TT Chapter 42. Listen To Ting Ting

Pei Yiyao only found out a few days later from his roommate that his mom had come to campus.

“You’re saying… she knows I went to Disneyland with Chen Ting?” Pei Yiyao asked.

“Yeah,” the roommate said, still unaware of the implications. He smiled and added, “She said she was going to call you. Didn’t she?”

Silence.

Pei Yiyao did not socialize much. He acted on his own terms and was often seen as emotionally blunt. But that did not mean he actually lacked emotional intelligence. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points, and Pei Yiyao simply preferred to take the most efficient and direct path.

Ruan Xin was his biological mother. She understood him, and of course, he understood her.

This woman had more thoughts running through her mind than a sieve. Trying to play mental chess with her was foolish, so Pei Yiyao decided to remain still and watch.

Chen Ting, on the other hand, remained blissfully unaware. He was still buried in exams.

The most important exam of sophomore year, the TEM-4, had just ended. Feeling inspired by Pei Yiyao’s discipline and ambition, he began to consider whether he should also get certified in his second language. His second foreign language was Japanese, which he had chosen because it seemed like the easiest among the options.

But the class hours were limited, and if he wanted to pass the proficiency test, he would need to seek extra help and devote far more time to studying.

For someone who had grown used to the lazy life of a salted fish, trying to suddenly become productive was no small feat.

He complained to Pei Yiyao and asked for advice. Pei Yiyao, without saying much, went online and ordered him a whole stack of original manga volumes and a set of limited-edition Blu-rays.

It was a blunt and extravagant move, and Chen Ting could not bear the thought of all that money going to waste. Even if just for the sake of the cost, he could not let those things sit and gather dust. Still, he could not help muttering, “I thought you didn’t care whether I studied or not. Why are you so enthusiastic this time? Studying for certifications is tough…”

Pei Yiyao replied, “I want you to study with me.”

Chen Ting blinked and thought about it for a moment before he understood what that meant. Pei Yiyao had already decided to pursue his doctorate, which meant he would not be graduating anytime soon.

Chen Ting, who had always been unambitious, did not even want to apply for a master’s program. That meant the two of them would eventually walk different paths. Of course, every person’s life followed a different trajectory. Even if they chose different things, they could still be together.

They could rent a place off campus. Chen Ting could work while Pei Yiyao studied. Both families were financially comfortable, and the Pei family even more so. Besides, Chen Ting had a working pair of hands. There would be no need to worry about money.

As long as they could come out successfully.

Thinking along those lines, Chen Ting’s thoughts drifted far ahead. In just a few minutes, he had imagined living out his entire life with Pei Yiyao. Only when he snapped back to reality did he remember that they were still in sophomore year.

“Graduation is still a long way off,” Chen Ting muttered, feeling like he was going crazy. Then he added, “If I do apply for grad school, I’ll be moving to the graduate campus. That’s not even the same area as you.”

“I’ll come find you,” Pei Yiyao said.

“I might not even apply to N University,” Chen Ting replied. “Isn’t there a saying that while you’re young, you should travel and explore? I could apply to a school up north and create a north-south connection. How does that sound?”

He was clearly teasing him. But when he saw that Pei Yiyao had no special reaction, his excitement fizzled.

Pei Yiyao pulled him into his arms, resting his chin on Chen Ting’s curls. “Go ahead. Do whatever you want. Pick any city you like. Just wait there for me to come find you.”

Chen Ting felt a warm rush in his chest. Who said this man had no emotional intelligence? He could drop sweet lines like this without even thinking. He wrapped his arms around his waist and rubbed his head on his shoulder to show affection, but he still had one sincere suggestion. “Next time, can we hug in a different position? This one makes me look short.”

Pei Yiyao replied, “All right.”

Chen Ting nodded in satisfaction. Then he grabbed both of Pei Yiyao’s arms and said, “Forget studying. A new hotpot place just opened outside the gate. Let’s go eat.”

Pei Yiyao gave in with a sigh, held his hands, and set the books aside. “Let’s go.”

They walked along the food street, and Chen Ting stopped again in front of a milk tea shop. He looked up at Pei Yiyao. “I heard hotpot goes better with iced lemon tea.”

The hotpot place didn’t serve iced lemon tea.

But since Chen Ting said they were a perfect match, that settled it.

The weather was warming up anyway, and an occasional cold drink was no big deal. Pei Yiyao, being a qualified boyfriend, naturally had to buy it, because being a qualified boyfriend meant doing as Ting Ting said.

Listen to Ting Ting.

While they were eating hotpot, Pei Yiyao finally received a message from his mother.

Softheart Candy: Are you free tomorrow afternoon? If you are, come by my studio. I have something I want to talk to you about.

Pei Yiyao: Okay.

After replying, he calmly put away his phone and continued dipping beef slices for Chen Ting, as if nothing had happened.

The next day was Sunday. Chen Ting had work as usual, and Pei Yiyao did not accompany him to the café. He left campus directly and did not tell Chen Ting where he was going.

He arrived at Ruan Xin’s floral studio at exactly one in the afternoon.

The studio was not located in the city center, but slightly off to the side, on an avenue lined with plane trees that still carried a trace of the old city’s charm.

It was a spacious studio, with a glasshouse in the back. Plants and flowerpots were arranged on wooden shelves with a sense of rhythm and order. In the middle stood a round white table and two comfortable chairs. Ruan Xin was seated there with a client.

When she saw Pei Yiyao walk in, she told him to wait on the sofa outside.

The studio employed two young women. Business was not especially busy, so they often enjoyed a leisurely pace. Today, however, seeing such a handsome young man walk in, their delight almost showed right on their faces.

“Hello, would you like coffee or tea? We have everything here.”

“Americano, thank you.”

“Are you here to see our boss?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Ruan Xin kept an eye on everything Pei Yiyao did outside. With that matter still weighing on her mind, she could not fully focus. Even though she had wanted to have this conversation with Pei Yiyao for some time, she had already delayed it by more than two weeks.

Even now, she was still uncertain. On one side was her son, on the other was her closest friend. How could something like this be measured so easily?

Watching the two young girls stealing glances at Pei Yiyao again and again, Ruan Xin sighed inwardly.

Her son had grown into such an outstanding young man without her realizing it. But still, he was giving his mother a hard time.

About half an hour later, after seeing the client off, Ruan Xin finally walked over to Pei Yiyao with a serious expression.

“Come in,” she said.

The two of them entered the glasshouse and sat across from each other at the small round table. Neither spoke. Ruan Xin slowly brewed flower tea, letting the rising mist drift softly between them. Her posture remained as elegant as ever.

After a long pause, Pei Yiyao frowned slightly. “Mom…”

“I’m not prejudiced against your sexual orientation,” Ruan Xin interrupted with a sentence so explosive it cut him off before he could continue.

Pei Yiyao’s hands tensed. He was about to speak again, but Ruan Xin raised a hand to stop him. “Let me finish. Two weeks has been enough for me to get a full understanding of the situation. I know my son. You’re not someone who takes things lightly. You take responsibility for what you do, right? Society is more open now than it used to be, and our family is not particularly traditional. You’re an adult. You have your own choices. Your father and I can respect that.”

Her words allowed Pei Yiyao to finally relax a little. But what she said next made his brows furrow deeply again.

“But that person shouldn’t be Chen Ting.”

Her expression had grown serious. Pei Yiyao pushed back. “Why not? Don’t you both really like him?”

Ruan Xin brushed away the steam rising in front of her and placed a cup of tea in front of him. “That’s where you’ve failed to grasp the real question. Son, this is like solving a math problem. Have you actually understood what the question is asking?”

Pei Yiyao froze.

She went on, “Have you ever met Aunt Chen Su? Do you understand what kind of life they lead? I’m guessing you’ve long forgotten the days you used to play with Ting Ting as a child. And if you’re with him now, then it was definitely you who pursued him. Recklessly. Doing whatever you wanted. Chen Ting would never have said yes so quickly. He thinks more carefully than you do, much more. He probably only agreed because you pressured him, right?”

Pei Yiyao said nothing. Ruan Xin’s eyes were sharp and clear, like the most discerning examiner. It felt as though she could see straight through him.

She sighed. She had once reminded Pei Yiyao to take care of Chen Ting at school, to look after him. But who would have thought her precious son would go so far as to take the boy straight into his bed? What even was this?

“You…” Ruan Xin could already guess how the relationship had unfolded just from the look on his face. Chen Ting was such a sensible and lovable child. If anyone had been lured away, it must have been him.

And of all people—it had to be Chen Ting, the son of Chen Su. It was like getting ambushed by fate.

Pei Yiyao offered no defense. He never defended choices he had already decided on. He took full responsibility. Criticism was fine. He would not change his mind.

Ruan Xin knew her son’s personality. She had not come today to break them up. She took another sip of tea and said slowly, “I won’t try to talk you out of it. But let me tell you a story. Will you listen?”

Under maternal pressure, of course Pei Yiyao nodded. “I’ll listen.”

At this point, just hearing the word “listen” gave Ruan Xin a headache. Still, she gathered her thoughts and began the story with the most clichéd of openers. “A long, long time ago…”

Actually, it was only twenty-some years ago. A young man on a riverboat followed his elders all the way down from the north, drifting south until they reached a riverside town in Jiangnan. The people there lived by the water. Residential homes lined the banks of the winding canals.

The boat of this young man’s family happened to dock at the “riverbank” of a certain home. Riverbank was the local dialect, referring to the stone steps leading down to the water.

It was on those stone steps that a girl was rinsing rice. She was the only daughter of that household. Eighteen or nineteen, wearing a simple white dress. Almond eyes, an oval face, and long black hair that fell past her waist. She looked every bit the classic southern beauty, gentle in nature and stunning in appearance.

The young man fell in love at first sight. The more he saw her, the more he was drawn in. Every day he would bring her fish and rabbits, working for free as an extra pair of hands.

This family was fairly well off. Outside their house was a tall wall, and inside that wall was a large guard dog. The young man had been chased by that dog more than a dozen times. It had been released by his future father-in-law.

“Are you talking about Chen Ting’s parents?” Pei Yiyao asked.

“Of course. I even helped pass along a love letter or two. But your Uncle Zhao only went to junior high. His writing wasn’t exactly the best. Your Aunt Chen Su, on the other hand, was a university student. You know how valuable a college degree was back then. Honestly, even I didn’t think much of your Uncle Zhao at first. But Chen Su liked him. They got married and had a pretty good life. Not long after that, your father’s job took us abroad.”

Pei Yiyao nodded. He still remembered the move.

“Your Uncle Zhao died the following year. Cancer. Late stage. At the time, your father had just settled into his new position and you were about to start school. I was the only one who went back, twice.”

No words could truly convey the pain of that time. Ruan Xin rarely revisited those memories. All these years, she had only hoped Chen Su could let it go, that the wound would scab over without needing to be picked open again. But once it came up, the sighs were endless.

“Sometimes, when parents love each other too much, they end up neglecting their child. Do you understand?” Her voice dropped low. “Chen Su only ever shared the good. She never told me the bad. There were things I only found out about much later. When Ting Ting was seven, someone saw him out on the river alone, rowing to check the fishing nets. He was too little, and the nets were too big. He went straight into the water and nearly drowned. The two of them always lived on that boat. Chen Su couldn’t bring herself to move on from Zhao Ping, and no one knew whether Chen Ting was really doing okay.”

Pei Yiyao’s expression darkened. His hand, resting on his knee, suddenly clenched tight.

“You probably don’t remember this, but Ting Ting used to be so wild. He dragged you into all kinds of trouble. He would march down the street with his little arms swinging like a proud little crab. Nothing like the quiet, well-behaved boy he is now.”

Clink. The sound of the teacup being gently placed on the table rang out, clear and light, but it sent ripples through Pei Yiyao’s heart. He suddenly remembered the scar on Chen Ting’s hand. The old calluses.

Ruan Xin looked at him and said, “If Ting Ting hadn’t nearly died back then, Chen Su might never have snapped out of it. It was as if she had been trapped in a dream, having lost her husband and nearly losing her son as well. Now, both of us just want him to live simply, happily, and safely. But what will you bring into his life? Are you really sure you’ve thought it through?”

“I’m not trying to break you two apart. But I need you to think it over. Thoroughly.”