Chapter 20 I Only Like You

I called twice before I got through, and the person on the other end of the line sounded a little nasty.

"Ning Changyue, are you deliberately not answering my call?"

Ning Changyue was still lying in Yin Jiu's arms. She didn't react at all and just called out in a faint voice, "Aunt."

"Your wings have grown hard. You really don't plan to go home, right?"

Ning Changyue fell silent. If someone else had asked him the same question, he would probably have said that it was not his home. But the person in front of him was his aunt, so he didn't know how to respond.

Thinking that he was unhappy, Yin Jiu patted his back gently to comfort him silently.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and then a middle-aged female voice with some fatigue said, "If you don't want to come back, then don't come back. I see that you have adapted well to being alone outside. When you are free, come back and take your documents away. I am too lazy to keep them for you."

This indeed needs to be taken back, but Ning Changyue seemed reluctant to go back. Yin Jiu approached Ning Changyue and whispered softly.

After a moment, Ning Changyue said, "I'll go get it tomorrow night."

My aunt said, "What time do you want to come? Not too late. Never mind. Where do you live now? I'll take it to you."

Her tone sounded a little cold and impatient, but Yin Jiu could hear the hidden concern and worry.

But it is definitely not possible to let people come here. Their relationship is difficult to explain. It’s not that I can’t explain it, but I’m worried that the elders won’t be able to accept it, which will affect Ning Changyue’s mentality.

Taking his cell phone and quickly typing a line of words, Yin Jiu motioned Ning Changyue to read along.

Following the instructions, Ning Changyue made an appointment with her aunt to meet at a dessert shop near the community at 8 o'clock tomorrow night.

After hanging up the phone, Yin Jiu paid attention to his emotional changes, but did not see any negative emotions on Ning Changyue's face.

He was still feeling sleepy, and now that no one was disturbing him, he closed his eyes and leaned on Yin Jiu's shoulder, looking somewhat comfortable.

In fact, Yin Jiu also had some guesses about Ning Changyue's growing environment. The system said that he was just a supporting role with few appearances, but as the male protagonist's younger brother, such an identity must have some plot lines, not to mention the heavy ink and color.

However, after Yin Jiu tried several times, the system just kept silent and rarely mentioned Ning Changyue. Even when Ning Changyue appeared, the talkative system was rarely silent.

The reason why the system behaves like this is probably because Ning Changyue may not be a positive character, but this also does not explain why the system is wary of Ning Changyue.

Yes, Yin Jiu felt that the system was on guard against Ning Changyue, but he couldn't guess what it was on guard against.

What Yin Jiu knew was that Ning Changyue's biological father died early, and her biological mother remarried. She was raised by her aunt. During their last meeting, it was not difficult to see that her aunt was an impatient and timid housewife, and she also had a sarcastic mother-in-law, so for a child, such a life of dependence should be full of despair and pain.

It is difficult for such children to be mentally healthy.

So even though they were in love now, Yin Jiu tried his best to be gentler and more patient with him, for fear of hurting him accidentally.

There is no doubt that the person he now cherishes has suffered a lot.

Yin Jiu didn't know what Ning Changyue's ending was in the original world line, but he only hoped that with his company, all the misfortunes would stay away from the person he loved.

However, out of intuition, Yin Jiu always felt that the system had hidden something very important from him.

Perhaps because something was on his mind, Yin Jiu did not sleep well that night.

In the second half of the night, when he was half asleep and half awake, he felt the person in his arms wake up. He then looked up and stared at Yin Jiu for a while. Perhaps he felt that this was not enough, so he slowly got up and lay on Yin Jiu.

Yin Jiu thought he was going to steal a kiss, but he just slowly lowered his head, his noses entwined with hers, and he sniffed gently.

As if trying to identify his breath, or as if trying to confirm... whether he was still alive.

This scene should be very interesting, but Yin Jiu felt inexplicably depressed.

He didn't know when he fell asleep again, and after that, Yin Jiu fell into a nightmare.

…

The next night, Yin Jiu arrived at the agreed dessert shop with Ning Changyue half an hour early.

The cakes from this restaurant tasted very good. After the two of them shared a portion of strawberry cake, Yin Jiu got up and went to the adjacent booth, leaving some private space for Ning Changyue and his aunt.

A few minutes before eight o'clock, Ning Changyue's aunt Ning Lan came to the dessert shop.

She is a little overweight, has deep bags under her eyes, and a bitter look on her face. She doesn't look friendly at first glance.

After sitting down opposite Ning Changyue, the first thing she said was: "Can't you call someone?"

"Aunt." Ning Changyue raised her eyelids and glanced at her indifferently, with no emotion in her tone.

He was wearing a dark red hooded sweatshirt today, his hair was fluffy, and he looked very healthy. He was dressed more exquisitely than I had ever seen him before.

Her eyes stayed on his clothes and face for a few seconds, Ning Lan took out a stack of documents from her bag, threw them on the table, and said, "Household registration booklet, graduation certificate, they are all here, keep them safe in the future, don't lose them."

Ning Changyue was still picking at the taro balls in the bowl with her head down, not even looking over there, as if she didn't care about these things.

Since he was not asked to reply and the question was not a question, he seemed to take it for granted and felt that he did not need to respond.

Ning Lan stared at her grown-up nephew with a dazed look. When did he become so different that even she, his aunt, could not understand him?

I can't remember, but suddenly one day I discovered that this child seemed to have become indifferent to everything. Scolding or cold eyes could no longer affect his mood. The look he gave me was so cold, as if he was looking at a stranger.

There is no love, and no hate.

When Mingming was little, he would follow her around all day, help her with chores, cling to her and act coquettishly, and would cry quietly because of Grandma Li Hsin-chu's favoritism.

Later, he suddenly became rebellious, with hatred and resentment in his eyes, but in the past two years, he seemed to have suddenly let it go and no longer took anything to heart.

Is it my fault? Ning Lan often thinks so.

After hesitating for a long time, Ning Lan finally took out the last thing from her bag. She moved slowly, holding the two ends of the object with both hands. The veins on the back of her hands bulged, as if she had gone through a difficult decision. The moment she put it on the table, she slowly exhaled, feeling relieved.

Pushing the thing in front of Ning Changyue, Ning Lan said, "This is the passbook that was opened with your household registration when you were a child. Your father's savings are all in it, and also... the support money your mother has given you over the years is also in it."

She studied his expression carefully, expecting to see emotion and touch on his face, but no, nothing.

She asked, "Don't you want to take a look?"

Ning Changyue then took it, opened it, glanced at it casually, put it back on the table, and continued eating her taro balls and fruit pickle.

There was another unspeakable silence.

After a long while, Ning Lan said bitterly: "You know everything, right?"

Because it was a question, Ning Changyue tilted his head and looked at her for a while this time. His clear pupils reflected the woman's tired face, as if he didn't understand, but also as if he had seen through everything. Finally, he nodded as a response.

Ning Lan's throat was dry, she wanted to ask, do you know that your mother wanted to take you away, but I was afraid that your father would pass away, so I insisted on keeping you?

Do you know that I failed to take good care of the inheritance left by your father?

Do you know that your mother came back to see you and I scolded her away, saying that you didn't want to see her.

But Ning Lan felt that she had not let him down. Although she had used up some of the inheritance, raising a child costs money. Moreover, if she had not refused to give in, her husband and mother-in-law would have spent all the money long ago.

No one would not be moved by Baoshan. Because she helped him keep the money, she had a hard time these years. She had to endure a lot, including her husband's cold eyes, mother-in-law's scolding, and the reproach of her conscience.

Many times, she didn't want to lose her temper with him, and she wanted to be gentler to him, but that's just how people are. It's always difficult to control your emotions when it comes to your closest relatives.

But what's the point of saying this now?

Ning Lan said dryly: "Changyue, don't feel that you owe us, and don't feel that we owe you. Live a good life on your own outside in the future."

Before leaving, she left another note with a phone number on it.

She said nothing more, and finally looked back at him.

As for Ning Changyue, apart from the initial glance at her, he never laid eyes on her again.

Ning Lan felt empty in her heart and realized that she had lost her nephew forever. The person sitting there had a familiar body, but his soul had become extremely strange.

After she left, Yin Jiu sat back next to Ning Changyue.

The person who was extremely cold just now, spontaneously moved closer to him, the coldness in his eyes disappeared, and he became smiling again.

Yin Jiu asked: "Can I take a look?"

Ning Changyue nodded.

This passbook must have been changed in the past, and only has records from the last few years, but in addition to the monthly transfer income, there are also several large expenditures. ◢

Yin Jiu glanced sideways at Ning Changyue and couldn't help but wonder whether the little boy back then had also had doubts: I clearly didn't spend your money, and you took the reward, but why were you so mean to me?

Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.

One should not think too deeply about human hearts, because the more one understands, the more despair one becomes.

Without mentioning the people and things that might make him unhappy, Yin Jiu put away the things on the table and reached out to Ning Changyue: "Let's go home."

The two walked hand in hand on the way home.

The autumn wind blew up the fallen leaves on the ground and also blew the voices far away.

He said, "Ning Changyue."

"Um?"

"I like you more today too."

"Yeah... me too."

This world only likes you.

Ning Changyue turned her head and laughed secretly where Yin Jiu couldn't see.

He is very happy every day.