Chapter 42

Du Chi’s villa is located in a wetland park in the city center, with a large artificial lake just outside the door. Occasionally, you can even see egrets flying by.

The car slowly drove through the open area and entered the private residential area in a corner of the park. Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet, with only the sound of car tires rolling on the asphalt road.

Xiang Mo kept his face turned towards the window, seemingly enjoying the scenery, but actually digesting his inner tension.

Although Du Chi said that his father had no objections to his orientation and shouldn’t interfere with their relationship, the word “shouldn’t” in his statement felt like leaving a 1% chance of an accident, making Xiang Mo feel uneasy.

“Don’t be nervous.” Du Chi held the steering wheel with his left hand, freeing his right hand to hold Xiang Mo’s hand on the back, “My dad will probably just talk about your career.”

—”Probably.”

Just like “should,” these words represented uncertainty.

In fact, Xiang Mo couldn’t think of any potential accidents. Maybe, as Du Chi said, everything would go smoothly, but he wasn’t a social anxiety expert and couldn’t handle unfamiliar elders as confidently as Du Chi.

On the long table that could accommodate more than ten people, exquisite dishes were continuously served.

At the head of the long table sat a middle-aged man in a white polo shirt. He wore a sports watch on his wrist and had a well-maintained physique. Apart from the occasional crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, Xiang Mo could hardly see that he had a son as old as Du Chi.

“Regarding the art exhibition,” he began slowly, showing no emotion on his face as he interrupted Du Chi, “just contact my secretary.”

Microexpressions can reveal a lot of information. Xiang Mo wasn’t an expert in this area, but he sensed that this elder didn’t seem to like him very much, judging from the fact that his gaze hadn’t fallen on him throughout their conversation.

Just as the head chef arrived and introduced the dishes to the three diners, the topic of the art exhibition ceased.

Bamboo shoots from Jian’an, Sichuan-style preserved pork… Xiang Mo wasn’t particular about ingredients, but he had to admit that focusing on the delicious food made him feel better amid this sense of rejection.

“I mean, it’s his art exhibition.”

What surprised Xiang Mo was that the chief chef had barely left, and Du Chi was already bringing up the art exhibition again.

He emphasized the word “his” and said, “Not someone else.”

“I know.” Du Chi’s father’s tone remained unruffled, saying slowly, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t allow it. That’s why I told you to contact my secretary.”

At this moment, Xiang Mo suddenly realized that Du Chi’s father didn’t dislike him; he simply didn’t pay him any mind.

It was like when he initially told Xiang Mei that he had a boyfriend, Xiang Mei didn’t care much, just advising him to stay safe. It was only after he asked Xiang Mei to come home and meet him that she started taking it seriously.

Du Chi’s father seemed to be the same.

He didn’t want to invest time in an unconfirmed relationship because if they were to break up one day, the time and emotions he had invested would go to waste.

Looking at it from another perspective, if Xiang Mo were in his shoes, with his indifferent personality, he might act the same way.

Same-sex couples were never as stable as heterosexual couples; without that marriage certificate, promises seemed weightless.

With this thought, Xiang Mo suddenly woke up.

When did he start to envy the “tombstone of love,” the marriage certificate?

“That’s just how my dad is.”

After lunch, Du Chi held Xiang Mo’s hand and led him to the bedroom on the third floor.

The spacious villa had many famous paintings hanging on the walls, including quite a few by artists Xiang Mo liked. He unintentionally got lost in them, completely ignoring what Du Chi was saying.

“He finds things he considers boring uninteresting.”

“I design fonts, and he has no understanding of it. He didn’t allow me to pursue it.”

“Later, I won an award, and he looked into the industry. Now he even helped me set up my own studio.”

“Isn’t he contradictory?”

“Wifey.” Suddenly, Du Chi stopped, looking at the back of Xiang Mo’s head and asked, “Are you angry?”

“Huh?” Only now did Xiang Mo tear his gaze away from the paintings, meeting Du Chi’s eyes, and asked, “Angry about what?”

Realizing that Du Chi was talking about his own father, Xiang Mo shook his head again. “No.”

Being ignored was better than being disliked. Whether it was hostility or friendliness, Xiang Mo would feel pressure. Maintaining this distance from a stranger actually made him feel more at ease because he didn’t have to overthink things.

“I’ll go talk to his secretary about the art exhibition.”

“You really don’t have to,” Xiang Mo said for the umpteenth time, “having the art exhibition in the old mansion is also fine.”

“No.” Du Chi frowned. “Your art exhibition must be held at Fang He Gallery.”

Du Chi was typically easygoing and didn’t care about many things. It was rare for him to be so insistent, and Xiang Mo knew he wouldn’t be able to change his mind. So, he shifted the topic: “Aren’t you going to show me something?”

Following Du Chi into his bedroom, the first thing Xiang Mo noticed was the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a view of the boundless lake outside.

In an official scenic area, this view might not be extraordinary, but in the bustling city, having such an eye-catching spot was indeed rare.

Xiang Mo walked to the window and admired the blue waters and clear skies outside. “The scenery is really nice.”

However, Du Chi suddenly moved behind him and turned his shoulder to the side. “I want you to see this.”

His gaze was forcefully pulled away from the outdoor scenery, focusing instead on a wall inside the bedroom.

Above the neat bedside was a half-open-sized painting.

The angel in the painting had wings symbolizing purity and genitalia representing desire. At first glance, the painting was quite shocking, but after a moment, viewers would unconsciously explore the symbolism the artist intended to convey.

Xiang Mo’s eyes widened as he looked at Du Chi behind him. “What’s this?”

Before he could even finish his sentence, he looked back at the painting in disbelief. “How do you have this painting?”

“Bought it while watching adult films,” Du Chi said casually, “The artist wasn’t really willing to sell it to me at the time.”

When the gallery staff inquired about the price, Xiang Mo genuinely didn’t want to sell. But the other party was incredibly persuasive and spoke sincerely. He couldn’t find a way to refuse, so he gave an exorbitant price far beyond his usual rates, hoping it would discourage the buyer.

But to his surprise, the buyer didn’t hesitate to pay. At that moment, he even wondered who the unfortunate person was.

However, in hindsight, Xiang Mo regretted selling the painting. Especially when he was organizing his works a few days ago.

This painting, “Angel’s Desire,” wasn’t the most challenging or technically impressive one he’d ever done, but it was his favorite.

If he were to divide his artistic career into different periods, this painting represented his early works, as it symbolized the fearless and daring side of him. It was the version of himself that he had lost over time.

And now, the painting had returned.

“How is this so coincidental?” Xiang Mo was still in shock. “Did you move to the old mansion just to find me?”

“Of course not, it’s just a coincidence,” Du Chi withdrew his hand from Xiang Mo’s shoulder and embraced his waist instead. “Haven’t you noticed? We were destined to be together.”

Saying this, he made Xiang Mo turn around, facing him and embracing him in his arms. “So, can you stop thinking about breaking up all the time? Huh? Wifey.”

Xiang Mo truly hadn’t expected that he and Du Chi had formed a connection three years ago.

Now it seemed, that person wasn’t an unfortunate buyer at all. They hadn’t bought a painting; they had bought his heart.

Things that were once lost were slowly returning, driving away the remaining uneasiness in Xiang Mo’s heart.

“What do we do, Du Chi?” He looped his arms around Du Chi’s neck, tilting his chin up slightly. “I’ve realized… I might be falling for you.”

“Now?” Du Chi raised an eyebrow slightly, feigning annoyance. He lowered his head and kissed Xiang Mo’s lips. “I fell for you the first time I kissed you.”

 

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