Chapter 5252 I Like Men
Chen Jingxuan looked at Shi Rui, the smile in his eyes deepening. He walked straight to the table for two. Qin Jixiu quickly said, "Dad, this is Shi Rui, my... friend. I brought him here today to try your cooking."
When he said the word "friend," his eyes wandered, clearly half-hiding something. Chen Jingxuan simply smiled and nodded, "Okay, hello, friend. Come visit us more often."
Shi Rui then dared to relax a little and sat down again with Qin Jixiu.
Chen Jingxuan didn't stay long as he had other customers to attend to in the store. Before leaving, he gave Qin Jixiu a look, meaning that they could talk again after he was done.
Qin Jixiu understood and pulled Shi Rui to eat slowly. When most of the customers in the store had left, Chen Jingxuan came over, wiping his hands. Knowing that his son loved drinking tea, he asked someone to brew the good tea that he usually didn't want to give to others, and sat down in the empty seat opposite.
Shi Rui was quick-witted and quick-handed. Before Chen Jingxuan could make a move, he picked up the teapot and, with a flick of his wrist, filled the teacup with hot water. He poured the water used to rinse the tea into the porcelain bowl beside him. He poured the amber-colored tea a second time and handed it to Chen Jingxuan. "Uncle, have some tea."
He poured another cup for Qin Jixiu, and finally poured himself half a cup, his movements smooth and respectful.
Chen Jingxuan held the teacup, stroking the rim with his fingertips, and his eyes moved between the two of them.
If Shi Rui and his son were just ordinary friends, when they came here, the guest should follow the host's wishes and Qin Jixiu should pour tea for Shi Rui, but now it seems that the opposite is true.
Chen Jingxuan vaguely guessed something, but didn't show it on his face. He just asked Shi Rui what his parents did for a living, where he was from, how old he was now, and where he worked. Shi Rui answered one by one.
After talking to Shi Rui, Chen Jingxuan noticed that the boy was a little nervous when he spoke, so he turned to chat with Qin Jixiu about family matters, asking him if the company was busy recently and whether he had eaten on time. Qin Jixiu responded one by one, and suddenly changed the subject: "Dad, this Spring Festival, you should go back to the Qin family for the New Year."
Chen Jingxuan paused holding the teacup, then looked up at his son. There was something more in the smile in his eyes: "If you need me to go back and support you, Dad will definitely go."
Qin Jixiu paused, realizing that his father must have guessed his relationship with Shi Rui. His heart warmed, and his eyes became a little hot. He lowered his head and drank his tea to cover it up: "Thank you, Dad."
After chatting for more than half an hour, the two said goodbye. Chen Jingxuan walked them to the door and handed Shi Rui a bag: "This is the beef sauce I made myself. Take it. Next time you want to eat noodles, just come to the store to find me."
Shi Rui couldn't refuse and thanked him repeatedly. Even after getting into the car, he kept saying to Qin Jixiu, "Uncle is such a nice guy. He's not arrogant at all."
Qin Jixiu teased him: "You have a better temper than me, right?"
Shi Rui hurriedly said, "I didn't say that."
Qin Jixiu smiled. He guessed Shi Rui was eager to ask why his father ended up running such a small noodle shop. Knowing Shi Rui wouldn't be comfortable asking in detail, he volunteered, "My dad used to be a researcher, but he quit to raise me. He didn't have a good relationship with my grandfather, so he left home early. He's opened this noodle shop these past few years, and business is pretty good."
At this point, Shi Rui understood everything. He suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, I haven't heard you mention your mother. Auntie is now..."
Qin Jixiu said calmly: "My mother died of illness when I was very young."
Shi Rui felt something tug at his heart after hearing this. He had grown up in a happy family and had never experienced what it was like to be without a mother. He couldn't imagine how Qin Jixiu, so young at the time, had grown up without his mother.
As soon as he got home, Shi Rui hugged Qin Jixiu tightly from behind.
Qin Jixiu was frozen in his embrace, then he reached out and covered the back of his hand, patting it gently: "What's wrong with you?"
Shi Rui said, "I feel sorry for you."
Qin Jixiu patted his hands in amusement: "Why do you feel more sentimental than me? I'm already 28 years old, and it's not like I'm still breastfeeding."
"I know," Shi Rui tightened his grip, "Auntie will definitely be very happy in heaven to see her son is so handsome and outstanding."
Qin Jixiu turned around and hugged him back. He smiled and said, "Yes, especially since you've found such a good boyfriend. My mother will definitely like him."
Speaking of this, Shi Rui suddenly became nervous and grabbed his arm: "Then uncle... has he seen through our relationship? Will he disagree?"
Qin Jixiu comforted him, "My father is a very reserved person. He never overly restricted me from childhood to adulthood and allowed me to grow freely. So even if he knew about our relationship, he didn't have any objections."
Shi Rui finally felt relieved and hugged him and rubbed him hard.
A few days later, Qin Jixiu sorted out the company's audit materials and drove to his grandfather's house.
As soon as Qin Jixiu entered the door, he saw his grandfather sitting on a rattan chair, holding a newspaper in his hand, his brows furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly.
"Grandpa, I'm here." Qin Jixiu put the fruit basket on the stone table and leaned over to help massage his shoulders. "What news is bothering you so much?"
Grandpa put down the newspaper and glanced at him: "It's all about those messes in your company. Last time you said you wanted an audit, I knew it was not good."
Qin Jixiu handed over the information: "Levi has made the greatest contribution this time. If it weren't for him, we would still be kept in the dark."
Grandpa picked up the information, put on his reading glasses and looked at it carefully. His brows gradually relaxed. "This kid is really good. Much better than those old guys who only knew how to flatter. Who did they catch this time?"
"Guo Cun," Qin Jixiu pointed to one of the pages, "he exploited his position to forge quotations multiple times and even embezzled workers' wages. The evidence is all here."
He had a strong impression of Guo Cun. He was very clever and had a good way of managing people. He had admired him at first. Grandpa's face suddenly darkened: "I thought he was a talented person with great potential, but he turned out to be a useless person!"
He had heard before that Qin Jixiu had made a major adjustment to the company's personnel. He strongly disapproved of it at that time, but now he understands that those who used to be cunning and manipulative are no longer liked. He knows his grandson, and Qin Jixiu prefers those who are practical.
After talking about work, Qin Jixiu accompanied his grandfather for a walk in the yard.
Qin Jixiu had been thinking all the way, and finally stopped, looking at his grandfather's back, his voice a little tense: "Grandpa, I have something to tell you."
Grandpa turned around, glanced at him, and suddenly smiled: "You've been holding it in all this time, and now you're finally going to speak? Go ahead, I'm listening."
Qin Jixiu took a deep breath and said as if he had made up his mind: "Grandpa, I don't want to get married, not in this life."
The smile on my grandfather's face froze instantly. He held Qin Jixiu's arm, his body swayed, and he quickly sat on the bench next to him, holding the armrest tightly with both hands, his face pale.
"Go on," Grandpa closed his eyes, too lazy to look at him, "I know you still have a fart to say."
Qin Jixiu continued: "...I'm not interested in women, I like men."
Grandpa stood up suddenly, slammed his cane into the ground, and his voice was shaking: "Are you...are you crazy?!"
He stared at Qin Jixiu, first in disbelief, then anger, and finally deep remorse: "It's all my fault! It's all my fault for not forcing your father to remarry! If you had a mother by your side to teach you, how could you become like this? How could you like men!"
Qin Jixiu felt a pang of pain in his heart, and he quickly held onto his grandfather's arm: "Grandpa, it has nothing to do with you, and it has nothing to do with my dad. I don't think women are bad, I just can't accept dating or marrying a woman. I only have feelings for men."
Grandpa's eyes suddenly darkened: "Then tell me, which man have you ever had feelings for?"
How could Qin Jixiu dare to tell the truth? He quickly shook his head: "That's all in the past. I don't have a partner now. I just want to tell you the truth."
Grandpa narrowed his eyes and stared at his face for a long time. His eyes were as sharp as a knife. "Do you think my eyesight is blurry? If you don't have a partner, why would you come to tell me all this? It must be because of some kid, just to give me a shot!"
Qin Jixiu was so touched by the thought that he almost bit his tongue. He could only deny it with a stiff upper lip: "Really not, Grandpa, I just don't want you to urge me to get married in the future."
Seeing that he refused to speak, Grandpa's face remained grim. "I'm telling you, Qin Jixiu, this road is not easy to walk! Have you thought about how to spend your life? How do you plan to face other people's criticism?! What if your friends abandon you when you're older? You won't even have anyone to take care of you!"
Qin Jixiu didn't even think about it and blurted out: "I can hire nannies, eight of them."
"You little bastard!" Grandpa was so angry that he picked up his crutch and hit him on the leg. The force was neither light nor heavy, but it was enough to make Qin Jixiu jump up.
"Grandpa, you are so cruel!" Qin Jixiu covered his legs, jumped twice on the spot, and frowned.
Grandpa was so angry that his chest felt tight, and he leaned on his cane to calm down: "If I don't beat you, you won't know your place! Don't let me see you, and don't come back for the New Year!"
Qin Jixiu came over to help him calm down: "No, I want to come back for the New Year!"
"Get out of here!" Grandpa picked up his cane and was about to hit him again. Qin Jixiu quickly backed away: "Okay, okay, I'll get out. Is that not okay with me? Don't be angry. Take care of yourself."
As he said this, he really turned around and walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he did not forget to turn around and shout: "Grandpa, I will come to see you another day!"
"Don't come here again!"
Qin Jixiu drove back home. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Shi Rui sitting on the sofa, holding his shirt in his hand, folding it carefully. The sunlight shone through the French window on him, and even his hair was radiant with tenderness.
Qin Jixiu didn't think anything of it at first, but when he saw this scene, he suddenly felt wronged. He walked over, hugged Shi Rui tightly from behind, and buried his face in his neck.
Shi Rui was startled, and the shirt in his hand fell on the sofa. He turned around and touched Qin Jixiu's face: "What's wrong?"
Qin Jixiu shook his head: "Nothing, I just feel... it's great to have you around."
Shi Rui didn't ask any more questions, but just put his arm around his waist and patted his back gently.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: The next chapter will be updated at 18:00
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
