amaotonovel Chapter 511 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (122)
Chapter 511 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (122)
Lu Liruan finally saw Liao Tingyuan at her workplace the next day when she got off work.
The weather has now turned completely cold. The yard that Liao Tingyuan hadn't finished cleaning up was tidied up by Fan Zhenxiang and Zhao Linchuan. The whole yard was bare and looked a bit desolate.
Because I thought it looked bad, and the graffiti at the entrance seemed... a bit eerie, just like Lao Cheng's temperament.
When Lao Cheng arrived, he discovered that his artwork was still at the door. He stood there for quite a while, causing concern among the people inside.
Is he about to unleash his creative urges again?
Fortunately, he probably didn't bring his art supplies this time...
The next day, when Gao Shiyi came, she smiled and said to everyone, "Don't be fooled by his silence and lack of emotion; he was actually quite touched and felt that his work was valued."
The people in the room looked at each other.
Before they could say anything cautiously, Gao Shiyi stopped halfway down the stairs, came to her senses, and continued very gently and politely, "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't put his heart into improvisation anymore, but please don't expose this white lie, okay?"
She wore a white cotton dress today, looking particularly gentle and elegant, but when her gaze swept over them, everyone felt a warning from the former psychotherapist.
“Okay, we understand,” An Tang replied first.
"Thank you everyone~" Gao Shiyi said without changing her expression.
After she went upstairs, everyone breathed a sigh of relief: "No matter what, as long as he doesn't draw anymore, that's fine..." Fan Zhenxiang seemed particularly shaken.
After lunch, Zhao Linchuan told Lu Liruan behind Fan Zhenxiang's back, "He is particularly sensitive to everything about Lao Cheng, so he said that every time he enters the courtyard and sees Lao Cheng's works, his mood will become bad!"
Lu Liruan: ? ?
Is this why this person always seems so flammable and explosive?
Seeing Lu Liruan's confusion, Zhao Linchuan answered for her: "No, he's just plain stupid, you should let him have his way."
“Oh.” Lu Liruan nodded.
Gao Shiyi kept her word. Although Lao Cheng stood at the door several times, admiring her work again, he ultimately did not suggest continuing to paint.
That morning, Zhao Linchuan was in the kitchen with Lu Liruan, helping An Tang make pickled vegetables. It was said that An Tang had learned the method from short videos and was planning to try it in the office.
Although Lu Liruan didn't understand why pickled vegetables could be made in the office, they really had nothing else to do, so the group of them made pickled vegetables with great enthusiasm.
Suddenly, Zhao Linchuan stopped salting the cabbage and turned to look at the door: "Old Cheng is here!"
His experiment with Lu Liruan has been ongoing for the past few days.
Whether it was due to Gao Shiyi's help or because Lao Cheng had only brought this pair of shoes when he went out to find Gao Shiyi, he wore the shoes with chewing gum stuck to them for several days in a row, which is why Zhao Linchuan was always able to sense his whereabouts.
To test whether the same piece of chewing gum could sense multiple people, the two of them, taking advantage of Fan Zhenxiang's inattention, stuck the chewing gum onto Fan Zhenxiang's shoe again...
The conclusion was then drawn that it is indeed possible to sense the whereabouts of two people simultaneously, and the senses are even clearer when two people are acting at the same time.
"What about people?"
Lu Liruan turned her head and waited for several minutes, but she didn't see Lao Cheng come in.
"You've misperceived?" Lu Liruan thought that Zhao Linchuan's perception had expired and was starting to err.
"No... Old Cheng stopped at the door." Zhao Linchuan sighed.
"People say that criminals often return to the scene of their crimes to find psychological satisfaction. Is Lao Cheng going back to the crime scene a little too frequently?"
Lu Liruan: ...
What a vivid metaphor.
"Keep your voice down, or Lao Cheng will hear you!" Lu Liruan gestured to him, probably because it would affect those around them, so Lao Cheng's perception was stronger than that of ordinary people.
Lu Liruan actually suspected that Lao Cheng probably knew they were planning to do something to him when they had dinner that day, but he wasn't interested in finding out or stopping them.
The criminal probably reviewed his crime scene outside for at least five minutes before leisurely walking in.
After he sat down on the sofa, Zhao Linchuan visibly took two deep breaths.
He rubbed salt on his hands much faster, turning the cabbage leaves like pages of a book, and water droplets almost splashed onto Lu Liruan.
“You don’t need to be in such a hurry… We don’t have a fixed deadline for pickling Chinese cabbage…” Lu Liruan said to him with pity.
&34; I said. &34;
Old Cheng's gloomy, slow voice suddenly rang out behind the group.
Even Lu Liruan took a deep breath and subconsciously tried to close the window, feeling that it might rain heavily outside.
But when I looked up, the sun was still shining brightly outside the window.
"Ok?"
An Tang responded again.
“Shiyi said that the community has said that no new murals are allowed to be painted on the walls outside here.”
“Yes, the community staff came to our door specifically to say that last time, especially since this is our workplace.” An Tang raised an eyebrow.
"That……"
“We really can’t paint anymore. It’s not okay indoors. The boss doesn’t like avant-garde art, don’t you know that?” An Tang cut off the conversation first, and shifted all the blame onto the boss who wasn’t there at the moment.
"Sister Tang, didn't the boss just forbid it?" Lu Liruan thought to herself, why not just say it's a company rule?
“Let’s be a little more tactful and give Shiyi some face.” An Tang mouthed, turning to Lu Liruan and winking.
Although Lu Liruan didn't know how Gao Shiyi expressed herself to Lao Cheng, she could tell that Gao Shiyi cared a lot about Lao Cheng's feelings.
"I know." Old Cheng nodded, his face showing no change in emotion.
Then he pointed to the courtyard wall outside: "I mean, the painting has faded a bit from being repainted, and I want to touch up some color."
An Tang: ? ?
Lu Liruan: ...
The only sound left in the room was the frantic scrambling of cabbage leaves by Zhao Linchuan.
"Don't you think that painting is now incomplete?"
When Lao Cheng looked up, Lu Liruan felt as if the back of her clothes were soaked by the rain, giving her the illusion of dampness.
This was the most Lao Cheng had spoken in the past few days.
"Sister Tang... what should we do?" Lu Liruan secretly touched An Tang's slippers with her toes.
"Hahaha, how would we know how to appreciate this? If we're talking about appreciating this, Shiyi is the real expert. Why don't you ask her when she gets back? After all, you two are the ones who have something in common!" An Tang nudged Lu Liruan with her hip, signaling her not to panic.
Sure enough, after hearing An Tang's words, Lao Cheng, although still looking at the wall outside, didn't say anything.
Lu Liruan breathed a slight sigh of relief; the damp feeling on her back eased a little the moment Lao Cheng turned around.
"The most effective way to deal with Lao Cheng is to mention Shi Yi. This trick always works," An Tang whispered in Lu Liruan's ear.
After understanding the implication, Lu Liruan wondered inexplicably: How many methods did you actually use to deal with Lao Cheng in the future?
Back when Lao Cheng was here, life must have been tough for everyone, right?
But how should I put it... it also indirectly proves that they really are a loving couple!
"Linchuan..."
Just as Lu Liruan was lost in her own thoughts, she heard An Tang call out to Zhao Linchuan with a slightly panicked voice.
"We don't need so many cabbages!"
Lu Liruan turned her head and found that Zhao Linchuan was nervously and blankly wiping the third cabbage.
"The one you're applying now, it seems like you haven't washed it off yet, right?" Lu Liruan asked hesitantly.
"Ah!" Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Linchuan seemed to wake from a dream, looking down at his masterpiece, unusually silent.
After a while, he spoke again: "Fan Zhenxiang has arrived."
After Lu Liruan finished washing the cabbage in her hands again, she still didn't see Fan Zhenxiang: "Where is he?"
“Oh, he must have sensed Lao Cheng inside at the door, so he turned around and left,” Zhao Linchuan added. “It was like he made up his mind.”
Lu Liruan: ...No need to tell the joke.
It's definitely not advisable to let Lao Cheng touch up the paintings at the entrance, otherwise Fan Zhenxiang probably won't be able to come to work.
Old Cheng stayed in the living room for a while, probably feeling that it was quite boring without Gao Shiyi, before turning around and going upstairs.
"Sister Tang, is it related to the fact that people here don't really like to come to work here regularly, or was it because Lao Cheng used to work here?" Lu Liruan asked tentatively.
Because in the past few days, Lu Liruan had also learned about the other branches through Zhao Linchuan. It seemed that the other branches were not so rampant, with no one in the office unless they were present.
“…You guessed right.” An Tang nodded.
These office secrets are something that can only be understood implicitly and cannot be spoken of. Lu Liruan can only slowly experience and summarize them on her own.
Therefore... there must be a plausible reason or a lesson learned behind every irrational and incomprehensible thing.
This will never change.
Lu Liruan now feels that this statement makes a lot of sense. It seems that the things that seemed strange and unreasonable at the beginning have gradually become clear.
Although these reasons are quite outrageous.
"We've pickled these vegetables today, enough to last us for half a year..." An Tang looked at the two basins on the ground, filled with bright red cabbages.
"If it's not good, I'll mail it to you so you can eat it." An Tang glanced at the culprit, Zhao Linchuan.
Zhao Linchuan protested loudly, "You can't blame me for this, can you? Blame Lao Cheng if you must!"
Old Cheng still had a significant influence on Fan Zhenxiang. He had already arrived at the company entrance but left without even going in. By the time Lu Liruan remembered him, two hours had passed and it was almost lunchtime before she finally asked, "Where is he?"
"Oh, they went to the arcade," Zhao Linchuan said casually after sensing the situation.
Paid leave from work...
Got it.
Before dinner, Gao Shiyi returned and listened as the people in the living room silently, almost entirely through lip movements and gestures, recounted Lao Cheng's shocking statement from that morning.
"The boss has explicitly forbidden it," An Tang said, shrugging.
Gao Shiyi pursed her lips and nodded gently and reassuringly: "Okay, I understand. Don't worry, he won't bring this up again."
He then calmly went upstairs.
A few people were left watching her retreating figure.
"So reliable..."
"Sister Shiyi really makes me feel safe."
Zhao Linchuan and Lu Liruan sighed. Lu Liruan could now understand Gao Shiyi's previous profession. It was probably a kind of professional quality that made people feel safe and reliable and allowed them to let their guard down.
Because the yard is too spacious, Lao Cheng reminded me of it again yesterday.
Lu Liruan went to the express delivery locker and brought back a box with An Tang's name written on it.
Lu Liruan initially thought the boss had brought back some random stuff, but upon seeing An Tang's name, she found a paper cutter on the cabinet: "Sister Tang, let me open it for you?"
"Okay, you can open it now!"
When Lu Liruan opened it, she saw that it contained a long wire and a small light bulb.
"Sister Tang, why did you buy all this?"
"Put them in the yard. The days are getting shorter now. Once it gets dark, turn on these little colored lights in the yard. They'll be so cute," An Tang said casually.
Where do you get these inspirations from?
Lu Liruan looked into the cardboard box and saw several other packaging bags containing small ornaments.
“When Xiao Qi was in high school, I helped her class set up the venue for a party. Oh, and I also set up the venue for the sports meet. I’m very good at it!” An Tang raised her eyebrows.
Lu Liruan: ...
Why do you look more like an elder than Teacher Liao?
"Can this thing be used to ward off the evil spirits from Lao Cheng's painting at night?"
Since neither Gao Shiyi nor Lao Cheng were in the office, Lu Liruan started speaking more freely.
As a result, he attracted An Tang's attention.
"Wh...what's wrong?" Lu Liruan thought the foam from the package was stuck to her face.
"You weren't used to us talking about Lao Cheng in weird terms at first," An Tang teased. She still couldn't help but laugh when she thought about the helpless and bewildered look on Lu Liruan's face when they talked about Lao Cheng.
"I didn't expect it to be so powerful..."
As long as Lao Cheng was there, Lu Liruan didn't feel particularly scared, but she always wanted to change her clothes. She always felt uncomfortable with her clothes sticking to her skin in the dampness.
An Tang bought a long string of fairy lights and planned to wrap them all around the front yard.
In the afternoon, Lu Liruan sat on the ground, twisting the small light switch bit by bit until her neck ached.
Finally, it was finished. I went to the yard to hang it up, and it got dark as soon as I finished.
"I've turned on the light!" Zhao Linchuan's voice came from inside the house.
Lu Liruan and An Tang let go of each other's hands.
"Snapped--"
The next instant, a beautiful sea of lights appeared in front of me.
An Tang didn't buy cheap stuff; the colors and brightness were all very beautiful, especially on the door, which was decorated in a way that made it look like a fairy tale world, because the two of them also placed decorations and preserved artificial flowers next to it.
Just as Lu Liruan was about to praise her, the next second...
Liao Tingyuan appeared outside the door...