Chapter 19

Since that day they had drinks, Jung Soo-yeon had been giving Xia Hou Zhongying the cold shoulder for several days. She ignored him and spoke to him with a sharp tone, leaving Xia Hou Zhongying utterly confused, not understanding what he had done to offend her so much.

However, what left Xia Hou Zhongying even more speechless was that when Jung Soo-yeon didn't skip class, she still ate his food and spent his money without any hesitation. Breakfast and lunch were always on him, and after eating, she would wipe her mouth, pat her bottom, and leave, giving him a cold snort, which left him both amused and frustrated.

It wasn't until more than a week later that, perhaps because she had eaten so much of Xia Hou Zhongying's food, Jung Soo-yeon started to feel a bit embarrassed, and her attitude towards him gradually softened.

Since Jung Soo-yeon didn't want to talk to him, Xia Hou Zhongying didn't mind. It was a good opportunity to get rid of this cold girl and enjoy his own little life. He would occasionally take Jung Soo-jung out for extra meals and visit various local specialty food spots around the Zheng family's and the school's vicinity.

Time passed, and after half a month, Xia Hou Shang returned from China and took Xia Hou Zhongying back to their residence in Seoul.

When Xia Hou Zhongying left, it seemed that everyone in the Zheng family, except for Jung Soo-yeon, was very reluctant to see him go, especially Jung's mother and Jung Soo-jung.

Jung's mother treated Xia Hou Zhongying like her own child, repeatedly reminding him to take care of his health, to wear more clothes as the weather got cooler, and to come over for meals and stay at their house from time to time.

After nagging for about half an hour, on the verge of Xia Hou Zhongying's breakdown, she reluctantly let him go after he promised to visit at least once a week.

Jung Soo-jung was also very reluctant. After Xia Hou Zhongying left, her snacks and toys would no longer be guaranteed, as no one would pay for them. So she clung to his clothes, tears in her eyes, unwilling to let him go. Only after Xia Hou Zhongying repeatedly promised that she could visit him anytime and that he would leave a room for her, did she finally let go of his nearly torn clothes, satisfied.

Xia Hou Shang was chatting with Jung's father but kept most of his attention on Xia Hou Zhongying. He was taken aback by Jung's mother's nagging and Jung Soo-jung's clinginess, sometimes even forgetting to answer Jung's father's questions or giving perfunctory responses.

Jung's father didn't mind, thinking that Xia Hou Shang was just missing his son and focusing on him, which was a natural instinct for any father. However, Xia Hou Shang's next words almost made him choke.

"Hey, Old Zheng, does your wife always nag like this? It's been almost half an hour," Xia Hou Shang whispered, making Zheng's father feel both amused and exasperated. No wonder Xia Hou Zhongying was so lively; the root cause was here. As the saying goes, if the top beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked.

"Usually, it's not that bad, usually not that bad," Zheng's father replied awkwardly, not daring to say anything bad about his wife. In the Zheng family, his wife was the undisputed leader, and he was merely the family's free wallet.

"That's why I don't want to remarry. Women are too troublesome," Xia Hou Shang sighed, looking at Zheng's father with sympathy.

"Damn, whether you want to remarry or not is your business, why do you have to look at me like that?" Zheng's father was quite depressed, feeling a bit resentful.

"By the way, Old Zheng, are you free tomorrow night? Let's call your wife and the two nieces, and we'll go out for a drink," Xia Hou Shang said, feeling grateful to the Zheng family for taking care of his son for so long. He wanted to repay them somehow. Giving them money was out of the question, so he decided to treat them to a meal.

Zheng's father thought about it and, seeing no particularly important matters for the next day, nodded in agreement. Declining Xia Hou Shang's invitation would make their relationship seem distant, and it would be harder to meet in the future.

"Great, it's settled then. I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow," Xia Hou Shang said happily.

"No need for that. Just give me the address, and we'll come over ourselves," Zheng's father said, not being overly formal. At this point, their relationship was close enough that being formal would hurt their friendship.

"Alright, then it's settled." At this moment, Zheng's mother and Jung Soo-jung finally let Xia Hou Zhongying go. Xia Hou Shang nodded to Zheng's father and walked over to them.

Zheng's father followed, smiling and telling Jung Soo-jung that the two families would have dinner together the next night, so she didn't need to be so sad. Hearing this, Jung Soo-jung immediately brightened up.

Jung Soo-yeon originally didn't want to come to see Xia Hou Zhongying off. She was still upset about the day he flirted with those two young beauties and got their phone numbers. However, since the whole family came to see him off, it would have been inappropriate for her to stay at home, so she reluctantly came along.

After standing for half an hour, listening to her mother's nagging, her feet ached, and her resentment towards Xia Hou Zhongying deepened. "Go, go, I hope we never meet again. No, that's not right. I hope we never meet again except for breakfast and lunch. You scumbag," Jung Soo-yeon thought angrily.

When Xia Hou Zhongying really got into the car with his father, Jung Soo-yeon felt a mix of relief and a sudden emptiness, which made her frown.

"Except for being a bit of a playboy, he was actually quite nice to me," a thought suddenly popped into Jung Soo-yeon's mind, surprising her. She quickly shook her head to dispel the thought.

"Must be a hallucination, a hallucination. Yes, it must be a hallucination. I must be hungry," Jung Soo-yeon muttered to herself, finding a reason to explain her feelings, and she felt relieved.

However, her strange behavior was noticed by Zheng's mother, who couldn't help but wonder if the two of them, who usually seemed like enemies, were just putting on a show. She wondered if Jung Soo-yeon was actually a bit reluctant to see Xia Hou Zhongying go.

Although Zheng's mother was suspicious, she didn't show it on her face, keeping her doubts to herself.

Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying get into the back seat of the car, Xia Hou Shang couldn't help but laugh and ruffle his hair. He had missed his son, whom he hadn't seen for over half a month, and had never been apart for so long before.

Although he had entrusted the Zheng family to take care of his son, he couldn't help but worry. After all, he wasn't very familiar with the Zheng family when he entrusted them, and he had to return to China for a long time, leaving Xia Hou Zhongying alone in Korea, which he didn't feel comfortable about. So entrusting the newly acquainted Zheng family to take care of his son was his only choice.

Now, seeing his son safe and sound, and even thriving in the Zheng family, with a good relationship with them, Xia Hou Shang felt relieved. He could see that Zheng's mother really liked his son, and he was even more grateful to the Zheng family. However, he didn't need to express his gratitude in words; he would repay them in the future.

"Dad, stop messing with my hair, it's all messed up," Xia Hou Zhongying said, shaking his head and pushing his father's hand away, feeling annoyed.

"Hey, kid, you're starting to care about your appearance now? I've never seen you like this before. Could it be that you've fallen in love?" Xia Hou Shang became interested, starting to gossip, "Who is it? Is it that little girl from the Zheng family, Jung Soo-yeon? She is quite pretty."

"Her? Dad, don't scare me. I don't want to die yet," Xia Hou Zhongying's face changed, remembering Jung Soo-yeon's domineering attitude, his face turning pale.

"Oh, so it's not her. Then who is it? Tell me, and I'll give you some advice," Xia Hou Shang, now in gossip mode, looked very interested.

"No one, Dad," Xia Hou Zhongying's face turned slightly red from his father's teasing, feeling quite embarrassed. He was at the age where he started to have romantic feelings. Since that day when Hei Gou said he would help him lose his virginity, although it ended tragically due to Jung Soo-yeon, he had subconsciously started to pay more attention to his appearance, feeling more comfortable when he looked good. He also felt more attracted to pretty girls and was willing to talk to them more, except for the cold girl, Jung Soo-yeon.

"None yet?" Xia Hou Shang made a disappointed face, smacking his lips, and then joked, "Kid, don't blame me for not warning you. You can have a crush, but don't fall in too deep. Don't go to extremes for a girl, like jumping off a building or something. Remember, I only have you, and I need you to carry on the family name. If you have to die, at least give me a grandson first."

Xia Hou Shang's words made Xia Hou Zhongying almost angry and embarrassed.

The driver, Uncle Jin, couldn't help but laugh bitterly in his heart. Who teaches their son like this? He glanced at Xia Hou Shang and Xia Hou Zhongying in the rearview mirror, shaking his head. With such a father, who knows how many good girls Xia Hou Zhongying would ruin in the future. But he didn't dare to say anything; after all, Xia Hou Shang was his breadwinner, and he had a whole family to support. Besides, in this society, one more or one less Xia Hou Zhongying wouldn't make a difference.

People who have experienced the real world don't have much sense of justice. There are often many young people on the internet who complain about corrupt officials, and it's impossible that none of them are sincere. Some are indeed sincere. However, most of them are students, and very few can maintain their sincerity after entering society. Among these young people, most are those who can't get what they want and thus complain. If they really had the chance to be in that position, very few would truly be as clean as they claim.

"By the way, Dad, what are women like?" Xia Hou Zhongying hesitated for a moment and then asked suddenly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Xia Hou Shang chuckled, thinking that his son was finally getting it, not in vain for taking him to clubs often, "Two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth."

"Can you give me some advice?" Xia Hou Zhongying's words almost made Uncle Jin spit out a mouthful of blood.

"What advice do I have?" Xia Hou Shang, though unscrupulous, didn't have the face to discuss women with his son, and he was immediately annoyed.

"Don't say you don't have any. I saw your three secretaries change their cars. You must have done something with them," Xia Hou Zhongying said, not caring much about the matter. Although the main character was his father, as long as he didn't have to call them "Mom," he didn't mind. It was too much to ask a single, energetic middle-aged man to remain faithful to his deceased wife for eight years.

Uncle Jin's foot twitched, and he couldn't control the gas pedal, causing the car to suddenly accelerate.

Caught off guard, Xia Hou Shang's face turned red, and he became angry, "Only two, not three."

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