donglin saw Xie Zhongxing arrive, the smile on his face faded somewhat before he hooked up the corners of his lips again. With his eyes gleaming a malicious light, he asked loudly, “Xie Zhongxing, will you come to my birthday party? If you come, I’ll let them add a seat for you.”

Xie Zhongxing glanced at him and asked, “You want me to come?”

Fu Donglin sneered. The look on his face wasn’t very pleasant, “What are you talking about? Of course, I want you to come.”

Xie Zhongxing said, “Oh, then I’ll go.”

Fu Donglin continued deliberately, “Then do you have money to buy a birthday gift? Don’t give me anything that only costs one or two yuan, it will make me lose face.” (KKnotes: For those who don’t already know, ‘face’ refers to respect, acknowledgement, reputation, honour etc)

Xie Zhongxing finally raised his head and looked directly at Fu Donglin.

Fu Donglin wanted to see his embarrassed expression, but there was only calmness on Xie Zhongxing’s face. He seemed to be in thought for a few seconds before he said, “Don’t worry, I have money.”

With everyone around, Fu Donglin didn’t want to let him off so easily. He deliberately raised his voice and said, “What, you have money? Where did that money come from? If you have money, why aren’t you even buying yourself a pair of shoes? With you wearing that same pair for such a long time, even I feel distressed for you!”

As soon as he said that, everyone else laughed.

At this moment, Zhong Yiming came out of the bathroom and confronted Fu Donglin with a stern look, “Fu Donglin, enough. Putting so much fanfare on your birthday, are you afraid that others don’t know that you are rich?”

Fu Donglin said, “Me being rich is a fact. I’m not like some people who, despite being poor, still act all lofty!”

After saying that, Fu Donglin turned to Xie Zhongxing, “I’m not talking about you, Study Tyrant Xie.”

Xie Zhongxing, “Yeah, I know.”

Fu Donglin raised the corners of his lips and smiled coldly, “Then you better remember to come. Remember to bring along a present.”

Xie Zhongxing glanced at him. Although he didn’t really like Fu Donglin, but they shared a dormitory, so it was better to invoke less trouble. Xie Zhongxing calmly replied, “I will. I wish you a happy birthday in advance.”

After everyone left, only Xie Zhongxign and Zhong Yiming were left in the room. Zhong Yiming sighed, “Fu Donglin really likes to hold grudges.”

Please read this from kk translates

Xie Zhongxing placed his workbooks and pens onto the table one by one. He heard Zhong Yiming’s words but didn’t say anything.

There has been bad blood between himself and Fu Donglin for a long time now. During a certain monthly exam, he and Fu Donglin sat at the front and back of each other and Fu Donglin at the time had wanted to copy his answers, but Xie Zhongxing didn’t agree. After the exam, Fu Donglin had tried to force him in private, but he still didn’t relent and, as a result, the bad blood between them formed. Since then, Fu Donglin would from time to time target him but when Zhong Yiming was around, Fu Donglin didn’t take it too far.

Zhong Yiming looked at Xie Zhongxing and asked, “Do you still have money? If not, I have some here. You can pay me back later when you have money.”

Xie Zhongxing, “No need, thank you. I have money.”

Zhong Yiming, “You really don’t have to hold back. I can lend you.”

Xie Zhongxing raised his eyes. His eyes stirred slightly, moved, and he spoke softly, “There’s really no need. Thank you.”

Zhong Yiming didn’t continue insisting. He also took out a workbook and said to Xie Zhongxing, “Let’s work on problems together then. Since you’re not going home this weekend, I can ask you about the problems I don’t know about.”

Xie Zhongxing softly agreed.

*

On the other end, Qin Zhongyue was playing cards with Li Jun in a bar.

Li Jun was older than Qin Zhongyue by a year and the eighteen-year-old Li Jun was also a handsome and fashionable young man giving off a youthful air.

The hair that was always combed back had a few fine hairs scattered across his forehead accentuating his beautiful pair of fox-like eyes which were no longer as mature as how it was ten years later, and even a little childlike.

Seeing Li Jun like this, Qin Zhongyue felt an inexplicable sense of superiority inside, “Ah, I won again.”

He placed down the last few cards in his hand.

Li Jun said, “You have already won several games. At least leave some money for me or I won’t be able to pay for the drinks later.”

As soon as he finished saying that, their other mutual friend Mo Yu found the two of them. After he saw that they were playing cards, he asked incredulously, “You two came all the way here to play cards?”

Li Jun spread his hands, “I’m humouring the little ancestor.”

Qin Zhongyue was still pleased as punch, “You can’t beat me.”

Li Jun clicked his tongue, “I indeed can’t beat you.”

Mo Yu continued, “Stop playing cards. Two very beautiful little sisters just came. Why don’t you two go and have some fun with them?”

Li Jun’s eyes lit up, “Now that is what I like.”

He tossed away the cards and looked at Qin Zhongyue, “Little ancestor, you coming?”

Qin Zhongyue, “………”

Qin Zhongyue, “Not going!!”

Although Li Jun was about the same age as him, his private life was a mess, and he would often try and drag him along.

Faced with this group of friends that couldn’t be managed, Qin Zhongyue often felt that he wasn’t perverted enough, and he also felt that he didn’t seem to fit in with them.

In fact, it wasn’t that Xie Zhongxing didn’t let him hang out with these friends for no reason.

Qin Zhongyue had grown up together with them and, insisting that he was normal, he was the only one that didn’t get involved with matters like this. He even felt a little pleased inside that he had protected his virginity until he was twenty-two years old.

As someone who cherishes his body to this extent, he felt that he was being a good and responsible man for his future partner.

Because of his pride in being clean and untainted, he wasn’t moved by Li Jun’s invitation and there was even a small part of him, only a very small part of him, that missed Xie Zhongxing.

The author has something to say:

Baby Yue: I miss wifey……No, I can’t. I can’t think of him.

Baby Yue: I miss wifey.

Baby Yue: What is wifey doing QAQ