Qian Wang woke up with a splitting headache. He knew he had drunk too much the night before, but why hadn’t Zhao Ziqiang given him a hangover remedy? This damned headache!

Struggling to open his eyes, he squinted against the light and saw a blurry figure sitting on the edge of the bed, head bowed.

“… Zhao Ziqiang?”

The person turned at the sound, their eyes and nose red, and responded in a hoarse voice, “Teacher, it’s me.”

It was Sun Kan.

Annoyed, Qian Wang draped his arm over his forehead and turned away from Sun Kan.

“Why are you here again?” He rubbed his temples. “Did you bring me back?”

Sun Kan bit his lip, looking at the man whose back was turned, which clearly expressed his annoyance. He felt wronged; it seemed like Teacher Qian had changed overnight.

This person had clearly hated that man named Zhao Ziqiang before, criticizing him for being burly, lacking romantic understanding, reeking of sweat, and even having a completely vulgar name. But why, even in his sleep, was he groaning about someone he wanted to avoid at all costs?

And why, in that instant, had he, Sun Kan, become someone Qian Wang didn’t even want to glance at?

“Why?”

Qian Wang pounded the bed as he got up.

“What do you mean, why? Damn it, why does everyone keep asking me why? Is it wrong if I made a mistake? Can’t I change? Can’t I fix it? Let me change! Go ahead, hit me! Huh!”

After shouting with heavy breaths, Qian Wang collapsed back onto the bed, exhausted.

“From now on, stay away from me. I never liked you from the beginning.”

Tears welled up in Sun Kan’s eyes, swirling but not falling. He would rather the man he loved yelled at him, expressing his anger without restraint, than to be dismissed with such calm indifference.

“You….,did you drive that Zhao guy away like this too?”

Qian Wang turned his head and gave him a faint glance, as if mocking the absurdity before him and his own helplessness.

“He didn’t want me anymore. He left me behind.”

This statement was said with such calmness, yet Sun Kan could hear the deep longing and sadness behind it. Suddenly, he no longer wanted to stay in this house, which was filled with words yearning for Zhao Ziqiang to return and was saturated with the pressure to drive him away. He dropped the keys to the house and fled in haste.

Qian Wang watched the hurried figure leave, his temples throbbing, and the lights in front of him flickered. He pulled the blanket over his head, feeling that the events of the past few months were completely confusing. What was he really after?

In the back kitchen of the small restaurant.

“Clay~ mud~ all over! Pants~ legs! Sweat soaking the back of my shirt~~

Zhao Ziqiang was washing pots and singing seriously, completely ignoring the disdainful glares coming from the side. Sun Wanjue sat at the table, frowning hard at a blank piece of paper, continuously scratching his ear with one hand.

They had been assigned a ridiculously stupid hand-drawn report for their winter vacation homework, and he was desperately trying to figure out how to fill this damn white paper in front of him. But the person next to him seemed oblivious to anyone else’s bad mood, making all kinds of strange noises. If it were possible, Sun Wanjue really wanted to smash a frying pan over this guy’s head.

But he couldn’t!

Because the boss lady and Sun Yan were also seriously following along with the song,

“I don’t know~ who you are~bit I know you~” The childish voice belonged to Sun Yan.

“Ah! Who are you~for whom~ I…”

“Enough!”

Sun Wanjue slammed his pen down, glaring at Zhao Ziqiang as he approached him, his fists clenched tightly. Zhao Ziqiang, playing along, pretended to be scared and crossed his arms, backing away. The comical scene made the mother and daughter duo burst into laughter.

After watching the show for a while, as Zhao Ziqiang was nearly choked by his own son’s arm, Sister Wang quickly intervened to save him.

“Alright, alright, no more fooling around. Hey, Xiao Zhao, I noticed you wrote nicely on the menu last time. I’m giving you a two-hour break, so help my son with his homework, okay?”

Zhao Ziqiang and Sun Wanjue both paused, looking at Sister Wang who had come up with the idea. Zhao Ziqiang smiled bitterly while Sun Wanjue’s face lit up with surprise. He raised his chin and glanced at the older man who was cautiously trying to slip out through the back door.

He casually walked over, wrapped his arms around the man’s waist, and carried him back. Although he tried hard to act nonchalant after setting Zhao Ziqiang down, his flushed pink face betrayed his exhaustion.

Zhao Ziqiang proudly raised his arm to flex his muscles, but in the end, he still followed Sun Wanjue to the table, picking up a ruler and a pen to lend a hand.

Sister Wang watched the two of them huddled together, discussing something, and couldn’t help but smile. Her son had always been quite reserved, only affectionate with close family members, hardly speaking to others. But with this Xiao Zhao, her son seemed much brighter and more open. She sighed heavily, feeling a mix of relief and joy.

“College students are really impressive.”

Zhao Ziqiang paused at these words, looking at the boy whose hair fell down as he buried his head low. For a rare moment, he felt like a true elder, gently patting Sun Wanjue’s head.

“Did you hear that? You must get into a good university.”

Sun Wanjue angrily swatted his hand away and shot him a disdainful look from the corners of his eyes, then tugged on his arm, urging him to continue.

This scene looked just like a happy family, making Qian Wang, standing at the entrance of the restaurant, feel a pang of loneliness, wishing he could pound his fist against the wall. He thought Zhao Ziqiang should at least be living a life not much better than his own.