CH 16

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Mimosa

For more than a week, Xiao Ke looked back on the incident and thought he was very powerful. Giving the half-awake Warrior Zhou a hug, this behavior was perverted. However, inwardly there was no guilt, and it felt especially beautiful.

“What beautiful things are you thinking about?” Xiao Ke turned around to see that it was his fellow coworker, Professor Zhou. “Walking with a smile on your face.”

Xiao Ke greeted him and said, “I can’t say. I have to keep the happiness to myself.”

Professor Zhou was a young man who had arrived at the school two years earlier than Xiao Ke, and was also new to the class this year. He laughed and said, “If you don’t say it, I can guess it. Chasing a girl, right Handsome Xiao?”

Xiao Ke did not know how to answer for a while.

A girl?

Xiao Ke did not deny it, and with a little smile, he said, “If you say so.”

The two of them were walking towards the cafeteria. Xiao Ke had been planning to have dinner at the school before heading back, when he received a phone call from Dr. Xu so he picked up. “Good evening, Ms. Xu, I’d like to greet you.”

Dr. Xu said on the phone, “I’m cooking a big dinner tonight. Are you coming back?”

Xiao Ke lost his smile. “What big dinner?”

Dr. Xu didn’t want to say, and she was mysterious about it, “I won’t say. Anyway, will you come back or not?”

Xiao Ke said, “Yes, within an hour.”

“Okay, come back and buy some oranges for our Professor Xiao, thanks. I just forgot,” Ms. Xu said.

Xiao Ke agreed and hung up the phone before he turned to his colleague and said, ” My boss is calling, let’s go, try my family doctor’s meal.”

Professor Zhou smiled and shook his head. “Not this time. I still have a lot of things to do, and I have to go back to work after eating. You can go, Professor Xiao. I’ll definitely go next time.”

Xiao Ke nodded and didn’t say anything more. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He knew it was actually the old couple at home who missed him, as he had been busy chasing Zhou Zui for a while which was why he had less time to go home. Last weekend, he went out with Zhou Zui, and then did not return for the entire weekend so Professor Xiao and Dr. Xu missed their son. Xiao Ke bought a lot of fruit before going back. He was afraid that they would not remember to eat fruit at home, which was why he would buy a lot of fruit before going back each time.

He was lucky enough to find a good parking space just as a car drove out. Xiao Ke carried the fruit up, and Dr. Xu opened the door for him and said that there were dishes in the pot before she ran back to the kitchen. Xiao Ke carried the fruit to the cold balcony, and looked at the boxes of imported fruit stacked on the wall before he asked in a loud voice, “Did Professor Xiao’s students come to see him? “

Xiao Ke’s father came out of the study and took off his glasses before he told him, “My students don’t buy such expensive fruits when they see me, they know I can’t accept them.”

“Then who sent it?” Xiao Ke went to wash his hands and bowed his head. However, his heart felt somewhat predictable and he already guessed.

Old Xiao said, “We can’t buy it ourselves.”

Xiao Ke laughed, “Do you believe it yourself?”

Old Xiao laughed and shook his head, “Not really.”

Dr. Xu carried a pot with a lid to the table and said very frankly, “Xiao Lin came over during the weekend and brought a lot of things. We said not to, but they were delivered and we can’t let people move them again. It’s not decent.”

“Yeah,” Xiao Ke lifted the lid and saw a pot of golden tarts, and he reached out to take one, “Just send it back or you can eat it. If you had told me, I wouldn’t have bought more. You even made me buy oranges, it’s a waste.”

“Didn’t dare to say.” His mother went back to the kitchen to serve food, “I’m afraid you’ll not come back once you’ve had a problem.”

Xiao Ke bit into the pie. The outer crust was particularly crispy and fragrant, but it was a bit hot, so he smiled and exhaled while feeling a bit helpless. “Am I a little kid?”

Dr. Xu smiled and handed him a pair of chopsticks. “Yes. Eat up, little one. Your father is so annoying. He doesn’t eat that many fruits, but insists on eating oranges. He is just like a child, making him the oldest kid.”

Xiao Ke grinned and glanced at his dad. “Eat whatever. Let him eat whatever he wants. Spoil our Professor Xiao.” 

Old Xiao was still smiling. The man was born with a smile and looked very kind so his students were not that afraid of him.

Xiao Ke ate a lot and was very respectful.

After eating, Old Xiao cut a fruit plate and put it on the coffee table.

Xiao Ke had been living a very emotional life lately and seeing that the kiwi and apples had been cut into even flowers, Xiao Ke still did not move and sat crookedly on the sofa as he felt too lazy to move.

Dr. Xu finished cleaning up and came out. She looked at the fruit on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen to cut an orange for Xiao Ke which she brought out on a small plate. “Eat.”

Xiao Ke smiled at her and said, “Thank you, Ms. Xu,” before picking up a piece and eating it.

Dr. Xu sighed and stroked his hair before she said, “You’re no longer a child.”

“What’s wrong with that? You also want to eat oranges?” Old Xiao also came over and took a piece to eat. “I cut them, why not eat them?”

Dr. Xu looked at him and said, “You cut it, but he bought it.”

“I can’t tell who bought what, I’m too demanding and prickly.” Old Xiao shook his head, and he cut the fruit by himself to eat.

Xiao Ke slightly smiled as he was only able to eat what he bought himself so he couldn’t eat what Lin An bought. It was awkward that his parents could eat, but he did not want to eat. It wasn’t that he was being pretentious since it was just fruit, but he just habitually didn’t want to have any more involvement with Lin An.

Another reason was that he now had a new start as there was Zhou Zui waiting for him to pursue. He wanted to have no contact with his predecessor, with no connection or involvement which was the least he could do to be loyal. If this could not be done, then he would feel like his heart was weak in pursuing people.

“Xiao Lin has looked for you, right?” His mom asked him as she turned on the TV.

“Hmm?” The question was a bit abrupt and Xiao Ke was concentrating on eating oranges so the question caused him to splash the orange juice. “No.”

Dr. Xu gave him a piece of tissue and handed it over. “I saw his intention and thought he had looked for you.”

Xiao Ke threw away the orange peel and wiped his hands. “What did he say?”

Old Xiao picked up the conversation next to him. “He seems to have regretted it.”

After he finished, his mother gave a hmm sound. ” Saying he feels sorry for you, you were good to him. These words mean that he can’t let go.”

Xiao Ke bowed his head while keeping his arm on his knee, and it was only after a while that he let out a snort and laughed while saying, “In the future, tell him to look forward…there is no turning back. Don’t look back.”

Xiao Ke sat at home again for a while, and then drove back to his place. The road has to take an elevated section that was also a section of the tunnel. In the tunnel, you were not allowed to change lanes so you could only drive straight ahead.

This was the way life was, you can only keep going forward so turning around and going back wouldn’t be the same road it once was. Since the initial decision to separate, there were two roads, and it was now impossible to go back.

As soon as he got off the expressway and turned a corner to his house, Xiao Ke suddenly stopped on the side of the road to take out his cell phone to give Zhou Zui a call.

After four or five rings, Zhou Zui picked up, “Hello?”

As soon as he heard his voice, Xiao Ke’s whole body was very comfortable which made his heart feel very peaceful. Xiao Ke smiled and asked him, “Did I disturb your rest?”

Zhou Zui said, “No, I’m still at the store.”

Xiao Ke looked at the time, it was 10:30. He was a little surprised, “You haven’t returned yet?”

“Yeah, I’m working overtime.” Zhou Zui asked him, “What’s wrong?”

“No, I just want to talk to you all of a sudden.” Xiao Ke leaned back and breathed a long sigh of relief. “How much longer do you have to rest?”

Zhou Zui probably looked at the time and said, “Another half hour.”

“Then you’re busy.” Xiao Ke rubbed his fingers unconsciously on the phone. “I don’t have anything to do, just idle.”

“Hey, don’t!” Lu Xiaobei’s voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone, “Come on, you two continue to talk! I’m not tired, I’ll hold the phone for you! Don’t hang up, talk!”

Zhou Zui did not make a sound, but Xiao Ke could think of the scene. Zhou Zui must be wearing gloves while he was tattooing and his top was dirty with pigments while Lu Xiaobei was holding up the phone to him. Though he got teased, Xiao Ke didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, he laughed and told Lu Xiaobei, “Not chatting anymore. You can hear whatever we say. If we start talking about R-rated content, I’m scared you might start blushing.”

“If you want to discuss that stuff, I can talk with you the whole night. Then this conversation would have nothing to do with my big bro.” Lu Xiaobei suddenly started hee-hawing. It sounded like a donkey’s bray. It was the middle of the night, so he seemed a little crazy. “Brother Bei loves risque content.” 

“Forget about it. I’m not bullying children, I’m hanging up.” At this moment, Xiao Ke’s mood became very relaxed. A phone call could play such a big role, which was very magical.

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Ke sat for a while before driving back. Through this short journey, Lu Xiaobei’s donkey laugh sounded in his ears which caused him to laugh a little.

In fact, he did not know that Lu Xiaobei who was on the other side of the phone had laughed for a reason.

Zhou Zui did not have the habit of answering the phone when he was working as it was very inconvenient. This was why the phone was basically answered by Lu Xiaobei. The numbers on his private phone rarely called, and so if they did, Lu Xiaobei would directly put it on the speakerphone.

When the phone rang in his pocket this time, Lu Xiaobei came over and pulled the phone out of his pocket. Zhou Zui took a look at it and it said “Xiao Ke.”

Lu Xiaobei swiped his finger to connect, just about to put it on speakerphone, Zhou Zui looked up at him before raising his shoulder that indicated for him to pick up.

Lu Xiaobei hurriedly gave him the phone, but also snickered at the side. After the phone was hung up, he did not want to throw it around so this time Lu Xiaobei put it back into his pocket. He didn’t want him to wait for a text message or something that would delay him looking for his phone.

Later that evening, Lu Xiaobei sent a WeChat to Xiao Ke, [You can do it, Brother Xiao! I underestimated your strength.]

He sent it when Xiao Ke happened to be still awake, so he sent back a message to him, [What did he say?]

Lu Xiaobei, [Not much to say, anyway, you go. Beibei will be here waiting for your call day and night.]

Xiao Ke made him laugh and replied to him, [Thanks Beibei.]

Lu Xiaobei, [Don’t thank me.]

Xiao Ke locked the screen as he did not want to talk to this little crazy man, and he was ready to sleep. He had just closed his eyes when his phone rang again with Lu Xiaobei’s message.

Lu Xiaobei, [Brother Xiao, I’m serious.]

Lu Xiaobei, [You added fuel to the fire, really. I truly thank you.]

Xiao Ke raised his eyebrows to type several different questions but thought about it and deleted them so only one sentence was sent over. 

Xiao Ke, [Ok, just wait.]