Chapter 6: Family Games You Never Get Tired of 4
A few days passed, and just when I thought Hongze had gotten over his three-minute enthusiasm, Hongze's actions told me that I was wrong.
"Hongze, you really can't go out like this!"
I held the door handle tightly and used my whole body to block the door to prevent Hongze from going out.
Hongze, with his hair combed back, wore a black vertical striped suit, a white shirt with a brown diamond pattern tie, and French shirt sleeves with silver totem crystal cufflinks were visible under the cuffs of the suit. He also had a pair of shiny black leather shoes, looking completely domineering.
"Be good Lingmiao, stop making trouble. Daddy still has to go out to work."
Hongze held the briefcase in one hand and took out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with the other hand and put them on himself, then spoke to me in a very doting tone.
I shivered against the door. My doting tone could not warm up his cold gaze. The look in his eyes seemed like he was ready to sell me at any time, just like the business elite who brought me from the orphanage to the Nie Building.
I turned my head away from Hongze's sight and yelled unbearably, "Change your clothes quickly! Where are you going to work when you look like this? You don't have a job, so stop being addicted to TV dramas!"
"Lingmiao, be good. Dad knows that you don't usually have enough time with me. But I have an important meeting today. Can you let me go to work first? I'll celebrate your birthday on the weekend, okay? I'll buy you the best gift."
Hongze completely ignored what I said. He touched my head and coaxed me like a child, with a fatherly look of doting in his eyes.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that if I didn’t go out, I would run into Ji Yuyao and the others.
With my hair messed up by Hongze, I moved aside the body blocking the door and said in a self-deprecating manner: "What kind of TV series do you watch at home every day? Why does such a strange plot appear..."
Hongze smiled with relief and patted me on the head: "Did Lingmiao agree? Dad knows Lingmiao is the best and most sensible! Go and get your schoolbag out. Dad will personally take you to kindergarten today."
When I heard the word "kindergarten", I rolled my eyes and complained, "Hey, hey, hey! How do I look like a kindergarten kid?"
Hongze completely ignored my reaction, took my hand, opened the door and said, "Are you happy? Daddy will take you to kindergarten."
Unlike Zhou Mian who exercises all year round , Hongze's hands are very smooth and he holds me with great strength. His fingers with distinct knuckles have turned white due to excessive force.
I could feel the heat coming from his palms, penetrating my palms, and slowly seeping into my heart. Being led by Hongze, I forgot to refute and obediently followed him downstairs.
At the entrance of the family building, Hongze stopped, coughed, and said, "Ahem... Lingmiao , where is Dad's car?"
I was amused and touched when I saw Hongze finally couldn't continue acting after being so absorbed in the role. This guy has been studying the TV series seriously since that day, and now he has memorized all the actors' lines. He stubbornly performed the whole show alone without my cooperation.
But is this forced relationship really my family relationship?
Even if we are just acting, at least I should give him some response...
I made up my mind, smiled brightly, and said innocently, "Lingmiao doesn't know about Dad's car. Without a car, how can Dad send Lingmiao to kindergarten? Lingmiao will be late."
"Hmm..." Hongze, who didn't expect me to cooperate suddenly, showed a surprised expression. He lowered his head to think for a while, and then he worked harder. "Dad will perform a magic trick for you. Lingmiao, go to the corner with Dad."
I raised my eyebrows and looked at him, not knowing what he was up to. Was he going to use magic to conjure up a car?
Thinking this in my mind, I followed him to the corner.
He loosened his hand and gently put his arm around my waist. Before I could react, I felt my body lighten and I was floating in the air.
I subconsciously wanted to scream, but I saw Jiang Hao walking out of the family building, so I quickly covered my mouth to prevent myself from making any sound.
The next second, I was glad that I covered my mouth. Hongze flew up without warning, and the fierce wind blew on my face, as if a burly man was slapping me. The speed was so fast that I couldn't open my eyes at all. I just felt someone pulling my eyelids and tearing my hair. It was a hundred times more exciting than the roller coaster in the amusement park.
After a while, I felt the ground under my feet, and Hongze loosened his arms around me. I lost my support, my legs went limp, and I knelt on the ground, and began to vomit violently.
A stack of tissues appeared in front of me, a hand patted my back to calm me down, and Zhou Mian's voice rang in my ears: "Ling Miao? Why did you vomit? Hong...are you Hong Ze?"
I took the tissue and wiped my mouth, then looked around and realized that I was already at the bottom of the teaching building, kneeling next to the stone carving of "Vomiting Blood to Educate People" in the flower bed.
"He really vomited blood..." I touched the word "vomited blood", not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and looked up at Hongze, whose face was red, "Dad, you promised to take me to kindergarten in your car?"
Hongze scratched his motionless slicked-back hair embarrassedly and stammered, "I... I was afraid you would be late..."
Hongze choked me for a long time before I managed to say "thank you". I sat on the ground with my limbs weak, struggling to digest the bitter fruit I had sown.
"It seems that I am not good at being a father..." Hongze pondered for a while and said in a low voice.
I was so frightened that I didn’t have the energy to roll my eyes. I silently said sarcastically, “What made you feel like you could be my dad…”
"Did I hear it right?" Zhou Mian at the side had an incredulous expression on his face, "You think you are a father just because you wear a suit and comb your hair back, and make Lingmiao vomit for no reason?"
Hong Ze's face turned red and white after what Zhou Mian said. After a long while, he finally said, "I have prepared seriously. I also studied the role of the elder brother carefully." As he spoke, Hong Ze transformed himself into a man wearing sportswear and holding a basketball.
Without waiting for me to speak, Zhou Mian, with his arms crossed, raised his eyebrows and looked at Hong Ze, saying with a fake smile: "And then?"
"Then?" Hong Ze was suddenly stunned by Zhou Mian's question, and said hesitantly: "We... go play ball?"
"Huh? What?" Zhou Mian scratched his ear in disbelief and looked at me again, "What is he doing?"
"He is probably an older brother or younger brother now. He thinks that older brothers or younger brothers probably look like this, wearing sportswear and playing basketball." I spread my hands helplessly and explained to Zhou Mian. Suddenly, I realized something was wrong and pulled Hongze's pants. "So, what does it have to do with me? Grandpa wants me to sleep a little longer when I sleep late, and I can barely understand it. Dad sent me to school as compensation because he couldn't spend my birthday with me, and I can probably understand it. My older brother or younger brother invites friends to play basketball together, what does it have to do with me?"
Hongze was speechless after being asked by me. He pursed his lips and looked at Zhou Mian, then at me, then at the sky and then at the ground. Finally, he tilted his head and made an innocent expression.
"Hahaha... you really are...how can you be so funny!" Zhou Mian laughed heartily on the side.
Seeing Hongze's face gradually becoming ugly, I quickly got up from the ground, holding back my laughter and pushing Zhou Mian.
"Don't laugh! You say." Hong Ze grabbed the basketball in one hand and slammed it to the ground. The basketball didn't bounce up, but made a hole in the ground.
I was so frightened that I trembled and couldn't even speak straight: "You...what do you want to do?"
"Speak properly." Hongze looked at me seriously. "You said I don't look like that, so what do you think a family member should be like?"
Seeing Hongze's expression, I couldn't help but become serious. I pondered for a long time before I spoke helplessly: "Family... Actually, I don't know what family is like. I have never really had a family. I was abandoned by so-called family twice and sent back to an orphanage. How should I put it? Whether you can become a family member is definitely not determined by what clothes you wear or how old you are, but because of other things, other things that I can't explain clearly."
Hongze scratched his head and pondered for a while, and finally stamped his feet: "What do you mean by unclear? Give me an example and I will follow it!"
"Examples?" I was stunned by Hongze's question and couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that you don't understand what I said at all... I don't think that family relationships are superficial and hypocritical."
Hongze, who was originally deep in thought, looked at me with surprise after hearing what I said, and slowly repeated: "On the surface? False and insincere?"
Hongze’s reaction made me feel a little regretful. Maybe I said something wrong.
Before I could stop him, Hongze rushed out of the flower bed without looking back and ran towards the teaching building.
Seeing this, I didn’t care about Zhou Mian anymore and quickly chased after him: “Hongze, wait for me! Ten meters, ten meters!”
