PCMWF Chapter 134

Make-up update🙃

Qin Kun was like him; his parents were deceased, and he supported himself. On weekends, he would do odd jobs at a nearby auto repair shop. Su Siwen, dizzy with hunger, took the pack of instant noodles Qin Kun offered him. He tore it open, chewing the dry noodles and washing them down with cold water.

“Isn’t hiring child labor illegal?” Su Siwen’s eyes were wide, his cheeks puffed out with noodles.

Qin Kun had some engine oil smeared on his arm, not properly washed off. It looked like an ugly black scar stuck to his tan skin.

“Are you stupid? If I don’t tell anyone, who would know I’m not an adult?”

That was possible? Qin Kun found his dazed look amusing. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his bag and asked if he wanted one. Su Siwen looked horrified at the suggestion. He scooted away a little.

Qin Kun grabbed the back of his neck, holding him in place. “What, scared?”

Su Siwen chewed and chewed. The instant noodles settled in his stomach, easing the hunger pang.

“Not scared. But I can’t stand the smell of smoke. It gives me a headache.”

The teenager wore a clean school uniform, as fresh and clear as a mountain spring, like a fizzy soda on a summer day. Qin Kun found it strange. They were both orphans, so why was the other so clean while he looked like he’d been rolling in the mud all day? At first, Su Siwen just smiled with his lips pressed together. Then his shoulders started shaking, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Our jobs are different. See, my hands are pretty dirty too.” Su Siwen had just gone to an interview for a freelance illustration job that day, and his hands were smudged with pencil marks.

Qin Kun was clumsy with his hands and had always admired people who could draw and write well. After seeing Su Siwen’s sketchbook, he was completely in awe. By that time, Su Siwen had already participated in several city-level drawing competitions and placed well. Even though he was young, people were willing to hire him. He could earn a decent amount of money to live on.

Qin Kun gave him a thumbs up. “Amazing. One of your paintings is worth a whole week of me fixing cars.”

The bell rang. Su Siwen grabbed his backpack, stuffing the half-eaten packet of noodles into his pocket. As he ran, he turned back and shouted, “I’ll pay you back next time.”

Qin Kun stood there. “You haven’t even told me your name yet!”

He didn’t need Su Siwen to tell him. A week later, during the flag-raising ceremony speech, he learned Su Siwen’s name. Su Siwen was still wearing that school uniform. The young man stood tall and straight as a bamboo, upright beneath the national flag.

“Teachers and students, good morning. I am Su Siwen from Class Three, Grade Ten…”

His name was Su Siwen. His name was beautiful. His voice was beautiful. His paintings were amazing. He’d won so many awards. He, Qin Kun, actually knew someone so incredible. They became friends. They accompanied each other through their high school years and became each other’s only friends. Qin Kun quit smoking and found a new job, helping wash vegetables and cut ingredients in the school cafeteria. When the head cook was too busy, they’d even call him over to help stir-fry a couple of dishes.

Qin Kun would wait every day for Su Siwen to come through the food line. Whenever he saw Su Siwen standing in the queue, he’d sidle up to the food server and whisper something in the auntie’s ear. The tall boy’s whining was irresistible to the auntie. He was hardworking and got good grades, and his parents were gone, so the cafeteria aunties were happy to help him out.

Not only did they pile the most meat on his plate, but when they served his only friend Su Siwen, their hands never shook, and sometimes they’d even add a little extra. From then on, Su Siwen never went hungry again. He ate his fill every day. In short, in Qin Kun’s heart, Su Siwen had always been the most brilliant painter. Su Siwen’s eagerness to start working was also driven by his desire to pay back the money the Shen family had lent them as soon as possible.

Qin Kun squeezed his fingers, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “What’s most important right now is for you to get your leg treated properly.”

The little guy sleeping between them seemed a bit uncomfortable in the unfamiliar bed. Reluctantly, Qin Kun was pushed back to his side by Su Siwen. They both patted the little guy’s body gently. In the morning, little Su Youli opened his eyes between his two dads. He was truly, truly happy. He couldn’t be happier than this. He gave his big dad a kiss, then his little dad.

After waking up, Qin Kun took him to wash up. The little guy changed his clothes, went back to the bed to kiss Su Siwen, and then, standing on his tiptoes, was scooped up by Qin Kun at the door. Yes, Qin Kun was going to check on his exercise progress. The scenery and architecture in Country D were different from back home. The little guy didn’t really like running anyway, and his attention kept wandering.

His eyes darted around, and his running pace became erratic. After he finished watching a Border Collie frolicking on the lawn, he realized his dad was gone. In this unfamiliar place, the little guy finally felt scared. He ran and shouted for his dad. By the end, his voice was getting hoarse. He turned a corner, and the person he was looking for was right there, arms crossed, waiting for him.

Little Su Youli was genuinely angry. He huffed, stamped his foot, and ran back to tattle to his Little Dad. Qin Kun watched his son run faster than he’d ever been prompted to and thought he could use this trick more often. It would make the little guy run faster on his own. He was so clever.

“Dad, Dad.”

The little guy’s clear voice rang out as soon as he entered the door.

Chairman Shen, sitting in the living room reviewing financial reports, and Su Siwen, who was getting ready to go to the hospital for his rehabilitation training, both turned their heads at the same time. In unison, they said, “Yes? What’s wrong, Youyou?”

With both dads backing him up, the little guy felt emboldened. He buried his head in Shen Dad’s chest, pointed at Qin Kun as he walked in from the door, and said, “Kun Kun left Youyou there all alone. Kun Kun is bullying Youyou!”

Shen Minyan knew immediately that the little guy had been slacking off during his run and that Qin Kun was just teasing him.

Su Siwen, an old hand at this sort of thing, immediately sided with the little guy and scolded Qin Kun: “Kun Kun is so mean, leaving our Youyou behind.”

“Baby, were you scared? Let’s not go running with him anymore, okay? Kun Kun just likes to pick on kids.”

“Kun Kun is a bad dad,” Su Siwen said with great seriousness.

It wasn’t that bad, was it? The little guy tucked his hands away, turned his head, and looked at a pitiful Kun Kun.

“…No, Kun Kun isn’t a bad dad. It’s, it’s because Youyou was watching the dog play and didn’t run with Dad.”

The little guy stepped forward, grabbed Su Siwen’s clothes, and pleaded, “Dad, don’t say Kun Kun is bad.”

Su Siwen thought his son was the cutest creature in the world. He hugged him and gave him several big kisses.

“Next time, will Youyou run properly?”

“Yes.”

“Will you slack off to watch dogs again?”

“Not anymore. Dad, I was wrong.”

The little guy apologized quickly. He immediately turned around and ran to Qin Kun: “Dad, I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll watch the dog after I finish running.”

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