You need to raise your pet using a system [Era]

Chapter 378 Cheng Wenxuan's Side Story 1

As dusk settles, the city lights shine brilliantly.

After a short get-together with friends, we parted ways. Walking along the Bund, feeling the breeze and sobering up, Cheng Xiaobao suddenly remembered that Lu Yuanqing had called him a couple of days ago, saying he was coming to Shanghai to take care of some business and would come over to visit him.

He was busy at the time and didn't say much before hanging up. Now he can call back to ask about the specifics.

Cheng Wenxuan, his family still prefers to call him Cheng Xiaobao.

When Chengjun went to the frontier farm, Lu Yuanqing brought him back to Shihua Village. When they were preparing to enroll him in school and finalizing his household registration, Lu Yuanqing suddenly had the idea to change his name.

Cheng Xiaobao became his nickname.

'Little Bao, when you grow up, you'll thank me for changing your name.'

When Cheng Xiaobao was a child, he didn't understand what Lu Yuanqing meant by that, but now Cheng Wenxuan is truly grateful to Lu Yuanqing for changing his name.

Cheng Xiaobao! Cheng Xiaobao!

The thought of his classmates, friends, and colleagues at the tax bureau all calling him "Xiao Bao" makes him want to dig his toes into the ground.

Beep beep beep!!

After three rings, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Xiao Bao!"

Upon hearing the voice, Cheng Wenxuan instinctively smiled. "Third Uncle, are you asleep?"

"Not yet! There'll be a while!"

Cheng Wenxuan took the phone off his ear, looked at it, and then put it back to his ear, saying, "It's almost midnight, why aren't you asleep yet? What melodramatic family drama are you watching again?"

"What? No, I didn't!" Lu Yuanqing said confidently, without the slightest hint of guilt.

Cheng Wenxuan raised an eyebrow; it was clearly just an excuse he was used to.

"Third Uncle, are you a child? Going to bed early and getting up early is good for your health!"

"I'm perfectly healthy!" she said indignantly.

Cheng Wenxuan shook his head. "By the way, Third Uncle, you called me yesterday saying you were coming to Haishi. I was busy at the time and didn't ask for details. When are you planning to come? I'll come pick you up!"

Lu Yuanqing: "I don't need you to pick me up. I'll be there in one car after I get off the plane. My flight is tomorrow morning."

Cheng Wenxuan patiently said, "Tomorrow is the weekend, I have time. Send me your flight information later, and I'll pick you up from the airport."

"Fine! You have time to pick me up on weekends, looks like you still don't have a boyfriend, you never go on dates!"

Cheng Wenxuan curled his lips and said, "Third Uncle, you're not the type to pressure me into marriage, so don't put pressure on me!"

Lu Yuanqing rolled her eyes. "I'm not, but your dad wants a grandson! He's obsessed with it, calling me every day to harass me, trying to get me on his side and join the marriage-urging camp."

"He's no longer the village chief, he has nothing to do, he's too bored, so he just keeps urging me to get married." Cheng Wenxuan said helplessly.

Since Chengjun resigned as village chief last year, he has been idle.

They might not be used to it right away, so they start pressuring me to get married every day.

Not only did his son Chengjun suffer a 'poisonous attack,' but the other two unmarried people in the family who were older were also pressured by him every day.

Well, Lu Mingbei and Lu Mingzhong were the ones he spent every day with when he was a child, and they were the closest to him.

Now, all three of them are in their early thirties, and none of them are married or even have a partner.

Does this count as birds of a feather flocking together? People grouped by their kind?

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Cheng Wenxuan's face.

Lost in thought, Lu Yuanqing on the other end of the phone continued to complain, "Tell me, your dad keeps making me nag you two every day. I feel sorry for you, wanting to spare you from my pressure to get married, but you should also feel sorry for me! Tell your dad to stop this nonsense!"

"Pfft!" Cheng Wenxuan laughed out loud, "Thank you for your hard work, Third Uncle."

With Lu Yuanqing protecting them, their lives became much easier.

After all, who told Lu Yuanqing to remain single and unmarried until now?

It's understandable that Cheng Jun would think Cheng Wenxuan and the others were learning from him, and thus seek him out, right?

Cheng Wenxuan smiled with his lips pursed, afraid of being too arrogant and angering Lu Yuanqing.

"Come on! Look at you guys! I don't know what you're all thinking." Lu Yuanqing was speechless, then his tone turned curious as he seemed to think of something, "Tell your third uncle, don't you really have anyone you like? Kid, you're thirty-two this year, and you've never liked anyone? Maybe the people you like don't like you back!"

Cheng Wenxuan: "..."

Yes!

He will turn thirty-two this October.

While feeling a little sorry for himself for being 32 and still single, Cheng Wenxuan also blurted out, "Sure enough, among the elders in my family, only my third uncle never mentions their age in the traditional Chinese way."

After all, according to his father, he didn't even know when he was already thirty-five years old.

I don't know how it was calculated.

"Sigh!" Cheng Wenxuan sighed deeply.

But it was this one breath that piqued Lu Yuanqing's interest on the other end of the phone: "What? You actually guessed right!"

"How outstanding must the other person be! You wouldn't even be interested in them?"

Cheng Wenxuan: "..."

"Third Uncle, how come the other person doesn't like me? Hmph, my position in your heart has been exposed!!!"

Lu Yuanqing was embarrassed. "It's not that... it's just that I was thinking you're still single! Your third uncle knows you. If you really liked someone, you wouldn't just secretly have a crush without even confessing. Given all these factors, my suspicion that you're being rejected is reasonable, right?"

Cheng Wenxuan pouted, "After hearing your explanation, I'm even more heartbroken."

"Don't interrupt, tell me quickly, is there really something going on?" Lu Yuanqing was very curious.

It should be noted that Cheng Wenxuan, Lu Mingbei, and Lu Mingzhong are considered to be among the older members of the family.

Regardless of gender, if someone is over thirty and still unmarried, their various strengths and weaknesses will become very apparent.

Lu Yuanqing didn't think his son had any shortcomings.

But he really didn't see that the three of them had the same determination to stay single for life as he did!

Since I'm not afraid of marriage and even have thoughts about getting married.

Why wait until you're so old to be disliked by others?

He doesn't care what others say because he has already eliminated the premise that he will get married. He won't regret it and then send himself to a blind date where he will be rejected.

But Cheng Wenxuan and the other two want to get married!

If you go on a blind date, people will definitely find fault with you. Even if you are very outstanding, they will say that you are too old and will also ask about any unknown problems you may have.

Cheng Wenxuan and Lu Yuanqing have an unusually close relationship.

If we're being serious, this closeness might even be deeper than that between him and his biological father, Cheng Jun.

It wasn't something he deliberately calculated.

Cheng Jun is his father, and he knows how good Cheng Jun is to him.

He had no objection to Cheng Jun.

However, those ten years did change something after all.

My childhood memories are somewhat hazy.

But Cheng Wenxuan would always know that when he was isolated and helpless, living in constant fear, it was Lu Yuanqing who appeared and helped him escape from his suffering.

Happy memories are memorable.

But those days of hardship were etched in my memory.

For ten years, Lu Yuanqing took care of him, allowing him to grow up carefree.

This is something that was missing from the team's formation; there's nothing that can be done about it.

As I've grown up, I've encountered many things outside, but I'm unwilling to tell my elders about them.

Especially when it comes to matters of the heart, I feel that telling my elders is being overly sentimental.

But when Lu Yuanqing asked, Cheng Wenxuan didn't feel embarrassed; instead, he wanted to share.

This kind of interaction with friends, especially with Lu Yuanqing, is truly an unconscious action.

"Uncle Three..."

Cheng Wenxuan called out to Lu Yuanqing on the other end of the phone, sounding somewhat dejected.

I still remember he should call Lu Yuanqing his uncle.

He used to call people that at first, but later it gradually became 'Third Uncle'.

Lu Yuanqing sensed that something was wrong with his mood, so he sat up straight and said, "If you have any worries, you can talk to your third uncle about them."

Cheng Xiaobao is a very well-behaved child.

He has no major flaws in his conduct and interactions with others; he is sincere and his greatest strength is his open-mindedness.

Now, however, he is feeling down.

Lu Yuanqing felt that someone was bullying his son, which made him unhappy.

The 32-year-old kid: "..."

Cheng Wenxuan held up his phone, looking up at the moon, but all he could see were skyscrapers.

"Third Uncle, I want to ask you a question."

"Go ahead and ask!"

Cheng Wenxuan was a little nervous, as if he was about to reveal the shameful side of himself in front of everyone, which made him feel inexplicably afraid.

Lu Yuanqing didn't hear anything, so he picked up his phone and saw that the call was still going on, so he continued to wait patiently.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cheng Wenxuan finally spoke.

"Third Uncle, if it were you, would you choose someone you like but who won't help your career at all, or someone who likes you and can provide a lot of help to your career?"

Look at his dark side; even his affections are based on weighing the pros and cons.

A whole host of 'careers' and 'likes' made Lu Yuanqing's ears ring.

It took him a while to understand the meaning behind Cheng Wenxuan's words.

My subconscious thought was that I underestimated the kid!

I thought that being single until now meant I had no one to like and no one to like, but the reality is that things are still quite complicated.

Lu Yuanqing didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you value your career the most, or people the most?"

"You've mentioned who you like and who likes you, and you've also said whether they can help you in your career, but which one do you actually value the most?"

"What's the difference?" Cheng Wenxuan asked, puzzled.

Lu Yuanqing: "I'll give you a premise: from now on, don't think about your career at all."

"Then think about it: between the person you like and the person who likes you, who would you choose?"

Lu Yuanqing felt that talking about career was just a matter of the people Cheng Wenxuan encountered, and they just happened to have this kind of situation.

But if we set aside his career and simply look at what he likes and the people who like him, what would Cheng Wenxuan's choice be?

Most people probably don't even need to consider this; as long as the premise of being helpful to their career is taken into account, they will definitely choose what they like.

However, Cheng Wenxuan was not like most people, and Lu Yuanqing understood the troubles in his heart.

As expected, upon hearing this, Cheng Wenxuan not only failed to give a decisive answer, but became even more hesitant.

Lu Yuanqing suddenly felt a pang of unease. He said softly, "Judging from the sound you're making, you must still be outside! It's getting late, go home and think about it. Tell me your answer when I get to Haishi tomorrow!"

"Okay, Uncle, you should get some rest!"

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Wenxuan took a taxi home.

He didn't sleep well that night, his mind filled with Lu Yuanqing's problems.