Chapter 378: Biological Father
Wu Sheng looked at Su Li and pursed his lips.
"Don’t steal my lines. Those are my words to say."
Su Li couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s all the same whether I say it or you say it."
Wu Sheng shook his head. "It’s not the same. Sweet nothings like that should be said by me."
’Her words made his own heart pound erratically. He wanted to give Su Li that same heart-fluttering feeling.’
Su Li blinked, leaning back leisurely. "Go on, then. I’m listening."
Wu Sheng: "...You already said everything."
"You can just say it again. Copy me," Su Li laughed.
Wu Sheng’s face was wooden. "I would never copy you."
After speaking, he looked at Su Li. "Didn’t I tell you before to learn how to act cute? Have you learned yet? Come on, try it on me."
Su Li: "..."
’Acting cute... that’s really not her strong suit.’
"If you act cute for me, I’ll agree to anything you say," Wu Sheng coaxed. "Seriously, just give it a try."
Su Li: "...."
She was silent for a second. "Let me practice some more."
Wu Sheng was very disappointed. "You’re actually giving up such a golden opportunity."
Su Li was silent for two seconds, then said honestly, "I don’t really see it as a golden opportunity. Even if I don’t act cute, it’s not like you can refuse me anyway."
This time, it was Wu Sheng’s turn: "..."
He hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue. "Are you saying you’ve got me completely wrapped around your finger?"
Su Li nodded with particular honesty. "Mhm."
Wu Sheng looked at Su Li and gritted his teeth. "Fine. You’re ruthless."
He took a sip of water. "Su Li, you’ve been corrupted."
Su Li shook her head. "No, I haven’t."
"Yes, you have! How can you say you haven’t? When we first met, you were such a prim and proper person," Wu Sheng retorted.
He looked out the window. "Suddenly, I really miss that cattle-herding girl I first met on the mountain. So simple and honest."
Su Li: "...."
’Am I not simple and honest now?’
But speaking of which, she was quite nostalgic about it too.
"Wu Sheng, do you remember the cow that knocked you out with one kick? I didn’t know you back then, so it didn’t leave much of an impression. But thinking back on it now, it really left a deep impression."
Su Li, seemingly oblivious to Wu Sheng’s stiff expression, wore a reminiscent look.
"Wa Wa Lian is always acting like ’My boss is the strongest, my boss is the best, my boss is omnipotent.’ I wonder what he thinks about that cow now when he looks back."
Wu Sheng: "..."
’Why did she have to bring up such an embarrassing memory?’
He watched Su Li’s ceaselessly moving lips, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.
"Actually, I was just pretending to be unconscious back then."
Su Li: ".....Really?"
Wu Sheng hummed in agreement. "How else could I have tricked you into giving me mouth-to-mouth?"
He licked his lips suggestively. "It was very sweet."
Wu Sheng had said that back then; Su Li still remembered!
Su Li’s face flushed for a moment, and she slapped his hand sharply. "Shut up!"
Wu Sheng snorted. "You’re the one who brought it up first."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Su Li, do you want to go visit my hometown?"
Su Li was confused. "Your hometown? Aren’t you from the Imperial City?"
Wu Sheng shook his head. "I am from the Imperial City, but I have a hometown, too. I didn’t move back to the Imperial City until I was three."
Su Li thought for a moment before remembering the hometown Wu Sheng was talking about. "You mean?"
"Yes. My father’s hometown."
Wu Zhuangshi had died when Wu Sheng was one year old, so he had no memory of him. But from what Wu Qihua and Grandma Wu said, he had a good impression of the man.
Even though he knew Wu Zhuangshi wasn’t his biological father, Wu Sheng only recognized him as his dad.
"When I was in school, I used to go there often during summer vacation. I spent plenty of time hiking in the mountains and playing in the river. The scenery there is beautiful, and the weather is cool. We can treat it as a summer retreat."
Hearing Su Li mention herding cattle, Wu Sheng had a flash of inspiration and thought of going to his hometown. After saying it out loud, he felt it was an excellent idea.
Su Li blinked. "Don’t you have to work?"
"I didn’t take any time off during the New Year, did I? I can request family visit leave."
Wu Sheng said to Su Li, "Come to think of it, I haven’t had a proper rest in a long time."
On this point, Su Li had felt the same way recently.
Although Wu Sheng managed to pop in and see her from time to time, he was generally very busy.
"So, will you go? It’s really nice there. It’s the season for fruits to ripen—apples, pears, and plums are all ready. We can also go into the mountains to pick mushrooms and catch fish in the river. I told you a long time ago I’d grill something for you. When we get there, I’ll grill you some fish."
The more Wu Sheng spoke, the brighter his eyes became. "And Yellow Bubble Fruits, you know those, right? Black ones, white ones, so many kinds to eat."
At Wu Sheng’s words, Su Li couldn’t help but swallow.
’How could she not know about these things? She’d been eating them since she was a child. Of course she knew!’
Wu Sheng saw the look on Su Li’s face and knew she was tempted.
"We’ll bring Little Point along. Little Point loves to read too much, spending all day at the library. Once he’s there, he stays for the whole day."
"Liking to read is a good thing, of course, but he doesn’t get enough exercise this way. Taking him with us will let him play more."
Every word Wu Sheng said struck a chord with Su Li. She was growing more and more tempted.
"How long would we go for?"
"We’ll see when we get there. If we’re having fun, we can stay a few extra days. If we get tired of it, we can come back anytime."
Wu Sheng looked at Su Li’s thin face. "Forget Little Point, you need a break too. You’re working nonstop every day like a spinning top. You need to rest for a while."
"As for the clothing factory, don’t you have Sister Hongqin and the others?"
Strictly speaking, Li Hongqin and Yin Cuihua were about the same age as him, and Li Cuixia was exactly his age, but he respected them and followed Su Li’s example in how he addressed them.
"Leave it to them. Don’t worry, they’ll do a great job even without you there."
Wu Sheng’s words came one after another, and Su Li was completely unable to resist.
"Are your grandmother and the others easy to get along with?"
Wu Sheng nodded. "Mhm, they are. It’s just my grandma and my aunt’s family over there. They’re all simple, honest people, very easy to get along with."
And so, it was settled. Once Su Li was discharged from the hospital, they would pack up and head to the hometown of Wu Sheng’s father.
But before that, on this very night, Su Li had an unexpected visitor.
Li Xian.
Wu Sheng had gone out to buy dinner, leaving Su Li alone in the hospital room, thinking about the trip to his hometown.
Just as she was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door—two short, polite taps.
"Come in," Su Li called out.
The door opened, and an old man with graying temples walked in.
"Old man" was a relative term, anyway. He was an old man whose back was as straight as a ramrod, not looking like an old man at all.
Su Li took one look, and her eyes widened in shock.
With just a single glance, she guessed the visitor’s identity.
Because the resemblance was too strong.
Blood ties were a wondrous thing.
Wu Sheng resembled Wu Qihua; you could tell they were mother and son at a glance. Since Wu Sheng favored his mother, he shouldn’t have looked that much like his biological father.
But in fact, that wasn’t the case. Wu Sheng did resemble his biological father.
It wasn’t that their facial features were identical. If you had to say which specific part was similar, you couldn’t. And yet, at a glance, the resemblance was undeniable.
Anyone who knew them both would immediately see the resemblance.
Wu Sheng looked like him. That was why Su Li guessed his identity in an instant.
"You are..." Su Li sat up straight, her face filled with disbelief.