Chapter 138: Help Me |
Liu Zhiyue stayed home alone.
After breakfast, his father left with his younger sister and Aunt An. Before leaving, he asked Liu Zhiyue if he wanted to join them, but Liu Zhiyue declined.
Liu Changqing didn’t insist. Children at this age have their own thoughts and no longer share everything with their parents like they did when they were younger. Inevitably, they keep some things to themselves.
As a father, Liu Changqing respected his son’s choice. Then, he left with An Yuanyao and Liu Xiazhi.
After Lan Yixian and her daughter had moved out, Liu Zhiyue tidied up the house and rested for a while. Eventually, he decided to take action.
Changing into different clothes and taking an item with him, he left the house.
As expected, he found Lan Yixian and her daughter at the breakfast shop. The mother and daughter were busy cleaning. Judging by the broken tables and chairs piled up inside, it was clear that the shop had been neglected for a while.
Seeing this, Liu Zhiyue could roughly guess why Lan Yixian and her daughter had moved into his house for some time.
He paused as he watched Zhou Shiyan struggling to sweep the area outside with a broom much larger than she could manage. After a brief hesitation, he walked over.
When she looked up and saw Liu Zhiyue, she was visibly surprised.
“Why are you here?”
“I brought you something,” Liu Zhiyue said, raising the stuffed penguin in his hand.
“It took me five yuan to win this at the dart game, and you didn’t even take it with you.”
Zhou Shiyan stared at the penguin in his hand, stunned. Then she looked away, refusing to take it.
“That’s something you won. It doesn’t belong to me.”
“Fair enough.”
Liu Zhiyue nodded, then shoved the penguin into her arms.
Caught off guard, Zhou Shiyan instinctively stepped back and hugged the penguin, causing her broom to fall to the side.
Liu Zhiyue quickly reached out with his free hand, grabbed the broom, and held it firmly.
“Now that I’ve given it to you, you can accept it,” he said.
Zhou Shiyan froze, her eyes falling on the penguin—a crudely made toy with a red scarf, one eye open and the other closed, and a lopsided smile.
Looking back at Liu Zhiyue, she hesitated.
“You...”
“I’ll help you,” Liu Zhiyue interrupted, stepping forward with the broom.
“Go inside and help your mom clean up. I’ll take care of the outside.”
Without waiting for her response, Liu Zhiyue started sweeping.
After standing there silently for a moment, Zhou Shiyan finally muttered an “okay” and walked back inside.
Liu Zhiyue glanced toward the shop.
She probably likes that penguin... stubborn girl.
Liu Changqing first took An Yuanyao back to her rented apartment since his house lacked the cosmetics she might need.
After waiting a while, Liu Changqing, An Yuanyao, and Liu Xiazhi left together by car.
When they reached their destination, Liu Changqing parked, got out, and helped Liu Xiazhi out of the back seat. An Yuanyao followed, gently closing the car door.
She looked at the building ahead, then at Liu Changqing, who was adjusting Liu Xiazhi’s school bag.
“What kind of job are you doing here?”
“You remember Feng Qian, who sat next to me during Xiazhi’s parent-teacher meeting? He’s into game development. I’m working with him now,” Liu Changqing replied.
“You’re making games now?”
An Yuanyao looked at him in astonishment, as if seeing him in a new light.
“When did you learn to make games?”
“I didn’t.”
Taking Liu Xiazhi’s hand, Liu Changqing turned to her.
“Why would I know how to make games?”
“But you said you’re working on game development...”
“Think of me as a concept artist. I design characters, backgrounds, and settings.”
“You draw?”
An Yuanyao’s surprise grew. In her memory, Liu Changqing had never shown any interest or skill in drawing. Writing novels was already unexpected but still somewhat plausible—after all, anyone could type. But drawing?
As they walked, An Yuanyao hurried to keep up, her curiosity evident.
“When did you learn to draw? I’ve never heard you mention it before.”
“It’s a long story,” Liu Changqing replied, improvising.
“One cold winter, I—”
“Be serious!”
An Yuanyao, now familiar with his humor, interrupted him. She could tell he was making it up.
Caught off guard, Liu Changqing blinked at her serious expression. He composed himself and tried again.
“A few years ago, I took a basic art class out of boredom. I learned some fundamentals. Plus, it’s pixel art—it doesn’t require advanced skills.”
“Okay...”
An Yuanyao thought about it and reluctantly accepted his explanation.
Smiling, she looked at Liu Changqing.
“I can draw too!”
“I know.”
Liu Changqing nodded as the three entered the building and stood in front of the elevator.
“You used to teach art, didn’t you?”
“You remember that?”
“You were famous for your drawings in high school. How could I forget?”
The elevator doors opened, and the empty compartment welcomed them. Once inside, Liu Changqing pressed the floor button and turned to her.
“That’s why I brought you here today.”
“What do you mean?”
An Yuanyao’s curiosity was evident.
Liu Changqing smiled.
“We’re short on hands. Can you help me draw a bit?”
An Yuanyao paused, her mind racing.
Short on hands... help him...
Working together... just the two of us...
Her face flushed as she nodded and smiled at him.
“Okay!”