Chapter 101 Zhuang Die (Two in One)

At 10 o'clock in the evening, apart from Li Zhuangsheng, there was only a group of young men and women talking and laughing loudly in the barbecue restaurant. The endless noise in his ears did not affect Li Zhuangsheng's daze at all.

I remember the first time I came to this restaurant was when I was sending Hu Mengdie home. Hu Mengdie was suddenly stopped by someone. It turned out that Hu’s father was having dinner with two friends in the restaurant.

Li Zhuangsheng had never seen his future father-in-law before and was caught off guard. However, there was no way he could escape at this moment, so he had to bite the bullet and follow him in.

Meeting his father-in-law for the first time and without any preparation, he was trembling with fear, as if he was facing a great enemy. Fortunately, Hu Mengdie kept holding his hand, which gave him some courage.

Hu Mengdie greeted Hu's father's friends with a smile. They asked if this was her boyfriend and said he was a good-looking young man. Li Zhuangsheng just smiled apologetically.

Hu's father was quite enthusiastic, smiling and inviting Li Zhuangsheng to sit down, patting Li Zhuangsheng on the shoulder and saying, "The young man is very good. He works in the Geography Office, is a writer, and his father is the director of the XX Bureau." Then Li Zhuangsheng heard others' affirmation, saying that this guy is finally good, young and promising, and he and your daughter Mengdie are a perfect match!"
Perhaps because he drank too much, Mr. Hu's face flushed and he looked somewhat happy. He said that it had not reached that stage yet, but it would definitely work out in the end!

Li Zhuangsheng was stunned for a moment. After hearing what Hu's father said, he thought that the other party was not satisfied with him, so he hurriedly said that it would be possible, it would be possible, uncle, I will definitely treat her well... As a result, he caused a burst of laughter, saying that this young man was really real.

Li Zhuangsheng quietly paid the bill when he left, but when he met his father-in-law for the second time, he smiled and scolded him for his behavior. Of course, it was obvious that he was very happy.

It is said that his father-in-law was a rigid and strict man, but he was very kind and amiable to Li Zhuangsheng. Hu Mengdie and his mother-in-law both joked about this, saying that Li Zhuangsheng seemed to be born by Hu's father, so he always felt a little proud in his heart.

Life is just a dream within a dream, and worldly affairs are like the wind within the wind.

Everything he saw and thought about was the past. Li Zhuangsheng looked at the monotonous furnishings in the store, lowered his head and drank boiled water silently, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

Speaking of which, although he had passed by this barbecue restaurant countless times, this was the first time he came in to eat.

Soon, Hu Mengdie came over quickly.

She seemed to have taken a shower, so she changed into a white long gown, a red plaid coat, and a pair of light blue jeans.

During the day, she still wears a white dress, like an elegant lotus, and at night, she changes into the style of a sweet girl at home. She is a natural clothes hanger, and can easily control any style. Li Zhuangsheng thought of what was said in "You Mengying", gathering flowers, moon and snow at one time, and combining Jiayun Gao into one person.

She seemed to have run all the way here, breathing heavily. When she appeared in the store, everyone's attention was attracted.

"How can anyone be like you, inviting a high school girl out for a barbecue so late at night?"

Hu Mengdie sat opposite Li Zhuangsheng. She sounded like she was blaming him, but there was a smile in her eyes.

"It's too late. This is the only store still open." Li Zhuangsheng smiled and pushed a can of herbal tea over. "I've already ordered your barbecue."

"Okay." Hu Mengdie opened the herbal tea and ruffled her hair. "Is this our first time eating here?"

"Yeah, I've passed by here many times."

"This store has only been open for half a year. I didn't expect it to last that long..."

“It seems that this store must be delicious.”

The two chatted in low voices as if nothing had happened, without much explanation, and they understood each other tacitly.

"Are you okay?" Hu Mengdie took a sip of Wanglaoji.

"Not very good..." Li Zhuangsheng smiled bitterly, "It's too difficult to be a cultural student. I can't dance like you."

"It's not easy for art students either!" Hu Mengdie covered her mouth and chuckled. The bright white light shone on her face and there seemed to be stars in her eyes.

Li Zhuangsheng was slightly distracted, and Hu Mengdie blinked and joked: "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at you. You're so beautiful."

Li Zhuangsheng smiled and lowered his eyes.

The sixteen or seventeen-year-old Hu Mengdie was a completely unfamiliar figure to him. Her face was full of collagen, and her every frown and smile exuded the breath of youth. She had a different charm than her future self.

The word "beautiful" is really appropriate to describe the girl.

Hu Mengdie smiled and leaned closer: "Then take it home and read it slowly."

Li Zhuangsheng took small sips of the boiled water provided by the store and remained silent.

Hu Mengdie's smile gradually faded.

"How are you doing?" Li Zhuangsheng asked.

"Not so good. I always feel lonely when I'm alone at night."

"You'll get used to it..." Li Zhuangsheng smiled, half jokingly, "At least no one will press on your hair anymore."

Hu Mengdie bit her lip: "But there is no one for me to hug, for me to lean on... to make me feel at ease."

Li Zhuangsheng glanced at Hu Mengdie and turned away unnaturally: "Do your family members know that you did that?"

"My parents know, but no one else knows."

"Remember to keep this a secret and don't tell anyone."

"Okay, it's up to you."

"Have you ever thought about...making money or something?"

"They are looking at houses. The prices will go up in the future."

Li Zhuangsheng scratched his face and hesitated for a moment: "Buying a house is also good... but the rate of return is not high. I suggest you buy some stocks, first buy Tonghuashun and then buy Moutai... If you think it's complicated, just buy Moutai directly, it can increase more than ten times in ten years. If you have a way, you can also speculate in US stocks and buy some Nvidia stocks, which is the one that makes computer graphics card chips..."

"Okay, I remember." Hu Mengdie nodded slightly, but looked uninterested.

“The barbecue is ready!”

The boss walked quickly forward with the barbecue plate and couldn't help but look at Hu Mengdie's face a few times.

"Thank you, boss. Is it less salt?" Li Zhuangsheng asked.

"Don't worry, since you specifically reminded me, I will definitely remember it!" said the boss with a smile.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome……"

The boss just waved his hand, but saw Hu Mengdie staring at Li Zhuangsheng. He then realized that the other party was talking to Li Zhuangsheng. He thought he was being too sentimental and left in anger.

Li Zhuangsheng picked up a skewer of mutton and coughed softly: "It's not all for you. I've been with you for so long that my taste has become dull. Eat it. It won't taste good if it gets cold..."

Hu Mengdie looked at the barbecue plate, where all her favorite foods were. No need to say anything, Li Zhuangsheng would naturally arrange everything.

Her nose felt slightly sore and she clenched her fists secretly.

"Do you remember the first time we came here?" Hu Mengdie smiled and squinted her eyes, "Your face was as red as that thing."

Li Zhuangsheng looked embarrassed, of course he remembered such a shameful experience. He also remembered that Hu Mengdie saw his stage fright and held his hand to encourage him throughout the whole process, even when he was teased by the uncles, she still held his hand.

She is fine, really fine.

"When you left that day, and they were rushing to pay the bill, the boss said you had already paid. You didn't see my dad's expression. He was so proud, haha..." "It wasn't much, actually."

"It's not about money. You don't know how much he wanted to be proud of himself at that time." Hu Mengdie smiled, "Hey, do you still remember that you said here that you would treat me well for the rest of your life... They were all laughing and thought you were so silly. But I know you were very serious, right?"

Li Zhuangsheng was silent, with a trace of shame on his face... All the oaths he made back then have now become instruments of torture for himself.

It embarrassed him, made him ashamed, and made him uneasy.

He ate the barbecue in silence, feeling like he was pretending to be dead, but he could only pretend to be dead with a red face.

"You looked so silly then, but do you know what I was thinking?" Hu Mengdie's eyes moved, her smile was full of emotion, "I was thinking, it feels so good to be loved by someone, I really want to be loved by you like this for the rest of my life."

Li Zhuangsheng paused for a moment, then stuffed the remaining green pepper into his mouth and put down the bamboo skewer casually.

"Do you remember how we came back?" Li Zhuangsheng asked in a hoarse voice.

"what happened?"

"Did I tell you something?"

"What did you say?" Hu Mengdie didn't react.

Li Zhuangsheng grinned and smiled helplessly: "I was drunk at the time, and I don't remember anything afterwards... I only remember that I called you to the park, and then I don't remember what happened..."

Hu Mengdie was slightly startled, with some indescribable emotions brewing in her eyes: "Don't you remember what you said?"

Li Zhuangsheng nodded slightly: "I don't remember anything at all."

Hu Mengdie's face instantly showed surprise: "Then..."

"But I remember why I came to see you."

Li Zhuangsheng lowered his eyes.

Hu Mengdie's smiling face froze again in an instant.

"Uh, don't get me wrong... I, I really don't remember it. It was my first time drinking, and I couldn't hold my liquor..."

Li Zhuangsheng explained stutteringly. When he saw the change in Hu Mengdie's expression, he realized that his words could easily cause misunderstanding on the other party. So he lowered his head apologetically, unable to bear to look at the other party's disappointed face.

"I won't tell you!"

Hu Mengdie bit her lip.

"Oh, it's okay."

Li Zhuangsheng felt that he was in the wrong and did not dare to say anything more.

……

The wilderness is vast and the stars are huge, and the Milky Way flows across the sky.

After eating the barbecue, the two of them walked aimlessly on the street. The stars were shining brightly, and cars sped by from time to time in the autumn night, and the air was chilly.

Li Zhuangsheng walked silently through the shadows of bushes on the roadside. He wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he could not utter them.

At this point, what room is left?

Hadn't she thought about it before coming here? If she didn't refuse this time, Hu Mengdie would keep pestering her. She walked into the house this time, but what about next time? Since both sides already knew about it, dragging it on would only hurt each other...especially Hu Mengdie.

She should be allowed to give up completely and return to her own life instead of wasting all her energy on herself.

Li Zhuangsheng was hesitating because he was extremely conflicted. He was a nerd and was not good at getting into conflicts with others. He had a people-pleasing personality and could never make up his mind to reject others.

"Husband..." Hu Mengdie called softly.

"Don't do that!" Li Zhuangsheng was startled and refused instinctively. After a moment, he stammered and explained, "I...can't really adapt to it. It's a bit weird for a high school student to do this."

Sure enough, in the end, it was still unnecessary and trying to cover up one's own mistakes.

What a pathetic wimp! Li Zhuangsheng laughed at himself.

He has always disliked the terms "husband" and "wife". Even when watching anime, he never calls anime female characters "wife" like other otakus. In his mind, this term should be solemn and should be used to address one's significant other after marriage.

The first time Hu Mengdie called him hubby was at their wedding. It was a joke made by the wedding host...and the moment Hu Mengdie called him hubby with a smile, Li Zhuangsheng felt as if he had been electrocuted and his body and mind went limp. He wished he could hug Hu Mengdie in his arms right then and there and give her everything he had.

This feeling is indescribably refreshing, just like Tang Monk who went through 81 difficulties to obtain the scriptures from the West, the warrior finally defeated the devil and rescued the princess, and the game called "life" was finally completed and had a happy ending.

Li Zhuangsheng felt that this "husband" was a sign of complete recognition of him and a proof of intimacy that was unique in the world. He was very excited, as if he had signed some beautiful treaty. Because of this title, he would conscientiously fulfill all the responsibilities associated with it.

Until that day, he saw the girl shyly snuggling in the boy's arms, and the boy smiled proudly and brightly.

"Hello everyone, this is my wife!"

He felt disgusted, not because of Hu Mengdie, but because of the collapse of his faith.

He felt ashamed, as if he had had a beautiful dream and after waking up he took the dream as reality.

Just like Don Quixote who suddenly wakes up after doing all kinds of stupid things, and blushes when he thinks back on his past stupidity.

Li Zhuangsheng knew that he was an outlier, and he also knew that "husband" and "wife" were just common names between lovers. He also knew that the impulsiveness at the wedding was just an embarrassing self-admiration.

He had always understood these truths, but it was not until others tore apart this romantic appearance and trampled on his face that he was forced to wake up.

He was filled with anger again at this moment, but this anger was unreasonable and there was no place to vent it.

He seemed to be fighting with a non-existent giant, and then like a fool, he was beaten all over by the windmill. He hated himself for taking a high school student as his opponent. He rushed forward to fight, but was beaten by a little shepherd boy, his face was swollen and his teeth were knocked out.

How weak and shameful.

Hu Mengdie stared at Li Zhuangsheng slowly and saw that his face was flushed, his fists were clenched, and his breathing was a little rapid.

She didn't know what the other party was thinking, but she knew that she was rejected again. She was forced to retreat step by step, and soon she would have nowhere to retreat.

"It's so cold..." She said softly, hugging her arms.

"Cold?"

Li Zhuangsheng woke up as if from a dream and quickly zipped up his jacket.

"No, no." Hu Mengdie hurriedly stopped him, and just gently held Li Zhuangsheng's hand, pursing her lips and smiling, "That's good, it's warm like this."

"Don't do that. It's useless."

Li Zhuangsheng tried to gently shake off Hu Mengdie's hand, but she held it tightly and refused to let go. So Li Zhuangsheng used his strength to almost force her hand open.

"I'm cold!" Hu Mengdie bit her lips and tears flowed down in an instant.

(End of this chapter)