The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

**Dinner was at Principal Gu’s home**, featuring braised spring bamboo shoots and red-braised pork. The dinner table was lively, mainly because Gu Mingyue complained about the red-braised pork being too sweet. After being snapped at by Principal Gu, he started criticizing the old man for his heavy taste and how it was bad for his health.

For a moment, Li Heng thought that Gu Mingyue and Xie Sizhi might get along well after all. Both of them had lively personalities and shared the same stubbornness.

Principal Gu insisted on not accepting gifts, but when they were leaving, Xie Duzhi still handed them another bag filled with lotus seed pastries and cakes. He also took the opportunity to give young Gu a lecture.

Luckily, Gu Mingyue didn’t get upset. Instead, he cheerfully said goodbye, telling him to come to ask any questions if needed. Since he didn’t have any classes, he was basically available all day.

This made Li Heng want to give him a “Good Guy Card” even more.

**However, Xie Duzhi didn’t really like Gu Mingyue.**

Part of it was his role as an older brother, being concerned and critical of his younger brother’s social circle. But a larger part was the subtle irritation of being used as a comparison.

After all, in front of him, Gu Mingyue had expressed sympathy for Xie Duzhi’s former class teacher while also subtly flaunting his own gold medal in math competitions.

Xie Duzhi had also won a gold medal before, though it was a long time ago. But if he wanted to, he was confident he could achieve results as good as or even better than Gu Mingyue’s—despite the fact that at the time, he had been dealing with his company’s listing and other business matters.

It wasn’t that he cared about the medal or the honor, nor did he regret his past decisions.

It was just unpleasant to be subtly outshined in front of his brother by an outsider.

“The teacher’s explanations will be more professional and systematic,” Xie Duzhi suddenly said, startling Li Heng, who had been lost in thought about a problem.

Li Heng blinked, trying to figure out what he was referring to when the familiar voice sounded again.

“The approach to solving Olympiad problems is different from the college entrance exam. No need to complicate simple matters.”

This interruption made Li Heng momentarily forget what he had wanted to say. He nodded blankly, “…Oh, okay.”

“Thanks, third brother,” he said, sneaking a glance at Xie Duzhi’s profile. “If I have any questions, I’ll definitely ask the teacher first.”

“Mingyue meant well,” he added, feeling the need to defend his newly made friend. “During the exam, he even taught me a very practical problem-solving method. He’s a good person.”

Xie Duzhi raised an eyebrow, his impression of Gu Mingyue souring further. “Did he interrupt your problem-solving?”

At first, yes, but later it was his own lack of discipline, so it was more of a mutual distraction.

Li Heng stuck his tongue out discreetly. “No, it was after I finished that he told me.”

“He’s really impressive, and I think I should learn from him.”

That one sentence left Xie Duzhi speechless.

His brow furrowed slightly, and the calm he had just regained began to ripple again. Meanwhile, Li Heng was oblivious to this. “He also told me about your past.”

Gu Mingyue had mentioned that although their school didn’t have student clubs, they held performances during major holidays, with the entire school participating. There were even special commemorative gifts.

Li Heng found it hard to imagine the lively scenes in a grand hall that could hold hundreds of people, with a professional stage, sound system, and backdrop. He had only ever organized small class performances for New Year’s Eve.

“Third brother, did you really tell your class teacher that you’d rather sign up for a 4,000-meter race at the sports meet than perform on stage?”

He looked eagerly at Xie Duzhi, hoping for an answer. “Mingyue said that when students in his class didn’t want to participate in the choir, their teacher used you as an example and had them sign up for long-distance running instead.”

And this is exactly why I don’t like kids like Gu Mingyue, Xie Duzhi thought.

He had long grown used to being a topic of discussion for others, both in the past and now.

But now, he found that he couldn’t completely ignore it—especially when these discussions were being used by someone to get close to his younger brother.

Still, he couldn’t refuse to answer such questions or sternly tell Li Heng to verify the information elsewhere.

Whenever Li Heng spoke, he always stared at him with curious eyes, filled with an unconscious sense of trust.

The sharp, detached side of Xie Duzhi softened in response, becoming gentle and harmless.

**”I did say that,”** he finally admitted after a moment of silence.

The original words were, “I’m not going to waste time on a performance that might not win. I’d rather win first place in a long-distance race than join the choir.”

Every spring and autumn, the school held a three-day sports event, during which classes were suspended. Only the seniors were exempt from this, as they were busy with final exam preparations. Teachers were too occupied with review sessions to let students waste time on extracurricular activities.

At the time, he’d said it knowing full well that he wouldn’t be participating in the sports meet the following year, using it as a legitimate excuse to avoid the event. He had skipped evening study sessions, gone straight to meet clients after school, and hadn’t even attended the New Year’s performance.

“…So cool,” Li Heng couldn’t help but exclaim.

In his mind, he began to imagine a sixteen-year-old Xie Duzhi—cool, skilled, but a bit sharp-edged.

The corners of Xie Duzhi’s lips lifted slightly, barely noticeable.

“You’re still cool now, third brother. No, I mean you’re really handsome.”Realizing that the other had heard his compliment, Li Heng quickly tried to fix it. “A more mature and composed kind of handsome.”

But if you asked someone else, like Xie Sizhi or the family’s butler, they would undoubtedly tell you that the impression of sixteen-year-old Xie Duzhi wasn’t much different from the twenty-two-year-old version.

That blend of confidence and impulsiveness, with a touch of youthful ambition, had never been a part of him.

However, he didn’t mind Li Heng’s misunderstanding. What mattered more was whether he was worth being a role model.

From what he knew, boys around this age did tend to prefer things that were “cool.”

For example, Xie Sizhi had always liked playing video game characters who were assassins, and even the typically composed Xie Shenzhi had a few cabinets filled with Gundam models.

So, he found himself liking the “cool” compliment—because it came from the person giving it.

“If you’re curious about the school, you can ask me directly,”he said after a moment of silence.

His lashes lowered slightly, and his face seemed to soften, its lines less sharp and cold.

**”I know plenty about what big brother and Xie Sizhi were like too.”**

Especially about Xie Sizhi, after all, they were in the same class back then.

“Wouldn’t I be interrupting your work?” Li Heng seemed hesitant. Besides, what he was really curious about wasn’t the school, but the family members he hadn’t had the chance to get close to before.

“It won’t,” Xie Duzhi flatly denied.

“I’m not as busy as you think.” He added unhurriedly, “If I had to handle everything personally, what would be the point of having a management team?”

That made sense.

Li Heng blinked, suddenly feeling like the distance between them had shrunk.

Even though they hadn’t actually talked about the past, Xie Duzhi’s attitude was enough to make him feel genuinely happy. Hearing something directly from the person involved always felt different from hearing it from others.

It was late when they got home, almost 9 p.m. due to heavy traffic.

Standing at the doorway, Li Heng handed the snacks over to the butler who had come to greet him. Before he could say much, he saw Mrs. Xie waving him over.

She was sitting on the sofa with a face mask on, looking like she was getting ready for bed. The TV in the living room was on, playing a popular show,though the boy wasn’t into TV or celebrities, so he wasn’t sure if his memory was accurate.

“You’re starting school the day after tomorrow, right?”

She held his hand, placing it on her lap, as if experiencing the nervousness of sending a child to school for the first time.

“I’m not sure how the cafeteria food is. Should I have Aunt bring lunch for you at noon?”

Xie Sizhi was downstairs preparing a late-night snack and perked up when he overheard this.

“The cafeteria food is so bad even a dog wouldn’t eat it,” he said.

“I used to call private restaurants in advance and have them leave food at the back gate by the fence.”

Xie Duzhi glanced at him calmly, already planning to relay this exact comment, word for word, to Xie Shenzhi, who also ate at the school cafeteria due to proximity.

Mrs. Xie, however, didn’t care what her son ordered for lunch back in high school. She was more concerned that her youngest might not eat well at school, too bland, not enough balance between meat and vegetables. Li Heng was already thin, and with the stress of studying, how could he keep up without proper nutrition?

“Just eating at the cafeteria is fine.” Li Heng shook his head, his head bobbing a little as he spoke. “Mingyue, Principal Gu’s grandson—he’s a junior this year, and he told me there are several great food stalls in the cafeteria.”

Plus, the senior class building was the closest to the cafeteria, so queuing for food wouldn’t take too long.

“Duzhi, is it really like that?” Mrs. Xie turned to someone who might have eaten at the cafeteria, seeking confirmation. “Is the cafeteria clean?”

She recalled that her eldest son had probably eaten there, but since he was upstairs reviewing documents, it didn’t seem worth calling him down just for this.

Xie Duzhi gave a slight nod, speaking sparingly, “It’s clean.”

Despite his assurance, Mrs. Xie couldn’t completely put her worries to rest.

“Then I’ll have Aunt or Uncle Fu bring soup in the evening. Soup is more nourishing.”

“Evening study ends at 9:30, right… Oh, but that’s so late.” She started to worry again. “Even if you go to bed right away after getting home, you’ll still have to get up early the next day for class. You won’t get enough sleep.”

“Or maybe…” Should she ask the teacher if he could study at home in the evenings?

“Mom.” Xie Sizhi sighed, his appetite for a kitchen snack fading. “Every high school student goes through this.”

“When I was staying up late to study, I don’t recall you being this concerned.”

It wasn’t jealousy.

He just thought that, with exams coming soon, instead of worrying about every little thing, it would be better to cooperate with the school and help his brother catch up with the review sessions.

“If your little brother were as tough as you, I wouldn’t be so nervous,” Mrs. Xie glared at him. “What if he gets exhausted?”

Li Heng hesitated, trying to argue that he was actually in good health, but when his eyes glanced at his wrist, he swallowed the words.

Okay, maybe it didn’t seem very convincing.

“Then maybe…” 

Xie Sizhi instinctively wanted to suggest boarding at school, but remembering the dorm’s four-person rooms without private bathrooms, he stopped. It felt like putting his younger brother through unnecessary hardship.

“Find a place nearby,” he said instead, quickly adjusting his suggestion. “We can have Uncle Fu look after him during school days, and he can come home on weekends. How’s that?”

“There should be some empty houses available around there,” Mrs. Xie said, unsure. “I’ll ask your father tonight.”

If not, they could buy one at a high price—someone would surely sell.

“I guess that’ll have to do,” she sighed, not able to come up with a better solution for now.

Xie Duzhi hadn’t said anything since earlier. He was calculating how long it would take to commute from where he lived to school.

By subway, it was less than fifteen minutes.

Realizing he didn’t have much say in the conversation between his mother and brother, Li Heng chose to stay silent, but he found it a little amusing. His original plan had been to live in the dorms.

After all, from middle school to high school, he had gotten used to boarding.

He unconsciously started staring blankly at the TV screen, his thoughts wandering.

In the background, his family was debating who should take care of him. According to Mrs. Xie, there was no way they should only see each other on weekends.

Just as he was starting to wonder if he should insist on staying in the dorms, an all-too-familiar figure suddenly appeared on the TV, taking up half the screen.

The figure loomed over him in his nightmares, always smiling with malice.

It was the “Xie Duzhi” he had originally feared he would meet.