Chapter 18

When Qiao Zhenzhen saw him shake his head she finally exhaled. She was about to speak when she noticed the bald man standing in the shop with a sullen face. Her heart tightened and she hurriedly pulled Chi Shen behind her to protect him.
Chi Shen looked up at the man in the shop; there was an ink-darkness in his eyes that wouldn't lift.
The bald man met his gaze and felt an inexplicable chill. He ground his teeth and cursed a "little bastard" under his breath, then scowled, "I'll go this afternoon and withdraw the expulsion request."
Qiao Zhenzhen watched him warily, not believing he'd change his mind so quickly. Qin Jing put the two children behind her protectively and asked calmly, "What are your terms?"
"No terms. I'll withdraw it outright," the bald man said impatiently. "But let me be clear: I won't pay a single cent for his tuition or living expenses. Do whatever saintly or rotten thing you want. I'm going back to my hometown tonight, whether he lives or dies is none of my concern."
"Don't worry, you won't be in charge. From now until he graduates college, I'll take responsibility," Qin Jing said, calm but firm.
The bald man glared at her viciously, then shifted his stare to Chi Shen and snarled, "Even if I walk away, you're still my son, don't think you can run off to the ends of the earth and hide."
Chi Shen's face remained expressionless, just as it always had with him.
The bald man couldn't help cursing again; irritated, he kicked aside a cardboard box and stalked upstairs.
Once he left, Qiao Zhenzhen finally relaxed and, curious, looked at Chi Shen. "How did you persuade him?"
Chi Shen paused and didn't answer.
Qiao Zhenzhen was about to ask again when something caught her eye and her eyes widened. "Your hand!"
"What's wrong?" Qin Jing, drawn by her voice, frowned when she saw Chi Shen's cut fingers. "It was fine a moment ago, when did you get hurt?"
"It was definitely that man, what a bastard," Qiao snapped, her brow knotting.
Qin Jing looked at Chi Shen's inscrutable face and sighed. "You poor thing. Come on, let's buy a bandage, then we'll go to the hospital."
Chi Shen pressed his lips together. "No need..."
"No need what?" Qin Jing shot him a look. "Do as I say!"
She was Qiao Zhenzhen's mother and already resembled her by half; when she got angry that half seemed to swell to seven-tenths. Chi Shen didn't dare make a sound and was promptly taken to the hospital by the mother-daughter pair.
After his wound was treated it was already past eleven; school would let out in about half an hour.
Qiao Zhenzhen glanced at her phone and, feigning concern, said, "Oh my, it's getting late, why don't I take Chi Shen back to school?"
"By the time you get to school it'll be over. What's the point? Just find a nearby restaurant," Qin Jing said, exasperated.
"Fine." Qiao Zhenzhen brightened immediately.
Qin Jing snorted. "You're always 'fine' so long as you're not the one going to school."
Qiao Zhenzhen clung to her arm and pouted, "I'm happy because I get to have dinner with Mom."
[Affection +20, Current 300]
Qiao Zhenzhen turned, puzzled, and looked at Chi Shen, who was silently following at her side.
Qin Jing also looked at Chi Shen. "Anything you'd like to eat?"
Chi Shen was silent for a second, then shook his head slightly.
"Speak up," Qin Jing narrowed her eyes. She'd long noticed that compared with the incessantly chattering Qiao Zhenzhen, this child was almost mute. At first she thought he was shy or had a throat problem; over the last couple of days she'd realized he was unnaturally withdrawn, so much so that even basic communication seemed difficult.
Chi Shen: "..."
Qin Jing folded her arms and patiently waited for him to speak.
After a long while, Chi Shen finally forced out, "Anything is fine."
Qiao Zhenzhen blinked, fighting back a smile, and looked down. Satisfied, Qin Jing led them to get lunch.
After lunch, as the three of them rested in the restaurant, Qin Jing received a call from the principal. They spoke briefly and hung up. Qin Jing smiled and told them, "Your father has withdrawn the expulsion request. You'll return to classes this afternoon."
"Thank you," Chi Shen said.
"Hah, what for? If it weren't for us you wouldn't have gotten into any of this trouble," Qin Jing said. As she spoke she couldn't help recalling the snarling Qiao Jian and felt a little sour.
Qiao Zhenzhen, sensing her displeasure, quickly interrupted, "Okay, your parents are gone and the fish shop's been sublet. Where will you live from now on?"
Qin Jing snapped back to attention and frowned at Chi Shen. "This is a big deal, we need to find you a place right away. Or, until we do, why don't you stay with us temporarily?"
"Better not. There are lots of apartments near the school, fully furnished and ready to move in." Given Qiao Jian's attitude, Qiao Zhenzhen didn't dare let Chi Shen live in her home.
Qin Jing nodded. "All right. Why don't you skip classes this afternoon and we'll sort out your housing first." She hesitated a moment. "Missing one day won't set back your studies, will it?"
"No, no. Our studies won't be affected," Qiao Zhenzhen quickly answered for Chi Shen.
Qin Jing gave her a look. "How much worse can your studies get? I'm worried about Chi Shen falling behind."
"He won't either," Qiao Zhenzhen muttered. In her previous life he'd spent his days trailing after girls and never done any better; this time his female classmate sat next to him as his deskmate, so his studies could only improve.
Qin Jing raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
"I just know," Qiao said, unconsciously showing a girlish sweetness whenever she was with her mother.
[Affection +20, Current 320]
“Host, you're incredible, your words actually add points!” Xiao Ba exclaimed.
Qiao Zhenzhen's mouth twitched; she gave Chi Shen a silent look. When Qin Jing called the waiter over, Qiao Zhenzhen leaned in and whispered, “How much do you like me?”
Chi Shen froze for a moment and didn't answer her.
Qin Jing finished settling the bill, turned around and saw a faint flush spreading across Chi Shen's pale neck. She blinked and asked, “Are you allergic? Why is your neck so red?”
Chi Shen remained quiet, and his neck flushed even more.
Qiao Zhenzhen held back a laugh and pretended not to notice.
Qin Jing gave her a puzzled look. “What are you smiling at… It's getting late. I'll take you to look at apartments.”
Qiao Zhenzhen hurriedly said, “No need. Don't you have a yoga class at two this afternoon? We'll go by ourselves.”
In Qin Jing's eyes, she wouldn't be satisfied unless the place was at least 150 square meters. Chi Shen, however, wasn't the sort to accept handouts easily, being helped would already make him uncomfortable, and being forced into a large apartment would be even more awkward. It was better they not go house-hunting together.
“Your yoga class isn't more important than you two. Besides, what can you kids tell about a place?” Qin Jing teased.
Qiao Zhenzhen smiled. “We can tell, don't worry, Mom.”
“But”
“You should head back. Chi Shen and I will finish looking and go straight back to school. I promise we won't wander off.” Qiao Zhenzhen said, then grabbed Chi Shen and ran.
“Slow down! Chi Shen's foot is still injured!” Qin Jing complained from behind.
Qiao Zhenzhen instinctively braked and glanced cautiously at his foot. “Are you okay?”
Chi Shen gave a slight shake of his head.
Only then did Qiao Zhenzhen breathe a sigh of relief. Qin Jing hurried up and called out, “You're running so fast, do you have the money to help him rent?”
“Of course,” Qiao Zhenzhen said proudly. “I've saved up a lot!”
That wasn't an exaggeration. Despite being a bit spendthrift and under Qin Jing's strict watch, she still had saved twenty or thirty thousand. It wasn't impressive compared to people from similar families, but compared with ordinary high schoolers she was ahead, and rents in this era were only around a thousand or so.
Qin Jing disapproved of her smugness and reached out to tap her forehead.
Qiao Zhenzhen cried out and clutched her head as she dove into the nearest taxi.
Chi Shen climbed in too and sat beside her, frowning deeply. When Qiao Zhenzhen looked up she saw his face was far more serious than usual. “What's wrong?”
“...Does it hurt?” he asked.
Qiao Zhenzhen froze, then realized he was asking about Qin Jing's tap. Her mother's theatrics were mostly for show, when it actually landed on her head it had hardly any force. Her earlier cry of pain had been just for appearances; she hadn't expected the person beside her to misunderstand.
She meant to say it didn't hurt, but the words that came out were, “...It does.”
The furrow between Chi Shen's brows deepened. After a few seconds of silence he looked firmly toward the driver in front. “Go to the hospital.”
“No, no need, don't listen to him. Let's go to school,” Qiao Zhenzhen quickly protested.
Chi Shen regarded her with disapproval.
Qiao Zhenzhen was half-amused, half-exasperated. “I was only tapped, my skin isn't even bruised. And you're rushing to the hospital over that? You've got so many blisters on your own foot, yet you didn't go for those.”
“That's different.”
Qiao Zhenzhen paused, then looked up at him and accidentally fell into his galaxy-like eyes. Her heartbeat instantly went irregular.
Seeing her distracted gaze, Chi Shen hesitated, then reached out and gently pressed the spot on her forehead where she'd been tapped.
The cool fingertip touched her warm brow and Qiao Zhenzhen snapped back to herself. “...It doesn't hurt. I was faking it earlier.”
Chi Shen stared for a moment, then slowly realized and stiffly turned his face away. “You shouldn't lie.”
[Affection +20, now 340]
“I think that's great. Host, do you want to tease him some more?” Xiao Ba couldn't hold his voice in again.
Qiao Zhenzhen cleared her throat, ignored Xiao Ba, and used points to add a year's life for him, leaving 220 points in reserve.
The two of them soon arrived near the school. As she'd said, there were plenty of rental places nearby and they were all much the same. After viewing a few similar units, they could move in that very day.
Qiao Zhenzhen led Chi Shen on a quick tour and finally stopped at a self-contained apartment of just over forty square meters. “What do you think of this place?”
Chi Shen's gaze swept across the bright, tidy apartment and then returned to her. “Do you like it?”
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded at once, then realized she'd missed the point. “Why ask me? The real question is, do you like it?”
Chi Shen looked at her steadily. “I do.”
“That's perfect,” Qiao Zhenzhen smiled. “Then we'll take this one.”
“It's 1,200 a month, deposit plus three months' rent up front. If you like it we can sign the contract now.” It had been a month since classes started and the rental market was slow, so the landlord was exceedingly straightforward.
Qiao Zhenzhen walked through the place again, checked the water, electricity, gas and the fridge, and then asked the landlord for his ID. He pulled out his documents and praised her, “You really are meticulous, young lady, you clearly know your way around.”
Qiao Zhenzhen smiled, checked his ID, and then signed the contract.
After signing, the landlord produced a card machine. Qiao Zhenzhen hurried to find her bank card, but before she could swipe it a pale hand reached out, pinching a card between its fingers.
Qiao Zhenzhen was taken aback. “You have money?”
Chi Shen nodded.
“...Where did it come from?” Qiao Zhenzhen didn't believe his parents would be giving him money.
Chi Shen was silent for a moment. “A scholarship.”
Qiao Zhenzhen laughed. “Scholarships don't give that much, just use my card...”
Before she could finish, the landlord had completed the transaction and the card hadn't been declined.
“I have one hundred thousand,” Chi Shen answered.
Qiao: “...”
So the person she planned to finance had more money than she did?
The shock hit Qiao Zhenzhen so hard she didn't recover even after the landlord left.
Chi Shen saw her standing there in silence, so he grabbed a broom and started tidying up. After he finished cleaning the whole place, Qiao Zhenzhen came back to herself. "...Isn't the top scholarship at our school only five thousand a semester? You've only been getting it for two years, and you have to eat and live, how could you possibly have so much money?"
"Competitions," Chi Shen answered.
Qiao Zhenzhen asked, puzzled, "What kind of competitions?"
"Not sure, mainly math and physics contests."
Qiao Zhenzhen: "..." It sounded completely foreign to her.
There was a brief silence in the room. Qiao Zhenzhen asked again, "Do your parents know?"
After asking she realized the question was pointless, knowing his parents, if they'd known he was getting that much scholarship money they'd have snatched it away long ago; there was no way they'd let him keep it. Besides, she'd never heard anything about him entering competitions in her life, and the school probably hadn't known either, he must have entered on his own.
Sure enough, Chi Shen shook his head.
Qiao Zhenzhen sighed, "Poor Chi Shen, it's just not fair." Such a brilliant kid, and yet destined to be cannon fodder; it was plainly unjust.
[Affection +5, current 225]
…"'Heaven's jealousy of beauty' isn't exactly a compliment, is it?" Qiao Zhenzhen looked at him hesitantly, feeling she understood him less and less.
The contract was signed and the room was mostly clean. Qiao Zhenzhen and Chi Shen sat at the table and stared at each other for a long moment. She couldn't help asking, "You saved this much, do you have any plans for it?"
Chi Shen said nothing.
"You must have a plan, right?" Qiao Zhenzhen was curious, would someone like him even plan for the future?
Chi Shen pressed his lips together; a flicker of panic passed through his eyes.
Qiao Zhenzhen, who had caught the emotion precisely, grew even more curious. "Come on, tell me, what's the plan?"
Chi Shen turned his face away.
She closed in immediately. "Hurry up and say it. If you don't, I'll be mad, I really will, right now I…"
"You're going to study abroad," he said suddenly.
Qiao Zhenzhen was stunned. "When did I ever say I wanted to study abroad?"
"In first year of high school..."
Qiao Zhenzhen blanked for a long moment, then finally remembered that she had once said something like that. Back then she hung out with Zhao Lianqiao all the time and had no interest in studying; when the homeroom teacher asked about her plans she casually said she'd go abroad after graduation to get a diploma. If it hadn't been for what happened with Qiao Jian in her past life, she might actually have left.
...So he had been painstakingly saving because he overheard something she said in passing? Qiao Zhenzhen stared at him, then took a deep breath. "Chi Shen, you're really persistent, you're even willing to follow me overseas."
Chi Shen's face went instantly pale.
"I'm not blaming you, don't be nervous," Qiao Zhenzhen hurried to explain. "I actually, I kind of like you following me, really!"
Chi Shen blinked slightly. His dark eyes fixed on her as if trying to discern truth from falsehood in her words. Qiao Zhenzhen met his gaze earnestly, letting him examine her.
They stared at each other for a long time. A light flush rose at the nape of Chi Shen's neck, and he turned his face away.
Qiao Zhenzhen grinned. "I was just saying it casually, I never actually planned to study abroad. You don't have to work so hard to save. Spend time teaching me to study properly, and later we'll live in the same city. We'll still be together, okay?"
"...Okay." Chi Shen kept his head down, still not daring to look at her.
Qiao Zhenzhen glanced around. Although the furniture and appliances were all there, there were no everyday items, so the apartment still felt a bit bare.
"Let's go buy some things to fill the place up, after all, you have money." Qiao Zhenzhen stretched and stood up.
Chi Shen, of course, didn't object; at her words he obediently followed.
The apartment they rented was near the school; the area had good infrastructure. A large supermarket was just a few hundred meters away.
It was the afternoon rush hour, but the supermarket was nearly empty. Qiao Zhenzhen pushed a cart and started hunting for items as soon as they walked in. Since learning how much Chi Shen had saved, she shopped with fewer scruples, tissues, body wash, slippers; she grabbed whatever she saw. Before long the cart was piled high.
When the cart was light she pushed it, but once it filled up Chi Shen took over without being asked and stuck closely behind her.
As they passed the accessories aisle, Qiao Zhenzhen was drawn to a mushroom-shaped hair clip. She couldn't help stopping and leaning in to study it.
The mushroom was incredibly lifelike, dull gray with even a tiny 'worm hole', standing oddly real among rows of pink strawberries and tiny apples, as if someone had pinned a real mushroom to a clip. Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't resist squeezing it; it had a spongey feel.
Amused, she left the shelf and headed to the nearby bedding section.
It was already autumn and the weather was cooling; the new apartment had no comforters, so they needed to buy at least two. Qiao Zhenzhen carefully picked while listening to the sales assistant. After choosing two, she turned and realized her shadow, Chi Shen, was gone.
She hurriedly put the comforters down and looked around. She finally found him back in the accessories aisle, smiling to himself as she approached, only to see a nearby young couple frown, the girl burrowing into the boy's arms. "He smells so bad..."
Qiao Zhenzhen's smile froze.
"Looks like he hasn't bathed in years, what terrible manners," the boy muttered, pulling the girl away.
Anger flared up in Qiao Zhenzhen. Chi Shen, the one being insulted, showed little reaction; when he turned and saw her standing behind him, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Qiao Zhenzhen swallowed her anger and walked over as if nothing had happened. "Why didn't you come with me? I'm buying comforters for you."
Chi Shen's eyes shifted; he quietly clenched the item in his hand, and then followed her silently.
They walked forward together; just as they neared the comforters, Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly said, "You don't smell at all."
Chi Shen paused, a small curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
After saying it she felt relieved, but also a little guilty, worried she'd hurt his pride. Seeing him unbothered, she relaxed and helped him pick carefully; finally they stacked the chosen comforters into the cart.
They picked out a few more things together and finally had to grab an extra cart to fit it all. When they reached the checkout, they didn't expect to run into that young couple again.
The couple stood behind them with only a few snacks. Seeing their two overloaded carts, the girl frowned, snuggled against the boy's chest and muttered, and every now and then words like "stinky" and "gross" drifted over.
Chi Shen showed no reaction, his head bent as he sorted the items that had already been scanned. Qiao Zhenzhen stayed as calm as she could, but when Chi finished paying and stepped away from the counter she couldn't help stopping and turning back. "You're wearing Chenlan 502 perfume, aren't you? That scent doesn't suit you."
The girl froze. "What do you mean?"
"I mean it's too faint to cover how bad your breath is. Next time try Flame Rose, it can hide even the smell of a cesspit; it would probably have the same effect on you," Qiao Zhenzhen said, then grabbed Chi Shen and walked off.
The girl watched them go in stunned silence. Only when she heard the laughter around her did she realize she'd been humiliated; her face flushed with anger and she ground her teeth, vowing to go after them.
But Qiao Zhenzhen had already pulled Chi Shen away and they were gone.
Escaping while carrying five huge bags wasn't easy. By the time they got back to where they were staying, Qiao Zhenzhen was drenched in sweat; she dumped the bags on the floor, leaned against the wall, and started laughing.
[Affection +20, current 240]
She looked up with a bright smile. "Chi Shen, you're happy too, aren't you?"
Chi Shen stared at her in silence; his black eyes were utterly pure.
"Come on, give me a smile." Qiao Zhenzhen put a hand on her hip in a big-sister pose.
Chi Shen was still for a long moment, and finally, after her relentless urging, he forced the corners of his mouth up, perfectly demonstrating a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
It was rare for him to take a step forward; the step was small, but still progress. She warned herself not to laugh or he'd retreat. But reality had other plans: "...pfft."
She couldn't hold it in, she laughed.
Seeing her doubled over with laughter, his strained smile vanished in an instant.
Qiao Zhenzhen was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. As she started to stand to catch her breath, a pale hand suddenly appeared in front of her, palm presenting an ugly little mushroom.
Her smile froze. "When did you pick that up?"
Chi Shen said nothing.
"...You weren't following me earlier because you were taking that?" Qiao Zhenzhen said, suddenly amused. She'd only thought the mushroom was interesting and couldn't resist pinching it, yet he'd taken it to mean she liked it.
She glanced from the mushroom to Chi Shen a few times and, amused, thought they were similar in some ways. Smiling, she took it and pinned it into his seaweed-like long hair. "Does it look good?"
Chi Shen looked at the grayish mushroom and fell silent.
...Apparently it really was ugly. Caught between laughter and exasperation, Qiao Zhenzhen's smile faded the moment she met his eyes beneath his black bangs.
Chi Shen was actually very handsome: delicate features and pale skin. Though a little thin, he was tall, long-legged and had muscles. Had he been born into an ordinary family he'd surely be the school's heartthrob, not someone who'd get pointed at while shopping in a supermarket.
She watched him intently. At first he met her gaze, but gradually his expression grew uneasy. Just as he was about to look away, Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly said, "Starting today you don't have to help your family sell fish anymore. Shouldn't we do something to welcome this new life of ours?"
Chi paused, not entirely understanding what she meant.
Qiao Zhenzhen curled her lips. "Like, get a haircut, buy a few new clothes."