Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Yuenting’s crying was heartbreaking, his sobs and tears completely diffusing the old man’s anger.

“Xiaoting, it's Nanyi who likes boys, why are you crying?” the old man said helplessly.

“I, I…” Yuenting sobbed, looking up, “I, I…” Yes, it was Cheng Nanyi who liked men, so why was he crying so hard?

He had just overreacted, scaring himself with every little thing.

Cheng Nanyi liking men had nothing to do with him. It wasn’t caused by Shu Zhilan or himself; it was an issue intrinsic to Cheng Nanyi himself.

So why did he bring this on himself?

Yuenting slowly dried his tears and then handed the branch back to the old man, choking, “Grandpa, maybe you should continue hitting him. Liking boys is indeed not good…”

The old man: “?”

Cheng Shaolin: “??”

Cheng Nanyi: “???”

The old man was not so easily fooled. His gaze fell on the red string on Yuenting's wrist, then shifted to Cheng Nanyi’s wrist, his eyes narrowing, “Nanyi, is the boy you like Xiaoting?”

“No!” Yuenting almost shouted, his voice cracking in his haste, waving his hands frantically, “It’s not me, not me. The one he likes isn’t me.”

Since it was a coming-out, there was no need to involve others, otherwise the old man might think Yuenting had seduced Cheng Nanyi.

Had he known Cheng Nanyi would come out, he would have strategized with him earlier, like telling the old man he liked Mo Yikai. Once the old man saw Mo Yikai was the type he liked, wouldn’t that be the end of it?

Then he could make a shining appearance, and compared to Mo Yikai, even liking men wouldn’t seem so bad.

See, that would have been perfect.

Yuenting was immensely annoyed, blaming Cheng Nanyi. Who comes out like this?

Cheng Nanyi stared at Yuenting, who didn’t look back at him, but kept his swollen, innocent-looking eyes fixed on the old man.

The old man almost believed it.

Cheng Nanyi remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.

The old man had his suspicions, and everyone else in the room, being experienced, understood as well.

“Come with me,” the old man said, standing up and heading to the study.

Cheng Nanyi glanced at Yuenting before following.

Watching the study door close, Yuenting turned to Cheng Shaolin, “Dad, Grandpa won’t hit him, will he?”

“Didn’t you just hand Grandpa a stick?”

Yuenting: “…” Would Cheng Nanyi kill him later?

Cheng Shaolin sighed, looking at him, “When did you and Nanyi get together?”

“We didn’t,” Yuenting shook his head. “We’re not together. He never told me he liked boys, and he doesn’t know I like boys.”

？？？

Cheng Shaolin was shocked, “Then why were you crying just now?” He thought they had already made lifelong commitments.

“I…” Yuenting, frustrated, slapped his own head, at a loss for words, “I... I was confused…” He had walked right into a trap.

Cheng Shaolin spent a long time trying to understand the logic of everything that had happened.

But when it came to Yuenting, anything outrageous seemed normal.

His nephew and former son coming out at the same time, Cheng Shaolin… was taking it rather well.

“So, do you like Nanyi?” Cheng Shaolin asked again.

“…” Yuenting looked at Cheng Shaolin, “Dad, maybe you should listen at the study door. I’m afraid Grandpa might kill Cheng Nanyi.”

Cheng Shaolin was seasoned in the arts scene and had seen it all, so Yuenting had never been afraid of him from the start.

“Does Nanyi like you?” Cheng Shaolin asked again.

Yuenting: “…”

Stepdad, could you show a little tension like someone might get killed for coming out?

……

Inside the study, the old man and Cheng Nanyi sat opposite each other at the desk.

The old man asked the same question as Cheng Shaolin, “When did you and Xiaoting get together?”

“We’re not together,” Cheng Nanyi said. “He doesn’t know I like him, and I don’t know if he... likes me.”

The old man had no interest in delving into the love and hate between Cheng Nanyi and Yuenting, simply stating, “I don’t agree.”

“Is it that you don’t agree with me liking boys, or you don’t agree with me being with Yuenting?”

“Both,” the old man had calmed down but still looked displeased, “Have you thought about your future, your prospects, when doing these things? I hope you’ll think it over carefully before talking about these matters. Don’t act on impulse and harm yourself, and… others.” Xiaoting was only eighteen in his eyes, still a child, but his grandson had always been more mature than his peers.

Cheng Nanyi lowered his gaze, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “Grandpa, I’ve never been one to act impulsively.”

“Is that so?” the old man said flatly, “But right now, I think you are being impulsive.”

Cheng Nanyi looked at his grandfather, his expression calm, “Grandpa, do you remember when I was little, you promised you would grant me one wish?”

The old man's eyes narrowed.

Of course, he remembered; it was because of the issue with Duan Zhen Shan that they made a bet.

He had promised to agree to one thing for him, but over the years, he had never brought it up.

"So, you’re bringing it up now because you want me to agree to your relationship with Xiao Ting, right?" The old man looked at Cheng Nanyi with disappointment.

The grandson he had raised with his own hands, and he was using complexion to argue about who was the real sibling. Clearly, he lacked maturity.

"Grandfather," Cheng Nanyi said, "Many people have said that you are too strict with me. Even my eldest uncle asked me privately if I felt overwhelmed. But I have never felt that your education was inappropriate. I agree with your methods, and I am willing to be taught by you."

The old man didn't know why Cheng Nanyi suddenly brought this up, but his words left him quite surprised.

He was well aware of his own strictness and knew it was too much for a child. He had always believed that Nanyi resented him for it, so he never expected this perspective.

Cheng Nanyi continued, "I don't want to force you into agreeing to anything with the conditions from the past. I just want to use these conditions to make you think calmly about this matter. Right now, you're too angry, and I think we shouldn't discuss this issue under such circumstances. I don't want to argue with you or be forced to compromise..."

"You've always taught me to stay calm and composed, never make decisions in the heat of the moment. I hope we can temporarily set aside this matter and discuss it later, after we've both had a chance to think calmly. Can we do that?"

The old man looked at Cheng Nanyi, feeling both relieved and helpless.

"What if I still disagree after thinking calmly?"

Cheng Nanyi furrowed his brows and sighed, "Grandfather, I hope to have your blessing."

The old man leaned back in his chair, hands folded, and his deep gaze fixed on Cheng Nanyi's face. "Aren't you afraid that I might use extreme methods to pressure you?"

"I'm not afraid," Cheng Nanyi quirked his lips. "I have confidence in that. All the principles I live by are the ones you taught me. I understand and admire you, so I had the courage to sit here and discuss this matter with you today. You've given me the confidence."

The old man let out a long sigh and then pinched his brow.

Keeping calm in difficult situations and controlling the pace of the conversation without the other party noticing were skills he took pride in, especially when it was his grandson he had educated in this way.

……

Just as he was anxiously awaiting the study door to open, Yuan Ting rushed over and scrutinized Cheng Nanyi. "Did you get hit? How bad is it? Where did you get hit?"

Cheng Nanyi looked at the anxious young man and quickly ran through his mind. He had been preoccupied with dealing with the old man earlier, so he hadn't had time to think about the series of actions the young man had taken today.

Clearly, Yuan Ting had known for a long time that he was interested in men, and he had probably guessed that Cheng Nanyi's affections were directed at him. This had caused Yuan Ting to struggle for a long time, so when the grandfather asked, he couldn't contain himself, indicating that he had been under considerable pressure.

"Although I agreed to discuss it calmly later, I still don't approve of you being with Yuan Ting," the grandfather followed and said as he walked out.

"What do you mean, 'being together'?" Yuan Ting exclaimed in shock. "We're not together, Grandfather. Whatever you say goes. We're not together. He doesn't like me; please don't misunderstand..."

Cheng Nanyi's face darkened.

Seeing the old man's expression wasn’t too bad, Yuan Ting cautiously approached and gently held his arm, asking carefully, "Grandfather, can I still have dinner here tonight?"

"Why not?" the old man replied gruffly. "One thing doesn't change another. A home is always a place to return to." Yuan Ting's recent tears and current words showed how much he cared about his opinion, which left the old man feeling a bit saddened but unable to be angry with him.

Yuan Ting sniffled and his eyes reddened again: "Grandfather, believe me, Cheng Nanyi doesn't like me. From today onwards, I will sever ties with him." If he had to face it, he wanted to be the last one to appear, as the first one usually ends up sacrificed.

He planned to wait until Cheng Nanyi brought a bunch of unsuitable partners to exhaust the old man's patience, and then he would reappear to make him happy.

He could only be the one to bring joy to the old man, never to hurt his heart.

The old man, upon hearing Yuan Ting's words and still unable to accept Cheng Nanyi and Yuan Ting's relationship, couldn't help but glance at Cheng Nanyi, seeing his grandson's face dark and gloomy.

The old man felt somewhat relieved inside.

After all, being manipulated by his grandson was quite frustrating.

"Grandfather, please sit here." Yuan Ting attentively helped his grandfather sit on the sofa. "Would you like some water? How about sixty percent hot? Not too hot, not too cold, just right for drinking."

"Yuan Ting," Cheng Nanyi called out to him, but Yuan Ting quickly turned and glared at him, then said in a breathy tone, "Don't talk to me." Cheng Nanyi's mind must have been tampered with by Mo Yikai.

Cheng Shaolin couldn't help but laugh: "They’re not even together yet, and they're arguing like this. I don’t think you need to break them up; they won’t last long on their own."

The old man just snorted in response.

Yuan Ting, baffled, looked at his stepfather: What's going on? Why is he stirring things up?

"Grandfather, Yuan Ting wiped his nose on your sleeve. Shouldn't you change your shirt?" Cheng Nanyi said coolly.

The old man paused in the act of accepting the water and instinctively moved away from Yuan Ting's hand.

Yuan Ting: "??"

The old man cleared his throat and stood up: "I, I should change it." The kid has grown up, but still acts like a child.

Yuan Ting glared ominously at Cheng Nanyi. He had tried so hard to please the old man, yet Cheng Nanyi was sabotaging his efforts.

"Come, Yuan Ting, let's talk." Cheng Nanyi grabbed Yuan Ting’s wrist and pulled him upstairs.

The little rascal really needed to be dealt with.

Author's note:

Thank you to the angels who supported me with King's tickets and nutrient solutions from 2023-10-07 21:46:30 to 2023-10-08 20:12:18~

Thank you to the angels who provided nutrient solutions: The Campus Belle's Little Computer 76 bottles; Qi Yu Huanhuan 9 bottles; Hey Hey 2 bottles; ⌒．Yi Nian Qing Xin Jing °, Ku Ge Hao Tian, Da Wang Jin Tian Chi Tang Seng Ma, 40716739, Yi Ke Song Guo 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!