Chapter 10

Gossiping About the Brother-In-Law Who Likes Me [10]

Chen Liguo's return was very low-key.

Yue Chi wanted to tell others that Chen Liguo wasn't dead, but because Chen Liguo forbade him from doing so, he still kept it a secret. However, he still wondered why Chen Liguo was unwilling to make himself known.

In the face of Yue Chi’s doubts, Chen Liguo smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t want other people to know about what happened between Ran Qingkong and me…”

Yue Chi understood and his heart was full of sympathy for Chen Liguo and anger towards Ran Qingkong, but there isn't much he could do.

After a while, Chen Liguo returned to the country where he had lived for more than 20 years.

When the plane landed, Yue Chi asked Chen Liguo where he wanted to go first.

Chen Liguo thought about it and said quietly, “Tongtong… Is she okay?”

Yue Chi didn't think that the first thing Chen Liguo would do when he returned to China was to ask about Ran Tongtong. He couldn’t bear it. He said, “Wenyou, Ran Tongtong, she is married now.”

Chen Liguo said, “I know.”

Yue Chi hesitated for a while and said, “She is pregnant… and currently, is living in a hospital.”

Chen Liguo smiled bitterly—if he was not afraid of Ran Tongtong encountering any accidents, he would not have been so eager to escape. He said, “I want to see her.”

Yue Chi sighed, “Why do you do this?”

Chen Liguo licked his lips and didn’t talk.

Yue Chi saw Chen Liguo’s expression and knew that he would not change his mind. He said, “Alright, I will take you to the hospital.”

At this time, it was already late, and the two should have gotten a good rest to adjust to the time difference. But because of Chen Liguo's request, they got into the car again and headed for the hospital.

Along the way, Yue Chi asked Chen Liguo about what had happened. His relationship with Ran Tongtong was not good and he did not even attend her wedding. So it wasn’t until Chen Liguo was taken away again that he knew that Chen Liguo had come back to attend Ran Tongtong’s wedding.

“Wenyou, is it really worth it?” Yue Chi said, “That brother and sister of the Ran family are simply like the calamities of your life. If I were you, I would definitely run away.”

Chen Liguo looked at the scenery outside the window and said blankly, “Escape… where can I escape?”

Yue Chi looked at his friend next to him and only felt that his heart was thick and could not bear it. As an illegitimate child, Xu Wenyou's situation in Xu's family has always been very awkward, but his character had not been affected by it. Throughout the entire grade, his good temper was famous and to be able to be liked by him seemed to be a wondrous thing. No matter what happened to Ran Tongtong, Xu Wenyou would always try to help her solve it, which made the girls who liked Xu Wenyou extraordinarily jealous of Ran Tongtong.

Yue Chi had figured that falling in love with Ran Tongtong was the worst thing that could happen in Xu Wenyou’s life. But now, looking at his friend's haggard face, he can only sigh at the inconstancy of the world.

If Ran Tongtong is the calamity that Xu Wenyou has survived, then Ran Qingkong is the 81 tribulations[1] Xu Wenyou has to face.

When they arrived at the hospital, the two men got out of the car in low spirits.

Yue Chi lead Chen Liguo to the hospital room where Ran Tongtong was located

Chen Liguo said, “You've come to visit Ran Tongtong?”

Yue Chi said, “Yeah, my girlfriend was unwell and in the hospital some time ago and Ran Tongtong happened to be in the hospital as well.”

Chen Liguo sniffed, then smiled and asked, “When did you get a girlfriend?”

Yue Chi looked at Chen Liguo in a bad mood and said, “You still have the nerve to ask me when I got my girlfriend?”

Chen Liguo knew that he was at fault. After he went abroad, he cut off contact with everybody, including Yue Chi. Thus, Chen Liguo only knows that Yue Chi has been doing well in recent years, but doesn't know any specifics.

Chen Liguo said, “Mmm… it’s my fault.”

Yue Chi sighed, “Your temper is too good—Wenyou, you have been well-behaved for more than twenty years, haven't you ever thought about letting go of those burdens?”

Chen Liguo said, “If I could have, I would have let go long ago.”

Yue Chi patted Chen Liguo on the shoulder and didn't say anything anymore.

When the two got out of the elevator in the ward where Ran Tongtong was located, Yue Chi took Chen Liguo to a sickroom at the end of the corridor.

The door of the room was open, and Chen Liguo could hear Ran Tongtong's low laughter.

Yue Chi was about to step forward, but Chen Liguo grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He turned his head in confusion and saw Chen Liguo shake his head in silence.

Yue Chi immediately understood what Chen Liguo meant. After all, they have been friends for many years. He frowned somewhat disapprovingly but felt Chen Liguo grasp him more tightly.

“I thought of a lot of names for the baby, whether boy names or girl ones, I've thought about them all.” “The voice of Ran Tongtong’s husband Gao Zeng came out from inside. He said softly, “See if you like any of them.”

Chen Liguo heard this and his heart moved. His feelings towards Ran Tongtong were not that of love between men and women, but have gotten along for so many years, he already considered Ran Tongtong as a sister-like existence. So when he heard these words, he was deeply moved. If he really resurrected and returned to his original world, maybe he could just manage to make it to his wedding…

Yue Chi saw Chen Liguo’s silent appearance and felt angry in his heart, but he really respected his friend’s opinion, so he whispered, “What are you afraid of, go in.”

Chen Liguo said, “Let's leave.”

“What?” Yue Chi's eyes widened, “You're leaving already?”

Chen Liguo said, “Knowing that she's living well, I am relieved.” – Otherwise, the completion points will be lost again.

Hearing this sentence, Yue Chi looked at Chen Liguo as if he was looking at a freak. He asked in disbelief, “Wenyou, you aren't kidding are you?”

Chen Liguo said, “Hmm?”

Yue Chi said, “You've liked her for so long, and she's in front of you, you actually –”

Chen Liguo interrupted Yue Chi’s words. He said, “What will liking do? She already has her own happiness.”

Yue Chi listened to this and became angry, but their voices seemed to have traveled into the sickroom and they heard Ran Tongtong ask in doubt, “Who, who is outside?”

Chen Liguo took Yue Chi and hurried into the stairs next to him.

When Gao Zeng came out, the hall was already empty, Ran Tongtong said gently, “I heard Wenyou’s voice…”

Gao Zeng actually heard it as well, but he calmly turned into the room and deftly closed to the door, “There's no one outside, Baby you heard wrong.”

"Is that so?" Ran Tongtong fell into a reverie.

At this time, Yue Chi stood with Chen Liguo next to the flower bed downstairs with a cigarette in his mouth. He looked up at the orange-lit ward and said, “Xu Wenyou, I really look down on you.”

Chen Liguo said, “Give me a cigarette.”

Yue Chi smoothly handed one over, “You also learned to smoke?”

Chen Liguo said, “In the past few years while overseas, been really idle.”

Yue Chi looked up and down Chen Liguo and said, “You slimmed down”

When Chen Liguo heard the words 'slimmed' and his expression was distorted. Fortunately, the roadside was dark and Yue Chi could not see his expression. He hummed vaguely.

What are you going to do next?” Yue Chi said, “How on earth did you provoke Ran Qingkong?”

"How would I know?" Chen Liguo answered, "I'll figure it out as I go."

Yue Chi sighed and said, “Ran Qingkong has given you a new identity… Would you like to think about it and start over?

Chen Liguo didn’t speak.

Yue Chi asked, “Wenyou?

Chen Liguo took a deep breath, “Give me something to do.” He only has a thousand dollars on him and the bank card that his cheap sister had given him before was already gone. If he does not find a job to do first, he will probably starve on the streets.

Thinking about the current situation, then thinking about those days before where every day he played games, ate and drank well, and had sex, Chen Liguo could not help but shed tears of sorrow—he really hadn't wanted to leave. Chen Liguo sighed.

Yue Chi said, "Okay, I'll help you find something to do first. You… take things slowly. Don't worry everything will be fine."

Chen Liguo nodded listlessly.

The two settled it, Chen Liguo returned to the hotel and the two scattered.

As a result, the next day, things went wrong, and there was an accident at Yue Chi's home. It wasn't an extremely big deal either. His family made tobacco and wine, but their largest store had inexplicably caught on fire at night.

Although there was not much loss, it still made Yue Chi break out in cold sweat.

At this critical juncture, it’s hard for Chen Liguo not to associate this with Ran Qingkong.

Chen Liguo called Yue Chi and told him to not mind him and take care of the things at home first.

Yue Chi's voice sounded a little tired, but more of it was anger. He said, "Wenyou, don't be afraid, Ran Qingkong really thinks that there are no laws in this world? Even if he does anything else, he can't stop me from helping you——”

“I know Yue Chi.” Chen Liguo sounded soft, “Thank you.”

Yue Chi heard this and was relieved, but when he went to the hotel after being busy for two days, he found that Chen Liguo had already checked out. Furthermore, he did not know where Chen Liguo had gone to.

His friend left again, and Yue Chi was in a state of sorrow, but he was even more desperate—he felt once again that there were too many things he could not do in this world.

Chen Liguo left. He didn’t want to implicate Yue Chi. Before leaving, he left an email to Yue Chi saying that he wanted to be alone and that Yue Chi should not worry about him.

Chen Liguo originally wanted to go far away, but the system faintly reminded him: Did you forget why you escaped from Ran Qingkong in the first place?

Chen Liguo woke up to reality—Oh right, he had given up such good conditions to complete Ran Tongtong's progress bar, just what was the last accident of Ran Tongtong’s fate progress?

“I don’t know.” The system said, “So my advice to you is to observe for a while, so as to not fall short.”

Chen Liguo: “What you say makes sense.”

The system said, “Yeah.”

Chen Liguo: “So, my relationship with Ran Qingkong, it doesn't actually affect Ran Tongtong's fate right?”

System: “…” Damn it, it just knew this would happen.

Sure enough, Chen Liguo resolutely announced, “I want to go back to Ran Qingkong!”

The Author has something to say:

There’ll be another chapter tomorrow, I should write it today, but as to whether I’ll be able to write it out……0.0

Translator Notes: