YMW CH 5

Bad Deeds Done to the Full

Cen Wu felt both physically and mentally exhausted, and even his abdominal muscles no longer had any appeal to him. He never really liked them to begin with.

It was just a glance.

After Xie Guilan finished his IV drip, Cen Wu carefully avoided the bruise on the back of his hand and gently removed the needle.

He didn’t even know when he had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was 5:30 AM. Xie Guilan had already left. His schoolbag and uniform were gone, but the blanket still held some warmth.

Cen Wu had originally planned for Xie Guilan to rest properly, but since he had already left, he couldn’t call him back.

The mansion had been filled with a bustling crowd of servants last night, which had overwhelmed him. Even now, just thinking about it made his legs shake. He needed to leave quickly while most of the servants were still asleep.

Though there would be more people at school, at least he wouldn’t be the center of attention in the crowd.

The original owner’s health hadn’t been great, and the Cen family had spoiled him. Even if he dropped out now, no one would say anything. But Cen Wu decided to stick to his plan and finish high school.

Otherwise, when things came to light, his parents would shake their heads and coldly say, “You’re useless, just end him.”

What should he do?

Cen Wu sighed and walked toward the bathroom. When he raised his head to look at the mirror, his gaze froze. The face of the original owner looked exactly like his own at that age.

The youthful skin was fair, the eyes slightly red from lack of sleep, the lashes damp and curled. His naturally cold beauty was softened by deep dimples under his eyes, giving him an almost non-threatening prettiness.

“…”

Well, this was fine. It would feel strange to wear someone else’s face.

After getting ready, Cen Wu put on his uniform and went out. However, as soon as he reached the door to his room and grabbed the doorknob, he stiffened. His lips parted slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his nose.

He stood frozen, his mind racing through countless embarrassing scenarios.

For example, if he opened the door, the old butler would be there, wearing a black tailcoat, flanked by dozens of servants in two neat rows, all bowing to him and saying, “Young Master, good morning!”

He pressed his forehead against the door, banging it a few times. On the final thud, he accidentally hurt himself and raised his hand to rub his face, his eyes shimmering between his fingers.

It’s fine, it’s fine.

Cen Wu took a deep breath, steeled himself, and grasped the doorknob, pushing it open with force.

!!!

Cen Wu immediately flinched, his heart racing, blood rushing to his face. He felt like a startled cat, tense and on edge, his ears almost flat against his skull.

To his surprise, Cen Xiao, his older brother, stood at the foot of the stairs.

He hadn’t sent Cen Xiao a message last night, planning to do it today. Cen Shi was busy acquiring a pharmaceutical company, so he didn’t know why Cen Xiao had suddenly returned.

Who could understand this fear of bumping into someone and having to greet them?

“…”

Cen Wu adjusted his breathing and forced himself to walk forward. “…Bro, when did you get back?”

Cen Xiao was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t often seen Cen Wu wearing his school uniform, and the blue and white outfit made the boy look soft and clean, his cheeks and neck pale as snow.

But for some reason, the timid and fearful look on his face seemed like it had been deeply shocked.

“Just got home,” Cen Xiao replied, eyeing him with suspicion. He then grabbed Cen Wu by the nape of his neck and led him downstairs. “Come eat.”

The night was still dark, and Cen Wu had barely slept before getting up. The mansion’s lights gradually flickered on as servants prepared the long white table with dishes. The butler served Cen Xiao a cup of coffee.

Cen Xiao, twenty-seven years old, had taken over the family business even before graduating from university. He was tall and had a very mature physique, with deep, sharp features. He didn’t look much like Xie Guilan, but both had intense, striking facial structures, with especially deep eye sockets, giving them a dangerous, oppressive presence.

Last night, the butler had informed him that Cen Wu had brought Xie Guilan back, which made him uneasy. Xie Guilan had a complicated relationship with the Xie family and was troublesome, so Cen Xiao didn’t want Cen Wu to get involved with him.

He frowned, wanting to ask Cen Wu, but the boy had his head lowered, eating quickly, almost burying his face in the bowl, his lashes trembling. He looked so anxious and hesitant, glancing up only nervously at Cen Xiao.

He’d never seen Cen Wu look so submissive and meek, almost like a fragile animal lost in human territory, eating a few bites while constantly checking his expressions.

What the hell, it was making him soft-hearted.

“Why are you up so early today?” Cen Xiao’s tone softened.

Cen Wu fiddled with his spoon, his fingers gripping his school uniform as if trying to pretend to be busy. He couldn’t sit down and eat with a stranger, especially not in a formal setting.

He stuttered, “I… I have to go to school.”

Cen Xiao’s face showed surprise. It was the first time he had heard Cen Wu voluntarily say he wanted to go to school, but since Cen Wu said so, he wouldn’t discourage him. “Perfect, I’m heading to the company anyway. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Th-thank you, brother,” Cen Wu said awkwardly, trying to smile politely despite his discomfort.

“Still acting up?” Cen Xiao teased as he added a fish dumpling to Cen Wu’s bowl. “No need to be so polite with your brother.”

Cen Xiao had come back specifically to check on Cen Wu. Once Cen Wu finished eating, he drove him to school.

The black Maybach parked outside the school gates, and Cen Xiao patted Cen Wu on the head. “Just enjoy school. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

As long as he was around, Cen Wu wouldn’t have to worry. He’d take care of him for life, even if he didn’t know anything.

Cen Wu obediently nodded. “I know.”

Cen Wu told him to just be happy, not to sound sarcastic. When Cen Wu read this novel, he initially thought Cen Xiao was a villain who would later oppose Xie Guilan.

In wealthy families, sibling conflicts were too common. It seemed obvious that Xie Guilan had affected Cen Xiao’s inheritance rights.

But after finishing the novel, Cen Wu realized he was wrong. Cen Xiao genuinely cared for his younger brother. Even when the original character caused chaos, Cen Xiao still took care of him, which made Cen Xiao feel so disappointed in the end.

When Xie Guilan was brought back to the Cen family, Cen Xiao treated him well and tried to make up for what happened. He even wanted Xie Guilan to join Cen Shi without any ill feelings, not minding the half of the family fortune that would be lost.

“Brother,” Cen Wu summoned his courage and waved at Cen Xiao. “You… you be careful on the road.”

“Okay.” Cen Xiao raised an eyebrow, and his cold, sharp eyes softened with warmth. Cen Wu had always been arrogant, and Cen Xiao would protect him no matter what, but seeing his younger brother suddenly show some maturity made him feel pleased.

Though it felt a bit odd, Cen Wu usually acted this way, and Cen Xiao didn’t think much of it.

---

Cen Wu separated from Cen Xiao and headed toward the classroom.

Who would’ve thought that, at twenty-one, after finally graduating from college, he would have to retake the college entrance exams?

The original character had attended Huaijing No. 1 High School, where Xie Shangjing was in Class 2 and Cen Wu had been in Class 3.

Huaijing No. 1 was a key school, and Xie Guilan had entered with the highest score in the city’s middle school exams. As for the original character, Cen Wu’s father had donated a building to the school.

“…”

The gap between people was wider than the one between humans and dogs.

Today was Wednesday. It had rained last night, and the sky was still overcast. Cen Wu arrived early, and only the class monitor was in the classroom when he got there.

The original character sat in the second-to-last row, near the hallway, and Xie Guilan was behind him in the last row, with his left side next to the back door and his right side against the trash bin.

Cen Wu hadn’t slept much last night while taking care of Xie Guilan, so he wanted to catch up on some sleep. But when he reached the back row, he froze.

Xie Guilan’s desk was soaked with water, dripping wet. The papers he hadn’t taken were completely soaked, and there was a pile of garbage thrown under his desk.

It was so dirty that the class monitor didn’t want to clean it up.

Xie Guilan was tall, handsome, and had good grades, so he rarely faced bullying. But he often wore a cold expression, isolated himself from everyone in class, and disappeared after school, smelling of smoke and alcohol, often showing up at school with wounds.

He seemed distant and sharp.

Several boys in the class had a problem with him, especially the ones who were close to the original character. They would throw dirty water on his desk, dump garbage, and make trouble, as if it was routine.

The worst incident was on the first day of school in Grade 2. Someone had thrown a bloody dead mouse into Xie Guilan’s desk drawer.

The class monitor nearly wet himself when he saw it.

Xie Guilan’s eyes grew colder. He cleaned up the mess while wearing gloves, but the students couldn’t help but gossip. Even though they knew it wasn’t his fault, it was hard not to resent him.

“His papers are all chewed up by rats. How disgusting. Who knows if they have diseases? I don’t want to collect them.”

“His clothes are dirty. Didn’t you smell him? I went to get water earlier, and he smelled terrible.”

“Gross, so disgusting! If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the classroom. I just cleaned the floor last night, and now it’s all messed up. Why can’t he take care of his own desk?”

The situation worsened, and the school eventually found out, but only a little change occurred.

Cen Wu pressed his lips together. He dropped his bag and went to the back row to grab a few clean rags, then bent down to wipe Xie Guilan’s desk. Fortunately, today’s water didn’t smell.

As he cleaned, he suddenly remembered something, grabbed a mask, and squeezed it tightly, then bent down to look at the desk drawer.

“…Yuck.”

Though there wasn’t a dead mouse this time, Xie Guilan’s drawer was filled with trash: used scratch paper, food wrappers, and all sorts of liquids.

After fermenting overnight, it had developed a sour, rancid smell.

Cen Wu’s face turned pale, his eyes red with discomfort. He grabbed a pair of gloves and started throwing the trash away before bringing a bucket of water to clean up.

Class 3 was a key class, mostly made up of students who were admitted based on their grades, while others like the original character were from wealthy families.

Several class monitors saw Cen Wu cleaning Xie Guilan’s desk, but none dared to ask. They just stared at him secretly.

The attention made Cen Wu uncomfortable. His hands fumbled with the rag, and he lowered his head further, scrubbing with more force. His white ears slowly turned pink under the gaze.

Cen Wu wiped for over half an hour, until the rag wore out. Only then did he feel it was clean enough, and he disinfected the desk thoroughly.

He also placed Xie Guilan’s papers on the heater to dry.

Even though it was August and the rain had kept the temperature lower, the papers should dry in no time.

After finishing, Cen Wu tightened his mask, threw out the trash downstairs, and then sat back down at his desk with a heavy heart.

Original character! You’ve done so many bad things…

Classmates began trickling in, and suddenly someone slapped the desk in front of Cen Wu. He looked up to see the face of a curly-haired boy.

It was his deskmate, Lu Wang.

The Cen and Xie families had little connection beyond business dealings, and the original character had been friends with Xie Shangjing on his own. But the Cen and Lu families were old friends, and they arranged for them to sit together.

“You didn’t reply to my message last night,” Lu Wang complained. “I even called you on video.”

Cen Wu: “…”

Too busy admiring abs.

“You… what did you send me?” Cen Wu pulled out his phone.

But when he opened the chat, his pupils shrank. Lu Wang had transferred three million yuan to him last night!

Cen Wu was stunned. “Why did you transfer… money?”

“Didn’t you want to buy sneakers?” Lu Wang looked at him in confusion. “I’m surprised you’re taking so long. Hurry up and accept it, or it’ll be refunded.”

Cen Wu quickly shook his head. “I… I can buy them myself.”

“Huh?” Lu Wang asked, not catching on. “But didn’t you say, ‘With our relationship, my money is your money’? Why are you suddenly being so polite?”

Cen Wu: “…”

One talks, the other believes.

Cen Wu finally remembered this part. The original character had been cruel and cowardly, fearing being kicked out of the Cen family. So, while spending money recklessly, he also tried to save some, focusing on Lu Wang, who had money but was naive. Over the past year, Lu Wang had transferred over 600,000 yuan to the original character.

“Your money is my money,” Cen Wu said, expressionless, “and my money is still mine, right?”

Lu Wang nodded foolishly. “Yeah, right.”

Cen Wu: “… Right?!”

“Take it.”

“No… I can’t take it.”

“Yes, you can! Take it!”

“No… I can’t!”

“All of it, I insist!”

“No!”