Chapter 10 You’re a Liar!

Chapter 10 What a Scammer!

Jiang Ruotang gave the manager a meaningful look, and the manager led them upstairs to check out the wardrobes.

Exactly as promised, Jiang Ruotang didn’t waste any extra time. After half an hour, he took Zhao Zhangfeng and left.

As they walked out, Zhao Zhangfeng muttered under his breath, “You weren’t even looking at anything, just wandering around.”

“Eh, just killing time.”

Jiang Ruotang brought Zhao Zhangfeng back home.

When they reached the doorstep, Zhao Zhangfeng hesitated. After all, during the New Year, when he had come with his mother to pay a visit, Jiang Ruotang had treated him frostily.

For example, when he tried to sit on the sofa, Jiang Ruotang shot him a look that clearly said, *Who said you could sit?* When he was about to take the juice Jiang Huaiyuan handed him, Jiang Ruotang snatched it away first, saying that since he played basketball, he shouldn’t drink sugary drinks and should stick to water. Even when Jiang Huaiyuan invited him and his mother to stay for dinner, Jiang Ruotang just said, *You guys eat, I’ll order takeout*—basically practically shooing them away.

The moment the door opened, those distant memories came rushing back to Zhao Zhangfeng. He felt like a total idiot for coming back here again!

Maybe he should just leave.

However important Reggie Miller’s sports card was, it wasn’t worth sacrificing his dignity.

“I should probably go—”

Before he could finish, Jiang Ruotang had already opened the shoe cabinet and handed him a pair of slippers—brand new.

“Sister Juan, I brought Zhao Zhangfeng back. Is the braised pork meatballs ready?” Jiang Ruotang called out.

“Yes! Yes! I also made beer-braised duck, black pepper beef short ribs, and crispy shrimp!”

At that, Zhao Zhangfeng swallowed hard.

Zhao Yunshu had been working overtime a lot lately, and it had been over a month since he’d had a real home-cooked meal.

Steeling himself, he decided to see what Jiang Ruotang had planned this time.

Zhao Zhangfeng followed Jiang Ruotang into the living room. Jiang Ruotang casually tossed his backpack onto the sofa, while Zhao Zhangfeng bent down and carefully set down his own bag on the floor beside it.

Sister Juan had already dished out the rice. Seeing the table full of dishes, Zhao Zhangfeng felt suddenly self-conscious.

Jiang Ruotang elbowed him lightly, and Zhao Zhangfeng immediately tensed up—*Oh no, the young master’s scheming again!*

“Hey, go scrub up!”

“What? Oh…”

Wait, he wasn’t mocking me—just telling me to wash my hands?

Zhao Zhangfeng followed Jiang Ruotang to wash up, then returned to the table and sat down.

“Let’s eat!” Jiang Ruotang lowered his head, chatting with Sister Juan between mouthfuls.

Only Zhao Zhangfeng seemed out of place. The crispy shrimp were right in front of Jiang Ruotang, and though he wanted some, he didn’t dare reach for them.

“Hey, did you see the Suns vs. 76ers game last week? The 76ers’ comeback in the last minute was insane!” Jiang Ruotang said casually.

“What? Yeah, I saw it… That shooting guard from the 76ers scored 18 points in three minutes. Unbelievable.”

Jiang Ruotang tilted his chin slightly and turned the table, bringing the crispy shrimp in front of Zhao Zhangfeng. “That shooting guard was great, but I think the power forward grabbing all those rebounds was the real game-changer!”

“Yeah, it was like three against one in the paint—so many guys swarming him, and he still pulled down those boards!”

“Mhm, standing firm against the odds! What position do you play on your team?”

“Power forward too.”

“How’s your rebounding?”

“I’ve been rebound leader in five out of four games, okay!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Ruotang cracked up, and Zhao Zhangfeng realized his mistake.

“I mean four out of five games!”

Once the conversation flowed, Zhao Zhangfeng relaxed and ate more freely. Sister Juan kept urging him to try more dishes and even scooped him a giant pork meatball.

It had been a long time since Zhao Zhangfeng had a meal with this much protein.

After finishing, he suddenly realized he’d just spent over half an hour happily discussing basketball with Jiang Ruotang. It was like a midnight miracle—completely unbelievable!

“Uh, Sister Juan, there are so many dishes… Let me wash them,” Zhao Zhangfeng mumbled sheepishly.

Sister Juan smiled. “Go hang with Ruo Tang! We have a dishwasher—just load it in. It’s a breeze.”

Zhao Zhangfeng took a deep breath. *Play* with Jiang Ruotang? What were they supposed to play? Air? Each other?

“Come with me. I’ll get you that sports card,” Jiang Ruotang said.

Right—the whole reason he’d come.

He followed Jiang Ruotang upstairs. When Jiang Ruotang opened the door, revealing the spacious, bright room, Zhao Zhangfeng couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy.

He lived with Zhao Yunshu in an older apartment downtown. The rent wasn’t cheap, but the place itself was run-down, and Zhao Yunshu never had time to renovate. Zhao Zhangfeng’s room was only half the size of Jiang Ruotang’s, so he had bunk beds. Back in middle school, it hadn’t been a problem, but after he’d shot up in his first year of high school, his height and weight had shot up. Every time he climbed to the top bunk, the whole bed would groan ominously, making him wonder when it’d give out.

Jiang Ruotang turned and saw Zhao Zhangfeng still standing at the door.

“It’s fine, come in.”

“No, I’ll stay here.”

“What? I’ve got the entire year’s *Global Sports Dunk* collection. Want me to bring them out for you?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

Zhao Zhangfeng froze. “The entire year’s issues?”

“Yeah.”

In reality, he’d bought them all just three days back, and they’d only arrived yesterday afternoon.

Jiang Ruotang hadn’t planned on bringing Zhao Zhangfeng home today either.

“Then… I’ll help carry them,” Zhao Zhangfeng finally caved and stepped inside.

To his surprise, Jiang Ruotang’s bookshelf actually had a dozen-plus issues of the magazine.

“You can read here. I’ll do some practice papers. Auntie Zhao will come pick you up later.”

“What? I’m staying here?”

“Yeah. When Auntie Zhao sees how chummy we are, she’ll be thrilled.” Jiang Ruotang spread out his test papers as he spoke.

Bringing up Zhao Yunshu's name immediately softened Zhao Zhangfeng's attitude, and he obediently slumped into the armchair, occasionally stealing glances at Jiang Ruotang.

He thought Jiang Ruotang was just pretending to study, but surprisingly, he was grinding through problems with real focus.

"Aren’t you an art student? Why work so hard?"

"I want to see if I can get into the Central Academy of Fine Arts. But the minimum score for art students is twenty points higher than regular universities." Jiang Ruotang turned around and shrugged.

Hearing this, Zhao Zhangfeng left him alone after that. He might not be able to focus on studying himself, but he respected those who did—never harboring the thought of "If I can’t study, neither should you."

Sister Juan came in with a fruit tray, clearly prepared specially—dragon fruit, cantaloupe, and blueberries arranged neatly on the small coffee table in front of Zhao Zhangfeng.

"You're living the good life," Zhao Zhangfeng remarked.

Jiang Ruotang turned and smiled. "Only because you're visiting. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this fancy."

Without realizing, Zhao Zhangfeng had finished the entire plate of fruit. He looked up at Jiang Ruotang.

The desk lamp’s glow illuminated the soft fuzz on Jiang Ruotang’s face, his lowered lashes making him look gentle and serene—suddenly way more likable than before.

Then Zhao Zhangfeng knocked his own head, thinking he must be losing it, to be swayed by a meal, a plate of fruit, and a few magazines.

Careful! What if Jiang Ruotang is planning something big?

Just then, Jiang Huaiyuan returned with Zhao Yunshu. The moment Jiang Ruotang heard Sister Juan call out, "Sir, you're back," he immediately set down his test papers and pencil, opened the door, and rushed out.

He stood at the top of the stairs, watching Zhao Yunshu, not yet forty, walk in.

Not a strand of gray yet, her voice warm with laughter as she greeted Sister Juan, her face radiant with the happiness of being in love.

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes burned. He wanted to run down and hug her.

In his past life, she had sacrificed so much for him, yet he never once called her "Mom"—because he knew he was fated to die before her, and he feared that if he did, it would only make her loss worse when he was gone.

"Mom!" Zhao Zhangfeng’s voice came from behind Jiang Ruotang.

Zhao Yunshu looked up at the sound, slightly startled to see the two boys standing at the staircase. She opened her mouth as if to say something but hesitated.

Jiang Huaiyuan spoke first. "See? I told you they’d get along. Sister Juan said she went in with fruit, worried they’d argue, but one was reading magazines and the other was doing homework—being perfectly civil."

Zhao Yunshu brushed a strand of hair from her temple, eyeing Zhao Zhangfeng skeptically.

Zhao Zhangfeng rubbed the back of his head. "We're... getting along... sort of..."

She turned to Jiang Ruotang and asked softly, "Ruo Tang, are you really—"

"Auntie Zhao, just relax and go have dinner and a movie with Dad. Zhao Zhangfeng can keep me company for meals." Jiang Ruotang leaned on the railing, grinning from ear to ear.

Zhao Yunshu’s expression relaxed as if a weight had been lifted.

"Who said I’d keep you company for meals?!" Zhao Zhangfeng hissed through his teeth.

"You think eating takeout every day will get you to six-five before graduation?"

"Huh?"

"Didn’t you say you wanted to play the power forward position? What team has a power forward under six-three?"

Zhao Zhangfeng felt that hit deep, momentarily speechless.

That night, in the car ride home with Zhao Yunshu, she asked, "You and Ruo Tang really got along okay?"

"It’s... fine... I guess..."

"Your Uncle Jiang said Ruo Tang seems to have matured lately, like he’s had some breakthrough."

"We'll see how long this phase lasts."

The next second, Zhao Zhangfeng realized—he’d forgotten the trading card!

But the car was already too far away, and he was too embarrassed to ask Xiao Gao to turn back.

Frustrated, he opened his phone to find Jiang Ruotang had friended him.

Zhao Zhangfeng: [You didn’t give me the trading card!]

Jiang Ruotang: [That way, you’ll come back for another meal. Smiley face.]

Zhao Zhangfeng gritted his teeth. "You sneaky bastard!"

No way in hell I'm coming back to eat with you!

"Hmm?" Zhao Yunshu glanced at her son.

"Nothing... just a classmate texted something crazy."