Standing Next To You-Chapter 55: Your friend

Inside the car, Fei Chuan watched the video posted in the school’s forum repeatedly. He observed as the five students poured soup over their heads, their expressions miserable. It was satisfying to watch.

When the screen briefly showed Bei Sangyun, Fei Chuan unconsciously paused it.

On the screen, Bei Sangyun had her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the camera. She looked as arrogant as ever.

Fei Chuan stared at her.

His mind wandered back to the earlier scene.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Bei Sangyun suddenly pulled her chair back to its original position.

Fei Chuan pretended not to care about her action and began packing his belongings into his bag. However, his full attention remained on her.

"Fei Chuan."

His hand paused. He looked up and met Bei Sangyun’s gaze, waiting for her to speak.

Bei Sangyun was standing, awkwardly scratching her head. "No one will bother you from now on. And if they do, just tell me. I’ll make them stop. It all began with me, after all."

Fei Chuan blinked, perplexed. Bei Sangyun ’tsked’ and left.

Fei Chuan: "...."

What was that?

He wasn’t the only one stunned. Everyone in the room, who had been stealthily listening to their conversation, was equally puzzled.

Bei Sangyun left the classroom, leaving her classmates and Fei Chuan dumbfounded.

.....

Fei Chuan zoomed in on Bei Sangyun’s image.

"What are you planning, Bei Sangyun?"

"Is she your crush, young master?" The driver glanced at Fei Chuan through the rearview mirror with a teasing smile.

Fei Chuan immediately turned off his phone. "No. She’s just a classmate."

"You’ve never particularly cared about any of your classmates before. This is the first."

Fei Chuan looked out the window. "Driver Wang, don’t bother trying to set me up with someone."

"Why, young master? If you like her, just go for it. I believe no one will be able to resist your charm. Plus, with the Fei and Chuan family behind you, girls will line up to see you."

Fei Chuan sighed and didn’t bother to respond. Driver Wang was nice, but he tried too hard to curry favor with someone who had been given up and abandoned.

Driver Wang glanced at him again, but he couldn’t see Fei Chuan’s expression through his long hair.

He awkwardly smiled and didn’t speak further. The young masters and young misses in the Fei family were all arrogant and rude. Only Fei Chuan bothered to answer his questions, although sometimes he fell into silence like this.

The car traveled toward the farthest corner of the Fei mansion in silence. It parked in the smallest building in Fei’s residence.

When Fei Chuan arrived on his floor in the Fei mansion, Grandma Pei was waiting for him and warmly welcomed him.

"Young Master, did you enjoy the cookies?" Grandma Pei asked as she attempted to take Fei Chuan’s bag.

"I’ll carry it," Fei Chuan avoided giving his bag to Grandma Pei. He didn’t need assistance with easy tasks like this. He took the container and passed it to the maid standing beside Grandma Pei.

"You finished them all? You usually leave some behind. You must have really enjoyed them," Grandma Pei said with a joyful laugh.

Fei Chuan lowered his eyes. "...Yeah. They’re delicious, Grandma."

"Alright, don’t just stand there. I’ve made you dinner. Change first, then eat."

"You really don’t have to do it. I’ve already eaten at school."

There were many workers in the Fei mansion, but there were also many masters to serve in the Fei residence. The number of servants assigned to each person depended on their status within the Fei mansion.

Although Fei Chuan was someone who belonged to the main branch and should be enjoying all the benefits of an intermediate member of the family, he was someone who had been given up on early by the Fei family.

He was placed at the back of the residence, next to the maids and butlers’ living quarters. His status was lower than the average Fei family branch member.

He was given one driver, one maid, and Grandma Pei, who came from the Chuan family.

Since Grandma Pei was already old, Fei Chuan didn’t want to burden her, so he sometimes ate at the canteen. However, Grandma Pei still enjoyed serving him personally, which made Fei Chuan feel guilty.

"So you’re not going to eat then? I cooked too much. The three of us won’t be able to finish it alone."

Fei Chuan sighed in resignation. "Alright, I’ll eat. But please, don’t cook again. Let Maid Yan handle it."

"But you don’t like her cooking."

Fei Chuan: "...."

Well, he couldn’t be blamed for being picky. He was raised by Grandma Pei, and she was so good at cooking that she would put a four-star Michelin chef to shame.

Fei Chuan changed his clothes and ate together with Grandma Pei.

Grandma Pei had a smile as she piled more meat and vegetables onto Fei Chuan’s plate.

"You need to eat a lot, young master."

Fei Chuan suddenly paused.

’You should eat more. You’re very thin. Your future self would cry if he saw you,’

He was suddenly reminded of Bei Sangyun’s words. What did she mean by the future ’him’ would cry? She spoke as if she had seen his future self. What nonsense.

Fei Chuan glanced at his wrist.

"Grandma, am I too thin?"

Grandma Pei added more meat to his bowl. "Yes, you are. You are in your growing state, so you need to eat more. Thankfully, you are not as sick as before. I’m pretty sure that if you eat healthily, you will be able to gain some weight. Once you get well enough, you can work out and gain some muscles. Women nowadays like masculine men."

Fei Chuan bowed his head and continued to eat. He wondered when he could start working out.

Grandma Pei looked at Fei Chuan lovingly. Then she noticed that his hair was getting in his food.

"Young Master, why don’t we cut your hair? It’s too long, and it’s getting in your food now."

Fei Chuan pushed his bangs behind his ears. "It’s fine like this."

"How can it be fine? It’s covering your handsome face."

"I like it this way. It’s the trend." Fei Chuan lied.

To be honest, he didn’t like his hair being long and covering his face. It got in the way sometimes, and he couldn’t see his surroundings well. Besides, it made him look gloomy.

However, to survive in the Fei mansion, he needed to avoid standing out.

His appearance had already made his arrogant cousins target him. He couldn’t afford to be noticed again.

Grandma Pei sighed. "Do you really like this hairstyle so much? Sigh, I can’t really keep up with the trends nowadays."

Grandma Pei shook her head and resumed eating.

Fei Chuan looked down at his plate. He couldn’t help but think back to how Bei Sangyun stared at him during the whole Chemistry class.

Was she also thinking that he looked too gloomy?

’Don’t worry, our feelings are mutual.’ Bei Sangyun’s words echoed in his mind.

Fei Chuan stabbed the meat with his fork with greater force than usual.

’What does she mean by that?’

"By the way, young master. Have you given some cookies to your friend?"

"...Friend?" Did he ever mention a friend to Grandma Pei?

"I’m talking about the little girl from back then. She’s your classmate, right? I remember she liked my cookies. Did you share some with her?"

Fei Chuan turned silent.

Grandma Pei’s words reminded him of that time when Bei Sangyun sat in front of him in the cafeteria, she mentioned the cookies and eyed them for a long time. She did say she was hungry.

So was she really trying to get one at that time?

Remembering his action of hiding the cookies from her, Fei Chuan fell into silence.

But then the image of the crushed cookies on the floor came to his mind. The shame and embarrassment disappeared, and he frowned in irritation.

"No. She didn’t like them, so I didn’t share them with her."

"Oh? Well, people’s tastes change over time," Grandma Pei comforted Fei Chuan.

Fei Chuan just ate in silence.

Not only did her taste change, but everything about her changed.

The little girl who once came to his house to read his books was nowhere to be found. She had become a tyrant who oppressed others and took enjoyment in the suffering of others. If there was one thing that hadn’t changed about her, it was her competitiveness. However, her methods had become worse.

"Also, Grandma, she’s not my friend," Fei Chuan added.

****

Bei Sangyun opened the door as she was about to head out. She met Butler Xin, who was about to knock on her door. Her eyes lit up.

"You came just in time. Take me to the hospital. I’ll spend the night with Grandma."

"I’m sorry, Master, but you can’t leave."

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes. "You must have already prepared a way for me to leave unnoticed. I can return here at dawn."

Butler Xin raised his hand. "Don’t be angry with me, Master. I’m telling you this because the headmaster has called everyone to gather for dinner."

"Dinner?" Bei Sangyun was stunned. "It’s past dinner already, and I already ate at school."

Bei Sangyun didn’t want to face those disgusting faces and suffer at the dining table.

"Master, your father will attend the dinner too. If you don’t come, he will not only ground you, but the consequences will be severe, and even I won’t be able to help you."

Bei Sangyun frowned. She really didn’t want to go. What the heck was that old man doing? Everyone must have eaten dinner at different places, but he suddenly called for one.

"Besides, Master, I think the headmaster will make an important announcement."

Bei Sangyun: "...."

Ah, right. He wasn’t able to announce it earlier, so he made time to announce it tonight.

"Tsk." Bei Sangyun ’tsked’. "Then prepare for me to leave after dinner."

Butler Xin smiled. "I will. Please make sure to behave properly at the dining table, Master."

Bei Sangyun rolled her eyes and left for the dining area.