Chapter 59

Song Yang is really not exaggerating. Jie Jin knows that Song Yang must know the whereabouts of He Qingmo, so she calls him whenever she can’t find He Qingmo.

The key is that He Qingmo is his boss, the one who pays him a salary. Even if he knows He Qingmo’s whereabouts, he wouldn’t dare to say anything if He Qingmo doesn’t speak up.

In the past, even if Jie Jin called him, he would explain his difficulties, and Jie Jin wouldn’t give him a hard time.

But today is completely crazy. He’s been receiving calls non-stop, and Jie Jin has already said that if he doesn’t reveal He Qingmo’s whereabouts, she will go to his house and ask in person.

So, Song Yang had no choice but to call He Qingmo.

“Alright, you tell her I’ll be back immediately,” He Qingmo said and hung up the phone, stepping on the gas pedal to speed up.

Half an hour later, he arrived at He’s mansion.

In the middle of the night, He’s mansion was still brightly lit, and He Qing’an and his wife were both there.

When Jie Jin saw He Qingmo, she immediately ran over and scolded him while hitting him, “How can you be so heartless as an uncle? Ning Ning finally came back for a visit, and he was bullied by you and your wife like that. He even has injuries on him. Can you bear to send him away like this? Even if you don’t want to keep him, let us meet him. Tell me, why are you treating him like this? He Qingsan, let me tell you, if you cause any harm to my grandson, I’ll disown you as my son.”

Jie Jin was genuinely worried about her grandson, especially since she couldn’t eat or sleep since yesterday morning when she learned that her grandson was missing. She was hoping that He Qingmo could find him, and she wanted to comfort him.

However, He Qing’an brought the news that the grandson had left without saying a word and went back alone.

The child returned to the country for the first time in eighteen years, didn’t even enter the house, and was robbed of his sweetheart by his own uncle. How sad must he be?

Thinking of how much suffering her grandson must have endured, Jie Jin felt unbearable.

The key point was that the eldest daughter-in-law did not accept the grandson. Not only did she not let him in, but Jie Jin was also worried that this younger son would mistreat her grandson just to please his wife.

He Qingmo let her hit him a few times before bringing up Eric’s words.

After listening, Jie Jin was somewhat incredulous, “He really decided to go back on his own, not being forced by you?”

He Qingmo chuckled, “Mom, with your eldest young master, if he didn’t want to go back, could anyone force him? Besides, he didn’t plan to stay long. Why else would he leave and not attend classes?”

Jie Jin stared at He Qingmo for a while, seeing that he really didn’t look like he was lying, she retracted her hesitant gaze, “Did he really call me and Dad to say he’s going back?”

“For you and Dad,” He Qingmo patiently repeated.

“I knew it. Our Ning Ning is very obedient. He’s always considerate towards me, his grandmother. He definitely won’t make me worry.,” Jie Jin automatically ignored her husband, praising her grandson as if he hadn’t left without saying goodbye yesterday morning.

He Qingmo didn’t pay attention to her anymore, glanced at He Qing’an, who was hanging his head in silence, looking very dispirited. Probably, these two days were also sleepless for him.

He walked over and sat beside He Qing’an, patting his shoulder, “Sorry for my attitude on the phone tonight. Don’t mind.”

He Qing’an turned his head to look at him, sighed, and shook his head, “You’re right. It was my fault in the first place. Is Ning Ning really okay? Did you… not tell him about his mother?”

He Qingmo shook his head, “I didn’t. But, a breakup is not fake. He’s probably going to be sad for a while.”

Even He Qingmo only recently learned about the enmity between Eric’s mother and Susan. Eric, of course, was unaware of it.

The He family had never told Eric about his true identity, only saying that his mother gave birth to him before marriage, realized she was not suitable for He Qing’an after giving birth, and left alone.

Even to maintain the image of his mother in Eric’s heart, they lied to him that his mother left a large sum of money before she left, all for him.

In fact, before Susan appeared in the He family, even the He family members didn’t know that Eric had long known that he was a illegitimate child.

But it seemed that Susan didn’t tell him everything either. She only revealed in angry words that he was a bastard, and his mother had taken someone else’s man.

So, Eric still didn’t know what kind of person his mother really was and what extreme things she had done.

So, he only expresses his occasional rebellion to protest against He Qing’an. Perhaps he feels that even if his mother was wrong back then, He Qing’an, as his father, is still somehow involved.

He Qingmo is not sure whether he should let Eric know the truth. Maybe if Eric knows, he’ll understand why Susan treated him that way. However, revealing everything would force him to acknowledge having a ruthless mother who was involved in the sex industry.

Knowing Eric’s stubborn personality, He Qingmo believes that if he truly learns the truth, he will completely cut ties with the He family, refusing any contact.

If that happens, He Chengyi and Jie Jin would probably go crazy. Even as the eldest brother, although he never mentions this son, losing him would still be unbearable.

So, He Qingmo chooses not to tell him the truth. Besides, with Eric just experiencing a breakup, subjecting him to this kind of blow would be cruel.

He Qing’an nods, “Thanks.”

—

Fan Xing is a bit busy in the following days. Basically, his schedule is full of classes every day, and he stays in the library until closing time in the evening before returning to the dorm. Calls with He Qingmo are brief, as they are both occupied.

On Friday night, He Qingmo originally planned to pick him up but got held up by a last-minute meeting.

Fan Xing doesn’t mind. Taking the subway back to the dorm is convenient for him, and he thinks it would be a hassle for He Qingmo to come all the way to pick him up.

Knowing that He Qingmo would return very late, Fan Xing is not in a hurry to go back.

After returning to the dormitory, he plans to change the sheets and send them for laundry, then tidy up the dorm.

For some reason, on the way back to the dorm, he notices many people pointing and talking about him. Some even take out their phones to take pictures or record videos.

Although most people in Qing University know him since he cross-dressed as Snow White, and occasionally, people intentionally come to strike up conversations or take pictures, this kind of attention has been decreasing lately. Why did it suddenly increase today?

Could it be that something happened on the campus forum again?

Feeling uneasy, Fan Xing’s eyebrows twitch, and he takes out his phone to log in to the forum. Just then, a call comes in from an unknown number.

After a moment of hesitation, he answers.

“Hello, may I ask if this is Fan Xing, a student from Qing Medical College?” A polite and enthusiastic female voice comes from the other end of the line.

“Hello, yes, I am. May I know who is calling?” Fan Xing asks.

“Oh, hello, we are from the ‘Chasing Light’ program. We are preparing for an episode featuring campus beauties and would like to invite you to participate. When are you available? We can meet and discuss it further,” the voice says.

Fan Xing is momentarily stunned but quickly feels a headache coming on. Still, he politely responds, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time.”

“When would you be available? We can reschedule or I can come to Qing University to find you. Honestly, for this episode, we are planning to invite campus beauties from several prestigious universities in the country, but the focus will be on you. After all, you are the first male campus beauty selected in the country. Judging by the discussions on your university forum, many people are curious about you. Moreover, our program has high viewership and popularity among similar shows in the country. With your good looks and the attention you naturally attract, entering the entertainment industry would be easy. If you choose our program for your variety show debut, it would be beneficial for both you and our program,” the voice continues.

The other party’s attitude is sincere and warm, but Fan Xing, being patient, waits for her to finish her lengthy speech before saying, “Thank you very much, but I have no intention of entering the entertainment industry. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now. Goodbye.”

After ending the call, Fan Xing quickly opens the campus forum. As expected, the results of the campus beauty selection are out, and he is unexpectedly ranked first.

The homepage banner of the Qing University forum prominently displays his Snow White cosplay and a normal photo of him with the title – “Campus Beauty Freshly Crowned!”

The forum’s homepage is flooded with discussions about this, some praising, some criticizing, making it very lively.

Fan Xing feels even more of a headache. He initially thought it was absurd to be included in the voting, but he never dreamed that he would actually top the list. He wonders what those classmates who voted for him were thinking.

Because of this matter, he didn’t even want to return to the dormitory and just wanted to leave the school as soon as possible.

So, even though he was almost at the dormitory building, he turned around and went home directly.

Heqing Mo was in a meeting and had informed him that he would be back very late at night, so when he returned home, he was alone.

The campus belle incident seemed to have a significant impact. Besides the program “Chasing Light,” he received several phone calls one after another, all invitations to participate in variety shows or reality shows.

After refusing, he directly turned off his phone, went to the kitchen to cook, and didn’t want to think about these annoying things.

However, he didn’t know that at this moment, someone had already posted his photos on Weibo, and the topic of “Clear University’s new male campus belle” was gradually gaining attention, seemingly about to be discussed widely on the internet.

However, soon after, Fan Xing’s photos were deleted, and the topic was quickly suppressed.

He Qingmo finally came out of the meeting room, and Song Yang handed him the iPad, reporting, “During your meeting, Fan Xing trended, but it has been taken down now. Probably not many people saw his photos. However, I got information that several variety shows want him to appear. Should we intervene?”

Song Yang was very careful, knowing that Fan Xing liked to keep a low profile, so he immediately took down the trending topic after discovering it.

Fan Xing’s popularity on the Clear University forum didn’t matter; every university had its own celebrity topics within its small circle. Fan Xing was a student at Clear University, and having such popularity within the campus was acceptable. But once exposed on Weibo, it was different; he would be recognized by netizens nationwide, and Fan Xing, with his personality, would probably find it uncomfortable.

So, as soon as the topic emerged, Song Yang took action.

He Qingmo took the iPad, scrolled through it, and saw that Fan Xing had indeed been voted as the campus belle. He chuckled, shaking his head. Although he agreed with the judgment of Clear University students, he guessed that his little friend would be upset when he found out about the result.

Thinking about his little friend sulking on the couch at this moment, He Qingmo couldn’t stay still, handed the tablet back to Song Yang, and casually said, “Don’t get involved for now.” Then he picked up his coat and quickly went downstairs.

Half an hour later, he rushed back home. Originally, he thought his little friend would be sulking alone, but at this moment, he unexpectedly found the little friend humming a song and cooking in the kitchen, in a surprisingly good mood.

The man was somewhat surprised, walked over, leaned against the door, and lightly knocked on the door frame.

Fan Xing heard the sound, turned around, saw his clear eyes shining, and his sweet and soft smile, “Brother is back? I’ve almost finished dinner; brother, wash up and get ready to eat.”

The man walked over, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands in the sink, and then pinched the little friend’s cheek with his wet hands, smiling, “Good mood, huh? Is it because you were selected as the campus belle?”

Fan Xing had almost forgotten, but when he mentioned it, he suddenly remembered. The bright eyebrows lightly frowned, but then he smiled again, “Forget it, anyway, it’s already like this. Whether I’m happy or not won’t change the current situation. I can only hope for next year’s freshman report; by then, they will have to reselect.”

After saying that, he handed the soup to He Qingmo, “Brother, please carry it out, I’ll serve the rice.” Then he turned around, humming a song, and went to serve the rice.

He Qingmo smiled; this child was indeed open-minded.

But it made sense. Since it was already like this, could Clear University reselect? Even the president of Clear University couldn’t intervene in such matters.

Fan Xing was smart in this regard; he knew that for things that couldn’t be changed, he had to be open-minded.

It was already past eleven o’clock. He Qingmo had been in a long meeting and hadn’t eaten dinner. At this moment, he was very hungry, and the key was that Fan Xing had prepared a table full of dishes he loved.

So, he enjoyed the meal especially.

Fan Xing was also a bit hungry. In order to wait for He Qingmo, he hadn’t eaten dinner either.

But seeing He Qingmo enjoy the meal so much, he didn’t know what he was thinking. Suddenly, he put down the bowl and chopsticks, picked up the camera, and started recording a video of the man.

 

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