The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal a.s.sistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom
First Published on Chaleuria
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-five
"You really want to go with me?" Ling Miao asked, standing in front of the elevator.
Su Yuyang nodded resolutely. "Why not? If your dad really knows about us, I want to see his response and whether you even have to worry on the one hand, and I can protect you if anything does happen on the other hand. If your dad doesn"t know, we"ll take things as they come" Though Ling Miao was somewhat unwilling, Su Yuyang"s att.i.tude was clear: He wouldn"t change his mind.
Feng Ji parked the car and walked over. "You"re not going back?" Su Yuyang asked.
Feng Ji froze. Stunned, he replied, "Why, do I need to go?"
"I don"t know when Ling Miao and I will be able to go back. Or we can drive back on our own if you leave the car here," Su Yuyang suggested.
Feng Ji happily tossed the keys to Su Yuyang upon hearing this. Heh heh, he wasn"t going to waste time here with Su Yuyang and his husband. An Yan was still waiting for him at home!
"This guy, he"s way too excited, right?" Su Yuyang said as he watched Feng Ji"s swiftly departing back.
Ling Miao didn"t reply to Su Yuyang. He merely stated, "The elevator"s here."
Perhaps because they were on an elevator or simply due to his misperception, Su Yuyang felt that the person next to him was trembling. He turned to look at Ling Miao and asked with concern, "Are you all right? If you"re worried, we can go back and try again in a couple of days."
Ling Miao shook his head stubbornly. "I want to know what"s going on."
The elevator ascended very slowly because someone entered or exited on almost every floor. Suddenly, Ling Miao smiled. "My relations.h.i.+p with my dad isn"t very good because I"m afraid of him."
"Mm?" Ling Miao rarely mentioned his family to Su Yuyang. Now that he"d brought it up of his own accord, Su Yuyang was interested. He quietly listened.
"From a young age," murmured Ling Miao, "I started learning to cook from my dad. When I did something poorly, he"d hit or kick me. I was terrified of being hit, so I learned to be very attentive. In my rebellious phase, I began to resent him and our relations.h.i.+p grew colder. Then, my mom died. And not long after that, Hu Yueyuan married into the family; that"s probably when our relations.h.i.+p completely soured.
"I haven"t seen him much since then. He"s rarely home. He"s either training abroad or in some hotel kitchen. I haven"t seen him at all since moving out.
"I"m afraid of my dad"s fists. If he really knows about the two of us, tell me, do you think he"ll beat me until I"m crippled? Thankfully, this is a hospital. The emergency room…."
"What nonsense are you saying?" Su Yuyang interjected reproachfully. The elevator had finally arrived at their floor and he pulled Ling Miao out.
Ling Miao was too lazy to look for the room. He gave Hu Yueyuan a phone call and, after a short wait, the woman reluctantly came to get them. She snapped, "I told you which room your dad was in, why didn"t you come over yourselves?"
"Too lazy," Su Yuyang drawled.
Hu Yueyuan glared at Su Yuyang, turned, and towards her husband"s sickroom. Ling Miao"s father was propped up against the headboard watching TV. "Ling Miao"s here," Hu Yueyuan declared. Her husband turned to the doorway. His gaze swept past Hu Yueyuan and landed on Ling Miao"s face. He ignored Su Yuyang, who found a chair and sat down instead of making his presence known. He lowered his head to read a novel. Ling Miao"s dad treated him like a visiting friend or relative of the bed next door.
Ling Miao"s father"s bright eyes swept over his son. Ling Miao"s whole body tensed and his gait grew unsteady. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?" His father"s voice was severe, like that of a reigning emperor. Ling Miao bit his lip and didn"t respond. His dad continued, "I heard you still haven"t found a job?"
"Who did you hear that from?" Ling Miao asked with a sneer.
"My workplace is hiring. If you still haven"t found a job, I"ll talk to my manager tomorrow and see if he"ll employ you." His dad didn"t answer the question. Su Yuyang frowned. He could tell at a glance that Ling Miao"s father was a self-centered man. He had arranged a job for Ling Miao without even asking his son"s opinion. People like that were difficult to deal with! But, who said Ling Miao didn"t have a job? Su Yuyang was Ling Miao"s boss!
Su Yuyang put his hands in his pockets and was about to get up and explain when he heard Ling Miao say resolutely, "Not going." He glanced at Su Yuyang, indicating that he shouldn"t move. Su Yuyang looked at Ling Miao curiously, a mysterious smile on his face. This matter between father and son, he would let them settle it. Nevertheless, Su Yuyang wasn"t in the mood to continue reading his novel. He openly watched Ling Miao and his father. As Su Yuyang"s gaze swept past Hu Yueyuan, her poisonous expression sent a chill through him.
"You"re already twenty-three. If you don"t settle down, what will you have to offer when you get married?" Ling Miao"s dad said righteously. Hearing his father"s words, Ling Miao and Su Yuyang both let out the breath they"d been holding. It looked like he didn"t know about the two of them.
Ling Miao shrugged indifferently. "Whether I get married is my business. It doesn"t have a single thing to do with you."
"You!" The father threw off his covers and climbed out of bed. A slap landed directly against Ling Miao"s face. The older man railed, "When men grow up, they bring someone into the family! When women grow up, they marry into someone"s family! Tomorrow! Tomorrow, you will go on a blind date! Yueyuan, didn"t you collect the pictures of a number of candidates for Ling Miao? Let him choose!"
Ling Miao"s cheeks flamed red. He looked at Su Yuyang, his heart aching to the point of breaking. He couldn"t help but to stand up and confront his dad. Ling Miao yelled, "It"s my life! I can handle it on my own!" His words were for both his father and Su Yuyang. Su Yuyang clenched his fist as he struggled to stand still.
Ling Miao"s dad raised his hand to slap his son yet again, but this time Ling Miao blocked it. For the first time, he defied his father. His father looked at him in shock, like he didn"t recognize the man in front of him. "You don"t have to worry about my job," Ling Miao said haltingly. "Even more, you don"t have to worry about my marriage. If not for Hu Yueyuan telling me you had almost died, I wouldn"t have even come to see you." Ling Miao let go of his father"s arm and called out, "Su Yuyang, let"s go."
Seeing the man hurrying after his son, Ling Miao"s father picked up the cup at his side and hurled it at Su Yuyang. "Aahh!" The author cried out in pain.
Upon hearing Su Yuyang"s cry, Ling Miao stopped and turned back to him. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"What is your relations.h.i.+p to him?!" Ling Miao"s dad"s gaze flashed dangerously, as sharp as a knife.
"Lov—"
"I"m his boss," Su Yuyang said, smiling as he looked at Ling Miao"s dad.
"Boss?" Hu Yueyuan, who had been quiet for a long time, let out a mocking laugh. She said coldly, "I think they"re lovers. If not, would an employee call his supervisor by name?"
Ling Miao"s father"s gaze hardened. He asked, "Are you and he really in that kind of relations.h.i.+p?"