CH 3

Xie Zhongxing had his own arrangements for this weekend. He went to the city to tutor a junior high school student. Although he was still young and still a high school student, his top grades at school allowed him to earn an hourly pay of 80 yuan. (KKnotes: 12 USD)

Compared to the usual market price, it actually wasn’t much, but for him as a high school student, it wasn’t a small amount.

It was already five in the evening when he finished tutoring the junior high school student.

Xie Zhongxing caught a bus to buy a birthday present and then went straight to Jinyu Hotel.

When he arrived, there were already many people there.

Fu Donglin was a sports student. Although he looked plain, he was tall, and his build was rather big, giving off a somewhat overbearing presence.

His relationship with the members of the opposite sex however wasn’t very good, and not many girls were willing to get close to him. After all, he not only looked fierce, but the people he also mixed with were people that others mostly avoided.

This time, Fu Donglin had spent a lot of money booking these tables at Jinyu Hotel so that he could invite three classes worth of students over.

Contrary to Fu Donglin, Xie Zhongxing’s relationship with the members of the opposite sex wasn’t just ordinarily good. Someone in the school had even created a special post for Xie Zhongxing, relying on posting secretly taken photos of him to become a popular thread. There were also some who had already accepted him as the Nanyang school idol.

This was also what Fu Donglin couldn’t accept. In his opinion, Xie Zhongxing looked weak and is very poor and tacky. The only good points he had was his face and good grades, but he was more popular than him. This wasn’t right.

He had more money and is tall and strong. No matter how he looked at it, he was better than Xie Zhongxing, yet those girls didn’t seem to see that and constantly praised Xie Zhongxing, even giving him the school idol title. Fu Donglin found it absurd.

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Fu Donglin really wanted to tear off Xie Zhongxing’s arrogant and aloof expression and let everyone see his true nature.

Carrying almost overflowing malice inside him, Fu Donglin maintained a fake smile on his face when he saw Xie Zhongxing and called out, “Study Tyrant Xie! I thought you weren’t going to come.”

Xie Zhongxing handed over his gift without saying much, “Happy birthday.”

Fu Donglin looked down and saw that Xie Zhongxing had actually used a paper bag. He sneered and received it, “It looks so shabby. Why didn’t you get a gift box? Let me see what you gave me.”

After he said that, he deliberately opened the bag in front of the people present. The others stretched out their necks and laughed, “Five years of college entrance examination papers plus three years of mock exam papers. That is an impressive gift, a very impressive gift!”

Fu Donglin’s expression was poor, “Xie Zhongxing, are you taunting me?”

Xie Zhongxing tilted his head, “I think you need it.”

That was what he truly thought. He had thought over what he should give as a present very seriously.

When Fu Donglin heard this, he became even more certain that Xie Zhongxing was taunting him. Who didn’t know that he was a sports student and that he was so bad in his studies that these papers were basically useless to him? He was very embarrassed, but with so many people watching, he did his best to contain the anger inside him and continued to smile, “Yes, I indeed need this.”

He was unaware that he was smiling very wretchedly. The others couldn’t help but take a few steps back.

Xie Zhongxing knew that Fu Donglin didn’t welcome him, and he similarly didn’t want to waste time on Fu Donglin. Him coming to the birthday party and even giving an expensive gift was just in order to ease the tension between them but, from the looks of it, Fu Donglin still held clear hatred towards him.

It was all in vain. Xie Zhongxing lowered his eyes and sighed almost inaudibly and felt a little frustrated. He looked around at the crowd. Seeing that Zhong Yiming wasn’t around, he decided to leave, but Fu Donglin spoke up first, “Let’s go and sit. I’ve ordered some good alcohol, we should all have some.”

For high school students, alcohol was something very alluring. Several boys immediately went to find a place to sit down.

Just as Xie Zhongxing wanted to speak, Fu Donglin stared at him and said with emphasis on each word, “Study Tyrant, it’s my birthday. Surely you’ll give me some face?”

With those words spoken, Xie Zhongxing decided not to say anything.

Fu Donglin raised his chin at a boy and said, “Hurry and find a seat for the study tyrant! What are you standing around for?!”

That boy was a little underling often seen following Fu Donglin around. He didn’t express any dissatisfaction despite being spoken to so roughly and just obediently gestured to Xie Zhongxing, “Study Tyrant, come and sit here. You don’t need to be polite!”

Xie Zhongxing quietly sat down in the centre seat.

Fu Donglin asked for the drinks to be served and then personally helped his classmates fill their glasses. When he reached Xie Zhongxing, Xie Zhongxing said, “I don’t drink alcohol.”

Fu Donglin forcefully picked up his glass and poured a glass for him, “It’s my birthday today. For my sake, you must drink a glass!”

Someone next to him urged, “Drink it. If you’re a man, you should drink it!”

“Xie Zhongxing, don’t tell me you’re too scared to even drink alcohol?”

Xie Zhongxing’s expression was already very cold. Those dark eyes of his carried a frosty look.

Fu Donglin and Xie Zhongxing have shared a room for almost a year, so he naturally knew that Xie Zhongxing hated drinking. Whenever he returned drunk, Xie Zhongxing would look at him as if he was looking at some type of garbage.

No matter what, he wanted Xie Zhongxing to embarrass himself in front of everyone.

Fu Donglin thought of the set up he had prepared after this and felt pleased inside. He continued to insist on Xie Zhongxing drinking that glass of alcohol.

Xie Zhongxing connected Fu Donglin’s words and could tell that Fu Donglin wanted him to embarrass himself.

Xie Zhongxing gave Fu Donglin a look before receiving the glass and downing it all in one go.

Although the alcohol ordered by Fu Donglin wasn’t strong liquor like baijiu, but the strength of it wasn’t low. Seeing Xie Zhongxing drink it all in one go, Fu Donglin was a little surprised but more of him was excited, “Your alcohol tolerance is not bad. Have another glass.”

After saying that, he poured another glass for Xie Zhongxing.

A girl spoke up, “That’s enough. If he gets drunk later, how will he get back?”

Reaching Fu Donglin’s ears, those words were like oil being added to a fire. He snorted, “Don’t worry, I will send him back.”

Xie Zhongxing, “Not drinking.”

Before Fu Donglin could urge him again, he said, “I’m drunk.”

After saying that, he collapsed onto the table.

Fu Donglin nudged him, “Really drunk or just acting?”

Xie Zhongxing remained motionless with his eyes tightly closed. His face was flushed, and the ends of his eyes were slightly red.

Seeing Xie Zhongxing like this, no one doubted his words.

Seems like he was really drunk.

Fu Donglin found it unbelievable that someone could get drunk so easily, but that was what he had planned anyway, so he just proceeded to plaster on a fake smile and say, “Since Study Tyrant Xie is drink, I’ll get someone to take him back to school.”

No one questioned him and just agreed that it would be the best course of action.

Fu Donglin was able to get someone to drag Xie Zhongxing away without much trouble.

Fu Donglin’s two underlings carried Xie Zhongxing out of the hotel but before they could hail a taxi, the weight on them was suddenly gone and when they turned to check, they were met with Xie Zhongxing’s clear and sober eyes.

The two underlings who were being stared at by those dark eyes of his were startled. They smiled awkwardly, “Turns out you’re still not drunk?”

With great force, Xie Zhongxing grabbed the collar of one of the boys and asked lowly, “What did Fu Donglin want to do after getting me drunk?”

That boy answered, “Brother Fu just wanted us to take you back. Why are you accusing others for no reason?”

Xie Zhongxing, “Not spilling?”

The boy laughed, “We really weren’t going to do anything. Don’t make false assumptions.”

Xie Zhongxing wouldn’t be able to do anything if he insisted on keeping quiet.

At this moment, an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from behind them, “Holy shit, wi—–”

It wasn’t very loud, but it was like a stone falling into a calm body of water, causing ripples to spread out.

Xie Zhongxing looked back. It was a tall young man. He hid behind the hotel pillar in a somewhat exaggerated manner and then couldn’t help but stick his head back out, only to meet Xie Zhongxing’s gaze. He once again exclaimed, “Holy shit!”

Xie Zhongxing, “……”

That young man also had a companion who was also a handsome young man. He looked at Xie Zhongxing and then reached out to pull the other person out from behind the pillar, “Qin Zhongyue, why are you hiding?”

Qin Zhongyue who was pulled out by him once again found himself meeting Xie Zhongxing’s eyes. His cheeks instantly flushed red.

Qin Zhongyue was at this moment studying at an aristocratic school in M Capital where most of the students were either rich or noble. As the prince of the Qin Enterprise, Qin Zhongyue was naturally surrounded by rich second generations who wanted to establish good relations with him.

A City wasn’t far from M Capital. The son of Longshi Real Estate had invited them to Jinyu Hotel to take part in an auction event and, although Qin Zhongyue originally didn’t plan on coming, Li Jun and his other friends had insisted on dragging him over.

Because he found it boring and meaningless, had he left halfway with the intention to return to M Capital, but he didn’t expect to see Xie Zhongxing at the entrance of the hotel.

Qin Zhongyue opened his eyes as wide as he could before finally confirming that it was indeed Xie Zhongxing himself.

It was just that compared to the exquisite, cold and powerful Xie Zhongxing from ten years later, the Xie Zhongxing from ten years ago was a lot more youthful with his hair softly sticking against his cheeks and his fringe scattered across his forehead, revealing his beautiful eyes. His facial features were a little softer, without any rough edges, and there seemed to still be some baby fat in his cheeks. Perhaps it was due to anger, his complexion was a little flushed and those eyes appeared a little wet…..

……Oh no, he’s a little cute.

Qin Zhongyue’s breathing was a little quick. Although he knew that Xie Zhongxing was beautiful, he didn’t expect the eighteen-year-old Xie Zhongxing to be so soft and cute…….No!, He can’t be led astray by his appearance!

Xie Zhongxing cannot be touched. He mustn’t touch him!

Qin Zhongyue forced himself to calm down. Through the corner of his eyes, he noticed Xie Zhongxing’s uniform as well as the words Nanyang High School. He was a little stunned —– Did Xie Zhongxing study in A City when he was younger? They were actually this close when they were students?

No impression. No impression at all. He didn’t seem to have asked Xie Zhongxing about these matters before.

Li Jun noticed Qin Zhongyue’s intent stare and elbowed him to get him to return to his senses, “You know him?”

Qin Zhongyue stammered, “I don’t……I mean, I do…….I mean, just a little…..”

“………” Li Jun, “So do you know him, or do you not know him?”

Qin Zhongyue, “……….”

Qin Zhongyue replied with a pained look, “I do.”

My wife. He added internally.

Since they shouldn’t be acquainted yet, Qin Zhongyue added, “I know him, but he doesn’t know me.”

Xie Zhongxing who heard him say that loosened his furrowed brows. For someone with such a special temperament like Qin Zhongyue, he definitely would have left an impression on him if they had met.

There was one thing Qin Zhongyue had to admit. The moment he saw Xie Zhongxing, he immediately panicked and felt guilty as if he had been caught. This was a reaction he had developed after being caught by Xie Zhongxing too many times.

He even had the urge to hide the moment he saw Xie Zhongxing.

Why was Xie Zhongxing here? That was no longer a question Qin Zhongyue wondered about. When he saw the thug-like man Xie Zhongxing was holding the collar of, he subconsciously thought that Xie Zhongxing was being bullied. Tossing away all the complicated emotions inside him, he asked directly, “…..Are you being bullied?”

That man was ugly, so Qin Zhongyue didn’t think that there were any emotional entanglements between them. The only possibility he could think of was that Xie Zhongxing was being bullied.

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Fu Donglin’s two underlings at least knew how to read the room. Seeing that Qin Zhongyue and Li Jun were dressed in luxurious, low-key clothes, are both good looking, and had just been personally sent out by the manager of Jinyu Hotel who was still bowing behind them, they could immediately tell that they came from a good background. The two of them immediately tried to clarify, “We’re classmates. He got drunk and we were about to take him back to school.”

Qin Zhongyue secretly glanced at Xie Zhongxing. He only now discovered that the Xie Zhongxing from ten years later……seemed to be only a few centimetres taller than he is now!

……This……is so cute!

This discovery left Qin Zhongyue inexplicably amused, and it helped suppress the panic he was left with after unexpectedly running into Xie Zhongxing. While peeking at Xie Zhongxing, he loudly argued, “Nonsense! You two are definitely bullying him! I have eyes, I can see it!”

The two underlings quickly panicked, “We really aren’t. Xie Zhongxing, hurry and say something!”

Xie Zhongxing only quietly looked back at them. The two underlings immediately understood and couldn’t help but shrink back.

Qin Zhongyue continued to fan the flames, “Classmates? Then it means you bully him at school too! Unacceptable! I’m calling the police. The two of us are both witnesses!”

He then pointed at himself and Li Jun. Li Jun could only nod and say, “It just so happens that the chief of A City’s police department is my uncle. He will definitely look into this bullying incident very thoroughly.”

The two underlings couldn’t handle the pressure. They quickly pulled Xie Zhongxing away and whispered, “Brother Fu wanted us to take you back to school, strip you of your clothes and lock you in the female toilets. That’s all. There’s nothing else.”

Xie Zhongxing’s eyes darkened slightly. He didn’t speak.

The two underlings turned to look back at Qin Zhongyue, “It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! We’re classmates, how could we bully him?”

After saying that, they nudged Xie Zhongxing. Xie Zhongxing looked at them and his eyes then fell onto Qin Zhongyue. He nodded, “It’s a misunderstanding.”

Qin Zhongyue believed him and breathed a sigh of relief, “It’s good that it’s a misunderstanding. As a just and warm-hearted citizen, I will never allow you to be bullied!”

Qin Zhongyue felt that he had spoken too ambiguously and, afraid that Xie Zhongxing would read too much into it, he quickly added, “Not just you, I will also step in for others too. You don’t need to remember me, and you also don’t need to thank me!”