When Liu Zhengfei realized that Chen Qianqing truly hated him, he felt an unprecedented sense of despair.
He let go of Chen Qianqing and went straight to the bathroom, seemingly to brush his teeth.
With his legs broken, Chen Qianqing found it difficult to move. Seeing that Liu Zhengfei hadn't come out for a long time, he struggled to sit up.
Liu Zhengfei spent a long time in the bathroom. When he came out, his expression had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened to make him feel so defeated.
Liu Zhengfei was five years older than Chen Qianqing, and at the age of twenty-five, he still had a long way to go before becoming a mature man. At this moment, he could lose his temper and lose control. However, in another five years, even Liu Zhengfei himself wouldn't know what he would think.
Without uttering a word, Liu Zhengfei carried Chen Qianqing downstairs and coincidentally ran into Liu Huamei, who was returning from grocery shopping.
"Qianqing, what are you doing?" Liu Huamei asked in confusion when she saw Liu Zhengfei carrying Chen Qianqing down from upstairs.
"Qianqing wanted to play the piano just now," Liu Zhengfei said. "I carried him up."
"With his legs broken, what piano can he play?" Liu Huamei, holding fresh vegetables in her hands, clearly just returned from outside. She said, "If there are any more issues, I won't come to take care of you."
Chen Qianqing responded with a grunt.
After Liu Huamei spoke, she went into the kitchen, apparently going to cook.
Liu Zhengfei and Chen Qianqing sat together on the couch. Liu Zhengfei kept his head down, playing with his phone, while Chen Qianqing watched a boring TV program.
Liu Zhengfei said, "Don't go home for National Day." - It was not a question but a statement. He never liked discussing things with Chen Qianqing because most of the time, their opinions clashed.
Chen Qianqing didn't really want to go home. He was worried that Liu Huamei and her husband would notice something unusual about him. But he also didn't want to spend National Day with Liu Zhengfei.
Neither of the two options were what Chen Qianqing wanted. The former was slightly better than the latter, but unfortunately, Chen Qianqing had no power to make choices. So, he chose to remain silent.
Liu Zhengfei was puzzled why Chen Qianqing wasn't speaking. Since Chen Qianqing woke up, he had become much quieter. Instead of protesting strongly when he should, he remained silent and resisted passively, as if he had completely understood his own situation and lost interest in resisting.
The reason why Liu Zhengfei and Chen Qianqing had such intense conflicts in the past was that Chen Qianqing refused to compromise on anything. If it were the original owner facing Liu Zhengfei's request, they would probably have a big argument.
But now, Chen Qianqing wouldn't argue with Liu Zhengfei. He looked at the person sitting next to him with a face full of hostility, suddenly felt like sighing. The way he used to handle Chen Qianqing back then turned out to be so immature when facing him.
"What do you want to say?" Liu Huamei came out of the kitchen at that moment. Liu Zhengfei couldn't shout too loudly, so he said, "Chen Qianqing, are you unhappy again?"
It was pointless to ask a question when he already knew the answer. Chen Qianqing didn't want to speak, but seeing Liu Zhengfei's persistent attitude, he said, "If I'm unhappy, would you let me go for National Day?"
"No," Liu Zhengfei said.
"Then that's it," Chen Qianqing said. "What else do you want me to say?"
In the past, Chen Qianqing was bristling with thorns, and Liu Zhengfei would pluck them out one by one. Seeing his helpless appearance would give Liu Zhengfei satisfaction. But now, Chen Qianqing was like a ball, and Liu Zhengfei didn't know where to start. He could only kick him away to temporarily ease his mood - and that was exactly what Chen Qianqing didn't want.
"Xiaolu," just as the tension between the two was high, Liu Huamei walked out of the kitchen and asked, "Do you have any food you don't eat? Like coriander?"
Seeing Liu Huamei approaching, Liu Zhengfei no longer forced Chen Qianqing, instead revealing a smile. "Auntie, I eat everything."
"What do you eat? I didn't know you eat everything." Chen Qianqing couldn't help but laugh after hearing Lu Zhengfei's words. Lu Zhengfei doesn't eat cilantro, celery, onions, garlic, or anything that even touches them. Not to mention chunyazha and other strong-flavored foods.
"Don't be polite." Liu Huamei smiled and said, "I know what you don't eat, so I won't bother...Qianqing has never been picky since he was young. He can pick up half of the meat that falls on the table with chopsticks."
Lu Zhengfei's face finally showed a smile after hearing this. He glanced at Chen Qianqing and said, "Aunt, I really don't have any specific preferences." In fact, there are too many things he doesn't eat, but saying that would make him appear affected.
Thinking that Chen Qianqing and Xiaolu are so close, Liu Huamei turned to her son and asked, "Qianqing, you should know what he doesn't eat, right?"
Chen Qianqing said, "He doesn't eat a lot of things. I can't possibly remember all of them."
Lu Zhengfei instantly stopped smiling.
Liu Huamei scolded, "How can you speak like that? Xiaolu has helped us so much, and you don't even know what he doesn't eat. Your dad will scold you when you go back during the National Day."
Chen Qianqing's mom really was helping him out. Upon hearing this, Chen Qianqing immediately said, "Mom, I won't be going back during the National Day."
Liu Huamei was stunned. "Why not?" She thought her son would come back during the long National Day holiday, but he got into a car accident. Why isn't he coming back now?
"I have something to do," Chen Qianqing said.
"What is it?" Liu Huamei clearly wanted to find out. "Your dad hasn't seen you in half a year. Are you not planning to go back and see him? Aren't you afraid he won't recognize you?"
Chen Qianqing didn't speak. At this moment, his expression became just as unpleasant as Lu Zhengfei's.
Lu Zhengfei, of course, knew that Chen Qianqing deliberately took over Liu Huamei's words. He couldn't continue to insist on his previous decision in front of Liu Huamei, so he said, "Qianqing, you should go back during the National Day."
"Okay," Chen Qianqing said. Lu Zhengfei's reaction was within his expectations.
Liu Huamei really was helping out, but Chen Qianqing only realized afterwards that she was not just his helper, but also Lu Zhengfei's.
Because the next thing Liu Huamei said was, "Xiaolu, how are you going to spend the National Day? Qianqing's foot should be better by then. If you have time, you can come to C city and have Qianqing take you around."
Chen Qianqing's smile froze on his face, while Lu Zhengfei's expressionless face instantly displayed a radiant smile. It was as if his mood was exactly the same as when he agreed for Chen Qianqing to go back home.
Now, Chen Qianqing was the one with the expressionless face.
The moods of these two were like a balanced scale. When one side is elevated, the other side has to be low.
"Mom," Chen Qianqing said softly. "Xiaolu is a busy person. He won't have the time to come to C city..."
"You, how can you say such things?" Liu Huamei glared at Chen Qianqing.
"Aunt, I will go back with Qianqing then. I hope you won't mind," Lu Zhengfei wouldn't refuse Liu Huamei's suggestion. He didn't wait for Chen Qianqing to say anything else and said, "I haven't been to C city before."
Liu Huamei laughed when she heard this. "The citrus fruits there are the most famous...you must try them when you come."
Originally, Liu Huamei just wanted to ask Lu Zhengfei if there was anything he didn't eat, but somehow they ended up talking about local customs and traditions. Lu Zhengfei had been to many places and seen many things, so when he started talking about them, Liu Huamei was almost burned by the boiling pot.
It was only when Chen Qianqing reminded her that Liu Huamei went back into the kitchen. But in the end, she still didn't know what Lu Zhengfei didn't like to eat.
After Liu Huamei left, Lu Zhengfei said, "Qianqing, I'm really happy to go back home with you."
Chen Qianqing: "..." He's shameless. Promise me not to make such a pitiful expression with that face, okay?
Lu Zhengfei was obviously in a good mood. He had already forgotten the words he said earlier about not letting Chen Qianqing go back home. He only thought that he could go back home with Chen Qianqing to meet his parents.
This time, it was Chen Qianqing who had the expressionless face.
The two of them were like a set of scales, when one side rises, the other side falls.
"Mom," Chen Qianqing said quietly, "Mr. Lu is a busy person. He won't have the time to come to C city..."
"You, how can you say such things?" Liu Huamei glared at Chen Qianqing.
"Aunt, I will go back with Qianqing. I hope you won't mind," Lu Zhengfei wouldn't refuse Liu Huamei's suggestion. Before Chen Qianqing could say anything else, he said, "I haven't been to C city before."
Liu Huamei laughed. "The citrus fruits there are the most famous...you must try them when you come."
In the end, Liu Huamei still didn't know what Lu Zhengfei didn't like to eat.
The previous treatment of Lu Zhengfei by Chen Qianqing was not like this. At that time, Chen Qianqing had a broken leg, so how could he give Lu Zhengfei a good face? Even the place where Liu Huamei lived had changed, and Chen Qianqing's attitude also affected Liu Huamei. Although Liu Huamei didn't know what had happened, she knew that her son didn't like this friend, so she couldn't make the invitation she just made.
And during that National Day, Lu Zhengfei caught Chen Qianqing in the house and "punished" him for several days until Chen Qianqing begged for mercy with tears before finally letting him go.