After hearing this, Qin Cheng felt like a fire was burning in his chest, raging but with nowhere to vent. He felt so stifled that he wished he could teleport to Chuan City, grab those two idiots who abused children, beat them up, and then send them to jail.
“What are you thinking about?” Jian Heng took the cigarette in his hand, replaced it with a piece of candy, and placed it on his lap. His tone was very calm, “Smoking is harmful to health.”
“I’m very healthy.” Qin Cheng frowned and looked at the sky.
Compared to Jian Heng, his childhood at six or seven years old was practically a paradise. He couldn’t even imagine how a seven-year-old child could survive such a dark life.
♪♫ Ride on my beloved little scooter~~~ It will never get stuck in traffic~~~ Dudu Dudu~~~♪♫
The phone rang at an inopportune time. The noise caused Qin Cheng’s already bad mood to crack instantly.
Qin Cheng picked up the phone, and the □□ flavor in his tone followed the signal and blew Tan Qi away: “What the hell are you doing?”
Tan Qi was confused: “What am I doing? What is Qin-ge scolding me for?”
Just as Qin Cheng was about to speak, Jian Heng’s hand tapped the candy on his lap. His heart relaxed and his tone softened a little: “I didn’t scold you. I scolded the ringtone. Is something wrong?”
“Ah, yes,” Tan Qi sighed. He was so wronged. “Today’s training has been canceled due to unexpected circumstances. The physical education teacher called on you just now and you two are not here. He let me inform you.”
“Got it.” Qin Cheng peeled off the candy, put it in his mouth, and said vaguely: “You go back first, I will go with Jian Heng.”
“Jian Heng, Jian Heng, Jian Heng…” Tan Qi muttered in a dissatisfied tone, “As soon as he comes, the word Tan Qi will no longer exist in your life dictionary. The world is so cold!”
“Deduct points for random use of idiom.” he joked. Qin Cheng suppressed the fire in his heart a little. “Go for a meal at the weekend. Your Ge’s treat.”
“Okay~” Tan Qi immediately put aside his past grudges and smiled flatteringly, “My Qin-ge, no, my Dad Qin is fierce!”
“Get lost.” Qin Cheng hung up the phone. His heart still feels stifled and uncomfortable.
“Weekend?” Jian Heng suddenly asked.
Qin Cheng tilted his head, a little unsure of how to talk to him. He suddenly admired Jian Heng.
As long as Jian Heng thinks about it, he can always take the most appropriate actions in various situations, and he will not be affected by his emotions. He is like a robot and makes people feel comfortable no matter what he does.
“Um,” Qin Cheng took a deep breath, peeled off the candy, and put it in his mouth. He tilted his head, “What do you want to eat? Let’s go together.”
“My friend is coming over this weekend,” Jian Heng looked at him, “Two of them.”
Qin Cheng paused. Friends?
Cheng Bin, Ah Ze?
Qin Cheng’s mind whirled with thoughts, his mouth activated before his brain: “Then together?”
Jian Heng raised his eyebrows: “Fine.”
Inviting two complete strangers. Moreover, it was someone he felt inexplicably hostile to for a meal together; something Qin Cheng had not anticipated.
But decisions once made were like water poured out; once he invited them, he had to be well prepared.
***
In the small, rundown city of Jinhua, there weren’t many restaurants that could catch the attention of the young masters of a big city like Chuan City, but Shang Ledao1商樂道 (shāng lè dào): 商 (shāng) means trade; commerce; business; businessman; dealer; trader; merchant; (mathematics) quotient; (music) the second note in the Chinese pentatonic scale; to discuss; to consult. 樂道 (lè dào) means to delight in talking about; to discuss enthusiastically; to find pleasure in following one’s convictions; derived from idiom 津津樂道 (jīn jīn lè dào), to take delight in talking about; to discuss enthusiastically; to love to talk about; talk with great relish; talking non-stop with great interest. could be considered as one.
The owner is a musician, and the wife is a chef. The two hit it off and opened a high-end restaurant in a small place. It is deeply loved by everyone from Jinhua celebrities and gentry down to the pretentious young people.
Generally, for Qin Cheng, the highest standard for inviting guests for a meal is just two cases of beer and grilled skewers at a street stall.
The reason he came here this time was partly due to the bonus he received. A few days ago, he took his mother to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said she was recovering well and could reduce her medication. On the other hand, after hearing about Jian Heng’s childhood, he always wanted to do something nice for this person.
Otherwise, he would feel stifled, always wanting to buy things for Jian Heng and share any good things with him.
Tan Qi was upset when he saw him in this state: “Qi-ge, can’t you stop this? Just an ice cream stick. Jian Heng’s pair of shoes is enough to buy seven or eight refrigerators. Can’t he afford to eat? Stop thinking about him all the time, people who didn’t know any better might think you’ve fallen in love with him.”
Qin Cheng had nothing to say.
Because he still had to tell Tan Qi that Qin-ge, who was diligent and thrifty, and had never taken him to a fancy restaurant before, was taking him to Shang Ledao now——because Jian Heng’s classmate was coming.
The sunlight on Sunday was a bit strong, and it made the bonsai at the entrance of the hotel wilt.
Qin Cheng stood in the shadows, looking at Tan Qi, who had turned himself into a refined boy and was standing at the door with a sour face. He couldn’t help but laugh, “Bro, next time I’ll bring you here alone.”
Tan Qi snorted fiercely: “Grandpa doesn’t care!”
Qin Cheng ruffled his dog hair and comforted him: “The keyboard you liked last time, I’ll buy it for you.”
“Get lost,” Tan Qi swatted his hand away and raised his middle finger, “You just entered your second spring and forgot about me, this old chaff2糟糠 (zāo kāng): distiller’s grains and grain husk; chaff and bran; foodstuffs for the poor; frugal meals; wine dregs, rice bran, and other poor food used by the poor to satisfy their hunger; (figurative) Short for 糟糠之妻 (zāo kāng zhī qī), wife who has shared her husband’s hard lot; wife who goes through the hardships of poverty with her husband; a wife who has gone through adversity together.!”
Qin Cheng didn’t say anything, just standing there happily.
He informed Tan Qi on the phone. At that time, Tan Qi’s roar broke through the dimension and hit his skull directly, and he complained desperately and hoarsely for nearly two hours.
“Qin Cheng, Qin Cheng, even if this guy hadn’t been hanging out with you for eighteen years, we had at least hang out for seventeen years! Back then, even our open-crotch pants3開裆褲 (kāi dāng kù): Open-crotch pants, also known as open-crotch trousers or split pants, are worn by toddlers throughout mainland China. Often made of thick fabric, they are designed with either an unsewn seam over the buttocks and crotch or a hole over the central buttocks. Both allow children to urinate and defecate without the pants being lowered. were couple style… how could you fucking do this to me!!!!”
“Qin Cheng, you have no fucking conscience!”
“Other than height, face, body, intelligence, and family background, what aspect do I, Tan Qi, not measure up to Jian Heng??”
Qin Cheng: “What else is left?”
Tan Qi: “Shut up!!!”
***
TRAIN STATION.
Jian Heng stood at the exit gate with a phone in hand: “There is no distinction between east and west, there is only one road. Just go straight and you will be able to get out.”
The two boys who came out from the corner were both quite tall. One had the same buzz cut as Jian Heng, and the other had hair that was so long that it went over his ears, dyed silver-gray, and wore a baseball cap in reverse.
“Heng’er!” The one with long hair looked up and saw him. He waved his hand and shouted.
Jian Heng raised his hand.
“It’s been a long time,” Shao Ze came over and hugged him, smiling and saying, “You haven’t lost any weight!”
Cheng Bin took off his hat and was about to put it on Jian Heng’s head. His handsome and flamboyant face smiled so hard that his eyes couldn’t even be seen: “Limited edition. This Bro has been keeping it for you.”
Jian Heng blocked him. There was a smile in his eyes: “Keep it for yourself.”
“It’s flashy,” Shao Ze shook his head helplessly, “I’ll lose if he can wear it.”
In the taxi, Jian Heng sat in the passenger seat, while the two people sat in the back.
Cheng Bin pokes his head out curiously and taps him on the shoulder: “Hey, Ze’er said you’re seeing someone? What kind? Sweet A?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Shao Ze tilted his head to look at him, “When did I say he was seeing someone? I just guessed.”
“You’re a dead accurate fortune teller,” Cheng Bin pointed at him, then turned around and continued to ask, “Heng’er, tell us the truth, are you treating us to this?”
Jian Heng laughed but said nothing.
Cheng Bin paused for two seconds, clapped his hands suddenly, and smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed again: “It’s done! No denial is an admission! Are you still chasing? Speak up and we will give you some advice.”
Shao Ze also looked over curiously.
“Not together,” Jian Heng looked out the window, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted, “he’s straight.”
“Straight?” Cheng Bin blinked, “Straight is even harder to come by!”
Jian Heng raised an eyebrow.
“You just think,” Cheng Bin was even more excited than if he had found a partner himself, “He doesn’t even want to sleep with you, yet he treats you so well! Living with you every day and even helping you, a clean freak, clean the house! The true love between heaven and earth! I’m almost moved to tears!”
“Then you cry,” Jian Heng glanced at the messages on his phone, “If you can’t cry, don’t eat.”
Cheng Bin: “…Why do I feel like my position is in jeopardy before I even meet my sister-in-law?”
Shao Ze patted him on the shoulder, “You got it right.”
***
Qin Cheng’s first glance fell on Cheng Bin’s face. His flamboyant appearance was far more powerful than Jian Heng’s ear studs back then.
Qin-ge couldn’t stand this. Effeminate man4娘們唧唧 (niáng men jī jī): lit. sissy chirping; unmanly and whining like a woman; no manliness, just like a woman; a very aggressive and colloquial sentence, refers to feminine men, which can be understood as men who are like women..
Shao Ze extends his hand with no expression on his face: “Shao Ze.”
Qin Cheng subconsciously glanced at Jian Heng. They both had crew cuts, both had a tanned complexion, and both belonged to the cool type, but Jian Heng gave him a colder, cooler, more awesome, and more handsome feeling.
After spending time together, he no longer felt anything special when looking at this type of cool guy.
Those who couldn’t keep up with Jian Heng were just passersby.
Qin-ge, a straight man who didn’t realize at all that he was a face dog5顏狗 (yán gǒu): (Internet slang) someone who treats good-looking people especially well. Similar, but not quite the same as face-con [顔控 (yán kòng)], (neologism) one who is “appearance-obsessed”; “face-judger”; face control. towards an Alpha, shook Shao Ze’s hand. The corner of his mouth curled up, and greeted him in a friendly manner: “Qin Cheng.”
Cheng Bin opened his arms and hugged him with great enthusiasm: “Sister-in- ah, no, Cheng’er! Jian Heng’s brother is my brother. In the future, if you go to Chuan City, just report my name, Cheng Bin.”
It turns out that this person’s surname is Cheng, not his given name.
“Report your name? Will there be a discount on the pancakes and fruits?” Jian Heng pulled his hand away and looked at Qin Cheng, “Eat?”
Qin Cheng nodded: “Let’s go, Qi’er is waiting inside.”
When they entered, Cheng Bin and Shao Ze walked behind, while Jian Heng naturally walked side by side with Qin Cheng in front.
In Qin Cheng’s peripheral vision, Jian Heng’s arm was very close to his, occasionally brushing against him, leaving an indistinct warmth.
A restaurant with a large crowd and a noisy atmosphere, this feeling is very strange. He felt so warm in his heart, and he couldn’t tell what was filling it.
Hidden and gentle.
Qin Cheng didn’t have time to think about it and went up to the private room on the second floor. Tan Qi was standing at the door chatting with the waitress. The spring breeze on his face told him that the progress was gratifying.
“Qi’er.” Qin Cheng called out to him.
Tan Qi said goodbye to the waitress and looked back.
Apart from Qin-ge, Tan Qi had only been intimidated by Jian Heng. Tan Qi’s words came out as soon as he opened his mouth. As he spoke, he stretched out his hand: “Qin Cheng’s brother, Tan Qi.”
Cheng Bin and Shao Ze shook hands with him one by one. The atmosphere was incredibly formal.
Qin Cheng pulled Tan Qi, Jian Heng stopped the two of them, and they walked inside together.
As they went in, Qin Cheng discreetly said to Jian Heng: “It feels like I’m hosting a United Nations meeting with all these handshakes.”
Jian Heng chuckled lightly and said nothing.
Qin Cheng loved to hear him laugh. His deep tone followed his ears and played in his head several times. It sounded so good that he wanted to laugh too.
After all, they were not familiar with Qin Cheng. Moreover, he were still their ‘sister-in-law’ in reserve, so Cheng Bin and Shao Ze were also too embarrassed to order too much.
In the end, Qin Cheng personally held up the menu and added a lot of dishes. During the meal, he considerately asked Tan Qi several times, ‘Is this okay?’ and ‘Do you like to eat that one?’ which made the ‘Old chaff’ quite satisfied.
At the dining table, Cheng Bin kept reminiscing about the past with Jian Heng. This was a person who could really liven up the atmosphere. Talking non-stop from east to west, north to south.
After three rounds of drinking, he couldn’t control himself anymore and kept chattering. At this moment, he was holding Tan Qi’s hand and said: “Are your Cheng’er like this too? Anyway, our Heng’er just keeps everything to himself. Always need to rely on our divine fortune tellers to guess it!”
Tan Qi was drunk after drinking a glass of alcohol. When he heard this, he became excited on the spot. He held Cheng Bin’s hand and loudly agreed: “Yes, they are all the same… fuckers! They fucking do everything by themselves… hold on! No matter how much you ask, they won’t tell!”
Cheng Bin’s eyes were red, his eyes swept between Jian Heng and Qin Cheng twice, he sniffed and said: “Fortunately!”
Tan Qi didn’t know what was going on and kept nodding along: “Fortunately!”
Qin Cheng was very happy to see it. He touched Jian Heng with his arm and whispered: “Let’s make these two a pair, a pair of two!”
Jian Heng pushed the cup filled with juice in front of him, took away the glass of baijiu6白酒 (bái jiǔ): lit. white (clear) liquor; baijiu (distilled liquor), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Because of its clarity, baijiu can appear similar to several other East Asian liquors, e.g. Japanese shōchū (25%) or Korean soju (20–45%), but it often has a significantly higher alcohol content (35–60%). 
, and also lowered his voice: “Let’s do it.”
The author has something to say:
The author took a sip of tea, stretched out a hand from under the quilt, and made a heart gesture with his paws: Enter V, second update!
LMAO, QC’s ringtone is simply a mood-killer.
So… it’s confirmed that JH always likes Alpha?
List of Idiom in Chapter 24
橫沖直撞 (héng chōng zhí zhuàng): to push one’s way by shoving or bumping; to barge about; on the rampage; dash around madly; rip and tear go on the rampage; jostle and elbow one’s way; rushing in at will without any scruples.不合時宜 (bù hé shí yí): untimely; premature; inopportune; ill-timed; out of fashion; behind the times; Not suitable for the needs of the times; Also refers to unconventional customs.
世態炎涼 (shì tài yán liáng): people are friendly or unfriendly, depending on whether one is successful or not; the hypocrisy of the world; the fickleness of the world; fickleness/inconsistency of human relationships; people are warm or cold, depending on whether one is successful or not; snobbish ways of the world; some people flatter others when they gain power, but are very indifferent when others lose power.
插科打諢 (chā kē dǎ hùn): lit. (of an actor of traditional Chinese opera) to make people laugh through actions and jokes (during a performance); to jest; to joke; to tell a joke; to crack jokes and play the fool; to wisecrack; to include impromptu comic material in opera performance (idiom); buffoonery; (of Chinese opera) make impromptu comic gestures and remarks; insert comic remarks; refers to the laughter-inducing actions or words that opera and folk art actors insert into their performances. Now it generally refers to joking and amusing.
不計前嫌 (bù jì qián xián): to not fuss over former grudges; disregard the past grudges; forgive and forget; don’t care about past grievances.
一拍即合 (yī pāi jí hé): lit. to be together from the first beat (idiom); (of two parties) to hit it off immediately; things fit together at one go; to click together; to chime in easily; fit in readily; to catch up with the rhythm of the music in just one beat; it means that the two parties can easily agree, or they can talk together or combine together because of similar feelings or interests.
無話可說 (wú huà kě shuō): to have nothing to say (idiom); to be wordless; can’t say anything more; to have no other opinion; to agree; to have great resentment for unacceptable actions.
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