Chapter 47: Digging Wild Vegetables

Chapter 47: Digging Wild Vegetables

Cen Wu persuaded Xie Guiluan and then went to placate Cen Xiao. He wondered why, ever since he transmigrated into this book, he had been constantly placating men.

Cen Xiao had a cold expression.

"Brother." Cen Wu tugged at Cen Xiao's arm and shook it gently, carefully pleading with him.

He was afraid that the Cen family would discover Xie Guiluan's involvement in a murder, and they might not be able to accept it. Especially Cen Xiao, who definitely wouldn't allow him to date Xie Guiluan once he knew.

Although they weren't dating, Cen Xiao thought they were.

If the Cen family said anything, or even if their attitude had the slightest change, Xie Guiluan would sense it, and there would be no chance of reconciliation with the Cen family.

Xie Guiluan wasn't afraid of corpses; to him, anyone dying in front of him was just a pool of squirming blood and flesh. He had killed Chen Weiguo but felt nothing. He knew he wasn't quite normal, which was why he had a sense of atonement towards Song Lingwei.

He believed that much of Song Lingwei's misfortune was caused by him, so he had to take responsibility for the rest of her life.

That was all.

Xie Guiluan was cold and aloof, even arrogant, a person walking on the edge of the abyss. He hadn't been pushed to that point yet; otherwise, he would commit crimes again. Anyone who wanted to get close to him had to accept that he was the real murderer on that rainy night.

If they couldn't, they couldn't obtain his feelings. Obviously, Song Lingwei couldn't, and she began to fear Xie Guiluan, seeing him as a monster. Xie Guiluan no longer insisted on her love.

Cen Wu couldn't think of anyone who would betray or leave Xie Guiluan and still be forgiven.

"Wuwu," Cen Junshan saw them standing there and not moving, even after the car lights flashed a few times. He got out of the car with an umbrella and called them, "Such heavy rain, why aren't you getting in the car?"

"Coming," Cen Wu quickly responded and then looked at Cen Xiao with pleading eyes, flatteringly calling him, "Brother."

Cen Xiao hated seeing him like this, pining over a man, but he didn't dare let Cen Junshan notice. Cen Junshan was decisive and never had a good temper.

He definitely wouldn't allow Cen Wu to be with Xie Guiluan.

Cen Xiao was afraid that Cen Wu might do something drastic, like eloping. So, he had to let Xie Guiluan go for now. Cen Wu quickly ushered Xie Guiluan into the car.

Tonight, Cen Wu had slapped Xie Shangjing, and Cen Junshan had some conflict with Xie Mingcheng. Xie Guiluan staying here was a bit awkward, but with the Cen family's decorum, unless they deliberately targeted Xie Guiluan, they wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable.

Guan Xingxue sat in the passenger seat and talked to Cen Wu, occasionally asking Xie Guiluan a few questions, not ignoring him.

Cen Xiao had a cold face earlier, but after getting in the car, he didn't give Xie Guiluan any more trouble, just focused on driving.

Cen Wu finally felt relieved.

He was worried that Xie Guiluan would be bullied at the Xie family, but not too much. Xie Guiluan was cold-hearted and ruthless, and a pampered eldest young master like Xie Shangjing wasn't a match for him.

If Xie Guiluan had wanted to kill him, Xie Shangjing wouldn't have known how he died. If Xie Mingcheng's danger level was five stars, Xie Shangjing was maybe two.

Xie Mingcheng was more tricky, but he thought Xie Guiluan was his son. He was counting on Xie Guiluan to take over his casino, so he definitely wouldn't push Xie Guiluan to a dead end.

But Xie Guiluan generally didn't resist, like when he was held down and forced to kneel at the horse racetrack. Even when the whip drew blood, he didn't make a sound, which worried Cen Wu about him being mistreated at the Xie family.

The car's interior light was dim. Xie Guiluan sat by the door, the neon lights of the rainy night casting shadows on his sharp and chiseled side profile, cold and stoic. His eyes were deeply set in the darkness.

Cen Wu took off his jacket and placed it on his knees, then, using the jacket as cover, he secretly reached over and touched Xie Guiluan's hand.

Placating men.

Xie Guiluan's fingers curled slightly, and he turned his head to look at him, then hooked his finger and tightly clasped Cen Wu's hand in his palm.

Xie Guiluan’s palms were burning hot, yet his fingers were pale and icy cold. Cen Wu felt that he still needed to drink more goji berry tea.

He’s not some male ghost, you know.

Who’s hand is this, trying to freeze someone to death?

Halfway through the drive, Cen Wu's phone suddenly vibrated. Meng Liangping, with a hard heart, sent the report cards to the class group chat tonight. Everyone had been excitedly discussing the gala, but suddenly, wails of despair filled the group.

"Ahhh, I was still scrolling through the gala photos when this hit me. Couldn't we be happy for just one more night? Big cry.jpg"

"Old Meng! I don't care about anything else, I just want to know if we can go on the autumn outing, waaa. I’m not in the last place this time!"

"What the heck, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. How many points did the second young master get???"

Cen Wu was caught off guard and suddenly felt nervous. He scrolled through the report card and saw that Xie Guiluan had 742 points, still ranking first in the grade. He truly was Cen Wu’s pride and joy.

Scrolling further, he unexpectedly saw his own score.

532 points.

The previous version of him had only scored 132 on the last exam, so he had improved by a full 400 points, significantly boosting the class average.

At that moment, Meng Liangping also replied to the messages.

"Meng Liangping: To be honest, a few classmates didn’t do well in this exam, but some made tremendous progress. Overall, our class did quite well. The principal has already agreed to the autumn outing. We’ll leave right after the parent-teacher meeting. Rose.jpg, thumbs up.jpg"

The class group erupted in excitement.

Other classes had to pay for their autumn outing, but thanks to Lu Wang, everything was free for them. The school provided bus transportation, and they didn’t even need to pay for fares. Everyone who could go wanted to join.

Cen Junshan was momentarily stunned when he saw the grade report. His deep-set eyebrows gave him a somewhat fierce appearance, and years of navigating the business world had added a sense of calm and composure, along with the noble aura of someone in a high position. But at this moment, a smile inevitably crept into his eyes.

He had braced himself for Cen Wu to be at the bottom of the class, as his son had never been particularly good at academics.

Who would have thought that Cen Wu would score over 500 this time?

It was as if their ancestors were finally smiling down on them.

"Alright," said Cen Junshan, sitting in the back seat, feeling an overwhelming surge of fatherly love. He reached out and rubbed Cen Wu’s hair. "What do you want to get?"

Cen Wu shook his head. He had no desires and didn’t dare spend the Cen family’s money.

He secretly poked Cen Junshan a few times. When Cen Junshan turned his head in confusion, he saw Cen Wu clutching Xie Guiluan’s school uniform jacket. Cen Junshan immediately understood the hint.

He had no choice but to sincerely praise Xie Guiluan. After all, although Cen Xiao had frequently been at the top of his grade, his scores had never been as good as Xie Guiluan’s.

Xie Mingcheng was too sinister and ruthless. He didn’t want to deal with Xie Mingcheng, but unfortunately, Xie Guiluan was Xie Mingcheng’s illegitimate son.

What a pity.

That evening, backstage was a mess during the performance. Everyone had skipped dinner, so Guan Xingxue had the old butler prepare some late-night snacks, including stir-fried vegetables, hairy crabs, and fish soup.

It was already autumn, and the crabs were full of rich, fatty roe. Cen Wu grabbed a few crabs, a fish, and some of everything else before taking Xie Guiluan to his bedroom to eat.

He was worried that Xie Guiluan would feel uncomfortable in the dining room and wouldn’t be able to eat his fill.

Guan Xingxue and the others didn’t say anything. After all, it wasn’t the first time Xie Guiluan had come over to the Cen family’s house. The Cen family wasn’t big on formalities and wouldn’t find it impolite. Cen Wu could do whatever he wanted.

If it were the Xie family, Xie’s father would definitely be furious.

Cen Wu pattered into the kitchen and grabbed a crab for Xie Guiluan. Cen Xiao was staring at him intensely from the side. Cen Wu, already seen as lovesick in Cen Xiao’s eyes, gritted his teeth and put the crab in Xie Guiluan’s bowl, then grabbed another, and another.

He was beyond saving in Cen Xiao’s eyes, so a few crabs wouldn’t make a difference. At least he wasn’t digging up weeds; digging up crabs was fine.

"You’re being so stingy!" Guan Xingxue scolded, pushing Cen Xiao’s forehead. "What are you guarding the crabs for?"

Cen Xiao’s face remained expressionless, but after Guan Xingxue left, he painfully shook his head. Was he really guarding the crabs?

No, he was guarding his son’s innocence!

No one understood him at all.

Cen Wu carried the crabs over to Xie Guiluan. He wasn’t very hungry, but Xie Guiluan must be starving. Xie Guiluan barely got by at the Xie household; sometimes Xie Shangjing deliberately forced him to eat leftovers.

He wanted to destroy his dignity.

"You… eat this first," Cen Wu said, handing Xie Guiluan a crab with fatty roe almost dripping onto his hand.

"The second young master," Xie Guiluan said, his thin lips pressing together, "I’ll do it myself."

Cen Wu told him, "No, you eat."

Xie Guiluan had no choice but to lower his head and eat. His eating manner wasn’t bad, but as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, when he was really hungry, he couldn’t help but eat ravenously.

Cen Wu helped him remove the fish bones beside him. On this rainy night, lights dotted the Cen family estate, illuminating the long night. Cen Wu only handed the fish to Xie Guiluan after making sure it was completely bone-free.

Xie Guiluan disliked fish bones, but he didn’t like boneless fish either. He only enjoyed fish with bones, making him notoriously hard to please.

Eldest young master.

Cen Wu felt his heart soften again. Since Xie Guiluan arrived in Huai Jing, he hadn’t eaten fish. He had to take care of Song Lingwei, all while attending school and working part-time. He slept at most three or four hours a day.

There was no time to eat something as troublesome as fish.

Song Lingwei might have loved him a little, but she loved herself more.

Cen Wu lowered his lashes. His deep tear troughs made his pale side profile look soft and tender as he carefully removed the fish bones.

He had been too afraid to do this before, fearing Xie Guiluan would find it distasteful. But now, Xie Guiluan probably wouldn’t mind too much, right?

“Here,” Cen Wu said, handing the plate to Xie Guiluan with anticipation. “You… you should eat this.”

“……” Xie Guiluan looked at him and obediently ate, bite by bite.

Cen Wu’s beautiful eyelashes curled into a smile.

He seemed willing to do anything for him. On this rainy night with no moon, he became the moon, as if he had been concerned about him for a long time.

Cen Xiao owned a German Shepherd named Duke. Due to the recent heavy rains, he couldn’t take Duke for walks. So, he played with Duke in the villa for a while, but the dog ran to Cen Wu with its collar and leash, whining as it rested its head on Cen Wu’s legs.

Cen Wu rubbed Duke’s head and said, “I can’t take you out for a walk either.”

Cen Xiao had been annoyed with Xie Guiluan, but just then, Xie Guiluan happened to crack open a crab and place it next to Cen Wu. Cen Xiao was slightly satisfied, seeing some initiative at last.

Since Duke didn’t want to leave and Cen Wu had finished his meal, Cen Xiao went downstairs, leaving the dog to play for a bit longer.

Pavlov’s dog.

Xie Guiluan still remembered the old policeman’s question, though at the time, he really didn’t understand what “Pavlov’s dog” meant.

Cen Wu sat on the woolen carpet by the bed, and Duke lay on Cen Wu’s legs, the dog’s eyes glancing at Xie Guiluan.

Xie Guiluan’s dark peach blossom eyes darkened, his throat bobbing. He had never laid his head on Cen Wu’s legs.

After playing for a while, Duke ran back to Cen Xiao again, but Cen Wu noticed that the dog had forgotten its collar.

The black leather collar lay in Cen Wu’s pale hands as he pressed the hidden clasp. The collar suddenly sprang open, surprising him. He looked up and met Xie Guiluan’s dark, obscure gaze.

“What’s wrong, brother?”

He remembered Xie Guiluan once said he would be a dog for him. This man really dared to say anything. Holding the collar, Cen Wu leaned over to tease him. “Wh… what? Do you want to put it on?”

Being a dog for a man never ends well. Though he couldn’t resort to physical punishment, he couldn’t let Xie Guiluan stray.

But as soon as he said it, he recalled that the original owner and Xie Shangjing had indeed used such a thing on Xie Guiluan. His face paled slightly, regretting his joke with Xie Guiluan.

Just as Cen Wu was about to apologize, Xie Guiluan’s crimson thin lips curled slightly, a somewhat mocking smile forming as he said, “Okay.”

Cen Wu: “……”

Cen Wu: ???

Xie Guiluan knelt on the carpet, his tall and imposing figure looming over Cen Wu as he tightly gripped his wrist.

Cen Wu was stunned, unable to react in time. With a significant disparity in strength, Xie Guiluan sought to control him, and he couldn't break free. His snow-white ears turned red with embarrassment, and he kicked Xie Guiluan's knee. But Xie Guiluan seemed impervious to pain. Cen Wu could only watch in helpless frustration as the black leather collar fastened around Xie Guiluan's cold, pale neck, pressing against his throat.

Xie Guiluan lowered his head, his face dark and handsome. His deep peach blossom eyes stared intently at Cen Wu, and he forcefully clasped Cen Wu's fingers, forcing him to snap the lock shut.

Xie Guiluan's skin had a cold, ashen pallor, while the collar was pure black. As his throat bobbed, it was both cold and seductive.

Cen Wu's eyelashes fluttered wildly, and blood rushed to his face. His voice wavered, his face flushed red, and his eyes darted nervously, too embarrassed to look up. "W-what are you doing?!"

Who could resist this kind of temptation? Everyone has their weaknesses. Cen Wu bit his lip, making his already rosy lips even redder, his breathing slightly heavier. Suddenly, Xie Guiluan lowered his head, breaking his usual cold aloofness, and anyone would find it exhilarating.

Don't tempt him any further, bro. He really didn't have much willpower.

"We agreed, I'm the second young master's little dog," Xie Guiluan finally found a suitable reason. He lay on Cen Wu's lap, grabbed Cen Wu's hand, and forced him to stroke the collar, his tone both resentful and slightly malicious. "Does the second young master not want me anymore, huh?"