Chapter 4

Gu Chen did not want to tell anyone about his rebirth, so he casually brushed it off. "I've always known how."

Gu Xiu could not let it go. "But I watched you play basketball before. You weren't that great, were you?"

"I never had time to play basketball before," Gu Chen said. "With that time, wouldn't it be better to do a few more practice problems?"

That was true. Gu Xiu pressed his lips together. He felt that Gu Chen had become a little different after entering college.

Gu Chen walked up to the serving window. "Two tea eggs, a bowl of millet porridge, and a plate of cold cucumber salad. Thank you."

The cafeteria worker dished out Gu Chen's food, then looked at Gu Xiu beside him. He immediately smiled. "Little classmate, so it was you?"

Gu Xiu looked at the worker serving food and smiled as well. "So it was you. I still haven't thanked you for letting me into the kitchen yesterday. I caused you trouble."

"No trouble at all." The cafeteria worker beamed at Gu Xiu, then remarked to Gu Chen, "You must be this student's older brother. You have a good younger brother. Your brother treats you so well. You mustn't mistreat him."

The students getting food at the other windows all looked over at that. "So you're the freshman who cooked for his older brother. I heard you even fetched hot water for your brother, washed his clothes, and made his bed. Your brother is really lucky to have a little brother like you."

"Why don't I have such a good little brother? Look at him—that's what a real little brother should be like!"

Hearing their praise, Gu Xiu hurriedly waved his hands and explained with a flushed face, "You've misunderstood. My brother isn't my biological brother either. I was adopted by the Gu Family when I was little. But my brother treats me very well. Really, he treats me especially well."

At Gu Xiu's words, the expressions of the students who had been praising their brotherly bond immediately changed.

Chapter 4

The cafeteria was especially crowded during breakfast. Gu Chen and Gu Xiu carried their trays around for more than half the cafeteria before finally finding empty seats.

"Brother, are you angry?" Gu Xiu asked impatiently as soon as they sat down.

Gu Chen lowered his head, peeling a tea egg as he asked, "Why would you think I'm angry?"

Gu Xiu pressed his lips together and looked unwillingly at Gu Chen, who kept his head down and would not look at him. "Because I just said I'm not the Gu Family's biological son. I'm the Gu Family's adopted son."

Gu Chen put the peeled tea egg into his millet porridge. "Isn't that the truth?"

Gu Xiu felt his chest tighten at Gu Chen's retort. He could not help raising his voice as he said stubbornly, "Yeah! Isn't that the truth? Then why are you angry?"

The noisy cafeteria abruptly fell silent. The students around them all looked over.

Gu Xiu only felt his cheeks grow hot. He lowered his head awkwardly. The male student sitting beside them could not stand it any longer and tried to persuade Gu Chen. "Classmate, don't be angry with your brother. He didn't say anything else. Besides, he took care of you yesterday—he fetched hot water, cooked, and washed clothes. Even if he didn't earn merit, he still put in the effort, right?"

Because of the male student's words, Gu Xiu's eyes reddened with grievance. His expression was filled with unease and apprehension.

Seeing Gu Xiu like that, the surrounding students felt even more sorry for him. They all chimed in. "That's right! Between brothers, it's such a small matter. There's no need for this."

"You're a man! Don't be so petty!"

"Is this really necessary? Over something so minor!"

Gu Chen drank his porridge expressionlessly with his head lowered. Since entering the cafeteria, he had said only one sentence, yet he had already been branded petty.

Fortunately, Gu Chen was used to it.

Just as the students were standing up for Gu Xiu and repeatedly urging Gu Chen to relent, an arm suddenly draped over Gu Chen's shoulder. Huo Mingzhang's annoyingly playful voice sounded above him. "Millet porridge with boiled eggs? That's postpartum food."

"Brother, you really know how to stay healthy!"

Gu Chen expressionlessly brushed Huo Mingzhang's hand away. Huo Mingzhang had long seen Gu Chen's deadpan attitude and did not take offense. He sat down beside Gu Chen and asked curiously, "What were you talking about just now? It was so lively."

A group of students rushed to answer at once. Huo Mingzhang frowned as he caught the implication behind their words. He had not thought Gu Chen and Gu Xiu had a bad relationship, nor had he seen any sign that the Gu Family was exploiting Gu Xiu. If they could raise an adopted son to be so fresh-faced and well cared for, Huo Mingzhang felt that the Gu Family had at least not treated Gu Xiu badly.

Zhou Xiaoting gave a light laugh. "I wondered what all the fuss was about. You were chatting so loudly I could hear you from the cafeteria entrance. So it was just this trivial nonsense. This doesn't even count as a problem. Why did you think your brother was angry? Is your brother usually this petty too?"

Zhou Xiaoting looked at Gu Xiu with a faintly mocking smile. Gu Xiu choked, swallowing hard. "I never said my brother was petty. My brother treats me very well. Don't try to drive a wedge between us."

Gu Xiu was somewhat dissatisfied, feeling that this senior kept targeting him.

Zhou Xiaoting would not let it go. "Since you think your brother isn't petty, why would you ask something like that?"

Gu Xiu had no answer.

The surrounding students also sensed something was off. They frowned at Zhou Xiaoting. The boy who had first spoken up for Gu Xiu asked hesitantly, "Zhou Xiaoting, do you have some misunderstanding about Gu Xiu? He really isn't someone who stirs up trouble. Besides, we all know he fetched hot water, cooked, and washed clothes for his brother last night."

"I didn't say anything, did I?" Zhou Xiaoting sneered. "Which sentence of mine said he was stirring up trouble? I just think Gu Chen isn't the kind of person who would be so petty. Do you think there's something wrong with that?"

The male student became embarrassed and angry from her retort. He stiffened his neck and said, "You didn't say it, but that's what you meant."

"Oh? Since when did you become a worm in my stomach?" Zhou Xiaoting had never been afraid of an argument. "Come on, then. Analyze it for me. Which word in what I just said implied that Gu Xiu was driving a wedge between people?"

The male student had not expected Zhou Xiaoting to be so aggressive. He immediately found himself in an awkward position. "Why are you coming at me? I was only kindly reminding you that you can know a person's face but not their heart. How long have you known this kid? Do you even know what kind of person he is, speaking up for him like that?"

"And you've known Gu Xiu for more than twenty-four hours? Yet you're already standing up for him?" Zhou Xiaoting shot back with a single sentence.