My Wife is a Big Star

Chapter 24 - Are You in a Relationship?

Chen Ran's father was named Chen Junhai, and his mother was named Song Hui.

The couple was honest and hardworking; their son and daughter were both away, one working and one studying, so it was just the two of them at home. Seeing Chen Ran return, their brows overflowed with joy.

Chen Junhai lit a cigarette and asked, "How is work at the TV station?"

Chen Ran said, "It's alright. My boss is very good to me, and the bonus this month is quite substantial."

"Since the boss is good to you, you should work hard and not let people down."

"I know, Dad."

Beside them, Song Hui was picking over vegetables and chimed in:

"I heard your TV station is quite tough; you often have to work overtime. You're over there alone, so pay more attention to your health. The weather is turning cold now; if you accidentally catch a cold, you should go see a doctor when you need to. You absolutely mustn't delay it, and don't think about saving money."

Chen Ran smiled and said, "Mom, don't worry. I'm not a child anymore."

Song Hui shook her head. "In my eyes, you're still no different from a child."

Chen Ran asked, "How has Yao Yao been at school lately? I tried calling her, but it seems she changed her number. I sent her messages on WeChat too, but she hasn't replied at all."

"That girl—whenever I tell her to give you her number, she's just too embarrassed." Chen Junhai shook his head.

"Back when you were in university, you worked part-time to earn your own tuition and even sent money to her for pocket money. Now that she's in university, she's too embarrassed to leave her number with you, fearing you'll send her money."

Chen Ran said speechlessly, "What's the big deal? I'm her brother; what is there to be embarrassed about?"

"She's been like this since she was little—a bit too stubborn for her own good. I'll give you her number in a bit; you call her and give her a piece of your mind."

Chen Ran memorized his younger sister Chen Yao's number. He felt a bit gloomy; in his memory, the siblings' relationship was quite good, but after she entered high school and Chen Ran went to university, their contact became sparse.

It was mainly because during that time, Chen Ran had to both study and work, so he had almost no time. Later on, now that he was working, he wanted to give his sister a call, only to find the number had changed.

Chen Ran wanted to say more, but his phone suddenly rang.

He coughed once, picked up the phone, and said, "I'm going outside to take a call."

Chen Junhai and Song Hui watched Chen Ran walk out the door, faintly hearing: "I'm really not at your house. Are you checking up on me?"

Chen Ran's phone had been on the table just now, so the two elders had seen it; the caller ID showed "Zhizhi."

That's a girl's name, isn't it?

And saving it as "Zhizhi," so intimate...

Chen Junhai asked hesitantly, "Is something going on with our son?"

Song Hui lowered her head to pick over the vegetables and said, "Just ask him later and you'll know."

"I wonder what that girl is like. I hear people nowadays are very materialistic; dating requires looking at cars and houses. With our family's situation, will we hold him back..." Chen Junhai fell silent after speaking.

Song Hui didn't say anything either; the situation was as it was, and there was indeed no way they could help.

It wasn't long before Chen Ran hung up and came back inside. Seeing the two elders silent, he was somewhat baffled.

"Son, are you in a relationship?" Chen Junhai didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

Chen Ran gave an "ah," not expecting his dad to suddenly ask such a thing. He told the truth:

"No, the one who called just now is the boss's daughter."

The boss's daughter?

The Chen couple looked at each other; they now had an idea of what was happening.

No wonder Chen Ran said his boss was very good to me; it turns out this kid had snagged the man's daughter.

But the couple frowned again; since she was the boss's daughter, her family background must be good—would she look down on their family?

Song Hui said, "Son, since you're seeing a girlfriend, don't send your salary back anymore. Now that the family's loans are paid off, your dad and I are still working and don't need much money. Keep it for yourself."

Chen Ran hurriedly said, "Mom, Dad, I'm really not in a relationship. Besides, I earn quite a bit now. With the bonus added this month, my salary is double what it usually is. Even if I send it back, I won't be able to spend it all."

"If your mom says keep it, then keep it. A man should always have some money; you can't have nothing on you when something happens." Chen Junhai said,

"It's just as your mom said—our home doesn't cost much to run. Although we have no way to help you, we can't hold you back either!"

Chen Ran scratched his head. How did it turn into this?

The two elders both thought that he had started a relationship with a girlfriend; no matter what he said, they wouldn't listen. Chen Ran felt a bit like he was at a loss for words to clear himself.

It wasn't as if he could tell them the truth about the matter between him and Zhang Fanzhi, could he?

“Dad, Mom, how about this? From now on, I’ll send half of my salary back for you to save for me. I want to buy a house in Lin City later, and I can’t seem to hold onto money when it’s on me,” Chen Ran said finally.

The two elders were still hesitating, so Chen Ran added, “I’m not a fool; I’ll definitely make sure I have enough for myself before sending it over.”

Only after he spent a long time persuading them like this did the two elders nod.

Because Chen Ran had returned somewhat late and only called his parents once he reached Jia City, Song Hui hadn’t been able to buy much in the way of groceries and had just simply made a few dishes.

Although the food was simple, Chen Ran ate a fair amount. After helping to clear the table and dishes, he was shooed out by his mother and sat on the sofa playing with his phone.

Zhang Fanzhi had called earlier, and her tone made it seem like her mood wasn't very good. He had asked her about it on WeChat before eating, but she hadn’t said anything, only replying with a couple of lukewarm sentences.

Chen Ran didn't care either; this was just his mindset. He hadn't harbored any expectations at all, so he wasn't surprised whether Zhang Fanzhi said anything or not.

Casually flipping through the news, Chen Ran chatted with his parents for a while longer, mostly about matters concerning daily life.

Most of the time it was his parents speaking and him listening.

For example, which family’s child in town was getting married, who was holding a banquet, and so on.

And what he heard most was that the childhood playmates in his memory had all already gotten married.

If it were the Chen Ran of the past hearing this news, according to his temper, he would subsequently feel a bit embarrassed or somewhat impatient.

Now, however, Chen Ran found it somewhat novel. Combining it with his childhood memories and matching the names one by one, he felt a sense of the changing years—as if everything was the same yet so different.

Of the young people in town, some had gone out to study and come out after finishing university; they were now like Chen Ran, having just passed their internship period or still taking exams for jobs.

And some had stopped studying after finishing high school, either working to make money with their careers on the rise, or still in a period of confusion. But regardless of what kind they were, quite a few had already married.

He chatted with his parents until it was nearly past ten o’clock before he returned to his room.

He thought for a moment, found the number his father had read out to him earlier, and dialed it.

After two rings, the other side connected.

It was very quiet; he could hear the sound of breathing. Only after a while did a weak voice say, “Brother? Is it you?”

Chen Ran said, “So you still know it’s me. Why didn't you give me a word when you changed your number?”

Chen Yao said with a lack of confidence, “I—I just forgot to give it to you.”

“Then why didn't you reply to my messages on WeChat?”

“Ah? My phone number changed, so I changed my WeChat too.”

Chen Ran said gloomily, “You really are something. Do you still recognize me as your brother?”

“You’re my biological brother, how could I not recognize you? I already said I just forgot.”

“Fine then, I’m saving this number. Don’t you dare forget again when you change your number in the future!” Chen Ran instructed, “If you forget again, I’ll just consider myself an only child!”

“......”