Chapter 43 IF Scenario: The Real and Fake Young Master 01 It's not that...
The banquet hall of the Xu family mansion was brightly lit, with crystal chandeliers refracting beautiful fragments of light, making the marble floor shimmer.
Today is the tenth birthday banquet of the Xu family's young master.
He wore a well-tailored dark vest and matching shorts, with polished leather shoes under his snow-white socks. Like the Little Prince in a story, he stood at the top of the spiral staircase, proudly raising his chin to receive praise and attention from all directions.
The golden light fell on his exquisitely handsome features, giving him an air of nobility and arrogance.
He was the heir whom the Xu family had painstakingly cultivated, as perfect as a rare treasure.
Fawning and exclamations filled the air. Xu Yan wore a polite smile, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd below, a hint of impatient aloofness flashing in his eyes.
At the same time, a crack appeared in the closed servants' room in the corner of the first floor.
Behind the door stood another boy, whose birthday was also today.
Chi Chen, wearing ill-fitting new pajamas, opened his eyes wide through the crack in the door, his gaze fixed intently on the radiant figure.
That place should have been his, his birthday, his life, but now it's occupied by a fake, enjoying everything he should have.
The boy seemed to notice his gaze, and casually lowered his eyes, glancing in Chi Chen's direction.
Even though he was just a child, the way she looked at him was so unfamiliar and cold. She immediately looked away, as if looking at him any longer would be a waste of time.
The boy turned slightly to the side, the light outlining his superior profile, so fair it looked like an angel who had strayed into the mortal world.
"I heard this is the child the Xu family switched at birth. Why don't they introduce the biological child who came back?"
"Pfft, I guess it's not presentable. I've always felt that this young master doesn't look like the Xu family couple at all."
"There's no way around it. If I had such a perfect child, I'd be too embarrassed to give away my own child that I've raised to the point of ruin."
Several well-dressed guests walked past the entrance, discussing them without any restraint.
Chi Chen thought of his poor but warm home, and his fingers, which were gripping the door frame, gradually tightened.
He doesn't want to come back.
But... the Xu family gave my parents a lot of money.
They can live a very good life.
Chi Chen felt a slight sting in his nose. He looked up at the dazzling figure, his vision blurred by tears, yet he couldn't muster any disgust.
After an unknown amount of time, the banquet ended, the lights outside were turned off one by one, and the world returned to silence.
The biological parents, whom they had only met once, also left home.
Chi Chen returned to his cold little bed, pulled the covers up tightly, and drifted off to sleep.
Mingming's parents also buy him a small cake every year for his birthday.
Now, however, no one remembers him.
"Squeak."
A very soft sound was heard as the door opened a crack.
Chi Chen opened his eyes with some difficulty. He saw warm light streaming into the dark room, and the small figure of a boy appeared in the doorway.
For some reason, Chi Chen maintained steady breathing and quietly waited for the others to leave.
But the other person lingered by his bedside for a few seconds.
Even after the door closed again, Chi Chen's room did not darken again.
He opened his eyes somewhat blankly and sat up.
On the small table in front of the bed, there was a beautifully cut cake with delicate, creamy white frosting and plump, bright red strawberries on top.
A thin, lit candle was stuck in the top, its flame flickering and dispelling the darkness, illuminating the entire room.
For him...?
That arrogant young master...
Chi Chen felt his heart beating very fast. He stood in front of the table, his lips slightly upturned, and carefully put his hands together. After a few seconds, he puffed out his cheeks and blew out the candle.
He picked up the small fork next to him, scooped out a small bite, and put it in his mouth.
It's very sweet.
*
After his birthday, Chi Chen's room was moved upstairs, next to the young master's.
During the rest of the holiday, Chi Chen never saw his nominal parents again.
Even the young master is rarely seen.
When Chi Chen couldn't help but ask the family's servants, the servants' eyes once again revealed that familiar look of contempt.
"Young Master is very busy, of course he won't waste his vacation."
Chi Chen then did not ask such a question again.
When the summer vacation ended, Chi Chen's transfer procedures were completed, and he once again had the opportunity to get in touch with the busy young master.
Every morning, the driver would pick them up and take them to school. They didn't say a word in the car. The young master always had a tablet or a foreign language book that he couldn't understand on his lap.
I didn't even glance at him from beginning to end.
Upon arriving at the school, Xu Yan would be surrounded and led to the far left of the teaching building.
Chi Chen was in the worst class, even though they were in the same grade, but when he was in Xu Yan's class, it felt like they were worlds apart.
These peaceful days lasted for less than a week.
On the day it was Chi Chen's turn to stay and do his duty, everyone in his group tacitly left.
Chi Chen was left to silently clean the classroom and put all the trash into bags.
Two boys from the same class returned and blocked the way.
"Hey, I heard you're the Xu family's illegitimate son?" The tall boy kicked over the trash he had just packed and looked down at him.
The short, chubby boy next to him immediately chimed in, "It's disgusting. How dare an illegitimate child go to the same school as Young Master Xu? He's shameless."
Chi Chen was already used to everyone's cold looks and contempt.
Since his biological parents did not publicly acknowledge his existence, it is highly likely that they felt he was a disgrace.
Chi Chen didn't want to care about these irrelevant people.
He didn't refute anything; to parents who had no feelings for him, he was perhaps even worse off than an illegitimate child.
He silently picked up the broom, intending to clean up the trash again.
"Are you mute? I'm talking to you." Seeing his submissive appearance, the tall boy suddenly kicked him.
However, Chi Chen reacted quickly and easily to dodge it. For someone who works every day, his strength and reaction ability are not low.
On the contrary, the person kicked too hard and missed, falling solidly to the ground.
"What are you dawdling for? Aren't you going?"
A childish voice, tinged with a hint of coldness, came from the front door.
The voices weren't loud, but the tense atmosphere in the classroom instantly froze.
Chi Chen turned around and froze on the spot.
Xu Yan had appeared there at some point, his face expressionless. His dark eyes swept across the messy classroom before finally landing on Chi Chen with a hint of impatience.
Chi Chen never expected Xu Yan to come looking for him. He said dryly, "I haven't finished my chores yet."
"Why don't you just have them do it for you?" Xu Yan raised an eyebrow dismissively, her tone matter-of-fact. "Brother, I want to go back now, hurry up."
The way he called him "brother" was so natural, as if he were acknowledging his identity.
Chi Chen even thought he heard a hint of coquetry in his voice.
He turned to look at the short, chubby classmate, who immediately put on a smile and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, don't worry, Chi, we'll clean it up perfectly."
Is it because of Xu Yan?
Chi Chen didn't think too much about it. He walked to his seat, put on his backpack, and headed towards the door.
"Um, it was a misunderstanding. We just wanted to find you, to... to be friends." The boy who had fallen got up, his face looking rather unpleasant. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then saw Xu Yan give him an impatient look.
He immediately shut his mouth obediently.
Xu Yan didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, and turned to walk out.
Chi Chen snapped out of his daze, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and followed.
Looking at the figure walking ahead of him, he couldn't help but say, "Thank you."
Xu Yan didn't speak, but just walked forward in silence.
However, Chi Chen noticed that in the warm golden sunset, the tips of the other person's ears, peeking out from their black hair, were slightly flushed with a thin layer of red.
Chi Chen stared blankly, perhaps this aloof younger brother didn't actually dislike him?
That evening, at the dining table where it was just the two of them, Chi Chen looked up from his food for the first time.
Xu Yan sat upright, his manners impeccable even when dining at home. His movements were elegant and slow, and his face was always expressionless and very quiet.
Chi Chen recalled Xu Yan's appearance in banquet halls and schools, surrounded by crowds. He always felt that there was a faint emptiness lingering in the depths of Xu Yan's eyes.
He seemed to be covered in labels of nobility, but he was not himself.
Xu Yan seemed to notice his gaze, glanced over indifferently, then stopped what she was doing, got up and left.
Chi Chen quietly finished his meal and went back to his room.
Their lives seemed to have returned to normal, but at least Chi Chen was no longer bothered by anyone.
Several years have passed.
Chi Chen grew up very quickly. He grew taller very fast, had a strong learning ability, and had his own circle of friends.
After junior high school, she chose to apply for boarding school, and from then on, it seemed that she had completely severed ties with the Xu family, including that young master.
No one even knew that he was the real young master that the Xu family had found.
This seems to be an ending that satisfies everyone.
Time flies, and after the high school entrance exam, Chi Chen could hardly remember the young master's face anymore.
Until the first day of high school.
The September sun was still scorching, and the air was filled with the smell of new book ink.
Chi Chen and his newly acquainted roommate walked into the classroom, chatting and laughing.
His gaze casually swept over the new classmates, then he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
My gaze was fixed firmly on the window.
There sat a boy, his head slightly tilted, as if looking at the noise outside the window.
The sunlight fell perfectly on him, giving him a golden edge, as if he were shining.
The boy turned around, his delicate, doll-like face had lost its baby fat, his nose was high and straight, his lips were beautiful, and he exuded an air of pampered nobility.
The young master has become increasingly dazzling; even when he's just sitting there, countless people can't help but pay attention to him.
"What, are there any old classmates here?" His roommate followed his gaze and was also stunned for a moment.
He had never seen such a handsome boy before.
"No." Chi Chen shook his head, looked away, and walked to the end of the classroom.
This high school was a public key school that Chi Chen chose himself.
How did Xu Yan end up here?
It couldn't possibly be for him.
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Author's note: [Thumbs up] A new "if" line is here.
Finally, let's experience being rich for once! [Thumbs up]
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