“Xu-zi, are you in there? Did you eat something bad?” Lu Hai asked worriedly from outside the door.
Chen Xu reached out and opened the door. Lu Hai was stunned to see Xia Xiaoting collapsed like a pile of mud next to the toilet.
“What’s he doing here?”
“He didn’t do anything to you, right?” Lu Hai scanned Chen Xu’s clothes and hair to check if anything was out of place. Xia Xiaoting was known for his messy private life and had always been flirty with Chen Xu. Now that Chen Xu was an adult, Lu Hai worried that Xia Xiaoting might actually try something.
“No, Ting-ge drank too much. I ran into him at the restroom entrance and helped him in to throw up,” Chen Xu lied without batting an eye.
Lu Hai stepped closer and took a sniff—Xia Xiaoting reeked of alcohol and cologne, the combination overwhelming. Disgusted, Lu Hai took a step back. Looking at Xia Xiaoting slumped against the toilet, he figured there was no way anyone would be hugging a toilet like that unless they were completely wasted.
Without overthinking it, Lu Hai called Yuan Ren over, and together, they dragged Xia Xiaoting away.
—
Chen Xu and Ke Xinghao had just stepped out of the bar when Chen Xu’s phone rang.
“Hello, Uncle Si.”
The usually unruly little troublemaker instantly transformed into a well-behaved, obedient kid. Anyone who saw him like this would want to pat his head and steal him away.
Ke Xinghao was so amazed by the speed of Chen Xu’s personality switch that he almost applauded.
“No need, I’ll head back now.”
“Alright, I’ll send you the address.”
“Mm, see you soon.”
After hanging up, Chen Xu turned to Ke Xinghao. “My uncle is picking me up. Want to come along?”
Thinking of Si Ye’s intimidating presence, Ke Xinghao hesitated. Though Si Ye was always polite to Chen Xu’s friends, there was something about him that made Ke Xinghao instinctively nervous. He quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I’ll just take a cab home.”
Seeing Ke Xinghao’s obvious reluctance, Chen Xu knew that not everyone could handle being around Si Ye. He didn’t push the issue. “Alright, I’ll walk you to the street to catch a cab.”
As they walked outside, they passed by a girl. She instinctively placed a protective hand over her stomach as they brushed past. Ke Xinghao glanced back at her a few times.
“What?” Chen Xu noticed and asked.
Ke Xinghao turned back and said, “I think I recognize that girl. She’s a fan of our band—comes to almost every performance, usually sitting in the front row.”
As a drummer, Chen Xu sat at the back, and the stage lights made it hard to see the audience. He hadn’t really paid attention to the crowd before. “Is that so? Most people here are probably our fans.”
“Yeah, but… I think she’s pregnant. She was holding her stomach when she walked past us,” Ke Xinghao lowered his voice.
Chen Xu lifted his eyes and glanced at him. “She looks pretty young.”
“Yeah… So young and already a mom. But coming to a bar while pregnant? That’s pretty bold,” Ke Xinghao muttered.
His mother had once accidentally gotten pregnant again. She wasn’t in good health, and after giving birth to him, the doctors had said she probably wouldn’t be able to conceive again. Their family had accepted it—after all, they already had him.
So when she unexpectedly became pregnant a second time, the whole family had been thrilled. They took extra precautions to protect her, and his father was so careful that he probably would’ve gone to the bathroom for her if he could. But despite all that, they lost the baby in the end. His mother had been heartbroken for a long time, and from that experience, Ke Xinghao had come to deeply understand how difficult pregnancy was for women.
Chen Xu didn’t comment—he didn’t know the girl’s situation and wasn’t one to judge.
After helping Ke Xinghao get into a taxi, Chen Xu walked to the streetlight and waited for Si Ye. About ten minutes later, a luxury car with the Si family crest stopped in front of him.
As soon as he got in, Si Ye stared at him for a while without saying anything.
“What?” Chen Xu asked, puzzled. Did he have something on his face?
Si Ye reached out and ruffled his hair. “Why did you dye your hair?”
Only then did Chen Xu remember the streaks of purple in his hair, along with the gold glitter that Lu Hai had sprinkled on him.
“It’s just for fun—temporary dye. It washes out,” Chen Xu said, suddenly aware that his carefully maintained “good kid” image was in danger of collapsing.
He cautiously glanced at Si Ye. Although Si Ye wasn’t as rigid as the version Chen Xu remembered from his past life, he was still an elder. Most elders probably wouldn’t like flashy hair colors, right?
“Uncle Si, do you not like it? I won’t do it again next time,” Chen Xu quickly promised.
Si Ye didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a strand of the purple-dyed hair and twirled it between his fingers. After a moment, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.
“I don’t dislike it. It looks good.”
Then, he added in a calm, steady voice, “Do what you want to do. Don’t worry about what others think.”
Chen Xu’s heart pounded at Si Ye’s words. He lowered his eyelashes and pressed his lips together before murmuring, “But Uncle Si… you’re not just anyone.”
Si Ye’s hand froze on Chen Xu’s head. He gazed at him warmly and said seriously, “I only want you to be happy.”
It was the first time someone had no expectations of him—no demands, no conditions—just purely wanting his happiness.
Chen Xu stared blankly at Si Ye, trying to find any hint of deception in his eyes. But there was none. Instead, he felt like he had been caught off guard and pulled into a deep, warm ocean.
By the time they got home, it was already eleven o’clock. Chen Xu bid Si Ye goodnight and dragged his exhausted body to his room. Since summer vacation had started, he had been keeping an almost elderly sleep schedule. He was already past his usual bedtime, yawning the entire way to his room.
Because of the disaster that Si Yichen caused at Chen Xu’s graduation banquet, Si Ye had put him under house arrest. Not only was he forbidden from leaving, but all his bank cards were frozen as well. Every day, he slept until the sky turned dark, unwilling to see anyone, let alone go looking for trouble with Chen Xu.
Even Tong Jiaxi had quieted down for some unknown reason. Their rare obedience gave Chen Xu some peace—at least he no longer had to fight people off at his doorstep despite being dead tired.
With everything calm on his end, Chen Xu took a shower and went to bed.
Si Ye, however, didn’t have the same luck. The moment he entered his room, Uncle Zhong came knocking.
“Master, Madam Tao requests your presence.” Uncle Zhong hesitated before adding, “She said that if you refuse to talk to her, she doesn’t mind having a conversation with Young Master Xu instead.”
Si Ye’s expression instantly darkened. “Let’s go. I was just about to have a talk with her myself.”
—
“You finally decided to come?”
Madam Tao was impeccably dressed, exuding elegance even at this hour.
Si Ye didn’t respond, and she wasn’t offended. Instead, she looked quite pleased. As long as she could get a reaction out of Si Ye, it meant she had found the right way to control him.
“I didn’t expect that child to be so important to you,” Madam Tao said, bringing up Chen Xu on her own. She gracefully placed her teacup on the table. Even while sitting, her tone carried an air of superiority.
“Si Ye, what exactly are you trying to do? Do you want Chen Xu to replace Yichen?”
Si Ye calmly pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her. His hands were loosely folded over his lap as he looked at her and said, “No. He doesn’t need to replace anyone. He is himself.”
Madam Tao’s brows furrowed in displeasure, but before she could press him further, Si Ye said,
“I want Chen Xu to become another master of the Si family.”
“I want to marry him.”
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