Standing Next To You-Chapter 328: Xu Tian

Xu Tian arrived home in wet clothes. The rain was not particularly heavy, but after two hours under it, Xu Tian was soaked to his underwear.

Fortunately, the pastries in the baskets were sealed with plastic, and none were damaged.

When Grandma Xu saw him, she scolded him until his ears almost burst. Her anger reached its peak when she saw the two baskets of egg tarts.

"Did you spend all your money on this again? You brat! You should have saved money for your fare!"

"I missed showering in the rain..." Xu Tian tried to fool her, but Grandma Xu just got angrier and scolded him even more.

At first, Grandma Xu was very moved when Xu Tian brought the pastries she craved. However, when her grandson started buying them in bulk every time, Grandma Xu felt a headache coming.

They were only two people in their family, so why buy so many? Even after giving some to their neighbors, there were still a lot left.

Because Grandma Xu didn’t want to waste food, she ate them every day until she finished the leftovers. She surely loved pastries and cakes, but eating them every day was too much!

Now, he had bought more pastries. And two baskets at that.

If Xu Tian wasn’t trembling from the cold, she would have spanked him.

"Go shower quickly!" Grandma Xu yelled.

Xu Tian left the baskets on the table and escaped to his room. Behind him, Grandma Xu spoke again.

"Ah, right. Your friend is here."

Xu Tian’s mouth twitched as he looked at the person in his room.

Lin Sanju laughed at him. "You wasted money on pastries again?"

Xu Tian’s home was old and the walls were thin. Grandma Xu’s loud voice could be heard throughout the entire house.

Xu Tian closed the door, took a towel and clean clothes.

"What are you doing here?" freёweɓnovel.com

"I have some free time, so let’s play."

Xu Tian ignored him and went to the bathroom.

Lin Sanju had been his online friend for three years, and they met in person for the first time just a week ago.

At that time, his friend said he got second place in his school and wanted to celebrate the occasion with him. Xu Tian knew some stories from Lin Sanju and knew that his relationship with his family wasn’t good.

But recently, his status in the family had improved. However, after experiencing discrimination in that family for years, it was hard for Lin Sanju to suddenly act close with them.

Xu Tian only had his grandma as his family, so he did not understand why Lin Sanju’s family was so complicated. Anyway, ever since they met, they grew closer and became friends to the point that Lin Sanju would come to his house without notice, like today.

Xu Tian returned to his room in new clothes. Lin Sanju was eating the egg tarts while playing on his computer. Xu Tian kicked him.

"Why do you have to come here to play? I only have one computer."

Lin Sanju pouted, "My presence at home makes my little sister uncomfortable."

"Then just hide in your own room."

"My mother will drag me out to ’bond’."

Xu Tian sighed. It seemed his friend was still not used to being the center of attention in his family after being neglected for so long.

"Your family is really complicated. Why can’t you just be honest with each other?"

"I know, right," Lin Sanju agreed. "Do you believe me if I say I’m jealous that your grandma spanked you? I wish my grandfather would do that to us instead of punishing us in various ways."

Xu Tian got curious. "How does your grandfather punish you?"

"He deducts our allowance, grounds us from going out, or strips us of some benefits."

"Wow. The rich are really different." Xu Tian couldn’t imagine that kind of life. If he made his grandma angry, all she would do was either spank him, make him kneel with his hands above his head, or destroy his computer directly. Of course, the nagging day and night was always an additional punishment.

Lin Sanju nodded. "Yeah. The quarrels in my family are very extreme too. People die."

Xu Tian: "...."

This Lin Sanju... did he come from some extremely wealthy family where siblings killed each other for inheritance? He only saw those scenes in dramas.

Lin Sanju suddenly laughed. "I am just kidding. No one has died yet."

Xu Tian: "...."

He made Lin Sanju scoot over and took over the computer. "Whatever. Whether you are rich or not, family is the same. Perhaps your family and mine just have different ways. So the outcomes are different."

Lin Sanju turned silent at Xu Tian’s words.

Xu Tian had a point. The Lin family’s methods were cruel and demanding with no familial affection. So the outcomes were very obvious. Just look at the relationship of his uncles and their generation.

They fought each other as if they were each other’s worst enemies.

Lin Sanju helplessly sighed. The Lin family would never change if this cycle did not end. He suddenly thought of Bei Sangyun.

If Bei Sangyun became the head of the family, would she use the same methods their grandfather used? Would she use her tyrannical ways?

If so, the Lin family would never change.

However, Lin Sanju still rooted for Bei Sangyun rather than Lin Zhe. At least Bei Sangyun promised his family would not be kicked out and she would not hinder their progress.

But if Lin Zhe won, he would surely kick everyone out unless they became his slaves.

Lin Sanju did not want to continue this topic anymore. Just thinking about the Lin family made his mood complicated.

He took another egg tart and changed the topic. "So, why are you buying so many pastries?"

Xu Tian was already playing as he answered, "...Because I’m hungry."

Lin Sanju stared at him. "Why buy in bulk? Are you trying to impress someone?"

Xu Tian did not respond and continued to play, ignoring his words.

Lin Sanju caught on to something. He smiled knowingly. "Is the seller pretty?"

Xu Tian made a mistake and lost HP. He cursed under his breath. His little mistake made Lin Sanju’s eyes light up.

"So she is pretty. Nice, man, you finally entered puberty," Lin Sanju teased.

"Shut up."

But Lin Sanju had finally found an interesting topic and bombarded him with questions.

"So did you manage to get her interest after buying a lot?"

"Did you get her name?"

"You are too stiff, so I’m pretty sure you haven’t made any moves. Want some advice?"

Xu Tian’s character died. The bold capital letters of ’Game Over’ were too bright on the screen.

He raised his glasses and finally responded, "I did not buy from her because I’m interested in her that way."

Lin Sanju took another egg tart and began eating. "...Then why? Did you pity her or something?"

Xu Tian thought about it.

At first, it was about the products. His grandma wanted rice cakes, so he bought from her. Although it ended up being free in the end.

The second time he saw her, he just wanted to return the favor, so he bought her stuff.

The third time was because of curiosity.

She was very prideful and didn’t want to look for customers like the other sellers on the street. Her personality and her appearance were very obviously different from others. She looked like she came from a wealthy lifestyle.

But what was a person like her doing on the streets?

Xu Tian was curious, so he bought from her to observe her.

She had a very aggressive and arrogant personality—the kind that people would easily dislike. However, for some reason, Xu Tian sensed a desperation in her.

Then he bought from her for the fourth time, fifth time, and for the sixth time...

The curiosity gradually turned into interest.

Oftentimes, he saw her angry and complaining. Sometimes, he saw her gazing into the air, looking hopeless and lost.

Xu Tian took off his glasses, revealing his deep-set eyes. Without glasses, he looked sharp and handsome. He wiped them as he answered, "...I just wanted to help."

Lin Sanju commented as he ate, "From what I see, you like her."

Xu Tian put his glasses back on and chuckled. "Nah. She seems like she’s from a wealthy family. We don’t match."

"I am from a rich family. But I think we match as friends." Lin Sanju shrugged, not thinking that status would be a hindrance at all, except if the person was from a family like his.

But Lin Sanju was sure that the person Xu Tian was talking about couldn’t come from one of those great families.

For someone who hailed from a great family like the Lin family, there was no chance to meet them on the streets.

With how prideful the people from great families were, no one would endure the busy crowd and smelly streets to sell rice cakes on their own, even under the guise of business practice.

Those great families have various methods to train their successors. Usually, their playing field was the business field of the upper echelons. So there was really no chance for a person of normal status to meet them.

Lin Sanju, who befriended a normal person, was already a rare case.

Xu Tian did not entertain Lin Sanju’s words.

Although he was interested in that person, it didn’t mean he would be foolish enough to jump into the fire and get burned.

It was just enough to spend his prized money on the products she sold so he could observe her, but nothing more than that.