TSIBAMS Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Don’t know him.”

Perhaps it was because he had just experienced the incident of Qi Guang being followed by thugs, Ye Xing was particularly alert. He answered before Zhou Tian could.

Then, he turned his bicycle head in a different direction, intending to leave.

Zhou Tian didn’t understand his intentions and didn’t say anything.

However, the person in front of him didn’t give up. He moved a step towards the front of the bicycle, blocking Ye Xing’s path. Although he was requesting an answer, his tone was not at all submissive, “Sorry, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m a friend of Qi Guang.”

Ye Xing raised his head impatiently, just about to speak when a surprised and delighted voice came from behind him—

“Brother Xu!”

Qi Guang hadn’t left Chen Town before the age of ten.

Brother Xu was Qi Guang’s childhood friend, five years older than him, without parents, living with his uncle. His uncle was only ten years older than Brother Xu and had no experience raising children, so he didn’t really care about him.

Brother Xu, who had been left to grow up on his own, became a notorious delinquent in Chen Town, engaging in fights, smoking, and drinking. He was even expelled from school for fighting with a teacher. All the children were warned by their parents not to associate with Brother Xu.

Except for Qi Guang, who was also left to grow up on his own.

However, although both were left to grow up on their own, Qi Guang was pampered by his grandfather and never got involved with the “delinquent” lifestyle.

Brother Xu was especially good at fighting and quickly gained a reputation in Chen Town. Many thugs gave him some respect. Among his many unsavory friends, Qi Guang was the only one he didn’t want to corrupt. He thought Qi Guang was particularly pleasing to the eye, and although he took him to all sorts of chaotic places, he never allowed Qi Guang to smoke or drink.

Of course, maybe it was because Qi Guang was just a little kid back then.

Qi Guang knew that the infamous Brother Xu was not as bad as the rumors said, and he always regarded Brother Xu as his own brother.

But the friendships of youth, especially in an era without advanced communication, separation meant losing contact.

Qi Guang left Chen Town at the age of ten to live with his parents. After that, he lost contact with Brother Xu, only hearing some sporadic rumors.

——Brother Xu became the leader of the thugs in Chen Town, and no one dared to provoke him.

——Brother Xu’s uncle had passed away.

In the years that followed, Qi Guang had also experienced too much. When he returned alone to this small town, he felt that he was no longer the same person he was in his childhood. He no longer cared about others, nor made friends, and sometimes he didn’t even know what the point of living was.

Maybe Brother Xu didn’t recognize him anymore.

But when he saw the figure standing in front of Ye Xing and Zhou Tian at the school gate, he called out the long-unspoken name without hesitation.

Brother Xu took Qi Guang to a bar that was under renovation. Workers were eating outside, and he found a clean table inside and pulled over two chairs, signaling Qi Guang to sit down.

“Eight years without seeing you, you’ve changed a lot.” Brother Xu sat opposite Qi Guang, carefully examining him. “You little rascal, you’re back and don’t even look for me, do you want to get beaten!”

“That’s your fault,” Qi Guang chuckled, “Who would have thought that the unbeatable Little Xu of Chen Town would turn into this?”

The Brother Xu who used to wear flip-flops and comb his hair into a pompadour was indeed different from the Brother Xu who was now dressed in casual, neat clothes. If he put on a suit, Qi Guang had no doubt that the other party would hand over his business card.

“Stop making excuses for yourself,” Brother Xu quickly tossed the blame back at him, “Did you go to a big city and now feel ashamed to hang out with your brother? I protected you so much back then, and it turns out I raised a white-eyed wolf!”

They had always loved to talk big, and although they hadn’t seen each other in years, Brother Xu showed no intention of being polite or exchanging pleasantries.

Qi Guang pleaded, “Brother Xu, please let me go, I’m not as well-connected as you, who can even find out what school I’m going to.”

“That’s right, as long as you’re in Chen Town, is there anything I wouldn’t know?” Brother Xu said in a deliberately smug manner.

Qi Guang’s gaze suddenly dimmed, and he was silent for a moment before speaking, “Since you could find out my school…”

Brother Xu knew what Qi Guang wanted to say and interrupted him before he could finish.

“I know about your situation,” Brother Xu said, looking at Qi Guang. “If you want to talk about it, you can, if not, I won’t ask.”

He heard that Qi Guang’s father had killed his mother.

He heard that Qi Guang’s grandfather had fallen ill after learning of his daughter’s death and later passed away as well.

When Brother Xu heard all this, he hoped that this Qi Guang was not that Qi Guang.

But now Qi Guang was right in front of him, his young face bearing a maturity beyond his years. Although he was smiling like before, something else always flickered in the corners of his eyes after the smile faded.

So much like himself back then.

Back then, after Brother Xu’s uncle passed away, Brother Xu, as the only heir, inherited his uncle’s meager property. After that, he no longer wanted to live idly and opened a KTV. With the help of a group of his friends, the KTV gradually began to take off. Now, although they were no longer hanging around with Brother Xu, they were still willing to call him “Brother”, and some of those with good relationships directly helped Brother Xu manage the KTV, changing their address from “Big Brother” to “Boss”.

A few days ago, a few young thugs came to his place, and Brother Xu happened to be free and joined them for drinks. Unexpectedly, one of the shorter thugs mentioned that he had a fight with Qi Guang during the day and was clamoring to take revenge.

Hearing Qi Guang’s name, Brother Xu questioned him all the way, finding out the school and the specific class, and then sent his men to inquire.

The more he inquired, the more he could connect it to his memories of his little follower. Brother Xu was very happy that Qi Guang was back, but the more he inquired, the more he felt sorry for the current Qi Guang.

“There’s nothing to be willing or unwilling to say, what you heard is the truth.”

Qi Guang took out a cigarette and offered one to Brother Xu.

Brother Xu took the cigarette without a word and silently lit it. He saw that Qi Guang was fumbling around for a long time but couldn’t find a lighter, so he tossed his lighter to him.

“Tell me if you need money.”

“Brother Xu!” Qi Guang said with a look of ‘that’s not necessary’.

“It’s not like I’m going to take care of you,” Brother Xu took a puff of his cigarette, “You’re thinking too much!”

Qi Guang looked at Brother Xu, waiting for him to continue.

“See this bar? It’s under renovation. It will open next month. I’m worried that I don’t have any trustworthy people. Then you fell from the sky. Of course, you go to school, and when you’re free, just come and help. If you have a job somewhere else, quit it all, and I’ll pay you double.”

After speaking, Brother Xu felt that he hadn’t expressed himself well, sounding like disguised charity, and added, “Your Brother Xu doesn’t throw money away, the bar is just starting out, and there’s a lot for you to learn. Moreover, the KTV upstairs is also mine, and you’ll have to look after both places, got it?”

“Brother Xu,” Qi Guang took a deep breath, smiled, and looked at the other party and said, “Thank you.”

Brother Xu stood up and knocked Qi Guang on the head, “I only want to hear those three words this once, if you mention it again, I’ll smash your head.”

“Okay, Brother Xu, if I say it again, you smash my head and use it to set off fireworks!”

At that moment, Qi Guang’s stomach made a rumbling sound, as if to cooperate with his mention of fireworks.

Brother Xu laughed at Qi Guang’s stomach for being as restless as it was when he was a kid, and then took out his phone to order takeout. At this time, the construction workers also finished eating and went back in to continue working. Brother Xu found it too noisy, so he took Qi Guang to the entrance.

The entrance was bustling with activity. It must be said that Brother Xu’s place had a good location, in the commercial center of Chen Town. Although the commercial center of Chen Town wasn’t anything great, bars were still fashionable novelties in Chen Town. It was rare to find a few, and those that did open were usually quite remote. Boys were fine with that, but girls weren’t willing to go. Without girls, the bars naturally didn’t attract boys either.

Once this bar opened, it would surely become a mixed gathering place for teenagers trying to show off and thugs on the hunt.

Brother Xu gestured for Qi Guang to look up at the signboard.

“The signboard is blank?” Qi Guang asked, looking at the empty storefront.

“Yeah,” Brother Xu twisted his neck, his gaze not leaving the direction of the signboard. “I haven’t been able to decide what name to use. It’s been dragging on until it’s almost finished, and I still don’t have any ideas. Guess it’s the price of being uncultured. You’re well-educated, you can come up with something.”

“Ah?” Qi Guang seemed to have encountered a difficult problem. “I could name a cat or a dog, but I really don’t have any ideas for what a bar should be called.”

If he wanted it to seem more sophisticated, he could choose an English name. But considering the average education level in Chen Town, an English name would likely drastically reduce customer traffic due to people not being able to find the place. A more literary name would sound too feminine for the boss’s personality.

Qi Guang, being terrible at naming things, thought seriously for a long while, and then sighed.

“It doesn’t need to be too complicated, just easy to remember,” Brother Xu reminded him.

“Alright, I’ll think about it when I get back.”

Brother Xu and Qi Guang exchanged phone numbers, and the takeout arrived shortly after.

The inside was under construction, and there was too much dust to sit inside.

So, the two simply sat on the curb in front of the bar and ate their takeout.

Eight years ago, when they were a group of people messing around, they often found a curb to sit down and eat, not caring about their image.

It was as if they had returned to their childhood. While eating, Brother Xu recounted all the stupid things Qi Guang had done when he was little, and talked about what he had been through in recent years. Qi Guang became more talkative in front of Brother Xu, and the two couldn’t wait to share all the interesting experiences they had missed in each other’s lives.

Brother Xu suddenly remembered something and rolled up Qi Guang’s sleeve.

A long scar appeared on Qi Guang’s arm. Although the wound was shallow, it was obviously a new scar.

“Hey! Brother Xu, what are you doing?” Qi Guang pulled down his sleeve.

Brother Xu’s expression darkened, and he took out his phone and dialed a number. “What’s the name of that short guy at the place a few days ago? Tell him that if he dares to go after Qi Guang, I’ll still break his leg.”

Ye Xing was still dragged by Zhou Tian to his house for dinner. He originally planned to eat something casually outside and go to the supermarket to stock up on groceries early on the weekend after school.

But Zhou Tian didn’t give him a chance to go to a restaurant and pulled him back to the shop.

Ye Xing was sitting at the dining table, no longer as reserved as he was the first time he had a meal there. Xiao Bao still wanted to sit next to him. He carefully put on Xiao Bao’s bib and moved the chair forward.

Xiao Bao tugged at Ye Xing’s sleeve and said, “Brother Ye, will you eat with us every day from now on?”

Ye Xing gently flicked Xiao Bao’s forehead, “No, be careful, Brother Ye will eat all your food, and you won’t have anything to eat.”

“It’s just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks,” Aunt Shen said as she came out with dishes, “Feel free to come anytime.”

Zhou Tian looked utterly defeated, “I’m superfluous.”

While eating, Zhou Tian remembered what happened after school and casually asked Ye Xing, “Why did you say you didn’t know Qi Guang today?”

“I was afraid someone would cause trouble for him.” Ye Xing blurted out without thinking.

“Ah? Is someone causing trouble for Qi Guang?” Zhou Tian raised his head.

Ye Xing closed his eyes, cursing himself inwardly for being so talkative.

Hearing Qi Guang’s name, Aunt Shen interjected, “Are you talking about that Qi Guang in your class? Alas, that poor child, his grandfather used to order clothes from me often…”

Zhou Tian quickly stopped her with a look.

Aunt Zhou didn’t continue, turning her attention to feeding Xiao Bao instead.

“It’s okay,” Ye Xing said, “I understand what happened to his family.”

Zhou Tian moved closer to Ye Xing and whispered, “Did Qi Guang tell you?”

“Mm.” Ye Xing hummed while eating.

Zhou Tian moved closer to Ye Xing, lowering his voice further, “Is it true that they say his father killed his mother?”

Ye Xing almost spat out his food.

“Huh???”

He put down his chopsticks and took a sip of water. “What’s that?”

“That’s what everyone says, but no one dares to ask. I just want to care about my classmate. But it seems, you don’t know any more than I do. What did he tell you?”

Ye Xing really didn’t know about what Zhou Tian was saying. That day, Qi Guang said that he was the only one left in his family, and Ye Xing just thought that his family had passed away unexpectedly or something, and had never thought that there was such a shocking story behind it.

However, since Zhou Tian had been Qi Guang’s classmate for so long and Qi Guang hadn’t mentioned anything about his family, it meant he probably didn’t want to talk about it.

As for telling him, someone he had only met recently…

Qi Guang didn’t seem like someone who was unguarded.

It must have been because he had drunk too much that day.

Ye Xing felt complicated, unsure whether it was because of his heartache for Qi Guang or because of the shock of the rumors. He replied, “Qi Guang didn’t tell me anything. You shouldn’t ask around.”

Zhou Tian, whose emotional intelligence was usually low, finally understood for once and didn’t ask any further questions.