☆, Chapter 18: An Old Acquaintance
Hao Ren couldn’t quite believe it. She rubbed her eyes, but the familiar face was still in front of her. It really was him! Zhang Zhenning, the man who had almost become her husband in her past life!
Zhang Zhenning, the eldest son of the Zhang family, was handsome and talented. The Zhang family was in the department store business. At one point, they were poorly managed and insolvent. They asked Hao Ren’s father for help, and the condition he proposed was a political marriage, to make a profit and, at the same time, to sell off his paralyzed daughter. Zhang Zhenning had agreed, and Hao Ren didn’t care either. In her eyes, her life couldn’t get any worse. Later, however, it didn’t work out because Hao Yi had inexplicably caused a huge scene.
That guy Zhang Zhenning, like Hao Ren, had an unfortunate father. His mother hadn’t died, but had divorced his father early on and had long since remarried and moved abroad. When he was five, his old man had brought a vixen home, and along with her, a cheap younger brother. The only way he was luckier than Hao Ren was that he was a boy.
This guy’s greatest characteristic was that he held grudges. The people who had offended him back then had all been miserably tricked by him. The most classic case was one of them who, until he was tricked into prison, still thought he was his best friend. In the eyes of outsiders, the Zhang brothers were friendly and harmonious, and the family was happy. However, not long after the marriage with Hao Ren fell through and the Zhang family made a comeback through other opportunities, he suddenly made a move and turned his younger brother, who only knew how to eat, drink, womanize, and gamble, into a cripple who couldn’t function as a man.
After that incident came to light, Hao Ren was extremely grateful for Hao Yi’s strange insistence back then. She considered herself just an ordinary shut-in with no means. Against a high-level guy like Zhang Zhenning, she would surely be instantly annihilated without a trace. This kind of person, let alone a political marriage, even if it were true love, there would be no good end with him. An image of Zhang Zhenning’s innocent true love from university in her past life flashed through her mind, and Hao Ren couldn’t help but feel sorry for that poor girl again.
Although that person’s character was really not good, she had to admit that he had indeed accompanied Hao Ren through a relatively beautiful time.
After Hao Weiguo’s proposal of a marriage alliance, Zhang Zhenning would often come to the Hao residence, occasionally pushing Hao Ren out for a walk, to watch a movie, and sometimes to have a few high-class meals that Hao Ren had never had before. Although that might not have been considered a romance at all, it was indeed the closest Hao Ren had ever come to that kind of feeling in that lifetime. Thinking back now, if Hao Yi hadn’t been so crazily opposed to it back then, Hao Ren felt that she might have really become his wife.
“What do you want me to do?” A kind smile hung on the face that was identical to the one in her past life, but younger. It was as refreshing as a spring breeze, just as Hao Ren remembered.
Hearing his voice, Hao Ren quickly came back to her senses from her memories and said to him with a smile, “Help me bury those four little puppies.”
After realizing that the guy in front of her was Zhang Zhenning, Hao Ren didn’t have much hope for his help. She pointed to the location of the four little puppies, a mischievous smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of her mouth. She remembered that Zhang Zhenning had a very serious case of mysophobia in her past life. At this moment, she was just trying to test the extent to which this guy could pretend to be a good person.
However, the reality was beyond her expectations. Although he frowned slightly, Zhang Zhenning still braced himself and nodded.
He picked up a sharp-pointed rock from the roadside and dug a hole under a large tree not far from the puppies’ bodies. Then he took off the baseball cap on his head and, using it as a glove, picked up the already decaying puppies one by one and carefully placed them in the deep pit. It wasn’t until he had filled the pit and thrown the baseball cap, which was covered in unknown fluids, into a nearby trash can that he leaned against the tree and dry-heaved painfully. After heaving, he went to a nearby faucet and washed his hands for a long time, only stopping when his hands were red.
“Thank you!” It wasn’t easy! For a serious mysophobe to be able to do this, Hao Ren was instantly filled with admiration for him.
Perhaps realizing that he had lost his composure a little, Zhang Zhenning smiled embarrassedly. When his gaze fell on Hao Ren’s two hanging hands, he quickly said, “How are your hands? Let me take you to the hospital!”
“Okay!” Actually, as long as you didn’t provoke him, being friends with Zhang Zhenning was quite nice. This guy was truly impeccable when it came to taking care of people. Hearing his suggestion, Hao Ren smiled and nodded.
“Stay with it, I’ll be back in a bit!” She said this to Daizi and Lucky. The “it” of course referred to the mother dog that had just bitten her. It was really inconvenient to take them to the hospital together, and she didn’t dare to let the mother dog leave alone, so she had to resort to this.
Daizi nodded, while Lucky hid behind the bushes, staring at the mother dog warily, not even daring to approach. She hadn’t expected much from Lucky, this half-grown cat, anyway. With Daizi’s guarantee, Hao Ren was relieved.
Zhang Zhenning was the same age as Hao Ren and should have just finished the college entrance exam, so his ride was not the Porsche from his past life but just an ordinary bicycle. Fortunately, the nearest hospital was not far from here, and sitting on the back of the bicycle wasn’t too uncomfortable.
Hao Ren’s luck was good. The dog bite wasn’t deep, and the hand that was hit by the rock hadn’t broken any bones. It would be fine after a few days of rest, but she had to get a rabies vaccine, which was a bit troublesome.
That guy Zhang Zhenning was really something. After taking Hao Ren to the hospital, he even offered to take her home. Hao Ren was, of course, more than happy to accept. Before going home, she returned to the park to pick up one cat and two dogs.
With Daizi’s guarantee, the mother dog was indeed still there when she returned, but her eyes were fixed on the spot where the four little puppies were buried, a little dazed. As long as she didn’t leave, that’s good. Hao Ren let out a long sigh of relief.
“Come with me!” Hao Ren extended her bandaged hand and made a “follow” gesture to the three of them.
Perhaps Daizi and Lucky had just enlightened it. Hearing this, the mother dog did not resist, and one cat and two dogs quickly followed.
Seeing the dog that had just bitten someone running towards him, Zhang Zhenning was startled and took two steps back warily.
“You’re taking this dog with you?” he looked at Hao Ren, his face full of disbelief.
“Yes, I’m planning to adopt it.”
“Huh?” Zhang Zhenning looked at Hao Ren as if she were a madwoman.
“Those four little puppies just now were its children. It had a reason for losing control. It’s fine now.”
Although Hao Ren explained it this way, on the way back, Zhang Zhenning was still on edge, frequently looking back at the mixed-breed dog following behind their bicycle with a wary look.
When they got home, Hao Ren signaled for Daizi and Lucky to take the new member to the garden for now, and to give it some water and food. Its physical condition was so weak now that Hao Ren didn’t dare to give it a bath. She could only try to fatten it up first. Of course, even if she wanted to give it a bath, she couldn’t with the current state of her two hands.
“Dad, I’m back.” Her hands were injured, so she couldn’t open the door. Hao Ren had no choice but to call out.
To her surprise, standing at her door, Zhang Zhenning showed a look of astonishment. “This is your home?”
“Yes, what’s wrong?” Hao Ren’s expression was blank.
When the door opened, she finally realized what was going on. Because Zhang Zhenning had spoken before her, “Uncle Hao, Little Yi, long time no see!”
Hao Ren didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So this guy knew the Hao family. He was probably wondering when the Hao family had suddenly acquired a daughter. Because Hao Weiguo never let her attend the Hao family’s social events, it wasn’t strange that people who knew the Hao family didn’t know her. In the circle of the wealthy in H City, many people didn’t even know that the Hao family had a daughter like her.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Hao Ren directly hid her two injured hands behind her back, preparing to sneak back to her room alone. Unexpectedly, the visitor who knew the Hao family didn’t go to play with his Uncle Hao and Little Yi, but followed her towards her room.
“Won’t you invite me into your room for a sit-down?”
Hao Ren smiled. He had already come this far, could she really drive him away? So, she could only signal for him to open the door and go in. That’s good too, at least someone can help me open the door, saving me the trouble.
Seeing the decor of the nursery, Zhang Zhenning’s face indeed showed a look of shock.
Hao Ren, however, didn’t feel offended and explained with a smile, “This was decorated by my mother when she was still around. It hasn’t changed in over a decade.”
Hearing this, Zhang Zhenning had a look of sudden realization. “Oh, so you’re that daughter… But why have I never seen you before?”
“They were invited as a family. What’s a motherless child like me doing crashing the party?” Hao Ren answered frankly. Anyway, she had never considered them a family.
Perhaps feeling a little awkward, Zhang Zhenning decisively changed the subject. “These little angels are so cute. Their smiles are so sweet.”
Seeing the sweet-smiling little angels on the wall, the expression on Hao Ren’s face softened, and she said faintly, “My mother painted them herself.”
“She must have loved you very much.”
“Yes!” Hao Ren smiled and nodded. Thanks to Daizi’s psychological counseling back then, Hao Ren now had a firm answer in her heart to such questions.
As if remembering some bad memories, Zhang Zhenning’s mood suddenly dropped. Thinking of his mother who had already remarried and moved abroad, Hao Ren sighed inwardly and did not interrupt him.
Just as Zhang Zhenning was staring at the little angels on the wall in a daze, the ajar door was suddenly pushed open, and Hao Yi walked in with three cups of ice cream. Perhaps because there was a guest, Hao Yi’s action of pushing the door was very gentle this time, not as ferocious as before.
“Brother Zhenning, have some ice cream! Ren, you have some too!” This kid was still quite sensible. In front of outsiders, he finally dropped the “unlucky” part. Unfortunately, he was still unwilling to call her “sister.”
“Huh, what happened to your hands? Are you okay?” He threw the ice cream on the table and rushed over to grab Hao Ren’s hands, looking left and right.
Her hands were tightly wrapped, so of course, he couldn’t see anything. Only after Hao Ren repeatedly assured him that her hands were fine did he reluctantly let go.
“Brother Zhenning, what happened?”
Hao Yi’s expression was anxious, so Zhang Zhenning had to tell him everything that had happened before. After hearing Zhang Zhenning’s account, Hao Yi burst out laughing.
“Unlucky Ren, your luck is really heaven-defying!” There, he was calling her that again. I take back my previous praise. A dog can’t change its ways. He let it slip as soon as he got excited.
Perhaps because of Hao Yi’s form of address, Zhang Zhenning frowned imperceptibly.
“Come, come! Have some ice cream!” After confirming that Hao Ren was fine, Hao Yi brought over the ice cream he had thrown aside, one cup for each person.
Seeing the brand of the ice cream, Hao Ren didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was clearly the kind that that guy had said was only good for feeding dogs. Hao Ren had often eaten this brand of ice cream in her past life, all of which had been thrown over by that awkward guy under the pretext of being tired of it. To be honest, she quite liked it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t eat it now at all.
Looking at the chillingly cold ice cream, then at her own hands, Hao Ren was helpless. After being out for so long, and having given her water to Li Fugui earlier, she was now both thirsty and hot. Unfortunately, because of her hands, she could only watch the two of them eat. It was a really unbearable feeling.
Just as she was agonizing over it, Hao Yi suddenly opened the cup of ice cream in front of her and scooped out a large spoonful, holding it out to her. Hao Yi held the spoon, his face full of smiles. “Disabled person, open your mouth! I’ll feed you!”
“Ah-woo—” With the delicious treat in front of her, Hao Ren shamelessly opened her mouth and ate it in one bite.