Chapter 1008: Leaving the Father and Keeping the Son

Hè Xiǎnmóu stood washing vegetables in the pond, with Zhou Ruò's words "I can't bear to let you go" echoing constantly in his mind.
He had been washing three tomatoes for almost five minutes before he finally snapped out of his thoughts.
After turning off the tap, Hè Xiǎnmóu walked to the island counter and placed the tomato on the cutting board before picking up the knife.
Thinking of his own appearance when he became soulless because of Zhou Ruoyi's words, he laughed at himself.
When Zhou Ruoyi spoke those words, He Xianmo's brain buzzed, as if something had exploded. Surprised, happy, excited...but these positive feedbacks did not last long, and he immediately thought of other issues.
——In that case, she doesn't know how many men she has said it to.
At least, he knows of two.
她在追蔡家禾的时候说过很多甜言蜜语，跟曾旭暧昧的时候更是什么话都说得出口，区区一句“舍不得你”，在她的世界里可能就跟“你好”是一个概念。
而他竟然因为这么一句话，产生了如此大的情绪波动，真是太可笑了。
贺显谟狠狠切开了菜板上的番茄，同时做了一个深呼吸。
He should be more clear-headed.
他对于周若来说一点都不特别，不过是因为她现在还有新鲜感，所以才愿意“哄”他一下，并不代表她真的为他费了心思。
Also, her allowance of him to "throw tantrums" is based on the novelty of their relationship.
But how long can her novelty last?
Prior to dating Cai Jiahe, she cheated on her previous boyfriend within a month of dating. She also cheated while flirting with Xu Shu during their time at the hospital. She may have even cheated with people he is unaware of...
The force of He Xianmen's cut on the tomato increased a lot, and his teeth clenched together.
Angry, but helpless.
——
贺显谟晚上做的是北非蛋，他中午那顿饭没吃多少就撞上了曾旭，确实饿了。
But when the meal was ready, I didn't feel like eating.
贺显谟将铸铁锅端上桌的时候，周若正好洗完澡过来找水喝。
看到贺显谟做的晚餐之后，周若随口问：“是不是没面包了？”

Hé Xiǎnmèn didn't answer.
Zhōu Ruò pointed to the cabinet, "There are rice cakes inside, you can make do with them."
贺显谟“哦”了一声，按周若的提示拿出了饼干，坐在了餐桌前。
本以为周若拿完水就要走了，但她居然就这么坐在了他对面，似乎是要看着他吃。
He was already feeling very unsettled, and seeing her made him even more uncomfortable.
"Do you want to eat?" He Xianmo searched for something to say.
Zhou Ruo: "Not hungry, I ate a lot after you answered the phone."
He Xianmo: "Oh."
Buzz ~~~~
Just when Zhou Ruo wanted to chat with He Xianmo, her phone suddenly rang.
She picked it up and saw that it was a call from Lianwan.
Without avoiding He Xianyi, Zhou Ruo answered in front of him, "Mom."
贺显谟方才并没有去瞄周若的手机，本以为是什么男人给她的电话，埋头准备吃饭的时候，却听见了这个称呼。
Hu Yanmen's attention immediately focused on the phone call.
He has been curious about the parents of Zhou Ruo recently, and now he has the opportunity to gain some insight into it.
From Zhou Ruo's tone, it seems that she has a good relationship with her mother, and it doesn't even seem like the typical relationship between an elder and a younger person.
“想啊，当然想。”她笑眯眯的，“好，我圣诞假期就回去，不走了，天天跟你睡一起怎么样？看我爸会不会先受不了把我赶出家门。”
这话确实不像晚辈和长辈说的——贺显谟一直觉得，他的家庭氛围算是比较好的了，父母虽然都是教授，但他父母的掌控欲不算特别强，至少比他身边了解到的那些教师家庭要好得多。
He has a good relationship with his parents, but it is based on the relationship between elders and juniors, and they both adhere to clear boundaries.
Zhou Ruo is obviously not the same type.
The attitude can be seen from her conversation with her mother.
"Please let me go." He Xianmo suddenly heard Zhou Ruo pleading, his voice very helpless, "If you really want to take the child, hurry up and make an appointment with Zhu Zhu."
"I just want to take you." Lian Wan confidently said, "You have plenty of high-quality men around you. Choose one who is willing to provide you with sperm. If that doesn't work, you can date him for a few months and then go to a fertility clinic."
"Pfft." Zhou Ruo couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you asking me to commit fraud?"
"If you refuse to go to the gene bank for a test tube, then this is the only way," Li Wan let out a snort.
"Okay, okay, I will seriously consider it." Zhou Ruo couldn't provoke her, so she had to appease her and say, "Can we talk about this after I return home for the Christmas holiday?"
Zhou Ruo comforted Lian Wan with coaxing and lies, and after hanging up the phone, helplessly smiled.
周若听筒的声音不算特别高，虽然餐厅里很安静，但贺显谟对那边的内容听得并不真切，只是听见了连湾说什么“提供精子”、“去父留子”之类的，再结合周若的回应，便猜得出他们在谈什么了。
周若今天才说过，她父母对她唯一的要求是希望她有个孩子……
看来是真的很希望，连“去父留子”这种话都说出来了，她父母的观念实在是太超前。
He Que Xianmu wanted to ask something, but after Zhou Ruo finished the phone call, he did not talk to him about it, so He Que Xianmu held back.
——
Entering deep autumn, the rain in London became more frequent, almost every day was cloudy.
In mid-November, Zhou Ruo was sent on a half-month business trip to Belgium by the company.
He Xianmo learned about the news on the third day after Zhou Ruo arrived in Brussels. It happened to be a Friday and he had not heard from her for a few days, so he sent her a message asking if she wanted to meet up over the weekend.
Zhou Ruo mentioned the business trip when replying.
At the moment he received the message, He Xianmo felt a little aggrieved, but upon reflection, he felt he had no right to be angry.
They were not in a serious boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, and they couldn't even be considered as friends with benefits.
周若不关心他的隐私和行程，更没有义务事无巨细地跟他汇报工作和生活上的安排。
贺显谟盯着消息看了很久，最后回了三个字过去：【知道了】
一般这种情况下，周若就不会再回他的消息了，于是贺显谟准备放下手机。
However, this time, she sent an unprecedented message.
Zhou Ruo: [Coming back on the 25th, will bring you a gift.]
贺显谟翻了一下日历，二十五号那天是礼拜二：【几点】
Zhou Ruo: 【?】
He Xianmo: 【What time should I go?】
Zhou Ruo: 【Aren't you working?】
贺显谟皱起眉：【我以为你发我日期的意思是让我过去，可能我误会了吧】
Zhou Ruo: 【Why do you want to see me?】
He Xianmo: 【So so】
Zhou Ruo: 【If you are convenient, come over, don't affect your work】
He Xianmo: 【What do you want to eat?】
Zhou Ruo: 【Why do I feel like you're feeding pigs?】