***********\nThe following day, three people set out from Harbin to return to Beijing together.\nIt was not until 5 o'clock did their plane arrive at its destination. The moment they stepped off there was someone already waiting to carry Yuan Zong's and Yuan Ru's luggage. Yuan Zong followed Xia Yao home.\nWhen they arrived at Xia Yao's doorsteps, Xia Yao snatched his backpack from Yuan Zong's hand and said, "Okay, you go first, I can see myself in."\nYuan Zong frowned worriedly, "I'll take you in!!"\n"No don't. Quickly leave, please."\nFor some unknown reason, Xia Yao would not let Yuan Zong inside the house. But the more he tries to chase Yuan Zong away, the more Yuan Zong wants to know the reason, the more he wants to follow Xia Yao inside. When Mrs Xia approached, these two were still pushing and pulling at the front door.\nThe door opened to present an austere shadow.\n"Xia Yao, come here right now!"\nXia Yao's chest shivered lightly as he glumly stepped inside, forgetting all about stopping Yuan Zong.\n"Ah ââ Ma! Ma!"\nXia Yao had barely made it in, and his legs weren't even steady when his ears feel straight into Mrs Xia's fingers. Pinching, pulling, turning, grabbing, 360 degrees, abnormally blistering movements being carried out with expertise.\nAt that time Yuan Zong's hands were full of luggage and Mrs Xia's ambush was so speedy that he did not have time to give a helping hand.\nXia Yao's face twisted in pain as he begged for mercy, "Ma, Ma, can you please give me some face? My friend is still here."\n\n"Give you face? Can I really give you face after what you have done?"\nYuan Zong couldn't take it anymore so he reached out to stop this situation.\nMrs Xia's grip was particularly tight, a normal person would never be able to pull her hand out, but with some kind of technique, and definitely not by force, Mrs Xia's fingers unwrapped itself and Xia Yao's ear was saved.\n"Auntie, please listen to me." Yuan Zong explained in his composed voice, "It was me who asked Xia Yao to come first. There was an urgent situation at my house so I asked him to come help, I should have notified you first, it's all my fault."\nMrs Xia wasn't going to be tricked easily, "You couldn't have at least given me a call even in an urgent situation? How long can a phone call take? Why did he need to sneak away? Is this boy intentionally defying us, or was it because he didn't want to go to the blind date?"\nBlind date? ... Yuan Zong narrowed his eyes. How come I have never heard of such thing?\nMrs Xia reached out to pinch her son's ear and all Yuan Zong could do was stand there and watch, not being able to do anything.\n"Aunty, it really was me who asked him to go. At that time he called me to announce that he had been given a few extra days of break, and I was just in need of a helping hand, so I called him up. The only reason why he didn't notify you was because he was afraid you wouldn't let him come."\nYuan Zong voice was sincere, steady, and especially persuasive. Even though Mrs Xia knew without a doubt that Yuan Zong only said that to rescue her son from danger, but after hearing Yuan Zong out, all of her anger had been depleted.\nTaking advantage of this chance, Xia Yao hurriedly opened his bag, handing his mum many gifts.\n"Ma, look at this, I bought you the sausages from Harbin. This was made by his relatives so it really has an authentic taste. And here is the bacon. Weren't you complaining about not receiving any for this year New Year's Eve? He made this big chunk all by hand..." A finger poked in Yuan Zong's direction, "I can guarantee you this is no joke. If you don't believe me then just take a sniff!"\nXia Yao quickly raised the dish to Mrs Xia's nose. For a veteran at the art of cooking, it only took her a whiff to know the quality of this dish.\n"You really smoked this yourself?" Mrs Xia raised her eyebrows at Yuan Zong with doubt.\nYuan Zong nodded.\nXia Yao continued offering bags of food after bags of food, introducing, "How about this, Ma, this is native Northeastern food, a meat stew with ginseng, deer antler...As far as it is the best delicacies of Dongbei, we've got it here for you."\nMrs Xia's attitude changed dramatically.\n"Next time you go out you need to notify me. If you dare do this one more time, I will rip your ears out!"\nXia Yao urgently nodded his head, "Yes, Ma!"\nAfter dealing with Mrs. Xia, Yuan Zong intended to leave so Xia Yao saw him to the door.\n"Does your ear still hurt?" Yuan Zong said.\nXia Yao said, "No, it doesn't, Just a little hot."\nYuan Zong lightly rolled the earlobe of Xia Yao in his finger, "You're an adult now, why does your mum still hit you?"\nXia Yao laughed soundly, "Who? That old woman? That's because she's too lonely."\n"Aunty has always been like that?"\n"Always! My ma's cane brought me up, meanwhile, my dad has never once touched me."\n"How did she hit you?"\n\nXia Yao described the event with vigor, "When I was young she used those chicken feather broomsticks to whip my butt, she would pull my pants down and 'pa pa pa', using all of her strengths. She would not allow me to cry; if I did, she would hit even harder."\nYuan Zong couldn't understand. In the public eyes, Mrs Xia was the epitome of a role model mother: a tender, caring mum who educates her son with guidance and encouraging criticism. In no way would anyone believe that she would ever raise a finger against her son. "How can your mother be like that?"\nYuan Zong's words made Xia Yao surprised, he has never seen this man so sad and down like this. Even when Yuan Zong meets a despicable, hated person, he would never show such emotions.\n"Well...Well, it's normal, right? Doesn't everyone get beaten when they were young? Didn't your parents hit you? Furthermore, aren't you the one who is always beaten people for a living? So don't judge my mum for disciplining me, okay?"\nYuan Zong didn't say anything, his face was still a dark cloud.\n"I'm going in." Xia Yao turned around.\nYuan Zong pulled him back, "What's with the blind date thing?"\n"Ah..." Xia Yao half turned his face back to say, "My father found me a girl during the New Years holidays and forced me to go see her."\n"And then?"\nXia Yao waved his hand, "I didn't go meet her!"\n"Do you have any plans to see her?"\nA wicked smile bubbled from Xia Yao's lips, "You tell me. Should I go meet her or not?"\nYuan Zong lowered his head a bit to stare straight into Xia Yao's eyes. His gaze burning a hole through Xia Yao.\n"You should ask yourself that question."\nThen Yuan Zong turned to leave.\nXia Yao humphed coldly: You really want to scare me? So what if the only person I can see now is you? (T_T The sweetness of it all! <3)\nBy the time Xia Yao walked inside, Mrs Xia was still holding the bacon and smelling it repeatedly.\n"Is it good?" Xia Yao chuckled.\n"Uhm, so appetizing." Mrs Xia could still not believe it, "Was this really made by that boy's hand? He doesn't look like someone who can cook to me!"\n"Then you are totally wrong, he not only knows how to cook, but he can do it well. Remember that lotus root dish you praised so much about? Actually, I didn't buy that, it was made by him and given to me."\nMrs Xia immediately became surprised, "Are you serious? He really possesses such skills?"\nXia Yao replied with a Dongbei saying, "Of course!"\n"Aiya, isn't this man the guy who came to visit you last time? He didn't even sit down for a drink before leaving. That training director of yours, right?"\n"Right right right, it's him."\nXia Yao suddenly became extremely excited. He started telling his mother about how Yuan Zong was once in the army, how he had gloriously built his own company from his two bare hands, about all the hardships he had to endure to be successful. Xia Yao's words all came from the heart, so lyrical and expressive making Mrs Xia's heart melt.\n"This young man is not so bad! Any girl would be lucky to be his wife."\nXia You couldn't nod his head anymore.\nMrs Xia glanced at him, "What are you doing stupidly standing there looking into space? I want you to learn from him!"\nXia Yao didn't say anything.\nA few days after that, Xia Yao returned to work like normal and then workload started piling up again. The winter break was gone in a split second, in its place was the consequences of the vacation. It proved true that too much indulgence comes with a price, like Xuan Da Yu and Xia Yao's relationship for example.\nXia Yao didn't think too much about it. When you're brothers you can hang out together if you miss one another, but if not, there is no reason to deliberately seek each other out. However, when Xia Yao came back, he went to find Xuan Da Yu, but his friend could not be reached by phone, and when he asked Peng Ze, his other friend didn't know either. So the only thing Xia Yao could do was to sacrifice his limited spare time to seek out Xuan Da Yu.\nHowever, the moment Xuan Da Yu saw Xia Yao, his eyes instantly cast down.\n"Why are you here?"\nXia Yao angrily said, "I couldn't contact you for days? How come you didn't pick up my calls?"\n"I also went looking for you, you know that? When I called, did you pick up?"\nXia Yao halted, "I was in Dongbei..."\n"That's right..." Xuan Da Yu flicked his wrist, "You told me you had to go to Dongbei to attend a crisis, so I don't want to inquire any further."\nXia Yao was taken back a little and couldn't speak for a minute.\n"Are you really angry with me?"\nXuan Da Yu nodded, "My heart is dead, it has lost all feelings."\nXia Yao giggled, thinking that Xuan Da Yu was just joking around, and so he used his arm to hook around Da Yu's neck, "Is it really that serious? Aren't I talking to you now, and didn't I pick up one of our calls?"\nTuyXuan Da Yu flung Xia Yao's hand away, his eyes turned serious. "Xia Yao, let me tell you something, I have endured enough of your antics, this is not about the phone calls but about your attitude. You have an important place in my heart, but just how much do I weigh in your heart, huh? Do you see me as a friend? Hiding all of those things from me. I'm sure your heart is as clear as a mirror!"\nXuan Da Yu shoved his hand inside Xia Yao's chest pocket and pulled out the set of house keys he had given to his best friend.\nXia Yao wanted to step through the doorway, but the door was slammed shut in front of him.\n***********\nSheng Shi has ended you guys :'(. Have you watched it? Some people were disappointed by the "rushed" ending, while others were happy enough that the drama was able to be aired. Either way, I hope you'll all continue this journey with us till the end of Shi Bu Ke Dang <3.\n\n