Chapter 49
"What have you been doing lately?" Mother Chen took a sip of her soup and looked at Chen Shiman meekly. They had rarely seen each other since the child moved out. Mother Chen always wanted to see her youngest son, but her husband always stopped her, saying that the child needed to be independent and it was time to wean him.
For this, Mother Chen endured extremely hardship.
Chen Shiman took a big mouthful of rice and gobbled it down. "Nothing much, just going out to play. Mom, didn't you say last time that you were going to Paris with Dad? Are you still going?"
"Go, what? You want to go too?" Mother Chen asked sincerely. She really wanted to stay with her child.
"Who wants to go with you?" What Chen Shiman hated most was being a third wheel in his parents' relationship.
Chen Mocheng, who was standing by, put down his bowl and nodded at Chen Shiman. "In that case, if you don't have anything to do recently, come with me to the company and I'll find you a leisurely position."
Mother Chen agreed, "Yes, your brother would be very tired managing such a big company alone. You two brothers, together, can take our family business to the next level!"
Chen Shiman asked Chen Mocheng, "Brother, you know this, I don't know anything about this. How can you ask me to convince everyone? Just make the decision yourself. Anyway, I will listen to you. You can't kick me out of the house."
Chen Mocheng hated hearing that kind of talk, slamming his chopsticks on the table. "I can see you really can't say anything nice!" Chen Mocheng just wanted Chen Shiman to get a job so he wouldn't be seen as some idle rich second-generation kid, and no one would gossip about him. "Okay, Shiman, I have a cocktail party in a few days. You come with me. You're already old enough, you should at least let people outside see our Second Young Master!"
Chen Shiman was not happy about it. He didn't want to do it. If he went out with Chen Mocheng, his life in the future might not be so comfortable.
Chen's mother said that this was a good thing and ordered Chen Shiman to go.
Chen Shiman would never refuse his mother, and now he was in Chen Mocheng's control.
"Then brother, I will go by myself when the time comes, don't come to pick me up." If Chen Mocheng came to pick him up, he would have to arrange a lot of things in advance so as not to be exposed.
"I understand." Chen Mocheng replied.
"Brother, I'll sleep here tonight." Chen Shiman hasn't been back for a long time. He has been around Gu Zhun all day during this period. He also feels that he should come out to get some fresh air and cultivate a good relationship with his parents.
When Mother Chen heard this, she burst out laughing, overjoyed. "Okay, come on, tonight, I'll tell your dad not to go play mahjong. Tonight, the four of us will have a good game in the living room!"
Mother Chen had always loved to play when she was young, but when Chen Shiman went missing, she threw herself into the search for him and supporting her husband's career, gradually giving up many of her hobbies. It wasn't until her children were found and her eldest son had achieved success that she finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowly picking up her former joy and enjoying food, drinks, and fun with the sisters around her.
But as the children grew up, Mother Chen and her children talked less and less. Many times, Mother Chen was hesitant to speak, and sighed as she looked at her children's backs.
Now, the moon slowly climbed up the night sky, and Chen Mocheng said with a smile: "Hey, Manman, you are not causing trouble outside, are you?"
Chen Shiman blinked and acted as if nothing had happened. "What a joke, I just suddenly missed my mother."
Mother Chen smiled and quickly called her husband. Father Chen came back exhausted and asked his aunt to find a set of hand-washed mahjong tiles from the grocery room, and then shouted for her to get some drinks.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the whole sky was shrouded in darkness, with tiny dots of light emitting faint light. It was hot outside, and the cicadas were still noisy and hard to hear at night; indoors, the temperature remained at 23 degrees Celsius, the ground was a mess, and it was in disarray, but it was full of life.
Four people sat around a small table, four pairs of hands rubbing each other on the table, and four drinks were placed next to the low stools.
Chen Shiman crossed one leg, his round toes raised high, a straw in his mouth, "Bang!"
"You kid, do you just play mahjong all day?" Chen's father was dissatisfied and began to verbally attack. "Even before, you were always crushed by us."
Chen Shiman was unconvinced, "What?! Can't I just suddenly have a sudden realization?"
"You!" Chen Mocheng sneered, "Alright, let's start the next round."
Mahjong played ping-pong, and Father Chen took a sip of milk tea. "Mo Cheng, what do you think of the girl I introduced you to a few days ago? Do you like her?"
Chen Mocheng didn't say anything.
But Chen Shiman was not like that. He pricked up his ears as if he had heard something incredible. "What? How come I didn't know that?"
Mother Chen explained, "A few days ago, the child of one of your father's friends came back from abroad. She happened to be single, so your father asked your brother to meet that girl. You've met that sister before, and she introduced her to you at the graduation banquet. She's the girl from the Bai family."
Chen Shiman's memory has been declining in recent years. "I don't know. So, brother, do you like it?"
If Chen Mocheng got married sooner, he wouldn't have so much time to care about himself.
"Just take care of your own business. Why do you care about my business?" Chen Mocheng remained calm, his ears turning red.
Chen Shiman didn't notice this subtle change and kept talking to himself: "You should find a wife as soon as possible, otherwise no one will want you when you are old. You know, although you are quite good-looking, there are so many handsome boys coming out, and you will become old and ugly." Chen Shiman was keen on criticizing his brother, and he became more and more excited as he spoke.
"Alright." Father Chen said, "I'm just asking. You all have your own destiny—but Manman, I want to ask you, do you have someone you like? After all, you're different from your brother."
When Chen Shiman was suddenly cueed, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Now it was Chen Mocheng's turn to tease him: "Does Manman like Alpha or Omega? Tell us and we'll give you some advice."
"Yes. Manman, is there anything you like?" Mother Chen also asked.
After all, Beta is different from the other two genders. It can attack or defend, so the Chen family needs to think carefully about whether to prepare a betrothal gift or a dowry for Chen Shiman. There are a lot of things to say about this.
Chen Shiman looked at the eager eyes of his family and tried to speak: "So can I like anyone?"
"Of course!" Mother Chen spoke first. "People who want to spend their lives together must love each other!"
"Okay! But I don't have it yet. I'll tell you when I find it." Chen Shiman still didn't say Gu Zhun's name.
Firstly, they are nothing now, and secondly, if Gu Zhun’s current nature is revealed, his parents will probably criticize him.
He couldn't bear to hear Gu Zhun being scolded. Both sides were important people, so he should wait until the time was right to tell them!
Thinking of this, Chen Shiman felt much more relaxed.
"Okay, okay, stop talking about this! I still want to accompany you!" Chen Shiman changed the subject, his heart flying far away.
They played mahjong until very late that day. Before going to bed, Chen Shiman threw a tantrum again and turned down the so-called cocktail party. Chen Mocheng had no choice but to agree with gritted teeth. On the other side of the city, Gu Zhun was undergoing another trial.
*
At the Gu family, Gu Zhun carried Xu Wei back. The old couple sat upright on the sofa with sullen faces.
"What do you mean by telling us now? Are you forcing us?" Gu Shouyun's eyes were blazing. "Or are you dissatisfied with our arrangement?"
Chen Shujin quickly said, "Why do you want to take me with you in your arrangement?" She hated being tied up the most, especially with her husband who had long been estranged from her.
"I've already said that I'm in the entertainment industry right now and I'm not suited to getting married and having children. So please stop introducing me to potential partners."
Ever since Gu Zhun received the message from Gu Shouyun, he went home and brought Xu Wei to his parents.
He didn't expect his parents to like him as much as they liked his sister.
Having said that, Gu Zhun knew from a young age that he was a child who could not be born.
At that time, when Chen Shujin was pregnant with Gu Zhun, Gu Shouyun had an affair with a female student. The female student had just graduated from college and was as young as a flower. She followed Gu Shouyun and called him teacher.
At that time, the relationship between Chen Shujin and Gu Shouyun was not as fragile as it is now. Gu Zhun heard from his sister that his parents were still quite loving at that time.
But in the fifth month of my mother's pregnancy, my father suddenly started not coming home at night, or came back smelling of perfume.
The mother was a shrewd person. Her health wasn't very good at the time, and the child was hard-won, so she was already showing signs of miscarriage. So, upon realizing her husband was cheating, she immediately launched an investigation. After uncovering everything, Chen Shujin realized belatedly that Gu Shouyun was simply a man who couldn't control his lower body.
Since she was pregnant and couldn't satisfy his needs, she attacked the intern!
It’s not about love, it’s just about venting desires!
Chen Shujin was resentful. She hated the intern, but she hated Gu Shouyun even more. So she dragged Gu to the hospital to prepare for an abortion. The doctor told her that her health was too poor and an abortion might be life-threatening.
So the child was saved, but Chen Shujin's mentality had changed.
No matter how much Gu Shouyun apologized and knelt down, he couldn't get a good look from her.
Over time, the two became alienated and maintained superficial harmony.
Gu Zhun was born when the relationship between the two was at its most tense.
Every time Chen Shujin saw Gu Zhun's face, she would think of her husband's dirty deeds, reminding her all the time that during those dark days, she was pregnant and looked haggard, while her husband was having a romantic life.
As a result, Gu Zhun and Chen Shujin also disliked him.
As for Gu Shouyun, let’s not even mention him.
Now that Gu Shouyun is old, he wants to give his children some compensation, so he recommends his colleague's child to Gu Zhun, hoping that his children can live a stable life. After all, being in the entertainment industry is not a long-term thing - that place is full of bad people, and he does not want his children to be tempted and follow in his footsteps.
Gu Zhun said firmly, "Mom and Dad, I don't like omegas, and—"
"Gu Zhun, you know we don't care whether you like omegas or not." Gu Shouyun slammed the table.
What they care about is the entertainment industry, the chaos within it, Gu Gu's passion that eventually turned into withered flowers and fallen leaves, Xu Wei's mother's death at a young age, and their beloved daughter's loss.
They cared so much, but never asked Gu Zhun whether he was willing.
"Mom and Dad, you didn't care about me before. I resented you, but I forgive your anger. But now I choose the life I want to live. You have the right to interfere, but not now. If you had said this before, I would have agreed."
Gu Zhun knew that his parents were afraid that what happened to his sister would happen again, but he was not his sister, and Chen Shiman was not Xu Ming. He had his own life. They gave him life, and he was grateful.
But that's all.
"I'm not a father. Those things won't happen, Mom, you know that."
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