TCFGBH Chapter 127

Li Xiangze, who was also eighteen this year, stood at 1.89 meters tall, with black hair, dark eyes, fair skin, and a handsome, refined appearance. He had the look of the ideal child that parents would love—a well-mannered and elegant young man.

Although Xia Yan’s relationship with him wasn’t as close as with Huo Hao, they were still good friends, and Xia Yan considered him his second best friend. That’s why their confession to him once had shocked him.

—”I regard you both as brothers, but you want to get together with me?”

Someone who had never been in a relationship and self-identified as a straight guy packed up and ran away overnight, forever bearing the label of “average guy,” suspicious of everyone else’s intentions.

Of course, he had since recovered.

A cause for celebration, indeed.

Huo Hao and Li Xiangze had always been at odds. Upon seeing him, Huo Hao frowned and said, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find Yan Yan.” Li Xiangze looked at Xia Yan, and as he was about to say something, he noticed the surrounding people and changed his words, “How about we find a restaurant to eat and chat?”

Xia Yan nodded, “Sure.”

Huo Hao: “…” Damn, he wanted to have a cozy meal alone with Yan Yan as a couple.

There were many restaurants near the school, and the three of them chose a nice Chinese restaurant. Since the location was a bit secluded, there weren’t many people around.

Li Xiangze poured a glass of warm water for Xia Yan and said, “I’ve heard about what happened at your home. What are your plans now?”

Xia Yan’s parents primarily ran a restaurant business—hard work, but profitable. The current situation was an unexpected disaster. A few years ago, his uncle had taken out a loan of 80 million yuan from the bank. This year, a real estate project went bust, the company went bankrupt, and his uncle fled the country with his family.

And his father had been the guarantor.

The two families had always had a good relationship, helping each other out, never expecting that they would be betrayed by a close relative.

Xia Yan’s father was forced to be the one responsible for the repayment. He was overwhelmed with work and had little time to focus on the restaurant. To make matters worse, when a popular influencer came to review the restaurant, they found that the restaurant had used regular bird’s nest instead of the more expensive blood swallow nest, substituting inferior ingredients.

The influencer’s massive following made the incident go viral quickly. By the time Xia Yan’s father realized what happened, their restaurant was already the subject of public scorn.

Further investigation revealed that the head chef had been taking kickbacks, secretly replacing many expensive dishes with cheaper ingredients. Most customers couldn’t tell, but some felt the quality had dropped.

Xia Yan’s father was furious and nearly had a heart attack.

The restaurant had been his and his wife’s life’s work. They had built it up from a small rundown shop to a chain of over ten stores with an excellent reputation. However, the younger generation preferred hotpots and barbecue, so Chinese cuisine wasn’t as popular anymore. The restaurant had been on the decline, and this scandal only made things worse.

If his father had time, he could have slowly rebuilt the restaurant. But with the bank already pushing for payment, the 80 million was in danger of becoming bad debt.

The restaurant was large, and its expenses were high. The company only had about 10 million in liquid assets.

Fortunately, when business was good, they had purchased three shop locations and, before the capital restrictions in the capital, bought four apartments. Selling them now could raise nearly 100 million yuan.

They sold all but one apartment, which they kept for personal use. In a rush, the total sale price was only 87 million, which was used to pay off the bank’s debt, compensation to their business partners, and the severance pay for employees. The money was quickly gone.

From a billionaire to poverty in just two months.

Now Li Xiangze was asking what Xia Yan planned to do. Xia Yan, feeling confused, shook his head hesitantly and said, “I don’t know. I need to ask my dad.”

If only the bank could stop pushing for payments, his family could catch a breath.

In his previous life, Xia Yan had been a soldier in Interstellar, unable to get rich through high-tech means. However, he had enjoyed many delicious foods. After retiring and spending time with Ludwig, he had followed recipes to learn how to cook.

Even though he couldn’t replicate the dishes perfectly due to ingredient differences, he could make them about 70-80% similar.

He thought about selecting some complicated, beautiful, and tasty dishes, attracting influencers to review the restaurant, and it would be best if he could invite the influencer who had previously criticized them to apologize sincerely. They could even offer a one-week 50% discount to draw in customers.

With customers, everything would be much easier.

But… even though Xia Yan had been a supreme emperor in his past life, this time he was just an ordinary high school student, and the bank wouldn’t care about his past status.

Li Xiangze said, “I heard your father is selling the house.”

“Yes.”

He thought for a moment. “If you trust me, why don’t you let your father delay a few days?”

Before Xia Yan could respond, Huo Hao already spoke up vigilantly, “You don’t need to worry about it. Xia Yan is with me now. If he needs help, I’ll take care of it.”

Li Xiangze was taken aback. “You’re… dating?”

“Yes, Yan Yan is my boyfriend.” Huo Hao loudly proclaimed, then turned to Xia Yan with a pitiful look, “Sorry, I accidentally blurted it out.”

Xia Yan’s mouth twitched: “…”

Was that an accident?

“But Li Xiangze is our good friend, and I believe he won’t make things difficult for you or expose this to anyone, right?” Huo Hao added, emphasizing his point.

Xia Yan had a headache.

The waiter brought the food and then left.

Li Xiangze seemed to finally come to his senses and nodded decisively, “Yan Yan, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” Helping the rival spread the word about their relationship? He wasn’t crazy.

The atmosphere at the table became somewhat heavy after the incident.

They ate their lunch in silence, and as they were about to part ways, Li Xiangze noticed that the two of them weren’t very intimate. A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his head and whispered softly, “He’s too immature. You have better choices.”

“Isn’t that so?”

Xia Yan was startled. Before he could respond, the man had already walked away with big strides.

Huo Hao, who had always viewed Li Xiangze as his biggest rival, couldn’t help but feel a bit restless seeing them so close. “What did he just say?”

“He… no, it’s nothing.”

Xia Yan stared at Li Xiangze’s back. He was handsome and gentle, and for a moment, it seemed like there was a subtle overlap between him and Tu Xi from the first world.

No, no, it must have been his imagination.

He snapped out of it and looked at his sulking boyfriend. After a moment of hesitation, he gently touched his fingers to comfort him.

“Class is starting soon, let’s go.”

The young couple, deeply in love, quickly forgot about their rival and snuggled up to each other, immersed in the joy of their relationship.

The day passed by quickly.

The senior year students had evening study sessions, and by the time Xia Yan returned home, it was already past 9 p.m. The family driver had already left, and he was eager to see his parents, so he took a taxi home.

The family’s villa hadn’t been sold yet, and they were still living there.

The young man pushed open the door to the house, looking at the familiar decor… and his younger parents. Unconsciously, his eyes started to get red.

“Dad, Mom…”

“Yan Yan, you’re back!” The woman, who had been looking worried, immediately smiled when she saw her son. “Your dad and I were waiting for you. You must be tired from school. Come, have some soup.”

The young man obediently sat down beside his parents.

The mushroom soup was freshly made by Xia Yan’s mother, sweet and delicious. Xia Yan drank a large bowl quickly, hiding his slightly teary eyes.

Unfortunately, his parents were very attentive to their son, noticing even the smallest details.

They exchanged a look and then gently asked, “Yan Yan, are you thinking about transferring schools?”

“Transfer schools?”

The young man looked up, confused.

In his previous life, when a junior classmate confessed to him, using money as a lure, he had been so shocked that he ran home with his backpack on and never met Huo Hao or Li Xiangze, who had actively offered to help.

He locked himself in his room and missed his parents’ suggestion about transferring schools.

A week later, when he calmed down and returned to school, his former friends were all rushing to confess, as if competing, afraid they would be left behind.

Shocked and trembling, Xia Yan had to escape home again.

Mother Xia said, “Now that our family is in this situation, it won’t improve anytime soon. The incident with the influencer caused a lot of gossip, and there will be some rumors.”

Seeing his reddened eyes, they were obviously worried about him.

When someone has always come from an ordinary family, it’s not a big deal. But when someone goes from being rich to poor, it’s hard to avoid people gossiping.

School is like a small, semi-closed society. The weird looks from classmates—whether out of schadenfreude or sympathy—can be uncomfortable for a sensitive teenager.

Although the school was the best in the area, the mental health of the child was more important.

Xia Yan understood the implication and hugged his mother tightly, rubbing his face against her shoulder. “I’m fine, Mom. My classmates have been very nice to me, no one is bullying me. Oh, by the way, I have a friend who wants to help us.”

He repeated Li Xiangze’s words, “Why don’t we delay a few days before selling?”

Li Xiangze and Huo Hao had both visited Xia Yan’s home before, and his parents knew them. Although they were still young, their family background was not to be underestimated.

If they could, who would want to let decades of hard work go to waste?

Mother Xia made a quick decision, “Alright.”

–

In the following days, Xia Yan and Huo Hao were inseparable. With Huo Hao by his side, the classmates with lesser family backgrounds felt too embarrassed to confess.

So, naturally, rumors of their relationship started circulating.

Xia Yan: “…”

At least there was no solid evidence.

Self-comfort.jpg

Posts about them were constantly appearing on the school forum.

【Please confirm!!! Is it true that the school beauty is dating Huo Hao? Waiting online, urgently!!!】

【How can my wife marry someone else? Crying.jpg】

【Two big men always stick together even in the bathroom, what do you think?】

【Ahhh!!! Huo Hao got there first, so mad.】

【Let’s trap him in a sack, I’m serious. Smile.jpg】

【I don’t get it. Why didn’t the wife choose Li Xiangze? The Li family owns Beidou Entertainment and has a lot of stars and influencers signed, their influence over public opinion is very strong. If she were with him, Xia Yan’s family problems would be solved quickly. I’ve been wary of him for so long, but didn’t expect the wife to be with Huo Hao.】

【What?! Beidou?? Can he get me Xu Shuiruo’s autograph? I love her.】

【I want Luan Chi’s signed photo.】

【Then I want Qi Xingteng. 】

【This isn’t a place to fanboy, hey!】

【I’m different. My heart belongs only to my wife. None of them are as pretty as him. Hehe.】

【…So, is Huo Hao really dating my wife?】 Someone finally brought the topic back to the main point.

【I don’t know…】

【…Probably.】

【QAQ】

In Class 1, Grade 3.

Huo Hao looked at the posts with a blank expression and clicked to report them.

He and Xia Yan were a couple, and Li Xiangze was just a failure. He repeated this to himself in his mind over and over, but still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling inside.

He confessed first, so Xia Yan agreed.

If it had been Li Xiangze, he would have agreed too.

That was why Huo Hao felt so uneasy. He tossed his phone onto the desk and secretly held his boyfriend’s right hand. When Xia Yan looked over, he lowered his voice and coquettishly said, “Yan Yan, the forum is saying all kinds of things, but you wouldn’t get together with Li Xiangze, right?”

Task two suddenly flashed across the young man’s mind, and for a moment, he hesitated.

“Of course not.”

Huo Hao: “…”

Li Xiangze, his ultimate rival.