Spoiled by a Paranoid Big Shot Since Childhood - Chapter 14

After leaving the auditorium, the two boys grabbed lunch and took a brief rest before heading over to the entrance of Xi Bei’s club exhibition.

It was two o’clock in the afternoon, the absolute hottest and most sweltering hour of the day. The cicadas droned thunderously, birds chattered restlessly, and visible heatwaves practically rolled and flowed across the baking pavement.

Xie Ye was casually leaning against a tree outside the exhibition venue, dangling a popsicle from his mouth. Seeing the pair walking over side-by-side, he reached into his bag and held out two unopened treats toward them.

“Yo, Young Master Qin has graced us with his presence? Looks like someone’s in a good mood.”

Xi Bei accepted one with a smile. Beside him, Qin Yian cast a brief glance at Xie Ye before stating flatly, “I’m not eating.”

Xie Ye snorted. “Hmph, I knew it. Honestly, I didn’t plan on giving you one anyway.”

Long accustomed to their routine bickering or more accurately, the dynamic of Qin Yian unilaterally shutting Xie Ye down while Xie Ye threw a fit of powerless rage Xi Bei obediently tore open his popsicle wrapper.

The weather was simply too hot. The chocolate shell on the outside was already precarious and on the verge of sliding off, forcing him to quickly raise his hand and bite down on the loose piece before it could fall.

However, while he successfully caught the left side, the chocolate coating on the right side began to slip.

Xi Bei let out a few muffled “wuwu” noises, blinking helplessly at Qin Yian.

Without a word, Qin Yian instantly caught his meaning. He leaned down slightly, leaning in close to the younger boy to gently take the sliding piece of chocolate coating into his own mouth.

Xie Ye winced at the sight, his teeth practically aching. Cringing, he bit off the rest of his own popsicle with a loud crunch. He then promptly tore into the wrapper of the popsicle Qin Yian had rejected, vindictively swinging his leg to kick at Qin Yian’s shins.

“Didn’t you fucking say you weren’t going to eat it?!”

Qin Yian easily blocked Xie Ye’s leg with a practiced parry, leaving Xie Ye to howl a barrage of, “Ow, ow, pain!” Only then did Qin Yian drawl:

“I don’t eat things given by you.”

Before Xie Ye could launch into another theatrical wail, Xi Bei cheerfully bit off the remaining chocolate shell from his popsicle.

However, before he could even begin to lick the vanilla cream underneath, a faint, tentative voice called out to him from behind.

It was a remarkably cute girl from his club. Looking closely, her face was even dusted with a slight blush.

“…Xi Bei?”

The bickering between Qin Yian and Xie Ye ground to an abrupt halt. Xi Bei turned around in a slight daze, quickly answering:

“Present!”

He wanted to step over to talk to her, but he couldn’t exactly carry his melting popsicle with him. Without a second thought, he shoved it straight into Qin Yian’s hand, instructing him, “An An, help me eat it!”

Leaving those words behind, Xi Bei hurriedly trotted over to stand in front of his fellow club member.

“Did something happen?”

“…”

Qin Yian stood there holding Xi Bei’s leftover popsicle.

It was honestly quite strange; they were clearly the exact same treats purchased by Xie Ye, yet Qin Yian felt that Xie Ye’s popsicle looked greasy and unappetizing, whereas Xi Bei’s looked incredibly sweet and inviting. A tiny, distinct set of teeth marks remained neatly pressed into the very top.

Naturally and seamlessly, Qin Yian bit directly into the ice cream, consuming the exact section bearing Xi Bei’s bite mark.

“I am truly at a loss with you two,” Xie Ye grumbled, taking a massive bite out of his own treat and speaking half-intelligibly through a mouthful of ice cream. “Did you see that?… A girl actually came looking for him. If you keep hovering like this, you’re going to completely ruin Xi Bei’s luck with romance. Didn’t he miss your performance today precisely because of club business?”

“…You don’t think Xi Bei was late because he was busy with a girlfriend, do you?”

Qin Yian was holding a mouthful of melted cream. Suddenly, the liquid which should have been excessively sweet and refreshing felt bitter, acidic, and scalding hot against his throat. It took a conscious effort for him to force it down.

He turned his head away coldly, initiating his usual dismissive retort: “You…”

Xie Ye’s eyes flew wide as he preemptively cut him off: “Whoa! Don’t look at me like I’m being unhinged this time. A girl literally just came out of nowhere to seek him out!”

Qin Yian: “…”

For as long as they could remember, Qin Yian and Xi Bei had been practically inseparable.

Aside from this specific arts and crafts club a domain Qin Yian truly possessed no aptitude for, resulting in their brief, temporary separations Qin Yian believed he had kept an exceptionally close eye on the boy.

…How on earth, despite all his vigilance, were there still people constantly trying to snatch Xi Bei away from his side?

Although he didn’t possess a mature understanding of what dating or romance actually entailed, Qin Yian reasoned instinctively: if Xi Bei ever got a girlfriend, the two of them would absolutely no longer be as intimate or inseparable as they were now.

An involuntary frown carved its way onto Qin Yian’s brow.

In the distance, Xi Bei stood with his head slightly inclined, conversing softly with the girl.

He seemed to hear something that caught his interest. The girl pulled an object out and handed it to him, causing Xi Bei’s eyes to widen in sheer delight as he eagerly accepted the item.

Upon taking it, his eyes crinkled into bright crescents, a joyous smile illuminating his flushed, powdery cheeks. After exchanging a couple more cheerful words, he happily bid the girl farewell.

He came jogging back to stand in front of Qin Yian, hastily hiding the object behind his back as he beamed up at him. “An An, I’m all done!”

Qin Yian managed to wrench his gaze away from whatever Xi Bei was concealing behind his back. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he feigned an air of utter indifference.

“Who was that girl?” Xie Ye suddenly lunged forward, throwing a heavy arm around Xi Bei’s shoulders, his voice vibrating with excitement. “She’s pretty cute! Do you like her?”

The sudden impact caused Xi Bei to let out a soft “oof.” Dizzy from the rapid-fire interrogation, he deliberated for a brief second before shaking his head to helplessly deny the accusation. “What are you talking about? She’s just a member of my club. We’re strictly friends.”

“Ah… just like that? Nothing a bit more scandalous or exciting?”

While Xie Ye was wallowing in his deep “disappointment,” Qin Yian smoothly hoisted him by the collar popsicle and all and shoved him right out of the picture.

“If you’re craving excitement, go run ten laps around the track. Take your hands off him.”

Xie Ye sullenly released his grip on Xi Bei. Xi Bei parted his lips, looking as though he wanted to say something else, but he ultimately thought better of it and held his peace for the moment.

The three of them leaned against one another under the shade. Aside from a blissfully mindless and cheerful Xie Ye, the remaining two boys clearly had things weighing on their minds, yet they seemed to possess a tacit understanding to keep silent.

This bizarre, unnameable tension lingered through the entire afternoon.

It persisted all the way until they returned to the estate, where Butler Gu greeted them with a jovial smile, setting down bowls of chilled mung bean soup to help them cool down before calling them over for dinner.

“Why does the young master still look so displeased? I thought I just saw Master Xie Ye leaving at the front gates,” the butler noted gently. “Did you two have another disagreement?”

Qin Yian shook his head, his tone dripping with an icy calm. “I have never been on good terms with him to begin with.”

The surrounding housemaids, keeping their heads dutifully bowed, couldn’t help but let out collective, muffled snickers.

Beside him, Xi Bei’s eyes crinkled with amusement as well. Lightly biting down on his spoon, he proactively addressed Butler Gu: “There wasn’t any disagreement, Uncle Gu. We officially graduated today.”

“Ah, is that so, Master Xi Bei?” Butler Gu leaned down slightly. “Am I correct in recalling that Master Xie Ye won’t be attending the same middle school as the two of you?”

“Mhm!” Xi Bei nodded vigorously. “He said he’s deeply fascinated by tanks, so he’s choosing to attend the middle school located over by the military base…”

Butler Gu murmured, “Oh! Is that the reason?”

“No.”

Qin Yian suddenly cut the butler off with an ultimate, flat finality.

“It’s because his grades aren’t good enough to get into Keibei High’s middle school division.”

“…Pfft.”

Even Butler Gu couldn’t hold back a chuckle at that. He offered the two boys a comforting smile. “Well, young masters, please don’t fret. I overheard Mr. Qin mentioning that over the summer break, a new friend will be coming to stay at our estate for a period of time. When the time comes, you two will have someone fresh to play with.”

Xi Bei’s eyes immediately lit up like brilliant stars as he nodded, offering a cheerful, compliant “Mhm!”

Qin Yian, however, seemed to instantly lose whatever remained of his appetite. His spoon slipped against the rim of his porcelain bowl with a sharp, resonant ting.

“I’m going upstairs to sleep.”

Leaving those words behind, he smoothly pushed back his chair and strode up the grand staircase. Moments later, a resounding thud echoed from upstairs as his bedroom door snapped shut.

Xi Bei stared blankly after him.

The grandfather clock ticked away steadily. It was… it was only seven-thirty in the evening.

Witnessing the scene unfold, Butler Gu was rather taken aback himself. He blinked at Xi Bei, asking in a hushed whisper, “Master Yian is…”

Xi Bei pulled a thoroughly miserable face. “It must be because I made An An angry again.”

“Don’t worry, little Bei,” Butler Gu chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You are completely incapable of making Master Yian truly angry.”

“I…”

Xi Bei felt deeply conflicted. However, a mere fraction of a second later, a sudden realization struck him, causing his eyes to flare with a brilliant light.

He instantly leapt to his feet, his feet making rapid da-da-da pattering sounds as he scrambled up the stairs, calling back down to Butler Gu from the landing: “I’ve got it!”

…

“Ring… ring…” Xi Bei provided his own sound effects, quietly crouching right outside the sealed bedroom door.

There was absolute silence from within the room.

Xi Bei remained entirely unbothered. He carefully fished out the wood carving that had remained hidden inside his pocket this entire time, calling out in an immensely cheerful, sing-song voice: “An An, hello there! What is your name?”

Adopting a heavily disguised, lowered pitch to mimic the little wood carving, he replied to himself: “My name is Qin Er’an!”

“What? Qin Er’an?” Xi Bei feigned a theatrical gasp of surprise. “Then do you happen to know someone named Qin Yian? He’s completely ignoring me, and I feel so incredibly heartbroken…”

From the other side of the door, a faint click reverberated.

Xi Bei’s eyes illuminated with joy. Just as he was preparing to deliver another line, the door suddenly swung wide open.

Before he could be hoisted up like a little piglet and tossed onto the sofa like last time, Xi Bei swiftly raised his hands, presenting the little wood carving high in the air.

Qin Yian froze entirely, stunned in his tracks.

“An An,” Xi Bei said, his eyes crinkling into sweet crescents. “This is for you for you and you alone. Happy graduation.”

“…” Qin Yian paused for a long beat. “This is…”

“I had it prepared ages ago, but I completely forgot to bring it with me. That girl from earlier was actually rushing over to deliver it to me,” Xi Bei explained, a touch of lingering distress in his voice. “I originally wanted to present it to you the exact second I got it, but Xie Ye was hovering right there… and I wanted to give it to you in private.”

A kaleidoscope of vibrant colors flashed across Qin Yian’s translucent, amber eyes, his demeanor shifting entirely from a chilling calm to a brilliant radiance.

“Qin Er’an?” A faint trace of amusement crept into his voice.

Xi Bei nodded with ultimate obedience. “I carved him using An An as my exact blueprint. Does An An like him?”

It was an extraordinarily exquisite piece of woodwork. The carving depicted Qin Yian as a plump, adorable chibi version of himself. It was glaringly obvious just how immense an amount of time, thought, and meticulous effort Xi Bei had poured into its creation.

It was physically impossible for Qin Yian to say he didn’t like it.

“I love it.”

The massive boulder weighing heavily on Xi Bei’s heart finally crashed to the ground. However, remembering Qin Yian’s dark mood from earlier, his brief surge of elation gave way to a soft curiosity.

“An An, can you please tell me why you were so unhappy just now?”

For a moment, Qin Yian found the words clogging in his throat, completely unable to voice them.

He could hardly admit to Xi Bei that he had spent the afternoon brooding over the ridiculous assumption that the younger boy was secretly entering the world of romance, fearing someone else would claim his affection and cause him to miss his performance.

After a prolonged, tense silence, and finding himself thoroughly pinned by Xi Bei’s shimmering, expectant gaze, Qin Yian offered a heavily veiled, highly diplomatic response:

“I assumed you were planning on taking Qin Er’an to go find a new mother.”

Despite how heavily shrouded the words were, Xi Bei’s sharp mind caught the underlying implication instantly.

Xi Bei couldn’t hold back a bright pfft as he burst into a joyful laugh, his shimmering eyes crinkling into beautiful arches as he fiercely countered the claim: “How could that ever be possible! Qin Er’an only has two fathers! There will absolutely never be any new mother…”

“Then it’s a solemn promise.”

Qin Yian cradled the little Er’an carving securely within the palm of his hand, reaching out his other hand to gently pinch the tip of Xi Bei’s nose.

“If you ever dare try to find a mother for Er’an, you’re absolutely finished.”