How To Deal With A Tsundere Gong

Chapter 12 - Peak Showdown

Perhaps pushing all his mistakes on another person would make his heart be at ease, yet Xu Bai Chuan preferred to pay his own bills.

Cheating yourself was harder than cheating others. He really couldn’t say he was innocent as there was a cause and effect for everything. Although difficult, one ought to bear the punishment for their misdeeds.

Rationally, he knew that this had nothing to do with Cheng Xu. Yet based on emotion, Xu Bai Chuan was quite willing to take out his anger on him. If it were not for Tang Jin’s sake, he could have fought 800 battles against Cheng Xu within those seven years.

The first signs of the drama in his household began from primary school when his parents gradually complained more about each other. Those complaints became quarrels in junior high, then their relationship descended into a freezing point in senior high when cold wars frequently lasted for a couple of months. Since the parents were occupied with lashing out at each other, the child was naturally uncared for. Xu Bai Chuan put on a show of being obedient at home and the classroom, but he often got into fights in private. Although he was shorter than Tang Jin and his body size wasn’t as large, he could draw a tie with him. When calmly speaking with Tang Jin one time, they had discussed this matter rationally—

Tang Jin had asked him, “How could you be this skilled?”

Xu Bai Chuan’s reserved nature carried some shyness. “There’s no secret to it. I’m just like this.”

Therefore, Cheng Xu should have long been grateful for the 800 calamities he had avoided. Daring to demand an explanation, did Cheng Xu enjoy challenging the limits of the tide in an ocean of anger or did he have a loose screw?

Psycho.

How could Xu Bai Chuan have not realized this earlier?

When he first escaped the basement and began living in Tang Jin’s house, it was the period when his relationship with Tang Jin was at its best. Tang Jin loved bringing him along wherever he went so coming into contact with Cheng Xu was naturally unavoidable. Looking back, Cheng Xu had already abandoned himself to a life of pleasure and came up with a dog idea each day. When Xu Bai Chuan called him a hedonist, Cheng Xu proudly replied, “In human life, accomplishment must bring total joy. I spent a thousand gold pieces completely, but they’ll come back again ¹”. On one hand, Xu Bai Chuan was surprised that he could actually recite lines from a poem. On the other hand, he ridiculed that the gold pieces spent didn’t belong to Cheng Xu, but his parents. Yet Cheng Xu believed that not properly enjoying life would be letting down this good life he had been given.
[T/N: 1 Line from Bring in the Wine by poet Li Bai meaning ‘Life is short and one should enjoy it.’]

This kind of back and forth mockery was performed almost every single day. Cheng Xu openly accepted his indulgence in an easy lifestyle and developed a mindset for idleness. As long as he could enjoy life, he laid back and allowed the mockery, then would seize an opportunity to ridicule others later on. For instance, when Xu Bai Chuan pretended to be Tang Jin’s mysterious boyfriend, Cheng Xu took pleasure in his situation and joyfully offered a piece of information: Tang Jin’s father had a bad temper so he had better wear a thicker helmet that day.

In fact, the three of them had actually spent a peaceful time together.

But what’s the use for peace of the past? In the present, they were nevertheless incompatible as fire and water.

Cheng Xu discerned that his expression was somewhat panic-stricken and suddenly said, “Breaking up is for the best. He doesn’t like you.”

Xu Bai Chuan didn’t reply, his only thought was that this corridor was too long.