Chapter 8
The morning sunlight slipped through the window and gently fell on Xia Leyang’s hair, creating a hazy texture.
When Shang Tingzhi came upstairs after finishing breakfast, this was the scene he saw.
There were still bits of tissue stuck to the corners of Xia Leyang’s mouth, a reminder of how dangerous last night had been, with his pillow almost meeting a tragic fate.
Kneeling on the bedside, Shang Tingzhi shook Xia Leyang’s shoulder, “Wake up, we have things to do today.”
Xia Leyang turned over, covering himself with the blanket, resembling a caterpillar with the words “don’t want to get up” written all over him.
After staying up until three in the morning, both Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang found it challenging to wake up early.
Shang Tingzhi was accustomed to waking up early, even when tired, he wouldn’t linger in bed. He initially didn’t want to bother Xia Leyang, but since they had to go to the Shang family for lunch today, he couldn’t just let this lazy guy sleep all day.
“Xia Leyang,” Shang Tingzhi shook the little drum bag in front of him, “Wake up, we’re going out today.”
Xia Leyang twisted in the bed, legs tightly clamped under the blanket, clearly stating, “I don’t want to get up.”
“Xia Leyang.” Shang Tingzhi’s forehead showed a vein, using his limited patience, “We have plans today, get up.”
Ignoring Shang Tingzhi’s words, Xia Leyang continued his stubborn refusal.
“Fine.” Shang Tingzhi checked the time, then went to the wardrobe to change into his outing clothes. When he returned to the bedside, Xia Leyang was still repeating the same line, “Five more minutes.”
This was the first time Shang Tingzhi tried to wake someone up. Frowning, he bit his lips, thinking that directly dragging Xia Leyang out wouldn’t be appropriate. Letting him stay in bed wasn’t a solution either.
“Behave.” Temporarily giving up on the idea of dragging Xia Leyang out, Shang Tingzhi patiently bent down to lift the blanket, “Get up quickly.”
“I don’t want to.” Xia Leyang, legs tightly wrapped in the blanket, looked like he was permanently attached to the bed, “Why should I get up? I don’t want to.”
“Xia Leyang.” Shang Tingzhi’s forehead bulged with veins. With the little patience he had left, he bent down, “We have to go out today.”
Xia Leyang blatantly ignored Shang Tingzhi’s words.
“Alright.” Shang Tingzhi stood up and observed the little troublemaker on the bed. Then he bent down again, this time lifting Xia Leyang along with the blanket.
“Huh?” Xia Leyang finally woke up, tilting his head left and right. Realizing that he was being carried on Shang Tingzhi’s shoulder, he subconsciously kicked his legs, “What are you doing? Your foot is better now?”
Shang Tingzhi’s injury wasn’t severe to begin with. Although he still walked with a slight limp, as long as he didn’t exert too much force, it wouldn’t be too painful.
“Go wash up.” Shang Tingzhi threw Xia Leyang into the bathroom and then promptly closed the door.
The next second, the bathroom door opened again. After tossing a casual “You have five minutes,” Shang Tingzhi closed the door once more.
This bathroom had witnessed the demise of a single woman overnight, and Xia Leyang hadn’t dared to enter alone before.
But it was daytime now, the old town where the old house was located didn’t have tall buildings, and even on the second floor, the sunlight was abundant. There was no need to worry about monsters and ghosts lurking here.
Wrapped in a blanket, Xia Leyang leisurely brushed his teeth, washed his face, tidied his hair, and then sat on the toilet, contemplating the formula of the shampoo.
When Shang Tingzhi, impatient, opened the bathroom door, he saw a half-naked butt.
Xia Leyang was stunned for a moment, then swiftly threw the shampoo bottle at Shang Tingzhi, “Are you crazy?”
Shang Tingzhi slightly leaned back, catching the flying shampoo bottle. His lips twitched as he said, “Sorry.”
With nothing else to watch, Xia Leyang’s enthusiasm for his morning routine quickly faded.
Having pulled up his pants, Xia Leyang emerged from the bathroom. Seeking retribution, he said to Shang Tingzhi, “What’s the rush in the early morning? I thought you didn’t need me as your assistant.”
“There’s no work today.” Shang Tingzhi was already dressed neatly. Glancing at his watch, he said, “Today, come to my home for lunch.”
“Which home?” Xia Leyang asked inexplicably.
“My home.” Shang Tingzhi replied.
Xia Leyang had some impressions of Shang Tingzhi’s parents. Apart from meeting them last night, he had occasionally joined his family for meals during festivals or special occasions.
However, considering everything, it had only happened once or twice. Xia Leyang’s parents were often busy with social events, and he was usually too lazy to attend. So, he only had a rough impression of Shang’s family, knowing that there was a Feng Shui master, and Shang Tingzhi himself was someone he had recently become acquainted with.
Xia Leyang was cheerful and not shy, but having a meal with unfamiliar elders made him feel uneasy. He curiously asked, “You’re going home for a meal, why bring me along?”
“This was Uncle Xia’s idea.” Leaning against the desk, Shang Tingzhi said, “He wants you to get to know our family.”
Xia Leyang sighed and said, “You could just pretend that we know each other well. Why bother making me go to your home?”
“I have to act convincingly as well.” Shang Tingzhi shrugged indifferently, “My mom also wants you to come.”
So, it was impossible to fool his dad.
Whenever it involved elders, Xia Leyang always felt a sense of powerlessness.
Facing his sister, Summer, he could still put up a fight, but once the subject turned to his dad, he could only yield.
Xia Guohua had managed to turn a small workshop into the present commercial empire, and it was impossible to act wilful in front of such a person. Xia Leyang had admired his dad since childhood, and although he now argued with him frequently, whenever Xia Guohua took things seriously, Xia Leyang didn’t dare to act recklessly.
Tang Fengyi checked the time and then drove them to the Shang family villa.
Shang Tingzhi, the only son, was almost thirty and still unmarried. However, to be precise, it wasn’t that his parents, Shang Jianye and Yang Wenting, didn’t urge him to get married. It was just that urging was ineffective.
Xia Leyang sat at the dining table, behaving reservedly, addressing Shang Tingzhi’s parents politely as Uncle and Auntie.
Yang Wenting personally cooked today, preparing a table of home-cooked dishes. Xia Leyang, who hadn’t eaten breakfast, couldn’t stop eating after taking the first bite.
Shang Jianye and Yang Wenting were amiable, making Xia Leyang feel comfortable. As they chatted, he gradually became more at ease.
“Hey, Xiaole, when you were a child, you were this tall.” Yang Wenting looked at Xia Leyang, gesturing by the dining table and sighed, “Now, you’ve grown so much.”
Almost every time Xia Leyang had a meal with unfamiliar elders, he could hear this sentence. Xia Leyang nodded and continued, “After all, it’s been so many years.”
This statement sounded a bit ambiguous. Yang Wenting’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Do you remember the past?”
Xia Leyang put down his chopsticks, before he could answer, Yang Wenting continued, “Before, you and Hua Hua…”
Shang Tingzhi put down his bowl and said in a deep voice, “Mom.”
Yang Wenting immediately fell silent. Xia Leyang, curious, glanced at both of them and asked, “Who is Hua Hua?”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t answer, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating. Yang Wenting raised the corner of her eyes, giggling, “It’s my son’s nickname.”
Huh??
Xia Leyang became interested and asked, “But he is called Shang Tingzhi, why ‘Hua Hua’?”
“There’s a long story behind this.” Shang Jianye took the initiative to continue.
“If it’s a long story, then don’t bother telling it.” Shang Tingzhi, without much expression, picked up a piece of meat and put it in Xia Leyang’s bowl, attempting to distract the attention of this foodie. However, gossip seemed to be more attractive to Xia Leyang.
“My son has a fiery temperament, not suitable for being a Feng Shui master.” Shang Jianye ignored Shang Tingzhi and slowly said, “If you choose the wrong profession, life can also be problematic.”
The first half of Shang Jianye’s statement was obviously related to superstition. Xia Leyang just treated it as entertainment, but he agreed with the second half.
Some people choose an unsuitable profession, leading to a painful job and falling into depression, making it impossible to live well.
However, Xia Leyang couldn’t really see that Shang Tingzhi had an explosive temperament; at most, he could say that he had a strong temper and was prone to anger.
“So, what does this have to do with his nickname?” Xia Leyang curiously asked, biting his chopsticks.
“The name is very important to a person. I don’t know if you’ve heard this saying: a name is the shortest spell.” Xia Leyang nodded noncommittally, and Shang Jianye continued, “His fate is suitable for the military. If he succeeds, he will definitely be a high-ranking officer. Initially, we wanted to add more wood elements to his name to balance the fire. Who would have thought…”
“Oh?” Xia Leyang sighed, realizing that it had backfired.
Yang Wenting added, “But names cannot be changed casually. We considered that besides trees in the courtyard, there are also flowers, so we wanted to change his name to Shang Ting Hua. However, he adamantly refused and kept it as a nickname.”
Shang Ting Hua?
Xia Leyang almost spewed out the drink. He stifled his laughter forcefully, lips tightly pressed together, wrinkled like the folds of a bun.
Taking a sip of his drink, he barely suppressed his amusement, and with a slightly teasing look, he said to Shang Tingzhi beside him, “Flower Brother.”
Shang Tingzhi glanced at him expressionlessly and remained silent.
Xia Leyang took a deep breath, dispersing the remaining laughter, and continued the topic, “So, for someone like him with a ‘strong fire,’ besides temperament, are there any other manifestations?”
In fact, deep down, Xia Leyang didn’t really believe in these things, so he always tried to steer the conversation towards practical topics.
“There’s much more to it.” Yang Wenting got excited about the conversation, completely ignoring Shang Tingzhi’s displeasure, “You don’t know. He has been single for twenty-nine years.”
“Cough, cough.” Shang Tingzhi coughed twice, wanting to interrupt them, but he underestimated Xia Leyang’s curiosity.
“Oh?” Xia Leyang’s eyes lit up, and that little gleam carried a hint of schadenfreude.
He thought being 25 and unable to find a partner was miserable enough, but it turned out there were even more unfortunate cases.
“Even I and his dad were helpless.” Yang Wenting sighed lightly, “Countless girls have pursued him, but he just can’t settle down.”
“Why is that?” Xia Leyang asked.
Xia Leyang believed that Yang Wenting was not lying. Shang Tingzhi, with a height of about 188 cm, handsome looks, good physique, and most importantly, wealthy, shouldn’t have trouble finding a partner.
Either he had high standards like Xia Leyang, or he was too picky, which was why he remained single.
Yes, Xia Leyang, the little comrade, never believed in Shang Tingzhi’s excuses. He firmly believed that his inability to find a partner was simply due to not meeting the right one.
“Everything needs balance, or it will backfire.” Shang Jianye regretfully said, “Flower Hua is a typical case of excessive Yang fire, which restrains his marital fate.”
“Restrains marital fate?” Xia Leyang was slightly surprised and then somewhat speechless. After chatting for half a day, the conversation had circled back to superstition.
“Is this ever going to end?” Shang Tingzhi put down his chopsticks, frowning, and interrupted the three of them.
“Previously, he mentioned that his situation with Xia Leyang is different, and the difference lies here. Xia Leyang simply lacks appeal to women, while he doesn’t lack it, but whoever gets involved with him ends up unlucky.
Once, he had a rare date with a nice girl. On their first date, the girl’s high-heeled shoes broke.
On the second date, the girl came out of the bathroom with her dress tucked into her underwear, and she walked the entire way with her underwear exposed.
On the third date, the girl’s sweater got caught on a wire, unraveling as she walked. In the end, when she finally realized it, her bra was half exposed.
Since then, the girl distanced herself from Shang Tingzhi, and Shang Tingzhi accepted his fate, embracing a simple and contented life.
“Hahaha.”
After listening to Shang Jianye and Yang Wenting vividly describing the incidents, Xia Leyang laughed until tears streamed down his face. Unable to bear it, he patted Shang Tingzhi’s shoulder and said, “Why are you so spooky?”
Shang Tingzhi’s previous serious expression was completely ineffective; the three people at the dining table continued chatting without taking him seriously. Shang Jianye and Yang Wenting were beyond his control, but he refused to believe that he couldn’t handle Xia Leyang.
“Do you still want to get in bed tonight?” Shang Tingzhi asked expressionlessly as he looked at Xia Leyang.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Leyang’s laughter became dry. He adjusted his sitting posture, straightened up, and with a sincere expression, he said, “You’re like a brother to me.”
