Xie Zhuzhou was secretly startled. There was actually someone in this world who looked sixty or seventy percent like him...
Could the German shepherd have mistaken him for someone else based on his face?
"You're welcome," Xie Zhuzhou replied stiffly, still studying the other man curiously.
The other man was clearly studying him too, without so much as a glance at his beloved dog.
"If I may ask, what's your surname?"
"Xie."
"Hello, Mr. Xie. Here's my business card. Thank you for finding my dog. If you ever need help, please contact me."
The young man was handsome, slender, and stood tall. Dressed in bespoke clothing, he looked as though he had just left a banquet. He carried the distinguished air of a young master from an established family and spoke with considerable propriety.
Those smiling, peach-blossom eyes, almost identical to Xie Zhuzhou's, seemed to eagerly await his acceptance of the business card.
His name stood out clearly on the black-and-gold card: Ji Wangyun.
A ripple passed through Xie Zhuzhou's eyes, which had been as still as stagnant water, while towering waves surged inside him.
The world was a village.
So small.
He nodded and thanked him, but did not take the card.
Worried that this older brother might think he had engineered their chance encounter, Xie Zhuzhou feared he would never be able to clear his name, so he declined it.
He stood and handed him the leash.
"No need for the business card."
In City A, having the Ji Family's second young master's black-and-gold business card was, for an ordinary person, little different from ascending to the upper realm.
But to Xie Zhuzhou, it was no different from a death warrant. It even felt too hot to handle.
He thought Ji Wangyun had guessed his identity too, so it was better not to get involved.
Somewhat woodenly, Xie Zhuzhou reached out to stroke the dog's head one last time.
"Goodbye."
The German shepherd finally abandoned his bone and tried to stop Xie Zhuzhou from leaving, but he had already returned to his bicycle and ridden away.
This was Ji Wangyun's first time meeting the younger brother his father had kept so tightly hidden.
He only knew that his surname was Xie, and nothing else.
So this younger brother looked this much like him.
"Aolai, good work." Ji Wangyun also reached out to stroke the dog's head, the corners of his lips curling into an inscrutable smile.
"Woof!"
On his way back, Xie Zhuzhou rode as though a ghost were chasing him.
Only when he had cycled all the way to the villa gates did he catch his breath.
Was this the pressure a legitimate son brought? He didn't even know where this older brother fell in the birth order.
Xie Zhuzhou would like to live a little longer. What if Ji Wangyun thought he wanted to compete with him for the family fortune?
"Young master, have some water."
Before Xie Zhuzhou could react, he took it out of habit and drank a mouthful. Only when he came to his senses did he realize Zhang Yin was standing in front of him.
"..."
In the middle of the night.
Why come out to scare people instead of sleeping?
"Thank you for the water." Xie Zhuzhou swallowed it in the end. It wasn't that he was overly suspicious; in his previous life, even drinking water required a silver needle.
Seriously, he was letting his guard down.
"You're welcome."
"I'll transfer you the money..."
"No need."
"Oh."
The next day.
Zhang Yin received a case of water.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had truly never met someone so awkward and so afraid of letting anyone form a connection with him.
Still, his probing last night had yielded a little information. Xie Zhuzhou really wasn't an ordinary person. He was far too accustomed to being waited on...
If Xie Zhuzhou wasn't some wealthy young master, he would swallow the bottle.
Wang Zhengxiao was envious. "Damn, you're too sneaky."
It was Monday, and Zhang Yin took the livestream audience to work.
[Ruoruo took us around all day yesterday. I feel so tired, but so happy.]
[I'm scared. Ruoruo even took us to the aquarium. So thoughtful. It felt like being Ruoruo's girlfriend for a day.]
[Looking forward to a day with the best actor.]
[Zhang Yin looks so handsome even while driving. His fingers are so long.]
[Aaaaah, help! Brother Zhang, please stay handsome. Don't go bald.]
Zhang Yin wasn't looking at the livestream chat. Otherwise, he would have stocked up on black sesame seeds as soon as he got back.
"Zhang Yin, why are you so happy today?"
"Because someone gave me a return gift first thing this morning."
Xie Zhuzhou also had to return to school today. Embarrassed, he wrapped the stick in strips of white gauze and took it to school.
But it still drew the attention of those around him.
Everyone was curious about what he was holding.
If the stick hadn't been wrapped into such a rounded shape, the class representative would have thought that yesterday's embarrassment had finally driven Xie Zhuzhou to take her down with him.
Xie Zhuzhou said, "Homework."
Under all those gazes, Xie Zhuzhou felt considerable pressure, but how could a man's knees buckle so easily? He braced himself and put on a cold expression.
"Can we unwrap it and have a look? Let everyone see it."
Xie Zhuzhou: ...
He turned to look inside their classroom. Everyone else's work was completely uncovered. Only his was wrapped in gauze.
Though his classmates' pieces were abstract, they had clearly put care into them and demonstrated considerable artistic skill.
"Let's not. Just showing the teacher... is enough."
It would have been better if Xie Zhuzhou hadn't spoken. Now everyone around him was even more curious.
The class representative gazed expectantly at him with her dark, round eyes too.
"...Go ahead."
Xie Zhuzhou pulled his baseball cap lower and, without waiting for the class representative to unwrap it, fled to a seat in the corner.
He took a deep breath.
Sure enough, the next moment, the entire class burst out laughing.
"..."
He couldn't take it anymore. He was tired. Let it all burn.
Xie Zhuzhou looked utterly done with life. When the teacher received his homework, for a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or scold him.
Although the patterns carved on it were exquisitely beautiful, and it really was comfortable to hold, the lack of effort was obvious to the naked eye.
In the end, the teacher gave him a passing grade.
To prevent any more corner-cutting from his student, the teacher called Xie Zhuzhou into his office for tea. After the teacher finished his earnest lecture, Xie Zhuzhou even considerately poured him a cup of tea.
The teacher: ...
Unable to continue scolding him, the teacher told him to go back and carve a carrot. He wanted to see A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains on it.
Xie Zhuzhou carefully studied the teacher's eyes and confirmed that he wasn't joking.
That was far too difficult.
The teacher was really bullying him!
After Xie Zhuzhou returned, the class representative kept questioning him. In the end, unable to withstand the girl's wheedling tone, he frowned and said stiffly, "The teacher told me to carve A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains on a carrot."
The whole class looked over, every one of them unable to hold back their laughter.
Xie Zhuzhou gritted his teeth slightly.
Money could make even ghosts turn the millstone. At worst, he would hire someone to carve it.
After class, Xie Zhuzhou kept a straight face. He wasn't quite so socially anxious now. Keeping quiet could solve most social difficulties.
But just as he stepped out, his college roommate called him over.
Li Yankai whispered into his ear, "Dude, were you on Love 5?"
Xie Zhuzhou: ...