Chapter 1695 - 11: Extra Story of Boss Yun and Little Cousin (11)
Chapter 1695: Chapter 11: Extra Story of Boss Yun and Little Cousin (11)
Zhengyu’s face was burning and her heart was fluttering, but thanks to the alcohol, the Fan Family didn’t notice anything off. They just told her to go to bed early—only someone’s heart was practically exploding with excitement...
In her mind, Yun Hezhi had always been someone you respect but don’t get close to.
Today... she’d kissed him!
She lay in bed, tossing and turning, wondering whether to text him, then thinking it was too late. But soon her phone buzzed; she saw a message from Yun Hezhi:
[Are you asleep?]
[Not yet. Why aren’t you sleeping either?] It was already midnight.
[Just finished showering. Was thinking about you.]
Little stars suddenly rained down in the WeChat chat window.
Zhengyu got so excited she couldn’t sleep. It was probably the first time Yun Hezhi had triggered that special effect, so he was a bit puzzled and asked: [What’s going on?]
[It’s a WeChat effect. You seriously didn’t know? Say certain preset phrases and it pops up.]
[So what did I just say?]
[You said you were thinking about me.]
Accompanied by another shower of stars, Zhengyu got his reply: [Me too.]
She lay in bed, her face so hot it felt like it was about to catch fire...
She used to think Boss Yun was the same kind of person as his dad; after all, calling someone "boss" always made her picture an old man. But he actually wasn’t that old—and she’d never expected him to be like this in private.
Yun Hezhi told her to rest early, but Zhengyu’s heart was racing so hard she barely slept the whole night.
The next morning, she got up sporting a pair of dark circles.
"Didn’t sleep well last night?" Fan Mingjue looked her over. "Did you drink too much yesterday? You’re a young girl, try not to drink when you’re out..."
After doing student work for so many years, this old father could really talk.
Zhengyu was used to it; she just glanced at the time. "Dad, aren’t you and Mom going to school today to mark exam papers?"
Most schools are pretty much the same—they love to run a mock exam right before the holidays.
"Can’t you tell? Your daughter thinks you’re too naggy. Hurry up and go." Zhengyu’s mom laughed as she shooed her husband out.
"You drank last night and probably don’t feel great, so don’t go wandering around. Stay home and keep your grandpa company..." Fan Mingjue finished his instructions, then left with his wife.
Yun Hezhi had originally been planning to ask her out during the National Day holiday, but when he heard she was going to stay with her grandpa, he didn’t push it.
[I’m sitting with Grandpa by the river, fishing and soaking up the sun.]
...
Before long, Yun Hezhi turned up by the river and "ran into" the grandfather and granddaughter.
From a short distance away, he studied the old man’s eyes and guessed that his mental state wasn’t great—the gaze was vacant and dull.
"My grandpa has Alzheimer’s. It’s been years." Otherwise Zhengyu would never have had the guts to, after defining their relationship yesterday, drag him out to "meet the family" today.
"Grandpa likes listening to opera?" Yun Hezhi noticed the old man was holding a radio in his arms.
It was currently playing a piece of Beijing Opera—"Da Jinzhi."
"The doctor said music can help ease his condition. Compared to pop songs or pure instrumentals, he prefers Kunqu and Beijing Opera a bit more."
Yun Hezhi nodded and simply stayed with them by the river, fishing and basking in the sunshine.
The sound from the old man’s radio got weaker and weaker, and then suddenly cut off.
"Looks like the batteries are dead." Zhengyu checked the radio. Without opera to listen to, her grandpa instantly turned into a child, sulking in clear displeasure. No matter how she tried to coax him, it didn’t work.
"Whatever Grandpa likes to hear, I can sing it for him." Yun Hezhi said with a smile.
"What would you know how to sing!" Grandpa Fan might have dementia, but he still had moments of clarity and sharp logic.
"I know them all."
"Young people just love to brag."
...
Once Grandpa had finished sunbathing and gone home, he was perfectly content. Back at the house, he kept talking about how good the opera had been. Fan Mingjue naturally assumed he meant the one from the radio, so he didn’t think much of it.
So over the entire National Day break, aside from two performances at the Peach Garden, Yun Hezhi spent all his remaining time singing opera for Grandpa, and completely spoiled his taste.
National Day was hectic for Zheng Lansheng. A big name like Yun Hezhi, who had already become popular beyond the opera circle, didn’t need to be on stage every day. For the whole holiday, Zheng Lansheng only booked him for two shows. In the manager’s words, this was "hunger marketing."
The point was to create that feeling that tickets were impossible to get.
Which meant hard labor for Zheng Lansheng—he was on stage every single day. On the last day, he finally got a break and wanted to go find Yun Hezhi to complain a bit, but no one was home. When he called, he was told Yun Hezhi was out.
Yun Hezhi didn’t have many friends. Unless he had performances or events, if he went out it was usually just to buy food or household supplies. Zheng Lansheng figured that since he didn’t have a show, if he was only out shopping, he’d be back soon.