Chapter 39: Candid Photos(1)
Although mad, He Bai still replied a message to express his gratitude and asked what gift he would like in return.
“My little puppy.” Di Qiuhe said pleasantly with a smile, “I want you to make steak for me.”
He Bai restrained his desire to scold him and stood under the air condition to calm down. “Change it up, steak is too cheap.” The gift was a token of the other’s regard, so he would not reject it, but the present in return must be in equal value. That’s how friendship lasted.
“No, I insist.” Di Qiuhe watched the passing objects outside the car window with a lazy posture, “And I would like you to make a cake for me, wish me happy birthday and company me to set off fireworks on the riverbank.”
He Bai was confused, “So you want me to celebrate your birthday with you?”
“Yes.” Di Qiuhe turned his gaze and played the coins in his hand. His eyes glittered with nostalgia for the days of yore, “My mum passed away when I was four. Before that, she had promised me to celebrate birthday for me. Then my stepmother came…At that time, my grandfather controlled the whole Huangdu, so she dared not to show her wicked idea on me in front of him. She appeared as an understanding wife and a loving mother, spoiling me as possible as she could. Every year she would hold a grand party for me, but I don’t like them at all.”
He Bai ran his fingers through his unsmooth hair that had been dried by the air condition and sat back to the table. He lowered his voice, “OK, I promise you. I’ll celebrate your birthday with you and company you to set off fireworks.” As he recalled, Di Qiuhe’s brother Di Xiasong was four years younger than him, which meant his stepmother had been pregnant for several months when Di Qiuhe’s mother passed away…
Father’s liaison, mother’s death, mistress’s appearance and a younger brother’s birth…These were the dark secrets behind his family. No wonder Di Qiuhe was cynical and indifferent every time his families were mentioned, and his father was no exception.
“My little puppy, you really know how to make my happy.” Di Qiuhe held the coin tightly and continued after a pause: “But I was spoiled by Qin Li anyway. If it had not been my grandpa, I could have been a fop now. Year after year, I grow up yet my grandpa got older. When I was 14, my stepmother pushed father to take over Huangdu from my grandpa. Due to the sudden bouts of anger and anxiety, grandpa fell ill and stayed in hospital. At that time, I finally saw my father’s guard to me and my stepmother’s hypocrisy and malice. Several years later, my grandpa passed away, and my father ultimately controlled Huangdu. Half a year later, when I was 15, my stepmother, who believed that she had totally controlled my family business, started to marginalize me.”
Maybe the setting temperature of the air condition was too low, He Bai felt a little bit cold suddenly.
“So, my little puppy, don’t block me again.” Di Qiuhe’s voice got milder with a touch of sadness and ingratiation, “Or you can inform me first before you block me and tell me why. It would be better if you can tell me when to release me.”
He Bai: …”
“Given my miserable childhood, can you give me a chance to be your nice big brother?”
“I trust you without hesitation, so you can also trust me.”
“I’m getting to the airport, gotta go, bye.”
(The phone was bleeping)
He Bai put down the phone and pressed his forehead, giving a long, bewildering sigh.
So, after all this, Di Qiuhe wanted to convey one thought: he had a miserable childhood, so you should not blame him for his annoying temperate, and you should be generous, never mad at him. If you wanted to be mad, that’s fine, but you couldn’t block him and must tell him why you were mad. It depended on his mood that if he would improve or not. See, he had been so nice to you, so you had to be nice to him too. If you could call him big brother, that would be best.
Maybe his feelings were a little bit different, but the core meaning was similar to that…He Bai had never seen such a person who tried to ingratiate with others by his miserable experience but in a justified and confident manner! What a nerve!
His heart was still softened shamefully. While He Bai said nothing, Di Qiuhe should have kept saying so much. It was obvious that he had foreseen that He Bai would be touched.
He was such a Film Emperor who was good at exploiting others’ sympathy.
He complained in his heart, but still picked out the cheap phone that he had bought before from the pocket. He pulled out the SIM card and inserted it into the old type phone given by Di Qiuhe. Fortunately, this phone supported dual-cards, or he would have to bring two phones everywhere, which was indeed annoying.
He sighed anxiously, and then put the cheap phone and Apxxx Phone side by side on the table, giving a sad sigh again.
How should he deal with these two phones?
The number Li Ru gave him belonged to Jia Zhang. The girl that took the birthday photos was his daughter.
“I know you.”
Different from his expectation, his attitude was kind and even somehow guilty, “I have known the details from Qiuhe. I’m sorry to hear that you were fired by Saint Elephant.”
He Bai was baffled and replied cautiously: “Fired? I…uh…Anyway, I am sorry.” He Bai didn’t know what story Di Qiuhe had told them. He said some vague words and then apologized.
“It’s not your fault. It’s Saint Elephant that has cheated both of us. That’s far across the line.” When he mentioned Saint Elephant, Jia Zhang was still angry. When he calmed down a little, he said: “So, why did Mr. He came for me? You can be assured that we will not blame you, as you are totally innocent in this event. Don’t worry.”
“No, you’ve mistaken my purpose. I am not worried about being blamed.” He Bai explained hurriedly and clarified his purpose briefly, saying with guilt: “Anyway, if allowed, I hope to compensate your daughter by taking a new set of birthday photos, with my own name.”
Jia Zhang was silent. It was obvious that he did a double-take.”
He Bai was uneasy, fearing that his words might contradict with Di Qiuhe’s story, which could make He’s family blame him more. Therefore, all the words that he had prepared before had been in vain.
It took half a minute for Jia Zhang to respond.
“I appreciate your work ethic, but I need to inquire my father and daughter first before I give you an answer, sorry.”
“Of course, it would be better.” He Bai released a sigh of relief, and didn’t put down the phone until the other side hung up.
Jai Zhang hadn’t rejected, which was better than expectation. He smiled and called Di Qiuhe instantly. It was urgent to check if their words were consistent.
…But both of Di Qiuhe’s phones died.