EPISODE 13

Cen Wu was sleeping deeply, his eyelashes trembling with each breath. Xie Guilan, unsure if Cen Wu would suddenly lose his temper, let him sleep without waking him.

Xie Guilan turned on the desk lamp and sat down at the old, worn-out desk to work on some practice exams. His back was straight and slender, and the black T-shirt he wore made his pale arms look even longer and more delicate, with prominent wrist bones.

It was only after 11 p.m. that Cen Wu finally rubbed his eyes and woke up, feeling extremely tired. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was still dreaming.

"Hey, you're awake," Xie Guilan noticed his gaze and stood up, walking towards the bedside.

Cen Wu jolted awake, realizing where he was, and sat up quickly, stammering, "I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

He hadn't slept much since being transported into this world through the book, and feeling exhausted, he had unknowingly fallen asleep on Xie Guilan's clean bed, which carried a faint cold fragrance.

"It's okay," Xie Guilan lowered his eyes, giving no indication of whether he was angry or not, "Is there something you need, Young Master?"

In the past, if Cen Wu had accidentally slept on his bed, he would have exploded in rage, considering it the greatest humiliation of his life. But now, all that was visible was a pale, panicked face.

A cat that didn't know how to scratch, a cat too timid to show its claws.

Cen Wu's lips moved, but before he could say anything, the door to the shack was yanked open.

Xie Shangjing had been out at a club that night, but when he heard that his father had gone to the hospital, he became too irritated to continue having fun. Deciding to head back early, he returned to the estate.

His face was cold and angry, but when he saw Cen Wu after pushing open the door, he was momentarily taken aback, his voice laced with suppressed rage, "What are you doing here?"

Cen Wu shuddered at his furious appearance.

Behind Xie Shangjing were a few others, including Chu Zijian and two others Cen Wu hadn't seen before. They were all definitely from this circle of rich second-generation kids.

Seeing Xie Shangjing's sudden outburst, the others couldn't help but peer in, curious about what was going on.

What they saw was Cen Wu sitting on Xie Guilan's bed, his hair disheveled from deep sleep, his snow-white ears flushed red, his clothes rumpled. His wide, shocked eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Xie Shangjing's already grim expression darkened as he coldly demanded, "Explain yourself."

Oh no.

The other rich kids were shocked. They had followed Xie Shangjing to play snooker and didn't expect to stumble upon such a scene. Was this some kind of... catch-in-the-act situation?

"Second Young Master..." Chu Zijian was confused but quickly reacted, pointing at Xie Guilan and asking, "Did you... force him?!"

Cen Wu: "..."

No, guys, what is this even?

"W-wait!" Cen Wu quickly interjected, "I came to copy some homework. What are you all yelling about?" Xie Shangjing remained cold-faced. "Copying homework?"

"What else?" Cen Wu snapped, turning the tables. "Are you going to teach me?"

Xie Shangjing: "..."

Xie Shangjing had been about to offer to teach him but then remembered Cen Wu's second-to-last place grades and fell silent.

Somehow, Cen Wu felt humiliated by that silence.

Xie Shangjing didn't see Xie Guilan as a person, and he assumed Cen Wu was the same. With suspicion, he pressed, "Alright, then what about the bar the night before last?"

"I heard you got into a fight with Wang Yue over him?"

Cen Wu immediately looked at Chu Zijian, who frantically waved his hands, insisting he hadn't said anything to implicate him. Even though his uncle manages the Xie family's shipping company, Xie Shangjing didn't think much of him. The only person Chu Zijian owed loyalty to was Cen Wu, and there was no way he would betray his boss.

"I... I went to the bar to hang out," Cen Wu said, secretly pinching himself. When he looked up, his eyes were red and wet, as if he had suffered a great injustice. "He deliberately disgusted me, and yet you're taking his side."

Xie Guilan was right next to him and had seen the whole act—Cen Wu pinching himself and pretending to cry. His lips twitched in amusement.

Worried his tears weren’t convincing, Cen Wu covered his face and let out a few sobs, revealing a pair of wet, red eyes through the gaps between his fingers. When Xie Shangjing wasn't looking, he winked at Xie Guilan.

Even in relationships, Xie Shangjing maintained a high stance. He wouldn't comfort anyone and found tears annoying. Frowning, he said coldly, "Who's taking his side? Why are you crying?"

Cen Wu: "..."

What’s with the cold, straight-up tone?

"I'm leaving." Cen Wu rubbed his red eyes and headed out. Xie Shangjing sighed in frustration and followed.

With Cen Wu there, Xie Shangjing couldn't confront Xie Guilan. After all, Cen Wu was the person he liked, and he didn't want Cen Wu to see his particularly violent side.

The others followed them out.

Chu Zijian, still fuming, lifted his leg to kick Xie Guilan's door as they reached the doorway, but before he could, Xie Guilan pushed him away with a cold expression.

"What the hell, you dare to push me?" Chu Zijian stumbled but didn't bother to settle the score since his boss had already left.

Xie Shangjing went upstairs to change his clothes, and they headed to the entertainment room first. Chu Zijian, filled with resentment, cursed non-stop, complaining to Cen Wu, "He actually dared to push me."

"Why are you blaming him?" Cen Wu frowned.

Chu Zijian, feeling wronged, accused, "Second Young Master, he pushed me first!"

Cen Wu: "He didn't push you to death."

Chu Zijian: "..."

Once everyone had left, Xie Guilan’s lips curved into a wry smile, finding the whole situation absurd. What was this?

-

While Xie Shangjing was still around, Cen Wu put on a show of affection for him. Xie Guilan knew Cen Wu wasn't in a relationship with Xie Shangjing. Cen Wu was like poison wrapped in honey, playing everyone like a fool.

While Xie Shangjing was upstairs, Cen Wu quickly messaged Xie Guilan. He knew Xie Guilan was particular about hygiene.

He wouldn’t want anyone else sleeping in his bed.

"Cen Wu: Sorry, I'll compensate you for the bedsheet. Sending you 1000 yuan, note: Sorry!"

"Xie Guilan: No need, it's not worth much."

"Cen Wu: Please accept it, I'm begging you."

As Cen Wu transferred the money to Xie Guilan, it dawned on him that Xie Guilan stayed at the Xie family because Song Lingwei needed treatment to survive. She wanted to live, and he couldn't stand in the way of that.

But he didn't have the money.

So, giving money to Xie Guilan might work.

He hadn’t fought with Cen Xiao over the family fortune yet, nor had he nearly killed Cen Wu’s parents. As long as Xie Guilan didn’t hate him too much, the Cen family wouldn’t come after him full force.

Xie Guilan pressed his lips together, ready to refuse again, but then another message from Cen Wu popped up.

"Cen Wu: I can't remember if I used the quilt or not, so let's just say I did. Here's another two thousand."

"Cen Wu: Wow, I'm such a terrible person! How could I be so evil? Might as well round it off to an even number."

This was followed by a cartoon cat fainting, with the caption "knocked out by my own evil."

Xie Guilan: "…"

Xie Guilan's temples throbbed. This guy’s math skills were worse than his chemistry, and he only got 12 points. How does he even manage to count?

"Cen Wu: Transferring 5200 yuan. Voluntary gift."

Xie Guilan: "…"

Xie Guilan stared at the transfer for a few minutes, then let out a cold scoff. He hadn't expected Cen Wu to go through all this trouble just to confess his feelings.

Chasing someone this directly and throwing money at them—it's no wonder so many people have fallen for it. Fortunately, Xie Guilan had seen through the act and wasn’t about to fall for this smooth-talking con artist's trap.

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