Chapter 3: Little Tyrant

 Editor: A Friend

Once again, Xiao Qi wore an unhappy expression because he was being ignored.

Since realizing his feelings for Jiang QingChi weren't pure, Xiao Qi had distanced himself from Jiang countless times.

There was no pattern to the timing; his avoidance was always sudden. Most of the time, Jiang QingChi didn’t notice, only occasionally asking Xiao Qi why he was avoiding him.

"Yes, I’m avoiding you." Xiao Qi tossed a gift to Jiang QingChi.

Jiang QingChi took the gift but his mind was elsewhere. "Is it because of what happened last time?"

"We ended up in bed together; that's not a small thing. I need time to react." Xiao Qi started up the stairs on his own.

"Does it bother you?" Jiang QingChi grabbed his arm from behind.

Xiao Qi stopped. The narrow, old apartment stairwell brought them close. Xiao Qi clenched his fists and asked calmly, "Can’t I be bothered?"

"I didn’t mean it that way," Jiang QingChi softened his tone, stepping closer. "I meant, are you upset because of it?"

The stairway light dimmed. Jiang QingChi couldn’t see Xiao Qi’s expression but heard him respond softly, "Yes, it’s painful."

Jiang QingChi was stunned, then Xiao Qi suddenly laughed, shaking off Jiang’s hand and lightly pushing his shoulder. "Is that what you want to hear? Are you trying to make fun of me again, San Dian Shui?"

Jiang QingChi immediately turned the stairway light back on. Xiao Qi turned his head, not wanting Jiang to see his expression.

"Xiao Er," Jiang QingChi called seriously, "I’m not joking. I really want to know what you think."

"Nothing much," Xiao Qi continued upstairs, "You know, I’m not good at thinking too much. I just feel uncomfortable."

"Just uncomfortable?" Jiang QingChi followed.

"Yeah." Xiao Qi nodded.

"Nothing else?" Jiang QingChi asked.

Xiao Qi hesitated slightly, "What else could there be?"

"Nothing," Jiang QingChi walked beside him, then gently rubbed the back of his head. "Feeling uncomfortable is normal. I’ve been thinking about it a lot these past few days too."

"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Qi looked up at him.

Jiang QingChi thought about Xiao Qi's focused expression, recalling the other night when Xiao Qi insisted on misbehaving despite feeling unwell, looking up at him with reddened, wet eyes. Embarrassed by the memory, Jiang QingChi pushed his head aside and said, "Thinking about how that night was too wild."

"Yeah... it was pretty wild." Xiao Qi agreed mildly.

"So, it's difficult to pretend nothing happened. It would be too shameless," Jiang QingChi paused and said, "But don’t avoid me."

What difference does it make whether I avoid you or not? Xiao Qi thought. They didn’t live in the same city anymore and hardly saw each other. He nodded perfunctorily, "Okay."

Grandpa Jiang had gone fishing with friends in a neighboring city and would be back the next day. Xiao Qi found out only after entering the house that the old man wasn't home.

Candles flickered on the altar, and wisps of smoke curled from the window. Xiao Qi bowed quietly in front of three framed photographs on the wall.

"Not scared anymore?" Jiang QingChi asked with a smile.

Xiao Qi looked away from the smiling faces in the frames and asked, "Scared of what?"

It's different, Xiao Qi thought. Auntie’s smile was warm and beautiful, while Jiang QingChi’s smile always seemed nonchalant, even mocking. Sure enough, Jiang QingChi continued, "Weren’t you scared to come to my house as a child? You’d cry at the sight of the photos on the wall."

That’s where the misunderstanding began, Xiao Qi thought unhappily.

Jiang QingChi hadn’t always lived in the compound; he moved there when Xiao Qi was five.

Five was the age for mischief. Xiao Qi was a terror in the compound, earning the nickname "Little Tyrant," which he initially found impressive.

Adults in the compound, including Xiao JianGang’s subordinates, would pinch his cheeks and call him "Little Tyrant." Feeling cocky, Xiao Qi forgot his manners and demanded that Jiang QingChi help push his cart the moment they met.

Xiao Qi had heard about Jiang QingChi’s arrival from Xiao JianGang the day before, but he hadn’t paid attention to the part about being friendly. Instead, he remembered some nonsense about asserting dominance.

So, Xiao Qi sat in a small cart made by Grandpa Jiang and demanded Jiang QingChi push him.

Jiang QingChi, who was quiet back then, seemed to fear him. Xiao Qi was about to be pleased when Jiang QingChi suddenly pushed him hard, toppling the cart.

Furious, Xiao Qi followed Jiang QingChi home, scolding him. "Where are your manners? What did your parents teach you?"

Jiang QingChi ignored him, so Xiao Qi followed him into his house, sat on the sofa, and demanded, "Let me talk to your parents!"

Jiang QingChi rummaged through his bag, found a band-aid, handed it to Xiao Qi, and pointed to a photo on the wall. "There."

Xiao Qi’s family also had a similar photo. He vaguely understood its significance—that the person was no longer around.

Back then, Xiao Qi didn’t know Jiang QingChi’s parents had died in a car accident during a field survey, but he cried instantly.

Jiang QingChi was startled and asked why he was crying, but Xiao Qi said nothing, running out with the band-aid he hadn’t wanted.

Seeing the "Little Tyrant" cry was so rare that Grandpa Song laughed upon encountering him in the stairwell. His loud proclamation made Jiang QingChi the only one who could handle Xiao Qi.

But Jiang QingChi didn’t see it that way. He thought Xiao Qi cried out of fear of the photos, but only Xiao Qi knew the truth.

A five-year-old could feel guilt, and Xiao Qi cried not out of fear but remorse for his harsh words.

Since then, Xiao Qi had awkwardly tried to make up for it, sharing snacks and helping Jiang QingChi with the cart, though he could never bring himself to apologize directly.

Contrary to what Grandpa Song said, it wasn’t fear of being hit by Jiang QingChi. Jiang QingChi never hit him; all their fights were started by Xiao Qi, and Jiang QingChi would only defend himself, never using much force.

"Was it fear?" Xiao Qi asked back, muttering, "You don’t understand anything."

"Then tell me why," Jiang QingChi leaned against the wall, watching him.

"Why don’t you wear glasses anymore?" Xiao Qi suddenly asked.

Jiang QingChi was used to Xiao Qi’s thought jumps and pointed to his eyes, "I had laser surgery."

"Does it really work?" Xiao Qi curiously leaned in, then backed up a few meters, pulling out his phone and pointing to some text on a photo. "What does this say?"

"I had corneal surgery, not a telescope installed," Jiang QingChi chuckled.

Xiao Qi imagined Jiang QingChi with telescopes for eyes and couldn’t help laughing too.

When Xiao Qi got closer, Jiang QingChi saw the text on the screen and his smile faded. "Isn’t this Li Xingqian’s feature from last month?"

"You know him?" Xiao Qi glanced at the photo of Li Xingqian, who looked relaxed and free against an outdoor backdrop.

"Shouldn’t you know the photographer who shot this?" Jiang QingChi asked.

Xiao Qi sent the photo to Fang Qun, asking him to find out more about the photographer.

Soon, Fang Qun replied with Jiang QingChi’s name and a screenshot.

"Are you planning to use him for that ad campaign we discussed?" Jiang QingChi asked.

"We were considering it," Xiao Qi muttered.

"Li Xingqian is good and easy to work with. He could be a good choice," Jiang QingChi advised.

"But there’s a lot of gossip," Xiao Qi showed Jiang QingChi some tabloid headlines. "Rising model spends passionate night with photographer."

Though only part of the figure was visible, it was easy to recognize the casually tied ponytail and prominent nose.

Moreover, the clothes were familiar to Xiao Qi, and the date matched the day Jiang QingChi had left Lian City. He’d had another appointment.

"Jiang QingChi," Xiao Qi called his name and asked, "Is that you in the photo?"

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