Chapter 7 You Are My Friend

Chapter 7: You Are My Friend

By the time Kaelen returned to the hotel, the night had already grown late.

He took off his coat and handed it to the butler who greeted him, loosened his collar. The city lights stretched out beneath his feet, and Kaelen’s gaze swept across the towering skyline, landing on the dim and shabby district far in the distance.

That district was old and run-down, with a broken streetlight that still hadn’t been fixed. Kaelen had never imagined he would set foot there.

When the car’s headlights lit up that small path, Kaelen had already been parked there for a while. The address his assistant found was nearby. He only wanted to see what kind of place Isaac lived in, but instead of finding his younger brother, he spotted a figure surrounded by several people.

Kaelen didn’t consider himself the type to meddle in others’ business, but the moment that figure was illuminated by the headlights, Kaelen changed his mind.

The moment that face emerged from the darkness, Kaelen was momentarily dazed.

That face was too beautiful—beautiful in a vulnerable way. Soft black hair fell across his forehead, contrasting his fair skin. When the headlights caught his jet-black eyes, they narrowed slightly, and at that moment, Kaelen thought of his mother’s tabby cat.

When those eyes looked at him, they held vigilance, confusion, and an unconcealed curiosity.

Even though he was already in trouble, he showed no sign of cowering. He stood there like a plant that wouldn't bend in the wind. When Kaelen stopped in front of him, he felt even more strongly that the boy resembled a little cat.

Kaelen’s tall stature already made him stand out, especially as he stood before the youth, almost completely casting him in his shadow. The youth had to look up to see his face, revealing a slender neck where his Adam’s apple shifted with the movement.

A wary, beautiful cat that didn’t know it was glowing.

Kaelen had seen many beautiful people. His position meant he was never short of attractive men and women around him, and the glances they cast at him—obvious or subtle—carried expectations that were either clear or hidden.

The youth was different. His beauty was like a star in the fragmented beams of the headlights. The tip of his nose, slightly red from the cold wind, his lips that tightened and then parted—each detail felt vividly alive and real.

Kaelen had heard people call dark-haired, dark-eyed boys “sweethearts.” He had never taken that term seriously, thinking it was just a stereotype. But now, thinking of the youth, he suddenly felt he understood a little.

Even after the car had driven off into the distance, those eyes lingered in his mind—black, sparkling, like stars.

After a long while, Kaelen let out a soft laugh. That kid Isaac sure knew how to pick a place to live.

...

Xie Fengshi leaned against the door of his rental apartment as soon as he closed the door, his legs going weak. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly slid down to sit on the floor. “Damn...”

In front of those people earlier, he had managed to stay composed—calmly talking to Sun Zhiqiang, pretending nothing was wrong in front of Kaelen. But now that he was alone, the suppressed emotions finally surged up.

There were five of them, after all.

If Kaelen hadn’t shown up just in time, Xie Fengshi didn't dare think about what would have happened tonight.

He looked down at his hands, still trembling slightly. The original owner’s body was too weak. Let alone fight, he couldn’t even run fast. If it had come to a fight, he would have been dead on that crummy road tonight.

Xie Fengshi took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

It's fine. It's over.

He pushed himself up, walked over to the bed, and sat down. The room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of a passing car. Xie Fengshi stared at the wall in front of him for a while, his mind a mess.

Sun Zhiqiang’s words kept ringing in his ears. Now he understood—Xie Yun had sent those people.

Xie Fengshi finally saw it clearly. The original owner hadn't done anything wrong. He was just in the way—in Xie Yun's way.

The real young master didn’t just want to be recognized by the Xie family; he wanted a clean slate—a Xie family with no trace of the fake son. That was why the original owner had to leave, had to disappear, had to be completely erased from this world.

Xie Fengshi had lived a lifetime before, but he was only in his twenties. He had only seen a limited amount of human warmth and coldness. How could he have imagined that someone would discard a child they had raised like throwing away trash?

This was twenty years, not ten days or a month. That was the time from a child’s birth to adulthood—countless days and nights of companionship, first words like “Mom” and “Dad,” first steps, first backpack. Things that were vivid in the original owner’s memory—all so insignificant.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Xie Fengshi opened his eyes and looked warily at the door.

“Xie Fengshi?” It was Isaac’s voice.

Xie Fengshi let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked over to open the door. Sure enough, it was Isaac outside, his hair even messier than in the daytime, like he'd just rolled out of bed.

“Why are you here?” Xie Fengshi asked.

Isaac looked him up and down before speaking. “I heard a car just now.”

“You heard it?”

Isaac nodded.

The soundproofing in Xie Fengshi’s shabby apartment was terrible. You could clearly hear cars passing downstairs. Isaac must have heard the car stop, then heard Xie Fengshi come up the stairs. After waiting a while and not hearing Xie Fengshi knock on his door as usual, he came straight over.

Xie Fengshi felt a warmth in his chest and stepped aside: “Come in.”

After Isaac entered, he looked at Xie Fengshi, which made him uncomfortable. “What is it?”

“You don’t look well,” Isaac said.

Xie Fengshi touched his own face and gave a bitter smile: “It’s nothing. Just a bit tired.”

Isaac didn’t believe him. Under Isaac's gaze, Xie Fengshi reluctantly added. “Really, it’s nothing. I just ran into a few people on my way back from work, exchanged a few words. Not a big deal.”

Isaac frowned. “Those guys from earlier today?”

Xie Fengshi hadn’t expected him to pick up on it so quickly and nodded. Isaac’s frown deepened, and he turned to go.

Xie Fengshi quickly grabbed him: “Where are you going?”

“To find them.”

“Do you know where they are?”

At that, Isaac stopped and looked back at Xie Fengshi, looking confused.

Xie Fengshi pulled him back and sat him down: “Come on, don’t run off. They’re long gone. Where would you even look?”

Isaac sat, still unhappy, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Xie Fengshi was amused by his protective attitude: “Really, it’s fine. Someone helped me.”

Isaac looked up: “Who?”

Xie Fengshi looked at the kid in front of him, whose eyes were so clear you could see right through him, and hesitated for a moment over how to bring it up. He weighed his words: “Um... Isaac, let me ask you something.”

Isaac nodded.

“Is your brother’s name Kaelen?”

Isaac’s expression changed instantly. His gray-blue eyes widened at first, then turned wary: “How do you know?”

Xie Fengshi didn't know how to explain. He couldn't just say, "He gave me a ride back and helped me out along the way," could he?

Isaac pressed, "You've seen him?"

Xie Fengshi had to nod.

Isaac shot to his feet. "He came to you?"

Xie Fengshi quickly explained, "He didn't come for me. He must be looking for you. He happened to run into me getting hassled by some guys and helped me out."

As soon as Xie Fengshi finished, Isaac's eyes went wide. "He helped you? How did he help you?"

Xie Fengshi jumped at his reaction. "Just happened to be passing through?"

Isaac's voice actually went up half an octave. "How could someone like him be in a place like this? He always gets chauffeured everywhere! He thinks walking more than five minutes is a waste of time!"

Xie Fengshi: "..."

Isaac paced back and forth in the cramped room, his blond hair bouncing with every step. "He must've planned this! He found out I'm here!"

Isaac suddenly stopped, whipped around to stare at Xie Fengshi, and asked, "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much. He just asked my name and gave me a ride home."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Isaac didn't buy it. "He's definitely got something up his sleeve!"

Xie Fengshi couldn't help but laugh at how serious he looked. "Are you seriously that dramatic? Isn't he your brother?"

Isaac said with absolute certainty. "That's exactly why! I know him too well. He puts on this respectable front, but he's actually way more scheming than anyone!"

Xie Fengshi: "..."

Where had he heard that before? Oh yeah, that's how they described Xie Yun in the novel.

But Kaelen just didn't look like the scheming type. His eyes were way too honest when he looked at people, yet someone in his position can't be that naive.

Guess the guy's just a really good actor.

"Did he ask where you live?" Isaac pressed.

"No."

"Did he ask about me?"

"No."

"Did he say he wanted to see me?"

"No, not that either."

Isaac frowned even harder. Xie Fengshi looked at his conflicted expression and asked carefully, "You don't want to see him?"

Isaac didn't speak. Xie Fengshi sighed inwardly. What a stubborn kid—he clearly wanted to see him but wouldn't admit it.

"He should be here to see you. Otherwise why would he be in a place like this?"

Xie Fengshi thought for a moment and tried a different approach. "He seemed pretty worried about you?"

Isaac looked up. "Did he tell you that?"

"No, I could tell."

Isaac's expression flickered. "He doesn't care about me. If he did, he would have come long ago."

"Well, he's here now, isn't he?"

"Only now, three months later! Three months! He hasn't given a damn about me in three months! He didn't even call me on my birthday!"

Xie Fengshi understood. He wasn't angry that Kaelen came to find him, but that Kaelen only came now.

Xie Fengshi asked, "So what do you plan to do? Since he's found this place, he'll definitely come again."

Isaac finally managed to say, "Anyway, I'm not seeing him."

"Fine."

"If he comes for me, I won't open the door."

"Fine."

"If he dares to corner me, I'll—"

"You'll what?"

Isaac hesitated for a moment. "I'll move out!"

Xie Fengshi couldn't help but laugh. Isaac was a bit annoyed. "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Fengshi waved his hand. "Nothing, I just think you're really cute like this."

"Cute? Bullshit, I'm serious."

Xie Fengshi humored him. "Fine, fine, I'm serious, I'm serious. But what if he doesn't corner you? What if he just wants to see if you're doing well?"

"Then he doesn't need to check on me. I'm doing just fine."

"Yeah right, eating convenience store food every day. Doing just fine indeed."

Isaac: "..."

Isaac turned to glare at him. Xie Fengshi blinked, looking innocent.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Isaac conceded. "Well, now I've got you, haven't I?"

Xie Fengshi felt his heart soften. "Alright, don't stress it. If he comes again, see him if you want, don't if you don't. I can keep him away for you."

Isaac: "Really?"

"Really."

Isaac finally relaxed a little. It was the first time in days Xie Fengshi had seen him act like a teenager. "Then you better not get too close to him."

Xie Fengshi laughed. "Why would I get close to him?"

"I don't know, just don't. You're my friend, not his."

"Fine, fine, it's yours."

Isaac was satisfied, then thought of something else and added, "If he invites you to dinner, you're not allowed to go either."

"Why would he invite me to dinner for no reason?"

"That's just his MO—first dinner, then getting cozy. You're not going, period!"

Xie Fengshi cracked up. "Alright, alright, I won't go."

Isaac finally felt completely satisfied, acting his age with a little childishness.

After a moment, Isaac said, "How does he look?"

Hearing this, Xie Fengshi looked at Isaac, who was looking down, pretending to study his fingers. "He looks okay, just a bit tired."

Isaac didn't respond, but Xie Fengshi noticed Isaac stiffen for a second. So Xie Fengshi deliberately teased him: "You know, your brother is really handsome—even a little more handsome than you."

Isaac immediately looked up. "No way! That's just him getting older and looking old!"

Xie Fengshi: ...

These were truly blood brothers. If this got back to Kaelen, Isaac would probably get his ass kicked.

"He's twenty-four! I'm eighteen! When I'm his age, I'll definitely be hotter than him!"

Xie Fengshi held back a laugh. "Sure, sure, you'll be way more handsome than him."

Isaac snorted, couldn't keep his lips from curling up.

Xie Fengshi stood up. "Okay, it's late. Go to bed."

Isaac stood up too, but turned around at the door. "Xie Fengshi."

"Yeah?"

"You're really okay tonight?"

Xie Fengshi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "I'm fine, really fine. With your brother helping, what could go wrong?"

Isaac said, "Just call him Kaelen."

"Alright, alright. Kaelen, Kaelen."

Isaac was finally satisfied, pulled the door open to leave, but just before it closed, he stuck his head back in. "I want braised pork belly tomorrow!"

Then he shut the door.

Xie Fengshi laughed helplessly at the door.

...

The next day, when Xie Fengshi arrived for his shift at Good Fortune, he walked in to see Aunt Lin talking to a man.

The man was sitting with their back to the door, tall and with an upright posture. When Aunt Lin saw Xie Fengshi come in, her eyes crinkled in a smile. "Xiao Xie is here! Someone's looking for you."

That man turned around.

Xie Fengshi: ...

Damn it. He just promised Isaac yesterday.

Isaac, I'm sorry.

Your brother came to me himself.

Today, Kaelen wasn't wearing that coat that looked crazy expensive from yesterday, nor was his hair as perfectly neat as before—a few strands hung down over his forehead, making him seem less distant than last night.

"Xie Fengshi." Kaelen pronounced his name very clearly. "We meet again."

Xie Fengshi let out a dry laugh. "Haha, what a coincidence."

Kaelen said, "I came to find you."

Xie Fengshi: ...

Aunt Lin was grinning from ear to ear beside them. "Xiao Xie, this young man said he's here for you. Do you two know each other?"

Xie Fengshi said dryly, "We know each other. Sort of."

Aunt Lin gave him a playful glare. "Either you know him or you don't. He's been here since early this morning."

Xie Fengshi looked at Kaelen, who was looking back at him with a hint of amusement in those blue eyes, as if enjoying the expression on his face.

Xie Fengshi steeled himself and walked over. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

Kaelen said, "Having breakfast."

Xie Fengshi: "...You came here to eat breakfast?"

"Is that not okay?"

"It's fine."

Aunt Lin couldn't stop laughing beside them. "Xiao Xie, since he's your friend, go to the kitchen and make him something to eat. Uncle Li just fried up some youtiao."

Xie Fengshi shot Kaelen a helpless look. Kaelen responded with a polite smile.

Xie Fengshi felt like this guy was up to something. He recalled what Isaac had said last night; he hadn't believed it then, but now he did.

In the kitchen, Uncle Li was frying youtiao. Seeing Xie Fengshi come in, he asked, "That guy outside—your friend?"

"Not really a friend. Just an acquaintance."

Uncle Li didn't press further and pointed to the side. "Make whatever you want."

Xie Fengshi opened the fridge to look, an idea popping into his head.

Uncle Li watched from the side. "That guy's not just anyone, is he?"

Xie Fengshi paused in his movements. "How can you tell, Uncle Li?"

Uncle Li said flatly, "That whole outfit—enough to run this shop for a year. And that watch? Enough for ten years."

Xie Fengshi looked down at his own clothes, bought from some random street stall, and fell silent.