Chapter 156 - One Hundred Fifty-Six: The Reason for the Problem
Yu Minglang looked at Xiao Qian’s sleeping face, clearly she was a laid-back person, falling asleep after taking a photo, facing him, sleeping soundly without a care in the world.
Yu Minglang didn’t know whether to feel fortunate that she trusted him completely, or be a little frustrated that his girlfriend was so lackadaisical about men. Wasn’t she sleeping too soundly?
Yu Minglang adjusted her blanket and propped his arm up to observe her for a while. She was in a deep sleep. After watching her for quite some time, he set the alarm clock and closed his eyes while facing her.
“Xiao Wei…”
She mumbled in her sleep.
“Qian Bao, what did you say?” Yu Minglang heard what seemed like a name, but her voice was too quiet.
Xiao Qian rolled directly over to him from the other side. Yu Minglang’s initial instinct was to retreat, but his body instinctively moved closer instead, even enveloping her in his arms!
Alas, why wouldn’t his body listen to him? Maybe it had something to do with relaxing and being on a break.
Xiao Qian snuggled against him, her nostrils fluttering slightly, a sensation she liked. Only then did she feel at ease enough to rest her face on his chest, nestling her head back and forth. Yu Minglang cushioned his arms under her and she soon grew still, even her furrowed brows relaxed.
“Xiao Wei, Dad’s home…”
In her sleep, Xiao Qian let out a contented smile, all Yu Minglang heard were the words ‘Dad’.
Oh, was Qian Bao troubled by her ‘trash dad’, even in her dreams?
Yu Minglang had someone constantly keep tabs on trash dad Chen Lin. He knew Chen Lin had opened a small informal mahjong parlor in the neighborhood after his divorce. He could make a decent income if he wasn’t reported, and even more if he dared to place big bets.
Yu Minglang texted a report about the trash dad, and only after reporting him did he feel at peace to fall asleep with Xiao Qian in his arms.
Poor Chen Lin got implicated for no reason, simply because Yu Minglang didn’t hear clearly what Xiao Qian said in her sleep. He never figured out who tipped off on him, even when his mahjong parlor was shut down and the mahjong tables were taken away.
Who the hell reported him?!
By the time Xiao Qian woke up to the sound of the alarm clock, it was already noon, and Yu Minglang had already gotten up.
After washing up and coming downstairs, Xiao Qian saw that the dining table was set with utensils and a pot of nourishing soup. Yu Minglang was transferring colorful cornbread to a plate.
“Did you make these?” Xiao Qian rarely saw him in such a domesticated role.
“I got it from Mom’s place. You know how old lady loves preparing these health foods when she’s on vacation. I can actually cook too, it’s just that I don’t have any kitchen utensils here. So we’ll have to make do with these for now.”
“You?” Xiao Qian couldn’t believe it.
“I can make some simple home-cooked meals, but I’m sure they won’t taste as good as yours. Xiao Mei, cook for me when you have the chance, and bring me some of your homemade lunch next time you visit my workplace during your vacation, those single bastards will be so jealous.”
Yu Minglang put all his vanity into full display here, it wasn’t easy to win her over, so naturally, he had to flaunt his relationship.
Xiao Qian felt guilty and drank her soup, responding in agreement, “Don’t keep your hopes up, honestly, I’m not very good at cooking.”
It went beyond her being bad at cooking, it was an absolute disaster.
“Xiao Mei, you’re being modest. Come on, have some more vegetables.”
Yu Minglang believed his girlfriend was a very modest person. He thought, since Xiao Qian was the eldest daughter at home and Jia Xiufang ran a shop, she typically had to help with chores like cooking, which is usually the case in most families.
However, Yu Minglang was unaware that Jia Xiufang would rather give each child 80 cents and an egg, letting them get a pancake outside, than let Xiao Qian cook. It wasn’t because Xiao Qian was lazy; she would help with laundry or cleaning but she simply couldn’t be allowed to cook.
God is fair; if a person’s brain is overly developed in one area, there will be deficiencies in others. Xiao Qian was very clear about everything else but she couldn’t cook. Calling her cooking ‘dark cuisine’ didn’t fully describe it, she always felt there was something wrong with her culinary skills.
Considering his anticipation, she didn’t want to say anything more. There’ll be a chance for her to show off her skills, he’d understand then.
She really wasn’t modest…
After the meal, Yu Minglang was finally able to enthusiastically pursue the date he had been eagerly anticipating.
For some reason, Xiao Qian had a bad feeling about this.
Based on him bringing her to the plaza to watch the old people, she suspected he wouldn’t choose any particularly creative place.
As expected, he drove out of downtown. Xiao Qian was beginning to analyze what places in that direction could be fun when she glanced at his smug side profile and eventually decided to question him.
“How long is it going to be?”
“We need to wait a bit longer. If you’re bored, let’s talk; you said yesterday that Wang Xiaohong has ‘sex addiction,’ how does one contract that? My second brother suspects that she’s been traumatized.”
“Your second brother said that she’s been traumatized?”
“Yes.”
“I take the liberty of assuming that if she indeed has sexual anxiety disorder and was traumatized before marriage, she might have been violently hurt by someone, but the main reason has to be her parents. The violent incident is only an external factor, her parents are the internal cause.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dependency Syndrome, often caused by a lack of warmth and anxiety from one’s family, can appear as early as adolescence. It is satisfied and anxiety is relieved through sexual acts, gradually leading to addiction. It’s just like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, there’s really no way to control the behavior.” “Then why did my second brother manage to untie her mental knots?”
“Deep down, Wang Xiaohong must greatly admire your second brother and thinks that a father figure should be as steady and reliable as him. Your second brother probably said yesterday that he doesn’t care about her past and forgives her, thus unraveling her inner turmoil. Actually, her father could have said those words to her too.”
“No, Qian Bao, you’re wrong. If Wang Xiaohong really cared about my second brother, why was she always causing trouble when they were together?”
“That’s human nature in play. When you want something and can’t get it, you will try to discredit it, pretending it’s not good because you’re not deserving of it. Wang Xiaohong has serious problems and your second brother is partly responsible for their failed marriage.”
“What the hell, what’s wrong with my brother?! He’s the victim!” Yu Minglang couldn’t stand anyone talking about his family like that, not even Qian Bao!
“When dealing with people with mental illnesses, the patience and love you need to expend have to be many times more than for regular people. Your brother didn’t have the ability to care for a woman with psychological issues. It resulted in mutual harm and he played a part in that. That being said, Wang Xiaohong’s family only saw your brother’s status. When they weren’t satisfied, they became desperate. Neither party is completely right or wrong in this situation.”
Xiao Qian was just rationally analyzing the situation from a psychological expert’s perspective. For them, the divorce might even be a sort of relief.
Yu Minglang stopped the car completely and turned to look at her seriously..