Chapter 23
There’s no secret that can be kept forever in this world. Even though the news of Yu He running away from home didn’t reach Fengcheng, the information about him falling sick and being rushed to the emergency room spread quickly.
Since Yu He entered the Fu residence, it's been either Fu Yunzhang falling ill or Yu He falling ill; it was indeed a strange phenomenon.
The news reached Fengcheng after being passed around.
At the Zhou family’s party in Fengcheng,
Zhou Wenxiao looked around, and upon seeing that Yu Qingyan was not present, he then signaled the person who brought back news of Yu He to speak quickly.
“The family doctor has been running to the Fu residence every day,” the person spoke, “This time it’s a persistent high fever, turned into pneumonia, they say.”
The few people present exchanged glances, not needing to delve into details to guess why Yu He was always falling ill.
Zhou Wenxiao held his wine glass in one hand, swirling it gently, his tone light and airy as if talking about a kitten or puppy, “It’s been two months, hasn’t he had enough fun?”
“With Yu He’s face, do you think you could get enough of him in two months?” someone by his side scoffed, “They say an ambulance even came, took him to the hospital, and he didn’t even stay a day before they brought him back. Isn’t that torturous?”
“He brought it upon himself, wanting to cling onto a higher branch,” Zhou Wenxiao sneered, “No matter how good-looking Yu He is, I don’t like his type.”
Everyone laughed, chiming in, “Yes, Young Master Zhou prefers Master Qingyan.”
Mentioning Yu Qingyan, Zhou Wenxiao’s face softened, “The day Qingyan returned to the Yu family, Yu He bullied him.” Mentioning this got Zhou Wenxiao riled up, “Qingyan, out of the kindness of his heart, wanted Yu He to stay, but Yu He told Qingyan to leave quickly. What a piece of work, acting as if the Yu family belonged to him.”
Another person commented, “Teacher Lin has had his eyes on Yu He for quite a while now. He originally wanted to do him a favor smoothly, but who would have thought that Yun Su also has a taste for that, and his methods are…”
Zhou Wenxiao kicked the person, who fell silent and turned around, only to see Yu Qingyan standing right behind him.
Yu Qingyan’s face looked somewhat displeased. He pursed his lips, his clear eyes locked on Zhou Wenxiao’s face as he softly questioned, “What are you all talking about?”
Zhou Wenxiao knew his boyfriend was kind-hearted and pure, not wanting to bring these messy matters in front of Yu Qingyan. He stood up, “Qingyan, let me take you to meet my grandmother.”
Yu Qingyan, dressed in a beige suit, looked as clean and elegant as pine trees and moonlight reflected on water.
He slightly turned to the side, avoiding Zhou Wenxiao’s attempt to hook his arm, and asked again, “What happened to Yu He?”
Seeing the delicate atmosphere between the couple, the others, quick-witted, moved away with their glasses, leaving Zhou Wenxiao alone to explain. When it came time to give bad advice, they were more active than anyone else, but they ran faster than anyone when trouble arose.
Fair-weather friends.
Zhou Wenxiao cursed his unreliable friends in his heart and laid out the whole story under Yu Qingyan’s scrutinizing gaze.
After hearing everything, Yu Qingyan’s eyes reddened, and he turned to leave.
Zhou Wenxiao exclaimed, stepping forward to grab Yu Qingyan’s wrist, “Qingyan, are you really getting angry with me over that loser?”
Yu Qingyan, suppressing his emotions, shook off Zhou Wenxiao’s hand, “Zhou Wenxiao, this is between me and Yu He; you have no right to intervene.”
Zhou Wenxiao sighed lightly, “This is strange. You have no relation to him, yet you take his side instead of mine.”
Yu Qingyan frowned in disbelief, “Even if we’re not related by blood, you can’t just send him off to be… to be…”
Yu Qingyan couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, taking a deep breath to suppress his anger.
His feelings towards Yu He were complicated. Initially, he indeed didn’t want Yu He to share the attention of his biological parents, but from the day Yu He left the Yu family, Yu Qingyan never saw him as a rival again. Yu He’s personality was unexpectedly straightforward; Yu Qingyan had only used a slight trick, and Yu He was utterly defeated, unable to return to the home he had lived in for nineteen years.
To deal with Yu He, playing mind games seemed like bullying.
Although Yu He had a bad temper and was very, very good at angering Yu Qingyan, suddenly learning that Yu He was being kept by someone, and that it was related to his own boyfriend...
This feeling was like playing a small game and having your teammate call for help; even if you win, it’s not an honorable victory.
If people found out this matter was related to Zhou Wenxiao, wouldn’t some suspect it was instigated by him, Yu Qingyan?
Absolutely not.
Yu Qingyan said coldly, “I am stronger than Yu He; I don’t need to resort to such despicable methods. By overstepping your boundaries, you are insulting me.”
“I am insulting you?” Zhou Wenxiao lost his temper as well, revealing everything he had heard, “He clung onto Yun Su’s connections himself. On his first day at Jinse Tai, he was bailed out by others. What does this have to do with me?”
Yu Qingyan took a deep breath, “I am going to find him at Yun Su’s.”
Zhou Wenxiao raised his hand pointing at the door, raising his voice, “Then go! He was in the emergency room just yesterday; a few days later, and we would only be able to collect his corpse!”
Yu Qingyan didn’t want to argue in public. He gave Zhou Wenxiao a deep look, then turned and left.
If Yu He knew that these two were arguing over him, even if Yu He had already recovered, he would have probably been shocked into sitting up from his sickbed, begging for another five hundred years of life.
*
Yun Su, Fu residence.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the garden was filled with the roar of an engine.
Just as Yu He stopped his motorcycle, Aunt Zhou came to greet him, “Where have you been, child? Haven’t seen you for a whole two days.”
Yu He lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile, but a closer look revealed his beautifully arched eyebrows drooping down, a picture of misery.
Yu He said self-mockingly, “Well, no one was looking for me anyway.”
Aunt Zhou was taken aback, realizing that Yu He had had a falling out with Mr. Fu. She sighed, knowing that anything she said might be overstepping, so she decided to change the subject, “I’ve chilled some cola for you in the fridge.”
Yu He nodded, turned around, and walked into the main house.
He first grabbed a can of ice-cold cola from the dining room, took a big gulp, feeling aggrieved. Clenching the can of cola, he distorted the metal can out of shape.
He had been gone for two days, and Fu Yunzheng hadn’t even called him once!
It was infuriating to the extreme.
Yu He took another gulp of cola, went upstairs to his room, and took a shower. The hot water cascaded down his body, and he remembered the first time he had helped Fu Yunzheng take a bath. Back then, he was clumsy, not realizing that he should have given the showerhead to Fu Yunzheng. He thought that as long as he was under the water, Fu Yunzheng wouldn't be cold.
He was still very clumsy, always thinking about calling Fu Yunzheng when he was outside, assuming that Fu Yunzheng also wanted to call him.
Hilarious, no one was looking for him at all.
Yu He took a deep breath, wrapped a towel around himself, and stood in front of Fu Yunzheng’s room.
Tonight was his shift, and he didn’t want to continue this cold war with Fu Yunzheng, even though this cold war was entirely one-sided. Fu Yunzheng probably hadn’t felt that anything was missing in his life.
Otherwise, why hadn’t he called?!
Then, let it be like before. He would just offer his body, not his heart!
Humph, he hadn’t given his heart in the first place.
Only a fool would give their heart.
Yu He made up his mind and knocked on the door.
Fu Yunzheng’s voice came from inside the room, “Let’s skip today. You can go back and rest.”
A string in Yu He’s mind snapped. He pushed open Fu Yunzheng’s room door, slammed it shut behind him, and stormed up to Fu Yunzheng.
Inside the bedroom, Fu Yunzheng had already changed into his pajamas and was half-lying on the bed, flipping through a foreign book, seemingly oblivious to Yu He’s return. He was proceeding with his bedtime reading routine, preparing to sleep.
Shouldn’t the boss call and ask when an employee doesn’t show up for work?
Seeing Yu He enter, Fu Yunzheng put the book aside on the pillow, calmly looked at Yu He, and asked, “Is something the matter?”
“Yes.” Yu He let go of the towel, letting it fall to the ground, and shamelessly displayed his aroused self to Fu Yunzheng, “I want you.”
Fu Yunzheng: "......"
"Let's do it tomorrow." Fu Yunzheng tilted his head slightly, avoiding the overly blunt scene: "I'm not prepared."
Yu He approached boldly and impudently, knelt on one knee on the bed, and enveloped Fu Yunzheng in his shadow, lifting an eyebrow provocatively: "I can wait, but it can't."
Fu Yunzheng: "......"
He lifted his head, still calmly looking at Yu He, hitting the nail on the head: "Xiao He, it's actually you who can't wait, isn’t it?"
Yu He: "......"
Fu Yunzheng turned the tables, lifting his arm to pinch Yu He’s chin: "Have you been hanging out in some street gang academy for training these last few days? You've picked up quite the lingo."
Yu He hadn’t been to a gang academy for training; he had been playing street basketball. However, what Fu Yunzheng said wasn’t wrong, as street basketball courts are indeed main gathering places for ruffians and hooligans.
And he did get into a fight with those people.
After being exposed by Fu Yunzheng, the ruffian-like aura around Yu He instantly receded.
Yu He moved his other leg onto the bed, sat on Fu Yunzheng, wrapped his arms around Fu Yunzheng's neck, and nestled himself into Fu Yunzheng’s embrace.
Suddenly, Fu Yunzheng found himself with a huge ‘crane’ in his arms. He held Yu He, fell silent for a moment, and finally couldn’t help but point out:
“So, you've switched from being tough to playing the pity card now, huh?”
“Fu Yunzheng!”
Annoyed and embarrassed, Yu He lost his temper. Fu Yunzheng was like a cunning old fox; he couldn’t outsmart or outfight him, so he had to rely on his looks.
Yu He lifted his head, his handsome face boldly meeting Fu Yunzheng’s eyes.
His face was still as attractive as ever, with a cut beneath his eyebrow, forming a dark red scab, and if you looked closely, there was a bruise at the corner of his left lip.
He went out for two days and came back with a face full of injuries.
Still the temperament of a child who resorts to fighting at the drop of a hat.
Fu Yunzheng’s index finger traced over the wound on Yu He’s face, his tone inevitably softening: "Next time, play basketball at home. There's a new basketball court installed downstairs."
A basketball court?
Yu He widened his eyes.
Did Fu Yunzheng actually build a basketball court inside the villa for him???
A basketball court constructed in just two days!
Wait, that’s not right. How did Fu Yunzheng know he went to play basketball?
By suggesting he should play basketball at home from now on, Fu Yunzheng seemed to be subtly hinting that he should not stay out for such long periods without coming home.
Yu He was at a loss for words. During the two days he was out, Fu Yunzheng hadn’t contacted him, making it feel as if his heart had been thrown into a frying pan in hell, anxious and restless with a hollow feeling in his chest. But at this very moment, his heart seemed to be scooped back up by Fu Yunzheng and gently placed on a soft, fluffy cloud.
Yu He’s heart had completely melted.
Yu He asked, "How did you know I went to play basketball?"
Fu Yunzheng uncovered the down quilt, wrapping the naked Yu He inside: "With enough money and connections, finding someone in Yun Su is quite easy."
Yu He tilted his head, completing Fu Yunzheng's powerful statement in his mind: "And you happen to have both of these?"
A smile appeared in Fu Yunzheng's eyes: "From the moment you left the manor, three bodyguards have been following you non-stop. Didn’t you notice them in these two days?"
Yu He: "......"
"You’re quite formidable in a fight." Fu Yunzheng's thumb gently caressed the bruise at the corner of Yu He’s lips: "They didn’t need to step in; otherwise, you would have noticed them earlier."
"No wonder you didn’t call me." Yu He muttered.
Fu Yunzheng tightened his embrace around Yu He through the quilt: "There’s another reason, which I’ll tell you the next time you decide to run away from home."
Yu He's handsome face heated up, and his ears turned red: "I wasn’t running away from home."
His slightly cool nose rubbed against the side of Fu Yunzheng's face.
Fu Yunzheng's hand gently cradled the back of Yu He's neck: "You’ve just recovered from illness, and here you are, running around half-naked. It’s almost winter, aren’t you cold?"
Yu He, young and full of vigor, actually wasn’t cold, but upon Fu Yunzheng’s questioning, he went along with it, nestling even closer into Fu Yunzheng’s embrace, pretending to seek warmth, while verbally responding, "I’m not cold."
In this move, Yu He was on the third level.
Pretending to be cold while not feeling cold and saying he's not cold—his actions contradict his words, yet he's not lying.
Indeed, Yu He is a genius. In just two short months, he has evolved from feigning a pitiable voice to subtly suggesting to Fu Yunzheng that he is pitiable through his actions.
This is a high-level combo move that appears tough and stubborn on the surface, but is fragile and soft on the inside.
Yu Qingyan is exactly like that—wanting to drive Yu He out of the Yu family in his heart, verbally saying that he wants Yu He to stay, yet his actions clearly show that he can’t get along with Yu He—
And then, Yu He was driven away.
As the actual victim of this high-level combo move, Yu He knows all too well how effective this tactic can be.
With a slightly lifted, triumphant smile on his lips, Yu He thought to himself that this would definitely leave Fu Yunzheng utterly charmed and confused.
Regrettably, Fu Yunzheng was on a whole different level, soaring in the stratosphere.
It seemed that in Fu Yunzheng's heart, Yu He didn’t possess the cunning to flatter and seek favors, so when Yu He said he wasn’t cold, Fu Yunzheng actually believed he wasn’t cold.
Upon hearing Yu He say he wasn't cold, Fu Yunzheng gently pushed him away: "If you're not cold, don't press against me. You're heavy."
Yu He: "......"
A simple, straightforward approach overcomes all fancy tricks.
Fu Yunzheng had a back injury, and Yu He was deeply concerned about him. He turned over, laying on his side on the bed, and pulled Fu Yunzheng tightly into his arms.
Yu He asked Fu Yunzheng, "Can I sleep with you in the future?"
The last time Fu Yunzheng had handrails installed in his room coincided with Yu He falling ill. Naturally, Fu Yunzheng couldn’t take care of a patient day and night. Sleeping together at night, it was uncertain who would be taking care of whom, and so the matter of moving into the same bedroom was put on hold.
Now, as Yu He brought up the old matter, Fu Yunzheng didn’t refuse.
Young people have a stubbornness about them, an eagerness that persists until they achieve their goal.
It took a lot of effort to finally coax this little crane. Who knows where he would fly off to cause trouble if he got annoyed again?
Just go along with Yu He.
Their daily routines couldn’t be synchronized, and they had no common hobbies. Yu He would feel constrained and bored after living with him for just a couple of days, and naturally, the matter would come to nothing.
It's just... his own body...
Fu Yunzheng’s brows relaxed as he turned his gaze towards Yu He by his side.
Forget it, it's just a few days anyway. Yu He is very considerate, never prying into the matter of his waist injury, which makes the interaction between Fu Yunzheng and Yu He quite relaxing.
More than just not asking randomly, Yu He truly doesn’t treat Fu Yunzheng as if he’s disabled. Others tiptoe around the subject of Fu Yunzheng’s legs, afraid of hitting a nerve. But Yu He? He’s either leaning on Fu Yunzheng’s shoulder or lying on his legs on any regular day.
And during their intimate moments, an endless array of bizarre positions emerge, making one wonder where this young man learned all of this.
Yu He’s previous partner must have had a very strong body—Fu Yunzheng speculated that he must have been either a gymnast or a dancer. Otherwise, how could he...
It really goes against the structure of the human body.
It’s quite a challenge for his half-paralyzed lumbar spine and old bones.