Chapter 42

When Fan Xing returned to the dorm, everyone was already washed up and lying in bed playing on their phones.

Seeing him enter, several people inexplicably threw their phones aside and sat up as if startled.

“Hey, our Snow White is finally back.”

“What Snow White? How cliché? Please call me the newly crowned flower of the Medical College!”

“I think we can just call him the campus belle. Haven’t you seen the campus forum? Everyone was clamoring to vote for our Xiao Xing during the campus belle selection. I think it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the belle of our Medical College! Xiao Xing, you really made our Medical College proud.”

Fan Xing’s inexplicable sense of low spirits was instantly dispelled by their chatter. He looked at his three roommates and said, “What are you guys talking about? It’s late at night, be careful not to wake the dorm auntie. Let’s sleep.”

Then he grabbed his change of clothes and prepared to take a shower.

However, Qin Xiuming jumped off the bed and grabbed him, “Xiao Xing, don’t go yet. You haven’t been at school these past few days and haven’t been keeping up with the forum, so you don’t know about what happened last Friday…”

Qin Xiuming, who was enthusiastic about spreading gossip, suddenly stopped talking, staring fixedly at Fan Xing’s mouth. “What’s wrong with your mouth? It’s so red and swollen.”

Fan Xing didn’t initially react, subconsciously touching his lips, and asked Qin Xiuming, “What do you mean?”

Then he suddenly remembered what happened at the school gate earlier. He was kissed by He Qingmo, and it was quite intense. When He Qingmo let go of him, he even lightly bit his lip.

Fan Xing’s face blushed slightly, hastily coming up with a lame excuse, “I remembered, the dinner was a bit spicy.”

Qin Xiuming, however, looked stunned, staring at him without saying a word.

Fan Xing already felt embarrassed, and being stared at like that made him even more uncomfortable. He awkwardly chuckled, “It really was spicy.”

“Pfft! Who are you trying to fool? It’s obvious you’ve been kissed, and not just a peck, probably pinned against a wall and kissed. Xiao Xing, you indeed have a boyfriend. You can’t deny it now. Come on, confess, who is it?” Yu Cheng deliberately got off the bed, leaned over to take a look, and immediately reached a conclusion.

Lu Zirui nodded in agreement, “Definitely kissed! Judging from the degree of swelling, either they hugged and kissed each other for more than half an hour, or the other person has an overpowering possessiveness, wishing they could just devour our Xiao Xing in one bite. I think it’s the latter. Tsk tsk tsk, didn’t expect, our Xiao Xing’s boyfriend is a domineering CEO. Handsome, isn’t he?”

Fan Xing never expected that such a minor detail would be noticed. Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui even acted as if they witnessed the scene firsthand, almost recreating the situation.

Fan Xing, being thin-skinned, especially didn’t want to explain his relationship with He Qingmo, which couldn’t be summed up in a few words. So, feeling guilty, he threw out a weak excuse, “Where did you get that idea?” and quickly went to the bathroom.

This behavior was like admitting guilt, making Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui tacitly understand each other, eagerly discussing who Fan Xing’s boyfriend might be.

However, Qin Xiuming, who usually loved gossip, suddenly roared like he’d been shot, “Can you guys stop making wild guesses? Xiao Xing said he doesn’t have a boyfriend!”

Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui were puzzled by Qin Xiuming’s outburst. Lu Zirui, with a good temper, didn’t mind much, but Yu Cheng, realizing the situation, immediately retorted, “Are you blind? Haven’t you seen a pig run before? Just by looking at Fan Xing’s appearance, you believe it’s because of spicy peppers? Didn’t you firmly claim a few days ago that he has a boyfriend, and you were so eager to gossip? How can you be so sure now, trying to deceive yourself and others? Could it be you have some ulterior motives?”

Qin Xiuming’s face turned pale, hesitating before speaking in a low voice, “What nonsense are you talking about?” After that, he didn’t say another word, just got into bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

The atmosphere in the dorm suddenly became awkward. Yu Cheng looked at Lu Zirui, and Lu Zirui looked back at him. Then, both of them turned to look at Qin Xiuming.

This was damn embarrassing.

Yu Cheng was just angry, so his words were a bit harsh, but Qin Xiuming’s reaction seemed like he was accidentally hitting the nail on the head.

This was too unscientific, wasn’t it?
Last week, when gossiping about Fan Xing’s boyfriend, Qin Xiuming was even more enthusiastic than anyone else. How come, in just a few days, suddenly the brotherly affection turned into love?

How did that happen?

Isn’t it too fast?

Yu Cheng felt like he was in a real mess. Although he had a bad temper and could get angry at anyone, he never had the habit of deliberately poking at someone’s sore spot, especially not his roommate.

But obviously, that’s what he just did.

And with Qin Xiuming’s current state, apologizing would be futile, so he just got into bed and decided to deal with it tomorrow.

Lu Zirui glanced at the two of them, then at the closed door of the bathroom, and then climbed into bed as well.

The dormitory returned to silence once again, but for some reason, there was a hint of awkwardness in the air.

Of course, this awkward atmosphere didn’t affect Fan Xing at all. At this moment, he was staring at his swollen lips in the mirror.

They were indeed noticeably swollen. He thought, and then lightly touched them, causing images of He Qingmo pressing against him to flood his mind, making his heart race.

He quickly splashed cold water on his face to stop himself from overthinking.

He felt like he had been acting very strangely tonight. His mind was filled with thoughts of that man.

When he calmed down and came out of the bathroom, everyone else in the dorm had already gone to bed. He quietly turned off the lights and got into bed, but he couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning. Then he realized he wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping. Qin Xiuming on the opposite bed was also tossing and turning.

He found it a bit strange because Qin Xiuming was usually the one in their dormitory who slept the best. He often watched dramas on his phone until he fell asleep, and once asleep, he was like a log. It was rare to see him awake after turning off the lights.

But since there was no movement from Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui’s beds, he didn’t want to ask out loud, so he took out his phone and sent Qin Xiuming a message, “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

Then he saw the screen of Qin Xiuming’s phone light up on the opposite bed. Qin Xiuming glanced at it, then put the phone aside and turned over, facing away from Fan Xing’s side, and didn’t move for a while.

Fan Xing was puzzled, but he didn’t pay too much attention. He just picked up his phone and started browsing the campus forum.

When he came back, Qin Xiuming and the others were talking about something, seemingly related to him.

As a result, when he opened the forum, he found countless posts about him, and some of them had very high views, staying at the top of the page. The titles all pointed out that the newly crowned campus belle was actually a guy, and the contents were various photos of him taken during the drama performance on Friday night.

Fan Xing’s outfit was already attractive, and with the help of skilled photo editing, the photos of him as Snow White looked like they were taken straight out of a fairy tale.

With such looks, it naturally attracted the attention of countless guys.

The key was that on Friday night, there was a post on the forum revealing “the truth behind the newly crowned belle,” with all kinds of photos of Fan Xing in his usual appearance.

The belle turning out to be someone with a short haircut was truly disillusioning, right? Guys must be very disappointed.

However, that wasn’t the case. There was still a large group of people clamoring to elect him as the campus belle.

And then, the girls who were a bit sour before suddenly changed their attitude. They were overflowing with maternal love, leaving comments like, “My darling is so cute, so soft and adorable, I really want to pinch him,” “My darling is the most beautiful, the campus belle must be my darling, no objections accepted”…

???
Fan Xing was completely baffled after reading all this. What on earth was going on? He had just performed in a stage play, so how did he suddenly become a campus celebrity? And why were they even campaigning for him to be the campus belle? Didn’t everyone know he was a guy?

Was this how university students’ minds worked now?

Fan Xing was at a loss, but as he was about to retreat to bed, he suddenly noticed He Qingmo’s name.

Subconsciously, he clicked on it, and it turned out to be a photo of He Qingmo buying magnolia cakes for him on Friday night at the food street.

The post didn’t say much, just expressing surprise at bumping into He Qingmo at such a place and praising his patience for waiting in line at the roadside stall, which completely changed the poster’s previous impression of him. Then there were a series of photos.

The comments below were mostly infatuated, marveling at how handsome he was, mixed with some not-so-flattering words like playboy, scumbag, and stud.

But Fan Xing’s eyes were fixed on those photos.

The person who posted it must have been very close to He Qingmo at the time, so the photos were all close-ups.

He Qingmo was already impeccable in appearance, and even casual close-up shots looked like professionally edited posters.

Fan Xing stared at the face he had just seen, feeling lost in thought. When he came to his senses, he realized he had saved all those photos into his album and was about to set one of them as his wallpaper.

After realizing what he had done, Fan Xing subconsciously rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. He felt like he was going crazy, doing such inexplicable things.

The previous night had been so restless that Fan Xing didn’t fall into a deep sleep until the early hours of the morning. When he went for his morning run, he was still groggy, and when he went to the cafeteria for breakfast, he suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen Qin Xiuming with them in the morning. Not only that, it seemed like he hadn’t seen Qin Xiuming since he woke up.

“Where’s Qin Xiuming? Haven’t seen him all morning,” Fan Xing asked Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui.

The two of them glanced at each other and shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know.

Fan Xing didn’t pursue the matter. After all, they were all adults, and everyone had their own private matters.

Besides, he had his own troubles to deal with. The posts he saw on the forum last night didn’t bother him, but now he realized he seemed to have really become famous. During his morning run, unfamiliar classmates deliberately ran up to him and found various excuses to talk to him. It got even more ridiculous at the cafeteria, where someone directly brought him breakfast and didn’t even give him a chance to refuse before leaving.

Fan Xing had a headache. “What… What’s going on?”

Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui were quite happy about it. It was great not having to wait in line for breakfast. They pulled Fan Xing to sit down and comforted him, “Look, it’s all here. It’s a waste not to eat it. Wasting food is shameful. We’ll just pay them back later when we see them. Come on, eat while it’s hot.”

But Fan Xing couldn’t eat. It was too inexplicable. He didn’t even know who the other person was, so how could he just accept it?

But what Yu Cheng and the others said made sense. If they didn’t eat it, it would just go to waste, so he watched as Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui ate, planning to eat something random to fill his stomach later.

But that was just the beginning. From that moment on, it seemed like wherever he went, someone was paying attention to him, and some people even came up to him directly to ask for his contact information. During class breaks, when he went to the restroom, he would come back to find a bottle of drink on his desk with a note on it saying, “Darling seems to have dark circles. Didn’t sleep well last night? Be sure to rest more. Mom loves you!”

Fan Xing stood on his seat, holding the note, and looked around the classroom. Yu Cheng said, “Don’t bother looking. He’s not here. He just left it and went. And it’s not just one person, it’s a group.”

Fan Xing: “…”

And so, Fan Xing spent the whole day like this. When he finally returned to the dormitory, he thought he could finally relax a bit, but then his phone started ringing non-stop. There were various clubs calling to invite him to join, from drama clubs to anime clubs to photography interest groups, even gaming clubs, track and field teams, basketball teams, and so on.

By the time Fan Xing received the tenth phone call, his patience had finally worn thin. Without waiting for the other party to speak, he preemptively said, “Sorry, I currently have no plans to join any clubs, so…”

“Is this Fan Xing? It’s Gu Yongchang.”

Before Fan Xing could finish, a polite and gentle voice came from the other end.

Fan Xing paused for a moment before politely responding, “Hello, Uncle Gu. This is Fan Xing.”

“What’s the matter? You sound like you’re having some trouble. Can I help?” Gu Yongchang asked with a smile.

“It’s nothing. Did you need something from me?” Fan Xing asked.

Fan Xing felt uncomfortable even interacting with Fan Meixi, let alone Gu Yongchang. But since he had answered the phone without knowing who it was, he couldn’t just hang up.

“It’s nothing important. Your mom mentioned that you’re studying at Qing University, and I happen to be nearby. I thought since you’ve come back, as your elder, I haven’t formally met you yet. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to invite you to dinner. Are you free?” Gu Yongchang said.

Fan Xing had met Gu Yongchang before, on the first day he returned to the country. After getting their certificates at the Civil Affairs Bureau with He Qingmo, Fan Meixi took him to the Gu family, where he met many people from the Gu family.

Gu Yongchang was there at the time, but he had been on the phone the whole time. When Fan Meixi brought Fan Xing over, Gu Yongchang just glanced at him, nodded, and continued talking on the phone.

That was their only meeting, and they hadn’t met since.

But to Fan Xing, whether they had met or not made no difference. So when Gu Yongchang suddenly invited him to dinner, he had a rough idea of what it was about. It was somewhat helpless.

“Thank you, Uncle Gu, but I’ve already eaten, and I’ve made plans to go to the library with my classmates,” Fan Xing replied.

Gu Yongchang smiled on the other end. “That’s a pity. Perhaps another time then. I won’t bother you any longer.” Gu Yongchang then hung up without saying anything extra, as if he had just happened to pass by and invited Fan Xing to dinner.

Fan Xing couldn’t help but feel petty about himself.

However, when he walked out of the teaching building the next day after school, he saw Gu Yongchang waiting outside, and he realized he had been naive.

In that moment, he suddenly felt that this person was quite similar to his mother.

Unable to avoid it, he could only accept the invitation. Originally, he planned to take Gu Yongchang to the same restaurant he had been to with Fan Meixi last time. However, Gu Yongchang seemed quite familiar with the area around Qing University. He led him on a walk and took him to a seemingly inconspicuous restaurant.

Fan Xing noticed the decoration style and the menu and realized it was a very authentic Jiangnan restaurant. Gu Yongchang ordered local specialties.

When the food was served, Fan Xing felt as if he was still in Jiangnan and hadn’t returned.

“You’re from Jiangnan. This restaurant serves the most authentic Jiangnan cuisine near Qing University. Give it a try,” Gu Yongchang said.

Gu Yongchang was in his early forties and took good care of himself, looking like he was in his thirties. He had a refined appearance, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and spoke softly. If someone who didn’t know him saw him, they would probably think he was a professor at Qing University and would naturally have a good impression of him for no reason.

But Fan Xing knew him, so he didn’t have any special feelings. He politely picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, then went straight to the point. “Uncle Gu, what’s the matter?”

Gu Yongchang was focused on peeling shrimp shells and didn’t lift his head. He smiled and said, “Why are you so worried? Let’s just enjoy our meal.” After that, he put the peeled shrimp into Fan Xing’s bowl.

Fan Xing looked down at the shrimp in confusion and then looked up at Gu Yongchang, who seemed completely sure that he liked shrimp, but when did he ever say he liked shrimp? Even if he did, why would Gu Yongchang be peeling shrimp shells for him?

The key was Gu Yongchang’s confident demeanor, as if he had determined that Fan Xing liked shrimp. What was going on?

“Who told you, Uncle Gu, that I like shrimp?” Fan Xing asked, bewildered.

Gu Yongchang, who was engrossed in peeling shrimp shells, looked up. “You don’t like it? I remember you…” He suddenly paused and then chuckled, “I remember your mom said that. Did I get it wrong? Sorry.”

Fan Xing knew he changed his words midway. He was about to ask, but Gu Yongchang had already changed the topic, asking about Fan Xing’s recent life at school, how he was adjusting after returning to the country, whether he had made new friends, and so on. His tone was that of a caring elder inquiring about a younger one, but he didn’t mention the reason for calling Fan Xing.

It wasn’t until Fan Xing became somewhat impatient and prepared to leave that Gu Yongchang finally got to the point.

“Fan Xing, the main reason Uncle is here to see you today is to apologize in person. I heard what you said to your mom last time, and I think you did nothing wrong. After all, you helped our family, and we shouldn’t ask for more. However, you and your mom are mother and son after all. I don’t want you two to be in this state. I know you feel wronged, feeling like your mom favors Mingyu and doesn’t care about you.”

Gu Yongchang sighed and continued, “Actually, it’s my fault. Back then, I didn’t allow her to have contact with you. I was young and cared about my reputation, didn’t want others to know I married a divorced woman with a child. So I forbade her from making international calls and going abroad to see you. You know, relationships are built through interactions. Even though you’re mother and son, you haven’t spent much time together, so naturally, you’ve grown apart. And over the years, she has put all her feelings for you on Mingyu, hence the favoritism. But you should know, it’s all my fault. Don’t blame it all on her. She cares about you. When you told her not to meet anymore that night, she cried all night, saying she ruined your mother-son relationship.”

Fan Xing didn’t want to know whether these words were true or false. He was just somewhat surprised. He originally thought Gu Yongchang came to persuade him to mend things with Fan Meixi, but he didn’t expect it to be about that.

However, Fan Xing understood deep down that ultimately, their goals were the same.

He smiled lightly, his voice low, “As you said, relationships are built through interactions. My mom and I have never spent more than half a day together, so we don’t have any feelings between us. Where does this talk of ruining a relationship come from? If my mom is really upset, please ask Uncle Gu to convey this message to her. It’s late, I’ll leave first. Goodbye.” With that, Fan Xing got up and left.

Gu Yongchang obviously didn’t expect such a straightforward reaction. He hesitated for a moment before stopping Fan Xing. “Fan Xing, your mom is sick and has been in the hospital for two days. Go see her, just take a look.”

Fan Xing couldn’t help but stop in his tracks, turned back, “What happened to her?”

Before he could finish his sentence, he swallowed it back, changed his tone, and said, “Tell her to take care of herself. Doctors are more effective than me.” With that said, he left without looking back.

Gu Yongchang stared at the direction he left for a while, then lowered his head to take off his glasses, wiped them slowly with a tissue, and put them back on after wiping them clean. He called the waiter to pay the bill and left as if Fan Xing’s attitude hadn’t affected him in the slightest.

On the other hand, Fan Xing felt uncomfortable as he walked towards the school after leaving the restaurant. He wasn’t worried about Fan Meixi. Although he instinctively wanted to ask about Fan Meixi’s illness when he heard about it, he calmed down immediately afterward. Fan Meixi couldn’t possibly be in trouble. If there were, how could Gu Yongchang talk so much nonsense?

In the end, it was just a ploy to get him to meet Fan Meixi.

He felt uncomfortable precisely because of this. Why could his mother do anything to achieve her goals?

At this moment, his phone rang. It was a call from He Qingmo.

He was somewhat surprised and immediately answered, “Why are you calling now? It’s late over there, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy until now, so tired,” came the man’s lazy voice, unable to hide his exhaustion.

“Then go rest quickly,” Fan Xing said, feeling worried.

“Mm,” the man responded lightly but didn’t hang up.

“Why don’t you hang up?” Fan Xing asked.

The man’s childish tone came, “Can’t sleep. Tell your husband a bedtime story.”

“What? What story should I tell? I’m not very good at it,” Fan Xing said, feeling a bit embarrassed. He never expected He Qingmo to make such a strange request.

“Singing a song is fine too.” But once He Qingmo became stubborn, nothing could stop him.

 

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2 Responses

  1. Stephanie says:

    Thanks for the update

  2. Blood says:

    HQ looks more like a spoiled wife 🙈

    Thanks for the update 🤗 🤗

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