Chapter 22: Loving to Say the Opposite

“And as for having dinner at my place this Saturday like I just mentioned, Sister Zhao, Brother Liu, please make sure to come!” Chen Liyang reminded them.

“Alright, we’ll definitely be there. Your leg is injured, so don’t keep standing around. Hurry back and get some rest!”

Having received Aunt Zhao’s affirmative answer, Chen Liyang finally turned around to head back, not forgetting to tell the oldest boy to follow along.

Zhou Chengdong hadn’t said a word the entire time. He simply watched Chen Liyang’s back.

As the sun set, the lingering rays spilled over Chen Liyang, bathing his far-from-broad back in the glow of paternal love.

This man had changed completely, from top to bottom, inside and out.

It wasn’t a gradual shift. Without giving them any time to adapt, he had thoroughly transformed into a completely different person.

Yet he hadn’t forgotten the suffering this man had brought upon them, turning what should have been a happy childhood into a past he never wished to recall.

Just as the third brother had said, so what if he had changed? The harm had already been done.

He couldn’t forgive how he had once acted like a demon, striking him and his siblings with brutal force.

These petty favors were nowhere near enough to shake the hatred left in the depths of his heart.

Meanwhile, Chen Liyang was in a rather good mood. After the changes over the past two days, he believed the children’s hostility toward him was certainly not as strong as before.

As long as he treated them with sincerity, one day he would melt their hearts.

Back home, Zhou Chengxi and Zhou Chengbei had already finished off a bag of potato chips and were now gnawing on duck necks.

When they saw Chen Liyang return, they hurriedly hid the food behind their backs in a slight panic, practically giving themselves away.

Amused by their actions, Chen Liyang couldn’t help wanting to tease them. “You’ve already eaten it all, and only now do you think to hide it? Don’t you think it’s a bit late?”

Hearing what sounded like he was settling scores, Zhou Chengxi immediately shielded his younger brother behind him, his expression stubborn. “You said it yourself, we could eat whatever we wanted.

But if you really want to hit someone, then hit me instead. I was the one who egged my brother on to eat.”

Although Zhou Chengbei was young, he knew his third brother was protecting him.

But he had been the one who wanted to eat first, which led to Chen Liyang catching them red-handed. How could he let his third brother take the blame for him?

So he stepped forward, looking timidly at Chen Liyang. “It was me who wanted to eat it, and Brother was just joining me. You should beat me instead.”

Seeing the word “beat” never leave their lips, he wondered how many beatings they must have endured for the word to become like a catchphrase to them.

Chen Liyang stepped forward and silently pinched Zhou Chengbei’s thin, skin-and-bones cheek.

Zhou Chengbei thought he would pinch him hard, but the force felt like a gentle tickle instead. For the very first time, he didn’t lose control of his bladder when Chen Liyang came close.

His stunned expression was quite cute, so Chen Liyang smiled and ruffled his hair, finding it a bit prickly to the touch.

He then glanced over at the second and third brothers. It was obvious that among them, only the second brother had resisted temptation and eaten nothing.

No wonder he was the most patient one among them.

The book had mentioned that in order to commit a perfect murder, he had planned it for three whole months.

“Since you still remember I said you could eat whatever you like,

why do you still think I’ll beat you?” he asked with a smile.

Zhou Chengbei answered very seriously, “Because you’ve never been this good to us before, and you often go back on your word. You’re unpredictable…”

After saying that, as if realizing something, his little face turned deathly pale and his body began to tremble.

It’s over, I’m really going to get beaten now. I actually spoke ill of him to his face.

Yet Chen Liyang kept a smile on his face the whole time, showing not the slightest sign of blowing up.

“Chengbei, you’re right. But as you said, that was in the past.

After Dad got injured, I lay in bed and thought about things for a long time.

I know I’ve done a lot of wrong by you, and I completely understand why you hate and dislike me.

But no one is infallible. I truly know I was wrong, and I will never treat you like that again.

So Dad hopes you can have a little more confidence in me. One day, you’ll believe that I’m no longer the old Chen Liyang.”

His tone was soft, yet carried an unprecedented sincerity.

Zhou Chengbei was still just a child at heart, already forgetting what had been said that morning.

He was just about to nod in reply when Zhou Chengxi pinched his arm from behind.

It didn’t hurt, but it was a clear warning. So he immediately turned his head away, looking as if he didn’t want to pay Chen Liyang any more attention.

None of the others intended to respond either, so Chen Liyang helplessly withdrew his hand from Zhou Chengbei’s head.

This group of kids was completely immune to both sweet talk and threats, stubbornly refusing to budge. Winning them over was harder than conquering the world.

So he immediately changed the subject. “You kids stay here and eat some snacks. I’ll go make dinner.

Once it’s ready, I’ll call you.”

“I’d better be the one to cook. With your injured leg, by the time you get dinner ready, we’ll probably starve to death.”

Though his tone was icy cold, Chen Liyang felt the underlying concern from the oldest boy. The kid was just stubborn and loved saying the opposite of what he meant.

Still, since he had promised the kids he would cook dinner tonight, he couldn’t go back on his word.

After all, the fourth child had just pointed out how untrustworthy he used to be. He needed to prove he was a man of his word.

“No need. Only my leg is hurt, my hands still work fine. Just sit on the sofa, watch some TV, eat your snacks, and wait.

Just don’t eat too much, or you won’t have room for dinner.”

With that, he headed into the kitchen.

He planned to make a sumptuous meal tonight. He had bought pork marrow bones, beef, duck, fish, tofu, and celery.

His menu consisted of stir-fried beef with celery, beer-braised duck, bear-paw tofu^[1], braised fish chunks, and pork bone soup to finish.

Five dishes would be just right for the six of them.

The soup would take the longest, so he blanched the marrow bones first before putting them into the pressure cooker to simmer.

Then he began trimming the celery, busying himself with relish.

In the living room, hearing the sounds from the kitchen, Zhou Chengdong remembered Chen Liyang’s cooking skills. Fearing he would ruin the ingredients, he decided to go inside after all.

The others weren’t quite so noble as to volunteer to help.

Since Chen Liyang had already said they could watch TV and eat snacks, there was no need for them to walk on eggshells anymore. Right at this time, Phoenix Channel happened to be airing a cartoon about racing.

Aside from Zhou Wanning, the other three were boys who had a natural passion for racing, and they quickly became glued to the screen.

Munching on snacks while watching TV was the kind of life that used to exist only in their dreams.

Now that it had become reality, it felt as though they hadn’t woken up yet.