Chà Chà Novel

Yu Yan counted the days until he could see his mother, enduring them one after another. During that time, Yu Wei’s mother, Qin Jiao, began whispering poison into Yu Zhenhong’s ear. She claimed that Yu Yan was far too unruly and that his presence would interfere with Sister Lan’s recovery, so he was forbidden from seeing her.

All he had done was beat her son once. It was not as if Yu Yan had bullied him for no reason.

Qin Jiao ordered a newly hired housekeeper to pretend to deliver something to Yu Yan. Once he accepted it, she raised a commotion, claiming that one of her precious belongings had disappeared. She wept and made such a scene that everyone in the household joined the search. In the end, the missing object was found inside Yu Yan’s tiny room, earning him looks that all seemed to say, “Of course it was him.”

Yu Wei stared at him smugly, his expression insufferably triumphant.

Yu Yan launched himself at him almost without hesitation and punched him. Someone accustomed to being beaten naturally learned how to fight back. His fists were fast and vicious, and soon Yu Wei’s nose was streaming with blood as he wailed at the top of his lungs.

In the end, Qin Jiao used the severity of her son’s injuries to complain to Yu Zhenhong, insisting that Yu Yan needed stricter “proper discipline.”

Yu Zhenhong merely waved a hand and told her to handle it as she saw fit.

After that, Yu Yan was allowed to visit Lan Yin less and less often. Qin Jiao controlled the key to the convalescent wing, and whenever Yu Yan misbehaved, his punishment always centered on the days when he was supposed to see his mother.

As a result, he had fewer opportunities to fight back. He was forced to learn endurance. Whenever Yu Wei brought a group of distant cousins to wake him up and snatch away his toys, Yu Yan could do nothing but remain silent.

He could no longer remember how long he had endured it all.

Yu Yan often curled up somewhere in the garden to avoid them. Sometimes he helped the gardener trim the shrubs, tend the flower beds, and pull weeds. The corner room had an excellent view, overlooking the entire garden. Perhaps his mother was standing by the window, able to see him from afar—and able to see this scenery as well.

That day, while Yu Yan was helping water the flowers, he heard a group of children laughing cheerfully. Amid their laughter came a clear, bright voice that made his hands suddenly fall still.

Yu Yan rose onto his toes and peered over the blossoms. He saw Yu Wei’s little entourage gathered around a boy who stood noticeably taller than the rest. When the boy turned around, Yu Yan thought to himself, Of course. It’s that pretentious Young Master Gu again.

He lowered his heels and prepared to slip away unnoticed.

“Isn’t there another child over there?”

Less than a minute after Gu Xichao asked the question, the sharp-eyed housekeeper swept his gaze around and spotted Yu Yan, filthy with mud as he moved between the flower beds.

Having been called out, Yu Yan could only walk over to them reluctantly.

The children were gathered around several boxes of toys. Young Master Gu stood among them like Santa Claus, handing out gifts to each child.

“There’s enough for everyone. No one will be left out, so don’t fight over them.”

Gu Xichao kept the children in line with ease.

“Everyone, form a proper line.”

Yu Yan did not even want to join the queue. He stood silently at the very back, hoping they would forget about him altogether.

Soon, every child had received a gift. Yu Wei immediately hopped onto his brand-new skateboard and glided away, prompting the other children to chase after him in a noisy, excited crowd.

It seemed that Yu Yan was the only one left.

“Come over here!”

Gu Xichao beckoned to him.

The housekeeper and private tutor were both watching from the side. To maintain the appearance of obedience, Yu Yan had no choice but to walk over.

“Which one would you like?”

Gu Xichao lowered his head and patiently introduced the three remaining gifts: a model airplane kit, a game console with several cartridges, and a remote-controlled robot.

Yu Yan glanced over them. They were all wonderful toys—the kind he had only ever seen inside Yu Wei’s room. His first thought was that Gu Xichao intended to frame him for stealing them.

These gifts could not possibly be meant for him.

“Then you can take all of them.”

Gu Xichao had just reached out to hand the gifts over when he noticed Yu Yan instinctively shrinking back.

“What are you hiding from?”

The private tutor also spoke to Yu Yan.

“Big Brother prepared these gifts for you. Go ahead and accept them.”

Seeing the sincerity in Gu Xichao’s eyes, Yu Yan reluctantly chose a small robot and asked uncertainly:

“Is it really… mine?”

Gu Xichao nodded firmly.

“Of course.”

Then he added:

“But have you forgotten? You still owe me something.”

He blinked at Yu Yan.

“Call me Big Brother.”

Yu Yan’s face immediately changed. He retreated half a step and glared furiously at Gu Xichao.

Among the distant cousins living under the same roof, one or two of them were older than him, yet Yu Yan had never called any of them “Big Brother.” Besides, he had no desire to address anyone from this hateful swarm of pests so affectionately.

The words felt foreign to him—almost impossible to say.

The tutor reminded him:

“You must be polite. Hurry and thank your big brother.”

Gu Xichao’s gaze slowly shifted from the tutor back to Yu Yan’s face as he waited patiently.

Yu Yan squeezed his eyes shut, looking as reluctant as though someone were about to swallow him alive. Clenching his teeth, he finally forced the words out:

“Thank you… Big Brother.”

“No need to thank me. Keep it!”

Gu Xichao smiled, then left the sprawling lawn with the tutor and housekeeper.

Yu Yan, who was almost always alone, walked beneath the shade of a tree and took out the slightly crooked little robot. Once he switched it on, he discovered that it could not only sing but also dance. It waved its arms and stamped its feet, only to trip over itself and tumble onto the ground.

Yu Yan suddenly laughed.

How silly.

After that, he began to notice that Gu Xichao visited the Yu residence every weekend, appearing only briefly before disappearing again. From the Yu family’s servants, he learned that several children from prominent families were taking riding lessons at the estate’s equestrian grounds. Gu Xichao was among them, as was Yu Wei.

Yu Yan alone was not qualified to enter.

Consumed by envy, Yu Yan lingered nearby. But afraid that the gardener would discover him shirking his duties, he left the garden and went to work in the stables.

The housekeeper and tutor could hardly ask him to make an obvious display of being obedient, so they had persuaded Madam Qin to allow it under the guise of “character-building through labor.”

Yu Wei was displeased when he first saw Yu Yan there. But once he realized that Yu Yan had only come to sweep the stables and brush the horses, his satisfaction quickly returned. He deliberately sauntered over and asked:

“Why are you doing a servant’s work again? Why aren’t you taking lessons with us?”

Yu Yan rolled his eyes coldly.

“Don’t you always act as if you don’t care about anything? Why did you come running over here on your own?”

Yu Wei removed his riding helmet and held it out, his tone deliberately provocative.

“If you can ride that chestnut horse, I’ll ask Mom to give you a place in the course too. How does that sound?”

Yu Yan did not believe for a moment that Yu Wei was acting out of kindness. Still, the two of them had managed to coexist without incident lately. As long as Yu Wei did not provoke him first, Yu Yan could not be bothered to pay him any attention.

But this time, Yu Yan had clearly taken the bait. He could no longer simply ignore the lunatic.

“Fine.”

He had watched from outside the training arena many times. All he had to do was imitate what he had seen.

On the sand of the small indoor arena, the coach tried to instruct them. However, both Yu boys were so stubborn that neither would listen properly. In the end, the coach could only explain the basic points and let Yu Yan attempt it once.

Seeing the coach’s hesitant expression, Yu Yan more or less understood what was happening.

He gripped the reins tightly. Although the chestnut horse was not yet fully grown, it still stood more than two heads taller than him. Yu Yan could not help feeling nervous.

He placed one foot in the stirrup and pushed himself upward. The horse suddenly shifted, kicking and bucking. Yu Yan had only made it halfway into the saddle when his foot slipped.

Fortunately, the coach had remained close beside him. He swiftly pulled the reins while catching Yu Yan’s falling body.

Yu Yan had nearly landed flat on his face.

Sure enough, Yu Wei burst out laughing behind him. Looking at the disheveled Yu Yan, he gloated:

“A bet is a bet. You have to admit you lost.”

Then he strutted away.

Without a word, Yu Yan led the restless chestnut horse back to its stall.

That little bastard truly had never meant well. If the coach had not been there, Yu Wei really would have let him fall to his death!

Fuming, Yu Yan stood alone before the chestnut horse. He planned to mix the grass clippings he had cut into Yu Wei’s horse feed the next day, giving the animal a painful bout of colic. Ideally, it would throw Yu Wei from the saddle the following morning and leave him crippled—or better yet, dead.

Imagining Yu Wei sprawled on the ground with his bones shattered, Yu Yan could not help giggling.

“What are you so happy about?”

Gu Xichao removed his riding helmet and walked toward him. Fine beads of sweat still covered his forehead; he had probably just finished his lesson.

“I…”

The smile vanished from Yu Yan’s face. He looked at Gu Xichao in alarm. Having failed to notice anyone approaching, he hurriedly invented an excuse.

“It’s my first time seeing an Akhal-Teke horse, and I even got to touch it. I’m very happy.”

Pretending nothing was wrong, he picked up the brush and continued grooming the chestnut horse.

“Would you like to ride it?”

Gu Xichao’s startling offer caught him completely off guard. With both hands resting on his knees, Gu Xichao bent down to meet Yu Yan at eye level and smiled at him.