CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228 ORIGINAL SIN 37

Startled by the sudden scream of a man, everyone’s faces turned toward the source of the sound with unease, including the bosses, Shuangshuang and Feng Jinyan. Shuangshuang even thought, ’Is this guy here to cause trouble?’

Several women turned their heads and saw a somewhat overweight man with a big beard and long ponytail rushing over like a gust of wind. He circled around the group of women several times, clicking his tongue repeatedly, "The quality of these clothes is really good, and the hair accessories are beautiful, no worse than the costume props in period dramas!"

After looking at the clothes and accessories, Li Ming’s eyes fell on everyone’s faces, full of amazement, "It’s so rare to see so many beauties! Ladies, would you like to act in my movie?"

The women exchanged glances and all frowned. The meaning was clear in their eyes as they looked at each other: despite his slightly non-mainstream look, his clothes were neat and tidy. How could he be a lunatic? Which mental hospital left its doors unlocked, allowing a patient to escape!

Wan Yan and Feng Jing, who entered with Li Ming, saw the group of women looking at Li Ming as if he were crazy. Their faces turned awkward; Wan Yan wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in immediately.

Feng Jing raised a hand to his forehead, feeling utterly embarrassed to have such a childhood friend who often had sudden outbursts of madness. Sighing, Feng Jing stepped forward, grabbed the collar of an oblivious Li Ming, who was still circling the women with a happy expression, and pulled him over to throw at Wan Yan.

He left Wan Yan to keep an eye on Li Ming to prevent further chaos. Only then did Feng Jing put on a bright smile, "Ladies, I sincerely apologize. My friend is a director, involved in the entertainment and film industry, and a bit eccentric. He meant no harm, and I apologize on his behalf for his rudeness. Please don’t take offense at his discourtesy."

"A filmmaker! What an unusual hobby!" This was Zhao Ying speaking, her tone somewhat unpleasant, primarily because, aside from Sister Mei being startled, the main thing was that Qiangqiang had been frightened.

When Li Ming let out that scream, Qiangqiang immediately struggled fiercely out of Lu Jian’s embrace, landing directly on the ground in a heavy fall. Yet, as if not feeling any pain, Qiangqiang quickly crawled to his grandmother’s side.

Once there, Qiangqiang stretched out his hands to tightly hug Professor Zhang’s leg, curling up like a kitten by the professor’s leg, shivering.

This reaction from Qiangqiang broke the hearts of Professor Zhang and Zhao Ying. At the moment, Professor Zhang, Zhao Ying, and Yun Shuangshuang, the people Qiangqiang could accept, were surrounding him, carefully comforting him, but Qiangqiang continued to shiver.

Yun Shuangshuang placed her hand on Qiangqiang’s back, feeling the protruding bones beneath her hand, shivering uncontrollably. She felt a bit puzzled. Can autism really cause someone to be so scared because of a sudden shout from someone else?

Professor Zhang, who was coaxing Qiangqiang, noticed Yun Shuangshuang’s confusion. This usually dignified elder displayed rare anger, gritting his teeth, "Qiangqiang is like this because of that bastard father of his!"

Professor Zhang’s eyes reddened, "That bastard liked to beat Qiangqiang. Before every beating, he’d shout at him, then start hitting, and he’d hit really hard! Qiangqiang has developed a psychological shadow; whenever he hears a man shout, he thinks he’s about to be beaten."

Understanding why Qiangqiang was like this was of no use. Despite how Yun Shuangshuang, Professor Zhang, and Zhao Ying tried to comfort Qiangqiang, assuring him that no one would beat him or harm him, Qiangqiang still shook uncontrollably.

Because Qiangqiang was severely traumatized, Zhao Ying, his mother, was deeply heartbroken. Even though she knew it wasn’t deliberate, she couldn’t help but speak sharply when Feng Jing apologized.

Although her words weren’t pleasant, Zhao Ying was not unreasonable; she was just a heartbroken mother. So after snapping at Feng Jing, she immediately returned to comforting Qiangqiang, not intending to pursue the issue further.

It wasn’t a big deal; other people didn’t take it to heart either and all magnanimously expressed that they were willing to let it go—just a little scare.

Seeing that Qiangqiang was still very frightened, Shuangshuang left her mother, Feng Jinyan, to entertain the guests. She took Professor Zhang and Zhao Ying, both holding Qiangqiang, out of Red Dust, planning to go to the nearby waterfall group for a bit of play.

The waterfall group was the most beautiful scenery nearby, not far from Red Dust. In the past, Qiangqiang particularly enjoyed playing there. However, the temperature and humidity at the waterfall were high, and Qiangqiang was physically weak, so he could only go fully equipped and play for a short while. But every visit left Qiangqiang particularly happy.

As expected, after a play at the waterfall, Qiangqiang’s state improved, only appearing a bit timid. Rarely, he didn’t want to stay in the beautiful hall but clung to Shuangshuang’s leg instead.

Seeing Qiangqiang so fond of Shuangshuang, and with Shuangshuang patiently coaxing Qiangqiang, Professor Zhang and Zhao Ying were both touched and a bit embarrassed.

Yun Shuangshuang, however, didn’t think much of it. Qiangqiang, quiet and well-behaved, was easy to coax and much more likable than rowdy kids. Feeling Qiangqiang’s trust as he hugged her leg, Shuangshuang’s heart softened, and she decided to make some snacks to cheer him up.

Yun Shuangshuang made rose pastry and the internet-famous meringue! The rose pastry was a bit labor-intensive to make, and the meringue’s method was simple: two egg whites with powdered sugar beaten to form, then shaped and slowly baked for two hours on low heat—time-consuming but straightforward.

She started with the meringue, and once it was in the oven, she proceeded with the rose pastries. Considering the number of guests today and the high power consumption of the large oven in the kitchen, Yun Shuangshuang made a big batch of rose pastries and meringues in one go.

For the main meal, Shuangshuang planned to serve hotpot. As she carried out the snacks, everyone was still present in the hall, and the atmosphere was quite nice. As Shuangshuang came out with the snacks, everyone’s eyes were drawn to her, most notably Li Ming’s gaze.

As Shuangshuang placed down the tray and set out the two neatly arranged large plates on the table, Li Ming eagerly grabbed a rose pastry and began to eat.

Sitting next to him, Feng Jing felt like covering his face again. Although he knew his childhood friend had a hearty appetite and even he felt tempted by the aroma, maintaining dignity and face couldn’t be disregarded! This starving-like behavior was shameful!

Li Ming didn’t care about his friend’s mental turmoil. As soon as he took a bite, his eyes lit up. The taste of the rose pastry was exquisite, the crust so crispy it almost melted in his mouth. The filling had an intense rose fragrance without the typical astringency and was sweet without being cloying.