Chapter 129: An Unexpected Show of Concern

"Nonsense, don't you all know how poor I am?" Luo Yixia immediately denied it.

It was undeniable that Luo Yixia's family was quite wealthy; otherwise, she wouldn't be living here. Her family were nouveau riche who ran their own company. Although it was a small company, it brought in a decent amount of money. However, Yu Wenjing had taught her since childhood not to be wasteful or extravagant. After all, her family had come from the countryside originally. Thus, Luo Yixia had developed a habit of being "stingy" from a young age.

Gan Yanyan and Lin Ya both rolled their eyes.

The car slowly came to a stop in front of Song Chengyi's house. After a beep of the horn, the gate opened, and Song Chengyi drove directly inside. Once the car was parked, the two friends looked around curiously. Hearing the noise, Zhou Yun came out to welcome them. Her eyes landed first on her precious daughter-in-law getting out of the car.

"Xiaxia," Zhou Yun called out.

Luo Yixia ran over, "Mom."

The two friends immediately straightened up, ran over to Zhou Yun, and greeted her. They each chimed in with a polite, "Hello, Auntie."

Lin Ya, in particular, had a silver tongue: "Auntie, you look so young! I feel like I should be calling you 'sister' instead."

Zhou Yun had always taken excellent care of herself. She had been the pampered little princess of her family growing up, and after marriage, she had a husband who doted on her. Even her two children were outstanding, so she had never had much to worry about. As a result, she had aged gracefully and looked to be only around thirty.

"What a sweet mouth you have! Are you hungry? Come on in and eat." Zhou Yun was beaming with delight.

The two friends hadn't yet realized who she was, assuming she was Luo Yixia's mother. They just felt that this auntie's aura didn't quite match Luo Yixia's. It seemed Xiaxia hadn't inherited any of those refined traits.

Zhou Yun urged everyone to take their seats at the table. Lin Ya and Gan Yanyan quickly grew comfortable and began chatting with her. The reason Luo Yixia hadn't texted her own mother was that she lived right next door—just a right turn away—and they usually ate together anyway.

"Mom, where's my mom?" Luo Yixia suddenly asked.

Only then did her two friends realize that this was actually Song Chengyi's mother. Song Chengyi remained indifferent, his head lowered as he ate.

"Wenjing went to the office to see your dad today. Your dad has been busy with work lately, so she went to deliver lunch," Zhou Yun replied. Because the two families lived so close, they were well-informed about each other's affairs.

"In all these years, I've never seen Chengyi or Zeming bring classmates home," Zhou Yun said, casting a reproachful look at her son.

Luo Yixia laughed awkwardly, then remembered something: "What about Brother Zeming? Is he out?"

Zhou Yun slapped the table, remembering. "Oh, how could I forget? Your brother is still sleeping in his room. He went out with some friends from the military academy yesterday and didn't get back until the middle of the night. He's still asleep." She turned to her son. "Chengyi, go wake your brother up. He hasn't eaten since this morning."

Song Chengyi looked reluctant; he just wanted a quiet meal and couldn't understand why he couldn't have any peace.

"I'll go... I'll go call him," Luo Yixia said, rising before Song Chengyi could.

But before she could leave, Song Chengyi pressed her back into her chair. "Why do you need to go?" He then stood up and headed upstairs.

Gan Yanyan and Lin Ya exchanged glances, suddenly feeling full; the delicious food on the table no longer seemed quite as appetizing. Luo Yixia had thought Song Chengyi was too lazy to go, which is why she had volunteered, but she didn't know why he wouldn't let her go now. Zhou Yun continued to smile, urging everyone to keep eating.

***

Song Chengyi went upstairs and found the bedroom door slightly ajar. With a gentle push, he saw someone sleeping soundly. He walked to the bedside, ready to call out, but before he could, the man’s eyes snapped open with sharp alertness.

Upon seeing who it was, Song Zeming let out a breath and reached up to massage his temples.

"It's noon," Song Chengyi said, catching the faint scent of alcohol still clinging to his brother.

"Why are you back?" Song Zeming sat up, revealing a toned torso marked by faint scars. Song Chengyi had known his brother carried scars, but he hadn't realized there were so many, including many old ones.

"It's a holiday. Get ready and come down to eat," Song Chengyi said before leaving.

As he closed the door, he took one more look at Song Zeming. He felt his brother was acting strangely today, radiating a sense of decadence that he had never seen in him before.

He went back downstairs to his seat.

"Did Brother Zeming wake up?" Luo Yixia asked.

"He's up, he's washing up," he replied.

Zhou Yun mentioned offhandedly, "Your brother drank a lot last night. He had to take a taxi home in the middle of the night, completely plastered. It was your father and the driver who had to carry him upstairs."

Song Chengyi pursed his lips, his suspicions deepening.

"Is Instructor Song also at home?" Lin Ya chimed in.

Zhou Yun looked at them. "You know him too?"

"He's our military training instructor," Lin Ya replied.

"I forgot, you're Xiaxia's classmates," Zhou Yun said with a smile.

Lunch continued, but before long, the person from upstairs came down, looking refreshed. His hair was cropped short as if he had just washed it.

"Instructor Song!" The two girls stood up properly and greeted him in unison.

Song Zeming, suddenly addressed, was momentarily stunned. He looked up and realized there were two classmates present. He had a good memory, and as a soldier, he tended to remember people he had encountered. He certainly remembered two students from the class he had led.

"Oh, you're all here? Sit down, sit down. Why so formal? I don't eat people," Song Zeming said with a sudden smile, finding an empty seat and sitting down with ease.

"It seems you're usually too strict. Look at how you've scared them," Zhou Yun said, setting a bowl and chopsticks for Song Zeming and pouring him a glass of warm water.

The two girls immediately shook their heads in denial.

"No, Instructor Song is very good to us."

"He's not fierce at all."

They spoke one after another, but their underlying sense of awe remained. Even though Song Zeming was smiling, he had inadvertently planted the image of an upright, incorruptible soldier in their minds.

Song Chengyi drank some warm water, feeling his hangover-induced headache clear and his empty stomach feel much better.

"Are you all out having fun with Xiaxia?" Song Zeming asked with a smile in his eyes.

They nodded.

"City A has quite a few fun places. Let Xiaxia take you all around," Song Chengyi suggested, and the girls nodded.

The conversation lulled as everyone focused on eating. However, after Song Zeming emerged, the atmosphere felt slightly heavy. Luo Yixia, being carefree, didn't notice, but Song Chengyi was sensitive enough to feel it. He glanced at Song Zeming, who seemed to sense the intense gaze, looked up, and raised an eyebrow as if silently asking what was wrong. Song Chengyi shook his head and continued eating.

*Today, Song Zeming is acting strange...* Song Chengyi thought. Although the brothers hadn't spent much time together over the years, they understood each other's habits and temperaments well. He knew Song Zeming wouldn't end up in such a drunken, helpless state without a reason. Had something happened?

After lunch, Song Zeming said he was going back upstairs to catch up on sleep. Luo Yixia took her friends on a tour of the house. When they saw the girly decorations in Song Chengyi’s room and the king-sized bed, they gave Luo Yixia a knowing smile that said, *No need to explain, we understand.*

Luo Yixia understood the look, but couldn't bring herself to explain. Since they were now living together and sharing a bed, anything she said would sound like a weak excuse. The truth was, Zhou Yun had worried that the original bed was too small for two people, so she had replaced all the furniture in the room and added a large wardrobe for Luo Yixia’s clothes. Gradually, more and more feminine items had appeared in Song Chengyi’s room. Song Chengyi had eventually gotten used to it; he knew that any protest would be in vain.

Luo Yixia later took them to her own home next door, retrieving the key from a flowerpot. Upon entering, she found the house spotless, but Song Chengyi felt it lacked a sense of warmth—a "living" atmosphere. He realized he hadn't been to his own home in a while and hadn't been checking in on his parents, which filled him with guilt. He hadn't sat down for a meal with his parents in ages. Thinking of this, he felt a pang of sadness and resolved to eat with them that evening.

Entering her own room, Luo Yixia found it clean and tidy, clearly the work of her mother. Despite her mother’s constant nagging about her lack of cleanliness, she always tirelessly cleaned up after her. For a moment, her eyes grew moist. While her friends were busy looking around, Luo Yixia sniffled and blinked back her tears.

"Xiaxia, if you try to dodge the bill again next time, I’m going to strangle you," Gan Yanyan glared at her.

"Exactly, you're the stingiest person I know. Don't you feel guilty?" Lin Ya added.

"I'm poor," Luo Yixia said, speaking the truth.

The two friends looked at her with disdain, automatically ignoring her futile struggle.

After they had eaten and drank their fill, they felt they shouldn't disturb the young couple any longer. "Xiaxia, we’re going to head back now," Lin Ya said.

"So early? It's only three o'clock," Luo Yixia said, checking her phone.

"It's not early. We have to go back to the dorm and do laundry. If we don't wash a week’s worth of clothes, they’ll start to smell," Gan Yanyan said with exaggeration.

"Then I'll go ask Song Chengyi to drive you back."

The two girls refused, planning to take a taxi, but Luo Yixia was worried and insisted that Song Chengyi drop them off. Luo Yixia didn't go with them; she wanted to go to the office to see her parents, as she couldn't wait until the evening. Besides, Zhou Yun had said her father was busy, and she wasn't sure when they would be back.

Once they left, Luo Yixia told Zhou Yun briefly and then took a taxi by herself. Zhou Yun called out to her a few times, but Luo Yixia didn't hear her.

Half an hour later, Luo Yixia arrived at the company. She realized she hadn't been here in a long time. Usually, she was either thinking about Song Chengyi or how to pursue him, never caring about her parents' business. Now, she suddenly felt she had been incredibly selfish. She was an adult now, and her parents were getting older, yet she still acted like a child, lost in her own thoughts instead of caring for them.