Don't be So Proud

Chapter 12.5 — The Peach Is Ripe (5)

Shen Jian Gou carried on, “You are you, your parents are your parents. But the thing is, in the future, Xi Xi for sure will have to face your parents. Islet in the River, can you understand my concerns?”

Calmly, He Zhi Zhou leaned against the headboard. How could he not understand Shen Jian Guo’s concerns? It was just that, all these years, he had always acted according to the principle that “his parents were his parents, he was himself.”

The mind and its influence are very powerful things. Even when it came to the big life event of marriage, he still felt that it was his own matter. But reality is never that ideal.

His family was a very important factor, and it could also possibly become a factor that would come into play when the people of the Shen family were considering whether Shen Xi would have a happy life.

He Zhi Zhou did not speak.

Shen Jian Guo did not want to carry out this unpleasant topic either, so he blithely patted He Zhi Zhou on the shoulder. “Let’s sleep. As long as in the future you are not disloyal to her and sincerely and genuinely treat Xi XI well, I am willing to place her care into your hands.”

He Zhi Zhou: “Thank you.”

Shen Jian Guo pressed his lips together. “No need to thank me.” Islet in the River’s thanks pained him.

In his lifetime, He Zhi Zhou had not said thanks to many people. He would never trouble other people, and even more so would never plead to anyone. But this time, he genuinely was grateful to Shen Jian Guo, was grateful for his trust in him that he would hand Shen Xi over to him.

Turning over in bed, Shen Jian Guo added, “Anyway, if you aren’t able to carry through on it, I can still break your legs.”

He Zhi Zhou did not say anything and simply stretched out his hand and turned off the light.

Shen Jian Guo closed his eyes, but feeling that the air-conditioning was set too cold, he told He Zhi Zhou to adjust the temperature a little higher. After a while, he thought of something, and displeasedly, he asked, “When the two of you sleep, is the temperature always set so low?”

The two of you… There was a trap in Shen Jian Guo’s words. He Zhi Zhou did not jump into it and only answered placidly, “I’m guessing the temperature’s a few degrees higher on Shen Xi’s side.”

Muttering a couple of sentences under his breath, Shen Jian Guo gave He Zhi Zhou a kick to vent his anger. He did not trust at all that this young, hot-blooded man, He Zhi Zhou, could control himself around his daughter who was beautiful as a flower and gorgeous as jade.

After taking that kick, He Zhi Zhou practically did not sleep in the latter half of the night. As he thought about his parents in the United States, who were separated, his emotions were already rather indifferent, without any stirring in them.

What does the word “parents” mean? As a three-year-old, his understanding was that they were the most important people in the world.

As a six-year-old, he already knew that not every child is the product of love between his parents, and there are many families in the world who are not loving and kind to one another.

As a teenager, he understood that he was an individual, and he walked—alone—through those most rebellious years of a person’s life. Those days had seemed to carry a type of mouldy dampness to them, like they were that cigarette pack that had been left in his bag for too long.

When had he learned to smoke? When he was smoking most viciously, he could consume a pack a day. In high school, he had switched schools twice, and to date, he could barely remember a few classmates’ names.

When they were taking graduation photographs, a girl standing in front of him had turned around and talked to him—but he did not even know what her name was.

……

He Zhi Zhou wanted to tell Shen Jian Guo, he absolutely would love Shen Xi and would take care of her, cherish her, and stay with her. It had not been easy for just this one person to appear in his life, been such a difficult thing for Heaven to at last grant him this little bit of fate with someone special. To him, Shen Xi was not simply the girl whom he liked, she was the only girl he liked.

The next day, Shen Jian Guo ate the breakfast made by his future son-in-law, and then Shen Xi saw him to the downstairs of the building.

Shen Jian Guo’s car was parked in the underground garage of the plaza up ahead. Slipping her arm through her father’s, Shen Xi walked with him for a long way. It had rained last night. The road surface was wet, but the air was refreshing.

“You’re not allowed to do sales promotions at the supermarket anymore,” Shen Jian Guo once more ordered her. Before getting into his vehicle, he pulled out a card from his wallet. This was the secondary card on his account. Before, Shen Xi had badgered him to let her have it, but he would not give it to her. All along, he had wanted to help his daughter have a rich and abounding and confident soul, but had also been worried that she would take on the bad habits of money-worshipping and being wasteful.

Shen Xi did not take Shen Jian Guo’s secondary card. “Dad, I’m not lacking money.”

Shen JIan Guo’s tone displayed an ill mood. “If you’re not lacking money, why would you go be a sales promoter?”

“Because I wanted to experience life and its realities.”

Shen Jian Guo did not believe her. “So what did you get out of your experience?”

Shen Xi really had had some stirrings inside her about this. “It’s not easy earning money. From now on, I’m definitely not going to be extravagant and wasteful. Dad, it’s been hard work for you all these years.”

“……” For a long time, no words would come forth from Shen Jian Guo. He was someone who cried easily, and just these few words from Shen Xi warmed his heart so much he wanted to shed tears. In the end, he put on a stern face. “Of course money should be spent, and what’s more, you should feel good and content when you do spend it. As long as you don’t take your money to do bad things, then that money spent was worthwhile.”

Shen Xi was thinking, she was grown up already but was still being lectured like she was a child. However, her heart felt warmed and happy from the lecturing. He Zhi Zhou had said similar words to her before; for instance, “Spending money is a redistribution of society’s resources. It’s not anything bad.”

Did love help people understand how to be considerate of others? She was beginning to sympathize with her dad and He Zhi Zhou.

Shen Xi urged the rambling Shen Jian Guo into the car. However, as she was about to shut the door, He Zhi Zhou came over. In his hands, he was even carrying several bags of gifts and also two roast ducks.

Shen Xi was astonished. She had thought that He Zhi Zhou was heading to work when he left this morning, but it turned out he was so thoughtful, with such good etiquette.

Shen Jian Guo was also shocked. Getting out from the car, he hesitantly took those things that He Zhi Zhou handed to him. “How… did you know that I like roast duck?”

He Zhi Zhou walked over to Shen Xi’s side. “Shen Xi made a point to tell me to do this.”

Shen Xi blinked. When had she told him to do this?

Regardless, Shen Jian Guo jubilantly went on his way, returning home after a rewarding trip with his bags full.

Shen Xi sat on He Zhi Zhou’s bicycle and headed back to the apartment. Hugging his waist, she sighed feelingly, “So it turns out you left to go buy gifts. Big Brother He, I didn’t even know before that you know how to conduct yourself so well and do the proper things when you interact with people.”

Riding his bicycle, He Zhi Zhou passed through the alleyways. Now that they had seen his father-in-law off, his voice was cheery, like it was bathed in a pleasant spring breeze. “I stole your dad’s dearest daughter, the apple of his eye, from him. If I still don’t know how to properly conduct myself, wouldn’t that mean your dad would be even more heartbroken?”

Shen Xi snugged herself against He Zhi Zhou’s back. “Big Brother He, thank you.”

He Zhi Zhou’s lips curled upwards. “Just putting myself in his shoes.”

Shen Xi: “What do you mean, putting yourself in his shoes?”

He Zhi Zhou was a little too embarrassed to answer. After some time passed, he finally said, “I’ll become a father-in-law in the future, too, right?”

Oh, so that’s what “putting myself in his shoes” meant.

The sky had cleared now after the rain. A light breeze tickled through the alleyway. The faint sunshine over their heads was still hazy. Though He Zhi Zhou had said such touching words, Shen Xi decided she was going to be haughty. “I don’t want to be a mother-in-law. Mother-in-laws are too old.”

A chuckle slipped out from He Zhi Zhou. With a step on his pedal, they rode away into the distance.

The results of the CET-4 examination were out.

Chen Han was the first to display her CET-4 score report on Weibo, as well as a photograph of a luxury brand item. What’s more, the words that accompanied these were flaunting her happy love relationship, to the point that people’s hairs stood up on end in rage.

Scored higher than expected, by more than 100 points. The necklace is a reward from my sweetheart. Originally, the reward was supposed to be a vacation abroad somewhere, but me, the picky one who’s worried about things being troublesome, decided not to take that. *secret smile secret smile secret smile*

Such a good flaunt with good info in it.

Her mobile phone in hand, Shen Xi decisively clicked “unfollow.” It was fine to flaunt that luxury good that she got, but flaunting her CET-4 score report was not worthy of forgiveness! And then, when she was unfollowing Chen Han, she discovered that Chen Han had already unfollowed her long ago.

Shen Xi: “……”

Xia Wei Ye did not pass her CET-4. She called Shen Xi of her own initiative, first asking Shen Xi whether she had passed and then probing with a couple of sentences. “Shen Xi, do you know who Chen Han’s dating?”

Shen Xi was not a gossiper. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, she threw back a question at Chen Han. “Aren’t you and Chen Han good friends? If someone’s to know, it should be you first.”

Xia Wei Ye was so maddened by these words she could not even speak, and after humph-ing for a long moment, she simply hung up.

Dou Dou did not pass either, missing the passing grade by only three marks. Over the phone, Shen Xi gently soothed her for a while, until Dou Dou sorrowfully expressed, “A’Xi, right now, the only thing that can comfort me is if you don’t pass, too. Anything else is just hogwash to me… Are you going to look up your mark or not?”

Shen Xi was resolute that she was not going to check yet. “I need to wait for that Great God of mine to come back, and then we’ll look together.”

Dou Dou admitted defeat to this and just gave up.

Shen Xi genuinely was too nervous to check. Several times she had logged on to the webpage but then exited right out of it. That’s right. Her little heart was just that frail. The CET-4 exam was that unbearable weight in her life.

During last time’s CET-4 results posting, she had also had Lin Yu Tang check for her. She still remembered that rueful look on Lin Yu Tang’s face when he looked up the score. “Xi Xi, I’ll go with you tomorrow to buy a set of past exam questions.”

Sob sob… She had done past exam questions to the point she was scared of them. Begging to pass!

Giving He Zhi Zhou a call, she meekly reminded him, “Big Brother He, we can look up CET-4 scores now.”

He Zhi Zhou very quickly comprehended Shen Xi’s meaning behind this phone call. “Just wait a bit. I’ll check for you.”

Shen Xi tugged at her own fingers. “If I pass, call me. If not, then forget it.”

He Zhi Zhou promised he would.

Shen Xi sat on the sofa, waiting. The result, though, was that after waiting for a long time, she still did not get a call from He Zhi Zhou. Understanding what that meant, she crawled onto the bed to sleep. She did not want to say a thing; she wanted only to curl up in her blankets and heal her wound.

He Zhi Zhou was at the office when he checked Shen Xi’s CET-4 score for her. His computer was in the middle of verifying some code, so he borrowed the computer of a male colleague in the same team as him. After logging into the webpage where grades could be checked and inputting all of Shen Xi’s relevant information, the computer jumped straight to the page with the marks.

A score of 436 [passing grade is 425]. So-so. The scores for the later test sections were agonizing to even look at. He Zhi Zhou frowned.

His male colleague moseyed closer for a look. “God He, who are you checking for?”

“My girlfriend.”

That male colleague took a glance. “God He’s girlfriend is the ace-student type, too, eh.”

He Zhi Zhou flicked a look at the male colleague. Aren’t you being just a bit too fake?!

On the way back from work, He Zhi Zhou bought some English learning materials from a Xinhua Bookstore and then returned to the apartment. He opened the door. The living room was quiet.

He went to the bedroom to look for her. There, he saw a brokenhearted person lying on the bed.

Pulling her into his arms, he felt her forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

Feebly, Shen Xi shook her head. “No…”

He Zhi Zhou bumped his hand against her cheek. “Then what’s wrong?”

Shen Xi was in such a sad state. “I didn’t pass my CET-4…”

He Zhi Zhou patted her on the head. “It seems you really are sad.”

Shen Xi carried on being feeble.

With an upward turn to his lips, He Zhi Zhou told her, “I bought a past exam paper for you.”

Shen Xi’s personality belonged to the type that, the more she suffered setbacks, the tougher she became. She had just taken a blow, so now her motivation to study was quite high. She promised He Zhi Zhou, “From now on, I’ll diligently work on practice exam papers and won’t just ‘go fishing for three days and then dry the net for another two days’ [lacking perseverance].”

“Be good. Good look over the practice exam now. I put it in the living room.”

Shen Xi shuffled into the living room in her slippers, making a scuffing sound as she went, and looked for the practice exam paper. He Zhi Zhou had set the exam on the sofa, and beside that practice paper, there were even several study books. She was in no mood to pick up the paper. Her eyes blinked. Why was it a past exam paper for the CET-6? [CET-6 can only be taken after passing CET-4.]

He Zhi Zhou strolled leisurely out of the bedroom.

Shen Xi comprehended. He Zhi Zhou, you baddie! Putting down the practice exam, she dashed toward He Zhi Zhou. He Zhi Zhou grabbed her and then picked her up in his arms.

The emotional fluctuation Shen Xi experienced had been too great, and very easily, tears spilled down. She slapped her hand against He Zhi Zhou. “You deliberately tricked me.”

He Zhi Zhou truly had not expected Shen Xi would cry. Encircling her in his embrace, he sat down on the sofa and handed for her to see the score distribution report that he had retrieved when he was in the office. “Look at the scores in the later sections.”

Marks of 45, 36, 25…

Even Shen Xi herself felt sheepish. She really needed to thank He Zhi Zhou for his performance in the earlier listening and writing sections. Voluntarily, she placed a peck on He Zhi Zhou’s lips. “He Zhi Zhou, thank you!”

He Zhi Zhou gave a lift of his brow, completely emitting the airs of a Great God.

Shen Xi felt, at a time such as this, there was no need to differentiate between “you” and “me.” After all, the CET-4 score had been earned by the both of them together. And so, how she addressed He Zhi Zhou should be a little closer and dearer; for example…

“Hubby, thank you…”

Hubby… He Zhi Zhou placed his palm on Shen Xi’s head. Finally, he pulled her ino the circle of his arms and gently put forth a question. “Xi Xi, do you know what extent the relationship between a man and a woman has to develop to before you can call him ‘Hubby’?”

Purposely not stating the answer, Shen Xi said, “I don’t know. Do you?”

He Zhi Zhou: “… I don’t know, either.”

In the evening, He Zhi Zhou was showering in the bathroom, and the sound of flowing water echoed out. Shen Xi was sprawled on the desk, memorizing the vocabulary words He Zhi Zhou had highlighted. He Zhi Zhou had given her a round of encouragement, and now she was teeming with positive energy.

The mobile phone that He Zhi Zhou had left on the bed rang. Prancing adorably over to the bathroom door, Shen Xi asked, “He Zhi Zhou, may I answer your phone?”

He zhi Zhou was in the middle of his shower. “Go ahead.”

Shen Xi glanced at the name displayed on the mobile phone’s screen: Zhong Jing Yue. Walking out onto the balcony, she answered the call.

Mini Side Story 1: He Zhi Zhou and Shen Xi’s First Interaction

Actually, when He Zhi Zhou was in first-year university, he had already interacted once with Shen Xi, but it was on the phone.

Shen Xi called the telephone in dorm room 921. There was no one in the room apart from He Zhi Zhou.

He Zhi Zhou was taking his afternoon nap and had not been planning on answering.

The person making the call, though, just had to be extremely persistent and dialed back several times in a row. In an extremely bad mood, he got out of bed and answered the phone.

“Is Tang Tang there?” It was a girl’s voice inside the phone.

He Zhi Zhou: “Sorry, there’s no ‘Tang Tang’ [糖糖, which means ‘candy’ and would be a girl’s name] here.”

Shen Xi modified what she had said. “It’s Lin Yu Tang.”

He Zhi Zhou shivered from the nauseating sappiness. “He’s not here.”

Shen Xi was a little disappointed. “Kind big brother, Tang Tang’s mobile is shut off. When he gets back, could you have him return my call?”

He Zhi Zhou did not want to agree to her request.

Inside the phone, Shen Xi expressed her gratitude. “Thank you, kind big brother. Bye, big brother.”

He Zhi Zhou stated icily, “I don’t have a little sister.”

Shen Xi was someone with a temper, too. “Goodbye!”

After several minutes, He Zhi Zhou dialed her back. “What’s your name?!”

Shen Xi: “……”

He Zhi Zhou coolly reminded her, “If you don’t tell me your name, how can I pass your message on for you?”

Aaaaaaaah! God He, you can’t be so mean to your future girlfriend!!

Mini Side Story 2:

One day, Shen Xi was on the phone with a female friend.

“Oh god, 18 centimetres? Were you able to handle it?”

Dou Dou: “It was bearable. It’s just that it hurt a little.”

Shen Xi was embarrassed. “I actually want to try, too, but mine is only 8 centimetres.”

“How can 8 centimetres be enough?”

Shen Xi: “Can’t help it. I’m afraid of pain, too. I’ll take what I have and get by.”

Outside, He Zhi Zhou, who had unintentionally overheard this conversation, was furious! How was he only 8 centimetres? It wasn’t like Shen Xi didn’t know!!!! He pushed open the door. Shen Xi was holding her mobile phone with one hand while the other one held a pair of high heels.