Chapter 133
A few days later, Su Bin found a chance to gossip with Yang Chengzhe about his and Li Meihan’s situation.
“Hey Brother Cheng, what did you think of the girl who came to M City to visit me last time?”
Yang Chengzhe shot him a sidelong glance. Seeing Su Bin’s eager expression, he felt reluctant to douse his enthusiasm but decided to tease him a bit.
“She’s a nice girl, very cute,” Yang Chengzhe acknowledged.
“Ha ha ha, really~~” Su Bin’s heart instantly blossomed with joy, his face grinning with a rather lecherous smile.
Just as he was about to ask if Yang Chengzhe was interested, Yang Chengzhe, with a sly smile, added, “But she’s not as cute as you.”
Su Bin: “……” (=皿=) Seriously! Can’t you be more sincere!?
Yang Chengzhe chuckled, “So, are you trying to set me up with her?”
Su Bin’s head bobbed up and down like a pestle: “Yes! I think she’s great, and she can cook. The snacks she brought last time were homemade.”
The underlying message was: Brother Cheng, your cooking is terrible, you should find a girlfriend who can cook!
Yang Chengzhe: “Oh, but she’s not as good as you at cooking.”
Su Bin: “……”
Who told him Yang Chengzhe had high emotional intelligence? (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Yang Chengzhe laughed, “Finding a partner isn’t like hiring a housekeeper. It doesn’t have to be someone who can cook.”
It seemed that Yang Chengzhe either hadn’t unlocked his romantic skills or just wasn’t interested in Li Meihan. Su Bin decided not to push further and asked dejectedly, “So what type do you like?”
Yang Chengzhe: “I don’t really know. I guess I’ll figure it out when I meet the right person.”
Su Bin: “……” Looks like Yang Chengzhe’s issue is the former!
Yang Chengzhe asked, “What, are you worried I won’t find a girlfriend?”
Worried, definitely. But to spare Brother Cheng’s feelings, Su Bin said tactfully, “You’re such a great guy; it would be a shame to stay single.”
Yang Chengzhe: “Stop with the sugarcoating. It’s not that being single is a shame, but I’m starting to find it a bit dull. So, if I can find someone to spend time with, that would be nice.”
Su Bin: “……” Dating is just a pastime?
Yang Chengzhe, despite saying such things, still smiled warmly and looked harmless…
Su Bin thought: Brother Cheng!! I didn’t expect you to be a potential… player!!!
“Let nature take its course,” Yang Chengzhe said, moving on from the topic of girlfriends. “Next week, a younger brother is coming to M City. His parents asked me to look after him for a while.”
Su Bin: “A younger brother?”
Yang Chengzhe: “He’s not actually related to me by blood. He’s the son of a friend of my father’s. I haven’t seen him for years.”
Su Bin: “How old is he? Is he coming to study in M City?”
“Yeah, he’s a bit younger than you, coming for a foundation course for undergraduates. I heard his academic performance is terrible. He’s taken the IELTS four or five times and only managed to score 5.0 after hiring a private tutor,” Yang Chengzhe said, shaking his head.
The IELTS test is for non-native English speakers who want to study, work, or settle in B Country. A score of 5.0 is quite low; the total score is 9, with a minimum requirement of 4.5 for entry-level courses, around 6 for undergraduate programs, and 6.5 for graduate programs. Su Bin scored 7.0 when he took it for an exchange program in his second year of university, which was considered a high score.
A 5.0 score is roughly equivalent to the level of high school English education in domestic cities, adequate for simple daily communication and reading but insufficient for university-level English instruction. The foundation course Yang Chengzhe mentioned is designed to improve students’ English skills in preparation for university, generally lasting one year.
For a high school graduate, a score of 5.0 isn’t too bad, but for a scholar like Yang Chengzhe, it’s pretty dismal.
“Ugh, it’s going to be a hassle…” Yang Chengzhe sighed.
“Why a hassle? Is it because his English is poor?” Su Bin rarely saw Yang Chengzhe look troubled.
“If it were just poor grades, it wouldn’t be a big deal. The real issue is that he’s very rebellious and hard to manage. I heard he used to skip classes and fool around in high school, likes to play games, hang out at bars, and almost got involved with drugs… He’s a typical spoiled kid,” Yang Chengzhe said with a wry smile. “His parents were busy with their careers when he was growing up. By the time they realized he’d gone off track, they asked my dad for help. I suggested they send him abroad for some discipline, so now the responsibility falls on me.”
Su Bin couldn’t understand why a high school graduate would need someone to manage them. He’d been self-sufficient since middle school. If the person went abroad, wouldn’t they have more freedom?
Yang Chengzhe explained, “His parents transferred all his study funds to my account, so I’m responsible for managing his money. The idea is to restrict his spending because many things can’t be done without money…”
Su Bin: “……”
Su Bin couldn’t help but think of his own situation. He also had no financial control; his bank card and cash were still under Allen’s control.
After returning to B Country, Allen had given him a new card, linked to his own account. Although it had no spending limit, Su Bin couldn’t use it freely. Allen had strict rules about what he could buy and what he didn’t need to worry about.
Su Bin’s main expenses were for daily necessities, while everything from shampoo to socks was bought by Allen.
At first, Su Bin felt uncomfortable, as if living under constant surveillance. Allen could see all his spending records, and any cash withdrawal had to be justified with a card. Saving any private money was nearly impossible.
But gradually, Su Bin adapted. He realized Allen wasn’t trying to limit his spending but rather to prevent him from stressing over financial matters.
As long as Su Bin didn’t try to do anything dishonest, he didn’t need to worry about making mistakes in this area.
After six months, Su Bin felt much more relaxed and had a broader view on spending. He no longer thought about whether things were “cheap or expensive” but only considered “whether I need it.”
Moreover, most of “Su Boss’s” profits went into Allen’s account, so Su Bin didn’t feel like he was freeloading.
The Easter holiday passed, and as students returned, Su Bin’s new cheese-stuffed flatbread and trial-selling braised meat sauce mashed potatoes were very popular. Su Bin had been helping out at the store.
In the afternoon, Yang Chengzhe called, saying that the rebellious kid coming for the foundation course had arrived in M City. They planned to have dinner together that evening and asked Su Bin to return home early. Su Bin handed over responsibilities to Danni and headed back home.
“Let me introduce you, this is Qi Xin,” Yang Chengzhe said.
Contrary to Su Bin’s expectations of a delinquent image, Qi Xin didn’t have dyed hair or tattoos. Instead, he looked clean and handsome. The only sign of his “rebellious style” was a row of black ear studs on his right ear, which gave him a somewhat distinctive appearance.
Su Bin extended a friendly hand, saying, “Hello, I’m Su Bin.” Uh… why is he staring at me like that? Why does his gaze seem so fierce? (=_=)
After sizing up Su Bin, Qi Xin swatted his hand away and pursed his lips, showing a hint of defiance.
Su Bin: “……” Okay, this is definitely a rebellious kid!
Soon, Jin Fei and Allen arrived, but Qi Xin didn’t offer any pleasant expressions, his face set in a scowl as if he were angry at someone.
Yang Chengzhe had already informed everyone about Qi Xin, so they treated him as a kid and didn’t take his attitude personally. Besides, Qi Xin wouldn’t be living with them long-term, so they didn’t pay much attention.
After a simple dinner, Yang Chengzhe took Qi Xin to the student dormitory and didn’t return until about two hours later. At that time, Su Bin was in the kitchen preparing Allen’s lunchbox for the next day.
“Settled in?” Su Bin asked.
“Yeah, more or less,” Yang Chengzhe rubbed his temples, looking rather troubled.
Su Bin: “What’s wrong? Everything okay?”
Yang Chengzhe sighed, “Communication is impossible.”
Su Bin laughed, “Isn’t it said that there’s a generation gap every three years? He’s seven years younger than you, so it’s practically two generation gaps… Don’t push too hard.”
Yang Chengzhe: “Yeah, school starts tomorrow. I hope he doesn’t cause any trouble.”
However, hope is one thing, reality is another. The next afternoon, Yang Chengzhe received a call from the foundation course school saying Qi Xin hadn’t shown up for class and his phone was turned off.
Yang Chengzhe had to go to the student dormitory personally, only to find the kid lounging in the dorm, playing video games with his messy hair.
Trying to reason or talk about life with Qi Xin was futile because he wouldn’t listen, making Yang Chengzhe’s persuasive skills a waste.
Using force was out of the question; Yang Chengzhe, with his scholar-like appearance, seemed even more likely to get beaten by Qi Xin.
Seeking help from family wasn’t Yang Chengzhe’s style, so he spent days furrowing his brow trying to come up with a solution. Finally, he hit upon an idea—let Qi Xin move in.
That evening, the four of them had a meeting in the living room to discuss this matter. Su Bin asked, “Where will he stay if he moves in?”
Yang Chengzhe: “He can sleep on the floor in my room for now. We’ll see how it goes. Besides, given his current mental state, it’s better for him to be around people.”
Jin Fei: “What’s wrong with his mental state?”
Yang Chengzhe: “He’s a bit reclusive, basically, he’s closed himself off.”
Jin Fei: “That’s not a good state to be in.”
“And his English is really poor… I don’t know how he managed a 5.0 on the IELTS,” Yang Chengzhe frowned again, “At this rate, not only will he struggle with his studies, but he won’t be able to live here either.”
Jin Fei nodded, “Alright, if he’s willing to move in, let’s give it a try. We’ll help him out.”
Yang Chengzhe looked at Allen, who simply said, “I have no objections. He’s your responsibility, handle it yourself.”
Su Bin had no objections either. He was more concerned with, “Will Qi Xin be willing to move in?”
Yang Chengzhe: “I’ve canceled his dorm accommodation. Where else can he go? He’s still a kid, he’s dependent on people, just has a bad temper.”
Su Bin: “……”
After some discussion, Qi Xin quickly moved in with his luggage. Since he had glared at Su Bin when they first met, Su Bin thought he might not like him much and tried to avoid provoking him.
However, Jin Fei, being friendly, chatted with Qi Xin and even played games with him. Qi Xin, who was easily hooked on games, soon took a liking to Jin Fei’s room, often hanging out there. By the end of the day, he was calling Jin Fei “Feige” politely, though his tone was still flat and his gaze remained defiant.
After a few days of peaceful coexistence, Qi Xin, aside from being aloof and not causing any disturbances, seemed to be settling in. Su Bin began to relax.
Just when it seemed like Qi Xin was adapting to the environment and slowly integrating, trouble arose.
One day when Su Bin returned home, he heard Qi Xin shouting angrily at Yang Chengzhe in the living room, “Can’t you stop meddling in my affairs? I’m about to go crazy from you!”
