Chapter 51

Chapter 51

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Ju pressed his lips together.

He thought to himself that it wasn’t entirely impossible.

After all, although Brother Pei was only four years older than him, he was already working. In college, dating wasn't something they had to worry about anymore, let alone once you're out in the real world.

He had heard many people online say that during high school, their families constantly told them not to date, claiming it would interfere with their studies.

But once they entered college, all those rules went out the window.

Some families even started urging them to date and find a partner.

And after graduating from college, it became even more intense.

Some families even began pushing them to get married and have children, as if they were racing against some invisible clock.

He wondered if Brother Pei’s family would pressure him too.

Probably, right?

After all, Brother Pei was older in the family hierarchy—his nephew Pei Haochuan was already so old. Wouldn’t Brother Pei’s father want to see him start a family and establish himself?

“Are you helping my family nag me about getting married?”

“Huh?”

Shen Ju only then realized he had said that last part out loud without realizing. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, “I just saw a lot of that kind of pressure online...”

“Then getting engaged to you just happens to take care of that problem for me.”

“But...”

Pei Yan looked at Shen Ju and asked, “You said you have someone you like. Do you know what it feels like to like someone?”

Ah, was Brother Pei asking him for advice?

Shen Ju sat up a little straighter and thought seriously. “Liking someone? I think when you like someone, your heart races because of them. You find yourself thinking about them when you least expect it and can’t shake those thoughts. When you see the person you like, you feel nervous, shy, and a bit embarrassed, but you still want to be close to them.”

“In short, the person you like should feel different from everyone else.”

Pei Yan thought to himself, *He's got a way with words.*

*But why doesn’t he ever think of me that way?*

“Oh, so that’s what liking someone feels like.”

Pei Yan leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on Shen Ju, and said casually, “Then it seems I might have someone I like.”

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

“Shen Ju? Shen Ju? ...Hey! Shen Jiujiu!”

Shen Ju snapped back to attention with an “Ah” and looked at Han Chengfeng across from him. “What?”

Han Chengfeng rolled his eyes dramatically. “Where did your mind just wander off to? Worrying about the semester opening exam results?”

Shen Ju shook his head. “No, I wasn’t.”

Han Chengfeng: “That’s true. Brother Pei tutored you the longest. You’re bound to improve on this semester opening exam. No need to worry at all.”

Just then, someone passed by—Wei Tianxi, carrying a tray. Probably having overheard their conversation, he paused for a moment, glanced at Shen Ju, then walked away with a dark expression.

Han Chengfeng tsked and whispered, “Ignore him. He probably didn’t do well on the semester opening exam. I heard he snapped at someone who tried to compare answers with him. So messed up.”

Ke Cheng said with a teasing laugh. “I remember he used to be your sidekick.”

Han Chengfeng kicked Ke Cheng. “He followed me on his own. I just didn’t reject him, okay?”

“Tsk tsk, such a player move.”

“Hey, you asking for a beating?!”

Shen Ju watched as Han Chengfeng and Ke Cheng went back and forth arguing, completely forgetting what they had originally called him back for. He shook his head and turned to Jian Yi, Pei Haochuan, and Guan Mulin, who were sitting nearby. He asked Han Chengfeng what he had wanted to say earlier, admitting he had spaced out and didn’t catch it.

Guan Mulin also exclaimed “Ah,” instinctively exchanging a glance with Pei Haochuan before both quickly looked away.

Shen Ju: “??”

Jian Yi sighed and explained, “He just said his birthday is coming up, and since it’s on the weekend, he wants to invite everyone to hang out.”

“Oh, right!”

Han Chengfeng stopped arguing with Ke Cheng and turned back eagerly. “How about we go to a bar? The hotel at the ski resort we went to during winter break was pretty nice. I’ve already picked out a place. There’s a really good performance on my birthday, and I heard they’re inviting a famous band. If we drink too much, we can just get rooms upstairs.”

Jian Yi spoke up, “I’m not going. You guys have fun.”

Han Chengfeng whined. “Come on! Not again? It’s my birthday!”

Jian Yi: “...We can have lunch together, but staying out late isn’t an option.”

He lived alone with Xu Ru. From what Han Chengfeng implied, they would likely stay out very late, possibly even overnight at the bar. He couldn’t do that—he couldn’t leave his mother alone at home. Besides, bars weren’t really his thing. He felt he’d just hold everyone back, largely because of his left hand disability. But at that moment, Jian Yi didn’t want to explicitly mention it.

In the past, he would have said it outright without hiding anything.

But now, with Shen Ju sitting nearby, even though he knew Shen Ju understood him and the reason behind his refusal, Jian Yi still wanted to make his disability less noticeable.

He still hoped Shen Ju could find a way to stop his mission before it's completed.

He hoped Shen Ju could move past that childhood car accident.

But just as Shen Ju understood him, Jian Yi understood Shen Ju too.

He knew that unless it was absolutely necessary, Shen Ju would never give up.

Just like how he had taken on the role without hesitation of playing an unlikable, even malicious character, despite knowing it went against his nature—he would stubbornly push through until the very end.

So Jian Yi added, “Mainly, I need to go home and be there for my mom.”

Han Chengfeng, who had been about to say more, fell silent.

They all knew about Jian Yi’s family situation and didn’t want to push him.

“Alright then.”

Han Chengfeng thought for a moment. “Then I’ll invite Brother Pei to join us in the evening.”

"Whoa!" Ke Cheng exclaimed exaggeratedly, "So you actually didn't plan on inviting Brother Pei!"

"...That's not what I meant! Don't put words in my mouth!"

Han Chengfeng exchanged words with Ke Cheng for a moment, then turned to Shen Ju. "By the way, what were you thinking about earlier? I called you several times, but you didn't respond."

Then, he turned to Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan. "And you two..."

He and Ke Cheng crossed their arms simultaneously.

Ke Cheng added, "Yeah, and you two."

Han Chengfeng continued, "Don’t think I don’t know—both of you were zoning out earlier."

"Also, didn’t you two go out for dinner alone the night before school started? Did something not go well? Are you two on the outs?"

Shen Ju, Guan Mulin, and Pei Haochuan: "..."

Jian Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is something wrong?"

He knew a bit more than Han Chengfeng and Ke Cheng.

For instance, about the task Shen Ju was working on.

And about the relationship between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan.

Jian Yi glanced at Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan, then at Shen Ju, and slowly said, "If I didn’t know better, I’d think all three of you are lovesick. You all look so distracted."

The three of them: "!"

Guan Mulin immediately denied it: "Nothing like that."

Pei Haochuan scoffed, "Who would I be lovesick over?"

Shen Ju tilted his head. Lovesick? Was he?

He was just thinking about what Brother Pei had said earlier.

Brother Pei seemed to be into someone...

He was wondering if his task might actually cause some trouble for Brother Pei.

Lately, that was all he could think about.

He kept going over it in his head.

But Shen Ju felt it was normal for him to dwell on it.

After all, his worries had come true.

What if he ended up affecting Brother Pei in some way? That wouldn’t be good.

But as for the person Brother Pei liked...

Shen Ju pursed his lips, suddenly realizing he was still quite bothered by it. Maybe it was out of curiosity, or maybe... what else could it be?

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

At Qichen, the second semester of senior year began with a practice test, intended to help students quickly get back into study mode. With only a few months left until the college entrance exams, it was also a way to rebuild their stress management skills.

After all, Qichen had started winter break early, and they were worried students might have slacked off during the holidays.

So, although it was called a "small exam," it was actually quite significant.

The results and rankings would even be sent to parents.

While there wouldn’t be another parent-teacher meeting, teachers would visit and communicate with the families of students whose performance fluctuated significantly, which was pretty embarrassing.

For Shen Ju and the others, however, it wasn’t a big issue.

After all, they hadn’t slacked off during winter break. Thanks to Shen Ju, Guan Mulin, and the others grinding relentlessly, even Han Chengfeng showed significant improvement in this exam. Coincidentally, the exam results came out just before Han Chengfeng’s birthday. His father was so thrilled that he just handed over a wad of cash, allowing him to have a great time on his birthday and relax.

Originally, Han Chengfeng had planned to have lunch with Shen Ju and the others and then go to a bar in the evening. After all, it was the second semester of senior year, and he didn’t dare to go too wild.

But since his father was "thrilled" and had given him a hefty amount of pocket money, how could he not go all out!

So Han Chengfeng also waved his hand and announced he would foot the bill for both the elite class and the experimental class to a celebration!

Not only did he book a place for lunch, but he even booked out the whole bar for the evening.

Ke Cheng exclaimed, "Big spender Han, you’re so generous!"

Attendance was optional—those who had other commitments could leave early. The lunch and afternoon events were open for anyone to join at any time, as Han Chengfeng had already put out the details in advance.

In this exam, Jian Yi still took first place.

Guan Mulin came in second.

There was no denying it—both were academic weapons, the kind that made everyone else feel bad about themselves. Especially Jian Yi, whose potential was limited only by his environment, not himself.

Since coming to Qichen, Jian Yi’s capabilities had continued to rise.

If the total score weren’t capped, he might have scored even higher.

During lunch, Shen Ju couldn’t help but marvel. Guan Mulin and Jian Yi were truly worthy of being cousins—was there some kind of academic genius gene in their family? He was genuinely envious.

Even after living with Jian Yi for so many years, Shen Ju hadn’t been influenced enough to become a top student himself.

Guan Mulin chuckled and ruffled Shen Ju’s hair. "Your grades improved a lot too. Why envy us? You have way more room for improvement than we do."

At that, everyone at the table cracked up.

Even Jian Yi couldn’t help but smile, his eyes crinkling.

It was true—Shen Ju had plenty of room for improvement, and he had already jumped up several spots.

Shen Ju: "...Hmph."

"Hey, Shen Ju, you've got Brother Pei to thank for your improved grades, right?"

This came from someone who had gone skiing with them during winter break and had seen Pei Yan but never got to talk to him. Since Pei Yan wasn’t at lunch, the person brought it up freely.

Shen Ju nodded. "All Brother Pei's doing."

No point denying it.

Pretty much everyone knew he had been getting coached by Pei Yan.

He hadn't even let up during winter break.

"Nice!"

"That's Pei Haochuan for you," the person sighed enviously. "Even after leaving Qichen all those years ago, he can still help someone improve their grades to this extent."

"If Pei Haochuan ever loses his job, he could probably make bank opening a cram school, haha."

"Bullshit! Even if you lose your job, Pei Haochuan never will. Just look at how much Galaxy Technology has developed this year—that's the company Pei Haochuan co-founded with his friends."

"But I heard Pei Haochuan has already joined the Pei Corporation?"

"So what? With Pei Haochuan's abilities, even if he joins the Pei Corporation, he'll still—"

"Ahem!"

Pei Haochuan was also at their table.

It was better not to say too much about the Pei family's family drama.

Who knew what the relationship between Pei Haochuan and Pei Yan was like now?

After all, their families were currently discussing who would take over the Pei Corporation in the future—either Pei Haochuan's father, Pei Kangnian, or Pei Yan, whom Pei Tai clearly favored more.

If things weren’t handled well, the relationship between the two sides might only remain superficial.

So, everyone at the table unanimously changed the subject.

At another table.

Someone curled their lips disdainfully and mumbled under their breath, "What's he so cocky about? It's all because of his family. If it weren’t for the Guan family, how could Shen Ju have linked up with Pei Haochuan?"

"Exactly. Didn’t you hear what Guan Shenju said before? He and Jian Yi lived together for over ten years, and Jian Yi is an ace student too. But his grades were nothing special when he was with Jian Yi. Only after being taken back by the Guan family and using his family's pull to get close to Pei Haochuan did his grades improve so much. It just shows how capable Pei Haochuan is—it has nothing to do with Guan Shenju!"

"Right, Pei Haochuan is truly impressive. If only we could..."

Wei Tianxi, who was listening nearby, scoffed, "We don’t have connections like the Guan family."

"That’s why people say Shen Ju is lucky—suddenly becoming the young master of the Guan family, huh."

Someone else at the table piped up, "Actually, if we’re talking about luck, Guan Mulin is pretty lucky too. He has no blood relation to the Guan family, yet they still claim him and take him in. From what we see now, Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin often hang out together and participate in activities. Regardless of whether their relationship is actually tight, at least on the surface, Guan Mulin isn’t being mistreated by the Guan family."

"That’s not surprising. Before Jian Yi transferred here, Guan Mulin often ranked first at Qichen. With talent like that, keeping him in the Guan family’s company in the future would be a huge help."

"Hmm, so do you think Guan Mulin and Guan Shenju are really cool with each other?"

Although the seating arrangement wasn’t deliberately planned, those with social awareness generally knew where they should sit and who they should share a table with.

For example, at Shen Ju’s table, there were Pei Haochuan, Guan Mulin, Jian Yi, Han Chengfeng, and Ke Cheng—all of them close. A table could seat about ten people, and with only six of them, they invited four others who were on good terms with them, at least enough to get along.

In the past, Wei Tianxi, who often followed Han Chengfeng, could usually score a seat at that table.

But now...

Wei Tianxi’s table was mostly filled with those who hadn’t performed well in the recent exam, or whose grades were never particularly high, or whose family backgrounds weren't as strong as others'.

Saying such things at the table, yet still bothering to show up, was nothing but jealousy mixed with a desire to sit at the other table.

Those who spoke especially harbored such thoughts.

They weren't even trying to hide it.

It was unclear what those who remained silent were thinking.

But since the ones who spoke couldn’t resist starting the conversation, they had to pull everyone at the table into the same camp to prevent others from spreading their words.

So, someone deliberately pushed the conversation toward those who hadn’t spoken.

This was a tricky question to answer.

Saying they seemed to get along would sound like dodging the issue.

Saying they probably didn’t get along... if their words were leaked, they might offend the Guan family.

After all, compared to those who spoke earlier, their families couldn’t afford to provoke the Guan family.

Someone glanced at Wei Tianxi, then said with a knowing look, "Tianxi should know better than us, right? He used to follow Han Chengfeng, and now Han Chengfeng is tight with them."

They might not dare to provoke the Guan family, but they could certainly provoke the Wei family.

Wei Tianxi’s face fell immediately.

He shot a look at the person and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said, man."

The person shrugged, "I remember you mentioning before that you once had a meal with Han Chengfeng, Pei Haochuan, and the others."

"So, don’t you know what the relationship between Guan Mulin and Guan Shenju is really like?"

"After all, we haven’t had much close contact with them, right?"

That was true.

But when Wei Tianxi had mentioned it before, he’d done so with a tone of boasting.

Oh, right.

Back then, Wei Tianxi thought he had moved up in the world by associating with Han Chengfeng and had acted superior to them.

So, the conversation shifted to Wei Tianxi—

"Hey, Tianxi, spill it."

The person even played at analyzing it logically: "Guan Shenju is the biological son of the Guan family. Although his grades improve every time, they still don't measure up to Guan Mulin’s. Plus, even though Guan Mulin isn’t blood-related, he was raised by the Guan family for over ten years. Even without blood ties, there’s bound to be affection. So, do you think Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin are just faking it for the Guan family?"

"Are they just pretending to get along? After all, with the mix-up of children, the Guan family would want to save face and hope Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin can get along, right?"

"That makes sense. If the two of them were to clash, the Guan family would become a joke and lose all face."

The person who had spoken first, seeing the topic getting off track, quickly pulled it back: "Stop speculating. Let Tianxi speak. Oh, right, I just remembered—Tianxi, you know Jian Yi too, don’t you? Jian Yi is close with Shen Ju and often runs with their group. So, you must know more than we do."

"Oh, and—look, you're doing even worse grade-wise than Shen Ju now. If you can’t get Pei Haochuan to tutor you, why not ask Jian Yi for help?"