Introduced
Fang Huai sat at the head of the bed, staring blankly at the kicked-open door, not noticing that Kong Lingyu's hands were shaking.
The man's knees hit the edge of the bed heavily, making a dull sound that made one's teeth ache, but the one who had the knees didn't care. He grabbed Fang Huai's shoulders and checked him up and down.
"Fortunately, you're okay." After confirming that the person in front of him was not injured, Kong Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief. Under Fang Huai's gaze, he let go of his hand and said in a natural tone: "I'm glad you're okay."
"Doesn't it hurt?" Fang Huai lowered his head and asked Kong Lingyu.
The expression on Kong Lingyu's face froze. He twitched the corners of his mouth and shook his head: "It doesn't hurt."
In fact, his feet below the knees were numb. He dragged his legs to his feet, looked around and said:
"Is this a nightmare?"
Having been guessed right, Fang Huai nodded and shook his head awkwardly, "It's okay. I'm sorry for making you worry."
He himself had not expected that he would be frightened by a nightmare, let alone that it would cause such a big commotion.
Moreover, the protagonist in the dream was standing in front of him with a worried look on his face.
He inexplicably felt a little guilty, especially when he looked into Kong Lingyu's dark eyes. He always thought of the black snake in his dream just now, and quickly looked away.
"Well...I'm really fine."
Facing Kong Lingyu's worried gaze, he emphasized again:
"Kong Lingyu, I'm really fine."
Kong Lingyu was skeptical, and before he could say anything, Fang Huai pushed him out of the room. "Go to sleep, I'm really fine."
He had no choice but to walk out of the room and close the door. He stood outside the door for a while until there was no movement inside before he left.
Fang Huai breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the footsteps outside the door gradually fading away. It was so embarrassing.
The residual warmth on his arm had not yet dissipated, turning into a strange sticky feeling, like a black snake entwined in a dream. Fang Huai rubbed his arm to wipe away this strange feeling.
Fang Huai was no longer sleepy, so he turned on his phone and looked at the post he had seen at night, but found that it had been deleted.
"Logged out." Seeing the account that sent the private message and restored the default avatar and nickname, Fang Huai gave up helplessly, but still hoped that the child would be healthy, and also hoped that he was overthinking it.
*
The two days that Kong Lingyu mentioned passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Fang Henian and the others returned.
The adoptive mother was in a good mood. As soon as she got home, she pulled Fang Huai aside to talk. "Your eldest aunt's niece is very pretty and she's a high school teacher."
The girl was almost praised to the point of being a flower by He Lijun. Fang Huai certainly understood his adoptive mother's thoughts, but he didn't expose it.
Fang Henan looked at his brother helplessly, shrugged and told Fang Huai to fend for himself.
He Lijun is the eldest in the family and has no say in matters like this.
Fang Huai responded indifferently, playing Tai Chi with He Lijun, and they didn't come to any conclusion after the meal.
He Lijun opened her mouth and looked at her husband.
Fang Sijie understood what he meant, pulled his youngest son over and whispered a few words to him on the windowsill, and asked his youngest son to take Kong Lingyu out for a walk. Fang Henian was not very tactful and wanted to pull Fang Huai over, but was glared back.
He Lijun coughed and said, "Xiao Huai, stay here. I have something to tell you."
Fang Huai said "hmm", sat next to his adoptive mother and said nothing.
He Lijun handed him an apple, and he took it and held it in his hand while his adoptive father stood on the balcony smoking.
"Try it! I brought you some apples from your grandma's house. They're very sweet." He Lijun peeled and cut the apple into pieces, then inserted a toothpick and handed it to Fang Huai. "Try it?"
"Thank you, Mom." Fang Huai put down the apple in his hand and took the apple piece from his adoptive mother. When He Lijun saw him take it, she smiled with satisfaction.
Her tone was tentative, "I asked the girl for her WeChat, would you like to chat?"
"She also works in Nanshi. She has good conditions, but she is busy with work and has no time for a relationship. She doesn't have a partner now. You can get to know each other and get married if you find her a good match." He Lijun's words were full of satisfaction with the girl.
Fang Huai didn't interrupt his adoptive mother. He waited for her to finish and then refused: "It's not appropriate."
The adoptive mother's smile froze on her face, but Fang Huai still said, "Mom, nothing is appropriate. Don't delay the girl."
He Lijun was humiliated and said dissatisfiedly, "You say we're not suitable before we even meet. How can this be allowed? She's such a good girl."
"Yes, Xiao Huai, listen to your mother. Young people have common topics, and we won't force you. At most, you can just be friends." The adoptive father came in from the balcony to help smooth things over. The couple played the good cop and the bad cop, trying to persuade Fang Huai.
Fang Huai couldn't possibly agree to this. He couldn't possibly waste a girl's time, let alone delay her. In the adult world, people who met for the purpose of "making friends" mostly wanted a good ending, but no matter what the reason was, he couldn't waste other people's time.
He could only repeat over and over again: "Not appropriate."
He Lijun's eyes were red, and she gritted her teeth and asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"Fang Huai, is that girl unsuitable, or are we unworthy of interfering with your decision? This kind of unsuitability?"
Fang Huai raised his head in astonishment and looked at his adoptive mother. When he heard what her next said, his face turned pale.
"If you still recognize me, then listen to me."
"Fang Huai, do you think that just because you haven't spent any of your family's money since you became an adult, you've completely left this place?" He Lijun looked at Fang Huai and said excitedly, "Impossible, I'm telling you, it's impossible. As long as I'm alive, don't even think about it."
"I didn't." Fang Huai looked up and explained weakly, "I never thought about it that way. I just... I just felt that I wasn't suitable for that girl."
"Fang Huai, listen to me, okay? Mom won't hurt you." He Lijun once again lifted the plate of apples in front of Fang Huai. Her tone was much softer as she advised, "How can you know it's not suitable when you haven't even met her? Child, this reason is too far-fetched. You know Mom's temper. Don't make Mom sad, okay?"
Fang Huai remained silent. He lowered his head and his expression could not be seen clearly. All he could hear was the crisp sound of the apple being chewed.
He didn't want to compromise, but Fang Huai knew in his heart that he absolutely could not give in on this matter.
Just when the atmosphere was at a stalemate, Fang Henian walked in cautiously, followed by Kong Lingyu.
Fang Huai felt a gaze he couldn't ignore falling on him. He looked up and met their gaze. The apple in his mouth tasted bitter, so bitter that he hastily looked away. His arms were tense, the taut veins visible on his cold, pale skin. His fingers unconsciously gripped the sofa tassels, the pinching of his fingertips turning white.
Kong Lingyu's eyes were heavy as he walked straight to Fang Huai. He picked up the unpeeled apple on the table and took a bite. "It's quite sweet."
"Mom, these apples are really good. I'll bring some back when the time comes." Fang Henian also pulled He Lijun and acted coquettishly.
Knowing that this conversation had no end, the adoptive father simply turned around and left. He Lijun looked at her husband's back, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
No matter how anxious she was, it was inappropriate to say these things in front of outsiders. She also didn't want her son's boss to see the family's joke, so she forced a smile and said, "If you like it, ask your dad to give each of you a box when the time comes. Take it with you and eat it slowly."
"Well, what do you want to eat tonight?"
He Lijun looked at her eldest son and said, "I'm going out to buy some food. Tell me what you want to eat."
She didn't seem to want to stay here. Before she could get a reply, she quickly walked to the door, picked up her usual shopping basket and went out. After a few steps, she turned back and said to the younger generations in the family, "Call me when the time comes. I'm going out."
Fang Henian stood at the door, hesitating and not daring to move forward. Kong Lingyu lifted his eyelids, freed his other hand and slowly picked up the sofa tassels, pulling out the tassels one by one. When his warm fingertips brushed against the cold back of Fang Huai's hand, it caused waves of numbness.
He unfolded Fang Huai's hand, looked at his pale palm, and sighed softly, as if with helplessness or pity: "Maimai."
“It hasn’t changed.”
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