ARBRMW : Chapter 50

 

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was Saturday. Tang Zhen went out early in the morning for his part-time job, while Zhu Yaoyuan was still asleep. Chen Xu took out his phone from under the pillow, squinting to check the time. It was nine in the morning.

 

Because he stayed up late doing homework last night, Chen Xu didn’t fall asleep until three or four in the morning. Perhaps because he had a dim light on his side, Wu Bin expressed his dissatisfaction by stomping on the bed several times.

 

Chen Xu had his headphones on and couldn’t hear Wu Bin’s movements at all. It wasn’t until Tang Zhen passed by him from behind while getting up in the middle of the night and quietly complained to him that he became aware of it.

 

Chen Xu got out of bed to wash up. When he was almost finished tidying up, Wu Bin pushed the door open and entered, holding a large stack of professional books in his hands, glaring at Chen Xu with a gloomy expression.

 

Before, Chen Xu didn’t understand why every time he stayed up late studying, Wu Bin would come back the next day with a large pile of books and wouldn’t even have time to eat. Later, he learned from Zhu Yaoyuan and Tang Zhen’s gossip that Wu Bin was competing with him.

 

“Chen Xu, don’t mind Wu Bin. That weirdo isn’t targeting just you. One night when I stayed up late studying, he thought I was studying too, and the next day he deliberately mocked me, asking if I secretly obtained study materials from somewhere and hid them away. It really made my blood boil.” Zhu Yaoyuan covered his chest with his hand, looking indescribably uncomfortable. Even with his sunny and cheerful personality, Wu Bin had worn him down.

 

Chen Xu ignored Wu Bin. When Wu Bin saw him leaving with his backpack, he suddenly asked, “Are you going to the library? It’s too late to go at this time; have you asked someone to save you a seat?”

 

Chen Xu didn’t understand why someone like Wu Bin, who was afraid of others studying more than him every day and kept his study materials hidden, would be concerned about whether someone else had saved him a seat at the library.

 

“Yeah, someone in my circle helped me save a seat. It’s a hundred yuan a day. Do you want it? I can recommend it to you.” Chen Xu suddenly felt an urge to tease Wu Bin when he saw how cautious he looked.

 

Wu Bin looked incredulous. “A hundred yuan a day?! Are they robbing people?”

 

“The library seats at our school are hard to come by on weekends. It’s usually only fifty yuan on regular days.” Chen Xu said seriously.

 

Wu Bin couldn’t believe it. He looked at Chen Xu with a dumbfounded expression. “Are you crazy? Do you have so much money to burn?”

 

Chen Xu shrugged. “It seems like you don’t need someone to save you a seat.”

 

After Chen Xu left, Wu Bin sat at his desk, thinking about how Chen Xu, that fool, had spent a hundred yuan to have someone save him a seat. The anger he felt last night because of Chen Xu staying up late studying dissipated instantly.

 

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Chen Xu was a big sucker.

 

But if Chen Xu could spend a hundred yuan to have someone save him a seat, did that mean he was actually very wealthy?

 

Chen Xu didn’t have any designer brands on him on ordinary days. He only used foreign bath products, which Tang Zhen, that dead gay, said seemed expensive. He had secretly used them before and didn’t feel any difference from his own soap. He must be burning money.

 

As he walked towards the bathroom, he passed by Chen Xu’s bed and suddenly caught sight of a watch on his desk. The bottom of the watch was sparkling with faint starlight, very beautiful. It looked expensive at first glance.

 

Wu Bin’s throat rolled, his eyes fixed on the watch. He remembered seeing it on a senior sister before, who said it was a new watch from a luxury brand. This watch was a couple’s model, and the one on Chen Xu’s desk should be the ladies’ watch. However, Chen Xu’s slim and fair wrist was just right for it, and it didn’t make him look feminine because of his temperament.

 

According to the senior sister, this watch was very expensive, so expensive that he remembered the price instantly: two million three hundred and fifty thousand yuan.

 

How could Chen Xu afford such an expensive watch? It must be a fake.

 

But what if it was real?

 

Wu Bin broke out in a cold sweat without knowing it. He glanced at Zhu Yaoyuan, who was sleeping soundly on his bed, tightened his fist, and made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life.

 

“Wu Bin? Why haven’t you left yet?” Zhu Yaoyuan turned over and, in a daze, saw Wu Bin standing in front of Chen Xu’s desk. It was strange; shouldn’t Wu Bin be in the library at this time?

 

Wu Bin shivered all over, pretending to be calm as he walked towards the bathroom. “I came back to use the bathroom.”

 

Zhu Yaoyuan had just woken up, his mind not yet clear. He wondered why Wu Bin insisted on going back to the dormitory to use the bathroom. Wasn’t it inconvenient for him to come out if he couldn’t leave?

 

He glanced at Chen Xu’s bed. The person was already gone. Today, it seemed that Chen Xu was going home. He had argued with his family last week and didn’t want to go back this week, so he played games on his phone for a while before reluctantly getting up to wash.

 

Before going back, Chen Xu ate a bowl of rice noodles near the school. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded, with only a few scattered customers. There was only one table available at the entrance, so Chen Xu put down his backpack and sat down.

 

Soon, several girls came over, blushing and asking Chen Xu if the seat was taken.

 

Chen Xu lifted his eyelids to look at them and said coldly, “No.”

 

So the three girls happily sat down, surrounding Chen Xu.

 

The three of them were wearing three different perfumes, which made Chen Xu feel a bit dizzy. Suddenly, he missed the fragrance of Si Ye, cold and refreshing.

 

He hadn’t been in contact with Si Ye all week. Last week, when he went to Si Ye’s company, he ended up fleeing in embarrassment. Now, just thinking about Si Ye made Chen Xu feel ashamed.

 

Tomorrow was Mr. Sun’s birthday, and he had to go back today. Thinking about facing Si Ye, Chen Xu’s ears couldn’t help but burn.

 

“Hey handsome, are you also from A University?” The girls seemed very familiar and took the initiative to chat with Chen Xu.

 

“Yeah.” Chen Xu’s response was very indifferent. The boss happened to bring the rice noodles over, and when he left, he smiled teasingly at Chen Xu.

 

Chen Xu: “…”

 

The girls chatted with Chen Xu, who remained silent, burying his head and eating the rice noodles. After finishing, he paid the bill on his phone without hesitation, picked up his backpack, and was about to leave.

 

“Um, handsome, can you add me on WeChat?” The girls saw him about to leave, and the boldest one among them took the initiative to speak to Chen Xu.

 

Chen Xu put his phone back in his pocket and said, “It’s not convenient.”

 

“You’re so decisively rejecting me. Am I not pretty enough?” The girl stood up, boldly asking Chen Xu.

 

Chen Xu shook his head and said, “No, you’re very beautiful.”

 

“Then you…” Before the girl could finish her sentence, she heard Chen Xu say, “My partner would get jealous.”

 

The three girls covered their mouths in surprise, not expecting such a handsome guy to already have someone.

 

Chen Xu turned and left, his ears hidden in his black hair flushed red.

 

He and Si Ye were already married, although it was a fake marriage. But saying they were partners wasn’t wrong either. It should keep him safe from any romantic advances.

 

Chen Xu comforted himself with self-deception.

 

Back at Si’s house, Uncle Zhong took his backpack and helped him upstairs. He also showed him the menu for lunch, asking if there were any additions or subtractions Chen Xu wanted.

 

“Where’s Aunt Liu?” Chen Xu hadn’t seen Aunt Liu in the dining room recently.

 

“Aunt Liu made a small mistake and was dismissed by the master.” Uncle Zhong replied.

 

Chen Xu was stunned when he heard this. He remembered that Aunt Liu seemed to have a very good relationship with Tong Jiaxi, so could it be that she did something to upset Si Ye?

 

His guess was correct. What Aunt Liu did was actually harmless; she just secretly took the snacks Tong Jiaxi made and passed them off as homemade ones from the kitchen, giving them to Si Ye to eat. She also occasionally praised Tong Jiaxi in front of Si Ye, saying what a good child Tong Jiaxi was. Even last Mid-Autumn Festival, she specially brought the cookies Tong Jiaxi baked to let Si Ye’s relatives taste them, and she said a lot of good things about Tong Jiaxi in front of Si Ye’s mother and the others, subtly criticizing Chen Xu. How could Si Ye keep her after dealing with Tong Jiaxi? After Tong Jiaxi was dealt with, it was Aunt Liu’s turn. Aunt Liu’s whole family relied on her alone. Now that she lost her job, she went home and found that her husband was actually keeping a mistress openly at home. It was only because Aunt Liu usually stayed at Si’s house and rarely went home that they dared to do this so blatantly.

 

As for Aunt Liu’s son, his father shut him up with money, and he didn’t leak a word to his mother. Every day, he was out enjoying himself. A man in his thirties, not only did he not start a family, he didn’t even have a decent job.

 

Now that Aunt Liu had been dismissed, her husband’s extramarital affair had been exposed, and her son was still out gambling, their family was in chaos.

 

Of course, Chen Xu didn’t know about these things, nor did he care.

 

Uncle Zhong told him that Si Ye would come back for dinner in the evening and asked if there were any dishes Chen Xu particularly wanted. Suddenly, Chen Xu remembered that he hadn’t had a meal with Si Ye in a while.

 

After thinking for a moment and ordering a few dishes, Uncle Zhong suddenly smiled kindly at him and said, “Young Master Chen, these are all dishes Master loves to eat. You should order something you like.”

 

Looking at the teenager in front of him, Uncle Zhong always forgot that he was already married, and he was also the young master of the Si family.

 

“Do you have pearl meatballs?” asked Chen Xu.

 

“I’ll remember that.” Uncle Zhong noted down the pearl meatballs.

 

Chen Xu saw Sun Weiang come back, nodded at him to say hello, and asked him if there were any dishes he wanted since they were ordering.

 

“Are there pearl meatballs?” Sun Weiang asked.

 

“I’ll add it to the list.” Uncle Zhong wrote down pearl meatballs.

 

“Chen Xu, wait a moment.” After Sun Weiang finished talking to Uncle Zhong, he called out to Chen Xu who was going upstairs.

 

Chen Xu stopped, turned to look at him, and Sun Weiang walked over a few steps to him. “I have a few things I want to say to you. Is it convenient?”

 

Chen Xu blinked, unable to think of what Sun Weiang could have to say to him.

 

“Let’s go to my room.” Chen Xu said.

 

Sun Weiang nodded and followed him upstairs. The few children all lived on the second floor of this building, and Chen Xu’s room was not far from Sun Weiang’s room. It was the first time Sun Weiang had come to Chen Xu’s room.

 

The room was very clean, with the windows open for ventilation. Chen Xu took a can of coke from the small fridge and handed it to Sun Weiang.

 

“Thank you.” Sun Weiang sat down on the sofa, looked around, and found that Chen Xu’s room was a bit too simple, but then he remembered that Chen Xu and Si Ye were married, and many of his things should have been moved to Si Ye’s bedroom on the third floor.

 

Looking at the young man in front of him, Sun Weiang always forgot that he was already married and the young master of the Si family.

 

“You said there are a few things you want to say to me?” Chen Xu asked casually as he opened the can of coke, standing in front of the desk.