Chapter 98
"That laughter reminded me of my flowers, quietly blooming for me in every corner of my life..."
Perhaps it was the vibrant energy of spring that touched Sun Pengfei, or perhaps it was the profound influence of Pu Shu on his generation, that made Pu Shu's "Those Flowers" echo in his mind again. Then, for some reason, he thought of the past, of Huang Ruoyu, her voice, her smile, her dance steps in Starry, her sparkling gold dress... But Sun Pengfei could do nothing about these memories. He could only run around the backyard, crying silently, just like when he was a child and could only hide under the covers and cry secretly because he wanted to escape his mother's controlling nature.
However, Sun Pengfei soon discovered that being able to cry so freely actually made him feel lighter and happier. So he didn't immediately stop his tears from flowing. But after crying for a while, Sun Pengfei felt that his sobs sounded a bit affected, and his trembling from the pain seemed a bit superfluous, so he felt embarrassed and ashamed. So he bent down, carefully placed the empty glass on the ground in the backyard, and then took out a tissue from his pocket to blow his nose—as a man who had been raised with strict discipline, Sun Pengfei's manners were always impeccable: he always handled things gently and always carried tissues or even a handkerchief.
Sun Pengfei, the "good boy," understood that true crying is about releasing emotions before it becomes a performance; and true sorrow is about releasing them while still being genuine. Therefore, while feeling ashamed, Sun Pengfei also felt a sliver of relief, because his current pain was still pain itself, unmixed with anything else, and thus still had meaning. However, he also deeply knew that anything could easily become distorted. For example, like his mother, who spent her life exaggerating the power of sorrow to mask her controlling nature; or like Chengshi, who pretended to be strong to conceal her crying and emotions; or like Su Ningna, who went around telling Chengshi and Huang Ruoyu's story with a sorrowful, melancholic smile to satisfy her vanity, and who even told others that Chengshi was a brave person!
When Sun Pengfei returned to the living room and brought the drink to "Pipilu's Pi and Luxixi's Lu", Su Ningna was still chattering away, shamelessly making up every single word.
However, it was clear that Suningna's story was nearing its end, as she had placed her palms up on her crossed knees and said, "I think this has brought us closer, I'm talking about me and my Pengfei. What do you think, darling?"
Upon hearing this, "Pipilu's Pipi and Luxixi's Lu" turned to look at Sun Pengfei, as if silently urging him to give them an answer: Yes? No?
The answer is, of course, only one: "Yes, that's right. This has brought us closer."
What Sun Pengfei found laughable was that this "standard answer" was actually what he truly felt. So, under the light, he examined the "intimate" woman, Su Ningna, in front of him: short, fat, slovenly, stupid... Sun Pengfei could only think of such adjectives, but he knew that these words were all apt and true; he had not exaggerated any facts.
Of course it's true, because this woman is still fucking alive! Sun Pengfei thought that if he walked up behind Su Ningna right now and gently stroked the back of her neck, she would definitely close her eyes and smile. She definitely would.
So Sun Pengfei could already picture what would happen next: after "Pipilu's Pi and Luxixi's Lu" left—those two annoying guys had better pack their things and get out of here right now—after "Pipilu's Pi and Luxixi's Lu" were gone, Su Ningna would definitely be frantically running around in the kitchen, routinely rinsing the cups the guests had used, while nagging him, "That couple is really nice. Our Muge loves watching their videos. He says all high school students like watching them these days. I like them too. What about you?" Then, without waiting for his reply, she would go to bed. The next morning, she would come downstairs in her tattered pink pajamas stained with vegetable soup, milk, and the smell of her bedding, just as unkempt as she was on the grasslands. And then life would continue.
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