Chapter 52: Disturbances in the Video Game Room

Book:Beloved by the Hardhearted Avenger Published:2024-5-1

After the film, it’s still quite early. As Ding Manman has not talked to Fang Hao yet, she suggests a lunch together, after which they can go to the video game room in the afternoon. Ding Qi, as a little child who enjoys having fun, happily agrees with this suggestion. An Ya, with the purpose of destroying the relationship between Ding and Fang, as well as spending more time with Fang, also agrees. And since the other three all give their approval, Fang Hao naturally shows no disagreement. With their decision made, the four finish their lunch in a hurry and take a short rest before they leave for the video game room. Actually Ding Manman seldom goes to the video game room. She remembers that she went there with Fang Hao for the first time and they had many beautiful memories there. So Ding hopes that with former love, Fang Hao can offer help to her family and save the Ding’s company from bankruptcy. After a while, the four arrive at the video game room. Fang Hao is not so insensitive as to forget his happy days with Ding Manman here while they were in school. And An Ya, as Fang’s pursuer and Ding’s good friend, naturally knows that Fang and Ding had beautiful memories here, of which she feels extremely jealous. Therefore, An decides to destroy this sacred land in Ding’s heart through stepping in during their play, so that Ding Manman will remember not only her own happy time with Fang Hao, but also An’s good time with Fang.
However, these malicious ideas of An Ya are not open to others. Even if Fang Hao never likes An Ya, he doesn’t consider her as such a mean woman. And Ding Manman, who trusts An Ya so deeply, absolutely won’t think badly of her at all. However, in the future Ding Manman will come to know what her best friend, who she has treated sincerely, has done to hurt her. As a boy, Ding Qi is naturally interested in things like automobiles. After Ding Manman gives him the exchanged game currency, Ding Qi runs at full speed, like a horse getting rid of its reins, towards the automobile race. Sitting over there, Ding Qi asks Ding Manman to play with him: “Sister, come here and play with me! This game needs two people to play together. Let’s have a race.” Looking at Ding Qi’s smiling face, Ding Manman feels slightly relaxed, and answers: “OK, wait for a moment, I am coming soon. But don’t play this game only. There are many other interesting games worth playing. So look around after this ends.” “I know, sister. I am not a child anymore, so stop telling me these again and again. Don’t worry.” Ding Qi forces himself to sound mature. Hearing these, Ding Manman can’t help smiling. Being a doting sister, Ding Manman nips Ding Qi’s cheek and joins him.
While playing with Ding Qi, Ding Manman also keeps an eye on Fang Hao and An Ya. As if she comes here for the first time, An Ya is clinging to Fang Hao and is asking him how to play those video games one by one. Fang Hao wants to get rid of her and goes to talk with Ding Manman. However, although An Ya is already not a child, she is too insensitive to find that Fang Hao has been annoyed by her, so An shamelessly keeps badgering Fang. Waiting for a long time, Ding Manman still has no chance to talk with Fang Hao alone. So she has to entrust the waiter with Ding Qi, in case that the boy gets lost. Then, Ding Manman leaves there on the plea of going to the restroom where she washes her face and thinks the matter over. She knows that she must live up to her parents’ expectations and save their company from bankruptcy, which means that she has to beg Fang Hao for forgiveness. Despite her hesitation, Ding Manman finally decides to call Fang Hao and asks him to stay with her alone for a while. On the other side, depending on what she has known about Ding Manman, An Ya understands everything when Ding finds an excuse to leave.
Knowing clearly that Ding wishes to talk about something alone with Fang Hao, An thinks secretly: “Humph! No way! I have fallen in love with Fang Hao for so many years, and now Mrs. Fang also thinks highly of me and agrees with my marriage with Fang Hao. So I am bound to seize this chance to stop the reconciliation between Fang Hao and Ding Manman. I will absolutely not let them become reconciled! What’s more, Ding Manman has already become a loose woman, what right does she have to be together with such a perfect man as Fang Hao? Stop your daydream, Ding Manman!” Next, holding one of Fang’s arms, An Ya says to him: “I have never played shooting games. The movie we watched just now made me very touched, so now I feel like a try. Could you please play this shooting game with me?” Despite slight unwillingness, Fang Hao remembers An Ya’s cry during watching the movie; besides, An Ya doesn’t seems so bad as he thinks, so Fang Hao agrees. After her firm decision to call Fang Hao, Manman finds her call is not answered for a long while, which makes her very anxious, like a cat on hot bricks. If this time she fails, it will be hard for her to meet Fang Hao again.
After several calls, Ding Manman still receives no answer. Reluctantly, she finally leaves the restroom. Back to the video game room, Ding Manman immediately sees Fang Hao and An Ya standing over there, playing shooting game together. It seems that they are having a very happy chat, which makes Ding Manman heart-broken. She thinks that it is nearly impossible for Fang Hao to reconcile with her. At this instant, feeling tired, Ding Qi runs back to Ding Manman and shakes one of her hands: “Sister, I am tired, let’s go home.” Looking down at her little brother, and then at Fang Hao who doesn’t want to stay alone with her, Ding Manman nods to Ding Qi: “OK.” Ding Manman is prepared to tell Fang Hao that they are leaving, but at this moment, Fang and An also end their game and walk towards Ding’s direction. It seems that Fang Hao wants to explain something to Ding Manman, as if to explain the reasons why he played games so happily with An Ya, but Ding doesn’t give him this chance: “Hao, An Ya, Qiqi is tired now. I am going to bring him home.”
Thinking about Ding Manman, Fang Hao says: “Manman, I have played enough as well. Let me drive you two home.” Before Ding Manman nods, An Ya, who stands aside, suddenly covers her belly and utters a shrill cry. Then, she asks Fang Hao to drive her to the hospital. Looking at the pain on An Ya’s face, Fang Hao feels that she is not pretending, so he gives Ding Manman a hesitant look. Seeing her friend being so painful, Ding Manman cannot be so cruel as to make Fang Hao stay with her: “Hao, drive An’an to the hospital. I will call our own driver who will come here quickly. You two go first.” Gaining Ding Manman’s agreement, Fang Hao carries An Ya in his arms and turns away without any delay. Following them with her eyes, Ding Manman feels her heart hurts with deep loneliness.