Chapter 8: The sOther Children” Myth (2/2)

”Auntie!” I smiled and acted cute. This tactic worked especially well for a middle-aged woman like auntie Zhou. ”We heard that Zhou Yuan did not feel well, so we come to see him. We bring some fruits for him. Is that good for him?”

“Of course.” Auntie Zhou smiled sweetly. It was impossible to tell from her expression that she just quarreled with his son. “You are so nice and considerate. Auntie should have cooked for you, but I have to work the night shift!”

Liu Shuai was still laughing foolishly, while I immediately followed up, ”It's fine, auntie. We’ll go out to eat with Zhou Yuan later. Please keep your schedule!”

“That sounds good. Alright, then I am going to work. Whoops, I'm going to be late — Yuan, your colleagues are here to see you! I am leaving first.”

It looked like auntie Zhou was really in a hurry to get to work. She didn't wait for Zhou Yuan to come out before she left.

When the door was locked, Zhou Yuan walked out of his bedroom. He was in a casual T-shirt and held a copy of Journey to the West in his hands, his eyes showing no spirit. “There you are”.

Liu Shuai and I exchanged a glance. Liu Shuai said, ”I heard that you're not feeling well today, so we came to see you. These are your favorite snacks.”

“Got it.” Zhou Yuan's reply was unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. He sat on the small stool in the living room, placed the book to one side, and continued changing TV channels with a remote control.

I didn't know what to say, just brought out a topic. ”You also read Journey to the West?”

”Yeah,” Zhou Yuan replied, ”I like it since I was young.”

… ….

Liu Shuai and I felt a little awkward. Either he hadn't changed a lot, or his mother's words left had a huge impact on him, and he hadn't adjusted his emotion yet, but he was so cold and detached, really unlike the Zhou Yuan from before.

I don't think it was a good thing just staying like that. When I was looking for topics to chat, Zhou Yuan turned to the television and asked, ”Liu Shuai, are you alright?”

I realized that Zhou Yuan was giving his appreciation to Liu Shuai for saving him that day, so I immediately shot him a glance.

Liu Shuai's face was completely red. He would never let Zhou Yuan know that he won’t be able to erect for half a year. He glared at me maliciously and said, “I'm fine. Actually I am pretty good.”

I was completely confused by his stare. It's not me who turned him into that. I just delivered Yan's words to him, and he's already venting his anger at me. That was not fair. But then again, weren’t most people acting the same? It's just like when I was playing DOTA and my computer got stuck, I knew that was obviously a problem with the internet or video card, but I still furiously tapped on the mouse and keyboard. Right now, I was the wrong keyboard.

“Got it!”

No more words.

To be honest, I had rich experience of chatting, but I had never felt as awkward as I did today. For the following few minutes, I could only hear the sound of advertisements on the television. I really couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to break the ice. ”Zhou Yuan, we heard the conversation between you and your mother.”

Liu Shuai looked at me for a moment, as if he was scolding me for saying that. Zhou Yuan's back was facing us. Although he didn't move, I could clearly see his hand, which was holding the remote control, trembled. I knew that was the issue he was worried about.

Sure enough, after a while, Zhou Yuan turned around. “Hey, do you guys think that I wasted these past few years?”

I looked at Zhou Yuan. ”I don't think so.”