Chapter 291: Chapter 284 You Are Sick Chapter 291: Chapter 284 You Are Sick Qin Tao always ran out after arguing with his family. Last time, in a fit of emotion, he was kicked out to Chuhua City, but this time, he came on his own, which made his parents so angry they smashed several mobile phones.

Now, Qin Tao had gotten a new SIM card in Chuhua City just to avoid being held accountable. As for coming to Chuhua City, one reason was to see Ermao’s girlfriend, and the other was to blow off some steam. In Qin Tao’s own words, he was feeling upset and came to chat with his brothers. When he arrived in Chuhua City, he went straight to Ermao, not even stopping by his uncle’s place. There are relatives with whom you get along well, and others whom you can’t stand at a glance. To save trouble, Qin Tao simply chose not to see any of them.

Seeing Zheng Tan made Qin Tao very happy. As he went upstairs, he even called Zheng Tan to join him for a meal, as he had brought quite a bit of food with him when he came.

Now, a single bed had been set up in the study room at Ermao’s place. When Qin Tao saw it, he squinted at Ermao and teased, “Damn, the lovebirds are sleeping in separate rooms now!”

Ermao flipped him off. “It’s for Heimi to sleep on.”

“Yeah right, as if I’d believe you.”

“Want me to take you in? I can ask Heimi to make room.”

“No need, I have a place in Chuhua City, and I have company at night. There’s no shortage of little demons who want to be with me.”

Qin Tao wasn’t keen on talking about family matters. When Ermao asked if he had run into any trouble, Qin Tao didn’t want to mention it, so Ermao just talked about the fun of a recent trip he took to lighten the mood.

Zheng Tan, bored, went to watch Heimi play with toys. After fattening up, Heimi had become quite round, and if this belly had been on the old Heimi, it would have certainly raised suspicions of kittens on the way. Speaking of kittens, just recently, when Ermao took Heimi to the Pet Center for a regular check-up, someone advised him to have Heimi neutered. But Ermao refused, insisting that having kittens was the business of two cats. Not wanting to neuter Heimi, Ermao considered taking Huasheng Tang instead, but unfortunately, he not only failed to catch Huasheng Tang to do the deed, but also got scratched in the process. As a result, the conflict between this man and cat escalated, creating hostility at every encounter.

Smack!

The sound of a lighter being slammed to the ground startled Heimi, who jumped off the sofa and ran to hide next to Gong Qin, then warily watched the people in the living room.

Zheng Tan looked over.

The lighter on the ground belonged to Qin Tao. The guy had been trying to smoke, but the lighter wouldn’t light after several attempts. In a fit of anger, he threw it down, but the quality of the lighter was good—it didn’t break apart despite the force of the throw. It probably wouldn’t light because it was out of fuel.

Even so, Qin Tao wouldn’t normally get so angry over a lighter not working. Looking at the shocked expression on Ermao’s face, it was clear he hadn’t expected Qin Tao to react like this.

Was he having a fit of irritability?

The first time Zheng Tan saw “Beast” brother today, he felt that something was off with the guy. He could sense an uncomfortable aura around him.

“Beast” brother had always given Zheng Tan the impression of being irresponsible, but not irritable. Like when Zheng Tan first met “Beast” brother and ended up covered in bird droppings because of his brother’s ridiculous stalking skills, he never saw him get angry. And that time at the normal university when “Beast” brother got beaten up and looked like a pig’s head, he never lost his temper like this.

Some people erupt like volcanoes when they’re angry, and it shows in their actions while others seem calm on the outside. Zheng Tan remembered when “Beast” brother got tricked into a beating and drove off in a smashed up car, he also appeared relatively calm. These kinds of people might not be too smart, but they knew how to restrain themselves, not the type to act on impulse easily.

So, it was quite surprising to see “Beast” brother enraged because his hand was pinched.

Was he going through an early midlife crisis, or was it just that time of the month?

Ermao and Qin Tao had grown up together and knew each other well, and he never knew Qin Tao to be someone who became violent over minor issues. Given their backgrounds, people like them had to be more restrained, especially in front of elders, as their future prospects were closely tied to the elders’ impressions of them. The higher one climbs, the more they must learn to hold back and disguise.

Ermao waved to Gong Qin to signal her not to worry, then said to Qin Tao, “I say, Beast, what’s wrong with you?”

Qin Tao scratched his head irritably, “Nothing. I’ve just been in a bad mood lately.” Perhaps realizing his behavior was inappropriate, he turned to Gong Qin in the room, who was comforting Heimi, and forced a smile, “Sorry, I didn’t control my emotions well.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Ermao asked.

“I’m fine.”

Seeing Qin Tao really didn’t want to talk about it, Ermao didn’t press any further. Although he wasn’t paying much attention to Qin Tao’s situation now, based on what he knew from the past, it was probably family issues affecting his mood. Repressing his emotions for too long could lead to such instability. There were quite a few in Qin Tao’s family who disapproved of him, especially considering that many saw him as a good-for-nothing playboy.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. Tonight, I’ll take you out to relax,” Ermao said, then turned to Zheng Tan, “Heitan, let’s go out and have some fun tonight.

”
Zheng Tan was examining Heimi’s toy mouse, the one that kept irritatingly rolling around when wound up. Watching it made Zheng’s hands itch with irritation—he was dying to slap it away or press down on its neck. It was rare to see Heimi so happily playing with it. He glanced over when he heard Ermao’s words, suspecting that going out at night probably meant heading to “Triumph.”

Anyway, since there was nothing to do in the evening, it didn’t matter much to go out and have some fun.

This time Gong Qin didn’t join them and stayed home playing with Heimi, letting the two men have a good talk.

After the Jiao family had dinner, Ermao came upstairs to find Zheng Tan. Hearing that they were going to “Triumph,” Jiao Ma didn’t say much. She was used to this kind of thing by now.

And so, the three men casually made their way to “Triumph,” not bothering to drive since it wasn’t far and they plan to drink. Driving after drinking wasn’t a good idea.

Hearing that Zheng Tan had a private room in “Triumph,” Qin Tao proposed they hang out there today and experience the pleasure of the cat room.

However, Qin Tao’s good mood disappeared upon arriving at Hengwu Square.

“Look who it is! Cousin, eh?” A well-dressed “young elite” came over with a beauty in his arms.

Qin Tao’s cousin, who never got along well with him, often exchanged sarcastic remarks. He hadn’t expected to run into Qin Tao while accompanying a girl from a nearby university shopping, and immediately he couldn’t help sneering.

If this had been the old Qin Tao, he would probably have returned the sneer with a smile. But the current Qin Tao was not in the right mood. The smidgeon of a smile on his face instantly turned dark.

Seeing Qin Tao’s reaction, the “young elite” didn’t intend to let it go, “Cousin, can’t make it in Mingzhu City, so you’re here to do what? Oh, right, I forgot you’re in a period of reflection. I suggest you get your head checked at the hospital. Mental illness is not a trivial matter. Don’t let it turn into a nervous breakdown. There will be many VIPs at grandpa’s birthday. You don’t want to embarrass yourself like you did at uncle’s, do you? It’s just you losing face, but don’t drag us all down with you!”

“What the hell are you saying! Looking for a fight, are you?” Qin Tao rolled up his sleeves, ready to start swinging, but Ermao held him back.

Ermao knew well that his cousin’s intelligence wasn’t the sharpest, and scheming wasn’t his strong suit—he was just insufferably cheeky. But such people are actually easier to deal with compared to those who keep everything close to their chest. So, there was no need to take him seriously. It was all just lip service, better to respond in kind than get physical. Going physical would only weaken their position and provide others with an excuse to criticize Qin Tao.

“What, did I say something wrong? Can’t admit to embarrassing yourself? Is your brain damaged? Is your condition getting worse? Did you take your ‘medicine’ on time today?” Qin Tao’s cousin added another sneering comment. Although worried that Qin Tao might have another psychotic episode, he kept a disdainful expression, lifted his chin, and prepared to leave with the beauty in his arms. But he accidentally stepped on something, slipped, and fell face-first to the ground.

While Qin Tao’s cousin wasn’t short and was quite robust, his fall was worsened by attempting to grab the delicate beauty who was trying to help him without any luck—not only due to her frail build but also due to her nearly ten-centimeter high heels—resulting in both tumbling down embarrassingly as nearby onlookers witnessed the spectacle. The adults might have restrained themselves, but children, unaware of offending anyone, burst out laughing openly.

Qin Tao, who had been on the verge of lashing out like an enraged dragon held in check by Ermao, suddenly forgot his anger at the sight and burst into laughter, his face twisting with mirth.

While Zheng Tan remained detached, he had just seen a kid clutching a box of glass beads run past, dropping one from the unsecured lid. The glass bead had rolled to Zheng’s feet, and he simply nudged it towards Qin Tao’s cousin’s feet, just to see what would happen. As it turned out, Zheng Tan was quite lucky, or rather, Qin Tao’s cousin was incredibly unlucky, having fallen for it and dragging the girl in his arms down with him, who happened to be wearing a very short skirt.

Compared to Zhuo Xiaomao’s consequences of pranking others, Qin Tao’s cousin was relatively lucky—even if he was hurt, it was just a scratch, nothing serious, unlike Zhang Dong, who ended up in pain because of Zhuo Xiaomao’s scheme.

After the pair picked themselves up and left, Qin Tao was still squatting on the ground, laughing so hard he was on the verge of tears.

Seeing Qin Tao like this, Zheng Tan’s whiskers twitched. This guy really did seem like a nutcase—didn’t he notice the kid backing off as if he had seen Godzilla?

Watching the figure who was still laughing on the ground panting for breath, Ermao’s eyes showed concern.

“Beast, you’re not okay,” Ermao said solemnly.

“What’s not okay? I just find that guy’s face hilarious. He’s asking for a beating. If it weren’t for my grandpa’s birthday and not wanting to cause trouble, I would’ve beaten him into a pig’s head long ago.”

“But you were about to get physical just now,” Ermao looked at Qin Tao, “Buddy, what’s really going on with you? Forget it, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s head to ‘Triumph.’
This time, Ermao truly intended to have a serious talk with Qin Tao.

As he pushed the still troubled Qin Tao toward “Triumph,” Ermao gave Zheng Tan a thumbs-up. Clearly, he had seen everything Zheng Tan did earlier.

Watching Qin Tao’s retreating back, Zheng Tan thought to himself that maybe this guy really did have a mental problem. He had always seen him as pretty normal, albeit a bit dumb and foolish. But such a sudden shift in temperament, without any major incident that Ermao mentioned happening to Qin Tao, could it be that sustained pressure had severely warped his personality, leading to his current erratic mood swings?

Another poor soul distorted by the pressures of life. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep