On Saturday morning, they took the same bus back from the training base. He Siheng arrived home just before mealtime.
After days apart, Lady Shu Qiu took one look at him and wore an expression of impending disaster. “Son, it’s only been a few days—how did you get so tanned!”
Lady Shu Qiu, whose lifelong pursuit was whitening, was exaggerating. Compared to the others in his class, He Siheng wasn’t even that tanned. He wasn’t prone to tanning easily. As a kid, he had felt too pale and unmanly, so he ran under the sun every day.
But to Lady Shu Qiu, being too tanned meant no bright clothes for him, cutting his Miracle Heng Heng fun in half.
To please his mom, He Siheng gradually gave up resisting.
“It’ll whiten back in a few days,” He Siheng said.
He Yunlang waited ages, expecting him to flaunt the top trainee award like last year, but couldn’t resist asking.
“Oh, Tan Jing got that,” He Siheng replied, taking the water poured by the auntie and thanking her.
His tone was casual, but to He Yunlang, it was like a bomb dropping.
“What?! You lost to Tan Jing?”
He Siheng hummed in affirmation. “Sorry, Dad.”
Due to his Heat’s influence, his performance in the later days hadn’t matched the earlier ones.
He Yunlang sighed in regret. “Not getting first is one thing, but losing to Tan Jing of all people…”
Shu Qiu snapped at him irritably, “All you do is push your son to compete. Can’t you see he’s gotten thinner?”
She turned to He Siheng with heartache, asking caringly, “Heng Heng, did you not eat well there? Mom will cook for you personally tonight.”
No sooner had she spoken than He Siheng nearly spat out his water.
He coughed violently from choking but waved it off. “Cough cough cough… Mom, no need to trouble yourself!”
Shu Qiu insisted, “It’s no trouble. I bought a new pot the other day—they say it makes everything taste good. Perfect chance to try it.”
Lady Shu Qiu’s kitchenware already filled a storage room, but God knew those were just trendy fashion items she chased. Her cooking skills were in inverse proportion to the money, time, and effort she poured into them.
He couldn’t say it outright!
When He Siheng was young and naive, one “it’s bad” had made Lady Shu Qiu cry for three days and return to her parents’ home for a month.
He Siheng immediately shot a pleading look at He Yunlang.
He Yunlang smoothly answered an incoming call. “Hello, Assistant Zhang? What’s up at this hour? What? There’s an issue with the contract? Honestly, how do you handle things? I’ll head over right now!”
After hanging up, he turned to Shu Qiu. “Baby, there’s an urgent contract problem at the company. I have to go now—probably late. You and Little Heng eat first; don’t wait for me.”
Shu Qiu expressed regret but understanding, urging him to hurry.
He Yunlang bolted like the wind, not forgetting a dramatic lament before leaving. “What a shame—I won’t get to eat my baby’s cooking! Little Heng, eat my share too!”
He Siheng: “…”
What a father who abandons his son without mercy, Boss He.
Shu Qiu bustled about in the kitchen.
He Siheng paced anxiously outside.
He wanted to help, but he was hopeless with grains and utterly incompatible with kitchen vibes—washing dishes led to shards everywhere, chopping veggies to rivers of blood. Lady Shu Qiu had strictly banned him from the kitchen.
As Shu Qiu worked in the kitchen, she casually asked, “Heng Heng, you’ve been at school with A Jing for over half a month now. How’s your relationship?”
He Siheng mumbled vaguely, “Same as always.”
Shu Qiu knew about the shift in He Siheng and Tan Jing’s relationship. The two kids had gotten along well before. When Tan Jing was hospitalized, He Siheng had begged her to keep it from He Yunlang and take him to visit.
But later, something happened between the kids—He Siheng suddenly refused any contact with Tan Jing, even unwilling to attend the same school.
Unlike He Yunlang, Shu Qiu held no grudges against the Tan Family. She even went shopping with Jiang He privately, complaining about their husbands’ pettiness and immaturity.
Shu Qiu said, “Don’t copy your dad. You two grew up together—childhood sweethearts, basically. Even if there’s a misunderstanding, just sit down and talk it out.”
He Siheng corrected her, “We’re rivals.”
Shu Qiu replied, “Rivals can be friends too. You two were so close as kids. Every time you got a shot, who was there holding your hand? A Jing.”
He Siheng wanted to scoff at the memory. “Don’t remind me. Which time didn’t he trick me that it wouldn’t hurt? It hurt like hell!”
Shu Qiu laughed. “You just couldn’t handle the pain. Look at A Jing—he got so many shots and meds as a kid, broke his leg in middle school, and never cried out once.”
He Siheng paused. “How’d he break it?”
“I heard some kid on an electric bike hit him. The kid wasn’t much older—don’t know what his family was thinking letting a middle schooler ride one. They weren’t well-off either. A Jing pitied him and didn’t ask for much compensation. You were boarding at school then, so it’s normal you didn’t know.”
Unaware of the resentment creeping into his tone, He Siheng said, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
His words jogged Shu Qiu’s memory. Back when they visited Tan Jing in the hospital, Tan Jing had specifically asked her not to tell He Siheng about the accident. But it had been so long ago, she’d forgotten until now.
Shu Qiu simply explained, “A Jing told me not to tell you. You two were on the outs, right?”
He Siheng fell silent.
He had boarded at school through junior high, transferring to day student only in the second semester of ninth grade because of the Lu Xinshu incident. During boarding, he had rarely seen Tan Jing and actively avoided hearing about him.
Hearing about the accident now left He Siheng with mixed feelings.
