Chapter 3 IN WHICH TODAY’S PUPPY ACTS SHAMELESSLY
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42
“Ren Ren, come home for dinner after this business trip. How long has it been since the last time you visited?”
As soon as Liang Ren gets off the plane, he receives a call from his mother. Even though he maintains a stoic expression, he knows better than to display such coldness towards his own mother.
“I was too busy during the middle of the year, but I should be able to come back once I finish up here.”
“Your plane is flying back today, right? I happen to have free time today, so I’ll come to your company. Let’s have a meal.”
Since childhood, Liang Ren’s mother has been treated as fragile and special. Even after marriage, she continues to receive favor at home, which has likely contributed to some degree of spoiled behavior.
“It’s up to you.” Liang Ren knows that not even eight horses can pull his mother back once she decided on something, so there’s no use arguing. Since their family has a good relationship, and his absence in recent years is indeed due to his busy work schedule, he agrees. “Find a shop to rest. It’s been hot recently. Don’t stay outside.”
“I know, I know. Why are you talking so much like your father? Hang up.”
Liang Ren’s mother happily hangs up the phone, then instructs the driver, “Master Worker Liu, take me to the company building, then you may go home after. Ren Ren will take me home tonight, so there is no need to pick me up.”
“Okay, Madam.”
——————
Zhen Xin is back on guard duty, persevering and not showing any signs of impatience.
The reason for this was simple. Two days ago, a smartly dressed young man told him that Mr. Liang is in a five-day business trip.
This news brings a happy smile to Zhen Xin’s face.
Doesn’t this mean that Liang Ren is already aware of his daily visits? His efforts are paying off!
The longer Mr. Liang is away on a trip, the more determined Zhen Xin is to wait for him. He believes that Liang Ren has the softest heart in the world. With time and patience, he will definitely be able to grind an iron rod into a needle.
Zhen Xin is not at all cowered. As if injected with fresh chicken blood, he seems to be invigorated and eager to resume his guard duty the next day.
[there’s actually a thing called chicken blood therapy]
It turns out that Brother Ren is advising him to prioritize self-care and to refrain from engaging in any self-destructive behavior, even if he is seeking attention by being out there.
As he is about to finish his daily two-hour wait period, Zhen Xin sits on the bench and empties the milk carton he’s drinking. After flattening the carton, he stands up and is about to throw it in the trash can when he hears a familiar voice behind him.
“Xin Xin!” Mommy Liang’s face is full of smile as she walks over, takes Zhenxin’s hand and says, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Why did you never call Auntie when you went abroad with Liang Ren? I worried for nothing.”
Zhen Xin looks up at the familiar face of Madam Omega.
Xin Xin: ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃)
43
“I haven’t seen you for such a long time. Auntie shouldn’t be saying this, but I just can’t hold it in.” Mommy Liang doesn’t notice Zhen Xin’s astonishment. “Even if you want to study abroad, you can get married first before you go. You spoil him too much. He says he’ll talk about it when he returns here in China, and you just comply without objection. What if that stinky boy runs away…”
It takes a while for Zhen Xin to recover. He takes a deep breath first before answering, “Nothing of that sort. Brother Ren treats me very well.”
He returns a bright smile, repeatedly blinking to disperse the moisture in his eyes.
“Nevermind if he doesn’t go home to see us, but Xin Xin, why didn’t you come to see your uncle and aunt?” Mommy Liang complains with some concern. “How is Ren Ren taking care of you? It’s only been a few years but look how haggard you are.”
“Where am I haggard?” Zhen Xin smiles sweetly. Just like in the past, he affectionately links his arms with Mommy Liang’s. “But compared to my radiant aunt, I’m naturally no match.”
Mommy Liang’s attitude towards him is still the same as before. Although Zhen Xin considers himself unintelligent, he understands that Liang Ren not only refrained from criticizing him in front of his family after they parted ways but also safeguarded his dignity, leaving him with a blend of emotions comparable to the sour and sweet taste of lemonade.
He also knows that he should clarify the misunderstanding and apologize to Mommy Liang, but he really can’t help but indulge in sweet lies.
Zhen Xin chats with Mommy Liang as meekly as he did a long time ago. He is only called back to reality when he sees Liang Ren hauling in a dusty suitcase.
“Ren Ren, however did you come here?” Mommy Liang frowns, feigning annoyance. “It’s too inconsiderate of you to let me and Xin Xin wait for a long time.”
“Mom.” Liang Ren’s eyes sweeps over Zhen Xin again. “I can just go back. You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“Oh, blame me for disrupting your private moment.”
Zhen Xin’s face flushes at the teasing, but he grits his teeth, stands up and throws himself into Liang Ren’s arms.
“Husband, I miss you so much!”
Whatever, just take whatever crumbs you can grab.
Off Xin Xin goes, charging ahead!
44
The beta, who is a head shorter than Liang Ren, feels like a rag doll stuffed with the freshest cotton balls. So incredibly soft.
This embrace used to be something they shared every day, as if the two loathed to separate from each other. He hasn’t experienced such heartful satisfaction for so long.
Without the deliberately exaggerated pheromone scent, Zhen Xin still smells fragrant, like the tenderest and softest flower on the top of a tree.
Liang Ren wordlessly encircles the little flower within his arms.
“Oh, you young people.” Mommy Liang laughs, a gentle teasing twinkling in her eyes. “Put down your luggage and sit down.”
Only then does Zhen Xin let go of his hands, and timidly takes Liang Ren’s arm. “Let’s sit down first.”
Cold sweat runs down his back, fearful of Liang Ren’s lack of cooperation. He feels like a naughty puppy, with his damp eyes wide open and his tail tucked between his legs, hoping that Liang Ren won’t lose his temper.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell me in advance that you would be coming here?”
Thankfully, Liang Ren is following the script this time, and just allows Puppy Xin Xin to hang on his arm like a pendant. “I could have arrange someone to pick you up.”
“Let’s just talk about other things…”
Zhen Xin sits down next to Liang Ren, across Mommy Liang, chatting with them about family life. For a moment, he feels as if the pendulum of the clock is swinging in the opposite direction, bringing him back to a long-gone past.
Unfortunately, Cinderella has to leave the palace before the clock strikes twelve, and he has to face reality after Mommy Liang bids them farewell.
As they watch Mommy Liang’s car tail lights disappear from sight, Liang Ren let go of Zhen Xin’s hand.
The cold wind quickly steals the last bit of warmth from his hand.
45
“You have really work hard.”
Liang Ren looks down at Zhen Xin’s fluffy hair. He used to always see him like this, observing the little scavenger shyly dragging the tattered snakeskin bag, struggling to act composed in his home the first time he visited, grinding his teeth from studying, grimacing at the tutoring materials, reacting to every trivial things with either a smile or a frown.
Zhen Xin is younger and smaller than him. He used to look at him like a baby. He always felt sorry for him, reluctant to see him hurt. He foolishly fancied himself strong enough to be the hero who could save the puppy.
The light in Liang Ren’s eyes dim a bit, and his words are no longer sweet.
“If you can’t get a good deal from Li Duoyu, you can also find opportunities to meet other rich people. There is no need to come to me. I am very busy with work. I don’t have the energy to reason out with you.”
Zhen Xin’s eyes turn red again, feeling a little hard done by. He grabs Liang Ren’s sleeve cuff and refuses to let go.
“I’m not really hunting for rich attractive guys. Li Duoyu just happens to be your childhood friend. And I’m afraid that if I don’t get along with Li Duoyu and Feng Fan, it will be awkward for you…”
What he said is actually funny. He has nothing to do with Liang Ren anymore, so it doesn’t make sense to get along with Liang Ren’s friends.
Liang Ren merely skewers him with a cold look, leaving Zhen Xin at a loss for words.
“I… I know that we parted on bad terms, and that I should have avoided contacting you, but I can’t bear to…” Zhen Xin’s eyes glisten with tears, looking like a drowned puppy. “I’m not interested in your money. I just want to see you. I know that I hurt you before and I understand that you don’t want anything to do with me. So, after seeing you again, I have been trying not to appear in front of you, just sneakily inquiring news about you from your friends. I’m not trying to scheme against you. I just want to know how you are doing…”
Liang Ren can obviously turn him away with a single blow, but he just asks him back, “So you are trying not to appear in front of me by standing guard outside my company’s building all day long?”
Zhen Xin pauses. He lowers his head and takes several deep breaths before mustering up the courage to look up into Liang Ren’s eyes.
“I initially thought of not contacting you, but later I felt that you still care about me, so I deliberately waited for you outside your company…”
“I won’t see you.”
Silly. The corners of Zhen Xin’s mouth secretly tug up. Won’t see him, yet they’re talking right now!
But he doesn’t call out his bluff, he simply rams himself into Liang Ren’s arms.
“What are you doing? Let go. What does this look like in a crowded place…”
“Brother Ren… I just want to hug you. I haven’t hugged you for a long time,” Zhen Xin whines in a soft voice, burying his head like an ostrich. “Anyway, either you beat me to death today or take me home.”
I just want to stick by your side.
Stick closely!
46
Liang Ren nearly laughs at the absurdity of it all.
What kind of nonsense is this?
When he said he wanted to break up, they broke up. Now, if he says he wants to go back to the old times, do they have to go back to the old times? Is everything really up to Zhen Xin to decide?
“Zhen Xin, do you think I’m a philanthropist?” Unable to get rid of the little burden in his arms, Liang Ren simply lowers his arms, not touching him at all. “Suit yourself. Do whatever you want, I don’t care about you anyway.”
Zhen Xin flinches, his nonexistent tail drooping.
It’s strange.
All his life, he had lost count of how many baskets of ugly words have been hurled his way, but only Liang Ren’s words seem to have the ability to hurt him. Despite Liang Ren refraining from using any profanity, he still felt so upset that it’s killing him.
“Then, I will stick to you.” Zhen Xin sullenly buries his head in Liang Ren’s arms. He seems to have forgotten that they had separated for a long time and that they are no more familiar than strangers now. “I will follow you wherever you go.”
“Follow me wherever I go… When I go to work at the company, you also go over there. Don’t you want to work anymore?”
“I do.” Zhen Xin breathes in the grapefruit smell. “If I don’t work, I won’t have food, so I always come to watch you in my spare time… I can stand on my own feet now.”
Zhen Xin can’t resist showing off, “Although the basic salary of a real estate agent is not high, my commission is not bad. My average monthly income is more than 10,000 yuans. I can live on my own now. I don’t need to pick up garbage anymore.”
Liang Ren follows his lead and says, “That was why I told you that knowledge can change your fate, yet you still complained when I asked you to take the self-examination.”
“I didn’t know much at that time, and I already passed the exam, so don’t be mad at me, okay?”
“Why would I be mad at you when I have better things to do? Don’t think that everything will be okay by changing the subject and acting coquettishly like before.”
“I know, I know…” Zhen Xin sways side to side. “I dare not.”
Oh well, the trick works anyway.
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