Chapter 49 (1/2)

Chapter 49

After playing two games, Jiang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim, “Your nephew plays better than Huang Shao. Wait, I’m going to send him a screenshot.”

And so, Huang Shao who was enjoying his weekend lazily at home suddenly received a message in the group chat —- “Look, even an elementary school student is better than you.”

Huang Shao immediately replied with a crying expression. The figure knelt onto the ground while using a handkerchief to wipe its tears, “You’re too much! How can abandon me and go find another person to play with? I can’t live anymore!”

Immediately, a bunch of comments followed from the other members in the group chat.

“Go divorce.”

“+1”

“I’ll prepare the champagne to celebrate Jiang Yang finally leaving this unfortunate life.”

“Let’s hold a single’s celebration party for Jiang Yang! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Song linked: Happy break up”

“I have the playlist prepared for the singles party [smirk]”

Qin Xu saw messages appearing non-stop on his phone screen and selected it to check what the commotion was all about. The moment he entered the chat, he saw Huang Shao complaining that the others are too heartless. Qin Xu laughed and, after thinking for a moment, moved his fingers to send out a message.

“What single life? The official wife is here. Where did that cheap mistress come from? Bring him outside and execute him.”

The group fell silent for a second and then the screen was instantly covered with laughter.

“The majesty is here, who dares to be so presumptuous!”

“Little Huang, you’re so bold. You actually dare to climb into the dragon’s bed!”

“Remember the marriage ceremony by the Da Ming lake?”

“[Image]”

“[Image]”

“This is evidence of the wedding.”

It was at this moment that Huang Shao realised that he was not the only one in the group who likes to be dramatic and he quickly started crying out that its unfair with so many people against one.

After mucking around for a while, then continued to play few more rounds. Jiang Yang saw that it was about time to leave and notified Qin Xu about it.

Qin Xu however did not say goodbye. Instead, he pointed in a direction: “Your place is in that direction, right?”

Jiang Yang nodded.

Qin Xu curved his lips up and smiled: “Then we are going in the same direction. I have to drop these two guys off.”

Jiang Yang naturally had no reason to refuse but for a moment he felt a strange feeling emerge from inside him. They were clearly deadly enemies not long ago but now they’ve reached a point that they can harmoniously head back home together. Jiang Yang couldn’t help but shiver. The beautiful image of the two brothers walking down the street with arms across each other’s shoulders that suddenly appeared in his mind made his scalp go numb.

Qin Xu tilted his head and asked: “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yang shook his head as if nothing had happened, “Nothing.”

He then calmly took the lead and started heading off. The small poodle followed him cheerfully from behind with his small legs pattering along excitedly.

Qin Xu rolled his eyes at his own dog in annoyance. If anyone else saw this, they would automatically assume that Jiang Yang is the owner. But…..forget it. At least this stupid dog is acting stupid to the right person.

They walked along and, after turning the corner, an aromatic scent drifted over. Several street stalls sat by the road while the boss busily prepared the food. The rich aroma drifted along with the evening wind and, the moment it reached their nose, their mouths couldn’t help but water.

The small child next to Qin Xu blinked a few times and swallowed before tugging at Qin Xu’s hand: “I’m tired from walking.”

Qin Xu immediately understood the hidden intentions behind those words. He acted dense and said: “Oh, then do you want me to carry you?”

Qin Hao shook his head and then asked straightforwardly: “Uncle, did you hear that?”

Qin Xu raised his eyebrows.

Qin Hao with wide and innocent eyes said: “The sound of my stomach.”

Qin Xu continued to act confused, “Really? I don’t hear anything?”

Qin Hao pouted and sighed bitterly, “That’s understandable. Only smart people can hear it. It can’t be helped that uncle is stupid.” Speaking in a such a serious manner, even the adults listening to his words would believe it. That is, of course, if he stops drooling while looking at the street stalls.

The moment he finished saying this, he was immediately rewarded with a knock in the head from Qin Xu. He looked down and asked faintly: “Do you still want to eat?”

Qin Hao didn’t care about the pain on his head and proceeded to quickly embrace Qin Xu’s thigh while exclaiming: “Eat, eat, eat! Uncle you are the handsomest, the best!”

Qin Xu: “……..” This little rascal really will do anything to be able to eat.

Jiang Yang, with the small poodle hanging on his pant leg, watched the whole process and secretly laughed. Internally he ridculed —- With an uncle like that, it’s not surprising that his nephew is like this too.

At this moment, Qin Xu’s eyes moved over to him. Without even needing to say anything, Jiang Yang understood what he wanted to say. The three people plus one dog tacitly moved to find a place to seat and they waved to the owner: “Three bowls of seafood noodles please.”

The hard-at-work boss looked up for a second from what he was doing and deftly answered: “Got it!”

By the time they got the little rascal and dog to settle down, the freshly made noodles have already been served up on their table. Inside the foil bowl were slender, crystal-clear strands of vermicelli which is coated with fragrant clams, mushrooms and garnished with green onion and coriander. A layer of red chilli oil floated on the surface. Without even needing to have a taste, you could already feel the chilli sensation on your tongue.

Qin Xu randomly extracted three pairs of bamboo chopsticks from the container and passed it over to Jiang Yang and the little rascal. They removed the plastic covering from it and started to concentrate on eating. Food of course should be enjoyed while they are still hot.

The clam meat was delicious and fresh with a smooth and chewy texture while the soup is adequately spicy to pair with the noodles. Using the chopsticks to pick it up, the moment it enters your mouth it was very refreshing.

Not long afterwards, a thin layer of sweat formed across their foreheads. With the cool evening wind blowing past, it just happened to help with cooling them down. On the plate next to them, a small mountain of clam shells formed. Every time they finished a clam and used their chopsticks to add it onto the pile, it would make a soft clattering sound.

As Qin Hao ate, he deliberately passed his clam shells over to Qin Xu’s pile. Forming a large tower, he chuckled while revealing his canine: “You ate all that.”

Qin Xu’s response was naturally a big eye roll.

When he was halfway through the noodles, Jiang Yang inadvertently looked up and noticed that the boss and the stall had disappeared.

Jiang Yang was shocked. He looked at the noodles in front of him and back at where the street stall used to be. His heart quickly went cold ———— A ghost shop?!

Qin Xu used his chopsticks and slurped up some noodles. Seeing that his expression didn’t look too good, he deliberately smirked and teased: “Did you see a ghost?”

Jiang Yang: “………Where’s the boss?”

Qin Xu had his mouth filled with food and his cheeks were round like dumplings. He vaguely answered: “Probably running away from the officials.”

Jiang Yang was stunned. He looked around him and saw that all the other street stalls by the roadside had also disappeared without a trace.

Jiang Yang looked around at the street that only consisted of the table they were sitting at and felt very strange. Anyway, he felt helpless and had the urge to laugh, “Luckily we already paid for the food. Otherwise it would be a loss for the boss.”

Qin Xu remembered something and suddenly laughed, “Speaking of that, there was one time when I bought pancakes and, just as I paid for it, the officers came. The boss packed up his cart and ran and even yelled at me telling me to follow him and he will make it for me up ahead. I chased after him for at least 800 metres and was both hungry and tired. It really isn’t easy running a business.”

Jiang Yang stifled a laugh and raised his eyebrow, “Looks like you’re quite experienced.”

“Of course. There are only a few barbeque restaurants and street stand near my place, so I have pretty much been to all of them.” Qin Xu raised his chin and seemingly looked proud.

Jiang Yang was amused by this, but he soon remembered that Qin Xu’s parents are usually not at home, so it was natural for him to have takeaways often. Last time he had mentioned that he could cook but Jiang Yang was certain that even if he can, he was probably too lazy to. Thinking this, Jiang Yang’s smiled stiffened for a moment, but he quickly deliberately bent his lips into a smile and acted as if nothing had happened, “Then you should do a ranking for the food there. Recommend me a few and I’ll check them out next time.”

“You have asked the right person.” Without even needing to think, Qin Xu fluidly started speaking. He started talking about which stores tasted more authentic, what their signature dishes were and what he liked personally.

They chatted as they ate, and another half an hour passed. It was only when the small Qin Hao who sat on the side started rubbing his eyes while yawning did they stop. The walked until a fork in the road and prepared to part ways.

Qin Xu had both a little child and a dog with him. Unfortunately, a certain poodle isn’t very cooperative, and it held onto Jiang Yang’s pant leg unwilling to let go. Qin Xu pulled at it for a long time but was unsuccessful. Qin Xu was annoyed by this dumb dog and just threw his leash over, “Fine, I don’t want you anymore. You can go home with your new dad.”

The poodle froze for a moment and then, as if it understood Qin Xu’s words, its tail wagged even harder and it proceeded to hug onto Jiang Yang’s leg while barking. It seemingly looked like it was crying out “Yay!”.

Qin Xu scoffed at the sight of this.

Jiang Yang smiled awkwardly.

Although he said this, Qin Xu obviously wouldn’t really throw the dog away. After all, he still had to bring the dog back to complete his task. And so, he stepped forward and heartlessly pulled its claws off before proceeding to hold the dog under his arms. He looked at Jiang Yang, smiled and said goodbye before leaving with large strides.

The poodle whined pitifully as if they had just taken away his favourite toy. For a moment, Qin Xu suspected that he had accidentally bought a dog demon instead.

On Sunday morning, Jiang Yang was awakened by the system. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 8am and proceeded to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Less than two minutes later, another notification from the system sounded in his head. The system said: “Random task: Please have breakfast with Qin Xu. Time limit is thirty minutes. If you fail to do so, there will be a punishment.”

Jiang Yang didn’t want to get up. He vaguely heard the words spoken by the system, rolled over and muttered a few incoherent words before continuing to sleep. After ten minutes had passed, the system again sent a reminder: “You’re really not doing the task? Today’s punishment is one that you won’t like. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

Jiang Yang frowned. In a confused state, he only reacted a few seconds later. He asked slowly: “What punishment?”

“Crossdressing.”

Jiang Yang had his face half sunken into his pillow and was sleeping very comfortably. He opened his eyes and only realised that something was wrong a minute later. He furrowed his brows and suspected that he had heard wrong, “What did you just say?”

The system didn’t notice his shock and disbelief and patiently explained: “Crossdressing. Just like that classmate Wu Tong of yours. A trap. Do you understand?”

Jiang Yang’s eyes widened, and he quickly let out a curse as he immediately jumped off his bed. Cursing endlessly inside, his hands moved around at a fast speed. He messily changed his clothes and cried out: “I would rather die than wear a dress. If I fail, I will do my best to kill you!”

The system replied a little awkwardly: “You actually had enough time for it but you wouldn’t wake up….”

“Uncle, it’s only eight right now!”

Jiang Yang continued to curse at the system as he rushed into the bathroom to wash up. With a toothbrush dangling from his mouth and the corners of his lips covered in foam, he suddenly cried out and ran into his bedroom. He picked up the phone and called Qin Xu.

Pick up! Pick up! Why are you not picking up?!

On Qin Xu’s end he couldn’t feel any sense of urgency. He slowly picked up the phone when the ring tone was about to stop and with a hoarse and half-asleep voice he answered gruffly: “I’m sleeping. If it’s nothing important, don’t bother me. Hanging up now…”

“You dare hang up?!” Jiang Yang roared.

Qin Xu paused for a moment. That pause sounded like it lasted for eternity. Seemingly in a better mood now, his sexy magnetic voice even carried a tone of laughter, “Xiao Yang Yang, why are you looking for me?”

Jiang Yang didn’t have the time to joke around with him. He answered in the fastest and most concise manner possible: “Breakfast together. Task. Get up! Now! Immediately!”

Qin Xu hummed vaguely and rolled around in his bed a few times before answering, “Ok, I’ll get up.”

He hung up and Jiang Yang once again washed up ferociously while continuously keeping an eye on the time. Because he had neglected the task when it was initially announced, he had missed ten minutes, so time appeared to fly by even faster than usual.

There was only ten minutes left.

Jiang Yang had already reached the porch and was ready to leave. At this moment, he remembered that he had not set a location for him to meet with Qin Xu.

He once again pulled out his phone and called over. The phone this time rang for more than half a minute and Jiang Yang suddenly had a bed feeling. Sure enough, when the call connected, Qin Xu’s voice that carried over was still vague and filled with drowsiness. It was clear that he had not woken up yet!

The voice that would easily move the hearts of numerous girls didn’t have such an effect on Jiang Yang. Hearing that voice, Jiang Yang instead had the urge to reach through the phone and beat him up until he wakes up.

“You’re still not up?! Are you a pig? Why are you sleeping so much?!” Jiang Yang couldn’t help but yell out.

Qin Xu replied innocently, “It’s only eight o’clock and it’s the weekend. I normally sleep until twelve.”

Sleeping until noon and waking up normally on weekends was something that Jiang Yang could relate with. Unfortunately, the situation right now is different, and they had already wasted half the time. It was definitely not enough time for him to head over to Qin Xu’s place so the two must head out and meet in the middle to make it on time.

“Brother, where are you going so early in the morning?” Jiang Yuan was woken up by Jiang Yang’s yells and she stood outside her bedroom in her pyjamas while yawning.

Jiang Yang stifled his anger and calmly replied: “It’s nothing. You can continue sleeping.”

Jiang Yuan squinted her eyes and sleepily replied okay before turning back to her room.

Watching her go back inside, Jiang Yang also understood that getting angry was pointless. He supressed his anger and continued speaking to Qin Xu: “There’s no time. I know you want to sleep but didn’t we already agree that we’re going to help each other out? Get up immediately and I’ll do my best to cooperate next time you have a task.”

Qin Xu sat up and glanced at his phone. With a hint of smile in his eyes he asked, “So you’re saying that if I help you this time, you will fulfil a request of mine?”

Jiang Yang wondered, when did he say something like that?

But because there wasn’t much time, Jiang Yang no longer cared and just casually accepted: “That’s right, as long as it is something I am capable of doing. I’m heading off now and I’ll buy breakfast on the way to your place. How long will you take?”

Qin Xu was now completely awake and for once, he was not in a bad mood. In a pretty good mood he grunted, “Remember your words. I just need five minutes to get ready. I’ll share my location with you later.”

“Okay.”

They cleanly hung up. Qin Xu hummed a small tune as he walked into the bathroom. Although the tune was slow paced, his hands moved very quickly. Jiang Yang on the other hand called for a taxi and grabbed two bags of bread and milk as he waited for the taxi to come. He quickly hopped onto the car and directed it to Qin Xu’s place.

Along the way, Jiang Yang kept looking at his phone to check the time and Qin Xu’s location. He couldn’t help but urge the driver, “Can you drive any faster?”

After asking this several times, the driver found it a little strange, “I’m about to get a speeding ticket at this rate. Handsome, where are you going in such a hurry? You just happened to leave at peak hour when everyone is heading to work.”

Jiang Yang didn’t want to answer but he soon changed his mind. He quickly made a sad and anxious expression, “My girlfriend wants to break up with me and she gave me a time limit. There’s only five minutes left. If I don’t make it on time, I’ll regret this for the rest of my life! So please master, please drive as fast as you can!”

The uncle was surprised and couldn’t help but nod his head. Internally, he felt rather nostalgic: Ah, young love.

A variety of expressions flashed through the uncles face as he reminisced about his past. He gritted his teeth and solemnly said: “Don’t worry handsome. I won’t let you break up!”

The uncle then stepped onto the gas pedal and the car sped up. The speedometer hand lifted up and stopped just on the verge of speeding.

Because of inertia, Jiang Yang was thrown back into his seat. Although he suspected the uncle probably imagined a whole bunch of ridiculous scenarios and wanted to do his best to help him, Jiang Yang decided that it was best if he didn’t say anything.

With the uncles’ enthusiasm, Jiang Yang managed to arrive a little earlier than expected. Qin Xu had arrived a minute earlier and was already waiting for Jiang Yang at the predetermined location.