Chapter 2: The Shameless Black-Hearted Lotus
After Si Xu’s gaze met Si Er’s, he found he could no longer look away. Naturally, he also noticed something unusual about him.
He had a vague feeling that he could somehow hear the other party’s thoughts—but wasn’t that a little too unbelievable?
Even in a world of fantasy, the ability to hear someone else’s inner voice still felt far too magical.
“What is Second Brother looking at?”
Si Ran noticed that Si Xu had been distracted the whole time and curiously leaned over, intending to follow his line of sight. But Si Xu turned and blocked his view.
For some reason, Si Xu instinctively didn’t want Si Ran to notice Si Er’s presence.
He gave Si Ran a faint smile. “Nothing. I’ve been standing too long and got bored, just spacing out a bit.”
To divert Si Ran’s attention, Si Xu turned to the guardian behind him. “Right, we’re about to enter the city. Hand me the entry passes.”
Although Si Er didn’t dare to lift his head to look at Si Xu, his attention was unconsciously fixed on him. Upon hearing his voice, he couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
[Entry passes? What entry passes? The guardian already stuffed them into Si Ran’s hands.]
“Second Young Master, when we stayed at the inn last night, I already handed all the passes to Third Young Master.”
[And then Si Ran directly threw both passes away.]
“Yes, yes, the passes are with me. I meant to give them to Second Brother yesterday, but I forgot.” Si Ran lowered his head and began rummaging through his storage pouch. “Ah… how could this happen? Where are my passes?”
[Of course you tossed them into the inn’s stove first thing this morning! They’ve long since burned to ashes.]
[Tsk tsk, not easy at all. To destroy the evidence of two entry passes, this pampered young master actually got up early to cook and wash his hands.]
Wow…
At first, everyone thought Si Er was just making wild guesses when they heard his inner voice. But seeing Si Ran’s reaction, they couldn’t help but reconsider.
Could Si Er actually be an eyewitness?
And what was wrong with that red-clad youth? He even burned his own pass? Was he really that spiteful, harming others without benefiting himself?
The looks directed at Si Ran gradually turned strange.
Si Er still kept his head lowered, watching the images shared with him by the Great White Rabbit. While marveling at the power of the Mingxi Holy Rabbit, he voiced a soul-searching question.
[I really want to ask Beauty Si Xu—how was that bowl of plain porridge this morning? Paid for with your entry pass!]
Si Xu: “……”
He didn’t think it tasted very good. It was even a bit undercooked.
He had wondered earlier—why would Si Ran, who had never liked entering the kitchen, suddenly feel inspired to make breakfast?
So it was to burn his entry pass?
But why burn both? Did Si Ran not intend to enter the city?
After all, Central City was the core location for cultivating talent across the entire Ten Thousand Beast Continent. More than eighty percent of the people inside were students.
To ensure student safety, entry requirements were extremely strict. One of them was that you must hold a valid entry pass.
An entry pass required personal application and assessment at a designated site, taking roughly half a month in total.
It could be reissued if lost, but the procedure and time required were exactly the same.
They definitely didn’t have time to reapply now.
[But whether Si Xu thinks it tastes good doesn’t matter. As long as his fiancé Yu Feiqing thinks it’s good.]
[Si Ran even added sugar to Yu Feiqing’s bowl. After drinking it, Yu Feiqing felt his heart was sweeter than honey.]
[Tsk tsk, what a fallen world—future brother-in-law and little brother-in-law! Is this the male-male version of Dreams Link? Ugh.]
[Si Xu is the miserable one—his corner’s being pried away and he doesn’t even know it, and he doesn’t even get properly cooked porridge.]
[That black-hearted lotus Si Ran even scooped Si Xu a half-cooked bowl first, then slowly simmered the rest until the heat was just right.]
Everyone: Wow, that’s truly vicious!
Si Xu: “……”
The flood of information from Si Er’s inner voice left him dazed. He automatically ignored the parts he couldn’t understand and focused only on what he could.
But understanding didn’t mean making sense of it.
That engagement had been casually promised by his grandfather while drunk, more a joke than anything else.
For the sake of face, his grandfather would never initiate breaking it off. But if Yu Feiqing was unwilling, he could withdraw anytime. There was no need to secretly get involved with Si Ran.
Moreover, Si Xu truly couldn’t understand—why would Si Ran, his brother of the same mother, repeatedly scheme against him?
[Alright, the black lotus is about to apologize. Scumbag in position, tears ready. Three, two, one—action!]
“Second Brother, I’m sorry. I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
[Whether you expected it doesn’t matter. As long as you pulled it off, you profit.]
Si Xu: “……”
Was that boy’s inner voice always this lively?
“I clearly put the entry passes away properly.”
[Yes, yes, put them properly into the stove. So well put away! Let them live gloriously and die spectacularly.]
“Second Brother, I…”
The gentle warmth in Si Xu’s brows faded. Looking at Si Ran, he asked calmly, “Si Ran, it was your suggestion to leave the entry passes with the guardian. Why did you take them early—and even take mine?”
[Of course it’s to stop you from getting into the Four Great Academies! Once you’re over twenty, you can’t take the exam.]
[Your eldest brother is already crippled. If you also can’t enter the academy for further study, Si Ran will become the brightest cub of the Si family.]
Si Ran shook his head repeatedly, his face full of guilt. “Second Brother, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mean it. I don’t know why the passes vanished from my storage pouch.”
“Ranran, what’s wrong?”
Just as a tear slid down Si Ran’s cheek, a tall and handsome man rushed over, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and glared angrily at Si Xu.
Everyone: Wow, is this the fiancé whose heart is sweeter than honey?
Yu Feiqing demanded angrily, “Si Xu, are you bullying Ranran again?”
Si Xu sneered. “He lost my entry pass, and I’m the one bullying him?”
Yu Feiqing retorted righteously, “That’s still no reason for you to glare at Ranran like that! He’s your own younger brother!”
[Heh, actually he’s not.]
What did that mean? Wasn’t Si Ran his biological brother?
Those who could hear Si Er’s inner voice all pricked up their ears.
Si Xu clenched his palm, forcing himself not to turn toward Si Er.
If Si Ran wasn’t his brother… could that boy be? The one who felt inexplicably familiar and dear at first glance.
Was he able to hear his thoughts because of some brotherly resonance?
Yu Feiqing, unable to hear Si Er, continued grandly, “Is a mere entry pass more important than your own brother? How can you be so cold-blooded?”
[What the hell, where did this idiot come from? My fists are clenching! Of course the entry pass is more important than that black lotus!]
[If Si Xu hadn’t prepared a backup plan, he would’ve been eliminated by Si Ran right at the start.]
Si Xu was startled. Just who was that boy? He seemed to know an awful lot.
Yu Feiqing kept rambling, “It’s just one entry pass. I have—”
Before he could finish, Si Ran grabbed his arm.
“Brother Yu, Second Brother is right to blame me. I’m just too stupid—I even lost my own pass.”
Yu Feiqing immediately withdrew the hand he had been about to put into his pocket.
The token inside could only allow him to bring one person into the city. If he gave it to Si Xu now, what about Ranran?
Feigning nonchalance, he patted Si Ran’s back and said softly, “It’s okay, Ranran. At worst, let your Second Brother take the exam again in two years.”
“He didn’t safeguard his own pass properly. Doesn’t he bear any fault?”
“……”
Si Xu finally reached his limit. With a slight lift of his right arm, the giant eagle perched there flew out and slapped Yu Feiqing twice across the face.
Yu Feiqing, incredulous and furious, was about to summon his soul beast to retaliate when Si Xu immediately recalled the eagle into his soul space.
Then he waved over the administrator at the city gate and voluntarily paid the fine.
According to Central City’s rules, private fighting was prohibited within a hundred-mile radius of the gates. Minor offenses resulted in fines; serious ones led to imprisonment.
Since Si Xu had already paid the fine, if Yu Feiqing continued to press the matter, he’d only earn himself a three-day stay in the city jail.
Si Er thought Si Xu’s move was simply brilliant—he’d satisfied himself by beating the man up and completely cut off the scumbag’s chance to strike back.
