Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Not everyone witnessed what happened at the parent-teacher meeting before winter break.

But the rumors certainly spread.

Since it hadn't reached Wei Tianxi's ears, he simply pretended not to know.

He was quite adept at burying his head in the sand.

But now, these people were saying it right in front of him, which felt like a hard slap across his face!

He did have a connection with Jian Yi.

But who didn't know that he and Jian Yi had already fallen out?!

Ever since Jian Zhanguo discovered how outstanding his son was, and that he had connections with the Guan and even the Pei family, he had repeatedly used Jian Yi to subtly embarrass Wei Tianxi at home. Not only that, he even encouraged Wei Tianxi’s mother to try for another son! How disgusting and ridiculous—did Jian Zhanguo really think Jian Yi’s excellence was purely due to his genes?!

Did he think Wei Tianxi didn't know? Jian Zhanguo had secretly visited Jian Yi several times. When Wei Tianxi told his mother about it, Jian Zhanguo claimed he just wanted to reconnect with his son so Jian Yi could look out for him at school!

If Jian Yi hadn't completely ignored Jian Zhanguo and even given him the cold shoulder, who knows if Jian Zhanguo would have turned around and acknowledged this son?

It was utterly sickening!

And now these people were still saying such things—how could Wei Tianxi possibly keep a straight face?!

And Shen Ju...

Yes, Shen Ju too.

When the recent exam results came out, Shen Ju had actually caught up to him!

If it weren’t for Pei Yan tutoring him, how could he have made such significant progress?!

Wei Tianxi was filled with jealousy, resentment, and dark thoughts. He thought to himself that Shen Ju had indeed benefited from the Guan family’s influence—otherwise, how could he have gotten close to Pei Yan and even sat with Pei Haochuan and the others?! And Guan Mulin—originally, he should have shared Jian Yi's background, but by some damn stroke of luck, he was raised by the Guan family for over ten years!

These people... they were just relying on their privileged backgrounds! What was there to boast about?!

He figured that Guan Shenju, having had his identity usurped for over ten years, and Guan Mulin, who went from being the young master of the Guan family to his current awkward position—how could these two possibly truly get along?

If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to coexist peacefully with the other either.

Wei Tianxi thought this and said as much.

He turned to the person who had brought him into the conversation and said, “If you’re envious, go ahead and find your own tutor. I won’t compete with you for the opportunity—after all, it seems like you need tutoring more than I do.”

They were all in the elite class, so it wasn't as if their grades were terrible.

But in this environment, if they weren't comparing family backgrounds, they were comparing grades. Clearly, bringing up grades could hit a nerve for many.

That person’s expression immediately soured.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew even more tense.

Someone inevitably stepped in to smooth things over: “Alright, alright. If you ask me, Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin are just putting on a show—how could they really get along? You might not have seen them interact closely, but I overheard them talking the other day, and they were even bickering. Does that count as getting along? I think they’re just keeping up appearances for the Guan family.”

“I think it’s an act too.”

Someone chimed in, then suddenly added, “If those two ever have a blow-up, it’ll be a real spectacle.”

“Haha, yeah. I bet their little clique would completely fall apart. Even Jian Yi probably wouldn’t be able to stay on good terms with both sides.”

“No kidding.”

Wei Tianxi listened, his heart suddenly racing.

Yeah, no kidding.

If there were a chance to make Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin fall out, their little clique would surely break apart. How could they maintain even a superficial relationship like now?

And aside from that, if Jian Yi tried to stay friends with both, he’d probably end up alienating both sides.

Guan Mulin was his biological cousin, and Guan Shenju had been his friend for over ten years. If those two had a falling out, Jian Yi would be in a tough spot. Who would he be able to rely on then?

Moreover, if Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin had a serious conflict, the Guan family would likely have to openly side with one of them.

Wei Tianxi thought the Guan family would probably favor Guan Mulin.

After all, aside from not being biologically related, Guan Mulin was far superior to Guan Shenju in every other aspect!

Wouldn’t Guan Shenju be in a bad way then?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

The more he thought, the faster his heart raced.

If he could just drive a wedge between Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin, make them fall out completely...

The scene that would follow—Wei Tianxi could almost laugh just thinking about it.

But the problem was, how could he make Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin fall out completely?

Wei Tianxi pursed his lips.

Suddenly, he remembered they were going to a bar that night...

A bar.

If someone got drunk, all bets are off, right? That sounded plausible.

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

After lunch, Jian Yi prepared to head back.

There was still some time before the afternoon session. They could either hang out freely or go straight to the bar.

The place Han Chengfeng booked was an entertainment venue. Above the bar was a clubhouse with plenty of things to do, but what everyone did was their call.

Besides entertainment, there were also accommodations.

Han Chengfeng booked five rooms—one for each of them, so no one had to fight over rooms.

“Heh, I’m pretty generous, right?”

Han Chengfeng slung an arm over Ke Cheng’s shoulder. “So you guys have to stick around and hang with me until the latest! After we’re done, just crash in the rooms I booked.”

Ke Cheng also grinned. “So you forgot to book one for Brother Pei.”

Han Chengfeng: “............”

Seriously, who wants to “play” with the teacher until late?!

Among their group, Shen Ju's probably the only one who'd be up for it, right?

Besides, he wouldn't dare to ask Brother Pei to stay out late hanging out with him either.

Han Chengfeng looked at Shen Ju and said, "If Brother Pei isn’t going back tonight, why not have him crash in your room? You know, save a few bucks where we can—I still want to keep some cash for other things."

It wasn’t that Han Chengfeng was particularly stingy.

It’s just that he had already budgeted this down to the last dollar, leaving just enough for a limited edition collectible—there was really no room to spare for anything extra!

Besides, this wasn’t the same as going to the ski resort together. Brother Pei might not even be willing to stay out that late, right?

Han Chengfeng put his hands together and gave a pleading look at Shen Ju.

Shen Ju pressed his lips together. "I can give up my room then when the time comes."

"Huh? Then where will you stay?"

Guan Mulin said, "Shen Ju can stay with me."

"Mm."

Han Chengfeng looked around at everyone. "That works... But usually, wouldn't it make more sense though for Shen Ju to share with Brother Pei, or for Mu Lin to share with Pei Haochuan, so we free up a room?"

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

If you'd just kept quiet, no one would mistake you for mute!

Pei Haochuan shot him a look at Han Chengfeng and sneered, "Then why don’t you and Ke Cheng share a room and free one up?"

Han Chengfeng and Ke Cheng exchanged a look, both shuddering in unison. Ew, no way!

After lunch, feeling stuffed and having seen Jian Yi off, Shen Ju and Guan Mulin didn’t feel like going anywhere. Since Han Chengfeng had already booked the rooms and the restaurant was close to the bar, the two decided to head straight to the rooms to rest until the afternoon. A nap would keep them fresh for the evening, since the afternoon was just the start and they’d probably be out late.

They had agreed to save a room for Pei Yan—either Shen Ju or Guan Mulin would give up theirs. Since they were planning to rest in the rooms at noon anyway, it made sense to clear one out right away. Even though they weren’t sure if Pei Yan would stay over that night, using the room now didn’t seem appropriate.

So when they arrived, Shen Ju and Guan Mulin went straight into the same room together.

Han Chengfeng had booked "king-size rooms," each with one large bed, but it was two meters wide—plenty of room for both of them to rest.

Shen Ju sighed and collapsed onto the bed.

Guan Mulin lay down on the bed as well and sighed.

Shen Ju propped his chin on his arms, tilting his head to look at Guan Mulin. "Did you and Pei Haochuan have a fight?"

Guan Mulin turned his gaze from the ceiling to Shen Ju. "Did you and Brother Pei have a fight?"

Shen Ju: "...No."

Guan Mulin: "Then why aren’t you sharing a room with Brother Pei?"

Shen Ju thought to himself, Brother Pei already has someone he likes.

Out loud, he said, "It'd be awkward."

Guan Mulin: "It wouldn’t be convenient for me either..."

Shen Ju: "Why?"

Guan Mulin: "Then what’s your reason?"

Shen Ju studied Guan Mulin for a moment, then suddenly propped himself up, launched himself at Guan Mulin, and started tickling him without mercy.

Guan Mulin laughed and tried to squirm away, but soon realized Shen Ju was surprisingly strong! Trapped, he couldn’t escape... so he retaliated by tickling Shen Ju right back!

The two of them wrestled around on the large bed.

After a while, they finally stopped, clothes all messed up and out of breath.

This time, Shen Ju lay on his back and said with a pout, "The reason it’s inconvenient is that Brother Pei has someone he likes. Can't have that person getting the wrong idea."

"What?!"

Guan Mulin propped himself up on his elbows and stared at Shen Ju. "Brother Pei has someone he likes? Isn’t it—" you?

"Isn’t it what?"

Shen Ju blinked, tilting his head to look at Guan Mulin.

"Uh."

Guan Mulin changed tack. "Then... do you know who Brother Pei likes?"

Shen Ju shook his head. "No."

"Brother Pei didn’t tell me..."

His voice trailed off, sounding dejected.

Shen Ju remembered how shocked he had been that day when Pei Yan said those words. His instinctive reaction had been to duck the subject—he’d lowered his head and didn’t dare ask anything else.

Pei Yan hadn’t elaborated back then either.

So he truly had no idea who Brother Pei liked.

Of course, Shen Ju had his suspicions.

But no matter how much he guessed, he couldn’t figure out who it might be.

Later, he wondered—maybe it was someone he didn’t know?

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. Eventually, he just wanted to bang his head to stop thinking about it.

"Then what’s going on with you and Pei Haochuan?"

Guan Mulin let his arms go limp, rolled over, and lay on his back as well. "Pei Haochuan and I... actually, it's not really a thing between us. It’s just... ah, I don’t even know what’s going on with us. The last time we went out to eat alone, I didn’t really understand what he was saying, and before long, we were arguing. It was so random."

"How did you end up arguing?"

"I thought he was being sensitive again. I said I treat you all the same, but Pei Haochuan got upset and said he doesn’t treat us all the same. Then I got upset too and asked him if he still had a problem with you. That made him even angrier, and things just escalated—we ended up in a fight."

Shen Ju: "...Is it possible that..."

"Huh?"

Shen Ju blinked, rolled over, propped himself up on an elbow, and poked Guan Mulin with a finger. "Well, you know... maybe the two of you are just meant to be or something..."

"Although you already knew in advance about the relationship that might develop between you and Pei Haochuan, and consciously or unconsciously, you felt that with this knowledge, you were rational, able to control your emotions, and didn't think much of it—but Pei Haochuan doesn’t know that. He doesn’t hold back his feelings, so in this situation, his feelings toward you might just..."

"Gone bad," Shen Ju said, whispering these three words.

Then, he saw Guan Mulin’s expression go stiff.

Bro 996 let out a few "Heh heh" sounds, deliberately making noise: "The main couple are just meant to be! Otherwise, why would we be given this kind of mission?"

He then looked at Guan Mulin’s expression:

"No way, no way—"

"You could hear my conversations with the host before—you can't tell me someone’s only just realizing that Pei Haochuan might actually like them!"

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

Shen Ju: ...Bro 996, you’re really asking for a beating.

But as Shen Ju looked at Guan Mulin’s expression, he couldn't help himself either, his shoulders shaking.

"Pfft."

He buried his head in his arms, only revealing two round eyes: "You didn’t really not realize that Pei Haochuan might like you, did you?"

Or were you just avoiding thinking about it?

Did you feel like you already knew your "fate," so you resisted the idea?

Shen Ju was a bit curious and lifted his head slightly: "So, how do you feel about Pei Haochuan?"

"Don’t let me or Bro 996 influence you—just think about you and Pei Haochuan."

"Ahem, anyway, I think he’s really biased toward you. He used to have a lot of issues with me before."

Shen Ju rested his chin in his hand, tilting his head: "So I actually support you making him wait a bit longer, hehe."

Bro 996 added: "Hehehe."

"No worries, I support it too. The task energy gauge has been rising anyway! It’s already at 78%!"

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

He looked at Shen Ju and suddenly said, "Then how do you feel about Brother Pei?"

Shen Ju: "............"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

Guan Mulin turned to his side, leaning on one arm on the bed, raising an eyebrow at Shen Ju: "Haven’t you ever thought about how you feel about Brother Pei? Don’t tell me you only see Brother Pei as an older brother. You’re not like this with Big Brother or with me. Even though we have character missions between us, you and Brother Pei have tasks together."

"Shen Jiujiu, sometimes you cling to Brother Pei even longer than you cling to family."

Shen Ju said, sounding guilty, "No, I don’t."

"How can you say that? Think about when you come back from your night tutoring. And now you even eat dinner at Brother Pei’s place most nights."

Guan Mulin tsk-tsked twice: "Whenever something happens, don’t you always think of Brother Pei first?"

"And Han Chengfeng was quick to suggest you and Brother Pei share a room."

Shen Ju shot back, "Well, Han Chengfeng also automatically assumed that aside from me, it should be you and Pei Haochuan sharing a room."

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

The two looked at each other and simultaneously stopped talking.

Then they both lay back on the bed and sighed together.

Whatever, let's just get some sleep.

The two slept from noon straight through the afternoon.

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

They really could sleep.

If Han Chengfeng hadn’t messaged them in the group, they would’ve kept sleeping.

Han Chengfeng: [Hurry up and come down! Brother Pei is already here!]

Han Chengfeng: [Hahaha! Brother Pei is really doing me a favor—he came right after work!]

Shen Ju pressed his lips together, holding his phone.

He was tired at noon, chatting with Guan Mulin, and hadn’t thought too hard about the later parts of their conversation.

Maybe it was because he subconsciously felt guilty.

Or maybe he had already sensed something subconsciously.

So he just "avoided" it again.

But now, after sleeping all afternoon, his mind was clear as day. Seeing Han Chengfeng mention that Pei Yan had arrived, Shen Ju felt nervous for some reason.

Along with the nervousness, there was also some sadness.

But Brother Pei likes someone.

Even though he doesn’t know who Brother Pei likes, it... couldn’t possibly be him, could it?

Shen Ju never had much luck.

Thinking this, he felt down.

But when he followed Guan Mulin to the bar, he still instinctively looked for Pei Yan.

What does it feel like to like someone?

That was the question Pei Yan had asked him before. Shen Ju had acted like an expert and even explained it to him, yet he hadn’t recognized his own feelings.

He trusted and depended on Pei Yan but had never thought too much about it—that his feelings for Pei Yan were different from how he felt about others, that they were special.

Sometimes, he even blamed some thoughts on the mission.

But... did he ever feel about anyone the way he did about Pei Yan?

No.

So...

Shen Ju's heart raced, a thought crystallizing in his mind—

So, he likes Brother Pei...

Yes, he does.

Very much.

He liked him so much that just the thought made him smile without thinking.

Shen Ju blinked, and a moment later, the smile slipped from his lips.

He looked ahead.

That was...

Brother Pei and Class President Tang Yuexin?

Why were Brother Pei and the class president together?

Shen Ju stood frozen in place for a moment.

He watched as Pei Yan bent his head to say something to Tang Yuexin. The two stood in a corner, where no one would notice them for a while.

It didn't look like a polite exchange.

Instead, they seemed to be having a real conversation.

Brother Pei and the class president...

Recalling that the class president had attended the Pei family’s banquet before, had Brother Pei and the class president met back then?

Then, the person Brother Pei likes...

Shen Ju told himself not to overthink it.

But Pei Yan and Tang Yuexin had hardly ever interacted before. Why were they talking all of a sudden? What could they possibly be talking about?

If neither of them had taken the initiative, would they have ended up talking like this?

-----------------------

Author's note: Pre-emptive: The class president is a good person.