I Don't Want To Be Hated By Everyone. - Chapter 19.1

“My reaction isn’t even a tenth of how Cheng Meng treats you,” Cheng Shuoning said coldly. “I do not agree with your view that my birth caused the conflicts in this family and that it is somehow my fault.”

“Ningning, that isn’t what I meant.” Cheng Mother clearly hadn’t expected such a fierce response. Startled and confused, she sighed after a long pause, speaking in a helpless tone, “I just wanted to talk to you. You are more understanding, and Cheng Meng is in a unique situation.”

“His situation is unique, but have you ever considered mine? Is my understanding nature worth nothing more to you than a tool for automatic compromise? Your disappointment in me stems entirely from the fact that I am reasonable but refuse to listen to you.”

Cheng Shuoning let out a light scoff, his dark eyes filled with absolute coldness. He didn’t say anything more, knowing there was nothing left to discuss with Cheng Mother. He stood up and walked away.

No matter what he said, Cheng Mother would always weaponize the word “disappointment” against him to dismiss his words.

“Ningning.” Never expecting things to escalate to this point, a wave of guilt washed over Cheng Mother. She rose to chase after him, but ultimately failed to catch up.

She stood frozen on the spot, watching his slender, solitary figure vanish into the distance. She murmured to herself, “Neither of them can give me peace of mind. To think he would react so strongly this time over a single bird. I thought Ningning was reasonable enough to talk to, but I didn’t expect this kind of reaction. I actually pinned my hopes on him.”

Her tone was filled entirely with the frustration of someone whose wishes had been defied.

Could this truly be about the bird? By now, it had absolutely nothing to do with the bird.

Aunt Chen, watching as an outsider, saw the situation clearly. She hadn’t expected to witness such blatant parental favoritism in a wealthy family. Hearing Cheng Mother’s words, she hesitated for a long time before saying, “Madam, the young master is already very, very good.”

She had never seen a situation where one biological brother endured the other’s targeted hostility for so long, only protesting now after hearing his mother openly take the other side.

Cheng Mother massaged her temples, her emotions a tangled mess as she began to second-guess herself. “Did I really say the wrong thing? But Cheng Meng truly became the way he is today because of Ningning.”

Aunt Chen was immensely relieved that Cheng Shuoning wasn’t present to hear this. She countered, “But the young master is entirely innocent. How can you summarize all the blame as his fault? The young master has also grown up with countless grievances, yet he never turned out like the eldest young master.”

Cheng Mother was left utterly speechless. Under Aunt Chen’s words, the small ember of guilt in her heart finally began to swell.

Was she partial? It seemed she truly was.

Cheng Shuoning ran away from home.

He didn’t go to school. Instead, he wandered aimlessly along the streets, completely failing to notice when it began to rain.

By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, the streets were entirely deserted. He was the only one standing in the downpour like a fool, drawing curious stares from the shopkeepers along the sidewalk.

In just a few short days, everything around him had been overturned.

Cheng Shuoning felt entirely dazed, viewing his life over the past years as nothing more than a poorly written script.

A script could be torn up and rewritten, but his life could not be undone. Worse, some people believed he didn’t even possess the right to make his own choices and had to conform precisely to what they demanded.

Han Tian believed he shouldn’t show a shred of coldness; his mother believed that because he was understanding, he should constantly yield to Cheng Meng, who actively wanted him dead. Just because Cheng Meng hated him, it was somehow his fault.

The freezing rain brought a bitter chill that invaded his limbs and bones. Cheng Shuoning’s face was deathly pale, entirely devoid of color.

It was too cold, cold to the point where his body grew stiff and immovable.

Realizing belatedly that he needed to seek shelter from the rain, he walked over to stand beneath an awning, flexing his numb fingers.

His clothes were thoroughly soaked. As the cold wind swept past, Cheng Shuoning’s shoulders trembled slightly, and he clamped his teeth together tightly.

Students wearing school uniforms walked past him holding umbrellas. Only then did he remember he was supposed to go to school. Squeezing through the rain, he walked to the bus stop, tossed a coin into the box, and boarded the incoming bus.

His wet hair clung uncomfortably to his face, but the greater misery came from his saturated clothes. They stuck tightly to his back, continuously transferring a bone-chilling cold into his body.

The bus was heavily crowded. The humid, suffocating air made it difficult for Cheng Shuoning to breathe properly. He tilted his head back, taking a deep breath, and caught an accidental glimpse of his disheveled reflection in the window.

His face was stark white, his hair a messy tangle, his eyes entirely lifeless, and his lips trembling slightly.

Was this truly him? Cheng Shuoning froze.

An intense wave of emotion swallowed his heart at that exact moment, surging into every corner of his being. Only then did Cheng Shuoning comprehend what it was, a profound sense of grievance that had been suppressed to the point where he had almost forgotten it.

He could feel aggrieved too, yet no one would ever spare a single thought for him.

A burning heat swirled around his eyes. Cheng Shuoning’s hand clenched the hanging strap with immense force. He lowered his head, staring blankly at his shoes, which had become splattered with mud at some unknown point.

The bus came to a halt, the doors slid open, and someone stepped aboard after shaking off their umbrella.

An inadvertent crossing of gazes made Cheng Shuoning feel as though something in his heart was collapsing only to be rebuilt. He stared at the newcomer in a daze.

“Excuse me, please let me through, thank you,” the cold-featured youth said politely to the people around him.

He navigated the crowded aisle and stopped right in front of Cheng Shuoning. He stared at him silently without a word, but his gaze never wavered from Cheng Shuoning’s face.

A familiar scent drifted into his nose amidst the noisy surroundings. Looking at the expressionless Xu Wangzhi, Cheng Shuoning forced out a faint smile. “Good morning, Student Xu.”

His voice was incredibly raspy and weak, sounding thoroughly unpleasant. Cheng Shuoning didn’t want to speak any further, lowering his long eyelashes and pressing his pale lips together tightly.

In the next second, a jacket that still retained a trace of warmth was draped over his shoulders, wrapping him completely.

Xu Wangzhi took hold of Cheng Shuoning’s freezing left hand.

The scorching warmth caused Cheng Shuoning’s fingers to tremble. He instinctively wanted to retreat, but the grip only tightened around him.

As the heat spread from his palm, Cheng Shuoning felt a fraction better. He murmured a soft word of thanks.

“Why were you out in the rain?” Xu Wangzhi asked, noting the youth’s silence.

“Just wandering around,” Cheng Shuoning replied vaguely and half-heartedly, trying his best to ignore the nervous tension that Xu Wangzhi’s hand brought him.

His body was freezing, yet Xu Wangzhi’s gaze felt exceptionally burning. As it rested upon him, his entire frame grew somewhat stiff.

“Do you want to come to my place?” Xu Wangzhi asked suddenly.

Cheng Shuoning lifted his eyes in absolute astonishment.

“You can’t go to school looking like this,” Xu Wangzhi said, his gaze dropping to the youth’s pale, almost translucent face. “You will get sick. Come to my place to clean up first.”

If it were anyone else, Cheng Shuoning would have refused to let them draw close, unwilling to expose his deep dishevelment.

But before Xu Wangzhi, he found himself relaxing for some unknown reason.

Cheng Shuoning let out a sudden sneeze, his vision swimming slightly as a wave of dizziness washed over his mind.

This was bad, and it meant he truly couldn’t go to school. Falling into a fever would only invite immense trouble.

“Is it alright?” he asked Xu Wangzhi in a soft murmur. “Can I really go to your place?”

“Mm.” The bus had just reached a stop and came to a halt. Holding an umbrella in one hand, Xu Wangzhi pulled Cheng Shuoning off the vehicle with the other, then hailed a taxi.

The two climbed into the back seat, Xu Wangzhi stated the address, and the car started forward.

Cheng Shuoning began to tremble uncontrollably.

His mind was a chaotic blur. The consciousness that had remained reasonably clear until now began to disintegrate. Images flashed through his head, first Han Tian interrogating him, then Li Shengfei, and finally the disappointed gaze of Cheng Mother.

Everyone’s faces distorted together, resembling malicious spirits eager to tear him apart. He struggled desperately to break free, yet he was held in a vice-like grip.

The youth curled tightly into the corner of the seat, buried beneath the jacket, exposing only a fraction of pale skin and the reddened corners of his eyes.

Xu Wangzhi heard him ask in a weak whisper, “Do you dislike me?”

“No,” Xu Wangzhi replied, his hand rising to touch Cheng Shuoning’s forehead. It felt burning hot. He instructed the driver to head to the hospital instead.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Cheng Shuoning murmured in a daze upon hearing his words.

He opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the umbrella in Xu Wangzhi’s hand. He could no longer process his own words clearly. “Your umbrella looks a lot like mine. I had a similar one too. It seems to be at home, or maybe I lost it, I don’t know where it went.”

Xu Wangzhi said, “It is yours.”

“Huh?” Cheng Shuoning opened his moist eyes, staring blankly at Xu Wangzhi, entirely unable to comprehend his meaning.

“This umbrella is the one you gave me,” Xu Wangzhi said softly after a brief silence.

It had been a heavily overcast day when he collided with Cheng Shuoning, who was laughing and talking with someone beside him.

The youth had clearly been hurt by the impact, letting out a sharp cry, yet after gathering himself, he had taken the initiative to ask if Xu Wangzhi was alright and apologize.

Xu Wangzhi’s first instinct had been to view him as foolish. But locking eyes with those bright, smiling features, an entirely unprecedented emotion had flooded his heart, giving rise to a bizarre impulse.

The umbrella on the ground had been forgotten by its owner. The moment he reminded the youth that his umbrella had dropped, the rain arrived, sudden and fierce, soaking his hair instantly.

Cheng Shuoning had already climbed into his car by then. Hearing his voice, he tilted his head slightly and said with a smile, “I’ll give that umbrella to you.”

Xu Wangzhi had picked up the green umbrella from the ground. No one knew that beneath his cold, detached exterior, his heart had already begun to tremble violently, leaping frantically because of the youth.

From that day onward, his focus had remained entirely fixed on Cheng Shuoning.

“Mine?” Cheng Shuoning tilted his head, recalling a fragment of the memory before it vanished just as quickly.

He closed his eyes once more, feeling thoroughly exhausted. He mumbled indistinctly, “I want to sleep.”

“Don’t sleep,” Xu Wangzhi said in a low voice. Though the car’s air conditioning was running, it did little to help, and the youth had already drifted into sleep before he could finish.

“Are we still going to the hospital?” the driver asked, glancing back at them.

Xu Wangzhi decided to take Cheng Shuoning home first.

Stepping out of the taxi, he placed the umbrella in Cheng Shuoning’s hand and hoisted the youth onto his back. By the time they reached his apartment, he was entirely soaked through as well.

The moment Cheng Shuoning opened his eyes, he noticed that Xu Wangzhi’s clothes had turned virtually translucent, clinging tightly to his chest and outlining his abdominal muscles.

He blinked his eyes, his gaze beneath his long lashes dark and bright. He spoke with a trace of surprise, “You have abs.”

“Mm.” Xu Wangzhi retrieved some spare clothes and handed them over. Seeing the youth still staring at him, he paused slightly. “Do you want to feel them?”

Cheng Shuoning dazed for an instant, his face flushing crimson as he followed the prompt, “Can I?”

“You can,” Xu Wangzhi said. He took the youth’s hand and placed it unceremoniously against his torso.

Cheng Shuoning retracted his hand after a brief touch, not daring to explore further. His mind grew increasingly chaotic while a deep wave of embarrassment washed over him. His cheeks burning, he mumbled, “Thank you, how long did it take you to train them?”

He wanted to ask how he could achieve the same, but felt too self-conscious to voice it.

“A few months,” Xu Wangzhi said, guiding him into the bathroom. “Can you take a bath on your own?”

“I can,” Cheng Shuoning said, shivering slightly as he nodded.

Xu Wangzhi stepped out, closed the door, and stood waiting outside.

The initial sound of running water eventually ceased, replaced by absolute silence. He waited patiently for five minutes. Receiving no response after knocking, he pushed the door open.

Cheng Shuoning hadn’t locked it, so it gave way instantly.

The bathroom was entirely deserted, filled only with a dense layer of hot steam. Xu Wangzhi’s gaze landed on the bathtub, only to find the youth completely submerged in the water. He was holding his breath to the point where his cheeks were bright red, until he finally couldn’t hold it any longer and opened his mouth.

With a bubbling splash, ripples broke across the surface as Cheng Shuoning began to struggle instinctively.

Xu Wangzhi: “…”

His eyes darkening, he hauled the youth straight out of the water. Watching him gasp frantically for fresh air, he furrowed his brows and said, “Cheng Shuoning, this is what you meant by saying you can?”

The youth kept his eyes tightly closed, his wet eyelashes thoroughly moist. His pale features gave off a fragile illusion that he might break at the slightest touch.

He opened his eyes, looking at Xu Wangzhi’s face close at hand. His gaze was filled entirely with bewilderment, resembling a rabbit that had stumbled into a forest for the first time, lacking any guidance, it could only freeze on the spot, entirely unable to react.

Only when the cold made him shiver did Cheng Shuoning realize his upper body was entirely exposed. He brought his hands up in a frantic attempt to cover himself, which did little to help but managed to press down a fraction of his embarrassment.

“Why did you come in?”