Chapter 31
Gu Xiyu was worried that Lu Ziqing, the unscheduled bomb, would say something shocking and make him experience another social death, so he tried to turn down Liu Sheng’s invitation: “Since my cousin has come to pick me up, I’ll go back and help him deal with–”
However, Lu Ziqing, who guessed what was on his mind, quickly cut him off, “Little hiss ……”
Lu Ziqing rubbed his waist, which was sore from Gu Xiyu’s pinching, and gave him an aggrieved look before changing his title: “Cousin, it’s only Saturday, we can discuss the homework when we get back in the evening. Your friends have asked you out, and it just so happens that two of them are from my school. “You guys don’t mind if my cousin brings me along, right?”
Xu Chengxuan’s expression showed he wasn’t willing, but he didn’t make a sound.
Liu Sheng was considerate as usual: “Of course not, you can come.”
Lin Mianmian knew that Xu Chengxuan and Lu Ziqing were not on good terms at school, so she smiled and tried to change the subject, “So Xixi is classmate Lu’s cousin! This world is really small, hahaha. Ahem. So where are we going to eat?”
They finally went with Liu Sheng’s proposal to eat hot pot.
Lu Ziqing glued himself to Gu Xiyu’s side from the moment he appeared, and when they reached the restaurant, he dragged him to the innermost seat, then justifiably took the seat beside him. Lin Mianmian was sandwiched between Xu Chengxuan and Liu Sheng, unaware of the undercurrents between the two, and kept sneaking glances at the two sitting opposite her as she ordered her food.
Lu Ziqing’s tone was unprecedentedly gentle: “Brother, what would you like to eat? I’ll order it for you.”
Gu Xiyu, who knew his true character, was expressionless: “Whatever.”
Lu Ziqing went through the ordering tablet in a serious manner, and then said, “Brother, I’ve searched for a long time, but I can’t find anything called ‘whatever’ on the menu.”
“….”
Gu Xiyu could only take the tablet and randomly order a few side dishes, and then ask Lu Ziqing in passing, “Is there anything you want?”
“I want Brother.”
“Pfft! Ahem, ahem, ahem…”
Before Gu Xiyu could question Lu Ziqing’s words, Lin Mianmian, who was drinking water across the table, suddenly choked and turned red.
When she met his concerned gaze, she waved her hand even more: “I’m okay, I’m okay, I just drank too quickly.”
Under the table, Lin Mianmian couldn’t resist sending a message to her best friend.
[Help! What should I do if the CP I’m shipping keeps feeding me sugar? I’m going to believe they’re real if this goes on, you have to wake me up!]
Yang Meimei: [??]
Gu Xiyu had a hard time during this meal and was afraid that Lu Ziqing, who kept calling out “brother,” would accidentally blurt out “little mom”.
Fortunately, the Great Demon knew how far he should go with teasing and did not cause any untoward incidents.
Judging from how the three opposite him were getting along, it seems that Lin Mianmian only had brotherly feelings for Liu Sheng, while Liu Sheng had deeper feelings for her. On the contrary, she treated Xu Chengxuan more like a childhood sweetheart. And one could see that Xu Chengxuan, who was particularly cold and silent at school, was showing a special side to the heroine.
Emotional matters were indeed very complicated.
Gu Xiyu thought as he got himself a glass of iced cola. He was just about to drink it when Lu Ziqing stopped him: “Why do you always take iced drinks? It’s not good for your health.”
Gu Xiyu gripped the glass tightly, his eyes unblinking as he looked at Lu Ziqing, without any intention of giving in.
Lu Ziqing met his stubborn eyes, and after a long pause, he gave up, only consoling himself that it was fine since the other party liked it. Then he asked helplessly, “Can I have a sip? I want to know if it’s really that good.”
“No, I heard that cola kills sperm, it’s not good for you.” Gu Xiyu moved the glass away.
Lu Ziqing raised his eyebrows and said, “Then why do you still drink it?”
Gu Xiyu took a sip before he calmly replied, “It’s fine with me, I don’t need them anyway.”
“What’s wrong with you, Mianmian?” Xu Chengxuan’s sudden question pulled Gu Xiyu’s attention.
Lin Mianmian had put down her chopsticks and lowered her head with her mouth covered so no one could see the expression on her face, only that she looked like she was trying so hard to hold back something. A few seconds later, she finally raised her head. Her eyes were slightly red and misty, but she was smiling so brightly. “Ah, don’t mind me, it’s just that the hotpot is so delicious, so delicious that I want to cry!”
Xu Chengxuan: “….”
They finished eating, and Gu Xiyu separated from Lin Mianmian and the others and went home with Lu Ziqing.
Lin Mianmian seemed very happy today, and she didn’t forget to send him a message asking: [When will you resume live streaming? Can I have a spot on your team? [Looking forward to it.jpg]]
Gu Xiyu had a good impression of this little girl, and he replied with a light smile: [Of course.]
It was better to pit an acquaintance than a passerby.
Lu Ziqing, who had driven all the way to ask for help with his homework, was a little distracted when he got home. Gu Xiyu looked at his timetable and discovered that the final exams were almost two months away, so he started organizing review questions for Lu Ziqing as he supervised his homework.
Lu Ziqing was actually very gifted, he learned things quickly and could understand them in no time. As long as he was willing to study seriously, Gu Xiyu was confident that he could complete this side mission.
The problem lies in the fact that the target was in his rebellious phase and was particularly uncooperative.
For example, now that he was asked to start reviewing mathematics, he flipped through his book and then started asking, “Little mom, I heard the school say that parents are advised to provide reward-based guidance when bringing up their children; shouldn’t you bring me up using that method as well?”
Gu Xiyu crossed his hands over his chest and didn’t reply, intending to listen to what else Lu Ziqing had to say.
Lu Ziqing’s eyes flicked slightly, and he smiled softly, “For example, how about you kiss me for every question I answer correctly?”
Gu Xiyu smiled at these words.
He smoothed out his sleeves, and after calmly squeezing his fist to crack his knuckles, he said in a light voice: “There is also guidance with beatings; do you want to try it?”
Lu Ziqing: “…”
——–
Monday’s morning classes happened to get cancelled, so Lu Ziqing was the only one who went out to school early that day.
“Ziqing, you haven’t skipped morning classes for a long time, do you want to go to an internet cafe with us today?” He was walking to the entrance of the school when he happened to meet his group of wild friends, who used to skip class with him.
It was rare that no one was watching, and Lu Ziqing almost agreed. He didn’t care about his image at school or what the teachers thought of him anyway.
Yet, the words came to his lips, but he hesitated to say them.
If that person found out that he had skipped class, would he give him a disappointed look?
Somehow, Lu Ziqing always felt that he could imagine the cold disappointment in Gu Xiyu’s different-colored eyes, and he found that he didn’t want to see it.
He pursed his lips and scratched his hair in annoyance, “…… can’t, someone at home is keeping a closer eye on me these days.”
After eating the sumptuous breakfast cooked by the auntie at home, Gu Xiyu sat on the sofa and logged into his live broadcast room with his phone to check the status of his account, only to find that there was a sum of money there that had not been withdrawn and about 100,000 yuan in his bank account.
The original owner’s monthly expenses were small, so this money must have been saved on purpose.
According to the current income from live broadcasting, it was more than enough to rent a small, ordinary one- or two-bedroom house outside.
Then his phone suddenly rang.
Gu Xiyu quickly picked up, his tone a little more gentle than usual: “Mom?”
The woman on the other side of the phone did not speak, but he could faintly hear the other party’s sobbing.
“…… Mom? What’s wrong with you?” Gu Xiyu’s voice instantly became serious, fortunately, Xie Chunhua quickly spoke, “No, it’s nothing; mom just happened to think of you and called to check on you.”
“Is the Lu family treating you well? I heard that Mr. Lu has a son with a particularly bad temper, and that he (Lu Ziqing) gave all the women with whom he(his father) has come into contact with a bad attitude.
“I’m fine.”
Gu Xiyu interrupted Xie Chunhua’s panic: “The Lu family takes good care of me, and his son….” There was a pause before he added, “His temper is a little bad, but he’s quite obedient.”
Xie Chunhua couldn’t understand how a bad temper and obedience were connected, and then heard Gu Xiyu ask, “Are you home? I happen to have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Ah? Yes, I’m here. Mum happens to be a little sick today, so I’m not going to open the stall this afternoon.”
When Gu Xiyu returned to the small house, Xie Chunhua was the only one at home, and she was washing pots and pans in the kitchen.
There was only a bowl of rice, a plate of green vegetables, and scrambled eggs on the small dining table.
The sound of Gu Xiyu putting the takeaway box on the table caught Xie Chunhua’s attention. She put down the cleaned pot and asked with surprise, “You’re back?”
Xie Chunhua’s eyes were still slightly red and swollen, as if she had been crying.
Xie Chunhua was shocked as she watched him take out a big fish and some meat from the box. “You’re still studying, and there are a lot of expenses, don’t spend your money carelessly.”
“It’s alright, I asked the auntie at home to help me make this. She’s a very good cook, so I wanted you to try it.” Gu Xiyu answered. He folded the thermal bag, and said with lowered eyes, “And my current monthly income is enough to support you for the time being.”
Xie Chunhua stared at the sumptuous dishes he had laid out on the dining table, and her eyes became moist again.
She raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, and Gu Xiyu accidentally saw the bruise on her arm when her sleeve slipped down.
He asked in a low voice, “Did Gu Sichuang hit you again?”
Xie Chunhua’s body stiffened, and she pulled her sleeve back in a panic: “It’s nothing.”
This was probably why she called him crying.
Gu Xiyu looked at Xie Chunhua, who was trying to change the topic, and said seriously, “Mom, why don’t you consider a divorce?”
“Gu Sichuang doesn’t do anything but drink, gamble, and beat you. Moreover, he lets you go out alone and work hard to earn money for him. The money you earn in a day isn’t much, and yet he still steals it for gambling. I just think that you’ll live a better life without him.”
Xie Chunhua stared at the dining table, her fists clenched tightly, but she didn’t speak.
Gu Xiyu sighed softly, “I’ve grown up and have the ability to make money; you can stop worrying about me.”
“Aren’t you always worried about my life in the Lu family?” These words might make Xie Chunhua sad, but Gu Xiyu felt that it was necessary to remind her, “Let’s say I’m unhappy in the Lu family, have you ever thought that if you had made up your mind to divorce Gu Sichuang earlier, I might not have had to go through all this pain?”
Xie Chunhua’s body shook at his question, and there was a flash of frustration in her stunned eyes, as if she suddenly realized something.
“You are the one who earns money to support the family, you obviously have more strength than Gu Sichuang.”
Tears fell from Xie Chunhua’s eyes. She didn’t know why looking at Gu Xiyu suddenly made her sad, so she could only apologize while raising her hand to wipe the tears.
Xie Chunhua was born into a more traditional family and believed that since she had started a family, she should continue to maintain it until the end. She felt that her son had to grow up in a complete family and never thought of divorcing Gu Sichuang.
Gu Xiyu knew she was timid and didn’t dare fight back against Gu Sichuang’s violent behavior, so he took the initiative and said, “Find time to move out, I’ll rent you a house and contact a lawyer. It’s best to break off the relationship with him while he’s still spending his money and not incurring any debts at the moment.”
He patted Xie Chunhua’s shoulder and smiled softly, “You’ve been working hard for so many years, it’s now time to start enjoying your life.”
——-
Later at night in the Lu family home, Gu Xiyu was talking on his phone as he went out of his room to go supervise Lu Ziqing, only to find the extremely well-developed boy, who was half a head taller than him, leaning against his door and staring at him with a gloomy expression.
Gu Xiyu was puzzled: “Are you done?”
Lu Ziqing didn’t answer him but asked unhappily, “Why did you contact someone and ask to see their house?”
“Are you moving out?”
“You’re divorcing my dad just after my grandfather woke up?”
“Hmph, scum.”
Gu Xiyu: “……?”
Lu Ziqing lowered his head and struggled for a long time before he reluctantly said, “Actually, even if you divorce my dad, you can still continue to stay here.”
Gu Xiyu suddenly had the desire to tease Lu Ziqing and asked him, “Weren’t you very unhappy with my presence? Wouldn’t it make you happy if I moved out? There won’t be anyone to supervise your homework, so you can play games as long as you want. How great would that be?”
Lu Ziqing turned his head away and said in a deep voice, “I’m taking the college entrance exams next year, and even if you’re not there, he’ll definitely find some other messy tutors for me.”
He probably felt embarrassed, as not long after he finished speaking, he said irritably, “Anyway, if you don’t have a place to stay, it’s not like we can’t rent the guest room in this house to you cheaply.”
Gu Xiyu stared at Lu Ziqing until he turned his head to look back at him, then curled his lips and said, “I’m trying to rent a place for my mother.”
Lu Ziqing: “?”
Gu Xiyu added: “But regarding the proposal you just made, I will seriously consider it later, when I divorce your father.”
Lu Ziqing: “…”
The eighteen-year-old boy’s breathing became a little uneven as he experienced his first embarrassing moment.
On the contrary, the originator passed by him with a faint smile in his eyes.
In a moment of anger, he couldn’t hold back and pushed Gu Xiyu against the door by the shoulders, gritted his teeth, and whispered, “You really owe….”
The last word got stuck in Lu Ziqing’s mouth, and he didn’t know what to say, which made him even angrier. A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly lowered his head and bit Gu Xiyu’s neck.
Gu Xiyu also did not expect Lu Ziqing to suddenly go crazy, and after being bitten, he subconsciously made a low sound based on his accumulated experience from the previous world. It was soft and low, like a gentle scratch at the heart.
The sound came to Lu Ziqing’s ears and gave him a huge shock, causing him to suddenly stiffen.
However, what shocked him even more was yet to come.
[[Target’s risk value is -15; the current risk value is 50.]]
This notification from the system caused the two men to fall into an eerie silence.
In the end, it was Gu Xiyu who let out a low laugh first: “Heh.”
Lu Ziqing covered Gu Xiyu’s mouth and asked angrily, “What are you laughing at?” ”
He had covered half of Gu Xiyu’s face and could only see the other party’s gently blinking eyes, the smile in those eyes making them more lively than usual.
Lu Ziqing’s neck became even redder. He stared into those sultry eyes, and got a strange urge in his heart.
….Fuck!