Chapter 509

Everyone says the greatest sorrow of middle-aged men is "spring departs, flowers remain; people come, birds are not startled"—sometimes the birds don't even startle, and sometimes you can't even finish urinating.

But Chen Zhongping thinks, what sorrow is that?

The true sorrow is clearly right now—

I don't know why my wife suddenly became unhappy; I messaged to ask the little cotton-padded jacket who has been with me and my wife all along, hoping she would tell me what happened on the way my mother took her to the exam, but the reply I got was the indifferent "I don't want to tell you"!

Why is there no obligation to inform!!!

Wife and child scattered! Wife and child scattered!!

How else can one say they like it?

I'm just a businessman—what do I know about stream of consciousness?

Seeing my wife only repeatedly send me a "hehe" emoji, Chen Zhongping paces anxiously in the gym, sweat dripping from his head from working out.

Wait!

What era is this! Do I still need to think? There's AI!

Chen Zhongping snapped his fingers and immediately took out his phone.

Sure enough, after asking AI, the answer came out instantly.

"Chen Zhongping: If liking has a color, it's probably the grayish-blue light that seeps through the curtain gap when you roll over in the early morning and press your head against mine—it's not as fervent as afternoon light, but more real than midnight. The scent is like the osmanthus that fell on your windbreaker last autumn; even now, opening the wardrobe still lets you smell it. Sometimes I feel that when you ask me this question, your voice will drop into my coffee cup tomorrow morning, and when I drink it, my whole body from throat to stomach becomes warm and damp. This kind of liking is no longer just an emotion—it's more like an ecosystem spontaneously formed by the body."

"Song Shen:?"

"Song Shen: You pressed my head with your roll? Tell me, how did you press my buzz cut?"

"Song Shen: And the coffee cup? Do you even have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning, you coffee cup?"

"Song Shen: Wait! Chen! Zhong! Ping! Where does the osmanthus scent in our wardrobe come from? Whose wardrobe is this? Do you have another family outside?"

Ah yigu, working out is really exhausting—Chen Zhongping is drenched in sweat and can't stop.

Damn it.

Having been out of student life for too long, Chen Zhongping almost forgot that the biggest taboo in copying homework is copying it verbatim.

Moreover, one must not copy someone else's student ID and name as well.

"Chen Zhongping: If liking has a color, it's probably the grayish-blue light that seeps through the curtain gap when I roll over in the morning and press your hair— it's not as fervent as afternoon light, but more real than midnight. The scent is like the Chanel Chance Eau Tendre (spray) 50ml pink bottle pink Chance perfume you sprayed on your windcoat last autumn; even now, opening the wardrobe still lets you smell it. Sometimes I feel that when you ask me this question, your voice will drop into my freshly ground soy milk and unsweetened black sesame paste tomorrow morning, and when I drink it, my whole body from throat to stomach becomes warm and damp. This kind of liking is no longer just an emotion—it's more like an ecosystem spontaneously formed by the body."

But it's fine!

I can still fix it! I can still fix it!

The perfume is one of many gifts I gave last year—I copied the name directly from historical products!

Now it's fully localized!

Foolproof!

Wife didn't reply to the message right away, but paused for a moment—

"Song Shen: Mm-hmm."

"Song Shen: Pretty good, old couple like us—no need to fuss over these things; you've already tried hard, just keep smiling like this."

"Song Shen: I still have to drive, so I'm not chatting anymore."

Chen·Zhong·Ping, in danger!!!

Wan la!!

This is even beyond "anger"—it's "giving up" appearing!!!

Chen Zhongping emphasizes again: working out is really exhausting!

Chen Zhongping frantically wipes the sweat from his workout, trembling as he tries to salvage—

"Chen Zhongping: Want to come home for lunch? I'll go back now and cook for you."

"Song Shen: Let's not eat at home—let's go out."

"Chen Zhongping: Okay, I'll follow you—where to?"

"Song Shen: There seems to be a nice place next to the Civil Affairs Bureau—oh right, pears seem like a nice fruit."

"Chen Zhongping: I really, really want to cook today!! My desire to cook is uncontrollable! Let's just eat at home!"

"Chen Zhongping: I'm going back now to prepare—you drive safely, don't chat anymore, see you at home!!!"

Really no time to mess around in the gym.

So tired, so prone to sweating—better go home and cheer up my wife!

After a quick wash in the gym shower, Chen Zhongping drove off to head home.

Looking back at his and Song Shen's chat history, Chen Zhongping smiled.

Whether it was AI picking something unsuitable for him, or later forcefully modifying and resending it, it was all deliberate—his emotional intelligence isn't that low.

This is a mutual understanding between husband and wife, also just his awkward attempt to please.

Truly, honestly finding a suitable AI copy to use would be boring.

Starting the car, driving to the intersection, Chen Zhongping thought and then changed direction.

He decided to first go to the supermarket to buy a durian.

Maybe it'll be useful.

Of course, here Chen Zhongping needs to emphasize: he's not afraid of his wife—this is just spoiling her.

Usually, I just pretend to be henpecked by Song Shen, pretending to have no status at home, but this is actually just part of my plan.

I have my own rhythm, bro!

Some people just don't get it and talk nonsense there!

The durian spines initially felt painful, but after kneeling on them many times, I found they're actually quite alluring, and slowly, a different flavor grew in my heart.

As for the chat history mentioning pears?

What pear? No pear!

……

"So Uncle is henpecked?"

At the entrance of Pingjiang Academy, Lin Li looked at the message Chen Yuying sent back to Chen Zhongping — she hadn't avoided mentioning him at all, directly showing the chat records — and he asked with a smile.

"It counts and it doesn't. Mom isn't actually fierce, and she doesn't really control Dad, but Dad truly dotes on Mom. On the few occasions their opinions clash, he listens to hers. At least that's how it looks to me, and they've almost never had conflicts over major things~"

After replying with a "Not telling you," Chen Yuying put away her phone and answered lightly.

The family really was harmonious.

"Auntie really isn't that fierce. Today's Hongmen Banquet went smoother and more comfortably than I expected." Lin Li nodded.

"Mom originally planned to have lunch with us. It was me who insisted on eating at the Pingjiang Academy cafeteria before she relented. If you let her stay with you a while longer, especially when it's just the two of you, you wouldn't be saying that."

Chen Yuying let out a light "Tch," and said with a smile.

"That's true enough." Lin Li didn't deny it.

If he struck with his innate form, let alone mere middle-aged elders in their thirties or forties, even a centenarian would have a hundred-year soul ring absorbed by Lin Li.

But if he needed to strike in human form... hmm, sorry, born as a human, I'm very unaccustomed to it.

"Heh heh, let's go, let's head in and take a look at the school."

"Alright, Pingjiang Academy truly deserves to be a municipal public No. 1 High School — it's just a bit more high-end than our little broken county No. 1 High School." Lin Li nodded.

The time was exactly 10:30 AM. The air still carried a trace of early spring's crisp chill, but the sunlight was already quite bright and beautiful, spilling over the bustling school gate.

At this moment, the entrance of Pingjiang Academy presented a genuinely busy scene.

On the spacious plaza before the wide school gate and the surrounding roads, only those chartered buses the school had booked could park temporarily today. Private cars like Song Shen's could only stop at slightly farther spots to let people out.

Students in school uniforms of different colors and styles were streaming down from these buses in a steady flow, the variety more complex and novel than at the preliminary competition back then.

"Pingjiang No. 3 Middle School, assemble here!"

"Lixin Academy! First and second years, follow me!"

"Seven Counties students, look here! Look at the school badges!"

"Teyvat Continent students, assemble here! Sign in and get ten Primogems!"