TAO | Chapter 112

Wei Xiaochi’s brain momentarily froze—he wasn’t even sure he heard that right. “What?”

But Xie Chi didn’t repeat himself. He just said, “Got time to talk?”

Wei Xiaochi’s whole face screamed rejection. “What’s there to talk about between us? I said everything I needed to yesterday.”

This guy… Xie Chi really seemed a little unhinged. Wei Xiaochi started to worry he might suddenly smack him with something heavy.

Okay, maybe that was unlikely. But still—for safety reasons, he’d better stay away.

“What?” Xie Chi suddenly gave him a wicked grin, stepping closer. “Afraid I’ll hit you?”

But Wei Xiaochi, who’d once worked in a haunted house, didn’t flinch at all in the face of that creepy smile. His expression remained the same—a model student through and through.

Seeing that his scare tactics didn’t work, Xie Chi looked a little disappointed and dropped the expression.

They were standing behind the stairs, not far from the water station. People walked by constantly, and many glanced over.

From that angle, they couldn’t see Wei Xiaochi’s face—but Xie Chi’s haircut was too recognizable. Plus, yesterday’s public confession had already spread like wildfire, so now all eyes were naturally drawn to him.

Wei Xiaochi was stuck—he couldn’t go forward or back. “What do you want to talk about?”

Xie Chi stared at him with a blank expression, voice devoid of any emotion. “I bumped into you on purpose. I already knew about you before that.”

It took Wei Xiaochi a second to react—he was talking about that time on the track field. He’d dropped a piece of chocolate, and Xie Chi had picked it up.

Xie Chi lowered his voice, eyes glued to Wei Xiaochi like he was about to peel him apart. The corners of his lips lifted into a sharp smile.

“I saw Jiang Zhan kiss you. In the grove.”

Wei Xiaochi opened his mouth, but under Xie Chi’s clearly malicious smile, not a single word came out.

Xie Chi’s grin didn’t fade, but his tone grew more casual. “That day—you ran in that direction. You were going to meet him, weren’t you?”

Being watched like that made Wei Xiaochi extremely uncomfortable. His anger flared as his boundaries were crossed. “What’s it got to do with you?”

Xie Chi suddenly asked, “Your parents… don’t get along, right?”

Wei Xiaochi froze, frowning slowly.

Xie Chi went on, “And I’m guessing… you were probably bullied by classmates too?”

Wei Xiaochi pressed his thumb hard against the side of his index finger. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Xie Chi stared straight at him, gaze sharp like a spear—cutting through the surface and stabbing right into the heart.

“People like you—self-conscious, lonely—are the easiest to be moved by so-called ‘kindness.’”

“What feels like rare, precious emotion to you is something the other person can easily buy with money.”

“Like those expensive blockers he got for you. Or the school’s trash bins—do you know how much those cleaning robots cost on the market?”

“If he wasn’t a Jiang, would he have the time, money, or energy to spend all that on you?”

Wei Xiaochi’s mind went blank for a few seconds. He opened his mouth, voice shaky. “That… that’s your reason for chasing Jiang Zhan? For trying to break us up?”

Xie Chi gave him a faint smile, lips curled with something mocking—but that mockery didn’t seem directed at Wei Xiaochi.

“I used to study at Deyu. There were these two seniors in their last year. They were dating, and one of them didn’t want to study abroad. But in the end, they agreed to go overseas just for the sake of their relationship.”

“In the end, the other person wasn’t worth it. If blind compromise is what you call ‘love,’ then yeah—I enjoy the thrill of breaking it.”

Wei Xiaochi opened his mouth again but forgot what he was going to say.

“Don’t put your feelings on someone else,” Xie Chi said to him. “Don’t compromise for anyone. It’s not worth it.”

For once, he wasn’t smiling. His eyes looked flat and tired, with a hint of deeply buried weariness.

Those words left Wei Xiaochi completely stunned.

It was like something had tugged a delicate string around his heart—pulling out feelings he didn’t even realize had been buried by his instinct for self-preservation.

His feelings for Jiang Zhan.

Since meeting him, Jiang Zhan had always treated him well. Sure, he had a sharp tongue, but his actions always showed care.

No one had ever looked after him like that. Not even his own parents. So Wei Xiaochi had always been incredibly grateful to Jiang Zhan.

Just like Xie Chi said—people like him, starved for love, were easy to be moved. Easy to grow emotional ties.

That was what had happened with Jiang Zhan. He just hadn’t realized it until Xie Chi laid it bare like that.

Thinking about it… it made sense.

If it weren’t for Jiang Zhan, he’d never be in a relationship during such a critical year of high school. And not just any relationship—but one that broke school rules. Jiang Zhan kissed him, and he didn’t even refuse.

But because the gap between them felt so huge, Wei Xiaochi never dared to imagine a future with him.

If he had heard these words from Xie Chi a few months ago, he probably would’ve agreed. Don’t put your feelings on someone else.

He wouldn’t have compromised for Jiang Zhan—or for any vague, uncertain feeling. He wouldn’t have given up making money or sacrificed his study time.

But now, he said quietly, “He’s not that kind of person. He’s compromised a lot for me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Wei Xiaochi looked calmly at Xie Chi, his gaze steady and clear. “But please don’t do this again.”

Maybe Jiang Zhan seemed domineering and short-tempered from the outside, but he had done so, so much.

When it comes to love, only those involved truly understand. Wei Xiaochi didn’t know what happened with those Deyu seniors—but he and Jiang Zhan were both working hard for a future.

He stepped around Xie Chi.

But Xie Chi suddenly called out, “Wei Xiaochi.”

He turned back.

The boy’s face had faded into the shadows, no longer showing that arrogant mischief. His eyes, pitch black and unwavering, stared at him—full of countless unspoken emotions.

In that moment, Wei Xiaochi saw a version of himself in Xie Chi.

Except this “self” wasn’t timid or insecure—he was bold, intense, and maybe even a little extreme. But just as covered in scars.

–

Wei Xiaochi returned to Class One, still holding his water cup.

Jiang Zhan wasn’t there today. The classroom had returned to its usual chaos, but Wei Xiaochi couldn’t focus on studying. He rested his head on his arm, thoughts spinning.

He thought about Xie Chi. About what he said.

The way Xie Chi called out to him before parting—after a long silence—asking: “Do you really know what you’re doing?”

That question hit hard, landing right on his chest.

But yes—he did know what he was doing. The moment he wrote Jiang Zhan’s name into his budget ledger, he already made a choice.

Between Wei Dongjia and Jiang Zhan, he would always choose Jiang Zhan.

Because he had written Jiang Zhan into his future.

But before all that, Wei Xiaochi had been scared. Scared of forming emotional ties. Scared of being abandoned.

So even his idea of marriage was a practical one—finding someone with similar goals, settling down with a quiet, steady life. No deep feelings, but no betrayal either.

He understood what Xie Chi was saying today. Any kid who grew up lacking love would understand.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t swayed. Not one bit.

But he still felt… off.

He stayed slumped on his desk in silence for a long time—until someone kicked the table leg.

Wei Xiaochi slowly looked up.

He saw Zhang Mingyang.

And right at that moment, Xie Chi’s words echoed in his mind: “He seems to like you.”

He… was he referring to Zhang Mingyang?

Wei Xiaochi’s worldview shook a little. He quickly looked away from Zhang Mingyang’s eyes and flopped back down onto his arms.

Was Xie Chi joking?

No way. The idea of Zhang Mingyang liking him was even more absurd than aliens invading Earth.

Wei Xiaochi shook his head like trying to clear a glitch in his brain, throwing that ridiculous idea out.

⸻

Author’s Note:

Chichi does like Dogzi—he just doesn’t realize it yet 🫣

I planted a bunch of clues earlier on. If you feel like re-reading, they’re actually pretty obvious.

Like when Dogzi said Chichi “smells bad”—he was super mad because he liked him. You only get that upset when it’s someone you care about. If it were anyone else, he would’ve just avoided them in silence.

I wanna slap Dogzi’s dumb head sometimes.

–

And nope, it’s not that the side characters are suddenly getting more screen time. We’re heading toward the ending now, so I’m wrapping up all the loose threads.

That’s right—this story is coming to an end.