Chapter 41

“Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Fan Xing quickly apologized once he realized what he had done. He leaned back, attempting to create some distance between them.

However, in that position, no matter how hard he tried, the gap between them didn’t widen much.

The man turned to him, and their noses almost touched. Fan Xing quickly averted his gaze and whispered, “I really didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

Having apologized, he lowered his head like a child who had made a mistake, waiting for the man’s response. But the man remained silent.

Fan Xing couldn’t help but steal a glance. He found the man’s deep, enigmatic eyes fixed on him, carrying emotions he couldn’t quite decipher, yet they made his heart beat faster.

He instinctively tried to look away, but the man suddenly leaned in closer. Fan Xing’s hands, still around the man’s neck, unconsciously tightened, and his soft lips nervously pressed together. He closed his eyes.

As the man drew nearer, Fan Xing could feel his familiar scent so close. His heart raced, and his earlobes burned.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Fan Xing jumped, opening his eyes to see the man almost about to kiss him. However, the abrupt interruption of the doorbell halted the moment.

Fan Xing bit his lip lightly and softly murmured, “Someone’s at the door.”

The man’s mood had been disrupted, and he placed Fan Xing back on his feet. With a barely audible curse, he reluctantly left Fan Xing, going to open the door. He had an unmistakable air of annoyance.

Outside, the visitor was persistent and wouldn’t be deterred by a closed door. The man’s mood soured, and he grudgingly went to open the door. When he saw who was outside, he didn’t say a word but immediately slammed the door shut.

Fan Xing was completely puzzled. What kind of place was this where guests could enter a room without permission just by swiping a card?

Before he could ask, the sound of a room key being swiped was heard, and the door opened again.

What on earth was going on?

As the door opened, a young, handsome man walked in with a cheerful smile. He tried to put his arm around the man’s shoulder but was coldly rebuffed. However, he seemed unbothered and continued to speak to the man, “What’s going on? I heard you were here and rushed to personally welcome you. You lack gratitude, my friend. It’s just a short visit, and you act like I owe you money. Hey?”

Mid-sentence, the visitor suddenly noticed Fan Xing and his beautiful eyes lit up. He abandoned the man and walked over to Fan Xing, greeting him warmly, “This must be the little sister-in-law, right? Oh la la, you’re really pretty. Hello, I’m Xiao Yu, this fellow’s childhood friend.” He extended his hand to shake Fan Xing’s hand.

Fan Xing blushed at being called “little sister-in-law” and awkwardly smiled. “Hello, I’m Fan Xing.” He reached out to shake Xiao Yu’s hand, but his hand was intercepted by the man.

The man pulled him closer to his side and whispered in his ear, “Ignore him.”

The man turned to Xiao Yu and was clearly not in a good mood. He coldly said, “If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost!”

The man’s attitude was normally aloof, but this was quite harsh.

Xiao Yu, who had known the man since childhood, clearly understood his temperament. He glanced at Fan Xing and raised an eyebrow, implying that the man seemed upset.

At this point, Fan Xing was completely confused. Did the man’s arrival somehow upset him? But Fan Xing didn’t know if that was the reason for the man’s bad mood.

Fortunately, Xiao Yu, who seemed to be quite used to these situations, smoothly changed the subject and turned to the young man who had followed him. “This is Xiao Zhou.”

The young man, whom Xiao Yu had pulled over, introduced himself, “I’m Zhou Haoran. Nice to meet you, Mr. He, and Brother Fan Xing.”

Fan Xing had noticed Zhou Haoran earlier. He had clear features, and his eyes gave Fan Xing a sense of déjà vu.

Fan Xing smiled and nodded at Zhou Haoran, “Hello.”

However, the man didn’t even glance at Zhou Haoran and directly took Fan Xing inside.

Xiao Yu, a guest who was completely at ease, didn’t care about the host’s attitude at all. He took Zhou Haoran with him and followed Fan Xing and the man inside. He also asked Fan Xing, “How old are you, little sister-in-law? You don’t seem much younger than Xiao Zhou.”

“I’m eighteen, Mr. Xiao, you can call me Fan Xing,” Fan Xing replied, finding the term ‘little sister-in-law’ a bit hard to accept, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Xiao Yu, however, completely ignored the second part of Fan Xing’s statement and turned to Zhou Haoran, asking, “Little Zhou, you’re also eighteen, right? Your birthday is in April?”

Zhou Haoran seemed somewhat surprised and said, “Mr. Xiao, you even know my birthday?”

“Come on, how could I not know the birthday of my bed companion? Do you still want to get into bed tonight?” Xiao Yu said, teasingly. He even playfully pinched Zhou Haoran’s waist, saying, “Moreover, I not only know your birthday but also everything about you. It’s not just your birthday.”

Xiao Yu had a suggestive look and used flirtatious language, seemingly not caring about the presence of two other people.

He continued, “I thought you had a thing for Fan Xing. I didn’t believe it at first, but seeing you act all possessive like you’re afraid others might take an interest, I’m starting to believe it. To be honest, Fan Xing is really good-looking. I initially thought Zhou Haoran looked great, but now, with…”

Xiao Yu didn’t finish his sentence, but his gaze drifted toward the kitchen. Fan Xing found it difficult to watch and softly said, “I’m going to make some tea.” He then got up and went to the kitchen.

Zhou Haoran followed him, saying, “I’ll help you, Brother Fan Xing.”

While they were away, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but move closer to He Qingmo and ask, “Hey, what’s going on? I heard from Song Yang that you seem to have genuine feelings for Fan Xing. I initially didn’t believe it, but looking at you now, acting like you’re afraid others will look at him too much, I’m starting to believe it. To be honest, Fan Xing is really good-looking. I initially thought Zhou Haoran looked great, but with…”

Before Xiao Yu could continue, he received a deadly cold glare from He Qingmo. He immediately raised his hands in apology. “I’m sorry, I was wrong. They are not the same type of people, and I shouldn’t lower Fan Xing’s status. I’m terrible.” He spoke half seriously, half jokingly, even scratching his face, as if to slap himself.

He Qingmo couldn’t be bothered to respond and remained silent.

Xiao Yu was a chatterbox and could talk for half an hour by himself. “Seeing you like this, it looks like Fan Xing has already secured his position as Mrs. He. As a friend, I’m quite relieved. I thought you, with your character, were going to remain single forever, but it looks like you’ve been blessed by heaven. And what’s more…”

Xiao Yu’s gaze drifted toward the kitchen, and he couldn’t help but nod appreciatively. “This Fan Xing not only looks good but also has a particularly pleasant and clean appearance. Inside and out, he’s very neat. It’s quite rare.”

The description was somewhat abstract, but He Qingmo understood what he meant, though he remained noncommittal.

In the kitchen, Fan Xing had prepared a fruit tea and a sparkling peach-flavored drink, the latter being He Qingmo’s preference. The peaches were canned, which Fan Xing had brought from home. He knew He Qingmo liked this flavor, so he had bought extra peaches when they were in season and made them into canned goods for easy use.

Zhou Haoran saw Fan Xing work his magic and exclaimed, “Fan Xing, you’re amazing! When you said you were making tea, I thought you were just going to boil some water and steep some tea leaves. How do you know all this?”

Fan Xing chuckled and said, “Drinking tea at night doesn’t make it easy to sleep. And it’s quite convenient to make these. You just need to cut up some fruit; it’s simple.”

The two of them returned to the living room, and Fan Xing handed a glass of fruit tea to Xiao Yu and another one to Zhou Haoran. He kept the peach-flavored sparkling water and fruit tea for He Qingmo and himself.

When He Qingmo saw the drink Fan Xing had made at home, he looked up at Fan Xing. Without saying anything, Xiao Yu reached out for Fan Xing’s drink, but He Qingmo promptly slapped his hand away and gave him a cold look.

Fan Xing quickly explained, “This is peach-flavored sparkling water, and it’s for my brother since he likes peach flavor. That’s why I made it separately.”

Xiao Yu, of course, wasn’t upset and even looked a bit mischievous. He had never seen He Qingmo like this. Just a glass of water, and it couldn’t be touched because Fan Xing had made it. He had never seen this side of He Qingmo before.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Xiao Yu would have found it hard to believe.

Now that he had seen it, why not take a closer look? It was such a rare sight!

He contemplated this while engaging in soft-spoken conversation with Fan Xing, saying, “Little sister-in-law, you’re not being fair. Guests have come, and you have good stuff; you can’t hide it. I also like peach flavor. Can you make me a glass too?”

Well…

This time, Fan Xing had left home in a hurry, and he had only realized in the morning, just before leaving, that he was going to spend the night here. So he hastily packed two canned peaches into a small snack box and brought them with him. Now, both peach pieces were in He Qingmo’s glass, and he couldn’t make a second one.

As Fan Xing was awkwardly smiling and unsure of what to say, Xiao Yu’s expression suddenly changed. He immediately put on a smiling face, turned to Fan Xing, and apologized, “I’m sorry; don’t touch it, don’t touch it, don’t hit me.”

Fan Xing turned in surprise to see He Qingmo, who had a cold and intense expression. Although he didn’t show any emotions, Fan Xing felt the atmosphere around them had become heavy.

He was a bit puzzled and looked at Xiao Yu, trying to understand why He Qingmo had suddenly become angry. While it relieved him from having to respond to Xiao Yu’s awkward request, he couldn’t quite grasp the reason for He Qingmo’s anger.

Despite Fan Xing’s confusion, Xiao Yu understood the situation well and quickly excused himself, taking Zhou Haoran and leaving. When they reached the door and saw that He Qingmo showed no intention of chasing after them, Xiao Yu couldn’t resist taunting, “You are really petty. Last time, you pulled the Palace out in public, and all those regulatory and law enforcement departments went to my place to investigate because of it. It took me a lot of effort to handle it. My old man thinks I embarrassed him, so he’s been nagging me every day. Why should I be in a hurry? And then, you flip out over a joke. You’re a stingy one!” Without waiting for He Qingmo’s response, he left with Zhou Haoran.

Strangely, as soon as they left, Fan Xing felt the atmosphere in the room relaxed. He Qingmo remained calm and composed, but his expression became more at ease. When he raised the glass of peach-flavored sparkling water and took a sip, his eyes were tinted with a faint smile as he looked at Fan Xing. His tone carried a hint of amusement as he asked, “Did you bring this from home on purpose?”

His voice sounded cheerful, like he was in a good mood.

How unpredictable!

Fan Xing nodded slightly. “Yes, by the way, is that Xiao Yu the owner of the Palace?”

“Yes,” He Qingmo replied with an even brighter mood. “This place is also his.”

Although Xiao Yu was known as a rich second-generation heir, he wasn’t idle all the time.

Fan Xing nodded in understanding. “No wonder he could enter here directly. But I feel like I’ve seen his companion, Zhou Haoran, somewhere before. Brother, do you have the same feeling?”

He Qingmo had already finished his glass of peach water and shook his head. “I didn’t notice.”

He hadn’t even remembered what Zhou Haoran looked like.

Fan Xing tried to recall, but he couldn’t seem to remember. He decided to let it go since he couldn’t figure it out. Besides, he was already quite tired and nearly falling asleep on the couch. With the delay caused by Xiao Yu and the others, it was already late at night. Feeling exhausted, he decided to rest and headed upstairs with He Qingmo.

Although He Qingmo was a bit annoyed by the unexpected guests, the peach-flavored sparkling water tasted excellent, so he didn’t mind much.

They had stayed up late the previous night, and it was already almost noon by the time they woke up.

Xiao Yu called from the Palace, saying that Fan Xing and He Qingmo had come for a rare visit, so they should be hospitable and invite them for lunch.

Fan Xing found it amusing that these two behaved like childhood friends, having an argument one night and acting as if nothing had happened the next day. Now they were eating and drinking together as if nothing had occurred.

He Qingmo wasn’t very talkative today. Even when he did speak, he sounded serious. However, Zhou Haoran still clung to Fan Xing just like the previous night.

After finishing lunch, He Qingmo and Xiao Yu chatted while Fan Xing didn’t understand or have much interest in their business plans. Zhou Haoran suggested going for a walk, and Fan Xing agreed.

Zhou Haoran was a local resident. He mentioned that when he was a child, this area had no urban planning, and he and the nearby kids used to play by the lake on summer evenings. They would sometimes catch fish and shrimp and find large river clams. Some people were lucky enough to discover pearls inside the clams.

Fan Xing followed behind him, listening to his descriptions of the past. He had a sudden thought. If his dad hadn’t gone abroad for studies, and if he had married his mom right after college, and if they had been too busy with work to raise a child, he would have probably been taken by his grandmother to their hometown in Zhujia Village. In that case, he might have grown up in a similar way to Zhou Haoran, playing by the lakeside with other village kids. Maybe he would have met Zhou Haoran during those summer evenings.

If that were the case… it wouldn’t be so bad.

Zhou Haoran noticed that Fan Xing had been silent for a while and turned to him, concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

!

Fan Xing pushed aside his unrealistic fantasies and smiled gently. “Not much, but you must have had a lot of fun when you were a kid.”

Zhou Haoran nodded. “Yeah, those were carefree times. What about you? What did you play when you were a child?”

Fan Xing chuckled. “Nothing particularly special.”

Zhou Haoran agreed, “You’re right; kids play similar games, after all. Hey, look ahead. That place is the best viewpoint in this area. Let’s go there.” With that, he took Fan Xing’s hand and led him to the observation deck.

Fan Xing had to admit that Zhou Haoran was a great tour guide. He introduced each place they visited along the way.

Fan Xing also wanted to see more so he could tell his grandmother about it. So, both of them were in high spirits. By the time He Qingmo called, Fan Xing realized he was running out of time to catch his flight at the airport. So, after thanking Zhou Haoran and saying his goodbyes, he rushed back.

He Qingmo was waiting for him in the car. When he returned, Fan Xing quickly greeted Xiao Yu and got in the car, and they headed straight for the airport.

By the time they reached the airport, it was already past 8 PM. After a flight of over an hour, they landed at B city’s airport. He Qingmo drove Fan Xing directly to Qingda University.

When they arrived at the university gate, it was almost dawn, and the gate was about to close.

Fan Xing had been worried about not making it back before the gate closed, so he was in a hurry. When the car stopped, he immediately opened the door, stepped out, and hastily waved at He Qingmo, “Big Brother, see you later. Drive safely…”

But he hadn’t finished his sentence when he suddenly remembered that He Qingmo was leaving for a business trip early the next morning and wouldn’t be back for two weeks.

He gripped the car door tightly, then hesitated, and finally climbed back into the car. He gazed at He Qingmo with clear eyes and softly said, “Big Brother, have a safe trip tomorrow, remember to eat on time despite your busy schedule, and… ah… hmm…”

The silent man suddenly leaned over and pressed him down onto the seat, passionately kissing his lips.

Fan Xing’s mind went blank, and his eyes widened in astonishment. Then, he slowly closed his eyes. His hands, which had been hanging awkwardly, finally wrapped around the man’s neck after he hesitated for a while.

He had no idea how much time had passed until the man finally released him, and his breathing gradually steadied. Fan Xing’s mind started working again, and he looked into the man’s eyes, which were now so close. There was a suspicious glint in the man’s eyes, and it made him feel like his entire body was on fire, embarrassed and wanting to hide.

However, the man pinched his chin, preventing him from turning away, and whispered softly in his ear, “I’ll have a smooth journey tomorrow, eat on time, and come back safely. And you, patiently wait for your husband to return.”

The man’s voice was slightly husky from their earlier kiss and sent shivers down Fan Xing’s spine. He replied with a tremor in his voice, soft and tender, “Mm.”

Satisfied with the response, the man still didn’t let go of him and continued to hold him gently.

Fan Xing knew that if they kept going like this, he wouldn’t be able to get into the school. But for some reason, he just couldn’t bring himself to ask the man to release him.

In the end, He Qingmo took the initiative to let him go, gently pinched his crimson cheek, and teased, “So reluctant to part with your husband, huh? How about taking a half-month break and coming with me?”

Only then did Fan Xing regain his senses. He quickly removed the man’s hand and mumbled, “It was you who didn’t want to let go, Big Brother. I’m leaving. Goodbye, Big Brother.” Then, he hurriedly got out of the car and ran off.

The man watched him almost sprinting into the school, and only then did he drive away. He didn’t notice that, behind the closed school gate, Fan Xing had been standing there, watching his car until it disappeared completely.

It wasn’t until then that Fan Xing turned and slowly walked back to the dormitory.

For some reason, his mood had suddenly become somewhat downcast.

 

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