Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin

Chapter Ch74.2 - I Hear I’m a Battle God (11.2)

translator: baumkuchen editors: glitterypanda, serefina

Chi Xiaochi pulled a deep bottomed dish holding two brown crabs over to himself and picked up a pair of tongs and a dinner knife, planning on pulling out the crab meat for his younger siblings.

He held up the tongs and waited for a while.

Ji Zuoshan came out of his memories, and called out, “Mister Chi?”

Chi Xiaochi, “Don’t Mister Chi me, come break open this crab.”

Ji Zuoshan, “……”

Chi Xiaochi, “……”

From their expressions, both didn’t know how to eat crab.

Chi Xiaochi lightly knocked the tongs against the edge of the crab shell. “Try to smash the shell with spiritual power?”

Ji Zuoshan rolled up his sleeves. “Alright.”

061 didn’t quite know whether to laugh or cry. He let out a soft sigh, then said, “……It’s me, don’t be afraid.”

Just as Chi Xiaochi thought that those words sounded familiar, he felt his wrists being grasped by a pair of warm hands and lightly squeezed. He didn’t know whether 061 had done it one purpose, but his slender fingers just so happened to lightly press against his numbing tendon. The numb feeling made Chi Xiaochi instinctively suck in a light breath.

061’s pleasant voice sounded by his ears. “Brown crabs are actually already very easy to shell. You just need to find the trick……”

He made Chi Xiaochi grab the knife and tongs and cut along the central ridge seam. With a swift stroke, the body of the crab instantly split into two, revealing a large swath of white crab meat and overflowing crab roe, turning into two cans of crab meat not just in name, but also in reality.

“Don’t bite it with your teeth. Brown crabs have very hard shells. Use the tongs to pull off the crab pincers, then pry it open……”

Along with his slow, methodical words, the hard shell of the crab pincer was lifted.

061 patiently used chopsticks to scrape out a spoonful of crystalline crab meat, dip it into the already mixed vinegar sauce, repeatedly swirl it around twice, but then didn’t put it into anyone else’s bowl, rather, naturally sending it into Chi Xiaochi’s mouth.

He said, “The first bite is yours.”

061’s voice was gentle, like a cup of warm honey lemon water, immersing one and making one’s heart tighten slightly and turn sweet, but the moment he became firm, one had no way to refuse.

After interacting with 061 for a long time, Chi Xiaochi’s rejection reaction towards him had lessened a lot, but in the moment his hands were grasped, the familiar feeling actually made him instantly think of Dong Feihong from the last world.

But he immediately dismissed the idea, not even willing to spend any more thought on it.

He couldn’t hold hope on this matter. ……Only on this matter, he couldn’t.

……Wasn’t he played around with enough last time?

Seeing Chi Xiaochi eat the crab meat, 061 also let go of his hands, returning once more to the body.

He subconsciously brushed his thumb along his burning palm, feeling a little strange.

Had he ever treated his past hosts like this?

As far as his limited memory was concerned, towards his ninth and tenth hosts, he was always very polite and distant. Don’t even mention shelling crabs, or peeling mangosteens, even when his hosts met difficulties, he would only provide oral guidance, and even the concept of “coming out and helping” was rare.

But before he could think of the answer, the corners of his mouth curved up in a slight, shallow smile.

……What he’d grasped hadn’t been Ji Zuoshan’s hands, rather, he’d directly come into contact Chi Xiaochi’s spiritual energy.

The perception of spiritual energy was much more sensitive than the usual physical sensation. That was why that momentary contact had induced Chi Xiaochi’s reaction.

His wrists were even more slender that Ji Zuoshan’s. He could loosely catch them in his palm without any effort. 061 even had the slight urge to feed him a little more.

Chi Xiaochi rubbed his wrists rather unnaturally. Only when the remaining sensation on his skin disappeared did the tension lessen slightly.

Following the method he’d been shown, he cut open the other crab, then split the four halves filled with meat and roe to his younger siblings, while he himself took two crab legs and began to eat slowly.

The four little elves had already eaten until their bellies were round by this point, but they were still ravenous.

Xiaodi used a spoon to dig the meat out of the crab shell, inhaling one bite after another with relish. Sanmei was currently discussing with wudi whether to bring the remaining crab meat back to eat with noodles or stew with eggs.

Only simei was sneaking looks at her erge, her bright eyes filled with gratification.

She felt like her older brother wasn’t quite the same as before.

In the past, whenever her older brother came home, he would always say that he was doing very well in that young master surnamed Zhan’s home. There was food and clothes, and there was even a new mecha for him to pilot, but Xiao Si had always felt like her older brother wasn’t as happy as he acted.

Perhaps by leaving that person, and staying by Rosie-jiejie’s side, her older brother would be able to live even better.

While at the same time, at the Zhan mansion.

Faced with a table filled with good dishes of both chicken and fish, Zhan Yanchao didn’t have any appetite.

Zhan Yanling tapped his fork against his glass, and raised his glass of red wine to toast him, but Zhan Yanchao didn’t raise his glass.

He looked at the empty space by his side, then looked at his full ricebowl. His heart was filled with an indescribable sourness.

If it was in the past, if he left food in his bowl, Ji Zuoshan would always silently take it.

Zhan Yanchao especially loved to mock him with, “You like eating my things so much?”

Ji Zuoshan would lower his head and take a few bites, then say in a soft voice, “If I don’t eat it, it’ll go to waste.”

Mister Zhan had always doted on Zhan Yanchao and would never scold him for wasting food. Whenever Zhan Yanling saw him waste food, he too would only shake his head disapprovingly.

Why hadn’t the person who would take his bowl come home yet……

Zhan Yanling didn’t discipline his younger brother at the dinner table, just giving him a suggestion during dessert after the meal, “I suggest, with the mental state that you’re in, that it’d be best if you don’t participate in tomorrow’s……”

Zhan Yanchao cut him off, “I want to go.”

Ji Zuoshan would be going, so how could he let Ji Zuoshan and Rosie go off together on their own?

Seeing his younger brother’s lost appearance, Zhan Yanling wanted to say something, but in the end, he still held back.

It wasn’t that Zhan Yanling didn’t want to manage his younger brother, but firstly, the age gap between him and his younger brother was too large, and secondly, because his mother had died due to Zhan Yanchao’s birth, he had always had a hard time feeling positively about his younger brother.

Zhan Yanchao lowered his head and thought for a while. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together, and started smiling happily.

Even though he didn’t like this younger brother very much, Zhan Yanling had to admit, his younger brother was a beauty. When he smiled sweetly, he was simply stunning.

Zhan Yanchao ran towards the kitchens. “Quick quick quick, make a few new dishes, the more exquisite the better. When you’re done, pack them up.”

Zhan Yanling said helplessly, “What great idea have you come up with now?”

Zhan Yanchao was radiant with delight. “I’m going to send delicious food to Ji Zuoshan’s younger brothers and sisters!”

Zhan Yanling, “……”

He didn’t say anything.

Right now, he might be able to understand Ji Zuoshan better than Zhan Yanchao, but letting this younger brother of his run into a wall might not be something bad.

Zhan Yanchao, driving his electromagnetic car, arrived at the little house he’d bought for Ji Zuoshan’s younger siblings, but he didn’t see any lights on inside.

Driving an electromagnetic car in such a place truly attracted a lot of attention. Many little kids hiding in the dark couldn’t hold back their curiosity, sneaking over to touch the car after he got out.

He couldn’t be bothered to berate them. He picked up the meal box, straightened his tie, and strode over towards the house.

By all reason, someone who cared about his family as much as Ji Zuoshan did, needing to go to “The Scar” tomorrow, would definitely come back to see his siblings.

Thinking about how he’d be able to see Ji Zuoshan in a short while, Zhan Yanchao even felt a little hungry now.

Zhan Yanchao of course wouldn’t know what was called “do not enter without permission”. This house had been bought by him, he of course had the key, so he didn’t need to squat outside to feed the mosquitoes.

He dug out the key, and opened the door.

The inside of the house was in complete darkness. He felt along the wall. Only after amassing a handful of dust did he finally feel a light cord.

With a heart full of hope, he gave a forceful tug——

What met him was an empty room.

No tables or chairs, no people, just a bed made of bricks off to one side.

Zhan Yanchao’s heart also fell to the ground, empty.

He went around the room once, then made another round, wondering, at a loss, where had they gone?

He looked left and right, then found a little note that had been placed on the edge of the bed.

Zhan Yanchao picked it up and turned it over. With a jingle, out fell five little keys.

Unresigned, he shook it a few more times, then reached out and dug around inside, only to find that other than five keys, there truly wasn’t a message inside.

Zhan Yanchao was even more at a loss now.

He didn’t get angry, or perhaps it was that there was nothing for him to smash here.

He placed the meal box on the bed, and without dusting it off, sat down.

Zhan Yanchao sat there for a while, then thought, he couldn’t bring the meal box back and let his older brother see a joke.

So he opened up the meal box, took out all the food, setting it up on the bed, then began to shove it into his mouth, mouthful by mouthful, with a slight beggars-can’t-be-choosers mentality.

But when the food entered his mouth, without exception, it became bitter.

As he held up the meal box, tears fell down his face.

Clearly he used to be so good to me in the past, why did he suddenly stop?

Before “The Scar” summer training officially started, Rosie finally confirmed that, according to the national standard, Ji Zuoshan’s spiritual power was at least 2S grade. If he trained a little more, he would soon break through to 3S.

As for the natural energy in his body, it was far beyond the normal value. If he wanted to, he could transform into an Alpha at any time.

Rosie sighed, “You really are a treasure trove.”

And his reputation as a treasure trove was indeed known far and wide now.

For “The Scar” summer training, all registered students were broken up and dispersed amongst four assembly points. They would first gather for a day to complete their registration and sign in. After signing in, each group’s members would decide on the time they would set off. In accordance with the requirements, they would be dispersed throughout the training ground from 0:00 to 6:00 the next day.

At the pre-competition assembly point, the students from other schools pointed at Ji Zuoshan.

“It’s that little pretty boy. He destroyed a mecha.”

“The one operating a training mecha?”

“Should be.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. A training mecha fighting a specialised mecha, and destroying the specialised mecha?”

“……I didn’t say if it was true, it’s a rumour, just a rumour.”

“But he really does look very good. Pale and slender, and his waist and body are pretty good too.”

“Hah, you like him?”

They hadn’t been able to personally see his feat of tearing a mecha apart with his hands and didn’t know about the spiritual power test, so Ji Zuoshan was just a conversation topic for them.

Zhan Yanling announced the rules. Like the years before, other than their mecha, they were not allowed to bring in any other items. The people at each assembly point were to form a team of four on their own and move together as a group. If they ran into a dangerous situation they couldn’t deal with on their own, they could send out a distress signal, and the base would send someone to rescue them.

The first ten people to successfully arrive at the base would receive a reward, and the first person would receive a high-precision army grade mecha.

Hearing that classifier, Chi Xiaochi’s heart moved slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

Chi Xiaochi looked at his Blue, and felt that no matter how he looked at it, it was pleasing to the eye. After a moment of thought, he decided to take second place, and if that wasn’t possible, after taking first place he would have them give him a discounted prize.

The moment that Zhan Yanchao, who was mixing amongst the crowd, heard the announcement that they could form groups now, he then snapped back to himself and started to push his way over to Ji Zuoshan.

Who knew that Rosie, , and would grab his arm. “Let’s form a team?”

Chi Xiaochi of course nodded.

Zhan Yanchao became all the more anxious. He began to roughly part the crowd.

Who knew that when he was not more than five or six steps away, two people wearing their school’s uniform made their way to Chi Xiaochi first. “Hello, how about forming a team with us?”

The author has something to say:

I originally wanted to write about eating chicken, but ended up writing about eating crab qwq

Liu-laoshi: This is probably just friendship.

baum: actually, would you guys rather I use simei and other such titles, or should I turn them into the longer “his fourth younger sister”?

sere: yay its a mini training camp arc