Extra: Lao Li helps take care of the children
Li Qiumo stood in the study, his eyes filled with many emotions, including love, envy, reluctance and attachment.
In front of him was a painting, a work that had never been published.
The person in the painting is smiling, and his phoenix eyes are extremely lively.
That was Zhong Miao, and it was what she looked like when she was a freshman in college. She was also looking at him in the painting.
He didn't know how long he stood there, just like that, one man and one painting, their eyes met, and it seemed as if there were mountains and seas between them, as if they had crossed time and space.
He raised his hand and gently stroked the cheek of the person in the painting, sighing softly.
Yes, he likes Zhong Miao, or rather, he loves her.
That's how fate works. When he first met Zhong Miao, she was already married.
He met her half a year later than Pei Ze. Life is unpredictable, and it's too late.
When he first realized this feeling, he felt a little unwilling.
But Pei Ze always has a way to hit him. Alas, he can't beat him. He can't beat Pei Ze.
He is thirteen years older than Zhong Miao, but not as young as Pei Ze. He met her too late and is not as lucky as Pei Ze. Zhong Miao loves Pei Ze, not him.
Now, so many years have passed and they are living a happy life. He is envious, but also happy and blessed.
He hid his feelings deeply, but he could hide it from Zhong Miao but not from Pei Ze. Presumably, Pei Ze had known about it a long time ago.
The boy didn't tell him the truth, probably because he thought he wouldn't ruin their relationship.
He also has his own pride and will not do anything immoral, let alone make Zhong Miao sad.
It is enough to be her mentor and friend.
The phone rang, Li Qiumo moved and answered it.
"Lao Li, are you busy today?"
A crisp voice came from the other end of the phone.
"not busy."
"Then can you help me look after An An and my sister for a while, just for the afternoon, and we can have dinner together tonight?"
"Okay, bring it over. I'm at home."
"Okay, see you later."
Zhong Miao finally solved the problem and breathed a sigh of relief.
It's winter vacation recently, and my mother-in-law went back to the village to stay for a few days. Her father and his family are still as busy as usual. Zhong Ming and Zhou Yunshan seem to be competing with each other to see who makes more money, and they have no time to spare. Tongtong is going to take the college entrance examination next semester, and she wishes she could spend the vacation in a cram school.
Li Qiumo's home is in the apartment building behind Qingmei. He bought this house simply to make it easier to go to work.
After hanging up the phone, Li Qiumo drew the curtain, covering the painting.
Soon, Zhong Miao brought both children over. He saw Pei Ze waving to him downstairs from upstairs.
He resigned himself to opening the door. This couple had never been polite to him before.
"Hello, uncle." Yueyue greeted first.
"Hello, Uncle Li." This is An An.
Why doesn’t An An call him Uncle Li anymore?
Ever since An An grew up, every time he saw Li Qiumo, he would think of the misunderstanding in the bathhouse. No wonder his father was angry. An An was embarrassed and never called him uncle again. The name Uncle Li came into being.
"Well, come in."
"I'm not going in. Don't spoil them too much. I'm leaving now. Thank you so much, Master, for saving my life. I'll bring some food over tonight."
"Okay, be careful."
"Yeah, bye."
Li Qiumo brought soda and snacks to the two children and turned on the TV for them to watch.
An An watched the cartoon being replayed on TV and said, "Uncle Li, you are so childish. This cartoon is okay for Yueyue to watch, but I don't like it."
"So what do you want to see?"
"I usually watch TV series with my mom. The latest one is 'Falling in Love with a Secretary'."
Li Qiumo almost spit out a mouthful of soda, "What? You're only twelve years old, and you're about to take the high school entrance exam, and your mom still lets you watch this?"
"Yeah, it's pretty good. My mom said it's the story of a domineering CEO falling in love with a poor, naive, and innocent girl. I asked her what a poor, naive, and she told me to watch it myself. It's on Channel XX and it's being replayed right now."
In the mid-1990s, TV dramas suddenly began to feature some of Taiwan’s early idol dramas.
"Can you see, where's Yueyue?"
"Yueyue also watches a lot at home, but she doesn't like it. She falls asleep after watching for a while."
As luck would have it, the cartoon had already ended, and Li Qiumo followed his command to change the channel.
In fact, he was also curious about what "silly and sweet" meant. Zhong Miao's train of thought always gave people surprises.
Half an hour later, Yueyue fell asleep on the sofa, covered with a small blanket.
An An and Li Qiumo stared at the TV without blinking. An An occasionally asked a question, "Uncle Li, do you think this is a real domineering CEO?"
"What do you mean, this can be fake?"
"My mom said that a true domineering president is like my dad and my grandpa. He's domineering but not revealing. He can defeat his enemies with one move, pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger, but he's definitely not mean. This guy in the drama is smiling on the surface, but he's a piece of shit in his heart. He only offends people and doesn't even have a plan for his escape. In my mom's eyes, he's already lost his temper and is not a true domineering president."
"It's just a TV show, don't take it seriously, An An, does your mother usually not care if you swear?"
What the hell is going on? Zhong Miao is raising the child like this, doesn’t Pei Ze care, doesn’t her mother-in-law care?
"Of course, but my mom said that proper rants can help you let go of your pent-up emotions. If you rant, it won't get stuck inside and turn into a disease. But you can't swear. I don't usually swear, just like my mom."
Li Qiumo didn't dare to ask and watched TV quietly. An An's complaints could be heard from time to time.
"Oh, Uncle Li, my mom's guess turned out to be correct. It's really a story of you loving me, me loving him, him loving her, and her loving you."
Li Qiumo was speechless. This was such a bloody mess. Where was his moral integrity? Should he lower his head and look for it? Well, this drama was quite addictive. Li Qiumo and An An were cracking melon seeds together, occasionally joining in the fun.
"This guy is so embarrassing. He's still a domineering CEO. What domineering CEO would bang his head against the wall? In your mother's words, his character is ruined. He's not even as good as your father."
"Yeah, Uncle Li, watching dramas is entertainment. If you want to compare, no one can compare to my dad."
"An An, don't look for a partner like this in the future. I think I know what a silly and sweet girl is."
Li Qiumo felt very embarrassed watching this, but the more embarrassed he was, the more excited he became. He stared at the TV and was reluctant to take his eyes off it.
"Yeah, Uncle Li, don't worry, I will never find someone like this in the future. Sometimes the kettle spills, sometimes the glass breaks. I'm not a cleaner, so I can't find someone who doesn't care about hygiene."
Li Qiumo just felt that this child was poisoned by Zhong Miao, and spoke just like his mother, with a set of rules.
He is already forty years old. Is it really okay for him to bear this kind of shock? He feels a little sorry for Pei Ze. Won’t he have a heart attack if he stays with this mother and son every day?
How could he know that An An was just like Zhong Miao, who would judge people by their appearance and only say whatever he wanted to them. When talking about random things, it wasn't really an indiscriminate attack.
After all, in the eyes of teachers and classmates, An An is a good student with no faults.
The TV series was over, and after watching the commercials, An An and Li Qiumo still felt a little unsatisfied.
They didn't feel lost for long before Zhong Miao and Pei Ze came back with a lot of food.
After a lively dinner, Pei Ze took the children, and Li Qiumo took Zhong Miao to his study to look at paintings.
Li Qiumo closed the door. Zhong Miao was puzzled. Why was he acting like a thief just looking at the painting?
"Zhong Miao, look, this is what I bought when I went to an art exhibition in the capital a few days ago. What do you think of it?"
Li Qiumo pointed to a small painting on the wall.
"What a great painting! This person is really interesting. If you have a chance, please introduce him to me."
"Haha, what else is there to say? It's a must. There aren't many people this interesting."
Li Qiumo smiled, then turned serious again, "Zhong Miao, my family has arranged another kiss recently, and I want to go. What do you think, should I go?"
"Hey, you're asking me this. For your parents, not getting married and having children is bad, but for you, marrying just anyone is not only irresponsible to others, but also adds trouble to yourself."
"Yes, yes, that's what I thought."
"I just met Pei Ze. Otherwise, I might still be single. Lao Li, you should relax a little and make friends appropriately. Who knows, you might meet someone you like."
"But what I like doesn't like me."
Li Qiumo felt a little lonely.
"There are many kinds of love. There's the love between lovers, the love between friends, and even the love you feel for someone you meet for no apparent reason. If your life doesn't lead to anything, don't just hang yourself on a tree. How unfair would that be to yourself?"
Li Qiumo was surprised, "You know everything?"
"Well, after all these years, you've been hiding it quite well. I only guessed it recently. Lao Li, please don't really hang yourself on this crooked tree of mine. That would be so worthless."
"Ah, you little bastard, I get it. I will study hard and try to find you a mistress."
Li Qiumo relaxed. Zhong Miao was right. He should fulfill the relationship between master and disciple. There was no point in overthinking it. He should just adjust himself slowly.
"Uh-huh."
The two have been friends for many years, so they understand each other without having to say too much.
When they got home, Zhong Miao was still lost in thought. Pei Ze was puzzled. "Wife, why are you unhappy?"
"I just feel sorry for my mentor. His love life is so bumpy and it's hard to find a soulmate."
"You noticed that too?"
"You knew it a long time ago, why didn't you say it?" Zhong Miao didn't understand. Wasn't he the most jealous person? How could he tolerate Li Qiumo being by her side for so many years?
"What's the point of saying it? If I tell you, he's no longer your colleague or your teacher. If he really wants to do something, I absolutely cannot tolerate it. But he's only been your friend all these years."
"Well, my husband has made progress."
Zhong Miao hugged Pei Ze and nestled in his arms.
Li Qiumo looked at the painting. Zhong Miao in the painting was smiling, as if telling him that she hoped he would be well and happy.
Two years later, Li Qiumo finally found a like-minded partner, the female painter he met in the capital.
The past is always his regret, but regret is also a kind of beauty.
Zhong Miao called Chen Dongdong "Master's Wife" over and over again, which made her blush. She never thought that she would still have a chance to be single even though she was already in her thirties.
She knew everything about Li Qiumo's admiration for Zhong Miao. Li Qiumo did not hide it and even showed her the portrait he had drawn of Zhong Miao.
She was a little scared at first, but when she really saw the perfect couple, she felt a little sorry for Li Qiumo. She had been secretly in love with him for many years without any result. He had the same unsuccessful love life as her. They were both wanderers in the world, and neither of them could compete.
Li Qiumo and Chen Dongdong got married and lived a harmonious and happy life. Neither of them touched the secret place in the other's heart, and they gave each other enough time.
After being together for a few years, they realized that their union was fate and the only chance in this life to open their hearts to each other.
Li Qiumo and his wife are best friends with Zhong Miao and Pei Ze. When the four of them get together, they are open and unrestrained. Zhong Miao, Chen Dongdong and Li Hongmei often get together and talk about private matters between women.
Li Qiumo did not get married and divorced as Zhong Miao had known in her previous life. Instead, he had a child in his old age, and the couple lived in harmony and love. His work was sold for more than 200 million yuan. Both of them were painters, and their net worth skyrocketed.
Life has its ups and downs for decades, but it is enough to have a lover to support you, children to accompany you, and a few close friends.
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