15. Wasn’t Chen Che supposed to be at school?
“Chen Ze?”
The middle-aged man let out a dry cough, his expression serious, but when he saw the blond-haired boy’s face clearly, he was momentarily stunned.
“Ah, it’s me.”
Chen Ze, unaware that he had been mistaken for the blond-haired boy, glanced at Xu Jiarou, who was nervously and awkwardly clutching a bouquet of flowers and glancing furtively, then looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.
“Uncle, did you just get off work?”
The man before him was in his forties or fifties, not very tall at just over 1.7 meters, and somewhat slender in build.
He was Xu Jiarou’s father.
Chen Ze had previously used tutoring as an excuse to freeload a few meals at the Xu household, so the two were naturally acquainted.
Xu Liping worked at a nearby police station; he was honest, steady, and upright, but when it came to his beloved daughter, he could unleash an entirely different kind of strength.
To put it simply:
To the public, he was calm and collected.
To the blond-haired boy, he was ready to draw his sword!
Though Xu Liping was experienced and capable in his job, he lacked ambition. A top graduate of the 1990s who entered public service, yet after all these years remained only a second-level supervisor.
He was simply unwilling to advance.
Unless there was an emergency, Xu Liping never wore a jacket home—just jeans, a blue shirt, and a briefcase.
“Yeah.”
As a father, Xu Liping did not put on a friendly face for Chen Ze, though he had been briefly delighted just now, a flicker of joy from an old acquaintance’s reunion.
But after that momentary surprise, recognizing that the blond-haired boy was indeed Chen Ze, his expression grew even more serious.
If he were any other blond-haired kid, it would be fine.
But Chen Ze was a bit tricky—sharp-witted and difficult to deal with. Most importantly, his wife seemed to have a good impression of this boy.
After all, he had tutored their daughter for three years in senior high school, which was almost like raising a child.
Xu Jiarou stepped to the side, lowering her head and turning away, seemingly shy and reluctant to come forward.
Xu Liping glanced at his daughter, then looked at the taller, handsomer Chen Ze with a grave expression.
“Aren’t you studying abroad?”
Chen Ze, who had been “kidnapped” from home before, chuckled cheerfully, standing at attention with a broad smile.
“Uncle, I’m just studying abroad, not changing nationality. Of course, I’ll serve the motherland once I finish my studies.”
“Uh.”
Xu Liping’s face stiffened upon hearing this; no one had asked him that.
Moreover…
“You just went abroad two years ago, right?”
“Yeah, I’m back for the summer vacation to contribute to the GDP,” Chen Ze said with a grin, then immediately gestured to the pile of gift boxes beside him.
“I heard from classmate Xu that you often work late, so I bought some supplements for your health. Not sure if you’ll like them.”
Seeing the gifts, Xu Liping bit back a question about what they had been doing earlier.
“Hmm, since you’re here, come upstairs and have some food.”
Xu Liping ignored the gifts, glanced at the crowd around, and strode directly toward the apartment building.
---
“Stop pretending, I saw you. Let’s go home first.”
“Got it, Dad…”
Watching Xu Liping’s vigorous pace and imposing figure ahead, Chen Ze sighed inwardly and followed along.
He didn’t even offer to help carry anything.
A polite word wouldn’t hurt.
They reached Xu Jiarou, who was almost pressed against a street lamp, her head down fiddling with something.
Chen Ze was about to speak but froze when he saw her use the flowers to hide something. Looking closer, he noticed a hand stealthily pulling a necklace caught at her collar.
The next second.
Xu Jiarou let out a quiet sigh of relief and raised her head. When their eyes met, time seemed to freeze.
Her cheeks flushed visibly, like a ripe apple. She opened her mouth to explain, but seeing Chen Ze’s innocent, surprised look, she angrily stomped her foot.
“Hey, why are you running away?”
Chen Ze looked at the father and daughter ahead and was truly speechless—just a necklace stuck in her chest, nothing to be shy about.
“Uh.”
Watching the girl trailing cautiously behind her father, blushing, Chen Ze’s frustration slowly faded.
He almost forgot he had been reborn. Xu Jiarou was exactly the traditional girl he had longed for. In contrast, he had changed, no longer the youthful boy he once was.
In his previous life, after being dumped by Li Yao, he emerged from the shadows, became cheerful, and dated many girlfriends.
He gradually developed the habit of not wasting good girls and not tolerating bad ones. But whether it was bad luck or his sensitivity about money, he never met a girl as sincere as he had been.
In the end, he grew tired of love. When in a good mood, he indulged in ambiguous relationships; when down, he would lie on a massage chair watching movies quietly.
Marriage? No thoughts. Nowadays, with affairs, spousal murders, or even conspiracies involving lovers, it was better to stay single.
Throwing himself into work, Chen Ze’s way of stealing moments of leisure was to become the very person he once detested—a man living only for himself.
Even when his aunt recommended blind dates, regardless of their values, the family had some official status—otherwise how could they confidently say: “Don’t regret this.”
But sorry, he wouldn’t indulge them; having a bad attitude was the least he could do for his aunt.
With all these experiences and reasons, he hadn’t dared to contact Xu Jiarou—not out of insecurity. Working was better than starting a business; before rebirth, he was doing okay, driving a CT6 and having made a down payment, comfortably middle class.
In the past, because of different experiences and long silence, he and Xu Jiarou had drifted apart, especially in their outlooks on life.
Even if they met, they wouldn’t know what to say.
Now…
“Ha.”
Standing still, dazed, Chen Ze noticed Xu Jiarou looking back at him continuously. He tightened his Nike shoes and hurried after her.
As the two entered the apartment building, Xu Liping stood still and stretched out his hand, his expression softening as he asked,
“When did you come back?”
“About ten days ago. The holidays in the US are earlier, and I had no job there, so I came back.”
Refusing Xu Liping’s help, Chen Ze easily carried the gift boxes as they climbed to the third floor.
Nervous, Xu Jiarou used a key to open the door. The moment the door swung open, Chen Ze felt a wave of comfort.
Xu Jiarou’s home remained as he remembered—unchanged, simple, and warm.
---
“Su Yun, look who’s here.”
Xu Liping called out as he entered. Zhang Su Yun was prepared but still pleasantly surprised to see Chen Ze.
“Chen Ze!”
Zhang Su Yun emerged from the kitchen, happily pushing up her glasses and wiping her hands as she walked over.
To be honest, with or without rebirth, this was the first time Chen Ze had visited Zhang Su Yun since graduation.
He had thought about it before, but in this city of Jinmen, he had no home, so he never came.
In Chen Ze’s heart, it had been six years since he last saw Zhang Su Yun. Setting down his things, he smiled and said,
“Teacher, long time no see.”
“Oh my, you’ve grown taller and look much more spirited.”
In an era full of energetic youngsters, Chen Ze chose the “cute boy” look—at least his hair was longer.
Chen Ze glanced at Xu Liping leaving, then looked again at Zhang Su Yun, who was no longer as stern as before, and said obediently,
“I originally wanted to visit you properly, but it happened to be my grandmother’s birthday. Sorry for the trouble, teacher.”
Xu Jiarou noticed her mother’s glance and quickly handed over the roses, distancing herself.
“Mom, these are from Chen Ze.”
Because they were pink roses, Zhang Su Yun had doubted for a moment, fearing the child would say, “We’re together,” but seeing it was Chen Ze’s gift to her, she was touched.
“Thank you, thank you. I’m so glad you came. Come, have a seat in the living room. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Ah.”
Zhang Su Yun was strict with her students, so Chen Ze was a little intimidated. He didn’t try too hard to be charming or polite; he simply turned toward the gifts and picked them up.
“Teacher, I heard from classmate Xu that you like shrimp, so I bought some. Keep it outside so it doesn’t spoil.”
He had chosen a premium box of shrimp, each piece plump and large. Gift-giving was becoming more sophisticated.
“Alright, give it to me. You’ve gone to trouble.”
While chatting and laughing, Chen Ze was led into the small living room by Xu Jiarou, but before they could sit, someone arrived.
“Who’s here?”
An elderly female voice sounded nearby. Chen Ze turned his head with a slight surprise.
In front of Xu Liping was a frail old woman, her steps unsteady, her gaze a little different from memory.
She was Xu Jiarou’s grandmother, an elderly lady with a faint Jiangxi accent, whom Chen Ze had met shortly after his first year of high school. After becoming widowed and alone, she was brought to live in Jinmen.
Chen Ze had a good relationship with her; in his memory, she was strong, sharp-eared and clear-eyed, and very kind.
He had even learned the dialect phrase “shrimp shrimp nei” from her—a cute old lady.
But now, only two years since graduation, though she was not skeletal, she had visibly thinned. Xu Jiarou had mentioned on WeChat that her grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer’s.
“Who is this? Whose child?”
“Grandma, this is Chen Ze.”
Xu Jiarou stepped forward to explain. The old woman looked confused, then scrutinized Chen Ze carefully and asked the person beside her,
“Didn’t Chen Ze go to school abroad?”