Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 18

Zhang Ruochuan hurriedly ran to find Xie Ci, just in time to hear Gu Yufeng asking him how he did on the test. Xie Ci arranged his desk, looked up, and saw a group of people staring at him. He deliberately paused for two seconds and said, "Regardless of right or wrong, I filled it all in."

The group of onlooking students: "..."

What a classic slacker response.

Zhang Ruochuan patted Xie Ci on the shoulder, comforting him, "As long as you did your best."

Even though Xie Ci solved a problem that even Fang Size couldn't, he was still a bit worried and didn't dare to speak too confidently, fearing that if they really lost, Xie Ci would feel bad.

Jiang Chenyu and the others also comforted Xie Ci a bit, then returned to their seats to pack up and head home.

Gu Yufeng looked at Xie Ci, who was silently packing his schoolbag, and couldn't help but speak up, "It's just a small test. Even if you bombed it, the sky won't fall."

Xie Ci: "Mm."

Gu Yufeng couldn't stand seeing him so down and, not knowing how to comfort people, his tone inevitably carried some irritation, "You're such a big guy, and you let this little thing defeat you? If you lose, you lose. Just win next time."

Xie Ci paused slightly in his actions of picking up a book, turned his head to look at him, "Didn't you say if I lost, you'd hang me on the wall?"

Gu Yufeng: "That was to motivate you."

Xie Ci: "Didn't motivate me at all."

Gu Yufeng: "..."

Could it be that he really put too much pressure on him?

Even as they walked out of the classroom, Gu Yufeng was reflecting on himself.

Xie Ci noticed the subtle changes in Gu Yufeng's facial expressions, sulking to himself, and turned his head to look outside the corridor, afraid he'd laugh and be caught.

"If I lose, you should change seats."

Xie Ci's voice was a bit muffled, "A slacker like me doesn't deserve to be your deskmate."

Gu Yufeng suddenly grabbed Xie Ci by the collar and pinned him against the wall, squinting slightly as he scrutinized him, "Trying to lose the bet on purpose to get rid of me? Including me in the bet was just to provoke me? Nice plan, Captain Xie."

Xie Ci: "I didn't think that."

"No wonder you suddenly challenged me, waiting for this?"

Gu Yufeng leaned in, almost brushing against Xie Ci's nose, staring into his eyes, "I'm the kind of person who likes to see things through to the end. Unless I give up myself, no external person or thing can influence me."

Xie Ci: "..."

Bullshit.

What about all those flirtatious moves you learned?

Xie Ci thought about the night he got dumped in his past life, when Gu Yufeng mercilessly announced their breakup and left without hesitation. He was curious, "How can I make you give up?"

"I advise you to drop that idea."

Gu Yufeng propped himself against the wall, raised his hand to caress Xie Ci's face, his fingertips tracing down his jawline, brushing past his Adam's apple, and leisurely tidied up his collar that had been messed up. His tone was relaxed yet full of aggression, "If you lose this small test, I'll climb into your bed every night and recite formulas in your ear until you win."

Xie Ci: "..."

This shameless show-off.

The onlookers, including Zhang Ruochuan, blushed at Gu Yufeng's actions and awkwardly turned their gaze away.

It wasn't an overly intimate action, but the atmosphere made people so embarrassed they wished they could disappear into the ground.

No wonder Old Xie could keep a straight face through it all.

When they turned their heads, they found the corridors on both sides were filled with students craning their necks, all looking like they were enjoying the show.

After school on Friday, the First High School alumni group was buzzing, and soon everyone knew that the school heartthrob Xie Ci had been pinned against the wall by his beautiful deskmate again.

The beautiful deskmate even publicly declared that to improve Xie Ci's grades, he wouldn't mind sharing a bed.

Why didn't such good things happen to them?!

The girls were screaming in the group chat.

The male god turned "rival in love," this... was quite exciting.

On the way to the school gate, seeing Xie Ci with a stern face, Zhang Ruochuan chuckled, "Old Gu really likes being deskmates with Old Xie."

Anyone else would have moved away long ago after being subtly and overtly pushed away by Xie Ci.

But maybe it's because Gu Yufeng grew up abroad, straightforward and not reading the room.

Gu Yufeng: "I'm introverted, don't like moving around, and don't like making new friends all the time."

Xie Ci: "You're introverted? Are there even extroverted people in this world?"

Someone who wanted to hang onto others the first time they met, dare to say they're introverted?

Gu Yufeng: "If you were a bit nicer to me, you'd immediately get a gentle and obedient deskmate."

Xie Ci: "Not looking forward to it."

At the school gate, everyone went their separate ways home.

Xie Ci didn't go to Prosperous Lane, instead, he took the bus directly to his dad's studio in Nanling District.

From afar, he heard a whining sound, and a dog's head poked out from the door crack, howling at him.

Xie Ci quickened his pace, patted the dog's head, and was almost dumbfounded when he entered.

"Just a week and you've turned into a ball?"

The dog, once slim and agile, now looked like a gas tank, its weight skyrocketing.

Several young people holding drawing boards came out one after another, whispering about something.

"Are you really not coming next week?"

"No, following the teacher won't get me anywhere. I've already consulted another studio, and they're still hiring. I'll go there next week."

"Isn't that a bit harsh? The teacher's been good to us."

"What's the point of being good? We still need to eat. The teacher can't even sell his own paintings, let alone ours. If we stay, we'll starve together."

"But honestly, the teacher's style has changed a lot over the years."

"Haven't you noticed? The teacher's been off lately. He looks better now, but before, he seemed soulless, didn't even respond when called."

Xie Ci stepped aside, waiting for them to leave before heading up the metal stairs.

Yang Le was tidying up the reception room, and when he saw Xie Ci, his previously serious face broke into a smile, "School's out? The teacher wanted to pick you up, but he didn't know your schedule and was afraid of missing you."

"Where is he?" Xie Ci asked.

Yang Le: "The teacher went to buy groceries after class, said he wanted to have dinner ready when you got back. He's busy in the kitchen now."

Xie Ci nodded, "You should head home early too, thanks for your hard work."

After greeting, Xie Ci led Xiao Fang to their living quarters.

Behind the studio was a relatively independent two-story building with a small yard of about a hundred square meters. It used to be a kindergarten playground, now converted into a private residence.

When Xie Ci pushed the door open, he heard a clatter from the kitchen, like a metal container falling.

He tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa and hurried over.

The kitchen counter was piled with various ingredients. Xie Qian, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, was cooking, looking like he was in a chaotic battle.

Hearing the noise behind him, Xie Qian turned around, "You're back? Go check if you like your room, dinner will be ready soon."

Xie Ci doubted he could make anything edible and followed the instructions to the second floor.

His room was a south-facing master bedroom, with furniture in deep blue tones, simple and elegant. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a balcony, cleaned and adorned with a few pots of succulents, clearly newly bought.

Xie Ci took out the books he brought back and placed them on the desk, sitting at the foot of the bed, watching the sunset dye the sky red.

This was a scene he hadn't seen in his past life.

Fifteen minutes later, Xie Ci returned to the first-floor dining room, looking at a table of either burnt or undercooked dishes, resignedly took off his school uniform jacket, and turned to the kitchen.

Xie Qian knew his dishes were unpresentable, hesitated, and said, "How about we eat out?"

Xie Ci didn't even turn his head, "Forget it, too much trouble."

The ingredients were ready, so Xie Ci casually cooked a few dishes.

His cooking wasn't top-notch, but at least it was edible.

He had learned it specifically to woo Gu Yufeng.

Images of his dates with Gu Yufeng flashed before Xie Ci's eyes.

Every move he made was carefully designed to match Gu Yufeng's preferences, so every time they met, Gu Yufeng seemed very happy.

Once, a week after they met, they were dining at a high-end hotel restaurant when Gu Yufeng suddenly asked if he cooked for himself.

As someone too busy to even sleep properly, how could he have time to cook? Remembering to eat on time was already a feat.

If not for trying to win over Gu Yufeng, he wouldn't even want to waste time on dates.

"I occasionally cook dinner when I have free time."

Xie Ci didn't give a definitive answer, a negotiation tactic. He wasn't sure if Gu Yufeng liked men who cooked, as the investigation report didn't cover that.

Gu Yufeng put down his wine glass, seemingly interested, "Do you eat alone? Or invite a lady you like over for dinner?"

"President Gu, you're joking."

Xie Ci heard the probing in his words and replied calmly, "I haven't had anyone to invite over for dinner yet."

Gu Yufeng lowered his eyes and chuckled, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"President Xie seems like someone who excels at everything. I'd love to taste your cooking."

Just for that comment, Xie Ci frantically practiced cooking, and when he finally invited Gu Yufeng over, he was so nervous he forgot to add salt to all the dishes.

He still remembered Gu Yufeng's knowing smile, thinking his plan to woo him had failed, but that night they ended up in bed, surprisingly smoothly.

Looking back, Gu Yufeng probably didn't care at all, likely using the dinner invite as an excuse to sleep with him.

He maintained the persona of a love expert but lacked real dating experience, fundamentally different from someone like Gu Yufeng, a true player.

He probably made a fool of himself in front of Gu Yufeng without even realizing it.

In Gu Yufeng's eyes, he might have always been a fool.

Though it's too late to delve into it now, he's curious about what Gu Yufeng saw in him.

Ten minutes later, the father and son sat back at the dining table. Xie Qian was a bit dejected, "I'll learn to cook properly next week."

"No need to force yourself."

Xie Ci served him a bowl of yam and pork rib soup, his words sharp, "I didn't expect a divorced middle-aged man like you to make anything good."

Xie Qian held the soup bowl, deflated.

Xie Ci prepared an extra dinner for Xiao Fang, seeing Xie Qian so down, he added, "I'm not picky about food, no need to cater to me."

Xie Qian watched him drink the soup and couldn't help but ask, "How's the soup? I had Xiao Yang teach me."

Xie Ci: "Not bad, a bit bland."

"Should I make it again tomorrow?" Xie Qian asked eagerly.

Xie Ci was indifferent, just going along with him.

It was their first time eating at home together, and while the atmosphere wasn't exactly harmonious, both could feel the effort to bridge the gap.

After dinner, Xie Qian brought out a new phone for Xie Ci.

"I don't know if your school allows it, but having a phone is more convenient."

Xie Ci took it, "Can't bring it into the classroom, but it's fine if I secretly keep it in the dorm."

Xie Qian sighed in relief, a hint of a smile on his face, "Then call me if you need anything."

Xie Ci: "Mm."

The father and son took Xiao Fang for a walk, and after returning, Xie Qian went to the studio while Xie Ci, after showering, sat down to review his physics textbook.

He was used to being busy in his past life, couldn't stay idle.

His schoolbag vibrated, and Xie Ci took out the flip phone, expecting another call from Old Wang at the barbecue stall, but this time it was Fang Size.

"Old Fang?"

"Old Xie, Old Zhang and I are planning a hike tomorrow, want to join?" Fang Size's voice came through the phone.

Xie Ci: "Sure, what time?"

Fang Size: "Tentatively meeting at the school gate at 6:30... they changed the time again, let me check the group chat..."

Xie Ci: "Let's just discuss it in the group, give me the group number."

Fang Size paused and then gave the number.

"Does your phone support it?"

Xie Ci: "I changed it."

After hanging up, Xie Ci unpacked the new phone, swapped in his old SIM card, added the group number, and was quickly accepted. The group chat was buzzing.

Chuan Chuan: [Welcome Captain Xie! Your presence graces us!]

Jiang Ye: [Finally! We've been waiting for you.]

Weiwei: [Captain Xie is joining? Our group is going to explode!]

Old Fang: [I've put the activity details in the group announcement, Old Xie, check it out and let us know if there are any issues.]

The group had nineteen members, mostly basketball team members, with a few girls, likely from the cheerleading squad like Wang Wei.

Xie Ci hadn't finished reading the announcement when several people tagged him, asking him to invite Gu Yufeng too.

He realized he hadn't asked Gu Yufeng for any contact information despite being deskmates for so long.

In the end, Fang Size, using his class monitor privileges, found Gu Yufeng's number and added him to the group.

Gu Yufeng: [So many people going? Forget it, I'm socially anxious.]

Old Fang: [Old Xie is going too.]

Gu Yufeng: [Alright then.]

Xie Ci: "..."

A friend request popped up on Xie Ci's phone, from Gu Yufeng.

He casually accepted it, and Gu Yufeng's message came through immediately.

Gu Yufeng: [Planning to have fun without me?]

Xie Ci: [I just joined the group too.]

The group chat was lively, discussing the hiking route and activity plans for tomorrow.

When the topic turned to barbecue, many mentioned Xie Ci.

Chuan Chuan: [I'll bring the ingredients, Old Xie, you handle the grilling, hehe.]

Weiwei: [Is Captain Xie good at grilling?]

Jiang Ye: [He grills really well! Best among us!]

Weiwei: [Looking forward to it!]

Followed by a bunch of "Looking forward to it +1."

Suddenly, a discordant voice chimed in.

Gu Yufeng: [Not looking forward to it, it's bad.]

Xie Ci: "..."