"I promise you."
Chu Yue was speechless.
Although they didn't have much contact with Wen Shaoyu's biological father, anyone who heard what he did after Wen Shaoyu's mother passed away would find it hard to have a good impression of him.
But after all, he was Wen Shaoyu's biological father. They were just neighbors—outsiders compared to blood relatives. It wouldn't be right to badmouth the father in front of the child.
Chu Yue took a deep breath. She had enough to worry about with her own family, so she could only focus on herself first. "Did Xiao Yu say if he's coming back for dinner?"
"No," Ji Shulang shook his head honestly.
"Then I'll get you a bowl and pack some food. You eat first, and after you finish, go upstairs and do your homework." Chu Yue bustled back to the kitchen. "Oh, by the way, I bought you fish oil and walnuts. Take the fish oil with your meal. Don't forget after dinner, okay?"
"Mom..." Ji Shulang dragged out the word miserably, but Chu Yue didn't look back. In the end, only Ji Shuhe heard his last half sentence: "I saw them arguing pretty fiercely. If we wait a bit longer, he might come back... forget it."
Ji Shulang turned to rope Ji Shuhe in. "Xiao Shu, want to come along?"
"No! I'm not hungry yet!" Ji Shuhe suddenly stood up and headed for the stairwell. "Brother, I'm taking Lizi out to pee. I'll also see if Wen Shaoyu's coming back."
"Sure," Ji Shulang said dismissively. "Don't go too far. Come back soon!"
"Okay, I know."
Ji Shuhe led Lizi out the door. Taking the dog out to pee was an excuse; her real purpose was to see what was going on with Wen Shaoyu.
She had a feeling that Wen Shaoyu's father hadn't come out of concern for his son, who was about to take the college entrance exam, but rather... to do with the recent demolition and relocation contract.
After Granny Zheng passed away, the house was now in Wen Shaoyu's name. But as a minor, he couldn't sign the compensation agreement alone. Most people in the alley, including the Ji family, had already signed. Apart from Wen Shaoyu's special situation, only a few holdouts remained.
To push the signing rate, the demolition team had repeatedly asked if Wen Shaoyu's guardian could come and sign, but Wen Shaoyu had turned them away every time.
Ji Shuhe guessed that Wen Shaoyu was stalling for time. His eighteenth birthday was coming up in November, and after that, he would be an adult capable of making all decisions on his own.
As soon as the weather turned cold, the alley was nearly empty. Only a few uncles were gathered at the entrance, smoking together.
From a distance, Ji Shuhe could smell the pungent smoke. As she got closer, she heard Wen Shaoyu arguing with a middle-aged man.
"How dare you do this!"
"How dare I? Because I'm your father!"
"If the demolition office hadn't called me today, I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here. Listen to me, Wen Shaoyu—stop treating me like a thief. I couldn't care less about your grandmother's paltry inheritance."
Ji Shuhe pulled Lizi close and stopped in the shadow of the gate. Nearby, a few old men were chattering in dialect, pointing at the quarreling father and son.
Wen Cheng, having been a boss for so long, was deeply embarrassed by this public humiliation. He straightened his coat and asked condescendingly, "Wen Shaoyu, you're in your senior year. I'll give you one last chance. Come back with me today. It's not convenient for you to live here alone."
Wen Shaoyu sneered, a laugh that grew louder, making Ji Shuhe's heart race with unease.
"Right, with your vast wealth, President Wen, you naturally look down on my grandmother's meager legacy. Besides money, what else do you care about? Oh, wait—apart from money, you've still got your new wife and darling son at home."
He stepped closer to his father, as if determined to fight to the death. "Wen Cheng, I really want to ask you—have you never dreamed of my mother all these years? In your dreams, how do you introduce Lin Xuefu to her? As the friend who betrayed her, or as the shameless third party?"
"Just go live your grimy life. Why call me back? To witness your shamelessness?"
"Wen Shaoyu!"
A dull slap rang out, and then everything fell silent.
Wen Shaoyu ran his tongue over his numb, stinging cheek, seemingly unfazed, and continued to provoke: "Can't stand it? You might as well kill me, Wen Cheng. As long as I'm alive, this mouth of mine will remind you every moment of what you've done!"
"You..."
Seeing Wen Cheng raise his hand again, Ji Shuhe rushed forward with Lizi.
"Talk properly! How dare you hit someone!"
Ji Shuhe spread her arms in front of Wen Shaoyu. Given her height, she couldn't really block him, but Lizi, acting like a fierce dog, barked loudly to back her up.
Since she was someone else's child and a young girl, Wen Cheng couldn't bring himself to scold her. He just glanced at her dismissively, then glared at Wen Shaoyu over her head. "Just like your grandmother—stay stuck in this crappy alley for the rest of your life! When you end up a nobody, don't come crying to me!"
He got into the car and slammed the door with a deafening bang.
It was rare for someone to make the easygoing Ji Shuhe feel indignant—and helplessly so.
Lizi kept barking at the exhaust fumes. Ji Shuhe clenched her fists and added, "You're his son too! How can he say that about you!"
"Not every child is cared for," Wen Shaoyu's voice came from behind her, eerily calm. "Anyway, why get mad at him? It's a waste of your emotions."
Ji Shuhe turned to look at him. His once fair face was now bright red, and upon closer inspection, a handprint was visible.
Her heart ached. She reached out toward his cheek, but then felt it was inappropriate in public. Her hand stopped mid-air, fingers curling as if to withdraw.
But Wen Shaoyu didn't let her. He proactively bent down and pressed his cheek into her palm.
In cold weather, Ji Shuhe's hands were always icy. At school, she kept hand warmers in her pockets. She had left in such a hurry that she only wore her school uniform jacket; her hands were frozen by the damp, cold air. In her pocket was only a used-up hand warmer, hard and crumbly.
But Wen Shaoyu's face was hot, burning hot.
"Why are your hands so cold? Just let me use them to cool my face," Wen Shaoyu said. His soft hair fell, half-covering his eyes, so that even from this close, Ji Shuhe couldn't read his expression.
Ji Shuhe's fingertips touched his jaw. Her palm grew warm with the heat from his face. She looked at him silently, but her heart ached for him.
She didn't believe that Wen Shaoyu had never had expectations.
Ji Shuhe didn't know what else to say. Standing in the wind, she felt cold. She withdrew her hand and motioned for him to go home.
"Let's go home. Grandparents are waiting for us to eat."