Chapter 84 In the Same Room

Chapter 84: Sharing a Room

It seems perfectly normal for Jiang Huaiyan to have a crush on someone, doesn't it?

He's almost thirty, with handsome features and a gentle, refined temperament; he must have had a lot of people confess their feelings to him by now.

He didn't seek a partner before because he thought he would die young and felt it would be unfair to the other half.

But now that his illness is cured, he can live a normal life.

He can fall in love like a normal person, date, marry, and have his own family.

Isn't that what Zhu Shinian hoped for when he saved him?

What kind of person does Jiang Huaiyan like?

Zhu Shinian once asked Zhu Cheng, who was eighteen then and had just rejected the omega the system matched him with.

Zhu Cheng was doing laundry and was annoyed by how loud he was being, so he said he liked someone quiet and not talkative.

"But I went to their class and saw that older brother. He was very quiet, very gentle, spoke little, and wasn't noisy at all."

"Also... very beautiful. I wish I could match such a good-looking and gentle omega."

Young Zhu Shinian didn't really understand romance yet; he just felt it was a shame that Zhu Cheng had rejected that omega.

Zhu Cheng, probably annoyed by him, gave him a dismissive glance.

Then he picked Zhu Shinian's clothes out of the basin and threw them into another basin: "Wash them yourself."

Zhu Shinian had just wanted to stay and persuade his brother not to reject that omega, so he obediently stood beside him and reached out to wash his own clothes.

Before his hand touched the water, Zhu Cheng grabbed his wrist and turned the faucet to hot water.

When he grabbed his wrist, Zhu Cheng's hand was cold.

Zhu Shinian immediately became unhappy: "Why are you washing clothes with cold water? Mom said..."

"You're too young, don't ask," Zhu Cheng answered his previous question without really answering it. "If I get married, I'll have my own small family. Right now... I don't want to leave home yet."

The water heater at home wasn't that good; the water didn't turn hot immediately. Zhu Cheng probably thought it was wasteful, so, going back on his word, he turned the faucet off with a click and took back Zhu Shinian's clothes.

Zhu Shinian wasn't stupid; he knew what Zhu Cheng meant by not wanting to leave home.

Zhu Shinian was still in school, and now only Zhu Cheng and their mother were the breadwinners.

Zhu Cheng was hardworking and capable, the most diligent laborer on the construction site. He was also educated, and the general contractor had promised to make him a small subcontractor under him on the next project.

If he got married and had his own small family, he could certainly live a good life, but having a wife and children made things different.

He was stubborn, probably wanting to support Zhu Shinian until he finished school and found a job before considering anything else.

Years later, Zhu Shinian still regretted it deeply.

If his brother had married that omega, the sister-in-law might have stopped him, controlled him, and prevented him from selling blood.

Maybe... then none of the later things would have happened.

Many subtle choices in life are like a butterfly flapping its wings; you never know when they will bring about a fierce storm.

Now that his brother has someone he likes, he should obviously be happy about it.

Belatedly, Zhu Shinian realized that he seemed to be sad because Jiang Huaiyan might have a crush on someone.

He felt he had gotten really selfish, maybe because he couldn't have a family or kids of his own anymore, so he couldn't bear the thought of Jiang Huaiyan having a family and being happy.

Zhu Shinian didn't understand why he had suddenly become such a bad person, so selfish, only thinking about himself.

He felt really sad and guilty.

When Jiang Huaiyan saw Zhu Shinian take a step back, he didn't ask anything else. He walked to the door without a word and, as if remembering something, turned back to tell him that there were inhibitors in the fridge, and to check the production date; if it was from the period when the Jiang brand inhibitors frequently failed, throw that one out.

Zhu Shinian watched him close the door to his room and was glad that he had just caught himself in time.

He... must really have someone he likes, doesn't he?

When he turned him down just now, he must have felt relieved.

Those dark, selfish thoughts and feelings—thank God they were just thoughts.

It's a good thing he didn't actually do anything, whether on purpose or by accident, to cause Jiang Huaiyan any trouble.

Zhu Shinian felt that this was wrong. He had Tingting already. Jiang Huaiyan must have been afraid that he would end up alone, so he took the initiative to help bring Tingting back.

Thankfully, he still has Tingting.

Thinking of Tingting, his chest seemed to warm up again, as if a pile of dead ashes in his chest had sparked some warm embers.

But still... a little bit sad.

Sad is sad, comfort is comfort; the two cannot cancel each other out like positive and negative numbers do.

Zhu Shinian was a bit disgusted with himself and could only try to keep busy so he wouldn't think about it.

He started working even earlier and coming home even later, avoiding any possible meetings with Jiang Huaiyan at home or at the Resistance headquarters, wanting to get used to the days ahead as soon as possible.

Jiang Huaiyan didn't ask about it much.

For Zhu Shinian now, being too busy to even see him was the norm; it would be unusual for him to make time for him.

But Tingting wasn't so used to it.

He slept early. He went to kindergarten at nine every day, but Zhu Shinian had already left long ago. When Zhu Shinian came back at eleven or twelve at night, he was already sound asleep.

Even though they lived under the same roof, it was like he never got to see his dad at all.

But Tingting wasn't the type of kid who was good at expressing what he needed. He wouldn't pester Nai Nai or his father to see his dad, because he was afraid they would think he liked Nai Nai less than he liked his dad.

He really liked Nai Nai and his father too. It was just that he never got to see Zhu Shinian's face, so he always missed him.

Two weeks later, when Nai Nai noticed his big round eyes always drifting toward Zhu Shinian's room, she realized that the child missed Zhu Shinian.

Zhu Shinian quickly promised Nai Nai that he would come back home for dinner on Friday.

Knowing he would see Zhu Shinian on Friday, Tingting started looking forward to it from Monday and got excited by Wednesday.

He tried to think of a surprise he could plan for his busy dad, but he couldn't come up with anything.

Dad was amazing; whatever he wanted, Dad would buy it for him. It seemed like Dad had everything he needed.

Zhu Tingjia thought it over again and again and decided that if he behaved well in kindergarten and gave his father the prize he got from the teacher, his father would be happy.

When Zhu Shinian arrived home, dinner was already prepared, and he could smell the aroma from the hallway. On the way, he stood in line for a bit and bought a roast duck, Tingting's favorite.

The family had a happy meal together. Jiang Huaiyan was also there, and Zhu Shinian talked to him as calmly as usual, showing nothing unusual.

After dinner, Tingting came over sneakily and said he had prepared a surprise for his father.

"Tingting doesn't need to prepare any surprise for me," Zhu Shinian said, letting Tingting pull his hand, bent down with a smile and ruffled Tingting's hair. "Just seeing you happy every day is surprise enough for Daddy."

Tingting led Zhu Shinian by the hand into his own room.

Zhu Shinian didn't notice anything wrong at first, but a vague worry crept in.

Tingting was still short, not even reaching his father's knee, couldn't even reach the nightstand; there were very few places he could hide things.

Although Zhu Shinian didn't keep any important documents at home when he was away, he had once had the pleasure of meeting Chen Yueming's cat, and it was said that a child can cause about ten times the trouble a cat can.

Tingting happily let go of his hand, hopped forward, and threw back the covers.

Milk tea was all over the sheet, with black tapioca pearls scattered everywhere.

Zhu Shinian felt his heart skip a beat.

How much chaos a kid can cause really seemed to be ten times that of a cat; Zhu Shinian was now convinced this was not an exaggeration.

This scene was also unexpected for Tingting. His little brain couldn't wrap its head around why the surprise he had prepared for his father had turned out this way, and he finally broke into loud sobs.

Zhu Shinian's head instantly felt like it was spinning. He hurriedly picked up Tingting and comforted him gently: "Don't cry, Tingting. It's not your fault. You were making Daddy a drink, weren't you? I appreciate the thought, I'll consider it as if I drank it, okay?"

Grandma was still washing dishes in the kitchen; upon hearing Tingting's cries, Jiang Huaiyan rushed right over.

Seeing the mess on the bed, he told Zhu Shinian to take Tingting out first, while he himself took the quilt and bedsheet to the balcony to wash.

Tingting sobbed, hiccuping and saying sorry to Daddy and that he didn't mean it, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face.

Even though he was a bit frustrated at first, in the end, a messy bed wasn't that big a deal for an adult.

But for Tingting, who just wanted to surprise his dad and couldn't understand why it went wrong, it was the end of the world.

Seeing Tingting cry so hard broke Zhu Shinian's heart.

Maybe before, at the orphanage, Tingting had accidents like wetting the bed or breaking a bowl or spoon. The teachers probably didn't blame him, but they couldn't help but scold him a little.

But for a child living in a group, being scolded in front of everyone was already a huge deal.

Zhu Shinian held Tingting and patiently comforted him until he calmed down. Then he put him down and they played with blocks for a while.

More than ten minutes later, the washing machine beeped, and Zhu Shinian and Jiang Huaiyan hung up the washed sheets and quilt covers.

"You can sleep in my room tonight. I'll go back to the dormitory at headquarters," Jiang Huaiyan offered after they finished hanging the laundry.

"I'll just go to the dormitory. Don't you have trouble sleeping in a new place?"

"The dormitory at headquarters is all alphas. Even prisons don't mix A and O anymore," Jiang Huaiyan said lightly, making a joke.

Zhu Shinian wanted to argue, but before he could think of a retort, Jiang Huaiyan had already gone back to his room to pack some change of clothes and took out new sheets and a quilt.

"I'll sleep on the floor in your room," Zhu Shinian said softly.

Author's note: