Hearing You Say Love chapter 20

Yours Taste Better

The day after Zou Beiyuan left, Su Ming received a message from Su Mo.

At that moment, he was about to open WeChat to consult Zou Beiyuan about running when Su Mo’s message came in, showing the beginning in the chat list: [Ge, grandma is sick; the doctor says she might not last much longer…]

Su Ming felt a bit annoyed and didn’t want to click in.

He didn’t want to care about Su Mo’s grandma.

Su Mo was his twin brother. From a blood relation standpoint, Su Mo’s grandma was also his grandma.

But this grandma once told his mother in front of him: “You might as well treat it as if you only gave birth to one son.”

Because they didn’t know Su Ming had learned to read lips at the deaf school, such poisonous words were never said in a way to avoid him.

For over ten years, the Su family had indeed been adhering to his grandma’s mentality, with all family members and resources revolving around Su Mo.

As for Su Ming, he was the one chosen by heaven to be abandoned.

Who would recognize a grandma like that?

Su Ming swiped his finger and directly deleted Su Mo’s message.

Then he looked at Zou Beiyuan’s avatar for a while, seemingly in no mood to cause trouble.

He set his phone to silent, tossed it aside, and sat down at his workbench.

Once seated, he forgot the time again, drawing from around four in the afternoon until nine in the evening, only noticing when Chen Muchao called him for the third time.

Su Ming pressed decline and opened WeChat to see several unread messages.

First, there was a message from Chen Muchao.

Chen Muchao: [What are you doing? Your little wolf is trying to pry information from me again.]

Chen Muchao: [And every time it’s the same lines; he’s too lazy to even pretend.]

He then sent him a screenshot of their chat history:

Zou Beiyuan: [Chen Ge, did you go fishing today?]
Chen Muchao: [I had an editorial meeting today.]
Zou Beiyuan: [Oh, is Su Ming with you?]
Chen Muchao: [No, he should be at home.]
Zou Beiyuan: [Ok]

Su Ming saw the screenshot, and Chen Muchao sent another message: [Reply to him quickly, don’t keep him hanging, or he might really leave.]
Su Ming: …

He really didn’t see it today.

Zou Beiyuan sent him a message around 6 o’clock, with a picture of tomato and egg noodles his grandma made, saying: [Same as yours.]

His grandma also used garlic leaves instead of green onions, perhaps a habit from Yishi?

Su Ming smiled faintly and replied: [Does it taste as good as mine?]

Two minutes later, Zou Beiyuan said: [If you respect the elderly, grandma’s is better.]
Su Ming: [And if you speak from the heart?]
Zou Beiyuan: [From the heart, yours is, of course, better.]

Su Ming had the chat window open, so he saw that message being quickly retracted. Zou Beiyuan then resent: [From the heart, yours is better.]

Su Ming couldn’t help but laugh. This straight guy is too cute!

He really wanted to sleep with him, damn it.

Just as he was about to reply, Su Mo’s call came in.

Su Ming’s smile faded, and his lips slowly pressed into a straight line.

He answered, turned on the speakerphone, and placed the phone on the desk.

He wanted to see how Su Mo, who didn’t talk much, would make a phone call.

The voice on the other end was clean, a nearly 30-year-old man who still sounded untainted by society’s hardships. As soon as the call connected, he said: “Ge, open the door, I’m at your front door.”

Su Ming turned to look at the door, and at the same time, the doorbell rang both on the phone and in real life.

Su Mo was like that. He wasn’t sure if Su Ming was home, so he called first and then rang the doorbell, leaving Su Ming no choice but to answer.

Su Ming really found Su Mo’s little tricks annoying.

He opened the door, arms crossed, leaning against the shoe cabinet, with no intention of inviting his brother in.

Su Mo seemed to have just gotten off work, wearing a shirt and tie, holding a low-profile BOTTEGA briefcase, and his short hair neatly styled.

Meanwhile, inside, Su Ming was wearing a cotton T-shirt and home pants, his hair tied lazily with an old hairband.

They looked alike, standing opposite each other, like staring into an absurd mirror.

Although Su Mo was the younger brother, he was slightly taller than Su Ming.

After a few seconds of staring, Su Mo’s posture suddenly lowered, his cold, elite façade crumbled, revealing a somewhat timid young man.

Looking at the face so similar to his own, he cautiously spoke: “Ge…”

Su Ming waited expressionlessly for him to continue.

Su Mo’s gaze moved past Su Ming’s shoulder, noticing the lit-up screen on the workbench. Trying to make small talk, he said: “Still working? Are you busy lately?”

Su Ming impatiently pursed his lips and signed: Get to the point.

Su Mo’s gaze returned to his brother’s face. As he noticed Su Ming seemed thinner, he hesitantly said: “Mom asked me to come and invite you to Yishi… Grandma might not make it.”

Su Ming signed simply: Not going.

“Just go see her,” Su Mo, not minding his brother’s rudeness, almost pleading, said, “Grandma’s old, there aren’t many chances left.”

Su Ming signed, with pauses between each word: She’s your grandma, not mine.

“Ge…” Su Mo’s tone lowered, almost begging, “Mom called yesterday and told me to make sure you come. She and Dad haven’t seen you for a long time and they really miss you.”

Su Ming looked down, lost in thought.

Su Mo continued: “You haven’t come home for years, not even for New Year’s. You don’t answer their calls. Mom’s thought about coming to find you several times, but I didn’t agree, fearing you’d be angry. Just take this chance to let her see you.”

Su Ming was unmoved: She sees you, that’s enough.

The conversation stalled there. Su Mo lowered his head, unsure how to persuade him, and silence fell between them.

Suddenly, a phone rang, echoing through the hallway. It was Su Mo’s phone.

He took it out, glanced at it, and turned the screen toward Su Ming, saying: “It’s Mom.”

Su Ming looked at Su Mo’s face without much expression as Su Mo answered the call and turned on the speakerphone. A long-unheard voice came from the phone: “Xiao Mo, are you at your brother’s house?”

Su Mo replied: “Yes, I am.”

Mom: “Did you see your brother?”

“Yes,” Su Mo glanced at Su Ming and lowered his voice, “He’s right beside me.”

“Xiao Ming, can you hear Mom?”

Su Ming rolled his eyes, and Su Mo said: “He can hear you.”

Then the woman on the phone began to talk about how she and their dad were worried about Su Ming, afraid he wasn’t taking care of himself, asking if he was eating well and how his life had been lately.

As if she genuinely cared.

Finally, she brought the conversation back to the topic, saying she wanted Su Ming to come to Yishi to see Grandma.

Su Ming signed to Su Mo: Is she dying?

Su Mo’s expression froze for a moment before he said: “The doctor says she has one or two months left.”

Just then, a gust of wind blew through the hallway, scattering the manuscript papers on Su Ming’s workbench across the floor. Su Ming glanced back at the papers and then asked Su Mo: What day?

“Is tomorrow okay? I have the day off.”

Su Ming nodded.

Su Mo visibly brightened and told the person on the other end of the phone: “Mom, Ge agreed.”

Their mom sounded happy, saying they should arrive early tomorrow, and she’d book a restaurant for lunch.

After hanging up, Su Mo said: “Let’s leave early tomorrow. I’ll bring breakfast, and you can eat it in the car.”

Before Su Ming could say whether he wanted to ride with him, Su Mo had already decided. Su Ming was a bit speechless, but he didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so he signed his agreement.

After explaining the situation, Su Mo left.

Su Ming went back to his room, picking up the scattered papers blown by the wind, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Ever since he left home at the age of 18 to live alone, he had decided not to have any contact with that family.

But blood ties are an unavoidable connection, and over the years, they still occasionally met for various reasons.

However, every meeting was always unpleasant.

Closing the door and returning to the living room, Su Ming grabbed his phone and curled up in the single sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window. He messaged Zou Beiyuan: “[I don’t feel like running today.]”

Zou Beiyuan always responded quickly: “[I knew you wouldn’t last on your own. Wait for me to come back and run with you.]”

Su Ming: “[When will you be back?]”

Zou Beiyuan: “[The day after tomorrow.]”

Su Ming didn’t tell him that he would also be going to Yishi tomorrow. He just replied: “[Okay, see you then.]”

Author’s note:

Maybe they’ll meet tomorrow…