Tao Qiao seemed to realize the sudden change of atmosphere, "Ah, sorry, but you suffer a leg injury from an accident, right? Meimei talked about you a lot, so I know you."
"Ah, let's sit and eat. I cook a lot for tonight's occasion," Auntie Jun tried to defuse the tense atmosphere and tried to change the topic by bringing up the food.
Shen nodded and took a seat next to Shuren. He did not say anything anymore afterward, but his mind was swirling. It was a lie if he was not bothered by that.
The one he was concerned about was not because Sister Meimei's boyfriend called him a cripple, but about Sister Meimei. She told her boyfriend a lot to the point his boyfriend called him a cripple.
That meant, Sister Meimei called him a cripple behind him? The reason was simple, there was no animosity between him and Tao Qiao. This was their first meeting.
There was no reason for Tao Qiao to be rude unless Sister Meimei complained about him a lot to her boyfriend. Tao Qiao indeed did tell him that Sister Meimei talked about him a lot.
'But why?' Shen asked that to himself. Did he annoy Sister Meimei? Did I do something wrong to her? He was more concerned about this than being called a cripple. He did not care about that since that was the truth.
However, he cherished the relationship between him and her. He regarded them as his own family. He thought everything was going well, until now…
Shen was trying to figure out what happened during the dinner. Despite the awkward atmosphere earlier, Tao Qiao easily changed the atmosphere again as he began talking about his business with Uncle Wen and Auntie Jun.
'Was it because Auntie Jun and Uncle Wen put more attention on me than her in the past?' Shen was randomly guessing the cause. He could not think of other things aside from this.
Having a parent to give attention to you was a privilege, 'Maybe I took that privilege from her so she complained a lot about me? Now her boyfriend speaks for her?'
Especially after the accident where he lost his ability to run. Uncle Wen and Auntie Jun often visited him at the hospital. They cared a lot about him even after he was discharged from the hospital.
'Does that mean that her caring for me is also fake?' He tried to remember the past where Sister Meimei often came to his apartment. Helping him to cook dinner, buying him favorite noodles and ramen.
Shen was confused, he did not know which one was the real and the fake one.
"... Shen? Shen!?" Someone called him, he looked up. Tao Qiao was the one who called him, "Yes?"
"I heard you are a high school graduate… Wait, I remember you did not finish your high school as well…" Tao Qiao looked unsure. At least, that was what Meimei's boyfriend showed on his face.
"Yes, I did not finish my school," Shen admitted plainly. That was also a fact, he dropped out after the accident.
"And now you play a game? Nowadays, people play the game seriously. You have to join a studio if you really want to earn money from the game. You can't earn money if you play the game alone. Especially the new game, Tribe Online. The game is more complicated than a game you play for fun before," Tao Qiao spoke seriously as if an elder advising a younger generation.
"I know that," Shen nodded as he replied shortly. He tried to understand what Meimei's boyfriend tried to convey.
"Since you know that, you should think about your future seriously, Yang," Tao Qiao truly acted as an elder to him. It was as if he never called him a cripple just now, "What about working for my company instead and selling your gaming pod? At least you can earn a fixed salary instead of relying on the game. Of course, since you don't have the qualifications for the other jobs, you can start as a cleaning service first. We can talk about the promotion later after you start to work. The company can provide the money for you to get further education as well."
If it was another person who did not have money and was homeless, they would take the offer immediately. But not Shen for sure, his dream never wavered. It was silly but it was the desire to fulfill his mother's last wish. That desire was so much stronger than the other desire he had. On top of that, he would not be starved for years even if he did not have a fixed income for years. Shen was about to decline the offer, but Tao Qiao spoke first.
"As for your gaming pod, I can actually buy it from you even with a higher price. I can buy your gaming pod for seven hundred thousand. My nephew is begging my brother to buy it, but since it runs out of stock, we can't buy it for him," Tao Qiao smiled at Shen.
For some reason, Shen could tell that broad smile was fake. He had seen that before. The police and also a lawyer came for him after the accident. They had the same smile as this Tao Qiao.
Shen looked toward Sister Meimei, the latter looked at him as well. Then Shen looked toward Auntie Jun and Uncle Wen. Everyone was looking at him except for Shuren. The guy was busy devouring his food.
Taking a deep breath, Shen looked back at Tao Qiao, "Thank you for your kindness and offer, Brother Tao. However, I have to decline your offer. I am grateful to you, really."
Shen bowed his head slightly and stood up. He bowed his head to Uncle Wen and Auntie Jun, "Uncle Wen and Auntie Jun, thank you for inviting me to dinner as well. I am full, and I have to go now. Thank you for the dinner."
Auntie Jun opened her mouth. She wanted to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. Shen only touched the rice on the bowl just a little, like two or three spoons. Clearly, he was still far from full. But she did not want him to stay either after what happened just now. Uncle Wen nodded at him.
Without looking at Sister Meimei, Shen turned around and walked toward the exit. He could hear Tao Qiao say something. The stranger was talking about him.
"Youngsters on this day can never appreciate a chance given to them…"
"I am full!" Shuren could not bear it anymore as he stood up, "Mom, Dad, I am going out for a walk," after saying that he chased after Shen.
Outside, Shen put his hand into the pocket. It was autumn, winter was about to come so it was pretty cold outside.
"Brother Shen!" Shuren called him out.
Shen turned around and was surprised to see this younger brother, "What are you doing?"
"Let's go to the new malatang stall you talked about. It's my treat!" Shuren tapped his chest, "I don't accept refusal. You have come with me!" Shuren pulled Shen toward the malatang stall.