CH 93
One Can't Judge by Appearance
On the first page of the photo album, a fat boy is sitting in a childrenâs bathtub, grinning and stuffing chewing gum into his mouth.
âIs this when Yuan Xiaoer was in elementary school?â Yan Xi looked closer, âItâs quite a tiger.â
âXiao Yuanzi grew up very quiet when he was a child. This is Da Yuanzi.â Mr. Xu pointed to the bathtub, âI bought this basin for them.â
Yan Xi looked at this fat kid in the shape of a bear child, but no matter how she looked at it, he couldnât be connected with Yuan Bo. It can be seen that time is a cosmetic knife that cuts bones and sheds skin, making people shed the imprint of childhood.
âThis is Xiao Yuanzi.â Grandpa Xu turned a page, pointing to the white shirt and shorts in the photo, the white and clean child, âHe was very good when he was a child, and when the kindergarten teacher gave him apples, he would take them back. Share it with me.â
Listening to Grandpa Xu recalling the past, Yan Xi couldnât help reaching out and touching the handsome kid in the photo, as if he could travel through time and stand in front of that well-behaved little boy back then: âAt that time, he was really cute.â
âYes, if it wasnâtâ¦â Grandpa Xu sighed, âYou should really let my ineffective eldest daughter and son-in-law watch your program about parent-child relationship and education.â
Yan Xi remained silent. She just felt sorry for the child in the photo. He had an unhappy childhood, adolescence neglected by her parents. Finally, he became a man who was not very good at talking. So when the two of them first met, he always spoke a little awkwardly.
She really wants to hug him and tell him not to be so obedient.
In Grandpa Xuâs memory, Yuan Xiaoer was always well-behaved and obedient until Yuan Yi grew up little by little and entered puberty.
âChildrenâs adolescent education is very important. A well-behaved child-like Xiao Yuanzi, with such a pair of parents, almost went astray back then.â Grandpa Xu was a little depressed, as if he was still regretting the past, âItâs also my fault that I didnât notice his change, and by the time I found out, it was already too late.â
As time passed, there were fewer photos of Yuan Yi. In the photos, Big Brother Yuan also wore a suit and tie. His expression was always serious, and there was no smile in sight.
Yuan Yiâs rebellion, Yuanâs eldest brotherâs growth, the group photos of the two of them with different elders, and single photos, but in these photos, the parents of the two of them donât appear many times.
âGrandpa Xu, let go of the past. Besides, itâs not your fault.â Yan Xi gently patted Grandpa Xu on the back, âNow that Yuan Xiaoer has me by his side, I wonât let him suffer anymore.â
âOkay, okay.â Grandpa Xu nodded repeatedly, âI know, itâs his blessing that Xiao Yuanzi can be with you.â
âItâs my good fortune to find him. Heâs very good.â Yan Xi laughed, âItâs really good.â
When Grandpa Xu heard this, the smile on his face became even brighter.
Outside the door, Yuan Yi, who was about to push the door in, withdrew his hand, turned his head, and glanced at Yuan Bo and Xu Qiaosheng with a calm expression on his face and a bit of complacency. This is the sour smell of a winner showing off to a single dog.
The calm Big Brother Yuan looked as usual, and the single dog Xu Qiaosheng turned his head and secretly rolled his eyes.
Itâs amazing to have a girlfriend, huh?
It seems⦠Having such a girlfriend is indeed quite remarkable.
âSo Yuan Xiaoer still wears this kind of bell-bottom pants?â Yan Xi laughed while pointing at a pair of bell-bottom pants. The trend back then, looking at it now, is simply eye-catching.
âI, an old man, donât quite understand the aesthetics of young people.â Grandpa Xu turned to another page, âThatâs not bad, take a look at this.â
âGrandpa!â Yuan Yi pushed open the door and rushed in quickly, trying to prevent Yan Xi from seeing this photo. However, his movements were still not fast enough, and the photo was still placed in front of everyone.
Red, green, and purple hair, a jacket with a skull pattern, and jeans with a metal chain hanging from it. Long bangs cover half of his face. He is just like a classic street gangster from ten years ago or the kind of punk who is very mixed up.
The person in the photo is so familiar that Yan Xi immediately remembered what happened back then.
âSo that boy was you?â Yan Xi turned her head to look at Yuan Yi, trying to find something in common with the non-mainstream boy in the photo. Still, unfortunately, except for the male gender, he has nothing in common. Canât believe itâs the same person.
âItâs not me.â Yuan Yi turned his head and pointed at Xu Qiaosheng, âGrandpa made a mistake, this is a photo of Qiaosheng when he was a child.â
Xu Qiaosheng: I just came to join in the fun. What did you do to me?
âI canât remember wrong.â Grandpa Xu was very angry when others questioned his memory. He took the photo out of the album and pointed to the back of the photo. âAt that time, I was afraid that when you grew up, I wouldnât know who was who. I also deliberately wrote your names on the back of the photo. Come and see, is this your name?!â
Grandpa Xuâs handwriting is very beautiful, and the somewhat childish nickname of Xiao Yuanzi is written with a flamboyant taste.
The atmosphere was once very awkward.
Xu Qiaosheng asked curiously: âThat boy from back then? Dahe, did you know Brother Yi before?â
Yan Xi couldnât care less about talking to Xu Qiaosheng. She looked at Yuan Yi: âYou recognized me long ago, didnât you?â
Yuan Xiaoer poked his neck and said, âI donât understand what you are talking about.â If there is a time machine in the world, what Yuan Yi wants to do the most is to beat himself up ten years ago.
What kind of bad boys do you learn, what kind of rebellion you play, what kind of photos you take. Let your woman see his ugliest and most absurd side. If the two of them get together in the future, she will only think of his non-mainstream appearance. What can he do?
Yan Xi saw the other three people in the room looking at her curiously. Yes, among the three of them, Brother Yuan concealed it perfectly when he needed to gossip. However, the curiosity in his eyes still betrayed him.
After thinking about it, swallowing what she wanted to say, Yan Xi opened the study door, turned around, and said to Yuan Yi, âCome with me and have a talk.â
Seeing this posture, Xu Qiaosheng was a little disappointed. Does this mean that they donât want them to watch the fun?
Grandpa Xu looked at the photo in his hand and was a little worried: âDid I ruin Xiao Yuanziâs future?â
âGrandpa, donât think too much, Xiao Xi is not someone who quarrels with Xiaoer over trivial matters.â Yuan Bo comforted Grandpa Xuâs emotions, squinting at the photo, âProbably⦠Probably because she thinks this photo, the dress on the Internet is too modern, so she wants to talk to Xiaoer about the things about their teenage years. If you are really worried, just ask them after they have talked.â
âYouâre right, Xiao Xi wonât despise Xiao Yuanzi just because he was ugly ten years ago.â Grandpa Xu was determined, and picked up the crutch beside him, âLetâs go downstairs and give up the space upstairs to the two young people.â
âGrandpa, I thought you were going to eavesdrop on what the two of them were saying.â
âNonsense, how can the elders eavesdrop on the younger generation? Itâs not caring, itâs not curiosity, itâs brain problems.â Grandpa Xu criticized Xu Qiaosheng, âI think you are stupid when you are filming TV dramas. The rules are forgotten.â
Xu Qiaosheng lowered his head, touched his nose, and said in a low voice, âI donât think so because you care about Brother Yi.â
âIn the name of caring, doing things that donât respect people is something that feudal autocratic parents would do. Is your grandpa such a person?â Grandpa Xu sighed, âYou kid doesnât follow me at all. â
The grandfather and grandson walked downstairs, and Xu Qiaosheng suddenly whispered to Yuan Bo: âBrother Bo, aunt is here.â
Yuan Bo glanced at Xu Ya sitting on the sofa and hummed. Seeing Yuan Boâs calm expression, Xu Qiaosheng felt a little puzzled. Is he happy or unhappy? Didnât it say that aunt and uncle didnât like Dahe, so why did they come here on purpose today?
âDad.â Xu Ya was chatting with Xu Xiang when she saw Grandpa Xu coming down. She got up and called out.
âCome here?â Mr. Xu walked to the sofa and sat down, âSit down, what are you doing standing up?â
âXiaoerâ¦â Xu Ya looked around at the stairs, âHave he and Miss Yan come here yet?â
âThe two of them are playing upstairs.â Grandpa Xu was a little surprised by Xu Yaâs arrival, âDidnât you go on a trip with Yasen?â
âSomething happened to his friendâs house, so he canât go out.â Xu Ya smiled, âItâs good. I can sit with you for a while.â She didnât spend much time with her father these years, so every time she was in front of the elderly, she felt a sense of indebtedness.
âSince youâre here, letâs stay and have dinner together.â Grandpa Xuâs tone changed, âBut Xiao Xi is a distinguished guest I specially invited, if you still have father in your eyes, donât do anything to make her unhappy later.â
âNo,â Xu Ya said hastily, âMiss Yan is the girl Xiaoer likes, and I wonât do things that make her unhappy anymore.â
When Grandpa Xu heard this, he couldnât help but look at Xu Ya a few more times. Is she finally sensible?
Yan Xi pulled Yuan Yi into his room with Xuâs family, closed the door, and pointed to the bed: âSit.â
Yuan Yi obediently sat on the edge of the bed, looked around worriedly, and straightened his waist after confirming that nothing was in her hand.
âWhy didnât you tell me?â
âWho wants to let the person he likes know how ridiculous he is when he is ignorant,â Yuan Yi said in a low voice, âItâs not something glorious.â
âAt that time, why did you come over?â
âI just havenât seen such a stupid girl, wearing a school uniform skirt, who wants to climb the wall while crying. I really canât stand your stupidity, so I just want to help you,â Yuan Yi simply broke the jar and shook off the things of the year very cleanly. âI know itâs hard for me to have sympathy for others. Before I stretched out my hand, the teacher cut me off like a devil claw. I even made myself write a self-criticism and called my parents. I had a tag as a senior who bullied junior girls until I graduated from high school. To be honest, I was considered a popular figure in high school. Itâs just bad luck.
But this canât be blamed on Yan Xi. She cried so pitifully then, like a little cabbage in the cold wind. His conscience was under intense torment at that time. He always felt that if he didnât help her, there would be lightning strikes.
If he had known Yan Xiâs nature back then, he would never have taken a step forward.
The experience is hard to buy. It is useless to say these things now.
âIâm sorry.â Yan Xi squatted in front of him, âI should have explained it to the teacher back then.â
At that time, she was only sad about her parentâs divorce, thinking that if she explained it to the teacher, even if the teacher didnât believe it, she wouldnât embarrass Yuan Yi. But when she was young, she underestimated the sense of responsibility of the school teachers. Also, she overestimated Yuan Yiâs credibility in the hearts of the school teachers.
âIt caused you to be misunderstood and wronged.â Yan Xi looked up into Yuan Yiâs eyes, âObviously you are such a gentle person.â
Because Yuan Yi skipped class and dressed in a non-mainstream way, no one believed him. Even when she, the victim, tried to explain, it was because she was crying and full of tears, making people even more suspicious of him.
A large part of what happened back then was her fault.
But these days, Yuan Yi has never mentioned this matter, as if all misunderstandings and injuries are insignificant as if he is always so invincible that no words or other peopleâs eyes can hurt him.
But as long as you are a human being and have a heart, it is impossible not to be hurt forever.
âItâs okay, I forgot about it a long time ago.â Yuan Yiâs eyes drifted, and he deliberately said viciously, âMiss, who would take such a trivial matter to heart, you should quickly forget about it.â
âI canât forget it.â Yan Xi hugged Yuan Yi, âThat was the first time we met.â
âSo weâve known each other for so many years.â
In the end, the nesting grass was planted in her hands.
Yuan Yi bent down and hugged Yan Xi into his arms: âForget it, youâd better look at my handsome photos. As for the messy hair, donât think about it.â
âYou also know that itâs messy hair,â Yan Xi finally couldnât help laughing out loud, âGive up, Iâll keep this photo, and wait for our child in the futureâ¦â
âOur child?â With burning eyes, Yuan Yi looked at Yan Xi, âIt doesnât matter, you can show our child whatever photos you want in the future, and if itâs not enough, I can still wear a wig to take pictures.â As long as you are willing to have children with me, willing to be with me.
Yan Xi: ââ¦â
Just now, did she make a slip of the tongue?