Chapter 105: Lies

The young boy cleared his throat and then, with all the solemn effort of imitation, tried to speak in the same tone Constant made his own.

A child's voice and an adult's voice were never the same. No matter how hard a little one tried to disguise himself as a grown-up, the deception was easy to see through at a single hearing.

Sure enough, the young officer recognized him at once.

"You must be the young commander, Yangyang, am I right?" He knew every detail of the family’s affairs, even the news that Constant had recently been blessed with a son.

"You know me?" Yangyang was genuinely startled. If memory served, he had never met this little officer before.

"Commander Katrina told me all about you. Of course I know you." The man's laughter was sincere, and Yangyang's affection for him rose at once.

"And I also heard my colleagues talking about you. They said you once showed your might on the great river and brought down that huge salmon in just a few moves."

"Your deeds have long since spread through our logistics office. Everyone knows that in Commander Constant's home there lives a young chief whose strength and looks are both off the charts!"

"Hahaha, not that exaggerated, not that exaggerated at all!" Yangyang laughed loudly, a smug expression spreading over his face. Even his words carried a certain cockiness. "Truth be told, I'm really not that strong. It was mainly that rotten fish was too weak."

Yangyang was the sort of child who never knew the meaning of humility. Praise him once, and he would swell up to the sky.

"By the way, Young Commander Yangyang, what did you call me for? What can I do for you?"

Perhaps because the flattery had pleased him, Yangyang's tone grew much gentler too.

"The cable television bill at home is overdue. I need you to pay it for us. Whatever it costs, Commander Constant will reimburse you later."

"That is also what Commander Constant meant. He was watching a ball game just now, and halfway through, the television suddenly cut off for lack of payment."

"Now our screen is nothing but static, not even a glimpse of the game. Think about it: when you're in the middle of a good match and it suddenly becomes unwatchable, who wouldn't be anxious?"

"Right now Commander Constant is furious. He's insisting on smashing the television, and I can't stop him no matter what I do!"

"If you delay paying the bill any longer, Commander Constant and our television set are going to destroy each other together."

As he said this, a sly little smile curved at the corner of Yangyang's mouth. He stood on tiptoe and sneaked a glance toward the bedroom.

Seeing that Constant was still asleep and had not noticed what was happening in the living room, Yangyang finally let out a breath.

"No need, no need! It's only the television bill." This time the young officer was the one who could not hold back, his voice rising sharply.

"Tell Commander Constant for me that I'll pay it right away. You should still be able to catch the second half of the game."

After hanging up, the young officer hurriedly got dressed, snatched the car keys from the coffee table, and ran downstairs.

As he ran, he thought, Constant has always seemed like such an easygoing man. Who would have guessed his temper was so fierce?

It looks like I'll have to be careful when speaking to him from now on. If I say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing and make Commander Constant angry, that won't do at all....

By the time the sun was high overhead, Constant, who had been lounging in bed and sleeping late, finally stirred awake.

He stretched his limbs with force and felt refreshed, brimming with energy.

Waking up and stretching after sleep was indeed the proper way to open a beautiful day.

Just then, a foolishly earnest voice drifted to his ear: "Big Bear, Big Bear, wait for me, wait for me!"

Right behind it came a piece of unmistakably cartoonish background music, and then... Yangyang's peal of laughter, loud as ringing bells.

"Huh? What happened?" Constant sat up groggily, his expression dazed and puzzled.

Following the sound, he walked into the living room and saw Yangyang happily perched on a little stool, grinning at the television before him.

And the television... was playing the popular animated show of the moment.

"Did our television not have its bill paid?" Constant scratched his nest-like hair.

"Did I see wrong earlier? Was it actually not overdue, just out of signal at that moment?"

"It was overdue." Yangyang remained fully absorbed in the cartoon, not even bothering to turn his head, much less look at Constant.

"Then who paid the bill?" Constant was clearly baffled by Yangyang's answer and asked stupidly.

"I did." The young officer sat properly on the sofa, half-seated and half-hovering, and the moment he saw Constant, he scarcely dared breathe.

When he felt Constant's gaze fall on him, he immediately stood up from the sofa and bowed a full ninety degrees.

"Good day, sir. Welcome, Commander Constant, to your inspection!"

"Huh?"

His movements were so smooth, so fluid, so complete, that Constant was left staring blankly.

"Uh, Young Officer..." Constant began, a question mark almost visible on his forehead. "What happened?"

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Constant felt that the young officer seemed different today.

His smile especially seemed rather... well, especially humble.

"Didn't you ask me to go pay the television bill earlier?" The young officer's speech came out in the polished tone of an English butler, remarkably natural and easy on the ear. At that moment he seemed transformed into some aristocratic servant of the British upper class, full of noble bearing.

"When did I ever ask you to pay the television bill?" Constant was even more confused.

He glanced at Yangyang, who was watching TV, and noticed that the side of the boy's face had stiffened, his whole body tense. A suspicion formed in his mind.

"Did Yangyang ask you to do it?" he said, his face dark.

In this house there were only the two of them, so if it wasn't him, then it could only have been Yangyang's doing.

"I was only afraid of disturbing your sleep," Yangyang said weakly, ducking his little head. "It wouldn't be good to mess up your rest."

"Oh, right, don't forget to transfer the bill money to them later. We can't let them pay out of pocket for nothing, can we?"

"Little brat, you think you've grown some skills, do you?" Constant cracked his knuckles, each joint popping. "Lying at such a young age? Looks to me like you need a spanking!"

As he spoke, Constant rolled up his sleeves and lunged forward. Frightened, Yangyang sprang up from the stool in one leap and darted to hide behind the young officer.

"What did I do wrong? Tell me, what did I do wrong? I just wanted to watch television in peace, to watch Strong Baldy. Is that even wrong?"

Perhaps because the young officer stood in front of him, Yangyang felt a long-lost sense of safety, and in his relief he let slip the truth from his heart.

"You little brat, and you're still talking back? I'll break your legs!" Constant's eyes widened.

He was so angry his blood pressure seemed to shoot up and down at once.

In truth, he was not angry that Yangyang had spent money. He was angry that the child had learned to lie at such a young age.

"No need, no need, it's hardly anything at all." The young officer hurriedly raised a hand and shielded Yangyang tightly behind him. "It's normal for children to be a little mischievous. Please calm down, Commander Constant."

"I'll deal with you later." Constant shot Yangyang a glare. Since there was an outsider present, he could not go too far.

He took out his phone and transferred the television fee to the young officer, and somewhere deep inside, he felt a tiny pang of heartache.

To be honest, the bill was really expensive.

A whole thousand yuan. In the past, Constant would never have been willing to spend such money.

Back then, he had been the sort of man who would have split a single yuan into two halves to spend it, so hard pressed that even daily life had been a struggle.

"Xiao Li, you've really gone to a lot of trouble. I'll go out and buy some vegetables and make lunch for you. Stay and eat with us."

After changing clothes, Constant was about to head to the market.

"I wouldn't dare trouble you, sir." The young officer waved his hands repeatedly. "I'll head back now."

"Why be so polite?" Constant's tone left no room for refusal. "You've come to your own home. How could I let you leave on an empty stomach?"

Without waiting for the young officer to answer, Constant left the house at once.

Where he lived was a prosperous area in the very center of the city. Not far from his home was an old underground market for vegetables, one that the local residents loved to visit.

It was said that many years ago the place had been an air-raid shelter, with a vast interior and a network of passages leading everywhere.

Later, out of practical need, the government converted it into a market, thereby avoiding waste of resources.

Constant bought some vegetables, a side of ribs, and a few pounds of mutton at the market.

For convenience, he also picked up several ready-made appetizers to go with drinks.

Carrying his bulging bags of groceries home, Constant put on an apron and went into the kitchen.

"Sir, let me help you," the young officer said the moment he saw the setup, unable to sit still.

He sprang up from the sofa like a wound spring, helping wash the vegetables and then busying himself with chopping them. In an instant, the whole kitchen was filled with the young officer's busy, energetic back, working away with great relish.

"Xiao Li, I can handle it alone here." Constant quickly grabbed the basin from his hands. "Go sit on the sofa for a while and rest."

"Please don't stand on ceremony with me, Commander Constant." The young officer clung tightly to the basin and would not let go. "I often cook at home too. Washing and chopping vegetables are nothing to me."

"As the host, letting a guest help with the cooking is my failing, my poor hospitality," Constant tried to persuade the overly enthusiastic logistics man to take a break.

"Please, let me do this. Labor makes me honorable, labor makes me happy. If you don't let me labor, you're depriving me of my happiness!" The young officer was determined to uphold the creed that diligence leads to fortune, and not even the slightest bit would he waver.

Unable to outargue the logistics man, whose whole body seemed to be running on fuel and whose excitement was like a shot of blood, Constant could only let him be.

Still, whenever he found a moment to relax, Constant was left with a lingering doubt.

This young officer... had he always been so enthusiastic?

Why did he seem a little too enthusiastic today?

Almost like... a chick that had been frightened.