1novels Chapter 333 The Trench!
Chapter 333 The Trench!
Behind Jiang Bai, Zhang Cheng stood frozen in place.
As he watched Jiang Bai's retreating figure, his mind was filled with the repeated phrases "Uncle" and "Uncle's son."
His heart shattered completely at that moment.
"Uncle...I'm getting old..."
Zhang Cheng looked down at his meticulously tailored suit and suddenly felt that he looked exactly like a family member going to a parent-teacher conference.
And on the side.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, who had been secretly observing from a corner of the cafeteria, witnessed everything.
Old Zhang covered his mouth tightly, his old face turning purple, his chest heaving violently.
"Pfft—Hahaha!"
Old Zhang finally couldn't hold back and let out a muffled laugh of extreme excitement.
"Honey, did you see that?!"
"Jiang Bai, that kid, is practically born with an aggressive personality!"
Old Zhang laughed until tears streamed down his face, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"After that 'Uncle' call, I reckon that unfilial son Chengcheng will be researching hair transplants and facelifts tonight."
Old Zhang's wife also laughed so hard she almost fell over, rubbing her stomach as she exclaimed:
"This Jiang Bai, he looks like a pretty decent young man, how come he's so funny?"
"Well done!"
"Only this 'brother-in-law' can control Chengcheng's obsessive tendencies."
Old Zhang watched with satisfaction as his son looked utterly dejected, feeling a surge of pleasure.
"Serves you right! Serves you right for not listening to my advice!"
Old Zhang straightened his collar and forced a smile out of his face.
The next second, she put on a "sympathetic and serious" expression and walked over with an empty plate.
"Hey, Chengcheng, what are you doing standing here like that?"
Old Zhang patted his son on the shoulder, his eyes full of pity for the "poor little dog".
"I thought Jiang Bai didn't recognize you just now?"
"Is your outfit too old-fashioned? The kids are calling you 'uncle' now."
"That's only natural, there's a hierarchy involved."
Zhang Cheng looked up at his father, his eyes filled with grievance:
"Dad...am I really that old? I'm the youngest designer in our department!"
"I'm not old, but this generation gap is deeper than the Mariana Trench."
Old Zhang sighed, but inside he was overjoyed and could hardly contain his laughter.
"Besides, what's the use of a designer?"
"You're a genius in the architectural world, but in Bai Zhi's eyes, you're probably just... a walking antique."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng lowered his head, utterly dejected, a terrifying logic swirling in his mind:
If Jiang Bai says I'm of uncle age.
Isn't Jiang Baizhi at the same level as my niece?
This kind of relationship that transcends generational differences... can I, Zhang Cheng, really withstand the moral condemnation?
The wind on the second floor of the cafeteria couldn't dispel the desolation in Zhang Cheng's heart.
He looked down at his meticulously manicured nails, then touched his expensive suit.
There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.
Zhang Cheng looked up to the sky and sighed, his deep eyes behind his glasses now filled with a lament for the passing of time.
"So, in my brother-in-law's eyes, I'm already an old man who should be attending middle-aged and elderly matchmaking events?"
Like a defeated rooster, Zhang Cheng felt increasingly depressed as he listened to his father's comforting tone.
But as he looked at it, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.
This old Deng... um...
Zhang Cheng turned his head and stared at his father, who looked extremely "carefree" and whose head was already showing signs of sparse growth.
Then I looked at my mother's face next to me, which was still full of charm and had excellent skin even though she was over forty.
"Mom, you're... fifty this year, right?"
Zhang Cheng spoke softly.
Old Zhang's wife was taken aback for a moment, then nodded:
"Yes, I just turned forty-nine last year, and I'm fifty this year."
"Dad, you're fifty-six this year, right?"
Old Zhang puffed out his chest; although he didn't know what his son was up to, he couldn't lose face.
"What's wrong with being fifty-six? You're in your prime!"
"What, have you finally decided to go home and take over my position as head of student affairs?"
Zhang Cheng did not answer; at this moment, his logical circuitry began to create a strange contrast.
He first looked at Old Zhang's weathered face, which was completely devoid of any "handsome" features.
Then, he compared his face to the reflection in the glass next to him, his elite face that was recognized by the design institute as the "most handsome man in the institute".
then.
A thought suddenly exploded in his mind.
"Wait a minute..."
Zhang Cheng's muttering grew louder and louder, and his eyes went from being dead ashes to burning with raging fire.
"My dad wasn't even half as handsome as me back then, you could even say he was a bit ugly, but he still managed to win over my mom, who was six years younger than him and a stunningly beautiful school beauty..."
He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized Old Zhang:
"My dad isn't handsome; in fact, he could be considered ugly."
"But he was able to overcome the six-year age difference and win over his stunningly beautiful mother."
"What does this mean? It means age isn't a problem at all; appearance is the key!"
Zhang Cheng became increasingly excited as he spoke, even pacing back and forth while gesturing with his hands towards some kind of complex formula:
"I, Zhang Cheng, am twenty-eight years old."
"He has a strong physique, eight-pack abs, earns millions a year, and is good-looking."
"Although Da Baizhi is ten years older than me, let's round it up a bit—"
Zhang Cheng clenched his fist, his tone becoming extremely excited:
"Aside from my good looks and financial advantages, my effective 'flirting age' is at most three or four years older than Bai Zhi, my junior!"
"These conditions are several hundred percent better than what Dad had back then!"
"If my dad, that crooked tree, can ensnare my mom, that golden phoenix, why can't I?!"
Old Zhang had prepared a whole host of words of advice, but upon hearing this, his face instantly turned from red to green, and finally to a deep purplish-brown.
"You are a traitor! You are a traitor!!"
Old Zhang roared inwardly, his breathing rapid.
If you're looking for a partner, fine, but why are you dragging your father down with you?!
What does it mean to be "not handsome"?
What does "a bit shabby" mean?
I was a tough guy who made a living through my talent back in the day, okay?!
"Let me tell you, your mother was drawn to the depth of my soul!"
"Do you understand?!"
Before Old Zhang could even spit out a mouthful of blood, suddenly, Zhang Cheng stared at the top of his head with a strange look in his eyes.
Old Zhang's scalp tingled: "What are you looking at now?"
Zhang Cheng, looking terrified, touched his thick black hair, carefully took two steps back, and muttered to himself:
"A sense of crisis... This is an extreme sense of crisis."
"It seems I absolutely cannot stay up all night working overtime like you, Dad, anymore."
"What if this baldness gene is passed down..."
Zhang Cheng swallowed hard, his eyes hardening with unwavering resolve.
"I must win over Bai Zhi, my junior, before my hairline recedes!"
"Otherwise, Dad, your present will become my hopeless future!"
"I absolutely cannot let Bai Zhi, my junior, see the day I become a 'Mediterranean' (male pattern baldness)!!"
Old Zhang: "......."
At that moment, Old Zhang felt an extremely desolate cold wind sweep over his head.
That was the physical chill that followed being publicly executed by his own son.
He turned to his wife, hoping she would speak up for him.
As a result, his wife no longer cared about maintaining her image and ended up squatting on the ground laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach.
"Hahaha!"
"Old Zhang... Chengcheng is right, you really do need to take care of your hair."
Old Zhang's hands trembled as he looked at the two of them.
"You've gone too far!"
Old Zhang touched the top of his head, feeling the hollow texture.
Seeing how much Zhang Cheng cherished his hair, I let out a cry from the depths of my soul:
"Guizi, wait!"
"Please remember how you chase love now, I'll laugh at you a million times over later!!!!"
"You freaking like men!!!"
(งᵒ̌ᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃
........
P.S.: I've received news that another anime adaptation is in development. It might be a new version, or it might be a second season of the previous one. I'll let you know when it happens!