Chapter 53

Fan Xing never expected that the man would do such things at this moment. Although their relationship made such actions reasonable, he had to wake up early the next morning, so he resisted a bit. Pushing against the man’s chest with his hands, but the man intensified the kiss, as if trying to take away all the air from his body.

His mind was foggy, and his hands, initially resisting, gradually became submissive, naturally reaching out to embrace the man.

The man’s large hands wandered around his waist, tingling like ants crawling on his skin and a strange sensation in his chest.

Feeling warm and unable to endure, he moved his legs, accidentally encountering something peculiar.

Before he could react, the man emitted a muffled groan, then released him, propping himself up to look down at Fan Xing. His deep eyes carried a dangerous glint due to some suppressed emotion, and his bathrobe was disheveled, revealing a large expanse of chest.

Fan Xing regained his senses slightly, realizing what he had touched. His face, already flushed, turned even redder. Facing the man’s possessive gaze, his heart pounded like a drum, eyelashes fluttering, and his clear eyes filled with watery brilliance.

Nervous and shy, he tightened his grip on the man’s sturdy shoulders, unable to control his hands, which had moved from resisting to surrendering.

The man’s large hand, still over the clothes, roamed around his waist. It felt ticklish, as if ants were crawling on him and his heart.

Feeling the heat, Fan Xing moved his legs uncomfortably, and inadvertently touched something strange.

He hadn’t realized it yet when he heard a low groan from the man. He then let go and sat up, looking down at him from a higher vantage point. His deep eyes emitted a dangerous glint, and the bathrobe hung loose, exposing a broad chest.

Fan Xing, slightly recovering, remembered what he had touched. His face, already hot, blushed even more. Facing the man’s deep and dangerous gaze, his heart raced, and his clear eyes were like rippling water.

He was nervous and shy, and the hand that had been resting on the man’s broad shoulders involuntarily retracted, sliding down. However, before it could leave the man’s body, it was firmly pressed down by the man’s large hand. The slender and white hand rested on the man’s chest, feeling his powerful heartbeat. It seemed a bit rapid and urgent.

“Fan Xing,” the man called his name in a low and sexy voice.

Fan Xing’s heart raced again, almost jumping out of his throat. His response was almost inaudible, “Mm.”

Then the man lowered his head once again, and Fan Xing instinctively closed his eyes.

He had never resisted this man. Even when they first met, he had mentally prepared himself. Besides, now that he had confirmed his feelings for the man, he didn’t want to resist.

However, he had to wake up early tomorrow.

This thought hazily lingered in his mind but couldn’t control him from not refusing the man. Instead, he obediently closed his eyes, waiting for what was about to happen.

In the end, the man’s heavy panting stopped just inches away, and he didn’t approach further.

Fan Xing anxiously waited for a while, then cautiously opened his eyes. He met the man’s deep gaze, which was now burning with a dangerous light, but also with a hint of restrained emotion.

Fan Xing subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the man suddenly leaned in and lightly bit his lips. He then released Fan Xing, rolled over, and threw his phone to him. “There’s a video inside; take a look,” he said before leaving the bed.

Fan Xing, still confused, asked, “Where are you going, brother?”

The man stood by the bed, looked at him, and then glanced at himself. He didn’t say anything.

Fan Xing instinctively followed his gaze downward…

The man’s bathrobe had long fallen open, revealing clear changes in his physical state. And yet, he shamelessly stood there in front of Fan Xing.

Fan Xing quickly averted his gaze, not knowing what to say.

The man, however, continued to smile shamelessly, asking him, “Want to take a bath together with your husband?”

“I’m not going!” Fan Xing’s entire body turned crimson. He threw down this sentence and quickly wrapped himself in the blanket, covering his face securely.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom that he finally peeked out from the blanket. His face, still red and heartbeat erratic, wondered why He Qingmo, who was also in his first relationship, could be so shameless.

After a while, he managed to calm down. He remembered the video He Qingmo asked him to watch and picked up He Qingmo’s phone. Opening the video, it turned out to be a recording of the interior of a house.

From the introduction in the video, it was a multi-story flat with a fresh and simple decoration style. There was a particularly large balcony, and the layout seemed good. It looked quite nice.

However, Fan Xing found it strange. Why did He Qingmo want him to watch this?

Buying a house?

He wanted to ask He Qingmo, but He Qingmo spent much more time bathing than usual.

Fan Xing thought about He Qingmo’s appearance before entering the bathroom, and the just-recovered blush on his face returned. He shook his head to dispel any random thoughts and focused on the video. After watching it several times, He Qingmo finally came out.

Worried that the conversation might turn to strange topics again, Fan Xing quickly asked, “Why did you want me to watch this? Brother, are you buying a house?”

He Qingmo lifted the blanket onto the bed. “What do you think?”

“It’s good,” Fan Xing didn’t know much about houses, but he had no personal experience. He could only judge by appearances.

He Qingmo smiled, “That’s good. This house is very close to Qing University.”

“Ah?” Fan Xing was momentarily stunned, then understood, “Brother, is it for me? You don’t have to, I go back on weekends, and it’s not troublesome. Besides, brother, you are used to living at home. Why bother moving here? It’s a waste of money. I know you have money, and the house is an investment, but I really don’t think it’s necessary.”

Fan Xing was right; He Qingmo indeed felt that Fan Xing was going back and forth too much these days, making things challenging for him.

He pinched the kid’s cheek and said, “This house was a gift from a friend who’s a property developer. I helped him a bit when he acquired the land. Initially, I didn’t plan to take it, but it might come in handy now.”

“But…” Fan Xing still found it a bit exaggerated. Was it necessary to move just for his convenience in going to school?

The man interrupted him, “I’m not planning to move; I just want you to have a place to stay in case you encounter situations like tonight.”

“What if it rarely happens?” Fan Xing said with a hint of sarcasm, but he felt warm and happy inside. Not because of the house, but because He Qingmo was genuinely considerate, thinking of solutions from his perspective.

“In case it does? What if I didn’t happen to come tonight, what would you have done?” He Qingmo asked.

“Just find a random budget hotel; it’s economical!” Fan Xing suggested.

He Qingmo sighed, not understanding why Fan Xing was so obsessed with saving money. “Alright, my husband has money; no need to save for your husband.”

When Fan Xing was about to retort, He Qingmo pulled him into his arms. “Sleep. Do you still want to go to school tomorrow morning?”

Fan Xing quickly checked the time; it was already past three. Regretting not having slept well due to worrying about oversleeping, he turned off the lights and tried to sleep.

However, because he was anxious about oversleeping, he couldn’t sleep well. When he woke up early, he had panda eyes. Seeing Qin Xiuming and the others, Yu Cheng and Lu Zirui were smiling ambiguously. Combined with the fact that his mouth had a small cut from He Qingmo’s bite, it was as if he had jumped into the Yellow River and couldn’t wash away the dirt.

But thinking about it, he and He Qingmo were already married, so whether or not he explained, it didn’t matter. Moreover, even if he explained, others wouldn’t believe that nothing had happened in their marriage after so long.

Fan Xing found it strange himself why He Qingmo hadn’t taken things to the next level. Well, it was better this way; he was still nervous.

On He Qingmo’s side, due to Fan Xing’s restless sleep, He Qingmo also had a poor sleep. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wake up early, so after Fan Xing left, he went back to sleep.

Before his sweet dreams could start, his phone rang like an alarm.

Annoyed, he answered it, and Ji Jin’s anxious voice came through, “Qingmo, something’s wrong. Ningning is missing.”

He Qingmo pinched his forehead in annoyance. “Mom, how old is he? Does he need someone to follow him everywhere?”

“What are you saying? If he went downstairs to buy breakfast, could I be so worried? He ran away!” Ji Jin, worried about her grandson, was getting angry at her son’s attitude.

But her worry wasn’t baseless. Last night, eDaily insisted on not going to the He family, and Ji Jin insisted on not letting him leave. In the end, they compromised, and eDaily stayed in a hotel nearby.

Ji Jin personally took him there but was still uneasy. So, early this morning, she rushed over from home. However, when she arrived, the room was empty.

According to the hotel’s surveillance, eDaily left before dawn, carrying a simple backpack, wearing a baseball cap low to avoid being noticed.

Since then, he hadn’t returned to the hotel, and it was evident he left without saying a word.

“Maybe he went back,” He Qingmo said while brushing his teeth, the words unclear.

“No, he hasn’t. Your eldest brother and second brother have checked all the flights today and the departure records. He hasn’t left. Moreover, there’s no record of credit card transactions. I checked his luggage yesterday; he didn’t have money with him. Where do you think he could’ve gone?” Ji Jin’s worry increased as she spoke.

He Qingmo finished brushing his teeth and mumbled, “I’ll hang up. I’ll go back right away.” He hung up, rushing to finish getting ready.

He Qingmo had very little interaction with eDaily. He had only met him a couple of times while working in M Country a few years ago. He wasn’t familiar with eDaily, and eDaily wasn’t familiar with him either. They only met for a meal, asked about each other’s recent situation, and then promptly forgot about their connection.

But He Qingmo often heard Ji Jin scolding his eldest brother, accusing him of not caring about his son. Ji Jin blamed his eldest brother for eDaily’s unwillingness to return home over the years.

He Qingmo couldn’t figure out what was going on between them, but it seemed true that his eldest brother didn’t have much emotional connection with his son. In contrast to other father-son relationships, they didn’t seem to have that intimate bond.

Initially, He Qingmo didn’t pay much attention to this, thinking that his eldest brother could handle it.

However, things took an unexpected turn, and Fan Xing got involved.

If, at this critical moment, eDaily caused trouble or had an accident, his parents might blame Fan Xing for it. Moreover, standing from the perspective of a romantic rival, He Qingmo didn’t feel much sympathy for eDaily. However, he acknowledged that eDaily was just an eighteen-year-old kid, and they were blood-related, his own nephew. He wished for the best for him.

When he arrived at the He family, He Qingchen had already checked all domestic flights, high-speed trains, and even buses, finding no record of eDaily’s ticket purchase.

“So, he’s still in City B?” Ji Jin saw a glimmer of hope.

As long as he hadn’t gone far, with the He family’s connections, they could find him quickly.

“Not necessarily. He could have taken a taxi, and some small bus stations, especially for short trips, might not require identification. If he’s determined not to let us find him, he must have his ways,” He Qingmo explained.

“But he has no money,” He Qingchen pointed out.

“He should have a few thousand yuan; Fan Xing gave it to him. Originally, it was because…” He Qingmo started explaining.

“Fan Xing? Oh right, there’s Fan Xing. Ningning might contact Fan Xing. Let me call Fan Xing,” Ji Jin suddenly found a solution and immediately reached for her phone.

“Mom, Fan Xing is in class, and he probably doesn’t know. If he knew, he would have contacted us already. Don’t bother him for this. ” He Qingmo was displeased.

Ji Jin, holding the phone, looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it. “What are you saying? Don’t disturb Fan Xing? If not for him, could Ningning be like this now? He Qingmo, don’t forget everything just because you’ve married a wife. Ningning is your nephew. Now that he’s missing, can you still be at ease?”

“What do you mean?” He Qingmo’s tone turned cold, indicating that he was getting angry.

He was afraid that his family would drag Fan Xing into eDaily’s issues, and it seemed to be happening.

“I mean, don’t you understand? Isn’t it because of…” Ji Jin began.

“That’s enough!”

Seeing that the mother and son were about to quarrel, He Qing’an, who was usually silent and composed, raised his voice, interrupting them.

All eyes turned to him as he sat on the sofa, head lowered, hands clenched into fists pressed against his forehead. “Blame no one for this. Even if it weren’t for Fan Xing, that kid would still find ways to avoid us.”

“Why?” Ji Jin asked. “I know your relationship isn’t good, and he has been unwilling to come back, but when we visited him over the years, he was exceptionally good to both me and your father. He often called us. Now that everyone is back, he won’t enter the house, and he’s gone missing… He Qing’an, explain to me what’s going on.”

“It’s me!”

A gentle voice interrupted the tense atmosphere. Surprisingly, it was Susan.

Susan had just entered, carrying a bag and wearing sunglasses, making it hard to read her expression.

The whole He family felt awkward because of her presence.

Susan, however, walked calmly over, placed her bag on the sofa, took off her sunglasses, and spoke slowly, “I just came back from out of town, brought some gifts for Mom and Dad, and wanted to deliver them directly. I didn’t expect everyone to be here. You all find it strange why He Shuning is resolute about not coming back, right? Let me tell you, it’s because I didn’t allow him to come back!”

The living room fell into a silence so profound that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s hearts were shocked.

Susan paused for a moment before continuing, “Ten years ago, I visited him and told him that I am the woman your father married legally, and he is an illegitimate child hidden in the shadows. As long as I’m in the He family, he’s not allowed to enter this door. If he wants to come back, he must beg for my forgiveness for his lowly mother!”

 

<Previous.........................Next>