Chapter 5 Looking for Trouble

Chapter 5: Finding Something to Do

Over the next few days, Xie Fengshi's life gradually settled into a steady rhythm.

He woke up in the morning, went to school to check in, and spent two hours in the studio. Even though his painting was just average, he couldn't skip appearances altogether.

At noon, he went to Good Fortune to help Uncle Li prep ingredients. In the afternoon, he took a nap, then worked at the shop until the rush was over.

What surprised Xie Fengshi the most was that this body was slowly gaining strength.

At first, his arms would tremble after chopping a basket of potatoes. Now, a week later, he could handle the wok without breaking a sweat.

"Being young is great," Xie Fengshi said, looking at his improving complexion in the mirror, unable to help but marvel.

Having lived through life and death, he was now bouncing around, working and earning money.

What a deal.

Every night when he returned to his apartment, he made a little extra dinner. Just a little, really—Xie Fengshi made a point of emphasizing.

That night, Isaac finished his noodles and left. The next day, Xie Fengshi ran into him in the hallway again. The kid seemed like he either just got back or was specifically waiting for him. It dawned on Xie Fengshi that his cooking had earned him a little fan.

On the third day, Isaac not only showed up at his door but was also holding a bag of groceries from the supermarket. Xie Fengshi peeked inside—all vegetables, and a box of beef that looked pricey.

"You bought this?"

Isaac nodded.

"For me?"

Isaac nodded, then shook his head.

Xie Fengshi chuckled. "What's with all the nodding and shaking? What are you trying to say?"

Isaac hesitated after a long pause before muttering, "...Eat together."

So he was self-funding ingredients to mooch a meal.

A strange, nameless feeling rose in Xie Fengshi's heart. During his hospital stay, he had seen too much of people's fair-weather friendship.

Relatives and friends who visited only said, "Get well soon," and left. The caregivers came and left on the dot. His bed neighbors changed several times—some were easy to talk to, but they were gone in a few days.

In the end, Xie Fengshi had no one to talk to.

Every day he opened his eyes to a white ceiling and the smell of disinfectant.

Back then, he thought, if only he had someone to talk to. It didn't need to be warm or close. Just someone to chat about anything at all.

Now, it seemed that wish might come true.

From then on, it became a routine.

When Xie Fengshi got home from work, if he saw Isaac's light still on, he would knock and ask if he'd had dinner. If the light was off, he'd stick a note on Isaac's door and leave the food there. Isaac never wrote back on the notes, but he always ate every last bite and returned the washed bowl to Xie Fengshi's door.

Sometimes Xie Fengshi thought Isaac was really amusing. Once, Isaac's door wasn't properly shut, and Xie Fengshi caught a glimpse inside—the carpet visible was anything but cheap. Yet Isaac chose to hole up in this rundown neighborhood, eating convenience store meals every day, as if he was punishing himself on purpose.

Xie Fengshi gradually figured out Isaac's pattern.

The kid was basically invisible during the day. Around seven or eight in the evening, he would emerge like a nocturnal animal, and when he did, he always came to mooch food.

A few days later, Xie Fengshi finally figured out the basics about Isaac.

That evening, he didn't go to Good Fortune because there was some lecture at school he needed to check in for. He swung by briefly, and ran into Isaac in the hallway coming back from outside.

Isaac was taken aback for a moment. "Not going to work today?"

Xie Fengshi noticed he wasn't carrying anything. "Took the day off today. Have you eaten?"

Isaac shook his head.

"Come over tonight?"

Isaac nodded.

Xie Fengshi looked at him, nodding at everything he said, and laughed. "Is nodding and shaking your head all you can do?"

Isaac thought for a moment. "I can."

"What else?"

"I can eat."

Xie Fengshi: "...Fine, you win."

That night, Isaac showed up at his door on time. When Xie Fengshi let him in, something was simmering in the pot, the aroma filled the whole room.

Isaac sniffed the air, his eyes lighting up instantly. "What is it?"

"Braised pork belly," Xie Fengshi said. "Why are you so early today?"

Isaac hung his head and murmured softly, "Nowhere to go."

Xie Fengshi paused in his work, pretending to ask casually, "What do you mean, nowhere to go? You've been living here for months, haven't you?"

Isaac didn't answer. Xie Fengshi didn't press him, continuing with his cooking.

After a long while, Isaac's voice finally came from behind him. "Don't want to go back."

Xie Fengshi turned to look at him.

Isaac curled up in the small chair, staring down at his hands.

"Home?" Xie Fengshi asked.

Isaac nodded. Xie Fengshi turned back to check the meat in the pot, keeping his tone as casual as possible.

"Had a fight with your family?"

"Not exactly a fight."

"Then what?"

Isaac fell silent again. Xie Fengshi thought he wasn't going to say anything more, but then Isaac spoke. "I have an older brother."

Xie Fengshi hummed in acknowledgment.

"Now he's always busy. He didn't use to be."

Xie Fengshi didn't respond, waiting for him to go on.

"Then he got busy. Wouldn't pick up my calls or reply to my texts, and when we did see each other, we had nothing to say."

Xie Fengshi looked at the meat bubbling in the pot, not knowing what to say.

Isaac said, "On my eighteenth birthday, I waited for him all day. By evening, he still hadn't called."

Xie Fengshi turned off the stove and looked at the kid. Isaac's gray-blue eyes were misty, like a thin layer of fog. "The next day, I left."

Xie Fengshi walked up to him, crouched down, and looked at him. "So you ran away from home because your brother didn't celebrate your birthday?"

Isaac was caught off guard, then shook his head. "No."

"Then what was it?"

Isaac thought for a long time and said, "I just wanted to know if they would look for me if I wasn't home."

Xie Fengshi felt like something had gently knocked against his heart.

He'd thought about this before: if he disappeared, would anyone come looking for him?

The answer was no.

Not a single one.

In the end, he didn't even have anyone to call.

He stood up and went back to the stove. He scooped out the braised pork and placed it in front of Isaac. "Eat up."

Isaac stared at him intently, trying to read something on Xie Fengshi's face. Xie Fengshi looked away, filled a bowl of rice for himself, sat down, and started eating.

After a few bites, he noticed Isaac hadn't moved. "Why aren't you eating?"

Isaac looked at him. "You haven't said it yet."

"Said what?"

"Say what you want to say."

Xie Fengshi was helpless. He suddenly realized just how scary Isaac's observation skills were. "I don't have anything to say, really. I'm not like you. I didn't run away from home—I was thrown out."

Xie Fengshi thought for a second and realized that wasn't quite right, so he added, "Not really thrown out either. That place was never where I belonged."

Isaac tilted his head in confusion. "So you're alone too?"

Xie Fengshi smiled. "Yeah, so it looks like we were meant to meet."

Xie Fengshi's tone was overly light, as if he were talking about something trivial.

Isaac could see that Xie Fengshi was uncomfortable. Xie Fengshi sighed and gave in. "Just eat your food before it gets cold."

...

The days went by like that, and Xie Fengshi's life gradually stabilized.

At Good Fortune, he was getting the hang of it. Uncle Li now trusted him to handle the cooking, and Auntie Lin praised him to everyone, saying the shop had a good-looking young Xiao Xie with excellent cooking skills.

As for school, Xie Fengshi had gotten the hang of things. He checked in once a week, occasionally attended lectures, and spent the rest of his time working and cooking—mainly cooking for Isaac.

Isaac had gotten really comfortable coming over. He showed up punctually every evening, sometimes even bringing his own ingredients. He didn't know where Isaac had learned it, but the stuff he bought was more and more to Xie Fengshi's liking.

Once, Xie Fengshi couldn't help asking, "How do you know I like eating this?"

Isaac replied matter-of-factly, "Last time you made it, you took several extra bites."

Xie Fengshi: ...

He sure uses his observation skills for that.

The shop was quiet at this time. Auntie Lin was wiping tables, Uncle Li was busy in the kitchen, and Xie Fengshi had just tied on his apron when the bell on the door jingled.

"Welcome—" Auntie Lin looked up to greet them.

Three people came in. The one in front was in his early twenties, and the two behind him were about the same age. Instead of sitting down, they stood right at the entrance, looking around.

The leader frowned as he surveyed the place. "This place? It's too shabby."

Auntie Lin's smile faded slightly, but she maintained her basic politeness. "What would you like to eat?"

The leader ignored her. After scanning the room, his gaze landed on Xie Fengshi, who had just poked his head out of the kitchen. "Oh, you really are here."

Xie Fengshi saw the newcomer's face, and the memories from his original body came flooding back.

Sun Zhiqiang was pretty active in the international student crowd, from a somewhat wealthy family, and always followed Xie Yun around. When he first got here, this guy had fake-concerned him, but once he realized the Xie family really didn't care about him, he immediately turned hostile.

Half the gossip in the student group chat came from him.

Sun Zhiqiang swaggered over, a smile on his face that made people uncomfortable. "Xie Fengshi, what's up? Actually working here? I thought they were seeing things."

Seeing Xie Fengshi silent, Sun Zhiqiang assumed he was scared and smirked even more. "Why are you putting yourself through this? Couldn't cut it back home, so you come here to make a fool of yourself? The Xie family doesn't want you, so you're waiting tables in a place like this?"

The two behind him laughed along with Sun Zhiqiang, their laughter grating.

Xie Fengshi really wasn't going to waste his time arguing with a guy like that.

But Sun Zhiqiang clearly wasn't going to let it go. He took a step forward and raised his voice, obviously intending for the other customers to hear. "Hey, do you know who this guy is? The Xie family, you know? That..."

"I don't know," Uncle Li said, walking out with a spatula and cutting him off. "I only know this is my shop. Who are you?"

Sun Zhiqiang was taken aback. He looked Uncle Li up and down and sneered. "The owner, huh? Let me tell you, you gotta be careful about this guy. He got into trouble back home and got kicked out. Don't you know that? The Xie family—"

"The Xie family, the Xie family—does the Xie family pay your salary?"

Sun Zhiqiang was stunned. "What?"

Uncle Li pointed the spatula at the door. "I run this shop for business. Anyone who comes to eat is welcome. But if you're here to cause trouble, get the hell out."

Sun Zhiqiang's face went through about a dozen expressions. He hadn't expected some restaurant owner to have the guts to talk to him like that.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know."

The two sidekicks behind Sun Zhiqiang wanted to step forward, but Sun Zhiqiang stopped them. He let out a cold laugh and looked at Xie Fengshi. "Alright, Xie Fengshi, you've got some nerve. Been here five minutes and already got someone backing you up. But your backup is just a restaurant owner—how long's he gonna have your back?"

As he spoke, he raised his voice again, this time aiming it at the few customers in the shop. "Everyone, this guy got kicked out by his family. His family has put the word out that anyone who hangs out with him will have bad luck. You better watch out—don't get mixed up with him."

Just as he finished, a voice came from the door. "What did he say?"

Xie Fengshi turned around and saw Isaac standing at the door, holding his groceries. He had no idea when Isaac had shown up.

His blond hair was a mess, and his gray-blue eyes were fixed straight on Sun Zhiqiang. His expression looked about the same as usual, but Xie Fengshi felt something was off.

Sun Zhiqiang also noticed Isaac and gave him a once-over. "Another one sticking up for you? Xie Fengshi, you sure know how to make friends, but this one doesn't look all that great either—what's he even wearing?"

He was referring to Isaac's clothes, which were clearly expensive but thrown together in a mess.

Isaac ignored him, walked straight up to Xie Fengshi, and handed him the bag he was carrying. "Got that sauce you mentioned last time."

Xie Fengshi took the bag, still a bit dazed. "What are you doing here?"

"Passing by," Isaac said, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, Sun Zhiqiang and his two followers. "Who are they?"

Before Xie Fengshi could answer, Sun Zhiqiang cut in. "Who am I? I'm here to warn everyone to be careful. You're his friend? Then you better watch out—this guy got kicked out of his family, and who knows what kind of trouble he's carrying..."

"I don't understand," Isaac interrupted, turning to Xie Fengshi. "What's he saying?"

Xie Fengshi only then realized Isaac really hadn't understood. Sun Zhiqiang was talking fast and with an accent, so there was no way Isaac, a foreigner who rarely spoke much anyway, could follow.

Xie Fengshi opened his mouth, not sure how to translate.

But before he could say anything, someone else did it for him.

Aunt Lin came out from behind the counter, still holding a rag, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. "He says Xiao Xie got kicked out of his family, and we should watch out."

After hearing Aunt Lin's explanation, Isaac's usually expressionless face finally showed a slight change. He tilted his head, scanned Sun Zhiqiang once, then looked back at Xie Fengshi and said, "His clothes are fake."

Not loud, but clear enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Sun Zhiqiang froze. "What did you say?"

Isaac ignored him and continued to Xie Fengshi, "The stitching is off, and the buttons are wrong too."

Xie Fengshi: ...

Sun Zhiqiang's face turned bright red. "What the hell do you know? This is a limited edition!"

Isaac's expression was innocent, his tone cold. "Because I have the real one at home."

Sun Zhiqiang was choked silent.

Isaac wasn't about to let it go. "You said whoever associates with Xie is in for bad luck?"

Sun Zhiqiang thrust his chin out defiantly. "Yeah! The Xie family—"

"What's the Xie family? Are they famous?"

Sun Zhiqiang was at a loss for words. The Xie family had some standing back in China, but overseas, they didn't amount to much.

When Isaac saw he wasn't answering, he added, "Never heard of them."

The two guys behind Sun Zhiqiang couldn't help but snicker, then quickly stifled it.

"Also, you keep pointing at people when you talk—it's really rude."

"I—"

"When I'm around, pointing at people like that gets your hand broken."

As Isaac said this, the aura he carried finally slipped through—the air of someone raised with everything, never needing to care what anyone thought, impossible to hide even in his shabby clothes.

Sun Zhiqiang was stunned, his hand frozen mid-air, unsure whether to pull it back or not.

Xie Fengshi watched the whole thing and barely held back his laughter. Isaac, usually as quiet as a mouse, was devastating when he struck back.

Aunt Lin picked the right moment. Wiping her rag, she started shooing them off. "Alright, alright. If you're here to eat, sit down and order. If not, please move along and don't hold up our business."

Sun Zhiqiang finally found an out. He shot Xie Fengshi a vicious glare. "Fine, Xie Fengshi. Just you wait."

Then he turned and left, his two followers quickly trailing behind.

The wind chimes on the door jingled for a good while before settling down.

The shop fell quiet. Uncle Li set his spatula down on the stove. "What garbage."

Aunt Lin grinned and looked at Isaac. "Nice one, kid. You've got a sharp tongue."

Isaac glanced down at his shopping bag and handed it to Xie Fengshi. "Sauce."

Xie Fengshi took it and couldn't help but ruffle his blond hair. "Thanks."

Isaac froze for a second, the tips of his ears starting to redden. Aunt Lin watched with narrowed, smiling eyes. "Whose kid is this? He's really handsome."

Xie Fengshi said, "He's my neighbor. Name's Isaac."

Aunt Lin said, "Neighbor, huh? Have you eaten yet? If not, stay. Xiao Xie's on duty tonight—he can make you something good."

Isaac looked at Xie Fengshi, who said, "Sure, have a seat. I'll head to the kitchen."

Isaac nodded and obediently found a seat in the corner.

In the kitchen, Uncle Li was prepping ingredients. When he saw Xie Fengshi walk in, he snorted. "If those guys come again, I'll chase them out with the broom."

Xie Fengshi chuckled. "Thanks, Uncle Li."

"What are you thanking me for? They bully my employee in my store—what, do they think I'm dead?"

Xie Fengshi felt a warmth in his heart. He didn't say anything else, just tied on his apron and started working.