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“Mom, it’s scorching hot, and there’s no air conditioning in the living room. How am I supposed to sleep there? Am I still your biological son or not?”
Zhang Hong remained unmoved.
She had only said it casually. Her son had just made her proud with his college entrance exam results—there was no way she’d really make him sleep in the living room.
Seeing her silence, Xu Ye stiffened his tone. “I don’t care. I’m sleeping in my own bed. If you insist on letting Yuxin sleep in my room, then we’ll sleep in the same bed. I’ve got thick skin and don’t care what people say.”
The moment Zhang Hong heard that, she smacked the back of Xu Ye’s head.
“How did I give birth to such a shameless brat? Yuxin will sleep with me tonight. Your father can sleep on the floor in our room.”
“That’s more like it.”
After the college entrance exam, Zhang Hong felt her son had become much more outgoing, which she saw as a good thing and didn’t find strange at all.
But… why did he suddenly get so thick-skinned?
The problem was, there had never been anyone in the Xu family known for being shameless.
At that moment, Wang Yuxin huffed proudly and said, “As if I’d sleep in your room. Boys’ rooms always stink.”
“Your gege even farts roses.”
“Ugh—you’re disgusting.”
Seeing her pinch her nose with an expression of pure disdain, Xu Ye deliberately sat down right next to her and grinned. “How’d you do on your final exams?”
“Fourth in class, thirteenth in the whole school. Want me to list the scores for each subject?”
Xu Ye paused for a moment. He had completely forgotten that this little cousin of his had always been a top student. From elementary to high school, she’d consistently ranked near the top, and later even got into Zhejiang University. In the whole family, she was one of the rare few who truly excelled in academics.
Xu Ye had originally asked about her grades hoping to make Wang Yuxin feel a little uncomfortable—but instead, he found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing that Xu Ye was speechless, Wang Yuxin leaned in with a sweet smile and said, “Xu Ye-gege, I heard from Auntie that you’re working a summer job at a bar?”
“It’s a tavern.”
“Can you take me there?”
Xu Ye replied righteously, “Absolutely not. You’re still a kid—stay home and behave.”
Wang Yuxin clung to his arm, pouting softly. “Xu Ye-gege, please~”
Girls her age were right in the middle of their rebellious phase. Wang Yuxin was already considered well-behaved—some girls at thirteen or fourteen were already running around with delinquent boys with dyed yellow hair.
“No amount of acting cute will work. I don’t get off work until after midnight. Even if I wanted to take you, your aunt wouldn’t agree.”
Wang Yuxin wrinkled her little nose, looking utterly aggrieved.
Xu Ye let out a sigh and said helplessly, “How about this—tomorrow I’ll take you out around town.”
“Deal!”
Wang Yuxin immediately perked up. “I want to see a movie, buy new clothes, eat barbecue and crayfish…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—hold it right there. I only said I’d take you out. I never said anything about paying for all that. Movies and shopping? I don’t have that kind of money.”
Wang Yuxin shot a sidelong glance at Xu Ye, wrinkling her little nose. “You’re so stingy.”
“I’m broke.”
“My mom just gave you a red envelope.”
“That money’s already spoken for.”
Wang Yuxin was beyond speechless, but in the end, she waved her hand dismissively and said, “Forget it. I won’t use your money—I’ve got my own.”
Her father was an attending physician at the hospital, earning quite a bit more than Xu Ye’s father.
Thinking of this, Xu Ye casually threw an arm around Wang Yuxin’s shoulders and leaned in to whisper, “Yuxin, be a good girl and show Gege how much money you’ve got?”
“What are you up to?”
“Gege can keep it safe for you.”
Just as Wang Yuxin was about to speak, Zhang Hong—who had somehow appeared behind them without a sound—reached out and grabbed Xu Ye by the ear.
“You’re trying to scam your cousin out of her money? Have you no shame?”
“Mama—ow, ow, ow!”
“Yuxin, don’t listen to your cousin. The money your parents gave you, you keep it safe yourself.”
“Okay.”
…
That night, after returning from the tavern.
Xu Ye sat on his bed after his shower, scrolling through the latest news and checking the stock market.
The five thousand yuan his mother had given him had already been invested in the stock market. As for the ten thousand yuan he’d earned from that “rich girl” Chen Qingqing after selling her a song, that had long since been transferred to his securities account as well.
At the moment, his stock account held nearly eighteen thousand yuan. For a soon-to-be university student, that wasn’t a small amount—but for Xu Ye, whose goal was to become a millionaire within a year, it still fell far short.
He let out a sigh. Whenever he felt like he didn’t have enough money, his thoughts would inevitably drift to Chen Qingqing.
He opened WeChat and sent her a message: “Still awake?”
Chen Qingqing, upon seeing Xu Ye’s message, sat up from the couch and began typing with her slender fingers: “It’s not that early.”
Xu Ye: “Why is it that if I don’t message you first, you never message me?”
Chen Qingqing: “Why should I message you?”
Xu Ye: “Didn’t you say we’re already friends?”
Chen Qingqing: “Do friends have to talk every day?”
Xu Ye: “Of course.”
Chen Qingqing: “But I don’t know what to talk about.”
Xu Ye: “We can talk about hobbies, interests, the past, the future. We can talk about people we’ve met, places we’ve seen, things that come to mind. Sometimes we can even talk about life.”
Chen Qingqing: “I don’t feel like staying home tomorrow. Let me treat you to a meal.”
Xu Ye: “Why are you suddenly treating me to a meal for no reason?”
Chen Qingqing: “Because you look like a pig when you eat.”
Xu Ye: “I promised my little cousin I’d take her out shopping tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come along?”
Chen Qingqing: “I don’t like crowds.”
Xu Ye: “She’s an elementary schooler. Still just a kid.”
Chen Qingqing: “Alright then.”
Xu Ye: “Tomorrow afternoon—wait for my message.”
Chen Qingqing: “Okay.”
Xu Ye: “Good night.”
Xu Ye: “As a friend, you should know how to return the favor.”
Two minutes later.
Chen Qingqing: “Good night.”
…
The next morning.
“Xu Ye gege~”
“Xu Ye gege~”
It was like someone was summoning his soul right beside his ear.
Xu Ye groggily woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Wang Yuxin standing right next to him. He jumped in surprise, but then let out a long breath when he realized what was going on. “What are you doing?”
Wang Yuxin pouted and mumbled, “Xu Ye gege, it’s already past eight.”
Xu Ye said, “I didn’t go to bed until midnight last night. Please, just let me sleep a little longer, okay?”
Wang Yuxin obediently replied, “Okay…”
Half an hour later.
“The magical castle in fairy tales
Has a dreamy scent,
Spreading its overflowing magic across the universe.
The legendary magical castle
Protects every smile.
Activate the barrier, let hopes grow taller quickly…”
In the living room, Wang Yuxin’s sharp singing voice echoed.
This song, called “Magical Castle,” was a new release by TFBOYS in March of this year. At that time, the three of them weren’t yet famous, but in just a month, when their hit “Left Hand Right Hand Slow Motion” came out, they would gradually rise to become top stars in the entertainment industry.
Hearing the singing coming from the living room, Xu Ye felt like he was going crazy. With messy hair and a disheveled look, he came out of his room. Seeing Wang Yuxin bouncing on the sofa with her phone in hand, he felt utterly defeated and trudged into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later.
During breakfast.
“Xu Ye gege, when are we going shopping?”
“In the afternoon.”
“What time in the afternoon?”
“We’ll see.”
“Xu Ye gege, what are we having for lunch?”
“Eating shit.”
“……”
“Xu Ye gege, why are you ignoring me?”
“……”
“Xu Ye gege, is it just the two of us going shopping this afternoon?”
“There’s one more.”
“Who?”
“An older sister.”
“An older sister?”