Chapter 60 Fancy Can you do it?

Chapter 60: Taking a Liking—Can You Do It?

Zhong Yao was puzzled by Zhong Shu’s words, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Little Brother, did you pick up another sister in the bandit den and plan to marry her to Heir Xie?”

Zhong Shu said, “I’m talking about you!”

“Me?” Zhong Yao was very puzzled.

How could Xie Chi ever marry her?

He said he’d marry her twice, but that was just messing with her… And Fei Anxuan didn’t need her second brother to handle.

This stuff can’t be explained in a few words. Zhong Yao, understanding her second brother’s hardship, held off telling him about the messy stuff in the capital.

She thought for a moment, thinking her second brother was overthinking because Xie Chi just hugged her, and just explained, “Little Brother, you’ve misunderstood. Lord Xie doesn’t like me. He’s only protecting me ’cause he owes me one… He really cares about his honor and reputation. Little Brother, if you keep talking like this, Lord Xie will get angry—he’s got a terrible temper!”

Zhong Shu gave Zhong Yao a skeptical look and asked, “You sure he doesn’t like you?”

Zhong Yao said honestly, “He doesn’t, not one bit.”

Zhong Shu had just gotten over being scared by Xie Chi, and he was wincing from the pain in his arm. Hearing this, his face turned serious, and he scolded, “Why doesn’t he like our little sister Zhong?”

“’Cause he’s mean!” Zhong Yao said. “But don’t worry, little brother, I don’t like him either. I always remember what Mom and Dad said—I won’t like someone who doesn’t like me back.”

At first, that sounded fine, but thinking about it, something felt off.

However, since Zhong Shu had just met Xie Chi and didn’t know him well, although he felt things weren’t quite as Zhong Yao described, he couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Clutching his sore arm, he wanted Zhong Yao to help him see how Xu Su was, but before he could say anything, he heard Zhong Yao mutter softly, “He not only doesn’t like me, he hates me…”

Zhong Shu: “…”

No way! Something’s really off!

Where did this little grumpy girl come from!

Zhong Shu studied Zhong Yao’s expression and caught a hint of resentment.

Feeling something was off, he figured he needed to check into what was going on between Xie Chi and his little sister, but there were other things to handle first.

“We’ll deal with this later. Little sister, first help me check on Xu Su…”

Xu Su had already been brought over by the guards and was not far away.

Zhong Yao didn’t want to leave her long-lost second brother, so she helped him over herself.

Zhong Shu’s arm, which Xie Chi had twisted, hung limp, while his good arm was draped over Zhong Yao’s shoulder.

He was very thin, but Zhong Yao wasn’t plump either, and she was a head shorter than Zhong Shu, making it look like he was hugging her.

Xie Chi saw this annoying scene again, his eye twitching, and he almost went over to break Zhong Shu’s other arm too.

His face was tight, his lips pressed into a line. After calming down a bit, he ordered, “Go and support the Second Young Master Zhong.”

The guard immediately stepped forward but was stopped by Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao said, “No need, I can help my little brother myself. I can manage…”

Xie Chi held back, but couldn’t help saying, “You can manage now?”

If she could help Zhong Shu, then back in the cave when she helped him, how did she end up dropping him to the ground?

This reproach was too subtle, and Zhong Yao didn’t understand it, nor did she have the mind to dwell on it.

She said mournfully, “Of course I can manage. My little brother has lost so much weight—skin and bones, like a skinny little stray cat begging on the street… My little brother is so pitiful!”

By the end, she was almost in tears!

Zhong Shu was deeply moved. He withdrew his hand from Zhong Yao’s shoulder and gently stroked her face, saying sorrowfully, “Our Yaoyao has lost a lot of weight too. Your face isn’t like the big bowl at home anymore!”

As he spoke, Zhong Shu sensed a cold gaze, like an icicle stabbing the back of his hand stroking Zhong Yao’s face.

Feeling an inexplicable pain in his arm, he quickly withdrew his hand and tried to casually put it back on Zhong Yao’s shoulder, but Xie Chi grabbed his shoulder.

Before Zhong Shu could react, he was pushed over to the guard, and Xie Chi said, “Take the Second Young Master Zhong to have his arm treated.”

The guard, adept at reading the situation, immediately carried Zhong Shu away, not even giving him a chance to check on Xu Su.

“Zhong Yao.”

Zhong Yao was about to rush after him in a panic when Xie Chi called her back.

She turned around, obediently asking, “What is it, Lord Xie?”

Xie Chi noticed her address and his gaze darkened.

But closeness and distance were different, and so should be the forms of address.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Compared to now, was your face bigger and rounder before?”

Zhong Yao immediately covered her face, saying resentfully, “Your face is the one that’s big and round! Mine is a beautiful oval face.”

“…” Xie Chi gave up on subtlety and said bluntly, “Can’t you tell I’m concerned about whether you’ve lost weight?”

Since they had known each other, Zhong Yao had shown no obvious changes. Xie Chi had thought she was always this thin, but hearing Zhong Shu’s words, he realized she might have slimmed down after her family’s troubles.

Unfortunately, this rare, straightforward concern was taken as an insult by Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao honestly said, “I can’t tell. I thought you were mocking me for not being pretty… Lord Xie, why are you suddenly so concerned about me? It doesn’t suit you—it’s kind of scary…”

Xie Chi: “…”

He stepped forward, grabbed Zhong Yao by the neck, forcibly pulled her hands away from her face, and rubbed her smooth cheeks hard twice.

Zhong Yao whimpered in protest, and when Xie Chi let go, she covered her face in grievance.

Though her expression was aggrieved, her tone was approving. In a high-pitched voice, she said, “That’s more like it. This is Lord Xie’s style.”

“…” Xie Chi gave her a glare and said, “Seeing you just annoys me… Go bother your second brother!”

Seeing him angry made Zhong Yao happy. She sidled up to Xie Chi, wrapped her arm around his, and said, “I’m joking with you, Lord Xie. My little brother…”

“What little brother?” Xie Chi finally had a chance to ask.

“It’s just my second brother,” Zhong Yao said, a bit embarrassed. “When I was little, I didn’t know better. I thought since there was an eldest brother, the other should be the little brother… I got used to calling him that, and it’s hard to change.”

And what about Yaoyao?

Xie Chi suddenly remembered that in the cave, Zhong Yao had once said he could call her "Yaoyao."

Just as he was about to ask if that was her nickname, Zhong Shu’s shout came from nearby: "Little sister—Zhong Xiaoyao, come check on Xu Su..."

"Hey!" Zhong Yao immediately turned and called back, letting go of Xie Chi to check on Xu Su.

Xu Su was fine; the guards had already examined him and said he was groggy because he’d hit his head and would recover after some rest.

Just as they confirmed Xu Su’s condition, Zhong Shu let out a scream as the guards set his bones, and Zhong Yao rushed off in a panic to comfort her second brother.

Xie Chi watched her dart around like a spinning top before his eyes. He left some men to deal with the bandits’ corpses, ordered the carriage harnessed, and had Zhong Yao and the two weak young masters loaded up to head back to the prefectural city.

Xie Chi had stuff to talk over with Liniang, so he was heading back as well.

Riding his horse, he could hear the sounds coming from the carriage the whole way—Zhong Shu yelping in pain, Zhong Yao fussing over him, and occasionally Xu Su’s mumbling.

Those two were super close, and they never shut up throughout the journey.

Xie Chi was still wondering whether "Yaoyao" or "Xiaoyao" was Zhong Yao’s nickname when Zhong Shu had already called her "Zhong Xiaoyao," "Zhong Yaoyao," "Zhong Little Sister," and "Yao Little Sister" every which way.

Xie Chi had never seen siblings so clingy.

When they found Zhong Lan, did Zhong Yao act this clingy with him too?

Xie Chi couldn’t really remember, or maybe he was just too eager to ditch Zhong Yao back then to pay much attention...

The trip felt long, but they finally returned to the prefectural city. When they reached the government office entrance, Xie Chi figured Zhong Shu had run out of nicknames, then he threw in another: "Yao Xiaoyao."

...That was enough!

Among the group, aside from Zhong Yao, everyone else had either been on the run for days or stuck in the mountains, couldn't wash up or rest properly. So upon arrival, the first thing they did was clean up.

By the time they finished, it was evening. Xie Chi had to head back to the mountains the next day, but figuring no one could sleep anyway, he called them together to get the whole story from start to finish.

Liniang was still grieving over killing her own brother. Xu Su had been given some medicine by the guards and could open his eyes but was still woozy. Only Zhong Shu was full of energy, so he did the talking.

Zhong and Xu’s story was pretty much what Xie Chi had guessed.

After being captured at the water stronghold, Dou Wu forced them to fight to the death.

Zhong Shu couldn't bring himself to kill anyone, especially not Xu Su—that would leave his whole family screwed. He refused to do it, and Xu Su, not wanting to shame his grandfather and empress aunt, also refused.

That pissed off the river bandits, who decided to off them both.

When the blade came down on Xu Su, Zhong Shu shouted out who he was.

The bandits stopped, then turned to kill Zhong Shu. Grateful for having his life saved, Xu Su yelled that Zhong Shu was really Xu Guozhu’s grandson.

Both kept insisting the other was Xu Su, mixing the bandits up so bad they couldn't tell who was who. In the end, they just announced that Xu Su had been killed by Zhong Shu.

Then General Qin attacked the stronghold, and Dou Wu took the two away, hiding and running all the way to Wuyin Mountain.

Along the way, they got in sync: no matter who questioned them or when, even in their sleep, they stubbornly swore the other was Xu Su.

The rest was just like Xie Chi guessed. Zhong Shu, being sharper, was forced to become the Second-in-Command and even got hitched.

His bride was the Third-in-Command’s little sister, Liniang.

At that, Zhong Shu glanced at Liniang, who was standing silently in the corner. He turned to keep talking, then stopped, looked at her again, and blurted out in shock, "Liniang, your, your belly?!"

His shout drew everyone’s attention to Liniang. Even Xu Su, dizzy and nauseous, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Liniang looked up and said calmly, "Without a wedding night, how could there be a child?"

At these words, everyone turned to Zhong Shu.

Confused and flustered, Zhong Shu waved his hands repeatedly. "I know that... ahem, there wouldn’t be a child, but Liniang... Oh, I see, you were pretending... I thought you had a lover in the stronghold, got pregnant by him, and used me as a cover..."

Hearing himself say this, Zhong Shu felt like a fool.

But at the time, that’s exactly what he’d thought.

Liniang was the Third-in-Command’s younger sister—no one would suspect her. And it suited Zhong Shu just fine, since at least he didn’t have to fake impotence like Xu Su by injuring himself.

So he’d gone along with it.

But he never expected Liniang had been faking.

Zhong Shu was stunned. After the shock passed, he said firmly, "Heir Xie, Liniang has a good nature. In these months at the den, though she ignored Xu Su and me, she never harmed us... Please investigate and spare her life!"

Xie Chi looked at Liniang without a word.

Zhong Shu thought he wouldn’t let her go and was about to plead further when Liniang spoke softly, "Jiang Xia is the name I gave myself."

No one in the den didn’t know the name Jiang Xia.

Zhong and Xu were stunned again.

Jiang Xia’s story was simple. When she was eight, her brother killed someone and fled. Her parents, too ashamed to face anyone, took their own lives—one by suicide, the other dying of grief—leaving her to be raised by the village head.

At twelve, her brother secretly returned, thinking the village head treated her poorly. He killed the village head and his family of six, then tried to take her to the stronghold.

Liniang didn’t go. She moved alone to the back mountain, living a hard but survivable life.

At fifteen, her brother came again. After a quarrel, he killed the brother of the man she was set to marry.

Liniang couldn’t stay any longer.

She gave away all her meager savings, packed up, and moved to another prefecture, only to be found again.

Her peaceful life was always disrupted, each time accompanied by the deaths of those around her.

Until six months ago, her brother found her once more, telling her to come to the stronghold and that he’d arranged a perfect marriage for her.

This time, Liniang didn’t refuse. She obediently followed her brother into the mountains, married someone, and smoothly "became pregnant."

Zhong Shu was dumbfounded. "So today..."

"I deliberately let you escape," Liniang said flatly. "I wanted you to go find help. I didn’t expect Heir Xie to already be here before you’d gone far."

She had quietly helped Zhong and Xu many times without them noticing, showing her meticulous nature.

To prove she was indeed Jiang Xia, Liniang took out a charcoal stick and repeated the eight crooked characters she’d taught herself.

"He killed so many people and repeatedly dragged his family down, yet never felt he was wrong. What use is such a brother?" Liniang’s expression was mournful yet detached. "He deserved to die long ago. Dying at his sister’s hands was a mercy."

That was roughly the whole story.

No matter how astonished others were, none could compare to Zhong Shu—he'd lived alongside Liniang for half a year, yet had no clue about her true nature.

After Jiang Xia told her life story, she was led away by guards to rest. Zhong Shu watched her walk away and couldn't help sighing, "Jiang Xia is the coolest girl I've ever met!"

Zhong Yao totally agreed, nodding sincerely before glancing at Zhong Shu and murmuring, "Her words make sense too. A brother who only brings trouble to his family... what's the point of keeping him around..."

Pretending not to get that she was talking about him, Zhong Shu retorted with feigned righteousness, "Zhong Xiao Huai, how can you talk about Big Brother like that? Even if he made mistakes, he surely didn't mean to! He's our big brother—don't always plot against him!"

"Little bro, you're the one badmouthing Big Brother again."

"Don't worry. Next time you're not here, I'll totally throw some your way."

As the siblings bickered, Zhong Shu glanced over and saw Xie Chi's sour face. The look he got was sharp as a knife, making his arm hurt.

Zhong Shu quickly piped up, "Jiang Xia is impressive, no doubt, but our Yao Yao is just as awesome! Little sister, my dear sister, I never dreamed you'd travel a thousand miles to find me..."

That was the truth—when he saw Zhong Yao, he really thought he was dreaming.

Getting emotional, Zhong Yao's eyes started to well up as she pulled Zhong Shu into a room to talk.

At that moment, Zhong Yao's mind was totally focused on finally finding her second brother, and she didn't notice Xie Chi's expression.

Zhong Shu did. He saw Xie Chi staring darkly at his sister, like he was a jilted lover.

But even with that sour face, Xie Chi didn't stop Zhong Yao from going with him.

Zhong Shu understood.

Once they were in the room with the door closed, he grabbed Zhong Yao and asked her, "Little sister, are you sure Heir Xie hates you and doesn't actually like you?"

Zhong Yao was about to fill him in on what was going on at home, but she paused at the question. "I'm sure. He hates me the most 'cause I cry easily and talk too much crap... Every time he looks disgusted, I go out of my way to annoy him. He's almost driven crazy by me."

As she talked, her eyes crinkled into a smile.

Zhong Shu was blinded by her bright smile. He stared at her for a second and said seriously, "Little sister, don't you think Heir Xie treats me special?"

Zhong Yao said, "You're my little bro. Of course he treats you different."

Yeah, real different—every time they met, he treated Zhong Shu like a criminal, stole his sister, and even pulled a sword on him.

Zhong Shu looked at Zhong Yao's happy face again and said, "What I mean is, Heir Xie might have taken a liking to me."

"..."

Zhong Yao felt her second brother must have suffered a head injury too. She reminded him loudly, "Little brother, get a grip! Before today, Heir Xie didn't even know you!"

"Then how else do you explain it?" Zhong Shu said. "Little sister, you came all this way with Heir Xie. Think back—how did he treat you along the journey? If you were him, just repaying a debt of gratitude, could you have done all that?"

How had Xie Chi treated Zhong Yao on the journey?

Zhong Yao thought about it and realized that what Xie Chi did most was bully her.

He always used his height to pin her down with his arm, roughly rub her face, forbid her from talking nonsense, call her a smelly girl, and occasionally go mad to scare her...

Just as Zhong Yao was about to complain, a scene flashed through her mind: before entering the mountains last time, Xie Chi had knelt before her, grabbed her calf, and adjusted her leather boots.

Her face flushed instantly.

...If she were repaying a favor... she couldn't have done that...

But if it wasn't to repay the debt for that knife wound, what else could it be?

Zhong Yao's heart pounded wildly. She also recalled how, when the mountain paths were slippery, Xie Chi insisted on carrying her on his back, even when she said it wasn't necessary...

He hadn't even carried Xue Fang...

"If he hasn't taken a liking to me, why would he treat you so well?" Zhong Shu continued. "But you have a point—before today, I'd never met Heir Xie. He shouldn't have any reason to like me."

"...Of course he doesn't like you," Zhong Yao whispered.

Her thoughts were still in turmoil—a mix of disbelief, hesitation, and embarrassment.

"Right, right, he wouldn't like me. Not me, and not you either. So if he's this attentive to you, it can only be because he likes Big Brother."

Zhong Shu said, "Big Brother isn't worth much. When we get back, let's tie him up and send him to Heir Xie's estate as a thank-you gift. What do you think?"

Zhong Yao stopped talking to him. She sat alone for a while, lost in thought, then suddenly blushed and smiled shyly.