ARBRMW : Chapter 62

“Sister Shuang, don’t be sad, don’t be upset. The next one will be even better,” Ke Xinghao consoled.

Guan Shuang looked up at him. “Are you going to introduce a pretty girl to me?”

Ke Xinghao shook his head vigorously. “If I had a pretty girl, I’d solve my own problems first.”

“That’s true.” Guan Shuang sized him up and down, showing a hint of disdain.

Ke Xinghao felt somewhat offended.

“Old Chen, there must be a lot of pretty girls at your school. Why don’t you introduce us to some?” Ke Xinghao nudged Chen Xu, winking.

“Don’t even mention it. Our school’s confession wall is full of posts about Xuzi, but unfortunately, our handsome Xu never responds,” Lu Hai teased, placing a hand on Chen Xu’s shoulder.

Chen Xu shrugged his shoulder, shaking off Lu Hai’s hand. “No pretty girls, but there are some handsome boys. Anyone interested?”

Ke Xinghao waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no, I’ll stick to being a straight guy. My mom still wants to have grandchildren.”

“Are you talking about that roommate of yours who likes to wear pink and always has dolls hanging on his backpack?” Lu Hai had seen Chen Xu with his roommate at school and had a deep impression of him.

“What the heck? Old Chen, have you turned gay?” In Ke Xinghao’s eyes, Chen Xu had always been a straight guy, and a particularly dashing one at that. The type that the more effeminate guys would probably like.

Before Chen Xu could respond, Guan Shuang stood up and said, “I’m going to the bathroom. My milk tea with ice, no sugar.”

“Got it, Sister Shuang.” Ke Xinghao whispered to Chen Xu, “I think Sister Shuang hasn’t moved on yet.”

Chen Xu glanced at Guan Shuang’s back. Even if Jiang Tingxue wasn’t straight, it probably wouldn’t work out between them anyway. Given Jiang Tingxue’s background, her family likely wouldn’t allow her to be with another girl.

The milk tea shop didn’t have a bathroom, so Guan Shuang had to go to the nearby mall. She stubbed out her cigarette and threw it in the trash, leaning against the wall for a moment. Her eyes fell on Jiang Tingxue’s WeChat profile picture, a simple and cute colored pencil sketch of a little rabbit, just like Jiang Tingxue herself.

Every now and then, she would visit that milk tea shop, but over time she realized she was probably just a passerby in Jiang Tingxue’s life. Once missed, she would disappear into the vast sea of people, never to be contacted again.

Guan Shuang put her phone back in her pocket and went to the bathroom. There was a long line, as always, and she was about to leave when two girls approached her to ask for her WeChat.

Guan Shuang, at 1.73 meters tall, had a tall and curvaceous figure, with short hair cut cleanly around her ears. She was strikingly beautiful and could easily pull off such a short hairstyle. Her eyebrows had a hint of boldness, like a thorny red rose.

Being asked for her contact information was common, but she wasn’t in the mood today and shook her head, saying she didn’t have her phone. The girls, understanding her polite refusal, didn’t insist.

After leaving the bathroom, Guan Shuang saw that Ke Xinghao had called her twice. She took a shortcut to get back quickly.

Sometimes, fate works in mysterious ways. When you least expect it, it comes through. She unexpectedly ran into Jiang Tingxue in an alley and played the hero saving the damsel in distress.

Guan Shuang kicked a guy to the ground, and after he fled, she hurried to Jiang Tingxue, asking if she was okay.

Jiang Tingxue looked up, trembling, and when she recognized Guan Shuang, she smiled, “It’s you.”

In that instant, Guan Shuang felt herself captured again. She was so cute.

….

“Damn! How were we supposed to know where that bitch came from!”

“Just give us the money. We’ve done our part. It’s your own fault for not timing it right and letting someone else swoop in. Not our problem.”

Si Yichen glared at the thugs, gritting his teeth. “You didn’t do your job right and still want to get paid? Dream on.”

He had deliberately found out about Jiang Tingxue’s schedule today and hired some thugs to stage a hero saving the damsel in distress. Who would have thought that in such a remote place, someone else would swoop in?

“Fuck you! You dare not pay!” The thugs, seeing Si Yichen refuse to pay, lunged at him.

Outnumbered, Si Yichen had no choice but to give them the money to settle things. Today’s outing was a complete disaster. He had lost both the girl and the money. He didn’t have much time left and had to get Jiang Tingxue as soon as possible.

On the other side, Chen Xu unexpectedly met Jiang Tingxue, who said she was back with her family for an ancestral ceremony. Chen Xu then remembered that the Jiang family had this tradition every year.

With Jiang Tingxue there, they didn’t go drinking but instead visited a newly opened haunted house.

Ke Xinghao and Lu Hai screamed in his ears from both sides the entire time. By the time they left the haunted house, Chen Xu felt like his ears were about to go deaf.

Surprisingly, they had thought Jiang Tingxue would be scared, but she came out smiling, saying she wanted to go again next time. In contrast, Guan Shuang looked a bit pale. After a day of fun, Guan Shuang offered to take Jiang Tingxue home. Jiang Tingxue hesitated but then refused awkwardly.

“I can’t let you go alone. I don’t mean anything else by it,” Guan Shuang thought Jiang Tingxue misunderstood her intentions.

“It’s not that.” Jiang Tingxue quickly grabbed her hand and shook her head. “I had a great time today.”

Guan Shuang grinned foolishly at her words. Suddenly, Chen Xu spoke up, “I’ll take her home. Lan Cui Road, right?”

Jiang Tingxue’s eyes widened in disbelief. How did Chen Xu know where she lived? Did he know her identity?

Everyone, including Guan Shuang, was surprised. Ke Xinghao whispered in Chen Xu’s ear, “Old Chen, are you serious? Are you trying to steal Sister Shuang’s girl?”

Chen Xu looked at him like he was an idiot. “Let’s go. It’s on my way.”

He gave Guan Shuang a reassuring look. Guan Shuang, knowing Chen Xu’s character, understood that he wasn’t interested in Jiang Tingxue romantically.

Could it be that Chen Xu had known Jiang Tingxue before?

“Okay.” Guan Shuang nodded and told Jiang Tingxue, “Message me when you get home.”

Jiang Tingxue nodded. “Sure. By the way, my phone was stolen before, so I changed my number. Let’s add each other again.”

Hearing this, Guan Shuang understood why Jiang Tingxue hadn’t contacted her and happily took out her phone.

In the taxi, Jiang Tingxue sneakily glanced at Chen Xu. He was very handsome, fitting the description of a beautiful young man perfectly. Jiang Tingxue, who studied jewelry design, loved looking at beautiful things. Someone like Chen Xu could easily inspire her creativity, making her want to look at him more.

Their eyes met suddenly, and Jiang Tingxue blushed, quickly looking away.

“My name is Chen Xu,” he introduced himself.

Jiang Tingxue had heard about him from Guan Shuang but didn’t understand why he was introducing himself again.

Chen Xu turned his head slightly to look at her, his gaze clear. “Si Ye is my husband.”

The statement left Jiang Tingxue stunned for a few seconds. When she realized who he was talking about, her mouth fell open in shock. “Si… Si Ye? The head of the Si family?”

Though she grew up abroad, she knew who the head of the Si family was. This meant she and Chen Xu were actually related!

But she remembered Chen Xu was only eighteen, while Si Ye was already twenty-eight.

Chen Xu was so young and already married.

Jiang Tingxue didn’t know which fact to be more shocked about. No wonder Chen Xu offered to take her home; he had recognized her from the start.

“Can you… not tell Sister Shuang?” Jiang Tingxue had always been surrounded by people trying to curry favor with her because of her background. She had a falling out with her family over this during the summer break and ran away, hiding her identity. She made her first real friend, Guan Shuang, during this time.

She was afraid that if Guan Shuang found out about her identity, she would feel deceived or start treating her differently, like those people who tried to flatter her. She didn’t want to see any of that happen, so she dared not let Guan Shuang know.

“You can’t keep this a secret forever. If you want to have a lasting relationship with Guan Shuang, you can’t hide it from her forever.” Chen Xu’s calm tone made Jiang Tingxue lower her head in disappointment.

“I know… but I’m scared. She’s my first real friend.” Jiang Tingxue understood what Chen Xu was saying, but she was too afraid.

From what Jiang Tingxue said, it seemed she only saw Guan Shuang as a friend, implying she was straight. After all, she had been engaged to Si Yichen in the previous life.

“Whether you tell her or not is up to you. I won’t say anything.” As soon as Chen Xu finished speaking, Jiang Tingxue looked at him gratefully.

“Really? You’re so kind. How can I thank you? How about I treat you to a meal?”

“No need.” Chen Xu paused, then added, “If you really want to thank me, you can do one thing for me.”

Jiang Tingxue blinked in confusion. “What is it?”

“There’s someone I don’t get along with in the Si family. He’s Si Ye’s adopted son, named Si Yichen. He might visit the Jiang family. Don’t be fooled by his sweet talk.” Chen Xu could only warn her this much. If, after all this, she still insisted on marrying Si Yichen, it might just be fate that he couldn’t change.

Jiang Tingxue’s imagination ran wild, thinking of all the dramatic possibilities in a wealthy family.

Chen Xu was Guan Shuang’s friend, so he was her friend too. She would definitely stand with him. She clenched her fist and promised, “I understand. Don’t worry.”

Seeing her looking so naive and easily fooled, Chen Xu still felt uneasy.

After dropping Jiang Tingxue home, Chen Xu took a cab back. Once she entered the house, her mother asked if she was dating and who had dropped her off.

“Haha, no, Mom. That was Si Ye’s husband.” Jiang Tingxue laughed at her mother’s guess.

Her mother looked outside in surprise but saw no sign of Chen Xu.

To Jiang Tingxue’s astonishment, Chen Xu seemed to have predicted everything. The next day, Si Yichen came to visit her family.

That night, while lying in bed, Chen Xu mentioned Jiang Tingxue to Si Ye.

“The Jiang family’s child?” Si Ye was surprised that Chen Xu knew someone from the Jiang family. In the previous life, Chen Xu had only seen Jiang Tingxue at Si Yichen’s engagement party and shouldn’t have had any interaction with her.

“Yes, the Jiang family is back for their ancestral ceremony. Shouldn’t you get in touch with them?” Chen Xu suggested, knowing that if Si Ye reached out to the Jiang family, he would naturally learn about Si Yichen’s schemes. He didn’t believe Si Yichen would miss such an opportunity.

Si Ye remembered Si Yichen’s engagement to Jiang Tingxue in the previous life, his eyes darkening.

The next day, Si Ye received news that Si Yichen had gone to the Jiang family early in the morning. He prepared gifts and decided to visit the Jiang family himself.

“Have breakfast and come with me,” Si Ye told Chen Xu.

Chen Xu stopped eating and looked up at Si Ye. After a moment, he resumed eating, “Alright.”

Seeing that he didn’t ask where they were going and agreed directly, Si Ye felt a warmth in his heart.

After breakfast, Si Ye asked Chen Xu to change his clothes. Thinking they were going to a formal occasion, Chen Xu deliberately pulled out his formal suit.

“No need for a suit. Wear a sweater.” Si Ye walked into the closet, pulled out a soft, high-necked white sweater, and a black down jacket.

“Are you wearing thermal pants?” Si Ye noticed Chen Xu’s long, straight legs, which didn’t look like they had thermal pants on.

Chen Xu shrank his legs, “I’m not cold.”

Si Ye gave him a disapproving look. “Put on thermal pants. It’s snowing outside.”

Chen Xu quickly put on the sweater, pretending not to hear, and walked straight out. But Si Ye wasn’t ready to let him off. He grabbed his waist and pulled him back. “Listen.”

Chen Xu struggled in Si Ye’s arms, his ears turning red. The scent of Si Ye surrounded him. It had been a while since he had been this close to Si Ye, and he was reluctant to leave, using the playful struggle as an excuse to stay a little longer.

Si Ye didn’t notice Chen Xu’s intentions. He hoisted him up and carried him back to the bedroom, holding a pair of light gray thermal pants in one hand. Chen Xu, startled, quickly grabbed Si Ye’s clothes to prevent himself from falling.

Thrown onto the bed, Chen Xu was still dazed, his bangs disheveled, cheeks flushed. His eyes sparkled, and Si Ye suddenly felt his throat tighten, a wild fire burning inside him.

Tossing the thermal pants onto Chen Xu, Si Ye turned away. “Put them on quickly. The driver is waiting downstairs.”

Panicked, Si Ye didn’t notice Chen Xu’s calm demeanor. He sat up and pouted, “I won’t wear them. Only old people wear thermal pants.”

This was the first time Si Ye felt the generation gap. He tried to recall if he had the same thoughts at Chen Xu’s age but couldn’t remember.

Si Ye grabbed Chen Xu’s pant leg and looked down at him. “Don’t make me help you put them on.”

He intended to scare him, but to his surprise, Chen Xu wasn’t fazed. Instead, he smiled provocatively, propping himself up, his eyes lively. “Then come on.”

The wild fire inside Si Ye almost consumed him at that moment. Just as Chen Xu thought he would back off, Si Ye suddenly pinned him down, his warm hand sliding under Chen Xu’s soft white sweater, brushing against his trembling abs.

Chen Xu’s muscles were not rugged but elegantly streamlined. His body trembled with anticipation. He realized he was more addicted to Si Ye’s touch than he thought.

“Scared?” Si Ye asked hoarsely, his eyes dark like a stormy sky.

Chen Xu shook his head, licking his dry lips. “No.”

Si Ye chuckled, and Chen Xu felt his face heat up, feeling mocked. He knew saying “No” in a trembling voice wasn’t convincing. He was afraid but also excited. His inexperienced body couldn’t handle Si Ye’s warmth, betraying his nervousness.

“Little liar.” Si Ye sighed. He couldn’t really force Chen Xu to wear the thermal pants and had to let him wear just one pair of pants.

If Chen Xu kept teasing him like this, Si Ye didn’t know how long he could maintain his self-control.

The consequence of not wearing thermal pants was being bundled up tightly in a long down jacket by Si Ye. Chen Xu felt like he was wrapped up like a dumpling. Outside, it was indeed snowing, and the cold wind stung his face.

“Uncle Si, it’s snowing.” Chen Xu stretched out his hand, a snowflake landing on his fingertip and melting quickly.

“Yes.” Si Ye responded, pulling Chen Xu quickly into the car. Even just standing outside for a moment, Chen Xu’s nose turned red from the cold. Turning to face Chen Xu, Si Ye couldn’t help but smile at his red nose, almost hiding his little red mole. His heart softened at Chen Xu’s cuteness.

It wasn’t until the car arrived on the road he had been on yesterday that Chen Xu realized they were heading to the Jiang family.

“Uncle Si, are we going to the Jiang family?”

“Yes, Si Yichen went there this morning.” Si Ye didn’t mind telling Chen Xu that he was there to confront Si Yichen.

Chen Xu widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected Si Yichen to act so quickly or for Si Ye to take his words so seriously. He had only mentioned it before bed, and by morning, Si Ye had already taken action.

But something felt different from the previous life. This time, Si Ye never gave Si Yichen a good face, constantly helping Chen Xu deal with him. It was more like Si Ye was taking revenge on Si Yichen for him.

Why was that? Did Si Ye dislike Si Yichen from the start and only pretended to please Mrs. Tao? Then why did Si Ye suddenly refuse to comply with her wishes?

Chen Xu remembered that in the previous life, Si Ye had been genuinely grooming Si Yichen. Before his death, Si Yichen had already taken over some of Si’s power. If things had progressed naturally, Si Yichen would have eventually taken over Si’s.

Although Si Yichen was arrogant and domineering, he was also genuinely smart and hardworking, obedient to Si Ye, and respected him deeply. Si Ye never paid much attention to his private life and naturally wasn’t aware of Si Yichen’s conduct behind the scenes. As an heir, Si Yichen was competent, which was why Chen Xu couldn’t understand why Si Yichen would go to such lengths to kill him.

Why would Si Yichen kill him when he could have easily obtained the Si family?

Thinking carefully, Chen Xu realized many things didn’t make sense.

If it was simply jealousy, it was a weak motive for murder. It might be one of the reasons, but not the main one.

Why was Si Ye so good to him in this life? He didn’t think he had done anything significant to trigger such a large change.

What had he done the night he returned from his rebirth to make Si Ye change so much?

“Chen Xu, Chen Xu.”

Chen Xu was brought back to reality by Si Ye’s push. “Huh?”

“We’re here. What were you thinking about? So engrossed.” Si Ye saw his dazed look and realized he had been daydreaming.

“Nothing.” Chen Xu shook his head, put on his down jacket, and got out of the car.

The driver went to park the car while Si Ye, carrying a gift box, led Chen Xu to ring the doorbell.

Inside, Jiang Tingxue’s parents were hosting Si Yichen, who had come under the pretense of representing Si Ye. He had said many flattering things, and the Jiang family, who had been abroad for many years, believed him.

Jiang Tingxue, having met Chen Xu, now found Si Yichen irritating. She could tell he wasn’t a good person.

Si Yichen, thinking Jiang Tingxue was admiring him, displayed himself like a proud peacock. Jiang Tingxue only found him greasy.

The doorbell interrupted the conversation between Si Yichen and Jiang Tingxue’s parents. Jiang’s mother got up to answer the door.

She recognized Si Ye immediately. After all, he was the head of the Si family. She might not know many people, but she couldn’t possibly not know Si Ye. So when she opened the door and saw him, her mouth fell open in shock.

“Hello, Aunt. I heard you were back, so I brought my husband to meet you,” Si Ye said, placing his hand on Chen Xu’s back and introducing him.

Jiang’s mother took a closer look and recognized Chen Xu as the young man who had brought her daughter home the previous night. Up close, she realized not only was he very handsome, but he also looked very young, fresh and tender (Lol is CX a chicken?). She assumed Chen Xu just looked young for his age and didn’t dare imagine he was only eighteen.

“Come in, it’s cold outside.” Jiang’s mother quickly stepped aside to let them in.

“Thank you for having us,” Chen Xu said politely, nodding at Jiang’s mother. When he played the part of an obedient child, no elder could resist liking him. Jiang’s mother instantly took a liking to this polite boy.

She thought to herself that if she had such a beautiful and well-behaved son, she would spoil him rotten and never let him marry so young.

Inside, Jiang’s father saw Si Ye and was momentarily stunned, glancing between Si Ye and Si Yichen. Si Yichen had said that Si Ye was too busy to come and had sent him instead. But here Si Ye was in person.

Seeing Si Ye and Chen Xu, Si Yichen felt a chill run down his spine. His vision blurred momentarily. When he came to his senses, his back was soaked with cold sweat. “Father…”

“Why are you here?” Si Ye didn’t bother to give Si Yichen any face.

Hearing Si Ye’s question, the Jiang family also looked at Si Yichen in shock. If Si Ye hadn’t sent him, why had Si Yichen come? What were his motives?

They weren’t being paranoid, but over the years, they had seen many people try to curry favor with them. And given Si Ye’s attitude towards Si Yichen, it seemed he didn’t like or value him as Si Yichen had claimed.

The Jiang family suddenly realized that everything Si Yichen had said before was likely a pack of lies.

“I… I heard Grandpa and your family were back. I thought you were busy, so I took it upon myself to come and visit them on your behalf. I didn’t expect you to make time to come,” Si Yichen explained nervously, knowing full well that Si Ye wasn’t easy to fool.

“Who told you they were back?” Si Ye’s tone was sharp and his gaze piercing.

Si Yichen trembled, “I… I heard it from Grandma.”

Si Ye wasn’t surprised by this answer. In the previous life, it was partly due to Tao Minzhi’s matchmaking that Si Yichen got engaged to Jiang Tingxue.

“There won’t be a next time. Take your things and go.”

Si Yichen felt as if a huge burden had been lifted. He hadn’t expected Si Ye to let him off so easily. Even after leaving the Jiang house, it still felt unreal.

Why had his father suddenly come to the Jiang family? He didn’t believe it was just a coincidence.

As Si Yichen walked down the road, he received a message on his phone. It informed him that the person who had interrupted his plans with Jiang Tingxue the previous day was Guan Shuang, a friend of Chen Xu.

“Chen Xu again!” Si Yichen was furious. If he had more money, he would have smashed his phone right then and there.

His chest heaved with anger, his face turning red as if about to explode.

Picking up his phone, Si Yichen dialed Tao Minzhi’s number with trembling hands.

“I want Chen Xu dead! I want him dead!” His voice was hoarse and broken, like a demon from hell.

Tao Minzhi paused her coffee stirring, “What happened?”

Si Yichen, furious, recounted, “Yesterday, when I went to find Jiang Tingxue, his friend ruined my plans. Today, when I visited the Jiang family, he showed up right after with Father.”

“Father humiliated me in front of the Jiang family. How can I possibly marry Jiang Tingxue now?”

“It’s all Chen Xu’s doing. He has to die!”

After listening to Si Yichen, Tao Minzhi’s eyes darkened. She hadn’t expected Chen Xu to be so cunning. If he didn’t have some scheming, he couldn’t have made Si Ye so devoted to him.

Chen Xu was too much of a variable and couldn’t be allowed to stay.