The moment they stepped out of the restaurant, Xu Qiduo could no longer suppress his curiosity. “Tell me, are you actually second uncle’s illegitimate son, the one who grew up away from home?”
This piece of gossip was crucial!
It directly determined whether he could throw his full weight around the next time he needed to snap back at someone.
Yet Zhou Mengxing had no way of knowing what was running through Xu Qiduo’s mind.
At that moment, Xu Qiduo looked utterly consumed by gossip. Aside from lacking the open, blatant disdain worn by the other people inside the dining hall, he didn’t seem all that different from them.
Lowering his gaze and burying the emotions swirling deep within his eyes, Zhou Mengxing replied, “I am not.”
Even though it was a flat denial, the expression on Xu Qiduo’s face only grew more peculiar. “So second uncle really is just sponsoring you?”
If it was merely a sponsorship, why bring a grown adult back to live in the main residence? Didn’t people usually only bring illegitimate children home?
Zhou Mengxing let out a helpless sigh and explained, “I have clear memories of my biological parents and my early childhood. It was only after my mother passed away that my father married Aunt Li.”
Aunt Li?
“Is Aunt Li that… my second uncle’s first love?”
“Yes.”
“Then where is she now?”
“Dead.”
“Dead? How did she die?”
“Illness.”
“So when second uncle went looking for Aunt Li later on, he only managed to find you.” A habitual question-and-answer rhythm settled between them.
“No, he did find Aunt Li, but by then she was already terminally ill. At her earnest plea, Uncle Xu brought me back and even helped settle the debts my family could no longer afford.” Zhou Mengxing narrated the events with steady calmness. “Therefore, I pay no mind to what those people say. No matter how they view me, as long as Uncle Xu doesn’t tell me to leave, I will not walk away from this place.”
Xu Qiduo mentally organized the details regarding Zhou Mengxing’s background, piecing together a rough picture of the situation.
“Those women have nothing better to do all day except exchange passive-aggressive jabs. Don’t take anything they say to heart from now on.” Offering a word of consolation, Xu Qiduo reached out to pat the youth’s shoulder. “Second uncle must have had a proper reason for bringing you back. Perhaps he intends to groom you into becoming his son-in-law!”
Since Old Master Xu’s second son had no sons and only three daughters, the theory wasn’t entirely out of the question.
“Having a roof over my head and food to eat is enough. Finishing your education is your current priority. Second uncle helped you out, so you should keep that kindness in mind and repay it slowly in the future. Alright, dismissed, head back to your room and rest.”
After surviving a hidden plotline that afternoon and engaging in a verbal battle against a gallery of critics at the dining table, Xu Qiduo simply wanted to crawl into bed and play some video games.
Yet as he walked, he noticed that Zhou Mengxing, who should have parted ways with him, was still trailing right behind his footsteps.
“If I recall correctly, your room isn’t in this direction, is it?”
The Xu family estate was a massive traditional Chinese-style compound covering an immense expanse of land. Although an entire extended family lived under its roof, each branch occupied its own distinct courtyard.
Much like the grand estates of ancient princes and nobles, each household maintained its own private sector.
Since Zhou Mengxing belonged to the second uncle’s branch, his quarters were naturally located in a different direction from Xu Qiduo’s.
Yet, completely abandoning the cold demeanor he had worn all afternoon, Zhou Mengxing told him, “I just wanted to know where you live.”
Xu Qiduo pointed eastward with his thumb. “I live right over there.”
Zhou Mengxing said nothing more. Yet this single gesture seemed intended to bridge the awkward gap that had divided them earlier that afternoon.
At least, that was how Xu Qiduo chose to interpret it. After all, Zhou Mengxing initiated contact so rarely, and since the guy had taken the initiative to speak to him again…
The sky outside had grown pitch black. Within the sprawling estate, the covered corridors connecting the courtyards were illuminated by antique wooden lanterns fitted with modern bulbs, casting a warm glow along the entire path.
Ever since transmigrating into this world, Xu Qiduo hadn’t actually spent much time at the Xu residence.
Including tonight’s visit, this made only the third time, but that didn’t stop him from playing his role to perfection.
Judging by the original Xu Qiduo’s capacity to obsess over someone for five whole years, the original owner was clearly a stubborn, single-minded character.
Though he had no idea how the original owner used to interact with his family members, the sheer confidence with which he splashed cash made it obvious he was never one to swallow insults quietly at home.
Therefore, now that Xu Qiduo had taken over, he had no intention of letting himself suffer any grievances either.
He already spent his days at university exhausted from playing the desperate simp for Wang Shuo, swallowing countless bitter pills just to avoid out-of-character warnings.
If he came home only to endure petty bullying and misery, he would rather trigger an out-of-character system warning right then and there.
Fortunately, his behavior inside the Xu family estate hadn’t triggered any strange looks from the residents, nor had the system flagged him for OOC violations, which was why he had felt comfortable speaking so directly to the wives earlier.
After walking for roughly five minutes, Xu Qiduo led Zhou Mengxing into his personal courtyard.
Traditional garden-style residences all looked remarkably similar on the outside.
Yet depending on the aesthetic tastes of each master, the interior decor and furnishings varied widely.
Xu Qiduo’s room was situated in the eastern wing of the compound.
“Make yourself at home.” Once inside, Xu Qiduo began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, trying to dig up something to host Zhou Mengxing with.
“I only needed to know where your room is.” Zhou Mengxing’s tone carried a hint of departure, as though he truly had only come to memorize the location.
“Huh? You just got here, stay a bit longer and hang out.” The polite pleasantries still had to be observed, of course.
Whether his inner thoughts matched the polite invitation was another matter entirely.
“Alright, I’ll stay a bit longer then.”
“Um,” Xu Qiduo froze.
Noticing the fleeting flash of surprise on Xu Qiduo’s face, Zhou Mengxing simply stepped further into the bedroom.
“What, are you regretting your invitation already?”
Watching Xu Qiduo get caught off guard was infinitely more entertaining than watching those women bicker at the dinner table.
“Of course not.” Xu Qiduo scrambled for an excuse.
Naturally, he hadn’t wanted to chase Zhou Mengxing away.
He was the one who asked him to stay, and while things felt a bit awkward, he… “That’s not what I meant. You seemed pretty determined to ignore me this afternoon, how come you changed your mind now?”
“Six hours.”
“What six,” Xu Qiduo suddenly snapped back to attention.
If nothing else, the six hours Zhou Mengxing mentioned undoubtedly referred to the time he had left him standing around waiting.
“Ah, well that was, you know, something came up and delayed me. You can’t possibly let a mere six hours ruin the magnificent friendship we are about to build.” Xu Qiduo had already reclaimed the conversational high ground, rattling off smooth defenses with practiced ease.
“Then next time, you can wait six hours for me instead,” Zhou Mengxing said with a raised eyebrow.
“Deal, absolutely deal. Forget six hours, I can wait twelve.” Perhaps from spending too much time acting like a doormat in public, he felt like whatever he said carried that unconditional, bottomless devotion of a desperate admirer.
Zhou Mengxing curved his lips into a faint smile and kept silent.
People blessed with good looks looked stunning no matter what expression they wore.
A simple raised brow and a slight curve of the lips from the other youth were enough to be utterly pleasing to the eye. Xu Qiduo couldn’t help imagining what those little gestures would look like if transferred onto his own face.
Forget it. It was much better to just keep staring at Zhou Mengxing.