Chapter 45: The Thrilling Love is No Longer "Ah? This...
"Ah? You're going back to Hangzhou so late?" Tang Shihe asked in surprise, looking at Chen Song, "Songsong is going too?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xingjue also looked up at Chen Song. Yun Jingsheng noticed his gaze and turned to look at him. There were sparks in Gu Xingjue's gloomy eyes. Yun Jingsheng's half-smile made Gu Xingjue so angry that his teeth itched. He added a piece of sweet and sour pork to his mouth.
Chen Song didn't notice the fire beside him. He said to Tang Shihe, "I'm not going. I agreed to stay with you and uncle tonight."
Tang Shihe finally felt relieved and handed Chen Song a piece of shrimp: "Okay, okay."
Gu Xingjue and Yun Jingsheng raised their chins, looked away with some pride and continued eating.
"Hey, Xiaojing, are you going to Hangzhou for work? Or to visit relatives?" Tang Shihe asked.
Yun Jingsheng said, "It's about work."
"Don't you have a holiday during the Lunar New Year? What's your job?" Tang Shihe asked casually, but everyone present could tell she was investigating her son-in-law's background. Gu Xingjue was displeased.
Yun Jingsheng replied, "I used to be a doctor, but later I started a company with a friend. We're primarily involved in the medical field, trading medical equipment. Lately, we've also started opening hospitals. We have three hospitals in North City, and we're planning to open one in South City this year. The hospital in Hangzhou just opened recently, so we'll be very busy."
Tang Shihe was very satisfied with what she heard. She looked at Yun Jingsheng and Chen Song with a smile and said, "The job you introduced to Songsong is also in your newly opened hospital?"
"No, that hospital has been open in Vancouver for ten years. It's owned by an older relative I know," Yun Jingsheng said. "I've already contacted him, and I took Xiao Song to the hospital today to register. He'll be able to start work after the New Year."
Tang Shihe said, "Xiao Jingren looks gentle and humble, and he handles things with such composure. He's so outstanding at such a young age, not bad at all."
Yun Jingsheng smiled and said, "Actually, I'm almost thirty. After the Chinese New Year, I'll be twenty-eight. I'm not young anymore."
"Ah," Tang Shihe exclaimed in surprise, "I can't tell at all. Xiaojing looks so young. I thought you were about the same age as Songsong, maybe two years older at most. I didn't expect..."
Tang Shihe calculated: "Seven years older than Song Song. Oh, it's okay, age and other things are not a problem, as long as the person is good. Anyone under ten years old is acceptable. Just don't look for old men who are close to each other. Don't look for someone as old as your uncle. They all have beer bellies and they smell like old people."
Tang Shihe said this while covering her mouth with her hands and laughing happily.
Lu Fenghai feigned anger and said, "How can I smell old? You are the one who smells old. You are an old woman, and you are so old, what nonsense are you saying in front of the children? The young couple is fine, why are you dragging their feet?"
Tang Shihe said, "Isn't this just a reminder? Who are you yelling at?"
Seeing that she was a little unhappy, Lu Fenghai hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, eat. Stop talking."
Tang Shihe put down her chopsticks and rolled her eyes at him. "It's New Year's Eve, and we finally get together to chat. It's a rare chance to talk to the kids, and you're telling me to say less."
The awkward atmosphere began to turn heavy with anger. Chen Song gripped his chopsticks, took a deep breath, and then released them, looking at Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan shrugged, his eyes signaling that he didn't want to be scolded, and then he buried his head in his food.
Chen Song put on a polite yet slightly stiff smile and picked up some food for Tang Shihe. "Eat your food, Auntie. Uncle, eat your food too. If you don't eat now, the food will get cold. I know how to handle things properly."
"Yes, Auntie, come and eat your food." Yun Jingsheng followed Chen Songyin, holding Chen Song's hand and said, "I will take good care of Xiao Song."
Chen Song's hand moved slightly, and he turned to look at Yun Jingsheng with gratitude in his eyes: "Auntie, please rest assured about us."
Tang Shihe felt relieved when she saw the two of them looking at each other affectionately. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "Okay, okay, as long as you're both happy. Let's eat."
"Brother Jingsheng," Gu Xingjue said quietly, his voice low and filled with anger, almost biting each word as if gnawing at Yun Jingsheng's flesh and blood, "I want to eat crabs, please help me pick some."
Yun Jingsheng smiled faintly, let go of Chen Song's hand and helped him pick up a piece of plump crab meat: "Why didn't Ah Jue come home for the New Year's Eve dinner this year? Uncle Gu will be angry if he finds out."
Gu Xingjue's face turned cold and he sneered, "I don't have a home. But is it okay for Brother Jing Sheng not to go home? Hasn't Yun Che come back to find you yet?"
Chen Song paused while picking up the food and glanced at the two of them out of the corner of his eye.
Yun Jingsheng said calmly, "I told you earlier that I wouldn't be going back. I'm coming to Xiaosong's place."
Gu Xingjue's face turned pale, his hand was unsteady as he picked up the food, and the crab meat fell onto the table.
"Gu family?" Lu Fenghai frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at Gu Xingjue in surprise. "Could it be the Gu family from Yansheng Group?"
"And the Yun family, the Ruoyang Yun family?" Lu Fenghai said and looked at Yun Jingsheng again.
"Yes," Yun Jingsheng said, "Uncle knows?"
Lu Fenghai looked at the two people in a daze, with sweat slightly on his forehead. He drank a sip of ice wine slowly, pondered for a moment, and looked at Chen Song.
Tang Shihe realized something was wrong and asked him, "What's wrong? Do you know someone?"
Lu Fenghai said, "There are four major families in North City. The Gu family is in business, the Xie family is in politics, the Shen family dominates the entertainment industry, and the Yun family's medical industry covers the entire country. I've only heard of them vaguely, but I've never had any contact with them."
As soon as Lu Fenghai finished speaking, Lu Yuan and Tang Shihe looked at Chen Song and the other two.
Tang Shihe smiled unnaturally: "How did you get to know Songsong?"
Yun Jingsheng said calmly, "Ruoyang selects outstanding students from various schools every year and gives them internship opportunities. I was able to give a lecture at Xiaosong School thanks to his care. My lecture was able to go smoothly."
Tang Shihe said, "I see. Then your... family knows you..."
Yun Jingsheng said, "I know. They also know that I'm having dinner with Xiao Song today."
"Ah, that's good." Tang Shihe breathed a sigh of relief. "They're quite open-minded then. So did you get to know Xiao Jue through you and Song Song?"
Yun Jingsheng didn't say anything but looked at Gu Xingjue.
Gu Xingjue didn't know how to start for a moment. He couldn't just say that he was drunk and lost a drinking game, so he took off all his clothes in the middle of winter and passed out on the street wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, and was picked up by Chen Song.
There was also a one-night stand, which gave the elders a very bad impression.
Gu Xingjue's lips were parted, his words stuck for a long time. Chen Song answered for him: "Well, Jing Sheng would occasionally invite him to dinner. We kind of knew each other."
Gu Xingjue immediately became dispirited and said "hmm" in an extremely unhappy tone.
He didn't expect Chen Song to lie and be so distant, as if he didn't know him at all.
"Oh~" Tang Shihe said, "Thank you so much for taking care of Songsong in Beijing. If you want to come to Vancouver to play in the future, just come to our house and I'll take you out."
Lu Fenghai gave Tang Shihe a serious look and said, "If you don't eat now, the food will get cold. Let the children eat their fill. You've been busy talking and haven't eaten much."
This time, Tang Shihe didn't object: "Yeah, eat quickly."
The five people at the table ate their meals with their own thoughts. Tang Shihe did not ask any more offensive questions, and occasionally talked about the interesting things that happened in high school between Chen Song and Lu Yuan.
After dinner, Yun Jingsheng was about to rush back to Hangzhou, and Chen Song went out to see him off. Lu Fenghai and Tang Shihe wanted to come out to see him off, but Yun Jingsheng and Chen Song stopped them at the door. It was raining and cold outside, so they let them see him off to the door.
There were no spaces available in the underground garage today, so Yun Jingsheng parked his car outside the complex. When they left, they discovered the rain had stopped and fireworks were occasionally dotting the horizon. The complex was brightly decorated with festive lights, and the buildings were ablaze with light, and the faint sound of laughter could be heard.
Chen Song walked along the path, holding an umbrella in his hand, looking at the fireworks and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Jingsheng. He thought I was with you, and I didn't want to repeat the same mistake, so I let him go. I'll explain to my uncle and aunt later. You helped me so much, and I used you as a shield. It was really mean."
Yun Jingsheng smiled faintly and said, "I never thought that Xiao Song, who always seemed so well-behaved, would have a dark side."
Chen Song said awkwardly, "Sorry."
Yun Jingsheng said, "I think this is my fault. I approached you initially out of genuine desire to give it a try. You struck me as gentle and a good cook. I felt like you'd be a caring partner. We'd be a good match. But... maybe I was just too desperate to escape Xiao Che, so I resorted to desperate measures. I didn't consider whether you'd be hurt if you knew."
"I'm the one who should say sorry." Yun Jingsheng tilted his head to look at him, his eyes sparkling. "Could it be that I'm the reason you two broke up?"
Chen Song shook his head: "No. Besides, there's nothing wrong between the two of us."
The wind was strong at night, making Chen Song's ears red. Yun Jingsheng walked quickly to the car, took out a box from the back seat, opened the box, took out a dark gray scarf, and wrapped it around Chen Song. "Now I think it might be better to be friends instead of lovers."
"Seeing you diligently studying medicine," Yun Jingsheng curved his eyebrows, his eyes full of tenderness, "it always reminds me of my past self. Happy New Year, this is a New Year's gift for you. I just saw it in the mall and it seems to suit you perfectly."
"I thought I bought this for you, thank you. But I didn't even prepare a gift for you." Chen Song lowered his eyes and took in the delicate, soft, and warm scarf. It wasn't cheap, and Chen Song felt a bit burdened when wearing it. He also felt a bit guilty for not having prepared a gift for Yun Jingsheng.
Yun Jingsheng saw his bewilderment: "What didn't you prepare for me? My trunk is almost full of all the local specialties you bought. Just wear them with peace of mind. Yile's salary is not low, so it won't be difficult for him to return the favor when the time comes."
Chen Song clutched his scarf tightly and smiled slightly: "It's nice to be friends with you, Brother Jing Sheng."
"Me too." Yun Jingsheng turned and opened the car door. "Okay, I'm leaving now. You should go back soon. It's very windy here."
Chen Song waved at him: "Have a safe trip. Send me a message when you arrive."
Chen Song stood at the side of the street, watching Yun Jingsheng's car leave until it disappeared from view. He then turned around and saw Gu Xingjue standing by the flower bed not far away.
Gu Xingjue's slender figure stood beside the flower bed, his meticulously short hair disheveled in the wind, his eyes deep as he stared at Chen Song, like a dangerous abyss.
Chen Song exhaled lightly, walked towards him indifferently, stood in front of him, and looked up at him: "Do you believe me and Brother Jing Sheng now? We are meeting our parents, please don't do these childish things to disturb us anymore."
Gu Xingjue's chest rose and fell slightly, his eyes were filled with sour and red bloodshot, and he stared at him without saying a word, as if he was trying hard to suppress his anger.
After Chen Song looked at him for a moment, he passed by him. Gu Xingjue grabbed him and pulled him into his chest.
"Do you think he really has a job?" Gu Xingjue's cold voice rang out from above. "He's already found someone, and sooner or later he'll leave you. Chen Song, don't be so naive as to think that just because he has a New Year's Eve dinner with you, he'll be with you forever. Why would someone who wants to be with you forever just leave after a meal? He should stay with you. I will stay with you. I'm the one who'll be with you until the end."
Gu Xingjue grabbed Chen Song's scarf, trying to pull it off and throw it on the ground, wanting to tear it to pieces right there and then. He had just been following the two of them, suppressing his jealousy, and jealousy had completely distorted his appearance.
Chen Song slapped his hand away, protecting his scarf as he took a few steps back. "Yes, we stayed together all night on New Year's Eve two years ago, so what? We still broke up. The person who stayed with me until the end might not be Brother Jing Sheng. But no matter who that person is, it can't be you."
Gu Xingjue stepped forward and pressed him hard: "It has to be me. No one else can be friends with you. If anyone tries to be friends with you, I will kill him!"
Chen Song felt that he was unreasonable and avoided him and walked forward: "Mad man."
Gu Xingjue followed him closely, "Yes, I am crazy. I must be crazy to fly all the way from Beijing and beg for peace with you here. I was scolded by your friends and ate the spicy noodles you made. I watched you and Yun Jingsheng being so affectionate! I am crazy! I miss you so much!"
Chen Song said coldly, "No one forced you to come, and no one forced you to eat. Who are you pretending to be affectionate to? When you're tired of playing, just go back to your capital. In fact, you know in your heart that no matter what you do, it's useless. We can't go back to the past. Stop deceiving yourself."
Gu Xingjue grabbed his wrist again, trying to make him stop, but Chen Song continued to walk forward with a firm step. No matter how hard Gu Xingjue tried to tighten his grip until it hurt his wrist, he would not stop and kept walking forward with determination.
Gu Xingjue had no choice but to pull him and follow him: "I don't understand... I don't understand Chen Song."
"What should I do? Can you teach me? I just want to celebrate the New Year with you. I just want to eat the food you cook. I just want to go home with you. I just want to spend a good time with you."
Gu Xingjue's voice was as hoarse as a saw tearing through a dry old tree, so miserable that it made people tremble.
"Gu Xingjue," Chen Song paused and pried open his fingers one by one, "but I don't want to do it anymore."
"You and I, let's stop here."
At the last moment of the countdown to twelve o'clock, fireworks bloomed all over the city in the dark night sky, resounding through the sky like thunder, just like the night when the two first met.
But the snowflakes flying in the sky are gone, and the throbbing love is gone.
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