ATPN Chapter 15
by VolareYu Sheng nearly spat out his tea. “What kind of awful child is this?”
He raised the acceptance letter to hit Yu Zhanrong on the head, but Yu Zhanrong dodged to the side, snatched the letter, and ran upstairs.
“Hey, what are you running for?!” Yu Sheng wasn’t surprised that the letter was snatched away; he had expected this move from his son.
He just thought that once Yu Zhanrong had the letter, he would run out the door, not upstairs.
Besides the acceptance letter, Yu Zhanrong had another mission today: to take his guitar.
He hadn’t been home for almost a month. After getting used to the empty bedroom in his apartment, suddenly seeing this full and cozy room made him feel that the room was messy, yet so warm.
Opening the door to the closet, he saw all the collectibles he had left behind since he was a child, but unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to reminisce about them one by one.
He touched the violin, glanced at the out-of-place erhu next to it, and slung the guitar leaning against the bookshelf over his shoulder.
Leaving the closet, he looked at the various dolls on the bed, couldn’t resist grabbing two and tucking them under his arms, ready to go downstairs. He peeked into the living room.
Yu Sheng was still sitting on the sofa, leisurely sipping tea, with no intention of losing his temper and scolding him. Yu Zhanrong was very puzzled.
Wasn’t it said that he had been scowling ever since he saw the acceptance letter?
Why was he so calm?
Yu Sheng saw him coming downstairs, carrying so many things, and took the initiative to say, “Let the driver take you there.”
“?”
“I don’t have to pay, right?” Yu Zhanrong asked cautiously. He was very poor now and couldn’t afford a personal driver.
Yu Sheng’s expression froze for a moment, and he suppressed the bitterness in his heart, waving his hand. “Consider it my treat.”
Yu Zhanrong was secretly pleased. He’d be a fool not to take advantage of a good deal. He saved himself some money.
“Thanks, Old Yu!”
“Goodbye!”
When Zhan Yue returned in the evening, she couldn’t find anyone in the living room, so she went straight to the study. Yu Sheng was leisurely brewing tea, looking like he was in a good mood.
“How was the battle?”
Yu Sheng took a sip of tea, his tone slightly smug. “A slight victory.”
Zhan Yue didn’t believe him at all. She sat down beside him, propping her chin on her hand, and looked at him.
She didn’t see Yu Zhanrong’s shoes when she came in, and there was no noise from his room, so she asked, “Where’s Rongrong? Did you scold him away?”
Yu Sheng put on a clueless expression, which annoyed Zhan Yue. She couldn’t help but slap his arm. “Tell me!”
“Tsk, don’t underestimate your husband. I was calm and reasonable the whole time. How could that little rascal be my match? He was still bewildered when he left.”
He didn’t keep her in suspense any longer, reporting everything that happened today to his wife in detail.
After listening, Zhan Yue raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Before I left, you said you were going to teach Rongrong a lesson, and you wouldn’t listen no matter how much I pleaded. Tell me, what changed you?”
Yu Sheng put down his teacup, put his arm around Zhan Yue’s shoulders, and sighed softly.
He had noticed it as soon as Yu Zhanrong came in today, watching him cautiously and quietly enter his own home.
He hadn’t seen him for a month, and his clothes were much larger, and his little face was almost gone. He didn’t know how he had been doing outside during this time.
What had Yu Sheng been striving for most of his life? He only had this one precious child, who he had pampered and cherished since he was little. How could he really be willing to let him go out and suffer?
Now, seeing him so cautious even when returning to his own home, his heart felt sour.
Zhan Yue leaned on Yu Sheng’s shoulder, her eyes reddening as she listened, feeling sorry for him. “Then let Rongrong come back. Let’s give him a good nourishing meal.”
Although Yu Sheng also felt sorry for him, he shook his head rationally. “No, it’s good for him to get some experience outside.”
“You!” Zhan Yue glared at him, about to stand up, but Yu Sheng held her down, patting her shoulder to appease her.
“Don’t worry. Rongrong has grown up under our wings since he was a child and is very naive. It’s good for him to see more.” He paused and then said, “I plan to change my approach…”
“Are you sure Rongrong will fall for this?”
“Let’s try it. I still need my wife’s full support.”
Zhan Yue wiped the corners of her eyes and nodded.
“Today, when I said I’d have Old Wu drive him, the little rascal even asked if he had to pay. He clearly didn’t want to spend money, which made my heart ache.”
“Give him some money. He’s renting a place and living outside. The money he has on hand definitely isn’t enough, that’s why he’s so worried about spending too much. Don’t tell him I said that.”
Zhan Yue snorted softly. “Did I need you to remind me? I already thought of it. I just transferred it to him.”
Yu Zhanrong, who knew nothing, received a love sponsorship from his mother, and his voice floated.
[Ms. Zhan has transferred 6000 yuan to you]
[Ms. Zhan: I’ve been lucky lately, winning at mahjong. Don’t tell your dad!]
[Yu: Thank you, beautiful Ms. Zhan [Love you][Heart][Kiss]]
This was more than a month’s rent. Yu Zhanrong used to have no concept of money, but after being out here for a month, he finally understood how difficult it was to earn money.
“Who is it? You’re so happy, you’re practically smiling like a flower, Song Baiyan?” Xu Yixuan leaned halfway over, moving closer to Yu Zhanrong, wanting to find out.
Yu Zhanrong was speechless at his gossipy face and showed him his phone screen. “It’s my mom. Can you restrain yourself a little? Don’t make it sound like I’m your sister-in-law, cheating on your brother’s good buddy.”
“Damn! I can picture it. He really is my brother’s buddy.” Xu Yixuan seemed to see a green grassland growing on his brother’s head.
“Get out!”
Yu Zhanrong gave him a light kick, which Xu Yixuan dodged agilely, going to the refrigerator to get two drinks.
He pulled open the can tab and took a sip. “How was Uncle Yu’s attitude when you went back this time?”
He knew very well why Yu Zhanrong ran away from home. Yu’s parents were especially doting on their child. Xu Yixuan had experienced it firsthand once.
He couldn’t believe that Yu Zhanrong would quarrel with his family to the point of running away from home. He couldn’t believe they would actually be willing to let Yu Zhanrong suffer outside by himself.
Yu Zhanrong thought about it and felt it was hard to judge. His dad hadn’t scolded him at all this time, which was surprisingly calm.
In the end, he even had the driver take him, which was completely different from the day he ran away from home.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Uncle Yu wasn’t home? You didn’t see him?”
“I saw him…”
Xu Yixuan: “…”
I suspect you’re deliberately teasing me, getting revenge for mocking you before.
“So?”
Yu Zhanrong organized his words. “It’s just, how do I put it? I feel like my Old Yu is a little abnormal, yes, abnormal.”
Xu Yixuan perked up, curious. “How is he abnormal?”
“Compared to when he first found out about my college application, he was overly calm this time.”
He didn’t fly into a rage, and he didn’t even mention his hair. It wasn’t like that before. When he first dyed his hair, Old Yu couldn’t stand it either.
“That’s because he’s already accepted it, right? You’ve already applied, and you’ve received the acceptance letter. Getting angry won’t change anything.”
“That’s not right either. I’m still running away from home, and he didn’t even ask me to come back?”
“Hmm, I think he’s brewing a big conspiracy.” Yu Zhanrong stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Do you think he’s doing this on purpose, to make me lower my guard, and then secretly change my major?”
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. How could Old Yu accept it so easily? He must be secretly planning something.