587: Chapter 587 Just Eating Isn't Enough

At the moment of skin contact, Zhong Xiaoqin suddenly trembled and looked at Chen Cheng nervously.

Seeing his expression was as usual, she realized she had overthought it; he had no intention of taking advantage of her at all.

"Will I get your car dirty?" Chen Cheng opened the passenger door, but Zhong Xiaoqin froze.

"Oh, why are you being so dramatic?" Chen Cheng grumbled and directly stuffed her into the car.

Zhong Xiaoqin's face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

Chen Cheng ignored her, walked around to close the umbrella, and got into the car.

After tossing the umbrella into the back seat, he reached out and adjusted the air conditioning.

"Are you cold?"

"No... mm~" Zhong Xiaoqin was about to say she wasn't cold when she shivered.

Chen Cheng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Giggle, giggle~"

This little sister was too cute.

Zhong Xiaoqin's face immediately fell, and she stared at Chen Cheng huffily.

Chen Cheng stopped teasing her and handed her some tissues from the armrest box. "There are no towels in the car, so just make do with these for now."

"Thank you~" Zhong Xiaoqin breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"You're all wet..." Seeing her relax, Chen Cheng began to ask the main question.

"Were you stood up on a date?"

“...”

Zhong Xiaoqin immediately fell into silence.

Chen Cheng didn't disturb her thoughts; he lowered the volume of the paused music and pressed play again.

He asked softly, "Should I take you home or somewhere else?"

"Wooo~"

Zhong Xiaoqin suddenly couldn't hold it back anymore and started crying out loud.

Earlier in the rain, it was hard to distinguish between raindrops and tears.

At this, Chen Cheng also pulled back all his smiles.

After some time, Zhong Xiaoqin's sobbing gradually subsided.

*Sniffle*

While wiping her tears and nose, Zhong Xiaoqin asked Chen Cheng a question.

"Tell me, why do people get married?"

"Uh," Chen Cheng was at a loss for words. He had never been married, so how would he know?

After thinking for a moment, he said tentatively, "Well, is it possible that humans don't necessarily have to get married?"

"Phew~" Zhong Xiaoqin let out a long breath. "Yeah, no one is a must."

Chen Cheng's lips curled slightly. "Had a fight with your husband?"

Zhong Xiaoqin's eyes were vacant. "Haven't even had the chance to fight yet."

"He stood you up?"

Zhong Xiaoqin nodded gently. "Yeah~"

Once the floodgates were opened, Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't help but start complaining about Chen the Fish-Rearer.

"It's not the first time. He doesn't answer calls or reply to WeChat messages."

"He always uses the special nature of his work as an excuse."

"But before, when he was even busier, he would reply as soon as possible even if he missed a message."

"I don't even know when it started, but there's no more small talk on the phone, and no more emojis in our chats."

"Every conversation ends within three rounds and five words."

“...”

Chen Cheng didn't interrupt, listening quietly.

Gradually, Zhong Xiaoqin's emotions began to calm down.

Chen Cheng glanced at the phone with a cracked screen clutched in her hand and raised an eyebrow. "Is it because your phone is broken that you didn't call a cab?"

"Yeah~" Zhong Xiaoqin shook her head. "I couldn't get a cab, so I thought about running home, but then someone bumped into me..."

Chen Cheng chuckled. "You've really had a run of bad luck today."

"Right?" Zhong Xiaoqin raised her eyebrows huffily. "And today is my birthday."

"Hmm... Birthday?" Chen Cheng pretended not to know.

Zhong Xiaoqin nodded. "Yes, today is my thirtieth birthday."

"Ah, that..." A bitter smile appeared on Chen Cheng's face. "Then you really are unlucky today."

"Stood up, drenched in the rain, and even broke your phone."

Zhong Xiaoqin frowned. "Why do I feel like... you're gloating a bit?"

"Pfft~" Chen Cheng couldn't hold it back and laughed until he was doubling over.

Zhong Xiaoqin crossed her arms and glared at him huffily. "You're crossing the line."

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you," Chen Cheng waved his hand, suppressing his laughter. "Should I take you home or what?"

The two of them had been sitting in the car for a long time.

"Hmm..." Zhong Xiaoqin fell silent; she really didn't want to go home right now.

But if she didn't go home, where else would she go?

"Then take me home," Zhong Xiaoqin said quietly.

Then she forced a smile and thanked Chen Cheng. "Sorry for the trouble. I'll treat you to a meal another day."

Chen Cheng smiled and shifted gears. "Just a meal won't do."

"Huh?" Zhong Xiaoqin was shocked by his shamelessness and asked tentatively in a low voice, "Then what else... do you want?"

"It has to be the full package—eat, drink, and have fun."

Zhong Xiaoqin: "..."

"I just thought of a meme."

"What?" Chen Cheng glanced at her while driving.

"Hmph~" A mischievous smile appeared on Zhong Xiaoqin's lips. "I have never seen a person so thick-skinned and shameless."

“...”

Chen Cheng rolled his eyes at her. "Give me directions~"

"Oh~" Zhong Xiaoqin finally realized that he didn't even know where he was driving.

A blush crept onto her face. "Turn right at the next intersection."

Before long, they arrived at the bottom of Zhong Xiaoqin's apartment building.

"Thank you, Chen Cheng," Zhong Xiaoqin thanked him with a bright smile.

Chen Cheng waved his hand. "Go on. I'm in a hurry to get home for dinner."

"Oh~" Zhong Xiaoqin became even more embarrassed.

"I'll definitely treat you to a meal another day."

"Sure~"

After a few pleasantries, Zhong Xiaoqin breathed a sigh of relief and pushed open the car door to get out.

Chen Cheng looked up at the apartment building, a smirk playing on his lips, then shifted into reverse and backed out of the small alley.

Zhong Xiaoqin watched Chen Cheng's car disappear before turning to enter the building.

But as soon as she stepped into the elevator, the nameless fire in her heart, which Chen Cheng had just extinguished, flared up again.

The elevator reached her floor. Zhong Xiaoqin walked to her front door and took out her keys.

But no matter how she turned it, she couldn't get it open.

Chen Yu inside heard the noise and came to open the door.

Zhong Xiaoqin looked at Chen Yu and immediately exploded with rage. "You're home?"

Chen the Fish-Rearer looked Zhong Xiaoqin over and hurriedly pulled her into the house out of concern. "How did you get so drenched?"

Zhong Xiaoqin shoved his hand away. "How many times did I call you tonight?"

"I called you back, but your phone was off," Chen the Fish-Rearer said innocently.

Zhong Xiaoqin rolled her eyes in anger, walked into the living room, and threw her phone onto the coffee table.

"Is it broken?" Chen the Fish-Rearer felt a bit guilty seeing her so furious.

Zhong Xiaoqin roared at Chen the Fish-Rearer, "I walked all the way back in the rain, and I couldn't even get into my own home. How many times have I told you?"

"There's a problem with that door lock. I told you to change it."

"I know there's a problem with the lock," Chen the Fish-Rearer still didn't think he was at fault. "But didn't I tell you?"

"It takes a bit of technique to open it."

"Why are you yelling at me?"

"After you mentioned it last time, I thought..."

Zhong Xiaoqin was about to explode when she saw he still thought he was right. "You thought?"

"What did you think?"

"Everything is just what you thought."

"Do you even listen to a word I say?"

"Your head is full of nothing but those fish."

"You agreed to spend my birthday with me, right?"

"And yet, you haven't answered your phone since this afternoon."

"No calls, no WeChat replies—what is that supposed to mean?"

Chen Yu felt very aggrieved. "I really had things to do this afternoon. I left my phone on the editing desk."

"What things?" Zhong Xiaoqin was in the middle of a fit of rage and didn't care what Chen Yu said, her voice rising higher and higher.

"The producer isn't even letting you edit films anymore."

Chen Yu was hit where it hurt, his eyes bulging.

"What constitutes a 'big deal' to you?"

"You don't even care about your brother's situation?"

"The lawyer couldn't even find you this afternoon."

Chen the Fish-Rearer's younger brother, Chen Xu, had been locked up for the past few days for selling fake sneakers.

Chen the Fish-Rearer, the biological brother, wasn't worried, while Zhong Xiaoqin was the one running around to help.

While they were arguing, Zhong Xiaoqin suddenly noticed the front door was open.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Chen the Fish-Rearer in panic. "You didn't close the door?"

"I did, didn't I?" Chen the Fish-Rearer said uncertainly.

Zhong Xiaoqin looked down at the cat bed and immediately panicked. "Pikachu~"

"Pikachu~"

Zhong Xiaoqin frantically checked the rooms and Chen the Fish-Rearer's fish room, but there was no sign of the cat.

At this point, Zhong Xiaoqin had no heart to argue with Chen the Fish-Rearer and rushed into the hallway to find the cat.

"Pikachu~"

"Pikachu~"

“...”

Chen the Fish-Rearer had a massive headache but followed her out to help look for the cat.

The two followed the hallway all the way down to the alley below.

It was late at night, and as expected, they couldn't find a trace of the cat after searching everywhere.

Back home, Zhong Xiaoqin completely broke down.

"Today is my birthday!"

"It's my birthday!"

"Why are you treating me like this?"

Chen the Fish-Rearer was starting to lose his patience. She had been complaining non-stop since she got back, making his head throb.

"How am I treating you?"

"I really didn't notice the door."

"Right, you didn't notice." Zhong Xiaoqin's eyes bulged. "You don't notice the door, you don't notice the cat, and you don't notice me."

"What else in this house is there for you to notice?"

"I really don't understand why someone like you would get married!"

"Why did I get married?" Chen the Fish-Rearer asked back, speechless.

His temper flared up as well, and he rubbed his chin. "Let me tell you, Zhong Xiaoqin."

"When we first met on that blind date, I thought you were a gentle and understanding girl."

"Your family was stable, unlike mine which is such a mess."

"I got married just for peace of mind and an easy life!"

"Just to live a stable life."

"And now look at this!"

Zhong Xiaoqin smacked her lips and didn't speak for a long while.

"You married me just for peace of mind?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Chen the Fish-Rearer roared.

"They say marriage is a safe harbor."

"Who gets married and starts a family for anything other than a stable life?"

"Bullshit!" Zhong Xiaoqin was already beyond furious. "If everyone wants to seek shelter, then who's going to be the harbor?"

"You can be proactive at work, spending two months in Hoh Xil without getting tired."

"You don't find it hard to go to battle for your troublemaking brother."

"But when you come home to me, you'd prefer it to be a pool of stagnant water."

"Why should it be like that?"

"Since we lost the baby, I've had insomnia every day, relying on earplugs to sleep."

"Do you even know?"

"Have you ever cared?"

"You sleep like a dead pig every day, oblivious to everything."

"And these fish tanks of yours."

"They're noisy as hell!"

"I can't take it anymore!"

Chen the Fish-Rearer took a breath, not intending to indulge her at all. "Zhong Xiaoqin, if things are as serious as you say..."

...then you should go see a doctor."

"Why are you picking a fight with me?"

*Gulp* Zhong Xiaoqin was so incensed by his words that she didn't reply, turning and rushing into the fish room.

She swept all of Chen the Fish-Rearer's fish food onto the floor.

That wasn't enough; she stood on a stool, reached into the fish tank, grabbed a fish, and threw it on the floor.

"Are you crazy?" Chen the Fish-Rearer was heartbroken and quickly knelt on the floor to check on his fish.

Zhong Xiaoqin's tears finally fell again, pouring down in an instant.

Sobbing, she murmured, "No wonder my ring went missing after the surgery. It was an omen."

"There's a kind of marriage where you can foresee every day from the very beginning."

"And that is that it only gets more miserable."

"I don't want to live like this for even one more day."

"Let's get a divorce!"

Zhong Xiaoqin almost screamed those last four words.

...

After Chen Cheng came out of the alley, he didn't leave at all. He parked by the road, rolled down the window, and looked at his phone while listening to music.

The rain outside had stopped, and the air was cool and moist.

He knew the plot; he knew very well that Zhong Xiaoqin would have a huge fight with Chen the Fish-Rearer when she got back and then go for a divorce tomorrow.

Although Chen Cheng liked being a cao thief, he was still a polite person.

He didn't go up to add fuel to the fire.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Zhong Xiaoqin and Chen the Fish-Rearer to end their argument on a bad note.

As Chen Cheng was looking at his phone, something suddenly hit the hood with a thud.

Chen Cheng looked up and saw a golden shaded British Shorthair cat looking around with its head tilted.

After looking around twice, it made eye contact with Chen Cheng.

"Meow~"

"Meow~"

Chen Cheng watched it acting cute, his lips twitching as he smacked his lips. "Do I have some kind of pet-attracting constitution lately?"

It wasn't surprising he thought so; there were already three cats and two dogs at home.

Oh, wait, to be precise, five cats and two dogs.

Chen Cheng looked at the meowing golden shaded Shorthair, smiled, and got out of the car.

Seeing Chen Cheng get out, the cat didn't seem like it wanted to run; it just stayed on the hood, meowing.

"Oh~ whose little cat is this?" Chen Cheng smiled and reached out to it.

A flash of surprise crossed Chen Cheng's eyes; it wasn't afraid of people at all.

However, it was clean and chubby, clearly not a stray.

Its fur wasn't wet either, so it must have just run out from home.

Chen Cheng scooped the chubby golden shaded Shorthair into his arms. "Did you sneak out from home?"

"Meow~"

"Is that so?" Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow.

"Meow~" The fat cat seemed to understand, letting out a cry and rubbing against Chen Cheng's hand as he petted it.

Chen Cheng's lips curled up, and he asked with a smile, "Now, should I send you home, or take you to my home?"

After playing for a while, the fat cat still didn't show any sign of wanting to leave.

"So you're sticking with me, huh?"

Chen Cheng looked around, and seeing no one coming to look for it, he carried the cat into a nearby convenience store to ask.

He also bought some salt-free ham sausages, which the fat cat gobbled up greedily.

"Pikachu!"

As Chen Cheng was feeding the cat, Zhong Xiaoqin's pleasantly surprised voice rang in his ears.

...

【Double chapter. yanzus, please click for updates and small gifts.】