Chapter 112 The Harder You Try, the More Unfortunate You Are
"What are you talking about? Let me hear it too." The pleasant and smiling male voice, along with the sound of the wheelchair rolling on the floor, penetrated into everyone's ears.
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, not knowing what was going on.
Shen Zhi was so familiar with this sound that his body responded subconsciously without the need for his brain to identify it.
Shen Zhi stood up against the light and shadow, his thin and upright figure was like a green bamboo.
The man in the wheelchair had a gentle and handsome face and a smile on his lips. He controlled the handle and slowly pushed it towards the crowd.
The man's appearance made Master Ji stunned.
He is more like Shen Zhi than Shen Zhi, with semi-long, slightly curly golden hair, a calm and warm expression on his face, and a gentle and polite temperament emanating from his bones.
He can be said to be a bigger version of Shen Zhi, or he can be said to be a more advanced Shen Zhi. He is more mature and elegant than Shen Zhi.
"You look like Senior Shen," Ji Shilu blurted out as she looked at the man in front of her who looked completely different from Shen Zhi.
It was not the appearance but the feeling that made Ji Shilu feel that this person was very similar to Shen Zhi.
He Qili smiled and nodded at Ji Shilu, "I am Xiaozhi's brother, you can follow Xiaozhi and call me brother."
Ji Shilu's face turned red when she saw He Qili's extremely gentle eyes, and she smiled shyly.
Strangely, Shen Zhi's anxious mood finally came to fruition tonight.
There was a feeling of the other shoe dropping on the ground, like a relief. He had a vague feeling that he would meet He Qili, but he didn't expect it to be today.
In this most chaotic day.
Shen Zhimai tiptoed forward, walked around behind the groom, and gently pushed the wheelchair to the dining table.
He Qili tilted his head, and the light and shadow favored him. The clear orange lines divided his handsome face. His profile under the sunlight had a tender and gentle expression, like an angel who made people feel most approachable.
"Thank you, it's a small gift." The voice of the congratulatory gift is neither fast nor slow, and the interludes are a comfortable enjoyment.
Shen Zhi lowered his eyes and looked at He Qili, but his vision was blocked and he could only see the invisible black vortex.
"You're welcome," Shen Zhi turned his eyes away and thoughtfully asked for a portion of French foie gras as a wedding gift.
The dishes were served one after another. Shen Zhi folded the tablecloth neatly and placed it on Heqi Li's lap.
The foie gras was cancelled by a previous customer, so it came out faster.
Shen Zhi did not eat first, but started cutting foie gras as a wedding gift, which was neither too big nor too small, just the right size to eat.
Ji Shilu watched all this with eager eyes. The scene of brothers being friendly and respectful to each other was very harmonious. It was hard to tell what was strange about it. Ji Shilu said enviously, "Senior Shen, you are so good to your brother."
Shen Zhi's wrist froze as he was cutting foie gras for He Qili, but He Qili smiled indifferently and looked at Shen Zhi with a little indulgence, but he said to Ji Shilu, "We brothers should support each other."
"You two have such a good relationship," Ji Shilu said with longing. It would be great if her brother was so obedient.
Then she wouldn't have to beat her brother up every day to suppress the burly brother who always claimed that he was her little slave.
Ji Shilu felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when she saw the gift for the first time, and couldn't help but say, "Brother Shen, you and Senior Shen both have beautiful hair, do you have any foreign genes in your family?"
He Qili did not correct Ji Shilu's address. He stretched out his slender and thin finger bones to lift up the half-long hair and twist it around. The soft golden hair lingered on his fingertips. He chuckled but did not answer: "Then who do you think looks better? One of us dyed our hair."
"Ah?" Now it was Master Ji's turn to be surprised. It was a bit rare for brothers to inherit different hair colors.
Ruan Zhu secretly pulled Master Ji to reveal her clothes and gave her a look, signaling her not to ask any more questions.
Master Ji was stunned and kept silent, then he heard Shen Zhi say, "We are not brothers."
Ji Shilu glanced at Shen Zhi's face, which was calmer than usual. Out of instinct, she curled the corners of her mouth and stopped talking.
She just said something nonsense, saying that they looked alike and praising their good relationship. It sounded a bit like sarcasm.
"Xiao Zhi was brought here by my stepmother. I got along well with him the first time I saw him, and we have always had a good relationship," He Qili explained softly, smiling and not seeming to be lying.
Shen Zhi did not say anything in response. In fact, the gift was acceptable to him.
They were not as incompatible as in a re-formed family. Apart from some minor conflicts when they first met, they seldom had major quarrels. However, Shen Zhi was still a little in awe of He Qili.
Perhaps because he was a burden brought to the He family by his mother, or perhaps because he had been using the He family's money over the years, Shen Zhi did not dare to disrespect the real master of the He family.
He Qili glanced at Shen Zhi with a gentle expression, "At that time, Xiao Zhi was only eleven or twelve years old, and he looked as thin as a seven or eight-year-old child. I was the only one in the family who was about his age."
"Maybe because we are of the same age, Xiaozhi is very dependent on me. He is so dependent on me that he imitates me in everything. Unfortunately, I seldom contacted him after I went abroad, and now that he has grown up, he is not close to me anymore," He Qili's tone was full of reminiscence and emotion.
Ji Shilu had a rough temper and could not appreciate what He Qili said. After listening to He Qili's memories of his youth, she subconsciously glanced at Shen Zhi's angelic golden hair, and did not notice the fleeting discomfort between Shen Zhi's brows.
It turns out that Senior Shen’s beautiful blonde hair is dyed, and the workmanship is so good that you can’t tell at all.
He Qili finished speaking with a smile, and looking at the thoughtful expressions of everyone at the table, he smiled brightly and said clearly: "I dyed it because I thought Xiaozhi's golden hair was very beautiful, and I couldn't help but dye it the same style as my brother."
Ji Shilu was confused for a moment because of her wrong idea. In fact, sometimes people with more straightforward personalities have a sharper sixth sense. She couldn't put it into words, but she could feel that the atmosphere was not right.
"It looks pretty good, you can't tell it's dyed," Ji Shilu replied dryly.
He Qili seemed to have found a kindred spirit and echoed, "In the past, when I asked others to guess, they would always guess that it was Xiao Zhiran. How could someone mistake a fake for real and a real for fake? It's quite interesting to talk about it."
Soon, sirloin steak and Song Hengyang's seafood risotto came up one after another. Ji Shilu rubbed her hands with her knife and fork, ready to eat first. She had just given up on the meal because of Shen Zhi's familiarity with the congratulatory gift.
While eating at the same table with He Qili, Ji Shilu felt a little uncomfortable.
It's not that I feel uncomfortable, it's just that it feels awkward. People chew their food in small bites elegantly and reservedly, following the table etiquette of not talking while eating and not making any noise.
She was like a pig with its head buried in the rice bowl, making gurgling sounds while eating. In contrast, she looked very awkward and embarrassed, as if she had accidentally entered a world that did not belong to her.
Ruan Zhu also felt the same as her. Apart from her, Ji Shilu looked at the three men opposite her, eating quietly, seemingly unaffected.
Song Hengyang hasn't moved yet. He always likes to wait until all the dishes are served before starting to eat.
Ji Shilu quietly went over and asked Song Hengyang to exchange his seafood risotto with her sirloin steak, using the excuse that she and Ruan Zhu could have two dishes in exchange for her not wielding the knife and fork like a warrior later.
Song Hengyang did not agree immediately. He looked at the seafood risotto on his plate and the seafood risotto in front of Shen Zhi who was still cutting foie gras for the celebration ceremony.
Suddenly, a male voice rang out slowly, without any didactic tone, but with an inexplicable sense of oppression, "Xiaozhi, foie gras is very tender, you don't need to use so much force, the sound of the knife and fork hitting the plate will disturb others and affect their appetite."
Shen Zhi had one last piece left, so he controlled his strength and lightened his force, cutting it gently.
"Xiao Zhi, is it because you haven't eaten western food for a long time that you forgot how to use a knife and fork? Your brother told you not to save money. You can use the He family's money as you please," He Qili said softly, watching Shen Zhi cutting the foie gras.
"Swish..." The tip of the knife hit the plate and uncontrollably drew a silvery-white trail, so loud that everyone at the table paused.
Shen Zhi cut the last piece of foie gras, put the knife and fork away, and whispered, "Sorry."
"It's okay, Xiaozhi. I'm not a stranger. I will always forgive you." He Qili picked up the knife and fork, picked up a piece of foie gras and put it in his mouth, and commented: "If it is covered with sauce, it will taste better."
"Sorry," Shen Zhi repeated.
There was no word of comfort in this wedding gift.
"Here you go," Song Hengyang gave his seafood risotto to Ji Shilu.
When Ji Shilu put the steak in front of Song Hengyang, she felt relieved that she had survived a disaster. Now she only needed to take the spoon and eat her rice without having to worry about the embarrassing situation of cutting the plate with the knife and fork.
Song Hengyang looked quite wealthy, so he probably wouldn't embarrass himself by eating Western food regularly, Ji Shilu comforted herself.
People always feel insecure in unfamiliar environments and need to find familiar things for comfort.
They are afraid of making a fool of themselves, and are even more afraid of being criticized in an environment that is familiar to others but very unfamiliar to them, which will make them feel at a loss.
"Sizzle—ding-dang—" the sound of knife and fork falling on the plate continued, louder and more frequent than the sound Shen Zhi made before.
It was jarring in the silence of the dinner table.
Shen Zhi was eating his rice in small bites when he heard some messy noises beside him. He stopped and turned around to look.
Song Hengyang was struggling with the sirloin steak. It was quite easy to cut, but the knife and fork in Song Hengyang's hands seemed to be out of control. They went left and right, cutting the meat into pieces and strips. It was a horrible sight.
Song Hengyang gradually became aware of the gazes of others and stopped moving.
His cold eyes were like black jade. He looked from the people at the table to the others and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry. I was so uncultured."
Pretty straightforward self-deprecation.
Shen Zhi: ...
"He doesn't often eat Western food," Chu Shi explained to Song Hengyang, then pondered for a while, "His family is more traditional, and they use chopsticks to eat anything."
"Can you get me a pair of chopsticks?" Song Hengyang tilted his head slightly to look at Shen Zhi, his long straight eyelashes extending against his cold white skin. His voice was cold but one could hear a sincere request.
"Give me a pair too." Chu Shi was afraid that Song Hengyang would feel embarrassed eating Western food alone with chopsticks, so he asked for a pair too.
Ruan Zhu looked at the steak and said weakly, "I want one too."
Shen Zhi's eyes trembled slightly, swept across Song Hengyang's slightly pursed thin lips, and then he withdrew his gaze. The itching at the roots of his teeth was aroused from nowhere, making him want to bite something.
"Waiter, bring me three pairs of chopsticks," Shen Zhi rang the bell.
After a while, the Western-style dining table, where knives and forks had just collided, was occupied by long and thin chopsticks, and the stagnant atmosphere slowly eased. Perhaps the chopsticks that have been used since childhood naturally give people a friendly and familiar feeling, making people relax involuntarily.
"Here," Song Hengyang put half the steak in the plate into Shen Zhi's plate.
Shen Zhi paused, looking at the intact half steak on the plate, wondering what he was thinking about.
Song Hengyang did not look away, but pushed his plate towards Shen Zhi.
Shen Zhi looked at Song Hengyang's actions and strangely understood what Song Hengyang meant. He wanted to share food with each other like the two girls.
Shen Zhi did not refuse him.
Strangely enough, Shen Zhi has never really rejected Song Hengyang. Maybe Song Hengyang really has some magical power.
He always gave in to trivial matters involving Song Hengyang.
Shen Zhi put half a portion of risotto on Song Hengyang's plate.
"Change places with me," Shen Zhi said in a tone as light as a notice.
Shen Zhi did not miss the confusion in Song Hengyang's eyes. He sighed and reached out to rub the red tips of Song Hengyang's ears. "You are sitting in the sun. You are slightly allergic to the sun."
Song Hengyang licked the rice grains on his lips, looking a little innocent. He stood up and changed seats with Shen Zhi. "Thank you."
He Qili was the only one using a knife and fork at the table, and he seemed a little out of place.
It’s funny, the reasonable ones become the unpopular ones, while those who follow the crowd carry the whole show.
Shen Zhi glanced at the gift of greetings who were leisurely eating, then lowered his eyes, with inexplicable emotions.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Song Hengyang looked at the steak on Shen Zhi's plate puzzled.
Shen Zhi was stunned for a moment. Tonight, he was like a rusty machine, dull and worn out.
"Do you want to eat?" Shen Zhi thought Song Hengyang was not full.
Song Hengyang shook his head, took the steak back with a knife and fork, cut it into small pieces and put it back on Shen Zhi's plate, and asked, "Is it inconvenient?" That's why he didn't eat it.
The old parts of Shen Zhi's brain began to move. He slowly looked down at Song Hengyang cutting the steak for him and curled the corners of his lips.
The arc is extremely faint and fleeting.
The light yellow lines captured the subtle movement, and the tiny gold particles became specks of floating light, adorning the delicate white jade-like profile, with a gentleness that comes from the quiet years.
Shen Zhi restrained his expression, then picked up the spoon, scooped up the steak, and started eating it in big mouthfuls.
The meat is very tender, the juice and sauce burst on the tip of the tongue, the aroma fills the nose, and it is very enjoyable to eat.
As his taste buds were satisfied, Shen Zhi didn't know which empty spot in his body was being slowly filled.
"Thank you," Shen Zhi's last tone was very light, not like he was talking to Song Hengyang, but more like he was mumbling to himself, and it melted into the air with the wind.