Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Cheng Nanyi found a T-shirt and shorts for Yuan Ting, along with a new pair of underwear.

"It might be a bit big, but it'll do," Cheng Nanyi said.

"Heh." Yuan Ting swung the underwear, glanced suggestively at a certain part of Cheng Nanyi, snickered, and then slammed the bathroom door shut.

Looking down on someone, are we?

Cheng Nanyi: "???" The kid's competitive spirit is quite strong.

Yuan Ting came out from a refreshing shower just as Ding Ran and the others returned from dinner, bringing two portions of food: "Cheng Nanyi, we bought meals for you and your brother."

"Thanks, how much do I owe you?" Cheng Nanyi said, taking out his wallet to pay.

"No need, it's just a meal."

"No, let me pay you..."

"What are you paying for?" Yuan Ting snatched his wallet, "We're family, thanks brothers."

Cheng Nanyi paused and then remained silent.

After dinner, around 7 PM, Yuan Ting stood up and said to Cheng Nanyi, "Brother, I'll find a place to stay near the school gate, and contact Brother Zhang in the morning. Don't worry about us, we'll go back on our own."

"I checked at noon; the places near the school gate are just small inns..." Cheng Nanyi hesitated, "Stay in the dorm for tonight."

Yuan Ting, knowing Cheng Nanyi disliked those dirty inns, waved it off nonchalantly, "It's fine, I'll go by myself, you stay in the dorm."

"No way."

"Why not?" Yuan Ting glared at him.

"Because I won't let you stay in an inn alone, and I'm not going to stay in one either. So, you can't go either. Got it?"

Sorry, I don't understand.

Yuan Ting: "...I won't, I'm going."

"No." Cheng Nanyi had already picked up the blanket to change its cover. Yuan Ting had been in his clothes all day and had gotten onto the bed, so the bedding needed changing.

"I'm not a kid anymore, why can't I stay by myself?" Yuan Ting didn't want to share a bed with Cheng Nanyi.

Apart from when they were children sleeping together at their grandmother's, he had never shared a bed with Cheng Nanyi in his life, and he especially didn't want to now that Cheng Nanyi was an adult.

"That's just a psychological shadow."

Cheng Nanyi didn't even want to talk to him anymore.

Yu Tong'en laughed, "Little brother, your brother is just worried about you. This bed doesn't seem too small; if you both squeeze a bit on your sides, it should work."

"Exactly, your brother is a neat freak, he definitely wouldn't stay in those small inns at the door." Zhu Lian added, "It's just one night, even a neat freak like your brother doesn't mind you, and you're fussing about him? You brothers are really something, hahaha..."

Yuan Ting: "..." Truly, I'm my own worst enemy.

Yuan Ting was forced to share a bed with Cheng Nanyi.

The single bed was indeed small, and two boys over 1.8 meters tall couldn't turn over when lying on it. Luckily, Yuan Ting was slim, which eased the burden on the bed.

Cheng Nanyi slept on the outside, while Yuan Ting was against the wall, facing inward.

The dorm lights went out at ten, and initially, everyone was chatting. Gradually, the conversation died down as they all fell asleep.

Cheng Nanyi, feeling the person beside him moving constantly, sighed helplessly and whispered, "Can you stay still?"

"What can I do if I can't sleep? I slept most of the afternoon, especially sleeping next to you, how can anyone sleep?"

"So, what do you want to do?" Cheng Nanyi, not wanting to disturb others, turned over and whispered in his ear.

Feeling the warm breath on his ear, Yuan Ting shrank back and tentatively negotiated, "How about you forgive my 500,000 debt? I might just fall asleep from happiness."

"Huh." Cheng Nanyi laughed in exasperation, quite the lion's request.

"Then just stay awake."

Yuan Ting: "...What about the 100,000?"

Alright, Cheng Nanyi had stopped paying him any attention.

Yuan Ting turned over in silence, and the next second, Cheng Nanyi wrapped his arms around him from behind, trapping him in his embrace: "If you don't sleep, I need to. Move again, and I'll smack you."

Damn it!!!

Yuan Ting, held in the embrace, nearly split in half.

Feeling the person in his arms stiffen instantly, Cheng Nanyi wondered if he was holding too tightly. But he was too tired, his eyelids fighting to stay open, and he didn't adjust his hold, finally enjoying some stillness.

Yuan Ting, eyes wide open, stared at the ceiling, whispering, "Brother..." let me go.

"Brother..." Cheng Nanyi, damn it, I'm telling you to let me go, can't you hear? “

"Brother..."

A hand stretched over to cover Yuan Ting's mouth.

Yuan Ting: "Mmm..."

Cheng Nanyi, let me go already!!!

……

Yuan Ting, plagued with insomnia, slept like the dead the next day. Cheng Nanyi had to get up early for classes, and when he lifted the blanket to get out of bed, he saw Yuan Ting's T-shirt had rolled up, and his shorts were loosely hanging around his waist.

"Cheng Nanyi." Ding Ran came over and leaned on the bed to call him.

Cheng Nanyi quickly covered him with the blanket, then turned to look at Ding Ran.

"Let your brother sleep here, we'll go to the classroom."

"Okay." Cheng Nanyi rolled out of bed.

When Yuan Ting woke up, the dorm was empty. Cheng Nanyi had messaged him to snack on something for now and promised to take him out for lunch when he returned at noon.

Yuan Ting got up to wash and then changed into another set of Cheng Nanyi's clothes, which were a bit large for him. He had spent the night dreaming about holding up his pants, afraid they'd be gone when he woke up.

After having lunch in the canteen with Cheng Nanyi and Xiao Zhang at noon, Cheng Nanyi asked Xiao Zhang to take Yuan Ting back.

Before leaving, Yuan Ting patted Cheng Nanyi's shoulder earnestly, "Brother, with so many beauties in college, not dating is a waste of youth. Please find me a sister-in-law soon."

Cheng Nanyi brushed off Yuan Ting's hand, looking at him indifferently, "I’ve bought the books for you; they’re in the trunk. Don’t forget to write your reading notes."

Yuan Ting: "..." Any lingering sense of parting sorrow just evaporated.

Heh, we're miles apart now, how are you going to control me?

Bye-bye then.

Watching Yuan Ting get into the car without looking back, Xiao Zhang chuckled, "The young master must be heartbroken, probably crying in the car now."

"..." Cheng Nanyi gave him an indescribable look, "Drive slower on the way back."

……

The day after returning from Chuanhai, Yuan Ting also started school.

Yuan Ting also got into No. 1 Middle School, but with average grades, so he ended up in the same class as Duan Wenze again, while Gu Yuqi was in the top class.

The grandmother was philosophical: "It's enough if one child in the family excels in studies. Not everyone can be top-notch. Xiao Ting, don't feel pressured, let your father work his job and support you."

Yuan Ting wholeheartedly agreed, his life's strategy being to rely on his dad and take it easy.

Why live life so strenuously?

Isn't it nice to be an idle fish?

Yuan Ting spent his days joyfully with Duan Wenze at the back of the class, playing with his phone, reading novels, and gaming – a blissful existence.

What?

Caught by the teacher? Standing punishment? Write a self-criticism?

Sorry, but shamelessness is unbeatable.

The back rows in every class are the trouble spots, but Yuan Ting's middle school exam scores ranked decently, unlike Duan Wenze who only scored in the thirties in English.

So, the teachers didn't want to give up on Yuan Ting, but he was truly a headache. Fed up with constant talks, he deliberately scored last in the first high school monthly test, nearly giving the teacher a heart attack.

The teacher finally gave up on him, and Yuan Ting happily resumed his carefree days.

With the ever-increasing capabilities of smartphones and the availability of computer games, life was incredibly enjoyable.

Yuan Ting, with his dual lifetime of experience, summarized a worldly wisdom: "When you give up striving and fully relax, you'll discover how beautiful the world really is."

And to add, especially when your dad is still striving, it's even more beautiful.

What about his brother?

Oh, sorry, they haven't been in much contact since he started university.

In fact, they didn't communicate much before either, but with Yuan Xiao's intervention, Yuan Ting couldn't avoid it. Now in different cities, Cheng Nanyi couldn't catch him even if he wanted to.

"It's the holidays, let's pull an all-nighter at the internet café," Duan Wenze suggested while packing up his bag.

"Sure, but you're treating, I'm broke," Yuan Ting responded.

"You pauper, you'll die poor," Duan Wenze said exasperatedly. "I swear you have no shame, you might as well tattoo 'I'm broke' on your forehead."

"Being broke is nothing to be ashamed of," Yuan Ting retorted sharply. "What's the use of pride? Can it be eaten?"

Duan Wenze: "..." Impressive.

A seven-day holiday for high school students was akin to celebrating the New Year.

Yuan Ting and Duan Wenze walked out of the school happily, discussing grabbing a big meal before spending the night at an internet café, when Duan Wenze suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my, your brother..."

"What about my brother?" Yuan Ting followed Duan Wenze's gaze and then froze.

There was a regular black Volkswagen parked at the school entrance.

But the person standing beside the car was anything but ordinary.

Dressed in a simple white T-shirt, black trousers, white sneakers, his hair freshly trimmed and looking sharp, he stood straight, occasionally glancing casually towards the school.

The scene seemed almost otherworldly.

Yuan Ting stood rooted to the spot in astonishment.

Cheng Nanyi saw him and started walking over.

Yuan Ting stared at him blankly.

Cheng Nanyi stopped in front of him: "What, surprised to see me?"

"…No, why would I be?" Yuan Ting pursed his lips, it's the National Day holiday, it’s normal for him to come back.

Don't overthink it.

"Let's go, get in the car." Cheng Nanyi reached out to take his backpack.

The backpack was light, and when Cheng Nanyi looked inside, he found a bunch of empty beverage bottles and not a single book.

Cheng Nanyi frowned: "What's this?"

"…" Yuan Ting gave a dry laugh, "…Waste not, want not, they're all money..."

Cheng Nanyi: "…"

Author’s note:

Expertly self-deprecating, haha…

Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or nourished me with their support from 2023-09-12 15:11:55 to 2023-09-13 19:28:00~

Thank you to the little angels for nourishing: Xia Mao Mao Yu 26 bottles; Hey Hey 15 bottles; Zhang Mu Da., Bu Fan 14 bottles; Xiao Xiao Wu, 67593036 10 bottles; Ran Mo Mo 5 bottles; Miao Miao Miaomiao 4 bottles; Manmi, Pufferfish Melon, Xi, Shui Feng Qing 1 bottle each;

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!