Difficult To Raise Chapter 21
byJiang Ran snapped back to attention and said, “Hurry up and eat yours. You have so much food, yet you still can’t keep your mouth shut.”
Everyone knew the two of them were joking and laughed along. Only Li Song, sitting nearby, looked displeased. He managed a strained smile and suddenly asked, “Jiang Ran, I heard a lot of people at school are pursuing you. Is that true?”
The question was somewhat inappropriate, but since they were at a dinner table surrounded by schoolmates, it was hard to flat-out reject him.
Jiang Ran turned his head to look at Li Song, a hint of undetectable annoyance in his eyes. “Is that so? I haven’t heard anything.”
Li Song pretended not to notice, continuing to force a smile. “I heard there are even a few guys. They almost got into a fight over you. You really have charm.”
The moment he said that, the private room fell silent. Everyone was somewhat aware of Jiang Ran’s sexual orientation, but discussing it openly in public was going too far.
Li Song’s friend quickly tugged at him, lowering his voice. “What are you doing?”
Li Song took a sip of wine, ignoring him, his gaze fixed on Jiang Ran, his smile turning mocking. “Tell us, satisfy our curiosity.”
At this point, it was clear he was deliberately causing trouble. Jiang Ran’s face darkened. He clenched his hand, wishing he could punch Li Song squarely in the face if not for the crowd.
“Are you drunk and acting crazy, you bastard?” Tang Qin had a straightforward temper and couldn’t stand seeing his roommate bullied. He immediately shot back at Li Song for Jiang Ran.
Li Song’s expression grew even uglier when he saw Tang Qin sticking up for someone.
Their eyes met in the air, sparks flying, as if they were about to fight the next second.
Jiang Haodong looked at them with a slight headache and quickly intervened to smooth things over. “What’s all the fuss? Can’t you even eat a meal in peace?”
He gave Tang Qin a look, signaling him not to be impulsive, then turned to Li Song and said with a forced smile, “Our little Ran-er is a bookworm, only focused on his studies. How would he know about the things you’re talking about?”
By saying this, he was telling everyone that even if Jiang Ran liked men, he wasn’t someone with a chaotic private life, and whether others fought over him had nothing to do with him.
Afterward, Jiang Haodong added, “Your tolerance for alcohol is really poor. Should I order you some hangover soup?”
Jiang Haodong was the one who organized the gathering, so Li Song couldn’t refuse to give him face. He could only smile and say, “Alright, I did drink a bit too much. Thanks, Brother Jiang.”
Despite saying this, his eyes never left Jiang Ran’s face. Jiang Ran coldly lowered his eyes, picked up the wine glass beside him, and took a sip, completely ignoring him.
Jiang Haodong said, “Don’t mention it.” And he actually called a waiter in to order him a hangover soup.
The atmosphere finally eased a bit, but the earlier liveliness was gone. Li Yan, seeing that everyone was silent, pretended to be angry at Jiang Haodong. “Who were you calling ‘baby’ just now? Isn’t your baby sitting right next to you?”
“My mistake, my mistake.” Jiang Haodong quickly smiled and coaxed her. “Don’t be angry, baby.”
With the two of them joking around, the others tactfully followed suit and changed the subject.
During the mid-meal toast, Li Song caused trouble again, deliberately targeting Jiang Ran and trying to force him to drink. He said, “Sorry, I was a bit tipsy earlier and spoke without thinking. I’ll toast you a cup as an apology, alright?”
Jiang Ran glanced at him and drank it for the sake of appearances. Li Song immediately refilled the glass. “Come on, keep going. I feel a connection with you the moment I see you. We should have a few more cups and become friends.”
Jiang Ran couldn’t believe he had such thick skin. His already poor mood worsened. Not wanting to clash with Li Song again, he gently touched the rim of the glass to his lips, took a small sip, and then, without looking at him, smiled at everyone. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
With that, he turned and left the room, pretending not to see Li Song’s ugly expression.
Jiang Ran was actually just looking for an excuse to get some air. He was truly fed up with Li Song’s persistence.
Jiang Ran had met Li Song right after starting university. At the time, Li Song had joined the same club as him. They often did activities and had meals together, gradually becoming familiar. Later, Li Song started pursuing him, and after nearly a year, Jiang Ran reluctantly agreed.
Who knew that less than a month into their relationship, Li Song wanted to take things further? Jiang Ran wasn’t ready to move so fast and directly refused.
Li Song didn’t say anything then, even falsely claiming to respect his wishes, but secretly he planned to get Jiang Ran drunk and force himself on him.
Fortunately, Jiang Ran had a good tolerance for alcohol. The moment Li Song took off his jacket, Jiang Ran suddenly sobered up and pushed him away forcefully, narrowly escaping his trap. Afterward, Li Song kept apologizing, saying he was drunk and not thinking clearly, and that he hadn’t meant to offend him.
But every time Jiang Ran thought about it, he felt a knot in his chest and couldn’t get past it, so he broke up with Li Song.
Li Song refused to accept it and kept trying to win him back. Eventually, they ended things on very bad terms. Luckily, they weren’t in the same major and didn’t see each other often, so it wasn’t too awkward.
However, Jiang Haodong was unaware of the history and unintentionally brought them together. Jiang Ran felt helpless but couldn’t say anything.
For Jiang Ran, once a breakup happened, it should be clean and allow both parties some dignity. He truly despised people like Li Song.
The restaurant was large and elegant. Jiang Ran wandered aimlessly inside, but the frustration in his heart refused to dissipate.
As he walked, Jiang Ran thought again of that fleeting glimpse earlier. That familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar face lingered in his mind. Jiang Jin really looked much taller than him now, broad-shouldered and long-legged, though a bit thin… He wondered if he hadn’t been eating properly. He wondered how he had been doing all these years.
And the look in Jiang Jin’s eyes just now—so distant, so cold. Had he not recognized him, or… was he truly planning never to acknowledge him again?
The thought barely crossed his mind before Jiang Ran felt a sharp pang of pain in his heart. A complex emotion weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.
Jiang Ran quickened his pace, intending to go to the restroom to wash his face and calm down. As he rounded a corner, he bumped into someone head-on.
The person was solid and the force of the collision was strong, making him stumble. He barely avoided falling to the floor.
Jiang Ran frowned and looked up, his gaze instantly freezing. That face—he had just seen it.
It was Jiang Jin. It was actually Jiang Jin.
Jiang Ran never expected to see him here again. He was so excited his face flushed slightly. All the restless emotions subsided, and his eyes lit up as if something had ignited them.
Jiang Ran’s lips moved slightly, wanting to say something.
But then he saw Jiang Jin lower his head, his eyes filled with cold indifference. He looked at Jiang Ran like a stranger, his expression utterly detached. Even though he had bumped into someone, he showed no intention of apologizing.
Like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, Jiang Ran’s throat tightened. The words he wanted to say were stuck, unable to come out.
The two stared at each other for nearly half a minute, and an unspoken silence quickly spread. Despite being a long-awaited reunion, there was no joy in seeing an old acquaintance.
As time ticked by, Jiang Ran felt increasingly distressed, uneasy, anxious, and sad… Several emotions intertwined. His hand, hanging by his side, moved slightly, seemingly wanting to reach out and touch the tall young man in front of him.
However, before he could extend his hand, a familiar male voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Are you alright?”
Jiang Ran didn’t turn around. He recognized the person by the voice—it was Li Song. This man truly had a persistent, wicked heart; he had actually followed him here.
Jiang Ran felt a wave of irritation. His lips drooped slightly, and he didn’t respond.
Li Song didn’t know when he had arrived, but he had clearly witnessed the scene. Seeing Jiang Ran silent, he assumed he was stunned by the collision. He frowned and looked at Jiang Jin, displeased. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you apologize when you bump into someone? Do you know he’s hurt?”
Jiang Jin shifted his gaze from Jiang Ran’s face, looked indifferently at Li Song, and showed no intention of speaking. With his looks, he was warm and sunny when he smiled, but when his face went cold, he gave off an air of superiority, sharp and aggressive.
Li Song grew even more annoyed, shouting, “Damn, what kind of look is that?”
Jiang Ran was already irritated by him, and now his mood was terrible, making Li Song even more unbearable. He turned to look at Li Song, frowning. “What are you doing here?”
Li Song turned to him and said, “I saw you were out for a long time and was worried something happened to you, so I came to check.”
Jiang Ran said coldly, “Well, you’ve seen me. You can go back now.”
Li Song choked for a moment before saying, “This guy bumped into you. I’m telling him to apologize.”
Jiang Ran averted his gaze, his face expressionless. “No need. This is none of your business. Just go.”
He was sticking up for him, yet Jiang Ran was being so ungrateful. Li Song’s expression darkened, and he looked at him incredulously. “Get this straight, I’m helping you. He bumped into you and is acting so arrogant. Aren’t you angry?”
Jiang Ran frowned and didn’t say anything. He just wanted Li Song to disappear immediately, so he suppressed his temper and said, “This is between him and me.”
He was practically telling him to mind his own business.
Li Song froze in place, his face turning green and white like a palette. His eyes unconsciously lingered on the young man’s striking face for a moment, and a thought suddenly popped into his head.
After a long pause, Li Song suddenly laughed. “I get it.”
He pointed at Jiang Jin and sneered, “You’ve taken a fancy to this pretty boy, haven’t you?”
What was he even talking about? Jiang Ran was speechless, wondering why Li Song would jump to that conclusion. He found the man utterly irrational and lost the desire to deal with him. Impatiently, he said, “Whether I have or haven’t is none of your business. You have no right to point fingers here. Get lost.”
“Fine! Fine!” Li Song was so angry his back teeth were grinding. He wasn’t the type to take provocation well, and Jiang Ran’s words were like adding fuel to the fire, making him even more unwilling to let it go. “You won’t let me interfere, but I’m going to interfere today!”
He abruptly turned, pointing his finger fiercely at Jiang Jin, and commanded in an extremely arrogant tone, “Apologize now!”
Jiang Jin had been watching the argument between the two with cold detachment, remaining silent. Now, hearing Li Song’s rude command, his gaze shifted between the two of them meaningfully, and a mocking smile appeared on his face. “You want me to apologize to him?”
He sounded as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing louder and louder. He pointed at Jiang Ran and said, “You ask him yourself, is he worthy?”
Jiang Ran’s face instantly turned pale. He stared intently at the young man, at his cold eyes and sarcastic smile. A sharp pain uncontrollably shot through his heart.
“What the hell do you mean?!”
Li Song instantly exploded. The young man’s attitude was nothing short of a provocation. He had already disliked him, and now his words were so rude. Fueled by anger, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, rushed forward, grabbed Jiang Jin’s collar, and raised his fist high.
Jiang Jin merely looked at him coldly, seemingly not taking him seriously at all.
Li Song was already on the verge of losing control, and that look pushed him completely over the edge. He swung his fist viciously toward Jiang Jin’s face. But before the punch could land, a hand unexpectedly reached out from the side and grabbed him.