After Running Away With a Cub, I Became Everyone’s Favourite

 

Chapter 52

 

Xia Mei finally laughed out loud when she saw the video of Wangzhe in the hospital room, bleeding from the phone fragments smashing his face, falling in shit and being chased by a wild dog.

Xia Qing Shu then knew that she would survive.

After Xia Mei got a little better, she called Wangzhe’s boss and reported him for abusing his power at office to facilitate Xiaosan’s father’s factory.

It is true that Xiao San’s family owns a factory, but she is only an illegitimate daughter, and her father does not take care of her much except for letting her work in the business. She was willing to be a third party because of Wang Zhe’s job position. Wang Zhe had a promising future, as he held an important position in the quality control unit and was the direct enforcer of Xiaosan’s father’s factory so he would use his position to let many things slide for the factory.

Xiaosan’s father pushed her to the cusp of the storm and the factory  was strictly investigated, many quality problems were found, and they were ordered to stop work for rectification and fined. Xiaosan was also kicked out by her father and became the abandoned child of the family.

Although Wang Zhe was dismissed from his job, he was still held responsible and sentenced to one year. Xia Mei even went to the court in disguise to observe the prosecution of Xiaosan and Wang Zhe, and was so scandalized by the dog-eat-dog situation in the courtroom that she went home and even worked two more bowls of rice.

Both the scumbag and his mistress were duly punished.

To prevent the family from seeking revenge, Xia Qing Shu sent Xia Mei to a private sanatorium, where security was so tight that only close family members knew about it. And because of Xia Qing Shu’s special instructions, Xia Yubin was completely unaware of Xia Mei’s health condition.

Xia Yubin has had very little contact with Xia Lao Er recently, as he has become a very busy man since he became popular. He had so little time that he reserved only three hours for Xia Qing Shu’s welcome party.

On the eve of the Xia family’s welcome party for Xia Qingshu, Xia Ji, the second brother, finally returned from his business trip. Xia Ji’s face was very similar to Xia Jing’s, with a Chinese face and half-length hair with a slight curl at the end. His features were deep, with a high nose and fair skin, a western look, and his pupils were also light blue.

He had finished his shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and his chest hair was dripping with water. He had just finished trimming his beard and there was still aftershave on his hands, the nice aftershave mixed with the aroma of shower gel and a testosterone smell that made one’s legs go weak.

Xia Ji opened his wardrobe and found a set of clothes that he was happy with, and just as he got them in his hands, he turned around to see Xia Yubin sitting on his bed.

“Yubin, what are you doing here?”

“Second brother, you’re finally back.” Xia Yubin flew up and hugged Xia Ji tightly, “I missed you so much…..”

Xia Ji was somewhat at a loss, wooden and unmoving, allowing Xia Yubin to hug him. He reached out and rubbed Xia Yubin’s head, laughing, “Second brother also misses you, let go, good boy.”

Xia Yubin let go and sat face to face with him, his eyes were red, a little excited and a little aggrieved, his cheeks were rubbed with water, his whole face was wet.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Ji casually took a towel, wiped the water droplets off his chest and put on another shirt.

“Who has given our big star a hard time? Tell brother, will you?” His tone was low, and he spoke in a polite and courteous manner, hiding his indulgence.

It’s better to have a second brother, Xia Yubin thought, sobbing as he told him about the bullying by Xia Qing Shu.

“What do you mean by saying this to second brother?” Xia Ji’s voice was still gentle.

Xia Yubin looked over with teary eyes and mumbled like he had done something wrong, “I didn’t mean anything else, I was just talking ……”

Xia Ji frowned and cut him off, “Do you want second brother to make things difficult for Qing Shu?”

He tied his long hair up with a leather band, revealing his handsome features, and curled his lips, still smiling, “Why should I help you?”

“Yu Bin, I’m not a fool.”

Xia Yubin froze.

In his eyes, Xia Ji had always doted on him, always had a polite and courteous appearance at all times, and compared to Xia Shan, was considered a good-tempered older brother who was gentle and controlled. Even though he was a little quite, he was almost responsive to his requests. So when he heard the news of Xia Ji’s return, he even put off work and came back early.

His nose sank, “Second brother, are you going to bully me too?”

Xia Ji slowly leaned towards him, gazing tenderly at the other party, slightly curling his lips, and only when he was about to touch his cheek did he calmly say, “Sprayed with perfume, just showered, changed clothes, and you even put on makeup, coming over while I’m in the shower, what do you want?”

Xia Ji finished and looked over teasingly. His face still had a smile on it, but his tone had changed, clearly the second brother who was doting and gentle one second, was strange in the blink of an eye. The harsh eyes seemed to say, “Are you seducing/attracting your own brother?”

He also knew that Xia Yubin was not his real brother, and since Xia Yubin knew his sexuality, it was not hard to think about his reason for coming prepared like this. Xia Yubin was dumb for a moment, and only after a long time did he argue feebly: “…makeup is the manager’s request…I’m a star now…”

Xia Ji didn’t break him down either and asked directly, “What do you want me to do?”

Xia Yubin didn’t expect the other party to actually agree to him and was a little excited, “You don’t have to do too much at the welcome meeting, let him be discredited, just… ..”

Xia Ji gently pushed on his head, and Xia Yubin lay down on the bed. Xia Yubin blushed and unbuttoned his shirt. Xia Ji, however, completely ignored the other party’s movements, turned around and put on his shirt and trousers, and said unhurriedly, “I have received your sincerity, and I will receive the reward after success.”

~

Xia Yubin’s original song became almost a household name, and he became an instant star. Even the ever-serious Xia Jing was full of praise for him. At the Xia family dinner, Xia Yubin was back in the limelight and Xia Shan praised Xia Yubin’s creative talent. Chen Qixi also prepared for Xia Yubin to perform a song for everyone at a welcome banquet dedicated to Xia Qingshu.

Xia Yubin sang vigorously as a backdrop, making no move at all to take the limelight away from his brother.

The welcome banquet looked quite successful.

During the banquet, Chen Qixi watched Xia Qingshu very closely and kept pulling him along throughout, introducing him non-stop. Xia Jing and Chen Qixi deliberately ignored to invite Chen Zhiyu because of their selfishness, but apart from Chen Zhiyu, all the city’s celebrities were present, Wen Sheng was there, He Chen was there, and even Shen Xunyi, the number one chaebol leader in North City was there.

Xia Qing Shu was always followed by three or two other people, and never fell out of the crowd.

Seeing that the banquet was coming to an end, Xia Yubin was a little anxious. When he arrived at Xia Ji’s door, the door was closed, no one answered when he knocked on the door, and no one answered when he called. Xia Yubin asked his aunt for the key to the room, and quietly opened the door to enter.

There was no one in the room, but a faint night light was on in the bathroom, leaving shadows on the walls. There was obviously someone there, so why didn’t they answer.

Xia Yubin slowly walked over, “Second brother?”

Pushing open the bathroom door, besides Xia Ji, there was a tall man. Seeing Xia Yubin, the man slowly turned his head and looked over with cold eyes. Xia Yubin was startled in his heart, wasn’t this Shen Xunyi? He had just seen Chen Qixi introduce him to Xia Qingshu, he was too greedy.

Shen Xunyi is a native of Beishi city, and stood a little higher than his second brother at 186cm. The Shen family engaged in heavy industry and also engaged in the entertainment industry, with a great influence in the country, considered to be second only to Chen’s group. He didn’t expect him to be so close to his second brother. Xia Yubin’s face showed delight, “Second brother, who one is this?”

Shen Xunyi avoided the crowd and stayed here with his second brother, which means that they have a close personal relationship. If he can get to know Shen Xunyi through second brother, then…

Xia Yubin made a good plan in his heart, but he didn’t notice that the clothes of the two were a little messy.

Shen Xunyi has the typical tall stature of a northerner, but his facial features were rather handsome, with a romantic and suave temperament. He elegantly straightened his cuff links while waving at Xia Yubin, and when Xia Yubin came closer, he hooked his fingers and lifted Xia Yubin’s face, “Is he the one you are talking about?”

He seemed dissatisfied with Xia Yubin, and after releasing his chin, he shook off his hand critically.

“Yes.” Xia Ji nodded, pulled out a wet tissue, took hold of Shen Xun Ruo’s hand and wiped his hand carefully. Shen Xunyi, however, looked as if he took it for granted and commanded, “Wipe it again.”

Xia Yubin’s pupils quaked. Even if he was a fool, at this point, he should have noticed the relationship between the two. That Xia Ji had agreed to help him, and had so clearly asked for payment, what did that mean….Just now, Shen Xunyi looked like he was measuring goods, and talked openly in front of him, what did it mean ……

Xia Yubin’s head was very confused.

But Xia Ji did not care, and straightforwardly asked, “What do you need me to do?”

Seeing that the other party was frozen, Shen Xunyi gave a cold snort.

Xia Yubin came back to his senses and hurriedly said, “Let him fall alone.” Saying that, he handed a bottle of drink over, “Let him drink it and then call me.”

Xia Ji took out the phone and called Xia Qing Shu in front of the two, “Qing Shu, this is second brother …… Second brother is late, I’m sorry …… I prepared a gift for you, come to my room to get it, okay?”

Xia Qing Shu’s side agreed quickly.

After hanging up the phone, Xia Ji courteously made a gesture for the other party to leave, “Please.”

Xia Yubin stumbled and ran out. Having received too big a shock, his mind could not be calmed for a long time.

He might have to pay a lot in order to screw up Xia Qing Shu, but it was worth it when he thought of Shen Xunyi’s handsome appearance ……

 

～

After Xia Yubin left, Xia Ji locked the door to his room. Shen Xunyi wrapped his arms around Xia Ji’s waist and rolled his eyes, “That’s him?”

Is this kind of goods also worthy to bring to the master’s eyes? The tone of disgust was about to break through the sky.

Xia Ji gave him a peck on the mouth, softly coaxing, “Hmm.”

“Not pretty looking either, and with a poisonous mind.” Shen Xunyi’s comment was considered snarky, “Dull looking, I’m afraid he’s a fool. I don’t like “it”.”

“Change “it”.”

“You’re asking too much.” Xia Ji continued to coax, “You asked me to find someone and didn’t specify the requirements, so tell me, what kind of look do you like?”

Shen Xunyi wrapped his arms around the other party, “I want someone like you, tall, smart, understanding, someone who can make the Shen Xunyi stand up in awe just by looking at him.”

Not knowing what came to mind, Shen Xunyi nibbled on the other party’s lips, “Everything is good on you except not letting me fuck.”

Xia Ji gave him a squeeze, “You’re not like that either.”

“Although Yu Bin is average looking, he is clean and petite, just teach him to be what you like.” Xia Ji coaxed.

Shen Xunyi frowned and protested seriously, “It’s my first time!”

“I know, I know, me too, and Yu Bin too. I’ll let you be aggrieved.” Xia Ji looked at the time and coaxed him to the door, “You go out first, Xia Qinshu is coming soon. Let’s give it a try, it’s not like it’s a must to have him, if it doesn’t work, we’ll change.”

Shen Xunyi grunted coldly and reluctantly walked away. As he was leaving, he picked up half a glass of red wine from the entrance and gave Xia Ji a fierce glare.

 

……

 

Xia Qing Shu had been surrounded by people and couldn’t get away, so he managed to find an excuse to leave, and it was already twenty minutes after he received a call from his second brother.

Xia Ji’s room was on the third floor, and Shen Xunyi was walking gracefully around the corner with his glass of wine when a hairy boy rushed over and crashed headlong into his arms. Shen Xunyi wrinkled his eyebrows, picked up the other party by the back of his collar and pulled him away. He was not a good-tempered man, and with a frown, he opened his mouth to scold, “In a hurry to die?”

Xia Qingshu raised his head, his pink mouth slightly open as he stared at the other man in disbelief. After a while, he apologised in a small voice full of regret, “Sorry, sorry.”

Naive, like a lost deer.

In the rush, the drink spilled all over his face, the translucent droplets falling onto his long raven-feathered eyelashes and nearly bending them.

“I’m really sorry.”

Shen Xunyi opened his mouth, the mean words all falling to his lips and being forced down. His Adam’s apple slid up and down as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

“You …… panicking, where are you going?” After standing still, Shen Xunyi pulled out a tissue and flung it away after wiping the sticky liquor from his hands.

“Ah …… I’m going to second brother’s room.”

Second brother was very gentle and pleasant to him, his words were all about his care. He was afraid that Second Brother would wait for a long time, so when he went upstairs, he didn’t look clearly as he ran a little faster. He had met too many people today and Xia Qing Shu really could not recall the name of this gentleman, but this gentleman had an outstanding temperament and he confirmed that Chen Qixi had introduced him to him. It was very rude not to be able to recall the other person’s name, and he didn’t even know how to address his apology. He looked left and right to find a rescuer; there was no one around, the guests and the host were onthe ground floor parlor.

Xia Qingshu blushed and said in a small, straightforward voice, “I’m sorry, I forgot your name, can you say it again?”

The first time Shen Xunyi saw Xia Qing Shu, he thought he was very pretty. At first, when he was on the ground floor, there were many people and it was noisy, and Xia Qingshu was surrounded by a large group of people, so he did not take a closer look. Now that he looked at him up close, he realized that the other man’s skin was so white that it was translucent. When they bumped into each other, his arm touched Xia Qingshu’s cheek, which was cool and smooth to the touch, like a beautiful jade fresh from the well. The small body is very soft and can perform many difficult moves at first glance. When he crashed into the arms, he also smelled a fragrance.

A hot fire ignited in Shen Xunyi’s heart.

This brother of Xia Ji’s was simply much better than the last one.

“My surname is Shen, my full name is Shen Xunyi, four elemental fires, you know?” Shen Xun Shen laughed, “It describes the way you encounter wood blazing.”

Xia Qingshu nodded and blinked, beads of water fluttering about on his long eyelashes.

“Mr. Shen, I’m really sorry, my brother is looking for me, so I’ll excuse myself.”

Before the banquet, Chen Qixi had focused on giving him a brief introduction about Shen Xunyi: the richest man in the northern city, with a cold and arrogant personality and not a very good temper. Xia Qing Shu had secretly listed Shen Xunyi as a “person not to be deeply friends with”, and now that he had accidentally bumped into him, he just wanted to apologize and leave quickly.

Shen Xunyi spread his hands, a little aggrieved, “You want to leave without me?”

What else?

The corner light was dim, Xia Qing Shu said in a small voice, “Mr. Shen, we don’t know each other well….”

He raised his head in a daze, the pupils of his dark eyes tinged with some moisture, like a small animal at a loss.

Shen Xunyi said in a deep voice, “Little thing, you soiled my clothes and ran away like that?”

When the wine tipped over, it got on Xia Qing Shu’s face, while Shen Xunyi  had it on his hands and clothes, and a puddle of obvious wine stains were printed on his chest.

Xia Qing Shu then reacted on seeing that the other party’s neckline was stained by the wine stains, and he hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He didn’t usually use handkerchiefs, and this apricot-white silk handkerchief was still something Chen Qixi had shoved down his throat in order to create a persona of a reserved young gentleman.

“I’ll dry you off.” Xia Qingshu cupped the handkerchief, raised it in the air and froze again.

Before the banquet started, Chen Qixi had told him that Shen Xunyi was a little eccentric, so he intuited that it wasn’t polite to touch him directly with his hands. So, he dawdled and just stood there dumbfounded.

“Go ahead and wipe.”

The other party seemed like a dumb little raccoon, and Shen Xunyi laughed, “Look, it’s you who’s dilly-dallying, the wine is drying up, my clothes are dirty and I can’t wear them, what should I do?”

Shen Xunyi’s collar was covered with wine stains, it really wasn’t very elegant, Xia Qing Shu whispered, “I don’t know what to do either?”

How about you go home and get a new one?

He wanted to say that he could compensate for the dry cleaning fee as a way to dispel the other party’s anger, but to his surprise, instead of getting angry, Shen Xunyi smiled, “Aren’t you going to find your brother, take me to your second brother’s place, I have a similar body shape to him, I should be able to wear his clothes.”

“Ohhh.” Xia Qing Shu then nodded and led the way ahead.

Xia Ji had waited in the room for a while, and instead of Xia Qing Shu, he saw Shen Xunyi come back again. When he saw Xia Qingshu beside Shen Xunyou, he paused slightly, “Why are the two of you together?”

Xia Qing Shu whispered, “Second brother, just now I accidentally bumped into Mr. Shen and spilled his drink, soiling Mr. Shen’s clothes, do you have any clean new clothes to bring Mr. Shen?”

Shen Xunyi stood in place, looking at them both good-naturedly and smiling, a far cry from the mean look he had when he had just commented on Xia Yubin.

Xia Ji opened the wardrobe and said politely, “Mr. Shen, you choose one?”

“Thank you, Second Brother.” Shen Xunyi casually pointed to a T-shirt, “I want this one.”

It was a light blue T-shirt, the same color as the clothes Xia Qing Shu was wearing.

Xia Ji frowned, “This one won’t do, Mr. Shen, please choose another one.”

Shen Xunyi looked at him with a smile, “Why not?”

His words had another layer of meaning, he wanted that one, had to have that one.

“That piece…. doesn’t match with your suit trousers.” Xia Ji replied.

Shen Xunyi: “I don’t mind.”

Xia Ji paused, but still took the T-shirt out and handed it over.

Shen Xunyi took the T-shirt and didn’t change immediately, but looked at Xia Qing Shu, “I’ll change outside, you go wash your face?”

“Ohh.” Only then did Xia Qing Shu realize that he had also been spilled with alcohol on his face.

Seeing Xia Qing Shu walk to the bathroom and listening to the sound of the clattering water, Xia Ji’s face was stern as he whispered, “He can’t.”

Shen Xunyi raised his eyebrows, “Why? Don’t give me that because he’s your brother, Xia Yubin is your brother too.”

Xia Ji corrected, “He is my real brother.”

Shen Xunyi touched Xia Ji’s slightly blue eyes and laughed, “Is that so?”

Xia Ji was the son of Xia Jing’s bestfriend.

Xia Jing’s bestfriend was a special forces soldier who was killed while on a mission, when Xia Ji was just born, his mother couldn’t bear the shock and died not long after him. Xia Ji was just less than ten days old and was taken back by Xia Jing, who always claimed that Xia Ji was his own son.

Xia Jing and Chen Qixi treated him like their own son, but as he grew older, he wondered about his strange blue pupils and asked Xia Jing about them when he was in primary school. Xia Jing said he had inherited it from his maternal grandfather, Chen Qixi’s maternal grandmother, who was a foreigner and also had blue pupils. When he grew up, he found out about his origins, but Xia Jing and Chen Qixi didn’t mention it, so he pretended not to know, after all, after so many years of companionship, he had long since taken the two as his real parents.

As Xia Ji was dazed, Shen Xunyi said, “I just saw on the terrace, Xia Yubin found one with a big belly.” Shen Xunyi stretched out his hands and drew a circle on his stomach, “That man is so ugly.”

Xia Ji was a little helpless, “Qing Shu is even dumber than Yu Bin, don’t you like smart ones?”

Shen Xunyi was annoyed, “I can teach him! I don’t care, I want him. If not, you’re on your own!”

His voice was a little loud and Xia Ji shushed him.

“Knock knock.” Shen Xunyi received a message, he impatiently clicked on it and frowned after reading it, “Who is Zhou Qian?”

“Xia Yubin’s friend, the younger son of the Zhou family.”

He put the phone in front of Xia Ji, “It’s not Xia Yubin’s first time, you can’t possibly let me use someone else’s used dirty things, right?”

After knowing that it was Xia Yubin, Shen Xunyi immediately found someone to investigate and soon knew that Xia Yubin and Zhou Qian had already slept together. Xia Ji hugged his arms and frowned, “You go out first.”

Shen Xunyi nodded with his index finger on his chin, “I’ll wait for your good news.”

 

~

By the time Xia Qing Shu finished washing his face, Shen Xunyi had already left. He peered at the bathroom door frame and poked out a head, “Second brother, Mr. Shen has left?”

Xia Ji nodded his head and said gently, “Come here.”

“Oh.” Xia Qing Shu hung his hands at his sides and moved slowly and leisurely to Xia Ji like a schoolboy in line.

“There’s no need to be so formal in front of me.”

Xia Ji’s voice barely rose and fell when he spoke, gentle and smooth. He picked up a box and handed it to Xia Qing Shu.

He had heard that his second brother was very fond of Xia Yubin, and Xia Qingshu was also clear that Xia Ji and Xia Yubin’s brotherly love of more than ten years was not something that he, a brat who had just arrived recently, could shake. Therefore, he was quite polite in front of Xia Ji and only treated him as an official social means for such acts as gifts from the other side.

“Thank you, Second Brother.” Xia Qing Shu took the gift box and cradled it in his hand.

A very ordinary shoe box, which, according to its weight, should be a pair of sneakers.

“Take a look, do you like them?”

Xia Qing Shu hugged the box with some hesitation.

“Are you afraid of me?” Xia Ji asked.

“No, why would I be?” Xia Qing Shu just didn’t want to disturb the other party. He had planned to leave after receiving the gift and saying thank you, it wasn’t very polite to open it in front of him, and having opened the gift, he would have to stay and chat for a while.

He didn’t think Xia Ji would like him.

“Open it.” Xia Ji looked at him and smiled.

Xia Qing Shu pursed his lips and carefully tore open the wrapping paper and opened the box. As expected, it contained a pair of beautiful sneakers.

The shoe should be a limited edition, the packaging was elaborate and sophisticated, a red and black colour scheme AJ sneaker with silver luminescence on the sole, even if Xia Qing Shu was not a sneaker collecting fan, he could tell that this pair of sneakers was pricey.

“Thank you, second brother, I like it a lot.” He really did like them.

He tilted his little face up and grinned, pear swirls appearing around his mouth. He had just washed his face, and although he had wiped off the excess water with a tissue, his white face was still wet and glistening with an abundance of moisture. Long, thick lashes fluttered slightly, and his eyes were full of sparkling light.

When he saw that the other man did not speak, he put away his smile again and pursed his lips, looking over in a daze, like a doll that could be at the mercy of others.

At a glance, Xia Ji understood why the torpid and petulant Shen Xunyi had specified him. Compared to Xia Yubin, his brother was much prettier.

Xia Yubin’s feigned pettiness and meekness were shattered in seconds in front of Xia Qingshu’s natural, pure softness and beauty. He was like a rare work of art, fragile, translucent and flawless. Suitable to be treasured and handled/played with.

Xia Ji’s phone kept vibrating, full of text messages from Shen Xunyi urging him on.

Shen Xunyi came from a noble background, and no matter what good things he had, as long as he looked at them a couple of times, someone would offer them up attentively. He had never seen Shen Xunyi take such an interest in a person before. He was so desperate to get Xia Qingshu that he sent so many text messages, which was completely out of character as elegant and noble.

Xia Ji took advantage of Xia Qing Shu’s shoe fitting to reply quickly with his head down, “He can’t. I’ll make it up to you.”

The phone began to vibrate again like it was killing itself.

Xia Ji was too bothered and simply turned on the mute.

The sneakers fit well, Xia Qing Shu put them on and jumped in place, “Thank you, second brother.”

Xia Ji looked at him and smiled.

“Qing Shu, you sit in my room, I’m going out for a while, I’ll be right back, don’t run around.”