Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 30

Qin Rui spent the whole day looking at Yuan Bozhu with a resentful gaze.

Yuan Bozhu felt that he had misunderstood him.

In the end, the discord between Qin Rui and his entourage stemmed from the fact that from the beginning, Qin Rui had been mistaken in his way of making friends.

Unlike Lin Shuanghuai, who simply enjoyed treating friends when happy, Qin Rui’s treating was imbalanced.

Whenever he felt lazy, he would use money to dismiss others. He spent a huge sum to take classmates to Nocturnal Island, all to enjoy the admiration and envy of others.

He had long established himself as a rich second-generation figure, often feeling that everything was simple and money could solve everything. Over time, people around him also began to feel that helping Qin Rui was labor that must be compensated.

Compared to him, Lin Shuanghuai was much smarter.

Even when treating friends to meals, Lin Shuanghuai never made others feel uncomfortable with charity. He always found a pretext to make you feel that the meal was his treat. You were happy, and he was happy too.

Qin Rui’s advantage lay in having more money, but he also suffered from having too much money.

Now, when he wanted friends to accompany him to interviews without pay, he received cold stares. He rudely interpreted this as these people only wanting money and lacking loyalty. Consequently, he was unwilling to give these indifferent people even a penny more.

Qin Rui sought out Yuan Bozhu, who was less superficial, hoping to correct his unhealthy social circle by befriending him.

But this was another grave mistake.

Yuan Bozhu was colder and more ruthless than anyone around him.

Yuan Bozhu neither wanted money nor friendship.

Faced with the resentful glances from Qin Rui across the table, Yuan Bozhu remained indifferent.

But Qin Rui, for some inexplicable reason, persisted stubbornly.

Just before noon, he hurriedly approached Yuan Bozhu and left a small note in front of him.

Yuan Bozhu: “…”

Without even looking at it, he ignored Qin Rui and began to walk away.

Qin Rui was startled and quickly crumpled up the note, stuffing it into Yuan Bozhu’s school uniform pocket.

As Yuan Bozhu was about to take it out to throw it away, Qin Rui shouted, “Are you going to have lunch with a group of people later? You’d better take a look at what I wrote for you! This is my sincerity, my sincerity in befriending you! Give me some face, read it before you toss it!”

In the end, surprisingly, he didn’t throw it away.

But Yuan Bozhu didn’t seem particularly moved by Qin Rui’s gesture either. He continued walking towards the cafeteria, and when passing by a trash can, he stopped.

He took out the note, glanced at it briefly, tore it up without changing expression, and threw it away.

Perhaps Qin Rui had misunderstood something.

But Yuan Bozhu had no obligation to take responsibility for his misunderstanding.

To Yuan Bozhu’s surprise, Han Banlan, who had been clamoring insistently to have lunch with him, did not show up.

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Han Banlan was as difficult to handle as Lin Shuanghuai, but her ostentatious nature always gave Yuan Bozhu a headache. If she had shown up, Yuan Bozhu might not have been able to enjoy his meal peacefully.

He ordered his food as usual and found a corner to sit in. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Two minutes later, Lin Shuanghuai took a seat opposite him, wearing his familiar smile and passing over a cup of coffee.

Yuan Bozhu suddenly had a strange thought—

Sure enough, he’s here.

But he didn’t dwell on the thought.

It was almost as if he had grown accustomed to Lin Shuanghuai’s presence.

Yuan Bozhu silently continued eating.

Lin Shuanghuai was much better than Han Banlan; he didn’t fuss or disturb Yuan Bozhu while eating. To match Yuan Bozhu’s pace, Lin Shuanghuai ordered very little food. He chewed slowly, and by the time Yuan Bozhu finished eating, he had barely touched his own food.

After scraping his plate clean with the last two bites, Lin Shuanghuai stood up with his tray.

Yuan Bozhu glanced at him, wanting to say that there was no need to rush, that he hadn’t finished his meal properly and it was wasteful. But he didn’t say anything because he figured Lin Shuanghuai probably wouldn’t listen.

Clearly, Lin Shuanghuai wanted to walk with him.

If Yuan Bozhu didn’t wait for Lin Shuanghuai, Lin Shuanghuai wouldn’t dare eat slowly.

It was a vicious cycle.

Yuan Bozhu put his tray in the sink, washed his hands, and caught a glimpse of Lin Shuanghuai also washing his hands, but very quickly.

As soon as he finished, he stood upright, staring at Yuan Bozhu intently.

As if afraid he would run away.

“…” Yuan Bozhu sighed silently.

After leaving the cafeteria, Lin Shuanghuai boldly walked alongside him and handed over the coffee Yuan Bozhu had intentionally left behind, asking knowingly, “Did you forget to take this?”

Yuan Bozhu glanced at it and accepted it. “You don’t need to buy another one next time.”

Surprisingly, Lin Shuanghuai nodded obediently. “Okay.”

Yuan Bozhu found it strange.

“Are you surprised that I’m being so obedient?” Lin Shuanghuai was always quick to detect Yuan Bozhu’s changing expressions and interpret the messages in his eyes. He explained, “Because I’m trying a different strategy.”

“Strategy?”

“Exactly. I’m testing whether you prefer me to be obedient or disobedient.”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t quite understand.

He didn’t need anyone to listen to him, nor would he dictate to anyone.

Besides, Lin Shuanghuai had no obligation to listen to him either.

Even as friends, their relationship should be equal.

Who needed to listen to whom?

Lin Shuanghuai suddenly chuckled.

Yuan Bozhu looked at him.

He said, “It seems like I’ve figured it out.”

“What?” Yuan Bozhu asked.

Lin Shuanghuai, with unwavering confidence from somewhere, confidently concluded, “You actually, Yuan student, don’t seem to like obedient types.”

Yuan Bozhu found this utterly illogical.

He ignored Lin Shuanghuai thereafter.

Perhaps because of comparisons with Han Banlan before, even if Lin Shuanghuai became more persistent, Yuan Bozhu surprisingly felt that it was tolerable.

He continued to frequently message himself—whenever Yuan Bozhu didn’t turn on his phone or didn’t check it, he wouldn’t be disturbed. Or when waiting at the school gate after school—it didn’t matter; once they left school, they were basically unnoticed.

While waiting for the bus, Yuan Bozhu thought Lin Shuanghuai would stop there.

Unexpectedly, Lin Shuanghuai followed him onto the bus.

After sitting down, Lin Shuanghuai conscientiously explained, “Yuan student, I’m taking you home.”

Yuan Bozhu’s expression was indescribable.

After all, regardless of how one looked at it, Lin Shuanghuai shouldn’t be the one escorting him home.

Seeing his silence, Lin Shuanghuai candidly admitted, “Alright, truth is, I just wanted to spend a bit more time with you.”

Yuan Bozhu remained speechless.

Today, he wasn’t heading straight home but had the duty of buying clothes and shoes for himself.

Originally, according to Yuan Bozhu’s plan, he’d have gone to the nearest store and randomly bought two jackets before getting a basic pair of sneakers, thus completing his mission. But after briefly glancing at Lin Shuanghuai, he changed his mind.

Upon getting off, Lin Shuanghuai curiously asked him, “Yuan student, are you going shopping? I’ll come with you.”

Yuan Bozhu looked at him and said, “It’s late, you should go back.”

“It’s not that late, I just like being by your side. I won’t bother you, just quietly following you. Come on, let’s go shopping!” Lin Shuanghuai, full of energy, ran ahead and beckoned to Yuan Bozhu.

This was almost an expected scenario.

Yuan Bozhu felt relieved to have guessed Lin Shuanghuai’s simple intentions.

Indeed, he knew Lin Shuanghuai would follow him, so he chose the largest nearby shopping center. The dense crowds and bustling atmosphere would easily “accidentally” separate them.

Yuan Bozhu disliked shopping and even more so disliked shopping with others. Since he couldn’t drive Lin Shuanghuai away, this was his only option.

Together, they entered the mall, and initially Yuan Bozhu regretted the crowd, but after successfully losing Lin Shuanghuai, he felt it was the right decision.

Two minutes later, Lin Shuanghuai stood by the bustling escalator, looking lost and confused, scanning around with a slightly regretful expression as if blaming himself for losing Yuan Bozhu.

Yuan Bozhu stood behind an advertising billboard on the third-floor corridor, peaking at Lin Shuanghuai through a corner.

Lin Shuanghuai sent him a message, asking, “Yuan student, where are you? Did I go to the wrong place?”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t reply.

He thought that by ignoring Lin Shuanghuai for a while, he would naturally leave when unable to find him.

Sure enough, shortly after, Lin Shuanghuai dejectedly returned to the escalator and headed towards the exit.

Seeing him leave, Yuan Bozhu couldn’t deny feeling a slight tug of emotions.

Perhaps there was some regret.

Because he had used a rather impolite way to forcibly lose Lin Shuanghuai.

But there was no other way.

He had already refused, and Lin Shuanghuai was simply too persistent.

Strangely, after Lin Shuanghuai left his sight, Yuan Bozhu expected to feel relieved.

Instead, his brow furrowed.

He inexplicably thought of the small note Qin Rui had handed him at noon.

【To my former desk mate: I’ve noticed you’ve been getting close to Lin Shuanghuai from class recently. Though I don’t approve, I still respect and wish you well. Since you’re friends, here’s a small piece of information for you: someone might cause trouble for him soon. If you don’t mind being implicated, then continue being around him. I can’t say more, but I hope you understand. I’ll trade this information with you: will you accompany me to the interview this weekend? OK?】

Yuan Bozhu knew coincidences like this didn’t happen in real life. Could Lin Shuanghuai have run into trouble so soon after receiving this note at noon? Unless Qin Rui orchestrated it himself.

Furthermore…

Even if Lin Shuanghuai did run into personal trouble, it had nothing to do with Yuan Bozhu. Yuan Bozhu wasn’t obligated to be his bodyguard, nor could he constantly stay by Lin Shuanghuai’s side before anything happened.

In conclusion, Yuan Bozhu didn’t need to take responsibility for this from any angle. He just wanted to peacefully buy two pieces of clothing and a pair of shoes, then go home.

The advantage of a large shopping mall was undoubtedly the variety of major brands and the wide selection of styles. There wasn’t a store you couldn’t find here, no matter how obscure.

But for Yuan Bozhu, it seemed irrelevant. Shopping was effortless for him. He went to the most familiar brands, picked the most familiar styles, and within half an hour, he could complete his shopping task. To appear more cautious, Yuan Bozhu even deliberately visited two more stores and spent more time.

However, a call from Zhang Shu added difficulty to his task.

“Little Son! It’s almost 7 o’clock. According to the time, you should be at the mall, right? Hurry, video call with mom, she’ll help you pick clothes!”

“…” Yuan Bozhu hadn’t expected Zhang Shu to be so concerned. “No need, I’ve already chosen.”

“So fast?” Zhang Shu was shocked. “Quick, take some pictures and show mom.”

“No need.”

“I won’t let you off! Hurry up, mom doesn’t trust your taste.” Zhang Shu emphasized, “At least take pictures of the styles and send them to the group. Little son, just let me have a look. Otherwise, if you bring them back and mom doesn’t recognize them, I’ll drag you out again this weekend!”

At this point, it seemed there was no room for negotiation.

Yuan Bozhu sighed and after hanging up the phone, obediently took pictures of the items he was about to check out and sent them to the group.

Unsurprisingly, the response was a resounding “no.”

【Happy Family Yuan Mom】: Little brother!! Absolutely not!!

【Elegant Brother Yuan】: If you dare bring back those sneakers that were featured in a fashion magazine’s ‘tacky collection’ ten years ago, I dare to burn them.

【Yuan Mom】: Little Son, put down that black hoodie you’ve worn for three years since junior high. Give mom an address, I’m coming over now!!

【Elegant Brother Yuan】: @Yuan Bozhu, the third son, no teenage boy would wear a style for ten years. Wake up.

【Sister Wanjiao】: Just woke up, let me see what styles Ah Zhu has chosen.

【Yuan Dad】: I think it’s fine.

【Yuan Mom】: Just because you think it’s fine! That’s why it’s not! Both of your tastes are unacceptable [pointing and lecturing.jpg]

Yuan Bozhu rubbed his forehead and rejected the thought of letting Zhang Shu come over. He indicated he would go pick out two more items.

In truth, he thought about just going straight home and forgetting about it.

However, Zhang Shu was determined. She stated that if he didn’t find suitable items tonight, they would definitely go shopping again this weekend.

Yuan Bozhu unexpectedly felt a crisis.

This was rare.

Having lived in this world for eighteen years, he had rarely encountered such a precarious situation.

He couldn’t understand—why couldn’t he continue wearing clothes that fit well from junior high into high school? Wasn’t buying a larger size sufficient?

And the shoes—why did it matter as long as they fit? Besides color, he couldn’t see any difference between them.

Yuan Bozhu stood hesitating at the checkout counter.

The cashier asked him, “Young man, are you ready to pay?”

Not wanting to return this weekend, Yuan Bozhu shook his head and said, “I’ll look around some more.”

He returned the clothes and tried to pick out something different.

But this dazzling array of displays seemed like a mental maze to him. Yuan Bozhu couldn’t find his way out of the “not good-looking” path.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

When he was in a dilemma, suddenly someone beside him, carrying a pile of coats taller than his head, swished them open and laid them out in front of him. It was Lin Shuanghuai, back again.

Yuan Bozhu was momentarily stunned. “You’re here!”

Lin Shuanghuai wiped his nose with his sleeve, beads of sweat on it. “I’ve been looking for you. You probably didn’t check your phone; I sent you a lot of messages.”

He panted slightly, looking up. “Take a look at these clothes. I passed by this brand and their autumn collection of coats is really cool! At first glance, I thought they’d suit you perfectly. I didn’t know where you were, so I ran around a few stores with them.”

All the brands on this floor were managed by the mall, and the checkout counters were in one place. Lin Shuanghuai brought over all the clothes he thought looked good along the way, not minding the trouble.

As he picked, he imagined how Yuan Bozhu would look in them. He felt they would definitely suit him.

Yuan Bozhu suddenly felt a bit tongue-tied. “I usually shop with friends like this, grabbing whatever looks suitable to try on. But I didn’t know your clothing preferences, so I got a bit too much.”

Lin Shuanghuai seemed oblivious to being brushed off by Yuan Bozhu earlier. Or maybe he knew but pretended not to.

Yuan Bozhu saw the fine sweat on his forehead and his uneven breaths. Clearly, he had been wandering around the mall for quite some time in the past few tens of minutes.

That strange feeling surfaced again—when Lin Shuanghuai appeared, Yuan Bozhu didn’t feel annoyed.

Just then, Zhang Shu’s call came again.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t answer, his gaze falling on the pile of clothes Lin Shuanghuai had brought.

It had to be said, Lin Shuanghuai had a good sense of aesthetics. Even Yuan Bozhu, who didn’t quite understand designs, thought what he picked was good.

So he hung up the phone, then quickly took a picture of the clothes and sent it to the group.

Without saying anything else, he locked the screen.

When he looked up, he saw Lin Shuanghuai smiling at him. “What did you just buy?”

Yuan Bozhu blinked slowly, pondered for a moment, and replied, “I haven’t bought anything yet.”

“Would you like to try these?” Lin Shuanghuai picked up a dark-colored coat, placed it in front of Yuan Bozhu, and said, “I estimate this size should fit you well. You…”

“No need to try.” Yuan Bozhu glanced at the size; it was indeed his current size.

Lin Shuanghuai probably misunderstood his meaning. “You don’t like this style? Then I’ll accompany you to look at something else.”

“Not that.” Yuan Bozhu didn’t even count how many pieces there were. He suddenly remembered Zhang Shu’s saying, ‘Better to buy the wrong thing than let it pass,’ so he threw them all into the shopping cart and said, “I’ll take them all.”

“What?!” Lin Shuanghuai was astonished. “But I, I, I brought so many!”

“It’s fine.”

“Do you… like them all?”

Yuan Bozhu might not like all of them, but they fit and he didn’t have to bother choosing, so he felt it was good. “They’re all good.”

Lin Shuanghuai was especially happy with that answer. He rubbed his nose tip with a raised hand, unexpectedly unable to respond for a moment.

Yuan Bozhu pushed the shopping cart to the checkout counter, and Lin Shuanghuai bounced along behind him.

At the checkout counter, while waiting in line, Yuan Bozhu saw the open dressing room mirror at the corner in front of him.

He could just see Lin Shuanghuai from behind.

Strangely, out of his view, Lin Shuanghuai seemed to have lost his smile.

Reflected in the mirror, Lin Shuanghuai’s face was pale.

His lips were pressed white, and he huddled against a row of clothing racks, thinking Yuan Bozhu couldn’t see him, quietly rubbing his stomach.

Yuan Bozhu initially thought he might have eaten something bad.

But upon closer inspection, something seemed off.

Lin Shuanghuai’s clothes were dirty.

“Young man? Young man, are you ready to pay?” This was the second time the staff had asked Yuan Bozhu.

Yuan Bozhu silently withdrew his gaze, took out his card, and paid.

But when the staff packed the clothes, he didn’t immediately take them. “I’ll put them aside for now.”

“Sure, you can come back with your receipt to collect them later.”

“Okay.” With that, Yuan Bozhu turned and walked towards Lin Shuanghuai.

When he saw him approaching, Lin Shuanghuai greeted him with a smile again. The person he saw in the mirror just now didn’t seem to be him.

“Finished shopping? Are you thirsty? Just now when I passed by the first floor, I found a newly opened milk tea shop. The second cup is half price. And there are so many food options downstairs. Do you want to eat here—eh?”

Before Lin Shuanghuai could finish speaking, Yuan Bozhu suddenly raised his hand in silence and brushed past Lin Shuanghuai’s temple, lifting a strand of stray hair. Lin Shuanghuai tensed up nervously.

But Yuan Bozhu’s face remained cold and stern. He noticed a new injury—a small wound above Lin Shuanghuai’s ear that looked like it had been scratched and was bleeding slightly.

Lin Shuanghuai seemed unaware of his injury. He awkwardly tugged at his clothes and whispered, “Why the sudden…”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t let him finish. The next moment, he grabbed his arm and walked towards the nearby fitting room.

“Ah!” Lin Shuanghuai’s mind buzzed. He couldn’t understand why Yuan Bozhu was doing this. His cheeks suddenly flushed red, and he murmured softly, “Yuan… Yuan… Yuan classmates, this fitting room is very small, can’t fit two people. I can wait for you outside…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Yuan Bozhu had already entered the fitting room.

It was a small square space, surrounded by mirrors on three sides. Claustrophobic, narrow, and crowded, their breaths intermingled.

Lin Shuanghuai lowered his head, his heartbeat fast enough to scare himself. Then he heard Yuan Bozhu speak coldly, as usual, but said something he couldn’t understand: “Lin Shuanghuai, what happened?”

“Huh?” Lin Shuanghuai didn’t understand why Yuan Bozhu was asking this. Because… Yuan Bozhu wasn’t a security camera in the mall, how could he possibly know what happened to Lin Shuanghuai where he couldn’t see?

Lin Shuanghuai bit his lip tightly, unsure how to answer.

After a brief silence, Yuan Bozhu suddenly reached out and pulled down the zipper of his school uniform.

“Yuan classmate…!”

This progress was too sudden; Lin Shuanghuai was too shocked to speak. But Yuan Bozhu’s expression was calm, as if he wasn’t playing some ambiguous game with him here. He calmly unzipped the zipper, pinched a corner of the inner clothing, looked at Lin Shuanghuai, and asked, “Are you doing it yourself, or should I?”

“Why…?”

“What do you think?”

Lin Shuanghuai wanted to push Yuan Bozhu away, and he should push him away. But for some reason, when he saw Yuan Bozhu’s calm and gentle gaze, he seemed to be under some kind of spell and couldn’t refuse.

In the end, Yuan Bozhu lifted up Lin Shuanghuai’s clothes—of course, not completely. It just revealed the slender waist and abdomen, where a shocking bruise was visible.

Yuan Bozhu’s breathing suddenly intensified.

“I… I bumped into something on the way here,” Lin Shuanghuai dryly held Yuan Bozhu’s wrist.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t stare for too long. Being impolite was one thing, and Lin Shuanghuai’s expression was already pitiful enough. It seemed that if Yuan Bozhu asked one more question, he would burst into tears immediately.

Yuan Bozhu let go of his hand and let Lin Shuanghuai zip up his clothes properly.

Both of them suddenly fell silent.

Occasionally, their hearts beat violently, disrupting their intertwined and orderly breaths.

Finally, Yuan Bozhu spoke.

“Do you want some milk tea?”

Perhaps very grateful that he didn’t ask any more embarrassing questions, Lin Shuanghuai whispered softly, “Um, I’d like some.”

“Let’s go.”

Yuan Bozhu furrowed his brows and turned to walk out of the fitting room.

He experienced a fresh feeling, not only in the eighteen years of his life but even in the past hundred years of his practice—annoyance.

Yuan Bozhu was very annoyed right now.