Hades Crown Prince

8.Love over Friendship

That evening, Chen Buqi and Yu Xuan each carried a box of beer and some marinated food back to their rented apartment. Chen Buqi was busy arranging the drinks and snacks while Yu Xuan ran to the back balcony to wash some vegetables.

"Hey, handsome, new to the neighborhood?" Yu Xuan, who was focused on washing cucumbers, was suddenly startled by a voice.

After the shock, Yu Xuan noticed a sweet-looking girl standing just a few feet away. His heart rate soared instantly.

The self-built houses in Yangcheng were close together, almost touching each other. The house next to Old Bi's was barely half a meter away, so close that Yu Xuan could almost shake hands with the neighbor by just stretching out his hand.

"Hello, hello!" Seeing the beautiful girl, Yu Xuan quickly wiped his hands on his T-shirt and greeted her warmly.

"Heehee, I’m He Hui," the girl said, smiling and shaking his hand.

"Yu Xuan." Yu Xuan flipped his bangs out of his face to look more handsome, trying to get a better look at her beauty.

"Heehee, are you living alone?" Hee Hui asked with a sweet smile.

At that moment, Yu Xuan felt like he could fly.

"I live with my brother. Have you eaten? Want to join us for a meal?" Yu Xuan hurriedly asked.

"Is it okay?" Hee Hui’s eyes turned into crescent moons as she smiled.

"Of course! That’s my little brother inside, preparing the food. If it’s awkward with too many people, I can have him eat outside," Yu Xuan said proudly.

Hee Hui giggled at Yu Xuan’s nervousness. Without hesitation, she nimbly hopped over. Wearing shorts, Hee Hui’s long legs were so slender that Yu Xuan almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

Chen Buqi, who had just finished setting up the drinks and snacks, was about to complain about Yu Xuan washing cucumbers for half a year when he was left dumbfounded. Yu Xuan had brought a young woman into the room.

“What are you standing there for? Aren’t you going to greet her?” Yu Xuan puffed out his chest, giving Chen Buqi a look.

“Greet her? I’ll greet your mom. Where did she come from?” Chen Buqi was stunned, staring at the two of them in disbelief.

"Hello, I live in the building across. I hope I didn’t interrupt your meal?" Hee Hui asked sweetly, her hands behind her back.

"No, but how did you get here?" Chen Buqi was still confused.

"You, why do you care how I got here? The food is ready. Here’s 10 yuan. You can go to the internet café," Yu Xuan casually pulled 10 yuan out of his pocket.

"Fatty, are you even human?" Chen Buqi stared at Yu Xuan in shock.

“Brother, help me out. My happiness depends on you. Tonight, don’t come back, just stay at the internet café for the night,” Yu Xuan quickly ran to Chen Buqi’s side, whispering.

"D*mn it, ten yuan isn’t enough! I haven’t even eaten yet." Chen Buqi gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Alright, here, here." Yu Xuan quickly took out three more 10 yuan bills.

Chen Buqi grumbled as he walked out the door, while Yu Xuan locked it behind him in one smooth motion.

"Yu Xuan, this doesn’t seem right!" Hee Hui asked tentatively.

“It’s fine. I don’t even know him that well. He’s a bit of an i***t. He’ll just ruin our meal. Don’t stand there, sit down, sit down,” Yu Xuan quickly ran over and pulled out a chair for Hee Hui.

As Chen Buqi stormed out of the corridor, he ran into Old Bi, who was carrying some fruit.

"Chen, where are you going?" Old Bi asked, startled when he saw Chen Buqi’s angry expression.

"Bi Brother, why are you here?" Chen Buqi was also surprised.

“I brought some fruit for you guys. Yangcheng’s hot, you should eat some fruit,” Old Bi said, holding up two bags of fresh fruit.

“Brothers? I don’t know him!” Chen Buqi muttered angrily while taking the fruit from Old Bi.

"Ah! What happened to you guys?" Old Bi was confused.

"It’s nothing. Bi Brother, have you eaten? If not, let’s go grab a bite,” Chen Buqi said, leading Old Bi outside.

At the restaurant, Old Bi listened to Chen Buqi’s complaints and laughed heartily.

“Yu Brother is a real talent!” Old Bi gave a thumbs up.

“Ugh… the way of the world, ‘s*x’ is a knife over one’s head!” Chen Buqi muttered.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a small loss of money. If it’s not enough, just let me know,” Old Bi quickly reassured him.

“Bi Brother, you didn’t come just to bring us fruit, right?” Chen Buqi asked, looking into Old Bi’s eyes.

“Ah… indeed, I won’t hide it from you. I have something I’d like to consult with you about. I hope you won’t mind,” Old Bi hesitated before speaking.

“Go ahead, you’re a good person, and I wouldn’t have had that meal with you otherwise,” Chen Buqi poured Old Bi a beer.

Old Bi eagerly drank it in one gulp before starting to talk about his family.

Bi Sheng, Old Bi’s cousin, was the only one in the family to graduate from Peking University. He was exceptionally talented in both appearance and ability. The entire family’s connections and wealth had been dedicated to supporting Bi Sheng, and he had lived up to their expectations, rising steadily in his career.

Bi Sheng was low-key, humble, and well-liked by everyone, and at the young age of 35, he was about to become the district chief. However, an unexpected turn of events led to a drastic change in his personality. Occasionally, he even engaged in self-harm, and the family had no choice but to bring him back to the family home for rest and recovery.

Chen Buqi listened attentively to Old Bi’s story, though his mind kept wandering to what Yu Xuan and that girl were up to.

In the rented apartment, Hee Hui had drunk a few glasses of beer, her once pale face now flushed, making her look even more enticing. Yu Xuan was tirelessly boasting about his life journey, mentioning how he was offered a spot at Tsinghua University but turned it down, how he didn’t want to take over his family’s factories, and how he had a falling out with his parents before coming to Yangcheng with Chen Buqi to make a name for himself.

Hee Hui listened patiently. When Yu Xuan asked why she had come to Yangcheng, Hee Hui immediately became melancholic, making Yu Xuan feel sympathetic.

“Yu Brother, I’m not embarrassed to tell you, I’m from the mountain city. My father passed away early, and my mother fell ill. There are three younger siblings to take care of, so as the oldest, I had to drop out of school and work to earn money…” Hee Hui said, emotionally.

After finishing, she quickly gulped down another bottle of beer to set the mood. Her smooth performance made Yu Xuan feel so sorry for her that he wanted to do everything he could to help.

“Stop drinking, stop drinking, I’ll help you. It’s just money, right?” Yu Xuan quickly took out all the money he had saved with Chen Buqi — 1,856 yuan — and handed it over.

“No, I can’t take your money,” Hee Hui quickly refused.

“Take it, listen to me. I’ve got the money. If this isn’t enough, just let me know, I’ll have my family send 100,000 yuan tomorrow,” Yu Xuan confidently patted his chest.

Yu Xuan regretted giving Chen Buqi that extra 30 yuan earlier, thinking he could have skipped a meal and saved it.

At Yu Xuan’s home, his parents were chatting in bed.

“Can you believe this kid? He comes to Yangcheng and doesn’t even call home,” Yu Xuan’s father said angrily.

“Ah, he’s grown up, has his own ideas. He’s only been gone for a few days, let’s wait a bit. Maybe he’ll call in a couple of days,” his mother comforted.

“Sigh, I wonder if this kid can save money in Yangcheng,” Yu Xuan’s father sighed helplessly.

“Save money? As long as he doesn’t ask us for any, it’s fine. While we’re still able to move, we should work hard to save money for his future and to help him find a wife. Everything’s so expensive in the big city compared to our little village,” his mother sighed.

That night, Chen Buqi went with Old Bi to his uncle’s house, while Yu Xuan spent over a thousand yuan and traded a meal for Hee Hui’s “thank you.”