Chapter 133
Teaching was one thing, but Qiu Chi had no desire to spend every single day with Chu Huai. Occasionally, she would float outside to have a look around.
When she drifted back this time, Chu Yang was there.
After a few days of peace, the patriarch and his wife were getting restless again.
As for why they wanted their precious son to do the dirty work, the reason was simple. Chu Yang was, after all, the most capable person in the family besides Chu Huai. Even if the family elders found out later, they wouldn't be able to do much to Chu Yang for the sake of the family's future.
If Chu Yang's mother were to act, even with the patriarch's protection, the elders would not let the matter rest.
The patriarch was a love brain, so if he acted, the outcome would be much the same as if his wife had.
But if Chu Yang was the one to act, it could be explained away as a squabble between children. With the patriarch protecting him, he could escape punishment.
This plan was actually conceived by the love-brain patriarch himself.
Chu Yang had come this time to invite Chu Huai to a banquet in two days.
Even if they were going to harm him, they certainly couldn't do it directly within the Chu family estate.
The Chu family elders treated Chu Huai like a precious treasure. The last time, it was only because they happened to be busy with other matters that Chu Yang managed to lure Chu Huai out.
Now, under the watchful eyes of those elders, Chu Yang couldn't do anything. He could only stir up trouble at the banquet.
The elders naturally didn't want to agree, but Chu Huai, with a pure and harmless expression, nodded. “Okay, I’ve never been to an outside banquet before. Are there a lot of people? Are they our age?”
The elder sighed, looking at the naive Chu Huai.
Chu Yang had already begun describing the banquet, and Chu Huai listened with a serious expression. It was at this moment that Qiu Chi returned.
She listened for a moment before losing interest, finding a random spot to sit down and taking out some snacks from her storage space to eat.
Chu Huai, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but glance at Qiu Chi several times.
Qiu Chi said, “Why are you looking at me? Pay attention to how he’s planning to harm you.”
Despite her words, Chu Huai’s gaze still couldn't help but drift toward Qiu Chi.
Chu Yang, who had been in the middle of his description, was suddenly reminded of what had happened that day. He shot up from his seat. “I-I-I, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll go now. I’ll come find you on the day of the banquet.”
With that, Chu Yang immediately fled as if a ghost were chasing him.
The elder hadn't noticed Chu Huai's subtle movements and was rather baffled by Chu Yang's behavior.
Though surprised, he didn't press the issue. He just looked at Chu Huai and said, “Since you want to go to the banquet, then go. Just remember to be careful and don't trust everyone you meet.”
Chu Huai smiled innocently. “I know, Elder Grandpa. I’ll stick with my younger brother Chu Yang. I definitely won’t wander off.”
The elder sighed again at the silly, sweet Chu Huai. He wanted to warn him to be wary of Chu Yang as well, but thinking of all the past warnings Chu Huai had never heeded, he decided not to waste his breath.
He simply said, “Study hard. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Goodbye, Elder Grandpa.”
After the elder left, Qiu Chi looked at the innocent-faced Chu Huai and sneered, “Are you truly a silly sweet, or are you actually black-bellied?”
Chu Huai turned to look at Qiu Chi and tilted his head. “What are you talking about, Sister?”
Qiu Chi ignored him and took a bite of her pastry. Chu Huai’s gaze fell on the snack, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “You can eat things as a ghost? Can they not see you or the things in your hand?”
“How ignorant.”
Chu Huai shook his head and continued to study diligently.
Among the three, only Murong Yi lacked perseverance. The other two were very self-motivated and would work hard without Qiu Chi having to say a word.
A few days later, Chu Yang arrived, dressed in new clothes for the banquet.
Chu Huai, however, was still in his usual attire. He glanced at Chu Yang's outfit, then at his own, but said nothing, maintaining his pure expression. “Are we leaving now?”
Chu Yang noticed Chu Huai's expression and lifted his chin, looking a bit smug and arrogant. “Yes, we’re leaving now.”
The banquet was filled with young men and women of similar age, all dressed in specially prepared new clothes. Chu Huai was the sole exception.
After leading Chu Huai to the banquet, Chu Yang abandoned him to one side. Although he was indeed planning to scheme against him, there was no rush.
Left where he was, Chu Huai looked lonely all by himself.
Qiu Chi sat nearby, eating the fruit and cake from the table.
Chu Huai fiddled with his fingers nervously and whispered, “Don’t eat too much. It’ll be hard to explain if they notice.”
“With all this food, who would notice such a small amount?”
Chu Huai lowered his eyes and said nothing, looking quite pitiful.
Unfortunately, this pitiful appearance didn't earn him any sympathy. Instead, it attracted some young bullies who wanted to pick on him.
A group of people walked over to the secluded corner, and the boy in the lead looked down at Chu Huai from a superior position.
Someone beside him immediately said, “What are you doing here? Don’t you know this is our territory? Scram!”
Chu Huai remained seated, his expression innocent and his tone laced with confusion. “Isn’t there still plenty of space over there? It’s enough for you all to sit.”
The leading boy had always been at odds with Chu Yang, which was one of the reasons he came over to bully Chu Huai.
He had expected to see Chu Huai timidly give up his spot, which would surely make Chu Yang lose face and give him a chance to mock him. He never imagined Chu Huai wouldn't play by the rules.
Initially intending to ignore Chu Huai, he now gave him a proper look-over before asking, “Who are you to Chu Yang?”
Other families knew a little about the Chu family's affairs, and most treated it as a joke. Some families, however, were quite indignant about it. The boy's family happened to be one of the indignant ones, which was why he and Chu Yang didn't get along.
At first, he hadn't thought much of it when he saw Chu Yang bring someone along and just wanted to cause some trouble. But now, seeing Chu Huai like this, he was suddenly reminded of a conversation between his parents. Something clicked in his mind, and he became curious about Chu Huai's identity.
Chu Huai was exceptionally good at playing the silly sweet. Besides Qiu Chi, very few people suspected he was faking it.
Now, in front of these kids, it was even easier for him to fool them.
When they heard Chu Huai say he was Chu Yang's older brother, not only did the leading boy's expression turn strange, but so did the expressions of those behind him.
Chu Huai had barely left the family estate in all these years, so naturally, few in their circle knew Chu Yang even had an older brother.
The families who did know weren't gossips and wouldn't spread it around. Their main concern was finding out the level of Chu Huai's mental strength.
But the Chu family had finally produced an S+ talent, and they guarded the secret very tightly. The rumor they let out was that Chu Huai was only a B+. Realizing Chu Huai posed no threat, they naturally stopped paying attention to him.
Now that Chu Huai was suddenly brought out by Chu Yang, both those in the know and those who weren't couldn't help but be surprised.
A myriad of thoughts raced through the leading boy's mind. He suddenly dismissed the others and sat down next to Chu Huai. “Are you Chu Yang’s biological brother? As in, from the same mother.”
Chu Huai pretended not to know anything and nodded, a look of surprise on his face. “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”
Qiu Chi took a bite of a strawberry and said, “He’s about to tell you that you and Chu Yang don’t have the same mother. It’s about time you dropped this silly sweet act. Don’t play the part so long you start to believe you really are one.”
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