Chapter 167
Huo Youcheng finally stopped when his clothes were soaked through.
The breakfast brought by the hospital was almost cold, and Ye Zhi hadn’t eaten yet. He sat quietly on the side, waiting until Huo Youcheng had showered and changed before opening the covered dishes, “Come and have breakfast, it’s almost cold.”
Huo Youcheng sat across from him without any change in expression, but he couldn’t help but stare at his features.
Ye Zhi’s facial features weren’t exceptionally exquisite or dazzling, but they were pleasing to the eye. In the past, he always had a submissive demeanor, which made people easily lose interest, but the changes during this period seemed like a complete transformation.
Huo Youcheng initially thought it was because of his efforts. He had hired the most expensive stylist for him, cut his hair in the most suitable style, bought him so many designer clothes, gifted him luxury skincare products, expensive accessories, and so on. However, it wasn’t until today that he realized Ye Zhi’s real change wasn’t external but internal.
He had become much more confident.
That confidence radiated around him, making him appear completely different from before. It even gave people a pleasing feeling just by looking at him.
Was all of this given to him by Huo Youqiao?
Noticing his gaze, Ye Zhi slowly swallowed the food in his mouth before raising his head to look at his husband, asking in a casual tone, “Is there something on my face?”
It was an ordinary inquiry, without any nervousness or apprehension.
Everything was different from before.
Huo Youcheng felt a sourness and bitterness in his heart. The food in his mouth was almost impossible to swallow. He said, “Nothing, I just feel that you’ve changed a lot recently.”
“Have I?”
“I saw you getting off my brother’s car yesterday morning, looking very happy.” Huo Youcheng stared at him, asking each word carefully, “When did you become so close? You’re living together now?”
A hint of panic flashed across Ye Zhi’s face, but his response was calm, “Because of Ranran. We live together, so we communicate.”
“My brother is quite difficult to approach.” Huo Youcheng’s gaze was obscure. “He treats you differently, and I’m quite curious. He even hired you to work for him, paying you generously. It’s not an exaggeration to say he’s subsidizing you. I never expected that you two would get along so well.”
Ye Zhi lowered his eyelashes and took a sip of the porridge in his bowl, “Big brother actually has a cold exterior but is warm inside. He’s easy to get along with.”
His defense was evident in his tone, causing Huo Youcheng to clench his teeth with bitterness. His gaze fell on Ye Zhi’s wrist, “I suddenly think this bracelet looks pretty good and can prevent mosquitoes. Why don’t you give it to me?”
Ye Zhi hesitated for a moment, subconsciously pulling his hand back under the table, and awkwardly said, “This… it’s not valuable. It wouldn’t suit you to wear it…”
Huo Youcheng said, “I don’t need to attend any business meetings now. Why wouldn’t it suit me? Besides, I heard that the red string has good meaning, it can ensure peace and health.”
Ye Zhi looked at him stiffly, his reluctant expression obvious. Huo Youcheng felt a pang of jealousy and sourness in his heart. He suddenly took off the million-dollar watch from his wrist and placed it on the table with a smile, “Let’s exchange. Is that okay?”
Finally coming back to his senses, Ye Zhi slowly removed the red string from his wrist and said softly, “I’ll give it to you, no need to exchange for your watch. I can’t wear the watch you wear anyway.”
Huo Youcheng smiled, “Then you don’t need to wear it. Keep it. Wear it whenever you want.” He extended his wrist towards Ye Zhi, “Help me put it on.”
This time, there was no obvious reluctance on Ye Zhi’s face, and Huo Youcheng finally relaxed a little.
In fact, he still held a strong sense of hopefulness in his heart, hoping that all of this was just his speculation, that there was nothing between his partner and his brother, and even if Ye Zhi had developed some feelings for his brother, as long as it wasn’t mutual, he could still turn things around.
However, the seed of doubt had already been planted. Until he got a real answer, every second of his life was torment. This kind of torment was worse than when he was severely injured and could only lie in bed. When Ye Zhi was by his side, he couldn’t help but look at him, trying to observe any clues from him. And when he left, his heartstrings tightened even more, staring nervously at the small red dot on the screen. Any slight deviation would make him jump.
