From the beginning to the end, Ding Linglong has always shown the care and love of a kind elder towards the younger generation, and her tone is amiable, even closer than to her two close daughters, Ding Xiang Wanwan and Ding Xiang Nuannuan. It seems that there is nothing wrong with her.
Appropriate.
But as a magician, what Li Mengnan is best at is observing, borrowing, and controlling human emotions. Naturally, he can also see Ding Linglong's well-hidden insincerity.
Li Mengnan could feel that this stepmother Ding Linglong was not as friendly and open-minded as she appeared on the surface. Although her tone was gentle, it was obviously polite.
Politeness is a kind of respect, but being too polite is a disguised rejection.
In other words, Ding Linglong did not welcome him as an uninvited guest in her heart - this can be seen from her previous words of forcibly picking up Li Hongming from the middle and extending an invitation to him.
If you really treat him as a family member and want him to live here, you can wait for Li Hongming to send out the invitation and help persuade him, but taking the initiative to steal the topic feels a bit cover-up.
Of course, there is a greater possibility that she deliberately wanted Li Mengnan to feel this way.
Just like a host often doesn't say it directly when sending guests off. As long as he says "stay and have some food," the guests will know that it's time to leave. Being nice doesn't hurt face.
The Chinese language is so broad and profound.
However, Li Mengnan did not feel the inexplicable insult and anger like in the online novel, and left a harsh sentence such as "Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, don't bully young people into poverty" and slammed the door...
...that would be too middle-of-the-road.
If you think about it, you can understand that although Ding Linglong has the title of stepmother, she has no real blood relationship with him after all. If someone is willing to give him a polite smile, it can be regarded as the most benevolent thing. Why should she act like a biological son?
To support him? It makes no sense at all...
Comparing his feelings, if one day someone dared to come over and hug his thighs and call daddy to be taken in, Li Mengnan felt that he would definitely beat the shit out of the other person... and he would have to come out from above.
"Why is this so embarrassing? But speaking of it, I really like it here..."
Li Mengnan deliberately pretended to take advantage of the situation and looked around, as if he was going to accept the situation.
He didn't do it to stimulate Ding Linglong or play a prank, he just wanted to test his conjecture. After all, everyone's habits are different. It would be bad if he misunderstood the other person's meaning and let down their good intentions.
However, facts have proven that Li Mengnan obviously did not misjudge.
After hearing this very cheap opening statement, Ding Linglong's body visibly stiffened for a moment, and the smile on her face also appeared briefly unnatural. She fell into silence for a while. Apparently she didn't know how to proceed and couldn't follow it.
Li Mengnan really agrees to this matter, right?
Even if Li Mengnan can be counted as her child in name, he is not related by blood after all, and he is not the kind of adopted son who was raised since childhood. She doesn't care about money or anything, but a strange young man lives in the house like this.
No matter how I think about it, I feel awkward.
Just when Ding Linglong was racking her brains on how to tactfully refuse without hurting her face, Li Mengnan's words directly solved the problem for her.
"I really like it here. To be honest, growing up, I have never lived in such a nice house... But after all, it is too far away from the school. It is not convenient to go to and from school every day. Besides, I have to apply for the day study program from the department.
It’s quite troublesome, I’d better live in the dormitory!”
Ding Linglong subconsciously looked at Li Mengnan again. With her eyesight, she couldn't tell whether Li Mengnan was deliberately testing or unintentional. However, since Li Mengnan had no intention of moving in together, she was obviously relieved.
He chuckled and said: "That's such a shame... But it's good that you think so. You are still a student, and your main task is to study. Living in the dormitory can also practice interpersonal communication, which will be very helpful for you to enter society in the future. You
Unlike Nuan Nuan Wan Wan and the others, you are a boy. Suffering more hardship will be of great benefit to your future growth. The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Auntie is optimistic about you!"
"Thank you Aunt Ding. I actually think highly of myself, really."
In view of Li Mengnan's previous knowledge and interest, Ding Linglong's attitude towards him was obviously much cordial. After some useful and useless chat, Li Mengnan excused himself that it was getting late and planned to stand up and leave.
Anyway, his biological father Li Hongming has also seen it. The biggest purpose of coming this time has been achieved. It is no longer important to Li Mengnan whether he can deny this marriage and win the favor of his new family.
Although his father was a little different from what he imagined, he was still a freeloader, but at least he had a happy family, a beautiful wife, and a cute daughter. Li Mengnan didn't want to disturb his original peaceful life.
"Um... Xiaonan, wait a minute."
Just when Li Mengnan said goodbye to the two of them and was about to stand up, Ding Linglong opened her wallet, took out all the cash in it and pushed it in front of Li Mengnan, saying: "This is the first time we met, and aunt didn't prepare any gifts for the meeting. I used the money to make pocket money.
Well, if you are short of money in the future, you can come to Auntie to get it."
Li Mengnan had to admit that although this woman named Ding Linglong was a little too thoughtful and had a strong personality, she was still quite a good person. At least she had feelings for his father, Li Hongming, otherwise she would not treat him like this again and again.
care.
Of course, this cannot be regarded as loving the house, but just to protect the face of his father, Li Hongming, so that his father would not be in trouble in front of his son who suddenly visited him.
Ding Linglong obviously didn't have the habit of carrying too much cash with her, but even so, the money on the table was at least seven or eight thousand yuan, and the red pile was very eye-catching.
Li Mengnan did not refuse, nor did he fully accept it. He just took out ten of them and put them in his pocket, pushed the rest back, and said with a smile: "The elder gave it to me, I dare not refuse...but these are enough."
Li Mengnan's move can't help but surprise Ding Linglong, but she can tell that Li Mengnan is not playing a hard-to-get trick. After all, the other party and her husband Li Hongming have a real father-son relationship. It is completely natural to come to ask for pocket money, and there is no need to use it at all.
What means.
And she also noticed that when facing the money, Li Mengnan showed no excitement or greed from beginning to end, as if the money in front of him was just a pile of worthless white paper.
If such a person does not come from a wealthy family, then he or she truly regards money as something extraneous.
The former is obviously impossible, and the latter's level is too high. It is difficult for Ding Linglong to imagine that a twenty-year-old young man would not be greedy for money at all. That is a kind of indifference that can only be achieved by sage hermits who have great enlightenment in ancient times.