Spoiled by a Paranoid Big Shot Since Childhood - Chapter 17

It took quite a while of bickering before the two finally sat down to rest.

The bump on Xi Bei’s head didn’t hurt much anymore, but Qin Yian still insisted on having the family doctor check it. The doctor rushed up from downstairs, eyes wide with concern. As he reached out to examine Xi Bei, he whispered, “What is going on downstairs? Why is there a boy on the floor cleaning the tiles?”

Xi Bei was a bit bewildered. “Cleaning the floor?”

The doctor nodded frantically. Xi Bei froze.

Qin Yian had strictly forbidden the household staff from cleaning the floor earlier, intent on forcing Qin Siyu to clean it up piece by piece himself. Consequently, the servants dared not interfere. That meant Qin Siyu was doing it himself likely out of sheer terror at Qin Yian’s wrath.

Qin Yian had been standing by, watching with lowered eyes. When he looked at Xi Bei, his gaze was tender, but upon hearing the doctor’s words, he paused for a moment before letting out a cold, sharp laugh.

The doctor’s hands were still on Xi Bei’s head when they both saw Qin Yian’s face darken. With a hand bulging with veins, he slammed the doorknob and swung the door open, charging out like a sleek, predatory leopard.

This is a disaster!

Xi Bei’s eyes widened immediately. He didn’t even wait for the doctor to finish checking his head; he shoved his feet into his slippers and scrambled to follow Qin Yian.

“Hey! Wait!”

The housekeeper called out from the stairs, but Xi Bei was too frantic, calling after Qin Yian. He had never been physically robust, so despite his best efforts, he lagged behind. By the time he reached the first floor, Qin Yian and Qin Siyu were already in a tense standoff in the living room.

Xi Bei held his breath.

“I’m not looking for you,” Qin Siyu said to Qin Yian. He lacked confidence, but he feigned composure. “I’m looking for Xi Bei. Please step aside.”

“Looking for Xi Bei?”

Qin Yian let out a scathing laugh. He felt an urge to grab Qin Siyu’s head and slam it into the floor, forcing him to lick the spilled tiramisu clean. He had let Qin Siyu hurt Xi Bei once; Qin Yian would never give him a second chance.

“Impossible.” Qin Yian’s pale, clear eyes held blatant contempt. “You have only one choice: get out.”

“…”

Qin Siyu’s face was a mask of anxiety and agitation. He stood with his head bowed, silently clenching his fists. Qin Yian, knowing how rebellious and volatile the boy was, didn’t doubt for a second that his words would provoke him, likely leading to a physical fight. Qin Yian began to roll up his sleeves, ready for action.

But Qin Siyu didn’t move to attack. After a long, agonizing silence, he finally blurted out, his voice tinged with frustration:

“What is your problem?! I just want to apologize to Xi Bei properly! Who are you to him that you have the right to do this?!”

“I just want to apologize!!”

The look of unwavering confidence on Qin Yian’s face gave way to a brief, bewildered pause.

Tears had already begun to well in Qin Siyu’s eyes. His face was twisted, his handsome little features marred by unattractive, pathetic sobbing. “Let me apologize! I know I was wrong…”

He sobbed, wiping his tears and snot indiscriminately with his sleeves. His voice choked, and it took him a long moment to continue. “I shouldn’t have pushed him, and I shouldn’t have ruined the tiramisu he made. I actually really wanted to eat it. I just—I just…”

Through his blurred, tear-filled vision, he suddenly saw a flash of white.

A soft, clean tissue was held out toward him by a small, gentle hand.

“I know,” Xi Bei said softly. “You don’t need to say sorry. It’s okay.”

Qin Siyu froze for a second. After taking the tissue, he let out a loud, wailing cry, tears and snot streaming down his face. “Wuwuwu… I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Xi Bei hadn’t expected him to cry even harder. He grabbed more tissues. “It’s really okay, please don’t cry anymore.”

“Wuwuwu…”

Qin Yian walked over and snatched the tissues from Xi Bei’s hand. He shot Qin Siyu a “threatening” glare, sounding quite fierce.

“Hmph.”

“An’an, look,” Xi Bei said, eyes crinkling as he stood on his tiptoes to lean against Qin Yian. “He apologized.”

Hearing Xi Bei defend him again, Qin Siyu hurried over nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste  and sniffled, “I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean it.”

“My mom and dad are getting a divorce. I heard them that night! My dad told my mom, ‘If you’re so capable, you take the kid,’ and my mom said, ‘He’s your kid, why should I take him?’ I know they’re definitely going to get divorced!”

“They don’t like me at all. Neither of them wants me. I don’t have anyone anymore. I’m a child nobody wants…”

“Wuwuwuwu-aaaah…”

So… so that’s why…

Xi Bei paused, reflecting on the situation. In truth, it wasn’t entirely Qin Siyu’s fault. If he hadn’t accidentally poked a sore spot, Qin Siyu likely wouldn’t have been so enraged that he lost sight of everything else.

“I’m sorry, it was my fault for being intrusive,” Xi Bei said, glancing at Qin Yian, whose expression was still sour. “But I want to tell you: it’s impossible that nobody wants you.”

Qin Yian held Xi Bei’s hand tightly, silently conceding to let Qin Siyu talk to him.

Qin Siyu’s eyes were full of tears, a mix of shame and gratitude. Hearing this, he stammered, “But I’ve been thrown away to someone else’s house! My parents are divorced! They don’t like me. Who else could possibly like me? Who else would want me?”

“…” Xi Bei blinked and said gently, “My mom and dad have passed away.”

Qin Siyu was stunned. He stood frozen as his tears fell in a steady patter. “Your mom and dad…”

“Yes,” Xi Bei said calmly. “They passed away when I was seven. It’s been several years now.”

“At first, I also thought my parents didn’t want me. But An’an told me that they are the people who love me the most in this world. They will always be by my side, as long as I remember them.”

Qin Siyu nodded through his tears.

“Even if they aren’t here anymore, they still love me. Your parents are both still here; they will love you even more. The things they said were probably just angry words meant for each other, definitely not directed at you.”

Qin Siyu cried until he blew a snot bubble. He looked at Xi Bei with deep admiration and reverence the loud, rebellious brat from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“I see. They will love me,” Qin Siyu finally began to calm down. “But I’m just so scared that nobody wants me…”

“I was worried at first, too,” Xi Bei comforted him. “But that’s not the reality. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“An’an loves me the most, and An’an wants me. So, it must be the same for you. Aside from your mom and dad, you will find someone who will be with you forever.”

Xi Bei spoke with total sincerity, gripping Qin Yian’s hand tight. He trusted Qin Yian more than anything; he believed this with his whole heart.

Xi Bei was like a passionate little sun. Even after being hurt, even after enduring such pain, he was still willing to warm others. Every time Qin Yian saw Xi Bei like this, he felt that in this life and every life to come he wanted to keep this little sun, this ray of light, by his side.

Qin Yian looked stunned, his heart feeling incredibly warm.

“Mm,” Qin Yian nodded, looking at Qin Siyu with reluctant tolerance. “Everything Tuantuan said is right.”

The admiration and longing in Qin Siyu’s eyes were overflowing. He had finally stopped crying and wiped his face; his tone filled with anticipation:

“Tuantuan? Is that Xi Bei’s nickname? Can I call—”

“No, you can’t,” Qin Yian said coldly. “Don’t force me to yell at you.”

“Oh, okay then…” Qin Siyu looked slightly dejected, but remained happy. “Well, in that case, Xi Bei, can you want me? I promise that in the future…”

Xi Bei’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected him to say that. Caught between happiness and embarrassment, he instinctively looked toward Qin Yian.

Qin Yian was silent for a moment. Then, he beckoned Qin Siyu over.

Qin Siyu felt it was strange, but sensing that the tension had eased, he obediently followed the gesture.

“Do you see this sofa?” Qin Yian asked.

It was another “non-sequitur” question. Xi Bei had a hunch about what was coming. Qin Siyu, however, looked blank. If Xie Ye had been there, he would have known exactly what was about to be said and covered his ears in advance. But Qin Siyu, completely oblivious, nodded.

“I see it.”

Suddenly recalling something, he added, “I really didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve already cleaned up the tiramisu. I actually really wanted to eat it…”

“I’m not talking about that,” Qin Yian said calmly. “Sit down. Lie down.”

Xi Bei couldn’t help but smile, secretly taking two steps back, planning to get another serving of tiramisu for Qin Siyu.

Qin Yian’s tone was commanding and imposing. Qin Siyu, already a bit afraid of him, did as he was told, looking up with anxious eyes. “I’m lying down, and then what? Wh-what’s wrong?”

Qin Yian repeated, “Didn’t you just say that you wanted Xi Bei to want you? That you wanted to be with him?”

Qin Siyu had no ulterior motives; he simply viewed Xi Bei as his idol. Hearing this, he nodded excitedly.

“Yes, yes!!”

A flash of childish annoyance crossed Qin Yian’s handsome face. He snatched a blanket from the sofa and flung it over Qin Siyu’s face like he was rolling up a corpse.

Qin Siyu, bewildered, kicked his legs under the blanket. “???”

“Keep dreaming,” Qin Yian huffed. “You can have anything you want in your dreams.”