"My food is all gone, you can get out of here now!" The boy's mouth was stuffed full, not a single grain of rice was left in his bowl, and he stared at Chen Juan with his big, bright eyes.
Chen Juan was dumbfounded and amazed.
Ah Heng is funny. He was acting all magnanimous and patient just a moment ago, but before long, his childish resentment was on full display. I really feel sorry for him.
She pursed her lips, her smile as beautiful as spring flowers. She got up, ladled some pork rib soup from the kitchen, and handed it to Yan hope: "Drink the soup before you talk."
"Ah Heng, I'm so tired of drinking pork rib soup. Can you make spicy pork ribs tomorrow?" the boy complained as he drank.
Ah Heng smiled and shook her head – “No. You can’t eat spicy food, it will make your scalp inflamed.”
Chen Juan couldn't help but interject, "What's wrong with Yan hope's scalp?"
He was completely stunned when he saw Yan hope's new hairstyle.
Ah Heng looked at Chen Juan expressionlessly and said indifferently, "You used cheap hairspray and got dermatitis."
Shredded Meat, shut up.
No wonder he got such a shaved head, but the whole world can attest that he didn't do anything bad at the hair salon.
"Are you full, shredded pork?" Yan hope finished her soup, wiped her mouth, and immediately glared at Chen Juan with her big eyes, waving her hand impatiently—"Get out of here!"
"This really hurts our friendship." Rousi touched her nose and shrugged.
Ah Heng remained calm and smiled serenely, "Yan hope, go first, wash your hair, it's time to apply the medicine."
"Where's the hair?" Yan hope touched his head mournfully, his short, prickly haircut.
But in the end, she obediently got up, glared at Chen Juan with hostility in her big eyes, and bent down to whisper in Aheng's ear.
"Aheng, chase him away!"
Chen Juan's lips twitched slightly.
Speaking like that... loudly, is it because you want him to hear, or... is it because you want him to hear...?
"Mary, if you have something to say, say it." After Yan hope left, Aheng immediately stopped smiling.
Chen Juan chuckled—"Aheng, you've hit me, you've scolded me, what's wrong, aren't you still angry?"
Ah Heng said seriously, "Mary, I'm just an outsider. You don't need to act like this. Yan hope is just a child. He might not necessarily put you in his heart."
"I know." Chen Juan raised an eyebrow. It seems that no matter whether one is male or female, certain aspects of their nature will not change.
"And you?" Ah Heng looked at him calmly.
"Aheng, if I said I really like you and Yanxi, and have always wanted to be your friend, would you believe me again?" Chen Juan asked somewhat awkwardly.
Ah Heng was surprised and looked back at him, unsure how to answer after a moment.
However, once the conversation ceased, a closer listen revealed that from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water, came the boy's off-key, screaming singing.
Ugh, they never give us a moment's peace.
Ah Heng sighed helplessly, her gaze drifting to the distance. As she looked, her expression softened, and she lowered her head, withdrawing her gaze. She spoke softly, "Chen Juan, you're fifteen years old this year, two years younger than Yan Xi, aren't you?"
Chen Juan was stunned, then nodded.
“Chen Juan, Yan Xi is a bit older than you, but his world is so narrow. Apart from Si Wan and Da Yi, he doesn’t have many close friends. Do you know that?” Aheng tapped her fingers lightly and asked thoughtfully.
Chen Juan nodded again, suppressing the charming smile on her face, and listened carefully.
"So, Chen Juan, Yan hope never talks to people he doesn't like, doesn't easily argue with people other than his friends, and doesn't trust anyone other than his friends. Do you know that too?" Aheng raised her eyes, her tone becoming gentle, but her gaze turned complicated.
Yan hope always regarded Chen Juan as a true friend.
Chen Juan was shocked, and gave a wry smile—"I'm sorry."
"Chen Juan, I'm a bit older than you, and I've certainly learned a lot. Although I grew up in a small town and don't understand many profound things, I do know that if you like someone, even if you can't be with them, even if you can't offer your blessings, you should still be upright and honest, and not do anything that will hurt you. You're young, you still have time to regret, but what will you do when you've wasted your time?"
Chen Juan sighed softly, "Aheng, I understand everything you're saying now, but back then, I was so unwilling to accept it. Even if I calmed down, it would take time..."
Ah Heng didn't interrupt, but quietly watched him.
"Don't you think there's something in Yan hope's eyes that makes him easily reluctant to let go?" Chen Juan changed the subject, his tone tinged with bitterness and loneliness.
"What?" she pondered, but lowered her eyes slightly.
"Clean and innocent. I'm proud of my looks, and I'm not inferior to anyone else. But when I see Yan Xi's eyes, I feel very resentful, almost like jealousy." Chen Juan described, but a complex mix of emotions welled up in his eyes.
“I thought no one could be worthy of that person. For me, it was enough to humbly love and believe in him. But Yan Xi’s existence is as powerful and equal as that person’s. It’s as if they stand together, one so perfect that he is lonely, and the other so lonely that he is perfect. That should be the true image of a perfect match.”
Why are you saying all this?
Chen Juan smiled – “Aheng, can’t you tell? I’m seeking your comfort… because people who are heartbroken are very vulnerable, aren’t they?”
"Are you going to run and cry too?" Ah Heng smiled slightly, feeling somewhat relieved.
She knew that Chen Juan's words had finally put things at ease.
"Huh?" Chen Juan was stunned—"Who would be so tasteless?"
“Da Yi.” Aheng pursed her lips, recalling how Da Yi had looked heartbroken for the boy in front of her.
Chen Juan suddenly stood up, laughing exaggeratedly and reacting intensely—"Yes! Xin Feifei is such a tasteless man, so shameful, hahaha..."
"Do you really need to get so worked up?" Aheng sneered.
She admitted that she had bad intentions, deliberately stirring up some subtle fragments in Chen Juan's heart and touching his soft spot.
Chen Juan's face turned red—"Who's getting excited, Aheng? I only said it because I consider you a friend. That baboon has absolutely no gentlemanly manners. How dare it bite someone as beautiful as me? If Siwan hadn't stopped me, I would have bitten it to death!"
"You can call yourself 'Dad.' But 'Mom' is out of the question."
What's more, you've already bitten Da Yi's mouth so badly it's a mess.
Ah Heng chuckled softly.
Some destinies seem to be preordained, but the person in question has not yet been clearly seen.
Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Although Aheng and Yanxi live under the same roof, their lifestyles are so different that they almost never see each other except when eating.
Yan hope was originally a cat-like creature who didn't distinguish between day and night. With the holiday, he became even more unruly. When he was in a good mood, he would blast rock music, making the neighbors knock on his door. When he was in a bad mood, he would close the door, draw the curtains, and sit silently in his room all day. He was the perfect embodiment of the sine wave.
As for Aheng, she is a well-behaved girl with a precise biological clock, going to bed at nine o'clock at night and waking up at six in the morning. She buys groceries, cooks, does laundry, cleans her room, and watches cartoons. That's how her day goes by. Of course, if she listens to the earnest teachings of the kindred spirits on the radio left by Lieutenant Li before going to bed, her life is basically perfect without any regrets.
He loves pork ribs and all sorts of unusual sauces that create a rich, flavorful dish, while she prefers vegetables and uses a light, salty taste to express the most ordinary yet exquisite flavors.
He drinks Coke, Fanta, chocolate milk, champagne, vodka—all processed beverages that, when turned upside down, produce beautiful bubbles and a warm, decadent hue. She, on the other hand, sips only water, tea, sake—anything unadorned, clear, gentle, and refreshing liquid.
He loved to do everything absentmindedly, listening to rock music while painting sunsets, eating junk food while studying the different ways beautiful women on TV cried, trying to figure out which one wouldn't disgust him; while she was never very perceptive, only knowing how to sit up straight to make her calligraphy more beautiful, only knowing how to put her hands on her knees and watch cartoons with a silly grin, so easily ignoring all the changes around her.
Only when you're always intersecting under the same roof do you realize that there's another person in your larger group.
Thus, it is easy to feel novelty, but this novelty is not yet enough to break each other's perfect personal space.
And so, they continue to gently tolerate each other's existence, softly integrating each other into their own habits.
"Ah Heng..." Yan hope, still half asleep, wandered into the kitchen wearing a long T-shirt with Tom and Jerry on it.
"Awake?" Ah Heng took a spoon and scooped up some chicken soup to taste the saltiness, busy with his work, without turning around.
She knew he was there, and that was enough.
"The milk is in the microwave, go get it yourself. Drink one less bag, you'll need to eat soon, it's lunchtime." The taste was just right. Ah Heng smiled and put down the spoon.
"Oh," the boy yawned, rubbed his eyes, and his voice still had a nasal tone from just waking up—"I just put the clothes in the washing machine and tumbled them, but I don't know if there's enough detergent."
Ah Heng had a bad feeling. She turned off the stove, rushed to the laundry room, opened the washing machine lid, and her face turned pale and purplish.
"The laundry detergent you put in..."
Yan hope casually pointed to a bucket of powdery substance next to the washing machine.
“That’s bleach,” Ah Heng said with difficulty.
Yan hope was horrified. He looked at the washing machine and saw that the load of clothes was completely ruined.
"Aheng, why did you put bleach next to the washing machine?" Yan hope pulled out the plug, picked up the oddly colored clothes rolled up in a ball, and was on the verge of tears.
"Aww, my newly released ARMANI pink plaid shirt worn by an Italian supermodel, my Calvin Klein white pants, my Givenchy black T-shirt, my..."
"Your English is so good, how come you didn't see that huge BLEACH on the bucket?" Ah Heng interrupted the boy, her tone gentle yet carrying a slow and subtle teasing.
“Bleach, Mao?” Yan hope’s eyes were watery and pitiful.
"Bleach." Ah Heng looked up at the sky speechlessly.
"Aheng, what... what should we do?" Yan hope asked, her eyes brimming with tears, pretending to be completely naive and helpless.
"What else can we do but throw it away?" Ah Heng said casually.
This is punishment for those who consider themselves great men but can't even enter the kitchen or the laundry room.
“My Armani, my Calvinklein, my Givenchy, my Versace…” Yan hope covered his face, revealing only his short hair, and started howling.
Ah Heng ignored him and walked back to the kitchen, with the boy following behind her, continuing to wail.
When I eat, I whine about my miserable floral shirt; when I watch TV, I whine about my pitiful white casual tapered pants; when I eat snacks, I whine about my beautiful little black T-shirt.
In the evening, Ah Heng was watching "Detective Conan." In the middle of the case, in a dark, old library, a corpse appeared in the slowly ascending elevator mezzanine—a truly eerie and terrifying sight. Behind him, someone said mournfully...
"My beloved red plaid shirt..."
Ah Heng was horrified. She turned her head and saw Yan hope again.
"I know, I know, you're so noisy!" Ah Heng's lips twitched as she yelled at the boy, "Buy a new one, okay!"
The boy was overjoyed, having achieved his goal.
Old Master Yan was afraid that Yan hope would squander money, so every month her living expenses were transferred to an account whose password only Aheng knew. All financial expenditures were controlled by her. Although Yan Xi was unwilling, money is power, and the emperor was far away, so she had no choice but to give up and pester Aheng every day until she got a headache. Naturally, she got what she wanted.
However, you can't just burn money like that. If you buy it again, tens of thousands of yuan will be gone in the blink of an eye.
Ah Heng tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. After thinking for a long time, she groped her way to the trash can, picked up the pile of clothes, threw them into the washing machine, washed them once, and ironed them three times, being so careful that she didn't miss even the smallest corner. Although they still looked like a colorful palette, their newness was greatly guaranteed. Satisfied, she went back to her room.
The next day, as soon as Ah Heng got up, he estimated the time and, thinking it was about right, started making phone calls.
"Hello? Ah Heng?" The other person yawned, looking like they had just woken up.