Chapter 76: Family Matters
"I'm heading back now~"
Chen Cheng waved goodbye to An Yuan, but just as she stepped onto the stairs, she was suddenly pulled back.
"What are you doing?"
Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Wait, what else could he possibly have to say now? He’s not going to…
"You've got something on your mouth. Do you have a napkin? Wipe it off."
"Huh? How did I end up with stuff all over my mouth..."
Realizing it a bit too late, Chen Cheng dug into her pocket, pulled out a pack of tissues, and wiped the sauce from the street food off her lips.
"Is it all gone?"
She tilted her head up to ask An Yuan. To make it easier for him to check, she even stood on tiptoe and leaned in closer.
Her rosy lips shimmered in the hallway light, her lip peaks slightly raised, her innocent and adorable face completely open, her peach-shaped eyes blinking and fluttering...it looked almost like she was asking to be kissed.
An Yuan stared for a second longer before using his thumb to brush away a bit of chili powder from her chin. "Yeah, it's all gone."
"Ah—"
Flustered, Chen Cheng quickly took a step back, wiped her mouth again with her sleeve, and turned to leave in a hurry. "Okay, I'm going now! I'm so full, I feel sleepy."
"Eat, sleep, repeat. Are you a pig?"
"You’re the pig!"
Chen Cheng shot him a glare before skipping up the stairs, light and bouncy like a carefree little girl.
She was in an amazing mood today!
At school, the homeroom teacher had praised her for doing well on the monthly exam and even gave her a candy as a reward. After school, she had wandered around the night market with An Yuan, eating until she was completely stuffed. And soon, she could go home and proudly show off her good grades to her mom.
She was always easy to please, just a little praise was enough. That’s why she used to love writing stories...
That thought made her glance down at her left hand. The warmth from An Yuan’s grip still seemed to linger, and she could almost recall the texture of his palm.
Her steps slowed as a soft blush crept onto her face.
"Such a weirdo… insisting on holding my hand."
"Could it be that An Yuan likes me?"
"But he literally said he sees me as one of the guys. That liar."
Even as she complained, she couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed walking around with him, hand in hand. It was embarrassing, sure, and made her nervous, but there was also a sweet, indescribable feeling, like being cared for, like being special.
She didn’t really want to say goodbye just yet.
They were supposed to be just friends. She was supposed to be focusing on senior year, not on romance. She had no plans to like anyone.
And yet, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him.
"What am I supposed to do about this~"
With that small teenage dilemma hanging over her head, she pushed open the door to her house.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw her father sitting on the couch.
He was back again.
Since he worked in the service industry, he only got two days off each month, and he always used them to visit her.
her father was good to her, but every time he came home, he and her mom ended up arguing, turning the house into chaos. So, honestly, she wasn’t too thrilled to see him.
"Dad! I got top five in my class for Chinese!"
She swiftly pulled out her test paper from her backpack and proudly slapped it onto the table in front of him.
"That’s great."
"Right?!"
She looked at him expectantly.
Well? Where’s the reward? It doesn’t have to be much, just a little cash bonus would be nice!
"What about your other subjects?" Her mom passed by the living room and casually asked.
Ugh, why bring that up?!
Chen Cheng pressed her lips together. "Well… just average… I got a little over 50 in English."
English had always been her weak point, she mostly guessed her way through exams. The only reason she even scored in the 50s was thanks to playing games on international servers back in the day.
"Your English got worse?" Her mom frowned, then suggested, "How about I sign you up for an English tutoring class? That way, you won’t just stay home playing games all day and ruin your eyesight."
Wait, what?!
The moment Chen Cheng heard that, she instinctively stepped back, looking horrified. "I don’t want to go to tutoring!"
"My friend knows a teacher from your school. I heard he’s pretty good." Ignoring her protest, her mom turned to discuss with her father. "She can try a couple of classes first, and if she likes it, we’ll pay."
her father looked up. "How much is it? Is the teacher really good?"
"Seems decent. My friend’s kid took his class and improved a lot."
"I already said I’m not going!"
Only then did her father glance at her, trying to reason with her gently. "You don’t have much to do on weekends anyway. Studying is better than playing on the computer all day."
"Exactly! Do you even know how bad your eyesight is now? It’s from staring at screens too much. We shouldn’t have bought you that computer. Back then, you promised only an hour a day, but now? No one can control you anymore…"
"......"
Just moments ago, Chen Cheng had been in such a good mood.
But now, that familiar feeling returned. The feeling of being completely ignored, of having decisions made for her without her input. She had been hoping for some praise, yet instead, she was being criticized and lectured. And somehow, everything always circled back to gaming and using her phone...
Like, hello?! She had been wearing glasses since second grade! Obviously, it was from reading!
But the moment she tried to argue, her mom would say, "I asked you before, didn’t I?"
Yeah, she asked, but did she ever listen if the answer was no?!
Her mood completely soured. Face darkening, she turned on her heel and stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her with a loud BANG.
Seeing her daughter throw a fit, her mom was stunned for a second before scowling. "All she ever cares about is playing on the computer. This is all your fault for spoiling her."
"Oh, so now it’s my fault? I’m barely home!"
"And you know you're barely home?"
"What, you expect me not to work? If I didn’t take this job in the provincial office, how would you two even survive?!"
Inside her room.
Chen Cheng slumped in front of her computer, listening to the voices outside grow louder as the argument escalated. She covered her ears with both hands.
Ugh, just get divorced already!
She never understood the point of marriage, why spend your whole life arguing over money and chores?
It’s so much better being single. You get to spend your own money, do whatever you want, no need to pay off a mortgage for 30 years, no worrying about cheating spouses, and definitely no rebellious, ungrateful child like her.
She flopped onto her desk, staring at the dark computer screen. Her own frustrated, pitiful face reflected back at her. Honestly, she looked kind of cute.
Her first instinct was to message An Yuan, but when she picked up her phone, she had no idea what to say.
Not like he could fix anything anyway.
With a sigh, she tossed her jacket aside, turned off the lights, and curled up under her blanket.
…Wait, why was she even thinking about An Yuan?!
She buried her face in the covers, scrolling on her phone while listening to the crashing sounds of objects being thrown outside. She should be used to this by now. Their fights never really affected her anymore.
But for some reason, this time, she felt a mix of frustration, sadness, and resentment. Her nose stung, and she scratched her head in frustration before suddenly throwing off her blanket and jumping out of bed.
Screw this! Before she reincarnated, she used to hide in her room and cry whenever her parents fought. Now that she had a second chance, was she really going to do the exact same thing?
What a waste of a fresh start!
"JUST GET DIVORCED ALREADY!"
"......"
The chaotic living room fell silent.
Her parents both froze, turning their heads toward her in shock.
They saw their daughter storming out, schoolbag in hand. She made a sharp turn, marched straight to the front door, and yanked it open.
"Where are you going?" her mom asked in a daze.
"To Auntie's house! Call me when you’re divorced!"