Love Apartment: Yifei is my junior aunt

Chapter 497 An Unusual Couple, Getting Worse the More You Ship With Them

Yifei gently stepped on Zeng Xiaoxian's foot, signaling him to be careful with his words and actions.

As for Alexandre Dumas, the way he looked at Elizabeth was not exactly innocent, but to call it love seemed a long way off.

He exclaimed, "Elizabeth, you've really thought of everything for me."

"But……"

Before Dumas could finish speaking, Elizabeth pressed, "Are you going to reject me again?"

She lowered her head dejectedly: "It's okay, I can handle it, it's the eighth time anyway."

Everyone was speechless upon hearing this.

They exchanged a glance, and finally began to communicate with their eyes.

Zeng Xiaoxian twitched his eyebrows, looking smug: "[The eighth time! The eighth time! Elizabeth is really persistent.]"

Nanfeng calmly clasped her hands together: "What's so special about this? Tang Sanzang took ten lifetimes to reach the Western Paradise. Elizabeth is still a long way from achieving her goal."

Xiao Xian opened his mouth wide in surprise: "But Tang Sanzang went to retrieve the scriptures."

Nanfeng shrugged: "Elizabeth too."

What should Elizabeth choose...?

【Oh……】

Zeng Xiaoxian suddenly realized: [Nanfeng, you're making suggestive remarks even without opening your mouth!]

Just as everyone was exchanging gossipy glances, Alexandre Dumas made a surprising statement: "No, Elizabeth, this time I'll go with you."

"real?"

Elizabeth was overjoyed; she never expected happiness to come so quickly.

Alexandre Dumas smiled and said, "But you'll have to wait a moment. I have a few words to say to my son."

"it is good."

Elizabeth obediently sat on the sofa and waited quietly, but her gaze remained fixed on Alexandre Dumas.

Alexandre Dumas patted Ziqiao on the shoulder, his tone full of emotion: "Ziqiao, I did hesitate when I came here this time. I didn't know if my free cloud should really find a place to settle down."

"I don't want to admit that I'm old. I'm still trying to deceive myself into thinking that I can go back to the days when I was a wanderer with my most proud godson."

"But now I realize that my son has really grown up."

He sighed, "Tell me, how can I possibly stay young?"

"Dad..."

Ziqiao held Alexandre Dumas's hand tightly: "In my heart, you will always be the youngest and most passionate Alexandre Dumas."

"hehe."

Dumas first looked at everyone at the table, then focused his gaze back on Ziqiao: "Although I keep saying this is a prison, you never feel like a prisoner."

"I saw so much in this short day."

"I see you're having a great time here. I've never seen you laugh so freely with your friends like this before. Even if you didn't understand the situation before, you're still happy for their happiness."

"I also see your troubles and distress. Even if you choose a stable life, the mistakes you made in the past still haunt you."

"But now you have your own home, and many lovely friends."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "It's true that my godfather was wrong before. The friendships and love you have here are not shackles that restrict your freedom, but rather nourishment that helps you grow into a mature adult."

"I believe that even if one day you friends have to separate for various reasons, the memories you have left for each other, the warmth and happiness you have personally experienced, will become the strength for you to live together in a better direction."

"but……"

Alexandre Dumas patted Ziqiao on the shoulder with concern: "Ziqiao, you should understand that if the change is not thorough, it is no change at all."

"Your heart has chosen this place, but your soul still yearns for your former life. This sense of separation will only cause you pain in the end."

"Once you've made a choice, you must stick to it, instead of clinging to illusions and thinking you can find a balance between stability and debauchery."

"Your godfather taught you that once you've made a purchase, you can't go back on your word."

Having been thoroughly dissected by Dumas in front of so many people, Zi Qiao was both embarrassed and speechless, utterly at a loss for words: "Father, I just..."

"I know."

Alexandre Dumas patted Ziqiao's head: "It's not that you don't want to change, you're just worried that if you try to change, you'll find that you don't have the ability to change at all."

"Because I'm afraid I can't do it, I don't even dare to take a step forward and try."

"That's enough, Dad."

Ziqiao looked embarrassed and covered his face, saying dejectedly, "At least save me some face in front of my friends."

"Hehe, okay."

Dumas concluded, "Ziqiao, try to change according to your heart's desire. You can do it, because you are my proudest godson."

He turned to look at everyone and said, "Thank you all for taking care of Ziqiao this past year. Now I'm leaving. I hope you can all live happily ever after."

Before anyone could respond, Wanyu finally couldn't help but ask, "Godfather, are you really planning to marry Elizabeth?"

"certainly."

Alexandre Dumas remarked, "Perhaps this is fate; I should indeed enjoy my later years in peace."

"And having a fixed place to stay makes it easier for Ziqiao to contact me, so I don't always have to deal with jet lag when he calls me."

"But, but..."

Wanyu was completely baffled, utterly baffled: "But didn't you just say you liked that kind of nomadic, free life? You wanted new scenery and new adventures every day."

"What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you...?"

Wanyu was speechless.

As Dumas looked at Wanyu, he immediately understood the contradictions and struggles in her heart.

He thought for a moment and then explained earnestly, "Yes, I like this kind of life, and I've lived this kind of life for decades."

"If I had to choose again, I would still choose this kind of life when I was young."

A rare hint of sadness appeared on Alexandre Dumas's face: "But one cannot wander for the sake of wandering, or be free for the sake of freedom."

"I only understand now that freedom is not about being homeless and wandering aimlessly. Freedom should be everyone's right to make their own choices. No matter what age you are, you can choose the life you want to live."

"But since it's a choice, there must be gains and losses. After all, there aren't that many so-called right choices and perfect choices in life."

"In the past, I chose freedom and wandering, so I saw many landscapes that ordinary people rarely see and experienced many incredible adventures."

"I have felt the evening breeze on the banks of the Seine, seen the afterglow of the sunset over the Aegean Sea, looked up at the clouds over the Bay of Carpentaria, and heard about the aerial acrobats who cross Niagara Falls."

"I have gained a lot, but I have also missed a lot."

"I missed the time I spent with my parents, so much so that when I woke up from a dream, I realized that I couldn't even make out what my parents looked like in my dream."

"I've missed out on so many girls who genuinely liked me, and I've also missed out on girls I genuinely liked, to the point that I don't even have a suitable excuse to see how they're doing."

Dumas turned to look at Ziqiao: "I missed every step of my proud godson's growth, so much so that I only realized this time when I came back that Ziqiao is really not the same as before."

"Dad..." Ziqiao put his arm around Alexandre Dumas's shoulder.

Alexandre Dumas patted Ziqiao on the back, then looked at Wanyu and smiled, "Wanyu, you don't need to feel that I've lost my freedom now."

"On the contrary, I have always enjoyed freedom."

"Freedom should mean that I can decide what kind of life I want to live, even if it is not the life I like or enjoy the most. But since it is my own choice, I can still enjoy immense happiness."

"There are always gains and losses in choices; it's just a matter of what you're willing to lose to gain."

Wan Yu lowered her head and remained silent.

Is freedom simply about choice?

Alexandre Dumas smiled slightly, perhaps he was more like himself than the young girl in front of Ziqiao.

But they are still different.

The reason why this girl is so eager for new scenery and new adventures is most likely because she comes from a wealthy family and her parents are open-minded, which gives her the confidence and ability to freely choose the life she wants.

She enjoys the nomadic lifestyle because she can choose to settle down at any time, and she craves adventure because she doesn't have to worry about the risks involved.

But for Alexandre Dumas, his path to freedom had finally come to an end.

"My decades of wandering started because I wanted to roam the world. Later, after my parents passed away, people like me with no way home could only continue to wander. Eventually, I got used to wandering."

"I don't regret my previous choice, but no matter how romantic or legendary the journey is, there must be a beginning and an end."

"I've strayed too far from the starting point, so I have no choice but to stop now."

"But Wanyu, you've only just begun, and you have many choices."

"For example, if someone walks faster or farther than me, they can stop and go as they please, enjoy the scenery, or even find someone to walk with them."

"This is your choice, and it's your freedom."

After speaking, Dumas embraced Ziqiao tightly again, then stood up and bowed slightly to everyone.

"Thank you all for taking care of Ziqiao this year. I sincerely hope that you can continue to be happy and joyful."

Everyone quickly responded in unison.

"Godfather, you're too kind."

"Godfather, we will take good care of Ziqiao."

"Godfather, come visit often when you have time."

"..."

……

Alexandre Dumas smiled with satisfaction, then looked at Yifei and said solemnly, "Yifei."

"what?"

Yifei clearly couldn't understand why Dumas had called her out to her alone.

Dumas strode over to Yifei and Ziqiao, placed their hands together, and spoke with a sincere yet pleading tone.

"I'd like to entrust Ziqiao to your care, but I don't know if you'd be willing to agree."

"what?"

Ziqiao was stunned when he heard this, his face filled with astonishment.

[If it weren't for Dad, you would have entrusted me to Hu Yifei's care?]

You're practically pushing me into a fire pit!

Besides, what can she take care of me? All she can cook is fried rice!

"what?"

Although Yifei found it strange that Dumas put his and Ziqiao's hands together, she didn't think much of it. She simply assumed that Dumas was worried about Ziqiao being alone there and wanted to find the most reliable and trustworthy person to watch over him.

And the most reliable and trustworthy person in the entire apartment is none other than the head of the apartment building.

My godfather has a really good eye for people!

"Don't worry, Godfather. With the relationship between Ziqiao and me, I will definitely take good care of him. I'm very good at taking care of people."

Yifei patted her chest and readily agreed, after all, it wasn't the first or second time that her elders had entrusted her with taking care of someone.

With Zhanbo in front and Nanfeng behind, adding Ziqiao now wouldn't be a big problem.

Yifei puffed out her chest and looked at everyone triumphantly; she was practically ready to shout at the top of her lungs.

Look, all of you, look! Who is the most trustworthy and reliable person in this apartment?

What's the point of outsmarting thin air? In the end, Ziqiao still fell into my hands.

After rounding up, I still win, don't I?

【I, Hu Yifei, will never be inferior to anyone in my life!】

Then she gave Ziqiao an extremely ambiguous look, the information conveyed in that look making Ziqiao tremble.

Everyone looked at Ziqiao with pity. In the past, when Yifei reprimanded him, she would at least consider Ziqiao's face as an adult.

Also, they are just friends, and no matter how good their relationship is, you can't interfere too much.

Now things have taken a turn for the better. Ziqiao's godfather, who is closer to him than his own father, entrusted him to Yifei. Now, if Yifei wants to discipline Ziqiao, it's almost as legitimate as it is for Youyou.

From this perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for Ziqiao to call Yifei "Auntie" now.

From now on, if Ziqiao dares to cause trouble again, Yifei will really beat him up if she says she will.

How pitiful.

The crowd gloated, feigning compassion and letting out barely audible sighs.

Zeng Xiaoxian even cheekily started doing an eyebrow dance at Ziqiao, completely unaware of what he was about to face.

Ziqiao was well aware of what he would face in the future, so he quickly said, "Godfather, didn't you just say that I'm all grown up now and don't need anyone to take care of me?"

"Especially for..."

Ziqiao kept moving his lips, but he still didn't dare to say the words "deadly female demon".

Alexandre Dumas rolled his eyes at Ziqiao: "I have my reasons for this arrangement, what do you know!"

"that is!"

Yifei looked at Ziqiao with an arrogant air, a smug smile playing on her lips. She had already figured out how to "take care" of Ziqiao.

Dumas nodded in satisfaction, and looked at Yifei with even greater kindness.

"Yifei, Ziqiao has many flaws, but he is still redeemable."

"Um."

"Although Ziqiao is very unreliable, people always improve over time."

"Um."

"Although he may have done many things to hurt you in the past, he actually regrets it very much."

"Um?"

"Actually, Ziqiao has always liked you, but he just kept it to himself because he was afraid he couldn't give you happiness."

Yifei: (⊙⊙)?

……

……

……

An eerie silence fell over the entire 3602. No one was surprised, no one screamed, and no one made any of the usual exaggerated movements.

True shock and disbelief should be met with utter silence.

Everyone felt as if they had been struck countless times in the temples, their minds a complete blank, devoid of past, present, and future.

One sentence kept echoing in their minds.

Ziqiao... likes Yifei?

Ziqiao likes Yifei.

Ziqiao likes Yifei!

Their eyes were filled with an empty, bewildered look, and time seemed to have frozen the expressions on all their faces.

Only Zeng Xiaoxian's face slowly turned ashen, becoming increasingly pale, until it turned greenish, and finally even reflected light.

Ziqiao likes...

Yifei?!

The End of Freedom - Part 1

Here it comes!

Because this chapter involves the changes in Ziqiao, Zhanbo, and Wanyu, Pigeon has already tried his best to make it as funny as possible.

Hopefully, one day Pigeon can break through the veil between comedy and growth, allowing the character's growth process to truly blend into the comedic atmosphere.

It is said that Pigeon has always felt that Dumas and Wanyu are similar in some ways, so for Wanyu, being able to witness the passing of her predecessor might bring her some emotion.

Zhanbo, on the other hand, needs a realist like Zhao Wuliang to shatter his pretentious and unrealistic fantasies.

After all, there are only four or five chapters left before the end of the first season, which is the end of this volume. Pigeon doesn't want to be like the buffalo that has written two million words but still hasn't finished the first season. By the way, do you guys think it's padded?

I saw everyone saying they wanted to see a wedding in Shangri-La, but I don't think Elizabeth could put on a big wedding during Dumas's tight schedule back home.

And there weren't many guests; it was most likely just a matchmaking ceremony. So I'll save the big event for later.

The next chapter and the one after that... are less scientific. If you want to delve into the details about pigeons, you can only bring up chapters like Yifei instantly defeating the Terminator, Happy Force, and Teacher Zeng encountering a superhuman while recording a program—chapters that are even less scientific.

Also, this is my first update today, to organize my thoughts.

(End of this chapter)