Electronic Nezha

Chapter 71 Heavy Industry Café
Finally, I spent a long time searching for information about depression on my phone using AI. The AI ​​was much more patient than Liu Zhenhua and provided very detailed answers, including clearly stating which local hospitals are qualified to accept patients with depression.

But what's the use of knowing all this? Is it to imposter an expert and trick Qiao Yan into sending her daughter to the hospital?

In the end, I decided to call Qiao Yan first and ask him to meet me as soon as possible, since these things can't be explained clearly over the phone.

Qiao Yan was a little surprised to receive my call, and she hesitated for a long time after hearing my invitation.

"Why are you being so hesitant? Can't I just treat you to a meal?" I countered with his words.

"No, it's really something. Someone has booked the restaurant tonight and I have to keep an eye on it. If you're not afraid of it being late, we can wait until I close and find somewhere to get together."

"Looks like I can save on food expenses then. I'll wait for your call." She added at the end, "No matter how late."

Even after hanging up the phone, I felt something was off...

Liu Zhenhua was alive again now that he didn't have to go to school. He wandered around the house, looking for drinks and playing music. Finally, he stood at my door and asked me, "Dad, when are you going to pay back the money to Sun the richest man and his gang?"

"Let's wait a few more days and see how they perform."

"Oh well."

……

I waited until evening, and Qiao Yan called me around 9 p.m. to say she was done, earlier than I expected.

When it came to meeting place, I casually suggested the newly opened coffee shop across from No. 3 Middle School.

The things we need to talk about aren't suitable for a bar, and it's because of his daughter that he's making him run away!

The coffee shop opposite No. 3 Middle School opened a few days ago. I saw it when I passed by. It used to be a hardware store with a very small storefront. Liu Zhenhua and his classmates actually went there and commented that the coffee was small, tasted bad, and the owner was not friendly.

However, this is exactly where I need it.

I arrived at the café right on time. It was quite small, with only three small tables and another table in the back room that served as a private room. On the main wall, a very postmodern name was displayed surrounded by small red colored lights: Heavy Industry Café. The lighting was also designed to create a warm tone.

The four walls were lined with shelves, filled with wrenches, screwdrivers, screws, nuts, and the like. At first glance, it looked quite interesting, but I knew exactly what it was—it was just a hardware store with its shelves still up, and it was clearly designed in a light industrial style…

The small shop had a faint aroma of coffee in the air. A curtain hung on the door to the kitchen, and the owner was probably smoking inside, as there was only smoke and no sign of him.

"Boss," I called out.

"What's wrong?" the boss responded, his voice sounding a bit old, and he really wasn't enthusiastic...

"A pot of coffee, please."

What would you like to drink?

"casual."

"There's a pot on the counter, take it yourself."

There was indeed a pot of filtered coffee on the counter, so I took it and sat down at the table by the door.

"Bring me two cups."

The boss shouted from the kitchen: "It's on the counter too."

I had no choice but to run back and get two small white porcelain cups myself. I'd already experienced their lack of hospitality, and I couldn't help but recall the rumors about "small portions and bad taste," so I quickly asked, "How much is a cup of coffee?"

"thirty!"

I sneered, "And this pot?" The cup was the kind with a wide mouth and a narrow belly, meant to be elegantly finished in two sips. The pot was a mini glass pot. If he dared to say how many cups it could hold, I would turn around and leave, and go eat barbecue!
"You're our first customer today, so I'll charge you thirty yuan for a pot of tea."

Okay, I'm sitting here again. The pot isn't big, but it can still pour seven or eight cups, so it's not a bad deal.

Then it dawned on me. It was almost 10 p.m., and I was the first customer. Either the owner was making up an excuse to keep the customer, or he was just doing it out of passion. It didn't seem like an excuse...

Qiao Yan finally arrived shortly after. When he saw that I had chosen this place, he first found it a little funny, and then asked, "What's the matter that you insist on meeting me again?"

Yes, meeting with my ex-wife's current boyfriend twice a day has really turned it into a sitcom.

"Please sit down first."

Qiao Yan sat down, and I poured him coffee. We both took a sip and frowned; it was bitter and astringent. This confirmed the earlier assessment that it was "small quantity and unpalatable." Kids these days really have a knack for summarizing. "Boss, do you have sugar and creamer?" I asked.

"The counter." The boss added another layer of explanation to the "unenthusiastic" tone.

Just as I was about to get up, Qiao Yan waved her hand and said, "No need, Lao Liu, just tell me what's on your mind."

I sat down, feeling a bit lost. I still haven't figured out what to say.

Qiao Yan said, "Is it because you're upset that Han Shiya gave you 30,000 yuan for tutoring, and you want me to return it to her?"

I said firmly, "You're overthinking it."

Qiao Yan laughed and said, "That's good. I knew you weren't such a pretentious person."

I started by warming up the atmosphere by saying, "Didn't you say someone booked the whole place? How come it's so fast?"

"Don't even mention it," Qiao Yan said. "It was supposed to be a group of bosses from the south treating us to a meal, but as soon as they arrived, four middle-aged men caused a ruckus. Some of them were on canes, and some had casts on their wrists. They barged in and said they were looking for someone named Chen Bing. I almost called the police."

I nearly spat out my coffee: "And then?"

"Chen Bing never showed up after that, and the meeting ended badly."

Okay, my four hundred-plus yuan wasn't wasted. Let Chen Bing experience what it's like to be followed.

Qiao Yan asked, "Old Liu, what's the matter?"

I hesitated for a long time before finally telling the truth: "I don't know how to tell you."

Qiao Yan joked, "You're not trying to rekindle your old flame with Han Shiya and want me to let you two be together, are you?"

"Pfft—" This time I really spat it out.

Qiao Yan said, "As long as it's not that, it's fine. Do you want to borrow money? Borrow a car? Or is it that you have no market for your fruit and you want me to help you find a solution?"

"Neither." I said casually. "Hey, I have a question for you. You can answer if you want, or... I have other topics to discuss. Um... did you and Qiao Yuchen's mother divorce?"

Qiao Yan's face darkened as she said, "She died of illness when Qiao Yuchen was in the third grade of elementary school."

That is to say, when Liu Zhenhua's mother and I were discussing a peaceful separation, Qiao Yuchen was going through the pain of losing her mother. Later, a year after my divorce from Han Shiya, she met Qiao Yan, which gave the young girl more than two years to buffer.

"I'm sorry to bring up something that upset you. Qiao Yuchen has a good relationship with her mother, right?"

“Of course, girls tend to talk more with their mothers,” Qiao Yan said. “You don’t need to worry about Han Shiya and Yu Chen getting along. It’s fine if they’re just polite to each other. It would be a fantasy if they became best friends who could talk about anything.”

I suddenly asked, "What are your thoughts on depression?"

"What does this have to do with me? I know that many celebrities have died from this disease. They seem normal most of the time, even happier than ordinary people. Who knows, they might not be able to hold on any day."

I said thoughtfully, "Yes... life is unpredictable."

Seeing that I was silent again, Qiao Yan fiddled with the cup for a while, then suddenly asked, "Old Liu, when did this happen?"

"When did this happen?"

"Han Shiya doesn't know you have depression, does she?" He patted the back of my hand and said, "Don't worry, you can go to the hospital if you need to, and get treatment if you need to. Liu Zhenhua will be staying with me for a while. I'll definitely treat him like my own son. Uh, to prevent you from feeling uncomfortable, I'll treat him like my own nephew."

I said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Old Joe, you haven't guessed right once all night!"

“Isn’t it you? You’re usually so cheerful, but the more I look at you, the more I think you are like someone with depression.”

"Those were all from the bottom of my heart!"

"Come on, we're about the same age. At this age, who can still laugh from the bottom of their heart? You can say you have depression if you're faking a laugh, but a genuine laugh just means you're crazy." How come this guy can talk so much? I never noticed before.

In the end, I decided to go straight for the ball.

"It's Qiao Yuchen, your daughter. She may be depressed. You should take her to the hospital to get her checked out."

(End of this chapter)