Chapter 21

Although buried among thousands of comments, this completely baseless rumor, unsupported by any evidence, might go unnoticed, but what if it didn’t?

Fan Xing didn’t want the news of his marriage to He Qingmo to be exposed.

However, the man seemed indifferent, his expression cold and serious. “It was true to begin with. I can show our marriage certificate. But why are you so afraid of people finding out? Am I embarrassing you?”

If this had happened a few days ago, Fan Xing would have thought that He Qingmo was genuinely angry. However, now he wouldn’t be so easily fooled.

But it seemed that this man wasn’t playing around; he genuinely appeared upset. His expression was cold, but there was an underlying sense of “come and comfort me.”

Fan Xing remembered the first day he came here when he accidentally called He Qingmo by the wrong name. He reacted the same way then.

He’s unexpectedly childish, isn’t he?

Fan Xing couldn’t help but chuckle, which earned him an even colder look from the man. He was just about to send the message when he quickly suppressed his amusement and spoke in a sweet and soft voice, “Darling, please don’t post it, okay? I still have to go to school, and I don’t want too much attention.”

He blinked his clear eyes and looked at the man, his fair little face blushing due to embarrassment, making him look quite enticing.

The man paused briefly, then reached out to hold Fan Xing’s face close, their noses almost touching before he spoke with a low voice, “Alright, say something nice, and hubby won’t post it.”

Fan Xing’s face grew even redder, and his eyes darted around nervously. He stammered, “Hubby, I’m tired.”

The man’s cold expression instantly disappeared as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping even lower, “Come on, say something nicer, and hubby won’t post it.”

Fan Xing’s face grew hotter, and his shy, uncertain gaze landed on the man’s face, meeting his teasing and ambiguous smile. He instantly understood what the man meant. His face turned as red as a tomato, and he nervously stammered, “I… I…”

Before he could finish, the man had already bent down to hug him, pressing him onto the bed.

Fan Xing instinctively closed one eye but was acutely aware of the intimate position they were in, the scent of the man’s shower gel, and his breath so close.

His body tensed involuntarily, and he couldn’t move. His heart raced, and he felt flustered and confused.

He tried to reassure himself mentally, telling himself that this was bound to happen sooner or later, and he couldn’t avoid it. After all, they were already married, and He Qingmo had given him plenty of time to adapt. How could he avoid it?

However, no amount of mental preparation could help him relax. His body remained as stiff as a stone.

But in the end, all he got from the man was a soft chuckle.

He hesitantly opened one eye and saw the man looking at him teasingly, asking, “What are you expecting?”

“I…” Fan Xing opened his mouth but quickly lowered his head, his voice muffled. “Nothing.”

“In that case, go to sleep. Didn’t you say you were tired?” The man, with an innocent look, continued to hold him close.

This position… how were they supposed to sleep?

Although they had shared a bed before, they usually slept separately, as the bed was large enough, and they never had any awkward sleeping positions. Whether it was at night or in the morning, they never touched each other.

But now…

Despite thinking he had escaped the situation, Fan Xing found it impossible to relax with the man holding him.

He thought he might spend a sleepless night.

As it turned out, he had overestimated himself. Half an hour later, he fell asleep.

The man who held him, on the other hand, remained awake. Once he saw that Fan Xing was asleep, he quietly got out of bed, picked up his phone, and left the bedroom. He dialed his assistant Song Yang’s number.

“Remove the trending topic online and delete the video.”

On the other end of the phone, Song Yang was somewhat surprised because He Qingmo had never been involved in such matters before. However, he obediently complied, saying, “Okay, I’ll take care of it right away.”

“And…,” He Qingmo paused, “Check Fan Xing’s information.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that…” Song Yang didn’t press further.

After hanging up the phone, He Qingmo returned to bed and pulled the sleeping Fan Xing into his arms.

Slightly disturbed, Fan Xing furrowed his brows gently but then nestled closer, rubbing against him like a puppy before finding a comfortable position to sleep in.

The man playfully poked his cheek like a child, finding it oddly satisfying. He kept poking a few more times until the disturbed Fan Xing scratched his face in annoyance. Then, he realized how bored he was and turned off the lights before falling asleep while hugging Fan Xing.

At the same time, in the Gu family, Fan Meixi and Gu Yongchang had just returned from their social engagements and discovered that their son, Gu Mingyu, was still out with his friends at this late hour.

Fan Meixi tried calling him, but the noise on the other end was deafening, and she couldn’t hear anything. Gu Mingyu only managed to mutter a quick “I got it” before impatiently hanging up.

Fan Meixi scolded him briefly, but Gu Yongchang, feeling indifferent, remarked, “Why are you so strict with a boy? Overbearing parenting will only make him dumb.”

Fan Meixi immediately smiled and adopted a gentle tone. “I know, maybe I’m just worried that he’s overdoing it and harming his health. Alright, you’ve had a long day. Let me prepare a bath for you.”

“No hurry,” Gu Yongchang replied, leaning back on the sofa and taking off his glasses to clean them. Then he casually asked, “Didn’t you go to see your son today? What did he say?”

Fan Meixi sat down beside him, massaging his shoulders as she spoke with a smile, “Fan Xing is such an obedient child. He agreed readily.”

“Oh? That’s good news. Are you sure He Qingmo brought him to meet He Chengyi and Ji Jin?” Gu Yongchang’s lips finally curved into a faint smile, a rare sight.

“Yes, and he even brought a gift for the meeting,” Fan Meixi replied.

“Well then, let’s get ready. We should pay a visit to the He family soon,” Gu Yongchang said as he stood up.

Fan Meixi, still seated, reached for her phone to call her secretary and prepare a gift for the visit. After hanging up, she thought about calling Fan Xing but reconsidered, worried that it might disturb He Qingmo. Instead, she sent him a text message: “Fan Xing, how’s everything going? Did Mr. He agree to help?”

Fan Xing saw the message the next morning but chose not to reply and simply deleted it.

At lunchtime, Fan Meixi called Fan Xing again to inquire about the situation.

This time, Fan Xing’s tone was slightly impatient. “Mom, I’ve already made it clear yesterday. There’s nothing I can do to help with this matter.”

On the other end of the phone, Fan Meixi seemed surprised by Fan Xing’s uncharacteristic attitude. She fell silent for a moment before her tone turned cold. “Fan Xing, I don’t want to say anything too harsh, but don’t forget, your grandmother’s medical expenses…”

“Mom!” Fan Xing gripped his phone tightly, but his voice remained calm and steady, without much change. “Our agreement was that I would marry He Qingmo to ensure a smooth contract between the Gu family and Guwei Technology, with no additional conditions. I’ve fulfilled my part of the deal. Please don’t break our agreement.”

However, Fan Meixi abandoned her usual motherly image and became unreasonable. “What if I decide to break the agreement now? In that case, you can help Mingyu this time, and I won’t trouble you anymore.”

Fan Xing’s grip on the phone tightened, and although he didn’t show it in his voice, a sense of disappointment welled up inside him, a feeling even he didn’t notice. “Mom, why do you think that if I ask He Qingmo for help, he will definitely assist Gu Mingyu?”

“Do I need to explain this? He Qingmo obviously has his eyes on you. At a time like this, do you think there’s anything he wouldn’t agree to when you ask?” Fan Meixi replied.

“Well… do you think if I asked him not to care about the Gu family’s fate, he would agree?” Fan Xing asked softly.

Fan Meixi was momentarily stunned, finding it hard to believe. “Are you threatening me? Fan Xing, are you threatening your mother like this? We’re mother and son, and now you’re treating your mother like this?”

Fan Xing’s grip on the phone tightened even more, but his voice, which he didn’t even realize himself, remained gentle and steady. “I’m not. I just want you to fulfill your promise to cover Grandma’s medical expenses as agreed.”

“Hmph… well, you’ve grown wings now, haven’t you? You’ve become capable. Do you see me as if I never existed? Fine, consider that I never said anything. Is that enough?” Fan Meixi’s tone was no longer the same as before, and she hung up the phone in frustration.

Fan Xing, on his end, stayed on the call for a while without moving. He had never known this side of himself, especially when it came to his own mother.

But why did his own mother repeatedly use his loved ones’ lives to threaten him?

It took him a long time to emerge from this feeling of disappointment. He then called the hospital to confirm that there were no issues with his grandmother’s medical expenses. Only then did he finally relax.

As for Fan Meixi, she was left in a state of irritation and dissatisfaction. She felt that her son had changed, and she couldn’t understand why he had become so stubborn and uncooperative.

He thought Fan Meixi probably wouldn’t dare to stop the financial support. Even though they had signed a contract with Guwei Technology, it was He Qingmo who would provide the funds. If Fan Meixi decided to go back on their agreement, it wouldn’t be easy for them to profit from the deal.

Although He Qingmo would never agree to such a thing, Fan Meixi obviously believed that He Qingmo was deeply infatuated with Fan Xing at this moment and would be willing to do anything for him.

As Fan Xing won this battle, there was no reason for him to be happy, was there?

He shook his head to dispel these unpleasant emotions and prepared to work on the video. But then the phone rang again, and it was still Fan Meixi.

Fan Xing stared at the name on the screen for a long time before finally picking up the call.

“Fan Xing, it’s Mom. You’re not angry with Mom, are you? Mom was wrong just now, and Mom apologizes,” Fan Meixi’s voice had returned to its usual gentle and charming tone, as if the unreasonable person from earlier didn’t exist.

Fan Xing let out a silent sigh. “It’s okay.”

“I knew Fan Xing wouldn’t be angry with Mom. Fan Xing has always been so sensible, and you must understand that Mom didn’t mean it, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, Fan Xing, please don’t tell Mr. He about this. Mr. He is very busy, and we shouldn’t bother him with such trivial matters between us, should we?”

Fan Xing shook his head helplessly. He had told her already; why was she so eager to apologize now? Was she afraid that he had said something inappropriate in front of He Qingmo?

Even if she didn’t say anything, Fan Xing would never discuss these matters with He Qingmo.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. I have something to do, so if you’re okay, I’ll hang up now,” Fan Xing said, not wanting to continue the conversation.

“Okay, okay, you go ahead. Don’t worry about Grandma; she’ll be taken care of properly,” Fan Meixi added before finally ending the call.

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