Gu Chenshi wasn’t too keen on interacting with the weirdo.
But since his mother had spoken, he had no choice but to obediently go help hang the curtains.
As the 1.8-meter-tall Gu Chenshi passed by the weirdo, a teasing thought crossed his mind: one reason the weirdo looked so young was his delicate skin, but wasn’t his height also a factor?
He was already twenty, standing at just over 1.6 meters tall, and it seemed unlikely he’d grow any taller.
While Gu Chenshi was hanging the curtains, Jing Lan chatted with the weirdo.
It was clear that the weirdo wasn’t much of a conversationalist.
Jing Lan did most of the talking.
Fortunately, Jing Lan knew her limits and didn’t pry too deeply. She simply reminded him that if he ever needed anything, he could ask for their help and shouldn’t feel embarrassed.
Once Gu Chenshi finished hanging the curtains, he clapped his hands and stepped down from the chair. Jing Lan called out to him, “Alright, Chenshi, let’s hurry up and go. We shouldn’t disturb the young man’s rest.”
Gu Chenshi inwardly scoffed. What “young man”? He was just a strange, inexplicable weirdo!
This guy had no manners. Gu Chenshi had helped him hang the curtains, and he couldn’t even say thank you?
Just as he thought this, the weirdo spoke up: “Thank you.”
Gu Chenshi: “…”
Back at home, Gu Chenshi asked curiously, “Mom, his face was covered up so tightly. How could you tell his skin was delicate?”
Jing Lan replied, “When he came to look at the apartment earlier, he wasn’t wearing sunglasses. He’s a very handsome young man, just a bit on the short side.”
Gu Chenshi was surprised. “He didn’t get double eyelid surgery?”
Jing Lan looked puzzled. “What double eyelid surgery? His eyes are naturally double-lidded from start to finish.”
Gu Chenshi said seriously, “Mom, could you tone down your helpfulness a bit? Don’t take on every little thing.”
“You silly child, meeting someone is fate. We should help each other out and not be too cold-hearted.”
“You’re right about that, but I think this new neighbor is a bit strange. It’s better to be cautious.”
Jing Lan chided him, “Don’t gossip about people behind their backs. It’s not nice. But why does he wear sunglasses? It is a bit odd…”
The strange new neighbor was soon forgotten by Gu Chenshi.
If it weren’t for Jing Lan’s helpful nature, he could have ignored the new neighbor just like he ignored Lin Ranran.
On Sunday afternoon, they had dumplings.
Since Gu Chenshi’s rebirth, they had made dumplings on Lin Ranran’s birthday.
They had made quite a lot, enough for the two of them to eat for two more meals after having them twice already.
When Gu Chenshi went to serve the food, he was shocked. “Mom, why did you cook so many dumplings?”
Jing Lan took the ladle from his hand and started scooping dumplings onto a plate. She said to Gu Chenshi, “Take this plate of dumplings to the young man next door. I noticed his door hasn’t opened since yesterday, and I haven’t seen him buy groceries. I’m not sure if he’s eaten.”
Gu Chenshi sighed helplessly. “Mom, you just need to worry about whether I’m eating or not. Why bother about him?”
Jing Lan handed him the plate and poked his forehead. “You silly boy, are you jealous? Don’t worry, my love is only for you. I just think it’s tough for a young person to live alone. Besides, these dumplings were cooked together anyway. It’s just a small gesture.”
“What young person? He’s already twenty. If he doesn’t know how to feed himself, he deserves to starve,” Gu Chenshi muttered.
Jing Lan laughed and scolded him, “Alright, alright, hurry up and go!”
Gu Chenshi had no choice but to reluctantly head out the door.
Their family had lived here for over a decade, and his parents had never quarreled with anyone. The neighbors had always been polite and harmonious—and not without reason.
Gu Chenshi stood before the tightly closed door adorned with a large “fortune” character and knocked.
He knocked several times in a row, but no one came to answer.
If Jing Lan hadn’t said that no one had come out from inside, Gu Chenshi would have doubted whether anyone was even home.
Staring at the steaming, fragrant dumplings on the plate, Gu Chenshi thought to himself, Well, Mom can’t blame me for this.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the door opened.
He first met a pair of bleary, sleepy eyes.
As Jing Lan had described, these eyes had double eyelids that extended all the way—a very beautiful pair of double eyelids, indeed no need for surgery.
At the outer corner of the left eye was a mole the size of a sesame seed, giving it a unique charm.
Their eyes met, and the other person froze for a moment.
Gu Chenshi handed the dumplings over in a businesslike manner. “My mom made these. She cooked too many and asked me to bring some for you to try.”
The neurotic stared blankly at the dumplings.
Gu Chenshi had already anticipated that he might refuse, mentally prepared to take the dumplings back untouched.
After all, even though they were now neighbors, they weren’t familiar with each other. It was perfectly normal for someone to decline food offered out of the blue.
Unexpectedly, the neurotic reached out and took them.
His fingers were slender and fair, with rounded nails that gleamed with a healthy sheen.
He whispered, “Thank you.”
Gu Chenshi replied casually, “You’re welcome.”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, turned, and walked away.
Hmm, wait…
Was that guy’s eyes red just now?
Did he rub them himself, or was he moved to tears by the delicious dumplings delivered to his door?
When you’re away from home, receiving care from others can be a kind of happiness, too.
About an hour later, there was a knock at their door.
The neurotic had come to return the cleaned plate.
Since the neurotic seemed a bit introverted, Jing Lan, worried he might feel uncomfortable, didn’t enthusiastically invite him to stay for a while.
As she carried the plate back to the kitchen, Jing Lan muttered to herself, “What a handsome young man. If he were a girl, he’d surely be very pretty too…”
Little did she know at that moment that her words would turn out to be prophetic.
On Monday, when school started, everyone was whispering about something.
Gu Chenshi habitually tuned out the noise and focused on his studies.
Seeing Zhou Xiangyu approach, Tang Xiaoxi naturally stood up and went to chat with her friends.
Zhou Xiangyu plopped down into the seat of Gu Chenshi’s deskmate, then slammed shut the textbook Gu Chenshi had just opened, his face lighting up with excitement. “Major news! Want to hear it?”
Gu Chenshi propped his chin on one hand and asked nonchalantly, “What major news?”
Zhou Xiangyu sighed. “I knew it! You’re always just studying, you’ve practically gone dumb from it! Everyone’s talking about it, and you’re the only one who doesn’t know.”
Lowering his voice, he added, “Kong Xiao didn’t come to school today.”
Gu Chenshi said, “The bell hasn’t rung yet, has it? And even if he doesn’t come to school today, so what? It’s not like he’s dead. How is that major news?”
Gu Chenshi held a grudge—he still remembered the grievances from his past life.
“Even if he’s not dead, it’s still pretty shocking—I’m telling you, both his parents have been taken in…”
Gu Chenshi froze for a moment, then smiled.
The Lin family acted that fast?
Kudos.
And Kong Xiao’s parents really did have dirty secrets, huh.
“So, isn’t this fantastic news? His parents worked at Lin Ranran’s family company, and her parents always trusted them. But then, for some reason, they suddenly started investigating them, and the problems were uncovered.
Remember how Kong Xiao used to brag so loudly about how much compensation money his family got from the demolition in their hometown?
Well, it’s all gone now. They refused to give up, trying to get it back, and ended up embezzling company funds to keep speculating!
Honestly, they brought this on themselves!”
Zhou Xiangyu clicked his tongue, his words dripping with schadenfreude.
They were all classmates, so there was really no need to kick someone when they were down, but Kong Xiao was just so, so, so despicable!
If there were an anonymous vote for the most disliked person, Kong Xiao would definitely win.
No wonder Lin Ranran usually ignored him, but out of consideration for their parents’ relationship, she couldn’t just cut him off outright.