The two of them went to a nicely decorated noodle shop outside the school. It was fully equipped, and even had waiters.
A waiter brought them a menu. He Youyu waved it away and said, “We’re regulars. Two bowls of braised beef noodles, and an order of beef shank.”
“Of course. Just a moment.”
As the waiter turned to leave, Jiang Nanli glanced at the menu. Good grief, one bowl of beef noodles cost 188. No wonder this place was for rich people. His sister had quite the imagination.
“Ugh, Ah Nan, you have no idea how infuriating last night was!”
They’d picked a secluded corner where few people would notice them, so He Youyu could finally vent his anger.
“Hm? What happened?”
“My mom and dad got into another fight yesterday, over that brat again. And then my dad actually brought up divorce! He even told me that if I didn’t study hard, he’d leave all his assets to that little bastard. Can you believe how infuriating that is?”
Jiang Nanli lowered his eyes. His memories of Mr. He had already grown hazy.
“What about your mom? What did she say?”
He vaguely remembered that He Youyu’s mother wasn’t someone to be trifled with, either.
“Oh, she beat my dad up and told him she’d kill him if he dared leave anything to that little bastard.”
Jiang Nanli was speechless.
That sounded about right.
“Then what’s the problem? You haven’t lost anything. What are you upset about?”
His own parents had died young, and his uncle ran the family business, so he couldn’t understand how He Youyu felt.
“I’m mad that my dad’s taking that little bastard He Baiqiu’s side, obviously. I’m the son he’s raised all these years. That brat’s only just shown up, and already Dad’s favoring him.”
He Youyu spoke as if it didn’t matter, but Jiang Nanli could still see a trace of sadness in his eyes.
Of course he was hurt. His father had cheated on his mother and favored the son he’d had with his mistress. How could that not hurt?
Jiang Nanli thought it over, then reached out and patted He Youyu on the shoulder. After a long pause, he said, “Next time, don’t call him a little bastard.”
He Youyu was speechless.
His face darkened. “You’re sticking up for that little bastard? Seriously, Jiang Nanli? I thought we were best friends. You’re really taking some outsider’s side?”
Jiang Nanli explained helplessly, “I’m not taking his side. There’s no point in acting like you hate him. The more you show how badly you get along, the less your father will favor you. He’ll just think his younger son is being mistreated.”
He Youyu stared at him, stunned. “R-really?”
“But I am mistreating He Baiqiu!”
Jiang Nanli was speechless.
“You can mistreat him, but you can’t let anyone know you’re doing it. Otherwise, your father will hear about it and feel sorry for him. Understand?”
He Youyu calmed down, suddenly realizing Jiang Nanli made a lot of sense.
If he kept bullying He Baiqiu and treating him like dirt, would Dad be happy about it? As far as his dad was concerned, they were both his sons. He wanted them to love each other and support one another. Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.
He Youyu couldn’t help letting out a snort.
Jiang Nanli sat across from him, scrolling through his phone. He remembered most of the book Jiang Xiaobei had written. The reason He Youyu hadn’t ended up as badly as Jiang Nanli at first was that his strong-willed mother hadn’t treated He Baiqiu poorly. She’d even shown him a little kindness.
Given He Baiqiu’s circumstances back then, he’d repay any kindness shown to him a hundredfold. So all he’d done was take He Youyu’s shares and then let him go.
In the end, He Youyu had jumped off a building and killed himself under the crushing pressure of having lost to He Baiqiu and dragged his friends down with him. But if he hadn’t killed himself, he’d have had a much better life than Jiang Nanli.
Maybe Jiang Nanli should think about himself for a change. Should he avoid He Baiqiu at school from now on?
That wouldn’t work. He Baiqiu sat right next to him.
Then maybe he should stop bullying him so much?
That could work. His sister had written He Baiqiu as someone who never forgot a kindness or a wrong. If Jiang Nanli found chances to do him favors now, maybe he wouldn’t end up suffering so badly later.
Remembering that his sister had arranged this ending, that she’d caused all of this, Jiang Nanli clenched his fists.
The waiter came over with their food, and He Youyu snapped Jiang Nanli out of his thoughts. “What are you thinking about? Did you hear what I just said?”
“Hm? What’d you say?”
Jiang Nanli instinctively leaned back, about to lift his feet onto the table, but then he spotted the plate of beef shank beside him and thought better of it.
The food was expensive, but they didn’t skimp on the portions. The braised beef noodles were covered in so much beef that the white noodles beneath were barely visible without pushing the meat aside with chopsticks.
Seeing Jiang Nanli zone out again, He Youyu was practically furious.
“Ah Nan!”
“Oh, yeah? Go on, what were you saying?”
He lounged back in his chair, utterly relaxed.
He Youyu repeated to himself twice that they were best friends before managing to suppress the urge to beat him senseless.
“I said, from now on I’ll only bully him in secret at school, and I won’t call him a little bastard anymore!”
“Oh. That’s very enlightened of you,” Jiang Nanli said without thinking.
He Youyu nearly fell over backward in outrage. “Why are you so fond of giving me a hard time today?”
He studied Jiang Nanli, looking puzzled.
Jiang Nanli’s heart tightened. He tested the waters. “Was I not always like this?”
He Youyu thought for a moment, then grinned, flashing a row of bright white teeth. “You’ve always given me a hard time.”
Then, as if that settled everything, he bent his head and noisily slurped up a couple of mouthfuls of noodles.
Jiang Nanli was speechless.
This kid was such an idiot.
Had Jiang Xiaobei based him on herself? When she got stupid, she was exactly like this.
The two young men polished off lunch in no time. Jiang Nanli also found out a few things from his phone. He was seventeen this year and attended a private high school called Gatling. People called it an aristocratic school, because anyone who wasn’t rich could hardly afford to go there. His parents belonged to the Jiang family, one of the capital’s four great families, whose wealth was practically limitless. They doted on him.
Jiang Nanli felt a little dazed. He hadn’t expected to have parents in this world.
After their hearty meal, Jiang Nanli stood to pay. He was used to paying for his friends when they went out, but He Youyu stopped him.
Jiang Nanli turned toward He Youyu, who had called out to him indistinctly. He was holding a large porcelain bowl and drinking the last of the soup.
When he finally set the bowl down, He Youyu’s face came into view, drenched in beef broth.
Jiang Nanli could hardly bear to look.
Wiping his face as he stood, He Youyu said, “I-I’ll pay. I’m going to spend every last bit of that little bastard’s money today!”
In reality, He Baiqiu had only given him 200 yuan, so He Youyu still had to pay some of it himself.