Chapter 34: What else are you thinking about?

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After seeing Cao Aiqing off at the nearby subway station and watching the girl wave goodbye, He Tianran’s day of utter chaos finally came to an end.

He felt as if he were floating among the clouds.

After being reborn, Wen Liang had called herself his friend when they first met. Now Cao Aiqing had said something similar.

Was being his friend really that delightful?

Come to think of it, the word “friend” truly was rather marvelous. It was much like a “novice” in a game, someone who might eventually change classes and become a mage, warrior, knight, and so on. “Friend” was the same. Perhaps one day it could level up into confidant, lover, or… brother?

In any case, the word held infinite possibilities in human relationships.

He Tianran went to the supermarket and bought all the ingredients Wen Liang needed. Strangely enough, although he had been out for quite some time, the girl had only sent him two messages. One was a list of ingredients; the other said that she had found some curry powder at home, and that there was enough for curry for two.

“Of course it’s enough. But I had to find an excuse to slip out somehow…”

The guilty shut-in muttered to himself. He was rather puzzled, too. That message had been sent half an hour ago, and she had not urged him again since.

“Maybe she has everything she needs at home, so waiting around isn’t all that boring.”

Carrying a large bag of groceries, He Tianran entered the elevator and pressed the button for his floor.

When he arrived home and stepped inside, he lowered his head to change his shoes.

The television blared in the living room, while the sounds of sizzling and bustling cooking came from the kitchen. Everything seemed to be going better than expected.

“This is a Yunnan dish called Great Rescue. It’s made with the local specialty rice cakes. Since you’re from Chongqing, Wen, add some chili oil later. I guarantee you’ll like it. With me here, why bother making curry?”

“You’re really good at cooking, Uncle! You can even make Yunnan dishes!”

“Hahaha, when I was young, I volunteered in Yunnan and learned from a master chef. Here, pass me that plate…”

Hearing the conversation in the kitchen, the boy walked over. He saw the back of a tall man bustling about, while Wen Liang assisted him. The moment she saw He Tianran, her face lit up.

“Tianran, you’re back!”

The man turned around at her words. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, with long hair and a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. Dressed in jeans and a brown vintage jacket, he did not look particularly wealthy, but he possessed the unmistakable air of someone who had played rock music in the eighties and nineties.

He Tianran’s face darkened as he silently opened the refrigerator, only to find that it was now stocked with many more items. The man paid him little attention and turned back to stir-fry the dishes.

Wen Liang glanced from side to side, then approached the boy and whispered, “Tianran, your father has come to see you. Aren’t you going to say hello?”

With his back turned to them as he put away the groceries, He Tianran replied stiffly, “What made you come here today?”

“To see whether you were dead. If you were, I could return this apartment while I was at it and save myself a thousand yuan every month.”

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The man plated the food, turned off the stove, and carried the dish out of the kitchen.

This man was He Tianran’s father, He Panshan. Fifteen years earlier, Harbor City had named him one of its Ten Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs. In his younger days, he had also been an OG figure in the local arts scene. He had studied computer science at university, and after graduating, he caught the rapid rise of the Internet age. Once he founded several software companies of his own, his career took off. His technology firm, Mountain-Sea Technologies, was now one of Harbor City’s star enterprises.

Wen Liang served the rice and placed it on the table. Seeing father and son staring daggers at each other without making a move, she did not dare pick up her chopsticks either.

Noticing the girl’s awkwardness, He Panshan smiled and placed a piece of meat in her bowl.

“Wen, you go ahead and eat.”

Wen Liang nodded, carefully sneaking a glance at the silent He Tianran.

She knew that He Tianran’s relationship with his parents was poor, and she was afraid he might do something outrageous.

He Panshan smoked as he looked at his son, finding the whole situation rather amusing. He took a pack of Black Lee cigarettes from his bag and said, “You’re all grown up now. Want one?”

“Be careful you don’t get lung cancer.”

“Hey, how much could a lung transplant cost?”

“Rich bastard.”

“I’m in my own house. You think you can control how I talk now?”

“…”

Listening to the father and son trade barbs like needle against wheat, Wen Liang suddenly coughed uncomfortably twice.

The moment He Panshan saw this, he hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and put on a pleasant expression.

“Wen, you should have told me you couldn’t stand the smell of smoke. You didn’t seem bothered in the kitchen just now, so I thought you were used to it.”

Wen Liang shook her head. “It’s fine, Uncle. You can smoke. I’ll go open the window.”

While the girl was getting up and walking away, He Panshan teased, “Well, well. You’ve learned to care about women, have you?”

He Tianran rolled his eyes and ignored him. The middle-aged man could only continue talking to himself.

“I thought you lived alone. I expected this place to be filthy enough to pass for a dog kennel. I never imagined that when I arrived, a young girl would open the door for me. I thought you’d sublet the apartment and pocket the rest of the money.”

Wen Liang happened to return in time to hear this. She joined in teasingly, “Then you’d better keep an eye on him, Uncle. I think he’s perfectly capable of doing something like that.”

“Hahaha, that’s true enough. Come on, Wen, try your uncle’s cooking.”

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He Panshan began eating. During the meal, he exchanged very few words with his son, but he and the cheerful Wen Liang found themselves thoroughly engrossed in conversation. Before long, he had revealed quite a few stories about his wild youth.

“No wonder Tianran plays the guitar so well. It turns out you taught him, Uncle.”

“Of course. When he was still crying in his cradle, I would play Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Don’t Cry’ right in front of him. I thought that with such an upbringing, he would at least grow up liking bands like Imagine Dragons. But once the guitar reached his hands, the song he played most was ‘Gokuraku Jodo.’ Doesn’t that infuriate you? If he had at least played ‘Slam Dunk,’ I wouldn’t have been nearly so angry!”

He Panshan had been born in the late seventies, while his son belonged to the generation born after 2000. They could not exactly be said to have a generation gap, yet there was still a considerable distance between them in temperament.

Wen Liang laughed so hard at these stories that tears nearly sprang from her eyes. Gasping for breath, she said, “N-No, it’s fine… Uncle, I like Imagine Dragons. When I was in middle school, I even went to their tour concert in Shanghai!”

“Really?” He Panshan slapped his thigh. “I heard they’re coming to Harbor City this year. I’ll save two tickets for you and Tianran.”

“Okay!”

Wen Liang agreed at once. He Tianran glanced at the two of them. They looked more like a real father and daughter.

In high spirits, He Panshan lit another cigarette and smiled.

“By the way, Wen, may I ask you something?”

Wen Liang stopped laughing and set down her bowl and chopsticks. “What is it, Uncle?”

“How long have you two been together?”

“Dad!”

He Tianran shouted, interrupting the question.

He Panshan glared at his son impatiently. “Was I talking to you? Shut up!”

“No, we’re just…”

He Tianran had intended to uphold his doctrine of friendship, but at that moment Wen Liang’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she said softly, “Uncle, we’re not together yet…”

He Panshan was displeased. He looked at his son and frowned, exasperated by his lack of initiative.

“You damned brat, what are you waiting for?”

“I’m waiting for you to leave!”

The boy shot back just as irritably.