When the old man Ning celebrated his birthday, it was customary for all the younger members of the family to go back to celebrate his birthday. This year, Ning Zhanghong had just been discharged from the hospital after a serious illness, so tomorrow’s meal would be even more formal and meaningful.
However, Ning Junyan didn’t plan to take him back on his grandpa’s birthday but instead went back a day earlier for dinner. He didn’t care what his family would think of his relationship with them, but he was worried that Chen Yuncheng would care.
Chen Yuncheng was indeed conflicted and uneasy. On one hand, he wanted to meet Ning Junyan’s grandfather; on the other hand, he felt that no matter how good a person Ning Junyan’s grandfather was and how much he loved Ning Junyan when he saw that Ning Junyan’s lover was a man, he would definitely still be disappointed. Obviously, he was waiting with hope for his grandson to bring home a girlfriend, but it turned out to be a boyfriend, so the old man must be uncomfortable in his heart.
But he didn’t refuse Ning Junyan, he felt that this matter must be important to Ning Junyan, and at least he didn’t want to disappoint Ning Junyan.
Although Chen Yuncheng didn’t wear a suit and tie that day, he was dressed more formally than usual.
Ning Junyan drove to the trade market to pick him up and said to him after he got into the car, “Don’t be nervous.”
Chen Yuncheng nodded but did not speak.
When they drove out of the market, they met a white BMW at the gate that was about to enter.
This car was a second-hand BMW bought by Chen Yuncheng with a mortgage. It was usually placed in the parking space outside the store. He didn’t usually drive it very much and usually only drove it when he went out to discuss business. The car was driven out by Guan Anlin this afternoon and had only returned from outside now.
When the car passed by each other, Chen Yuncheng pressed the window and asked Guan Anlin, “Where did you go?”
Guan Anlin waved his hand and did not answer but asked Chen Yuncheng, “Aren’t you coming back tonight?”
Ning Junyan replied for Chen Yuncheng, “Not coming back.”
Guan Anlin showed a dissatisfied expression, pressed the window and drove the car into the market.
Chen Yuncheng cursed in a low voice, “Brat.” And he didn’t say anything more.
When they arrived at the villa complex where his grandfather lived in the city, Ning Junyan parked the car in the roadside parking lot in the community, opened the door and got off, waiting for Chen Yuncheng to come down and walk there with him.
Chen Yuncheng spoke very little and seemed to be concentrating on walking.
Ning Junyan walked all the way to the door of the villa; before pushing the door to go in, he suddenly held Chen Yuncheng’s hand, and without giving him time to react, he just dragged him inside together.
Grandpa Ning was waiting for guests while watching TV news in the living room, when he heard the voice, he raised his head and looked towards them.
“Grandpa,” Ning Junyan said after entering the door, “I brought someone back.”
Grandpa Ning first showed a smile on his face and said, “You’re back.” Then he looked at Chen Yuncheng for a while and became puzzled again. He asked Ning Junyan, “Is this a girl?” He didn’t quite understand, he knew that some girls would be dressed up like a boy, but the young man in front of him didn’t look like a girl.
Ning Junyan said, “No.”
Chen Yuncheng was very nervous and said, “Grandpa, I am Chen Yuncheng.”
“Oh—” Grandpa Ning nodded and trailed off, but he still didn’t understand, so he could only greet him, “Come in and sit down.”
Chen Yuncheng wanted Ning Junyan to let go of his hand a little bit, but Ning Junyan made it worse, he slipped fingers between Chen Yuncheng’s fingers to hold him tighter, led him to the sofa, and sat down side by side.
Grandpa Ning kept looking at the two of them, and when they sat down, he asked Ning Junyan, “Didn’t you say you were bringing your girlfriend back?”
Ning Junyan said, “I never said that, I said I would bring my lover back.”
Grandpa Ning seemed to be taken aback for a moment. He looked Chen Yuncheng up and down, and after a while, he looked at Ning Junyan with a question.
Ning Junyan nodded, “This is Yuncheng, the person I told you about.”
The old man was actually very surprised, but he had excellent self-control. He nodded at first and thought for a while on his own with a puzzled expression. Then he seemed to understand and nodded again, “I see.”
At this time, Chen Yuncheng hurriedly gave the present to Grandpa Ning; it was a pot of beautifully packaged rice wine, which was not cheap either.
Grandpa Ning accepted it with a smile, expressed his thanks repeatedly, and then asked the housekeeper if it was time to start dinner and told them to go to the dining room for dinner.
During the course of the meal, Grandpa Ning kept chatting with Chen Yuncheng, with a very gentle attitude, like a casual conversation between an amiable elder and a junior, without a word of difficulty.
Chen Yuncheng gradually relaxed and chatted a lot with the old man as they ate.
Later, while Chen Yuncheng got up to go to the bathroom, Ning Junyan asked his grandfather, “Do you like him?”
Grandpa shook his head and sighed, “It’s not a matter of liking him or not, you have to think about it anyway.”
Ning Junyan picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth lightly, and said, “I’ve thought about it for a long time.”
After dinner, they accompanied Grandpa Ning back to the living room to sit down and drink tea.
After chatting for more than ten minutes, footsteps came from outside the house, and then someone opened the door and came in, calling out, “Dad.”
The people in the living room turned their heads to look at the same time and saw that the person who opened the door was Shu Rong, and the person who followed Shu Rong was Ning Zhanghong who was supported by Ning Zhangyu.
The scene instantly became awkward.
Chen Yuncheng slowly stood up, and as he did so, Ning Junyan took his hand and stood up with him.
When Shu Rong saw Chen Yuncheng sitting in the living room, Shu Rong’s face changed undisguisedly, and the little smile that had been on her face vanished into thin air.
The two siblings, Ning Zhanghong and Ning Zhangyu who were following Shu Rong, both showed surprised expressions and stood at the door, forgetting that they should come in.
It was still Grandpa Ning who said, “Why are you standing in a daze? Come in and sit down when you come back.”
Shu Rong looked at Chen Yuncheng but did not respond.
Ning Zhangyu said at this time, “Big brother and sister-in-law, go in and sit down first.”
Shu Rong moved her body and walked towards the sofa in the living room.
The family sat down by the sofa in the living room in an awkward atmosphere. Grandpa Ning ordered the housekeeper to bring a cup to pour tea, and all were quiet for a time without speaking.
Originally, it was the old man’s birthday tomorrow, and the children didn’t plan to come here today, but because Ning Zhanghong was sick and had just been discharged from the hospital, a distant relative in another place called and said that he would come to celebrate the old man Ning’s birthday and visit Ning Zhanghong at the same time, so Ning Zhanghong and his siblings came over tonight came over, intending to discuss with the old man to book two tables at the restaurant tomorrow instead of preparing at home.
Ning Zhangyu thought Ning Zhanghong was in poor health just after being discharged from the hospital, so she asked her husband to drive to pick up her elder brother and his wife.
Her husband, whose name is Huang Jin, parked the car outside the villa when they arrived and told them to get out first. He went to find a parking space himself and came over two minutes late.
Ning Zhangyu had met Chen Yuncheng in the hospital before. Although Shu Rong didn’t tell her who this young man was, Ning Zhangyu felt that there was some unusual ambiguity between Ning Junyan and him. When she saw the two of them holding hands again just now, she immediately guessed in her heart.
But Huang Jin came in from the outside, but he didn’t know what was going on. He only saw Ning Junyan sitting on the sofa and a young man next to him, and greeted him, “Junyan is here too? Is this your friend?”
Huang Jin just asked casually, Ning Junyan looked up at him and said, “This is my lover, I brought him here to see grandpa.”
Chen Yuncheng froze for a moment and turned his head towards him.
Ning Junyan’s attitude was very calm, and he held Chen Yuncheng’s hand again.
Huang Jin didn’t react for a while and said, “What?”
Ning Zhangyu noticed that Shu Rong’s face suddenly turned pale, and she quickly said to her husband: “You sit down first. So much nonsense.”
Huang Jin said: “No, what did Junyan say just now?” He suspected that he had heard it wrong.
Ning Junyan suddenly gave a very soft laugh and said, “Then let me introduce you formally. This is my lover, Chen Yuncheng.”
Shu Rong stood up from the sofa all of a sudden and said sharply to Ning Junyan, “I think you are crazy!”
Ning Zhangyu quickly stretched out his hand to pull her, “Sister-in-law, there are better words to be said.” After she said that, she quickly winked at Huang Jin again.
Huang Jin came to his senses and hurriedly persuaded, “Sister-in-law, take it easy. There may be some misunderstanding.”
Ning Zhanghong lowered his head and said nothing, so no one could see exactly what expression he was wearing.
Ning Junyan looked up at Shu Rong and said, “Then just think I’m crazy. I didn’t ask anyone’s permission, I just told the elders.”
Ning Zhangyu couldn’t help but say, “Junyan, don’t do this. Do you want to piss your mother off?”
Ning Junyan shook his head, “I’m not angry with her. She’s the one who’s angry with herself. I’m thirty years old, I’m perfectly capable of arranging my own life, and I’m living a good life. I don’t understand why she’s angry.”
Ning Zhanghong finally spoke, and he said in a deep voice, “Your mother is also doing it for your own good.”
Ning Junyan frowned, “So I don’t know if I’m alright, yet she knows?”
Chen Yuncheng sat next to him and reached out to gently tug at Ning Junyan’s sleeve.
Ning Junyan turned to look at him, leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Do you want to go back? Then let’s go.”
After he said this, Ning Junyan stood up, holding Chen Yuncheng’s hand, and said to grandpa, “Grandpa, Yuncheng and I are going back first, and we will come to see you some other day.”
Grandpa Ning was about to nod when Shu Rong roared, “Don’t leave! No one is leaving until we get this straight today!”
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Ning Junyan: You guys can’t beat me, anyway
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