“I heard you found yourself a boyfriend?”
Behind the increasingly deserted commercial center lies a large cluster of tenement buildings constructed in the 1990s. Gray stone walls, dark and narrow hallways, motion-activated lights that malfunction intermittently, and the incessant clatter of mahjong tiles on tables.
Song Chan’s home is here.
It’s an old, secondhand apartment in a neighborhood that everyone else looks down on, but it’s what Song Chan’s parents could afford by tightening their belts. They borrowed money everywhere for the down payment and then took on decades of mortgage debt—this is the price of moving from a small county to a big city.
A Rolls-Royce had already driven up to the commercial center in front of the tenement buildings; just around the corner was the entrance to the old neighborhood.
At this moment, Song Qing, rubbing his rumbling stomach, looked weak and said, “I’m so hungry! I really want to eat something.”
Zhong Lingyu, gazing absently out the window, almost instinctively asked his brother-in-law, “What do you want to eat? Hot pot or barbecue?”
Song Qing immediately turned his head, “Really?!”
Zhong Lingyu snapped out of his daze; he had almost forgotten that he had transmigrated. Before, whenever Song Qing was around, the word Zhong Lingyu heard most often was “hungry.” Taking his brother-in-law out to eat had long since become a basic part of his role as brother-in-law.
Song Chan’s alarm bells rang. She quickly tried to turn Song Qing’s head back and said to Zhong Lingyu, embarrassedly, “Don’t worry about him. He’s never full. Please don’t pay any attention to this glutton. That’s my only request of you, Zhong!”
The driver laughed from the front, “How much can a kid eat? You’re all studying hard now, a little late-night snack is fine.”
Zhong Lingyu thought about Song Qing’s appetite: “If you’re asking how much, how about six plates of lobster fried noodles?”
Song Qing: “Wow, Zhong, you really know me! Lobster fried noodles are my favorite.”
Zhong Lingyu smiled.
Of course,e he knew, because he almost threw up eating lobster fried noodles with his brother-in-law. Luckily, Zhong Cheng ate with him later.
Song Chan broke out in a cold sweat. She knew Zhong was generous, but Zhong, please don’t be so generous just yet.
“Uncle, could you please pull over?”
The only way out now was to get out of the car quickly. Song Qing was shameless, and Zhong Lingyu was well-off; she was afraid that one of them would dare to treat her and the other would dare to eat out, leaving her the only one left in a mess!
At the intersection, the siblings playfully got out of the car, just as the light turned green.
Zhong Lingyu watched Song Chan walk away.
The girl in the oversized school uniform was inconspicuous in the crowd; one had to follow her intently to keep her eyes on her.
Zhong Lingyu, however, was mesmerized. Her swaying ponytail, the way it patted her mischievous brother’s head, and the clattering of her medium-sized backpack inside—he could even hear the stationery rattling around inside.
So this was what Song Chan looked like in her teenage years.
Only when Song Chan and Song Qing disappeared into the alley did Zhong Lingyu raise her gaze. He knew Song Chan lived here, and he could easily recall the hallway and layout of that house.
After all, he had come here so frequently for a period of time.
As Song Chan turned the key to the lock, she was still scolding Song Qing for being so inconsiderate.
“You’ve only met Zhong a few times, and you’re already asking for food?”
“Oh! Sister! I’m hungry! Food!”
Song Qing’s pleading and whining made Song Chan give in.
“Mom will cook you noodles. You’re better suited to noodles; they’re filling.”
Pushing open the door, the room was dark, and Song Qing’s “I love noodles!” immediately stopped.
Song Chan almost forgot: “Dad went on a business trip with his boss, and Mom is on the night shift today.”
Song Chan’s father, Song Shan, drove for his boss at work; since the boss needed a car for the trip, he naturally had to go along.
Song Chan’s mother, Meng Mian, worked at a 24-hour supermarket. Every time she came back from her night shift, she’d bring home a bunch of discounted items.
“Don’t look so gloomy. I’ll cook for you, okay?”
Song Chan put down her schoolbag and reluctantly went to the kitchen to find the seasonings and bowls.
Song Qing, like a piece of chewing gum, stuck to the doorframe, waiting expectantly.
“Sis, is Zhong’s family super rich?”
“Of course! Didn’t you recognize that his car is a Rolls-Royce?”
“Sis, you should really take advantage of that.”
Song Chan frowned. “Take advantage of what? You’re so young, why aren’t you learning anything good…”
“If you become friends with him, then I’ll be his best friend’s brother. I can benefit from your connections and have him take us out for good food.”
Song Chan was speechless.
Her brother was indeed cunning, but not much; all he ever said was that he wanted a meal.
“But why do all the new classmates today have the same surname?”
Song Chan asked, “Really?”
Song Qing: “Yeah, the twins in our class, one boy and one girl, also have the surname Zhong.”
As he said this, Song Chan was scooping water from the water vat. When the water was poured into the pot, the iron ladle suddenly fell into the pot with a clatter.
As if in a flash, she noticed a previously overlooked detail, and goosebumps rose on the back of Song Chan’s neck.
Song Qing reached for the stove, muttering to himself, “We’re twins, so will our future children also be twins? Our relatives all say our family has the gene for twins.”
Her brother’s words made Song Chan’s expression look even stranger.
=
Zhong Lingyu returned home at ten o’clock.
This was an elite penthouse in the luxurious CBD of Yecheng, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering an unobstructed view of the river.
At this moment, this domineering eighteen-year-old stood on the balcony, enjoying the evening breeze, a glass of orange juice swirling in his hand.
He couldn’t help it; he was still abstaining from alcohol.
“Dad~ Dad~”
Zhong Lingyu’s phone rang with Zhong Xin’s barely audible voice.
Clearly, this little rascal had secretly hidden her phone in the dorm.
“I’m texting you.”
“Huh? What’s up, Dad? If you’re worried I’m not used to living here, I’m fine, waaaah, I’m really fine, waaaah, I’m crying so loudly.”
“I don’t care about that.” Zhong Lingyu ruthlessly interrupted his daughter’s sob story. “I heard you found yourself a boyfriend?”
“What boyfriend? Ah… right! My activities are currently limited to school, either in the classroom or the dorm. I figured my life would be very boring, so I found myself a boyfriend to relieve the boredom.” Zhong Xin’s expression was sly. “When is Dad coming back from abroad? I’ll introduce you to him.”
Zhong Lingyu knew immediately that the little fox was bluffing him, trying to use this to negotiate. He had finally managed to conceal his identity from Song Chan; how could he possibly be tricked by this child with just a few words?
“Your suggestion is quite good. Your boyfriend might even call me ‘brother’ when he sees me. You don’t mind that he’s old, and I don’t mind that he’s young. We can even retire together in the future.”
Zhong Xin was speechless.
She had almost forgotten that if she were to date in this era, it would be tantamount to a twilight romance. Back in the future, her boyfriend would be the same age as her parents, almost thirty years older than her.
But how could her father say such a thing so calmly?
“Good job, old man! He gets a minimum living allowance, and the government supports him. From now on, your and my boyfriend’s retirement pensions will all be mine.”
Zhong Lingyu remained unfazed: “My daughter has such ambition! You should urge your boyfriend to study hard so he can contribute to a high retirement pension in the future.”
Zhong Xin: “Thank you, Dad! I’ll take care of your oxygen tube and wheelchair from now on!”
“You’re welcome, my filial daughter. This is what I should be thinking of for you.”
The two were evenly matched.
Zhong Lingyu sighed. He was used to being annoyed by his daughter and could now remain calm.
He always knew Zhong Xin. After their conversation, it was clear this little fox was talking nonsense. She’d only been here a few days; how could she have a boyfriend so soon? Even if she secretly had a relationship in the future, that would be decades later.
Chairman Zhong, who wasn’t working, went to bed early.
No piles of documents, no endless meetings, no overwhelming data, no haggling business partners… Student life is so nice.
Soon, Zhong Lingyu realized how hasty his idea had been.
Early in the morning, several teachers called him over to ask, “Zhong, where’s your homework?”
What? Homework? What kind of homework did he have to do himself?
Song Chan, seeing Zhong Lingyu’s worried face, couldn’t help but soften: “If you don’t know which supplementary materials to buy, I can make a list for you.”
Zhong Lingyu searched for a while before finally pulling a workbook from his bag. “Is this it?”
Song Chan nodded. “Almost all the math homework is in this workbook.”
Zhong Lingyu quickly flipped through it.
Can these even be called problems? The answers are obvious at a glance; why does he need to do them every day?
Song Chan: “It’s really difficult, isn’t it?”
Zhong Lingyu met Song Chan’s worried eyes.
Zhong Lingyu remembered that Song Chan was bad at math, so he reluctantly nodded slowly, “Yeah, it looks really hard.”
“It’s okay, we can discuss it together. I heard you studied abroad before, and the questions there are a bit different from those in China. It’s normal that you’re not used to it for a while.”
Zhong Lingyu stared blankly, nervously swallowing, because he realized that from now on, he would not only have to avoid walking with his children at school, but also pretend to be a poor student; otherwise, he would seem so out of place with his wife.
Besides, Song Chan looked so understanding. How could he possibly betray her good intentions of improving together?
“You’re right, then please help me a lot in the future.”
He seemed to have made a huge decision.
Song Chan smiled, revealing two small dimples, “You’re welcome.”
The two reached an agreement, and Zhong Lingyu lowered his head to find his textbook.
With two minutes until class started, Song Chan pursed her lips, hesitantly moving closer to Zhong Lingyu.
“By the way, can I ask you something?” Song Chan seemed particularly flustered. “It might involve some of your privacy, but it’s okay if you don’t want to answer.”
Zhong Lingyu thought to himself, what privacy could he possibly have? His only privacy was Song Chan.
“Go ahead and ask.”
Song Qing said that two of his classmates, like you, have the surname Zhong. And you were both transfer students on the same day. Is it possible you know each other?”
Zhong Lingyu didn’t know that Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng had visited Song Chan and immediately revealed their parentage. So he thought, letting Song Chan know about them wouldn’t be a big deal.
So he answered confidently, “I’m their cousin.”
Song Chan’s heart sank. Sure enough, they were relatives!
She clenched her fingers, her face flushed, and stammered, “Then…do you know anything about their father?”
Zhong Lingyu paused.
Then he narrowed his eyes. “What do you want to know about their father?”