CH 92

Su Father’s health improved, and he had a good night’s sleep. When he came out of the bedroom, he saw his wife sitting on the couch and peeling an apple.

A historical drama was playing on the TV.

He sat down beside her and asked, “What are you watching?”

Su Mother replied, “I just randomly picked one. I don’t know what it’s about.”

The couple engaged in casual conversation, while the characters on the screen were speaking loudly.

Usually, when Su Li wasn’t home, they would watch some TV shows to make the house feel more lively. They didn’t particularly enjoy watching, but it just made the house feel less empty.

Su Mother finished peeling the apple.

Su Father instinctively reached out.

To his surprise, Su Mother had already brought the apple to her mouth, and she took a bite. She looked at his hand suspended in the air and asked in astonishment, “Oh, do you want some?”

“Then wait a moment, I’ll finish eating this one and peel one for you.” She paused and then offered, “Or you can have the one I’ve taken a bite out of.”

Su Father awkwardly shifted a bit and moved closer to his wife. He complained with a smile, “I’m sick, and you don’t even know how to take care of me.”

Su Mother gave him a playful push and went to the kitchen to bring a bowl of ginseng soup.

She placed it in front of Su Father and said lightly, “Your son knows how to take care of you. He got up early in the morning to make this soup for you. But now he’s probably feeling sleepy again as he goes to work at the company.”

Su Father certainly knew who sent the ginseng soup. He grumbled, “I won’t drink it.” He then added, “Just because he has money, does that mean I’ll agree to anything expensive he brings?”

“All these things you’re saying, why don’t you say them in front of Liang Xie? You seem to have plenty to say in front of me. Anyway, this soup was made by your son. Whether you drink it or not is up to you.”

Su Mother didn’t force him and left it at that.

Su Father felt a bit defeated and asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”

She furrowed her brows. “How can i be in a good mood with all that is happening?”

“That’s true…”

At this moment, the characters on TV were kneeling in front of their parents, making lifetime vows to each other. Su Mother’s apple felt tasteless in her mouth, so she changed the channel in annoyance.

Suddenly, Han Yang’s face appeared on the screen.

She couldn’t help but sigh, “Look at Gu Nuan. He’s really good at finding someone. He is with Han Yang, who is so outstanding.”

Su Father didn’t want her to talk about their son like that. He focused on the soup for a while before muttering, “Our Xiao Li isn’t bad at finding people either… Actually, Liang Xie is a good person. He has a good personality and is indeed promising. How can he be worse than Han Yang? During this time, he has come to visit us again and again. Both you and I have seen how committed he is.”

Su Mother continued to peel the apple in silence.

Su Father let out a long sigh, expressing his concerns, “But even though he’s outstanding, Liang Xie’s leg might give out again someday… By then, our Xiao Li will have a hard time.”

Seeing his wife nod, he repeated, “Whenever I think about this, I feel uneasy. Think about it, Liang Xie has great qualities, and if it weren’t for his leg, he and Xiao Li wouldn’t even be on the same playing field.”

Su Father whispered, “Xiao Li is naive, I’m afraid he might end up being heartbroken in the end.”

On the TV, the advertisement endorsed by Han Yang came to an end.

Su Mother pressed the power button, and the living room immediately fell silent.

The ginseng soup on the coffee table had cooled down. She reheated it and placed it in front of Su Father again, saying, “I’ve reheated it, don’t waste it.”

Sitting down, Su Mother started peeling a second apple. Suddenly, she said, “The day Liang Xie came to deliver the ginseng, and our son followed him outside, I went out too…” She paused and continued, “I saw the child crying.”

Su Father looked up.

She said, “From childhood to now, it’s the first time I’ve seen him cry so pitifully.”

Those who didn’t know might have thought that Su Li’s world was falling apart.

Su Mother recalled the scene from that day, a mix of indescribable emotions in her heart.

She was the first to make a concession, “How about… we meet with Liang Xie again?” Placing the half-peeled apple on the coffee table, she clenched her hands tightly and earnestly said, word by word, “Let’s see how his personality really is, If he genuinely likes our Xiao Li, we should invite him over again and ask all the questions we want answers to.”

Seeking the truth, and seeking peace of mind.

Su Mother, who usually spoke loudly, was unusually calm. She reached out and held Su Father’s hand, as if she had been thinking all night, “what do you think?”

Su Father couldn’t respond.

After a long while, Su Father still didn’t answer, but he drank the ginseng soup.

The events of this day were left unmentioned to Su Li.

Because of this, Su Li anxiously and intentionally or unintentionally kept mentioning Liang Xie at home, hoping his parents would someday warm up to him. Fortunately, his parents’ attitude had slightly changed, making Su Li feel like life was progressing somewhat.

However, this slow progress made Su Li worry about Liang Xie’s feelings.

Su Li felt like he had caused a lot of trouble for Liang Xie.

But Liang Xie didn’t see it that way. He could understand Su’s parents’ attitude and could feel their change. This was a long process, and Liang Xie had plenty of patience.

Just like how Su Li had been there for him without leaving or giving up in those six years.

But at the current moment, Liang Xie thought it wasn’t suitable to discuss these matters.

At this moment, they were here to congratulate their friend on their housewarming. It would be truly impolite to ruin someone else’s joyous occasion with their own concerns.

Liang Xie glanced back and chuckled, “Alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. Did we leave the gifts we bought in the trunk?”

Su Li suddenly looked up, his mood changing rapidly.

He had no trace of sorrow, and his familiar phrase remained unchanged over the years: “Damn, I forgot!”

Su Li quickly turned around and hurriedly took out the gift that had been prepared a few days ago from the trunk.

Right after, Gu Nuan walked out of the house.

“Su Li, you guys are here. Why didn’t you come in?” Seeing Su Li, Gu Nuan was extremely delighted, not showing a hint of his position as the heir of the Gu family. “It’s been a while, why do you look a bit slimmer?”

Lin Yu Xing heard the commotion and came outside.

All Su Li saw was Lin Yu Xing wearing an apron, holding a large jar of pickled radishes in his hand – a very homely image.

Lin Yu Xing was the first to greet Liang Xie, “Hello, I’m Lin Yu Xing, Su Li’s roommate and friend from university. We’ve talked over video before.”

Gu Nuan also greeted, “Hello, I’m Gu Nuan, Su Li’s best friend. We used to play games together too.”

Of course, Liang Xie recognized them. He warmly smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Liang Xie. Su Li often mentioned you guys, and today I finally get to meet you.”

After several years, when Liang Xie returned to the country, everyone was already immersed in their busy work. It was rare to have free time to gather and share a meal together.

Scenes like today’s “reunion” were truly precious.

Lin Yu Xing politely invited them inside.

Smelling the pickled radishes, Su Li walked over to Lin Yu Xing with excitement, “These radishes look really good. I want to take some home later.”

Lin Yu Xing smiled, his eyes gentle.

“Knowing you like them, I specially made a big jar for you. Oh, by the way, Su Li, why do you look so much thinner?”

“Because of my lousy job, I’ve been working overtime a lot recently!” Su Li shifted the topic nervously, “Your cooking skills are impressive now, and this pickled radish smells just as good as the ones in the store.”

“It’s all Zhong Yi’s doing, I just helped a little.”

“Damn, after Zhong Yi got married, he became quite the househusband. He was the one who cooked that stewed beef last time too, right?”

Lin Yu Xing smirked and whispered to Su Li, “Well, he’s been learning all the signature dishes from the restaurant chefs. Now he can cook anything. The housekeeper we hired even says his cooking is better than hers.”

Su Li smiled saying, “Gu Zhongyi is really outdoing himself these days..”

Yang Qing was engrossed in chatting with Han Yang in the living room, occasionally glancing at the cards in his hand.

The card game between the Alphas had been going on for a while now.

So far, Han Yang had won five rounds, while Yang Qing had lost five.

Han Yang said, “Let’s stop.”

Yang Qing retorted, “Just wait, this round I’ll definitely win!”

Han Yang remained silent.

So when Han Yang saw Liang Xie and Su Li, he acted like he had found salvation. He quickly put down his cards, greeted Liang Xie, and shook hands.

Yang Qing immediately jumped up, acting like a child, “Han Yang, why did you fold? I was about to win this round!” He walked over to Liang Xie, shaking his hand like they were old friends, “Hello, hello, I’m Yang Qing. You’re the handsome boyfriend of Su Li, who’s 190 cm tall, right? I’ve heard so much about you!”

Su Li turned red immediately.

Seeing this, Liang Xie found Su Li very adorable and graciously provided him with a way out, saying, “It seems my height is quite memorable.”

Su Li blushed and chuckled awkwardly, “I mentioned it occasionally, and it seems like they remembered it…”

Yang Qing playfully remarked, “What do you mean occasionally? You practically had it written on your forehead… Ugh!”

Suddenly, Han Yang quickly covered Yang Qing’s mouth and then dragged Yang Qing back, clearly frustrated, “Continue playing.” He turned to everyone, “Do you all want to join?”

Gu Nuan was the most supportive of his Alpha, raising his hand first, “Yes!”

Su Li turned to Liang Xie and asked him, “Do you want to play?”

Liang Xie adapted to the situation, “Sure, let’s give it a try.”

With a full table, they decided to change the game.

Liang Xie and Gu Nuan were smart, both being business-minded, and their minds worked quickly. They were almost evenly matched, vying for first place. Han Yang was doing relatively fine, but Su Li and Yang Qing were losing.

Yang Qing lamented, “are you guys cheating?”

Su Li muttered, “Did you guys tamper with the cards?”

Gu Nuan added, “Are you two willing to accept defeat, or are you planning to be sore losers?”

Han Yang chimed in, “Gu Nuan’s right, if you can’t handle it, don’t play.”

Liang Xie didn’t say anything, but from his expression, it was clear he was happy, a constant smile on his lips.

Seeing this, Su Li’s heart softened a lot. Holding the cards, he continued to complain, “Come on, I refuse to accept this. Let’s play another round!”

In the kitchen,

The housekeeper was helping with cutting and preparing ingredients, while Gu Zhong Yi was skillfully cooking, placing a perfectly cooked plate of stir-fried beef onto the serving platter after just a few moments.

Lin Yu Xing approached and wiped the sweat off Gu Zhong Yi, “Everyone’s here except my Big Brother.”

Lin Yuxing smiled and said to Gu Zhongyi, “Leave the rest to the aunt. You’ve been busy all afternoon, it’s time to rest, Chef Gu.”

The housekeeper quickly responded, “Yes, Mr. Gu, don’t worry!” This was the first time the housekeeper had encountered an employer whose cooking skills were better than her own. “There are just a few small dishes left, I’ll do them well, I promise to satisfy you.”

“Okay, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

In fact, Gu Zhongyi had almost finished what he needed to do. He took off his apron and asked, “What’s Yu Heng busy with?”

“Liao’s mom sprained her foot. He’s still at the hospital with her for a check-up. He probably won’t make it for dinner. But he said he’ll come by later to join the fun…” Lin Yuxing shrugged and continued with a helpless tone, “And also to meet Su Li’s so-called ‘190cm male god’.”

Gu Zhongyi laughed naturally and casually placed his hand on Lin Yuxing’s waist. His tall and graceful figure didn’t look at all like a ‘chef’ who had just taken off his apron.