If Qin Zigui doesn't die, he will die of shame.
So theoretically it is possible, but the law may not allow it.
Sheng Yan was heartbroken and his eyes were filled with sorrow.
The elevator doors opened, and he reached out to press the close button.
The elevator doors opened again, and he raised his hand to press the close button.
The elevator doors opened again, and he...
It didn't close this time.
Qin Zigui reached out and closed the elevator door, whispering, "It's stuffy in the elevator, let's get out first."
Sheng Yan didn't even look at him: "None of your business."
Qin Zigui whispered again, "I didn't see anything just now."
Sheng Yan slowly rolled his eyes: "Really?"
"Yes, really."
Qin Zigui's expression remained expressionless, suggesting he genuinely had no intention of mocking him for this.
They're barely sensible.
Sheng Yan then withdrew his gaze, reluctantly straightened up, and with a cold expression, walked out of the elevator with the air of a mature and composed school bully, trying to pretend that nothing had happened.
However, after taking only two steps, he realized something was wrong and turned around: "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be at the competition training class?"
Qin Zigui let go of her hand and turned around: "I wasn't feeling well today, so I didn't go."
The elevator doors slowly closed behind him.
Sheng Yan then asked, "Then why are you standing in front of the elevator?"
Qin Zigui: "My aunt asked me to go downstairs and buy some drinks."
There was nothing wrong with his tone and expression.
But Sheng Yan just felt that something was not quite right.
For a moment, he forgot why he had angrily skipped class to come back. He just felt that something was strange. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Qin Zigui's right hand and frowned: "What happened to your hand?"
"Nothing much." Qin Zigui withdrew his right hand and put it back into his pocket. "I just accidentally bumped into it."
"Are you kidding me? I saw it just now. There are several scrapes on the base of your fingers. It looks like you just got them. It couldn't have been an accident." Sheng Yan's tone was clearly anxious. He took a step forward and reached his hand into Qin Zigui's pocket without regard for anything else, trying to pull the injured hand out.
Being too close, Qin Zigui quickly stepped aside to avoid it.
Sheng Yan's hand fell empty-handed.
The boy's slender, pale fingers hung forlornly in mid-air, showing a hint of loneliness and embarrassment.
Qin Zigui's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only said faintly, "It has nothing to do with you."
Sheng Yan, who had been angry all night, finally laughed in anger. He withdrew his hand and sneered, "Yes, you're right. It has nothing to do with me. I was just meddling."
As he spoke, he walked straight towards 2601 on the left.
Qin Zigui instinctively reached out to stop him, but was slapped away by the man: "Don't you fucking touch me! Didn't you hear me say it's okay?!"
Qin Zigui lowered his hands and stood still: "Sheng Yan, that's not what I meant."
I don't care what you mean!
Sheng Yan got angry just looking at him like that.
It's as if everything in the world is irrelevant to him, making other people's genuine feelings seem like a joke.
"Anyway, you yourself said that we're not on the same path, so from now on I won't interfere in your business, and you should interfere in mine as well. My skipping classes, fighting, going online, dating, and bringing my phone are none of your business! From now on, we'll go our separate ways, and neither of us will pay any attention to the other. Whoever breaks their word is a dog!"
Sheng Yan's pent-up anger surged to his head, so much so that his mind couldn't keep up with his mouth. He just kept spewing out a string of harsh words, and then he finally felt relieved.
Then he turned around and entered the password, intending to slam the door shut and let Qin Zigui, that icy-faced man, know that he was really angry this time.
However, just a second before he completed his stylish act of slamming the door shut and severing all ties, the door to room 2602 behind him opened first.
Immediately afterwards, Ms. Xu Qingrong's crisp and straightforward voice came from behind: "Sheng Yan, who are you behaving like a dog with here? Is this polite? Apologize to Zigui right now and come eat."
"Aunt Xu, it's all my fault, it has nothing to do with Sheng Yan."
Qin Zigui was aware of his mistake.
Sheng Yan didn't refute, but he also didn't turn around: "Mom, I'll eat at home by myself."
"Dream on. Mom is flying to London first thing tomorrow morning, so I won't hold it against you for skipping evening study tonight. But you have to get over here right now, immediately."
After Xu Qingrong finished speaking, Qin Zigui's aunt Qin Ru's gentle voice rang out again: "Xiao Yan, come here quickly. Your mother said that she is celebrating your birthday early tonight, so your Uncle Jiang has made a big table of dishes for you, all of which are your favorites."
With the two Bodhisattvas pressing down, Sheng Yan was at a loss.
Although he was a man of many talents outside, he was always obedient at home and rarely disobeyed the two noble empress dowagers. After the two imperial edicts were issued, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only turn around and pretend not to see Qin Zigui standing to the side, and walk towards the opposite door with a blank face.
This 280-square-meter duplex boasts natural light from two sides and floor-to-ceiling windows. Located in the best school district in Nanwu, it offers direct access to the CBD. The layout is extravagant, and the property management fees are exorbitantly high. People without substantial wealth simply cannot afford to live here.
Therefore, as a result, Xu Qingrong, a single mother, is busy flying all over the world all year round, and it has become the norm for her not to be able to celebrate Sheng Yan's birthday on time.
For example, his birthday is actually tomorrow, July 7th, but because Xu Qingrong has to go on a business trip tomorrow, he can only celebrate it today.
Sheng Yan didn't mind, but when he saw Qin Zigui sitting down opposite him in his usual spot, he felt that this birthday was no different from a death anniversary.
That's really bad luck.
However, he was unwilling to lose face in front of his elders and go against their wishes. Looking at the table full of delicious dishes and the exquisite cakes that looked expensive, he still obediently said, "Thank you, Aunt Qin and Uncle Jiang."
"No need to thank me, no need to be so polite with Aunt Qin. Same as always, make a wish first, then eat. Jiang Ping, where are the candles and lighter!" Qin Ru called out as she turned around.
A voice immediately came from the kitchen: "Coming! Coming!"
Jiang Ping is Qin Ru's husband, Qin Zigui's aunt's husband, and the head of a listed technology company.
He looked quite imposing, with the aura of a domineering CEO, but at home he was just a henpecked husband with no status. When he heard Qin Ru call him, he put on an apron, took a candle, and held a lighter and ran out.
As Jiang Ping placed the candles in the center of the cake, he sighed with emotion: "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan will be 18. I remember the first time I celebrated his birthday, he was only three years old. Back then, he insisted on saying his wish out loud, so I scared him by saying that his wish would not come true if he said it out loud. But he didn't believe me. He made a wish every year and said it out loud every year, and every year it came true. Isn't that amazing?"
Speaking of this, Sheng Yan also found it quite strange.
When he was three years old, he lived with his maternal grandparents in the old house. That year was the first time Qin Ru and Jiang Ping brought Qin Zigui back to Nanwu, and it was also the first time the two families celebrated their birthdays together.
He was young and didn't understand things, so he wished that Brother Zigui could play with him forever and not leave. As a result, Qin Zigui really didn't leave.
When he was four years old, he wished to win first place in the kindergarten drawing competition, and he actually did.
When I was five years old, I really disliked Fat Tiger, who was two years older than me in the government office. So I wished Fat Tiger would have a lot of bad luck, and the next day Fat Tiger cried and called me "Big Brother".
And so it went until my sixteenth birthday. Every year I made a wish, and every year it came true. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it really was quite effective.
"But it's not entirely accurate; it didn't come true last year," Sheng Yan said casually as he lit the candles.
Xu Qingrong sat down on his other side: "What wish did you make last year?"
Sheng Yan thought for a moment and said, "Xu seems to grant all wishes and grant all requests."
"That definitely won't work." Xu Qingrong spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all. "That kind of wish is too abstract and too greedy. Even Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) can't help you. You need to make a specific wish that you can keep within reasonable limits. So this year, make a realistic wish, like that when the final exam results come out in a couple of days, you can leave the bottom ten of your grade."
"Mom, it's your birthday, can you not talk about anything unpleasant?" Sheng Yan muttered softly.
Xu Qingrong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Oh, so you know that being in the bottom ten of the grade is something to be unhappy about? Then can you try to be more ambitious and even get eleventh from the bottom?"
Seeing that Sheng Yan was about to lose face, Qin Ru quickly interrupted, "Alright, Xu Qingrong, say less. Come on, Xiao Yan, make a wish, and we'll eat."
Then I turned off the living room lights.
In the darkness, only the warm yellow flame of the candle flickered gently.
Sheng Yan's vision was now limited to the cake under the candlelight and Qin Zigui's coldly lowered eyes across from him—he seemed to be fiddling with something, clearly not paying any attention to it.
In the past, Qin Zigui should have already presented the carefully prepared gift by this time and listened attentively to my wish. But now he's turned his back on me and is incredibly heartless.
Sheng Yan's anger surged up again. He closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, he opened them and blew out the candle with a "whoosh": "It's done."
Xu Qingrong turned on the light: "So fast?"
Sheng Yan: "Mm."
Xu Qingrong asked again, "What did you wish for?"
Sheng Yan glanced at Qin Zigui without realizing it, then said irritably, "I hope all pretentious people stay as far away from me as possible."
Qin Zigui paused slightly as he was peeling something, but quickly resumed his normal actions.
No one at the table noticed anything amiss, except for Xu Qingrong, who gently scolded, "You unlucky child, you promised to wish to escape the bottom ten."
"As for grades, it's all about fate."
Sheng Yan picked up his chopsticks, completely unconcerned.
Xu Qingrong rolled her eyes at him: "Can't you learn from Zigui? Speaking of which, Zigui, how's your preparation for the informatics competition going?"
Before Qin Zigui could answer after Xu Qingrong asked, Jiang Ping proudly chimed in, "Of course there's no problem. He's truly talented in this area, and he can already handle very complex programming. Moreover, when he came to our company's technical department to learn last time, everyone in the APP development department praised him as a genius. I'm just waiting for him to graduate from university and come to our company to bring glory to our family."
His pride was palpable.
Ms. Xu sighed enviously, "That's so nice. We all grew up together, but our Shengyan seems like he'll never grow up. All he does all day is play."
After saying that, his eyes darted around, and just then Qin Zigui finished peeling seven or eight shrimp and subtly pushed the small plate towards the other end of the table, he came to the conclusion: "It's all Zigui's fault."
Qin Zigui, who did nothing, was speechless.
Xu Qingrong ignored him and turned to Qin Ru: "Do you remember, when they were about seven or eight years old, we were all away on business during summer vacation and no one was looking after them? When we came back the night before school started, we couldn't find them in their bedroom in the middle of the night. We were terrified. We ran to the study and saw the older one sitting there with a serious face, writing furiously, while the younger one was sitting next to him, crying and hiccuping. I wondered what had happened. When I went over to check, well, it turned out that Sheng Yan hadn't done his summer homework, and Qin Zigui was helping him catch up. So, Sheng Yan's grades are like this now, and your Qin Zigui deserves a lot of credit."
Jiang Ping chuckled and said, "Indeed, Zigui has spoiled Xiaoyan since he was a child. Not to mention anything else, he's been peeling shrimp for over ten years now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Yan's hand, which was holding a shrimp, stopped.
He didn't even notice that the shrimp was peeled by Qin Zigui. He just found a plate of peeled shrimp in front of him, and given his long-standing habit, he naturally picked one up.
Now that Jiang Ping has said that, the shrimp is in a dilemma – whether to eat it or not.
If I don't eat it, I'll seem like a stingy person.
If I eat it, given my current relationship with Qin Zigui, I'll seem particularly undignified.
After a brief standoff, Sheng Yan cleverly put the shrimp into Ms. Xu's bowl, saying, "It's my son's birthday, and my mother's day of suffering. Mom, please eat."
When did this brat become so sensible?
Ms. Xu glanced at Qin Zigui, who was standing silently with his head down, and immediately understood. She picked up an unpeeled shrimp for herself and said sarcastically, "So, what's wrong with you and Zigui this time?"
Sheng Yan lowered his head and picked up a piece of chopped chili fish head for himself, muttering, "Who threw a tantrum at him? I'm not a primary school student."
His tone was more childish than that of a primary school student.
Ms. Xu was too lazy to expose her: "Fine, as long as you don't throw a tantrum, it's fine. You'll be staying at Zigui's house for a few more months, and you'll see each other all the time. It would be so embarrassing if you really threw a tantrum."
Sheng Yan froze instantly as he brought the chopsticks to his lips.
Ms. Xu calmly peeled the shrimp: "I bought a lot of vegetables today, planning to cook them for you myself."
Sheng Yan: "And then?"
"Then the pressure cooker exploded, and the kitchen was blown up." Ms. Xu put a prawn in her mouth, licked her fingertips, and said nonchalantly.
Sheng Yan: "???"
Ms. Xu comforted her, "It's alright. I'll be going to London for a few months anyway, so I'll take the opportunity to renovate the house. You can stay at your Aunt Qin's house during this time. Look, all your things have been moved over."
Ms. Xu casually pointed to the open door at the end of the corridor.
From Sheng Yan's perspective, through the open door, one can vaguely see a glimpse of the cool corner of his gaming chair.
If even gaming chairs have been brought over, then this matter is basically a done deal.
And if he remembered correctly, that room was right across from Qin Zigui's bedroom.
If he remembered correctly, if he didn't want to disturb Qin Ru and her husband in the master bedroom on the second floor, he would have to share a bathroom with Qin Zigui.
"..."
Thinking of the "we'll go our separate ways" flag he had set just ten minutes earlier, Sheng Yan felt somewhat desperate.
My throat involuntarily twitched.
The next second, a burning sensation immediately filled my throat and mouth.
The finely chopped chili peppers, which he hadn't even had time to swallow, rolled into his trachea in his despair.
Sheng Yan, who was still in shock and despair, immediately began to bend over and cough violently: "Mom...cough cough cough cough...water..."
Before Xu Qingrong and Qin Ru could react, Qin Zigui had already gotten up quickly, walked to the water dispenser, put down a cup and filled it with water, then opened the refrigerator door and frowned as he rummaged through it.
However, Sheng Yan was so uncomfortable with the spiciness that, before Qin Zigui returned, he noticed the untouched glass of water next to Xu Qingrong while coughing, and picked it up without thinking.
Xu Qingrong immediately widened her eyes: "Kid! This is Bai—"
Sheng Yan tilted his head back and drank it down.
"—Wine!"
The moment the word "alcohol" was uttered, Sheng Yan, who had never touched a single drop of alcohol or tobacco in his life, was instantly brought to tears by the pain. The stinging and burning sensation traveled from his taste buds and throat all the way to his internal organs.
He has always been afraid of pain, and this time he was in so much pain that he lay face down on the table, clenching his fists tightly and pinching his palms, coughing as if he would cry blood at any moment.
Xu Qingrong felt extremely distressed when she saw that Sheng Yan's ears, face, and eyes were all red. Fortunately, as soon as she turned around, she saw Qin Zigui walking back quickly with a water glass in one hand and an iced pear in the other. She hurriedly called out, "Zigui, come quick, come quick! Xiao Yan seems to be in a lot of pain. What should we do?"
It's really tough.
The boy slumped over the edge of the table, his face buried in his arms, his thin shoulder blades heaving violently, his palms clenched until they bled. He seemed to be trying to hold back his pain so as not to worry others, but he was in so much pain that he couldn't bear it any longer.
Qin Zigui, with a composed expression, quickly walked to Sheng Yan's side, put one arm around his shoulder, helped him straight up, and let him lean against her. With the other hand, she held a water glass to his lips and said, "Drink slowly."
Sheng Yan frowned and turned his head away: "Go away, no... cough cough cough... don't... cough cough cough cough..."
He felt like he was coughing up his internal organs, and tears were already welling up in his eyes.
Seeing that Sheng Yan was in so much pain and refused to drink water, Xu Qingrong thought there was something seriously wrong with his bronchus and was extremely anxious: "What's wrong, baby? Is there anything else that hurts? Should Mommy call 120? Don't scare Mommy."
Sheng Yan shook his head with difficulty, then looked up at Qin Zigui, raised his index finger, and pointed at him: "You, no."
The adults were worried: "What's wrong, Xiao Yan?"
Sheng Yan opened his eyes wide and stared at Qin Zigui, his eyes bloodshot and his expression heroic, like a martyr about to sacrifice himself.
The three adults inside were so nervous that they didn't dare to move.
Then they heard Sheng Yan, enduring the pain, clench his teeth, and, despite the intense burning pain in his throat, painstakingly utter ten words, one by one—
"It's a deal: whoever takes care of whom first is the dog."
"..."
In that instant, apart from the earth-shattering, heart-wrenching cough of the stubborn young man, Sheng Xiaoyan, the 280-square-meter duplex was filled with endless silence from the three adults.
They were unsure whether to call Sheng Yan naive or praise his fierceness.
Only Qin Zigui remained indifferent and handed over the water glass again: "Hmm."
"Huh?" Sheng Yan blinked his tears, somewhat confused.
Qin Zigui casually wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Woof."
Author's Note:
I'd be a dog for love, and I'm adding another member to the Durban team.
Sheng Yan's exclusive husband-themed wishing machine, plus one more.
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