Chapter 137: Not Right
If you break it down, simply getting beaten up wouldn’t be a big deal on its own. Strictly speaking, there’s no specific cri for “assaulting an officer” here, only the offense of “obstructing public duties.” Unlike in so places where any physical contact is considered illegal, it generally depends on the severity of the outco here. If it’s not serious, at most, the person would be detained for a few days and that’s it.
But when Jiang He gets involved, severity becos irrelevant.
Xu Qing glanced sideways at Jiang He. She was lazily leaning against the couch, her hair draped naturally over her shoulders, her bright eyes fixed on the movie, legs crossed with her hand resting on her knee, holding a sunflower seed shell she hadn’t yet discarded.
She looked soft and harmless at this mont, but Xu Qing knew that beneath this seemingly innocent exterior was a core of violence. Half a year wasn’t enough to completely reshape soone’s outlook. It had an influence, sure, but when an ergency ca up, the side of her she’d hidden would resurface.
“Why aren’t they kissing?” Jiang He asked, sounding impatient as she watched He Ying and Xiao i in the movie, whose budding romance remained unspoken. She got up, tossed the sunflower seed shell into the trash, and clapped her hands.
“Because they’re pretentious,” Xu Qing replied.
That made sense… Jiang He had been about to say that herself but couldn’t think of the right word.
She picked up a yogurt, peeled off the lid, and licked it. Her pink tongue swept up the creamy layer on the lid before she rembered Xu Qing sitting beside her.
“Do you want so?” Jiang He asked, looking up to see Xu Qing staring at her.
“No.”
“Then why are you staring at ?”
Jiang He licked the lid again and noticed Xu Qing pursing his lips. Certain he wanted so, she grabbed another box of yogurt from the table and handed it to him.
He might claim not to like it, but that absolutely didn’t include Xu Qing. After all, it was Xu Qing who first taught her how to drink yogurt.
Just as Xu Qing was about to open the yogurt, his phone rang. He set it down and picked up the phone. It was Qin Hao.
“I’ve got a problem,” Qin Hao said without any of the usual small talk like “Have you eaten?” or “What are you doing?” He got straight to the point, clearly having thought it through before calling.
“That girl?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s up? Is she chasing after you?” Xu Qing asked while glancing at Jiang He, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch, drinking yogurt and engrossed in the movie. He stepped out onto the balcony to avoid disturbing her.
“It’s a long story…” Qin Hao sighed and added, “Don’t tell anyone, especially Uncle Xu. If he finds out, my dad will know.”
After a pause, he continued, “Actually, don’t tell my dad directly either.”
“Relax, I wouldn’t say anything.”
“You an like you didn’t stir things up with that blind date of mine?”
“That’s different.”
“Hmph!”
Qin Hao huffed but didn’t dwell on it. Their two decades of friendship ant he didn’t need to spell things out. Just as Xu Qing wouldn’t tell Xu Wenbin that his girlfriend had no ID and a questionable background, Qin Hao wouldn’t tell Qin Maocai about Xu Qing’s chaotic love life. They had a clear boundary despite their occasional betrayals.
“It was the girl I t on that blind date. We had braised chicken rice together—I picked the place deliberately because I didn’t want to go. I figured it’d turn her off. But she had the sa idea and just wanted to get it over with.
“So, we hit it off and decided to pretend we were dating. That way, we could avoid more hassle. But, you know, it was just pretend.” Qin Hao chuckled awkwardly.
Fake was fake, and it couldn’t turn real. He’d always planned to end the ruse soon.
“You’re a sly one, tricking your dad like that,” Xu Qing teased.
“What good does it do? I thought having a girlfriend would quiet him down, but now he’s urging to date properly. Two months in, and he’s already asking to bring her ho to et him. Thank goodness I didn’t; otherwise, next step would’ve been marriage!”
Qin Hao had seen through it all. Unless he produced a fat grandson, the nagging wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t just pressure to settle down—it was his dad’s entire life goal.
His family situation was different from Xu Qing’s. It was just him and his father. With no other goals left in life, Qin Maocai was solely focused on having a grandson before he could rest easy.
Sotis Qin Hao wondered if his dad was just waiting to reunite with his mom once he’d settled down.
Qin Maocai spent his days walking the dog or sitting alone in front of the TV. When Qin Hao ca ho at night, the only light in the house was the TV’s glow on his dad’s face. Or he’d sit on a bench by the flowerbeds, holding a large water cup and walking Xiongba.
Unlike other elderly people who played chess or mahjong, Qin Maocai wasn’t interested. He just drank a little liquor and, recently, started raising a dog. But that lancholy air never left him.
“I’d like to settle down too, but reality won’t allow it,” Qin Hao sighed over the phone, slurping noodles as he spoke. The sound traveled through the phone, prompting Xu Qing to check the ti—soon Jiang He would finish her movie, and they’d need to eat.
“I planned to end things with this blind date partner and go our separate ways, but she doesn’t agree. It’s a hassle. I should’ve just gone along with the blind date properly.”
Xu Qing squatted on the balcony, narrowing his eyes at the setting sun. “Why doesn’t she agree?”
“She wants to keep pretending. When I refused, she confessed to . Sothing feels off—it’s like there’s a catch.”
Damn…
“Maybe after spending ti with you, she’s developed feelings. She saw your good side and realized you’re not fat but sturdy…” Xu Qing offered a plausible explanation to the clueless straight man.
Eating noodles? Eat your damn noodles! How dare he?
“I feel like sothing’s wrong, but I can’t pinpoint it. That’s why I’m asking you,” Qin Hao said, slurping more noodles. “You’re smarter than —help figure it out.”
“You’re a genius,” Xu Qing quipped sarcastically. “You suspect she’s looking for a scapegoat to take over her ss?”
There was a pause. Qin Hao didn’t respond or slurp noodles for a mont. Finally, he said, “That’s kind of what I think, but I can’t be sure. What’s your take on her?”
“How would I know? I’ve never t her,” Xu Qing retorted, though he ntally took Qin Hao’s concerns seriously.
It couldn’t be just anyone he brought ho. Qin Hao hadn’t dug up anyone’s ancestral graves, but if this went wrong, his father would explode.
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