《Sissy》


 CH 1.1

    ¡°Li, hey, look.¡±


    Li Chengxiu was busy putting salt in the pot, and when he heard Manager Zhang calling him from behind, he hurriedly responded first and then turned his head back after putting the salt.


    This hotel has been open only for three months now. The appliances in the kitchen are all new and bright. The luxuriant fire shines on the silver-white cabinet doors, and Li Chengxiu¡¯s white and delicate face shines even more glitteringly. Even the fine beads of sweat on the tip of the nose also shine through the crystal.


    He wiped the sweat from his face: ¡°Manager Zhang, what happened.¡±


    Manager Zhang pointed to the person next to him and said: ¡°Qian, you take it.¡± Then he said to Li Chengxiu, ¡°You come with me.¡±


    Li Chengxiu hurriedly handed the spatula to Qian, turned on the faucet, washed his hands, and walked over with some anxiety.


    Manager Zhang led him outside and said ¡°Li, you are lucky this time.¡±


    Li Chengxiu was confused and unhurriedly followed, ¡°Manager Zhang, what¡¯s the matter with me?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Liu is here today. He came here to entertain a distinguished guest, even our boss came to accompany him. As a result, the guest was full of praise for the few dishes you cooked. He is going to hold a sea party in Victoria Harbour next month. The chef of the Chinese food section has not been decided yet. He¡¯s interested to see if you can do it.¡±


    Li Chengxiu was taken aback. Some of the chefs he had worked with before were invited by wealthy people to prepare banquets, New Year¡¯s Eve dinners, and so on. They were tired for a few days, but when they met generous patrons, one time would be worth several months¡¯ salary. It is like a pie fall falling from the sky. He has never had his turn because of his low qualifications.


    Today he was able to encounter such a good thing. His face flushed with joy for a while, and his heart was pounding with excitement and nervousness.


    Manager Zhang smiled and looked at him: ¡°Be happy! You are really lucky. It¡¯s been less than a month since you transferred from the headquarters. Now, you go in and change your clothes, wash your face, and move quickly.¡±


    Li Chengxiu nodded and lowered his head and headed to the cloakroom. Just before he was about to push the door, he thought of something, turned back and said: ¡°Manager Zhang, thank you.¡±


    Manager Zhang waved his hand: ¡°go change your clothes.¡±


    Li Chengxiu rushed in and took out the washed and slightly scented pure white chef¡¯s uniform and changed into it, and splashed water on his face a few times. The smell of grease and smoke from the kitchen seems to have gone down a lot.


    After he came out, Manager Zhang led him to the box, and he carefully asked: ¡°Li, I know you can¡¯t talk. If you can say less for a while, you say less. You can only answer whatever they ask.¡±


    Li Chengxiu nodded quietly. ¡°okay!¡±


    ¡°Remember, after going in, first say hello to our boss, and then to boss Liu. You may often hear of him but have never seen him. He is bald and wearing a blue shirt, say ¡®Hello Mr. Liu¡¯. Then on his left-hand side is the guest, surnamed Shao, quite young, looks like a star, say ¡®Hello Mr. Shao¡¯. Got it?¡±


    ¡°yes¡±


    ¡°Remember the order first, our boss, then Liu, then Shao. The rest are not important, you can just nod. You rarely say a few words a day. So stop talking after you finish calling unless someone asks you. Leave the rest to me, you understand?¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you, Manager Zhang.¡± Li Chengxiu nodded with gratitude. Manager Zhang doesn¡¯t talk to him very much. He didn¡¯t expect to take care of him. It made him a little flattered.


    The two walked to a box, and Manager Zhang gently knocked on the door.


    The boss¡¯s voice came from inside: ¡°Come in.¡±


    Manager Zhang opened the door and led Li Chengxiu in.


    When Li Chengxiu looked at the table surrounded by nearly ten people, he looked at them all at once. He only felt a blur before his eyes and his brain buzzed. There was a momentary blankness. Even with the central air conditioner blowing in the room, he is still nervous and sweaty.


    He has a somewhat autistic personality and rarely speaks. This feeling of being watched by everyone makes his legs weak and his tongue becomes knotted.


    Manager Zhang hurriedly nudged him.


    Only then did Li Chengxiu react from dazedness. His eyes got a little focus, and he found his boss first, and cried out: ¡°Hello, boss.¡± Then he followed his gaze to find Mr. Liu in the blue shirt, ¡°Hello, Mr. Liu.¡± Then he kept looking for a young man who looked like a star¡­


    Li Chengxiu felt like he was punched in the chest.


    Deep, handsome, imperious face, polished forehead, broad shoulders, with a rather interesting smile on his face, this person¡­¡­


    He dropped his head in panic, and the smiling face with scrutiny and inquiry just now kept appearing before his eyes.


    This¡­too similar, is it him? Over ten years have passed, and he may not be able to recognize him, but his surname is Shao¡­


    Manager Zhang is so anxious, thinking that what he had just said outside had been forgotten. He also blamed himself for expecting too much, expecting a person who usually can¡¯t even fart to fart loudly under the eyes of everyone. It really can kill him, so he hurriedly pinched his waist from behind.


    Li Chengxiu recovered, and blurted out, ¡°Hello, Mr. Shao.¡±


    Everyone at the table looked at him with interest.


    Today, Mr. Liu is going to be the host, and he said not to talk about business, to just eat and drink. Besides political anecdotes, entertainment gossip they talked about food and drink. Since Mr. Shao started praising the authenticity of the dishes here, the topic of the people at the table shifted to talking about food, so when the cook came in, several bosses all watched as a sideshow.


    The owner of the hotel felt happy. He felt that the young chef gave him a face, but he also observed that Chef Li¡¯s face was thinner than a girl¡¯s, so he laughed and said, ¡°Li, the air conditioner is not enough? Look how you are blushing.¡±


    Everyone at the table laughed.


    Manager Zhang also laughed: ¡°Our Li is good at everything. He is a talented person, a skilled cook, but he is shy and dare not speak when he meets strangers. Don¡¯t mind him, boss.¡±


    Boss Liu is clearly drunk. He laughed loudly and said, ¡°Why is Master Li different from the cook I imagine. He cooks so much food every day, and his figure is still such a slim figure. How do you maintain it? Can you share what you know?¡±


    Someone at the table laughed and Interrupted: ¡°Yes, who¡¯s not three years old at our age. You say they are still so thin because they are spinning in oil and salt all day long.¡±


    Li Chengxiu blushed so much that he could bleed, and he didn¡¯t dare to lift his head.


    Seeing his unpromising appearance, Manager Zhang really couldn¡¯t laugh or cry, and hurriedly finished the game: ¡°Isn¡¯t it, the girl in our hotel clamoured to lose weight all the time, and when she saw he didn¡¯t get fat from eating, she was too jealous.¡±


    The bosses at the bottom talked about how thin they were when they were young, how they got fat, what was wrong with their bodies now, and for a moment they removed their attention from him.


    As soon as Li Chengxiu was free from the focus of attention, he couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief, but before he could catch his breath, the young and handsome President Shao spoke, his voice full of pure masculine magnetism. It sounds good; the volume is not loud, but everyone is quiet when he speaks.


    ¡°Master Li is really young. I didn¡¯t expect his craftsmanship to be so good.¡±


    Manager Zhang was afraid that he would be considered inexperienced, so he quickly added: ¡°He looks young, but he is thirty.¡±


    Mr. Liu said, ¡°You look like a college student, really young.¡±


    Li Chengxiu silently corrected in his heart, twenty-eight.


    Manager Zhang poked his waist with a finger from behind ¡°Li, it was Mr. Shao who intended to ask you to be the Chinese chef of the sea party.¡±


    Li Chengxiu hurriedly raised his head, he is inadvertently staring into his eyes and saw Mr. Shao looking at him with an inexplicable smile. My heart was flustered.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Shao.¡±


    Mr. Shao smiled and asked casually: ¡°What is Master Li¡¯s full name?¡±


    Li Chengxiu froze and couldn¡¯t help wondering if he recognized him, too. When he thought of this possibility, his heart became tight and frightened.


    Manager Zhang saw him like a clockwork doll, twisting a little and dealing with it a little and then he would freeze again, he was so angry at heart that he smack him with the sole of his shoes so he desperately snubbed at him ¡°Li, Mr. Shao asked you to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Mr. Shao blinked and smiled. ¡°What did Master Li do that made you so nervous? So nervous that you¡¯ve forgotten your name?¡±


    Li Chengxiu forced himself to calm his mind. Looking at a pair of eyes staring at him, he said: ¡°My name is Li Chengxiu.¡±


    Mr. Shao let out a long ¡°Oh¡±, and Li Chengxiu was frightened.


    Li Chengxiu tried his best to comfort himself. It has been 13 or 14 years. It¡¯s all about the time. He may not be Shao Qun. Even if he is, he may not remember him. Even if he does, what is his guilty conscience and nervousness? It¡¯s not him who did bad things.


    Thinking about it this way, he felt a lot of peace in his heart. It¡¯s just that the work at the sea party really makes him worry.


    He doesn¡¯t want to give up on such a good job, but if this person is really Shao Qun, he really doesn¡¯t want to go.


    The feeling this person gives him is no different from that time. His whole body exudes superior grandeur, but when he was young, he was arrogant. Now he is coated with a shell called self-cultivation and courtesy. Although it is not offensive, one can always see the arrogance in the bones. So it is equally difficult for people to approach and avoid him.


    Mr. Shao smiled: ¡°I¡¯m surprised that Master Li is so young, but it¡¯s okay. You need to set the menu in advance for this party and take part in the purchase for better results. You will be very busy on that day. I was originally afraid old people couldn¡¯t bear it. But you don¡¯t have to be burdened. Your boss promised to lend me a few more people, and they will be available for your dispatch when the time comes.¡±


    Li Chengxiu twisted his hands awkwardly, and Mr. Shao¡¯s tone was particularly determined as if he gave no room for rejection. He wanted to get rid of the matter very much, but with so many eyes watching, he knew he would make mistakes when he talked more. He will be disgraced, and if he disgraces his boss, the trouble would be serious.


    Boss Chen from their hotel echoed: ¡°Okay, Li hurry and thank Mr. Shao.¡±


    Li Chengxiu peeked at him and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Shao.¡±


    Boss Chen wrinkled slightly. He immediately said with a somewhat flattering smile: ¡°Mr. Shao, it¡¯s just because of you, otherwise our hotel master wouldn¡¯t be lent so easily. But we are brothers, let¡¯s say, you can just use him. It is our master Li. When the environment is not very good, he will be a little autistic in speech. But, in fact, it affects nothing. Cooking is his best skill and will not give you any trouble regarding that.¡±


    Mr. Shao nodded with a smile, his eyes never leaving Li Chengxiu: ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, as a chef it¡¯s okay to just be able to taste it with your tongue.¡±


    The tone of the word ¡°Taste¡± when heard in Li Chengxiu¡¯s ears felt a little Weird, it made him uncomfortable.


    Boss Chen waved his hand and gestured to Manager Zhang and lifted his chin: ¡°That¡¯s it, you can go back and work.¡±


    Manager Zhang and Li Chengxiu both turned around and left after they were pardoned.


    President Shao suddenly shouted behind him: ¡°Master Li.¡±


    Li Chengxiu paused and turned around stiffly.


    Mr. Shao smiled and looked at him: ¡°Master Li, then I will pick you up in a few days, and we will discuss it carefully.¡±


    Li Chengxiu felt that his heart was shaking.


    Li Chengxiu looked at Manager Zhang¡¯s tall and thick back, hesitated all the way from the box, endured and endured, and finally couldn¡¯t help shouting: ¡°Manager Zhang.¡±


    Manager Zhang frowned and turned back.


    He rarely has contact with Li Chengxiu, and he can¡¯t say that he is disgusted, but he really wants to say that he just looks down on him a little.


    A man in his late thirties, who is as thin as a high school student, how to describe it, he can¡¯t help but feel weak. A man looks so weak, can someone still save him? His low tone of voice and lowered eyes. He is just like a girl who wears a skirt and no one


    He knows that there are some young workers in their hotel who love to learn his way of talking and walking posture secretly, and they also need to have an extra orchid finger hanging on the eyebrows or something. He knew that he was just a bit of a mother, and he wouldn¡¯t be as arrogant as some inconsistent people in the society, but it was this awkwardness that was enough to make Manager Zhang twisted.


    His performance today was worse than he thought. He didn¡¯t even say a complete sentence when he went in, he only looked down at his feet. Those who came today were all familiar customers of the boss. If he(LC) really did upset the guests, then he(MZ) would be the one to clean up all the mess.


    Thinking about it, Manager Zhang¡¯s so-so look at him escalated a bit, and his tone was not very good: ¡°What?¡±


    Li Chengxiu gave him a somewhat timid look and hesitantly said, ¡°Manager Zhang, can¡­.can I not go.¡±


    Manager Zhang squinted his eyes and brought his ears close to him: ¡°What are you talking about? Speak louder.¡±


    ¡°Well, the sea, the party, can I? Can I not go?¡±


    Manager Zhang heard clearly this time. ¡°Not go! Why?¡±


    Li Chengxiu lowered his head. He could not think of any excuses, and repeated it again: ¡°Can I not go?¡±


    Manager Zhang¡¯s face turned ugly: ¡°Not go? What do you think, ah? That Mr. Shao looks young, but do you know how big his background is? His family is directly connected to that.¡± Manager Zhang did not say clearly but pointed to the upper middle of the Lightbox in the corner of Zhongnan Sea wine. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, then can you miss this number?¡± Manager Zhang stretched out the hand in front of his eyes again, but this time spread out five fingers, ¡°You cannot save this amount even if you work hard for two months, what¡¯s wrong with you, why don¡¯t you go?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s face blushed, and he suddenly asked something that surprised Manager Zhang. ¡°He, his full name, what is it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Full name, Shao, Shao What?¡±


    Manager Zhang frowned his eyes stern: ¡°You are a cook. What are you prying about this for?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You just cook honestly, don¡¯t think about things you shouldn¡¯t. Let me tell you Li, that kind of person is not something you can climb onto even if you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you want. The boss personally agreed with this matter. It is impossible to change it. You need to have that ability, behave well, and let Mr. Shao give you more. But you can¡¯t disgrace our boss. Our boss has the best face, and his temper is up. If you are open and are open-minded. You have been working in our hotel for several years, including the time in the General Store, and then if you mix for a few more years, you might be the head chef. Don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you, be down-to-earth, do a good job, or else when you miss the opportunity, you can¡¯t blame others.¡±


    Manager Zhang¡¯s words are reasonable, and Li Chengxiu can¡¯t refute a word.


    After speaking, he just left.


    Li Chengxiu silently looked at the empty promenade of the hotel. The bright yellow lights stretched to the end one by one. In the end, mirrors covering almost the entire wall reflected the promenade into an infinitely extending space. It looked magnificent, but also empty and scary. It is obviously a warm-toned layout, but it is decorated with cold and hard marble floors, and Li Chengxiu¡¯s thin figure is so abruptly dotted in the empty scene.


    He went back to change the clean clothes and put on the dirty ones again before returning to the kitchen.


    When he went in, those who were handling spoons, serving dishes and carving flowers all stopped moving and looked at him with a bit of gloating, inquiring eyes.


    Li Chengxiu knew that he was not well-liked here.


    In the past, in fact, there has never been such a thing as human contact. His way of doing things has always been to wrap himself tightly, not to talk if he can, not to communicate if he can. Only when everyone forgets about him did he feel at ease.


    People like him can easily be offended, so it¡¯s better to minimize your presence and be safe instead.


    He is used to treating people with silence, and others naturally treat him with silence.


    It¡¯s just that this place is different. He felt that some people¡¯s attitude towards him was somewhat hostile besides contempt.


    He has been in Shenzhen for ten years. He started as an apprentice as a handyman, and later entered this hotel with a master, who treated him better.


    Three months ago, the boss opened this new hotel. Because it is a sea view hotel, the environment is good, and the salary is high. The first batch of employees transferred will definitely have better development in the future.


    When deciding on the personnel, everyone also grabbed their heads. He had been working under their General Manager Chen for five years and had been performing well, so he was transferred here to take on the role of sous chef together with another colleague. (T/N sous chef is the top assistant in a professional kitchen under the head chef)


    In the previous environment, everyone was accustomed to his silent nature. But in the new environment, with many new colleagues, in the first familiarity period, he was isolated from their world, and it was difficult not to attract criticism.


    Also, if he can be a sous chef with his qualifications, some people will inevitably be dissatisfied. If it weren¡¯t for the urgent shortage of staff in this new hotel, it would certainly not be his turn.


    Everyone knows that the manager called him out while he was cooking, that too in such a hurry, it probably isn¡¯t anything good.


    Just now, a young chef Qian who took over his task came up and asked him, ¡°Brother Li, what did Manager Zhang tell you to do?¡±


    Li Chengxiu said truthfully: ¡°There are guests, throwing a party, he told me to go.¡±


    Qian showed his disbelief. He opened his mouth and looked at him for a while, and then smiled: ¡°Okay, Brother Li, a good thing.¡±


    Zhao, who was preparing the cold dish, deliberately sighed. ¡°Brother Li is lucky. If you weren¡¯t on duty today, you wouldn¡¯t encounter such a good thing.¡±


    The implication is that if the head chef or the other sous chef is here today, it will not be his turn.


    The others followed suit and echoed a few words, then said congratulations without missing a beat.


    Li Chengxiu nodded and said nothing. He looked at the dishes ordered by the customer displayed on the electronic page, washed his hands, lifted his sleeves, and started to work.


    The crowd saw that he had no reaction, and they wondered how to be so boring. One worker took a few exaggerated steps behind him, twisting his waist, and everyone else laughed.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s right ear is weak at the hearing, and it is difficult to distinguish multiple sounds in a noisy environment, but the laughter with sarcasm can still penetrate the eardrum and is clearly sent into the brain.


    He buried his head in the crab tofu in his hands, his heart gradually calmed down.


    After returning home with a tired body at night, Li Chengxiu threw herself on the faded carpet.


    He always loves cleanliness, and if the smell of oily smoke is not cleaned, he will never touch the bed.


    He rolled over and lay on his back on the carpet, resting, with his eyes closed and breathing heavily.


    Shenzhen in July is as hot as a big steamer. When he got off work at night, they still crowded the bus with people sweating. A trip home from work is like a sticky bath, so much that people inside and outside are nauseated.


    The company originally arranged accommodation, but after moving to the new hotel, the dormitory was not ready yet. For his level, he was given a monthly accommodation allowance of 1000 every month, so that they could find a house outside first.


    Li Chengxiu thinks this is good, even if the dormitory is set up in the future, he doesn¡¯t want to live in it. He would rather take the accommodation allowance and take the bus for more than half an hour a day, rather than live with strangers.


    He took out the phone in his pocket to see what time it was.


    He turned off the phone during working hours, and just after he turned it on, several notifications popped up, all of which were missed calls.


    There are numbers that he knows and those that he doesn¡¯t.


    Li Chengxiu looked at the familiar number, frowned lightly, pursed his lips, hesitated for a while and finally dialled back.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, why are you calling back now?¡± On the other side is a high-pitched female voice.


    ¡°Si gu, I¡¯m at work.¡± (T/N si gu ËĹà means the fourth aunt)


    ¡°Working until now? That¡¯s really hard. Xiu ah, did you pay this month¡¯s money?¡±


    ¡°No, tomorrow I will.¡±


    ¡°Then you hurry up. Everyone else is a bit anxious. Also, for Si gu¡¯s money this month, you pay a thousand more. Next month, your brother will bring his girlfriend back. I want to buy an air conditioner.¡±


    ¡°ok..¡±


    ¡°Xiu ah, Si gu also knows that you are in difficulties and are tired, but when you are young, you should work harder. Otherwise, when will you pay off the money you owe? It¡¯s not that you will carry debts for the rest of your life, right?¡°


    ¡°Yes.¡°


    ¡°So be it, long-distance charges can be expensive. In the future, you have to pay the money on time, Si gu will not call you. Try to be on time. You¡¯re so far away, there¡¯s no way for us to find you if you ran away, don¡¯t you think so? I know you¡¯re not that kind of person, but I¡¯m not the only one you owe. It¡¯s difficult for everyone, so think about us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Li Chengxiu hung up the phone, just to feel his body tired and falling apart


    He struggled to get up, took a simple shower, sat on his bed and took out an old passbook that was turned upside down under the pillow, and stared at the numbers on it.


    Suddenly, his phone rang again, startling him. His body moved, and the bed squeaked.


    He quickly took the phone, looked at the unfamiliar number on it, and gently pressed the call button.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    A few soft breaths came from over there, and then tentatively asked, ¡°Li Chengxiu?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s hand shook, and the phone almost fell.


    He remembered this voice. He had just heard it today. It was ¡®President Shao¡¯.

 CH 1.2

    The other side heard no sound, and called out again: ¡°Is it Li Chengxiu?¡±


    Li Chengxiu hesitated for a long time, and finally said: ¡°Yes.¡±


    The other side heaved a sigh of relief and laughed softly ¡°Thought I had made a mistake.¡±


    Li Chengxiu held the phone silently and pressed it to his right ear. Since he heard this sound, he moved the phone from his left ear, where he always listened to the phone to his right ear, where he had a weak hearing. Reducing the volume to the lowest level can minimize his anxiety.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mr. Shao.¡±


    ¡°Well, you still remember my voice, nice.¡±


    Li Chengxiu didn¡¯t know what to say, so he was silent.


    ¡°I asked your manager for your number. Here¡¯s the thing, what time will you get off work tomorrow? I will pick you up, and we will talk about the party.¡±


    Li Chengxiu was disgusted by his tone of indifference: ¡°Tomorrow, no work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just right, you have more time for me. So where is your house? I will pick you up tomorrow morning.¡±


    Li Chengxiu slowly said: ¡°Tomorrow, rest.¡± He deliberately stressed the word rest. He only has one day off a week, and he has to send money tomorrow, and he doesn¡¯t want to meet Mr. Shao.


    There was a silence there: ¡°Master Li is probably tired too, in that case, you should rest tomorrow. I¡¯ll come back to you the day after tomorrow, that¡¯s all, goodbye.¡±


    The other party hung up the phone decisively, and Li Chengxiu could hear his displeasure.


    He laid down on the bed and wrapped himself in a quilt.


    No matter how much he dislikes and how much he doesn¡¯t want to get along with the person surnamed Shao, he can¡¯t resist the money that comes to his door.


    He put the passbook in his hand back under the pillow, hugged the pillow tightly, and his exhausted body soon went to sleep after a long day.


    The day after he went back to work, another sous-chef surnamed Liu came, looking at him as if he was wronged. He turned around to find out what happened that day, what kind of dishes did he cook that day, what the boss said, how much is he being paid for the party at Victoria Harbour, when to go, and if Boss Shao coming these days?


    Except for what kind of dishes he cooked, Li Chengxiu honestly didn¡¯t know where he would go.


    Chef Liu¡¯s face became more and more ugly as he listened, making Li Chengxiu feel uncomfortable when he was working, and he felt the unease whole day.


    Don¡¯t look at it as a small hotel. The fighting inside is unambiguous. Especially the newly opened ones, as the pioneer troops sent to ¡°open up wasteland¡± will have the most opportunities for promotion in the future. Everyone is working hard and hopes to take this opportunity to climb up. Li Chengxiu, who was the least optimistic in the past, is now the first to show his face in front of the boss and his friends. This cannot help but arouse the envy of others.


    After getting off work at ten o¡¯clock in the evening, Li Chengxiu hastily packed up his things and hurriedly went out.


    He walked through the front door today, just out of the hotel gate, and a champagne-coloured sports car was in front of him under the bright yellow light.


    The car looked very beautiful, the front cover was very long, and the body was very bright. It looked very expensive.


    Li Chengxiu glanced but didn¡¯t care. Carrying a bag of leftovers for breakfast tomorrow, bowed his head and walked forward.


    When he passed by the car, the car horn rang abruptly. He was taken aback and looked at the car window in amazement.


    The car window slowly lowered, and Li Chengxiu was not far away, and suddenly felt a blast of cold air escaping from the car.


    The young Mr. Shao stuck his face out of the car, waved to him, and smiled: ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±


    Li Chengxiu took a few deep breaths and looked at him blankly.


    Seeing that he was still dazed, Mr. Shao frowned, opened the car door, got out, walked to him, and stretched out his hand: ¡°Master Li?¡±


    Li Chengxiu awkwardly came back to his senses, looking at the hand in front of him. He subconsciously reached out, only to find the hanging plastic bags in his right hand. He hastily replaced the plastic bags with the left hand and then gently extended his right hand to shake with him.


    This person¡¯s hands were dry and strong. For some reason, Li Chengxiu felt that his strength was a little deliberate.


    Li Chengxiu called out ¡°Mr. Shao.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too strange to hear you call me Mr. Shao, Li Chengxiu. Don¡¯t you remember me?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s heart trembled. Although he had guessed that he was Shao Qun earlier, hearing him confirm it personally, still made him flustered.


    Li Chengxiu raised his head slightly, gave him a quick glance, pursed his lips and said in a low voice: ¡°Remember.¡±


    Shao Qun¡¯s eyes lit up and he smiled: ¡°You remember? We haven¡¯t seen each other for more than ten years. When I saw your reaction that day, I thought you didn¡¯t remember me at all, and I was quite sad. After all, we were classmates, so there¡¯s no need to be so rusty, or do you still remember the stupid things I did?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s cheeks burned, and beads of sweat slowly seeped out of his forehead.


    Shao Qun deliberately emphasised, ¡°stupid things I did¡±. If he is still worried about the harm he caused him when he was young and ignorant, it is because he is narrow-minded.


    Indeed, what can an eleven or twelve-year-old child understand? Looking back now, it wasn¡¯t a big deal, he had already forgotten about it.


    The catastrophe that was as horrific as if the sky had collapsed, now that I think about it, is only infinitely magnified because of the young age. In fact, that¡¯s the case. He is still alive and kicking. After changing a city, no one even knows who he is.


    He doesn¡¯t hold a grudge against Shao Qun, it¡¯s just that the trepidation and inferiority complex that he feels when facing this man remains unchanged after all these years. If possible, he doesn¡¯t even want to stand side by side with him.


    Colleagues who got off work together took a few glances when they passed by, making both of them very uncomfortable. When Shao Qun saw he(LC) was not talking, he said, ¡°Get in the car.¡±


    Li Chengxiu looked at the car behind him hesitantly, ¡°To do what?¡±


    Shao Qun said, ¡°Talk about work.¡±


    Li Chengxiu wanted to tell him that there is nothing to talk about at this late hour, so it¡¯s better to have another day. But at the thought of delay, if it offends Shao Qun, it will not do him any good. Since everyone is here, he doesn¡¯t dare to turn around and leave.


    So he nodded and got into the car.


    When Shao Qun sat in the car and closed the door, the narrow space was suddenly filled with the smell of oily smoke.


    In the empty parking lot, Li Chengxiu didn¡¯t feel that he had such a strong smell, but once he was locked in a closed car, the smell had nowhere to hide, and even he himself felt embarrassed.


    Shao Qun wrinkled his nose and lowered the windows on all sides. His move made Li Chengxiu even more uneasy, his face flushed red.


    He couldn¡¯t help thinking that more than ten years ago, he did the same, going to school every day with the smell of oily smoke. The people around him evaded him. At first, the disgusting look of the classmates really stung him, and then it gradually became numb.


    Since he worked on his own and had a stable income, he tried his best to clean himself up. He just got off work and hadn¡¯t had time to take a shower, but he didn¡¯t expect to be sitting with the person who mocked him at that time.


    It¡¯s as if nothing has changed, Shao Qun is still the ever clean and arrogant nobleman, while he is still the sissy who has no one to care for and no one to love, who stinks to school every day, even he can¡¯t help but loathe himself.


    Now he is obviously different, which is why he is embarrassed. In front of Shao Qun, who was still glamorous, he was still so embarrassed.


    The champagne-coloured sports car slid out silently, and Shao Qun swiftly moved along the coast. The sea breeze made Li Chengxiu almost unable to open his eyes. He could only hold on to the seat belt on his chest tightly, enduring waves of nausea.


    After driving into the city, Shao Qun¡¯s slowed down, and the car windows rose up. Shao Qun seemed to be holding his breath all the way. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, he changed his face that had been squeezed, and smiled at him relaxedly: ¡°I drove a bit faster are you okay?¡±


    Li Chengxiu shook his head with a pale face.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Ate¡±


    ¡°Then let me take you to have a snack. I haven¡¯t come to Shenzhen many times before, but I might be here for a long time in the future, and I really didn¡¯t expect to run into you here.¡±


    ¡°We, talking about work?¡±


    Shao Qun lightly laughed: ¡°That store¡¯s sugar water is very good, and I don¡¯t know if it can be in your eyes as a chef, go and try it first.¡±


    Li Chengxiu no longer asked any questions. Shao Qun was still the same as before, and he wouldn¡¯t allow others to refute what he said, and everything had to be done according to his intentions.


    Shao Qun led him into a teahouse. The waiters are familiar with Shak Qun, so they were taken into a private room.


    Shao Qun casually ordered ten kinds of things, and after ordering, he said to Li Chengxiu, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you until I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Li Chengxiu didn¡¯t know how to respond, so he nodded stiffly.


    Shao Qun silently looked at him, suddenly moved his chair, leaned towards him, and softly said, ¡°Cheng Xiu, I can call you that right? You¡¯ve been very nervous, do you hate me a lot?¡±


    Li Chengxiu was surprised. He raised his head to meet his(SQ) beautiful bright eyes, his heart jumped wildly and shook his head in embarrassment.


    Shao Qun said sincerely: ¡°I¡¯m actually very happy to meet my former classmates in such a remote place. I have never forgotten you for so many years. I was ignorant and brought you a lot of trouble back then. I always wanted to find a chance to apologize to you. I didn¡¯t expect to see you again. I want to say sorry to you. Will you accept it?¡±


    Shao Qun¡¯s eyes and tone are so sincere that Li Chengxiu was even more embarrassed when he heard it.


    He did hate Shao Qun quite a lot back then. If it wasn¡¯t for him, he wouldn¡¯t be nestled in a hotel as a cook today. He would have gotten into a good high school, a good university, and would have had a completely different life. However, after fourteen or five years, he has a more thorough understanding of many things, and he has also begun to believe in fate. Shao Qun was already a distant and vague impression for him, just like he would not hate the kid who always robbed him of candy, he had almost no memory of this person for a long time.


    Under such a serious and earnest gaze, Li Chengxiu showed a shallow smile. He felt that the hard bumps that had been stuck in his heart from the day he saw Shao Qun until now have gradually melted away. He felt relieved, so for the first time, facing Shao Qun, he said clearly without hesitation: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Shao Qun looked at him with unusually bright eyes, which made Li Chengxiu feel a little uncomfortable. Only then did he skim his head.


    The beautifully styled snacks soon came up one by one, and Shao Qun greeted him warmly with something to eat.


    Li Chengxiu just had his dinner, so he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, so he just picked up a few.


    Shao Qun asked him about his situation over the years while eating.


    Li Chengxiu said lightly that after dropping out of school, he went to work. Later, he heard that Shenzhen had many job opportunities so he came.


    Shao Qun nodded, and after a moment of silence and said, ¡°After that incident, my family sent me to England. When I came back again, I went to look for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you anymore.¡±


    Li Chengxiu thought of the difficulties, hardship and embarrassment, his chest felt suffocated, not knowing what to say he said an ¡°Oh¡±.


    Shao Qun put down his chopsticks and reiterated once again, ¡°I¡¯m really happy to see you again.¡±


    It has been many years since anyone has expressed earnestness or kindness to Li Chengxiu. He was used to being disliked and ignored, so having someone who could be happy to see him, even if it might just be a courtesy, was somewhat flattering for him. Shao Qun¡¯s superiority and glamour suddenly became less repulsive to him as well, and Li Chengxiu was in a better mood, so he slowly said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who has to thank you for being willing to do me this favour.¡±


    Remembering the ¡°business¡± they wanted to talk about, Li Chengxiu asked, ¡°The party, how to do it, I have no experience.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you don¡¯t have to be burdened, there are specific people to operate specific things. You only need to be responsible for setting the menu, and things to be purchased, and then make some preparations in advance. It is enough to prepare the food that day, not very different from what you usually do in the hotel.¡±


    Li Chengxiu felt relieved by these words. He has not done similar work, only when the hotel received the conference group in the past, there may be something to learn from, but he is still afraid of screwing up, the future in the hotel will be more difficult.


    Shao Qun gave him a general description of how many people would come to the party, the main flavours of the dishes, a few specialities that must be available, etc., and Li Chengxiu listened carefully.


    Finally, Shao Qun said he would take him to meet the person in charge of this party in two days, and they would focus on the discussion together then.89


    After a meal, Li Chengxiu finally dispelled the cramps and tension in front of Shao Qun, and his speech became smoother and more complete.


    Shao Qun, and still asked: ¡°You didn¡¯t speak like this before, why¡­¡±


    Li Chengxiu froze for a moment, and the tongue that had just been smoothed out seemed to be tied in knots again.


    Before getting to know Shao Qun, he was already very taciturn. After dropping out of school, he became more autistic, and it was normal not to say a word for several days.


    He always plays with girls. When he grows up to be able to distinguish between men and women, his whole person, from behaviours to ways of doing things to the tone of speech, has been weird and different among boys, so he is always laughed at. In order to avoid being discovered, he can only cover up with silence.


    The less he speaks, the less he will be able to speak. Now he has become unable to speak.


    Originally the two of them chatted smoothly, Li Chengxiu momentarily had some forgetfulness, Shao Qun¡¯s reminder immediately knocked him back to the original form.


    Shao Qun also felt embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯m just asking casually.¡±


    Li Chengxiu lowered his eyes and nodded.


    Shao Qun leaned forward and said: ¡°But you haven¡¯t changed much, you¡¯re still the same as before.¡±


    Li Chengxiu sat up straight and subconsciously pulled his body away from him.


    ¡°You too, not much has changed.¡±


    Shao Qun smiled ¡°You know after I saw you that day, I told Da Li and others, do you remember them?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s body shook and his face turned pale.


    Shao Qun also said ¡°They are all very happy and want to see you. Da Li and A¡¯Wen are in Beijing, Sheng is in Shanghai. I originally invited them to the party. They all said they were busy and are not coming. As soon as I said that you were here, they all said they would come. Look, you have more face than me¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Li Chengxiu said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Li Chengxiu said with a shaky voice.


    He didn¡¯t even want to see Shao Qun in person, let alone those friends of his. He didn¡¯t understand what was there to make them happy about meeting him.


    When they played him like animals, now they apologized to him as if nothing had happened. Now they are old classmates who have not seen each other for years? When did they ever get close enough to laugh and talk frankly?


    What happened back then can always be attributed to a sentence of youthful ignorance, so he has long since stopped caring. If it wasn¡¯t for the appearance of Shao Qun, he would have never remembered it again.


    But now this group of people are going to reappear in front of him, like the dogs that chased and bit him together years ago. Even if that group of dogs has grown up and no longer bite, he still has lingering fears and can¡¯t stop the disgust he feels.


    Shao Qun looked at him in silence, suddenly raised his hand to touch his hair, and said softly: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see them, I won¡¯t let them come.¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s body shook violently and stood up from the chair with a crash.


    He had not had physical contact with anyone for a long time, and at that moment he panicked and had the urge to break out of the door.


    Shao Qun awkwardly withdrew his hand, and a trace of strangeness flashed in his eyes, but it was fleeting. He also followed and stood up, saying, ¡°Are you full? Then let me take you home.¡±


    Li Chengxiu nodded, picked up the plastic bag on the chair next to him, and quietly followed Shao Qun.


    When Shao Qun turned around, he saw him lowering his head, holding the bag in his arms like a woman, walking slowly behind him. He frowned, walked a few steps quickly, and walked away from him as he walked through the lobby of the tea house.


    The two had a chat on the way.


    Shao Qun sent him to the place according to the address Li Chengxiu said and looked through the car window at the dilapidated old apartment building outside: ¡°You live in this kind of place?¡±


    In his tone is a hint of surprise.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s face was a little hot. He wanted to tell him that many people live in such a place but felt that it was useless to talk to people like him, so he said, ¡°Thank you for sending me back, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Shao Qun nodded and unlocked the car door for him.


    Li Chengxiu was about to open the door and get out of the car when Shao Qun suddenly stopped him.


    ¡°Cheng Xiu, when¡¯s your next day off?¡±


    ¡°Next Wednesday.¡±


    Shao Qun shook his head: ¡°Wednesday is too late. Please take a day off this Saturday.¡±


    Li Chengxiu froze, and his heartfelt a few moments of discomfort: ¡°You can¡¯t take a day off.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you take a day off, it¡¯s not like the hotel can¡¯t do without you.¡±


    Li Chengxiu still shook his head: ¡°You can¡¯t ask for leave.¡± If you ask for a day off, you won¡¯t get the bonus. Why should he ask for leave for him?


    Shao Qun finally showed some impatience on his face, clutched his hair, and said, ¡°If you are worried about your boss, I will say hello to him. That¡¯s it. If you wait until next Wednesday, time is too tight. I hope that the ary I run will make people unable to find flaws, and I hope you can cooperate with my work. Isn¡¯t this also what your boss requires? ¡± (T/N ary* is in English in the raws, considering it as a suffix it can mean forming nouns such as dictionary, granary or forming adjectives such as budgetary, primary.)


    Li Chengxiu is speechless. Shao Qun waved goodbye to him, then raised the car window, a step on the gas pedal and the car sped out as if staying one more second is unbearable.


    Li Chengxiu is still holding his breakfast for tomorrow, panting and holding his way up the dark hallway.


    Every time he walked this staircase, he was very scared. The light bulb in the corridor is broken. No one repaired it all year round. The stairs are narrow and steep. At night, you have to touch the wall to move forward. However, the wall is bumpy and uneven. During the day, he often sees a lot of dirty things attached to it, every time going upstairs in the dark is a frightening experience for him


    The moment he returned to his house and turned on the light, he was drenched in sweat, and his whole body collapsed on the bed.


    There is no light in the stairwell, the darkness where you can¡¯t see anything from front to back, the dead silence of the campus, he cried and shouted to let him out, his voice echoing in the empty building, making it more eerie and horrible.


    This distant nightmare became clearer because of the appearance of Shao Qun.

 CH 2.1

    Li Chengxiu is actually surnamed Li.


    Few people in the school knew this.


    ¡°Cheng¡± is his mother. Maybe because his teacher called him Cheng Xiu from the beginning, everyone thought his name was Cheng Xiu.


    No one at school cares about Li Chengxiu¡¯s surname or how his first name is spelt, even though everyone from junior high school to high school knows him.


    Whenever the students mentioned him, they all used the nickname of his image that everyone recognized, ¡°sissy¡±.


    Everyone must have encountered such people in their school life.


    Although they are all male from looks, certain actions, intonations, and ways of being in the world make people feel feminine.


    Li Chengxiu is such a person, whether it is the action, tone of voice, or the way he deals with people, is very unmanly.


    Li Chengxiu actually does not look ugly, with fair skin, well-defined eyebrows, clear contours, and good grades. If he doesn¡¯t give off that kind of feeling, he would definitely be liked by girls.


    Even if he is a sissy, as long as the other person is open-minded, cheerful and doesn¡¯t care about his first impression that makes people uncomfortable, most people will accept him after getting along.


    But because of his unbearable smell, he makes others uncomfortable. It¡¯s either the strong smell of wine or the greasy smell of food in the kitchen, or a mixture of the two. He hadn¡¯t changed his clothes several times throughout the semester, and even the old teacher with excellent concentration and cultivation couldn¡¯t help frowning and detouring when he met him.


    He is always gloomy when he talks to people. This thirteen or fourteen-year-old half-elder is thinner than a girl, and he walks slowly with his head hung down. He has a weak and frustrated look, which makes people upset to look at.


    It is said that he was not so bad in the beginning. Although his family was not well-off and he is so thin, he still dressed clean and did not look like he was malnourished. Later, it is said that his father ran away with other women and took away all the money except for a broken house. His mother drank every day and didn¡¯t care about him.


    He was able to attend the best key middle school in the city because of his own hard work. He is said to be one of the few people admitted to this school in their county, so the county gave him money. Otherwise, how can he get into a school like this where the children of high-ranking officials or wealthy businessmen study.


    His life experience is not a secret at school. It is all about the conversation after class. Sometimes there are so few who sympathize with him. Whenever they see him, they all shake their heads and sigh.


    He is a person with his head hung low. He does not argue. Even if he is ridiculed till his face is flushed, he will not say a word. Even if he is pushed and shoved, he will only tremble and walk away with his shoulders bowed and his head hung low. Him being so weak and easy to bully let the spoiled children vent their youthful arrogance and stubbornness on him.


    When the class is over, Li Chengxiu is always the first to rush out of the classroom.


    Generally, no one would stop him, because as long as anyone sees him, they will exaggeratingly pinch their noses and automatically back off several steps.


    He has become accustomed to this kind of treatment and contempt, and his young self-esteem is beaten to pieces even before it can take shape, and then gradually became numb.


    Since his dad left, the trajectory of his life for the past three years, if depicted as a diagram, will be a triangle.


    Home, restaurant, school.


    For every distance between two places, he has to take a bus for almost an hour.


    The bus ride is the most relaxing time of his day when he can just sit and not work, and it¡¯s when he thinks a lot.


    The family¡¯s forty-five square meter house was the only property he and his mother had. The rest of his expenses were earned by working in a restaurant owned by a distant relative¡¯s family with all the time he had except for classes and studies, so he could barely maintain the minimum living security.


    Now it¡¯s more difficult than before.


    In the past, when his mother was awake, she would sell vegetables, so she could get some money back every day. But with alcoholism all year round, her body is over long ago, and the time when she is sober becomes less and less. When she is drunk, throwing things and beating people is common. There are no electrical appliances in the house except the light bulbs, and they are all broken by her and there is no money to buy them, which saves electricity. The only good thing is that now he has grown up, so does less of cleaning the dishes and floor. After following the master for a few years, he now cooks a few dishes, so his salary is higher than before.


    That¡¯s how his life is maintained.


    At that time, the only way he had to comfort himself was to fantasize about his future.


    He wanted him to study hard, and the county promised to provide him with money if he could get into a provincial key high school. Go to a key high school and work hard, then he can go to a good university, and can find a good job after graduation. It is best to be in a strange city where no one knows him, he can start a new life, and his life will change from then on.


    When he got home in the evening, it was already past ten o¡¯clock.


    Many neighbours in the neighbourhood had their lights off. He walked along the wall to his house, and when he touched the doorknob, the door was not closed.


    This has happened several times, and there is nothing worth stealing in his house anyway.


    As soon as he entered the door, he stepped on something and slid out a big step. Fortunately, he stabilized using the door frame, or he might have fallen on the ground. Looking at it in the moonlight, it was another translucent plastic bag of the kind that was dripping with a lot of liquid.


    This is the wine that his mother drank often.


    He remembers that when he was in chemistry class, the teacher said that a lot of such cheap bagged wine contain industrial alcohol. He went home and told his mother, then he was slapped a few times for no reason, and never dared to mention it again.


    He touched the wall to find the cord of the electric light, and the moment the room was lit, he heard a vague curse.


    With a sigh, he walked over to help the middle-aged woman who was drunk on the ground again, to bed and covered her with a quilt. It was strenuous.


    His mom was okay with him when he was sober, what he felt was okay was almost treating him like air, but at least she wouldn¡¯t scold and would cook for him.


    It¡¯s a pity that she is less and less sober now and her mouth kept muttering discontent and resentment, which he had long been accustomed to hearing.


    After taking care of his mother, he began to clean up the mess.


    His former home was always very clean. His mother was actually a capable woman, and she had a good face. She would kneel on the ground and wipe the floor if she saw anything unpleasant, so he followed her good hygiene habits.


    He didn¡¯t want to go to school with a bad smell every day, but the water fee was too expensive, and he couldn¡¯t wash it every day. There were only two or three clothes that he could wear. They were all sent by the people in the restaurant, daily washing and changing is not good.


    At first, the eyes of the classmates and teachers around really stabbed him, and then he became numb. He just thinks that if he makes money in the future, he can clean himself up and make friends. Now¡­ It would be nice to be able to eat and wear clothes.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s only hope is his future. The driving force that can support his rest time, which adds up to less than five hours, is still the future. He thinks about his efforts, his desperation and believes that he will have a bright and beautiful future.


    Just as everyone in this school knows Li Chengxiu, Li Chengxiu also knows Shao Qun like everyone in this school.


    Although they are worlds apart.


    Because of the long-term ridicule and indifference, Li Chengxiu seldom looks up at the people and things around him. There are very few people in school whose faces he can remember.


    But this person, Shao Qun, is obviously different.


    He is just too dazzling.


    He is elegant, arrogant and beautiful and is always surrounded by an aura that people can not ignore.


    Li Chengxiu is not interested in anything other than studying and making money. From the beginning of school, he¡¯s been watching a young master who got out of a black car, wearing a school uniform with a straight suit and had impeccable facial features. His face is as tender and white as milk, obviously older than him, but his arrogance and dominance, somehow he can¡¯t forget it all at once.


    At that time, the innocent youngster realized that he was different from the boys that were of the same age. Although he was originally different, but having these secret thoughts made him really, really different.


    Although no one would initiate a conversation with him, when he usually sat quietly in the classroom, he could hear clearly when the boys in the class would gather to discuss which girl was pretty and which girl had big breasts. But strangely, he wasn¡¯t interested, he prefers to watch boys pushing and shoving on the basketball court rather than delicate and pretty girls, the sweat and youth splashed in the sun, the messy hair, the rich facial expressions, the quick movements and cool-looking body language, all of which he found worth watching. But he didn¡¯t dare look more than a glance.


    As he gets older, he felt something different.


    But at that time he was an innocent and silly boy and wasn¡¯t sure what was different about himself.


    For this, Shao Qun gave him the answer.


    The sun at noon was as malicious as if it was going to steam people dry, even if you stand still, you would sweat in a short while.


    The school at noon was very quiet and empty. Many students were picked up by cars sent by their families at noon. Those who did not go home, rent a house nearby for the lunch break. Only his home was too far and renting a house was too expensive, so he had to stay at school at noon.


    Originally, the school wouldn¡¯t allow him, but everyone knows his situation. Because he always ranks among the best in his grades and is the key top student at school, the school also turned a blind eye to it. But he can¡¯t stay in the classroom, otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to tell what you have lost.


    He usually goes to the roof of his school building. It is not easy for the school police to find him there. Although the school police have reached a consensus on his affairs, if they see him, they still have to shoo him away. The rooftop is safe and well-lit, he can rest and also study at times.


    In his barren life, he thought that having a space just for himself was enough to make him happy.


    That day, as usual, he sat in the shadow of the huge water tank and took a nap.


    In the rare tranquillity of the campus, sitting in the shade, a cool breeze blowing through, closing his eyes, and resting is the most pleasant time of Li Chengxiu¡¯s day. He can temporarily forget a lot of things that bother him and concentrate on enjoying his peaceful and comfortable time.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Suddenly, a clear voice rang overhead, startling Li Chengxiu. The moment he opened his eyes, he couldn¡¯t adapt to the bright sunlight and felt dizzy. A golden afterimage appeared in his momentarily closed eyes. The outline of the person¡¯s entire body was gilded with a dazzling golden light by the sun. He has a white face, gleaming black hair, and bright eyes.


    When he opened his eyes again, the boy was still looking at him condescendingly.


    Li Chengxiu felt his face burn all of a sudden, and in an instant, the heat blazed up to the top of his head, and he knew his face must be red.


    The young man standing calmly and idly was obviously surprised by his sudden red face and helpless spirit. He raised one eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously.


    ¡°I ¡­¡­¡± Li Chengxiu scrambled up from the ground, patted the clothes behind him, looked at him a little nervously and gulped, ¡°You¡­¡­Hello.¡±


    One can¡¯t blame him for being so nervous, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s been a long time since anyone has taken the initiative to talk to him, and someone so good looking and famous at school.


    He remembered the scene when he first saw Shao Qun, who looked like a noble and elegant prince at that time. Only later did he realise that apart from that deceptive skin, Shao Qun was in fact an uncompromising hooligan who was involved in fighting, assaulting, gathering crowds, making trouble and bullying teachers and classmates.


    The moment he stood up, Shao Qun took a step back, frowning at his wrinkled, grease-stained clothes, his eyes showing the slightest hint of undisguised disgust.


    Li Chengxiu had a moment of loss at the sight of that familiar expression but immediately regained his composure. After all, it was a familiar reaction to him and he knew how to react to it familiarly, silence would be the right thing to do. Preferring to be silent in the face of others¡¯ disgust is right as everyone will stop caring about him.


    Li Chengxiu lowered his head and slowly turned his body sideways, looking at a square brick in front of him.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m asking you, what are you doing here?¡± Young master Shao Qun was very dissatisfied with the others¡¯ ignorance.


    ¡°Lunch break.¡±.


    Shao Qun didn¡¯t hear his mosquito-like voice at all, he leaned down a little ¡°What?¡±


    Li Chengxiu lifted his head to look at him, ¡°Lunch break.¡± After saying that and being a little dazed, a thin voice in his heart said, how could someone look so good? The long eyelashes flickered and flickered, making his heart flutter.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it forbidden to stay in school at noon? Who told you to be here.¡±


    Li Chengxiu couldn¡¯t answer for a while, and said: ¡°You¡­you are also not here¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you the same as me?¡± Shao Qun His tone was full of disdain. He was so bored at the thought of playing hide-and-seek in this school building. He thought he could find a place to take a nap and didn¡¯t expect it to be taken up early by this disgusting sissy.


    Li Chengxiu bit his lip and lowered his head.


    ¡°Take your things and get out immediately. The air around you stinks.¡±


    Li Chengxiu stuffed the book into his school bag, grabbed them with one hand, got up from the ground, and ran for the door without looking back.


    ¡°Wait! Come back!¡±


    Li Chengxiu stopped obediently, turned around and lowered his head.


    Shao Qun thought about the fact that there were still people looking for him downstairs, if this sissy went down like this his cover would be blown. Although he doesn¡¯t care about this game, he hates losing.


    ¡°You stay here, you can¡¯t go until I go.¡±


    Li Chengxiu didn¡¯t want to stay with him, but he thought about the group of people led by Shao Qun, who would beat people if they were not pleasing to the eye, the whole trick is endless. In school, he(SQ) has always been unscrupulous in school to do whatever he wants, but he(LC) just wanted to graduate safely and didn¡¯t dare to offend him.


    So he took his book bag and tried to move back into the shadows cautiously.


    ¡°Stand there and don¡¯t move! Who the hell asked you to come here, want to anger Laozi to death ah!¡± The white and slender boy sat on the ground in a prosperous manner, vomiting a vulgar curse that was inconsistent with his beautiful appearance, squinting at Li Chengxiu.


    He thought it would be good to have him as a company to pass the boring time at noon. In the past, when he came across this sissy, he used to go around and found him too dirty to even bully him.


    Li Chengxiu could only stand there helplessly, looking at him in a daze.


    ¡°Yes, you just stand there, let the sun kill all the germs and sterilize you, you are about to get mouldy, right?¡±


    Li Chengxiu stood there blankly, holding the hand of the schoolbag strap so tight that it hurt. Within a few minutes, the sweat on his body was dripping down like a stream, which is not an exaggeration. Standing under the big sun at noon of more than 30 degrees, even adults can¡¯t bear it, let alone a child who has been malnourished for a long time.


    Shao Qun wanted to squint for a while, but as he got used to the air-conditioned room, he felt it was too hot here. Closing his eyes, the hot air made him feel uneasy, so he opened his eyes, looking evilly at the person standing under the sun.


    ¡°Hey, come here a bit and stand here.¡± Shao Qun pointed to the ground in front of him.


    After standing for nearly half an hour, Li Chengxiu was already dizzy from the sun, and his throat was so dry that even swallowing his saliva hurt. As soon as he heard his(SQ) voice. He was like an amnesty, he quickly moved to the shade of the water tank and wiped the sweat on his head and face with his arm.


    Shao Qun stood up from the ground, circled him twice, and finally stopped in front of him.


    Li Chengxiu looked up at him nervously. Shao Qun¡¯s development is obviously much better than his(LC). Although he is two years older than him, he¡¯s a head taller than him.


    Shao Qun pointed at him unceremoniously: ¡°Why are you acting like a woman being a guy? Is your underneath grown yet?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what to expect when the bottom was all grown up, it was just that they hooligans always ask about each other¡¯s p**** and laugh at each other¡¯s lack of hair, even though none of them was full-grown.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s face flushed.


    He didn¡¯t need to be reminded again and again that he was very unmanly. That¡¯s what everyone around him was telling him. He didn¡¯t know why he was like this. Maybe it was because he always played with girls? Because if he played with boys, he would get his clothes dirty and torn and his mother hated it when he went home dirty, and would definitely suffer when he went home. Also, the boys are too rough to play and look scary, so he likes to play with the gentle girls, and over time, he often mixes with girls.


    As he grew up, the distinction between men and women became clearer. When he has realized that he is not like a man, he has deliberately regulated his words and actions, trying to make himself less unusual. But there was something in his bones that seemed to bubble up unconsciously no matter how much he tried to hide it, and now he found that the safer course was to do nothing. As long as he didn¡¯t talk and didn¡¯t make any unnecessary movements, he felt he could look normal.


    ¡°Why do you act like a rag-picker all day long and deliberately disgust people?¡±


    Li Chengxiu pursed his lips and said nothing.


    Shao Qun kicked him: ¡°Dumb.¡±


    Li Chengxiu didn¡¯t stand firm and was kicked to the ground by Shao Qun. Although he tried his best to endure it, he was still a child after all and couldn¡¯t help but look up at him with some indignation when treated like this.


    ¡°You fucking bitch you fell suddenly.¡± Shao Qun squatted down, ¡°Hey, what kind of look are you giving me? Are you not convinced? Do you know who the boss of our school is? Huh?¡± Shao Qun was a little proud when he said ¡®boss¡¯. He had just started his third year of school and was besieged by his seniors at the beginning because he was too aggressive. As a result, he kept the other party out of sight for several weeks. It caused the entire school to jump around, and the influence of his family was not to be overlooked, and none of the teachers dared to offend him. In just a few months, he has become so dominant that no one dared to provoke him. To a boy in the middle of his adolescence, this so-called intimidation and ¡°status¡± was something to boast about.


    Shao Qun is a boy who has been spoiled by his family to the point of lawlessness. He likes everyone¡¯s submissive attitude towards him, and he is happy to attack those who are not very submissive at first. But that doesn¡¯t mean that a very submissive man doesn¡¯t want to have a little fun, like this sissy in front of him.


    When Li Chengxiu was reminded about the evil deeds of the gangster at school, he hurriedly lowered his eyes and said pleadingly: ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Good that you know.¡± Shao Qun raised his chin proudly.


    Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu, who was sitting on his knees with pursed lips and legs. It didn¡¯t look pleasant, you say, how could he look like a girl even in a sitting posture? It¡¯s really disgusting.


    This kind of Li Chengxiu, in his eyes, was asking for a beating. He couldn¡¯t help but slap him.


    Li Chengxiu stared at him blankly, his eyes tinged red, but he didn¡¯t dare to make a sound.


    Shao Qun watched a tender red appear on his(LC) white cheeks, together with the red circles under his eyes, just like the rabbit he used to toss and play with, which made him feel particularly amused.


    He couldn¡¯t help pinching his(LC) cheek with his fingers. Mmm, it was creamy, and it felt so good to the touch. Not to mention that this person not only acts and behaves like a girl, his name is also girly, and he looks like a woman.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s cheeks were sore from the pinching. He felt as if he was being watched by a wolf. He couldn¡¯t help but worry that he could end his junior high school career with three months left.


    Shao Qun looked at him like he didn¡¯t dare to give a shit and felt bored again. There was still an hour or so before the school would start to fill up. How long did he have to stay in this damn place?


    The only thing that can relieve his boredom is this sissy. His wimpish sissy look was so disgusting to look at that it annoyed him(SQ), and when he felt annoyed, he wanted to toss this sissy out.


    Shao Qun adjusted himself into a comfortable sitting posture: ¡°Hey, I heard that your father dumped you and your mother and ran away with a vixen. Is it true?¡±


    Li Chengxiu looked up in surprise, not expecting this man to reveal his scars so directly, and in a tone of voice as if he had found something new. He froze and his eyes began to flush red again.


    Shao Qun was enthused: ¡°Your father really ran away with someone, didn¡¯t he? I also heard that your mother is an alcoholic? She doesn¡¯t care about you. Look at you, you¡¯re so dirty all day, aren¡¯t you embarrassed to come out?¡±


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s red eyes were filled with anger and sadness that he dared not vent. He stared at Shao Qun, his eyes blurring as he stared, his heart aching beyond words. The wound in his heart was being treated like a joke, he could not help but be angry and sad, but he did not even have the courage to express his anger, which made him even more aggrieved and sad.


    ¡°Cry, cry, cry, do you know anything else besides crying, are you a fucking man?¡± Shao Qun pushed his head several times rudely, freaking out at his wimpy look.


    Li Chengxiu¡¯s eyes filled with tears, but he did not dare to make a sound, lowering his head and staring blankly at the ground, wiping his eyes desperately with his hands on one side.


    Shao Qun opened his mouth and wanted to say something when the iron door on the top floor was suddenly slammed vigorously against the wall with a loud noise, and both men were startled and looked back.


    Several teenagers appeared at the door and saw Shao Qun at a glance, ¡°Haha, finally I found you, you really know how to hide.¡±


    Shao Qun pouted disdainfully: ¡°It took you so long to find, I¡¯m the last one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the end, it was all of us together who helped him, hey¡­¡­who is this?¡± One of them looked at Shao Qun and at the child curled up on the ground and weeping in surprise.


    Li Chengxiu also stared blankly at the people who came in. He knew these people, they hung out with Shao Qun all day long, but he didn¡¯t know their names.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this that, sissy? Shao Qun, what are you doing with him, aren¡¯t you afraid of contagion?¡±


    The words made a burst of laughter.


    ¡°I ran into him when I came to hide, it¡¯s not like I can go down.¡±


    ¡°Yo yo yo, look at you, you made someone¡¯s girl cry, hahaha.¡± A tall, thin boy with brownish-red dyed hair walked up to Li Chengxiu and leaned over slightly to look at him.


    Li Chengxiu buried his whole head in his knees like an ostrich, panicking so much that he didn¡¯t dare to breathe. These people were the school¡¯s famous hooligans, and the fact that he was alone with a group of them scared him so much that his heart began to beat wildly.


    ¡°Hey, what are you hiding from? Show me, haha, you even cried? Shao Qun, how did you bully him? Don¡¯t you know his father doesn¡¯t care about his mother and him, a beggar? Why are you still bullying him?¡± That said, everyone around them was in the mood for a good show.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored, I¡¯m hiding here and have nothing to do, so I¡¯m letting him pass the time with me. Who knew he was such a crybaby? He¡¯s just like a girl. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Just like the rumours, huh.¡± The redhead grabbed Li Chengxiu¡¯s hair and tried to yank his face out. Li Chengxiu¡¯s scalp hurt so much that he was forced to raise his head.


    His tear-stained and reddened face provoked another round of jeers.


    The person next to him(LC), imitating a woman¡¯s voice, cried out strangely: ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t think it is dirty. Don¡¯t you know that he never changes clothes or takes a bath? You are not afraid of getting sick.¡±


    The red hair withdrew his hand exaggeratedly as if it had been scalded and kicked Li Chengxiu in disgust: ¡°Damn it, if you really infect me with whatever worms you have, I¡¯ll throw you into the river, to feed the fish.¡±


    Shao Qun looked impatiently at the group of people surrounding Li Chengxiu, like if they had discovered a new world: ¡°Have you had enough, I want to have something to drink, it¡¯s hot here, let¡¯s go, this bitch is too disgusting, why are you surrounding him?¡±


    The group had cleared out in a moment, and the top floor, which had been noisy a second before, immediately became as cold and clear as the countless midday hours he had spent here.


    Li Chengxiu stroked the painful scalp with trembling fingers. Then, he pressed his head and buried it in his knees, his shoulders heaving up and down uncontrollably, before letting out a small sob.


    The redhead shook the water from his hands, ¡°I¡¯ve washed them several times, and I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re clean.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Da Li, don¡¯t pretend to be clean here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s better to wash it a few more times, I¡¯m afraid his vigour will also be contagious.¡± Next to him, Li Wenxun held up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and spoke.


    ¡°What do you mean, the sissy is contagious too?¡±


    He smiled somewhat mysteriously, ¡°You guys don¡¯t know, do you? People like them, I heard they are all¡­¡­¡± he deliberately stretched his voice and looked at several people with a smirk.


    Shao Qun frowned impatiently and took a large gulp of Coke: ¡°Say what you heard, don¡¯t whet people¡¯s appetite.¡±


    ¡°I heard they are all Gay.¡±


    ¡°Gay?¡± The three men said in unison