"Huanhuan, look at this."
Cheng Huan's father thumped his cup down on the table, splashing out a few more drops of coffee. He kept his voice low, but every word burst out.
"This is the boyfriend you spent half the night praising? Not a shred of manners. The family makes the child. I told you that long ago."
Tears still streaked Cheng Huan's face. Her lips trembled twice.
"Dad, can you please stop..."
Before she finished, she collapsed over the table, her shoulders shuddering. Though she tried hard to hold it in, her sobs still escaped.
Luo Bisheng did not look at her.
He pushed his chair in, tugged at the hem of his shirt, and faced Cheng Huan's father, looking down at him.
"If we're going by your shallow standards-"
His voice had actually grown level, each word dropping separately.
"You're not even qualified to comment on my family."
The veins at Cheng Huan's father's temples pulsed twice. His mouth opened and closed, but not a word came out.
Luo Bisheng had already turned toward the door.
After three steps, he stopped and turned his head.
"Bro, are you coming? Don't waste time here. The chance has already passed."
With that, he pushed open the glass door. The bell above it jingled, piercingly loud.
Cheng Huan lay over the table, her shoulders shaking harder, her sobs growing louder.
Wang Xiaoliang rose from his chair. He glanced at Cheng Huan's father, then her mother, and finally at Cheng Huan, who lay there crying.
"Uncle, Auntie, we'll leave you to it. We'll be in touch."
His tone was polite and proper, exactly as it had been when he was sitting at the table talking.
As he walked out, Cheng Huan's mother's lowered voice came from behind him-
"Honestly, Cheng, Huanhuan's grown