Chapter 52

Fan Xing looked at He Qingmo in surprise, but the man’s expression remained indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Concerned, Fan Xing suggested, “Should we go check on him?”

He Qingmo, however, gently pushed him back into the chair and, while disinfecting his hands with medical alcohol, casually replied, “Don’t bother; he’s fine like this.”

“Huh? But the person I know isn’t like this. I’m afraid…”

Fan Xing was worried that his words might have unsettled Eric’s emotions, causing unpleasantness with his family.

Before he could finish his sentence, He Qingmo interrupted, “Don’t always take everything upon yourself. Even without what happened just now, he probably wouldn’t have come back with us. What happened earlier might have just made him emotionally agitated and slightly rude in behavior, but it doesn’t change his nature.”

Fan Xing was puzzled and a bit anxious, “Why?”

He Qingmo had already cleaned the bloodstains from his hands, applied a band-aid, and casually held them. He looked at Fan Xing and shook his head, “I don’t know either. Maybe there’s something between him and my elder brother. I’ve only met him twice, not familiar.”

The voices outside were getting fainter, as if they were moving away, making it difficult to hear.

Fan Xing was concerned about Eric but decided against going outside to check. Regardless of Eric’s thoughts, the people from the He family seemed to care about him a lot and would find a way to comfort and take care of him.

With these thoughts in mind, Fan Xing felt a bit relieved. He then noticed his three roommates, who were still in shock, and realized it was already past midnight, presenting another concern.

Helplessly, he looked at He Qingmo, appearing somewhat pitiful. “What should we do? We can’t go back to school now. Besides, my roommates know that I’m married to you.”

Seeing his expression, He Qingmo couldn’t resist the urge to reach over and pinch his tender cheek. However, Fan Xing was sensitive, and with others present, doing so would likely make him embarrassed enough to find a hole to hide in. So, he opted for a lighter approach, gently squeezing Fan Xing’s hand and smiling, “Then it’s perfect; come back with me.”

Fan Xing’s mind momentarily blanked, and he almost agreed. Upon regaining his senses, he quickly shook his head. “No, no. Going back now means we’ll have to wake up very early to come back. If you turn off my alarm again, I’ll have to take another day off. Absolutely not!”

He couldn’t trust this man anymore. All the promises about him being punctual in sending him back to school were probably just lies.

He Qingmo rubbed his nose, laughing softly, “You’ve really become clever, Little Fan Xing. So, what do we do now?”

Fan Xing was also troubled.

The school gate was closed, and even if they explained to the gatekeeper, considering their circumstances, he might show some understanding. If that failed, they could sneak in through the small gate they had used before.

However, getting inside wouldn’t solve the problem of entering the dormitory.

At this time, they couldn’t muster the courage to call the dormitory supervisor to open the door.

So, going back to school was practically impossible.

Going home was too far.

That left only one option: finding a place to stay near Qing University for the night.

In fact, He Qingmo had thought of this earlier, and seeing Fan Xing also considering this, he directly pulled him up, “Let’s go. Call your roommates; I’ll take you there.”

Qin Xiuming and the others, sitting in the back, were still in disbelief as they looked at the person driving the car. They couldn’t believe they were actually in He Qingmo’s car. This was something they hadn’t even dared to dream about before.

Of course, the most unexpected thing for them was that their roommate had actually married He Qingmo.

Sitting in the back seat, the three of them couldn’t help but glance at the two people in the front. They wanted to ask so many “whys,” but the two in the front were silent, making them too nervous to speak.

The police station was near Qing University, and the hotel was also close by. So, He Qingmo arrived at the destination within ten minutes.

Before getting out of the car, Fan Xing glared at He Qingmo with resentment. The implication was clear: Did he have to choose such a place?

Why not just book a regular hotel room for two hundred yuan a night? Even if He Qingmo was rich, it wasn’t right to let others pay for their own accommodation.

Entering the hotel, Fan Xing felt even more like it was a waste.

He Qingmo had booked two top-notch luxury suites.

Qin Xiuming and the others were stunned by this extravagant display. They had initially calculated how they would split the accommodation cost, assuming He Qingmo wouldn’t pay for them, but now… it seemed like they couldn’t afford it even if they wanted to.

They were all living on a tight budget, and now they were almost unable to withstand the pressure, having to borrow next month’s living expenses from their families.

Seeing the awkwardness of his three roommates, Fan Xing pushed He Qingmo, indicating him to go back first, while he would go and talk to his roommates to ease their psychological burden.

However, He Qingmo glanced at them behind Fan Xing, noticing that the three roommates weren’t paying attention, and immediately put on a pitiful expression. He complained, “Fan Xing, you’re really heartless. Do you know what time it is? You want me to drive back in one or two hours? I kindly arranged everything for you, and now you’re ignoring me? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

Fan Xing knew he was pretending, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.

He had truly forgotten how late it was, and it would be too far and tiring for He Qingmo to drive back now.

“Brother, don’t go back. It’s too tiring to drive now,” Fan Xing suggested.

He Qingmo smiled in satisfaction. “That’s more like it.” He then pulled Fan Xing upstairs, leaving Fan Xing’s classmates to be taken care of by the hotel staff.

After entering the room, Fan Xing suddenly remembered something and quickly said, “Brother, take a shower first. I need to go check on my roommates.” He then turned and ran to Qin Xiuming’s room.

At this moment, Qin Xiuming and the others, relieved from facing He Qingmo, were in much better spirits.

Yucheng and Lu Zirui were excitedly exploring the room. After all, such luxury suites were not something ordinary people like them could casually stay in. It was a rare opportunity to look around.

Qin Xiuming, on the other hand, looked sluggish, slumping onto the couch as if he had lost his soul.

Yucheng and Lu Zirui understood his mood and decided to let him calm down for a while. Just as Fan Xing arrived, they were having a discussion.

Seeing Qin Xiuming looking exhausted and with some injuries on his face, Fan Xing felt concerned. “What happened? Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?”

Qin Xiuming stared at him somewhat absentmindedly, not saying anything.

Puzzled by his gaze, Fan Xing touched his own face. “What are you looking at?”

Qin Xiuming, now realizing, adjusted his sitting posture, casually grabbed some fruits from the coffee table, and joked with a forced lightness, “I’m just surprised. Xiao Xing, you’re really something, secretly getting married without a word. And to a domineering CEO, no less.”

“Yeah, Xiao Xing, you’re so unkind. You didn’t say anything when we guessed you had a boyfriend. Now, you suddenly spring this on us. Aren’t you afraid of shocking us?” Lu Zirui also joined the conversation, coming over while eating fruits.

Yucheng, still interested in exploring, shouted from the adjacent bedroom, “Xiao Xing, you’re incredible. Look, these uncle and nephew have become enemies for you. Also…”

He wanted to mention how Old Qin dueled with Eric for Fan Xing, but realizing the sensitivity of the topic, he quickly swallowed the words, smiling awkwardly. “And there are so many perverts in our school, always trying to get close to you. You’re like a disaster in ancient times!”

Talking about Eric, Fan Xing felt helpless and smoothly changed the topic. “I hope you guys aren’t mad. I just came to ask for a favor. Can you keep this a secret? I know it’s already out in the open, but apart from us and the police, you three are the only ones here tonight. I believe the police won’t disclose it, so if you guys don’t say anything, it can still be kept a secret.”

“Well… we can keep it a secret, but…” Yucheng, now done exploring, came over and sat across from Fan Xing, looking somewhat crafty. “You have to tell us the whole story, the ins and outs of what happened between you, your husband, and that Eric. We listened for a long time, but we hardly understood anything.”

“I can tell you, but let’s wait until next time. It’s almost two in the morning now, and we have to go back to school early tomorrow. Let’s talk about it later. You guys should get some sleep. I’ll head back now.”

Fan Xing knew that once he spoke, these three would definitely keep it a secret. So, he stood up, waved to them, and left, leaving behind Lu Zirui, who was still munching on an apple and shouting, “Can you wake up early? Your brother’s wife is pregnant, can you bear to leave her alone?”

Fan Xing paused for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. Then, pretending not to hear, he walked away.
!
But someone had a more significant reaction after hearing these words. Qin Xiuming froze, his face turning pale.

Yucheng gave Lu Zirui a glance, and Lu Zirui realized there was someone who had just experienced a breakup.

Dropping the apple core, Lu Zirui forced a smile, “Old Qin, you need to move on. Originally, we supported you in digging the wall, but the situation is special now. Xiao Xing has evidence and witnesses; you can’t dig anymore. Moreover, it’s He Qingmo. Let’s face reality.”

“Yeah, Old Qin, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Why tie yourself to one tree? How about this, starting tomorrow, we’ll help you find a partner. Oh no, it’s too early for matchmaking; how about finding a friend? It’ll work, for sure. We’re brothers, we can’t let you down. Regarding rivals, we can check if the person is suitable or not,” Yucheng also joined in persuading.

Qin Xiuming was getting a headache from their banter. “Are you guys done? I never thought about such things!”

“Then you…”

“I just don’t like them! Whether it’s Eric or He Qingmo, are they worthy of Fan Xing? Look at Eric’s attitude towards Fan Xing. And He Qingmo, he’s wealthy, handsome, and capable, yes, but have you forgotten about his character? Have you forgotten what happened just a couple of days ago? He Qingmo and his new love even trended on social media, right at the airport. Have you all forgotten?”

Qin Xiuming felt uncomfortable, not just because the person he liked got married, but also because it was Fan Xing’s choice to marry He Qingmo, whom Qin Xiuming disliked.

In Qin Xiuming’s eyes, how could someone like He Qingmo, with such a dubious romantic history, be worthy of Fan Xing?

Yucheng and Lu Zirui exchanged a glance. Clearing his throat, Lu Zirui said, “Old Qin, some things can’t be judged by appearances alone. Take the incident with Eric. From the photos on the forum, it seemed like he didn’t care about Fan Xing. But you saw it just now; in reality, Eric couldn’t confess his love. I think the situation with He Qingmo might not be as we think.”

“Yeah, did you not notice He Qingmo’s attitude towards Xiao Xing? Xiao Xing scolded him, and he didn’t get angry. Qin Xiuming, just imagine, have you seen He Qingmo smile before today? Even when he appeared with those little boyfriends, he had an icy face. But today, when facing Xiao Xing, he smiled so beautifully.”

Lu Zirui became excited. “Exactly, I was dumbfounded at that moment, thought I was dreaming. Damn, if he could smile at me like that, even if I knew he was a scumbag, I’d still go for it.”

“Enough, Old Qin. We’re saying all this to make you see that you should try to observe their relationship more. We think they are genuinely in love. In other words, do you really think Xiao Xing is a fool? Knowing that the other person is a scumbag, aware of the red flags in his family, can he still develop genuine feelings? I don’t think Xiao Xing would!”

Qin Xiuming remained silent, lost in his thoughts. Yucheng and Lu Zirui had exhausted their words, saying everything that needed to be said. Now, it was up to Qin Xiuming to figure things out.

With nothing more to say, the two of them went back to their rooms, showered, and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Fan Xing, after returning, found He Qingmo in a bathrobe, reading magazines on the bed. Having just taken a shower, Fan Xing was initially not too tired. However, seeing He Qingmo’s relaxed demeanor made him suddenly feel exhausted. He quickly showered and climbed into bed, intending to sleep.

However, the usually calm man decided to playfully mess with his eyelashes, preventing him from sleeping.

Feeling irritated, Fan Xing opened his eyes and grabbed the man’s hand, lightly biting the misbehaving finger. He threatened with a warning look, indicating that if he continued to disturb him, he would bite.

He Qingmo swore he hadn’t intended to do anything. After all, Fan Xing had to wake up early for school the next day, and he wanted him to get some rest. But the way Fan Xing played with his finger made him itchy inside. It wasn’t entirely his fault!

As a result, instead of withdrawing his finger, he gently hooked it inside Fan Xing’s mouth through his teeth, stirring it playfully.

Fan Xing instinctively licked it, and as soon as he realized what he had done, his face turned instantly red. He quickly let go of He Qingmo’s finger, attempting to turn over and sleep. However, the tall figure of the man pressed down, and instead of the finger, his mouth took over.

 

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