Gentlemen's Friends

Chapter 41 Part 1: Three ([-])
Qu Tongqiu went back to set up a street stall again, and he didn't pursue the matter of being "kidnapped".Although Ren Ningyuan and the others were wronged, he could have sought justice, but he didn't know why, and when he thought about it, he felt guilty, so he didn't want to mention it again.

Maybe he felt that he would rather suffer a loss than deal with Ren Ningyuan more.

What's more, he couldn't tell whether he was a loser or not, just thinking about it made his temples twitch wildly.

And from that day on, he would have strange dreams every night, and he could hardly bear it himself.Seeing the passing of days, the clothes were too loose to wear, and he had to buy new ones.

This day Qu Tongqiu went to buy goods and came back. It was raining heavily, and the bus was not easy to squeeze in. He was reluctant to take the subway, let alone a taxi, so he carried the goods on his back, stopped and walked, and wanted to take a few stops to see. Will there be more cars at the intersection ahead?

After walking for a while, I was very tired. Fortunately, I was wearing the oversized transparent raincoat patched with plastic cloth, so things would not get wet.

Looking back and forth while walking, hoping to see a bus that could be taken, he saw a sports car with a sign of a prancing horse driving towards him.

Qu Tongqiu was worried that he would be splashed all over his body, so he couldn't dodge in time, but the car slowed down and stopped beside him.

The car window was rolled down, and a short-haired head protruded from inside. The boy squinted his eyes and looked him up and down. Seeing a greeting smile on Qu Tongqiu's face, he asked hesitantly, "Fatty?"

It was Phillip. Qu Tongqiu hadn’t seen him for a long time since he took away the lunch last time, and he naturally never saw Qu Tongqiu again, so Phillip seemed quite surprised by Qu Tongqiu’s acquiescence. , repeated it again, this time with a stutter: "Fat, fat?"

"haven't seen you for a long time……"

"Wow, is it really you? I came here to take a look because I saw that this broken raincoat looked familiar to Da Baote. You are a different person. You didn't go for plastic surgery, did you?"

"..."

"That's right, you've lost almost all of your weight. Wow, if it wasn't for today's coincidence, even if we met face to face on the road, I wouldn't recognize you."

"...It's not that exaggerated..."

"Yes, yes, you are really different before and after you lose weight."

Qu Tongqiu was a little embarrassed: "I didn't lose weight..."

"By the way, get in the car. I'll take you where you want to go."

Qu Tongqiu hesitated, and the obvious intimate relationship between Phillip and Ren Ningyuan made him hesitate. He still tried his best not to cause trouble for himself: "No need, it should not be on the way..."

"Why are you being polite to me?"

"It's really not necessary..."

Phillip said seriously: "Fatty, are you angry because I didn't go back to find you to open a shop?"

Qu Tongqiu hurriedly shook his head: "There is nothing..."

"Because my mother is unhappy, I can no longer set up a street stall, and I can only put aside the business of opening a store. I have been making her angry all the time. I have to be a good son for a while, and then I can continue to be my free man. Man, it will be difficult to force her to turn her face all at once..."

Qu Tongqiu repeatedly nodded to express his understanding: "It's okay..."

"Then get in the car, and I will be fined if I stop longer."

Qu Tongqiu got into the car anyway, and comforted himself by saying that he had a little relationship with Phillip, which did not mean that he would have anything to do with Ren Ningyuan, not to mention that his bag was really heavy.

Phillip is very happy to see him again, and he can be regarded as a friend, especially since he has lost a lot of weight, so he has more material to gossip about.

Qu Tongqiu listened to him talk about how long the car had been driving, and there was only a pause of a few tens of seconds in the middle, when Phillip answered the phone and said he wanted to take a detour to pick up a friend.

"I'm sorry, I'll go around to pick her up first, and then send you back. Girls, it's the knight's duty to rescue them at any time."

So Phillip spurred his Ferrari to pick up people at a fast speed.

As he approached the store, he saw a girl waiting with an umbrella in the distance. Seeing Phillip's appearance, Qu Tongqiu thought it might be his girlfriend.

As the car approached, Qu Tongqiu's heart suddenly thumped.

"Little P, I want to get off."

"Ah? What's the matter? I can't stop here, I'll be there soon."

Qu Tongqiu started to panic, Phillip comforted him: "Soon, it's just a matter of stepping on the brakes."

Sure enough, the car stopped outside the store at the same time as he stepped on the brakes. The girl came towards here, Qu Tongqiu put on his bag, opened the car door, and hurriedly walked back with his head down.

"Hey, fat man, what's wrong with you?" Phillip also got out of the car, but he couldn't throw the car to chase after him, so he could only feel depressed while holding on to the door, "Fatty man, you didn't bring your raincoat on."

Qu Tongqiu just turned a deaf ear and walked forward, seeing that he couldn't catch up.

As soon as the girl came over, Phillip said: "Look at you, what kind of sneakers and sweatpants do girls wear? They are not ladylike at all, and they still carry this kind of bag. It scared all my friends away."

The girl punched him not lightly but not hard: "If you talk cheap again, I will beat you up."

"Hey, I didn't say you were ugly. I meant your bag. If the strap is broken, you can replace it with a new one. It's not good-looking, and it's so troublesome to send it for repair..."

This time the fist was much heavier, and Phillip almost went blind: "My father gave it to me!"

Phillip touched his chest that was still hurting, and said awkwardly, "Sorry...I was just joking."

Qu Ke sat in the car with her bag in her arms. Her current aura would make most boys dare not provoke her, only Phillip liked to hurt her with his lips.If it wasn't that she was not too old to get a driver's license, she should have driven to pick him up.

"I'll take the things back to my friend first." Phillip started the car and looked forward, "Wow, this guy is walking too fast, can he fly? By the way, speaking of it, you have eaten him What about the food?"

Qu Ke tilted her head and thought: "Do I have it?"

"It's the bento from last time, and you praised it too. It's strange," Phillip opened the car for a while, unable to see anyone left and right, a little puzzled, "Where did the fat man go? Why did he run away when he was so good...could it be diarrhea? No, it must be because you are too ugly to scare him..."

The man stood at the entrance of the alley and watched the car pass by, followed for a while before turning around and walking back.She has really grown up, and it is very different from when she followed him before. She looks like a big girl, and he feels very happy just looking at her.

In the days when he couldn't see his daughter, he always missed her. Even if he knew that he would never see him again, he would still think about buying her something.Those things cannot be given away, but every time he holds them in his hands and looks at them, he feels that he still has a daughter, which is a little hope he created for himself.

After walking for a while, I suddenly heard a little girl shouting from behind: "Daddy!"

Qu Tongqiu hurriedly turned his head to look.

But it turned out that it was a father holding a two or three-year-old girl in his arms, holding an umbrella and walking hurriedly. He lost her little shoes and didn't realize it. He hurried back to pick them up when she called her.

He himself took Qu Ke by himself before, and he was always clumsy like this.He scalded her while feeding the porridge, and made her fall when sending her to school. When Qu Ke cried, he was in pain, and when he applied medicine to her, the father and daughter hugged each other and cried...Little life is too fragile. It is not easy to grow up safely, but fortunately she has grown up.

It's just that he can't see her graduating from college, can't see her getting married, and can't see her with her children.

Thinking of this, I feel like I have lived in vain.

"dad."

This sound made Qu Tongqiu's legs suddenly go limp, and he didn't dare to turn his head back. He hesitated, and felt that someone was chasing him from behind. Although he was not sure, he tightened the bag on his back, and strode forward as if fleeing for his life.

"father!"

The voice could be heard clearly in the ears, Qu Tongqiu ran for a while, and gradually he couldn't run anymore.He has always been able to carry a bag for a long distance, but now he just feels weak in his feet and can't slow down without dragging his feet.

As soon as his steps were stagnant, someone hugged his waist from behind, and the momentum made him almost unsteady.

"father!"

Qu Tongqiu's throat was choked for a while, and he said, "You, you misidentified the person..."

He defended, and the person holding him didn't make any more noises, they just hugged him even tighter, refusing to let go.He was still waiting for her to say something, but all he could hear was a choking sob behind his back.

Qu Tongqiu himself wanted to say a few more words to deny it.He had many reasons not to meet Qu Ke anymore, he "died", which was a relief to himself, and also beneficial to Qu Ke.

But after only saying the word "you", no sound came out of his throat, and his chest heaved but he couldn't breathe. After holding back for a while, he whispered tremblingly, "You...you have grown up."

Qu Ke cried "Wow".

After leading her for a while, Qu Ke just cried and couldn't stop crying until the father's eyes were red and he was at a loss what to do.

"Yes, I'm sorry, it's my father's fault..."

He knew her grievances, and he himself felt guilty. Those who are not fathers would pretend to be dead, even throwing away their daughters.

"How are you doing? How about your uncle Ren, is he treating you well?"

The father was so distressed, he hurriedly took out those things in his pocket: "This... This is what Dad bought for you, look..."

Qu Ke cried for a long time before slowly recovering, her eyes were so swollen that she couldn't open them, Qu Tongqiu couldn't find a tissue for a long time, so she could only reach out to wipe her: "Don't cry, oh, look, it hurts your eyes like this... ..."

Qu Ke sobbed and said, "Am I dreaming again? Dad."

"no……"

Qu Ke was still sobbing: "I always have this kind of dream, and when I wake up, I'll know it's not real."

Qu Tongqiu hurriedly grabbed her hand: "No, look, Dad's hands are hot, it wouldn't be like this in the dream."

The father and daughter returned to the place where he lived now. The house was small and dilapidated, but fortunately it was clean and tidy.Qu Ke was used to a good life this year, but sitting on the chair Qu Tongqiu gave her and looking around, she seemed very happy.

"Come on, drink some water," Qu Tongqiu hurriedly asked her, "Is the white water too weak? Do you want to add some sugar?"

"Are you hungry? I still have some biscuits here, how about I go fry an egg for you?"

……

While eating, Qu Ke continued to say, "Father, I'm really not dreaming, am I? Will the eggs burn in the dream?"

Qu Tongqiu was a little ashamed: "Of course not..."

After eating, the father and daughter sat next to each other, and they both calmed down a bit, not as chaotic as they were at the beginning, and some happiness was born in the sadness of this humble room.

Qu Tongqiu's hand was grabbed by her, and she opened it to look at the callus in the palm: "Dad, have you had a hard time?"

"nor……"

"But it's okay, I will support you in the future. I can already make money."

Qu Tongqiu was a little surprised: "Really? Are you working part-time? Homework and health are important. If you have enough pocket money, you don't need part-time jobs. If not, I also have..."

"It's not a part-time job. I'm investing. I've already made my first pot of gold."

Qu Tongqiu was dumbfounded: "Huh?"

"Really, with the deposit you left me, it has been multiplied several times now."

Qu Tongqiu couldn't believe it: "This, so many..."

Qu Ke said it childishly showing off: "So when I graduate from university, maybe I can buy a house for you to live in."

Qu Tongqiu was surprised and proud at the same time: "You are so capable... Sigh, Dad has never been very capable. You are so promising, really..."

Originally, he wanted to say that bad bamboos produce good ones.However, this little girl with extraordinary intelligence has someone's genes to be so good. Thinking of this, the light of happiness dimmed a bit.

Qu Ke also noticed his sudden silence: "Dad?"

"Ok?"

"Why did you leave us?"

It was the question he couldn't answer.

"You don't want me anymore?"

The father quickly grabbed his daughter's hand and said, "No."

After being quiet for a while, Qu Ke asked again, "Is it because of Uncle Ren?"

Qu Tongqiu almost jumped up, and looked down at Qu Ke in panic, and Qu Ke was also looking at him.

"I can feel it, Dad."

He wanted to ask her what she knew, but he was afraid to know.

The two sat in silence for a while, and Qu Ke asked again, "Do you hate Uncle Ren?"

Qu Tongqiu couldn't answer, he just patted her head.

At night Qu Ke refused to go back, and wanted to stay with him to sleep, so Qu Tongqiu made a floor bunk beside the low bed, and slept on the floor by himself, while Qu Ke slept on the bed.

When Qu Ke fell asleep, she still held his hand and said, "Don't disappear while I'm asleep, Dad."

Lian Qu Tongqiu also slept soundly that night, and with his daughter by his side, more than half of his wounds were healed.

No matter whose blood is shed on Qu Ke's body, as long as she is willing to depend on him, he is enough.He now needs less than before, and he feels that there is nothing missing.

In the dream, he was also with his daughter, back to the time when Qu Ke was very young, playing at his feet, catching grasshoppers in the grass, and he tied patterns on her braids. People, looking at them with a smile... When they saw clearly, that face was Ren Ningyuan.

When Qu Tongqiu woke up suddenly, the sky was already bright.

Qu Ke was still in a deep sleep, so Qu Tongqiu carefully pulled his hand back and got up to make her breakfast.He doesn't plan to set up a stall today, he wants to spend more time with his daughter.

His mood became lighter, and the dim sunlight in the semi-basement also made his eyes clear.Even more than half of his hatred for Ren Ningyuan disappeared, and when people regain it after losing it, they will become extraordinarily generous.

Qu Ke also got up afterward. There was no separate bathroom in the basement, so she could only go to the public water room to brush her teeth and wait in line for the tap.Qu Tongqiu hurriedly brought hot water over, and poured some hot water into the dental cup and washbasin for her.

"The water is too cold in the morning, warm it up and wash off."

"No need, Dad, brushing your teeth with hot water is not good for your teeth."

"Ah, is it..."

"Washing your face with hot water will also loosen the skin."

"Well, you know more than Dad now..."

He also felt happy in the simple little conversation. Qu Tongqiu set breakfast for her when he returned to the house, and when she finished eating, he said, "Leave the bowl, I'll wash it."

Going to the water room to wash the dishes, Qu Tongqiu became a little worried in this simple daily life.His original life could only be regarded as "survival", but now he has to consider "living".

With Qu Ke, he will not be able to live here in the future. Even taking a shower here is difficult, and you have to pay to enter the bathroom. Usually, he boils some hot water and carries it to the toilet for flushing.It's cold now, and I'm shivering after washing.But in summer, it is stuffy and humid, and if you live for a long time, you will get rheumatism, there are many mosquitoes and flies, and mold spots will grow everywhere in the house, even toothbrushes.

When I live by myself, I don't think it's a big deal.However, if Qu Ke wants to live this kind of life, the poverty and inconvenience of these stretches will be infinitely magnified, which makes him a little uneasy.

Although Qu Ke is very smart and will have great prospects in the future, she is still a child now, and he is the one who has to support her family.If you live alone, you can do any job, but if you want to raise a high-achieving student with a big T, setting up a stall is not the way after all.

Qu Tongqiu couldn't help feeling embarrassed by his insignificance and incompetence in the face of real life.

The father and daughter went for a walk in the corner of the residential area on the ground to get some fresh air. The sun was rare and the wind was mild. The two walked hand in hand. Qu Ke thought of something: "Dad, does Uncle Ren already know about you?" gone?"

"Um……"

Qu Ke frowned: "No wonder he's acting strange now. Then why didn't he tell me?"

"I didn't let him say it." Before he knew it, he was making excuses for Ren Ningyuan.

"why?"

Qu Tongqiu couldn't answer again.

If he wanted to hide the truth from Qu Ke, he would not be able to explain many things clearly to Qu Ke.

He also didn't want to speak ill of Ren Ningyuan in front of Qu Ke.He didn't even say anything bad about Ren Ningyuan in front of anyone.All that Ren Ningyuan felt sorry for him, he didn't think about talking to others, asking for some solidarity, as if it only belonged to them no matter what.

(End of this chapter)