Hearing You Say Love chapter 70
Baby, Don’t Be Afraid
That afternoon, Zou Beiyuan went to the boxing gym. After training, he sat on the sofa in the lounge, pulled out his phone, and started browsing for aprons.
He’d never realized there were so many styles: cartoon-themed, striped, solid-colored, frilly. Searching for a single keyword yielded tens of thousands of results, leaving him overwhelmed.
When in doubt, consult the reference material.
He flipped through the comic where the protagonist used creative methods to seduce his enemy daily to maintain his superpowers. In chapter seven, he found the apron scene.
The protagonist, who was similar in build and skin tone to him—tall, muscular, and wheat-skinned—wore a cream-white apron in the illustration.
Zou Beiyuan was struck by inspiration.
If it were up to him, he’d probably pick black. But the way the cream apron contrasted with dark skin, paired with a gentle, homely design and the shock of a bare body beneath, created a stunning visual impact.
Got it, he thought, taking notes. He closed the comic app and ordered a similar apron online.
…..
While Zou Beiyuan was seriously picking out his reward props, Su Ming received a text from an unknown number:
Though the number wasn’t saved in his contacts, Su Ming recognized it—it was his mother’s. He’d deliberately left her number unlisted in his phone.
Reading the text, Su Ming felt nothing. He opened WeChat and messaged his brother, Su Mo:
[Did grandma pass away?]Su Mo: [Yeah. Did Mom and Dad notify you?]
Su Ming: [It’s weird that mom told me instead of you.]
Su Mo: […I had a huge fight with them. Dad wouldn’t even let me see Grandma one last time.]
Su Ming smirked: [Because of Xu Yanxi?]
Su Mo: [Yeah.]
Another text came from his mom: [Your father is in Rong City today. He’ll pick you up and bring you home, okay?]
Su Ming was stunned. He screenshotted the message and sent it to Su Mo.
[Are they mistaking me for you?]Su Mo responded with a defeated string of dots before explaining:
[Dad won’t let me attend the funeral. Nobody’s going to carry Grandma’s portrait during the ceremony, is there?]In their hometown, tradition dictated that the filial son carried the ashes while the virtuous grandson carried the portrait. Without this, the elder’s life would be deemed incomplete, and other families would gossip.
Su Ming chuckled at the absurdity:
[They’re barring you from the funeral over Xu Yanxi? Sounds exactly like something Su Zhishong would do.]Su Zhishong was their father. After sending the message, Su Ming replied to his mom’s text:
[I’m busy.]Su Mo continued:
[I brought Yanxi to visit Grandma two days ago. We got into an argument in the hospital. Grandma told me to get lost, and she passed away suddenly at midnight. Dad blames me and came to Rong City to yell at me this morning.] [Yanxi was there too, and he said awful things to her. Yanxi called her parents to pick her up.] [Now Yanxi wants to break up. I’m heading to Ming Mountain to find her.]Su Ming: [Are you driving?]
Su Mo: [No, I’m on the high-speed train. My car got wrecked two nights ago.]
Su Ming: [???]
Su Mo: [Ge, let’s talk when I’m back. I’m all over the place right now, and I really don’t know what to do.]
The call from the unfamiliar number came through again. Su Ming paused for a moment before rejecting it.
Almost immediately, another number called, one that Su Ming also recognized—if he remembered correctly, it belonged to Su Zhishong.
Su Ming rejected the call once more.
There was no way he was going to carry the memorial portrait for that family. He had no intention of attending the funeral.
After some thought, Su Ming logged into WeChat on his computer, switched his phone to airplane mode, and messaged Zou Beiyuan:
[My phone’s off. If anything comes up, message me on WeChat.]Zou Beiyuan: [What happened?]
Su Ming: [Blocking harassers.]
Zou Beiyuan: [Who’s harassing you?]
Su Ming: [Su Mo’s parents.]
Zou Beiyuan: [Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be right back.]
For years, Su Ming’s relationship with his family had been distant. He only got upset when they directly provoked him; otherwise, he could remain emotionally detached, like an outsider, unaffected by their affairs.
Still, knowing that Zou Beiyuan was hurrying back to be with him made him feel comforted.
Forty minutes later, Zou Beiyuan returned and asked Su Ming what had happened. Su Ming showed him the chat log with Su Mo. After reading it, Zou Beiyuan only asked, “Was that grandmother good to you?”
“No, she was terrible,” Su Ming replied.
Zou Beiyuan nodded and didn’t press further.
That evening, Su Ming prepared dinner, intending to eat before visiting Teacher Song at the hospital. Just as the two sat at the dining table, the doorbell rang.
Zou Beiyuan got up to answer it. Standing outside was a man in his fifties, half a head shorter than Zou Beiyuan, with a broad build. His sagging cheeks and deep frown lines gave him a stern appearance.
“Who are you looking for?” asked Zou Beiyuan.
The man glanced at him and then at the door number before hesitating. “Is Su Ming here?”
Zou Beiyuan raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”
The man frowned deeper. “I’m his father.”
Zou Beiyuan was momentarily stunned, then expressed exaggerated surprise: “What? Su Ming has a father?”
“Where is he?” The man’s voice turned colder.
Turning back, Zou Beiyuan called out, “Su Ming, someone’s here claiming to be your dad.”
Su Ming, having heard the conversation, walked to the entrance and signed to Zou Beiyuan: Tell him I’m not going back with him.
Zou Beiyuan relayed the message verbatim. Su Zhishong softened his tone, adopting a feigned sincerity. “I just want to talk to you.”
Hearing the elevator doors in the hallway, Su Ming glanced at passing neighbors. After a brief stare-off with Su Zhishong, he finally signed to Zou Beiyuan: Let him in.
Su Ming returned to the dining table and continued eating as if nothing had happened, making no effort to greet his father.
It was Zou Beiyuan who fetched another set of dishes from the kitchen and placed them on the table. “Come on, Uncle, have a seat and eat with us.”
Su Ming’s cold attitude clearly irritated Su Zhishong, but he refrained from reacting. He was here to persuade Su Ming to return, so he couldn’t afford to lose his temper.
Fortunately, Su Ming’s “friend” seemed hospitable, which gave him some relief. He sat down but didn’t touch the food, exchanging a few pleasantries with Zou Beiyuan.
“So, Uncle, what brings you here to see Su Ming?” Zou Beiyuan asked with feigned curiosity.
Not suspecting anything unusual, Su Zhishong sighed. “His grandmother passed away. I’ve come to take him home.”
Su Ming kept his head down, eating without so much as a glance in their direction.
“Oh,” said Zou Beiyuan, “but his Grandma didn’t like him. If he goes back, it wouldn’t make her happy either. Why not ask Su Mo to go instead?”
Finding the remark odd, Su Zhishong squinted at Zou Beiyuan, his gaze less friendly now.
Completely unfazed, Zou Beiyuan clicked his tongue and added, “Oh, I see. Su Mo is planning to marry into the Xu family, right? He’ll lose the family name and bring shame upon you. No wonder he’s not welcome.”
Though stunned by the bluntness, Su Zhishong couldn’t entirely disagree. He shifted uncomfortably, choosing not to discuss Su Mo further. “Su Ming, now that Grandma is gone, you should visit home more often. Your mom and I really miss you.”
Su Ming slowly looked up, gave his father a brief glance, and resumed eating without any response.
Seeing Su Ming focused on his bowl, Zou Beiyuan picked up his own chopsticks to add food to Su Ming’s plate before turning back to Su Zhishong. “So, is Su Mo really set on becoming part of the Xu family? If so, you’ve raised a son for nothing.”
Although the words were harsh, they echoed deeply with how Su Zhishong felt. He sighed heavily. “That boy has no conscience.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle,” said Zou Beiyuan cheerfully. “Here’s a suggestion: the best solution is for you and Aunt to have another child. Depending on others isn’t as reliable as relying on yourselves.”
Su Zhishong finally heard the sarcasm in the words and said angrily, “Ridiculous! Our family doesn’t only have Su Mo as a son.”
Zou Beiyuan sneered, “Do you still remember Su Ming, your son? Too bad you can’t rely on him either.”
Su Zhishong frowned, “What do you mean?”
Zou Beiyuan stopped pretending to be friendly and said coldly, “First of all, Su Ming won’t attend his grandmother’s funeral. You should know how your family has treated him all these years. He has no obligation to fulfill filial duties for you.”
“Secondly,” Zou Beiyuan raised his chin slightly, staring down at Su Zhishong, “Su Ming won’t have children either.”
Su Zhishong sensed something was wrong but couldn’t think it through in time when Zou Beiyuan continued, “Because the two of us can’t make children.”
Su Ming, who was drinking soup, almost spit it out and began coughing. Zou Beiyuan immediately stood up and poured him a glass of water.
Su Zhishong suddenly stood up, his chair scraping the floor, making a sharp sound. His body was shaking with anger as he pointed at Su Ming and asked, “What kind of relationship do you two have?”
Su Ming coughed until he could breathe normally, then took a sip of water and slowly nodded at his father.
Su Zhishong’s face turned bright red, and he began to curse at Su Ming, “I knew you were a shameless good for nothing thing!”
“Bang!”
Su Zhishong was unexpectedly punched in the face. He stumbled back and supported himself on the table. He hadn’t expected this young man to strike him. Furious and dizzy, he grabbed a chair and attempted to throw it at Zou Beiyuan, but Zou Beiyuan easily caught it with one hand.
Su Ming, worried about the food on the table, silently moved it back a little, giving Zou Beiyuan space to act.
Zou Beiyuan gently set the chair down, then caught Su Zhishong’s fist with his other hand, using just enough force to make Su Zhishong cry out in pain.
Zou Beiyuan said, “Su Ming is my family. It’s not for you to interfere. From now on, whether it’s weddings, funerals, or birthdays in your family, if Su Ming is happy, he can go. If not, no one in your family should harass him!”