Dad went out drinking again.
Lin Jin sighed helplessly, feeling that his dad wasn't genuinely trying to change and work hard these days. Instead, he might be trying to win back the money he'd lost in the casino.
Why is it like this? For Dad, is hanging out with his drinking buddies more important than reuniting with Mom and having a happy family?
He squatted somewhat depressed on the bed, leaning against the headboard and looking down at the blanket. He was beginning to feel despair about his dad.
Sure enough, leopards can’t change their spots! No wonder people online always say that once you're addicted to gambling or drugs, your life is over.
"Hey, black cat, what should I do now?" Lin Jin gloomily asked his phone lying next to his foot.
The phone lit up, and the black cat was squatting in the center of the screen, tilting its head and looking at Lin Jin. "This is your problem, what does it got to do with me?"
"I just wanted some advice from you" Lin Jin pursed his lips, tears glinting in his eyes as he looked pitifully at the black cat.
Staring at Lin Jin's teary eyes, Black Cat remained silent for a moment before violently shaking its head to the side and spitting out a pile of black and white vomit.
"Can you not use that trick on me? Acting pitiful won't work on me, okay?" The next moment, the black cat became serious, disdainfully looking at Lin Jin, who was putting on a tearful act. "I'm not unaware of your acting skills, so quit the act and go away."
"Tch." Lin Jin immediately retracted his pitiful look, wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, and adopted a more earnest expression before asking the black cat again, "What do you think it would take for my dad to quit gambling and drinking? If he continues like this, not only will my mom never get back with him, but I’ll also want to run away from home."
"I think..." the black cat tilted its head and thought for a moment before finally shruggly like a human "He's hopeless."
"Then why did you give me a task asking for family harmony?" Lin Jin's mouth twitched. Did this black cat already decide that he couldn't complete the task before issuing it?
"Exactly, family harmony doesn't necessarily require your dad to quit gambling or drinking, right? As long as your mom can tolerate it, can't the family still live in harmony?" the black cat spouted nonsense to Lin Jin with complete seriousness.
Can the family ever be at peace if dad keeps gambling? It’s already a miracle if his parents don’t fight every day, okay?
This black cat was clearly not a reliable entity to ask for help from. Lin Jin felt grateful that the cat hadn't made things worse. Especially when Liu Shengqi had been bothering him earlier, he was relieved that the black cat didn't add a task to flirt with Liu Shengqi. It’s divine intervention that the black cat wasn't causing trouble.
"Quickly go away." Lin Jin disdainfully waved his hand at the black cat and flipped his phone face down on the bed before putting it on silent.
He turned over and laid down on the bed, intending to read a novel on his phone. But just a few minutes after lying down and finding a novel he liked, the doorbell rang again.
Dad had gone out to drink, and he had keys, so the one ringing the doorbell should be... Shi Yuli, who had screwed him over and then run away.
Well, if she screwed him over, so be it. There's nothing much to lose, and right now he really needs someone to discuss how to get his dad to quit those bad habits.
But first! He must find a hat. Otherwise, his bald head will surely be the subject of ridicule from Yuli.
After putting on a hat, Lin Jin took a deep breath and leisurely walked to the door. He adjusted his hat once more before opening it.
Behind the door was indeed Shi Yuli, wearing a smile on her face. This person had an extremely lewd smile on her face. She clearly wanted to mock Lin Jin for getting pestered after crossdressing.
"Lin Jin~" Yuli started, grinning as she approached him, "How are things with Liu Shengqi? Have you set a time for your next date yet? If you two actually end up together, remember to invite me for drinks."
"Dream on" Lin Jin rolled his eyes. He knew very well that the girl in front of him was joking so he was not angry. He simply turned around and walked towards his bedroom. "Remember to close the door."
"I know, I know."
Yuli closed the door behind her and curiously looked at the hat on Lin Jin's head. Suddenly, she lunged at him and snatched the hat off: "Why are you wearing a hat at home?"
Then Yuli froze, staring at Lin Jin's short hair through which the scalp could be seen.
"What do you think?" Lin Jin had no particular emotions. Just a sense of resignation as he picked up his hat from the floor and put it back on with a sigh.
"Um... Actually, it's not bad-looking" Yuli stopped joking when she saw Lin Jin’s expression. She followed him into the room, trying to comfort him. "Really, you're handsome, so you look good even when bald. I just didn't react earlier."
"Stop talking" Lin Jin's eyelids twitched as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed. He looked back at Yuli, who had just entered. "Why are you here so late?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know how things are going with Liu Shengqi" Shi Yuli giggled, almost as if she had 'gossip' written on her forehead. "Did you scold him away? Did he say anything weird to you?"
"Isn't this all your doing?" Lin Jin gave her a look. "He said that even if I'm a guy, he could accept me transitioning..."
"Pfft." Hearing this, Yuli's eyes went wide. She even covered her belly with her hands, laughing, pointed at Lin Jin and asked while laughing, "Haha, did your head explode at that time? Pfft haha!"
"Alright, alright, let's drop it."
"Okay." She immediately became serious, rubbed her cheeks with her hands, cleared her throat, and even offered an explanation for her behavior. "Who told you to go to the gathering dressed as a woman?"
Lin Jin, of course, couldn't say it was because of the black cat's task. He just self-mockingly said, "My head wasn’t working."
"By the way, what do you think my dad should do to quit gambling?" Lin Jin moved on to the real issue, straightened his back, and asked Yuli, "I remember your dad used to gamble too. How did he quit back then?"
"My dad?" Yuli thought back, her dad's gambling habit occurred when she was about seven or eight years old, so she couldn’t remember too clearly. "He didn't seem to gamble much. Just for two or three months. After sinking ten thousand or so my mom found out."
"At that time, my mom said she would divorce him and take me with her. My dad kneeled and begged my mom, and he hasn't gambled since then" Yuli tilted her head and told Lin Jin. "Your dad is still gambling even after getting divorced? He must be hopeless then, right?
"No, anyone can be saved. Even drug addicts can quit" Although Lin Jin said so, he was actually not very confidant in his father. Although his dad had said he wouldn't gamble anymore, his tone was clearly hesitant. Who knows, he might be at a casino with his drinking buddies right now.
"Why not call the police to raid the casino?" Yuli casually suggested, "Without a casino, wouldn't your dad have nowhere to gamble?"
"If they want to gamble, they don’t even need a casino. Just a deck of cards is enough to win or lose over a hundred thousand." Lin Jin scoffed. His dad used to bring friends home to play cards all night long.
Yuli shrugged her shoulders, implying that Lin Jin's dad was beyond saving.
Really, was he beyond saving?
Lin Jin lay flat on the bed, staring blankly at the mottled ceiling, and dully recollected the times when his parents and brother were all together.
Maybe he is...
Ploania Translator's Note: Casinos are illegal in China
Dad went out drinking again.
Lin Jin sighed helplessly, feeling that his dad wasn't genuinely trying to change and work hard these days. Instead, he might be trying to win back the money he'd lost in the casino.
Why is it like this? For Dad, is hanging out with his drinking buddies more important than reuniting with Mom and having a happy family?
He squatted somewhat depressed on the bed, leaning against the headboard and looking down at the blanket. He was beginning to feel despair about his dad.
Sure enough, leopards can’t change their spots! No wonder people online always say that once you're addicted to gambling or drugs, your life is over.
"Hey, black cat, what should I do now?" Lin Jin gloomily asked his phone lying next to his foot.
The phone lit up, and the black cat was squatting in the center of the screen, tilting its head and looking at Lin Jin. "This is your problem, what does it got to do with me?"
"I just wanted some advice from you" Lin Jin pursed his lips, tears glinting in his eyes as he looked pitifully at the black cat.
Staring at Lin Jin's teary eyes, Black Cat remained silent for a moment before violently shaking its head to the side and spitting out a pile of black and white vomit.
"Can you not use that trick on me? Acting pitiful won't work on me, okay?" The next moment, the black cat became serious, disdainfully looking at Lin Jin, who was putting on a tearful act. "I'm not unaware of your acting skills, so quit the act and go away."
"Tch." Lin Jin immediately retracted his pitiful look, wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, and adopted a more earnest expression before asking the black cat again, "What do you think it would take for my dad to quit gambling and drinking? If he continues like this, not only will my mom never get back with him, but I’ll also want to run away from home."
"I think..." the black cat tilted its head and thought for a moment before finally shruggly like a human "He's hopeless."
"Then why did you give me a task asking for family harmony?" Lin Jin's mouth twitched. Did this black cat already decide that he couldn't complete the task before issuing it?
"Exactly, family harmony doesn't necessarily require your dad to quit gambling or drinking, right? As long as your mom can tolerate it, can't the family still live in harmony?" the black cat spouted nonsense to Lin Jin with complete seriousness.
Can the family ever be at peace if dad keeps gambling? It’s already a miracle if his parents don’t fight every day, okay?
This black cat was clearly not a reliable entity to ask for help from. Lin Jin felt grateful that the cat hadn't made things worse. Especially when Liu Shengqi had been bothering him earlier, he was relieved that the black cat didn't add a task to flirt with Liu Shengqi. It’s divine intervention that the black cat wasn't causing trouble.
"Quickly go away." Lin Jin disdainfully waved his hand at the black cat and flipped his phone face down on the bed before putting it on silent.
He turned over and laid down on the bed, intending to read a novel on his phone. But just a few minutes after lying down and finding a novel he liked, the doorbell rang again.
Dad had gone out to drink, and he had keys, so the one ringing the doorbell should be... Shi Yuli, who had screwed him over and then run away.
Well, if she screwed him over, so be it. There's nothing much to lose, and right now he really needs someone to discuss how to get his dad to quit those bad habits.
But first! He must find a hat. Otherwise, his bald head will surely be the subject of ridicule from Yuli.
After putting on a hat, Lin Jin took a deep breath and leisurely walked to the door. He adjusted his hat once more before opening it.
Behind the door was indeed Shi Yuli, wearing a smile on her face. This person had an extremely lewd smile on her face. She clearly wanted to mock Lin Jin for getting pestered after crossdressing.
"Lin Jin~" Yuli started, grinning as she approached him, "How are things with Liu Shengqi? Have you set a time for your next date yet? If you two actually end up together, remember to invite me for drinks."
"Dream on" Lin Jin rolled his eyes. He knew very well that the girl in front of him was joking so he was not angry. He simply turned around and walked towards his bedroom. "Remember to close the door."
"I know, I know."
Yuli closed the door behind her and curiously looked at the hat on Lin Jin's head. Suddenly, she lunged at him and snatched the hat off: "Why are you wearing a hat at home?"
Then Yuli froze, staring at Lin Jin's short hair through which the scalp could be seen.
"What do you think?" Lin Jin had no particular emotions. Just a sense of resignation as he picked up his hat from the floor and put it back on with a sigh.
"Um... Actually, it's not bad-looking" Yuli stopped joking when she saw Lin Jin’s expression. She followed him into the room, trying to comfort him. "Really, you're handsome, so you look good even when bald. I just didn't react earlier."
"Stop talking" Lin Jin's eyelids twitched as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed. He looked back at Yuli, who had just entered. "Why are you here so late?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know how things are going with Liu Shengqi" Shi Yuli giggled, almost as if she had 'gossip' written on her forehead. "Did you scold him away? Did he say anything weird to you?"
"Isn't this all your doing?" Lin Jin gave her a look. "He said that even if I'm a guy, he could accept me transitioning..."
"Pfft." Hearing this, Yuli's eyes went wide. She even covered her belly with her hands, laughing, pointed at Lin Jin and asked while laughing, "Haha, did your head explode at that time? Pfft haha!"
"Alright, alright, let's drop it."
"Okay." She immediately became serious, rubbed her cheeks with her hands, cleared her throat, and even offered an explanation for her behavior. "Who told you to go to the gathering dressed as a woman?"
Lin Jin, of course, couldn't say it was because of the black cat's task. He just self-mockingly said, "My head wasn’t working."
"By the way, what do you think my dad should do to quit gambling?" Lin Jin moved on to the real issue, straightened his back, and asked Yuli, "I remember your dad used to gamble too. How did he quit back then?"
"My dad?" Yuli thought back, her dad's gambling habit occurred when she was about seven or eight years old, so she couldn’t remember too clearly. "He didn't seem to gamble much. Just for two or three months. After sinking ten thousand or so my mom found out."
"At that time, my mom said she would divorce him and take me with her. My dad kneeled and begged my mom, and he hasn't gambled since then" Yuli tilted her head and told Lin Jin. "Your dad is still gambling even after getting divorced? He must be hopeless then, right?
"No, anyone can be saved. Even drug addicts can quit" Although Lin Jin said so, he was actually not very confidant in his father. Although his dad had said he wouldn't gamble anymore, his tone was clearly hesitant. Who knows, he might be at a casino with his drinking buddies right now.
"Why not call the police to raid the casino?" Yuli casually suggested, "Without a casino, wouldn't your dad have nowhere to gamble?"
"If they want to gamble, they don’t even need a casino. Just a deck of cards is enough to win or lose over a hundred thousand." Lin Jin scoffed. His dad used to bring friends home to play cards all night long.
Yuli shrugged her shoulders, implying that Lin Jin's dad was beyond saving.
Really, was he beyond saving?
Lin Jin lay flat on the bed, staring blankly at the mottled ceiling, and dully recollected the times when his parents and brother were all together.
Maybe he is...
Ploania Translator's Note: Casinos are illegal in China
