ATIBESLM 20

Ye Lingwei could feel that Fei Lan made no movement at all. He stood there completely unmoved, fingers resting on his backpack straps, not twitching even a little.

Yuan Song caught up very quickly. Furrowing his brows, he said in a tone that was almost a command, “Fei Lan, give Ye Lingwei to me.”

Ye Lingwei was panting, his lips nearly touching the rim of Fei Lan’s ear.

Fei Lan had left school late. Gao Linhao hadn’t dared to explain things clearly in front of Ye Lingwei, but the moment Ye Lingwei was gone, Gao Linhao had spilled everything to Fei Lan like pouring beans from a bamboo tube¹It describes speaking quickly, thoroughly, and without holding anything back..

Without adding oil or vinegar²Adding oil or vinegar is the Chinese idiom for “embellishing the truth.” By saying without adding oil or vinegar, it means not adding any extra details to a story.—he told Fei Lan exactly what Ye Lingwei had told him.

Fei Lan had heard of Yuan Song before. He was very good at social maneuvering and skilled at winning the favor of teachers, but he had a bit of a tendency to bully others. This wasn’t exactly a fatal flaw, and Fei Lan had stopped meddling in other people’s business since the start of high school.

This road was the route he absolutely had to take to get home.

Ye Lingwei appeared suddenly. Before Fei Lan could even react, the boy had already thrown himself into his arms. It caught him completely off guard, like a meteor suddenly streaking across the pitch-black sky.

Yuan Song wasn’t very familiar with Fei Lan, nor had he heard his circle mention him much. He had heard of almost everyone in school who had two brushes³This idiom implies someone is skilled, capable, or has some real talent. It comes from old calligraphy lore where you needed at least two brushes to be a master. and he was on mostly good terms with them. The only reason he knew Fei Lan’s name was purely because the guy was good-looking—uniquely and unparalleled so.

Furthermore, he knew from middle school that Fei Lan used to be a formidable character.

It was just that now, he had faded into the crowd.

Fei Lan still hadn’t made a move for a long time which made Yuan Song slightly impatient. Yuan Song attempted to reach out and grab Ye Lingwei. Although Fei Lan didn’t hold onto Ye Lingwei, he lowered his gaze and took two steps back. Ye Lingwei followed, taking two steps forward, effectively dodging Yuan Song’s hand.

Yuan Song was very displeased. “What do you mean by this?”

Fei Lan stood without moving, his tone indifferent. “I’m not in the mood to play these childish games with you. If you want to cause him trouble, you two work it out and go do it somewhere else.”

Ye Lingwei froze for a moment, then immediately rolled his eyes. His arms circling Fei Lan tightened even more. He was already prepared that if Fei Lan didn’t help him, he would twist Fei Lan’s neck right off along with him.

Fei Lan sensed the person in his arms suddenly hugging him tighter. He found it a little amusing. Now he knows how to be scared? Where was this earlier?

He raised his eyes to look at Yuan Song. “Let’s end this here. I’ll take him back.”

Yuan Song was in a bit of disbelief. He didn’t even understand where the calm and composed Fei Lan got this confidence from…

“You probably don’t know yet. Ye Lingwei is the youngest son of the Ye family.” Fei Lan reminded Yuan Song softly. Perhaps it was a case of newborn calves not fearing tigers⁴A very common idiom. It refers to young or inexperienced people who are fearless because they are ignorant of the dangers., but no matter how overlooked or disliked Ye Lingwei was in the Ye family, his eldest and second brother still wouldn’t allow him to be bullied at school.

The Ye family?

What Ye family?

Yuan Song thought for a long time. He wasn’t some top-tier socialite from a wealthy clan, so it was impossible for him to know the family background of every second-generation heir. However, the Ye family—a Ye family that even he would know, there was only one.

The Ye Family, controlled by the rising business star Ye Cen. Although the outside world didn’t have much news about ‘Ye San,’⁵Or Ye the Third. In prominent Chinese families, children are often referred to by their surname and birth order number (e.g., Ye the First, Ye the Third). It denotes his status as the third son. he definitely existed. Ye Lingwei existed.

Yuan Song looked at Ye Lingwei who was literally hanging off Fei Lan’s neck. His expression was complicated.

He didn’t know, he wasn’t clear on the details—he was just an ordinary high school student. However, from the very first glance he had of Ye Lingwei this afternoon, he knew this boy definitely didn’t come from an ordinary family. He was different from someone like him, raised on roadside stalls⁶This is a metaphor for a “rough” or “cheap” upbringing.. Where Ye Lingwei stood, the sun shone.

Fei Lan lowered his eyes. His gaze landed on the side of Ye Lingwei’s neck, holding no particular emotion. “That’s enough. No one is looking for trouble with you anymore.”

Yuan Song clenched his fists tight, fingers digging into his palms. The boy in front of him simply didn’t take him seriously at all. It wasn’t like the high-and-mighty arrogance of some people; Fei Lan’s disregard seemed polite on the surface, but in reality, he probably didn’t even know if you were a man or a woman.

Ye Lingwei’s hands slowly loosened, resting lightly on Fei Lan’s shoulders. He leaned the side of his face against Fei Lan’s neck, revealing just half his face to Yuan Song. His eyelashes trembled slightly. “I already apologized, what more do you want?”

The youth’s tone was as aggrieved as it could possibly be, as if Yuan Song was the one being unreasonable and refusing to let it go.

Anyone who didn’t know the situation would definitely think Ye Lingwei had suffered a massive, massive injustice.

Fei Lan gave Ye Lingwei’s head a tap. “Let go.”

At this very moment, Yuan Song felt completely superfluous. It wasn’t to say that Fei Lan and Ye Lingwei looked particularly compatible, but rather that he felt so incredibly out of place.

He didn’t even know where to begin finding fault.

Although Fei Lan seemed to be standing aloof as if none of this concerned him—he hadn’t even made a single move to support Ye Lingwei—Yuan Song had a damned intuition. If he reached out to grab Ye Lingwei now, Fei Lan certainly wouldn’t turn a blind eye as he appeared to be doing.

Fei Lan…

Fei Lan…

Yuan Song had excellent grades, and always had since childhood. There were countless high schools in Shencheng, but only a few were worth naming, and the same went for middle schools.

He knew Fei Lan entirely because Fei Lan had participated in numerous competitions back in middle school. Yuan Song never missed those events either, so running into Fei Lan a couple of times was inevitable. Talented people tend to appreciate one another; the Fei Lan of that time was one of the few rivals Yuan Song was willing to acknowledge and praise.

However, since the third year of middle school, Fei Lan had vanished without a trace.

When he met Fei Lan again, he was being held by the guy from the Academic Affairs Office at the school gate, receiving a lecture with spittle flying everywhere. At that time, Yuan Song felt a mix of lament and sober relief.

He lamented the ‘Tragedy of Zhongyong⁷This is a famous classic essay by Wang Anshi. It tells the story of a child prodigy named Fang Zhongyong who could write poetry at age five. However, his father paraded him around for fame and money instead of letting him study. Eventually, his talent faded, and he became a totally ordinary person. Yuan Song is using this to say Fei Lan was a “wasted prodigy.”,’ but rejoiced in the fact that, fortunately, Fei Lan had fallen.

Just like a meteorite, he had crashed.

This was their first face-to-face confrontation since high school began. Yuan Song narrowed his eyes; he had a vague feeling that Fei Lan was far from the ordinary, mediocre appearance he presented on the surface.

The less attention someone attracts, the more you need to be on guard.

He didn’t even utter a single harsh word. After remaining silent for a long while, he turned and left. Understanding the situation is one of a person’s greatest strengths. Yuan Song clenched his molars until they ached, but he swallowed his anger.

Ye Lingwei was someone he couldn’t afford to offend, and Fei Lan was someone he definitely couldn’t afford to offend either.

He had no intention of inviting trouble onto himself. As for Ye Lingwei… he will see later.

He was really just a little bit good-looking, that’s all.

When Yuan Song’s figure had completely disappeared from sight, and before Fei Lan could even make a sound, Ye Lingwei’s hands immediately dropped. He took two steps back, putting distance between himself and Fei Lan, looking exactly like a white-eyed wolf⁸This is a classic Chinese insult for an ingrate—someone who is ungrateful, heartless, and cruel. who turns his back on people the moment he’s done with them.

“Thanks.”

“…”

Fei Lan was practically exasperated into laughter by Ye Lingwei.

How does he manage to switch his act on and off so effortlessly now?

Ye Lingwei was slightly shorter than Fei Lan. Fei Lan lowered his eyes slightly to look at him and slowly said, “Ye Lingwei, let’s talk.”

Ye Lingwei’s eyelashes drooped down, brushing against his lower eyelids like a thick, dense brush.

“Talk about what?” Ye Lingwei said, “Do I know you that well?”

His voice had barely faded when Fei Lan’s hand reached around to the back of his head. He grabbed his hair and pulled downwards, forcing him to look up. There wasn’t much force used, and Ye Lingwei didn’t resist either. The movement was fluid, done in one smooth breath. The youth’s incredibly soft neck was directly exposed before Fei Lan’s eyes.

“Ye Lingwei,” Fei Lan called his name. “Do you think I’m some kind of good person, hiding in my arms like that?”

Fei Lan’s fingers slowly loosened, resting seemingly casually on the back of Ye Lingwei’s head. He leaned down slightly, seeing clearly just how innocent—and innocent—Ye Lingwei’s eyes looked right now.

It was as if he knew nothing about everything that had just happened.

“Do you still remember Aunt Jiang?” Fei Lan asked him in a murmur. Fei Lan had actually been a bit puzzled these past couple of days. In the current Ye Lingwei, he no longer saw any lingering attachment to Aunt Jiang.

Because the attachment to Aunt Jiang was gone, the teeth-grinding loathing he used to have for Fei Lan had also vanished without a trace along with it.

It was truly, very strange.

Ye Lingwei’s eyes shimmered with the dappled light falling from the camphor tree leaves. His eyelashes lifted, then lowered again. A crystal-clear teardrop dripped from the corner of his eye, running down to gather at his chin. Trembling, it hung there for two seconds before falling to the ground.

“Mom…” Ye Lingwei said absent-mindedly.

“You stole her away. I hate you.” Ye Lingwei didn’t shout. It wasn’t like the hoarse, hysterical accusation he made when the affair between Jiang Hui and Fei Qiang was exposed and he had just found out. He just spoke to Fei Lan calmly and sadly.

An invisible hand tried to stab into Fei Lan’s chest and gouge out his heart.

Fei Lan considered himself a very sentimental person. Even though he and Ye Lingwei hadn’t met again since elementary school, and the dealings with the Ye family no longer required his presence, he still always remembered the little boy hiding behind a crowd, timidly calling him ‘Gege.’

That was the first person to call him ‘Gege.’ Naturally, Fei Lan treated him as his own younger brother, even willing to protect him under his wing.

The prerequisite was that no accidents occurred.

Fei Lan’s bystander attitude was directed toward everyone, himself included. He allowed Ye Lingwei to be bullied, just as he allowed himself to sink into mediocrity.

Fei Lan watched Ye Lingwei’s tears with total indifference before letting him go. He coldly pulled apart the distance between them. For Ye Lingwei, it was the first time in a long while that he felt this was the real Fei Lan.

High and mighty, contemptuous and arrogant.

“Before you go helping others, you should think about the consequences—” Fei Lan looked at Ye Lingwei with an amused expression. “Instead of just throwing yourself into the arms of whoever you happen to run into.”

“…” Ye Lingwei could no longer keep up with Fei Lan’s shifting moods. Just what kind of unpredictable person was this? That look from a moment ago had only appeared for a few fleeting seconds before he reverted to his usual self.

It was as if he hadn’t heard a word Ye Lingwei had just said.

“You can ask anyone for help, but the one person you cannot ask is me.” Fei Lan reminded him, “Kid, your mother is at my house right now, you know.”

He said these words with a relaxed expression. He didn’t want Ye Lingwei to die, but he also didn’t want him living as carelessly and happily as he was now.

The innocence in Ye Lingwei’s eyes slowly faded away, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a slightly resigned smile. “Fei Lan, I made peace with that a long time ago. That is adult business. It has nothing to do with me, and it has nothing to do with you either.”

With just a few airy sentences—”nothing to do with me, nothing to do with you”—he completely dissolved the years of discord between them. It was as if he were declaring: this boring game can end now.

Ye Lingwei was actually quite intimidated by Fei Lan.

Just now, when Fei Lan pulled his hair, he immediately and obediently tilted his head back, putting on a submissive and fragile front. The other party’s volatile moods—it wasn’t the first time he had experienced them.

Fei Lan scrutinized Ye Lingwei’s expression, attempting to find a trace of stubborn defiance on his face, but there was none.

Ye Lingwei had grown up.

He was very pleased.

—

It was rare, extremely rare. It had been a long time since Fei Qiang had seen his son come home smiling, although it wasn’t that obvious. Then again, none of Fei Lan’s emotions were ever obvious.

Fei Qiang stopped him, asking him what made him so happy.

Fei Lan thought for a moment and then smiled. “Nothing joyful happened. If you want to make me happy, just go to my mom’s tombstone and kowtow a few more times.”

The smile in Fei Qiang’s eyes vanished.

“If you do that, not only will I be happy, but Mom would be very gratified too…”

The moment Fei Lan finished speaking, he received a vicious slap. His head was knocked to the side. He pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek, and the taste of blood immediately spread through his entire mouth.

“You are willfully ignorant of current circumstances, and you can’t distinguish good from bad.” Fei Qiang looked at Fei Lan coldly. He stood up from the sofa and went upstairs without even sparing Fei Lan a second glance.

The housekeeper came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit platter. When she saw Fei Lan like this, she knew the father and son must have argued again. She hurriedly put down the platter and trotted over to Fei Lan, feeling both angry and heartbroken.

“It’s been so many years, why are you still so stubborn?”

“Just pretend you don’t see it! That you don’t know! Just pretend you’ve forgotten, can’t you?!” As the housekeeper spoke, her tears were about to fall. Fei Lan sat on the sofa while holding an ice pack in his hand. His eyelids were lowered, his expression indifferent.

The housekeeper was truly furious, and just as heartbroken.

When Jiang Hui first entered the door, Fei Lan caused a scene that could only be described as earth-shattering. Fei Qiang pinned him to the ground, forcing him to call her ‘Mom’. Fei Lan’s eyeballs nearly turned blood-red; he refused to say it, no matter what. In the middle of the night, he grabbed a rope and tied Jiang Hui up. He stuffed her into the room filled with his mother’s photos and made her kneel.

“Do you know that my mom just died? When you slept with him, my mom hadn’t even taken her last breath.” Fei Lan was only in the sixth grade then. Who knows where he got the nerve; maybe it was innate. People named Fei are born lunatic.

Moreover, with Fei Lan, this trait was displayed to its absolute extreme.

Fei Qiang beat Fei Lan straight into the ICU. He was hooked up to everything—ventilator, ECG monitor, the whole set. Jiang Hui was nearly crying, begging the father and son to stop making a scene, to stop fighting.

Fei Lan was only twelve.

After coming out of the hospital, Fei Lan was like a changed person. He called Jiang Hui ‘Aunt Jiang’, went to school and came back every day, and was still that same outstanding Fei Lan. However, after getting into No. 3 High School, the best high school in Shencheng, Fei Lan’s grades plummeted by two hundred places in the first monthly exam. Immediately after, they dropped by another hundred places, then another, until he fell to the four or five hundredth rank, and there it stopped.

The teacher also sought him out for a talk, asking if something was weighing on his mind. Fei Lan simply gave an airy reply, “It’s too hard, I can’t keep up,” and just like that, he dismissed the teacher.

Fei Lan hadn’t had a conflict with Fei Qiang for a long time. He wasn’t happy today either.

As a person with an extremely heavy desire for revenge, when Fei Lan realized that among the people in the Ye family he wanted to take revenge on, with Ye Lingwei as the sole exception, he indeed experienced a brief moment of confusion.

At the very least, he didn’t want to see Ye Lingwei cry anymore.

Whether or not he can live a good life, or be happy, at the very least, just don’t cry.

The housekeeper was still right by his ear, nagging endlessly.

“Please, don’t fight with President Fei anymore. An arm can’t wrestle a thigh⁹This is a colorful Chinese idiom. It means the weak cannot contend with the strong. The “arm” represents the son (Fei Lan) and the “thigh” represents the father (Fei Qiang).. Wait until you grow up—then, whatever you do, I won’t stop you.”

“You won’t stop me from doing anything?” Fei Lan looked up, asking back with a smile, “Do you really mean that?”

At a moment like this, how could the housekeeper possibly stop to consider the deeper meaning behind Fei Lan’s words? She nodded without even thinking. As long as Fei Lan didn’t cause a scene, anything was fine.

Fei Lan let out a laugh; he actually felt a little happy now.

Anyone with eyes could see just how much the housekeeper disliked Jiang Hui’s children. She didn’t have much schooling. In her mind, since Jiang Hui wasn’t any good, the whelps¹⁰This is a derogatory term for children, often used for animals (like cubs or pups). she birthed naturally wouldn’t be any better.

However, Fei Lan thought she would like Ye Lingwei. No one could dislike him.

Ye Lingwei, naturally, had no idea what had happened after Fei Lan returned home. The first thing he did upon arriving at his own house was to check the book. If he knew a bit more of the plot, he would have a little more confidence when facing these people.

Yet regrettably, the book was the same as always—not a single new word had appeared.

Tossing the book aside, he went into the bathroom for a shower. Afterward, Ye Lingwei stood by the bedside table, head lowered as he fiddled with his phone.

The boy’s hair was still wet, a soft dark blue towel draped over his head. Water droplets slid down the tips of his hair, dripping onto his shoulders and dampening his white pajamas before falling onto his smooth and clean toes, coating them in a thin, shimmering layer of light.

Ye Lingwei dialed a number, muttering to himself, “I told you, I’m not that tough, but I am undeniably good at tattling.”

“Hey, I want oden.”

Ye Xuan had just finished playing cards with friends at a bar and was sitting on the sofa drinking when he received Ye Lingwei’s call. He hadn’t intended to answer it; it was late, and who would willingly ruin their own mood?

However, the phone kept ringing. Afraid that something might actually be wrong with Ye Lingwei, Ye Xuan answered it after all. Before he could even say a word, the person on the other end was already yelling right in his face that he wanted oden.

Ye Xuan was incredulous. “Are you sick? Look at what time it is.”

Ye Lingwei sat on the bed. He took out a tablet and placed it on his lap. He lazily repeated, “Er-ge, I want oden.”

“Or else I won’t go to school.”

Ye Xuan’s features were naturally cold and stern to begin with. When his expression darkened, everything around him quieted down.

“Don’t go then, for all I care,” Ye Xuan said coldly.

Ye Xuan hung up the phone. ‘Won’t go to school?’ What did Ye Lingwei not going to school have to do with him?

Seeing that Ye Xuan was off the phone, Yan Bai leaned in to ask, “Who pissed you off?”

“Ye Lingwei. He wants oden, and he wants me to go buy it.” Ye Xuan couldn’t even stomach his drink now. Won’t go to school? If he doesn’t go to school, what is he going to do? Go plant rice?

Yan Bai was amused and couldn’t stop laughing. He actually collapsed onto the sofa in a fit of mirth.

“Hahahaha! Your younger brother is something else! He actually dares to order our Second Young Master Ye to buy him oden? It’s eleven o’clock at night. Ye Xuan, are you actually going?”

This group of car enthusiasts all came from families with money. They were the ones who ordered others around. For someone to order them around—that was impossible.

Ye Xuan was still gripping his glass, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word Yan Bai said.

A few minutes passed, and as everyone started getting rowdy again, Ye Xuan reached out for the car keys on the table.

Yan Bai noticed and casually asked, “Where are you going?”

Ye Xuan pursed his lips without saying a word. He grabbed his helmet and tucked it into the crook of his arm. He stood up and headed for the door.

Yan Bai ran after him to stop him. “You going home? It’s so early. Let’s go run a few laps later. Isn’t the New Siwu Avenue open over there? Some teams already went to try it out; it’s really a rush.”

Ye Xuan remained silent. He felt that going out in the dead of night to buy oden for his younger brother really shattered his usual persona of the cold, aloof second young master.

However Yan Bai didn’t overthink it. He saw right through Ye Xuan’s facade.

“You’re actually going to buy oden for your younger brother?” Yan Bai’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He followed Ye Xuan out. Ye Xuan swung his leg over the motorcycle, then put on his helmet, revealing a pair of eyes void of any emotion.

Yan Bai excitedly tried to hop on too. “Take me with you, take me with you. They all said last time that your brother is good-looking—I want to go too.”

Ye Xuan gunned the throttle, and the motorcycle’s engine instantly roared through the entire street. His voice blended with the roar of the engine. “Get the hell off. My backseat is reserved for my partner.”

Yan Bai: “…”

All that was left for Yan Bai was the exhaust fumes and the fading sound of the engine.

—

“Boss, one order of oden, to go.”

The owner was a young woman. She watched the young man lift the curtain and walk in. His tone was impatient, but the impatience wasn’t directed at her.

“Um, what would you like?”

Ye Xuan had never eaten oden nor had he ever had a partner. His world consisted only of racing, and he certainly wouldn’t normally appear in this kind of messy little snack shop.

Even if it was clean, tidy, and had a big reputation.

Ye Xuan looked at the metal compartments stuffed full of meatballs, meatballs, and more meatballs. To sum it up, it was basically just meatballs and sticks.

“I want all of it. To go.” Ye Xuan was concise.

“Do you want cilantro? Do you eat spicy food? We have Korean and Japanese style spicy sauces here, and also honey mustard sauce…”

“No.” Since Ye Xuan himself didn’t like them, he couldn’t be bothered to wonder if Ye Lingwei did. He just refused outright.

Ye Xuan carried the two large boxes packed by the owner out of the shop. He had just secured them and was about to mount his motorcycle when Ye Lingwei called again.

Definitely nothing good.

Not a single good thing.

Damn brat.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, intending to beat him to the punch and tell him to shut up, but he was still a step too slow.

“Er-ge, I want honey mustard sauce. It’s sweet; it’s so good.” Ye Lingwei cradled the phone. It was unclear if he had candy or water in his mouth, but the sound swirled around inside, as if he had calculated perfectly that Ye Xuan would buy it for him.

“Piss off,” Ye Xuan said through gritted teeth. He hung up the phone. He fired up the ignition, listening to the roaring engine and looking out at the pitch-black night, his mind in absolute turmoil.

After a long moment, he got off the motorcycle and charged back into that oden shop.

Because his expression was so ferocious, everyone in the shop, the owner included, jumped in fright.

“The honey mustard sauce. I’ll take it all.”

A few minutes later, a young man emerged from the shop carrying two buckets of honey mustard sauce, his face already as black as the bottom of a pot.

It wasn’t until the motorcycle stopped downstairs at the place Ye Lingwei was currently living that Ye Xuan finally realized—had he been possessed by a ghost? Why on earth?! Did he have to! Go buy oden! For Ye Lingwei! In the middle of the night!!!

“Come down and get your stuff.”

Ye Lingwei dilly-dallied his way downstairs. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Ye Xuan leaning against his motorcycle. His black patent leather jacket reflected a silver sheen in the night, and the Martin boots on his feet featured several eye-catching studs. His helmet was resting on the backseat, and Ye Xuan’s face was even darker than the night itself.

The oden in his hand was still steaming hot, and standing by his feet were two giant buckets of sauce.

The very first second Ye Xuan saw Ye Lingwei, he subconsciously furrowed his brows. Over a white tank top, he had thrown on a goose-yellow shirt, thin and smooth like silk. It was long, covering his fingers within the sleeves. This was still barely passable.

However, what the hell was he wearing on the bottom? Shorts? Shorts that didn’t even reach his knees? Yet on his feet, he was stomping around in a pair of thick, white plush slippers.

“…”

“Are you relying on this ‘mix-and-match’ style to make your international debut?” Ye Xuan couldn’t help but sneer.

Ye Lingwei looked up at him. “Give me my oden.”

Ye Xuan: “…”

He now felt that Ye Lingwei was qualified to publish a book. A book titled On the One Hundred Techniques to Piss Off Your Gege. It would definitely be a best-seller.

“There is way too much of this honey mustard sauce. I can’t finish it, you take it.” The motorcycle had a heavy frame. Ye Lingwei stepped onto the peg and hopped up, sitting on the backseat. He picked out a skewer of meatballs from the carton and took a bite.

“I don’t eat that sticky goo.” Ye Xuan frowned. “Get down.”

Ye Lingwei pulled a skewer of chicken meatballs from the box and shoved it into Ye Xuan’s hand. “I don’t like this one. You eat it.”

Ye Xuan strongly suspected that Ye Lingwei didn’t view him as a human being at all.

At least, not right now.

Ye Xuan held the meatballs in his hand, not eating them. He was still fixated on the matter of getting Ye Lingwei off his bike.

The shirt hung loosely on his frame, and the hollows of his collarbones were deeply sunken. He was so painfully thin and frail that Ye Xuan didn’t dare to tug at him, terrified he might accidentally break him.

He tried to reason with Ye Lingwei. “My backseat is for my partner. Get down.”

Ye Lingwei shot him a glance. “Er-ge, you have a partner?”

“…”

“None of your damn business.” Ye Xuan quickly slipped his mask of indifference back on. “Hurry up and get the hell off.”

Ye Lingwei ignored him. The phone resting beside him rang, and since his hands were full, he ordered Ye Xuan, “Answer that for me.”

Ye Xuan didn’t want to answer it.

However, watching the boy lower his head to nibble at the meatball with small bites, looking so serious and well-behaved, his heart softened and he picked up the phone.

The caller ID showed Fei Lan.

Ye Xuan glanced at Ye Lingwei but remained silent, waiting to hear what Fei Lan had to say.

“Little kid, who gave you the nerve to order me to bring you cake?” Fei Lan’s voice was soft, slightly raspy and languid, yet undeniably pleasant to hear. “Did you think calling me ‘Gege’ was enough?”

“…”

Ye Xuan didn’t hang up. With a cold face, he thrust the phone right in front of Ye Lingwei. Watching Ye Lingwei blink his eyes in innocent confusion, he reminded himself—this kid is nothing but trouble.

He interrogated, “Ye Lingwei, you’re something else. So you have another ‘gege’ at school, huh?”

• 1
  It describes speaking quickly, thoroughly, and without holding anything back.
• 2
  Adding oil or vinegar is the Chinese idiom for “embellishing the truth.” By saying without adding oil or vinegar, it means not adding any extra details to a story.
• 3
  This idiom implies someone is skilled, capable, or has some real talent. It comes from old calligraphy lore where you needed at least two brushes to be a master.
• 4
  A very common idiom. It refers to young or inexperienced people who are fearless because they are ignorant of the dangers.
• 5
  Or Ye the Third. In prominent Chinese families, children are often referred to by their surname and birth order number (e.g., Ye the First, Ye the Third). It denotes his status as the third son.
• 6
  This is a metaphor for a “rough” or “cheap” upbringing.
• 7
  This is a famous classic essay by Wang Anshi. It tells the story of a child prodigy named Fang Zhongyong who could write poetry at age five. However, his father paraded him around for fame and money instead of letting him study. Eventually, his talent faded, and he became a totally ordinary person. Yuan Song is using this to say Fei Lan was a “wasted prodigy.”
• 8
  This is a classic Chinese insult for an ingrate—someone who is ungrateful, heartless, and cruel.
• 9
  This is a colorful Chinese idiom. It means the weak cannot contend with the strong. The “arm” represents the son (Fei Lan) and the “thigh” represents the father (Fei Qiang).
• 10
  This is a derogatory term for children, often used for animals (like cubs or pups).