Chapter 192 185: Inviting Guests

"I'm home."

Su Wenhong dragged his weary body through the door.

"You're back! You're soaked to the bone. Go take a shower, dinner's almost ready," his wife, Ye Ziqing, called from the kitchen.

His daughter, Su Ye, who was sitting at the dining table, looked up and called out, "Dad," before burying her head in her homework again.

A gloomy expression was written all over Su Wenhong's face. He walked into the living room and plopped down onto the sofa.

"Xiaoyezi, you know what? I really missed out today," Su Wenhong said listlessly.

"What's wrong?" Su Ye asked with concern. "Did the upperclassmen not do well on their practice exams?"

She also attended the school where her father taught, but she was in her second year of high school and wouldn't take the college entrance exams until next year.

Knowing how seriously her father took his responsibilities, Su Ye figured only his students' poor exam results could make him this upset.

"It's worse than that."

"Worse?" Su Ye was a little surprised. She thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Don't tell me you made a mistake and got transferred out of the senior class?"

Su Wenhong shot his daughter an exasperated look and sighed, shaking his head. 'Girls will be girls. How could she possibly understand a man's heart?'

'If I'd really been transferred out of the senior class, I'd be setting off firecrackers to celebrate, not sighing like this!'

"I went for a run in the park after school today and ran into Yang Yang."

"Oh." Su Ye wasn't surprised.

"My two running buddies both saw him. They even chatted with him for a bit and got his autograph. But by the time I rushed over, he was long gone. Isn't that infuriating?"

"Dad, you're sulking just because of that?"

"Duh, what else would it be?" Su Wenhong retorted irritably.

Su Ye pursed her lips, wondering if she should tell her old man the news now.

"They all said Yang Yang will be there again tomorrow, but I still feel awful that I didn't see him today. It's like when I missed the Champions League final in Germany. I blew it big time." To this day, every time Su Wenhong brought it up, he was filled with gut-wrenching regret.

Just then, his wife, Ye Ziqing, finished making dinner and walked out of the kitchen with a plate in her hand.

"Ye Zi, hurry and clear the table. It's time to eat."

She glanced back at her husband, who was sprawled on the sofa. "You're a man in your forties, and you're still acting like a fangirl. What kind of example are you setting for your students?"

"What's wrong with that? I talk about Yang Yang with the students in my class. You have no idea how much we have in common to talk about."

"Keep telling yourself that," Ye Ziqing said with a chuckle as she walked back to the kitchen.

"What do you know?" Su Wenhong retorted, refusing to back down.

Su Ye giggled on the sidelines, watching her parents bicker. She was long used to it.

"Dad, I have something to tell you," Su Ye said softly.

"What is it?" Su Wenhong asked.

His precious daughter had always been well-behaved and her grades were consistently good. The only thing her parents weren't entirely happy about was her passion for theater and acting. She said she wanted to study at the Central Academy of Drama, but Su Wenhong and Ye Ziqing were both high school teachers and would rather their daughter go to a teachers' college.

Of course, she was only in her second year, so the family of three was still in the process of discussing it.

"Dad, I know where Yang Yang is staying."

"What?" Su Wenhong was so shocked he nearly jumped out of his skin. "You know?"

"Mhm, I ran into him this morning while I was jogging in Yihe Garden."

"He jogs in Yihe Garden every morning?"

"I don't know. I only saw him this morning, but I'm sure he's right across from our house right now."

Following Su Ye's gesture, Su Wenhong suddenly had a moment of enlightenment. He slapped his thighs hard with both hands and jumped to his feet. "I'm such an idiot! How did I not think of that?"

"He came to Beijing, he's practicing at a park nearby, and he's so close with the brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng... he must be staying at their house! Argh, I'm so stupid. And Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng, they're not real friends, not telling me... I..."

Mumbling to himself, Su Wenhong suddenly grabbed his daughter and started pulling her toward the door.

"Dinner's ready. Where are you two going?" Ye Ziqing asked as she walked out of the kitchen and saw them heading out.

"To invite a guest."

「…」

After returning from the park, Yang Yang took a nice, long shower and felt comfortable all over.

He had just taken some spaghetti and tomato sauce out of the fridge, planning to make himself a bowl of pasta.

Just as he was about to light the stove, the doorbell rang.

'Who is it? It can't be Wei Zhen, can it?'

Amused, Yang Yang walked over, muttering as he opened the door, "It's your own family's house. You don't have to ring the bell from now on."

But when he opened the door, he saw the little beauty, Su Ye, standing there charmingly. Her face was bright red as she raised her right hand to greet him. Behind her stood a slightly heavyset, middle-aged man.

"Hello, Su Xiaomei. Can I help you?"

Su Ye pointed to her father behind her. "This is my dad. He's a fan of yours."

"Oh, hello, sir." Yang Yang quickly stepped aside and invited them in.

"Hello, Yang Yang. It really is you." Su Wenhong was finally at ease, not having expected it to actually be true.

Yang Yang nodded a little awkwardly and looked at Su Xiaomei, only to see her give a cute shrug with a helpless expression, as if to say, *See? I told you. My dad's a huge fan.*

Once inside, Su Wenhong saw that Yang Yang was alone and started asking about the situation. When he learned that Yang Yang was living by himself, he became a little displeased.

"That Wei Zhen, honestly. He didn't even think to let me know. We could have looked out for each other. We've been old neighbors for years, and I'm good friends with his parents. A guest of their family is a guest of our family."

As he was speaking, Su Wenhong looked toward the kitchen. "By the way, have you eaten tonight?"

"Not yet. I was just about to make myself a bowl of pasta."

"That won't do! Eating too much instant ramen is unhealthy." With that, Su Wenhong stood up and grabbed Yang Yang. "Come on, eat at our place. I'm not just bragging, but your auntie's cooking is pretty good."

"That's okay, sir, I... it's not..."

Yang Yang wanted to explain that the old man had misunderstood; he meant spaghetti, not instant ramen.

But the enthusiastic Su Wenhong gave him no chance to explain, immediately pulling him out the door and straight into the apartment across the hall.

The Su and Wei families were indeed old neighbors. According to Su Wenhong and his wife, they had watched the brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng grow up, and the two boys treated Su Ye like a little sister. The two families were as close as one.

"That Wei Zhen, honestly. Yang Yang is only seventeen, and he didn't even think to let us know. How could he just leave you here all alone? What if something happened?" Upon hearing Su Wenhong's story, Ye Ziqing also began to complain that Wei Zhen was being inconsiderate.

Yang Yang had seen Su Xiaomei on Wei Zhen's blog before and could sense the closeness between the two families between the lines. Now, the sincere enthusiasm of Su Wenhong and his wife made it hard for him to refuse, so he could only stay as their guest.

Yang Yang had originally planned a rather light dinner for himself: spaghetti with tomato sauce, bread, and some fruit. Ye Ziqing's dinner, while delicious, included several dishes that were taboo for a professional athlete, such as braised pork belly.

Yang Yang didn't dare to even touch that particular dish.

At first, Su Wenhong and his wife thought Yang Yang was just being polite and reserved and wanted to serve him some food. But after hearing his explanation, they understood. Su Wenhong, in particular, as a veteran fan, praised him repeatedly.

"You're so young, yet you already understand self-discipline. That's so much better than those players in the country who eat kebabs and drink beer all day. Don't you ever be like them. For a professional player, your body is the most important thing."

Yang Yang nodded hurriedly in agreement.

Beside them, Ye Ziqing gently reminded her own daughter, "Ye Zi, look at Yang Yang. He's the same age as you, but he's so sensible. If you were half as self-disciplined as him, your father and I could finally relax."

"Mom, I'm already very self-disciplined and hardworking," Su Ye whined playfully.

"What your mom means is, you could be doing even better. For example, by using the time you spend on stage plays for something else," Su Wenhong chimed in.

Attacked from both sides, Su Ye didn't dare talk back. She immediately buried her head and focused on eating.

"Hey, by the way, Yang Yang, since you want some peace and quiet, you definitely can't go to the park anymore. Once word gets out, the media will be all over the place in no time," Su Wenhong suggested.

Yang Yang thought it was a good idea. After all, the school had security guards, and on such a hot day, the park really was too exposed to the sun.

"How about this: tomorrow, you can come to the school with me. Our school has tiered stands too, and there's shade from the trees. Except for high noon, you won't have to worry about the sun. It's much better than the park, and I guarantee no one will bother you. If you're interested, you can even join our school team for a game after school to get a feel for things."

Yang Yang thought it was a good idea. After all, the school had security guards, and on such a hot day, the park really was too exposed to the sun.

"In a little while, write me up a meal plan. List everything you like to eat and are allowed to eat, so I know what to prepare. From now on, you'll come over to Auntie's for dinner every night," Ye Ziqing announced, leaving no room for argument.

"Auntie, I couldn't possibly impose."

"If you're polite with me one more time, I'll get angry." Ye Ziqing brought out her teacher's authority.

Unable to refuse such overwhelming hospitality, Yang Yang could only agree.

"Also, about your laundry..."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I've hired a house cleaner."

"Mm, that's fine too. But if you need anything at all, just let me know. Don't you dare be polite with us."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

「…」

After dinner, Yang Yang was supervised by Su Ye as he wrote out a meal plan, and only then was he allowed to go home.

Wei Zhen hadn't been entirely at ease with Yang Yang staying home alone, so he made a special trip back to check on him. After hearing what had happened, he thought it was a great arrangement and felt more relieved. After all, with the Asian Cup coming up, he was quite busy himself.

Yang Yang gave Wei Zhen some money to take to Su Wenhong for his food expenses, but Su Wenhong and Ye Ziqing gave Wei Zhen a good scolding and sent him right back. This left Wei Zhen feeling a whole mix of envy, jealousy, and hate toward Yang Yang.

"Right now, my aunt and uncle are treating you even better than they treat me," Wei Zhen said, shaking his head speechlessly.

"It's not just you. I'm starting to wonder if I'm even their biological daughter," Su Ye chimed in from the side, a look of innocence and helplessness on her face.

Yang Yang found it amusing. 'Is this what they call special treatment for guests?'

But now that they were more familiar with each other, he didn't feel like a stranger anymore. He asked Su Ye to go with him on the weekend to buy a soccer ball and some gear, as well as a few changes of clothes, since he had packed light for his trip to Toulon.

Naturally, Su Ye wasn't going to refuse.