I Just Started College, How Could I Become a Part-Time Papa?!

Chapter 82: Chapter 70: They Have Their Parents’ Love, But I Don’t

”I don’t dare.”

”You have to go even if you don’t dare.”

”You’re bullying me...”

”Hurry up, I’m starving.”

Tiptoeing stealthily, Song Jianye went up to the food stall and asked for a small bowl.

Chen Yuan, holding the basin of ingredients, ladled out a good half-bowl of chili oil.

If the United States found out about this, they’d probably invade for this bowl of spicy stir-fry.

Song Jianye couldn’t handle spicy food very well. After just a few bites, she was hissing and panting.

A bite of food, a bite of rice, a sip of her drink—the three worked in tandem to help Song Jianye finish her meal.

They had the campus Top Ten Singers competition that evening, so they didn’t wander around like usual and headed straight back to school after dinner.

But there was still some time before the competition started, so they strolled to the school’s prime dating spot: the small grove behind the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building.

No one was around. They sat down on the steps behind the building as a gentle breeze sifted through her hair, caressing her face.

The grass was forming its seeds, the wind was rustling the leaves. They just sat there, not speaking, enjoying the quiet.

This was one of the few moments Chen Yuan could recall being this close to Song Jianye.

She gazed at the reddening sky in the distance without a word. The sea of clouds on the horizon was picturesque, but her eyes held a hint of loneliness.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen such an emotion in her eyes.

From the very first time he’d seen that look, Chen Yuan had sensed that she was a person with a heavy heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t suffer from chronic insomnia and need medication to cope.

He had tried to ask about it indirectly before, but she never said anything.

Beneath her glamorous exterior, she kept herself hidden away.

He only knew Song Jianye the person, not the lonely child living inside her heart.

”The instructor told me today that after two more weeks of practice at most, I should be able to take the test.”

Song Jianye looked at Chen Yuan and asked hopefully, ”Do you have faith in me?”

”Does that include Tuesday and Friday afternoons, on top of our usual practice schedule?”

”Mhm. Didn’t you say it? Pick nine lotuses.”

’This pampered girl, Song Jianye, is actually pretty great. Aside from being a bit of a spendthrift, you can’t find a single flaw in her.’

’But she’s so rich, what is she supposed to do if not spend money?’

’What the hell else would she spend?!’

”I was just kidding. You don’t have to take it so seriously. Worst case, I’ll just wait for you. I can’t promise anything else, but I’m sure we can practice for the Subject Three test together.”

’Chen Yuan wasn’t patient enough to wait for others, but he could wait for his 211-month-old baby.’

”I’m not really taking it that seriously. I just want to master one skill quickly so I can move on to the next one.”

”Do you even need to do all that?” Chen Yuan said. ”Even if the hotel went out of business, your family’s savings are more than enough for you to live a carefree life forever.”

”There’s nothing great about a poor person’s life, so don’t bother experiencing it. As for you, as long as you stay away from the stock market, you’ll probably never have to worry about money. Just live your life peacefully. That’s good enough.”

”I have to take care of Uncle Zhang in the future, so I need to learn some skills too,” Song Jianye said, laying out her little plans.

”I’ve thought it all out. When Uncle Zhang gets older, I’ll buy an SUV so I can take him everywhere to see the sights and travel.”

Song Jianye was very serious, envisioning a beautiful future. This seemed to be something she had planned a long time ago.

”I also want to learn photography, so I can take pictures of Uncle Zhang and all. He always used to take pictures of me. When he’s old, it’ll be my turn to take pictures of him.”

Chen Yuan was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t expected this.

But on second thought, it made perfect sense for Song Jianye.

Uncle Zhang loved and protected Song Jianye in his own way, and she loved him back in hers.

”That makes sense. Your relationship with Uncle Zhang is definitely different from most. Even with actual family, it’s rarely this close.”

”I told you before, Uncle Zhang watched me grow up.”

”A lot of drivers watch the family’s kids grow up, but the bond between them doesn’t seem to be as deep as yours.”

”That’s probably because they also have their parents’ love. But I don’t, so Uncle Zhang was always especially good to me.”

Chen Yuan’s expression froze, and his heart began to pound.

All his previous questions seemed to be answered in that instant.

She often mentioned Uncle Zhang, and she’d spoken of her aunt and uncle, but she had never once mentioned her own parents. So, they were gone.

”I’m sorry.”

”There’s no need to be sorry. You’re very good to me, too, and I’ve learned a lot from you. Just don’t get tired of me following you around all the time.”

”How could I?”

Chen Yuan felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking it.

”Uncle Zhang has done so much for you. It’s only right that you treat him well when he gets older.”

”Yeah. Even without Uncle Zhang, my aunt and uncle are very good to me. They love me a lot too. But if it weren’t for me, there would be no one to love Uncle Zhang.”

”Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I know you want to repay Uncle Zhang, but he has family who loves him, too. You need to adjust your mindset.”

In that moment, Chen Yuan seemed to have found the root of Song Jianye’s insomnia.

Perhaps these thoughts swirled in her mind every day, an endless, revolving lantern that she couldn’t dismiss.

”No, that’s not it. Uncle Zhang has no family. I’m his only relative.”

”None?”

”My father passed away when I was four. My mother was always busy with her business, so Uncle Zhang wasn’t just her driver; he also took care of my daily life. He was out early and back late every day, with no time for himself. Then, one summer vacation, my uncle had me stay at their house. I accidentally overheard my aunt and uncle talking... They said Uncle Zhang was in love with my mother.”

Chen Yuan listened in silence. Everything Uncle Zhang did truly went beyond the duties of a driver. If there wasn’t some other reason, a simple salary couldn’t explain his decade of unwavering dedication and care for Song Jianye.

”And then what? What did your aunt and uncle say? Did they think about firing Uncle Zhang because they weren’t a good match socially?”

”No, my uncle is a very open-minded person. I remember he even asked for my opinion. I didn’t understand much back then, I was just a clueless kid. But I really liked Uncle Zhang, so I agreed.”

Chen Yuan listened quietly, waiting for Song Jianye to continue.

”Afterward, my uncle went to talk to my mother about it, and she didn’t object either.”

’If that was their relationship,’ Chen Yuan thought, ’it wouldn’t be out of line for Song Jianye to call Uncle Zhang ’Dad’.’

”My aunt picked a date for them during the summer between my first and second year of high school. The plan was for them to register their marriage on the Qixi Festival.”

”My mother was on a business trip out of town at the time. Because she needed to register the marriage, she came back a day early. Uncle Zhang had to pick me up from school, so my mom took a taxi back from the airport by herself... but on the way home, there was a car accident...”

The hairs on Chen Yuan’s entire body stood on end, and a shiver ran through him.

He couldn’t truly empathize with her experience, but he felt it completely from Uncle Zhang’s perspective.

’After secretly loving the lady of the house for so many years, he was finally about to have his happy ending, with the support and blessing of the entire family. But then, the day before they were to be married, something like this happened.’

’Even the most heart-wrenching tragic literature probably couldn’t invent a story like this.’

”In recent years, all of Uncle Zhang’s attention has been on me. He takes me to the doctor, takes me traveling to different places, takes me to see a psychologist... He’s done so, so much for me. He never married or had children. He gave me everything. That’s why I have to learn to do things myself, so that when he’s old, I can be the one to take care of him.”

’So that’s how it was...’

Chen Yuan let out a long, heavy breath.

Uncle Zhang had transferred all the love he had for her mother onto Song Jianye.

But he was also extremely restrained. Even though it had been decided, even though he had the family’s approval, they hadn’t registered the marriage. So he was still just a driver.

He abided by the duties of a driver, yet everything he did went far beyond a driver’s obligations.

This love transcended blood, even transcended time and space, rising above everything else in the world.

If this world were to shatter into mottled fragments, the most solid, brilliant, and pure among them would surely not be life and death, but love.

...

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