Chapter 9

Due to her injury, Zheng Xiuyan couldn't go anywhere, making this weekend seem especially long. She could only stay at home all day, and her mother even supervised her studies, which was driving her to the brink of collapse. She, who used to dread going to school the most, sincerely hoped that Monday would come quickly so she could escape her mother's clutches. What made Zheng Xiuyan even more upset was that by Sunday, she could only hobble around, while Xia Hou Zhongying was already running around the house. During these two days, her younger sister, Zheng Xiujing, had completely sided with Xia Hou Zhongying, to the point where even her most effective weapon, her allowance, had lost its power.

As Zheng Xiujing put it, "I've already hooked up with a rich guy, why should I care about that little bit of pocket money?" She followed Xia Hou Zhongying around all day, eating, drinking, and playing, and always came back with some free gifts. While Zheng Xiuyan envied her, she also hated Xia Hou Zhongying for threatening her position in her sister's heart.

Finally, Monday arrived, and Zheng Xiuyan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of liberation, like a slave who had finally been freed.

"Zhongying, you're the older brother. At school, you should keep an eye on Xiuyan and not let her act recklessly, understand?" On Monday morning, Zheng's mother instructed Xia Hou Zhongying. "If she skips class again, tell me when you come home, and I'll deal with her."

In Zheng's mother's mind, although she didn't oppose Zheng Xiuyan becoming a star, education still held a very important place. Being a star couldn't last a lifetime, especially in Korea, where the lifespan of a star was generally short, like a shooting star. Therefore, getting a good education and attending a good university would provide a safety net for life, whether or not she became a star.

"No problem, Auntie, you can rest assured. I'll keep an eye on my sister," Xia Hou Zhongying replied with a broad smile, feeling elated at the thought of having the authority to manage Zheng Xiuyan. He called her "sister" with great satisfaction and confidently agreed.

Xia Hou Zhongying's smug look made Zheng Xiuyan feel extremely nauseous, but she had to act like a good girl in front of her mother, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

"Xiuyan, at school, you should listen to your brother. You're a girl, so don't be too strong-willed," Zheng's mother turned to Zheng Xiuyan and instructed.

"Yes, I understand," Zheng Xiuyan replied with a sweet smile to her mother. But when she turned to look at Xia Hou Zhongying, her eyes were filled with murderous intent. She put her acting skills to good use, showing a grim expression but controlling her voice to sound gentle and polite, "Brother, I'll listen to you."

Hearing Zheng Xiuyan's gentle voice, Xia Hou Zhongying's mouth opened slightly, and he shivered, feeling the temperature around him drop.

As soon as they were out of their mother's sight, Zheng Xiuyan's face changed, and she glared at Xia Hou Zhongying, saying coldly, "Xia Hou Zhongying, don't think that just because my mother backs you, you can boss me around. At school, you mind your own business, and I'll mind mine. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

With that, she huffed and walked ahead, ignoring Xia Hou Zhongying.

"I don't even want to bother with you," Xia Hou Zhongying laughed, having agreed to Zheng's mother's request just to annoy Zheng Xiuyan. He knew they didn't get along, and it was already good that they didn't fight.

Although Zheng Xiuyan's attitude towards him was unfriendly, Xia Hou Zhongying wasn't angry. He followed her, humming a song to himself.

"Little Ya, Little Er Lang, carrying a bomb to school, not afraid of the sun, not afraid of the wind, just afraid of being punished by the teacher, if punished again, I'll blow him up..."

"Haha..." As they approached the school gate, a burst of laughter came from beside Xia Hou Zhongying. He turned to see two beautiful girls, one of whom was laughing at him.

"Hey, big sister, what are you laughing at?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked, puzzled.

"Little guy, the song you sang was really funny," the girl said, still laughing.

"Uh..." Xia Hou Zhongying had sung in Chinese, and he was surprised that someone could understand. He felt a bit embarrassed and laughed awkwardly.

"Baoging, Shengmei, what are you doing here?" Zheng Xiuyan, who had heard the laughter, turned around and saw people she knew. They were trainees from the same company, and Baoging, whose full name was Jin Baoging, was a senior at her school, while the other was Hong Shengmei.

"Xiuyan, Baoging and I are on the same route, and we just happened to pass by your school," Hong Shengmei said with a smile. "I heard you were injured. I saw you just now and wanted to ask if you're feeling better."

"Thank you, sisters, I'm almost fully recovered," Zheng Xiuyan replied. Her attitude towards the company's senior trainees was completely different from her attitude towards Xia Hou Zhongying, making Xia Hou Zhongying feel a bit unreal. When did this girl become so polite?

"By the way, how did you get injured?" Jin Baoging, who had a good impression of Zheng Xiuyan, asked with concern. "It's a pity you couldn't participate in the company's monthly evaluation yesterday. With your level, you would have done well."

This was like rubbing salt in the wound. Zheng Xiuyan had already accepted the reality, but now Jin Baoging's words reignited her anger. Xia Hou Zhongying, sensing the tension, tried to slip away.

"Stop right there." Just as Xia Hou Zhongying was about to sneak away, Zheng Xiuyan's loud shout froze him in place, his sneaky appearance making him look ridiculous.

"Baoging, it was this scoundrel who hurt me with a chair and sent me to the hospital," Zheng Xiuyan said viciously.

"Hey, Zheng Xiuyan, don't twist the facts. I didn't hit you with a chair; you ran into my chair and sent me to the hospital," Xia Hou Zhongying, annoyed by Zheng Xiuyan's false accusation, retorted. "And please, be more polite. What do you mean by 'scoundrel'? I'm your brother."

"I don't have a brother like you. Don't put words in my mouth," Zheng Xiuyan refused to admit, angry that her mother had so easily recognized this guy who had hurt her as a stepson and made her call him brother.

"What's going on?" Jin Baoging and Hong Shengmei were confused by the two's conversation. The perpetrator had become Zheng Xiuyan's brother, and the sister refused to acknowledge him as her brother. They only knew that Zheng Xiuyan had a younger sister, not a brother.

After Jin Baoging and Hong Shengmei pieced together the story from Zheng Xiuyan, the bizarre and convoluted plot made them laugh and cry at the same time.

Hong Shengmei looked at Xia Hou Zhongying with a strange expression, making him feel uneasy.

"Hey, big sister, don't look at me like that. I know I'm handsome, but I'm just a legend," Xia Hou Zhongying said to cover his nervousness.

"What are you talking about, little kid? I'm not interested in younger guys," Hong Shengmei laughed. "The song you sang was pretty funny. Sing it again."

"What song?" Jin Baoging asked, intrigued.

Hong Shengmei, who was studying Chinese at the Korean Foreign Language University, understood the lyrics of the song Xia Hou Zhongying had sung. She explained the meaning to Jin Baoging and Zheng Xiuyan, making Jin Baoging laugh.

Zheng Xiuyan, despite her efforts to look fierce, couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Hey," Xia Hou Zhongying laughed awkwardly, saying it was almost time for class and quickly walked into the school.

Back in the classroom, Xia Hou Zhongying threw his backpack on an empty desk, ignoring the strange smiles of his classmates and the angry gaze of the girl in the front row, who had been hit by a chalkboard eraser the day before. He took out his breakfast and started eating.

Soon, Zheng Xiuyan arrived at the classroom, walked up to Xia Hou Zhongying, and patted the desk where he had thrown his backpack, staring at him intently.

The majority of the students in the classroom started to chuckle, turning to look at the two, waiting for the drama to unfold.

"What?" Xia Hou Zhongying looked at Zheng Xiuyan, his mouth still full of food, and mumbled.

"Move it," Zheng Xiuyan pointed at Xia Hou Zhongying's backpack.

"Why?" Xia Hou Zhongying, without looking at Zheng Xiuyan, took a sip of milk and asked.

"This is my desk," Zheng Xiuyan said confidently.

"Spit, cough, cough... yours...?" Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but spray the milk out, then collapsed on his desk, coughing uncontrollably. After a while, he managed to speak, "Yours?"

"Xia Hou Zhongying!!!!" The girl in front of Xia Hou Zhongying stood up abruptly, turned around, and pointed at him, her body trembling, tears welling up in her eyes, too angry to speak.

"Ah, cough, cough... I'm so sorry," Xia Hou Zhongying, seeing the girl's head covered in the milk he had sprayed, felt even more miserable. Her head was dotted with white milk, making her look like a spotted dog. He coughed even harder, feeling like he was having the worst day ever.

Seeing this, the students in the classroom burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll help you clean it up," Xia Hou Zhongying quickly apologized, taking out a tissue to help the girl clean her head.

The girl slapped Xia Hou Zhongying's hand away, covered her mouth, and ran out of the classroom, crying.

"Hey, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll pay for your shampoo," Xia Hou Zhongying shouted after her.

"Hahaha..." The students in the classroom laughed even harder, some even crying from laughter.

"You're dead, do you know her father is the vice-principal of the school?" Zheng Xiuyan laughed, gloating at Xia Hou Zhongying.

"Are you serious? This is just too much bad luck," Xia Hou Zhongying said, tears streaming down his face.