Reborn with an Old Enemy on the Day of our Marriage

Chapter 21 - Couple’s Clothes

“Ah, ah, ah– the Boss–” Dong MingEn exclaimed.

Luo XingGuang rose to his feet.

Then the two rushed towards the skating rink.

“Boss–”

“Boss-”

The moment they stepped past the rink entrance, they both slipped on the ice.

Zheng PingQing, who had just stood up with Lin Qian: “….”

Looking at the two idiots floundering on the ice like a bunch of fish thrown ashore, Lin Qian tilted his head and asked: “Is this the legendary 'Rescue of Grandpa Calabash' coming to life?”

Zheng PingQing: “….”

Right now, this Grandpa really wanted to bash his grandchildren with a calabash!

After making sure that Lin Qian wasn’t hurt, Zheng PingQing slowly led him to the edge of the rink, while Dong MingEn and Luo XingGuang were still flopping around on the side.

Dong MingEn stretched out a hand and cried out tragically: “Boss, pull, pull me–”

Zheng PingQing: = =

Zheng PingQing grabbed both of them and dragged them up, looking very disgusted while doing so. “You’re making Grandpa’s life very difficult.”

Lin Qian: “Haha–”

Dong MingEn whispered towards Luo XingGuang: “Is he laughing at us?”

Luo XingGuang analyzed Lin Qian’s shaking shoulders and replied, indignant. “Yes.”

“Boss, your clothes are wet.” Dong MingEn exclaimed.

Zheng PingQing immediately looked towards Lin Qian. “Your clothes are wet.”

Dong MingEn: “…” No, Boss, how can you care about other people when you’re in a much worse situation!

Zheng PingQing’s first thought when they fell was to protect Lin Qian as much as possible. But Lin Qian still ended up on the ice afterward, making his clothes wet. It wasn’t as bad as Zheng PingQing’s clothes, though.

Lin Qian was about to say that he could just go home and change, but Zheng PingQing leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go and buy some clothes.”

Dong MingEn wanted to stop them, saying: “Boss…”

Zheng PingQing pinned him with a scornful look to shut him up and said: “Concentrate on studying more instead of spending all your time blindly thinking of such foolish thoughts.”

Dong MingEn and Lou XingGuang watched the two leave, shoulder to shoulder, looking disheveled.

Lou XingGuang couldn’t help but say: “Why…why do I feel that the Boss and Lin Qian….”

Dong MingEn, on the other hand, wasn’t capable of properly digesting such a scene. “The Boss doesn’t really want to be friends with Lin Qian…does he?”

Nearby, Gou XinDou had finished his fries. He got up and patted the salt off his hands, sighing: “Boss Zheng becoming like this…in the end, was it due to a loss of morality, or the distortion of human nature?”

……

Since the skating rink was in a shopping mall, Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing didn’t have to go very far to find clothes and simply went inside the nearest men’s clothing store.

Both of them were natural hangers- as long as the clothes didn’t look too exotic, they could pull off any type of clothing. In theory, they should be able to buy something random and leave quickly.

However, Zheng PingQing had other plans.

Lin Qian looked at the two sets of clothes in from of him. “Ermmm…you….”

Zheng PingQing looked smug as he straightforwardly said: “Yes, I want to buy couple outfits.”

He said it like it was only a matter of course, so Lin Qian also ended up thinking the same. Thus, he simply gave Zheng PingQing a few suggestions: “I don’t want to wear patterns.”

As he changed clothes, Lin Qian finally had a thought. “We’re not going to wear this to Huo Rui’s birthday party…are we?”

“Obviously.” Zheng PingQing scoffed. “I want the whole world to know that we’re together.”

Let’s see if those blind classmates of theirs can still doubt his’ and Lin Qian’s true love.

Lin Qian sent him a pained look. The way Zheng PingQing said it, Lin Qian felt like this wasn’t a couples outfit but instead a triad uniform…

“The whole world, let alone the people in our grade, won’t be thrilled,” Lin Qian gave him a reality check.

The clerk happened to pass by as the two of them left the changing rooms. Her eyes widened when she saw them, and she couldn’t help but say: “Oh my goodness, so handsome.”

Zheng PingQing was also quite satisfied with how they looked. He chose a fashion brand that was still quite niche, but would eventually become popular all over the world in the future. The clothes they were wearing were simple and chic, enhancing their own unique temperaments.

Especially Lin Qian, who looked more delicate. He appeared even more refined, and it enhanced his deep, dark, and penetrating eyes.

With a slightly menacing smile, Zheng PingQing said: “Let’s steal Huo YeRui’s limelight tonight and make him livid.”

The clerk continued to praise the two as they were paying. “You two brothers have such a good relationship, even buying matching clothes.”

Zheng PingQing: …No, no, no, there’s not a speck of brotherhood here!

As they left the store, Lin Qian chuckled, patting Zheng PingQing on the shoulder. “Let’s go, brother.”

Zheng PingQing was reluctant to let the misconception be, muttering: “That shop assistant isn’t very competent.”

“Yes, yes.” Lin Qian humored him, then said: “Let’s go have dinner first. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat later when faced with Huo YeRui.”

Then, Zheng PingQing’s phone rang. The caller ID displayed no name, but Zheng PingQing’s face changed when he saw the string of numbers on the screen.

Zheng PingQing firmly ended the call. Lin Qian then asked: “Who was it?”

Zheng PingQing replied in a light tone. “A scammer.”

Soon after, Zheng PingQing’s phone rang again. When he quickly hung up, a text message soon followed.

Zheng PingQing opened the text message while Lin Qian watched with a raised brow.

Zheng PingQing’s hand that gripped the phone tightened. After a while, he put his phone away and turned to Lin Qian. “What do you want to eat?”

Lin Qian thought for a bit, then said: “I suddenly remembered, I had an appointment with Xu Yao.”

In his heart, Zheng PingQing began to curse Xu Yao thoroughly.

With a laugh, Lin Qian said: “Hey, hey. Having a boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t have any friends.”

Zheng PingQing reached out and lightly touched Lin Qian’s ear. “Then, I’ll see you tonight.”

Lin Qian nodded. “See you tonight.”

After the two separated, Lin Qian called Xu Yao. “Dog, let’s go to that birthday party together.”

Xu Yao wailed on the other end of the call: “Ahhhh, didn’t you say you had something on? I was going to meet up with Jiang TingJun.”

Lin Qian replied: “Don’t tell me you forgot who accompanied you to the toilet all day long during primary school?”

Xu Yao’s childhood secrets were forcefully dragged out of hiding and were subsequently brought to light. With no other choice, Xu Yao could only reply: “Come to Jiang TingJung’s place then. We can all go together.”

……

Zheng PingQing stood outside a noodle restaurant named ‘Little Pea.’ After standing there for a long time, he finally opened the door and stepped inside.

The restaurant was pretty small, and only had two rows of tables. It wasn’t quite dinnertime yet, so there weren’t many customers.

Chen ShiYi sat at the innermost table on the right row, two cups of water in front of her.

Zheng PingQing thought that he would feel a sense of unfamiliarity towards her. Including his past life, Zheng PingQing hadn’t seen Chen ShiYi in years.

But the truth was, the feelings that bubbled over felt very familiar.

It was the exact feelings that he had when he was seventeen.

Chen Shiyi was dressed elegantly. Although she had a plain face, she still retained her strikingly beautiful temperament and was unmarred by the many hard years that was to be caused by Lin Qian and him.

Hearing Zheng PingQing greet the clerk near the door, Chen ShiYi looked up.

“PingQing.” Chen ShiYi stood up and waved towards him. Zheng PingQing’s posture remained relaxed. Although his eyes turned slightly timid, he didn’t tremble at the sight of her.

Zheng PingQing was a little surprised. He didn’t expect that one day he would be able to restrain himself in front of this woman, sitting quietly instead of going crazy.

“What’s the matter?” Zheng PingQing asked in an indifferent tone, lowering his head, not looking at her.

He knew that Chen ShiYi was watching him.

He didn’t know why Chen ShiYi returned to the city, or why she called him out.

In Zheng PingQing’s last life, he and Chen ShiYi met only once during the summer vacation. After that, he and Lin Qian fought, and fought, until they finally landed into big trouble after assembly. After that, Chen ShiYi became heartbroken, and their relationship completely disintegrated. They had never peacefully met each other ever again.

“PingQing.” After a long silence, Chen ShiYi finally spoke, her tone resolute. “I’m sorry for what I said to you during the summer vacation.”

Zheng PingQing’s head lifted and looked at her, his eyes burning.

“I went back and thought long and hard about what I said. I realized that my words weren’t right…” Chen ShiYi bitterly smiled. “It wasn’t fair on you.”

Zheng PingQing was somewhat terrified. In his last life, he had waited a long time for Chen ShiYi to apologize to him, for her to admit her wrongs. It was only after Chen ShiYi and Lin YaZhi divorced that he had stopped waiting.

He never would’ve imagined that he would hear Chen ShiYi’s apology at seventeen.

For Chen ShiYi, it had only been two months since summer vacation. But to Zheng PingQing, it had been more than ten years. He thought he had long forgotten those irreversible words that caused so much fighting between him and Lin Qian. But now, he discovered that he still remembered what Chen ShiYi had said to him in perfect clarity–

“PingQing, I beg you, can you, can you….not trouble Lin Qian anymore…”

“He’s such a poor child. He didn’t have a mother growing up, and his relationship with YaZhi isn’t great. He often stays out late. Can you stop…please….”

“He constantly quarrels with his father at home. I don’t want him to fight in school too…”

Back then, at the tender age of seventeen, Zheng PingQing’s limbs had turned ice-cold. He looked at Chen ShiYi with a blank expression, as if he was looking at a complete stranger.

Lin Qian didn’t have a mother growing up, and he has a bad relationship with his dad, so he was very pitiful.

The young Zheng PingQing wanted to ask her, does your own son still have his mother? Does he have a good relationship with his dad?

Lin Qian always fought with his father at home. But your own son didn’t even have anyone to fight with at home.

Why don’t you see me as pitiful? Why are you trying to persuade your own son to be friends with your stepson?

After those words, Chen ShiYi had continued to talk. But the young Zheng PingQing could no longer hear past the blood roaring in his ears. He stood up, smashed the table in front of him, then destroyed anything he could lay his hands on.

Chen ShiYi couldn’t stop him and could only watch him in horror, her eyes reflecting the same unfamiliarity that he had felt.

When he was young, Chen ShiYi had often brought Zheng PingQing to ‘Little Pea.’ She used to help him cut his meat with this strange looking fork. She would often say: “Sorry, mom is too busy to cook for you today.”

The little Zheng, mouth covered in oil, would reply: “These ribs are better than the food mom cooks anyway.”

“Hey- you dare say that!” Chen ShiYi would then eat half of his ribs, causing her own mouth to be filled with oil. Then as they both laughed, she would order another set of ribs, saying: “Your father made a lot of money, so you can have anything you want to eat in the future.”

That little Zheng PingQing never could’ve imagined that one day, he wouldn’t have a mother, that he would no longer be able to eat the bland food cooked by her.

He had been so angry, so impulsive. And all these emotions had been thrust upon Lin Qian.

But fortunately, Zheng PingQing could now start all over again. He had eventually learned to love someone, and the person he gave all his love to, thankfully loved him back.

……

“Come on, you stand next to Ah Qian, and I’ll stand next to you.” Xu Yao told Jian TingJun, pushing him to the middle. He then attempted to hide in Jian TingJun’s other side.

Jiang TingJun fiercely retorted: “I don’t want to. You’re the one best friends with Ah Qian; you stand together.”

Xu Yao refused to back down. “Haven’t you always said that you wanted to take this position from me? Well, I’m giving it to you now.”

Jiang TingJun refused the offer. “No, don’t give it to me, you keep it.”

Lin Qian: = =

Lin Qian: “There’s no need for you two to act like this.”

“Of course we do!” Xu Yao snorted. “Who would’ve imagined that you would have such impure thoughts? Actually grooming yourself behind my back! I hate you, and I don’t want to be the ugly duckling next to you, being nothing but a foil.”

Lin Qian: “…I just changed my clothes.”

Xu Yao turned to Jiang TingJun, swearing. “Such a big ego, actually hinting that he was born handsome, not relying on any sort of primping!”

Lin Qian: “…”

Lin Qian entered the buffet restaurant Huo YeRui’s party was to be held in and immediately attracted numerous gazes.

The girls’ eyes were like spotlights, all chasing after his figure.

Xu Yao quickly leaned over and grabbed Lin Qian’s arm. “No, no, I have to follow you, or I won’t even get the chance to be in a girl’s line of sight.”

Lin Qian was speechless. “I thought you didn’t want to be an ugly duckling?”

And Xu Yao, this flexible person, replied: “Quack–”

The author has something to say:

The party is about to start, with protagonist Lin Qian taking the stage.

Huo YeRui: ???????????

God, the drama. So Zheng PingQing’s mother is with Lin Qian’s father. Sad what his mum said to him. It must have been a big blow on the young Zheng PingQing. I’m glad he can finally move on from this, and I’m glad he has Lin Qian.