Chapter 213 - Chapter 213: 178. Dual Cultivation
Chapter 213: 178. Dual Cultivation
The night was deep and silent, and the group chat gradually quieted down.
Seeing nothing new, she said, “I’m going home to sleep, see you tomorrow, you two.”
As she spoke, she wore her fluffy pajamas, looking like a little dinosaur as she opened the door and left.
In the living room, Nan Gengchen, curled up on the leather sofa, watched her leave, somewhat surprised, he asked, “Sister, where are you going?”
Qing Chen looked at him emotionlessly, “Back to her own place, where else? Could she still stay at my place? My dad sold the house because of gambling; she is the new landlord over there. This apartment I’m living in now, I’m renting from Hu Xiaoniu.”
This made Nan Gengchen even more confused, “What exactly is your relationship?”
Stopping at the door, she thought for a while and replied, “Dual cultivation?”
Nan Gengchen: “???”
Qing Chen: “???”
She explained, “I use my abilities to help Qing Chen in his cultivation. In the process of helping him, my own control over my abilities also improves, allowing me to refine them further.”
Qing Chen retorted uneasily, “Dual cultivation doesn’t apply here!”
It’s like when you say, “I really want to open your little head to see what’s inside,” it means one thing.
But if you change it to, “I really want to open your skull to see what’s inside,” it becomes something else!
Waving her hand dismissively, she said, “It’s not important; I’m going home.”
With that, she closed the door.
At that moment, Nan Gengchen said, “Brother Chen, can I stay at your place tonight?”
“I was wondering why you can usually never leave at night, yet today you’re not returning home?” Qing Chen wondered aloud.
“My dad lost some money and is in a bad mood. He’s drinking alone at home now; if I go back, I’ll definitely get beaten,” Nan Gengchen said.
Qing Chen sighed; he had seen the belt marks on Nan Gengchen’s body before, the dark purple bruises looked incredibly fierce.
Though his parents hadn’t divorced, their situation wasn’t much better than his own.
He asked Nan Gengchen, “What about your mom?”
“My dad sent my mom back to her parents’ house,” Nan Gengchen spoke softly, “I think they are about to divorce. Brother Chen, I’ve been thinking of ways to save money. Every time I come back, Li Yinuo prepares two gold bars for me. Once I have enough money, I’ll buy a house and live alone.”
As he spoke, Nan Gengchen actually pulled out three gold bars from his pocket, “These haven’t been sold yet; I’ll leave them with you for now, Brother Chen. I’m afraid my dad might find them if I keep them at home.”
“Hmm,” Qing Chen helped him stash them between the mattress, “Li Yinuo is really good to you; your earning speed isn’t much slower than mine.”
“Brother Chen, why don’t I come and stay with you,” Nan Gengchen said excitedly, “Now that you have stabilized your footing and have such a powerful master, I can make a name for myself following you.”
“What, you don’t want to be with Li Yinuo?” Qing Chen was a bit surprised, “Do you have trouble with her?”
After thinking, Nan Gengchen replied, “We get along quite well now, and I really like her character. I feel safe with her. But it was quite scary at the beginning, I always thought she wanted to drain my vitality…”
Qing Chen: “…That’s tough. So why do you still want to come and stay with me?”
Nan Gengchen shook his head, “I always feel somewhat emasculated being protected by her, like I’m not worthy of her.”
Qing Chen glanced at him, knowing that he often felt inferior because of his family situation, which made having such a great girlfriend like Li Yinuo feel a bit insecure.
Nan Gengchen continued, “Everyone says a man should establish himself before settling down, but I don’t want her to look down on me.”
Qing Chen patiently said, “You’re only hearing half of it. It should be: with the right person, settle down first; with a powerful person, establish yourself first; with a rich woman, both settle down and establish yourself…”
Nan Gengchen: “…”
“Let’s not discuss the future,” Qing Chen thought for a moment, “What are you planning to do now, just stay at my place till you figure it out?”
“I dare not go back,” Nan Gengchen said pitifully, “If I return, I will get beaten. Or Brother Chen, could you report my dad? You know how to handle this.”
Qing Chen thought for a long time, “What does your dad usually gamble on?”
“Mahjong.”
“Do you know where he gambles?”
“I don’t know,” Nan Gengchen sighed, “If only I knew where he played, I would’ve reported him myself.”
“No worries,” Qing Chen said calmly, “You can stay at my place for now; I’ll help you sort this out.”
…
…
After returning home, she didn’t go straight to bed; she reminisced about her recent interactions with Qing Chen and suddenly felt that the boy was far from as simple as she had thought.
He didn’t seem like a normal high school student at all. The composure, calm, and cleverness he showed during events were not something a high school student from a small city would have.
So, she suddenly grew curious about what kind of past Qing Chen had?
At school the next day, she took the chance during the break to call over Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen.
She asked, “The apartment Qing Chen is living in, did you rent it to him?”
“Yes,” Hu Xiaoniu nodded, “We rented it to him for 1400 yuan a month, though the market price is 1200; we increased it by 200.”
“The apartment’s renovation is very nice. Adding 200 as a courtesy is reasonable,” she nodded.
“Right, you’re living in his house now,” Hu Xiaoniu said, “When his dad was selling the house, Qing Chen didn’t even have time to pack his things before he was kicked out.”