Flirt First, Run Later [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

Liang Chu hadn’t expected Xie Shenxing to grow so quickly.

In just four short months, Xie Shenxing had surpassed both him and Jing Wenwu in height.

He figured it was due to Xie’s previous lack of food and clothing. Even if his body had desperately wanted to grow taller back then, inadequate nutrition made it impossible. The desire was there, but not the means. That pent-up urge to grow had been suppressed until now, when he joined the Jing family. Whether the food was good or bad, at least he could eat his fill. It was like a long drought meeting sweet rain. His height shot up like floodwaters bursting through a dam, unstoppable, eagerly absorbing every bit of available nutrition.

Xie Shenxing truly wasn’t picky about food. Whatever was given to him, he’d finish it clean, never saying he was full, nor complaining of hunger.

So, Liang Chu watched helplessly as Xie Shenxing changed day by day. From being shorter than him, to catching up and matching his height, then exceeding him by one centimeter, then three, then half a head, then most of a head.

Now, when Xie Shenxing spoke to him, he actually had to look down.

Liang Chu felt a bit sour about it, and Jing Wenwu felt even worse. He had originally been the tallest.

But the most sour of all was Bucktooth Bear.

Xie Shenxing was changing the bedsheets, so Liang Chu and his egg were placed on the desk to keep them out of the way.

Bucktooth Bear crouched on the egg, muttering gloomily, “How can he grow so fast?”

“Exactly,” Liang Chu nodded in agreement. “Has he ever considered other people’s feelings? Has he considered Bucktooth Bear’s feelings? It hasn’t even been that long, and he’s already grown almost ten centimeters. Bucktooth Bear isn’t even ten centimeters tall yet.”

Bucktooth Bear let out a wail and ignored him. Liang Chu chuckled and patted its head.

This year’s spring seemed particularly brief. Four months was enough to step completely out of spring and into the sweltering heat of summer. Xie Shenxing had shot up quite a bit, and naturally, Liang Chu’s clothes no longer fit him; he needed suitable attire.

Fortunately, all the children in the household were at an age where they were still growing. Last year’s summer clothes were already too small for both Liang Chu and Jing Wenwu. When the weekend came and the nanny took the little troop shopping for new clothes, Liang Chu wandered around the store, looking as if he were carefully selecting outfits, his lively eyes darting around, specifically eyeing the larger sizes.

“Can I wear this?” Liang Chu pointed to a white T-shirt and denim capris.

The sales assistant said, “Of course! We have small sizes.”

Liang Chu mercilessly walked away.

He browsed and searched until he spotted a dark-colored casual outfit. “Can I wear this?” he asked.

The salesgirl smiled. “That might be a bit difficult. The smallest size for this is 160. You’d probably fit a 150, little one. How about we look at some others?”

Liang Chu’s eyes lit up. He clasped his hands behind his back and declared, “I like this set. It’s both stylish and comfortable. Wrap it up for me.”

The sales assistant looked hesitant. Jing Wenwu, already wearing his new clothes, came over and said, “It’s too big for you. Even I’d find this size large. Let’s keep looking. There are plenty more over here.”

Xie Shenxing seemed to sense something and glanced over.

Liang Chu wasn’t sure how to respond. After a moment’s thought, he said stiffly, “The more you tell me not to buy it, the more I want to.”

Then he urged the sales assistant to quickly wrap up the clothes.

Following the same method, they bought two more sets of clothes and three pairs of shoes for Xie Shenxing, not daring to purchase any more. Fortunately, the brand’s clothing was durable, sturdy, and hard-wearing, making it perfectly suitable to last through the entire summer.

Back at home, when trying on the new clothes and shoes, it was no surprise that they were too big. The hem of the shirt nearly covered his bottom. Liang Chu tugged at the loose waistband and shuffled a few steps in the oversized shoes. He couldn’t let go of the shorts, or they would slide right down.

Jing Wenwu remarked, “Are you out of your mind insisting on buying these? I already told you they’d be too big.”

Liang Chu took off the clothes, threw them on the floor, and stomped on them angrily with his bare feet. Then, he kicked the clothes over to Xie Shenxing and sighed, “Well, I guess you’ll have to wear them. Unpleasant clothes for an unpleasant you.”

Xie Shenxing tried them on, and sure enough, they fit perfectly. For days, he had been wearing Liang Chu’s clothes, which were becoming increasingly ill-fitting, often straining at the shoulders and neck.

Now, suddenly dressed in clothes that fit just right, even Liang Chu, who had seen his fair share of things, had to grudgingly admit that Xie Shenxing was a natural clothes hanger. If clothes had thoughts and could speak, they would surely love being worn by him.

People rely on clothes to enhance their appearance, but clothes also rely on people to bring them to life. This casual outfit wasn’t particularly remarkable in style. Liang Chu had only been concerned with whether it would fit, not whether it looked good. Yet, on some people, even a mediocre design could be elevated to something truly pleasing to the eye.

The other sets of clothes also fit as expected, though the shoes were a bit too large.

Jing Wenwu pursed his lips, a mix of envy and jealousy in his expression. Then, turning to Liang Chu, he suddenly leaned in and whispered, “They fit him perfectly, but I can’t help feeling you deliberately bought these clothes for him, didn’t you?”

Xie Shenxing’s eyes flickered, his gaze subtly shifting over.

Liang Chu remained calm and feigned surprise, saying, “Of course I bought them for him. How did you know?”

Jing Wenwu breathed a sigh of relief and said honestly, “Well, I guess not.”

Liang Chu smiled slightly. A hasty denial would only make him seem guilty, but by openly admitting it, Jing Wenwu wouldn’t believe him anyway.

By the time they returned home, it was already noon. After eating lunch in his new clothes, Liang Chu climbed into bed, ready for a nap. He had a bad habit—whenever he ate his fill, he’d get drowsy.

The sound of cicadas buzzed outside the window. Lying in bed, Liang Chu’s eyes grew heavy, and he was on the verge of falling asleep when suddenly, his clothes were lifted, and something pressed against his stomach, gently rubbing.

Liang Chu opened his eyes and saw it was Xie Shenxing. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Xie Shenxing’s expression was gentle as he said softly, “You ate more than usual at lunch. Is your stomach uncomfortable?”

Just an excuse to touch you, feel you, hold you.

Liang Chu pushed his hand away and mumbled, “It’s fine. I’m still growing, so I eat more to grow faster.”

After a refreshing nap, he was full of energy in the afternoon. Jing Wenwu came by, wanting to hang out, but Liang Chu lay in bed, unwilling to move. Jing Wenwu dragged him outside anyway, saying, “You’ve got nothing to do indoors. Come out and play with me.”

Jing Wenwu ran around with a slingshot, shooting at anything and everything, while Liang Chu carried a small stool and sat under a tree inside a little mosquito net, enjoying the shade like a quiet, well-behaved girl.

A few days earlier, it had been much the same scene. With many mosquitoes buzzing around the flowers and plants, Liang Chu had been bitten in several places, scratching the itchy red bumps until his skin was raw. So, he had ordered his loyal follower, “There are so many mosquitoes. Come here and swat them for me. Don’t let them bite me.”

Unfortunately, Xie Shenxing couldn’t fend off all the mosquitoes with just his two hands, and a few managed to bite two bumps on the little radish’s calf.

The next day, a small mosquito net was set up using four bamboo poles. Liang Chu happily crawled inside and hummed, “You’re quite good at cutting corners.”

The weather was starting to get hot. Jing Wenwu, having run around for half the day, felt dizzy from the heat. He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead and crouched beside Liang Chu to rest. Chengcheng also lay under the tree, panting with its tongue out and wagging its tail at the young masters.

Jing Wenwu felt annoyed just looking at Chengcheng. He had long accepted his little uncle’s whims. Earlier, they had agreed to test whether Chengcheng would eat vegetables, and Liang Chu had eventually joined him in the experiment.

Of course, Chengcheng refused to eat the vegetables—neither raw nor cooked—and instead rubbed its head affectionately against their legs.

Jing Wenwu wouldn’t miss this chance to tease Liang Chu. He laughed heartily and said, “I told you, but you didn’t believe me. You lost! Chengcheng doesn’t eat vegetables at all!”

Liang Chu remained unruffled. “How could I lose? Watch carefully.”

He lifted Chengcheng’s head, pinched a leaf with his right hand, pried open the dog’s mouth with his left, and stuffed a piece of vegetable inside. The dog, sturdier than Liang Chu himself, spat out half the leaf but reluctantly swallowed the other half.

Liang Chu clapped his hands and grinned. “See? It ate.”

Just then, Xie Shenxing happened to bring over some snacks. Seeing the scene, he tossed the snacks into Liang Chu’s arms and strode over quickly. Though Liang Chu had already released Chengcheng, Xie Shenxing still insisted on pulling him away from the dog and carefully examined his hands.

Jing Wenwu was so frustrated he nearly cried, wanting to accuse Liang Chu of cheating. But the bodyguard his little uncle had picked up glared at him with an extremely grim expression. “He doesn’t know any better, but don’t you?”

Jing Wenwu had always been a bit afraid of him, and under the stare of those cold eyes, he didn’t dare say another word.

Even long after returning home, Jing Wenwu still felt wronged. It wasn’t until he was about to go to sleep that he slapped his thigh and thought, Why should I know any better? I’m only a year older than him! Yet he would never dare say that to Xie Shenxing’s face.

Having played and rested enough, Jing Wenwu remembered it was Monday the next day and time to do his homework.

He patted the dust off his clothes and stood up. “Have you finished your homework? Let’s do it together.”

Liang Chu, sitting on a stool with his hands gripping his ankles, looked up at Jing Wenwu with a smile. “I’ve already finished.”

Jing Wenwu was silent for a moment before asking, “Did Xie Shenxing do it for you again?”

Liang Chu nodded.

Jing Wenwu said enviously, “You don’t even have to do your homework. I wish I could pick someone up to do mine too.”

Liang Chu replied, “Stop daydreaming. Hurry up and get your books, or I’ll go inside and leave you here to do your homework alone.”

“Don’t! Wait for me,” Jing Wenwu said, running off to fetch his backpack.

As Jing Wenwu dashed away, Liang Chu touched the scar on his head. The wound from his fall had healed in less than a month, after which he was sent to school. Xie Shenxing, without a household registration, couldn’t enroll. Liang Chu couldn’t bring himself to ask the Jing family for help—Jing Ke wasn’t that kind-hearted, and the family wouldn’t go out of their way to assist.

One evening, returning from school, Liang Chu saw Xie Shenxing reading. He put down his backpack and noticed the book’s cover—it was a collection of fairy tales.

This children’s book had a simple story with smooth, easy-to-follow plotlines and beautiful illustrations, making it an effortless read for children of this age. Yet Xie Shenxing struggled through it. Although he had been adopted by his foster parents, he wasn’t treated as their son. He was more like a cheap laborer bought for a hundred yuan, a free hand to support them in their old age. As soon as he could walk, he was already learning to help with household chores.

He had never received much schooling and could barely recognize a few characters.

Beside Xie Shenxing lay a thick dictionary. He read slowly, frequently consulting the dictionary, and it took him a long time to turn each page.