22. Love turns to hate

When Xiao Cheng sent Xu Wenqiang to the entrance of the farmers' market, he happened to meet Su Xiaoshan walking out of the market.

Xu Wenqiang got off the bicycle and said to Su Xiaoshan, "Do you want to go home?"

Su Xiaoshan nodded and said to Xu Wenqiang, "Your mother has closed the stall, come back with me."

"Well, okay." Xu Wenqiang said.

Su Xiaoshan looked at Xiao Cheng again: "Squad leader, how was the game?"

"It's very exciting and unique." Xiao Cheng said with a smile.

"Just enjoy watching it."

"Thank you for telling me."

"The monitor is too polite. We are all classmates, and we should look after each other."

"That makes sense."

Xu Wenqiang yawned as she listened to their nonsense.

Xiao Cheng and Su Xiaoshan both looked at her, and Xu Wenqiang said, "It's okay, you guys continue." After that, she wanted to yawn again, so she turned her head and covered her mouth with her hands.

Seeing this, Xiao Cheng smiled and said, "It's getting late today, let's go home first."

"The squad leader is right," said Su Xiaoshan.

The three of them then said goodbye. Xiao Cheng rode away on his bike, while Xu Wenqiang and Su Xiaoshan walked forward side by side.

After walking in silence for a while, Xu Wenqiang asked, "Su Xiaoshan, did you tell Xiao Cheng about the mess between Chen Yang and me?"

"He said a little bit," Su Xiaoshan said, "otherwise he wouldn't agree to go to the basketball court."

Xu Wenqiang guessed it and continued to ask, "So what did you say to him about 'how much'?"

"I told him that Chen Yang had been secretly in love with you for many years, but his confession failed. He became angry and embarrassed, and his love for you turned into hate," said Su Xiaoshan.

Xu Wenqiang twisted her foot and asked, "Does he believe it?"

"He believed it a little bit," Su Xiaoshan said, "otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the basketball court."

"He won't believe it." Xu Wenqiang imagined the sarcastic smile on Xiao Cheng's face and said to Su Xiaoshan, "He will treat this as a joke."

"Will it?" Su Xiaoshan didn't care. "Even if it's a joke, it's a real joke. After all, Chen Yang did write you a love letter back then, and you tore it up in front of him. It's hard to say that his current behavior has nothing to do with the joke."

When talking about the past, Xu Wenqiang was speechless.

That was when they were just starting junior high. Chen Yang wrote a love letter and placed it in front of Xu Wenqiang in front of the entire class. Xu Wenqiang was still shy at the time, and under the urging of the class, she tore up the pink love letter and threw it into the trash can.

Chen Yang overturned Xu Wenqiang's desk at that time.

After that, the two never looked each other in the eye again. Later, Chen Yang's mother suddenly passed away, and the two became enemies.

Xu Wenqiang and Su Xiaoshan were silent all the way. As they were almost home, Xu Wenqiang stopped and said, "Su Xiaoshan, if I hadn't torn up Chen Yang's love letter, do you think he would feel better now?"

"No." Su Xiaoshan looked at Xu Wenqiang and answered firmly, "Even if you read his love letter, you would still reject him, and the result would be the same."

"But..." Xu Wenqiang kicked a small stone under her feet, "If we hadn't had a falling out before Chen Yang's mother died..."

"Xu Wenqiang, don't look back." Su Xiaoshan's voice became stern. "You know you can only look forward."

Xu Wenqiang paused and said, "That's true."

After saying that, she kicked the stone under her feet and said, "I have to get up early tomorrow."

When Xiao Cheng arrived at his grandparents' house with a bag of fish and shrimp, the dumplings had already been made.

His mother, Cui Ying, complained: "Why are you so late? Xiao Yi was here a long time ago. He was playing chess with grandpa and helping grandma make dumplings."

"Why did you buy fish and shrimp again? Didn't we agree to buy prepared food? If we keep buying fish and shrimp, grandpa and grandma will think we're not paying attention."

Xiao Cheng ate fruit and listened to Cui Ying's complaints.

Because Xiao Cheng's uncle Xiao Shifeng is a judge, and Xiao Cheng's father Xiao Shilei is a businessman, there are always more topics to talk about with his uncle at the old man's place. And because Xiao Yi is a genius, no matter how outstanding Xiao Cheng is, he is not as valued as Xiao Yi.

Cui Ying thought it was the old man favoring his eldest son's family. Unconvinced, she secretly competed with him in everything.

When Cui Ying had almost finished venting her anger, Xiao Cheng said, "Mom, tonight's dumplings are stuffed with Spanish mackerel."

"It's because your grandfather likes it." Cui Ying said with disgust, "I don't know what's so good about that fishy smell."

"Mom, we got the Spanish mackerel for the dumpling filling." Xiao Cheng said with a smile, "So tonight's meal can be said to be a treat for the whole family."

Cui Ying perked up again after hearing this: "Xiao Cheng, you're right. I'll go to the kitchen and take a look."

After consoling Cui Ying, Xiao Cheng surveyed the furnishings in his grandparents' home: the TV, air conditioner, sofa, dining table...all replaced with Xiao Shilei's money in recent years. Then he looked into the living room. Grandpa and his uncle were chatting, while his father, Xiao Shilei, was on his phone, constantly talking about money. When his grandfather occasionally glanced at Xiao Shilei, dissatisfaction crossed his face.

"Businessmen value profit over separation!" Cui Ying said that Xiao Shilei's grandfather said this when he decided to go into business.

Xiao Cheng suddenly recalled the mercenary smile on Xu Wenqiang's beautiful face in that dim and decaying farmers' market. He snorted softly. "So what if she's obsessed with profit?" It was much more pleasing to the eye than the concealed smiles on the faces before him.

Thinking of Chen Yang's "love-turned-hate" relationship with Xu Wenqiang, Xiao Cheng laughed out loud. It seemed like writing a novel wasn't that difficult. Hadn't he and Su Xiaoshan both written one?

"Xiao Cheng, why are you smiling so happily?" Xiao Yi walked over.

Xiao Cheng looked at Xiao Yi's new look and smiled even more happily: "Brother, you look so handsome today, like Aaron Kwok!"

"Really?" Xiao Yi lifted his bangs, "I think it was quite successful too."

Before the first class on Monday, Fu Dongqing came into the classroom and officially announced that Xu Wenqiang would be the math class representative. After Fu Dongqing left, the classroom was filled with whispers and murmurs.

Xiao Cheng stood up and said, "Class will start soon. Please keep quiet."

The classroom finally became quiet.

After Xiao Cheng sat down, Gao Zhe muttered, "She stole your class representative position, and you're still helping her?"

"Xu Wenqiang was appointed as the math class representative by the head teacher and the math teacher. She didn't snatch it away from him," said Xiao Cheng.

Gao Zhe was unconvinced: "Then she should have the self-awareness to refuse it herself."

Xiao Cheng glanced at Gao Zhe and asked casually, "If it were you, would you refuse?"

"I, I—" Gao Zhe stuttered a few times, "If you want to snatch it from me, I will definitely refuse."

Xiao Cheng smiled and said, "We're buddies. You can refuse. But Xu Wenqiang and I aren't buddies. Why would she refuse?"

Gao Zhe was really speechless now.

Just as the class bell rang, Wang Rui walked in refreshed.

Xiao Cheng patted Gao Zhe and said, "Now that this is over, focus on your studies."

"You are so kind." Gao Zhe was still muttering.

Xiao Cheng curled his lips and pretended not to hear.