Driven by curiosity, the secretary craned his neck to decipher the words on the screen. Slowly, his expression shifted.
Qin Jin’s hand had distinct knuckles. He slid his hand slightly, his gaze fixated on the friends’ circle post that nearly made Gao Xun exasperated: “[He can prepare lunches and take care of the children at home. A light is always on for me late at night. Thanks to my brother, my perception of men has completely changed now (smile.jpg)].”
After scanning the text without uttering a word, Qin Jin leaned back a little, closed his eyes, lost in thought.
Silence enveloped the room, leaving only Gao Xun’s inner restlessness.
After a brief moment, Qin Jin finally spoke: “I messaged Li Xichun to ask if she truly thinks her brother is this great.” Faced with the boss’s uncertain expression, Gao Xun hesitantly typed out the message. Coincidentally, he hadn’t seen his girlfriend for a few days and could use this as a reason to reconnect.
His thumb hovered over the send button for a few seconds, then pressed it after a slight hesitation.
In the next three minutes, Qin Jin’s patience wore thin: “Has she responded?”
Gao Xun was struck like lightning: “She deleted me.”
A red exclamation mark adorned the phone screen, confirming his removal from her friend’s list.
…
This night proved to be an ordeal for many.
Li Xichun disliked the evasive act of deleting people without a clear explanation. Even in the event of a breakup, she would plainly state that she had parted ways with the other person. However, this time she made an exception due to a whim.
After the anger subsided, emptiness settled in.
She took out a small mirror and examined herself, shaken when she noticed the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Let’s rewind five minutes.
At that moment, Li Xiangfu was brewing tea, and every movement he made was akin to art. The tea’s fragrance wafted through the air, and the light green cup was presented to him. Li Xichun hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.
—pleasing to the eye.
For now, this was the only way she could describe it.
“Tea cools the fire.” Li Xiangfu was like tea, shedding his impetuousness.
There was no trace of his former playful brother who loved to fool around. Li Xichun sighed softly: “You’ve grown up.” After four years, Li Xiangfu asked about her boyfriend for the first time: “His name is…
“Gao Xun.” As if recalling some pleasant memories, Li Xichun lowered his eyes and smiled.
Li Xiangfu waited patiently for the next development.
Li Xichun offered an objective perspective, stating, “… He’s a person with strong ambitions and a promising career.”
Gao Xun was earnest about his work and lacked a complicated romantic entanglement. This was what initially attracted her to him.
Li Xiangfu nodded, inquiring, “So where do your differences lie?”
Hearing this, Li Xichun fell into a moment of helplessness, explaining, “I can understand his dedication to work, but the issue lies in male chauvinism. He expects me to set aside my work temporarily once we’re married and have children.”
Gao Xun believed that it was best for the child to be cared for by the mother, especially considering her affluent background, ensuring she had no worries about basic necessities.
However, Li Xichun had put a lot of effort into developing the gallery to its current state and was unwilling to let go.
“I’ll do my best to take care of the children. When I’m busy, I can ask family elders to help. I don’t understand why he’s not pleased,” Li Xichun sighed softly. “People around me also think I’m being hypocritical.”
Li Xiangfu didn’t unequivocally side with his relative. He critiqued Gao Xun from a neutral standpoint and said, “This isn’t an insurmountable problem.”
“In the future, when you have children, I can assist in looking after them, and he can be a playmate for Shasha.”
“I also dabble in painting and chess. I’m qualified to be the child’s elementary teacher. Don’t worry about household chores. I can prepare an extra lunchbox for times when you’re too busy to cook,” he elaborated, addressing nearly all conceivable concerns in an orderly manner.
Li Xichun was drawn in by the detailed plan he outlined. However, she suddenly realized something was amiss, saying, “You’ve done what you should. What’s the use of the child’s father?”
“Yes, he’s useless,” Li Xiangfu calmly nodded. “So, should we block him and carry on?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ol Wlmtec kjr wbwfcajglis raeccfv jcv qgbmffvfv ab vfifaf Xjb Wec.
Yyrfgnlcu atlr bqfgjalbc olgratjcv, Ol Wljcuoe rajafv rfglberis, “Ktf mtliv’r ojatfg lr bea bo atf qlmaegf. Ktfgf kbc’a yf mtlivgfc obg atf alwf yflcu. Cii lrrefr tjnf yffc rjalrojmabglis gfrbinfv.” Ol Wlmtec’r ilqr wbnfv, jaafwqalcu ab rqfjx: “Wljcuoe…” Ol Wljcuoe kjr yers gfoliilcu atf afjqba.
As he headed toward the kitchen, he heard Li Xichun exclaim, “Someone rang the doorbell.”
Li Xiangfu peeked out of the kitchen, remarking, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re only a few meters from the door.”
Li Xichun protested, “I’m a girl and should answer the door. What if it’s someone with ill intentions?”
Li Xiangfu approached and glanced at the intercom screen. It was a delivery person.
“Whom are you looking for?” he asked, almost ritualistically.
“There’s an urgent package delivery for Li Xiangfu,” the courier informed, holding the item up to the camera.
Li Xichun overheard a voice on the other end, “Did you order something?”
Li Xiangfu shook his head.
Li Xichun rose from the sofa and took cover behind the door, clutching a baseball bat.
Li Xiangfu opened the door. It wasn’t a criminal; he simply waited for the signature, and then the courier hurriedly left.
He handled it with a bit of roughness and discovered that the document bag only had a thin layer. He borrowed a fruit knife from Li Xichun and cut it open, revealing an elegant card and a few dried petals.
“Hey! A love letter,” exclaimed Li Xichun, eyebrows raised. He picked up the sealed bag and struggled to decipher the somewhat abstract sender’s name on it. In the end, he gave up, saying, “I guess the sender might be a medical student.”
The words on the card were not hastily written; they were rather beautiful. There was only one short line: “Welcome back, my friend.”
Li Xiangfu stared at the phrase “welcome back” for a few seconds. He wasn’t sure if he was reading too much into it, but he felt it might imply something more.
The window was open, and a gust of wind scattered the petals everywhere.
Suddenly, Li Xichun sighed, picked up a petal stuck to the sofa’s edge, and inspected it closely, frowning, “Cactus flower.”
Li Xiangfu wasn’t knowledgeable about flowers: “Is there anything special about it?”
“It’s not that special? But it’s quite expensive,” Li Xichun explained, “This is an exceedingly rare cactus flower with irregular blooming patterns. There have been cases where a single flower was sold for tens of millions of dollars.”
“Really? Tens of millions?” Li Xiangfu recalled
buying the remaining balance of the guqin after selling Cali, and his expression was quite amusing. He asked in a practical tone, “If I sell it…” Li Xichun amusingly interrupted, ”
That’s a fully live plant; even these withered petals would be too expensive to sell for me.”
She didn’t say anything when Li Xiangfu was present. After seeing people going upstairs and confirming the door closing, Li Xichun made a call.
“Someone sent me cactus flowers… it’s a bit too coincidental…”
As he spoke on the phone, he walked into the courtyard, and the voice behind him gradually faded until it was inaudible.
On the second floor, Li Xiangfu leaned against the wall without actually entering the room. After listening to the message, he began to search for information about Siga cactus flowers on his mobile phone. Li Shasha, who had been reading in the house, opened the door, asking, “Why have you been standing outside for so long?”
Li Xiangfu was about to respond when the web page loaded.
The Xijia cactus flower was a prominent feature of Tianxi Ancient Village. This village was one of the few communities that preserved its original ecological culture. It boasted a unique culinary tradition among its locals, including features like surrounding glaciers, pot caves, and more, all worth exploring.
Unfortunately, due to traffic congestion and inadequate promotion, it hadn’t been fully developed. Occasionally, daring adventurers would engage in group hiking trips.
Just as he was about to click on an image to view it closely, his head suddenly felt dizzy. Li Xiangfu swayed a little. Fortunately, Li Shasha came out and helped him, preventing him from falling.
“I’m alright.” He entered the room and sat down, holding onto the back of a chair. “Perhaps it’s due to inadequate blood supply to the brain.”
Once he settled comfortably, he opened the drawer and retrieved the brochure he had found earlier. The final destination mentioned in it was Tianxi Ancient Village, marked with a sticky note. The comprehensive guide hinted that Tianxi Ancient Village might mark the end of his childhood adventures.
Running his fingers over the words, Li Xiangfu said thoughtfully, “After my accident, my family became reticent about discussing related matters. They only mentioned that I had ventured out for fun and met with an accident.” But as for where exactly I went in the end, there was complete silence.
Closing the brochure, he shifted the conversation to the cactus flower.
Li Shasha proposed a logical approach: “Let’s compile a list of potential senders.”
Li Xiangfu had already perused his address book and couldn’t pinpoint a single suspect. While he had many friends in the past, none seemed likely to send such a mysterious package for no reason. Most, like Liu Yu, were more concerned about whether he had been entirely abandoned by his family.
Li Shasha chimed in, “The people we encountered at the clothing store that day showed hostility towards you.”
“Luo An?” Li Xiangfu placed his hand on his chin, musing, “Unlikely.”
Luo An may not have been fond of him, but the approach of this package was much more personal, focused on provoking the relationship between him and his family.
The sender’s address was traced to an amusement park on the map, but the phone number was a dead end. With express delivery agencies ubiquitous these days, attempting to trace the sender from here was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Li Xiangfu blinked and suddenly retrieved the business card he received at the wedding.
It lacked the usual lightweight and simple feel of conventional business cards. The design was predominantly black and gold, invoking thoughts of Qin Jin’s stern countenance.
Effortlessly, he sought the other party’s chat account through the provided phone number, and the username matched the real name. Li Xiangfu’s eyes remained fixed on the ‘add friend’ section, but he hesitated to begin.
Li Shasha assisted by clicking on it.
Li Xiangfu glanced at him, said nothing, and filled in the verification information: “Thank you for the cactus flowers.”
Qin Jin carried an air of solemnity, his every move exuding strong confidence and composure. Confronting a young man who hadn’t achieved much, he saw no need to lie.
If he were indeed the sender of the flowers, there was no reason to deny it.
Wanting to test the waters, Li Xiangfu anticipated a likely rejection message. Surprisingly, as he put down the phone, the screen lit up. Not only was the friend request accepted, but the other party also took the initiative to send a message: [I did not send it.]
Li Xiangfu responded swiftly: [Apologies, I misunderstood.]
There was no further response.
Once certain the conversation had concluded, Li Shasha approached and made a request, “I’d like to buy a Rubik’s Cube.”
“Sure.”
Li Xiangfu agreed without a second thought.
Capitalizing on the moment, Li Shasha presented a list: “And these.”
Initially appearing gentle, Li Xiangfu’s smile gradually faded when he saw the automated robot. As he searched for the one he desired, its price equaled that of his own guqin.
Li Shasha looked at him with the eyes of a child unable to bear any hardships.
“Times have changed,” he said while gently petting his dog’s head, a hint of firmness in his eyes. Li Xiangfu warned sternly, “I don’t have any persistent admirers here.” The days of old, when nobles spent extravagantly just to win a smile, had changed and were never coming back.
Li Shasha was well-prepared and listed the ten most lucrative professions, one of which was top-tier stardom. “Given Dad’s talent, it’ll only take a year and a half to rise,” Dad proclaimed enthusiastically.
Li Xiangfu advised him to let go, saying, “I’m too weary and have strayed from my aspirations.”
“Aspirations?” Li Shasha inquired cautiously. “How about a peaceful life?”
Li Xiangfu added, “With enough money, of course.”
They exchanged glances, and Li Shasha pondered, “Is such a good situation genuinely possible?”
Li Xiangfu fell silent.
Unlike other wealthy families, aside from the time when he was living extravagantly, there were no squabbles over inheritance among the Li family’s children. The patriarch didn’t permit a monthly stipend for anyone, allowing them to reside in the family estate till their passing.
In other words, he had just returned to China and was given a grace period. It was likely that these peaceful days wouldn’t last long.
The good ones don’t work, the bad ones do.
While chatting, he received a text message from Li Huaichen: “There are job openings in the company. You can start an internship whenever you want.”
Li Shasha inquired from the side, “How much is the internship pay?”
“Over five thousand.”
Li Shasha calculated and realized it wouldn’t suffice to buy an automatic robot. He responded coldly, “Decline the offer.”
Li Xiangfu hesitated. He wasn’t ready to accept either. He replied, stating that he currently wasn’t inclined.
Moments later, Li Huaichen called directly, getting straight to the point: “The reason?”
Li Xiangfu stated honestly, “Working nine to five interferes with my romantic life.”
Li Huaichen didn’t press and inquired, “What are your future plans?”
Li Xiangfu candidly responded, “Slowly finding joy in a corner forgotten by the world.”
The implication was clear: Please let me quietly be an affluent heir, blissfully ignorant, and appreciative.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. After a moment, Li Huaichen concluded, “Alright.” Li Xiangfu let out a sigh of relief and slightly lifted the corners of his mouth. Before he could express his gratitude, he heard the other person say, “You’ll have to cover the costs for the children’s education. Additionally, you need to contribute to the family expenses.”
Li Xiangfu dryly remarked, “What about rights?”
Li Huaichen responded, “I funded your education abroad. Also, I provide your monthly allowance from my own pocket. According to Dad’s original intention, he wanted you to work and study to pay for your living expenses.”
Li Xiangfu had nothing more to say.
All he could do was express his gratitude.
“Devise a plan swiftly. If you manage to address the mentioned issues before the month’s end, you’re free to do as you please.”
Li Huaichen ended the call first, leaving a cold busy tone echoing in Li Xiangfu’s ears.
Li Shasha remained composed. Seeing that it was getting late, he intended to return to his room to rest. After all, the responsibility of supporting the family wouldn’t fall on him.
“A wrong decision.”
Li Xiangfu narrowed his eyes, watching the gracefully departing figure.
What’s the point of being acknowledged as a son? He should have been recognized as a godfather from the start.
Li Shasha was in good spirits. Despite his excellent taste, he had no ear for music. Thus, he strolled towards his room, humming a tune with the singing skills of a crow. Coincidentally, Li Xichun came upstairs after a phone call. Upon seeing him, his expression softened a bit. He bent down and asked gently, “There are no children your age nearby. Will you get bored?”
Li Shasha shook his head.
Li Xichun thought he struggled to express himself well. At this age, who wouldn’t enjoy playing with friends? He comforted him, saying, “We’ve already arranged for you to attend school. In a couple of days, you’ll have many friends.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, the cold façade of Li Shasha, which didn’t match his age, began to crack: “School?”
Li Xichun nodded, “You’re six years old, which is the perfect age to start first grade. You’ll surely be the brightest kid in the class.”
Li Shasha froze, rubbing his neck and turning away without a word. As soon as he entered his room, he leaned against the door panel, muttering, “Do I still have a chance to be your godfather?” After uttering this somewhat meaningless question, Li Xiangfu frowned and then shook his head.
For a child this big, you can’t just dismiss their concerns.
“Regardless, I won’t attend school,” Li Shasha asserted firmly.
Li Xiangfu glanced at him, likely guessing what was going on, and calmly stated, “Compulsory education, nine years. Do you understand?”
The room fell into a profound silence, where even the faintest sound could be heard. Li Shasha slowly stood straight, appearing composed but with trembling lips. It seemed like an eternity.
Witnessing this, Li Xiangfu sighed softly, “Are you okay?”
Nine years… The number reverberated in Li Shasha’s mind, causing it to spin. After regaining composure, he said slowly, each word deliberate, “I will spend my entire life healing from my childhood.”
… have to agree with Shasha, school is traumatizing, especially when it’s using a system that hasn’t been updated in 200 years.
That last line hits hard.
At first I wanted to laugh at the last line, then I pondered futher…yeah it makes sense totally, all the best shasha
there seem to be a lot of first person dialogue using second person you, and ShaSha pronouns change again
Fixed!
Oh Shasha, you think that’s bad? Puberty’s comin’
Thanks for the chapter! I wish school was adapted to human complexity… & real life while we’re at it…
Hey hey, I think the “I” in “[I can prepare lunch and take care of children at home…” should be a “He” because it’s referring to MC
Okay! Thanks for the suggestion! ❤️
Shasha’s right 😭 even I didn’t have pleasant school years