19 Assists

Chapter 19

Xuan Congnan stood obediently for three minutes without moving, feeling his scalp all tangled. “Still not done?”

“No,” Gu Shi’s voice came down from above.

Rubbing his itchy scalp with his fingertips, Xuan Congnan couldn’t understand why Gu Shi was being so compliant. Feeling a bit disdainful of himself, he reached up, grabbed Gu Shi’s wrist, pulled his hand down, and tossed it aside.

“You just touched it once, and look at you,” he complained.

Outside the door, Gu Jian was still howling like a little dog scratching at the door: “Brother, let me in, brother, brother, brother! Let me in, please...”

Gu Shi watched Xuan Congnan turn and walk back to the living room, then looked down at his own right hand with a slight smile.

He knocked from inside, “If you don’t leave soon, your pocket money’s gone.”

“Goodbye, brother!” Gu Jian loudly declared his loyalty and immediately went home to do his homework.

Gu Shi sent him a red envelope of a thousand yuan on his phone.

“Wow, what a great brother I have, I’m so lucky,” Gu Jian happily sent a voice message. “Wishing brother and brother a hundred years of happiness and early blessings of children!”

Gu Shi sent another red envelope for two thousand yuan.

After going home, Gu Jian excitedly boasted to his mother, “I earned three thousand bucks!”

“Hahaha, that’s great,” Meng Xiaozhu said, grabbing him to ask all sorts of gossip.

Late at night, the two of them were still chatting downstairs in the living room. Gu Yishang was working overtime in the study. Hearing their voices piqued his curiosity, and he asked from the second-floor hallway, “Can I listen in?”

Gu Jian had already left, and Xuan Congnan and Gu Shi were still sleeping in the same room.

Their breaths were shallow and even on the floor. Xuan Congnan listened.

After a few days of sharing a bed, it no longer felt awkward like at first.

But he still felt a tickle at the top of his head.

The sensation of a large hand pressing down on it lingered strangely.

He gently stretched his arm out from under the quilt and touched his scalp, trying to replace the warmth Gu Shi had left behind.

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Gu Shi asked.

Xuan Congnan quickly withdrew his hand and tucked it back under the blanket. “No, I’m sleeping.”

“You’re not thinking about Gu Jian, are you?”

His lips moved slightly, and Xuan Congnan honestly replied, “Not really.”

“Hm,” Gu Shi said, “I told him he’s not cute and that he talks too much.”

Xuan Congnan was speechless.

Trying not to laugh, he asked, “Does your little brother know you say that about him?”

“So what?” Gu Shi rolled over and looked down at Xuan Congnan lying on his back. “Are you defending him?”

Their brotherly affairs weren’t his business, Xuan Congnan said, “No.”

“Mm,” Gu Shi replied.

The next day was the weekend, with no guests to entertain. Xuan Congnan went back to school to supervise Zhang Que’s studies and took the opportunity to put finishing touches on his completed oil painting.

“You’re a printer or what? You finished painting a sky photo in just a few days?” Zhang Que’s whole face leaned close to Xuan Congnan’s painting, shocked by the realism.

At first, he thought Xuan Congnan’s work was just ordinary, simple art. But staring at the sky that looked like a photo taken by a phone, then looking at his own plain, simple painting, he said, “How can there be such a big difference between people?”

Xuan Congnan ignored him.

“Congnan?”

“Xuan Congnan?”

“Hm?”

Xuan Congnan’s brush suddenly dropped. Bending down to pick it up, he asked, “What’s up?”

Zhang Que said, “I was going to ask you what’s wrong. I’m praising you, but you won’t even respond. Has the genius gotten so arrogant now?”

He dramatically clutched his chest, feigning pain, “You won’t even talk to me.”

Xuan Congnan said, “I’m thinking about my hair.”

“Your hair’s very nice—it’s all growing right on your head, why are you thinking about it?”

“...”

Xuan Congnan asked him to repeat what he had just said in praise.

Having known Gu Shi for two months, his bank balance was currently 5,928,652.12 yuan.

At the library, Zhang Que was furiously scribbling notes as Xuan Congnan studied alongside him.

One was reading books, the other watching money.

There was still five million yuan waiting to be received after the agreement ended.

So much money. Xuan Congnan was almost dazzled by the numbers.

Almost halfway to twenty million.

There was a new photo of the finished sky oil painting on his phone. After the teacher reviewed it, it could be sold.

Xuan Congnan first put it on display in his own shop for pre-sale.

The shop’s nickname was the same as his WeChat name: “Nan Nan Bu Nan.”

The sky oil painting was priced at two thousand yuan.

Over the years, he had sold dozens of oil paintings in total.

The most expensive was eighteen thousand.

The cheapest only fifty yuan—a card-style oil painting perfect for bookmarks.

He couldn’t let Gu Shi see this painting, lest he make him sell it for fifty-two thousand again.

Making money was fun, but Xuan Congnan didn’t dare to make money like that.

Less scamming.

“Buzz.”

A real-time update popped up in the shop’s backend.

[Customer ‘The Scrap Collector’ has ordered the oil painting ‘Beneath the Sky’, order number xxxxxx.

Product info: ‘Beneath the Sky’ size 60cm X 80cm.

Order status: Paid 2,000 yuan.]

Xuan Congnan: “?”

He was very familiar with “The Scrap Collector,” who had bought most of his works.

He seemed especially fond of collecting oil paintings.

But today was a bit too fast.

He had just listed the painting… the teacher hadn’t even checked it or given suggestions yet, so it couldn’t be shipped.

Helpless, Xuan Congnan took the initiative to open a private chat with the customer.

Nan Nan Bu Nan: [Hello dear.]

The Scrap Collector: [?]

Nan Nan Bu Nan: [Sorry, the ‘Beneath the Sky’ can’t be shipped these days. Could you wait? If not, please refund. Really sorry.]

The Scrap Collector: [I can wait. Ship whenever.]

Nan Nan Bu Nan: [Thanks for your trust.]

The Scrap Collector: [Mm.]

The Scrap Collector: [Do you have any other paintings? I want the one for 18,000.]

Every time he saw these rich people, Xuan Congnan wanted to put his hands on his hips and pretend to be angry.

Nan Nan Bu Nan: [None in the shop now, dear.]

The Scrap Collector: [Okay.]

The Scrap Collector: [When will you have some?]

Nan Nan Bu Nan: [That depends on inspiration, dear.]

The Scrap Collector: [Mm. Okay.]

“I see the classic customer service expression on your face,” Zhang Que said as he glanced up at Xuan Congnan, who was looking down at his phone with the numbness of someone ready to say “Hello, dear.”

Xuan Congnan rubbed his face, “No, I’m not.”

After two days of final exams, Monday marked the official start of Xuan Congnan’s summer vacation, when he began teaching his two students.

Before that, Gu Jian came again.

“Brother!” As soon as the door opened, he looked at Gu Shi with delight, then said to Xuan Congnan, who was following behind, “Didn’t expect it, but this time I brought my homework!”

His backpack was colorful and lively, fitting Gu Jian’s image.

Xuan Congnan welcomed him, “Come in.”

Gu Shi held onto the door handle without letting go, his whole body almost blocking the doorway.

“What are you doing, sister-in-law? Move aside and let me in.” Gu Jian bumped Gu Shi’s arm with his shoulder like a bull pushing into the living room. “Don’t you listen to Brother’s words at all?”

“Your New Year’s money is gone this year,” Gu Shi said coldly as he let Gu Jian in.

Struck like lightning, Gu Jian took advantage of Gu Shi’s inattention to pounce on Xuan Congnan, wailing, “Brother, sister-in-law threatened me that I won’t get New Year’s money this year. Without New Year’s money, how can I grow richer and richer? You have to do something!”

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Xuan Congnan stiffened all over. Though Gu Jian was only sixteen, he had good genes and was just a few centimeters shorter than Xuan Congnan.

Xuan Congnan awkwardly propped up his arms, unsure where to put his hands, almost knocked over by the hug.

“Gu—Jian—”

His voice was as cold as ice. Gu Jian quickly let go of Xuan Congnan, bowed deeply at ninety degrees, and sincerely apologized, “Sorry, brother! I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me!”

Xuan Congnan kept his hands open as before, not daring to touch Gu Jian, a bit stunned, and said, “It’s okay.”

He glanced at Gu Shi and said, “Don’t threaten him.”

Gu Shi said, “No threat, just joking.”

Since he had brought his homework, tonight he definitely wasn’t leaving.

At lunch, Gu Shi confirmed several times in an increasingly cold voice, but Gu Jian wagged his tail and refused to leave.

By evening, after dinner, Gu Jian really planned to settle in.

“Brother, can I stay here for one night?” He looked at Xuan Congnan with pleading eyes, knowing he was the decision-maker at home.

Since Gu Shi’s little brother should be well taken care of, Xuan Congnan, inexperienced with social matters, hesitated.

After Gu Jian’s repeated pleas, he nodded, “Okay. I’ll help you tidy the guest room later.”

Gu Jian raised both hands, “Yay!”

He asked, “Brother, do you still remember high school math?”

Xuan Congnan thought for a moment and said, “I should.”

Immediately, Gu Jian pulled out a “Five Three” practice workbook from his bag, flipped to a page, and pointed, “Teach me, teach me, teach me.”

He had chatted all day and written nothing; Gu Jian stayed up late to do his homework.

By nine-thirty, after washing up and ready for bed, Gu Shi had just settled on the floor mattress when their bedroom door was knocked, startling Xuan Congnan to quickly get out of bed barefoot and help Gu Shi set up the mattress, placing his pillow and his own side by side, then opening the door to welcome the night owl.

“Brother, teach me!” Gu Jian held up the book.

Xuan Congnan was speechless.

After three rounds like this, setting up and putting away the floor mattress was exhausting. Xuan Congnan turned back, looking at Gu Shi with a slight hint of grievance, silently asking him to control his brother.

Gu Shi lowered his eyes, pretending not to see.

After the third time finishing teaching the high school homework, Xuan Congnan closed the door and said, “Why don’t you manage him?”

Gu Shi had something to say, “You told me not to threaten him.”

Xuan Congnan: “...”

Gu Shi said, “Let’s sleep on one bed.”

Xuan Congnan was slightly surprised, “Hm?!”

“That way, if he comes again, we won’t have to set up the floor mattress,” Gu Shi said with a dignified tone. “Sleeping on one bed is more convenient.”

Unlike before, when one slept on the bed and one on the floor, now there was clearly another person’s warmth lying beside him.

Xuan Congnan folded his hands on his stomach, not daring to move.

Gu Shi obediently lay on the other side of the bed.

Only the sound of their breathing filled the silent room.

Not wanting the atmosphere to be awkward, Xuan Congnan said, “My hair is long. When you sleep, don’t press on it.”

Gu Shi’s throat tightened. He mechanically replied, “Okay.”

After a while, he suddenly half-sat up and carefully brushed aside the hair Xuan Congnan had laid on the pillow, so as not to crush it.

Then he leaned over.

Xuan Congnan instinctively clenched the corner of the blanket, alert. “What are you doing?”

Gu Shi lowered his eyes and quietly asked, “Can I hold you for a moment?”