Chapter 23

So, only the two of them were left downstairs.

He Qingmo still maintained his previous sitting posture and didn’t turn to look at Fan Xing.

Fan Xing hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to walk over. He saw that the man’s cup was empty and picked it up casually. “Shall I pour another cup for big brother?”

He Qingmo still didn’t speak. It wasn’t until Fan Xing returned with the coffee that he raised his head and asked, “You heard, right?”

His tone was calm and composed, but for some reason, Fan Xing felt that the man seemed a bit… embarrassed.

Recalling Lin Lin’s earlier efforts to conceal something, Fan Xing couldn’t help but smile. He sat down beside the man and said, “Big brother, are you worried that I’ll feel uncomfortable hearing this? It’s okay; I’ve known for a long time.”

He Qingmo’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, looking at Fan Xing without saying a word.

Worried that he wouldn’t believe him, Fan Xing quickly explained, “I really do. From the beginning, I knew you married a stranger so casually; it couldn’t have been serious. After visiting your home last time, I became even more certain. You must have done it to defy your family. If that’s the case, there’s no need to defy them anymore, so it’s only natural to get a divorce.”

He Qingmo, with a touch of annoyance, pinched the little boy’s cheek. He spoke through gritted teeth, “So, you’re not angry at all?”

With his cheeks being pinched, Fan Xing’s speech was a bit unclear, but his attitude was sincere. “I’m really not angry. Not at all.”

The man’s grip on his cheek tightened slightly, and he looked somewhat obscure.

Confused, Fan Xing looked at him with clear, innocent eyes, not understanding what he had said wrong.

Suddenly, the man let go of him, resumed his previous casual sitting position, and took a sip of his coffee. He asked casually, “Have you worked at a coffee shop before?”

Fan Xing didn’t know what was going on in the man’s mind, so he nodded obediently. “Yes.”

The man didn’t say anything more, and Fan Xing didn’t detect anything unusual, so he didn’t overthink it. He took out his phone, put on his earphones, and started studying Chinese.

The two of them were engrossed in their own activities and didn’t disturb each other. The room was quiet, with almost no sound.

After a while, He Qingmo felt a slight weight on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that the child had fallen asleep, still wearing his earphones and holding his phone.

He Qingmo didn’t know what time Fan Xing had woken up that morning, but when he had woken up, there was no one else in the house. However, breakfast had already been prepared.

Fan Xing had definitely not slept well the previous night, probably because of what had happened in the afternoon when he applied cream in a somewhat suggestive manner. The child had stayed stiff in his arms all night and didn’t move.

Not only did he not sleep well, but today he had also been busy preparing a table full of dishes, catering to both adults and children’s tastes, and playing games with Xinxin. It seemed that he had tired himself out.

After taking the phone and earphones from Fan Xing, He Qingmo gently cradled the child’s head and shifted his own position, making Fan Xing more comfortable. He lay down on the couch with the child’s head resting on his lap. He even took a towel and covered him a little.

Fan Xing was really tired, and with this change, he only slightly furrowed his brows before falling into a more peaceful sleep.

He Qingmo absentmindedly browsed the Chinese language learning app on Fan Xing’s phone for a moment, found it uninteresting, and put the phone down. He then began playing with the child’s hair.

Fan Xing’s hair was very soft and fine but exceptionally black. It felt silky smooth in his hands.

The man was clearly enjoying himself.

However, he didn’t realize that this childish scene had been observed by Lin Lin.

Lin Lin, who had been worried about potentially causing trouble earlier, couldn’t help but roll her eyes and silently scold He Qingmo in her heart. “What? Planning to divorce later? You’re so obviously acting like ‘my wife is so good-looking, the more I look at her, the more I like her.’ Are you really willing to divorce? Fine, I’ll see how long you can maintain your stubborn attitude.”

She then quietly left, holding the just-awakened Xinxin.

Fan Xing learned about Fan Meixi and Gu Yongchang’s visit to the He family about a week later. At that time, he had already begun preparing for the new school year. However, Jiyin came over to visit, claiming it was on the way, but she took the opportunity to have a quiet conversation with Fan Xing on the third-floor terrace while He Qingmo wasn’t paying attention.

In essence, she told him that after meeting Fan Meixi and Gu Yongchang, both parties felt that the marriage was a significant matter and deserved a grand wedding ceremony. However, He Qingmo didn’t agree, so they wanted Fan Xing to persuade him.

Persuading him to have a grand wedding was impossible. Fan Xing had no desire for a big wedding with He Qingmo.

What surprised him was that Fan Meixi had taken the initiative to approach the He family with this request.

When he was called back to China and married He Qingmo, Fan Meixi had said a lot of nice things, such as how He Qingmo had fallen in love with him at first sight and how happy he would be when he married into the He family. Even when facing He Qingmo, she would politely address him as Mr. He.

However, no one was a fool. They all knew that this marriage was a transaction and had nothing to do with the He family; it was solely a deal with He Qingmo.

So, after marrying He Qingmo, Fan Meixi had never had any naive expectations because this so-called marriage was just a deal with He Qingmo.

Now, she had taken the initiative to discuss the wedding with the He family.

Was it because she knew that He Qingmo had brought him home, and they had received a relatively good reception from the He family, so there was an opportunity to exploit?

They probably hoped that this marriage would receive the full approval of the He family and be made public, bringing benefits to the Gu family far beyond the contract with Ancient Future Technology.

Fan Xing sat barefoot in a hanging chair, watching the beautifully cultivated flowers sway gracefully in the wind, feeling a coldness in his heart.

“What are you thinking about?” He Qingmo sent Jiyin away and, not waiting for Fan Xing to come downstairs, came up to see the child sitting in a daze. Fan Xing’s clear eyes blinked like fluttering wings.

Fan Xing looked up at him, feeling slightly apologetic. “Did Mom leave?”

“Yes. What did she say to you?” The man sat down beside him and gently poked his cheek. “Did she bully you? Why do you look so down?”

Fan Xing grabbed his hand to prevent him from fidgeting and shook his head. “No. She just wanted me to tell you about the wedding plans. Actually…”

“Okay!”

“Huh?”

Before Fan Xing could finish his sentence, he was startled by the man’s words. He Qingmo repeated with understanding, “I said I agree. You’ve already spoken up. How could your husband not agree? We’ll have the wedding! However grand you want it.”

Um…

Did I say anything yet? Can’t I just convey your mother’s wishes?

Fan Xing silently complained to himself and suddenly smiled at He Qingmo, raising his eyebrows playfully. “Or maybe not. We’re going to get divorced sooner or later, so why waste money on it? Big brother, save this grand wedding for the right person in the future.”

Without waiting for the man to respond, he jumped down from the hanging chair. “I just remembered that I have military training when school starts, so I’ll be staying on campus for a while. I’ve prepared some convenient breakfast for you that you can heat up in the morning. Now’s a good time; I’ll teach you.” Then, he pulled He Qingmo downstairs.

He Qingmo, who was being dragged along, had a brief moment when he wanted to bite his own tongue.

Who told him to say that sentence the other day, which Fan Xing overheard? Now the child was openly saying, “we’re going to get divorced sooner or later.” The key was that the child genuinely believed it.

Hmph, naive!

Fan Xing had no idea what He Qingmo was thinking. He pulled him to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “Everything in here can be used for breakfast. Just heat it in a pan or microwave. If some items are a bit complicated, I’ve written instructions for them, and you can follow those.”

He Qingmo actually saw some post-it notes on the food containers.

A mixed bag, and no improvement at all, he thought.

Fan Xing continued speaking, “The cleaning lady can’t come over to make breakfast, and I feel like you don’t like her cooking anyway. But you still need to have breakfast. You don’t have to go out early, so it’s not troublesome to do it yourself. And this…”

After talking about the items in the fridge, he led He Qingmo to the stove and opened a cabinet. “Here’s rice, and I’ve labeled which one is for cooking rice and which one is for cooking porridge. If you want to have porridge in the morning, use this pot.”

He pointed to a white pot and continued, “Just put the rice in it at night. Since you’re alone, you only need a little rice. Add water up to this line.” He pointed to the marked line inside the pot. “Then set a timer for the morning. It’s very simple. And…”

He looked around as if searching, as if afraid he had forgotten something important and left He Qingmo to starve as a result.

He Qingmo’s lips couldn’t help but curve up, and he gently patted the child’s head. “Alright, you won’t starve. Are you reporting to school tomorrow?”

Fan Xing suddenly realized that he might have been a bit too overbearing, considering that this was He Qingmo’s home, where he was probably more familiar. His behavior just now had seemed like he was taking over.

He touched his head, feeling embarrassed, and smiled. “Yes, tomorrow is the last day for reporting. I’ll definitely go.”

 

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