AGTCTCC Chapter 69
by VolareQin Lai handed Xiang Li a plate of sunflower seeds, and the two of them started cracking them together.
Qin Lai: “There’s nothing much to say (crack) (chew chew chew) (spit), in my memory, my parents were just like ordinary people (crack) (chew chew chew) (spit).”
The robot vacuum cleaner beside them (scurrying noises) said, “…”
Xiang Li: “…”
Qin Lai continued, “My mom was a strong woman, and my dad was a writer… but back in their day, who would read his sappy writing?”
As he spoke, he leaned down and made “tsk tsk” sounds at the robot vacuum cleaner, “feeding” it the sunflower seed shells he had left over.
As he said this, the expression on his face was very disgusted, as if he truly disliked his dad’s writing.
He shook his head as he fed it, “I had the misfortune of reading a few pieces… indescribable.”
Qin Lai: “I don’t know how my mom took a liking to my dad, but later he opened this flower shop.”
He commented, “Just like his writing, romantic, but impractical.”
Xiang Li listened quietly, and when he realized that Qin Lai was straying further and further from the topic and wasn’t saying what he wanted to hear, he quickly interrupted.
Xiang Li: “Was your mother with someone else before?”
He added, “Someone who also had a son.”
Qin Lai paused in his action of feeding the robot vacuum cleaner, and looked up at Xiang Li. He didn’t say anything, but Xiang Li could read the curses from his lip movements.
Qin Lai curled his lips and casually cracked another sunflower seed.
“Oh, it seems like there was something like that.”
As long as you gave Qin Lai a starting point, you wouldn’t need to say anything else, he would spill everything.
Qin Lai: “It seems like the guy’s family didn’t approve at the time. My dad told me about it, and when he did, he said something like—”
He straightened up, cleared his throat, and imitated in a serious manner, “We all have past relationships, what does it matter? Whoever laughs last, laughs best.”
After saying that, he put on a disgusted expression again, “But in reality, he was sour as a lemon.”
Qin Lai suddenly seemed to remember something, and he suspiciously scanned Xiang Li up and down.
He: “What is it you want to know?”
Xiang Li asked, “I want to know, if your mom knew that their relationship wasn’t going to end well, would she still have been with that guy…?”
Xiang Li: “That guy knew his family didn’t approve, and he told the girl that from the start. Two adults, they both understand the principle, and if they were happy, maybe they would have been together for longer…”
Qin Lai didn’t quite understand what Xiang Li was talking about.
But he understood the meaning of the analogy in Xiang Li’s words, and shoved the half-eaten bouquet of sunflowers he was holding into Xiang Li’s hands.
Qin Lai: “I don’t know about my mom, but if it were me…”
Qin Lai thought for two seconds and said solemnly, “If I knew from the start that it wouldn’t work out, no matter what, I would want to have a good ending with the other person.”
“Even if the ending is separation, I think I would still try my best to love them.”
Xiang Li was silent after hearing this. He didn’t know if Qin Lai understood, or if his understanding was the same as the question he was asking.
Seeing that Xiang Li wasn’t speaking, Qin Lai stared at his face, and after a long while, he sighed, “You look a lot like one of my friends.”
Xiang Li was thinking about something, and subconsciously hummed in agreement, his tone slightly questioning.
Qin Lai: “He’s also a very awkward person. I could tell the moment I saw him.”
Qin Lai recalled and described, “He’s just like my father, but his personality is completely opposite.”
“Practical, but not romantic.”
Xiang Li narrowed his eyes, intuitively feeling that he was talking about Wu Zhen.
Sure enough, the other person turned his head to look at Xiang Li, met his gaze, and had a clean smile on his face, “His name is Wu Zhen.”
Xiang Li: “…”
Xiang Li: “.”
Qin Lai continued cracking sunflower seeds, “So you know my brother from the same mother but different father?”
Xiang Li, realizing that he was talking about Xing Zi Mu, hummed in affirmation.
Qin Lai didn’t react much, spitting sunflower seed shells all over the robot vacuum cleaner.
He: “Did he tell you my parents’ story too?”
Xiang Li: “Yeah.”
Qin Lai was a bit curious.
“How did he tell it?”
Xiang Li recalled for two seconds and briefly told him what Xing Zi Mu had said.
The more Qin Lai listened, the more something felt off.
“Um, are you sure you’re not looking for another person named ‘Qin Lai’?”
Xiang Li was puzzled, why was he asking that?
Qin Lai spread his hands, “What you said seems right, but it’s not completely the same either.”
He finally understood what Xiang Li meant by “that guy knew their relationship wasn’t going to end well” from the start.
Qin Lai explained, “My mom’s previous boyfriend loved her very much, and his parents approved too. They didn’t dislike my mom just because she was an ordinary person.”
“The two of them were about to get engaged, but that guy died during a mission. The guy’s parents didn’t want to hold my mom back.”
Qin Lai tried hard to recall, “My mom found out she was pregnant at the time, and she met my dad a few years after giving birth to that child.”
Xiang Li frowned, “?”
Qin Lai was also puzzled, “That’s why I asked if you were looking for the wrong person.”
Xiang Li glanced at the flower shop behind them.
“Are there other people who run flower shops on the Main Star?”
Qin Lai: “…”
There weren’t any others, one fool like his dad was enough.
Xiang Li stood up, he was going to ask Xing Zi Mu.
Following Xiang Li’s movements, Qin Lai also stood up, patted off the crumbs on his body, and said, “A lot of the flowers in the greenhouse can’t be sold, do you want to take a few back?”
He looked at the figure in front of him who had stopped, leaned against the door, as if welcoming him to choose whatever he wanted.
Qin Lai: “Take a few for your lover who you won’t be together with.”
He had an expression that said “I understand everything”, “Roses are good, blue, green, red… or…”
Xiang Li made his choice, “Red roses are fine.”
Qin Lai “started business”, skillfully selecting and packaging the flowers. Finally, he held the flowers in one arm and stretched out the other hand, palm up.
Qin Lai: “Sixty Interstellar Credits.”
Xiang Li’s hand, which was about to take the flowers, paused in the air, freezing for a moment.
He raised his eyebrows and asked, “Weren’t you letting me pick a few because they couldn’t be sold?”
Qin Lai said matter-of-factly, “Yeah, I didn’t say you could take them for free.”
Xiang Li’s gaze landed on the bouquet of bright red roses for a second, and then he turned his head to call Chu Qi.
Xiang Li: “Officer, lend me some Interstellar Credits.”
Chu Qi was busy with official duties, and he raised his head to look at Xiang Li when he heard this, then lowered his head again.
Chu Qi: “How much?”
Xiang Li glanced at the money in his wallet, did a simple calculation, and said, “Twenty-eight point four.”
With odd amounts and everything.
Chu Qi directly opened up the permissions to his sub-card for Xiang Li, connecting the other party’s spending to his own wallet frequency.
Xing Zi Mu happened to come in at this time, and paused when he saw the two of them on a video call. He still handed the quantum key he was holding to Chu Qi.
Xiang Li also saw Xing Zi Mu, narrowed his eyes, and directly asked, “Your parents aren’t at all like what you said.”
Hearing this, Chu Qi, who was rubbing his temples, stopped and looked up.
What?
At this moment, Qin Lai also realized that the man who had just entered the screen was actually his own blood-related older brother.
He narrowed his eyes, smiled, and leaned closer to the screen, greeting enthusiastically.
Qin Lai: “Brother, I’m Qin Lai~”
It was also the first time Xing Zi Mu was talking to his younger brother, and he nodded stiffly.
The two of them didn’t have the chance to continue with pleasantries, because the next second, Xiang Li hung up the video call.
He paid Qin Lai expressionlessly, took the flowers, and left.
He rushed to Chu Qi’s room as quickly as possible, and heard the voices inside.
Chu Qi: “So you just made it up?”
Xing Zi Mu: “Xiang Li is clearly not sincere with you, why are you still playing along with him?”
“Chu Qi, do you like him that much?”
Xiang Li paused in his action of pushing open the door, his breathing slowing down as well.
Chu Qi’s voice was very calm, “I like him.”
He said, “You know how much I like Xiang Li.” There was also a hint of warning in these words.
Xing Zi Mu: “Yes, you like him.”
“The Empire’s cultivation plan would never have chosen Xiang Li from the start. He’s someone with a strange background, especially coming from Planet C079. You strongly recommended Xiang Li at the time.”
Xing Zi Mu took a deep breath, “Did you like him back then?”
Chu Qi’s gaze quietly looked at Xing Zi Mu, “No matter what, I wouldn’t joke around with my public office authority.”
Xing Zi Mu: “…”
“You’re protecting him like this, but when the Main Star is in deep water, he’ll just pat his butt and go back to Planet C079.”
“You’re not someone who wastes time, especially not on Xiang Li.”
Chu Qi retorted, “I don’t think it’s a waste of time. He’s right, I only have a few decades of lifespan, he has hundreds of years. I can’t tie him down for the next hundred, or even thousand, ten thousand years.”
“He’s the one wasting his time on me.”
Xing Zi Mu was speechless.
He said, “I just hope Xiang Li can figure it out.”
Xing Zi Mu said this while looking at Chu Qi, and Chu Qi understood that the other party was doing it for his own good, so he couldn’t say any harsh words.
In the end, he just rubbed his temples with a headache.
Of course he knew what kind of person Xiang Li was.
Xiang Li understood him, and he understood Xiang Li just as well.
Xiang Li, that person, was a complete scoundrel, playing him like he was a dog from beginning to end.
Thinking of this, Chu Qi gritted his back teeth hard.
But at the same time, Chu Qi also hoped that Xiang Li would never figure it out from beginning to end, because like he said.
Their ending was destined to be an incomplete one.
Whoever got too invested would be the one to regret it.
Xiang Li stood behind the door, listening to the approaching footsteps, without any intention of hiding.
Xing Zi Mu opened the door and his gaze directly collided with his.
Xing Zi Mu: “…”
His gaze moved down and saw the bouquet of bright red roses that Xiang Li was holding.
Xing Zi Mu’s face was even more numb.
“…”
Xiang Li stepped aside, taking the initiative to make way for the other person. Xing Zi Mu didn’t stand on ceremony at all, didn’t say anything, the two of them didn’t even greet each other, and he left directly.
Chu Qi closed his eyes, and suddenly heard a faint noise, and abruptly opened his eyes, only to see Xiang Li.
…and that bouquet of roses.
Chu Qi: “You went to buy this?”
As he said this, he was about to reach out to take them, but Xiang Li directly pressed the bouquet of roses onto the table, leaning closer to Chu Qi.
Chu Qi’s eyes were full of surprise, and they met Xiang Li’s bright black eyes.
Xiang Li: “I’ve thought it through.”
Chu Qi was stunned for a moment, and then he lowered his gaze, “Thought through what.”
He reached out again to take the bouquet of roses.
Xiang Li hooked a chair from the side, sat down next to Chu Qi, and leaned his whole body against Chu Qi, like a bird snuggling up to someone.
He said, “I understand everything.”
His fingers went to hook the hand that Chu Qi was holding the flowers with, his tone seemingly excited and proud.