The young man wore a smoke-gray hoodie with simple school uniform pants underneath. The autumn uniform pants were blue-black with a thin white stripe, making his already long legs look even longer. His dark eyes held a smile.

He was holding a basketball, walking toward Jiang Qian step by step.

Jiang Qian watched him approach, then looked back at the departing Shen Mo.

Xu Si stopped in front of her and followed her gaze. “What are you looking at?”

Jiang Qian shook her head. “Nothing.” She handed him the water. “Have some water.”

Xu Si took the water and drank a few sips, noticing she still had two more bottles in her hand.

Yang Shikun and Hao Ming also came out.

Jiang Qian handed the bag to the two of them.

Yang Shikun was overjoyed and immediately thanked her: “Thank you, Scholar Jiang.”

Seeing Xu Si’s gaze, he wasn’t sure whether he should accept the water Jiang Qian was offering.

“Take it,” Xu Si said.

Under Xu Si’s deadly gaze, Yang Shikun took the two bottles of water and practically fled: “We’ll go first, Brother Si.”

Xu Si looked down at Jiang Qian.

Jiang Qian felt flustered by his sudden closeness. “What is it?”

Xu Si just smiled: “I thought bringing water was my special privilege from little teacher.”

The implication was whether little teacher could only bring water for him in the future.

Jiang Qian looked at him and said seriously: “I bought it for them as an afterthought.”

Xu Si thought about how he was the only one who received the water directly from her hand, and felt somewhat better.

Jiang Qian was still holding his jacket, and took out a small packet of tissues from the pocket, handing him one: “Wipe your sweat.”

Xu Si took the tissue from her hand and smiled: “Okay.”

Luo Xing ran up to Jiang Qian, looked at Xu Si, then at Jiang Qian: “Qiao Qiao, we’re heading back first.”

Jiang Qian replied: “Okay.”

Xu Si wiped his sweat and looked at Jiang Qian: “Let’s go, back to class together.”

“Mm.”

Xu Si tilted his head to look at Jiang Qian beside him and smiled silently.

Wednesday noon.

Yang Shikun was chattering with Xu Si about what to eat for lunch.

Seeing the woman walking over, he realized who she was and stood in front of Xu Si: “Auntie, what do you want?”

Shen Yuchun looked at the two boys beside Xu Si. Neither looked like good students, giving off a delinquent vibe. She frowned at Yang Shikun’s words.

She knitted her brows – she was trying to talk to her son, what right did he have to block her? Such a poorly mannered child.

She wondered what kind of bad friends he was hanging out with to become like this.

“I’m here to see Xiao Si, please move aside,” Shen Yuchun said with a faint smile despite her thoughts.

“Big brother!” Liang Jieran saw Xu Si behind Yang Shikun and rushed to hug him.

Xu Si looked down at the boy with his radish-like head. He wore a red sweater inside and a black jacket outside, looking somewhat like Shen Yuchun.

Seeing him smiling and about to pounce, Xu Si instinctively dodged and said coldly: “I’m not your brother, don’t get so close to me.”

Liang Jieran stood there pitifully, unsure whether to move forward.

Big brother seemed to dislike him.

Shen Yuchun held Liang Jieran: “Xiao Si, I just brought your brother to see you, nothing else. He heard he had a big brother and kept insisting on seeing you, so I brought him. I wanted to see you too.”

Xu Si lowered his eyes at her: “Didn’t you already see me before?”

“I just haven’t seen you in a long time and missed you. You never come home, I worry.”

Xu Si looked at her coldly.

Didn’t she know exactly why he wouldn’t come home?

Shen Yuchun brought out a thermos from behind her and said to Xu Si: “I don’t know what you like to eat. Ran Ran likes chicken soup, so I thought you might like it too. I brought some, along with some stir-fried dishes.”

Xu Si listened to her and found it somewhat laughable: “I won’t eat your food. Take it back. I’ve said many times, don’t disturb my life.”

Liang Jieran tried to grab Xu Si’s hand but was blocked by Yang Shikun.

He looked at the fierce-looking boy in front of him: “I want to find my brother.”

Xu Si gave him a cold look: “I’m not your brother. Don’t bother me.”

Liang Jieran stepped back several steps, lost his balance and fell to the ground, then started crying loudly.

Yang Shikun saw Shen Yuchun looking over: “Auntie, I didn’t touch him at all. He fell by himself, you can’t blame me.”

He was about to help Liang Jieran up.

Shen Yuchun got to him first and helped him up. She crouched down and wiped away Liang Jieran’s tears: “Ran Ran don’t cry, mommy’s here.” She gently patted his head after speaking.

Xu Si watched all this coldly.

Watching the two of them act out their mother-son scene.

He found it ridiculous.

So crying children get candy?

So the well-behaved one should be abandoned?

He still remembered what Shen Yuchun had said – that she didn’t want him anymore, that he was a burden.

He watched Liang Jieran nestle in Shen Yuchun’s arms and prepared to leave.

Shen Yuchun stood up holding Liang Jieran and tried to grab Xu Si’s sleeve, but was blocked by Hao Ming, although Hao Ming didn’t know the full situation.

But he understood Xu Si.

Xu Si would never treat someone this way without reason.

“Xiao Si, take the food and eat it. If you like it, I’ll bring more next time.”

Xu Si looked at her and said coldly: “Can’t you understand? I don’t need your food, and I don’t need you to check on me. Don’t appear in front of me.”

After saying this, he walked straight into the school.

Yang Shikun chased after him: “Brother Si, aren’t you eating? Brother Si, don’t go back!”

Xu Si stopped and looked at him: “Don’t want to eat anymore, you guys go ahead.”

“That won’t do, Brother Si! Your stomach isn’t good, how can you skip meals?”

Xu Si just shook his head slightly and left.

Shen Yuchun was still holding Liang Jieran outside. She watched Xu Si walk away and wanted to follow, but was stopped by the security guard: “I’m sorry ma’am, parents are not allowed on campus.”

Shen Yuchun looked at Yang Shikun: “Could you help me give this to Xiao Si?”

Yang Shikun was completely exasperated – how could someone be so persistent?

He wanted to curse but held back: “Auntie, I’m begging you, please stop bothering Brother Si, okay? He’s doing well now, he’s happy. Please don’t disturb him, okay?”

“I just want to see him.”

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