Half-baked

42
Duan Huai'an was worried about Huaian who was still sleeping in his room, so after chatting with Duan Yixing, he went upstairs.
But he didn't expect that when he approached the bedroom, the quilt was still messy, but the person on it had disappeared.

Before he left, she was so sleepy that she couldn't open her eyes, and looked like she was going to sleep until the end of time.
Only a few minutes had passed.
The person just ran away.

Duan Huaian opened the curtains by the window, sat on the edge of the bed, and dialed the number he missed.
After the phone rang for a while, her soft voice was heard.
"Hey."

"Where have you been?" Duan Huai'an laughed, "Cinderella? When the time comes, you'll slip away."
"I don't have any crystal shoes." Nostalgia muttered, "I'll go downstairs for lunch."
"Can't I eat in my room?"

Nostalgia frowned and emphasized again: "Your parents are at home."
"So what if they are at home?" Duan Huaian still had that indifferent attitude.
"Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were discovered?"

Duan Huai'an smiled in an ambiguous way. In fact, it has been discovered, baby, but Huai Nian must not know about this. To be honest, Duan Huai'an was quite surprised that his father knew that he and Huai Nian were in love.
He still remembered that ten minutes ago, he couldn't help but ask: "How did you find out?"

"When I first saw you were soaked, I thought it was strange. How could you be so wet in the hot sun?" Duan Yixing snorted and laughed, "I didn't dare to really think about it. After all, the girl looked so well behaved. Putting aside the messy things about status and class, you two don't look like the same kind of people."

——They don’t seem like we are from the same path.

This was not the first time Duan Huaian had heard this sentence.
His face was gloomy and gloomy.

"So what kind of girl do you think I would date subconsciously?"

"Who knows?" Duan Yixing said in a steady and powerful voice, "The most amazing thing about life is that even if you have made a perfect plan, you still cannot predict what tomorrow will be like."
"Huai'an, other people's opinions are not important. What's important is that you and her are determined to walk the same path."

Thinking of this, Duan Huai'an lowered his eyes and finally spoke: "What would you do if you were discovered?"
"Will you admit that you are my girlfriend, baby?"
His tone was very gentle, with a barely perceptible tremor of nervousness in his voice.

Just as he expected.
I miss you without saying a word.

The phone hangs up.
-
I miss sitting in my seat with a small piece of crepe cake and two mobile phones in front of me.
One is hers.
The other was that before she returned to the house, she met Huai Yanjun, who gave Huai Nian the thousand-layer cake and the phone in his hand. Then, she went to the kitchen to work.

The cake is her favorite durian mille-feuille.
But I don’t have the appetite to eat anymore.

As for the question asked by Duan Huaian, Huai Nian was not thinking about the answer.
Just like when I heard him say that the two of them were in a romantic relationship before, Huai Nian found it a little unbelievable and difficult to understand.
In terms of relationships between men and women, her understanding is different from Duan Huai'an's. She is the one who is forced to accept each step she takes, while Duan Huai'an thinks about the next ten steps after taking each step.

What caused all this was the two people's completely different personalities.
There are many factors that contribute to the formation of personality, including growth environment, family background, etc.

If both parents find out, will she admit it?
I miss you and feel worried.
She couldn't imagine her mother's reaction when she found out about this.
After all, she was dating her employer's son.

Just when I was worrying, there was also a WeChat message on another phone on the table.

I glanced at him nostalgia, and his distracted eyes suddenly stopped.
She stared fixedly at the name of the sender - Xu Jinpeng.
In the past, when she saw news about Xu Jinpeng, she would automatically ignore it, but today, she clicked on it for some reason.

The chat records between Huai Yanjun and Xu Jinpeng basically show Xu Jinpeng contacting her and Huai Yanjun replying politely.

I saw the message Xu Jinpeng just sent.
Xu Jinpeng: [Is Nian Nian on summer vacation? Ask her if she is willing to spend the summer vacation with me. Yicheng moved out after the last quarrel with her mother, and Yiche is going to attend summer camp this year and will not live at home. There are two empty rooms at home, Nian Nian can choose the room she likes and live there, and no one will disturb her.]

I miss having two half brothers.

One is Xu Yicheng, who is three years younger than her;
One of them is called Xu Yiche, who is five years younger than her.
The name means smooth sailing and clarity.

Further up is the message sent by Xu Jinpeng on the day of Jingzhe.
Xu Jinpeng: [Today is our Nian Nian’s birthday. ]
Xu Jinpeng: [Tell her that daddy wishes her a happy birthday.]
Xu Jinpeng: [Transfer 6000]
However, this transfer was returned by Huai Yanjun.

Then, there was the message from Xu Jinpeng during the Spring Festival.
Xu Jinpeng: [Happy New Year. ]
Xu Jinpeng: [Transfer 6666]
Xu Jinpeng: [This is New Year's money for Nian Nian. ]

Huai Yanjun still confiscated the New Year's money.

Before the Spring Festival, Xu Jinpeng also sent a message.

Xu Jinpeng: [Can you let Nian Nian come to my place to celebrate the New Year this year? We haven't seen each other for many years. I really miss her. After all, she is my biological daughter. I only have this one daughter.]
Xu Jinpeng: [Or we can both take a step back and ask Nian Nian to remove my WeChat from the blacklist. Is that okay?]

Huai Nian stared at it for a long time, his expression always calm, without wind or rain.
Maybe it was because I saw the message sent by Xu Jinpeng and missed the days at Xu's house.

At that time her name was not Huai Nian, her nickname was Nian Nian.
Her full name is Xu Jingzhe, which is different from her two younger brothers' names. Her name has no meaning. She was simply named Xu Jingzhe because she was born on the day of Jingzhe.

Huai Nian remembers that her parents divorced when she was five years old.
After the divorce, Huai Yanjun moved out and Xu Jinpeng's new wife moved in. Also moving into the house with her stepmother was her half-brother Xu Yicheng, who was only three years younger than her.

The house with three bedrooms and a living room does not become crowded because of two people.
There are just a lot more voices.

Xu Yicheng always snatches Huaian's things: "Aren't you my sister? Shouldn't a sister give in to her brother?"
Nostalgia is always generous and tolerant: "Just tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you. Don't fight for it, what if you fall down?"

But what he got in return was Xu Yicheng's anger: "Then why did you want to compete with me for my father?"
Huai Nian was stunned: "He is also my father."
"No way!" Xu Yicheng reached out and pushed Huai Nian hard, "You should move out of my house!"

Huai Nian was pushed to the ground. There was a toy on the ground. She bumped into it with her elbow, and a large red spot was visible to the naked eye. The pain spread all over her body instantly. Her eyes were filled with tears, filled with pain and helplessness.

Huai Nian gritted his teeth and endured the pain, whispering: "I am three years older than you, and you stole my father away."

Xu Yicheng was arrogant and rude. When he heard Huai Nian's rebuttal, he became extremely angry. He dropped the toy in his hand and started fighting with Huai Nian with his teeth bared.

Although the boy was strong, Huai Nian was three years older than him, and the two of them started to fight.
Until a sharp female voice came from the door of the room: "What are you doing!"

Then the stepmother separated the two of them.
Xu Yicheng crawled into his mother's arms and cried loudly: "Mom, she said I came to steal her father! She also said she wanted to kick me out of this house!"
Missing disbelief: “I didn’t say those words.”

Of course the stepmother would not believe Huai Nian. She comforted her own son, and after comforting him, she said to Huai Nian: "Can't you be more obedient? Nian Nian, as a sister, why do you want to fight with your brother?"
"My brother pushed me first."
"Your younger brother is young and ignorant. You are three years older than him. Are you also ignorant?"
“……” I miss that little face, full of grievance, the tears in my eyes are about to fall but I dare not.

I miss the time when I still had fantasies and thought that Xu Jinpeng would definitely comfort and coax her when he came home from get off work.
But as soon as Xu Jinpeng got home, he hugged Xu Yicheng and said, "Yicheng, Dad is home. Do you miss him?"
Xu Yicheng said loudly: "Yicheng misses daddy so much!"

Xu Jinpeng held Xu Yicheng and went into the kitchen to talk to his stepmother who was cooking dinner.

Huai Nian felt that this scene looked really warm. They were a warm family of three, and she was nothing.

I missed standing in the room and closing the small crack in the door.
She also unrolled her sleeves to cover the swollen bruises on her elbows.

She lowered her head, and all the words of complaint and grievances she wanted to express turned into transparent tears and fell to the ground.

……

Miss you is really not understanding Xu Jinpeng.
He frequently harassed Huai Nian over the years. After Huai Nian blocked him, he started harassing Huai Yanjun again.
She said she was her biological daughter, and that she should choose a room she liked, and that she missed her very much.

If they really treat her as their own child, shouldn't they have a room that belongs to her alone at home? Instead of letting her choose between the rooms of her two younger brothers?

She closed the chat interface with Xu Jinpeng and then lowered her head to eat the mille-feuille cake.
After finishing the cake, she was still hungry, so she went to the kitchen to find Huai Yanjun.
Huai Yanjun was preparing lunch for her. When she saw her coming, she called her and said, "Come over and have lunch."
Nostalgic smile: "Okay, mom."

During lunch, Huai Yanjun asked her, "What are your plans for this summer vacation?"
Huai Nian thought for a moment and said, "Let's just do it the same as before and find a summer job."
"Why don't you give up working this year and get a driver's license?"
"It's so hot," Huai Nian shook his head, "and I don't have a car, so it's useless to get a driver's license."

"Your uncle Li's son is a driving school instructor. He said that the air conditioning will be on in the car all the time, so you won't get too hot." The uncle Li mentioned by Huai Yanjun is the driver of the Duan family for many years. "And I have already paid the registration fee. You can add me on WeChat later and ask your brother Xiao Li when he will take the first test." Huai Nian's face fell immediately: "Mom, how can you be like this?"

Huai Yanjun patted Huai Nian's shoulder and said, "Go get your driver's license. Come on, try to get it this summer!"

Nostalgia pouted: "I hope I don't get heat stroke."

After dinner, Huai Yanjun went back to the room and asked Huai Nian to add the driving school coach’s WeChat.
The WeChat message was approved within seconds, and the coach sent Huainian the specific arrangements on WeChat.

I will have a physical check-up the day after tomorrow and take the Subject 1 test next Wednesday.

I originally thought that I would work this summer like I did in previous years, but I didn't expect that I would be scheduled to take a driver's license test this year.
She spent the entire afternoon lying on the bed, boredly doing the questions from Subject 1.

At around four or five in the afternoon, it was particularly lively outside.
Huai Nian couldn't hold back her curiosity, so she pushed the door open and happened to meet a nanny. She asked, "Auntie, what are you doing outside?"
"My wife's friends are coming to our house for dinner tonight, and we are all busy."
Nostalgia hummed softly.

I miss going back to the room and continuing to practice questions.
After an unknown amount of time, a voice call popped up on the phone.
No one else would call her except Duan Huaian.

Thinking of the unpleasant parting of the two at noon, her heart skipped a beat of nostalgia. She pursed her lips and slowly pressed the answer button.

After the call was connected, no one spoke.
Breathing was light through the faint electromagnetic sound.

The soundproofing of her room was average, but it was very quiet over there, so his voice was low and hoarse. "What are you doing?"
"Practice questions." She lowered her eyes. "My mother signed me up for a driving school. I have to go for a physical examination the day after tomorrow and take the first test next Wednesday."
After listening to her tell him everything, Duan Huai'an smiled and said, "Good boy, baby."

My heart was beating a little faster because of nostalgia. I turned over and the fabric of my clothes made a rustling sound.

"Did you miss me in the afternoon?" Duan Huaian asked her calmly, as if the phone call at noon no longer existed.
"No." She denied quickly, "My knees are all red."

Duan Huaian's words and actions are quite annoying.
I miss the time when I didn’t know there were so many positions in bed, lying down, kneeling, sitting... However, after being with Duan Huai'an, I have experienced them all.

This morning, Huai Nian was kneeling on the bed.
The silk sheets were smooth and soft to the touch, but Duan Huai'an couldn't stand the long time he spent kneeling there, and his knees turned red from longing.

His deep laugh came from the receiver: "Come here, I'll rub it for you."
Huai Nian pursed her lips: "There are so many people outside, can you be more low-key?"
"When have I ever been low-key?"
"You were very low-key when you were in school." Huai Nian said, "You never paid any attention to anyone."
"Others are others." Duan Huai'an asked her, "Are you coming out?"

Huai Nian was a little confused: "Come out? Where to?"

"Outside. Outside the house. By the back door. Somewhere where no one is." He curled his lips and did not give her time to hesitate. "Come out quickly, my princess. Don't make me wait too long."
"Ah?" Huai Nian was even more confused, "Are you outside now?"

"Well." Duan Huai'an urged again, "Hurry up."

Huai Nian was a little stunned and was dazed for a long time before he slowly responded.
Then she hung up the phone.

When the call ended, she noticed the time: 7:14 p.m.
It was completely dark outside.

She opened the door and walked out from the backyard.
It happened that two people came down from upstairs, they were Duan Yixing and Cheng Songyue.

Cheng Songyue was throwing a tantrum: "Where is your son? It's rare for me to go home, and he doesn't come to pick me up, and he doesn't even have dinner with me?"
Duan Yixing was coaxing her: "You have so many friends coming to have dinner with you, do you still need him?"
Cheng Songyue: "How can it be the same? Duan Yixing, can't you just beat up Duan Huai'an?"

"..." Duan Yixing was helpless, "Why should I beat him for no reason?"
"Whose good kid ran away during dinner time?"
"He went with his girlfriend."

"Really?" Cheng Songyue's tone suddenly rose, becoming excited and cheerful. "I didn't expect my son to be so clingy when he's in love. He even wants his girlfriend to accompany him for a meal. That's great. But how do you know he went with his girlfriend? Did you two talk about a lot of things just now? Did he tell me where his girlfriend is from and what her name is? The most important thing is the photo! Have you seen her photo?"

Duan Yixing smiled calmly: "Given your son's taciturn personality, what do you think he can say?"

Cheng Songyue: "So you are just like me, and you only know that his girlfriend is a woman?"

Duan Yixing: “Yes.”

Cheng Songyue smiled with a proud smile, but he didn't know what to be proud of. "Fortunately, he didn't tell you. Otherwise, if he only told you and didn't tell me, I would be really angry, okay? As a son, you must treat everyone equally and not show favoritism."

When going downstairs, Duan Yixing glanced outside and caught a glimpse of a figure in the corridor in the distance.
The girl, wearing a dress, ran to the end of the corridor. The light became darker as she went outside, as if she had made an appointment to elope with someone.

Duan Yixing withdrew his gaze, a trace of turbid air settled in his chest and lungs, and he felt a little helpless.

Once or twice, they dated right under the noses of both sets of parents without fear of being discovered by the other's parents.
-
Huai Nian opened the back door and saw a car parked about five meters away. Duan Huai'an leaned against the car.
He was surrounded by lush camphor trees, with street lamps hidden among the leaves, casting dappled light and shadows on him. He was still wearing dark clothes, and his face was expressionless as always, exuding a cold aura that kept people away.

As if he noticed someone was looking at him, Duan Huaian raised his eyelashes and stared at her.

When Huai Nian was about to walk towards him, the back door behind him was opened.
"Mr. Duan." The person who came was Duan Yixing's assistant. He greeted Duan Huai'an, "Oh, by the way, what you told me before..."

Seeing that person walk up to Duan Huai'an and start talking incessantly, Huai Nian thought about it and did not dare to interrupt him, let alone walk up to Duan Huai'an.

She walked out, pretending she was just going out.
After walking for a distance, she stopped and lowered her head. There were pruned branches under her feet.
She picked them up, counting the leaves as she went along.
"It's over, but not over. It's over, but not over..."
After counting a whole stem, the last leaf is: "It's over."

She turned her head and saw Duan Yixing's assistant was still chattering.

Huai Nian picked up another branch and continued counting.
This time the last leaf still said: "It's over."

She looked over without any hope. Duan Yixing's assistant was talking a lot.

She picked up another one and this time said, “It’s over.”
However, this time, Duan Yixing's assistant got in the car and left.

The car slowly drove past Huai Nian, and Huai Nian raised his head and looked at Duan Huaian.
He walked closer and closer, but when he passed her, he did not stop and continued walking forward.

"..."
Do you treat her as a stranger?
Huai Nian followed him silently, and when she was two steps away from him, his back seemed to have eyes. His originally slow steps suddenly became faster, and he closed the distance between them in just two or three steps.
I missed having to jog to keep up.
Then, he pulled it away again.

Nostalgia couldn't help but say: "Duan Huai'an."

Duan Huaian, who had been ignoring her, finally stopped and glanced back at her.
"Why didn't you call me just now?"
"..." Huai Nian was very confused, "There was someone else here just now."

Duan Huai'an stared at her expressionlessly: "There are other people here, so why can't you call me? Is it embarrassing to know me?"

So he was pretending not to know her in order to get back at her for pretending not to know him?

Huai Nian paused for a moment and raised his eyelids slightly: "You were talking to someone else, and I interrupted you for no reason. It's very strange."

"What's so strange?" Duan Huai'an raised his eyebrows slightly, and the corners of his lips curved slightly, and he said lazily, "If you find it strange, just come over with your phone."
"?"
"Pretend to chat me up."
"..."

"As for me," Duan Huai'an said in a leisurely tone, "I pretended to be seduced by you and fell in love with you at first sight."

(End of this chapter)