Translsator’s Note:

There is a slight mistake in the name—it should be *Cheng Chao*, not *Cheng Zhao*. Apologies for the confusion

——–

Clearly, Cheng Chao wasn’t the only one who thought Jiang Yi’s excuse was terrible.

On the other side of the video, Lu Li remained silent for a moment, then said expressionlessly, “Do you think I believe that?”

Jiang Yi widened his eyes nervously and whispered, “You could at least pretend to believe it.”

His classmate was still there.

Lu Li: “…”

“Enough with the nonsense, open your mouth.”

Jiang Yi pouted, and just like when he was a kid, obediently opened his mouth, looking all docile and compliant.

Sitting on the sofa, Cheng Chao’s expression was a bit odd.

Cheng Chao had always had an impression of Jiang Yi, the top student in the elite class who had consistently held the first rank.

In his eyes, Jiang Yi was practically the ideal student, always excelling academically, diligent in his studies, pure-hearted, and never causing any trouble for the teachers.

But even though he knew of Jiang Yi, Cheng Chao didn’t have any particular feelings toward him. To be honest, Cheng Chao didn’t care much about anyone in the class—he remained detached from them all.

Cheng Chao knew that he had a sharp, even cynical personality. Even though he always wore a polite smile and appeared gentle and easygoing, he was fully aware that he felt less affection for his classmates than he did for a pen.

Being the eldest son of the Cheng family, Cheng Chao had to maintain a perfect, courteous image throughout his life, ensuring everything appeared flawless.

His view of Jiang Yi changed when he learned that Jiang Yi was the illegitimate child of the Lu family. After all, Jiang Yi and the eldest son of the Lu family ate together, lived together, and shared everything down to the last detail.

After hearing this rumor, Cheng Chao developed a strong dislike for Jiang Yi.

Cheng Chao’s mother had passed away when he was young. His father, an ungrateful man, had climbed the social ladder by using his mother’s family connections. While Cheng Chao’s mother lay critically ill in the hospital, his father was out partying and keeping mistresses.

Soon after Cheng Chao’s mother passed away, his father brought home a boy who was the same age as Cheng Chao, claiming the boy was a distant relative.

His father thought Cheng Chao was too young to understand, but Cheng Chao had witnessed that boy calling his father “dad.”

Before long, the boy’s biological mother moved into the Cheng household, becoming the legitimate lady of the house, and the boy became Cheng Chao’s “brother.”

That’s when Cheng Chao’s compulsive cleanliness began. He was disgusted by everything that family touched, repulsed by their false pretenses, especially the scheming look on the illegitimate son’s face. The mere sight of him made Cheng Chao feel physically ill.

In their social circle, illegitimate children were generally looked down upon. To Cheng Chao, they were nothing more than parasites—leeching off others, cunning, and eager to please for their own benefit.

Now, watching Jiang Yi obediently open his mouth, Cheng Chao felt that something didn’t quite add up.

What legitimate child would check if an illegitimate child had eaten ice cream?

What legitimate child would call every day to check on the well-being of an illegitimate child?

And what legitimate child would keep track of an illegitimate sibling’s childhood illnesses with such care?

The way Lu Li acted toward Jiang Yi was far more attentive than most people would be toward their own blood brothers.

Cheng Chao furrowed his brows as he observed Jiang Yi close his mouth and nod obediently.

Through the video, Lu Li’s voice came again, saying how lucky it was that he had called to notice something wrong, or else if Jiang Yi got sick from eating ice cream, no one would know if he had a fever at night.

Cheng Chao froze. For some reason, that statement made him uncomfortable.

He was still there in the room, wasn’t he? What gave the eldest son of the Lu family the confidence to assume that no one would notice if Jiang Yi got a fever at night?

After all, wasn’t he Jiang Yi’s classmate? If Jiang Yi really did have a fever in the middle of the night, he would certainly take care of him, wouldn’t he?

Cheng Chao, feeling a slight sense of unease, lowered his eyes.

Jiang Yi was just about to say something to Lu Li through the video when he noticed Lu Li staring at him with a blank expression. Immediately, Jiang Yi closed his mouth obediently.

After all, this was the first time in five days that Jiang Yi had seen Lu Li—it wasn’t the same as when they saw each other every day.

Jiang Yi cautiously decided it was best not to provoke him.

Even through the video, Jiang Yi could sense Lu Li suppressing his frustration from not having seen him in the past few days.

Jiang Yi whispered, “I won’t do it again.”

His voice softened, sounding weak, just like when he was sick as a child.

To Cheng Chao, it sounded rather pitiful.

He thought to himself, how could two illegitimate children have such different fates? Why did Jiang Yi seem so pitiful, to the point of having to apologize just for eating ice cream?

When Cheng Chao’s father brought home that other illegitimate son, it wasn’t just about ice cream—the boy could eat it like a meal, and Cheng Chao’s father would only praise him for having a good appetite.

After a long pause, Jiang Yi finally ended the video call. He touched his nose, then got up, opened the drawer where he had hidden the ice cream, and seemed to hesitate.

Cheng Chao: “…”

Can’t even manage a bit of disobedience?

The call had ended—if he wanted to eat it, why hesitate? Did Lu Li plan to reach through the screen and snatch the ice cream out of his mouth?

After a while, Jiang Yi finally made up his mind and took the ice cream out. Then he turned to look at Cheng Chao.

Cheng Chao thought, Well, if he offers it to me, I suppose I’ll take it. Even though the packaging is covered in condensation, the plastic wrap has likely been touched by many hands, and the dust in the air on the way back may have settled into the water droplets…

But before Cheng Chao could reach out, Jiang Yi said, “I’m going to take something to Cai Fang.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“When I come back, could you open the door for me?”

Cheng Chao, who was about to accept the ice cream: “…”

The smile on his face froze for a moment, and he remained silent for a few seconds.

Seeing Cheng Chao stay quiet, Jiang Yi assumed that Cheng Chao, who had never liked him, found it too much of a hassle. So, Jiang Yi added, “I’ll just call Cai Fang and ask him to come over.”

The ice cream cost eight yuan.

It would be a waste not to eat it.

Jiang Yi sent a message to Cai Fang, and shortly after, Cai Fang knocked on the door. Jiang Yi quickly slipped on his slippers, rushed to the door, and handed the ice cream over to Cai Fang.

Cai Fang stood at the door and successfully made contact with him.

Cheng Chao, overheard Jiang Yi, “Good thing you came quickly, or the ice cream would have melted…”

Cai Fang: “Ah, white chocolate flavor, my favorite!”

“By the way, where’s the vice president?”

Jiang Yi: “He’s inside reading.”

Cai Fang, said with admiration: “No wonder I didn’t make it to the finals. We mere mortals can’t compare to study gods. Eating ice cream, wasting time like this, is something only us common folk would do.”

Cheng Chao : “…”

Ten minutes later.

Cheng Chao returned from the supermarket, carrying a bag of ice cream. In front of Jiang Yi, he ate one after another, finishing four in total.

That night, he ended up with a stomachache.

By the time Cheng Chao made his fifth trip to the bathroom, he realized he had run out of toilet paper. As he sat on the toilet with his pants down, he fell into a silent contemplation.

Five minutes later, Cheng Chao closed his eyes, wondering if the toilet could just flush him away along with everything else.

Jiang Yi, reviewing his studies at the hotel desk, finally stretched after finishing his work, only to realize that Cheng Chao had been in the bathroom for a full hour.

Thinking about it, Jiang Yi figured Cheng Chao’s obsessive cleanliness must have worsened, making his showers longer. It didn’t seem too unusual.

So Jiang Yi lay on the table, playing a game on his phone, waiting for Cheng Chao to come out of the bathroom so he could take shower.

Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Cheng Chao, still unable to ask for help, sat on the toilet, counting the patterns on the floor tiles, waiting for Jiang Yi to realize something was wrong.

After an hour and a half, Jiang Yi finally sensed something was off. He approached the bathroom door and tentatively asked, “Cheng Chao, are you still in there?”

Cheng Chao, with a calm voice, responded: “Yes.”

Relieved, Jiang Yi was about to leave when Cheng Chao continued in the same calm tone, “Could you pass me a packet of tissues through the door crack?”

Jiang Yi paused for a moment, then replied, “Okay.”

Five minutes later, Cheng Chao emerged from the bathroom and slowly sat down on a chair, for once without a smile on his face.

Jiang Yi thought Cheng Chao now resembled a crumbling statue, as if the slightest touch would cause pieces to fall off.

Lu Li sent a message, asking why he hadn’t showered and gone to bed yet.

Jiang Yi explained that his roommate seemed to be feeling down and might need some comfort.

Lu Li asked why his roommate was feeling down.

After thinking for a bit, Jiang Yi replied, “I think it’s because of… you know, the bathroom.”

Lu Li sent six dots in response.

Jiang Yi put his phone down, cleared his throat, and said, “Cheng Chao.”

Cheng Chao, lost in his dark thoughts and wishing for the world to explode and take him with it, didn’t respond to Jiang Yi’s call.

After some thought, Jiang Yi couldn’t come up with anything comforting to say.

It wasn’t like he could tell Cheng Chao, “Wow, your butt is impressive, staying in the bathroom for an hour and a half.”

So Jiang Yi could only say awkwardly, “Good luck in the finals tomorrow.”

Cheng Chao remained silent, sitting gloomily in the corner.