Chapter 301

Qin Tao always runs out after arguing with family; last time he was kicked to Chu Hua Shi after an emotional outburst, this time he came on his own, which made his parents so angry they smashed several phones.

Now Qin Tao has gotten a new card in Chu Hua Shi to avoid being held accountable. As for coming to Chu Hua Shi, one reason is to see Er Mao's girlfriend, another is to relax; in Qin Tao's own words, he's unhappy inside and came to chat with brothers. Upon arriving in Chu Hua Shi, Qin Tao went straight to Er Mao, not even visiting his uncle's side. Some relatives get along, others clash on sight; to avoid trouble, Qin Tao simply sees none of them.

Seeing Zheng Tan, Qin Tao felt happy; when going upstairs he invited Zheng Tan to eat together, and when he arrived he had bought plenty of food outside to bring over.

Now Er Mao's study has been cleared out and a single bed placed; seeing this, Qin Tao gave Er Mao a meaningful look: 'Holy shit, the couple still sleep separately!'

Er Mao raised a middle finger at him: 'It's for Hei Mi to sleep.'

"I'd never believe you."

"Want me to take you in? I'll have Hei Mi make space for you."

"No need, I have a place in Chu Hua Shi, and besides, there's plenty of company at night. Many want to keep my little sprite company."

Qin Tao didn't want to talk about family matters; when Er Mao asked what trouble he'd run into, Qin Tao didn't want to mention it, so Er Mao merely spoke about the fun from his recent trip to lighten the mood.

Zheng Tan was idly bored nearby and went to watch Hei Mi play with a toy; after gaining weight, Hei Mi had become much rounder, and if that belly were on the old Hei Mi, it would definitely be suspected of having kittens again. Speaking of kittens. Earlier, Er Mao had taken Hei Mi to the pet center for a regular checkup, and someone even advised him to neuter Hei Mi, but Er Mao refused, since having kittens is a matter for two cats; since he didn't want to neuter Hei Mi, Er Mao turned his attention to Peanut Candy, but unfortunately he not only failed to catch Peanut Candy to snip its jj, he even got scratched by a claw, so the conflict between this person and cat escalated again. They dislike each other on sight.

Smack!

The sound of the lighter hitting the floor frightened Hei Mi into jumping off the sofa; he ran into the room and hid beside Gong Qin, then warily looked at the people in the living room.

Zheng Tan looked over.

The lighter on the floor was Qin Tao's; this guy had wanted to smoke, but after striking it several times it wouldn't light. In anger he threw it down. However the lighter's quality is good; thrown that hard it didn't lose any parts. Probably it wouldn't light because it was out of fuel.

But even if it was out of fuel, Qin Tao wouldn't normally get angry enough to throw the lighter; seeing Er Mao's surprised expression, it was clear he hadn't expected Qin Tao to react like that.

Has this guy gone manic?

Today, upon first seeing 'Beast' Brother, Zheng Tan felt something was off; he could sense that the person's aura wasn't particularly comfortable.

'Beast' Brother's impression on Zheng Tan has always been that he's good-for-nothing, though at least he wasn't manic—just like when Zheng Tan first met him, because 'Beast' Brother's stalking skills were annoyingly persistent, they'd gotten him covered in bird droppings, yet he never showed anger; also, when they went to the normal university and 'Beast' Brother got beaten up like a pig's head, he still didn't become this manic.

Some people explode like a volcano when angry, showing it in their actions, while others stay calm on the surface when angry. Zheng Tan remembers that when 'Beast' Brother was tricked into going somewhere and got beaten, he drove off in a wrecked car, his face relatively calm; such people may not be very smart, but they know how to restrain themselves, unlike those who are too easily impulsive.

So, seeing 'Beast' Brother suddenly fly into a rage because his hand was pinched was quite surprising.

Is this guy going through early menopause, or does he have a few days like that every month?

Er Mao and Qin Tao grew up together and know each other well; he had never known Qin Tao to fly off the handle over trivial matters. Precisely because of their family background, people like them are more inclined to restrain themselves, especially in front of elders, since their futures are closely tied to the elders' opinions of them. Moreover, the higher you rise, the more you need to know how to restrain and pretend.

Er Mao waved at Gong Qin to indicate she needn't worry, then said to Qin Tao: 'I'm saying, Beast, what's wrong with you?'

Qin Tao anxiously scratched his head, 'Nothing, I've just been feeling off lately.' Probably realizing he didn't look good, he turned to look at Gong Qin, who was soothing Hei Mi in the room, and forced a smile: 'Sorry, I couldn't control my emotions.'

"You really okay?" Er Mao asked.

"I'm fine."

Seeing Qin Tao really didn't want to talk, Er Mao didn't press further; although he isn't currently paying much attention to Qin Tao's side, based on past understanding it should be that Qin Tao's family affairs are affecting his mood, long suppression making his emotions unstable. Qin Tao's household certainly has many who dislike him, especially someone like Qin Tao who many see as a good-for-nothing rich idler.

"If you don't want to talk, forget it; brothers will take you out tonight to relax." Saying this, Er Mao glanced at Zheng Tan: 'Hei Tan, let's go out and have fun tonight.'

Zheng Tan was studying Hei Mi's toy mouse; the furry mouse, once wound up, kept rolling around in a lowly way, making Zheng Tan itchy to slap it away or press on its cervical spine, and it was rare for Hei Mi to enjoy playing so much. Hearing Er Mao's words, Zheng Tan glanced over; going out to play tonight would likely be to 'Kai Xuan'.

Anyway, being idle at night is just being idle; going out to play doesn't matter.

Gong Qin didn't join them this time; she stayed home playing with Hei Mi, letting the two guys have a good talk.

After the Jiao family dinner, Er Mao went upstairs to find Zheng Tan. Hearing they were going to 'Kai Xuan', Jiao Ma didn't say anything; this sort of thing had become unsurprising.

Thus the three guys staggered toward 'Kai Xuan', not driving, since it wasn't far anyway and they'd surely be drinking, making driving inadvisable.

Having heard that Zheng Tan also has a private room at 'Kai Xuan', Qin Tao said he'd go to Zheng Tan's place today to enjoy the fun of the cat room.

However, Qin Tao's good mood vanished upon arriving at Hengwu Guangchang.

"Who would I be? Turns out it's my cousin." A 'talented youth' dressed respectably, arm around a beauty, walked over.

Qin Tao's cousin and Qin Tao have never gotten along well; they usually trade sarcastic remarks. Today he brought a female student from a nearby college to shop here, didn't expect to run into Qin Tao, and immediately let out those snide remarks.

Seeing Qin Tao like that, the 'talented youth' still didn't let up: 'I'm saying, cousin. You can't get by in Ming Zhu Shi. Why are you running over here? Oh right, I forgot you're in a probation period. I advise you to go to the hospital and get your brain checked; mental illness isn't a minor ailment. Don't end up a nervous wreck. When Grandfather's birthday comes, many bigwigs will attend the celebration. Don't embarrass yourself like you did at your second uncle's place. Losing face is small; don't let everyone lose face with you.'

Seeing Qin Tao like this, that so-called "young talent" still hadn't intended to let go: "I say, cousin. You can't get by in Ming Zhu Shi. Why are you running over here again? Oh, right, I forgot you're in a period of reflection. I advise you to still go to the hospital to get your head checked—mental illness isn't a minor ailment. Don't let yourself become mentally ill. By the time of your grandfather's birthday, there will be many important figures coming to celebrate. You'd better not embarrass yourself like you did at your second uncle's place. Losing face is trivial for you, but don't let everyone else lose face with you!"

Er Mao knew. Qin Tao's cousin's intellect is what it is; playing mind games isn't necessarily enough to outsmart others, he's just mouthy, but such people are easier to deal with than those who hide everything deep. So there's no need to really contend with him; it's just a matter of lip service, firing back is fine—why get physical? Fighting would weaken the position, giving more people an excuse to criticize Qin Tao.

"How, could I have said something wrong? You embarrass yourself and still won't admit it? Is your brain broken? Is your condition worsening? Did you take your medicine today?" Qin Tao's cousin added another snide remark, but seeing Qin Tao's expression off, he still worried the other might relapse into madness. His face remained dismissive; he lifted his chin, arm around the beauty, preparing to leave—who knew his foot would slip on something, and he fell face-first to the ground.

Qin Tao's cousin isn't short nor skinny; when he fell, the beauty in his arms tried to pull him up, but her delicate frame lacked strength, and with her nearly ten‑centimeter heels giving no traction, they both crashed to the ground in a sorry sight. Some passersby saw it; adults were fine, but children, unaware of giving offense, laughed out loud.

Qin Tao, who had been held by Er Mao like a fire‑breathing dragon, furious and eager to rush out and fight, saw this, his anger vanished instantly, and he burst out laughing, his face twisting with mirth.

Zheng Tan stood aside looking uninvolved; actually he had just seen a kid running past with a box of glass marbles, the lid loose and one marble fell out, rolling to Zheng Tan's feet; he idly flicked it toward Qin Tao's cousin's feet, just to test. The result showed Zheng Tan was lucky, or rather Qin Tao's cousin's luck was terrible—he got hit, poor the girl in his arms, dragged into it by Qin Tao, and she was still wearing a miniskirt.

Compared to the outcome when Zhuo Xiao Mao schemed against someone, Qin Tao's cousin is still fortunate; even if injured it's just a slight scrape, harmless, unlike when Zhang Dong was schemed against by Zhuo Xiao Mao and his bones ached.

After those two got up and left, Qin Tao remained squatting there, laughing until tears nearly came out.

Seeing Qin Tao like this, Zheng Tan's whiskers twitched; this guy really seems like a madman—didn't you see that kid nearby back away as if seeing Godzilla?

Looking at the guy laughing while squatting, gasping for breath, Er Mao's eyes showed concern.

"Beast, you're really not right." Er Mao said solemnly.

"What's not right? I just felt like laughing at that guy's appearance; he deserved a beating. If it weren't for my grandfather's birthday and my wish to avoid trouble, I'd have already beaten him into a pig's head."

"But you were just about to strike." Er Mao looked at Qin Tao: 'Buddy, what's wrong with you? Never mind, this isn't the place to talk; let's first go to "Kai Xuan".'

This time Er Mao truly intended to have a good talk with Qin Tao.

Pushing the troubled Qin Tao toward 'Kai Xuan', Er Mao gave Zheng Tan a thumbs‑up; obviously he had noticed Zheng Tan's little move earlier.

Watching Qin Tao's retreating back, Zheng Tan wondered, 'Could this guy really have a mental problem? He used to seem fairly normal, just a bit silly and foolish, but not to the point of such a drastic personality shift, and Er Mao never mentioned any major incident that triggered him—could it be that prolonged pressure has warped his character severely, making him now prone to sudden joy and anger?'

Watching the back of Qin Tao walking ahead, Zheng Tan thought, "Could this guy really have a mental problem? I used to see him as quite normal, although he was a bit silly, a bit foolish, but it wasn't to the extent that his temperament changed this much, and I hadn't heard Er Mao say that Qin Tao had experienced any major incident that stimulated him. Could it really be that prolonged pressure was too great, causing his personality to undergo severe distortion, resulting in his current tendency to be easily happy or angry?"

ps: Just one chapter, everyone get to sleep early, I'll also get an early night.

PS: just one chapter, everyone go to sleep early; I'll also get an early night.