Today was Saturday, so there were no classes. An angry Jiang Yichi stayed in his room until lunchtime before finally coming downstairs.
Xu Qiushi had set out the food. Wearing disposable gloves, he stood by the dining table peeling shrimp for Jiang Yichi.
Jiang Yichi put down his chopsticks after eating only one bowl of rice, leaving quite a lot of side dishes untouched.
“Not eating anymore?” Xu Qiushi asked, a half-peeled shrimp still in his hand.
“I’m full of anger,” Jiang Yichi huffed.
“Eat a bit more, otherwise you’ll be hungry in a while.” Xu Qiushi carefully removed the deveining line and placed the shrimp meat into Jiang Yichi’s bowl.
“If I get hungry, you can just make me something else,” Jiang Yichi said, though he still ate the shrimp.
“I want to go out for a while this afternoon.”
“What are you going to do?” Jiang Yichi instantly became alert. He’s not going to run away, is he?
“To find Aze.”
“What for?” Jiang Yichi knew his question was a bit unreasonable. Did the two brothers need a reason to meet?
“It’s the weekend. I’m going to see him. I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Is your work finished?”
“I’ll head out after I tidy up.” There wasn’t actually much housework to do; how dirty could a house get when it was cleaned every day? Besides, Jiang Yichi’s laundry was all hand-washed by Xu Qiushi. In his view, a couple of items of clothing weren’t worth turning on the washing machine for.
Jiang Yichi had nothing left to say. He set his chopsticks down heavily again and stomped upstairs.
After tidying the dishes and finishing off the leftovers, Xu Qiushi called Xu Qiuze. The two agreed to meet at the West Gate of Luohai University (Luoda).
Before leaving, he went upstairs and lightly knocked on Jiang Yichi’s door: “Boss, I’m heading out. Call me if you need anything.”
Jiang Yichi ignored him.
“The plate of grapes in the fridge is washed; you can eat them directly.”
Still, there was no response.
However, Xu Qiushi was long used to Jiang Yichi’s little temper. He’d be fine on his own in a while, just like a child.
…
Opposite the West Gate of Luoda was a commercial street filled with snack shops, milk tea stores, and clothing boutiques. It was exceptionally lively on weekends.
Xu Qiushi stood on the roadside, staring expressionlessly at the school entrance across the street, searching for a familiar figure among the students flowing through the turnstiles.
His upright posture was motionless. If he hadn’t been wearing plain clothes and carrying a backpack that didn’t quite match his physique, he would have looked exactly like a SWAT officer on duty.
Walking out of the school gate, Xu Qiuze spotted his older brother across the road at a glance. Grinning, he waved and crossed over via the pedestrian bridge.
Learning that Xu Qiushi wanted help reviewing a contract, Xu Qiuze had specifically brought along a friend from the Student Union named Luo Qing, who was a law major.
The three greeted each other and found a milk tea shop with available seating, each ordering a drink.
Xu Qiushi’s backpack contained nothing but two copies of the contract, mainly to keep the papers from wrinkling. He took them out and handed them to the two university students.
When Luo Qing saw the company name on the contract, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Xu Qiuze.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qiuze asked.
“It’s Jiangsheng Group! You don’t know?” Luo Qing asked back.
The Xu brothers looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.
“This is the leading enterprise in our Luohai City. Their industries cover real estate, finance, technology and several sectors. Every year, they donate billions. Last time we went near their corporate building to hand out gym flyers, remember?” Luo Qing grew more excited as he spoke, a hint of yearning appearing on his face. “If I could enter their legal department after graduation, it would truly be a blessing from my ancestors.”
The brothers both doubted their hearing when they heard the word “billions.”
After speaking, Luo Qing quickly flipped to the party A’s seal page to confirm, then carefully addressed Xu Qiushi: “Brother Qiushi, I don’t think there will be any problems with this contract.”
Xu Qiushi nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
That said, Luo Qing and Xu Qiuze still went through the contract word by word.
Seeing lines like “Full social security and housing fund contributions,” “Paid annual leave,” and “Year-end bonuses,” Luo Qing was envious to the point of wanting to sign his own name on it.
Xu Qiushi quietly sipped his eight-yuan cup of milk tea; it was indeed much better than the two-yuan pearl milk tea sold at the village convenience store. Seeing how focused Xu Qiuze and Luo Qing were, he got up and went to the counter.
After finishing the review, Xu Qiuze also stated there were no issues.
“Thank you for your hard work.” As Xu Qiushi packed away the contracts, the shop assistant brought over eight cups of packaged milk tea.
“Sir, your takeaway milk teas are ready. Remember to shake before drinking, and it’s best consumed within an hour.”
“Okay, thank you.” Xu Qiushi pushed the milk tea toward Xu Qiuze and Luo Qing. “Take these back and share them with your roommates.”
“This is embarrassing, Brother Qiushi, you’ve spent too much.” Luo Qing waved his hands repeatedly; his current cup wasn’t even finished.
“Take them, the money’s already paid,” Xu Qiuze patted Luo Qing’s shoulder. “You can’t expect my brother to take eight cups back and drink them all himself, right?”
“What are you talking about?” Luo Qing laughed and gave him a playful punch.
Seeing the good relationship between his brother and his friend, Xu Qiushi’s eyes were filled with relief.
The three parted ways under the bridge. Xu Qiushi checked the time—it was only 2:00 PM. He turned back to the milk tea shop, bought another cup, and went to find Xun Wenyao.
…
At home, Jiang Yichi, who was lying in bed sulking, rejected Gu Chengfei’s invitation to go out, immediately achieving the “phone bombardment” achievement.
“I said I’m not going, stop calling,” Jiang Yichi answered the phone impatiently.
“What’s up? Did you eat gunpowder again?” Gu Chengfei was used to it.
“Don’t bother me.”
“I wanted to ask if Brother Xu passed his probation?”
“No.”
“What? You’re still not satisfied with Brother Xu? I see you’ve even gained weight from his cooking lately.” Gu Chengfei’s voice rose an octave, clearly unable to accept this result.
“It’s him who won’t sign the contract. What does it have to do with me?” In Jiang Yichi’s view, the moment Xu Qiushi received the contract, he should have been thrilled and grateful, signing it immediately. Who knew he would say he wanted to “look it over”? It must be an excuse—can’t you look at a contract on the spot?
“Brother Xu surely has his reasons. It’s fine, I’ll ask Aze when he gets back. Don’t be anxious.”
“Why would I be anxious? He can sign it or not. And also you’re the one who’s fat!” Jiang Yichi hung up. Feeling irritable, he decided to take a nap, but woke up shortly after.
The house was empty; not a single human sound could be heard. Jiang Yichi got out of bed. That guy didn’t really run away and not come back, did he?
He went downstairs intending to check the maid’s room to see if Xu Qiushi’s things were still there. He hesitated as he gripped the doorknob. Although the house was his, the maid’s room was Xu Qiushi’s private space. Entering someone’s bedroom randomly was uncivilized.
Not wanting to be an uncivilized person, Jiang Yichi brought out the washed grapes from the fridge, eating them while irritably scrolling through his phone.
The more he scrolled, the more he felt something was wrong. Why did he care so much whether Xu Qiushi stayed or left? At worst, he could just find another nanny. He only gave Xu Qiushi a chance because Gu Chengfei kept begging him. Speaking of which, the other party should be the one who cares more about this job opportunity so why won’t he just SIGN! THE! CONTRACT!
Jiang Yichi’s thoughts turned dark. Could he be doing something bad in my house and feeling guilty? They say you can know a person’s face but not their heart. What exactly does Xu Qiushi do when he isn’t home?
The surveillance cameras he hadn’t checked in a long time finally came in handy.
Jiang Yichi opened the app and clicked into the cloud-saved recordings, randomly selecting a few videos showing activity.
Xu Qiushi’s daily trajectory was as regular as a machine. Aside from his own room, he spent the most time in the kitchen.
The two had never shared a meal at the table. Jiang Yichi had always assumed Xu Qiushi set aside his own portion before serving the food, because every time he ate, the portions were just right.
However, in the videos, the man only left a bowl of soup for himself. He didn’t even cook extra rice. He either paired the soup with a steamed bun or made noodles. Occasionally, if Jiang Yichi ate less, he would finish off all the leftovers.
Jiang Yichi’s heart jolted. He couldn’t understand the psychology behind Xu Qiushi’s actions.
Did he want to embezzle the grocery money? But the groceries were bought from the fresh market next to the community at clearly marked prices, and Xu Qiushi kept the receipts. Although Jiang Yichi was too lazy to look, verifying it wouldn’t be difficult.
To play the victim and gain sympathy? If he hadn’t checked the surveillance, he never would have found out. What on earth was this man thinking?
Jiang Yichi called Assistant Zheng. Not long after, he received a document on his phone—Xu Qiushi’s personal background.
His parents were scammed while starting a business, leaving behind massive debts before both passed away. He dropped out of school at 18 to work, repaying debts while raising his younger brother. To make money, he had done every kind of hard labor imaginable. At only 24, his life experience was already so rich. Most remarkably, not only had he not strayed from the right path, but he had also raised his brother well.
Jiang Yichi suddenly felt a pang of guilt for his malicious speculations.
Around 4:00 PM, Xu Qiushi opened the front door carrying ingredients for dinner. He nodded to Jiang Yichi on the sofa and headed to the kitchen as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Yichi followed him immediately.
“Tonight we’re having braised pork, shredded chicken salad, and stir-fried bean sprouts,” Xu Qiushi proactively reported as he saw him enter.
“You…” Jiang Yichi paused. “Do you never make a portion for yourself when you cook? Why?”
“The rice and vegetables at home are too expensive. I have a large appetite; it’s a waste.” Xu Qiushi felt his reasoning was perfectly sound.
“What kind of bullshit reason is that! No matter how expensive the rice is, it’s meant to be eaten. How is that a waste?” Jiang Yichi flared up again. If someone like Xu Qiushi eating rice was a waste, then wasn’t it a bigger waste to feed all those criminals in prison? They might as well stop eating and just take a bullet!
Without waiting for Xu Qiushi’s answer, Jiang Yichi issued a direct order: “From now on, you eat what I eat. You are not allowed to eat leftovers anymore.”
“They are perfectly fine; it’s a pity to throw them away,” Xu Qiushi hurried to argue.
“Then you eat with me,” Jiang Yichi said without thinking. “If Xiaofei finds out, he’ll think I’m abusing you.”
“There’s no abuse,” Xu Qiushi said with genuine emotion. “The Boss is very good to me. High salary, good living conditions, and the work is easy.”
“Then why aren’t you willing to sign the contract?” Jiang Yichi finally threw out the biggest question in his heart.
Xu Qiushi was puzzled: “I’m not unwilling.”
Seeing the corner of Jiang Yichi’s eyebrow starting to twitch upward again, Xu Qiushi quickly added: “I’ve already signed it.”
Jiang Yichi: “!”