Cheng Yue slowly moved off the sofa, standing barefoot on the floor, his face flushed with embarrassment.
“Why are you up so early today?” Ji Xu noticed that Cheng Yue’s ears were red again and didn’t press further, assuming it was just a child’s curiosity.
“I don’t know…” Cheng Yue put on his shoes and followed Ji Xu to the dining table. “I think I had a dream, but I forgot as soon as I woke up.”
“Get a bowl.” Ji Xu began to unpack the breakfast items.
“Are there any fried dough sticks?” Cheng Yue shouted as he ran towards the kitchen.
“Eat less fried food.” Ji Xu took the bowl from Cheng Yue’s hands and poured some porridge into it.
Cheng Yue helped take out the sealed soup dumplings and steamed dumplings, and then made a face. “Eat less takeout.”
Ji Xu was taken aback and felt a bit apologetic. “I didn’t have time. I went for a run and bought it on the way back. It’s convenient.”
“I have time,” Cheng Yue said excitedly. “I can make breakfast. I really can.”
“All you do is talk.” Ji Xu handed him the bowl. “Eat more and talk less. Give your brain some space to develop.”
Cheng Yue took a sip of the warm shrimp porridge, licked his lips, and said, “I really can. I’ll make breakfast from now on.”
“Alright.” Ji Xu nodded and pointed to his bowl. “Add two eggs, please?”
Cheng Yue’s eyes lit up. He slapped the table with enthusiasm and stood up. “Sure! What would you like, sir?”
“Two eggs,” Ji Xu said with a smile, not intending to eat breakfast himself, just casually leaning back in his chair.
Seeing Ji Xu’s rare smile, Cheng Yue was full of energy and hurried into the kitchen.
Ji Xu raised an eyebrow and followed him.
He didn’t believe Cheng Yue could actually cook. The young master was delicate and spoiled, typically pampered from a young age. Even though some of his bad habits had been corrected, cooking was likely still a challenge.
Cheng Yue quickly took two eggs from the fridge, prepared the pan, and turned on the heat.
Ji Xu watched from a short distance as Cheng Yue skillfully poured oil, heated the pan, and smoothly cracked the eggs.
Ji Xu’s expression began to show doubt.
Cheng Yue was pleased with his actions. Although he had never cooked before, he thought it was quite simple.
When Cheng Yue tossed the eggs into the pan with a splashy gesture, he felt proud, thinking he could finally show off his skills to Ji Xu.
But what Cheng Yue didn’t expect was that the egg seemed to be from the Philippine diving team. The moment it hit the pan, the oil splattered, and Cheng Yue didn’t have time to avoid it. He felt a few sharp stings on his hand and jumped back in surprise.
At first, Ji Xu noticed that Cheng Yue seemed to be in trouble when he was holding his hand and nearly throwing the eggs from above. Before he could pull Cheng Yue away, the oil in the pan suddenly caught fire.
“Damn it,” Ji Xu swore, quickly pulling Cheng Yue behind him and out of harm’s way.
The fire soon subsided. Ji Xu put a lid on the pan, turned off the heat, and then turned to check on Cheng Yue.
“Are you okay? Did you get burned anywhere?” Ji Xu cradled Cheng Yue’s face with one hand, carefully examining him, and checked his arms.
He finally saw some visible red blisters on Cheng Yue’s wrist and up his arm.
Cheng Yue, genuinely embarrassed, pulled his arm away and hid it behind his back. “I’m fine. It was an accident. I really can cook…”
“Shut up.” Ji Xu frowned and gripped the back of Cheng Yue’s neck, leading him to the living room and retrieving the first aid kit.
After applying medicine, Cheng Yue looked at the white bandage on his wrist and sighed, feeling his dignity was completely lost.
Sitting on the sofa for a while, Cheng Yue listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen and slowly walked over.
In the kitchen, Ji Xu was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar loosened. He was holding the pan with one hand, attentively watching the eggs in the pan.
Cheng Yue swallowed and wiped his slightly warm nose.
“Just eat the takeout. If not, wait for me to come back and cook,” Ji Xu said, flipping the eggs and advising, “Don’t go back into the kitchen alone.”
“This pan is quite advanced,” Cheng Yue, not giving up, tried to save face. “It recognizes people. It only lets you handle it. I touch it, and it’s a mess. The iron pan is unyielding.”
“Finish your breakfast quickly. I need to go out later. Don’t forget you have evening classes. I’ll come pick you up if I have time,” Ji Xu said without turning around.
“Okay…” Cheng Yue nodded and went out.
After finishing the porridge, Cheng Yue noticed a golden, round, and flat egg had appeared in his bowl.
He looked up at Ji Xu, who had placed the egg there.
“I’m leaving now. Eat slowly,” Ji Xu said. “Remember to clean up the bowl.”
“Got it.” Cheng Yue snapped his fingers.
After Ji Xu left, Cheng Yue ate the egg, cleaned up the table, and went directly to Ji Xu’s study with his backpack.
Ji Xu didn’t often work at home, but the study always had a serious atmosphere, which gave Cheng Yue an inexplicable sense of ritual when he sat at the large desk doing his assignments.
For example, thoughts of responsibility, mission, and hope for the future.
While working on his assignments, Cheng Yue got up to get a glass of water and accidentally knocked down a folder from the desk.
He quickly crouched to pick it up, carefully organizing the papers back into the blue folder and placing it back on the desk.
As he was about to turn around, he noticed a small white piece of paper sticking out from the folder with the name “Tan Minmin.”
Cheng Yue’s heart skipped a beat. He slowly opened the folder and pulled out the paper.
The paper detailed Tan Minmin’s activities for the day.
Cheng Yue frowned, flipping through all the papers in the folder.
His gaze finally settled on a divorce agreement signed by his mother.
Cheng Yue stared at the divorce agreement for a long time, then examined the other papers in the folder before neatly putting everything back in place.
He didn’t get the water and instead sat down on the chair, his face pale and head bowed, lost in thought.
Cheng Yue didn’t remember when he fell asleep, but when he woke up, it was already time for evening classes. He quickly shoved the assignments into his backpack and headed out the door.
“What are you thinking about? You were spaced out for so long,” Chen Zong said, patting Cheng Yue’s shoulder. “By the way, do you know Bai Zhen?”
“Huh?” Cheng Yue, with his mind still on the divorce agreement, was startled by Chen Zong’s question.
“Do you know Bai Zhen from the senior year?” Chen Zong said. “He asked me for your phone number and address last time, but I didn’t give it to him.”
“Oh,” Cheng Yue responded.
“You…” Chen Zong rubbed his chin and looked at him for a while. “You seem a bit off. Why are you so down today?”
“Is that so?” Cheng Yue forced a smile.
“Hey, don’t just smile; it’s worrying,” Chen Zong said bluntly. “Did something happen? Bai Zhen didn’t trouble you, did he? He can be quite overbearing at our school. If he’s bothering you, even though I can’t beat him, I can still help you deal with him.”
“No,” Cheng Yue was quite impressed by Chen Zong’s imagination.
“How did you two meet?” Chen Zong asked curiously.
Cheng Yue thought for a moment. “Riding motorcycles?”
Chen Zong nodded in understanding. “Oh, riding motorcycles makes sense. Bai Zhen and his gang are quite famous in the local racing scene. By the way, do you have a racing motorcycle?”
Before Cheng Yue could answer, Chen Zong, excited, continued, “Can you lend it to me to ride?”
“Chen Zong!” Teacher Chen entered the classroom, noticing Chen Zong towering at the center of the room. “What are you up to? Looking for someone to accompany you to the bathroom? I can go with you if you need.”
Chen Zong chuckled twice and, bending down, returned to his seat.
“I’ll finish these few sentences and then we’ll end the evening self-study session,” Teacher Chen said, patting a student’s desk in the front row.
“Let me emphasize again: The senior year exams are approaching soon. There are only a few weeks left. After the exams, you’ll immediately have your academic exams. However, until now, some students in our class still have failing grades or very low scores in certain subjects. Time really flies! You’re very close to the end of senior year. Don’t relax now. It’s still not too late to work hard!”
Teacher Chen cleared his throat and gave an example, “Look at Cheng Yue in our class! After joining us, he failed the first comprehensive test for the whole class, but in the most recent major exam, he passed five subjects and scored 80 in English! This is visible progress!”
Cheng Yue, embarrassed by the praise, lowered his head.
Teacher Chen continued with some motivational words to boost morale before ending the evening self-study session.
As Cheng Yue left the school, his mind was buzzing. When someone patted his left shoulder, he turned to see who it was.
“Daydreaming again,” Bai Zhen said with a smile. “Sometimes you look so easy to bully.”
“Are you a senior?” Cheng Yue asked. “How come you seem so relaxed? Eating too much salt*?”
*T/N: From the idiom “salted fish”; lying flat and doing nothing
“Hey…” Bai Zhen shrugged. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed a leaf had fallen on Cheng Yue’s head.
“I’ll perform a magic trick for you,” Bai Zhen said, waving his bare hand in front of Cheng Yue to show he had nothing.
“Really?” Cheng Yue watched with interest.
“Watch carefully,” Bai Zhen said, quickly waving his hand. Then he reached out and took the leaf off Cheng Yue’s head, smiling as he presented it. “Ta-da…”
On the other side of the street, two people in a car were watching Cheng Yue and Bai Zhen.
Ji Xu, with a serious expression, was driving.
Tang Jing, sitting in the passenger seat with a curious look, said, “Hey, that kid seems to have some intentions.”
Ji Xu, looking out the car window, remained calm, his expression unreadable.
“Wow! Did you see Cheng Yue just smile at him?” Tang Jing exclaimed.
Ji Xu didn’t say anything.
As Bai Zhen tried to put his arm around Cheng Yue’s shoulders, Ji Xu got out of the car.
Tang Jing, with a series of clicks of his tongue, prepared to watch the drama unfold.
But as Tang Jing waited for the show, he saw Ji Xu walking over and smiling at Bai Zhen. The two even shook hands.
“Click, click, click,” Tang Jing said. “Quite the gentleman.”
“A gentleman is just a wolf with exceptional self-control,” Tang Jing continued, beginning to rant, “Wolves: Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order Carnivora, Family Canidae, Genus Canis…”
Before he could finish his rant, Ji Xu, holding Cheng Yue, walked back.
Tang Jing squinted, focusing on the boy standing by the roadside, who was shaking his hand in pain and inhaling sharply.
Then he looked at Ji Xu, who was elegantly guiding Cheng Yue across the street, and concluded, “A wolf is just a meat-eater. Don’t pretend to be a pillar of society and an elite.”
After Cheng Yue and Bai Zhen walked away, Bai Zhen’s tense expression finally broke, and he started twisting his hand in frustration, gritting his teeth but unable to shout out loud.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yue turned back after taking a few steps, startling Bai Zhen into quickly stopping his action and forcing a smile.
“What’s up?” Bai Zhen asked.
“My uncle wants to invite you to dinner to thank you for driving me to the hospital last time,” Cheng Yue said, completely unaware of the underlying tension between them.
Or rather, it was a one-sided domination by Ji Xu.
Bai Zhen: “…”
Bai Zhen looked at the gentlemanly man smiling at him, his anger turning his hand into a twisted mess.
Author’s note:
Come and recite with me… Gentleman (beast)!
Bai Zhen: My hand… is ruined…
