I Don't Want To Be Hated By Everyone. - Chapter 9

The living room was dark, unlit. Cheng Shuoning walked downstairs to get some water when he suddenly stepped on something. He picked it up and felt that it was a watch. After turning on the light, he discovered it was the same brand as the one his mother had given him. Beside the coffee table was an overturned gift box. Cheng Shuoning wiped the watch clean, placed it back in the box, and closed the lid. As he did so, he thought of something and reopened it, gazing at the watch inside, lost in thought. He had accidentally seen a picture of this model before, so he knew it was a limited edition and very difficult to purchase, unlike the custom-made model he had received. The living room remained silent until the sound of footsteps broke the stillness.

“Still awake?” Shen Qing had come out of her room at some point. Seeing Cheng Shuoning standing downstairs in a daze, she walked over and smiled. “Do you like the gift? Your father specifically had someone track it down for you.”

Cheng Shuoning snapped out of his trance and nodded slightly. “Yes, I like it.”

“That is good.” The smile on Shen Qing’s face widened.

Cheng Shuoning closed the gift box and watched Shen Qing for a long time. Only when a look of confusion appeared on her face did he call out, “Mom.”

Sensing that something was wrong, Shen Qing asked tenderly, “What is it, Ningning? You look like you have something on your mind. Is it because of Cheng Meng? Did he target you again?”

“No.” Cheng Shuoning shook his head and let out a soft laugh. “I just wanted to ask why you came back this time.”

The sudden question left Shen Qing stunned; she looked at Cheng Shuoning without answering. The youth’s fair, flawless face looked well-behaved and gentle under the light. Although he was smiling, there was an inexplicable sense of fragility to him, as if he were a delicate piece of porcelain that would shatter into a thousand pieces if touched.

Shen Qing felt a slight tightness in her chest and looked away, not daring to meet those dark, bright eyes for fear that her inner thoughts would be completely exposed. Sensing that the boy had sensed something, she pulled out a smile and answered with feigned composure, “Why else would I come back, Ningning? Obviously, it is because I missed you and wanted to come see you.”

Cheng Shuoning nodded and said nothing more. He walked upstairs, so lost in thought that he forgot to drink his water.

Shen Qing watched his retreating figure and asked worriedly, “Ningning, did something happen? Can you tell Mom?”

Cheng Shuoning paused and turned around, his eyes filled with a gentle smile. “It is nothing, Mom. I was just suddenly curious, truly nothing happened.”

“That is good.” Seeing that he did not seem to have any real trouble, Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “Go to sleep.”

After closing his bedroom door, Cheng Shuoning lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, feeling no drowsiness at all. He could not help but take out his phone and check; the watch his parents gave Cheng Meng cost 180,000, while his was only 60,000—easily purchased and not needing to be tracked down at all. Cheng Shuoning put the phone away and looked through the darkness toward the drawer where the gift was kept. Recalling how he had cherished it before, he suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. Before that feeling could overwhelm him, he forcefully suppressed it, closed his eyes, and stopped letting his imagination run wild.

In truth, Cheng Shuoning could not remember much of what happened before he was six. He only vaguely remembered Cheng Meng hurting him many times because he hated him, for which his parents scolded Cheng Meng severely. Being young and ignorant, even after being hated, he would still approach Cheng Meng to ask why. After failing to get an answer, he turned to his parents. They would only gently tell him to ignore Cheng Meng and not get too close, claiming that Cheng Meng just had an eccentric personality and no ill intent, and that he would grow out of it.

But as he grew up, Cheng Shuoning realized that sometimes, hating someone does not require a reason.

The next morning, the three of them sat together for breakfast. The atmosphere was incredibly cold; no one spoke, and finally, even Aunt Chen felt compelled to leave the room for some air.

“Does Han Tian not usually come to pick you up for class at this time? Why did he not come today?” Shen Qing put some food into Cheng Shuoning’s bowl, looking puzzled.

Cheng Shuoning paused, looked at the food in his bowl, and said in an even tone, “He will not be coming anymore.”

Shen Qing glanced at him, feeling strange. Whenever Han Tian was mentioned before, Cheng Shuoning would smile, clearly showing his affection. Now, he was indifferent, as if talking about a stranger he had never met.

Cheng Shuoning left early after finishing his meal, leaving only Cheng Meng and Shen Qing at the table. Cheng Meng did not even look at the warm milk pushed toward him; he wiped his mouth, stood up to go upstairs, and was about to head out after changing his clothes when Shen Qing called out to him: “Do you have enough pocket money?”

“Cheng Shuoning gets a card directly; when you ask me, it is just about enough—what is that supposed to mean?” Cheng Meng mocked.

Shen Qing frowned. “I was asking if it was enough so I could give you more.”

“No need. Save your kindness for your little son and go warm him up instead.” He smiled, deliberately biting down on the words “little son,” his sarcasm practically inviting a middle finger.

“Cheng Meng!” Shen Qing slammed the table, completely enraged. “You better straighten out your attitude.”

“This is my attitude. If you do not like it, do not look at me.”

“Ningning is your biological brother. It has been so many years, he never provoked you, and you know better than anyone how innocent he is.”

Cheng Meng’s face darkened. He interrupted her, frowning with disgust. “Of course I know he is my biological brother; you do not need to stress it. Besides, no matter what you say, I will not change my attitude toward him. Rest assured.”

Shen Qing rubbed her temples and let out a sigh, feeling that continuing the conversation was pointless. She waved her hand. “Fine, that is enough. Go to class.”

Cheng Meng walked away.

Before morning reading on Tuesday, the students were required to gather on the playground to run three laps. Cheng Shuoning changed into his sportswear and arrived; the other students were already running. He slowly caught up with the pack, but by the third lap, he was having trouble breathing. His heart pounded fiercely, his throat felt cracked and painful, and with every breath, it felt as if a stone were pressing on his chest.

After finishing the third lap, Cheng Shuoning lay on the grass beside the track to rest, just like most of the others. Once he had rested enough, he stood up and was about to head to the store to buy water when a bottle appeared in front of him. Just looking at the hand, Cheng Shuoning knew who it was. He looked up slightly. “For me?”

His face was still flushed from the exercise, his eyes bright, and his lips curved in a smile. He looked like the rising sun, making one feel instantly happy. Xu Wangzhi looked at him, gripped the water bottle tighter, said “Mhm,” opened the cap, and handed it back to Cheng Shuoning.

Cheng Shuoning took it, thanked him, and had not even taken a sip when he heard someone call his name.

“Ningning!” Li Shengfei ran over from not far away, hugged Cheng Shuoning’s neck, and gave his hair a vigorous rub until he finally let go. “Finished running? I bought you milk.”

Because it was so sudden, Cheng Shuoning spilled quite a bit of the water he had opened. He struggled out of Li Shengfei’s grip, only to have the water in his hand snatched away and replaced by milk. Li Shengfei tossed the water into the trash can without a second thought, giving Cheng Shuoning no time to react. “Why drink water? You should drink more milk so you can grow taller.”

After saying this, he gestured at their heights, laughing from ear to ear. Xu Wangzhi glanced at the trash can; because the bottle had no cap, the water had long since leaked out. Li Shengfei finally noticed him and cast a glance at him, but his eyes were filled with evident hostility. “Who is this?”

Xu Wangzhi turned and left without expression, saying nothing.

“Why did you throw away that bottle of water?” Cheng Shuoning frowned, shoved the milk back into Li Shengfei’s hands, and walked away.

Seeing he was unhappy, Li Shengfei was startled and hurried to catch up. “I just thought milk was better than water. I am sorry, Ningning, I was wrong, please do not be angry.”

“It is a waste,” Cheng Shuoning said. “They are not mutually exclusive. Besides, you took it from my hand and threw it away without even asking me.”

Li Shengfei grabbed his wrist and apologized repeatedly. “I am sorry. You are right, Ningning. I only just realized how stupid I was. Hit me to vent your anger, Ningning. As long as you are happy, you can do anything—just do not ignore me.”

As he said this, he actually used Cheng Shuoning’s hand to hit his own face. It was not a light hit, and his face turned red instantly. Cheng Shuoning was startled, immediately pulled his hand back, and pressed his lips together. “I did not mean that.”

“Ningning.” Li Shengfei looked at him pitifully. “I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”

Cheng Shuoning looked at his face and nodded. “That bottle of water was given to me by someone else…”

Before he could finish, Li Shengfei put the milk back in his hand and looked him in the eyes, promising, “I will absolutely never do that again. Do not worry, Ningning, I swear! Next time I see that classmate of yours, I will apologize to him too.”

Scared me to death, finally forgiven.

The tone, which sounded like someone who had just escaped a disaster, made Cheng Shuoning chuckle. “Am I that terrifying?”

Li Shengfei did not understand what he was saying and only replied, “Not terrifying, Ningning is the cutest.”

Cheng Shuoning opened the milk, took two sips, and asked in a calm tone, “Do you not find me annoying?”

Li Shengfei shook his head. “No. Why would I find Ningning annoying? Who thinks you are annoying? Tell me, and I will definitely go beat them up!”

The two separated on the second floor of the teaching building; Li Shengfei headed to the third floor, and Cheng Shuoning toward his classroom. He did not expect to see Han Tian at the classroom door. He pretended not to see him, walked past him, and was just about to enter the classroom when Han Tian grabbed his wrist. “Ningning, let us talk.”

“I hope you can give me one chance to clear up all the misunderstandings between us.”

Cheng Shuoning looked at the time. “Only ten minutes.”

This was his consent. Han Tian sighed in relief. “That is enough.”

He walked to the end of the corridor, where there were fewer people, and stopped. Cheng Shuoning stood two meters away and did not move forward. “Say what you have to say.”

“Are you not even willing to stand close to me now?” Han Tian offered a bitter smile. “Ningning, I can feel that you are deliberately distancing yourself from me. I want to die knowing the truth; can you tell me why?”

He frowned, and his troubled expression did not seem faked. Cheng Shuoning did not answer but asked instead, “What is your relationship with Cheng Meng now?”

“We have no relationship.” Han Tian looked completely bewildered and spoke earnestly, reciting the lie he had been weaving for so long. “You know I do not like him. If I must talk about a relationship, it is only because of you that I have spoken to him. If that upset you, I will stay far away from him and never say another word to him again.”

“Ningning, did you misunderstand something between me and Cheng Meng and start ignoring me because of that?”

“I have nothing with him. If you do not believe me, you can go ask Cheng Meng.”

Cheng Shuoning had looked at this face countless times he was so familiar with it that he could not be more familiar yet now it felt incredibly strange. Perhaps he had truly never understood the real Han Tian. The Han Tian he knew before the Han Tian he liked and had feelings for was nothing but a mask that could be easily torn away. If he could not hear people’s inner thoughts, he did not know how long he would have been deceived under this mask.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shuoning felt it was ridiculous, and a sense of powerlessness washed over him. He looked at the youth before him, still wearing that gentle mask, and for a fleeting moment, he displayed a sense of resistance that almost never appeared on him.

“Han Tian, stop lying; it is meaningless.”