BSS - Chapter 141

Chapter 141

The car was halfway there, just about to turn onto the street leading to Xu Wei's neighborhood, when Deng Chuan suddenly spoke up. "Wait, just drop me off at the supermarket up ahead."

Lao Deng, who was driving, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

The dim yellow light from the streetlamps shone in through the car window, reflecting on Deng Chuan's face and clearly outlining her profile as she gazed outside. After looking away, Lao Deng's mind was still filled with the image of his daughter's downcast profile. The night made her seem particularly distant. This distance wasn't purely physical, but a kind of indifference that allowed his daughter to separate from her family without any burden.

Just like with her schooling, just like with coming out, just like with going to Beijing. No matter what her family's attitude was, she was going to do it.

It was normal for children to have their own ideas and separate from their families when they grew up. But as Lao Deng stared at the road ahead, the more he thought about it, the angrier and sadder he felt.

Growing up was one thing, a fact of life, but feelings were another. Emotionally, Lao Deng didn't want to be estranged from his daughter.

The cool air blowing from the vent helped clear his head a little.

He soon recalled the time he took a young Deng Chuan to watch ants. It was one of the few parent-child moments in their respective lives. Deng Chuan was very well-behaved. He didn't take her to amusement parks or zoos, only to the park to watch ants, and she would follow him obediently, quiet and still, her small, soft hand resting in his palm. When they left the park, there would be many stalls along the road selling candied haws, cotton candy, ice cream, and freshly squeezed juice-all very tempting. Other children would stare with longing eyes or throw themselves on the ground, tugging at their parents' hands, but Deng Chuan never made a fuss.

Sometimes, Lao Deng would even tease her, "Do you want some? Dad will buy it for you. We'll keep it a secret and not tell Mom."

Deng Chuan would just purse her lips, shake her head, and say, "No, I don't like it."

She didn't like it, so she cast it aside as if it were worthless, never once asking for it. In that case, the person she was willing to be so open with her family about must be someone she liked very, very much.

Thinking of it this way, the appearance of Deng Chuan's girlfriend was truly a rare thing, and Deng Chuan was still just as childish as ever.

Lao Deng's heart felt a little heavy again.

Lao Deng felt he hadn't done a good enough job raising his daughter. He was too busy, and he owed her too much. Because of this, he didn't have many expectations for Deng Chuan. He only hoped she would live well, but his hope was different from Tang Lijuan's. Tang Lijuan only wanted Deng Chuan to be happy, but Lao Deng hoped his daughter could understand a few more things-the ups and downs of the workplace, the cruelty of society. Only by seeing things clearly could one live well.

If he could, he wouldn't want Deng Chuan to be as she was now-too simple, too pure.

But parents could never forcefully demand what their children should do or who they should become.

It was easy to say, but to truly be open-minded was another matter entirely.

Sigh. As Lao Deng thought, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

It was quiet in the car, and his sigh made the other two look at him.

But no one spoke. Lao Deng quietly drove the car to the supermarket where Deng Chuan wanted to get out, pulled over, unlocked the doors, and said coolly, "We're here. Get out."

Deng Chuan's hand was on the handle, but she turned back to look at him, calling out hesitantly, "Dad."

For some reason, her voice had suddenly softened, like that small hand he had held in his palm more than a decade ago.

Lao Deng was silent for a long while, so long that Tang Lijuan was about to step in to smooth things over, before he finally spoke.

"Sigh," he said. "Deng Chuan."

It was a workday, so Lao Deng was still wearing a white shirt and suit pants. He had kept his figure well, with no potbelly. His belt was buckled neatly, and he wore an expensive watch on his wrist, looking every bit the serious, professional man. But his gaze was heavy, and his expression had lost its usual playful grin, becoming somewhat forlorn.

The bright light from the supermarket shone in through the window, illuminating the expressions on both father and daughter's faces with exceptional clarity.

The two were silent for a moment. Then, Lao Deng raised his hand and patted his daughter's head, then her ear, then her cheek.

"Bring your girlfriend home for dinner before you go to Beijing."

He sounded a bit wistful, as if he had finally conceded. "From now on, we'll be family."

Deng Chuan's heart pounded violently at his words.

From Lao Deng's perspective, upon hearing his words, Deng Chuan's eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly broke into a wide, happy smile, then threw herself forward to hug him, chirping excitedly in his ear, "Thank you, Dad!"

Her warm breath tickled his ear, damp, like the sweat from a small hand held in his palm. Deng Chuan was like him; she had inherited his tendency to sweat easily. When she was little and they held hands for a long time, he would always trick her into blowing on his hand.

Sigh.

Lao Deng raised his hand and ruffled the back of his daughter's head. Her hair had grown long and was tied back. He quickly messed up the ponytail, just like when they used to joke around at home. "Alright, alright. Enough of that. You think you're still a kid? Hurry up and get out, I can't park here for long."

Deng Chuan nodded with pursed lips, then smiled sweetly, so sweetly that Lao Deng felt a little awkward and looked away. He realized he wanted to smile too, so he changed the subject. "Stop hugging me. Any more and your mom will get jealous."

Deng Chuan laughed and pulled away, then leaned over to give her mom's proffered cheek a lingering kiss. Before getting out of the car, she said, "I love you, Dad."

Lao Deng rolled his eyes. "Just go already."

Deng Chuan hopped out of the car and trotted toward the supermarket entrance, her happiness evident even just from her back.

She was tall and stood out in the crowd. Lao Deng watched until she had entered the supermarket before starting the car and driving away.

---

There was still no news from Deng Chuan.

Xu Wei had been on edge for half the evening. With her mind on Deng Chuan, she was distracted in everything she did, and her efficiency was extremely low. Finally, she gave up trying to do anything and just sat on the sofa with Juzi and Zhou Liu, projecting a movie to watch.

As luck would have it, the movie she found on Deng Chuan's cloud drive was a horror film. It was a teen campus horror film that gave no warning. The beginning was all peaceful and idyllic, and Xu Wei didn't notice anything amiss. Then, the plot gradually took a dark turn, and the soundtrack suddenly became terrifying. Xu Wei, who rarely got scared, was startled by a scream in the movie. The sudden tightening of her arms made Zhou Liu, who was in her lap, cry out.

Amidst the panic of Zhou Liu and Juzi, Xu Wei immediately turned off the damned movie, even resolving to make Deng Chuan delete all these horror films when she got back.

After turning off the movie, the apartment became quiet again, so quiet that Xu Wei's mind started to wander. Deng Chuan still hadn't sent her a message. Xu Wei felt a little dejected as she waited, comforting herself inwardly, How could it be that easy?

Coming out was a truly traumatic experience for her. Xu Wei was terrified of letting Deng Chuan repeat her mistakes. She had done this for her, and if Deng Chuan was really hurt because of it…

The pain and disappointment of the past rushed back like a tide. Xu Wei pinched Zhou Liu's ear and began to feel deep regret. She thought, I should have stopped Deng Chuan. She didn't actually care if their relationship was public or acknowledged by their families. Xu Wei just couldn't be without her kid. She didn't care about many things; she just wanted to be by her side.

And what kind of cold words and accusations would Deng Chuan have to face because of these things she didn't care about? Xu Wei knew full well, but she didn't want to think about it any further. The remorse made her heart feel incredibly heavy, sinking straight down, yet never hitting the bottom of the empty void.

Time ticked by, second by second. The apartment remained quiet, and her phone was quiet too, with no other messages.

Xu Wei's regret continued to build, gradually reaching its peak.

After an unknown amount of time, her phone chimed. She grabbed it, only to see a message from her advisor, sending her the schedule for P University's autumn entrance exams.

The smooth, bright future only highlighted Xu Wei's helplessness at that moment. Her thoughts were in a jumble. She stared at the open spreadsheet, but she was so dejected she just wanted to cry.

Tears welled up in her eyes, on the verge of falling, but Xu Wei clung to her last shred of rationality and forced them back. Zhou Liu and Juzi seemed to sense her distress and silently watched her restrained profile.

Just then, a sound came from the front door-the click of the lock turning. Xu Wei's head shot up. Without even stopping to put on shoes, she rushed toward the door.

She moved quickly, just like Deng Chuan had when she ran from the neighborhood gate toward her on the night she returned to the country.

Deng Chuan had just opened the door when she unexpectedly had to catch Xu Wei, who had thrown herself into her arms, with one hand. Her other hand was still holding a heavy bag of snacks and fruit from the supermarket.

Xu Wei clutched the corner of her shirt, pressing herself tightly against her, burying her head in her neck. Soon, the sound of soft sobs could be heard.

Deng Chuan was startled. She closed the door with her free hand, set the bag on the floor, and tried to cup Xu Wei's face. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Xu Wei's shoulders shook with sobs, but she stubbornly refused to let Deng Chuan see her face. After a brief standoff, Deng Chuan had no choice but to carry her to the sofa and sit down, soothingly rubbing her back.

After a while, Xu Wei finally looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her lips were pale from being bitten. Deng Chuan took a tissue to wipe her tears and asked again, "What's wrong?" She seemed to realize something. "Were you worried about me? It's fine. My family didn't scold me. My parents both agreed, and they even told me to bring you home for dinner in a few days."

She lowered her head, affectionately rubbing her nose against Xu Wei's tear-streaked cheek. "My dad even said we're family now."

Hearing this, Xu Wei finally spoke. Her voice was small and nasal. "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Deng Chuan held her tighter, tilting her head to kiss her cheek, her voice soft and coaxing. "You're really my wife now. Teacher Xu can't run away even if you want to. You can only be my wife."

Xu Wei felt like crying again, but this time she held it back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She said, "Delete all the horror movies from your cloud drive."

Xu Wei's voice was full of grievance. Deng Chuan said, "Ah?" and grabbed the tablet nearby. "You watched a horror movie from my cloud drive? I just saved them randomly, I haven't even watched them yet…" Seeing Xu Wei's expression, she quickly selected them all and deleted them. "Okay, they're deleted. I'm sorry. I won't watch them, I won't watch them. I'll never save horror movies again."

"Mm," Xu Wei said, wrapping her arms around her. In a tiny voice, she said, "I didn't hear you clearly just now. Say it again."

"Hm?"

Xu Wei's voice was barely a whisper. "Say it again."

"Wife…"

Deng Chuan's voice was laced with a smile. She held her, rocking her gently. "Did you hear it that time? Should I say it again?"

Before Xu Wei could answer, she called out again in a sweet, clingy voice.

Deng Chuan had thought Xu Wei would find her cheesiness cringey, but Xu Wei simply raised her hands, hooked them around her neck, leaned in, and bit her lip.

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