Chapter 21

However, what Xiao Chen said next was shocking.

"What should I do then?"

Yu Na: "..."

...At the same time, Han Chengxun, holding a basketball, walked to the rest area and heard Xiao Chen's reply "What should I do then?" So he casually asked: "What's going on?"

Xiao Chen picked up the ice water and drank it in big gulps, Adam's apple rolling up and down a few turns.

Then he slowly opened his mouth, his tone a little confused.

"Nothing, I just feel like I don't know how to chat with people anymore."

"What's up?" Han Chengxun also drank a big gulp of water, "Got introduced to someone again?"

"No, just feeling emotional." Xiao Chen put down the water bottle and picked up his phone, "I can't figure out what women are thinking."

Han Chengxun was completely confused. He knew that Xiao Chen would never say such a sentence for no reason. So he came over directly to look at his phone.

"Yu Na?"

Han Chengxun was stunned when he saw the note, "Are you two...picking up where you left off?"

"Get lost," said Xiao Chen. "Isn't she Qiao Rui's homeroom teacher? Qiao Rui didn't come home late the night before last. Yu Na helped me out to find him. It just so happened that it was raining heavily that day and she caught a cold. Now she also has a fever. Getting sick must be because of Qiao Rui, right? How could I not care?"

Han Chengxun took his phone and glanced at the chat record just now.

A sneer stood out in the huge basketball court. "..." Xiao Chen said: "What's wrong with you?"

Han Chengxun threw the phone back to him and gleefully repeated the words from his chat record: "What's wrong with you again, drink more hot water, what should I do then--" He patted Xiao Chen twice on the shoulder, "Teach me, how did you manage to step on landmines in every sentence?"

"Piss off."

They had come out early to play basketball and had been playing for a while.

Han Chengxun picked up his jacket, "Okay, I'll go back to accompany my wife. Just stay here by yourself."

"Hey, wait a minute?"

"Speak."

Xiao Chen: "We're not done talking yet!"

So Han Chengxun had to sit back down again and resume the previous conversation, continuing to say: "It's not for me to say, but she got sick because of you. Can't you say something nice?"

"I-- " Xiao Chen felt very wronged: "What did I say? I'm not--"

"Listen to me," Han Chengxun interrupted him, "You can't use the word 'again' with women. Ask her directly what's wrong with her. The meanings of the two sentences are completely different. 'What's wrong with you' sounds caring, while 'What's wrong with you again' sounds impatient."

Xiao Chen was left speechless.

Before he could explain, Han Chengxun pointed to the second sentence to show off his skills: "Also, no matter how uncomfortable a woman is, you can't tell her to drink more hot water. That's a big taboo."

"Then she's sick, I can't tell her to drink more cold water, can I?" Han Chengxun: "..."

Xiao Chen tried asking, "Or drink more boiling water?"

Han Chengxun felt that he couldn't lead his brother anyway. He suddenly got up, "That's enough, I'm going back to accompany my wife. Just stay here and drink boiling water yourself."

"I was joking!" Xiao Chen pulled him back, "I know I shouldn't say that to a woman, but when you're sick, it really works."

Han Chengxun ignored him and pointed to the third sentence, "Look at what you said here again. She said she was terribly uncomfortable, the meaning is so obvious, but you actually said 'What should I do then?'"

Xiao Chen stiffly asked, "...What do you mean, what should I do?"

Han Chengxun felt that there was no saving his brother. He said, "When a girl says she's terribly uncomfortable, even adding a crying emoji, it's obviously her trying to act cute with you. And you still don't hurry to go check on her?"

Xiao Chen seemed to realize something. He turned his head away, "Wait a minute, since when do I need you to teach me? Doesn't your broken mouth offend people more easily?"

"..." Han Chengxun clicked his tongue and stood up again, "Get lost, ungrateful wretch."

Xiao Chen: ?

"Hey, wait a minute."

Han Chengxun ignored him. He put his jacket over his shoulder and left the court with a roguish air, leaving an arrogant sentence behind: "I won't talk to an ungrateful wretch. Going home to accompany my wife."

"..."

Xiao Chen sat in the rest area, gazing at Han Chengxun's departing figure.

He thought, how confusing.

That guy used to be a pure love idiot, speaking without thinking things through, offensive remarks in nine out of ten sentences. How come he looks like he's turned around now?

But that makes sense too.

He's a married man, completely "henpecked", so of course his skills at coaxing girls would be honed well.

As for him, since his graduation and return to China, there hadn't been any women in his life, nor did he have any interest in it. He was used to being blunt when talking to the good brothers he was close with. He didn't consider any of those things at all.

And even before, his female friends had all turned into "brothers". He had no experience in relationships.

But at least back then he still had female friends, so he would pay some attention when talking.

Sigh.

Xiao Chen's ears were still ringing with Han Chengxun calling him an "ungrateful wretch".

He looked at the chat record again and reflected on himself.

It seemed like he really had stepped on landmines.

After all, she got sick because in the middle of the night she went to look for Qiao Rui without regard for getting her hair wet or anything like that.

But all he did was buy some medicine and dismiss her.

He didn't even ask about her condition afterwards.

Thinking about it like this, he really did seem like an asshole.

Yu Na didn't reply to him.

He thought about it, then sent another message: 【Is your fridge still so empty?】 No reply either.

Was she angry? Xiao Chen finished the remaining water in the bottle. He gave the empty bottle to an old man who was collecting bottles.

Then he picked up his jacket and left the court.

...Yu Na took antipyretics last night, so she wasn't as cold as before, but her body still lacked strength.

Her phone was on the bedside table. It buzzed twice, but she was half asleep and didn't hear it.

Until there was a sudden knock at the door.

Yu Na reluctantly crawled out of bed, stepped into her slippers while painfully clutching her head. She didn't even bother to look in the door viewer before opening the door directly.

The person standing loosely outside wore a black short sleeve shirt and black pants.

His posture was lazy, but tempting.

He was also holding a large supermarket bag in his hand.

The half-asleep Yu Na became fully awake when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

Xiao Chen raised the bag in his hand. "You didn't reply to my text message."

"...Oh," Yu Na patted her head, "sorry, I fell asleep just now."

She moved aside to let him in.

The negative emotions faded bit by bit because of his sudden appearance.

Xiao Chen's bag contained only instant food that could be eaten after heating up.

He dumped everything unceremoniously into the fridge, then advised her, "But you should learn to cook too. Eating this stuff all the time isn't good for your health."

"Okay."

Xiao Chen thought she was still angry. Feeling a little guilty, he asked, "Are you still uncomfortable?"

"Okay."

Xiao Chen handed her the thermometer he had just bought. "Go take your temperature."

"Okay."

She still had a slight fever.

Xiao Chen poured her a cup of hot water, looking as if he had something to say but didn't know whether to say it or not. "However, you really need to drink hot water."

Yu Na: "..."

She didn't say anything, but took the cup of water. "Thank you."

Yu Na leaned forward, cupping the glass in both hands and sipping.

Xiao Chen asked: "If I hadn't come today, were you not going to eat at all?"

She admitted it by default: "Anyway, I don't have much of an appetite."

Xiao Chen thought about the contents he saw in her fridge just now. It was all mineral water, soda and sugar-free drinks.

Not a bit of food, just a few eggs.

He felt quite helpless. "If you keep this up, sooner or later you'll ruin your stomach."

Yu Na was like a child who had done something wrong while he scolded her and she drank water.

Xiao Chen was silent for a moment. Feeling that this was not the solution, he carefully asked, "Is this really the life you want now?"