Chapter 4 (Part 1)
Cheng Zhao walked into the Rosewood Beauty Salon. The receptionist glanced lazily at him. "Do you have an appointment?" "I'm looking for Boss Yu." The girl blinked, studying him closely. Then, memories sparked, her eyes twinkling with gossip. She stood up suddenly, a beaming smile on her face. "You're... Sister Yu's boyfriend, right?" Cheng Zhao scratched his forehead as if with a headache. "We broke up." The girl's expression quickly shifted from joy to surprise, the gossip twinkling in her eyes doubling. "Sister Yu isn't here right now. Did she know you were coming?" "Yes! She's the one who asked me to come at this time." A crisp voice came from behind, "Cheng Zhao! Sorry, I just had to go out for something. I'm two minutes late." Cheng Zhao turned and saw his ex-girlfriend, Yu Lichun, walk in. As expected of a beauty salon owner, her skin was perfectly maintained, radiant and smooth, and her gait was as springy and agile as a fawn. "It's okay, I just got here too." "Let's talk in my office!" Yu Lichun walked past Cheng Zhao and reached the stairs leading to the second floor. Turning to see Cheng Zhao standing there motionless, she raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" Cheng Zhao pursed his lips, shoved his hands in his pockets, and whispered, "Didn't you ask me to come get the car?" Yu Lichun shoved her hands at her waist. "What's the matter? Can't you just come up for a cup of tea after breaking up? Are you so eager to break up with me?" The receptionist sat in a corner with her brows lowered, desperate to hide. Cheng Zhao walked over slowly and followed Yu Lichun upstairs. Yu Lichun's office was next to the VIP room, a tiny room, maybe five or six square meters. She had given as much space as possible to her VIP clients. The room was furnished with a root carving tea table and several wooden stools. The tea set was made of black pottery, giving the combination a sense of old-fashioned elegance. Cheng Zhao had teased Yu Lichun about her taste in the past, but she loved it. "I have some new white peony tea. It's very fragrant, though a little bland. Is that okay with you?" "It's fine with you." Cheng Zhao sat on a wooden stool, watching Yu Lichun skillfully prepare the tea. The colorful pendants in her hand jingled and dazzled him. The tea was ready, and Yu Lichun handed a cup to Cheng Zhao. "How long has it been since we last met? If I don't let you pick up the car, you're not going to come to my house again, are you?" "Of course not. Just ask me and I'll be there." "Who are you kidding?" "Then tell me, when have I ever lied to you?" Yu Lichun sipped her tea, half-smiled. "I can't think of anything. What did you...
Cheng Zhao walked into the Rosemary Beauty Salon. The girl at the front desk looked at him lazily and asked, "Do you have an appointment?"
"I'm looking for Boss Yu."
The girl blinked and looked at him carefully, then her memory was ignited, gossip stars twinkled in her eyes, and she stood up suddenly with a smile on her face.
"You are...Sister Yu's boyfriend, right?"
Cheng Zhao scratched his forehead as if he had a headache, "We broke up."
The girl's expression quickly changed from joy to surprise, and the gossip stars in her eyes instantly doubled.
"Sister Yu is not here right now. Does she know you are coming?"
"I know! She's the one who asked me to come at this time."
A crisp voice came from behind, "Cheng Zhao! Sorry, I just had to go out for something, so I'm two minutes late."
Cheng Zhao turned around and saw his ex-girlfriend Yu Lichun walk in. As expected of a beauty salon owner, her skin was perfectly maintained, glowing and smooth, and she walked with a springy, agile gait, like a fawn.
"It's okay, I just got here too."
"Let's talk in my office!"
Yu Lichun walked past Cheng Zhao and reached the stairs leading to the second floor. She turned around and saw Cheng Zhao standing there motionless. She raised her eyebrows.
"What's going on?"
Cheng Zhao pursed his lips, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and whispered, "Didn't you ask me to come and get the car?"
Yu Lichun put her hands on her waist and said, "What's the matter? Can't you come up and have a cup of tea after breaking up? Are you so anxious to break up with me?"
The girl at the front desk sat in the corner with her head lowered, wishing she could hide herself.
Cheng Zhao walked over slowly and followed Yu Lichun upstairs.
Yu Lichun's office is next to the VIP room. It's a very small room, maybe five or six square meters. She gives as much space as possible to VIP clients.
There was a root carving tea table and several wooden stools in the room, and the tea set was made of black pottery. The combination had an old-fashioned feel. Cheng Zhao had made fun of Yu Lichun's taste before, but she liked it very much.
"I have some newly arrived white peony. It's very fragrant, but a little bland. Is that okay with you?"
"Anything is fine."
Cheng Zhao sat on a wooden stool, watching Yu Lichun skillfully handling the tea. The colorful pendants in her hands jingled and made him dizzy.
The tea was ready, and Yu Lichun handed a cup to Cheng Zhao.
"How long has it been since we last met? If I don't let you come get the car, you're not going to come to my door again, right?"
"Of course not. I'll be there whenever you ask me."
“Who are you kidding!”
"Then tell me, when have I ever lied to you?"
Yu Lichun sipped her tea, half smiling, "I really can't think of anything. You say whatever you want, and sometimes you're quite annoying."
"I apologize."
"No need. You're not a bad person, just stubborn."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"When will you invite me to your wedding?"
Cheng Zhao lowered his eyes and said, "No time."
Yu Lichun's eyes widened. "No way? Your childhood sweetheart rejected you?"
"I haven't mentioned it yet!"
"You're really patient." Yu Lichun's eyes were meaningful. "But breaking up with me was very straightforward."
Cheng Zhao rarely showed an embarrassed look, "Isn't this me, not worthy of you?"
"Come on! If you're not worthy of me, then are you worthy of your childhood sweetheart?"
"Oh, I'm not worthy of her, so I haven't been able to speak up until now."
"You are quite self-aware."
“That’s the only advantage.”
"Don't give me that! I only agreed to break up because you said you couldn't let her go. Are you kidding me?"
Cheng Zhao cried out, "How dare I? Who gave me the courage? I'm such a coward that it's dragged on until now."
Yu Lichun chuckled. "I didn't expect you to be a coward sometimes. Oh—I really want to meet Miss Gan. What does she look like? She can make you so obedient."
"He's not superhuman, he's even more of a coward than me. Otherwise I would have introduced you two to each other long ago."
Yu Lichun crossed her legs, her elbows resting on her knees, twirling a teacup in her hand, and looked at Cheng Zhao with a teasing look. Cheng Zhao had thrown off his restraint by now, a smile on his face, and his words became smooth. He recalled the days when he and Yu Lichun had exchanged sharp words. Although it had not lasted long, it had been quite interesting. Yu Lichun had a straightforward personality, and they got along very well. Even after breaking up, they could still be like brothers.
"How have you been lately?" Cheng Zhao turned from defense to offense.
"Same old fashioned, running a business, busy all day. Yesterday I asked them to clean up, and they found your road bike in the warehouse. I've only ridden it twice since you lent it to me. Since I figured I'd never ride it again, I called you."
"You don't have to give it back to me, actually. I meant it to be yours when I gave it to you."
"Breakup fee? How much is this car? Three thousand or five thousand? Isn't it too cheap to use it as a breakup fee?"
"Then tell me a number."
The smile on Yu Lichun's face disappeared, and she became a little fierce. "How dare you breathe! I, Yu Lichun, have a family and a career. Why would I want to blackmail you?"
"How can you say it's an extortion? I'm willing to give..."
"I never take advantage of others!"
"Okay! I'll carry the car away in a moment."
The two of them bantered for a while, then Cheng Zhao called and Yu Lichun's phone rang. They each answered their calls, and after Cheng Zhao said goodbye, Yu Lichun personally took him to the warehouse to pick up the car.
Someone had polished the Giant road bike until it looked as shiny as new, and the tires were fully inflated.
Cheng Zhao couldn't help but praise, "Boss Yu is really good at what he does."
Yu Lichun folded her arms across her chest and asked, "Do you have any regrets at all?"
"I regret it so much! How nice it would be if I had a brother who wasn't married yet!"
Yu Lichun laughed and yelled, "Get lost!"
At half past six, it was not yet completely dark. In the community center square, the dancing uncles and aunts were divided into several pieces like dried tofu, each singing and dancing to the rhythm of the loudspeaker.
Cheng Zhao hopped on his road bike and leisurely rode past the dancing groups. Under the square's streetlights, his gaze ploughed across the wrinkled faces. He hadn't noticed a group dancing with swords. An old woman spun around, and Cheng Zhao's sword nearly struck him. He ducked, ducking.
In the center of the square stood a square formation, its members all wearing red and yellow sweatshirts, resembling plates of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The leaders, including Cheng Zhao's elderly mother, wore uniformly white gloves. The group's music was fast-paced, and Cheng Zhao's belly bounced as she danced; she looked anything but a 70-year-old.
Cheng Zhao rode his bike to a stop right in front of his mother, put his feet on the ground, and waited for her to see him.
Cheng Zhao has two older brothers who are much older than him. Because their father was a long-term alcoholic and violent, his brothers left their hometown one after another after they grew up. Now they have all started their own families and careers outside, but Cheng Zhao is the only one who stayed in this city.
Like his brother, he hated his father and rarely spent any time at home, having plenty of friends and classmates. After spending so much time outside, his mind became restless and he lost interest in studying. After barely finishing junior high, he spent a few years at a vocational school, where he got involved in a few fights but luckily avoided getting caught. After graduation, he continued to dawdle, occasionally working odd jobs. It wasn't until his mother asked a relative to get him a job at a renovation company that he truly began to learn something.
A few years later, my father fell off his bicycle while drunk and died before he could be taken to the hospital. Our family lived in peace from then on, but we were still very poor.
Cheng Zhao, a filial son, sought to provide a good life for his mother. After three years of working as a laborer, he tried his hand at independent work as a contractor. His quick wit, his ability to address client requests, and his trustworthiness helped his business grow. By the age of 28, he had established a respectable company. No longer content with ordinary residential renovations, he leveraged his established reputation and network to start undertaking corporate renovation projects.
After making money, Cheng Zhao helped his mother buy a new house. Although his mother lived alone, she was not lonely at all. She quickly found her own group of friends. Moreover, because she no longer had to endure the torture of her husband, her life became simpler and more joyful, as can be seen from her rosy face.
Cheng's mother made a move to fish the moon out of the sea. When the moon came up, she saw her son lying on the bicycle. A smile suddenly appeared on her face. She waved hard at Cheng Zhao, but did not come over immediately. She did not walk over to her son until she finished all the steps and the team disbanded.
"Mom, you can do it! Can you keep up with such a fast pace?"
Cheng's mother was pleased, "I practice every day! How come you're riding a bicycle?"
Cheng Zhao didn't answer, and Cheng's mother didn't have time to listen anyway. From time to time, teammates passed by them, greeted her, and talked about Cheng Zhao in passing. Before they knew it, mother and son walked into the residential complex, and the familiar people finally dispersed.
Cheng's mother had long forgotten about the bicycle, she remembered something more important.
"Hey, I remember now. Why haven't you brought Xiao Yu to my place for dinner in a long time?"
"We broke up."
"Huh? When did it happen?"
"Half a year ago."
Mother Cheng looked at her son. She didn't ask why, as she knew the reason clearly even without asking. She muttered, "You have no sense of propriety at all."
"My company is doing well. It's been over four years, and it still hasn't grown."
"I'm not talking about you making money!" After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you still thinking about Gan Ling?"
"mom--"
"I advise you to give up on this idea! Even if she is willing, her father won't agree."
"That was in the past. Things are different now."
Mother Cheng clapped her hands and said, "I knew you were thinking this!"
"I never hid anything from you!"
"Then let me tell you, I don't agree! She's getting married for the second time, and you haven't even been married once! Unless you get married right now and divorce later, then you two can be considered a good match!"
Cheng Zhao was furious. "How can you be like this? Marriage is not playing house! Didn't you suffer enough at my dad's hands? You married a jerk, and you have to make your son a jerk too to feel comfortable?"
Cheng's mother didn't say anything. She lived on the first floor. She opened the door first and let Cheng Zhao push the bicycle in.
"What are you going to do with this car?"
"Put it here first."
"Haven't you had dinner yet? There are wontons in the refrigerator. I'll make you a bowl..."
Cheng Zhao said in a muffled voice, "No need, I'll be leaving soon."
Cheng's mother could tell he was angry and sighed, "When have I ever been able to control you? You just said that, and you think I'm talking nonsense! I'm going to make wontons for you?"
Cheng Zhao pursed his lips and said after a while, "Don't cook too much."
Cheng's mother was relieved and smiled, "Old rules, 15!"
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