Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The secretary, curious, asked Su Tinghe what was inside the sachet.

Su Tinghe replied nonchalantly, "Nothing much, just a handful of sunflower seeds."

Secretary: So, it's sunflower seeds.

The next second, the secretary: Why sunflower seeds? Could they have been airlifted from South America?

Su Tinghe continued, "But they can't be eaten because they're golden."

Secretary: ヽ(＾Д＾)

Secretary: Madam, look at me! Tell me what you'd like to eat!

The secretary escorted Su Tinghe to the car door like sending off a god of wealth. Since Su Tinghe's right hand was injured and he couldn't do many things, he decided to go home and continue watching an overbearing CEO romance drama.

After browsing the list, he chose "The Cold-hearted CEO's Darling."

When Shang Huoyong returned home, he found that Su Tinghe, with his injured right hand, had not come to greet him as usual.

Following the noise, Shang Huoyong walked into the living room and saw Su Tinghe curled up on the carpet in front of the sofa watching TV.

Hearing the noise, Su Tinghe turned his head to look at Shang Huoyong and said, "Honey, you're back! I missed you so much."

Shang Huoyong glanced at the trashy drama on TV, then at Su Tinghe, who stayed put without moving, "But you didn't come to the door to greet me today."

Su Tinghe said to Shang Huoyong, "Then come here."

Shang Huoyong hesitated, then walked over to Su Tinghe, looking down at him.

Su Tinghe tugged at Shang Huoyong's pant leg, looked up at him, and said, "You're too tall; squat down a bit."

Shang Huoyong didn't know what Su Tinghe was up to, but he squatted down anyway. Then Su Tinghe opened his arms and gave him a big hug.

"I'm greeting you now," Su Tinghe whispered in Shang Huoyong's ear, "I missed you so much, honey."

Shang Huoyong's body stiffened suddenly, pushing Su Tinghe, who was nuzzling against his neck, away, and awkwardly changed the subject, "You should cut down on these cheesy dramas."

Su Tinghe said, puzzled, "There's nothing cheesy about this drama."

Su Tinghe's expression was too sincere, and Shang Huoyong couldn't tell if Su Tinghe was truly naive or just pretending to be, so he said, "Anyway, watch less of these dramas; they'll turn your brain to mush."

Su Tinghe argued confidently, "My brain is just fine."

If your brain were fine, you wouldn't be thinking about getting pregnant and having children, Shang Huoyong thought to himself, saying to Su Tinghe, "It better be."

After their bickering ended and just before dinner started, Shang's mother sent over a pot of beef bone broth she had stewed herself.

Su Tinghe had eaten the soufflé Yue Chuyue had fed him in the afternoon and wasn't hungry at all. He symbolically ate a few bites of dinner and drank half a bowl of beef bone broth before he couldn't eat anymore.

Under his mother's orders, Shang Huoyong kept an eye on Su Tinghe, "Why aren't you drinking more of it?"

Su Tinghe pushed the bowl away from himself, saying, "I'm full; I can't drink anymore."

Shang Huoyong said firmly, "Did you snack this afternoon? If you don't eat properly next time, I'll have Aunt Qin confiscate your snacks."

Su Tinghe quickly explained, "I only had a little bit."

Shang Huoyong asked, "What should we do now? Mom worked so hard to stew this soup, and you've only had a little."

Su Tinghe had a bright idea, "Why don't you drink the rest?"

Shang Huoyong said disdainfully, "You should handle your own responsibilities. When mom calls to check later and sees you haven't finished it, she'll be heartbroken."

Su Tinghe negotiated, "Can't you just say I drank it?"

Shang Huoyong said righteously, "I never deceive."

Seeing that the mother's personally appointed overseer was unyielding, Su Tinghe had no choice but to bravely take another big gulp, then made a pitiful face and said to Shang Huoyong with a grievance, "I really can't drink anymore."

Su Tinghe's lips slightly downturned, his teary eyes fixed on Shang Huoyong, who felt as if he had done something wrong under that gaze. After a moment's thought, he said, "Forget it, then don't drink it."

Su Tinghe's downturned lips lifted, his face instantly brightened, and he flattered Shang Huoyong, "Thank you, hubby."

Shang Huoyong: Feels like he's been played.

*

In the following days, Su Tinghe took time off from Jiusong Academy due to his injured right hand, but he would bring lunch to Shang Huoyong every noon.

On the second day, Su Tinghe brought lunch for Yue Chuyue.

Starting from the second day, Su Tinghe noticed that employees often gave him small snacks, some bought and some homemade.

After being fed for two consecutive days, Shang Huoyong had someone reprimand them, and this practice stopped.

Su Tinghe felt strange and mentioned it to Shang Huoyong, who told him not to dwell on it, so Su Tinghe didn't think much of it.

On the weekend, Su Tinghe felt he had rested enough and his hand was no longer a big issue, so he wanted to go back to Jiusong Academy for classes.

Shang Huoyong didn't stop him but had to unexpectedly go on a business trip and wouldn't return until the next day.

Su Tinghe was very downhearted. Shang Huoyong took him to the entrance of Jiusong Academy, and Su Tinghe lingered for a while before reluctantly bidding farewell to Shang Huoyong.

Su Tinghe's clingy behavior made Shang Huoyong momentarily thought that the previous life was just an illusion, and this life's Su Tinghe was the real world.

Shang Huoyong comforted Su Tinghe, "Be good, I'll be back by tomorrow."

Su Tinghe reminded, "Then try to come back early, okay?"

Only after Shang Huoyong repeatedly said "okay" did Su Tinghe reluctantly go to class, looking back every few paces.

When he arrived at the classroom, Ruan Xitian excitedly waved to Su Tinghe. After Su Tinghe sat next to her, Ruan Xitian whispered to him, "My brother will come to pick me up today."

Su Tinghe nodded, remembering what Ruan Xitian had said before, and patiently explained again, "I have a husband."

Ruan Xitian waved her hand dismissively, "It's okay, just meet my brother first."

The child's sincere heart meant no harm, so Su Tinghe didn't refuse, just treating it as playing along with a child.

In the pinyin class, Su Tinghe, being an adult and one who hadn't been exposed to the English alphabet, picked it up quickly. The rest of the time, he cooperated with the teacher, telling the children about the origins of Chinese characters.

The children listened with great interest, and when they wrote Chinese characters afterward, there were fewer missing strokes and dots.

The teacher was very satisfied with the teaching effect, firmly believing that Su Tinghe had signed up for the class for social practice.

At the entrance of Jiusong Academy, a boy in a black leather jacket with a wolf-tail haircut waited impatiently.

It was all Ruan Xitian's fault, clamoring and insisting that he come to pick her up today, even boldly claiming to introduce him to a beautiful beauty.

Jiushong Academy, which flies the banner of traditional Chinese culture, attracts either middle-aged people like his parents, who ostensibly come to cultivate their moral character and preserve the quintessence of Chinese culture, or little brats like Ruan Xitian, who are part of a grand plan to start young.

How could there possibly be a beauty here? It's like a pipe dream.

His phone rang, interrupting his game. Ignoring the swearing from his teammates, he exited the game and answered the call.

"Bro, where are you?"

"Wait for me under the pine tree at the entrance; I'll be right there."

After hanging up, Ruan Xitian turned to Su Tinghe and said, "My brother will be here soon to pick us up. He's in a band and really good-looking!"

Su Tinghe didn't know what a band was but nodded without asking further.

Soon, a young man jogged over, muttering, "Ruan Xitian, do you not realize how busy I am? You had to make me come pick you up. I have a rehearsal this afternoon, and you're delaying me..."

"Bro!" Ruan Xitian cut him off and then introduced him to Su Tinghe, "This is my brother, his name is Ruan Xiting, nickname Tingting."

Ruan Xiting scolded in a low voice, "Ruan Xitian, don't call me by my nickname in public." The nickname sounded way too feminine and didn't match his image at all.

As he spoke, Ruan Xiting sized up Su Tinghe.

Su Tinghe's naturally fair skin was accentuated by the light-colored mohair sweater he wore today, making him look soft and endearing. The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves cast a gentle glow on his face, as if he were glowing with a divine light.

He truly deserved to be called beautiful.

Ruan Xiting nervously scratched his head and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Ruan Xiting. The first two characters are the same as Ruan Xitian's, and 'Ting' is the 'Ting' from 'imperial court.' And you are?"

Su Tinghe replied, "I'm Su Tinghe. The 'Tinghe' from the line 'listening to the crops as if they were clouds, there should be a misty moment.'"

The beauty spoke with such cultured elegance that Ruan Xiting couldn't quite grasp which characters he meant. He put on an air of understanding and responded, "Nice name."

Ruan Xitian tugged at Ruan Xiting's hand and reminded him, "Bro, aren't you supposed to have a rehearsal this afternoon? Can we come along?"

Thinking of the rehearsal, Ruan Xiting seized the opportunity to invite Su Tinghe, "We have a band rehearsal this afternoon. Would you like to come and hang out?"

Ruan Xitian pouted, "I was the one who asked first."

Ruan Xiting pulled Ruan Xitian closer and continued to Su Tinghe, "You can come with Xitian. Do you have any bands you like?"

Su Tinghe shook his head, "No." He didn't even know what a band was.

"Then you really should come this afternoon. You might end up liking it," Ruan Xiting bent down and gestured to Ruan Xitian, "Isn't that right, Xitian? Do you want to go hang out with this brother?"

Ruan Xitian hugged Su Tinghe and looked up with her sweet little voice, pleading, "Handsome brother, let's go together."

Su Tinghe was indeed curious about bands, and since Shang Huoyong wasn't home, he gladly accepted the warm invitation.

Ruan Xitian was thrilled and chattered non-stop the whole way, clinging to Su Tinghe. Su Tinghe listened attentively, occasionally responding, ensuring every word from Ruan Xitian got a reply.

As a result, Ruan Xitian was even more excited. She absolutely adored Su Tinghe.

At noon, Ruan Xitian insisted on going to KFC.

Ruan Xiting reminded her, "Did you ask anyone else before deciding what to eat? What if someone doesn't like it?" For example, he didn't like it.

Su Tinghe said, "I want to eat." He really wanted to know what kind of old man could be eaten.

When they arrived, Su Tinghe realized that what truly attracted Ruan Xitian wasn't the old man or the fried chicken, but the little toys.

Looking at the super cute little doll, Su Tinghe felt the urge too, so he also ordered a kids' meal and got a new doll.

Ruan Xitian, eager to collect all the dolls, wanted to continue ordering kids' meals, but Ruan Xiting quickly stopped her.

They couldn't finish it all, really couldn't, and besides, he didn't like this kind of food at all.

Ruan Xitian looked very disappointed, and so did Su Tinghe, making Ruan Xiting feel like a villain.

Therefore, Ruan Xiting immediately assured them, "After we finish eating, I'll take you to pick some blind boxes."

Hearing this promise, Ruan Xitian's smile returned to her face, and although Su Tinghe didn't understand what a blind box was, it sounded pretty fun.

After finishing their meal at KFC, Ruan Xiting took them to a blind box shop. Ruan Xitian eagerly grabbed two boxes and opened them on the spot with Su Tinghe.

As they opened them, Su Tinghe suddenly caught the excitement of blind boxes, and then he and Ruan Xitian each grabbed two more boxes, went back to the car to open them at their leisure.

Four blind boxes were just the right amount, and the two of them didn't take long to open them all. After opening them, they still wanted more, especially since they hadn't completed a full set, which was a bit disappointing.

Ruan Xiting, looking at the two through the rearview mirror, saw them exchanging looks with the same expression, and instantly understood why his sister liked Su Tinghe so much.

First, Su Tinghe was good-looking, and their whole family valued good looks.

Second, Su Tinghe had a childlike nature, and they could play together.

Ruan Xiting had never been in contact with a well-behaved boy like Su Tinghe before, thinking that very well-behaved boys were very boring, but after getting to know him, he found Su Tinghe to be quite endearing.

Ruan Xiting couldn't help but smile and said to the people in the back, "Next time, I'll take you to the blind box shop, and you can open as many as you like."

Ruan Xitian cheered, praising, "You're the best, brother!"

Ruan Xiting, thinking Su Tinghe looked young and assuming he was younger than himself, after receiving his sister's praise, said to Su Tinghe, "You can call me brother like Xitian does."

Su Tinghe wasn't one to casually call someone brother, so he asked, "How old are you?"

Ruan Xiting replied, "I'm 21 this year, a junior in college. Did you just start college this year?"

Although in his previous world, Su Tinghe was not yet twenty, in this world, according to his original identity, he had already graduated from college and was older than Ruan Xiting. Su Tinghe told him, "I've already graduated from college."

"Ah!" Ruan Xiting was a bit shocked, originally thinking he was the younger one, but it turned out he was the older one, but that was also fine.