Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 11

A dull thud came from upstairs, followed by something rolling down the stairs, accompanied by Chen Zhanpeng's beast-like cries and wails, like a giant baby who hasn't grown up.

Chen Xinhong heard the noise, looked up and glared at Xie Ci, his face dark: "Are you satisfied now?"

"Why are you doing this to us?! Haven't we been good enough to you?!"

Ye Yurou started crying again as she spoke, slapping the armrest of the sofa, her tone unusually sharp, "Do you know how much effort we put in to get Pengpeng into First High School?! You've ruined everything! You've ruined his life!"

With Ye Yurou's mention, Xie Ci remembered that Chen Zhanpeng didn't get into First High School on his own; Chen Xinhong pulled some strings and spent a lot of money to get him in, just because he chose First High School, and they couldn't allow their son to be worse than him.

Xie Ci walked towards the staircase, his expression indifferent: "If you keep treating me like this, I can ruin your lives too."

A casual remark left Chen Xinhong and his wife shocked, watching him go upstairs in disbelief.

Not long ago, he was just a child they could manipulate, but recently he had completely changed, becoming someone terrifying.

The next day, Saturday, Xie Ci's biological clock was precise. He woke up at 6:30, went back to sleep until 8:00, and then got up.

When he went downstairs, he heard voices coming from the living room on the first floor.

A group of neighbors had come with milk and other gifts to visit Chen Zhanpeng. Ye Yurou was hosting them, wearing makeup but still unable to hide her fatigue.

"I heard your Pengpeng broke his leg. Is it serious? It's his senior year, and it would be bad if it affected his studies."

"I heard he was expelled from First High School? What's going on? You should quickly pull some strings; maybe there's still room for negotiation, even if it costs more money."

"Did Pengpeng really go out to borrow from loan sharks and get into a knife fight? That's too dangerous!"

"The poor kid, with a broken leg, can't even study. If he's expelled from First High School, no other good high school in the city will take him!"

The beautiful facade was torn apart, and the perfect image Ye Yurou had maintained for years crumbled, which was more painful for her than anything else.

She looked embarrassed, occasionally responding, and when she asked if they had any connections, the neighbors started to change the subject.

These people, pretending to be concerned about your troubles, weren't worried about you doing poorly; they just wanted to confirm that you were indeed doing poorly, so they could be satisfied.

Xie Ci glanced at them and lost interest in listening, ignoring everyone's gaze as he walked straight out the door.

He first went to buy a leash, then searched around the neighborhood and found Xiaofang being fed in someone's yard.

"Aunt Wu." Xie Ci walked to her door.

The middle-aged woman called Aunt Wu heard the voice and quickly got up to open the iron gate: "Xiao Ci, here to see Xiaofang? Come in."

Xiaofang heard Xie Ci's voice, dropped the food bowl, wagged its tail, and ran to rub its head against his leg, happiness written all over its face.

Xie Ci patted the sturdy dog's head and said to Aunt Wu, "I've found a foster family for it, and I'm planning to take it there today."

Aunt Wu smiled, "That's great! I was worried about how it would get through the winter. My son is allergic to dog hair, so I really couldn't keep it."

After Xiaofang finished eating, Xie Ci put the leash on it.

When saying goodbye, Aunt Wu was reluctant and brought out a bag of ribs, insisting that Xie Ci take them.

Unable to take a pet on the bus, Xie Ci hailed a cab to Nanling District, getting off forty minutes later on a remote, quiet street.

The place used to be a private kindergarten, later bought and remodeled, retaining only the basic structure of the park, now unrecognizable, and currently an art studio.

Xie Ci glanced at the "Jianyan Studio" sign by the gate and led the dog inside.

"Are you Xie Ci?"

Hearing his name, Xie Ci looked over and saw a boy about his age holding a game console. He had been squatting in the corner playing games but stood up to greet him when he saw him.

"And you are?" Xie Ci casually replied.

"I'm Xie Jinlin, I just transferred to First High School, Class 2 this semester."

Xie Jinlin said excitedly, "I'm a fan of yours. I transferred from Second High School to First High School just to watch you play basketball! I didn't expect to meet you here, what a coincidence! Can you sign an autograph for me?"

Xie Ci looked at this silly boy talking non-stop, declined the autograph, and was about to walk inside when he saw a group of people in suits coming out from the corner of his eye.

Leading them was an old man in his sixties or seventies, leaning on a cane, followed by four burly men dressed as bodyguards.

"Jinlin, let's go."

The old man had a stern face, looking in a bad mood, glanced at Xie Ci as if he didn't care, and was escorted out by the group.

"Coming, Grandpa!"

Xie Jinlin responded, then turned to Xie Ci, "Senior, I have to go. See you at school next time."

Xie Ci nodded slightly, watching the grandfather and grandson get into a Rolls-Royce by the roadside.

If he remembered correctly, this should be the head of the Xie family in Blue Sea City, Xie Hongguang.

The Xie family was involved in multiple fields such as healthcare, technology, real estate, and finance, comparable in size to the Gu family at this point in time.

In the Gu family's composition, the overseas market accounted for half, while the Xie family was like a local tyrant. In terms of the domestic market alone, the Xie family had a more solid foundation than the Gu family.

However, the Xie family's internal management was chaotic, the upper management was conservative, the middle management couldn't grasp real power, and the younger generation's reforms were obstructed. Several important decisions were all wrong, and within less than ten years, they fell from grace and disappeared without a trace.

Watching the car drive away, Xie Ci didn't dwell on it, heading up the metal stairs on the side to the second floor, knocking on the tightly closed door.

"I've told you many times, the teacher isn't seeing anyone! Please leave—"

The person who opened the door spoke with a polite yet impatient tone, but upon seeing Xie Ci, their expression changed immediately, "Is that you, Xiao Ci? Come in!"

"Brother Yang."

Xie Ci greeted, leading Xiaofang inside.

The man in his thirties, looking gentle and refined, was Yang Le, his father's assistant.

After his father's death, Yang Le went to Country D to develop his career. Including the time they met at the art exhibition, he hadn't seen this person more than five times.

"Is this your dog? It's so cute."

Yang Le squatted down to pet Xiaofang's head, then invited Xie Ci to sit down, bringing over some tea and snacks, "Have a seat, the teacher is in the studio, I'll go get him! He'll be so happy to know you're here!"

"No need."

Xie Ci stopped him, "You help me watch Xiaofang, I'll go find him myself."

Yang Le was slightly taken aback, hesitated, then nodded: "Alright."

Xie Ci poured the ribs he brought into a plate, placed it in front of Xiaofang, and got up to leave.

The backyard had a separate bungalow, which used to be the kindergarten's kitchen, later converted into his father's exclusive studio.

On the way to the backyard, he had to cross a gallery of dozens of meters, with many oil paintings hanging on both sides, mostly works by his father's students.

In both his past and present life, Xie Ci had never really looked at these paintings; he couldn't face them.

Parents who gave birth but didn't raise him, who abandoned him, he didn't want to pay attention to anything about them. If possible, he'd prefer never to have any contact.

After his father returned to the country, he would visit him almost every month, but he always avoided him, preferring to endure abuse at his aunt's house rather than seek their help.

Even if they came to see him, what was the point? They'd leave soon anyway, just putting on a show. If they really cared, they wouldn't have abandoned him.

No one was reliable; he only had himself.

After graduating high school in his past life, he went to the city where his university was located to work a summer job to earn living expenses. At that time, he received a call from his father, saying he wanted to have a meal together to celebrate his admission to university.

His response was, "I can't eat at the same table with you."

Unexpectedly, that was the last thing he said to his father.

Three days later, he received a call from his aunt, saying his father had committed suicide.

His aunt cried uncontrollably on the phone, blaming him for driving his father to despair.

He didn't even attend the funeral; he couldn't accept it.

He, the "victim," didn't want to die, but the "perpetrator" died first. What right did he have to die first?

It wasn't until years later, at an art exhibition in Country D, when he met Yang Le and revisited the past, that Xie Ci learned his father hadn't committed suicide; he died in an accident.

His father had depression, and in the last year, he was often in a daze. When he went to the warehouse to get art supplies, something fell from above, and he didn't have time to dodge. It hit him in a critical spot, and by the time Yang Le found him and took him to the hospital, it was too late.

Xie Ci stopped in front of a painting. From here on, they were all works by his father, Xie Qian, with increasingly extreme styles and bold colors.

The last painting in the corridor had thick fog almost covering the entire canvas, with even the only beam of firelight about to go out.

Xie Ci only glanced at it, feeling as if he was being sucked into the painting, falling into an endless abyss. The sense of weightlessness and the loneliness that seeped into his bones made it hard for him to breathe.

This was his father's work from five years ago; he was probably already mentally unstable by then.

Descending the stairs from the external corridor, crossing the garden, Xie Ci stood under a ginkgo tree, looking at the studio five meters away.

The studio had heavy curtains drawn, with only a slit open, allowing sunlight to stream in.

The middle-aged man with long hair and a scruffy beard sat in that beam of light, painting.

In his youth, he couldn't understand, and he hated his father, who only cared about painting. Why did he have time to paint but not to take care of him? Now he understood.

Some people can only do one thing well in their lifetime.

In this middle-aged man before him, Xie Ci saw a reflection of himself—extremely focused on his career but making a mess of his life.

He had struggled for half his life, only to become the person he despised the most.

After calming his emotions, Xie Ci walked to the tightly closed door of the studio and knocked a few times.

No one responded for a long time, so Xie Ci tried pushing it, and it opened easily.

The studio was a mess, with various frames and art supplies scattered everywhere, leaving almost no room to step.

Even after he entered the room, the person immersed in painting didn't react, as if he couldn't hear the noise.

Xie Ci stood at the door watching him, then softly spoke, "Dad."

The person behind the easel finally looked up, and upon seeing Xie Ci, his previously numb face lit up with joy.

"Xiao Ci?!"

Xie Qian hurriedly got up, kicking the easel in his haste.

"Be careful!" Xie Ci wanted to help, but Xie Qian fell to the ground first, covered in spilled paint.

Xie Ci: "..."

What a damn mess.

Ten minutes later, the father and son sat in the reception room on the second floor.

Yang Le brought a first aid kit, squatting in front of the sofa to treat the scrape on Xie Qian's knee.

Xie Ci sat in a single seat nearby, petting Xiaofang's head, and said to Xie Qian, who was looking at him eagerly, "You don't need to come to the house to find me anymore. Starting next Monday, I'll be living at school."

When he mentioned the first part, he saw the light in Xie Qian's eyes quickly fade. But when he mentioned the second part, the light returned.

Xie Ci never realized how much he affected others.

"Living at school, huh."

Xie Qian clasped his hands tightly in front of him, as if trying hard to find a topic, "Living at school is good. I lived at school during my senior year too. So if I want to see you, should I go to the school?"

"No need. As long as I don't have plans on the weekends, I'll come here."

Saying this, Xie Ci lightly patted Xiaofang's head, "I won't have time to take care of it while living at school, so I want to leave it here. If you're too busy, let Brother Yang take care of it occasionally. It's very well-behaved, just needs some food."

"Sure! I'm free, I can take care of it!"

Xie Qian quickly agreed, as if afraid Xie Ci would suddenly change his mind, and cautiously asked, "Will you be staying here on weekends? Should I prepare a room for you?"

Xie Ci nodded, not refusing.

Xie Qian, as if injected with adrenaline, immediately asked Yang Le to arrange a schedule, wanting to buy furniture that afternoon.

"No need to buy anything special, just a bed will do."

As Xie Ci spoke, he noticed Xie Qian's fingers trembling slightly and frowned, "What's wrong with your hand? Did you hurt it earlier?"

Yang Le noticed and got up to fetch medicine and a cup of warm water.

"No need, I'm fine." Xie Qian didn't want to waste the rare time with his son, not even giving Yang Le a glance, clearly refusing to take the medicine.

"If you don't take the medicine, your condition will worsen." Yang Le tried to persuade him.

Xie Qian was a bit angry at Yang Le for mentioning this in front of his son: "I'm not sick, why take medicine?"

Xie Ci watched, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa: "Will you take it or not?"

Seeing Xie Ci's face darken, Xie Qian immediately complied, taking the medicine to swallow.

"Wait, have you eaten? You can't take medicine on an empty stomach." Xie Ci looked at Yang Le, "Brother Yang, could you please get something for my dad to eat?"

Yang Le, seeing that Xie Ci could handle Xie Qian, happily agreed: "Sure!"

"No need to go to such trouble."

Xie Qian grabbed the boiled ribs on the corner of the low table, "I'll just gnaw on these to get by."

Xie Ci: "Those are for the dog!"

Xie Qian: "..."