“Chen Xu, it seems like there are only a few days left before the exam results come out.”
“Why don’t you bark like a dog for us? Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I can ask my father to spend some money and get you into a university. At least you’ll have a bachelor’s degree, so you won’t embarrass our Si family.”
“Yi Chen is right, Chen Xu. Don’t be shy. After all, you’re not like Yi Chen. He’s been outstanding since he was a child. He estimated his score to be over 700 this time. You probably can’t even get into a vocational college, can you?”
Chen Xu’s head spun, his vision blurred, and everything around him turned dark. The noise in his ears was chaotic, filled with mocking laughter.
What’s going on? Wasn’t he dead?
Chen Xu shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the dizziness.
Could it be that he wasn’t dead? Had he been saved?
How was that possible? He clearly remembered being locked in an abandoned factory by Si Yi Chen, and then the factory was engulfed in flames. He had been burned alive inside.
“Hey, why are you pretending to be dead? Can’t you hear Yi Chen talking to you?”
As a somewhat familiar voice rang out, Chen Xu’s shoulder was pushed. He stumbled, almost falling, but managed to steady himself by grabbing onto a nearby table. His vision gradually cleared.
He saw a young man with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes at him. “Why are you acting so weak? Did you secretly estimate your score and realize it’s too low? Feeling guilty now, huh? Hahaha…”
As soon as the young man finished speaking, laughter erupted from the crowd.
Among the people, Chen Xu clearly saw Si Yi Chen’s face. Si Yi Chen was holding a glass of red wine, a mocking smile on his face.
In an instant, rage overwhelmed Chen Xu’s rationality. He didn’t notice how unusually young Si Yi Chen looked at that moment. Furious, he clenched his fists and, before anyone could react, lunged at Si Yi Chen like an arrow, punching him to the ground. Without a word, he began beating Si Yi Chen relentlessly.
Chen Xu’s mind was filled with the words Si Yi Chen had said to him before his death. Just because Si Yi Chen’s adoptive father, Si Ye, the current head of the Si family, had patted Chen Xu’s head when he was a child, Si Yi Chen had held a grudge against him. Si Yi Chen was jealous, believing that Si Ye treated Chen Xu specially, and that was why he had killed him.
This reason was utterly absurd. Moreover, Chen Xu had been sent to the Si family by his parents when he was twelve. Until his death, ten years had passed, and he had never been close to Si Ye. They had barely spoken, and they had hardly spent any time alone together.
In Chen Xu’s eyes, Si Ye was just a somewhat old-fashioned uncle. If he had truly been favored by Si Ye, that would have been one thing, but the reality was that he hadn’t. Si Yi Chen’s revenge was completely unwarranted.
“Chen Xu! Are you fucking crazy? Stop it!” The people around finally reacted and rushed to pull Chen Xu off Si Yi Chen.
But Chen Xu’s eyes were bloodshot, his gaze fierce, like a rabid dog. He refused to let go of Si Yi Chen’s neck.
“Hurry up and pull this madman away! Today is Yi Chen’s birthday party. We can’t let it be ruined!”
Chen Xu was forcibly dragged off Si Yi Chen. His expression was dark, and his chest heaved from heavy breathing.
“Chen Xu, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?” A gentle, concerned voice reached Chen Xu’s ears, and his arm was lightly supported by someone.
Chen Xu glanced at the person, then shifted his gaze to look around.
What’s going on?
Why did the people he remembered look so much younger? And their outfits… they seemed familiar.
It wasn’t until Chen Xu saw Pan Qizhi’s face in the crowd that he truly realized something was wrong.
Pan Qizhi had gone to prison two years ago for a hit-and-run. How could he be here?
“Chen Xu? Let me help you sit down over there.” The young man beside him helped Chen Xu walk to the side.
Chen Xu silently observed the delicate, almost effeminate young man in front of him.
He swallowed hard. “Tong Jiaxi, is today June 15th?”
Tong Jiaxi gave him a strange look. “Yeah, Chen Xu, what’s wrong with you? Today is your and Yi Chen’s birthday party.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll rest for a bit.” Chen Xu sat down on a nearby chair, his mind in chaos.
If he wasn’t dreaming, then he must have been reborn—reborn to the year he was eighteen.
Today was his and Si Yi Chen’s birthday party. Their relationship was a twisted one. They shared the same birthday and were both raised in the Si family, but the difference was that Chen Xu was merely a companion living under someone else’s roof, while Si Yi Chen, as the adopted son of Si Ye, the head of the Si family, was the young master and future heir of the Si family.
Although the party was supposedly for both of them, in reality, it was only Si Yi Chen’s birthday celebration. The guests were either from prominent families or Si Yi Chen’s friends. Chen Xu had no part in it. He was just a name on the invitation, a formality to avoid gossip that the Si family was mistreating him.
“Have a drink.” Tong Jiaxi handed Chen Xu a glass.
Chen Xu’s mind was in turmoil. He only realized after drinking that Tong Jiaxi had given him a glass of wine.
—
“Why are you acting so strange today? You actually hit Yi Chen on a day like this. Luckily, we were in the garden. If this had happened in the main hall, it would have been hard to handle.” Tong Jiaxi spoke up, cutting off Chen Xu’s question about why he had been given wine.
Even though it was Si Yi Chen who had been rude and provocative, others would only ask Chen Xu what was wrong with him. Why had he tolerated it before but couldn’t today?
Chen Xu let out a cold snort from his nose and said indifferently, “He asked for it with his foul mouth.”
Tong Jiaxi stared at Chen Xu in shock. Chen Xu casually picked up a bottle of wine beside him, poured himself a drink, and ignored Tong Jiaxi.
Like Chen Xu, Tong Jiaxi had also been sent to the Si family by his own family. He had grown up in the Si household, serving as Si Yi Chen’s playmate, but in reality, he was just a servant at Si Yi Chen’s beck and call.
Tong Jiaxi glanced at him a few times and said, “You should go back to your room early. Yi Chen will definitely come looking for trouble once he’s back.”
“He has to entertain guests tonight, so he probably won’t have time to go upstairs to your room.”
“Hmm.” Chen Xu responded absentmindedly. After finishing the bottle of wine, his mind finally cleared a bit.
He patted his wrinkled suit and got up to return to his room.
“Let me walk you back.” Tong Jiaxi stepped forward to support him, but Chen Xu waved him off. “No need.”
His attitude was extremely cold, almost ungrateful. Tong Jiaxi bit his lower lip, his face pale. “Then get some rest early.”
Chen Xu’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t bad, but he didn’t drink often because he would black out when drunk. He always followed the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, so he rarely got drunk in front of others. If he drank, he did so behind closed doors.
The moonlight broke through the clouds, spilling softly onto the third-floor balcony. A slender, pale hand lazily held a cigarette, the white smoke curling upward as the ash slowly fell onto the petals of a pure white rose.
Everything that had happened in the garden was observed by a man.
In the darkness, a short, low laugh suddenly rang out, deep and seductive, like a lover’s whisper in the ear.
“Where’s that dog, Chen Xu?” After getting treated for his injuries and returning to the garden, Si Yi Chen looked around but didn’t see Chen Xu.
Tong Jiaxi pursed his lips and said, “He had some wine and went back to his room.”
Hearing this, Si Yi Chen’s eyes lit up. He patted Tong Jiaxi on the back of his head. “Good job, kid. Hahaha…”
Tong Jiaxi forced a dry smile, his eyes darkening as he lowered his gaze.
“Damn it, that idiot Chen Xu has some nerve hitting me. If I don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll really start thinking he’s someone important.” Although Si Yi Chen said this, he and his lackeys had already prepared a “gift” for Chen Xu. Whether Chen Xu hit him or not tonight, the plan was already in motion.
“Yi Chen, everything’s ready. After tonight, that guy’s reputation will be completely ruined.” Pan Qizhi, Si Yi Chen’s top lackey, was the type to hand over the knife if Si Yi Chen wanted to kill someone.
“I’ve always disliked that Chen Xu. He acts all high and mighty, but running errands for you, Young Master Yi Chen, is an honor. How dare he defy you? Serves him right for only being able to go to school with a bunch of poor kids. He can’t even get into college. What a disgrace.”
“Well, he’s from a small family. Did you see his parents today? They were fawning over Young Master Yi Chen like a pair of dogs. Hahaha…”
Chen Xu, unaware of what was happening in the garden, felt as if he were walking on clouds, his body inexplicably heating up.
He really shouldn’t have drunk that wine. Now sobered up, Chen Xu pressed his palms against his temples, trying to stay clear-headed as he walked toward his room.
His alcohol tolerance was usually good—it took at least three bottles for him to feel drunk. How had one bottle affected him so badly?
Staggering to his room, Chen Xu reached for his keys but suddenly froze.
Everything seemed to pause for about thirty seconds before Chen Xu put the keys back in his pocket.
How could he have forgotten? In his previous life, Si Yi Chen had prepared a “gift” for him in this very room, something that had nearly ruined his reputation.
Back then, he couldn’t figure out who was behind it, but before his death, Si Yi Chen’s accusations and hatred had given him the answer.
Chen Xu didn’t know where he was heading. He leaned against the wall, took off his jacket, and then unbuttoned his vest. On a summer night, wearing just a shirt wasn’t cold. Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. He brushed back a few strands of black hair that had fallen into his face. Chen Xu tilted his slender neck, his skin glowing like ivory, smooth and fair. A small red mole on the tip of his nose added a touch of charm to his otherwise cool demeanor.
A tiny drop of sweat hung from the tip of his nose, and his exhales were scorching hot. Chen Xu leaned against the cold wall, the heat momentarily relieved.
A faint floral scent wafted into his nose with the breeze. Chen Xu opened his eyes, his lashes damp with sweat. The scene before him was shrouded in a thin haze. The door beside him slowly opened, and a tall, slender figure appeared in his vision, hazy like an illusion.
When he saw who it was, Chen Xu instinctively straightened up. “Uncle Si?”
His weak body couldn’t support him, and he instead fell forward, crashing into the man’s arms without any resistance.
Author’s Note:
New story is here! Excited and rubbing my hands together. How about some collections and comments?
Just a reminder: double rebirth, sweet romance, older man/younger man dynamic! Age gap of 10 years.
Rain : Hiii, as the requested I’m translating the missing chapters ! ♥
