A Big Fool

Fu Jinglin, feeling embarrassed, bit his lip and said, "Actually, I don't want to eat it anymore."

Fu Xingyun glanced at him but said nothing.

Lin Qiong also paid no mind, sitting down to eat.

Fu Jinglin, acting like a spoiled child, sat on his chair with an attitude. He waited for someone to come and coax him, but no one did. He didn't dare to talk to Fu Xingyun. So he turned to Lin Qiong and asked, "Why aren't you persuading me to eat the soup?"

Lin Qiong looked at him in confusion. "Didn't you say you didn't want it?"

Fu Jinglin, frustrated, replied, "Can't I change my mind and want it now?"

Fu Xingyun frowned and warned, "Mind your tone!"

Fu Jinglin choked, "I... I want to eat it now!"

Lin Qiong sighed and said, "So why didn't you say so?"

Fu Jinglin, annoyed, snapped, "Well, now I want to eat it!"

Lin Qiong felt like this kid was a bit problematic. "Okay, go ahead."

Fu Jinglin, realizing there was no one to wait on him here, grabbed his large sports bag and asked, "Uncle, where am I sleeping tonight?"

Fu Xingyun pointed to the sofa in the living room.

Fu Jinglin immediately objected, "I'm not sleeping there!"

Lin Qiong is starting to worry about the sanity of this young man.

Fu Xingyun didn't pamper him, speaking directly, "If you don't want to sleep here, then go home."

Lin Qiong, not wanting to be too harsh on the kid, stepped forward and said, "Why are you being so tough on him? He's not feeling well."

Fu Xingyun glanced at Lin Qiong and asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"Teenage Rebellion Syndrome."

Fu Xingyun: ...

Lin Qiong spoke gently, "We should be compassionate and respectful to children. It's a virtue to honor the elderly and care for the young."

Fu Jinglin was touched by Lin Qiong's words and didn't expect him to speak up on his behalf.

Fu Xingyun raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to give him your room?"

Lin Qiong hesitated for a moment, then turned around with a stern face, "If he doesn't want to sleep, then he can go back home."

Fu Jinglin: ...

To hell with honoring the elderly and caring for the young!

Fu Xingyun didn't say anything more and turned to go up to the third floor.

Fu Jinglin, seeing Lin Qiong's reluctance, said, "There's a room on the third floor, right?"

Lin Qiong replied, "Yes."

Fu Jinglin put on his big sports bag, "Then I'll go to sleep on the third floor."

Lin Qiong said firmly, "No, you can't."

Fu Jinglin protested, "Why not?"

Lin Qiong shrugged, "Because that's my room."

Fu Jinglin imitated him, "Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a virtue."

Lin Qiong pointed at him, "You respect the elderly."

Fu Jinglin was momentarily puzzled, "Don't you love the young?"

Lin Qiong stuck to his character, "I only love your uncle."

As he said this, he cupped his hands to make a tiny heart shape in front of his chest.

"..."

There were only two options before Fu Jinglin - sleeping on the couch or going back home.

In the end, Fu Jinglin decided to choose dignity and slept on the couch.

Early the next morning, Fu Jinglin was awakened from his sleep by someone shaking him.

Fu Jinglin, now irritated, lifted the blanket and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

The next moment, he received a solid smack on his head.

Lin Qiong, looking relieved, patted his own heart, saying, "Keep it down, you startled me."

Fu Jinglin, with a black expression, looked at the clock; it was only six o'clock. He said, "Why are you waking me up so early?!"

Lin Qiong looked at him and said, "For school."

Fu Jinglin retorted, "You do realize I ran away from home, right?"

Lin Qiong corrected him, "You were kicked out of the house."

Fu Jinglin gritted his teeth and asked, "Fine, kicked out of the house, but why are you telling me to go to school?!"

Lin Qiong responded, "These two things aren't contradictory. Going to school doesn't mean going back home."

Fu Jinglin turned his head away and said, "I'm not going."

Lin Qiong said, "If you don't go to school, what are you going to do in the future, rely on your parents? Leeching off the old folks?"

Fu Jinglin blushed and replied, "Who said I'm going to rely on my parents? I'll depend on myself in the future. Even if it means starving, I won't ask my family for a single penny."

Lin Qiong assumed a mature expression and said, "Lack of education is quite frightening."

Fu Jinglin retorted, "It's not like studying is the only path."

Lin Qiong replied, "But studying is your shortcut right now."

Fu Jinglin argued, "Plenty of people lack education, and even if I end up jobless, I won't starve."

Lin Qiong responded, "Okay, then tell me which direction is northwest right now."

Fu Jinglin froze.

Lin Qiong shrugged, "See, without education, you can't even catch the northwest wind."

"..."

Afterward, Lin Qiong glanced at him and said, "Get ready and come have breakfast."

With that, he turned and went into the kitchen.

Fu Jinglin, feeling angry, wrapped himself in his blanket and practiced a combination of punches.

Frustrated and powerless.

Later, he lay down on the couch, lost in thought.

Did he really need that diploma?

Fu Jinglin got dressed and went to the dining room, where he saw Fu Xingyun having breakfast. He politely greeted him, saying, "Good morning, Uncle."

Fu Xingyun glanced at him and replied, "Morning."

Fu Jinglin sat down and looked at the table full of Chinese breakfast, furrowing his brow slightly. He asked, "No bread, cheese, or cream soup?"

Lin Qiong replied, "No, just soy milk and tofu pudding."

Fu Jinglin gave a disgusted look and asked, "What is that?"

Lin Qiong puffed out his cheeks and said, "It's something people eat."

Fu Jinglin then grudgingly grabbed a piece of fried dough stick and bit into it.

Fu Xingyun, sipping his porridge, advised, "I suggest you eat quickly."

Fu Jinglin asked, "Why?"

Fu Xingyun, remaining calm, said, "You'll be late in a little while."

Fu Jinglin checked the time and replied, "It's still early."

Fu Xingyun pointed at Lin Qiong and said, "He's going to drive you."

Fu Jinglin looked at Lin Qiong, who was enjoying his food, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

Isn't it great that someone is giving me a ride? It saves me from taking a taxi.

Fifteen minutes later...

Fu Jinglin clung to the car's armrest, his heart pounding.

Uncle, I understand now.

As expected, they ended up being late.

Lin Qiong parked the car in a roadside parking spot and scratched his head, saying, "Sorry about that."

Fu Jinglin, looking numb, replied, "No need. I'm already thankful that you kept me alive."

"..."

But being late was not a big deal for him. Fu Jinglin pulled out his phone and checked it. Fu Jinglin spoke to Lin Qiong, saying, "You can go back first. I'll wait for my friends here."

Lin Qiong responded, "Let's wait together. Once you're inside the school, I'll head back."

Fu Jinglin didn't mind; if Lin Qiong wanted to wait with him, it wasn't a waste of his time.

The two of them sat in the car and soon saw a group of students not far away, both boys and girls, wearing their school uniforms haphazardly, and playfully chatting.

Fu Jinglin was about to get out of the car.

Upon seeing this, Lin Qiong immediately frowned and asked, "Are those your friends?"

Fu Jinglin nodded, "Yeah."

Seeing Lin Qiong's somewhat displeased expression, he chuckled mockingly, "Judging people by their appearance, are you?"

Lin Qiong didn't say anything in response but got out of the car along with Fu Jinglin.

As they approached, Fu Jinglin was about to call out to his friends but was suddenly pulled back by Lin Qiong.

Fu Jinglin, looking annoyed, asked, "What are you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Qiong covered his mouth with his hand.

Confused, Fu Jinglin looked at Lin Qiong, who then pointed to his ear and gestured toward the group of friends ahead.

Understanding that he shouldn't make any noise, Fu Jinglin nodded, and Lin Qiong released his hand.

They both walked behind the group of friends with light and silent steps.

One of the students said, "Damn, has Fu Jinglin shown up today? We're going to Clear Bar tonight."

Another student replied, "He has a terrible temper. Who cares if he shows up or not."

Fu Jinglin frowned upon hearing this.

Then, one of the girls, who had a fair complexion, spoke up, "How can you talk about him like that?!"

Fu Jinglin's expression softened instantly upon hearing the girl, whom he knew as Si Wei, defending him.

The next moment, another person said, "If he doesn't come, who's going to pay?"

Fu Jinglin: ...

The group laughed and continued talking.

Si Wei chimed in, "I'll send him a WeChat message; he'll definitely come. We won't have to worry about the cost of Clear Bar tonight."

One of the guys remarked, "Si Wei, you really know how to handle Fu Jinglin. You've got him firmly in your grasp."

Si Wei proudly lifted her chin and said, "Of course. Have you forgotten who I am?"

Fu Jinglin, listening from behind, was fuming, his eyes turning red. He clenched his fists, ready to step forward, but he was held back the next moment.

Lin Qiong pulled Fu Jinglin back into the car. Fu Jinglin, looking infuriated, asked, "Why are you holding me back?"

Lin Qiong replied calmly, "I'm not holding you back. I'm watching to see if you'll go forward and fight."

Fu Jinglin shouted, "And if I do?!"

Lin Qiong sighed and spoke with a serious tone, "You're already a grown-up. You should know that it's wrong to fight in broad daylight. If you want to fight, at least find a place without security cameras."

"..."

Then, Lin Qiong patted Fu Jinglin's back and said, "Take a deep breath."

However, due to his anger, Fu Jinglin's breathing was chaotic, and he couldn't calm down.

"Inhale."

Fu Jinglin inhaled.

"Exhale."

Fu Jinglin exhaled.

After several cycles of deep breathing, he gradually calmed down.

Fu Jinglin sat in the car, feeling somewhat defeated, as if the whole world had turned against him. He said, "Si Wei used to be different."

Lin Qiong asked, "How was she different?"

"She used to be gentle, spoke kindly, and had a lovely smile." Fu Jinglin who was refusing to face reality added, "Do you think Si Wei is being pressured by them?"

"She has always been that kind of gentle neighbor girl. She doesn't judge people by appearances, which is why she hangs out with the delinquent students. She's polite and doesn't use foul language."

Lin Qiong commented, "Just now, she called you a big fool."

"But she used to bring me water."

Lin Qiong, looking at the lovesick Fu Jinglin in front of him, poured a bucket of cold water on his fantasies. He said, "But she's changed. She called you a big fool."

"But she used to smile at me and say she liked me the most."

Lin Qiong reiterated, "She called you a big fool."

"..."

Fu Jinglin buried his face in his hands and muttered, "What does she even think of me? I even had a fight with my mom because of her, and I got kicked out of my house."

Lin Qiong dryly remarked, "She thinks you're a big fool."

"..."

Fu Jinglin turned to look at him and asked, "Why are you so heartless? You're not comforting me at all."

With a serious tone, Lin Qiong said, "I'm letting you experience the harshness of society."

"At an age where you don't even need to bring gifts for wedding banquets, you're out there searching for love."