forgive
"Oh, this flour should be added last, right?"
Zheng Cheng didn't stop talking until Hu Hanyu's chicken wings were almost out of the pot.
"It's water starch, not flour." Hu Hanyu corrected him while pouring the water starch evenly into the pot.
"Why do you add white to the red pot? Are you afraid that the color will be too dark?" Zheng Cheng asked.
"Pfft... you should know about thickening, right?" Hu Hanyu answered patiently.
"Oh, I know this. It's to increase the viscosity of the soup so that it can stick better to the ingredients." Zheng Cheng understood now.
"So that's how you thicken starch. I thought you had to use a hook. When writing a novel, you have to leave a hook at the end."
The emerald green chopped green onions embellish the caramel-colored, shiny surface of the chicken wings, making them particularly tempting under the warm light of the restaurant.
There was also a plate of peanuts, taro with scallion oil, and tomato and egg soup on the table, all simple home-cooked dishes.
But the black and gold glazed plates, the sets of black and gold bowls, spoons, and saucers, and the lace crocheted table mat under the table, neatly placed on the table, gave this ordinary dinner the illusion of being worth celebrating.
"Would you like some drinks?" Hanyu asked him. "Coke, beer, or Orange Juice."
"Pulpy Orange." Zheng Cheng didn't hesitate.
Hanyu opened the refrigerator and took out two glasses, tucked a can of beer under his arm, and used his free hand to hold his Orange Juice.
It seems he is not the only one who has this delusion.
If both people feel this way, it can no longer be called an illusion.
It is truly worth celebrating.
"What are you toasting?" Zheng Cheng was stunned for a moment while holding up the cup.
"Cheers...to taking a step further?" Hu Hanyu also raised his beer.
"I knew you were thinking this!" Zheng Cheng smiled, "No, change another one."
"Then let's respect your rebirth." Hanyu also smiled, "It can be considered a rebirth."
Respect life.
The glasses clinked in the air, making a crisp sound.
Through Zhou Min, Hu Hanyu first had a video call with Dr. Yin Nai.
"Actually, I wish I could talk to you in person." Dr. Yin observed with concern from the other end of the video. "But maybe this will make you feel safer right now?"
"Yes, Hanyu, stay with me." Zheng Cheng glanced at Hanyu outside the screen, curled the corners of his mouth, and held his hand tightly.
"Well, that's great." Doctor Yin smiled and nodded. "When you're ready, we'll get started."
Zheng Cheng remembered the moment that really scared him.
After he woke up in the hospital, he heard the servants who were accompanying him secretly discussing that Zheng Yuan had decided to completely give up the Japanese region.
"The servants all say that the third young master of the Zheng family is useless." Zheng Cheng's palms were wet with sweat.
It's useless.
Zheng Cheng couldn't understand at the time why such a result occurred even though he had persevered to the end.
He desperately wanted to escape and return to his originally planned life.
"I just remember myself running barefoot along the hospital corridor. I was caught by Lao Chen and begged him to let me go." Zheng Cheng's eyes were deep and he was barely breathing.
"You're desperate, aren't you?" Dr. Yin asked.
"Very desperate." Zheng Cheng smiled bitterly. "When the tranquilizer was injected, I really hoped that I could be reborn and return to the moment before I was caught and put in the car."
Just because he responded to the word "Young Master" at that time, he was kidnapped, imprisoned, and finally, lost everything that originally belonged to him.
"I caused the Zheng family to lose the entire Japanese region." Zheng Cheng's voice began to choke up. "It turns out that I have always wanted to correct this mistake."
Hanyu held him tightly in his arms.
Even though he knew it wasn't his fault, his life couldn't be turned back.
When the effect of the sedative wore off, Zheng Cheng became a puppet, unable to speak or move. As the servants said, he really became a disabled person.
"So even though you know that none of this was caused by you, you still haven't forgiven yourself." There was a hint of regret in Dr. Yin's tone.
Zheng Cheng was gradually melted by Zhang Ma's love, but his parents' distance and complete indulgence made him panic.
"Instead, I feel like they don't love me anymore. Because I'm no longer of any use to this family."
Before he was 12 years old, Zheng Cheng had learned how to exchange interests. For him, even love was a bargaining chip for exchanging interests.
He wishfully approached his former self to collect chips to be loved, thinking that everything would be fine after the case was closed.
The result disappointed him greatly: everyone thought that the matter had passed long ago, but he was the only one who was still living in the little heart of a 12-year-old who was praying for mercy. He became irritable, sensitive, and hated everything.
"I just feel like, why bother?" Zheng Cheng wiped the tears from his eyes. "What's past should be left in the past. The Japanese region? We don't need it anymore. I don't need it either."
As if he had finally walked out of a maze and stood on the top of a high tower, Zheng Cheng looked back and the way to the exit was clearly visible.
"It seems like you've let it go. You're really great," Dr. Yin said. "Do you still think everything is your fault?"
"Sometimes, I still do." Zheng Cheng glanced at Hanyu, "But now that I'm grown up, I can judge whether it's really my fault."
There is still a week left until Chen Min’s birthday.
"Cheng Cheng Cheng Cheng..." Zheng Sisi rushed from the room to the living room holding her cell phone.
"Chengcheng is back?" Zheng Miao stood up from the piano stool.
"No." Zheng Sisi slammed on the brakes and stopped in front of her elder sister. "He sent a private message to my little green book."
"Let me see." Zheng Miao took the phone. "Woof woof...who is that?"
Netizen Wangwanghuhu sent a private message to @actor Zheng Sisi.
He shared a video from the video account [Overcooked], in which a man in a black T-shirt was making braised chicken wings.
"Listen, listen to this chattering voice processed by the voice changer, is it Brother Chengcheng?" Zheng Sisi turned up the volume.
"It's a bit like that." Zheng Miao smiled in confusion. "What does this mean? It's like a secret code."
"Don't tell Dad, he just has a new account now. It doesn't show his face, but it's also very interesting." Zheng Sisi said, flipping back to the private message page, Wangwang wrote a short message:
[Don't look for me, see you on mom's birthday.]
"Telling us not to look for it?" Zheng Miao frowned, "How can this be..."
"Sis, if he says not to look for him, then don't look for him." Zheng Sisi pulled Zheng Miao's arm. "Just know that he's okay and that he'll come back. Isn't that enough? Just treat him as if he's going on a trip."
"You." Zheng Miao tapped Sisi's nose and smiled, "Chengcheng has been spoiled by you and Zhou Min."
Going on a trip is a really good excuse.
"Really cut it?"
Hanyu looked at Zheng Cheng in the mirror with a determined expression.
"Cut." Zheng Cheng nodded and smiled at the short-haired, dashing female hairstylist holding the scissors behind him. "Thank you for your help, Ajuan."
"Oh, you're welcome." Juan smiled and combed his hair, pinching it between her fingers. "We're all family."
Chu Tianyi's wife Ajuan was his classmate when he was studying abroad. Tianyi didn't make much of a name for himself in art, but Ajuan received a full scholarship for hairdressing. She saved enough money before giving birth to Mohawk and returned to China to open a hair salon.
"Cut it." Ajuan made the first cut, just below Zheng Cheng's neck.
A few strands of long hair fell to the ground, forming a circle, as if putting an end to the past.
"I'll leave some hair behind your neck. You're so delicate, it would look better if you keep it longer." The scissors in Ajuan's hand flew up and down, and she combed the hair and cut it neatly.
"Listen to the gold medal hairstylist." Zheng Cheng said, looking at the scattered hair on his shoulders.
To be reborn, one must look like one has been reborn.
When Tianyi heard that Hu Hanyu and Zheng Cheng had reconciled, he went to Hu Hanyu's house with a cake that day.
"Friend Zheng, are you okay?" Tian began to complain as soon as he entered the room. "You have no idea how excessive this person is. I saw you cancel your account and was worried, but he didn't say a word."
"Thank you for your concern. Everything has been handled." Zheng Cheng replied with a smile.
Tianyi patted his chest and told Zheng Cheng to come to him if he had any difficulties. He really couldn't refuse. Zheng Cheng pinched the hair on the back of his head and said, "I want to cut my hair. Can you help me?"
"That's perfect, Ajuan is the hairstylist!" Tianyi took out his phone and made arrangements for him.
As the scissors clicked, Zheng Cheng felt that the injustice and resentment that had been suppressed in his heart for many years were gradually released along with the falling hair.
Letting go is not retreating, it is forgiveness.
Forgive your parents...oh, no.
Is to forgive yourself.
"Okay." Ajuan turned off the hair dryer and fiddled with Zheng Cheng's bangs. "See if you like it?"
Zheng Cheng in the mirror no longer has the androgynous temperament he had when he had long hair. His refreshing bangs and exposed neck make him look more youthful.
Not yet used to it, Zheng Cheng looked at Hu Hanyu beside him for help.
"I feel several years younger." Hanyu smiled lightly and rubbed his head unceremoniously. "It feels like a small animal too."
As they walked out of Ajuan's studio, Hanyu put his arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.
"I was shocked. You look exactly the same as when you were a child." He said, "If you had come to the relic with this hairstyle from the beginning, I would have recognized you immediately."
Zheng Cheng habitually wanted to tidy up his hair, but he felt nothing on his shoulders and could only scratch the back of his head.
So relaxing. He shook his head. This lightness didn't require much getting used to.
He unexpectedly discovered that he had a strong ability to adapt. Washing clothes, hanging clothes, vacuuming, washing dishes... the housework that he used to think was annoying just looked easy, were actually not difficult to do, and he even felt a sense of accomplishment.
"Hanyu, I think I understand why you always like to stay in the kitchen." Zheng Cheng imitated Hanyu and wiped the water stains in the iron pot with a dry cloth. "I feel very at ease when I concentrate on doing these things."
"Yeah, if I have something to do, I won't feel anxious." Hanyu put the dishes away behind him, bumping into him intentionally or unintentionally, "Especially when I'm doing something I'm good at, and also, with someone I like."
Zheng Cheng put the pot back on the shelf and looked around.
"How long have I lived in your house?" Zheng Cheng suddenly asked.
"About two weeks." Hu Hanyi answered after looking at the calendar on the wall.
"Only two weeks?"
He had only lived here for two short weeks, but he felt that the memories in this small room were so full that it felt like he had lived here for many years.
He went to see Hu Hanyu, and the two of them did housework together every day and chatted, as if they could live like this forever.
Hanyu looked up tacitly and took Zheng Cheng into his eyes which were always full of affection.
Without saying a word, they moved closer to each other, tilted their heads, and captured each other's lips.
The four lips wrapped around each other gently, then separated slightly, kneaded and rubbed, and the tip of the tongue led the blending of breath. There was no initial stumbling, less burning and anxiety, and it became familiar, solid, and very soothing.
"Hanyu." Zheng Cheng held his face, pressed his forehead against Hanyu's, and asked him softly, "I want to ask you something."
"Go ahead." Hanyu replied softly.
"If," Zheng Cheng crossed his fingers behind his head and wrapped them tightly, "if I want to go back to school, would you be willing to go with me?"
"America?" A country that was very unfamiliar to Hu Hanyu.
"Well," Zheng Cheng lowered his eyelashes, "If you didn't have to worry about accommodation and visas, would you be willing?"
Hanyu's breath beat against his lips, and Zheng Cheng could hear his own heartbeat.
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