Chapter 83
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Han Jiao, who changed his entrance method, finally achieved the result he had been expecting.
While Han Jiao was admonishing Xie Jing, Xie Xiu always watched the two of them closely.
It wasn’t until Xie Jing obediently apologized that Xie Duo and Xie An, who had balled up, stood again and made amends with Old Eighth.
In this reconciliation, only Xie Xiu was needlessly alarmed, so naturally, only he was happy about it.
He started giggling foolishly again.
“Eighth Brother, you promise not to act up again in the future!” Xie An pouted dutifully, acting the part.
“I promise.” Xie Jing casually ruffled Xie An’s head, and Xie An immediately beamed with joy.
Xie Xiu’s silly smile froze suddenly as he stared blankly at the sight of the two brothers opposite, both grinning foolishly.
Han Jiao sensed something was amiss and quickly patted Xie Jing, urging him to continue the game.
Xie Jing nodded and was about to move away from his position when he couldn’t resist teasing Xie Duo, “Old Ninth, are you still mad? You just broke your Big Brother’s ‘heart’… Ah!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Duo grabbed his arm, yanked him forward abruptly, and spun Xie Jing around like a punching bag until his arm was locked tightly by Xie Duo, leaving him immobilized.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Xie Jing turned his terrified gaze to the devilish brother behind him, begging for mercy!
“You dare to tell anyone about this,” Xie Duo warned Xie Jing, forcefully pulling his arm behind his back, amidst the chaotic yelling from Old Eighth. Xie Duo spoke in a hushed tone, “You’ll end up as the one-armed Old Eighth.”
“I won’t say, I absolutely won’t say!”
Xie Jing was instantly subdued, and Xie Duo shot a sharp look to his side.
Terrified by the commotion, Xie An took a quick step and hid behind Han Jiao.
Faced with the ominous aura of the big boss, Han Jiao held his breath and vigorously shook his head, finally stammering, “I didn’t see anything, I swear!”
Under the intimidation of the big boss, the following games became especially harmonious and relaxed, with the brothers and friends respectful.
Han Jiao got his wish and, in the role of a referee, joined Xie Xiu’s “new social circle.”
In fact, several months ago, Han Jiao had successfully conversed with Xie Xiu once. At the time, he didn’t think there was anything unusual about it. Later, he realized that Xie Xiu generally didn’t pay attention to outsiders, not even his brothers other than Xie Duo, let alone strangers.
During that conversation, Han Jiao suspected that the reason Xie Xiu responded was because, just before the conversation, Han Jiao had casually mentioned, “used to drinking plain water.” This seemed to trigger memories of Xie Xiu’s wetnurse, who likely couldn’t handle strong tea, having come from humble origins.
It was this shared preference with Xie Xiu’s wetnurse that allowed Xie Xiu to relax and converse with Han Jiao. However, their communication was limited to that one afternoon, in the flower hall of the estate.
Meeting Xie Xiu again happened at the Prince’s mansion. For two months, Han Jiao hadn’t been able to exchange a word with Xie Xiu. He had been sitting in the gazebo, maintaining a safe distance to keep Xie Xiu calm.
But today, Han Jiao successfully broke that safe distance. After the game, Xie Xiu could stand beside Han Jiao in a relaxed manner.
After a game of cuju, the young Princes returned to the main hall to enjoy tea and sweets. Xie Jing enthusiastically discussed with his brothers the rules for future rewards and punishments.
Xie Xiu, as usual, quietly watched his brothers chat.
“His Highness Prince of Duan truly lives up to being the big brother of the Ninth Prince.” Han Jiao was seated in a nearby chair, and this flattering remark, carefully thought out, was his attempt to make Xie Xiu happy. “I’ve noticed that every time you kick the ball, your aim is spot on, just like the Ninth Prince. You both have a natural talent for cuju.”
Xie Xiu’s gaze remained on his brothers as he calmly replied, “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother… they are all A’Duo’s big brothers, and none of them have cuju talent.”
“……” Han Jiao was still uncertain about Xie Xiu’s conversational style and could only nod in agreement. “Indeed, they don’t have the talent that you and the Ninth Prince possess.”
Xie Xiu continued his analysis calmly, “The direction the ball goes every time is quite different from what I anticipate.”
“……” Was this guy always so modest? Han Jiao nodded and said, “No one can completely control the direction the ball flies.”
“A’Duo can,” Xie Xiu firmly countered, “A’Duo can fully control both direction and force.”
“The Ninth Prince indeed has great talent.”
Xie Xiu nodded and added, “Old Eighth and Old Tenth aren’t as good as A’Duo, but they are better than me.”
Han Jiao chuckled. “Your Highness is too humble.”
Xie Xiu turned to look at Han Jiao, wearing a politely calculated smile on his face. With a lack of emotion, he said, “I’m not being humble. You’re the one lying.”
Han Jiao: “……”
Damn it, I was just giving a compliment. Do you really need to bring in facts and examples to counter me?
Xie Xiu, resembling a detective like Sherlock Holmes, continued to analyze for Han Jiao, “Master said that if someone intentionally lies and exaggerates your abilities, it’s usually an attempt at flattery. The reasons could range from having a favor to ask, impure intentions, or who knows…”
“Wait, Your Highness! That’s enough! I’ve realized my mistake! Your ball skills are truly terrible!” Han Jiao quickly interrupted “Xiu Sherlock’s” analysis, “Flattery can also be a part of ordinary social interactions! It’s a basic form of politeness!”
Xie Xiu’s bright eyes flickered slightly, “Master didn’t mention this possibility.”
“Senior Minister Li only informed you of potential dangers to make you wary of treacherous individuals,” Han Jiao explained, “While I am just a… cuju playmate, encouraging you, applauding you, with no ulterior motive.”
Xie Xiu calmly turned back to his brothers. He didn’t believe this leek-scented bad grass. “Master didn’t say that.”
Han Jiao sensed that the situation was not going well.
This unlucky fellow had deemed him a somewhat conscientious bad grass since their first meeting, and changing Xie Xiu’s perception was proving to be quite challenging.
Previously, Han Jiao had thought that Xie Xiu had an intuition to judge the character of certain things and people. Now he realized that this guy likely arrived at comprehensive conclusions through observations of external characteristics, based on his accumulated experience.
After all, Xie Xiu possessed an exceptionally long memory and logical analytical abilities. He was naturally incapable of empathizing with others and could only judge a person’s intentions and the direction of certain events through his accumulated experience.
Once he reached a conclusion, he had high confidence in his judgement. Unless he discovered a mistake in one of the layers of reasoning, he would consider Han Jiao to be a bad grass.
Adding this failed flattery, the leek-scented bad grass was doubly guilty.
Han Jiao, regretful of his failed flattery, tried reverse psychology, honestly confessing, “I actually do think you’re good at playing cuju, better than I imagined.”
Xie Xiu nodded. “You thought I would be slow, maybe even miss the ball.”
Han Jiao was about to deny it but then thought of this guy’s frightening judgment abilities. He quickly shut his mouth, thought carefully, and honestly replied, “Yes, you used to dislike playing cuju.”
Xie Xiu calmly turned to Han Jiao. “You’ve already noticed that I’m a bit slow, nothing strange about it.”
Han Jiao’s eyes widened, unable to resist the urge to argue, but deep down, he did think Xie Xiu was odd. In the case of a genius like Xie Xiu, it would be even stranger if he weren’t odd.
Xie Xiu looked at Han Jiao, blinked, and mumbled to himself in confusion, “Why do you all notice my peculiarity so quickly? I’m trying very hard to be like you all. Where am I slipping up?”
This question left Han Jiao dumbfounded.
He stared at Xie Xiu with wide eyes, hesitated to argue, swallowed several times the comforting words he wanted to say, and finally took a deep breath before stating calmly, “Being peculiar is another way of saying you’re unique, Your Highness. You’re a very unique person, and that’s not a bad thing. Why pretend to be ordinary? There are plenty of ordinary people in the world. The last thing we lack is ordinary people.”
Xie Xiu suddenly chuckled and smiled, not saying a word.
“What’s so funny?” Han Jiao asked seriously. “You’re unique, and that’s not a bad thing. In this world, there’s more than one kind of talent, and your photographic memory is particularly rare and precious.”
“Master said the same thing,” Xie Xiu murmured softly.
“Did Senior Minister Li say the same thing?” Han Jiao sighed with relief. “He wouldn’t lie to you. Being different is not a bad thing.”
Xie Xiu lowered his thick eyelashes, muttered softly, “Then why does Master always want to change me? A’Duo also thinks it’s fine this way, but they all hope I can be more normal.”
Han Jiao: “……”
It was true. At times, both Senior Minister Li and the big boss must wish that Xie Xiu would become more like an ordinary person.
“I want to be normal too,” Xie Xiu raised his head and looked firmly at Han Jiao. “But I… don’t know… why you all can see that I’m different! Why!” He became more and more agitated. “Even when I walk in the street, not saying a word, not moving, someone will quickly see through my disguise!”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness, relax!” Han Jiao reached out to pat his shoulder, but Xie Xiu nervously evaded his touch. Han Jiao had to retract his hand and offer reassurance, “Others looking at you might not necessarily be because they find you strange. Maybe it’s because you’re handsome, have an extraordinary presence, or perhaps you’re dressed in opulence. There are many reasons.”
“I know they’ve seen through me by their glances—whispering while covering their mouths, glancing at me from the corner of their eyes,” Xie Xiu, growing increasingly agitated, suddenly turned his head towards Han Jiao, looked down at the coffee table, and urgently whispered, “Why did Old Eighth and Old Tenth suddenly look at me like that? What’s wrong with me? Have I embarrassed A’Duo again?”
“Don’t be nervous. They weren’t looking at you.” Han Jiao quickly turned with his eyes to signal the princes opposite not to pay attention to this, then he continued to console Xie Xiu.
The three princes across the table had noticed Seventh Brother’s sudden agitation. Prompted by Master Xiaobai’s gaze, they turned their eyes away and avoided looking at Seventh Brother.
However, the princes were still quite anxious. Even though they turned their heads, they couldn’t relax their ears. They stood with ears perked, trying to eavesdrop on what Seventh Brother was saying.
It wasn’t until Xie Duo picked up the conversation and continued speaking that Xie Xiu slightly regained his composure.
Han Jiao gazed at Xie Xiu with a worried expression.
The situation was not optimistic. Xie Xiu’s psychological trauma was severe. Without intervention, the fragile social connections he had built could crumble at any moment.
Based on Xie Jing’s recollection, Han Jiao could confirm that Xie Xiu wasn’t so fearful of other people’s gazes before his wetnurse’s passing. He could even be described as completely ignoring others’ judgments of him. He could happily live his life without a care, even if the Fourth Prince or Fifth Prince pointed at him and called him a fool.
Xie Xiu began to worry about his own unusual behavior after he was knocked over by Prince Yan. From that day forward, he was constantly anxious about his “abnormality” and the possibility of losing Xie Duo and Senior Minister Li.
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