The Art of Provocation

[^.^: Brother, I’m eating right now. Do you miss me? But I haven’t finished yet, won’t you wait for me?]

Qiyu had a knack for playing dumb. Taking advantage of Lu Xingye’s absence, he freely spouted provocative remarks. He could easily call him ‘Brother’, or even ‘Husband’, without a second thought.

After all, it wasn’t him who felt disgusted.

[…]

[Ten minutes.]

Qiyu seemed to fear Lu Xingye hadn’t been sufficiently provoked. He deliberately picked up a chicken drumstick with his chopsticks and snapped a photo.

In the picture, his lips were slightly parted, the drumstick held just before them, and his clear eyes brimmed with laughter.

Qiyu admired the thoroughly provocative photo, then contentedly tapped ‘send’.

‘Lu Xingye must be shaking with anger.’

The thought always made Qiyu struggle to suppress his laughter. However, recalling that irritating message, he magnanimously decided to forgo the pleasure of the chicken drumstick.

“Nuonuo, grow taller.” With that, he transferred the chicken drumstick from his bowl to Wen Nuo’s.

Wen Nuo had been staring at Qiyu’s face since earlier, trying to pinpoint what felt off.

Qiyu possessed delicate, charming features. Beneath his long lashes lay a pair of round, beautiful apricot eyes, and a cute little canine tooth would peek out when he smiled.

Yet, for some reason, his current expression struck Wen Nuo as utterly wicked.

“Where are you off to? Are you already finished eating?” Wen Nuo’s hand paused mid-air, a hint of confusion in his voice. “Aren’t you escaping to play during lunch break?”

“Has the young master changed his ways?”

Qiyu ignored Wen Nuo’s teasing, responding with a forced, humourless smile. He then drew a finger across his throat. “It’s a big deal.”

“Go, or die.”

“If only I could be as carefree as you.” Those were Qiyu’s final words before he departed.

It was utterly baffling!

Wen Nuo bit into the now-cold chicken drumstick, his mind replaying Qiyu’s words. ‘Just what colossal trouble could Young Master Qiyu possibly have?’

****

Lu Xingye spotted Qiyu in the final minute before class, strolling in unhurriedly with a large bag of snacks.

His impatience nearly overflowed; he didn’t even bother to feign composure. ‘How could one person be both stupid and wicked?’

“I can’t eat all that.” He frowned, eyeing the overflowing bag in Qiyu’s hand, assuming the other boy merely wished to waste his money.

“But these aren’t for you.” Qiyu found it rather perplexing.

Lu Xingye, who had waited all morning, responded with a silent ‘?’

“Where’s the lunch you bought me?” Lu Xingye’s patience finally snapped.

He no longer knew if he was pranking Qiyu or himself. “Do I need to show you the deduction records?”

Their school’s supermarket and cafeteria were far from cheap; they were downright expensive. Anything that entered the school seemed to be repackaged and sold at ten times the price.

Consequently, Lu Xingye had been lost in thought, staring at the deduction records that had arrived on his phone.

Qiyu’s appraising gaze slowly swept over Lu Xingye: his downturned eyes, characteristic of his displeasure, his tightly pressed thin lips, and the ear stud.

He truly pulled off the look.

“Looks so pretentious,” Qiyu muttered under his breath as he took his seat.

Lu Xingye, watching Qiyu with an icy gaze, remained silent.

‘Can one’s appearance truly be described as pretentious?’

“Why are you so anxious? It’s not like I didn’t buy you anything. Didn’t you have a cold?” Qiyu explained earnestly. “I just looked around the supermarket and couldn’t find anything suitable for someone sick.”

Lu Xingye occupied a window seat, leaning against the wall, his expression blank as he listened to Qiyu’s sophistry.

He propped his face with a hand, raising an eyebrow at Qiyu, his gaze clearly asking, ‘Are you done talking? What about what I asked you to do?’

To his surprise, after speaking, Qiyu reached into his pocket and handed him a packet of steamed cake. He had expected Qiyu to at least pretend to buy him some cold medicine.

“How did you buy this?” Lu Xingye’s frosty face finally showed an expression.

Yet, it was a smile that seemed to conceal a dagger. He sneered faintly. “You’ve worked hard.”

With that, he casually tossed the dry, choking steamed cake into his desk drawer, no longer sparing Qiyu a glance.

Lu Xingye’s question was, in fact, entirely reasonable. It was widely known that the prices at St. Lan Star Academy were openly and transparently exorbitant.

Whether in the school supermarket or the cafeteria, nothing displayed openly was ever cheap. Yet, Qiyu had managed to find snacks there for him, a “buy one jin, get one jin free” deal for 9.9.

That was truly no easy feat.

As if oblivious to the sarcasm, Qiyu casually set the large bag of snacks aside. He grinned, replying, “Thank you, Brother, for treating me to snacks and lunch.”

“Woof woof woof.” Qiyu narrowed his eyes, playfully teasing him.

Lu Xingye: […]

If not for Qi Zhixia, his beloved mother, entrusting Qiyu to him, he might have beaten him to death long ago.

Although Qi Zhixia typically spent her days shopping and traveling with his younger sister, seemingly free of worries, she occasionally fretted over Qiyu’s consistently erratic grades.

Thus, the best method she conceived was to have Lu Xingye manage him.

He hadn’t specifically asked Qi Zhixia, “Why do I have to move back?” because he could largely guess the reason: the so-called fostering of their relationship.

There was also another reason: to supervise someone’s studies.

Lu Xingye recalled his mother’s promise: if he improved Qiyu’s grades, she would grant him three wishes.

If one were to ask why a private tutor wasn’t hired, it wasn’t because the Lu family couldn’t afford it. Rather, it was because Qiyu could conjure a thousand reasons to skip lessons.

****

On the journey back.

“Do you have to cling to me?” Lu Xingye pushed away the head resting on his shoulder.

Qiyu wasn’t angered by being pushed away. Instead, he pressed his fuzzy head against Lu Xingye’s palm, inching closer like a kitten seeking affection.

Lu Xingye’s body stiffened abruptly, his attempt to push Qiyu away incredibly awkward. Yet, his words remained sharp. “You’re sick.”

Yesterday, he had been disdainful of everything; today, he was acting like this. ‘Qiyu definitely had some ill intentions brewing.’

Lu Xingye had only suggested Qiyu act like a dog to disgust him. He hadn’t anticipated that, in the end, he would be the one feeling awkward.

While Qiyu was being affectionate, he had actually been subtly glancing up at Lu Xingye. Lu Xingye’s outer eye corners naturally drooped, lacking the lively spark of youth.

His face was devoid of expression, and even his eyes were veiled by a mist of ‘aloofness’.

Qiyu stared blankly at Lu Xingye’s tightly set jaw, completely oblivious to his own soft hair drooping languidly against Lu Xingye’s pale neck.

The contact made Lu Xingye itch.

‘How could someone so young appear to have such profound experience?’

This was Qiyu’s genuine thought. He always felt that all the world’s clamor was irrelevant to Lu Xingye, as if the other boy existed in a different dimension.

Even though Lu Xingye cursed Qiyu several more times, Qiyu shamelessly maintained his position. ‘He was making such a huge sacrifice to drive Lu Xingye away!’

Soon, the car slowly entered the tranquil villa district. After it pulled to a stop in the garage.

Qiyu picked up his backpack and headed straight for the elevator. To his surprise, just as he took a step, a hand gripped his wrist.

“I think I forgot to tell you something.” Lu Xingye, who had endured the entire car ride, had been waiting for this very moment.

Lu Xingye’s eyes curved into crescents. Ignoring Qiyu’s stunned expression, he slowly enunciated each word. “Something very, very important.”