Capítulo 5: Chapter 5 Severe Imbalance in Family Status
Lih Xiao brought out a small bowl of rice and explained, "This is my student, named Shen Yuan, who lives downstairs."
After speaking, Lih Xiao looked towards Shen Yuan, "Shen Yuan, this is my younger sister, Lih Meng."
"Hello."
Shen Yuan nodded and raised his hand in greeting.
However, although the two were sisters, their personalities were entirely different.
Lih Meng let out a faint "oh," and even though she knew he was her sister's student, her expression remained cold, still maintaining a defensive posture in her eyes.
The atmosphere had shifted, and Shen Yuan also became more reserved, deliberately waiting for Lih Meng to wash her hands and sit down before he began to pick up food with his chopsticks.
It was their first meeting and he didn't want to leave a frivolous impression on his mentor's sister.
Unexpectedly, the two sisters really were vastly different in temperament. During the meal, Lih Xiao showed concern a few times about Lih Meng's work, but she only responded lightly to her sister.
One was warm and attentive, the other cold and indifferent.
Crucially, Lih Meng was constantly wary of Shen Yuan, glaring at him a few times while eating, her gaze similar to that of a protective mother animal.
?
"Aside from just now when the apron got a bit close, I don't think I did anything to your sister, did I?"
Shen Yuan internally retorted.
This feeling of being guarded against was not pleasant, and Shen Yuan, despite his thick skin, couldn't stay any longer.
Normally eating two bowls, he had only eaten one today and then put down his chopsticks, "Mentor, I'm full, I'm going home now, you guys take your time."
"Just this little? There's still plenty of rice in the rice cooker."
Lih Xiao looked up at him in surprise.
"I have a small appetite, one bowl is enough for me, so I'll head off now, see you at school!"
"Alright, be careful on your way down."
Lih Xiao stood up to see him off, waited for Shen Yuan to leave the building, then closed the door, sat back at the dining table, and started scolding, "What were you doing just now, why were you looking at my student like that?"
"He has ill intentions," Lih Meng coldly stated.
"What nonsense are you talking about, he is just my student."
"Believe it or not, but him coming alone to our house late at night, he definitely has no good intentions, and the way he looks at you is also suspicious."
Lih Meng is a flight attendant, encountering various types of men every day on the plane; she trusted her ability to judge men.
Some men appear completely decent, yet would stealthily stare when she and her colleagues weren't paying attention.
Some would even take discreet photos with their phones.
And some men were even more shameless, directly asking for contact details.
Thinking of those men's vulgar expressions, Lih Meng felt disgusted, they were all creatures who thought with their lower halves!
"There you go again, falling into your old habits. I know you're very averse to men, but you can't always view them with the same perspective."
"I am not wrong about men, you need to learn to discern too at school," Lih Meng firmly stated.
"Understood."
Lih Xiao had no way with her younger sister, ever since that incident, she had completely lost her trust in men...
She sighed quietly to herself and started to clear away the dishes and clean the table.
Lih Meng stood up to digest her food; as a flight attendant, maintaining her figure was essential, not just through controlling her diet, but also daily posture was very important.
However, at that moment, she spotted a new handbag on the coffee table inadvertently.
"Sis, did you buy a new handbag?"
Lih Meng picked it up casually. It was an exquisite black handbag, soft and comfortable to touch, with perfect stitching, but on turning to the front, she saw the buckle featured the LV logo.
"No, it was given by the student who came to the house just now."
Lih Xiao replied while washing the dishes.
"He gave you an LV?"
Lih Meng found it hard to believe.
"He said it's a high-quality imitation, cost over two hundred bucks."
"Oh."
She rarely bought such luxury handbags and couldn't tell if it was real or an imitation. Besides, Lih Meng thought, since his family lived downstairs, they probably weren't wealthy enough to afford such an expensive gift.
But was it appropriate for a student to give a teacher a handbag?
Combining what she had just witnessed, Lih Meng was even more convinced that this student named Shen Yuan harbored ulterior motives.
"I told you this student was up to no good, otherwise why would he casually give you a handbag?"
By this time, Lih Xiao had finished washing the dishes, dried the water droplets from her hands with a towel, and came out to say helplessly, "It's really not what you think, today..."
Lih Xiao explained the whole situation to his sister in detail; logically, it seemed to make sense, but Lih Meng still felt something was off—she firmly believed in her initial instinct.
This Shen Yuan! So bold and audacious, he must be trying to hit on my sister!
...
By then, Shen Yuan had already returned home, unaware that he had been labeled as a pervert by Lih Meng. If he had known, he would definitely have vehemently argued against it.
How could I possibly be that kind of person!
"Dad, Mom, I'm home."
Just like always, Shen Yuan pushed open the door and shouted loudly.
"So you're home. Why do you need to yell?" The middle-aged woman on the sofa, watching TV, scolded him without mincing words.
"Hehe, just greeting you guys."
Shen Yuan was used to his mother Li Hongjuan's attitude; he didn't make a big deal of it, since he had long accepted being the least regarded at home.
"Mom, I haven't eaten yet. Is there any food left at home?"
Shen Yuan patted his belly; having had only a bowl of rice at Lih Xiao's place upstairs, he always felt something was missing.
"It's in the fridge, heat it up yourself," Li Hongjuan said, pointing her remote towards the kitchen, noticeably impatient.
"Eating leftovers."
Shen Yuan was somewhat displeased, "How about frying up something else? Your son hardly ever comes back."
"Fry it yourself!"
Faced with his own mother, Ms. Li's response, Shen Yuan silently sighed. True to form, since his mother wasn't inclined to comfort her son, he would just have to make do.
In fact, Ms. Li's attitude toward him hadn't started with the family's bankruptcy; ever since his sister Shen Xuan was born, it had been like this.
Shen Yuan had poor grades as a child and was mischievous, often causing trouble; Li Hongjuan lost count of how many times the teachers called her to school.
Each time involved a lecture, demanding she take him home and discipline him, which made her embarrassed to show her face at school.
In contrast, Shen Xuan was sensible and considerate from a young age, always thinking of her parents, the perfect little caretaker.
Moreover, her grades were good. Now in her senior year in the experimental class at Star City No. 2 Middle School, she had a chance at Tsinghua University and Peking University. Ms. Li always walked into parent meetings with her head held high.
With such a set of children, could you blame her for being biased?
Fortunately, Shen Yuan had gotten used to it. If Ms. Li suddenly started treating him well one day, he probably wouldn't know how to handle it.
The door 'creaked' open again, and a middle-aged man, somewhat resembling Shen Yuan but slightly plump and shorter, entered.
"I'm back."
"Oh, Old Shen is back, haven't eaten yet, right? I heated up your portion too."
Seeing his father, Shen Heping, Shen Yuan smiled.
"Why did the boy come back today?"
Shen Heping was surprised, as their home was a two-bedroom living space without a room for his son; Shen Yuan usually stayed in a dorm.
Shen Yuan chuckled, "Just missed you guys."
"Good, good."
Shen Heping nodded in approval, set down his briefcase aside, and instructed, "Since the son has come back, let your mom fry two dishes. Let's you and I have a good drink tonight."
Shen Yuan's gaze involuntarily fell on Li Hongjuan, thinking if his mother agreed to cook, he wouldn't have to eat leftovers.
As expected, Li Hongjuan remained immovable on the sofa, too lazy to even turn her head: "Cook your own meal if you want to drink, spoiling you both!"
Father and son exchanged an awkward smile, then turned their heads away at the same time.
Shen Yuan continued heating the meal, thinking his family status hadn't dropped further only because there was no lower to go. However, his dad's status at home truly had plummeted to a frightful low.
Shen Heping was also easy-going. Since his wife wasn't willing to help, he rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen, busying himself with his son.
But since he rarely cooked, Old Shen hardly knew where to start, so eventually, Shen Yuan took a potato and a chunk of meat out of the fridge.
"Let's just make some simple sautéed strips of potato and meat."
Although Li Hongjuan was harsh with her words, she was soft-hearted inside. She slammed down the remote, walked into the kitchen with a look of disdain: "Get out, get out, can't even cook properly, what use are you two!"
"Thanks, Mom, appreciate it!"
Shen Yuan chuckled, set down the potato he was peeling, and dashed out of the kitchen.
In the living room, Shen Heping handed Shen Yuan a cigarette; while Shen Yuan didn't usually smoke, he decided he'd have one to accompany his dad this rare time he was home.
He was about to light it, but Shen Heping shook his head, "Your sister doesn't like the smell of smoke; let's go to the balcony."
Shen Yuan was rendered speechless, feeling disappointed, even during his rare visit home.
It was bad enough that Ms. Li was biased, but even Old Shen was beholden to his daughter, forgetting it was his son who had battled with him in the kitchen just moments ago.
...
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder