The Young Master's Live-In Nanny - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Accident — Jiang Yichi thought of his elder brother; they never…

Military training at Luohai University was notoriously strict.

Every year, freshmen underwent two weeks of rigorous training. This year, unlike previous years, the location had been moved to the new campus.

The dormitories at the new campus were naturally brand new. While the conditions were much better than the old campus, no amount of comfort could change the fact that students had to live with others.

The military training dorms provided to freshmen were eight-person suites, consisting of four double rooms, a shared living room, and a communal bathroom.

Dorm assignments during training followed the original housing plan—essentially two dorm rooms sharing one suite. As for who shared the smaller double rooms, they could choose freely.

The moment Jiang Yichi saw the dormitory, he turned around and called his elder brother, demanding he procure a medical certificate from a hospital to get him out of it.

Naturally, he was rejected.

“If you can’t even handle military training, is living alone off-campus really going to be okay?” This was the skepticism raised by Jiang Yihe.

Jiang Yichi had no choice but to pull Gu Chengfei in as his temporary roommate with a dark expression. He had every reason to suspect that the school moved the training site this year solely to let the freshmen act as human air purifiers for the formaldehyde in the new buildings.

Once the training officially began, Jiang Yichi realized that the housing was actually the smallest of his problems.

Drilling formations, standing at attention, goose-stepping, shouting slogans… the daily grind of repetitive training was comparable to torture. Worse yet, it all took place under a scorching sun. Wearing heavy military uniforms, sweat would pour down like rain within a single minute of standing. For the pampered Jiang Yichi, it was nothing short of inhumane.

After training, one had to immediately sprint to the canteen to fight for food.

Nearly a thousand students, drenched in sweat from the sun, swarmed into the canteen. Moving from the open outdoors to the indoors, the infinitely amplified smell of sweat almost choked Jiang Yichi to death.

Looking at the food he had finally obtained after waiting in line for ages, Jiang Yichi wanted to slam the tray into the canteen manager’s face and ask how he could feed students pig slop.

“No matter how bad it tastes, eat a little, or you won’t have the energy for the afternoon session,” Gu Chengfei said, showing remarkably strong adaptability.

Jiang Yichi forced down two bites, felt a wave of nausea, and pushed the tray away, refusing to touch his chopsticks again.

“I think it’s okay. Is it really that bad?” Seeing the untouched chicken leg on Jiang Yichi’s tray, Gu Chengfei unceremoniously moved it to his own. “Since you don’t want it, I’m eating it.”

Seeing Gu Chengfei eating with grease all over his mouth, Jiang Yichi’s vision went dark, and he turned his face away in disgust.

With training being so exhausting, one still had to race against time back at the dorm to wash clothes and bathe. Most freshmen only bought one set of uniforms, meaning they had to wash and wear the same set every day.

Jiang Yichi had bought two. If there hadn’t been a purchase limit, he would have bought twenty sets—wearing one and throwing it away each day—to avoid the laundry issue entirely.

On the plus side, there were newly installed coin-operated washing machines downstairs. Freshmen spontaneously formed groups of two or three to wash a load together, saving both time and money.

Of course, Jiang Yichi would never share a washing machine with anyone else—not even Gu Chengfei!

In his view, even if the machines were new, they were only fit for washing jackets. Inner shirts and pants had to be washed by hand.

Thus, the dignified young master of the Jiang family was forced to personally scrub his camouflage T-shirt on the balcony.

Luohai University’s uniform supplier this year happened to be a clothing company under the Jiang family. Jiang Yihe had personally overseen the bidding process to ensure the quality of the fabric, preventing inferior materials from irritating Jiang Yichi’s naturally sensitive skin.

In the adjacent room, a boy was also washing clothes—scrubbing not just T-shirts and pants, but even the heavy jacket by hand.

Jiang Yichi recognized him. It was Gu Chengfei’s roommate, Xu Qiuze. On registration day, Gu Chengfei had called him a “country bumpkin” because of the luggage incident, but now the two seemed to be getting along quite well.

Xu Qiuze was talking on the phone while washing, with the speakerphone on. Jiang Yichi was forced to be an audience member.

Hearing the trivial matters Xu Qiuze spoke about, Jiang Yichi found it incredibly annoying.

Things like the instructor praising his posture, making him stand at the front to demonstrate the goose-step; how the dorms here were better than the main campus because they were double rooms; how the canteen food wasn’t as good as his brother’s cooking, but the “canteen auntie” always gave him extra portions.

With every sentence, Jiang Yichi scoffed in his heart. What’s so great about being praised by an instructor? Being a demonstrator in front of everyone is just embarrassing and stupid! And these crappy dorms count as good? He must have inhaled too much formaldehyde. As for the canteen food, “not good” isn’t enough to describe it—it’s a disaster!

Xu Qiuze had no idea what Jiang Yichi was thinking. He simply wanted to share his university life with his brother and express how much he missed him.

The voice on the other end gave occasional responses—deep but clear, like the low notes on a piano. They gradually calmed Jiang Yichi’s irritable mood.

Realizing he was actually addicted to eavesdropping on someone else’s call, Jiang Yichi felt a surge of shame and annoyance. He maliciously speculated about the stranger on the phone: Why doesn’t he say more? Does he also think Xu Qiuze is annoying?

The next second, hearing the sound of a faucet running on the other end, the voice proactively asked: “Not finished washing yet?”

“Almost. Just one more rinse,” Xu Qiuze replied.

“If washing by hand is inconvenient, use the machine downstairs. Training during the day is already hard; don’t save this little bit of money.”

This was the longest sentence Jiang Yichi had heard from the other end so far.

Xu Qiuze chirped back: “It’s not about saving money. It’s just that the line downstairs is too long. It’s faster to do it myself. If I finish early, I can rest early.”

“Mm. If you don’t have enough money, tell me.”

“I know, Brother. Go back to your work; I won’t keep you.”

“Mm.”

A moment later, Xu Qiuze’s voice came through again, filled with an obvious smile: “Brother, you hang up. My hands are wet, it’s not convenient.”

“Okay.”

With a beep, the call ended. Xu Qiuze finished his laundry and turned to hang it on the rack, only then noticing Jiang Yichi across the half-wall. He gave him a friendly smile.

One doesn’t hit a smiling face; Jiang Yichi gave a blank nod in response. Involuntarily, the memory of the tall back he’d seen that day perfectly synchronized with the voice from the phone.

Looking at Xu Qiuze again, the boy was so happy just from a phone call. Especially every time he called out “Brother,” there was a playful, rising intonation at the end—the hint of acting like a spoiled child was unmistakable.

Jiang Yichi thought of his own elder brother. They never chatted like this.

Come to think of it, his brother really was ignoring him. During military training, he hadn’t called once or sent a single message. He was probably out having the time of his life!

Looking down at his own clothes, which were soaking in the basin like a clump of rotten pickles, Jiang Yichi felt a surge of frustration. He really wanted to throw the basin and the clothes together into the trash.

…

Two weeks of military training felt both short and long, but the change it brought to people was immense.

When Xu Qiushi saw his brother again, he almost didn’t recognize him.

“Brother!” Xu Qiuze ran toward him like a bird returning to its nest.

“A-Ze?” Xu Qiushi’s tone held a rare hint of surprise, followed by a slight smile. “How did you get so dark?”

Tanning during training was unavoidable, but Xu Qiushi never expected to see his brother—who had been fair since childhood—possess a skin tone so close to his own.

Xu Qiuze brought back a set of buckets and basins that looked quite new. He said a classmate had bought them for training but didn’t want them afterward, so he brought them home.

Xu Qiushi took them; the quality was good, and it would indeed be a waste to throw them away.

He took his brother to his living quarters—a rented room behind Bar Street. He was currently working as a waiter at the bar where Xun Wenyao worked.

Originally, Xu Qiushi had asked Xun Wenyao about nearby construction sites, but Xun Wenyao had asked if he’d be willing to work at the bar instead.

The bar was named “Mist Island,” and Xun Wenyao was the manager. When Qiang-zi contacted him, a waiter had just resigned, so he thought of offering Xu Qiushi a transitional job.

For Xu Qiushi, who was new to Luohai City, there was no reason to refuse.

Even better, Xun Wenyao helped him with housing. Behind Bar Street was a cluster of rental rooms, mostly occupied by young people working on the street.

With Xun Wenyao’s help, Xu Qiushi rented a small single room previously occupied by the former waiter for the low price of 800 yuan a month.

It was essentially a partitioned room in a converted apartment. Aside from the shared bathroom and balcony, every inch of the original living room and kitchen had been carved up into six rooms. They were all occupied; two tenants were his colleagues from the bar.

In the five or six-square-meter space, a single bed took up most of the area. A simple wardrobe was wedged tightly between the foot of the bed and the wall. Near the door, a fixed countertop was nailed to the wall next to a sink, just enough for cooking.

Knowing Xu Qiushi could cook, Xun Wenyao gave him his spare induction cooker, a small frying pan, and an electric rice cooker. It was enough for one person.

The decoration of the entire apartment could be described as “refugee style.” There were no appliances like air conditioners, water heaters, or washing machines. However, having a private space was already a massive upgrade for Xu Qiushi, who was used to sharing massive tents with dozens of men at construction sites.

He bought a small dining table and an electric fan, and that was how he settled in.

Xu Qiushi, who usually ate simply when alone, made a proper meal for his brother’s visit.

The two brothers curled up at the tiny table, unable to even stretch their legs. The fan beside them was on the highest setting; the air wasn’t cool, but they ate with great relish.

Bar shifts were from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, with overtime on weekends. Xu Qiushi didn’t waste his daylight hours; he often walked around to familiarize himself with the city and even found a construction site where he did odd jobs for a few days, bringing in a few hundred extra yuan a day.

After dinner, Xu Qiushi pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to Xu Qiuze.

“What’s this?” The envelope was unsealed. Xu Qiuze opened it to find a stack of hundred-yuan bills. He looked at his brother in confusion.

“Take it to buy a laptop. I heard Brother Wenyao say that university students all need computers. I didn’t know before—I hope I haven’t delayed anything?” Xu Qiushi felt he hadn’t been a good enough brother for not preparing what his brother needed for school.

Luckily, with two weeks of training, Xun Wenyao had given him half a month’s salary, which, combined with the money from odd jobs, was enough for a standard laptop.

“Brother, this… I…” Xu Qiuze instinctively pushed the money back, at a loss for words.

“This is money that needs to be spent.” Xu Qiushi knew what his brother was thinking just by his expression. He patted his shoulder. “I don’t understand computers; buy it yourself. If it’s not enough, tell me.”

“I… I don’t need it right now. There’s no need to buy it.” Xu Qiuze naturally wanted a computer, but he had planned to find a part-time job and save up for one himself.

“Don’t you need them to pick your classes?” Xu Qiushi said.

“How do you know?” Xu Qiuze was shocked.

“There are many university students among the bar customers; I heard them talking.” When Xu Qiushi first heard the term “course snatching,” he didn’t understand it, but Xun Wenyao explained it. That was how he learned that every university student now has a laptop.

“You don’t have to use a computer for course selection; a phone works too.” At most, he might just miss out on the popular electives.

“If I tell you to buy it, buy it. Don’t overthink.” Xu Qiushi made the final call. In arguments about spending money, Xu Qiuze never beat his brother. “Go back to your dorm. I have to go to work.”

Xu Qiuze tucked the envelope into his backpack and left the rental room with Xu Qiushi.

…

Night fell, and the lights flickered on. Luohai City at night was a completely different world.

The street, home to several bars, woke from its slumber. Colorful neon signs flashed, and floor projectors cast bar names and logos onto the pavement, forming a flowing light-trail for pedestrians.

Luohai had more than one university, and since most training schedules were similar, the impact was obvious.

Inside the bars, students could be categorized as upperclassmen or freshmen almost at a glance based on their skin tone.

Right now, Mist Island is entering its busiest hour.

“Brother Xu, these drinks are for Table 6,” a man behind the bar said to the uniformed Xu Qiushi.

“Okay.” Xu Qiushi picked up the tray with several specialty cocktails, walked steadily to Table 6, set them down, left a “Please enjoy,” and turned toward another table that was signaling for service.

Under the dim lights, Xu Qiushi’s 185cm (approx. 6’1″) height was very conspicuous. The slim-fit vest, shirt, and trousers perfectly outlined his sturdy, upright frame. The simple black-and-white color scheme highlighted his cool, stoic temperament.

Xun Wenyao watched the tall, handsome man weaving between the tables with undisguised appreciation in his eyes.

Busy until the early hours, the flow of customers finally thinned out. Xu Qiushi tugged at his bowtie to catch his breath.

He had worked as a waiter back home, so he caught on quickly. The only thing that made him uncomfortable was the uniform—even though it was the largest size available, it was still a bit tight for him.

With no new customers, the staff sat at the bar to recover.

“Manager, let me tell you, another customer was asking about Brother Xu just now,” a waiter named Xiao Zhao said loudly to Xun Wenyao.

“That’s normal,” Xun Wenyao smiled. He had hired Xu Qiushi not just because he was Qiang-zi’s friend; the bar’s customer retention rate had improved significantly recently, and everyone knew why.

“Manager, is your hometown famous for handsome guys? When Brother Xu’s brother visited him last time, I happened to see him—he’s a little hottie too.” Xiao Zhao’s face held a hint of envy.

“That’s just good genes,” the bartender, A-Heng, added.

As the subject of the gossip, Xu Qiushi didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t someone who cared about looks and didn’t think he was particularly special. Unable to handle the relentless praise, he stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

The restroom was located to the right of the bar, down a small corridor.

As Xu Qiushi walked toward it, he brushed past two male customers. The one in the back had flushed cheeks and was clearly drunk; he was staring intently at the back of the person in front of him with a look that was more than just intoxication.

Xu Qiushi paused, then instinctively turned to follow.

Drunk people were prone to trouble, especially in a bar.

As it turned out, Xu Qiushi’s concern wasn’t misplaced. The drunk man followed the other party back to their booth and made a lewd invitation to drink together.

“Sorry, we aren’t interested in drinking with an old uncle.” The boy being approached rolled his eyes—it was Gu Chengfei, who had come to the bar with classmates.

“What ‘uncle’? Am I that old? I’m only a few years older than you. We’re all out to play; the more the merrier. Big brother will treat you.” As the man spoke, he put his hand on Gu Chengfei’s shoulder.

Gu Chengfei immediately slapped his hand away in disgust. “F—, don’t touch me. Do you not speak human? Look in a mirror. I’m afraid I’ll vomit before I even start drinking with you.”

“Little brother has such a fiery temper. I like that. Don’t be shy, come on.” The man continued to laugh and reached out to grab Gu Chengfei’s arm.

“Motherf—! I said don’t touch me!” Gu Chengfei felt sick. He never expected to be harassed by a drunkard.

Having been rejected several times, the man’s expression finally turned impatient. “I’m giving you face by inviting you to drink. You’re drinking today whether you like it or not. Don’t refuse kindness!”

Gu Chengfei had never taken such crap from anyone except his elders or Jiang Yichi. He stood up abruptly, wanting to throw a punch.

Before the punch could land, a cry of pain rang out first—because the “salty pig hand” (wandering hand) had been gripped tightly by someone.

A deep, somewhat familiar voice spoke: “Sir, you’ve had too much to drink. Let me escort you back to your seat.”

“Who are you?” The man started to speak, but felt the grip tighten. “Ow, ow, ow! It hurts! Let go! Let go!”

“Where is your seat, please?” Xu Qiushi didn’t let go, instead using the momentum to pull him away from Gu Chengfei.

The man saw Xu Qiushi’s waiter uniform. Alcohol and pain caused his remaining logic to evaporate. A mere waiter dared to interfere with his business? A stream of filthy insults erupted from the man’s mouth—crude, vulgar, and unbearable to hear.

Xu Qiushi frowned. This was exactly why he didn’t want his brother coming to bars. If this were back home, a few slaps would have settled it. But he was working in Xun Wenyao’s shop; he had to restrain himself.

The commotion drew the attention of many customers. Xun Wenyao and Xiao Zhao rushed over.

The man hadn’t come alone. His friends had seen him harassing people and now stepped forward to play peacemaker, likely because they did this often.

Gu Chengfei’s group wasn’t having it. Seeing they had backup, the students boldly demanded an apology.

To a group of thugs used to bullying others, this was an insult. Especially for the instigator—having been mocked by Gu Chengfei and now held like a chick by Xu Qiushi, he had lost all face.

The stimulus of alcohol is often sudden. While the two sides were arguing, the man seized the chance to grab an empty bottle and lunged at Gu Chengfei’s head with a vicious swing.

The sound of shattering glass mixed with screams. The bar fell into chaos.

“Qiushi!”

“Brother Xu!”

Xun Wenyao and Xiao Zhao cried out in horror.

Xu Qiushi’s left arm remained raised, unmoving. His sleeve, sliced by glass shards, was quickly soaked in a layer of bright red.

Gu Chengfei, looking at the tall figure shielding him, was completely paralyzed with fear.