Chapter 553 - Incident (2)
After Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo left, Xi Xiaye tidied up and began to prepare for the meeting later.
When she did not hear any news from Mu Yuchen the entire afternoon, she realized that it seemed to be a little more serious this time. She had never seen Su Chen act out like this before. Previously, through her interactions with Su Chen, she could tell he was a candid and open-minded person. This time, Elder Su must have crossed the line if he was forced to this extent.
The sky gradually darkened. Initially, they had planned to go shopping and prepare some autumn wear for Shen Yue, but it looked like that would not be happening anymore. Coincidentally, Zhuang Shurong called her, so Xi Xiaye just made her way home early.
On the other end, when Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo found Su Chen, he was at the fencing center they had frequented before. Su Chen was already worn out and all sweaty as he lay sprawled on the floor. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo helped him to the resting area with each of them taking one side. Then, they tossed him to the ground, and the entire space instantly fell silent. There was only the sound of his panting and breathing.
“How did you know I was here?” Su Chen sighed as he wiped the beads of sweat on his face away uncomfortably and looked at Mu Yuchen nervously.
Mu Yuchen shot Zhou Zimo a look, and he quickly whipped his phone out to call the Su family to inform them that he was safe.
“There aren’t many places that you can go to. What’s wrong? From what I remember, you rarely go against the elder’s wishes. However, this time I remember advising you against going to the border.”
Mu Yuchen gestured to the attendant on the side who very quickly handed Su Chen a wet towel and water.
Su Chen took the towel and wiped his face with it before speaking annoyedly, “I’m sick of staying in City Z. I just wanted to have a change of environment and live some peaceful days. I’m already more than 30 years old. When can I do things as I wish, why do I have to do as they say? They keep being violent and lecture me like they’re training animals. Do they think I’m those soldiers under them?”
“The elder is like that. You’ve tormented him and almost got him hospitalized. Everything can be discussed. You’re just too hot-tempered. You didn’t make Mother Su cry any less,” Zhou Zimo frowned and expressed helplessly.
“Exactly, I didn’t torment them, so I’ve always let them push me around. I let them make me join the military academy and change my career path. Everything I did, I abided by their wishes, and now I even have to marry a woman that they’ve chosen. Why? When have I ever done anything because I wanted to?” Su Chen released all his suppressed unhappiness all at once.
“Did the elder choose someone for you already?” Mu Yuchen quickly caught onto the key point from Su Chen’s words. He subconsciously squinted as he fixed his eyes onto Su Chen.
When he heard this, Su Chen could not help but feel frustrated. He clenched his fists and punched the ground hard as he spoke through gritted teeth, “They gave me a month’s time to find a woman. Otherwise, I’d have to go with their arrangements and marry Lin Ran.”
“Lin Ran? Isn’t she your superior’s daughter? She seems to have coveted you for a long while now. Earlier, I even heard that she got quite close to another young heir. Elder Su doesn’t have to force a woman onto you, does he?”
When Su Chen finished, Zhou Zimo instantly raised his brows and looked at him in surprise. “But this is how the elder works. He just puts an assignment down. You’re going to be 33 next year. I can understand how he feels. Like my old man says, you’re going to be a golden leftover-man.”
“Don’t talk about me. What about you? My grandfather only became all anxious after seeing Ah Chen. He’s moving too fast, and he’s even having a son soon. I thought that I could use this change to have a few years of peace, but my grandfather and father are extremely against it.”
“If you have any more peace and quiet, you’re going to remain unmarried. Joining the army over there takes three to five years. You’d be 40 when you get back. You’re crazy!” Zhou Zimo disagreed as well. It was no wonder the elder would be so angry. Was he not causing trouble?
“Evading responsibility is not the best way to solve a problem. Instead of having these struggles every time, why don’t you face it head on? After all, it’s something that you have to go through. It’s inevitable,” Mu Yuchen finally continued to speak up after he fell silent for a while. His eyes were as deep as the ocean while he looked calmly at Su Chen.
When Mu Yuchen finished, Su Chen was stunned for a moment. He then propped himself up and subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Zimo who was just as stunned as he was. Then, the two of them exchanged a look before nodding.
“We’re not as optimistic as you are. I know that you and your wife Xiaye were once in my situation. It’s just a matter of fate. This is something that can’t be begged for. Forget it. Don’t lecture me anymore. I won’t go then. I feel much better after sweating it out. The two of you are quite good at looking for me if you found me here,” Su Chen spoke helplessly as he surrendered to fate.
“Okay, don’t be like this now. Just get any woman to be your date and that’d be better than Lin Ran. The elder probably wouldn’t be that cruel. He wouldn’t be able to force you then, would he?” advised Zhou Zimo as he reached out to pat Su Chen’s shoulder.
“Stop bringing those women into this.”
“I know you have high standards! Your taste is quite unique anyway. Based on your personality, I think gentle and quiet girls suit you,” said Zhou Zimo with a smile.
“You’re suited for gentle and quiet girls! Obviously, I like young and lively ones. The quiet ones are boring,” Su Chen immediately refuted as he sloppily wiped his face and then got up. “Since you’re here, let’s go have a drink. I’ve been annoyed for the past few days. I’m going to stay at your place for a while.”
Then, he hurried to change in the changing room.
After Su Chen’s figure vanished inside, Zhou Zimo shrugged. “Since when is he so good at recovering? Also, how did you know he’d come here to pass the time? He seems to have released all of his anger this time,” Zhou Zimo looked curiously at Mu Yuchen and asked.
Mu Yuchen got up casually and calmly. “We came here a few times before. On the elder’s end, you should slowly talk to him about it. Don’t pressure them too hard. You know how Su Chen’s like too. Some things require more time to get used to.”
Zhou Zimo nodded. “I pity this fellow too. Once the elder gets stubborn, no one can handle that temper of his. Well, it’s because of you. Once you got married, you’ve brought on a lot of pressure for us buddies. Weren’t we fine before this?”
When he heard this, Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to look at him with a chuckle. “It’s not a bad thing to be living an entirely new kind of life.”