Rebirth: Growing Up Together

"Is it really not working?"

Lin Wanzhou was about to cry and lowered her head in disappointment, but she heard Xu Cheng continue to say, "Friends come and go in your life, so I don't want to be your friend, let's be..."

"What to do?" Lin Wanzhou looked at Xu Cheng expectantly.

"you guess."

"Tell me!"

Lin Wanzhou chased after him.

Chapter 38: You Are So Filial, Dad

"cheers!"

Five glasses filled with Coke clinked together, making a crisp sound.

"Congratulations, Director He!"

Xu Cheng's words were as sweet as honey, and He Ying smiled happily, "Mom, I'm only the deputy director, I'm still far from being the director."

Xu Jianghe also nodded beside him, "Yes, congratulations to Deputy Director He."

"Hehehe." He Ying's body trembled slightly, and her smile was very forced. "Old Xu, go wash these two dishes for me."

Xu Jianghe stopped his chopsticks as he was about to pick up a piece of prawn. "Ah? Let's go after we finish eating. Why wash the dishes now? The food will get cold soon."

He Ying's eyes narrowed into a slit, "Do you want to wash?"

Xu Jianghe immediately stood up and rushed into the kitchen with a plate, hearing the sound of running water.

Xu Cheng shook his head. Young, that’s too young!

Yu Yu huddled in the corner and watched silently, swallowing his saliva.

Sure enough, the gentle Aunt He is fake...

Lin Wanzhou's little mouth never stopped talking. She usually paid great attention to table manners at home, but now she was too lazy to even peel the shrimps when eating them. She just cut off the heads and tails and stuffed them directly into her mouth.

Xu Cheng took out a tissue and wiped the oil stains from the corners of her mouth. "Lin Wanzhou, please be more ladylike when you eat at our house. Don't show off your foodie spirit so easily."

"whee."

She smiled embarrassedly, then remembered something and asked.

"Xu Cheng, how are your driving skills?"

Xu Cheng looked at her and said, "I was driving very fast, what's wrong?"

Lin Wanzhou scratched his head. "What do you mean by fast? Can you ride a bicycle? My father bought me a bicycle. You can teach me how to ride it later."

Xu Jianghe wiped the water off his hands, sat down at the table, and said, "As for the bicycle, let him teach you. Xu Cheng can ride one now. Your aunt He and I haven't taught him yet, but he can ride a big bicycle, and he rides it very well."

"Then let's go to Bayi Square to learn later." Xu Cheng said.

The matter of teaching Lin Wanzhou to ride a bike was thus finalized.

Xu Jianghe had just picked up two pieces of food with chopsticks and had not yet enjoyed the carnival of his taste buds when he heard Xu Cheng's very harsh words.

"Mom, you are the deputy director, so you are at the deputy section level, right? What's Dad's level? Dad can't be lower than you, right? No way, no way?"

Xu Jianghe's veins jumped for unknown reasons, but he still tried to maintain an elegant smile in front of the child.

He Ying glanced at her husband awkwardly, not wanting to lose face in front of his child, so she said tactfully, "Your father's rank is not as high as mine for the time being..."

"Really? Dad doesn't make as much money as you do, does he?" Xu Cheng spoke in the noisy tone of a naughty child.

After getting He Ying's confirmation again, Xu Cheng's aggression gradually increased, imitating Crayon Shin-chan's meanness, "Doesn't that mean that Daddy still needs to rely on Mom for support? You have hands and feet but still need a woman to support you. How embarrassing for a man, don't you think so, Lin Wanzhou?"

Lin Wanzhou shook his head and said to Xu Cheng seriously, "You can't talk about your uncle like that, Xu Cheng! It's too much!"

Xu Jianghe looked at Lin Wanzhou with satisfaction. As expected, the little girl was sensible, while the little boy was not considerate of his parents at all.

"Uncle is just not as capable as Aunt He. How can you casually say that uncle is embarrassing for a man?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Xu Jianghe started coughing violently, just like a wounded person lying at the scene of a car accident, being crushed a second time by the oncoming ambulance.

He Ying looked at him with concern, "Eat slowly, is there a fish bone stuck in your throat?"

Xu Jianghe waved his hands to indicate that he was fine, but Xu Cheng's torture was obviously more than that. He looked at the corner of the dining table again, "Yu Yu, what do you think?"

Yu Yu was startled when he was named, and said in a whisper, "I, I think... Lin Wanzhou is right!"

"Oh, my father is such a loser..."

"Mom, how about I take your last name and call myself He Cheng, or let dad take my child's last name. It's really embarrassing to have a father like this."

The chicken wing bone in Xu Jianghe's hand broke easily with a snap. His face became very hot and his hand involuntarily touched the seven wolves on his waist.

This is weird. Why do I want to be violent towards this kid so much today?

He Ying also frowned, "Xu Cheng, how can you say that about your father? That's out of line!"

Xu Cheng pretended to be innocent and picked at the food in the bowl. "That's obviously it. I just can't understand how Dad can be so ordinary and so confident..."

Xu Jianghe coughed twice and put his chopsticks on the bowl.

"Ahem, well, I'm full."

"What are you doing, Old Xu? You only ate so little..."

Xu Jianghe forced a smile and explained, "The food is too hot. I'm going to the study to calm down."

Xu Cheng said quietly at the dining table, "Dad, why don't you stay in the refrigerator for a while? It will cool down faster there."

Xu Jianghe staggered and almost fell.

You little bastard, wait and see how I, your dad, will teach you a lesson after you finish your midterm exam!

Lin Wanzhou looked at He Ying with a worried look on her face, "Aunt He, is uncle angry with me? I, I didn't mean it..."

Yu Yu was also feeling very uneasy in his seat. If he had known earlier, he would have said that Xu Cheng was right.

Xu Cheng’s house is so scary!

He Ying explained with a smile, "No, how could uncle be angry with you? It's just that my stomach is not feeling well today..."

Xu Cheng gnawed at the chicken leg in his hand and muttered, "Who is he angry with? Putting aside the facts, is he really not at fault at all..."

Xu Cheng's boxing skills, which were full of sparks, lightning and critical hits, really dealt a heavy blow to Xu Jianghe, but they were also very effective.

In the next few days, although he did it very covertly, Xu Cheng still found out that Xu Jianghe secretly bought the iriver audio triangle, which is now regarded as a masterpiece, and the MPMan F3, which is known as the pioneer of MP10, and studied them secretly in the study every day.

Finally you are willing to follow the path your son has pointed out for you!

Xu Jianghe originally came from an engineering background. Before he went to the marketing department, he had been working in the production department of Jing'an Communications. He was very skilled in technology. Xu Cheng remembered that after he was laid off in his previous life, he moved around several times and finally opened a mobile phone repair shop. His business was good, and in the new media era he often shot short videos of repairing mobile phones.

Seeing his father working so hard, Xu Cheng was as pleased as an old father who saw his son still studying at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Although he knew that it would be difficult to get things done in the bloated system of state-owned enterprises, for example, there was a thing called Feixun later.

Feixun came out earlier than WeChat. In the early days of smartphones, it was almost one of the must-have software for installation. Some colleges and universities even directly equipped students with a Feixun account when they enrolled. Its functions were very creative and forward-looking, almost integrating the later WeChat, QQ, Weibo...

But unfortunately, it is very difficult to expect a large fruit-funded company to carry out breakthrough projects. Not to mention the risks of innovative projects, just the internal struggles will consume all the energy, and eventually this thing failed.

So Xu Cheng could probably guess that his father wanted to lie down and rest, maybe because he was not strong enough and faced many obstacles, or maybe he just got things done and the cake was taken away by others.

But if we do it, there is a glimmer of hope. If we don't do it, there is no chance. The resistance of Jing'an Communication can't be greater than that of China Mobile...

"Dad, don't worry, your son will always be your solid support!" Xu Cheng showed a fatherly look at the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 39: Maturity in a Moment

Bayi Square is located in the center of Jinghai City, a few hundred meters away from the Xinhua Bookstore where Xu Cheng often goes. It has a large area and many people like to come out of the pigeon cages in their spare time to fly kites, blow bubbles, ride bicycles, and play roller skating...

There are also many stalls selling toys and renting amusement facilities here. There are rocking cars that can sing "Dad's dad is called Grandpa...", rocking cars that can jump out more than ten meters with a kick of the legs, and very advanced children's electric cars. These are the favorite toys of college students and are full of humanistic atmosphere.

What is surprising is that in the city center of Jinghai City, where every inch of land is valuable, such a large square has been preserved until 20 years after Xu Cheng's death. This is truly not easy.

"Don't run around, do you hear me?"

"Got it~ Dad, you're so nagging!"

Lin Wanzhou's father drove Xu Cheng and Lin Wanzhou to Bayi Square and warned his daughter cautiously.

Although the incident was directed and acted by the two children themselves last time, it also sounded a wake-up call for the father.

"Don't eat food given by strangers. Even if they say they're buying you something good to eat, don't go. Call me if you have any problems..."

"Dad! You treat me like a child. I won't fall for these tricks." Lin Wanzhou pushed her father back into the car.

Xu Cheng rubbed his brows and said, "Why do I feel like this is a trap designed just for you?"

"I hate you." Lin Wanzhou shyly pushed Xu Cheng lightly.

Poor students have many toys. Although Lin Wanzhou’s skills are not very good, she is fully armed with a white and pink helmet and knee pads, the colors of which match the light pink sweatshirt she is wearing very well.

Girls enter puberty earlier, and not only do they mature faster than boys, they also develop faster. In just a few days, Lin Wanzhou, who is about to enter the fifth grade, has grown a lot. With the breeze blowing, her brown hair swaying gently, she looks sunny and cool.

Xu Cheng poked her arm and said, "Let me see yours."

"Ah?" Lin Wanzhou was puzzled. "What do you want to see?"

"That's it." Xu Cheng urged, "The phone your father gave you. You rarely see mobile phones."

Lin Wanzhou took out a small silver-gray square from his pocket. It was a flip-cover phone with "bird" written on it. The brand was called Bodao. Many people might not know the name, but everyone must have heard of the advertisement, "Bodao phone, the fighter jet among mobile phones." Later, Song Dandan's words were a modification of it.

In this era where mobile phone production still requires approval, this is quite impressive!

In which year did it fall down? Xu Cheng thought about it...

In 07! During the Spring Festival Gala that year, the phrase “Fighting cock among cocks!” made people all over the country laugh, except for the boss of Bodao, because he was out of business.

While thinking, Xu Cheng's clothes were suddenly pulled, "Xu Cheng, why don't I put on the training wheels? I'm worried about falling."

Lin Wanzhou's bicycle is a beautiful pink children's bicycle with white patterns of small wings painted on it.

In order to accommodate children who cannot ride a bicycle, two training wheels will be added to the rear wheel of children's bicycles to form a stable triangular structure, so that the child will not fall no matter how he rides. However, both wheels on Lin Wanzhou's bicycle were removed by Xu Cheng.

"Why add that? I'm teaching you how to ride a bicycle, not a tricycle. Look, I can ride it just fine without the training wheels."

Xu Cheng rode the bike around twice, looking relaxed and comfortable. Such a small skill was incredible in Lin Wanzhou's eyes. After all, most children at this age have just started to ride bicycles, and being able to ride a bicycle is something they can show off.

"Wow, Xu Cheng, I see adults all need to run for a while, but you don't need that at all, you're amazing!"

After being praised by Lin Wanzhou, Xu Cheng blushed and scratched his head. In fact, he didn't even know how to run. He didn't understand how the adults did it.

"Okay, I'll hold you, you sit on it and try it first."

"Tsk, who needs your help?"

Lin Wanzhou excitedly and nervously sat on the bike, imitating Xu Cheng's behavior just now, stepping one foot on the pedal first and supporting the ground with the other foot, "It looks easy!"

Lin Wanzhou began to gain confidence. When her other foot left the ground, her slender and well-proportioned calves dangled anxiously in the air. Her clean white sneakers just couldn't reach the bicycle pedals and instead accidentally stepped on Xu Cheng's foot.

"Hiss, what are you doing, Lin Wanzhou!"

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Lin Wanzhou didn't expect that what Xu Cheng had done easily just now would be so difficult to actually do. The moment her legs left the ground, she was afraid that she would fall down, and she couldn't find the footrest.

"I really can't do anything with you. Just sit still."

Xu Cheng bent down, put one hand around Lin Wanzhou's slender waist, and reached out the other hand to her snow-white ankles between her light blue jeans and white sneakers. They were smooth and delicate, like warm jade soaked in water.

Lin Wanzhou was wearing a pair of white socks, which were slightly wrinkled due to exercise. The cuffs of the socks at the ankles were painted with a cute Hello Kitty pattern, making her ankles look as delicate and cute as magnolia flowers.

"Hmm..." Lin Wanzhou's face instantly turned red when she felt her ankles being held by a pair of hot hands. How could Xu Cheng touch those parts of my body casually... Don't you know that a girl would be embarrassed?

"Try pedaling first to see if I adjusted the seat too high just now...Lin Wanzhou? Lin Wanzhou?" Seeing Lin Wanzhou staring at the front in a daze, Xu Cheng stretched out his hand and waved in front of her a few times.

"Oh! Okay!" Lin Wanzhou reacted and agreed hurriedly. She felt her face was very hot. The moment Xu Cheng's fingertips brushed across her ankle, it caused a slight itch. She suddenly had an indescribable strange feeling in her heart.

Xu Cheng held Lin Wanzhou's waist and took her for a few slow circles in the square. The afternoon sun was a little strong, so in order to combine work and rest, they sat down on a stone bench by the lawn to rest.

Lin Wanzhou took out the water cup from her schoolbag and took a few sips. She then noticed that Xu Cheng was staring at her. She felt inexplicably nervous.

"Didn't you bring a water cup?"

"No, give me a drink."

Things like this happened between the two of them from time to time. In the past, Lin Wanzhou didn't think it was a big deal to let Xu Cheng use her cup. She also knew that Xu Cheng would skillfully not drink from the cup, but instead use the three-centimeter-long trick of pouring the liquid out.

But today, for some reason, Lin Wanzhou felt that her heart was always beating fast, and the speed was inversely proportional to the distance between her and Xu Cheng. Moreover, there was a faint tingling sensation at her ankles, as if the itch left by Xu Cheng's fingers just now was left behind.