Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My dad recognized Cheng Yi at a glance.

Anything remotely tied to national glory has my dad in an absolute chokehold.

During the Winter Olympics livestreams, whenever he watched Team China win a medal, he would get so emotional he could barely function.

He’d be at home, bawling his eyes out.

Loudly.

So loudly that rumors are still going around our neighborhood that my mom beats her husband.

As for my mom, she might be extremely wary by nature, but she was also a die-hard sucker for a pretty face.

The second Cheng Yi’s face appeared, she definitely sorted him straight into the good-guy category in her head.

No.

Not just good guy.

The tiny, elite group of supremely good guys.

My parents came to the park looking for me because I hadn’t gone home by dinnertime.

Then they saw me standing very close to a tall member of the opposite sex.

And the whole thing looked extremely suspicious.

So one of them picked up a rock, and the other grabbed a stick.

They were fully prepared to teach this punk trying to seduce their daughter a lesson.

But the moment they saw Cheng Yi, their tune changed instantly.

“Qiaoqiao, you got yourself a boyfriend and didn’t even bring him home for Mom and Dad to meet?”

I immediately clarified, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Cheng Yi clarified right after me, “Not yet.”

I spent ages explaining that we were just ordinary classmates.

Cheng Yi, however, clearly understood the art of social interaction. Every other sentence was “Uncle” this and “Auntie” that, and he had them both beaming from ear to ear.

After just a few exchanges, he had successfully created the illusion for my parents that “we’re currently in the talking stage, but because your daughter is shy, she’s only calling us ordinary friends.”

My parents bought it completely. They said it wasn’t easy for him to come all this way.

They insisted on inviting him home for dinner.

I pressed a hand to my forehead and thought:

If Cheng Yi ever started selling health supplements, he’d scam them so thoroughly they wouldn’t even have underwear left.

Cheng Yi took a whole bunch of exquisitely packaged gifts out of his car.

It was like he’d prepared in advance to come meet my parents.

My parents praised him even more after that.

We had a warm, harmonious dinner together.

Then Cheng Yi insisted on helping my dad wash the dishes.

After that, he cooperated with my mom and took a ton of photos with her.

My parents cheerfully went off to get the guest room ready for him.

I was honestly in awe. At this rate, my parents were definitely going to be his fans for the rest of their lives.

Cheng Yi came to the living room sofa and watched a horror movie with me.

I leaned against one end of the sofa, and Jiang Jiang leaned against me.

After Cheng Yi sat down at the other end, the cushion visibly sank.

What happened today basically proved that the Empathy Link was real.

Cheng Yi considered his words before speaking.

“Can I discuss something with you? Would it be possible to bring Jiang Jiang to D City?”

We both attended university in D City.

I’d seen the news before. Cheng Yi was a local from D City.

What was he trying to say? For the sake of his own safety, he wanted to take Jiang Jiang away?

Absolutely not!

“I don’t agree.”

Cheng Yi softened his tone and tried his best to communicate with me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely give Jiang Jiang the best life possible.”

What kind of bullshit was that?

I found Jiang Jiang in the flower bed downstairs two months ago.

It had been pouring rain. Jiang Jiang’s eyes weren’t even open yet. He was tiny, like a little yellow mouse, meowing weakly.

I was the one who fed him milk powder with a syringe and slowly, painstakingly raised him.

Jiang Jiang was the first kitten I’d ever raised.

I would never allow anyone to take him away from me!

At this point, I could no longer maintain my cold, aloof, try-hard persona.

I questioned Cheng Yi.

“Where were you all those years before… I mean, where were you these past two months? Have you ever done anything for Jiang Jiang? Do you know when Jiang Jiang first opened his eyes? Do you know what kind of cat litter he likes best? What canned food he eats? You don’t know anything. You only care about yourself!”

Cheng Yi stared at me, dumbfounded. Then he softened his voice and tried to soothe me.

“Don’t get worked up. We can discuss all of this.”

The more I talked, the more I felt like an exhausted old mother who had raised Jiang Jiang through blood, sweat, and tears, only to now face a deadbeat dad fighting me for custody.

“How am I supposed to not get worked up? Jiang Jiang is my whole life.”

Cheng Yi sighed.

“He’s mine too.”

The negotiation ended unhappily.

Fuming, I carried Jiang Jiang back to my room.