freenovelworld Chapter 728 Marriage is too terrifying
Chapter 728 Marriage is too terrifying
Chen Nanxing and Xu Hongdou both found it hard to believe that Lin Bufan was going to learn wood carving. After all, it was difficult for them to associate Lin Bufan, who usually seemed unserious and carefree, with the kind of woodworking that required concentration and meticulous craftsmanship.
Seeing that Chen Nanxing and Xu Hongdou's faces clearly said "not good-looking," Lin Bufan put down his chopsticks on the table, deliberately put on a stern face, and pretended to be angry and embarrassed: "Hey, what's with those looks you two are giving me? Who are you looking down on?"
"I, Lin Bufan, can research mecha and develop flying cars. I can master high-tech with ease. How could I possibly misunderstand this mere wood carving craft? No matter how complex this thing is, can it be as complex as the precision instruments in my lab?"
Chen Nanxing raised an eyebrow and deliberately provoked him, saying, "Don't brag. Can you compare a mecha to a wood carving? That kind of thing requires calmness and focus. You can't rush it, not even for a moment. With your impetuous nature, you probably can't even hold a piece of wood steady, can you?"
Xu Hongdou nodded in agreement, her tone gentle yet firm: "Nanxing is right, it's like being in a completely different world. High technology relies on logic and data, but wood carving requires patience and a feel for the craft. They are two completely different approaches, and you may not be able to adapt."
Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan seemed genuinely provoked. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Hey, you still don't believe me? How about we make a bet? If I can carve something decent within a week, you'll grant me one request; if I lose, I'll do whatever you say!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou shook her head without hesitation: "I won't bet with you. You're obviously up to no good."
However, Chen Nanxing's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, "Let's bet! I want to see if this all-around genius can handle wood carving."
Xu Hongdou quickly tugged at Chen Nanxing's arm and whispered a warning: "Don't fall for his tricks. He's full of cunning ideas and might be up to something again."
"It's alright! He definitely can't win, I'm sure I'll win this bet!" Chen Nanxing seemed very confident, but he actually had other plans in mind!
Bean, you still don't understand!
A wicked idea?!
Am I afraid he'll have some ulterior motive?
What I'm afraid of is that he won't come up with any wicked ideas!
You should know this: if a woman doesn't get "drunk," a man has no chance!
“It’s a deal!” Lin Bufan immediately replied, extending his hand to Chen Nanxing.
Without hesitation, Chen Nanxing reached out and gave him a high five: "It's a deal!"
Their hands clapped together crisply, their eyes meeting in mid-air. One smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream, a calculating glint in his eyes; the other slightly raised his chin, a sly smile playing on his lips. Although their plans differed, their expressions conveyed a tacit, intriguing understanding.
Xu Hongdou watched the two of them high-five and smile at each other. Although she couldn't quite figure out what they were thinking, her intuition told her that things were definitely not simple. The way the two of them looked gave her a very strange feeling, like... like... like they were in cahoots!
After making the appointment with Chen Nanxing, Lin Bufan left the courtyard alone in high spirits and headed towards the wood carving workshop in the village.
……
The woodcarving workshop in Yunmiao Village is not far from Youfeng Courtyard, a courtyard with distinctive ethnic characteristics. Even before approaching, you can smell the unique aroma of wood permeating the air. Inside the workshop, various woodcarving works are displayed, from lifelike figures and animals to auspicious patterns and designs, from large screens and furniture to small ornaments, each piece embodying the craftsman's dedication and skill.
Lin Bufan's gaze did not linger on these works, after all, he had already carefully appreciated them when he came yesterday!
However, unlike yesterday, today in addition to the two listless apprentices, there was a middle-aged man in the wood carving workshop wearing a dark work vest with some wood chips on it and reading glasses. He was Lin Bufan's target - Xie Heshun, the master craftsman of the wood carving workshop!
However, the moment Lin Bufan saw Xie Heshun's appearance clearly, he stopped in his tracks!
I rely on!
Isn't this my brother Duan?
Are you here to heal from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by your divorce?
No, that's not right!
That's a bit old!
I've heard of people who were so heartbroken that their hair turned white overnight!
But even if you're heartbroken, you can't age twenty years overnight, can you?
This is not scientific!
Since this person is not Duan Xifeng, there is only one possibility: this person must be a twin, just like Rose and Red Bean!
After having this idea, Lin Bufan didn't rush to greet her. Instead, he stepped aside, took out his phone, and made a video call to Yang Tao!
The video call connected quickly. Yang Tao was sitting at the design table of "KunKun Wedding Dress Workshop" on the other end of the screen, holding a paintbrush in her hand. The background was scattered design drafts and several unfinished wedding dresses. When she saw Lin Bufan in the video, she blinked in surprise: "Huh? Why are you video calling me at this hour? You usually only bother me at night."
Looking at Yang Tao's pretty face on the screen, Lin Bufan couldn't help but say affectionately, "I missed you! A day apart feels like three autumns. We haven't seen each other for most of the day, which means it's been several autumns."
"Come on, you're so glib! You only know how to say nice things." Yang Tao kept drawing lines on the manuscript paper, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips!
"Heaven and earth bear witness!" Lin Bufan immediately put on a hurt expression: "My heart is as clear as day! If I didn't have you, Manager Yang, on my mind all the time, would I have bothered to come see you so early in the morning... oh no, I mean, to steal a moment from my busy schedule?"
"Don't give me that!" Yang Tao suppressed a laugh, deliberately avoiding looking at Lin Bufan: "I think you've gotten into some trouble outside again, or you're just bored and making fun of me."
The two bantered back and forth, the air thick with a sweet, cloying atmosphere. After a while, Lin Bufan suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering the important matter: "Oh dear, I was so busy flirting with you that I almost forgot about the real thing."
Yang Tao raised her eyelids and glared at Lin Bufan reproachfully: "It's like who wants to flirt with you... If you have something important to say, hurry up and say it?"
"Guess who I saw?"
"How would I know which beautiful woman you saw this time? Do you think you saw Scarlett Johansson?"
Lin Bufan was taken aback for a moment, then stopped being mysterious: "No, I didn't... I saw Duan Xifeng!"
Upon hearing Lin Bufan mention Duan Xifeng, Yang Tao assumed Lin Bufan was going to speak well of him. Her smile instantly vanished, her brows furrowed, and her tone turned cold: "Why bring him up? Don't mention him again!"
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, let me finish." Lin Bufan gestured for Yang Tao to calm down. "I've noticed that Duan Xifeng seems to have aged almost twenty years since I last saw him. The change is terrifying!"
Yang Tao rolled her eyes dramatically: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's only been a short time since we last met, how could he have aged twenty years? Lin Bufan, can't you at least draft your lies before you start?"
“Really! Look!” Lin Bufan said, secretly turning his phone camera towards Xie Heshun, who was focused on carving at his workbench.
Yang Tao had only glanced at it casually, preparing to continue refuting Lin Bufan, but that glance stunned her. She involuntarily moved closer to the screen, carefully examining the middle-aged man in the video—wearing reading glasses and with slightly graying temples—her face filled with disbelief: "This…this is Duan Xifeng? Impossible…how did he become so haggard? He really looks twenty years older…"
"I wasn't lying to you, was I?" Lin Bufan turned the camera back to himself and lowered his voice: "Do you think he was too devastated by the divorce? Indeed, marriage is terrifying!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Tao, who had been feeling a mix of emotions, was instantly ignited. On the screen, her beautiful eyes widened, and the complex feelings she had previously had after seeing Duan Xifeng's disheveled appearance, which she herself had not yet sorted out, were immediately swept away by the anger brought on by Lin Bufan's words, "Marriage is too terrible."
"Lin Bufan!" Yang Tao's voice suddenly rose, filled with clearly audible anger, and she even slammed her paintbrush down on the design draft: "What do you mean by that? So in your eyes, marriage is a monster, is that it? No wonder you always ramble and make jokes whenever I mention marriage! So you've never even thought about getting married, have you?!"
Yang Tao grew angrier as she spoke, her chest heaving slightly, as if she had caught Lin Bufan redacting his mistake in avoiding making a promise: "Duan Xifeng is a scoundrel, he has character issues! What does that have to do with marriage itself? How come in your mouth it's the fault of marriage? I think you just don't want to take responsibility, you just want to keep fooling around like this!"
Lin Bufan's heart skipped a beat. He realized he had misspoke and immediately put on a fawning smile, his tone becoming soft and ingratiating: "Oh dear, my Manager Yang, my little darling! You've really wronged me! I was just making a casual remark, I absolutely didn't mean to imply anything about us!"
Can Duan Xifeng's fake marriage compare to our diamond-like relationship?
Our love is stronger than gold, unwavering even if the seas dry up and the rocks crumble! We're the model couple, hand in hand watching the sunset, side by side until we're both toothless, growing old together, surrounded by children and grandchildren! His relationship is at best a temporary arrangement, substandard, better to break up sooner rather than later!
Lin Bufan got more and more excited as he spoke, looking as if he wanted to rip his heart out: "Taozi, think about it, when have we been together? Isn't it always full of laughter? Isn't our understanding perfect? The best, wisest, and greatest decision I've ever made in my life is winning you over, Yang Tao! Other men might change their minds or make mistakes, but I, Lin Bufan, will never! My heart for you is certified by the ISO9001 international quality management system, and it's guaranteed to last for ten thousand years..."
Just as Lin Bufan was spitting as he tried to elevate his feelings to the level of "the only eternal true love in the universe," he didn't notice that his and Yang Tao's raised voices had already attracted the attention of several people in the wood carving workshop!
Xie Heshun, who had been focused on his work, and the two somewhat dejected apprentices beside him, were all startled by this sudden, cheesy, and high-profile "declaration of love." The three of them stopped what they were doing at the same time, turned around in unison, and looked at Lin Bufan, who was standing in the corner by the door, gesturing wildly at his phone screen.
Xie Heshun frowned, put down his carving knife, and walked towards Lin Bufan. Before he could speak, an apprentice beside him couldn't help but whisper, "Master, who is this guy? Is he here to rehearse a play?"
Lin Bufan was so engrossed in his speech that he was completely unaware of the commotion behind him and continued, "...So, Peach, you can rest assured, the foundation of our relationship is extremely solid, it's on a completely different level from others..."
"Who are you?" Xie Heshun finally walked up behind Lin Bufan and interrupted him.
Lin Bufan was startled by the sudden sound and whirled around to find Xie Heshun and his two apprentices standing in front of him, staring at him with the look of utter disbelief. His affectionate expression froze instantly, and he thought to himself, "Oh no!" He'd been so focused on pleasing his wife that he'd forgotten the situation!
However, Lin Bufan quickly came up with an idea: why not take this opportunity to hang up the video call?
"Peach, Smith suddenly needs to speak with me urgently, I have to hang up now, I'll call you back later..."
"Don't hang up!" Yang Tao's anxious and angry voice came through the phone immediately, filled with obvious suspicion: "Lin Bufan! Don't give me that! I heard it clearly just now, someone asked you who you were, and they were speaking Chinese! And didn't you say you were abroad discussing acquisition projects? What are you doing at the wood carving workshop? Where are you? Are you lying to me again?"
Lin Bufan showed no panic whatsoever; instead, his expression was one of deep anguish. He spoke into his phone screen, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, his tone firm and resolute:
"Comrade Yang Tao! I have to criticize you severely for this! Your thinking is very dangerous and narrow-minded!"
What era are we living in? The wave of globalization is sweeping the world, and the excellent traditional culture of our Chinese nation has long since gone abroad and is shining brightly on the international stage!
What makes you so sure I'm from China just because you see a wood carving? What makes you think these treasures left by our ancestors can only be admired in our own backyards? What makes you think they can't go abroad and be seen by the world?
Look at these! These exquisite wood carvings embody five thousand years of our civilization! They've traveled across oceans to be appreciated and studied by countless foreign friends here, in this international… uh… art exchange center! And I, Lin Bufan, as a young person of the new era with ideals, a sense of responsibility, and a commitment to promoting cultural exchange between China and other countries, am using this precious break from business negotiations to humbly learn from them, experience the charm of traditional craftsmanship, and draw inspiration for my own creations. Is there anything wrong with that?
Lin Bufan took a deep breath, his eyes filled with disappointment at Yang Tao's "narrow-minded" views: "Comrade Yang Tao, your subconscious reaction precisely shows that some people still harbor the outdated idea that the moon is always brighter in foreign countries, or that our good things can't go out into the world! This is a manifestation of a lack of cultural confidence! We are strong now, and our culture is also being exported!"