Refuse to Confess (15)

"Who??"

Gu Sheng felt like his intelligence was seriously abnormal.

Or maybe he was half-blind and half-deaf.

"You're talking about who? That's Lady Bai? How is that possible?!"

Bao Xiyun heard the commotion and looked up, also with some confusion.

"Didn't Senior Gu see her when you went to the Bai family before?"

"..."

Gu Sheng's breath stalled.

Indeed, he had seen Lady Bai at the banquet in the Bai family.

But at that time, she was dressed in a white gown, with a simple and elegant makeup, and a serene smile.

... Was there any resemblance to the glamorous woman in biker attire just now?

In that case, it made some sense.

Why Bo Xiyun seemed to be familiar with the woman.

—After all, the two of them had lived together for more than ten years. How could they not know each other?

And Gu Sheng had indeed heard that Bai Gelei was not at home these days; he went to handle some business in B city.

But he never expected this.

The contrast between Lady Bai at home and the woman outside was so striking.

What frustrated Gu Sheng the most was that even Yi Zhongshen, who he had always thought of as a straightforward man, recognized Wu Ying.

However, Gu Sheng was the only one who didn't realize it.

... Was he even more oblivious than Yi Shao?

While Gu Sheng was still questioning his life choices, Yi Zhongshen turned his head and asked about the child.

"Why do you call her sister?"

Although Wu Ying was not Bai Gelei's original wife, and Bo Xiyun had no relation to the Bai family anymore, purely based on their ages, they were not of the same generation.

Bao Xiyun said, "She thinks calling her auntie would make her sound old, so when Bai Gelei is not around, she lets me call her sister."

He continued, "I used to call her Sister Ying, but she said it sounded too old-fashioned, so she prefers to be called sister or elder sister."

Finally recovering from his shock, Gu Sheng couldn't help but feel puzzled.

What kind of preference was that?

But Yi Zhongshen, who was standing by, heard this and his gaze flickered, but he didn't say much.

In fact, this kind of thing was easy to understand with a little imagination.

If one could hear a child calling them brother, or...

Big brother...(gege)

After finishing his response, Bo Xiyun lowered his head to organize his backpack, feeling a strange sensation of warmth in his ears. He couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his earlobe, a bit puzzled by the sensation despite not having done any physical activity.

After discussing Wu Ying's matter, the three of them finally set off to have a meal. On the way, Bao Xiyun received an unexpected call, and it turned out to be from Xu Xinyi.

"Hey, Yun Shen, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

(Bo Xi Yun is Yun Shen, hope you guys don't get confused)

Xu Xinyi seemed to be with her friends, and there was some background noise on the call.

"There's a very interesting multiplayer escape room event tomorrow, and we're missing one person. Do you want to come and play?"

She emphasized, "There will be seven or eight people, and one of your classmates from Yi Zhong will be there too. We'll all go together, no separate activities. Will you come?"

However, Xu Xinyi didn't wait for Bo Xiyun's response.

She didn't even hear Bo Xiyun's voice but instead heard a cold and low tone.

"He has something to do and won't be going."

Afterward, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Xu Xinyi: "??"

Yi Zhongshen hung up the phone and handed it back to Bo Xiyun.

"There's a live lecture tomorrow afternoon, I'll send you the link then."

Bo Xiyun glanced at his phone and then at Yi Zhongshen, nodding.

"Okay."

Since Senior Yi had study plans, Bo Xiyun didn't engage in further conversation with Xu Xinyi.

When they arrived at a nearby shopping mall, the three of them had hotpot for lunch.

In the freezing winter, the steaming hot pot brought warmth.

Due to their encounter with Wu Ying just now, Gu Sheng brought up a few more things about the Bai family.

At this point, he was reasonably certain that Bo Xiyun wouldn't be influenced by the Bai family anymore, so he spoke more casually.

"That Bai Song guy was saying to his fellow student council members that the Bai family won't sponsor Xiyun's education anymore. Xiyun will have to drop out and return to his poor and remote hometown."

"The school Principal laughed when he heard that. How could such an excellent student not go to school? They were even worried that the Bai family's nonsense might affect Xiyun's grades."

Gu Sheng said.

This was the truth. Schools compete based on their students' achievements, and if a student in the top two spots was given a guaranteed spot in a university, it would be widely publicized. If Bao Xiyun really couldn't continue his education, the teachers at Yi Zhong would be the most anxious.

"Principal Gao said that not only do they need to let you go to school, but they also have to hold onto you at the school, afraid that you might run away," Gu Sheng said.

Bo Xiyun smiled and shook his head, "Principal Gao is exaggerating."

He had just taken a bite of a potato chip when he suddenly noticed that a plump and round shrimp paste appeared in his bowl.

Yi Zhongshen, who had used the public spoon to serve him, glanced at him and said, "He's not wrong."

Bo Xiyun: "?"

What puzzled him even more was that Yi Zhongshen's tone sounded as if he wasn't just agreeing with the idea of continuing his education.

It sounded more like he was agreeing with the last part –

Afraid that he might run away.

Bo Xiyun was about to say something when he looked into Yi Zhongshen's face and hesitated.

... Huh?

After finishing their meal, Gu Sheng stood for a moment in front of the air freshener spray at the entrance, then turned around and asked, "Have you decided where to go this afternoon?"

Rarely did Bo Xiyun have a weekend off, and they had planned to relax outside in the afternoon.

Yi Zhongshen remained silent as usual. Gu Sheng was originally waiting for Bo Xiyun's response when he noticed the child looking at Yi Zhongshen several times. Finally, the child softly asked Yi Zhongshen, "Senior, are you feeling unwell?"

"Huh?" Gu Sheng was taken aback. "What's wrong with Zhongshen?"

Yi Zhongshen's expression didn't show anything unusual; he still looked aloof.

But Bo Xiyun said, "It seems like Senior hasn't been feeling well since last night."

Gu Sheng was stunned for a moment—his junior high school brother could actually detect something different in the demeanor of the cold and aloof senior?

Bo Xiyun continued, "Even during lunch, Senior didn't eat much."

While Yi Zhongshen had been using the public spoon to serve food, most of the dishes he scooped were given to Bo Xiyun, as if he was attentively watching Bo Xiyun eat.

But Yi Zhongshen himself didn't eat much.

Gu Sheng also looked at Yi Zhongshen and instantly realized something. "Are you—"

"I'm fine," Yi Zhongshen said indifferently.

"I stayed up late yesterday working on model improvements," Yi Zhongshen replied.

Gu Sheng wanted to ask more, but he saw Yi Zhongshen turning away, ready to leave.

There was nothing Gu Sheng could do. He knew about his friend's old ailment, but he also understood his temperament. If Yi Zhongshen didn't want to talk about it, no amount of questioning would be of any use.

Gu Sheng could only follow him.

Due to Yi Zhongshen's condition, the three of them didn't continue wandering outside. Bo Xiyun suggested that his senior return to rest early, so they went back to the hotel first.

However, in the afternoon, Gu Sheng went out again because a friend came to see him. When he returned to the hotel after spending a night out, it was already Sunday evening.

Upon returning to the hotel, Gu Sheng happened to see Bo Xiyun coming out of his room. He casually asked, "Xiyun, what did you do over the weekend?"

Bo Xiyun replied, "I studied with Senior, and in the afternoon, I attended a lecture that Senior helped me sign up for. I gained a lot from it."

"?!?" Gu Sheng was astonished.

On this rare weekend, these two just spent half a day studying?

However, the junior high school brother seemed visibly happy. The hotel's air conditioning was sufficient, and the corridor wasn't cold. The young man wore a thin apricot-colored sweater and happily went to Yi Zhongshen's room with his belongings.

Gu Sheng was a bit dazed and took a moment before asking, "What are you going to do?"

Bao Xiyun had already reached Yi Zhongshen's door but turned back with a cheerful tone, "Discussing tomorrow's morning exercise routine with Senior."

"..."

Gu Sheng finally fell silent.

He couldn't understand the world of self-discipline that the study prodigy lived in.

While Bo Xiyun had a happy weekend, it was clear that not everyone felt the same way.

As the night fell and he returned from Yi Zhongshen's room, Bo Xiyun went through a set of exercises as usual. He was about to go and get a glass of water when he noticed his phone screen continuously showing new message notifications.

Bo Xiyun would habitually place his phone aside while studying, so when he opened it, he found several messages on WeChat.

Most of the messages were from Xu Xinyi.

The two of them had added each other as friends when they were in the competition team, but they hadn't chatted online much.

But today, the number of messages Xu Xinyi sent in one evening had almost surpassed all the previous ones combined.

"Why, why, why...TAT"

"I thought it was the limit when Bai Xiu came to Class Three before, but I never thought my parents would go to Yi Shao and ask about my study situation."

"Yi University God recommended eighteen exercise books to my mom, eighteen!! Eighteen for each subject! My mom bought them all!!"

"He even suggested that my mom have me finish practicing all the question types during the winter vacation. I don't even have eighteen days left for the holiday?!"

"I knew it, the big shot must have some opinions about me TAT"

The messages were interspersed with several emojis.

Xu Xinyi's tone online seemed livelier than when they met in person, but it might also be because she was feeling really distraught.

After some thought, Bo Xiyun replied.

"Senior's teaching and problem-solving abilities are excellent, maybe he wants to use the exercise books to help you fill in any knowledge gaps?"

The other side quickly replied with a long series of jumping off a building emojis.

Bo Xiyun asked again, "Has anything happened between you two before?"

He tried to recall the events during their time in the competition team in B city but couldn't remember any conflicts between the two of them. In fact, Yi Zhongshen was cold and distant with everyone, including his junior and senior teammates. During the tutoring days, Bo Xiyun was probably the one who spoke to him the most.

At that time, Xu Xinyi didn't seem to have much interaction with Yi Zhongshen.

As Bao Xiyun was pondering, Xu Xinyi sent another message.

"Are you available for a phone call now?"

Bo Xiyun responded with a simple "yes," and the phone immediately rang.

"Yun Shen."

In the phone call, Xu Xinyi's voice sounded surprisingly calm.

She even slightly lowered her tone, as if sharing a secret.

"I think I might have figured out why Yi Shen is targeting me." (Yi Zhongshen)

While listening to the call, Bo Xiyun poured water into a glass.

"What's going on?" Bo Xiyun's hand trembled slightly as he held the cup.

After taking a shallow breath, Xu Xinyi said, "I think it's because he likes you."

Bo Xiyun's hand paused for a few seconds before he turned off the water dispenser and placed the glass on the table.

Bo Xiyun thought for a moment and asked, "Are you joking with me? Is today some special holiday?"

Xu Xinyi replied, "No, I'm not joking. I'm serious."

"Do you mean he has feelings for me? But it can't be possible; we're both men. Same-sex relationships are not a big deal these days, and same-sex partners' right to decision-making custody has long been recognized."

Bo Xiyun chuckled, "It's not about the gender; it's about the characters."

How could Senior have feelings for him?

But the next words from Xu Xinyi made Bo Xiyun realize that she was serious.

"There's something, do you still not know?"

Xu Xinyi said.

"At that time, when I confessed to you in the competition team, Yi Zhongshen was also in that self-study building."

Bo Xiyun furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze fixed on the phone.

He indeed didn't know about this.

"So, I thought..."

Xu Xinyi's tone became unusually serious.

"Could it be that Senior Yi overheard what you said that day, so even if he liked you, he didn't speak up."

A silent and hopeless one-sided love.

"He doesn't want to be estranged from you."

______________________________________Tn: I am going to change the Bai Song to Bai Xiu from previous chapter. there personalities are too different to be the same person

Because I am weak in Chinese and use various apps to find the meanings of certain words I seem to not understand the text completely. Hope you guys don't mind.

I will post another chapter in like 2 hours. bye <3