Chapter Four

Song Bai slept very late that night, having eaten a bit too much. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. As expected, he woke up late in the morning and hastily called a car to rush to the shop. These first few days of the grand opening had many promotional activities and there were a lot of customers. He became so busy that he forgot to tell Lu Fucheng.

It was already a day with a heavy workload, and to make matters worse, some unpleasant incidents occurred.

As part of the opening promotion, there are some discount coupons and free snacks and handmade candies available. When the staff at the store are too busy, Song Bai also helps out. He happens to see an old lady with her grandchild who just got out of school receiving some cookies at the store.

Taking more or less with a child in tow didn't really bother Song Bai, but when he looked closer, he realized that the child's hands were not clean. The child was secretly slipping pudding into the middle layer of their backpack. The old lady noticed, but instead of saying anything, she took a few herself.

At that moment, Song Bai stepped forward with a smile and asked the child with his head lowered, 'Do you have a little monster in your backpack? Big brother just saw it gobble up the store's pudding.'

He felt that if children aren't educated in a timely manner, they're very likely to develop bad tendencies; if the child is willing to apologize, everything would be considered to be resolved. However, Song Bai underestimated the determination of the elders to protect their own offspring.

The old lady pointed at Song Bai's nose and began to scold him intensely in a fast-paced and sharp dialect. In an instant, the whole store seemed to quiet down except for her piercing words, which became increasingly high-pitched with each sentence.

Song Bai could not understand the local dialect, Southern dialect was too difficult for him. After discerning for a long time, he only understood a few meanings.

The old lady accused him of falsely accusing others and said that he was not well-educated at his young age. She said that he was only suited for running this rundown store for his whole life, and that sooner or later his whole family would suffer with him.

Song Bai was exposed to the public's gaze, and it took him a while to rebut with a sentence. However, as soon as he spoke, the old lady swung her book bag and charged at him. He relied on the fact that no one dared to provoke the elderly, so his attitude became even more arrogant.

Li Yang hurried over and gave Song Bai a few bumps. It was at this moment that a few puddings fell out of the old lady's unzipped backpack.

All the onlookers understood what had happened. Even though the older lady had thick skin, she couldn't come up with anything to say and hurriedly took her grandson's hand and left, feeling dejected.

Li Yang took Song Bai to the back and comforted him for a few words. He suggested that Song Bai should take on a little bit of the burden of this grievance and not hold any grudges against the elderly.

Look, isn't it better for her to curse and beat you alive than to just lie down under your feet? Li Yang patted Song Bai on the shoulder.

Song Bai forced a smile and said, 'Bro, I'm okay, you go attend to your own matters.'

Li Yang is also busy, and he left after saying only a few words, saying that he will invite him for a drink after these few days.

Song Bai lowered his head for a while. In fact, he wasn't someone who cared too much, but the words that person said were just too offensive.

After returning home yesterday, Song Bai felt uncomfortable for some reason. He had trouble sleeping and had a restless night, only to have a nightmare where Cheng Cheng rejected him.

Liu Fucheng doesn't like him anymore. There is nothing in this world that would make Song Bai more unable to accept this.

Song Bai lowered his head and called Lu Fucheng, feeling wronged and in need of some comfort.

可对面却关了机 can be translated to But the person on the other side has turned off their phone.

Song Bai's mood had not recovered all day. He was absent-minded even when he left work. He called Lu Fucheng again when he boarded the subway, but his phone was still turned off. Song Bai was already in a bad state, but he still thought about Lu Fucheng's normal work hours and took a detour to buy a fresh carp for Lu Fucheng to cook for dinner.

He cooked a meal, but no one came back even after the food had cooled down.

Song Bai nestled into the soft couch, hugging his knees as he casually picked a movie. However, he didn't pay attention to anything on the screen, instead he was too busy crying.

He hasn't suffered too much injustice. Since he can remember, Lu Fucheng has been spoiling him. Whenever the parents association received complaints, his mother would pick up a broom and start yelling at him. Then Lu Fucheng from next door would come knocking on the door, anxious and begging his aunt not to hit him.

Song Bai feels sensitive that his life is turning towards an uncontrollable direction. He feels panic, but in reality, he hasn't experienced too many unfavorable events.

可能是压力太大了，容易神经过敏。 can be translated to: It's possible that the pressure is too great, making one easily prone to be neurotic.

At a little past 1 a.m., there was a sound at the door of the house. Song Bai abruptly opened his eyes and looked over, only to see that Lu Fucheng had returned. Lu probably thought Song Bai was already asleep, so he hadn't turned on the lights and had changed his shoes quietly.

How did your phone shut down? asked Song Bai softly, her voice slightly hoarse.

I'm sorry, A Bai, said Lu Fucheng after a moment of confusion.

Without uttering a word, Song Bai got up from the sofa and walked into the bedroom. With a loud bang, he bumped into the door.

Lu Fucheng chased after him without even taking off his coat. Fortunately, Song Bai hadn't locked his door and his bedroom was dark. Song Bai was curled up in a ball under the covers, looking very unhappy.

Ah Bai... Lufucheng can't bear to see him like this, feeling heartbroken. He took out his phone and pressed it for a few seconds, the screen displaying a red empty battery indicator: 'I went to supervise the worksite today and didn't have time to charge my phone.'

Song Bai didn't even glance over, as he remained motionless and leaned to the side.

Lu Fucheng used some strength to hold him up and embrace him in his arms, patting him gently while coaxing, 'Be good, don't be angry, I missed you.'

Song Bai pushed him twice, leaving fine white marks on his lips from biting down hard.

Isn't it boring to stay at home alone today? Tomorrow... Before Lu Fucheng could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Song Bai.

No need to trouble you tomorrow, I've already worked a full day today, said Song Bai coldly. He had already suffered enough outside, and now that Lu Fucheng had crossed him at the wrong time, Song Bai couldn't resist being difficult.

Lufucheng was a little stunned, as if he had not fully reacted. He paused for a moment before reaching out to touch Song Baitou's hair and hoarsely asked: We had a video call last night. Why didn't you tell me you were going to work?

What's the use of telling you?! You work overtime day and night without distinction! You don't even answer the phone, and I have to make dinner for you and wait for you to come home. Do you think you're living in a golden palace with pet birds? Then don't make me live in a rental house!

Lufucheng knows this child very well. At that time, he thought that the child must have suffered some grievances outside and couldn't vent his anger. It was normal for him to vent in front of himself. He didn't blame Song Bai. He just felt that he was useless and couldn't give Song Bai anything good. He felt sorry that the little one had suffered bullying in a place where he couldn't see.

I'm sorry, it's my fault.

Actually, Songbai regretted speaking in vernacular Chinese as soon as the words left his mouth. But he couldn't bring himself to apologize and instead he pushed aside the bedding and planned to go to sleep. He could sense that Lufucheng was at a loss, this man was too soft when it came to him and allowed himself to be pushed around and played with. There was undoubtedly a sense of pity in his eyes.

Lu Fucheng went out quietly. After a while, Song Bai heard some noise coming from the kitchen. His heart felt even more uneasy, as Lu Fucheng must have worked hard all day and still hadn't eaten, and on top of that, he had just been scolded by Song Bai.

In Song Bai's mind, there was a tangled mess, and, after a long tired day, he fell asleep quickly while listening to the faint noises outside his bedroom.

“He felt a little hot and woke up in the middle of the night. Lu Fucheng was sleeping next to him, with his phone charged and flashing green light. Song Bai picked up Lu Fucheng’s phone and, as if by some strange impulse, opened his WeChat.”

Lu Fucheng's mobile phone doesn't have a password, seems like he has no secrets in front of Song Baimian.

Song Bai scrolled through and saw that the chat history between Lu Fucheng and a woman from the morning was still at the top. His heart stirred and he clicked on it directly.

Most of the files and links inside are complete. It seems like many versions were sent after multiple revisions. Lu Fucheng is not someone who enjoys sending voice messages. He is patient and carefully types out his messages for others.

Song Bai felt heartbroken after seeing the chat records between Lu Fucheng.

With such a huge workload, Lu Fucheng didn't know how he could ensure timely completion without sacrificing quality. After finishing all the work, he finally approached his boss to request time off. Despite his slightly humble posture and a tone that sounded like he was asking for a favor, there was an underlying sense of determination in his words.

Lufucheng had dealt with a lot of things today, feeling exhausted but still in a good mood to spend the holidays with Song Bai.

As Song Bai thought of the subdued look on Lu Fucheng's face upon hearing him mention work, in order to avoid burdening Lu Fucheng's heart, he allowed Song Bai to poke at his weakness without making a sound, even though it caused him some pain.

Song Bai tightly holds onto Lu Fucheng, like a small animal instinctively seeking comfort in his embrace, whispering, 'I'm sorry, Chengcheng...'

Luo Fucheng was still unconscious, but she instinctively held him tightly and refused to let go even if it was scorching hot.

Unlike the cramped and dim rental room, Ji Suiyun was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window of a five-star hotel, processing her official documents on a laptop, with bright lights shining overhead. A man stood by her side, waiting in silence, afraid to utter a word.

Have you gained some weight? Ji Suiyun finally shifted her gaze onto him and spoke with such a cold and indifferent tone.

Liu Sizhe was out of breath and couldn't catch it, he said with a grievance and frowned: Mr. Ji, I haven't eaten for two days under the watchful eyes of my agent...

Ji Suiyun closed his laptop and picked up his suit jacket as he walked out of the room. He wasn't in the slightest bit interested today. What was inexplicably floating in his mind was the extremely slender waist and jade-like collarbone protruding from his shirt collar.

And what really made him lose his composure were her eyes, curved like little moons when she smiled.

This is abnormal, really abnormal.

Mr. Ji... Liu Sizhe suddenly spoke before he left, but he trembled under the cold and indifferent gaze of Ji Suiyun. Still, he carefully asked, The set of houses you sent...will they be finished soon?