Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Han Chengfeng was quick on the uptake. Seeing Shen Ju defending someone, he immediately asked who it was.

Shen Ju began, "My brother—"

Han Chengfeng gasped, blurting out, "Just how many good brothers do you have?"

Shen Ju: "?"

How many could he possibly have?

Standing nearby, Guan Mulin said exasperatedly, "This is Shen Ju's cousin, and my cousin too, Jian Yi."

Jian Yi nodded to the group. "Hello."

Han Chengfeng glanced around, made eye contact with Ke Cheng, and, considering Shen Ju and Guan Mulin's backgrounds, they both had a pretty good idea of this "cousin's" identity. They hadn't expected Shen Ju to still be in touch with his original family, or that someone would even transfer to their Qichen.

"Let's have lunch together at noon," Guan Mulin offered.

To be honest, he hadn’t met Jian Yi many times.

Only a few times when the family first reconnected.

Even after meeting, they didn’t have much contact.

Back then, he was caught up in the upheaval of his changing family situation. It was hard to keep up with the people or events around him. Although he wasn’t completely lost and had done some self-reflection and processing, he still couldn’t adjust immediately. So, when facing his true relatives, he couldn’t get into the right mindset to be close to them right away, and even felt a bit awkward.

He didn’t know what Jian Yi thought.

But Guan Mulin always felt that his cousin was also keeping his distance.

They hadn’t even exchanged contact information.

So after that, unless absolutely necessary, Guan Mulin made sure not to bother him.

But now that Jian Yi had transferred to Qichen, regardless, he was still family by blood. Guan Mulin felt he should be more proactive.

"Then I’ll join you guys for lunch too," Han Chengfeng volunteered.

Pei Haochuan rubbed his temples and shot Han Chengfeng a look.

"What!"

Han Chengfeng retorted defensively, "Shen Ju is under my wing, what’s wrong with having a meal with his brother?!"

"Besides, I’ve treated you guys before!"

Pei Haochuan said innocently, "Did I say anything?"

Han Chengfeng: "............"

Damn it, I really want to fight.

As it happened, Pei Haochuan remembered he hadn’t brought up the tutoring yet, so he took the initiative and said, "I’ll reserve a table at the small cafeteria. We can just go straight over at noon."

But by noon, it was Han Chengfeng who ended up paying.

Because Han Chengfeng showed up with an extra person.

Just like how Guan Mulin, Pei Haochuan, and the others usually stuck together, Han Chengfeng had his own crew. However, unlike the dynamic between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan, Han Chengfeng enjoyed being the one in charge, so his group mostly consisted of people who gravitated towards him. After all, only a few occupied the top tier in any given class.

Han Chengfeng would never admit that those in his tier—like Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan—wouldn't hang out with him.

Hmph, anyway, he had Shen Ju now.

Coincidentally, Wei Tianxi came looking for him around lunch, so Han Chengfeng thought he’d introduce him to Shen Ju.

But as soon as they sat down, Pei Haochuan brought up the tutoring.

He started with Shen Ju.

"My uncle tutors personally. This is a golden opportunity you can't just get. You experienced it during the break, right? Didn’t everything just click?"

Pei Haochuan was afraid of Pei Yan himself and didn’t want to go for tutoring, so he assumed others felt the same. Thus, lying through his teeth, he praised Pei Yan several times—how attentive and detailed his teaching was, how he was a top-tier student, how you couldn’t hire someone like him outside—basically making Pei Yan sound like a saint, all to persuade Shen Ju to continue tutoring with Pei Yan.

If Shen Ju went, then it would be easier to convince Guan Mulin.

996 chimed in, "What is this? Isn’t this like a pillow appearing when you’re sleepy?"

Shen Ju hadn’t expected it either.

Just yesterday he’d been thinking about finding a chance to tutor with Pei Yan again, and today the opportunity presented itself.

Guan Mulin’s ears perked up.

What did that mean?

Had Shen Ju originally wanted to continue tutoring with Pei Yan?

996: "Perfect timing, since you also wanted to bring Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin along. Now that Pei Haochuan is already going, host, think of a way to persuade Guan Mulin to go as well."

"After all, both protagonists are indispensable, especially the protagonist shou."

Guan·protagonist shou·Mulin: "............"

Oh no, he really wanted to refuse!

Before Shen Ju could speak, Han Chengfeng, who’d listened to Pei Haochuan’s spiel, couldn’t hold back—

"Wait, you’re talking about your uncle, Pei Yan?"

Pei Haochuan rolled his eyes. "Who else?"

"............"

Han Chengfeng: "Although I don’t deny Brother Pei’s awesomeness—after all, he’s a legend at Qichen—but Brother Pei is detailed and gentle? Are you serious?"

Pei Haochuan rubbed the tip of his nose.

Feeling guilty.

But Shen Ju actually disagreed somewhat: "I think Brother Pei is really good."

Pei Haochuan and Han Chengfeng turned to him simultaneously: "...You’re serious?"

The two then looked at each other and simultaneously made gagging noises.

At that moment, Wei Tianxi suddenly spoke up: "Didn’t you know? When Pei Yan was at Qichen, he was famously known as the 'Ice King.' He was the president of the student council, and back then, hardly anyone dared to cross him because he showed no mercy. It’s said that both boys and girls were reduced to tears by him, to the point where many didn’t dare get too close."

Shen Ju: "Are you really talking about Brother Pei?"

996: "Exactly, are they spreading some misunderstanding? Brother Pei is a super nice guy."

Guan Mulin: "............"

Pei Haochuan couldn’t help but stick up for his uncle: "That was back when my uncle was in high school. He’s better now."

At least he smiles now.

Though often it’s more of a fake smile...

Wei Tianxi had always followed Han Chengfeng’s lead. Previously, Han Chengfeng was on bad terms with Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan, so Wei Tianxi hadn’t had many "positive exchanges" with them either. It was rare for them to sit at the same table now. Seeing Pei Haochuan engage with what he said, Wei Tianxi couldn’t resist asking further: "So, is that rumor about Pei Yan true? The one about—"

Before he could finish, Pei Haochuan’s face suddenly fell as he shot him a glare.

Wei Tianxi immediately clammed up, frightened.

Shen Ju, not noticing, continued asking: "What rumor?"

Jian Yi, who was sitting nearby, noticed and frowned slightly, then pulled on Shen Ju’s sleeve.

"It’s nothing."

Pei Haochuan withdrew his gaze from Wei Tianxi and said dismissively, "It’s nothing major, just some private family stuff."

"Oh."

Shen Ju nodded and didn’t ask further.

No matter what rumors surrounded Pei Yan, the Pei Yan he knew was truly good—very, very good.

Han Chengfeng gave Wei Tianxi an exasperated look and smoothly changed the subject: "So, Shen Ju, are you going to the tutoring sessions?"

Shen Ju nodded firmly: "Yes."

"I don’t want to be an underachiever."

"Your grades aren’t bad," Jian Yi remarked.

Shen Ju bumped Jian Yi’s arm and smiled: "Well, they’re definitely not as good as yours, dude."

Wei Tianxi instinctively glanced at Jian Yi.

Jian Yi was sensitive to others’ gazes and immediately looked up, meeting Wei Tianxi’s eyes.

Wei Tianxi stared at Jian Yi for a couple of seconds before looking away.

Jian Yi frowned involuntarily.

He didn’t think he knew this person, but somehow it felt like...

"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about tutoring anymore."

Han Chengfeng rubbed his hands together: "Why don’t we talk about the Ant Bazaar? It’s rare for seniors to have some relaxation time, and that day is also the school’s open day. Other schools basically don’t have this event. What are you all planning to sell? I remember last time at the Ant Bazaar, someone just went up like a busker with a guitar."

Ke Cheng looked Han Chengfeng up and down: "Are you planning to hawk your skills? I didn’t know you had any."

Han Chengfeng rolled his eyes: "I’ve learned street dance, okay!"

Pei Haochuan: "If you’re willing to put on a one-man circus act by yourself, that’s fine too. I’ll definitely toss you a few extra bucks then."

"Shit!"

Han Chengfeng pushed up his sleeves: "I was just saying—I haven’t decided what to sell yet—ugh! I didn’t mean I’d sell myself—wait, that’s not right—"

Why was he making it worse?!

Shen Ju asked curiously: "What’s the Ant Bazaar?"

"Simply put, it’s Qichen’s way of doing charity," Guan Mulin explained. "Basically, every senior class holds one. Students set up stalls and decide what to sell. It’s the school’s open day, so parents and family can be invited. The money raised from sales goes to charity. If sales are high, the school even gives out awards to the students."

"Really, it’s just to make students put more effort in so they raise more charity funds."

Jian Yi roughly understood.

Wasn’t this just charity with extra steps?

"The charity funds are meant to be donated, right?" Jian Yi frowned as he spoke. "If that’s the case, why make it so complicated? Why not just ask students to donate directly?"

"You don’t get it," Wei Tianxi retorted.

Wei Tianxi smirked and said: "Don’t be naive. Didn’t you hear? It’s also the school’s open day, and parents and family are invited."

"What kind of families do you think send their kids to Qichen? Holding an Ant Bazaar isn’t just about raising charity funds. Think deeper—parents can also use this school event to meet and mingle with each other, building connections. Otherwise, why do you think parents come? Just to donate money?"

Before Jian Yi could respond, Shen Ju looked at Wei Tianxi and said: "I don’t understand it either."

Wei Tianxi’s expression stiffened.

Guan Mulin laughed lightly: "It’s fine, Shen Ju. Some parents do need this event to socialize and expand their networks, but not all parents require that—so it’s okay if you don’t understand. As for my cousin, he certainly doesn’t need it either, since he has me and Shen Ju in the Guan family."

The subtext was that not everyone needed to understand the deeper significance or demands.

Wei Tianxi’s expression grew even more ugly.

To make matters worse, Han Chengfeng glared at Wei Tianxi and mumbled under his breath: "Blabbermouth."

By the end of the meal, Jian Yi had gotten a first taste of how Qichen differed from Yude.

He now felt somewhat glad about coming to Qichen.

If Shen Jiujiu were alone at Qichen, he’d probably be picked on without even realizing it.

During afternoon gym class, Jian Yi didn’t stay in the classroom but went to the basketball court with Shen Ju.

He had to watch out for Shen Ju.

Originally, Shen Ju had thought about ditching this gym class.

He knew Jian Yi never attended gym class—he had a pass to skip it, just like back at Yude.

Shen Ju thought that since Jian Yi had just arrived at Qichen today, he should at least stick with him.

But then Han Chengfeng came up to the window—

"Come on, let's go play basketball together. Our classes have PE at the same time anyway."

Han Chengfeng whispered, "This time, we won't bring that loudmouth Wei Tianxi along. He's got such a smart mouth."

Shen Ju still wanted to refuse.

"You had a great time playing at the basketball court last time. I could tell you really enjoyed it," Han Chengfeng added.

Jian Yi was intrigued and took the initiative to persuade Shen Ju to go to class.

He said he would go too.

"Perfect, I’d like to see how you play basketball. I can help get the balls for you."

Han Chengfeng laughed, "That’s great! Thanks, man!"

Just then, Pei Haochuan passed by and noticed Jian Yi’s lips twitching into a slight smile. He thought to himself, *Shen Ju and Mu Lin’s older cousin actually seems to have a pretty good impression of Han Chengfeng?!*

He stopped and said, "Fine, last time we were on the same team. This time, let’s split up and play against each other."

"Shen Ju is on my team!"

Guan Mulin also happened to pass by, "Then I’ll be on Shen Ju’s team too."

Pei Haochuan suddenly turned his head, looking completely betrayed!

"...Mu Lin?!"

Guan Mulin scratched his nose and averted his gaze.

Ke Cheng spoke up, "Uh, then I’ll team up with Haochuan?"

Han Chengfeng grinned, feeling triumphant, feeling that recruiting Shen Ju as his sidekick was the best decision he’d ever made! Even Guan Mulin was taking his side—hahaha, he was going to piss Pei Haochuan off!

............

The outdoor activity areas at Qichen were very spacious.

PE classes offered a variety of activities and provided plenty of equipment and tools.

The basketball court was outdoor, with no barriers around it. Just beyond it was a tree-lined path. As Pei Yan walked past with the principal, he spotted Shen Ju right away.

It was strange.

The basketball court was fairly crowded, and there were even groups of people gathered around watching the game.

But his eyes immediately landed on Shen Ju.

He saw Shen Ju’s relaxed smile, the unique youthful energy radiating from him.

This time, Shen Ju wasn’t just defending—he was actively running across the court. Some of his moves were still a bit clumsy, not yet smooth or practiced, but it was hard to look away. Pei Yan thought perhaps it was because whenever Shen Ju wasn’t preoccupied with missions, his tenacious, weed-like resilience became especially noticeable.

Like a little sparrow fluttering its wings, it made Pei Yan look his way a few more times.

Or maybe it was the contrast between his duty-bound demeanor and this carefree version that occasionally made him feel a little sorry for him.

Noticing Pei Yan had stopped and seemed to be watching something, the principal also paused and followed his gaze.

"Oh right, your nephew is over there."

"He’s in his senior year now too."

Pei Yan responded with an "Mm."

In truth, he hadn’t even noticed Pei Haochuan.

The principal smiled. "It’s rare for you to have time to come back. Coincidentally, the senior year Ant Market is about to open. Make sure to come and join when it happens."

As they were talking,

they saw Shen Ju fumbled the basketball, sending it flying out of the court.

Someone bent down and picked it up with one hand.

Shen Ju ran over with a smile, chatting with that person.

Even from Pei Yan’s distance, he could tell Shen Ju’s expression was full of familiarity.

The person was mostly turned away from him.

But Pei Yan could probably guess who it was.

Jian Yi.

Seeing Shen Ju and Jian Yi together for the second time, Pei Yan couldn’t help but pause, his expression slightly troubled.