Qiao Hailou figured that Shen Yuan would never tell Li Chen about the fight between them—after all, a fight presupposed that they were close.
Qiao Hailou put on an air of nonchalance and said, “Shen Yuan and I aren’t that close… just a normal uncle-nephew relationship. Once my wound healed, he stopped coming around. I guess the past few days have been tiring for him, and he hasn’t contacted me much. I was going to bring it up with him anyway, but now that I’ve run into you, I thought I’d mention it to you. Maybe it would be better if you spoke to him.”
Li Chen was even more puzzled. Shen Yuan wasn’t the kind of kid who ignored proper etiquette—so why had he been cold toward Qiao Hailou? Back when Qiao Hailou had been injured, hadn’t he looked up at Shen Yuan with tearful gratitude? So why, once the wound healed, did Shen Yuan act as if he didn’t exist? Taking care of a sick person can be troublesome, but Shen Yuan wasn’t the impatient type.
Li Chen still felt something strange about the relationship between Qiao Hailou and Shen Yuan, though he wondered if it was just his imagination.
He nodded. “Alright. I’ll ask him when the time is right and have him get in touch with you.”
Qiao Hailou let out a breath of relief. “Mm.”
Though Qiao Hailou was reluctant to admit it, the person Shen Yuan respected most in the world was Li Chen.
If Li Chen persuaded him to come to the company, Shen Yuan might consider it… though Qiao Hailou couldn’t guarantee he would agree. If Shen Yuan refused, there were plenty of ways to decline.
Seeing the mixed expression on Li Chen’s face, Qiao Hailou thought to himself that, in the beginning, Shen Yuan had approached him because his silhouette resembled Li Chen’s—he had been taken for Li Chen’s substitute.
At first, it annoyed him. Gradually, though, he realized that Shen Yuan didn’t truly like Li Chen—he was just too young to distinguish his feelings.
Shen Yuan didn’t like Li Chen. He liked an “uncle” who gave him a sense of security.
But who could have guessed things would turn out like this? Shen Yuan had once disliked Lin Zhihui, even feeling jealous of her. Now, he got along with her so well that she even helped him move.
That boy was undoubtedly the most unpredictable variable in Qiao Hailou’s life.
Although he had settled matters with Li Chen, Qiao Hailou didn’t intend to rely solely on him to persuade Shen Yuan.
He felt he had to face Shen Yuan in person, talk things through, and—success or failure—offer a sincere apology.
With that in mind, Qiao Hailou went straight to Shen Yuan’s residence and knocked on the door.
From behind the door, Shen Yuan asked, “Who is it?”
In a voice so gentle that even a butterfly wouldn’t be startled, Qiao Hailou replied carefully, “It’s me, your Uncle Qiao.”
“Your… Uncle Qiao?” Shen Yuan was annoyed. At first, he felt a small relief—finally, Qiao Hailou had come to apologize, showing a shred of conscience. But then he scolded himself: Shen Yuan, if you forgive him just because of a casual apology, aren’t you being way too soft?
Stubbornly, Shen Yuan said, “Go away. I’m not opening the door. Didn’t we make it clear last time? We’re done. Why are you here?”
Qiao Hailou, both gentle and shameless, replied, “You were the one who wanted to break up. I never agreed.”
Shen Yuan was furious. “You’re shameless! I said it was over—I don’t care if you agreed. We never had a proper relationship, so it’s not even a breakup!”
Qiao Hailou dodged the point. “Sweetheart, the corridor outside your door echoes a bit. How’s the soundproofing here? If we argue, would the neighbors hear us?”
“…!” Shen Yuan was speechless and ground his teeth. “Don’t think you can trick me into opening the door.”
Seeing that trick wouldn’t work, Qiao Hailou relented and softened his tone. “Are you really that angry? Don’t be—if you get sick from being mad, I’ll have to worry. I won’t come in. Just come out, alright?”
Sensing what Shen Yuan might be concerned about, he added, “I won’t trick you into letting me in again. I’ll leave now and wait downstairs. If you’re willing, come down and talk. If not, I’ll wait outside your door. One day, two days—I’ll wait as long as it takes. I can’t give up without explaining myself properly.”
“You always do this when we argue. You don’t reason with me—you just throw a tantrum. How am I supposed to accept that?”
Shen Yuan… didn’t know what to say. Sometimes, you just couldn’t let Qiao Hailou speak—he was skilled at coaxing and deceiving, making it seem reasonable even when it wasn’t.
Then he heard footsteps retreating outside. Had Qiao Hailou left?
Shen Yuan ran to the window and looked down. Qiao Hailou was really there, looking up at him, waving and smiling.
Shen Yuan snapped the curtain shut, gritting his teeth. Fine, let him wait! I’ll stay warm in bed while he shivers outside!
Nervously, Shen Yuan put on earplugs and an eye mask, trying to sleep. He spent hours tossing and turning, occasionally getting up to check if Qiao Hailou was still there—and he was. Eventually, he fell asleep from exhaustion.
When he woke, the sky was bright. Panic-stricken, he got out of bed and looked downstairs—Qiao Hailou was gone.
Disappointed, Shen Yuan muttered, “Of course… he left…”
He didn’t even notice when Qiao Hailou had gone.
Then, there was a knock at the door.
Shen Yuan peeked through the peephole—Qiao Hailou was back, right at his door.
Hearing some movement inside, Qiao Hailou guessed he was awake. Through the door, he said, “Up yet, silly? Almost eight, right? You probably don’t have time for breakfast. I bought some buns, shumai, and soy milk for you—your favorite pickled green bean and pork filling. I left them outside your door. Eat, don’t skip breakfast.”
“My uncle has work soon too. I’m heading to the company. I’ll come by tonight, alright?”
Shen Yuan didn’t answer. Once the sounds outside faded, he opened the door. The breakfast was in a paper bag with an extra thermal layer—it was still warm.
Hungry, Shen Yuan inhaled the aroma. He couldn’t throw it away. He had once gone hungry for half a month when he was six—any food to fill his stomach was precious. Food was innocent.
Shen Yuan bit into a bun. I can’t give in. Even if Uncle Qiao is gentle and considerate in these little things, it won’t help.
That night, as promised, Qiao Hailou arrived.
He didn’t knock—he just sat on a bench downstairs, fully prepared: coat, gloves, hat, tea, notebook. He seemed ready for a long campaign.
Qiao Hailou was calm. He had endured worse—running business in the Middle East had been more grueling, even life-threatening. Waiting a few nights outside Shen Yuan’s house was nothing. Patience and perseverance were what had made his career so successful. Shen Yuan was a person he needed to win over; he couldn’t do it halfheartedly.
Shen Yuan softened. He figured he could at most resist four or five days—then he’d agree to talk. Even if he didn’t, having a face to see wasn’t bad. Otherwise, left alone too long, Qiao Hailou might really forget him. Shen Yuan was good at self-regulation; he might not miss him for long.
Shen Yuan held out one more day.
On the third morning, Qiao Hailou delivered breakfast again. Through the door, Shen Yuan grumbled, “Stop coming. Even if you keep coming, I won’t see you. The neighbors are about to complain.”
The neighbors hadn’t, but he’d overheard two women in the building gossiping, wondering who the young man waiting downstairs every day was—surely chasing some girl, standing there for two days, and the girl must be cold-hearted.
Blaming Qiao Hailou, Shen Yuan had slept poorly the past two nights, feeling inexplicably guilty.
Qiao Hailou cheekily said, “Doesn’t matter. Seeing me is up to you; waiting is up to me. You don’t need to worry.”
Shen Yuan awkwardly replied, “Do as you like. Weather says rain tonight—let’s see how you wait then!”
Qiao Hailou smiled. “Thanks, silly. I’ll remember a raincoat and umbrella tonight. If not, I can wait in my car.”
Shen Yuan “….”
After seven, it really started to rain.
Qiao Hailou, fully geared with raincoat, boots, and umbrella, stayed dry but shivering in the late November chill.
Shen Yuan, anxious, kept looking downstairs. Why hadn’t the idiot gone yet? At least go to the car to escape the rain! The weather was so cold; was he trying to get sick? Didn’t he realize he was older and his resistance was lower? Why treat himself like this! …What if Uncle Qiao really got sick? He was doing this on purpose to show me!
So annoying. Qiao Hailou was infuriating.
Unable to resist, Shen Yuan bundled up, grabbed an umbrella, and went downstairs.
Qiao Hailou held a large, sturdy black umbrella, droplets sliding like tiny glass beads, glowing faintly in the streetlight. He raised his umbrella, revealing a handsome face. “Finally, you’ve come to see me.”
Shen Yuan’s words were harsh—but he had come, even though it had just started raining.
Shen Yuan glared at him. “I came here so I could finally get a good night’s sleep tonight! So what is it you want to say? Spit it out!”
Qiao Hailou took a deep breath, gathered his words, and said with utmost seriousness, “From now on, I’ll never call you ‘Little Thing’ again.”
“Ah Ben… I admit that at first, I was flippant and playful when I was with you. I just thought it was fun. I realized that I used to call you ‘Little Thing,’ and then, without noticing, I started calling you ‘Ah Ben’ too.”
Qiao Hailou shook his head helplessly. “You’re not the type I normally go for. I should like someone more mature, stable, and age-appropriate. But you? You’re the exact opposite—immature, petty, spiteful, vain, materialistic, never gentle with words, always trying to provoke me. You’re never satisfied unless you get what you want. Even if I give you something late, you get mad at me…”
Before Qiao Hailou could finish, Shen Yuan nearly exploded. “Damn! You came here to scold me! With all my flaws, why are you even here? Get lost!”
Qiao Hailou quickly held him back. “Am I not speaking the truth? I knew you’d get mad, but I have to say it—despite all these flaws, I still like you.”
Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks, inhaling deeply to calm himself. His eyes grew red, and he turned away, unwilling to look at Qiao Hailou.
Qiao Hailou continued, “But I also know, Ah Ben, that you’re a good boy. Gentle, kind, and soft-hearted. Even though you hated me at first, when you saw me waiting in the rain, you couldn’t help but come to me.”
Shen Yuan muttered, “You listed a whole bunch of my flaws, and my virtues are only two things?”
Qiao Hailou chuckled softly. “I apologize for not respecting you. It’s my fault. If you want to break up, then fine. But Shen Yuan, think—who else would indulge you, give you whatever you want? If you feel I’ve disrespected you, let’s start over. I’ll properly pursue you this time. If you feel it’s right, then you can agree to be with me. How about that?”
“You always gave me time to recover after our sudden arguments. I’ve been single for thirty-seven years, practiced staying unmarried for more than twenty, and my mindset isn’t easily swayed.”
The rain poured down, but Shen Yuan’s heartbeat was even louder, chaotic.
“I know,” he said painfully.
“I… I never intended to get married either. I’m only nineteen, not even of legal age back home. I don’t want to marry yet. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I… I wasn’t exactly good either.”
“My thoughts were messy. I liked my stepfather, and then I used you as a substitute.”
“But look where we are now. Even if we stayed together, thinking of all this would make us unhappy. It’s better not to be together at all.”
“Let’s just part on good terms. Uncle Qiao, you’re not a bad person. I just suddenly realized that we really live in two different worlds. We’re not right for each other.”
Qiao Hailou smiled at what seemed like a naïve explanation. “Then what kind of person do you think would be right for you?”
“Ah Ben, there’s no perfect love in this world. Being in love with someone never consists only of happiness. That only exists in fairy tales.”
Shen Yuan froze, troubled, unable to respond.
Qiao Hailou stepped closer. Shen Yuan panicked and stepped back—two steps, then slipped, falling backward. Qiao Hailou’s long arms caught his waist, pulling him under the umbrella.
Suppressing his anxiety, Qiao Hailou said softly, “Ah Ben, you say you like your uncle, but I don’t believe it.”
Shen Yuan lifted his head in his arms, eyes full of confusion and doubt.
Confidently, Qiao Hailou continued, “I never saw your uncle or Wang Ziqin as rivals. I know you like me. Only with me can you truly be yourself.”
“Do you really like your uncle?”
“Childish liking and adult liking are different.”
“Childish liking is admiration and imitation. Adult liking comes with desire.”
“So besides wanting me, you’d never want to sleep with your uncle?”
Shen Yuan’s whole body stiffened, pupils shrinking… He had never had such thoughts about his uncle. How could he possibly?
The rain had stopped at some point.
It had poured heavily, and now it suddenly ceased, leaving only a light drizzle lingering.
Qiao Hailou kissed his forehead and released him. “That’s all I wanted to say. Think it over.”
He picked up the umbrella and patted Shen Yuan’s head. “I’ll come see you tomorrow. It’s cold—go home soon. I’m leaving.”
Shen Yuan’s heart was a mess. He stood frozen, staring at Qiao Hailou’s departing figure for a long time. Then he came to his senses and noticed a thermos left on the bench—it was Qiao Hailou’s.
Turning the corner and looking around, he finally saw a familiar tall figure. Shen Yuan ran up, blurting, “You bastard! Did you leave the thermos on purpose?!”
“Why are you pretending not to hear me? Stop right there!”
The figure finally turned, staring blankly at him. “Ah Ben? Is that you?”
Shen Yuan was dumbstruck, shivering with cold.
It wasn’t Qiao Hailou—it was Li Chen.
He had mistaken him for someone else.