Chapter 37: CH 34

He had to send the little fool home.

“Try it.”

After a moment of silence, Ji Guichen suddenly replied with this. Bai Zhi was still trying to decipher the meaning of this sentence when the bell for the end of class suddenly rang. He immediately retracted his hand and stood properly. The math teacher walked out from the entrance, speechlessly pointed at him for a while, shook his head and called Ji Guichen away.

Bai Zhi instinctively started to chase after him, but Ji Guichen covertly turned his head back, glanced at him lightly, and revealed an extremely shallow smile.

Bai Zhi instantly stopped in his tracks. He blinked his eyes and was dazed for a while before being pulled back to his seat by boss Luo Le who had come out.

Luo Le looked at Bai Zhi whose soul had clearly left his body. He raised his hand and shook it in front of him for half a day:

“Boss, are you tired after standing for a class period?”

It was only when he asked that Bai Zhi remembered something. He immediately lowered his head to rummage in his drawer, shaking out a blank sheet of homework after a while. He pointed at a random question and looked at Luo Le:

“Which one do you pick for this question?”

Luo Le was momentarily stunned: “It’s over, the boss lost his mind from standing.”

Bai Zhi raised his hand and smacked him: “You’re the one who’s lost his mind, hurry up and tell me the right answer!”

“Boss you’re kidding me!” Luo Le took the homework with a long face, appeared to look deeply at it for half a day, suddenly let out an “oh,” and revealed a revelatory expression. Seeing this, Bai Zhi instantly became animated: “You know which one to pick?”

“I don’t know.”

Luo Le confidently shook his head.

Bai Zhi: “…”

“I will give you another chance for you to talk.” Bai Zhi took on a mildly threatening aura.

“Then then then I pick A!” Luo Le immediately replied.

“A?”

“If not, B is also fine.”

“Ha?”

“C looks like it will also work?”

Bai Zhi: “…”

“Which one on earth is it?”

Luo Le scratched his head, turned around, and patted the shoulder of another student: “Classmate, what’s the answer to the seventh question?”

The male classmate with thick glasses pushed his lenses up and answered very self-confidently: “D.”

Luo Le gave him a very appreciative look. Turning around, he saw that Bai Zhi had generously written an “A.”

He coughed: “Boss, you chose wrong, the answer was the fourth one.”

Bai Zhi’s expression didn’t change: “I heard.”

“Nani?”

“I’m willing.” Bai Zhi raised his head: “Is there a problem?”

“No.” Luo Le gave him a thumbs up: “Boss deserves to be boss.”

“Of course.” Bai Zhi continued to confidently immerse himself in writing nonsense.

Ji Guichen only returned when the bell for the start of class rang. Bai Zhi was planning on asking him why he had been called away when that person said, a step ahead:

“The math competition, the teacher wanted me to enter it.”

Bai Zhi was happy upon hearing this: “You’ll enter!”

“But…” Ji Guichen paused for a bit: “This competition has preparatory tutoring, and the time for this is after evening self-study ends. If I attend, I won’t be able to go home with you.”

“That’s ok.” Bai Zhi smiled: “I won’t hold you up, I’ll wait for you.”

Ji Guichen didn’t say anything.

Bai Zhi poked his arm: “You should enter, Ji Guichen, you’re amazing.”

“Why do you think so?”

“That’s just what I think.” Bai Zhi replied unreasonably.

Ji Guichen smiled slightly, paused for a while, and said: “Then I won’t let you down, I’ll enter.”

The next day, Bai Zhi did not dare disturb Ji Guichen. He nodded off as he sprawled in his seat, from time to time looking up at that person diligently answering questions. Ji Guichen had a focused look, and as he watched the ink at his fingertips fly, Bai Zhi fell asleep.

When he awoke, his body had been covered with a school uniform. Bai Zhi rubbed his eyes, and Ji Guichen handed him a bottle of water:

“You slept for quite a few periods. Rest earlier tonight, if you are still sleepy tomorrow I will punish you.”

Bai Zhi was confused: “Punish with your kiss–”

“Punish you by forbidding you from speaking with me in the future.” Ji Guichen interrupted what he was saying.

Bai Zhi lowered his head: “…Oh.”

The day’s worth of class time ended very quickly. Bai Zhi stretched, and Ji Guichen helped him pack his schoolbag, instructing:

“Stay safe on your way home at night, go home with that little brother who can shatter boulders on his chest.”

“That was my lie to you.” Bai Zhi smiled with a face full of happiness: “The one who can shatter boulders on his chest is me.”

Ji Guichen: “…you should pay attention to the road instead. Send me a message once you get home.”

Bai Zhi wasn’t satisfied: “I really can–”

“Ok ok ok you can, I’m being ignorant.” Ji Guichen sent him out of the classroom: “I’m going to attend the extra tutoring, see you tomorrow, little trickster.”

Bai Zhi stood in place and huffed:

“Ji Guichen is so annoying!”

System: “Don’t like him if unsatisfied.”

Bai Zhi huffed again and shook his head: “No! I like him!”

A certain system who was somehow fed dog food: “…as long as you’re happy.”

The little demon hugging a big school bag puffed his cheeks out and walked out into the corridor. Turning back, he glanced at the school building amidst the evening colors.

The end of evening self-study was already very late. Even the sky gained a few more stars. The surrounding twilight was like a layer of pitch-black paint, and only the main building had a classroom lit with scattered light.

That was probably the classroom for the pre-competition preparatory tutoring. Ji Guichen was probably sitting in there.

Bai Zhi’s footsteps suddenly stopped. He tilted his head, and thought deeply for a long time where he stood:

“Uncle, will Ji Guichen be safe going home alone at night?”

“He’s almost of age, how could it be not safe.” The system didn’t take it seriously.

“But…” Bai Zhi said reluctantly: “I’m a bit worried about him.”

“Xian likes his radishes salty while Dan worries.” [1] The system said: “Then are you going to wait here and send him home?”

“Okay.” Bai Zhi immediately plopped down on the steps, opened his phone, and sent a message to Mother Xie and Father Xie. Then he calmly remained at the entrance, a little happy in his heart.

“This time I will be here, Ji Guichen will definitely be able to properly participate in the competition and take the placement that belongs to him.”

“Not bad.” The system yawned.

Bai Zhi spoke again: “He will shine with his own radiance, take all the honor he can hold, obtain his own happiness, and step by step walk towards being a better person.”

The system was deeply silent for a while: “And you?”

“I’ll be with him.” Bai Zhi leaned his head on his school bag and tilted it towards the bright lights of the main building, his eyes full of stars:

“I will always be with him.”

……

When Ji Guichen finished, he hurriedly packed up and went downstairs, one hand flipping his phone out to check his messages.

Xie Siliu hadn’t sent him any messages.

Ji Guichen’s brows furrowed.

He thought deeply for a while, edited his text message, and was about to send it when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Sitting obediently on the stairs of the complex, one hand hugging a school bag, with his head resting on it fast asleep.

Ji Guichen’s heart suddenly settled down. His gaze trembled slightly, after which he walked directly to Bai Zhi.

The youth who was lively and noisy during the day was now as calm as a painting. With his eyes closed in an orderly manner, he seemed to be deep asleep, not even knowing that someone had walked in front of him.

Ji Guichen looked at him for half a day like this, his heart suddenly a bit moved.

He naturally knew why Xie Siliu was sprawled here.

In the chilly dew and cold wind of the deep autumn night, he was waiting for him to return home.

Ji Guichen inhaled deeply, turned around, and lifted Bai Zhi’s school bag on his wrist. Then he squatted down, and with his motions exceedingly light, carried him on his back.

The little demon sprawled on Ji Guichen’s back smacked his lips and continued to sleep very soundly. Ji Guichen shook his head and slowly quickened his steps.

The hour was late. Even the sun had retired.

He had to send the little fool home.

[1] 咸吃萝卜淡操心. Translated literally it says: Salty (咸, xián) eats his radishes (吃萝卜), light-tasting (淡, dàn) worries (操心). “xián/salty” and “dàn/light-tasting” are antonyms, and they represent two people with different living habits. “Xián” represents a person who prefers his radishes salty, and  “Dàn” is the opposite–he can’t understand the delicious taste of salted radish but is still worried about “Xian.” This saying is used to describe nosy people who don’t understand the situation but still worry and do a disservice. Tldr; system tells Bai Zhi there’s no point in worrying