Fights

Fu Jinglin looked at the other person in disbelief. He couldn't believe that not only did Lin Qiong refuse to comfort him, but he also poured cold water on his situation.

Fu Jinglin accused, "You're really heartless."

Lin Qiong replied, "You've noticed."

Fu Jinglin's face showed his frustration, and he said, "I can't handle the bitterness of love."

"Go to school," Lin Qiong advised.

Fu Jinglin replied, "I don't want to."

Lin Qiong retorted, "Then how will you survive in the future?"

Fu Jinglin: ...

As he finally entered the school, Lin Qiong headed back home.

When he met with Fu Xingyun, he asked, "Xingyun, your nephew had a breakup."

Fu Xingyun was puzzled and asked, "Breakup?"

Lin Qiong continued, "He was even called a big fool."

Fu Xingyun responded, "Let him experience a little hardship; it might help him learn a lesson."

Not long after they sat down, Lin Qiong's phone rang. Fu Xingyun reached for it.

Fu Xingyun answered, "Hello? What is it?"

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded somewhat reluctant as they said, "I'm Fu Jinglin's homeroom teacher. Can you come over?"

"Understood."

After ending the call, Lin Qiong scooted closer to Fu Xingyun and asked, "What's going on?"

Fu Xingyun raised an eyebrow, involuntarily leaned back, and then said, "It seems there's been some issue with Fu Jinglin, and he needs us to go over."

Lin Qiong acknowledged with an "Oh" and fell into silence.

Fu Xingyun waited in the car while Lin Qiong entered the school. As he walked towards the office of the Grade 11 homeroom teacher, he encountered Fu Jinglin.

Fu Jinglin seemed to want to avoid being seen, but the more he tried to evade, the more Lin Qiong scrutinized him closely, finally asking with a hint of anger, "Were you in a fight?"

Fu Jinglin, who didn't want to talk about it, stayed silent.

One second, two seconds, ten seconds passed. Fu Jinglin couldn't hold back and asked, "Why do you care?"

Lin Qiong acknowledged with an "Oh."

Fu Jinglin glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You're not scolding me?"

Lin Qiong replied, "Only this one time."

"..."

"Let's not talk about it for now," Lin Qiong said and then turned to find the homeroom teacher.

Lin Qiong's retreating figure left Fu Jinglin deep in thought.

Due to the fighting incident, Fu Jinglin was temporarily sent back home for three days of self-reflection. As Lin Qiong led Fu Jinglin towards the school gate, he suddenly asked, "Why didn't you scold me?"

Lin Qiong looked at him and replied, "You've learned your lesson."

Fu Jinglin was still puzzled, "But what if they don't agree with your method?"

Lin Qiong clarified, "To make them agree, you have to be reasonable, just like with what happened today."

Seeing the tall figure standing beside him, Lin Qiong added, "Go home, your mom will forgive you."

After getting into the car, Fu Jinglin saw his uncle, and Fu Xingyun asked, "How did it go?"

Fu Jinglin proudly replied, "I won!"

Fu Jinglin's heart was pounding. He had looked at his uncle, fearing that the man would get angry and scold him. To his surprise, when he met his uncle's gaze, he noticed a slight curve at the corner of the man's lips.

Then his uncle turned his head and they had an unexpected moment of eye contact. His uncle, with a faint smile, said, "This won't set a precedent."

Fu Jinglin: ...

He thought, "Maybe I should hide under the car."

Upon entering Fu Jinglin's home, they encountered a woman who was dressed elegantly and had a gentle demeanor.

Fu Xingyun introduced her, "This is my sister."

After seeing her son return, the woman approached and said, "I've realized my mistakes, and I was wrong too."

Lin Qiong wondered why Fu Jinglin was so rebellious and argued with his mother. He then heard the woman say, "Now apologize to me."

"..."

Lin Qiong asked, "Is she still gentle?"

Fu Xingyun sighed. "She's changed."

In the end, it seemed like there were no normal people in this family.

After dropping Fu Jinglin back home, Lin Qiong and Fu Xingyun enjoyed a meal together. They filled their plates with nearly the same amount of food, leaving Lin Qiong puzzled.

Lin Qiong finally asked, "Xingyun?"

Fu Xingyun inquired, "What's wrong?"

Lin Qiong pointed out, "Our portions are the same, so why do you have abs, and I don't?"

Fu Xingyun chuckled and poked Lin Qiong's little belly fat. "Because you have this."

Lin Qiong sighed, "Life is so unfair."

Observing Lin Qiong's slightly distressed face, Fu Xingyun explained, "There's a gym on the second floor. Even though I can't use my lower body right now, I can still work on my upper body."

Lin Qiong teased, "So you've been secretly working out behind my back."

Fu Xingyun defended himself, "Well, you didn't ask."

Lin Qiong was puzzled and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Fu Xingyun explained, "I didn't think it was necessary."

The following evening, after Lin Qiong had finished dinner, he told Fu Xingyun, "Let me push you."

Fu Xingyun declined, saying, "There's no need."

Lin Qiong accepted his response and walked out. However, he soon returned and said, "But I want to."

Fu Xingyun replied, "If you want to."

Lin Qiong asked, "Is that all you're going to say?"

Fu Xingyun said, "What else should I say?"

Lin Qiong left again.

Time passed, and Fu Xingyun's brows furrowed as Lin Qiong had still not returned.

Fu Xingyun entered the living room, glanced at the dark night outside, and then turned on the television. The news was on.

"In recent days, our city has experienced an increasing number of incidents, and several have occurred as of today. When going out at night, it's advisable to be accompanied by others and avoid taking isolated paths and shortcuts. Please stay alert to ensure your safety."

He changed the TV channel with the remote control, but before long, he picked up his phone and made a call.

'Buzz'

Fu Xingyun glanced at the coffee table, where a buzzing noise was heard.

He left the living room, took the elevator back to the third floor, but couldn't sleep in his bed. He stared at the ceiling. He finally decided to get out of bed to wait in the living room again. 

Lin Qiong arrived home, saw Fu Xingyun, and asked, "Xingyun, why aren't you asleep?"

In the past, people would have gone to bed early.

Fu Xingyun glanced at Lin Qiong, his expression faint, and remained silent for a moment. Then he asked, "You went for a night run, didn't you?"

Lin Qiong replied, "Ummm"

Fu Xingyun continued, "You did, right?"

Lin Qiong admitted, "Yes."

Fu Xingyun observed Lin Qiong's actions, his gaze fixating on Lin Qiong's face. Then his eyes fell on Lin Qiong's stomach, which he was holding.

"What's wrong?" Fu Xingyun asked.

Lin Qiong was momentarily speechless, and then he said, "It's nothing, I'll go upstairs to rest."

As he spoke, he intended to go upstairs quickly, but Fu Xingyun stopped him again and Lin Qiong asked, "What's going on?"

Fu Xingyun pointed at Lin Qiong's mouth and said, "You have sauce on your lip."