Chapter 25 Jinjiang first release [Children who eat cakes... like...]...
"Could you please lift your arm a little?"
The tailor picked up a soft measuring tape and gently passed it around Li Zhuo's shoulders.
"Yes, that will do."
Li Zhuo is a very cooperative client, so the tailor's job was very easy.
As she lowered her head to record the data, perhaps because Li Zhuo looked so adorable, waiting obediently for her next instruction, and because he was about the same age as her younger brother, the usually talkative tailor couldn't help but give him a few more instructions:
"Actually, teenagers like you have very fast growth in their frame. Data like shoulder width, chest circumference, waist circumference, sleeve length, trouser length, and back length often fluctuate, so it's best to re-record them every once in a while..."
"If you still customize clothes based on current data in a year or two, they will definitely be uncomfortable to wear..."
Li Zhuo subconsciously said, "Thank you."
The next second, he suddenly thought of the suit he wore at his coming-of-age ceremony the day before yesterday. Perhaps it was because they had it custom-made using the measurement data from previous years?
No wonder he was wearing such tight clothes, no wonder he felt breathless, no wonder... no wonder...
But don’t they know?
No, I guess I don't care.
On the night before the banquet, Li Huachuan simply threw him a set of old clothes, but he hung it carefully on the head of the bed and put it on happily in the morning.
He was so happy that even though he felt uncomfortable in the middle, he didn't think it was because of the clothes. He just thought it was because he hadn't worn formal clothes for a long time.
Even if it is uncomfortable, try to keep your back straight as much as possible to avoid looking hunched over.
It’s really funny to think about it now.
"How about it?"
Li Zhuo had just walked out of the measuring room when Mo Liang, who was waiting outside, came over and whispered, "Don't you like that tailor? Then let's change him."
Li Zhuo didn't follow his train of thought for a moment and said in surprise: "Huh?!"
Mo Liang's thinking was simple: knowing he had just monitored a slight fluctuation in his child's emotional hormones, and that the only human who could speak to him, and had spoken to him, was the tailor with short hair, the answer to his question was clear:
It must be her fault!
Although Li Zhuo couldn't immediately guess all of Mo Liang's thoughts, he quickly shook his head: "It has nothing to do with her. She's fine, really."
In order to ensure that the suit is more comfortable to wear and fits the body shape, the data that needs to be measured before customization is very detailed. The knee circumference alone requires three types of data, centered on the knee bend, and both upper and lower data are required, as well as the leg circumference, waist height, shoulder slope, etc.
I remember that not long after he arrived at the Li family, before going out to participate in an event with his family for the first time, Lu Fei took him to another store. It was this experience that made him realize that buying clothes for city people was so complicated.
Unlike what he thought, all the clothes were hung on the wall. He just had to tell the store owner what size he wanted and he would use a pole to pick them down.
Every clerk in that store was well-dressed, and even the air seemed different from outside. Li Zhuo, who had never seen such a scene before, felt very embarrassed and naturally showed his timidity.
The person who measured him was a young man who had sprayed a lot of perfume. Perhaps he noticed Li Zhuo's fear and secretly rolled his eyes several times during the service.
Later, Li Zhuo accidentally heard him and other shop assistants secretly laughing at him in the next room next to the measurement room, saying that the way he slumped his shoulders and buried his head made him look like a country bumpkin who knew nothing...
But the sister just now was different. After noticing that his body was very stiff, she gently reminded him to relax a little so that more accurate data could be measured. She also kindly reminded him that he was growing and needed to update the data frequently.
Memories of the past flashed back in Li Zhuo's mind. Of course, he would not tell the whole story. He just explained on behalf of the tailor: "She didn't say anything bad about me. I didn't feel bad because of her."
Mo Liang responded with an "oh" and finally stopped mentioning the tailor. Instead, he started asking Li Zhuo where he wanted to go next and he would accompany him, as if he was a lazy guy with nothing to do.
"I don't know either."
"It's okay, you don't have to give an answer right away. We've been measuring for so long, and now it's time to rehydrate. How about drinking some water and eating something first?"
Li Zhuo nodded and walked towards the fabric display area, while Mo Liang followed closely behind.
He took three steps forward, and Mo Liang also took three steps. He suddenly stopped, and Mo Liang also stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Mo Liang asked.
Li Zhuo shook his head: "Nothing."
*
It was discovered a long time ago.
Ever since Li Zhuo woke up at noon the previous day, Mo Liang seemed to be more nervous about his mood changes than usual. No matter where he went, he stayed by his side.
Even though Li Zhuo said he was fine, Mo Liang only said he knew it, and his actions continued to protect him as carefully as if he were protecting his own eyes.
He said he had slept too long and wanted to go out for a walk, so Mo Liang followed him step by step, hanging behind him like a shadow all day long. Even when he went to the toilet, Mo Liang was guarding the door!
This situation made it seem as if he was about to do something bad in the next second.
Today was even more incredible. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I saw an enlarged face, close to his nose, as if feeling his breath.
Follow me when I eat and when I wash my hands.
At noon, he lay on the sofa and asked why the suit he had worn before was gone. Mo Liang didn't answer where it was, but only said he would take him to get a new one. Then he took him to this high-end custom suit shop hidden in the bustling city.
It is said that this store is a membership-based store and is not open to the public. It does not accept individual customers and only serves store members.
The reason why Li Zhuo knew all this was partly because he heard it from Li Xuan, and partly because this store had a very difficult-to-pronounce foreign name.
And he had mispronounced this name in a public setting before.
Once someone corrects you, you will remember it firmly.
He had never been here before, after all, making an appointment was very cumbersome. This time when he followed Mo Liang here, he took a special look and compared it in his mind to see what was different from the previous one.
Could it be quieter?
Maybe it was something Mo Liang had said in advance, Li Zhuo could clearly feel that there were very few people in the store. Even the receptionist at the beginning disappeared after leading him to the measurement room.
Rather, the rest area in the store is meant to provide a place for customers to relax and enjoy the food and drinks provided, and it should be the place with the most people.
But on the way to the rest area, it was still quiet. I didn't meet any shop assistants or customers, and there were no customers in the rest area.
Are they the only ones?
Stepping into the rest area, you will find a dark carpet under your feet, which is as soft as walking on clouds. Looking up, you will see many rare fabrics displayed on carefully arranged display racks on both sides of the long aisle at the entrance.
These fabrics have exquisite textures and emit a charming and unique luster under the warm light adjusted at the right angle. It can be said that every inch of the space here exudes a low-key and luxurious atmosphere.
The dessert area, tea area and even the dining area are all clearly divided. Fashion albums can be seen everywhere, whether in the corners or on the tables. You can open them to check out the most popular haute couture dress styles of the season.
After Li Zhuo finished ordering, he casually flipped open a page that happened to be the men's clothing section. He stared at the model in the picture, while Mo Liang opposite him kept staring at him.
In fact, humans would not stare at someone so directly and for such a long time. This is a very impolite behavior. Fortunately, Li Zhuo was used to it. He knew that Teacher Mo had no ill intentions and just simply liked to look at him.
He didn't know what Mo Liang was thinking when he stared at him. He opened another menu, ordered a drink, and then handed the book to Mo Liang opposite him.
He didn't answer, his eyes fixed on Li Zhuo, but he said to the waiter beside him: "Same as him."
The waiter left, and once again only Mo Liang and Li Zhuo were left in the quiet and peaceful space.
“…”
It was so quiet that Li Zhuo fell into a daze again. Mo Liang, standing opposite him, woke him up and said in a worried tone, "My child, what are you thinking about? Tell me, okay?"
Human thinking is opaque, which is very unfriendly to Mo Liang. He cannot directly explore what his child is thinking, but can only observe through the hormonal changes and facial expressions of various organs in his body.
"Well, I was wondering..." Li Zhuo pointed to his phone on the table, "Why can't I find any negative news about me?"
The night he woke up, he opened the browser and searched for keywords related to the Li family's coming-of-age ceremony banquet. After all, quite a few people were invited.
Strangely enough, he couldn't find any relevant news during his first search!
He didn't believe it, so he searched a second and third time. On the fourth time, he finally found a few scattered results, but the comments were almost all praising him...
He couldn't even think of it with his toes.
How could such a large store be so quiet? How could there be no other customers besides them? Mo Liang must have done something.
He didn't even need to ask if it was Mo Liang who did it. He was just curious: "How did you do it?"
Mo Liang didn't feel guilty or anything else, as he answered seriously, "Are you talking about building a protective wall and a data purification matrix? It's easy for me, and I don't want to make you unhappy..."
“…”
Li Zhuo lowered his eyelids. "Actually, I don't even need to search. I know what kind of discussion will come up."
For the guests attending the banquet that day, they did not know the ins and outs of the matter. From their perspective, it was just a bad-tempered teenager and his father having a quarrel in public over a very small matter.
Even if the reporters who witnessed the whole process only listed a few more past events between the Li family and Li Zhuo when reporting this gossip, they would still think that Li Zhuo was so angry because his father did not agree to cut the cake.
Even the 0255 system believed that the mission target suddenly lost his temper because Li Huachuan did not agree to the request to cut the cake, and thought that he was too expectant.
However, many subtle feelings cannot be expressed in words and can only be felt by the person himself, and there are even some that the person himself is not aware of.
For example, when he returned to the Li family a year later, the atmosphere at the table was harmonious, but he could not taste the food. For example, Li Xuan's smile was full of frivolous sympathy, as if he had foreseen the ending.
For example, that old, overly tight, ill-fitting suit; for example, the hurried yet subtle impatience in Li Huachuan's congratulatory words; for example, when Lü Fei, smiling, came up to the stage to persuade him to leave, her ten long, pointed fingernails piercing through the fabric of his clothes...
Perhaps the cause of this accident was not what happened at the banquet, but had happened long before.
The moment he was abducted to Pingshan Village...
When the family search program team came to his house, he looked at the motorcade expectantly, but no one came down...
When he couldn't tell whether they loved him or not:
Li Huachuan seemed to love him very much, willing to spend a lot of money to hire a teacher for him, and even used money and connections to send him to an international school. However, when Li Zhuo's performance did not meet the standards, all this love was easily withdrawn;
Lu Fei seemed to love him very much. She often talked to him heart to heart, telling him how much her parents-in-law disliked her, how her father died early, her mother was in poor health for many years, and how he was the only one she could talk to.
Because of Lu Fei, Li Zhuo's relationship with his grandparents was always lukewarm. The two old men and women had bad tempers and had never gotten along with Li Zhuo, so they were naturally closer to Li Xuan. Grandma had only heard her voice on the phone, saying she liked him and wanted to see him, but she never showed up in person.
In the entire Li family, Li Zhuo trusts Lu Fei very much. Whenever Li Huachuan scolds him, she will indeed say a few words for him, but at the same time she will also say that it would be better if Li Zhuo had better grades, even half as good as Li Xuan.
She seemed to be the person who loved Li Zhuo the most in the entire Li family, but she also seemed to be unable to see Li Zhuo's embarrassing situation.
Li Zhuo felt as if he was wearing a thick piece of clothing, but he could not feel any warmth.
So densely packed day by day,
A tiny seed has sprouted.
Most people can only see something through their own perspective, only seeing the lush treetops on the ground but not the deep and entangled roots underground.
0255 I don’t know. Even if I let it record Li Zhuo’s past, it can only objectively record all of Li Zhuo’s current words, deeds and emotions.
It cannot understand that the emotional changes of human beings at every moment are complex. It is not for this moment, but for the grievances that have been brewing in the chest for several years before finally falling from the eye sockets and finally shouting out from the throat with all its might.
This is just too complicated.
Mo Liang, a non-human creature, naturally didn't know these things, but unlike the system, he really cared about Li Zhuo's emotional changes.
He has an extreme desire to protect Li Zhuo, an overly strong love and an almost paranoid possessiveness. He regards this human being as an existence more important than his own life. No matter what Li Zhuo wants, he can't wait to give it to him.
So even though Mo Liang didn't know why his child was angry because he didn't cut the cake, and why he cried like that just because of the word "It's okay".
But he knew:
The child is very sad, I want to protect him,
The child was crying, so I went downstairs to comfort him.
If my child is unhappy, I will block all the negative messages and only show him the positive comments that praise him. But then he will post tons of them!
…
He didn't like Li Zhuo's lingering affection for that human couple, so he secretly criticized them and told Li Zhuo that it was not love, they didn't love him, only he loved him.
Mo Liang didn't know that his act of wiping his tears by going down the stage and the words he said unintentionally actually helped Li Zhuo find the answer.
The fog that had troubled him for many years was lightly dispelled by a pair of hands at that moment: - Love is visible and tangible. If you don’t love someone that much, it actually means you don’t love them at all.
*
"Thank you."
Li Zhuo suddenly said.
Mo Liang was checking his child's heartbeat, pulse, blood pressure, temperature and other basic physical indicators when he was suddenly thanked. He was stunned for two seconds: "I didn't do anything, why are you saying thank you to me?"
The explanation was too long, and he didn't even know where to begin. So Li Zhuo thought for a moment and then brought up another topic: "You deliberately brought me out here today, not just to order clothes, right? When we set out, I noticed a lot of unfamiliar workers in the front yard. What were they doing there?"
Li Zhuo paused and said, "You didn't prepare a cake for me and set up a birthday venue, did you?"
“………”
Mo Liang did not answer at the first moment, but instead asked questions to the system in his consciousness.
Who snitched?
Mo Liang's thoughts were easy to guess. Seeing the child crying like that, he figured he just wanted a piece of cake, and since the human wouldn't let him cut it, he decided to prepare a bigger cake for the child...
Cut it however you want!
According to the tips I searched on the Internet, giving surprises will make children happier than giving gifts directly.
He did as he was told.
But the guide does not add what the child should say if he knows the surprise in advance.
After a pause of 0.35 seconds, Mo Liang confessed, "Yes, I am indeed prepared."
Li Zhuo suddenly laughed out loud. This was the first time he had laughed so happily since coming to Hai City during the winter vacation. "Then when are we going back?"
Mo Liang didn't need to check the time and blurted out, "If you count the time we spend on the road, we still have 34 minutes and 28 seconds to go back."
Just at this moment, the waiter walked to the table with a tray and lightly placed two identical drinks in front of Li Zhuo and Mo Liang respectively.
Li Zhuo took a sip of the warm tea. The perfect sweetness made him feel a little better. "Okay, then I'll wait 34 minutes."
*
That afternoon, three days after the farcical "coming-of-age ceremony banquet", Li Zhuo finally had a coming-of-age ceremony that truly celebrated his birthday.
Mo Liang's arrangement was so thoughtful that Li Zhuo, who had only been away for a few hours, could not recognize that it was the place he had stayed for almost two days.
Not only the decorations with his name and blessings printed on them, but also the giant cake that looked like a dream castle was enough to surprise him.
The cake is more than half a person's height, stacked layer by layer, with the diameter of the bottom layer nearly one meter. The cake body is carefully carved with the texture of surging waves, and the delicate cream is like white waves, and every undulation is lifelike.
The upper layers are lush forests outlined with chocolate, dotted with lifelike strawberries, like ripe rubies in the forest, and the small animals made of fondant are of various shapes and very vivid.
On the top of the cake, the words "Happy Birthday Li Zhuo" were prominently written in golden icing, gleaming softly under the light.
Li Zhuo was still thinking at the time that it would definitely not take a few hours to make a custom cake like this, so perhaps he had started preparing it before his birthday.
But before he could ask the question, footsteps were heard. He turned around and his expression became even more dull, as if he thought he had seen it wrong.
Deng Yuliang?!
How could he be in Hai City?!
He was walking in the front, and behind him were five or six classmates from the same school who had spoken to Li Zhuo. Some were from Class 10, and the other two were people he met at summer camp.
The braver ones among them began to observe the surrounding environment and greeted Li Zhuo, while those who were more cautious followed silently in the crowd.
The most familiar person was Deng Yuliang. He strode over and put his arm around Li Zhuo's shoulders. "Oh my God, you have no idea. When those guys in suits and sunglasses stopped downstairs of my house, I thought they were filming a movie, but they actually came to see me..."
Another added: "Don't tell me, I was playing games with a few friends in an internet cafe, bragging about myself, when suddenly a bunch of people came up to me. It was so cool!!"
"Master Zhuo is a true brother. He didn't forget us even when he sent us to Hai City for a visit."
They must have been told in advance, and several of them tacitly did not mention the previous events, and no one showed him the online comments.
Everyone sat together, eating snacks and chatting about gossip. Li Zhuo would sometimes interject a few words, and sometimes just watch them quietly, just like they did in summer camp.
This is a real birthday party, not a profit-seeking banquet with toasts.
The protagonist Li Zhuo was surrounded in the middle, with dancing candlelight burning in his pupils. Everyone else was looking at him, waiting for him to close his eyes and make a wish.
After the protagonists made their wishes, blew out the candles, and said all kinds of funny but sincere blessings, the cake-sharing session began.
Li Zhuo distributed the items carefully, so everyone got a complete small animal decoration and was pulled to take photos with several people.
Even though they came in a hurry, Chang Yang's classmates also prepared gifts. Gifts worth dozens or hundreds of dollars may not seem significant, but Li Zhuo still thanked them one by one.
【cute…】
Children who talk to their peers... like it.
[The child who was amused by the joke...liked it]
[Children who eat cake...like...]
Mo Liang watched with admiration as his child played a game called Number Bomb with a few small humans.
The rules are very simple. A number is preset as a bomb in advance, and other people can say numbers at random, and the range will become smaller and smaller... Oh, it's his child's turn to say it.
Nervous children... like...
[The child who stepped on the bomb...like]
Perhaps it was because his gaze was too intense, Li Zhuo, who had stepped on a bomb and was "blown out" in the game, seemed to have realized something and turned around to meet Mo Liang's gaze.
*
When peers play games, it is really difficult for a teacher, who is regarded as an elder by everyone, to join in.
Li Zhuo thought Mo Liang had gone back. After all, so many people had been looking for him before, and he seemed to be very busy.
As he was playing the game, he suddenly realized that he was always nearby, looking at him with a smile.
Li Zhuo brought a portion of the cake to him separately. He did not ask Mo Liang why he invited him, but the latter took the initiative to explain.
"We don't have a concept of birthdays. I specifically looked it up, and it seems like this is a very important day for you, and you want to celebrate it with your family and friends..."
"When you're with them, the happy hormones in your body are higher than usual, so I sent someone to invite them. Now it seems that this decision was absolutely the right one..."
Mo Liang was very glad that he accepted the system's suggestion instead of insisting on his own ideas: he just wanted to live this life alone with his child.
He is not human after all.
Li Zhuo looked at the laughing crowd over there and suddenly said, "Let's not do this next time. What if someone doesn't want to come?"
"Of course I wouldn't invite such a person."
“…”
Silence hung in the air.
"By the way, that woman named Lu Fei called you, but I intercepted the call."
This was the first time that Mo Liang mentioned the Li family in front of Li Zhuo since he woke up. He had always avoided the topic as much as possible before.
"oh…"
"There is a problem within the Li family now."
Mo Liang frowned and summarized the internal conflicts of the Li family in the shortest possible sentence. In the final analysis, it was nothing more than the word "interests".
Regarding Li Huachuan and Lü Fei's situation...
Li Huachuan was hospitalized due to some heart problems and is currently recuperating. Lu Fei has been by his side.
The day after that, Li Xuan convened a shareholders' meeting and implemented a number of measures, successfully suppressing all the protests that day and minimizing the impact. With this calmness in the face of danger, he calmed the group's subsidiaries and shareholders...
Even with such an emergency, he handled it so well that there was absolutely no fault to be found.
“That’s amazing…”
Li Zhuo praised this.
He was just surprised why Li Xuan was so anxious. Even if he did nothing, according to the current situation, he would have to give it to him sooner or later.
However, Mo Liang did not answer this question. He said calmly, "I support you in whatever you want to do. If you are interested in the Li family, I will take it over and give it to you..."
The swordplay in the business world is often invisible. There is an invisible food chain where big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimps. This has been the case since ancient times.
Sometimes it doesn't take much effort to target someone; just put them in a position where everyone is attacking them, and others will naturally attack them.
It's like throwing a piece of bloody meat into a pack of sharks. The result is predictable.
From the man's expression and tone, Li Zhuo could tell he was serious. This sounded very tempting. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't have any relevant experience, and I don't want to get involved..."
Mo Liang revealed that indescribable expression again: "My child, you are so kind..."
"Well…"
As the sky gradually darkened, some of the servants in the villa were cleaning up the place after everyone had played, while others were leading the little guests who had come from afar to their respective rooms.
The villa has the most rooms, which is too simple to accommodate Li Zhuo and several of his classmates.
After saying goodbye to his friends, Li Zhuo returned to his bedroom, and Mo Liang naturally followed him into the bedroom.
Looking at the tall figure behind him, Li Zhuo asked, "Are you in my room tonight?"
After all, Mo Liang slept in his own room last night and stayed by his side the entire night. It was estimated that it would be the same tonight.
"Yes, I'll spend the night with you."
Li Zhuo had already washed up, changed into his pajamas, and sat down on the bed in his slippers, just in time to hear Mo Liang's response: "You say that, as if tonight is some very important day..."
Mo Liang skillfully pulled out a collection of children's bedtime stories from the bedside and turned to the marked page: "Let me tell you a bedtime story to get you to sleep, starting with the story at the end of last night."
Li Zhuo lay down, and when his eyes fell on the man beside the bed, he felt funny in his heart. He was such a grown-up, but he still had to be coaxed to sleep like a child.
"Well, yesterday we talked about 'The Little Rabbit Finds a Friend'. Let's see what we're talking about today: 'The Taste of the Moon'..."
"On a quiet night, a crescent moon hung in the deep blue sky. A group of small animals looked up at the moon, each wondering: What does the moon taste like? Is it sweet or salty?"
Every time Teacher Mo coaxed him, he would deliberately prolong the ending of his words for a few seconds, like the tone a kindergarten teacher uses when talking to children.
But it is also undeniable that this way of speaking makes his voice sound gentler and more approachable, and coupled with the guidance of actions and expressions, a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere is created.
Lying on the soft big bed, Li Zhuo gradually fell into a drowsy state. He squinted his eyes slightly, and the figure beside the bed turned into a blurry black shadow.
In that instant, he suddenly felt that Mo Liang was familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before...
He thought about it and said, "Teacher Mo, you don't know, when I was little, I always had the same nightmare..."
Mo Liang locked the sound wave frequency to 120-160Hz, the frequency band that was most likely to relax Li Zhuo, and asked in a gentle voice, "What nightmare?"
"I dreamed of horrible scenes. Every time, there was a huge monster chasing me. No matter where I ran, it kept following me..."
“…”
"In my dream, I kept running and running, running very fast, but as long as I turned around, I could see it. There were many people around, but they seemed to be unable to see it. Only I could see it..."
"One time in my dream, I couldn't run anymore, so I hid in a building. But when I looked up, I saw the monster's eyes through the window..."
"Do you know how big that monster is? It's even bigger than the monsters I've seen on TV before. The whole window is covered with its red pupils..."
"In my dream, I could feel it searching the windows one by one, looking for me. I could also hear what it wanted to say. It said, 'I found you... something about me, something else.' I forgot what happened next. I screamed and woke up."
Li Zhuo still feels a lingering fear when he thinks about those dreams: "It was so scary..."
Because he was about to fall asleep, Li Zhuo spoke with his eyes closed the whole time. After talking for a while and not hearing any response from Teacher Mo, he opened his eyes and saw that the expression of the man beside the bed was a little...unspeakable.
“…Is it scary?”
"Of course. I don't know why it keeps chasing me. Is it a human eater? But I'm not big enough to fill its teeth..."
Li Zhuo became increasingly sleepy, and his speech became slower and slower, until his voice gradually faded away.
Therefore, he didn't see Mo Liang's expression at all.
.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
