Chapter 99 Chaos Turns (I) Rotting Tissue and the Smelly Stink...
Despite hearing such explosive news that night, the weather was still sunny when I turned on the light and opened my eyes the next day. Wei Yuanye had returned from his morning run and there was breakfast on the table. Today he had corn and steamed dumplings.
Zhang Deng turned over and picked up his mobile phone, only to find that he had not even charged it last night, and now only 40% of the battery was left.
He casually flipped through the pages, checked the news, and then stood up to check out today's breakfast. He asked, "Are they all staple foods?"
Wei Yuanye brought out last night's leftovers from the kitchen and said, "Clean up."
Zhang Deng said, "Great! I love leftovers."
When Zhang Deng was eating, I felt that my mentality was invincible and I was not worried about anything.
People like him will never succeed in anything they do, but they will feel comfortable.
Wei Yuanye didn't eat early today, so the two of them ate breakfast together. Xiao Mi jumped onto the table, sniffed lightly, and then walked away without interest. As soon as Xiao Mi lifted her feet, Zhang Deng's phone lit up. When she opened it, it was a message from He Xiaoqiu.
He Xiaoqiu must have returned to China recently. He was very bored and felt like he was harassing Zhang Deng. He asked him, "What are you doing?"
Zhang Deng took a photo of the food on the table and sent it over. He Xiaoqiu asked, "Still eating?"
Zhang Deng didn't reply.
He Xiaoqiu asked, "How much weight have you gained?"
Zhang Deng still didn't reply.
"It's all carbohydrates," said He Xiaoqiu.
Zhang Deng: "I'm on shore."
What he actually meant was that he had gotten over the anxiety about calories and weight and no longer cared about those things.
He Xiaoqiu asked, "Where is the shore?"
"Are you sure you can stay together forever?" he asked Zhang Deng.
Zhang Deng said, "I don't want to bother with you. You haven't paid the tuition yet, but you want to attend class."
To piss him off, Zhang Deng pointed the camera at himself, filmed a short video of himself eating, and sent it to him, saying, "You're so greedy."
He Xiaoqiu: "Not fragrant at all."
Zhang Deng: "Your teeth must have been broken."
Wei Yuanye glanced at it and saw Zhang Deng typing away with a faint smile on his lips. It seemed that the conversation made him feel good.
Wei Yuanye said, "Want to go out for a walk?"
"Hmm?" Zhang Deng looked up from his phone. "Where are you going?"
"I've received my payment," Wei Yuanye said. "The money for the first two missions has come in, so I can buy you something."
Zhang Deng said curiously, "I don't need anything."
In Zhang Deng's opinion, his home has everything, it is like his own palace.
Wei Yuanye said: "Buy some new ones."
Zhang Deng thought about it and still felt that there was nothing special he needed. However, since Wei Yuanye brought it up, he reluctantly agreed. In Zhang Deng's opinion, it was a waste to consume unnecessary things. His love of thriftiness led him to only want to keep some things that were really valuable to him. He liked the couple's outfit he and Wei Yuanye bought together last time very much and had been wearing it all the time. Recently, it was out of season and he finally put it away. He started wearing a loose white cardigan and jeans again.
After breakfast, Wei Yuanye cleaned up the kitchen and the two of them went out. It was not very convenient without a car. Wei Yuanye put his hands in his pockets and raised one hand to hail a taxi. Zhang Deng felt that this scene was actually very suitable for Wei Yuanye.
Wei Yuanye looks like a playboy who can't buy any real estate because he is too tough and easily broken.
Wei Yuanye accidentally saw Zhang Deng secretly looking at him and smiling. He felt a little strange, so he turned his eyes away and controlled himself not to get too close to Wei Yuanye on the street.
Wei Yuanye asked: "Have your parents contacted you?"
Zhang Deng said, "That time, didn't my mom send me a message?"
However, Zhang Deng did not reply. He had already regarded himself as an orphan in his heart and subconsciously refused to have any contact with his parents.
Fortunately, his parents are also very respectable people who attach great importance to their parental authority and will not pester him in a shameless way.
The taxi stopped and the two got in. Wei Yuanye said, "Then I'll buy you another car."
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror.
Zhang Deng said, "Ah, forget it, I don't want it anymore."
Wei Yuanye said: "Why not?"
"I don't like driving at all," Zhang Deng said. "The money I spent on the car is enough for me to take taxis for the rest of my life."
Wei Yuanye: "Then buy a house."
Zhang Deng: “?”
"How much did you pay?" Zhang Deng asked, "Why are you pretending?"
Zhang Deng could feel the driver's gaze moving back and forth between the two of them.
Wei Yuanye said: "Money is meant to be spent."
"Who told you that?" Zhang Deng said, "Beware of the trap of consumerism. Friendly reminder: You can live a good life by renting an apartment."
Wei Yuanye is not a wasteful person. Zhang Deng feels that sometimes Wei Yuanye just likes him, so his brain can't help but want to spend money on him.
Zhang Deng said, "It doesn't mean you have to spend money to be nice to me, or buy me anything, or take care of me. I think just being together is enough."
Wei Yuanye seemed to be lost in thought, and the driver's eyes were fixed on him.
Zhang Deng couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Brother, do you want to add him on WeChat?"
The driver quickly turned his eyes away.
The two went to the shopping mall they had been to when they first met. Zhang Deng still refused to buy luxury brands. They each had a cup of milk tea and went to a men's clothing store. The prices were not very cheap, but the styles were good. Zhang Deng liked some of the designs very much and picked out two for Wei Yuanye. Each of them was very suitable. He also picked out two basic T-shirts and cardigans. The clothes of the two were of the same material but different styles, which could be considered a type of couple's outfit.
The bill cost more than 3,100 yuan, and Wei Yuanye paid with a wave of his hand, looking extremely handsome.
Zhang Deng could really understand why some people always wanted to be with rich men. This time, not only did he get a lot of benefits, but it was also really cool to watch Wei Yuanye pay the bill.
So he took Wei Yuanye to some boutiques, and Zhang Deng bought a water cup and a very ugly blind box, which Wei Yuanye paid for.
Zhang Deng made a wish that he would get the ugliest one. After praying devoutly a few times, he was about to open the box when he suddenly received a phone call. Hu Ningning asked him boredly, "What are you doing?"
Zhang Deng said: "A date."
"Who allowed you to live so happily?" Hu Ningning said, "Come out and have fun."
Zhang Deng thought about it and refused: "Next time."
He and Wei Yuanye had less and less time to spend together, and he wanted to cherish these opportunities to be alone. To be honest, Zhang Deng now even felt very sorry for the memories that had been erased during the mission. He didn't know what he and Wei Yuanye said or what they went through back then. This relationship was really a loss for them.
After hanging up the phone, I opened the blind box and saw it was the cover model. A clownfish was holding a taiyaki, its tail tilted up.
Zhang Deng immediately laughed and said, "This is also very good."
Wei Yuanye said, "Buy a few more."
"No need," Zhang Deng said, "It and I are more destined to be together."
Wei Yuanye took the bag from him and said, "Okay."
Today is a standard date day. At noon, I had a meal at a very popular grilled fish restaurant that I found online. Zhang Deng placed a clownfish in front of the grilled fish and took a photo. I added a very warm filter and posted it on WeChat Moments, which was a rare opportunity.
His copy read: "Very happy."
Hu Ningning quickly liked his post and commented: "I am happy when you are happy."
He Xiaoqiu pointed his finger downwards at him.
Zhang Deng turned off his phone, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "It smells so good."
Wei Yuanye picked out the fish bones for him and threw them into his bowl. Zhang Deng said, "Xiao Mi will definitely smell the fish smell on us."
"Greedy cat." Wei Yuanye commented, but added, "Pack a non-spicy dish for it to take back."
Wei Yuanye and Xiaomi have a very good relationship, and it's getting better and better. Zhang Deng thinks it might be because Wei Yuanye likes small animals, and Xiaomi also likes people, so the two of them hit it off right away.
Zhang Deng has recently had a strong feeling of being alive. It is as if the people and things around him are all surrounding him and running in an orderly manner with him as the center. This feeling has never been experienced before.
But Zhang Deng also knew that after reaching the peak of happiness, decline would inevitably follow.
As if to confirm his guess, he received a call from his mother before he finished his meal.
He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the phone. His mother asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were back?"
"How do you know I went out?" Zhang Deng asked.
His mother said, "Xiao Qiu told me."
Zhang Deng was too lazy to answer and said, "He shouldn't know."
I don’t know how his mother found out about his recent situation. She contacted Zhang Deng before, but Zhang Deng didn’t reply to her. She could still comfort herself that she didn’t receive it. Today, Zhang Deng posted on WeChat Moments but didn’t reply to her. She seemed very unhappy.
Ye Hong said on the other end of the phone: "I just asked Xiao Qiu, they are free tonight, you can come back for dinner."
"He's fine, just call him," Zhang Deng said, "I'm busy."
Ye Hong: "What can you do? Do you want to have a relationship?"
Zhang Deng: "Who told you this?"
"Forget it," Zhang Deng said, feeling somewhat powerless. "Anyway, I'm not going."
Ye Hong seemed not to have heard: "Liu Yan is coming too."
Zhang Deng: “You——”
Ye Hong said, "Get here early, don't keep everyone waiting for you."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Zhang Deng was a little confused. He glanced at his phone, then at Wei Yuanye, and after a long while he finally said, "Why are you so crow-mouthed?"
Wei Yuanye said, "I guess I'll find you soon."
"Is that possible?" Zhang Deng said, "Shall we go tonight?"
After asking, he also knew that Wei Yuanye didn't care at all. In fact, it was all up to him to decide. Zhang Deng suddenly felt a little disgusted with the feeling of having to make all the decisions on his own.
Zhang Deng pulled He Xiaoqiu over and scolded him again: "Did you promise my mom that you would go out for dinner tonight?"
He Xiaoqiu: "I just found out too."
What a great move! Zhang Deng asked, "Are you going?"
"I'll go," He Xiaoqiu said, "You have a grudge against her, but I don't."
"Then did you know that Liu Yan was going too?"
He Xiaoqiu: “?”
He Xiaoqiu: "?! Why?"
Zhang Deng finally felt like he had gotten his revenge and said, "Yes, your aunt told me that Liu Yan was going too."
He Xiaoqiu: "What are you doing?"
He posted an emoticon: he dropped the bowl while eating with a dark face.
Zhang Deng asked, "Are you still going?"
He Xiaoqiu hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not good not to go. I saw her yesterday."
"Did you go home yesterday?"
In fact, He Xiaoqiu's original family was not very happy. He must have been very miserable when he returned home. Ye Hong was working in his house, so it was natural for them to run into each other.
Only then did Zhang Deng know how Ye Hong knew about his current situation.
He Xiaoqiu said, "Just go, maybe he wants to make peace with you."
Zhang Deng did not respond to this sentence. In fact, he was also thinking about what Ye Hong was trying to do.
Maybe she really wanted to find a way out and restore her relationship with him.
If that's the case - Zhang Deng asked himself, he still wanted it.
Even if it's just a superficial relationship, if his parents are willing to care about him and apologize to him, Zhang Deng still wants to have the opportunity to forgive them.
Zhang Deng raised his head and said to Wei Yuanye, "Let's go and take a look."
At around seven o'clock in the evening, Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye arrived downstairs of their home on time.
They didn't drive this time, so naturally they wouldn't run into Liu Yan and He Xiaoqiu in the garage. He Xiaoqiu had been there for more than half an hour and kept calling out to Zhang Deng to hurry up.
According to him, Liu Yan had arrived a long time ago and the atmosphere was very awkward for a while.
Zhang Deng was still a little nervous. He didn't want Wei Yuanye to see his nervousness, so he took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Fortunately, it was He Xiaoqiu who opened the door, not Ye Hong.
He Xiaoqiu's expression at that moment was as if he had seen a god, and his face showed that he was saved.
Ye Hong came out of the kitchen and said indifferently, "You're here."
Zhang Deng took out the wine he bought and put it on the table.
The fact that I didn’t bring any gifts last time I came back sounded a wake-up call for Zhang Deng, and this time he finally remembered to buy something.
Ye Hong glanced at the box and said, "Sit down for a while."
She then saw Wei Yuanye coming in after changing his shoes. Her expression changed, and she said, "I've reheated the food twice to wait for you."
Zhang Deng said, "Oh."
He Xiaoqiu held Zhang Deng's hand intimately and said, "There's a traffic jam."
"The road ahead is smooth." Zhang Deng said, refusing to go down the stairs.
Zhang Deke walked out of the study, his eyes swept over everyone, but he didn't linger on his own son for too long.
He sat down and said, "Let's eat."
Zhang Deng thought that Zhang Deke actually acquiesced to Ye Hong's habit of inviting the younger generation over for dinner. He might even have liked it. After all, there were few occasions in life where he had the final say. This family was a small kingdom, and he was its miniature monarch, possessing the final say. Zhang Deke, a man with a limited understanding of marriage and love, enjoyed this fleeting sense of authority.
This time they sat in the same place as last time. Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye sat on one side, He Xiaoqiu and Liu Yan sat on the other side. Liu Yan's eyes met Zhang Deng's in mid-air, and Liu Yan nodded to him as a greeting.
Ye Hong said, "Try the new dish Auntie made."
Then he stood up and served food to He Xiaoqiu and Liu Yan. Zhang Deng glanced at the table and found that there were not many dishes he liked. At this time, he began to regret that he should not have come.
Ye Hong didn't realize that she had done anything wrong. She thought that asking Zhang Deng to come home for dinner was already a reconciliation.
Unfortunately, Zhang Deng had seen what true love was like and couldn't be fooled by such a clumsy trick. Zhang Deng looked at the table but didn't move his chopsticks. He asked, "Did you ask me to come over because you have something to say?"
His tone of voice was not very friendly, and everyone looked at him.
Ye Hong was stunned for a moment, threw her chopsticks on the table, and was unhappy: "What do you mean?"
"Given our current relationship, I don't need to be a spectator of your life, watching you dote on other people's children," Zhang Deng said. "This behavior won't hurt me anymore."
Zhang Deng understood completely.
He used to think that his sadness was too subtle and Ye Hong failed to see his desire for maternal love - but during the time he was in love with Wei Yuanye, Zhang Deng suddenly realized that no one would be so dull as to turn a blind eye to a pair of eyes longing for love.
Then Ye Hong treated him like this on purpose.
She just deliberately favors other people's children. She likes to show in front of Zhang Deng that she has a better relationship with He Xiaoqiu in order to hurt Zhang Deng's heart.
Ye Hong did it on purpose.
After understanding all this, Zhang Deng's inner depression did not disappear completely. Instead, he felt as if a lot of things were surging in his chest and making him feel uncomfortable.
It was not because of his hatred, but because he did not expect that the root cause of such great pain in his entire childhood was actually because of a woman's little thoughts that were so dark, unrefined, and even difficult to match in the Chinese context.
At that moment, Zhang Deng suddenly felt that this world was so absurd.
Just because Ye Hong enjoyed the feeling of being chased for maternal love, his entire childhood was traumatized by this.
The difference in importance of all these things was so great that Zhang Deng felt top-heavy.
Ye Hong said, "I don't understand what you are saying."
"You always don't understand me," Zhang Deng said. "What you mean is that I haven't expressed myself clearly, but I have expressed myself clearly. I live my life with clarity and understanding. Every stroke of my pen is well written. My life is written very neatly. It's you two who are truly living blindly."
Zhang Deng said, "You called me over here, but you don't have anything new to say, and you want me to watch you show off your motherly love to others. I've seen enough, and it doesn't matter to me anymore."
Zhang Deke said, "Light up the lights!"
Zhang Deng turned to look at him fearlessly and asked, "What's the matter?"
Liu Yan said: "Okay, calm down--"
Zhang Deke slammed the table and reached out as if to flick the lamp. Wei Yuanye leaned forward, and Liu Yan also stood up, but it was He Xiaoqiu who shouted, "What are you doing?!"
He Xiaoqiu asked, "Uncle, are you going to hit someone?"
Zhang Deke awkwardly paused his hand in mid-air, then put it down after a moment, saying, "Are you saying what a son or daughter should say?"
He Xiaoqiu said, "You can't communicate about problems this way."
Liu Yan glanced at He Xiaoqiu and said meaningfully: "Yes, communication is very important."
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Ye Hong glanced at the four young children, then sat back down and said, "Let's eat first."
The atmosphere then eased a little, thanks to the fact that Liu Yan had been doing quite well in the past two years and provided a lot of topics. Liu Yan also showed off in a very low-key manner, giving the impression of a male peacock courting a mate.
Ye Hong stroked He Xiaoqiu's hand and said, "What's going on between you two lately? This dinner was actually your mother's idea for us to get together. Just tell your aunt the truth. What do you two think?"
He Xiaoqiu glanced at Zhang Deng, thought for a moment, and took his hand out. He said, "Auntie, I haven't told my mother anything, so it's the same if you ask again."
Ye Hong's expression was the most awkward she had ever been since she entered the room. She was even a little bit unresponsive. She turned to look at Liu Yan, who said, "We can handle young people's affairs ourselves."
Zhang Deng knew where Ye Hong's embarrassment and helplessness came from - He Xiaoqiu was no longer close to her.
In fact, Ye Hong was not smart enough, and it was impossible for He Xiaoqiu to really be her godson. He did not take Ye Hong seriously at all, and attended her so-called family dinner to save face, only because He Xiaoqiu was a man who was good at dealing with people and had some perverted pursuits of doing things beautifully.
But Zhang Deng didn't know why He Xiaoqiu began to consider his feelings and refused to accompany Ye Hong in this drama.
Ye Hong thought for a long time before finally revealing her true intention in calling Zhang Deng here today. She said, "Your father crashed his car a few days ago. You filed the insurance claim, so I want you to contact the insurance company."
Zhang Deng felt that it was as he expected, and hearing these words made him feel relieved.
"I don't have time," Zhang Deng said. "You guys should pay for the repairs yourself."
Zhang Deke looked at Zhang Deng with a rather ferocious look in his eyes: "You mean you won't acknowledge us anymore and sever the parent-child relationship, right?"
Zhang Deng saw that he had been an honest man all his life, and he guessed that no one had ever seen him with such a fierce expression, and he used it on his own son.
"Yes." Zhang Deng had nothing to fear. He said, "Sever the parent-child relationship."
Ye Hong waved her hands in the air a few times. It was unclear whether she was trying to stop someone, or whether she wanted to prevent the situation from developing further.
Zhang Deke casually picked up a cup and threw it at Zhang Deng, who dodged it by leaning sideways. He Xiaoqiu cried out, "Ah!" and Ye Hong immediately said, "Don't do it!"
Zhang Deng said, "You are too irrational."
After saying this, Zhang Deng finally felt pleasure.
Even if he had mentally cut ties with his parents, he had never felt the same kind of pleasure. Countless times, when he'd collapsed, hysterical, his movements and speech distorted because he didn't receive his parents' attention and love, Zhang Deke would often respond with this simple, understated remark: "You're too irrational."
This sentence can be said to have pierced Zhang Deng's life.
This sentence caused him to warn himself "You are too irrational" whenever he encountered a huge blow in his life. He had to examine his own behavior at all times, to the point that he lost his own personality and developed serious mental problems.
At this moment, when Zhang Deng said this in front of Zhang Deke, he realized how malicious this statement was.
How could a normal father coldly watch the pain of his inexperienced underage son and make such a comment?
He tore open the unhealed scar from his childhood with his own hands, letting the festering wound see the light of day again. The eroded tissue and smelly pus told him that it was not that he was not good enough, but that his parents did not love him.
This is the root of the problem.
He didn't need to be too rational.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com