71 THE GIRL AND GUY IN THIS RELATIONSHIP (2/2)
”To see a friend.”
Xuan Chaya gave Cheng Jian a cryptic look. ”Is it a date?”
Cheng Jian raised a brow at him. ”You said I was allowed to go on dates.”
Xuan Chaya nodded. ”Of course, you are.”
Cheng Jian nodded and proceeded to save Hua Zhendan's number on his cellphone.
”What's your favorite color?” Xuan Chaya asked.
”Pastel colors,” Cheng Jian replied. ”Light pink, light blue, light green... You name it.”
Amused, Xuan Chaya chuckled. ”Your taste is so girly.”
Cheng Jian shrugged. ”It's not my fault all the good colors are stereotyped as 'girly' colors.”
Xuan Chaya shook his head. At this point, there wasn't anything that Cheng Jian can't say.
”What's your favorite color?” Cheng Jian asked.
”Yellow.”
Cheng Jian frowned. ”That's very cliché. Girls like pink, boys like yellow.”
Xuan Chaya smiled. ”Now that I think about it, in this relationship, you're the girl and I'm the guy. So the stereotypes might actually be true.”
”What part of my body resembles that of a girl?” Cheng Jian asked, the humor in Xuan Chaya's words lost on him.
Xuan Chaya shook his head again. He wasn't even mad at Cheng Jian. He changed the topic. ”Do you have allergies?”
”No. Not that I know about. Is that important?”
”Not really. But now, you are allergic to mushrooms, okay?”
Cheng Jian was confused. ”How come?'
Xuan Chaya explained. ”Not in real life. I mean, as part of the act. If my mum calls, she'll ask me what to prepare for when I'm bringing you over. If I mention that she can cook anything, but you're allergic to mushrooms, it's going to seem like I know you quite well.”
Cheng Jian smiled. ”Aren't you cunning?”
”I'm a good businessman. Call it what you want.” He carried a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice from the fridge and handed it to Cheng Jian. ”Help me drop this on the table.”
***
”Hey.” Hua Zhendan greeted Cheng Jian with a smile when he sat at his table.
”What is that abomination you're wearing?” Cheng Jian asked, distaste prominent on his face.
”What? My T-shirt?” Hua Zhendan looked down at his shirt.
”It's ugly. And the quality. I mean, I buy cheap clothes because I can't afford good-quality ones. But even then, mine aren't as ugly as this.”
”The shirt isn't that bad.” Hua Zhendan said defensively.
”What happened to you? Did you go bankrupt?” Cheng Jian held Hua Zhendan's chin and took a careful look at him.
Hua Zhendan stared silent and let Cheng Jian have his way.
”Did your mother disown you?”
”No.” Hua Zhendan replied. ”I'm just not talking to her at the moment.”
”Oh! Poor you. How will you survive now?” Cheng Jian clicked his tongue.
Hua Zhendan smiled and shook his head. He knew Cheng Jian had a tendency to be overdramatic and this was one of those moments.
”Wait. Did she have something to do with your breakup again?”
Hua Zhendan nodded.
”Of course. You should've taken your relationship far away from her eyes.”
”I know. And believe, I tried to. It's just that someone refused to listen to me when I warned them about her.”
”You must be so mad at her this time that you decided to starve yourself to punish her.” Cheng Jian said, eyeing Hua Zhendan's shirt.
Hua Zhendan smiled and changed the topic to one he wanted to talk about. ”I found my birth parents.” He said.
Cheng Jian opened his mouth in surprise. ”Did you go looking for them?”
Hua Zhendan nodded.
”Even after they abandoned you?”
Hua Zhendan shook his head. ”That was the only part of the story Shen Rui told me. If you know the whole story, it's not not difficult to forgive.” Hua Zhendan said, then proceeded to narrate the story of first, his abandonment, then of his breakup to Cheng Jian.
When he was done, Cheng Jian shook his head. ”Shen Rui is even more even than I ever imagined. And I feel so bad that you always forgive her.”
”What can I do? The bond I share with her isn't something even her evil is strong enough to break.”
”So, you aren't mad at her?”
”I'm always mad at her. This time around, I even changed my phone number so she can't reach me.” Hua Zhendan chuckled. ”The part that makes me so miserable is the fact that I'm dying to call and check up on her. I mean, before, when I was mad at her, I always saw her around the office, so I knew she was fine. But now, I'm so worried about her.”
Cheng Jian laughed. ”You were happy for one minute, then you went right back to being the pitiful person I've known this whole time.”
Hua Zhendan chuckled.
”If your boyfriend got to listen to that recording with Shen Rui's confession and decide to come back to you, will you get back with him?” Cheng Jian asked.
Hua Zhendan shook his head. ”I know it sounds unreasonable that this is such a big deal for me, but he made his choice. It's not the first time he's did something like this, but it has to be the last. I'm tired of getting hurt in the name of love.”
Cheng Jian listened attentively.
Hua Zhendan chuckled. ”Is this the love you said you're searching for?”
”I've lacked love a lot in my life, Hua Zhendan. If I find love now, it'll be kind to me.”
Hua Zhendan smiled at Cheng Jian's optimism. As for him, he had decided he was done with the whole relationship thingy.
”Tell me, what's your real family like?”
”Kind.” Hua Zhendan said with a smile. ”That's the first word that comes to mind.”
Cheng Jian nodded.
”I have a kid sister too. And she's adorable, but she's started thinking about boys at her young age.”
Cheng Jian laughed.
”My mother is a trader. She sells fish at the market. And my father, he works in a construction company. Both jobs make me sad.
”My father's most especially because although he works all the time, I hear him complaining about how his boss refuses to pay him.”
”That's horrible.”
”And I've seen some of his jobs. He's very good at it. If he started a company of his own, he'll be far better off. And I'm sure, he'll pay his workers as well.”
”Why don't you tell him?”
Hua Zhendan shook his head. ”If he starts a company now, he hardly has a reputation. He won't get any jobs and might give up. If he feels like he somehow failed, I don't want that to be because of me.”
Cheng Jian's eyes sparkled in delight as an idea struck him. Hitting the table, he said. ”Tell your father to start his own company. I'll get him his first client.”
”From where?” Hua Zhendan asked him.
”You just do your part and I'll do mine. Trust me, this is going to work out fine.”