Chapter 51 (1/2)

Gu Xi continued to talk despite being aware of Lin Wenxi’s cold attitude toward him. He told Lin Wenxi that there was a newly-opened piano store nearby. As they shared this common interest, they went to the piano store together. It was called Ziyun Piano Store.

When Lin Wenxi saw this name, he found it somewhat familiar.

The sales girl in the store greeted them cordially and invited Gu Xi to play a tune. Gu Xi shook Lin Wenxi’s arm. To his surprise, Lin Wenxi was intrigued and quicky sat on the bench to play a peice of classical music. When enjoying the music, the sales girl noticed that Lin Wenxi’s sleeves were too long and it hindered him from playing the piano smoothly. Before the boy realized it, the girl went over to roll the sleeve up for him, revealing some new bruises on his arm. Lin Wenxi was bruised from belt beating. He quickly rolled down his sleeves to cover his bruises and left. Gu Xi grabbed his hand and burst into tears.

“Why are you crying?” Lin Wenxi asked coldly and curiously. He wondered, “Gu Xi met me not long ago. Although we do share some common interests, we’re not good friends yet. Why does he feel so sad for me now?”

“Did those bruises caused by Zheng Kai? That bastard!” Gu Xi said while sobbing.

“No, it was my father who did this to me. ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’ That’s one of his beliefs,” Lin Wenxi said flatly.

Gu Xi slowly grabbed Lin Wenxi’s hand and gently touched it. Somehow, Lin Wenxi felt that the bruises on his arms were not so painful anymore.

“But you’re not a child anymore. He has to treat you as an adult now. I can go to your home together with you. I’ll have a talk with him and tell him how he should treat you now,” Gu Xi said seriously. The next moment, when he noticed the strange and ominous expression on the face of Lin Wenxi, he slapped himself across the face and said, “That’s really inappropriate! Why did I say that?” Upon seeing that, Lin Wenxi could not help but smile and then he quickly put on a straight face again.

Back in his home, Lin Ziwei had flared up upon knowing that Lin Wenxi had skipped classes and refused to eat breakfast. He scolded Lin Wenxi as if he had done something really outrageous, and Lin Wenxi could not help but talk back. After a messy brawl with his father, he was punished by his father and knelt on the ground. Upon seeing that, his mother Huang Xiya cried and had a fight with his father. It was at this moment that Lin Wenxi took this chance to sneak out of his home.

When he came back to his university, he found out that he could never peel off his clingy friend Gu Xi. After spending some time together with Gu Xi, he finally came to know why this slender boy could manage to subdue a tough guy like Zheng Kai. In Lin Wenxi’s eyes, Gu Xi was more than clingy. He was so close to him and seemed to be always around him.

When he wanted to take a walk through the campus, Gu Xi reported to him in a low voice, “Shu Xiaoman has just come out of the girls’ dormitory building. If you don’t want to meet her, you can avoid her by taking the Xueyuan road.”

When there was a smelly toilet ahead, Gu Xi warned him in a loud voice. “Oh gee, this university really doesn’t care about the air at all. Stop going ahead. There’s a public toilet ahead of you on the right. Let’s go that way. Let’s go to the library.”

When he drank milky tea together with Gu Xi, Gu Xi never minded drinking up the tea that he left after drinking up his own tea. This reminded Lin Wenxi of someone who never minded eating his leftover food. He felt irritated and asked Gu Xi grumpily, “We’ve been walking around for such a long time. Where indeed do you want to go?”

Gu Xi blinked his eyes and said, “I’ll go wherever you go.”

Lin Wenxi went back to his dorm, and Gu Xi followed him and then sat beside him on his bed. Lin Wenxi went to the bathroom. Gu Xi stood up and followed him again. Lin Wenxi opened the door a crack and said, “Don’t say that you want to follow me into the bathroom.” Gu Xi shook his head and then sat on a chair with his face toward the door of the bathroom. When Lin Wenxi went out and sat on his bed again, Gu Xi turned his head 180 degrees to look at Lin Wenxi again.

Wang Xiang, who had just come back from the basketball court, happened to see that. He took off his sweat-soaked top and exclaimed, “What a lackey you are.”

“I’d rather be a lackey than a pushover like you,” Gu Xi retorted loudly.