WP Chapter 33

Chen Yi, that idle and spoiled young master, was still dead asleep at ten thirty with no signs of waking up. Jiang Yibai pushed open the bedroom door and took one look. That kid was lying sprawled out like a starfish, the blanket halfway down on the floor, both arms thrown up over his pillow like he was surrendering, drooling with his cheek smushed to one side.

Jiang Yibai stood there wordlessly. What a mess of a sleeper.

Since students were coming soon for lessons, Jiang Yibai could not be bothered to wake Chen Yi up. He closed the door and went off to prepare on his own.

No fruit tea today. Instead, humming a little tune, Jiang Yibai brewed two hand-poured cups of coffee, put some soda crackers on a small porcelain plate, and washed two small bowls of strawberries. He arranged the snacks and fruit together on a wooden tray, then brought it into the guest room.

Si Shaorong was hard at work, completely focused. Jiang Yibai had already gotten used to hearing the steady, rhythmic clack of keyboard keys. He had also grown used to opening the door and seeing that quiet, composed silhouette sitting at the desk. It was a strangely comforting sight. Standing in the doorway holding the tray, Jiang Yibai thought it was kind of fascinating. Just seeing that back made the hollow places in his chest feel filled up. It gave him a grounded sense of security.

He set the tray down softly on one side of the desk, then looked over at the Male God’s profile while still holding the tray.

At times like this, Si Shaorong seemed completely unaware of the outside world. It was as if he could not hear anything around him or feel anyone’s presence. His brow was furrowed in that habitual way, his lips pressed into a slight frown, as if something had put him in a bad mood.

Jiang Yibai had the urge to reach out and smooth that furrow between his brows. But that kind of bold behavior might earn him a “punishment” later, so even though the urge was strong, he held himself back with difficulty. He glanced at the screen and saw the chapter title on display: “Chapter 35.”

It had only been a few days, had it not? Jiang Yibai remembered when he last checked, there were only two chapters. Now it was already up to thirty-five. Truly worthy of the title Male God.

That reminded Jiang Yibai of his own unfinished series, “Two or Three Things,” which he was still updating. A sudden sense of motivation hit him, a desire to catch up. If nothing else, he should at least aim to update daily. Maybe a thousand words per day?

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glanced once more at the Male God, then quietly tiptoed out of the room.

Just as he closed the guest room door, he heard footsteps and voices outside the apartment. Sounded like Sun Ying and Sun Chen, the twin troublemakers, making their way up the stairs.

The two of them were already arguing by the time they reached the front door. Jiang Yibai placed the second bowl of strawberries and crackers on the living room coffee table, then went to open the door.

Sun Ying’s hand was already raised and nearly knocked into Jiang Yibai’s chest.

“Good morning, Teacher Jiang.” She switched into good-student mode in a heartbeat, greeting him with a sweet smile.

Jiang Yibai stepped aside to let them in. “The whole building could hear you two shouting.”

Sun Ying stuck out her tongue as she changed shoes and walked into the room. “Teacher Jiang, Sun Chen is the worst. He has no manners at all.”

“Who’s got no manners?” Sun Chen, carrying his sister’s instrument case on his back, sounded indignant. “I’m staying in your home. That makes me a guest, right?”

“You’re my older brother, aren’t you? What kind of brother acts like this?” Sun Ying complained. “You stole my remote!”

“You’ve got a computer in your room. Just use that to watch,” Sun Chen shot back with an eye roll. “I just wanted to catch one game. How much time does that even take from you?”

Seeing that they were about to start bickering again, Jiang Yibai quickly stepped in to mediate. “You both have a point. Maybe in the future we should just buy two TVs and play one on each side. Alright, class time. Move it, no stalling.”

Sun Ying made a face. Sun Chen clicked his tongue, then raised his hand to make a choking gesture at his sister before sitting down with a scowl.

Sun Chen was just tagging along. Technically a study companion, but mostly here to freeload off the lesson. Jiang Yibai had Sun Ying start with a practice piece, and Sun Chen grabbed Jiang Yibai’s guitar on the couch and opened a video tutorial on his phone.

Sun Chen used to know a bit of guitar, but most of it had faded from memory. Jiang Yibai had tossed him a kids’ guitar textbook a while back and told him to take it slow and review on his own.

After a few weeks, Sun Chen was finally able to strum basic chords with some fluency.

While he sat on the couch practicing chord strumming, Sun Ying was at the window with her violin. Between the two of them, the noise eventually woke the sleeping ancestor in the master bedroom.

Sun Ying set her violin down and snapped, “Sun Chen, go practice in the bathroom!”

Sun Chen grinned. “No way.”

Jiang Yibai, never one to pass up a little chaos, gave a thumbs-up. “You’ve got talent, Sun Chen. That last set was all in key.”

Sun Chen gave a dramatic gasp. “Teacher Jiang can multitask? You were actually listening?”

“Who do you think I am? Of course I can,” Jiang Yibai said, sitting on the piano bench with one hand propping up his cheek, smiling. “But seriously, you are going to distract Sun Ying like this. She’s about to take her exam, you know that. Go on, take it to the balcony—”

Before he could finish, the door to the master bedroom flew open.

A mop of wild, non-mainstream bedhead appeared in the doorway, drool still drying on his face. Chen Yi stood there, clearly not a morning person, and shouted with a groggy snarl, “What the hell is going on out here? You trying to tear the place down?”

The living room went dead silent.

Sun Ying stared in surprise at the boy who had just appeared. He didn’t look that much older than her, but his temper was off the charts.

She blinked, raised her bow, and pointed at Chen Yi. “Teacher? Did you get a new boyfriend—”

“No,” Jiang Yibai cut her off immediately. “He’s another one of my students. Just has some special circumstances, so he’s staying here temporarily.”

Sun Chen was still holding the guitar. He propped one foot up on the couch, the guitar resting on his knee, and strummed a few chords. His gaze scanned Chen Yi from head to toe.

“If I’d known that was an option, I’d have come to live at Teacher’s place too,” he said. Then he glanced sidelong at Sun Ying. “Would’ve saved me from being bullied under someone else’s roof.”

Sun Ying flared up instantly. “Who’s bullying you? If you’re so miserable, then stop living in our house!”

Jiang Yibai quickly stepped in, worried Sun Chen was actually going to try and move in too. This place was not a daycare.

He positioned himself between the siblings and said, “Alright, enough. What kind of talk is that from family? Sun Chen, you’re the older brother. You’re starting high school soon. Isn’t it time you stopped being so childish?”

Sun Chen clicked his tongue and went back to the couch with the guitar in his arms.

Jiang Yibai gave Sun Ying a gentle tug. The little girl looked terribly wronged. She probably had not expected her brother to embarrass her in front of other people. Thin-skinned as she was, the shame mixed with frustration left her both flustered and upset.

Sensing the shift, Jiang Yibai called out to Sun Chen again. “Go bring some strawberries to your sister.”

While one side of the room was in chaos, Chen Yi was still stuck mid-outburst. Before he could finish venting, no one was paying attention to him anymore. Back home, every time he threw a tantrum, the whole family would rush over to appease him. Now he was just standing there dumbfounded, realizing he had suddenly been sidelined.

He stared blankly as the tall boy walked across the room carrying a tray of strawberries. The girl by the window actually looked kind of cute. She was dressed in a white dress, long black hair tied back to reveal her slender neck, holding a small violin in her hands. Her fingers were long and delicate, just like Jiang Yibai’s. But compared to hers, he still preferred Jiang Yibai’s hands. They were steady and strong, without that sense of fragility.

As his thoughts drifted, the tall boy had already walked up, holding the tray with a deadpan expression. “Want some?”

Chen Yi looked at him.

The boy took a step closer and dropped his voice. “Kid, keep your hands off my sister.”

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, his mouth already curling into a crooked smile. He was about to say something sarcastic when he caught sight of the boy’s face and saw the corners of his mouth twitching, like he was holding back laughter.

Chen Yi froze.

Something dropped in his chest. Playing it cool on the outside, he shuffled away in a blur of quick little steps and darted into the bathroom.

The face in the mirror was undeniably handsome. Chen Yi took after his mom. His hair was dark, his eyes large and bright, their whites and blacks sharply defined. His features had not fully matured yet, leaving him with a mix of youthful softness and the sharpness of someone who was used to holding his head high. His lips were naturally red, like he had on a layer of lip tint. A faint blush from sleep lingered on his cheeks, making him look especially flushed. But the worst part was how he looked at this moment. His hair was a complete mess. Jiang Yibai’s oversized pajama top hung loosely off one shoulder. There were drool stains on his cheek, and a crust of sleep still clung to the corner of his eye.

Chen Yi felt like his entire image had just gone up in flames. Furious, he slapped a hand over his face.

By the time he came out of the bathroom freshly washed and put together, he saw the other boy lounging on the couch like nothing had happened. He had his legs crossed, was watching TV, munching on crackers like he owned the place.

Grinding his teeth, Chen Yi walked over and took a cracker too. Then, in the most childish move imaginable, he scooped the remaining crackers over to his side of the plate.

Sun Chen reached out and came up empty. He raised an eyebrow.

Chen Yi said nothing. Sitting on the couch with his cheeks puffed out, he looked like a bristling squirrel ready to bite someone.

Sun Chen lowered his legs and sat up a little. “I’m Sun Chen. What do you study?”

Chen Yi gave him a quick glance. “Chen Yi. Guitar.”

“I like guitar too,” Sun Chen said with interest, starting to chat. “How long have you been learning? Did you take any grade exams?”

Chen Yi gave a mocking little smile, flicked his tongue, and snapped, “None of your business.”

Sun Chen was not about to back down. He was a hot-blooded teen, same age as Chen Yi, though he was taller and broader and looked like he was a few years older.

He looked Chen Yi up and down. “What’s your zodiac sign?”

Chen Yi stared at him in disbelief. Were all of Jiang Yibai’s students complete lunatics just like him?

Class ended at twelve thirty, and Jiang Yibai invited Sun Ying and Sun Chen to stay for lunch.

Chen Yi had changed into a black T-shirt and jeans. He even had a studded wristband wrapped around one wrist, giving off a particularly cringey teenage-rebel vibe. Holding his phone, he headed straight for the door. “I’ll be back tonight.”

Jiang Yibai was in the middle of ordering takeout. He turned around when he heard that. “Where are you going?”

Sun Chen looked up with curiosity too. Even though Chen Yi had given him the cold shoulder all morning, he still found the guy kind of entertaining. There was something bold and brainless about him that made him fun to watch.

“Just stay and eat with us. It’s already late, and it’ll be packed out there,” Sun Chen said.

Before Chen Yi could answer, the door to the guest room opened. Si Shaorong came out. He looked like he was in a bad mood. His brow was furrowed, and when he wasn’t smiling, he carried a natural air of distance. Chen Yi instantly grew self-conscious.

“No, I… I have plans. You guys go ahead,” he muttered.

Before Jiang Yibai could say anything, Chen Yi had already slammed the door and left. Jiang Yibai stood there with his phone in hand and mumbled, “That kid.”

Si Shaorong went to wash his face. Some of the exhaustion on his face faded after he splashed on some water. His forehead was still damp when he walked over to the couch and sat down with a glass of water.

Jiang Yibai scooted over to him. “What’s wrong? Writer’s block?”

Si Shaorong gave a faint nod.

When he hit a block, his temper usually soured. His expression would darken, and just sitting there, he gave off a silent pressure that made no one dare to speak. Sun Ying and Sun Chen glanced at each other and quietly made their way to the dining table.

Jiang Yibai shifted his weight and moved in close, sitting beside his boyfriend. “Want to talk to me about it? Maybe if we chat a bit, something will come to you.”

Si Shaorong turned his head and looked at him. “Why is it so hard to be with someone?”

Jiang Yibai froze.