"How will you help and protect her then? You're indulging her now, taking her along in your relationship, and not focusing on your studies. What will she do when you're temporarily separated and she doesn't have the ability to handle things independently?"
Under the sunlight, the water shimmered after the wind picked up, and the float bobbed back and forth. But the float's movement wasn't just due to the ripples; judging from its up-and-down motion, there must be a fish testing the hook.
"My advice to you is to focus on your studies for now. Of course, I'm not forbidding you from being close to each other anymore, that would only have the opposite effect. I'm just saying that you should focus more on your studies."
This is the right thing to do for Yunmiao, for you, for both of our parents, and for your future.
Xiao Chen, you're a boy, shouldn't you know how to shoulder the responsibilities of a man?
The float shook violently again, bobbing up and down, clearly indicating that a fish was biting the bait. Moreover, the force transmitted through the rod suggested that it was a large fish.
Responsible……
Chen Bing watched Shang Zhengxin intently as he fished in silence.
He had never considered those words from her. He used to think that fulfilling Shang Yunmiao's thoughts and desires—taking her out to play when she wanted to, teaching her to study when she wanted to, and being intimate with her when she wanted to date—and making her happy and carefree, was being responsible.
As for what will happen to her in the future, and whether she will be able to be independent, Chen Bing felt that she would be by her side and could shoulder everything for her, and that was enough.
But after Shang Zhengxin's words today, he finally understood how to see things from his parents' perspective, realized that he was wrong, understood how to treat Shang Yunmiao, and understood what it really means to be responsible.
After a long silence, Chen Bing looked up at Shang Zhengxin, her expression serious and earnest, yet also bright and cheerful, and said, "Yes! Uncle Shang, I know what to do!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Zhengxin smiled with satisfaction, without turning to look at Chen Bing. Because the fishing had reached its most crucial moment.
Chen Bing saw Uncle Shang stand up with great spirit, pick up his fishing rod, and reply in his deep voice, "That's right!"
...
Around 5 p.m., Chen Bing and Shang Zhengxin went home after fishing.
"We're back!"
Yunxuan, who had just finished making a strawberry cake with her daughter and was wondering what to have for dinner, looked towards the bedroom door and was pleasantly surprised to find that dinner was already taken care of.
She stood up with a smile to greet the two of them. After carefully looking at the big fish her husband was carrying, she said with a beaming smile, "It's so big! It must weigh about three pounds! That's enough for the whole family. I was worried you wouldn't be able to catch it and were planning to make something else."
"Hmm... Hey! Not bad, right? You said before that I couldn't catch anything while fishing, but I caught something, didn't I? All those ingredients I bought for cooking fish weren't a waste of money, were they?" Shang Zhengxin's expression was a little unnatural, as if he had something on his mind, but he still pretended to be very confident as he spoke.
Chen Bing, standing beside him, kept her head down and quietly changed her shoes.
"Huh, is that a snakehead fish? There are snakehead fish in the wetland park?"
"Yes, that's for sure. The lake is huge, there's all kinds of fish in it. Xiao Chen and I even saw several wild ducks! Don't you think so, Xiao Chen?"
"Yes, yes, there are wild ducks."
I was referring to wild ducks; I don't know about anything else. Chen Bing thought this after changing her shoes, and after asking Yun Xuan where Shang Yunmiao was, she went to the bedroom to find her, who was studying.
Even after he left, Yunxuan's questions about the fish continued.
"This fish doesn't look very light in color. Aren't wild fish supposed to be light in color?"
"What kind of logic is that? Domesticated and wild ones look pretty much the same. We're not experts, how could we tell the difference?"
Yunxuan nodded after hearing this, thinking it made a lot of sense.
"Hey? How did your pole break?"
"Ah, ah! This." Faced with this question, Shang Zhengxin was finally able to tell the truth, and then answered with some confidence, "At the beginning, I broke a big fish while fishing."
"Then this fish..."
"I brought two fishing rods. The other one was originally intended for Xiao Chen, but after this one broke, I'm using his."
After covering her mouth and chuckling softly twice, Yunxuan teased her husband, "It seems that expensive things aren't necessarily good. I remember you spent over three thousand on this pole, but it's not as good as this eight-hundred-yuan one. From now on, just use this eight-hundred-yuan one; it's much better than the three-thousand-yuan one."
Shang Zhengxin repeatedly agreed.
"Oh, right." After snapping out of her surprise at the big fish, Yunxuan remembered the important reason her husband had gone out. So, after glancing back at the closed door of her daughter's bedroom, she grabbed her husband's wrist and whispered, "Have you talked to Bingbing?"
After listening to Shang Zhengxin's selective account, Yunxuan knew the matter was almost settled. Relieved, she took the large black fish, which didn't quite resemble a wild fish, back to the kitchen to prepare it.
As the two parents chatted, Chen Bing pushed open the door to Shang Yunmiao's bedroom. There sat the little girl, wearing large pink headphones, her soft hair flowing, and a cute cream-yellow dress. Her two little feet were slightly raised, four toes resting on her off-white slippers, while the other toe lay independently to the side.
Her fair, rosy heels swayed back and forth in front of Chen Bing, as if dancing to the rhythm of music.
Tsk tsk tsk, this little girl is up to no good. She's studying and listening to music. Let me come closer and see if you're concentrating on your work.
Thinking of this, Chen Bing did not call Shang Yunmiao. Instead, out of mischief, she quietly walked behind Shang and slapped her shoulders with both hands.
As expected, Xiao Shang was startled. She took off her headphones and turned around to see who was behind her.
When the little girl saw that the person who had tricked her was Chen Bing, she immediately changed her frightened expression to a reproachful one.
"Bad, deliberately bullying people."
The adorable little Shang puffed out her cheeks, gently patted Chen Bing's shoulder, then stood up and threw herself into his arms. Chen Bing returned the hug, one hand on her back and the other stroking her head.
After a brief moment of tenderness, Shang Yunmiao stuck out her tongue and left Chen Bing's embrace, complaining, "Chen Bing, you smell like fish, it's awful."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com