Chapter 17

Xi Shi held on for a moment before letting go, handing the car keys to Jing Chen.

“Bro, you’ve never driven a sports car before, right? Here you go.”

Jing Chen finally glanced at the sleek sports car parked by the curb and said, “This car isn’t cheap, is it?”

“Over eight million yuan after tax. My cousin gave it to me as an eighteenth birthday gift. Pretty flashy, huh?”

The sports car's design incorporated mech elements, giving it a striking visual impact and a streamlined, battle-ready aura, as if it could transform into a humanoid form at any moment. Among the wealthy crowd of Yanjing, it was undeniably eye-catching.

Just standing outside the café for a while, the car attracted many glances, and some even pulled out their phones to snap pictures.

“Really cool,” Jing Chen affirmed.

“Heh, I won’t lie, I usually don’t dare to take it out much. Let’s go before someone starts posting photos online and people begin imagining all sorts of things.”

The two got into the car, and Jing Chen started the engine. He wasn’t particularly fond of sports cars—probably because he was getting older and found the roar too noisy.

Too flashy, not dignified enough.

“Heading to my place?” Jing Chen asked.

Xi Shi gave a brief “Mm.”

It was Saturday, and the roads were packed with vehicles, especially during rush hour. The traffic was so congested that the sports car crawled like a turtle.

The car’s low chassis and deep-seated seats didn’t offer the ergonomic comfort of a sedan, and the cramped interior made being stuck in traffic quite unpleasant.

“Man, bro, your first time driving a supercar and it gets ruined by traffic. You have no idea how awesome it was to drive on the ring road outside the city just now.”

Jing Chen kept an eye on the road and asked, “Where did you go out in the suburbs?”

“I went to the racetrack to ride horses for a bit.”

Xi Shi’s tone noticeably dropped when he said this.

“Did something bother you there?” Jing Chen inquired.

Xi Shi shook his head, unwilling to bring up family matters.

To be fair, his cousin was genuinely good to him. Giving away an eight-million-yuan luxury car as a birthday present was no small gesture, and that was only part of what his cousin had given him. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he treated Xi Shi like a true brother.

If Shao Xun and his mother had come to propose a contractual marriage and his cousin had been there and agreed, Xi Shi might have grudgingly accepted the arrangement.

But knowing his cousin, he wouldn’t just disapprove—he’d likely kick them out without ceremony.

Perhaps fate had balanced out giving him such a great cousin by saddling him with a less-than-ideal cousin sister.

The luxurious gift alone spoke volumes about the Xi family’s immense wealth.

Membership at the racetrack cost only a few hundred thousand yuan, a trivial sum for a family of their stature.

Yet Xi Yue would always begrudge him spending money. She could casually splurge on designer handbags, lavish over a million yuan on jewelry, and fill their wardrobe with high-end couture so much that they had to clear out barely worn items every year, giving them to the servants.

Their servants probably made millions reselling those items.

Despite her extravagant lifestyle, she would sarcastically criticize Xi Shi even for buying a pair of sneakers that cost tens of thousands.

Moreover, Xi Shi’s parents hadn’t left behind a substantial inheritance, so whenever he splurged, he felt guilty, as if he were leeching off his uncle and aunt. Coupled with Xi Yue’s constant emotional manipulation over the years, he always felt deeply indebted to them.

That’s why when Xi Yue threatened him today, he couldn’t find any words to refuse.

He truly owed that family.

And so, he willingly agreed to the arranged marriage, ready to sacrifice his lifelong happiness to repay his uncle’s kindness.

Sigh…

At that moment, Xi Shi’s phone vibrated. A WeChat friend request popped up: “GoodGoodGood wants to add you as a friend. Accept?”

Note: I am Huo Siyu.

This request came via a recommended contact card from Qin Mingtian.

GoodGoodGood—that must be Qin Mingtian’s big-browed, big-eyed friend. So soon, he’d already betrayed their group.

Still, Xi Shi had a good impression of Huo Siyu, who was also a junior at the same school, which earned some points. Without hesitation, he accepted the friend request.

When adding a note, Xi Shi typed “Huo Siyu” but hesitated, deleted it, and replaced it with “junior.”

Since Xi Yue had seen him hanging out with Huo Siyu, who knew what she might do next? She was determined to get close to Huo Siyu, even hoping to date him and become the envy-inducing daughter-in-law of the Huo family.

But Xi Shi would never play matchmaker for her.

Junior: Hello, senior! (^_^)ノ

Junior: Our nicknames match so well.

Junior: Why don’t you just fly to the sky? GoodGoodGood.

Why don’t you just fly to the sky: ...

Junior: Senior, what are you busy with? Want to grab a meal?

Junior: Brother Qin owes us a dinner.

Junior: [Our motto: Eat! Eat! Eat! .JPG]

Why don’t you just fly to the sky: I’m with a friend.

Why don’t you just fly to the sky: Sorry for spoiling your fun this afternoon.

Junior: I know it’s not your fault, senior, no need to blame yourself!

Junior: [Look at my sharp eyes.JPG]

Xi Shi realized that even the son of the richest man used plenty of emojis in his chats.

If you didn’t know his background, you’d just think he was a cheerful, lively junior.

Moreover, Huo Siyu seemed well-mannered, without any airs of superiority. Chatting with him didn’t require any cautious flattery.

Junior: By the way, senior, I just checked the forum. Someone posted photos slandering you; I’ve asked someone to find them and give them a good scolding.

Junior: Spreading rumors about you being kept? That’s vicious.

Xi Shi felt a bit guilty reading that.

Well, not exactly... rumors.

Why don’t you just fly to the sky: No need, my third brother already handled it.

Junior: ?

Junior: Which third brother?

Junior: Huo Siyuan?

Why don’t you just fly to the sky: Yeah, just met him recently.

After some time, Huo Siyu finally replied.

Junior: I’m back.

Junior: Just beat up my third brother.

Junior retracted a message.

Junior: Just had a loving chat with my third brother *^_^*

Junior: [Obedient.JPG]

Xi Shi was speechless.

GoodGoodGood, so this is how you play it—sending then retracting messages.

A little awkward. He hoped this wouldn’t cause any rift between the two brothers.

“We’re here,” Jing Chen suddenly said.

“That fast?”

Xi Shi was puzzled. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he looked around and said, “Isn’t this your neighborhood, bro?”

“Seeing you so engrossed in chatting, I took a detour to a strange place to sell you off,” Jing Chen locked the car.

Xi Shi didn’t catch the sarcasm and grabbed Jing Chen’s hand with a grin. “If you’re selling me, make sure it’s for a good price. Pure-hearted college boys are valuable.”

Jing Chen led him to a shopping mall. Xi Shi thought they might be going to eat. He wasn’t very hungry but didn’t want to spoil Jing Chen’s mood, so he let himself be led upstairs to the third floor.

To his surprise, Jing Chen brought him into a blind-box treasure-digging arcade.

Xi Shi had never been to such a strange place before. It was fairly busy — mostly adults with children, but also some adults and couples.

In front of them were boxes of soil. Customers used small shovels, hammers, and chisels to chip away at the earth, revealing “treasures” hidden inside.

Xi Shi saw someone unearth a set of panda plush toys—seven little pandas, each with unique features and adorable expressions. It made him want one too.

“Wanna play?” Jing Chen asked.

“Definitely!”

They sat at a table, and a staff member brought over a sizable block of soil, explaining the rules before they started digging.

After some hammering and chiseling, something began to take shape inside.

“Looks like a mech sports car model! Kind of like my car!” Xi Shi said excitedly.

“Keep digging.”

Jing Chen kept at it with the shovel, but Xi Shi stopped him. “No, no, no. Don’t use the shovel. Let’s use a brush—I’m afraid we might damage it.”

Jing Chen chuckled. “No need to be so careful. It’s not that delicate.”

“That’s not certain! Look at these lines—so sleek. It has to be a treasure.”

Xi Shi was fully immersed, carefully brushing away the dirt, afraid to chip even a speck of paint. Gradually, the entire model emerged.

Truth be told, except for some grime and dust from being buried so long, it wasn’t a cheap trinket.

The model was exquisitely crafted, with smooth, beautiful lines, rivalling those collected by serious model enthusiasts.

The staff walked over, saw the model in Xi Shi’s hands, and exclaimed, “Gentlemen, you’ve just dug up our shop’s prized treasure! Congratulations! This model’s worth over a thousand yuan. You just hit the jackpot.”

Each blind box cost 200 yuan. Getting your money’s worth was already a win.

And this was even better.

“Really?” Xi Shi beamed. “Looks like we’re really lucky today.”

“Yes. See the dirt on it? It’s been buried a long time. We’ll need to clean it with ultrasound. Follow me.”

The staff led them to a small back room and gestured for Xi Shi to put the model into a water tank. Soon, a murky mist of dirty water surrounded the model, submerging it completely.

“Time to witness a miracle,” the staff said.

Using tongs, the staff pulled out the model, now clean and bright. Under the light, the glossy paint gleamed, and the cool, smooth design was fully visible.

No man can resist a sports car model, and Xi Shi was no exception.

His eyes sparkled as he took the cleaned model from the staff and looked up at Jing Chen. “Bro, I really love it!”

Seeing Xi Shi’s joyous smile, the usually stern and aloof Jing Chen softened. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Xi Shi played with it for a while, reluctant to part, then handed it back to the staff. “Could you please pack it up for me? Thanks.”

The staff carefully boxed the model, bagged it, and handed it to Xi Shi.

On the bag was a pink card. Xi Shi pulled it out and read:

—Worries and unhappiness are like the layer of soil covering this model. If you just brush them away, you’ll find happiness beneath.

The script was strong and bold, clearly not the staff’s handwriting.

A warm feeling flooded Xi Shi’s heart. He looked at Jing Chen with bright eyes. “Did you write this?”

“Yeah, I wrote it when I went to the restroom,” Jing Chen admitted. “Feeling any better now?”

So that was why he’d brought him here—to cheer him up with a treasure-digging game.

Xi Shi was deeply moved.

It was a special feeling, having someone care when you’re down.

It had been so long since he’d been so cherished.

His cousin was kind but busy, mostly showing concern through material gifts—otherwise, Xi Yue wouldn’t have been so overbearing.

When he was a child, every time he was sad or bullied, he was like a wounded fawn, hiding and licking his wounds. Growing up, he learned to digest feelings on his own and put on a mask. No one came to comfort him.

“I’m better now. Thanks, bro. I’m really happy.”

Linking arms with Jing Chen, Xi Shi rested his head on his shoulder. “I’m almost falling for you. What should I do?”

Jing Chen’s footsteps paused for a fraction. “Almost?”

“Not telling you.”

Jing Chen ruffled his hair.

Xi Shi kept silent because the one thing holding him back was Jing Chen’s family background.

His marriage was arranged by fate; their relationship was destined to end in separation.

Sigh...

Watching the two walk away sweetly, a staff member linked arms with a colleague and sighed enviously, “So this is what it means to lavish money for a beauty’s smile. Jealous. I wish my boyfriend was this generous.”

That sports car blind box was indeed the shop’s prized treasure, except it didn’t cost 200 yuan—it was 2,000.

Who in their right mind would spend two thousand yuan on a blind box, not knowing what’s inside?

Their so-called prized treasure was almost gathering dust.

Luckily, some still spare no expense for a lady’s smile.

The other staff member tapped her on the head. “Wake up, you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“...” Heart hardened, as always.