Feigned Pity - CH 13.1

All eyes fell on her.

Gu Jing Yuan frowned, “What are you doing?”

The waiter looked at them uncomfortably. What should he do?

He had worked here for many years, and he was confident that he had the ability to make discerning judgments. At first glance, this little girl was completely different from Young Master Gu and the rest.

However, the cost of this meal was no small sum. And their restaurant did not have a habit of letting their customers pay on credit.

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While the waiter was conflicted, Tao Yi Xi asked, “Do you have a POS machine?”

“We do, please wait a moment.”

She neatly swiped her card against the POS machine.

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Ck Zwl oyp pvwddle cu bla qzwldv xshlxldv. Tl eke dsv lmrlnv vbyv vbkp elzknyvl yde zshlzu-zssjkdt pkpvla nswze yzps zssj ps nssz!

Qw Kkdt Zwyd blze bkp rbsdl, vbl ryuxldv nsel pnalld vwadle eyaj yp Mys Zk Dk nzyakqkle bkp eswcvp.

“Bdnzl Qw bye rzynle y zkxkv sd uswa nyaep.”

Fbl oyhle vbl nyae kd bla byde, “Ql-tl, qsa vbl alpv sq vbl xsdvb, usw xktbv byhl vs qszzso xl nzsplzu~”

Qw Kkdt Zwyd, “…”

Ekvdlppkdt bkp byae rkzz vs poyzzso zssj, Mys Zk Dk alhlyzle y ayal cwv pkdnlal pxkzl.

Rd vbl cltkddkdt, pbl oyp yzps dsv pwal obyv Bdnzl Qw’p ps-nyzzle ‘zkxkv’ oyp. Gqvla yzz, vbkp oyp bkp eyazkdt psd, Qw Yw Zydt oswzed’v xyjl vbkdtp vss ekqqknwzv qsa bkx.

But Gu Jing Yuan really knew how to spend money. The cost of this young master’s meal was more than the month’s salary of others.

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Gu Jing Yuan didn’t believe that his unconscionable rich father would do such a cruel thing to him. So he immediately gave him a phone call.

“That’s right, I’ve reduced your card limit. And until you enter Third Grade, this will remain as so.”

On the other line, someone was also looking for Gu Mu Yang to discuss something. So Gu Mu Yang casually said, “Look for your little sister if you need anything else.” And he hung up the call.

His ‘little sister’ was currently resting her head on the palm of her hand, patiently waiting for him to accept his new reality.

“Have you finished asking? Let’s leave now or we’ll be late for class. Or I can go first. Ge-ge can find your own way back later.”

“You!” Gu Jing Yuan was so angry that he could vomit blood.

Which modern-day youngster still carried cash around? Nowadays, most payment methods are via online transactions.

And all his cards were currently useless, how would he travel back?

She was doing it on purpose!

Qi Yue quickly stepped forward to comfort him, “Brother Yuan, calm down. I still have money, I can lend it to you.”

Gu Jing Yuan had always been the one who lent money to others. Who would’ve thought that one day he would be reduced to receiving financial aid from others? This was just too shameful!

Moreover, this was his family’s money, so why should it only be used to the convenience of outsiders?

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He pushed Qi Yue aside, “I don’t need your money. I have a walking wallet here, why wouldn’t I use it?”

Gu Jing Yuan gnashed his teeth, “I’ll go with you.”

Tao Yi Xi couldn’t suppress the glee in her heart causing her eyes to sparkle, “Then let’s go.”

The more she saw his deflated look, the more she liked it. It was rare to meet someone who could bring her that much joy.

They reached back to school just before class started. It was the first time this semester that he stayed in class for a full day.

The chilling aura made the surrounding atmosphere very depressing. And when the school bell rang, everyone packed up and fled from the classroom.

Tao Yi Xi just started packing up but Gu Jing Yuan had already picked up his empty schoolbag. Slinging it across his back, he half-leaned against the desk with his arms crossed in front of him, giving her a blistering glare.

How could she not feel such a piercing gaze?

“Ge-ge, there’s no need to rush.”

“Humph.”

Girls were annoyingly slow.

Qi Yue tapped on his shoulders, “Brother Yuan, are you still going to Ah Zhao’s today?”

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Tao Yi Xi looked at him, and it was obvious that wherever he went, she would have to follow.

“Not going today, see you online tonight.”

“Okay, then I’ll go first! Bye-bye Brother Yuan, see you Sister Yi Xi.”

“Goodbye,” she waved at Qi Yue.

“Stop bye-ing. Aren’t you done?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

From his peripheral view, he saw her schoolbag stuffed full of books that some corners of the books were jutting out at a couple of places.

Could she finish reading so many books in one night?

When the two of them reached home, Nanny Yang went forward to take Gu Jing Yuan’s schoolbag. She must’ve feared that the light schoolbag would crush him.

“Xiao Yuan is back, go wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

“En.”

Tao Yi Xi smiled and nodded at Nanny Yang as a greeting. She didn’t get a response, but she was used to it so it wasn’t embarrassing.

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Gu Jing Yuan had a clear view of the interaction between the two.

“Xiao Yuan don’t feel like eating yet?”

“In a bit. I don’t have any appetite since I just got back.”

Nanny Yang knew that he was a picky eater, “Then I’ll go prepare a couple more of your favorite dishes.”

Tai Xi Yi silently went upstairs to put her things in her room. When she returned back downstairs, she saw Gu Jing Yuan lounging in the living room playing with his phone.

She paused and politely asked, “Ge-ge, are you having dinner?”

He glanced at her but didn’t respond. He slowly kept the phone away and leisurely walked to the dining room.

Neither of them spoke during the meal. Tao Yi Xi quickly finished and left him by himself.

Since he was in school today, she didn’t need to bring back his homework for him, and this greatly reduced her hassle. It was great that she could finally sit at a desk and do her homework in peace.

As soon as the door was closed, they became people from two different worlds. They didn’t need to have more unnecessary contact with each other.

**

Tao Yi Xi, who had the ‘economic power’, did not deliberately embarrass him. Every day at noon, she would accompany him to wherever he wanted to eat while trying to order something with a relatively low price.

While the two were ‘bundled’ together, Gu Jing Yuan saw that she was always either reading or doing assignments. He never saw her talk about clothes, makeup, or gossip about celebrities with other girls. He had never seen one that enjoyed studying so much.

Because of Gu Jing Yuan’s constant presence, Zhou Zhi would occasionally invite her to go to the washroom together. On their way there, they met Cai Li Ling and Tang Wan along the passageway.

Cai Li Ling enthusiastically ran over, “Yi Xi, you haven’t been joining us for lunch recently.”

Tao Yi Xi smiled helplessly, “I have no choice.”

Although the words were not explained, everyone understood.

Gu Jing Yuan retaining a grade was no secret. From the beginning when Tao Yi Xi was assigned to be his deskmate, there were traces that pointed to the fact that her transfer was because of this brother.

Tang Wan sighed, “Yi Xi, you’re amazing too. I think you’re the only one in the whole school who can control him.”

Everyone knew that Gu Jing Yuan, from the principal to the class teachers, couldn’t be controlled.

Tao Yi Xi knew with certainty that what was controlling Gu Jing Yuan was not her. It was the wallet that was in full control of him.

Cai Li Ling whispered, “I think when Gu Jing Yuan has a girlfriend in the future, he will be the kind of guy that will be completely compliant with his girlfriend’s wishes.”

As she said this, Cai Li Ling blushed.

Tao Yi Xi was perplexed. Who gave her this illusion? It was already good if Gu Jing Yuan’s future girlfriend wasn’t driven mad by this young master’s temperament.

Compliant?

She couldn’t imagine how ‘compliant’ Young Master Gu would be.

During their idle chat, every few sentences would inevitably reach back to Gu Jing Yuan.

Tao Yi Xi was actually quite annoyed by this.

It felt like regardless of school affairs, personal life, or social interactions, she couldn’t seem to get rid of this person.

On their way back, someone called out to her.

“Yi Xi, could you come over for a bit?”

Looking back, Cai Li Ling murmured, “Why is it her again?”

“I’ll go over first. You all don’t have to wait for me.”

Cai Li Ling shouted, “It’s okay! We’ll wait for you!”

Zhou Zhi and Cai Li Ling had been friends for over a year. How could Zhou Zhi not know what she was really thinking? Cai Li Ling just wanted to get dibs on the latest gossip.

“Let’s just leave first.”

“Aiya, just wait for a while. What if Yi Xi was bullied? Have you forgotten what those forum posts said about Shen Chen Chen? She’s known for beating up other students.”

“But I feel that she’s not that kind of person. It might just be nasty rumors spread by others.”

“Flies don’t hover around an intact egg1! If there’s really nothing, why did the rumors spread so much in the first place?”

Zhou Zhi was also stumped, as if what Cai Li Ling said also made sense. But she still felt that Cai Li Ling was acting weird.

Tang Wan glanced at her watch, class break was about to end. The form teacher of elite class had always been very strict about punctuality.

“Zhi Zhi, classes are about to start.”

“Forget it, I’ll wait together. You should go back first.”

**

Shen Chen Chen took Tao Yi Xi to the flower garden, where there were fewer students.

“Little sister Yi Xi, could you do this older sister a favor? Can you bring me along when you guys go out for lunch?”

She grabbed onto Tao Yi Xi’s hand, “Recently, that bitch from the neighboring school had finally settled down a little. I have to seize this opportunity and only you can help me! You don’t know… Qi Yue might look like a very amicable person, but his lips are always tightly sealed.”

It was about Gu Jing Yuan again.

Tao Yi Xi secretly let out a sigh while pulling her hand away with a smile, “He’ll be attending classes this month, you can just come over to our class to find him.”

“Thank you little sister!”

Without warning, she hugged her. As Shen Chen Chen was half a head taller than Tao Yi Xi, Tao Yi Xi found her feet dangling off the ground all of a sudden, causing her face to pale in fright.

Shen Chen Chen even kneaded her cheeks, “Little Sister is so soft.”

And because they were so close, she also took a whiff, “en… you also smell so nice. What perfume are you using?”

Tao Yi Xi’s face turned from white and red, “I didn’t apply anything. Please put me down!”

Shen Chen Chen looked at her with affection, like how she would look at her own younger siblings, “You’re so much more animated like this!”

Tao Yi Xi, “…”

The bell rang and Tao Yi Xi straightened her uniform, “Classmate Shen, this kind of behavior is very dangerous, please don’t do it again. I have to go to class, I’ll leave first.”

Feeling enlightened, Shen Chen Chen touched her nose, still thinking about the previous thing.

She murmured to herself, “Not perfume? Then what brand of body lotion is that? I’ll have to ask next time we meet.”