Chapter 34 - The Banquet: Call Him "Uncle."

At the doorway, He Guan quickly bonded with the Siamese cat that followed him—

By scratching behind its ears.

The Siamese cat was affectionate and, seemingly untouched for a while, purred contentedly at the slightest touch.

The door behind him opened. Without turning, He Guan instructed, "Step half a pace to the right, or you'll bump into me."

Lou Dongzang inquired, "Are you crouching?"

He Guan replied, "Can you hear the cat's purring? I'm petting it."

Approaching, Lou Dongzang crouched next to He Guan, reaching out to pet the cat, "Ah, you mean Chocolate."

He Guan remarked, "It's named Chocolate?"

Lou Dongzang confirmed, "Yes."

He Guan mused, "How interesting..."

Cats can die if they eat chocolate.

Now this cat is named Chocolate.

Chocolate flinched at the cold touch of Lou Dongzang's hand.

Initially lying down and enjoying the attention, Chocolate quickly got up and distanced itself with just a slight touch from Lou Dongzang.

He Guan asked with a smile, "Has it always been so disdainful of you?"

Lou Dongcang, pulled to his feet, replied, "Yes, it doesn't like me at all."

He Guan called out, "Chocolate."

Chocolate, a few steps ahead, stopped in the hallway, letting out a languid meow.

The corridor was so spacious that the meow echoed.

He Guan cooed, "Kitty, come back~"

Lou Dongcang commented, "I only called it 'kitty' when I was little. Since it never responded, I stopped trying."

He halted mid-sentence as he watched Chocolate saunter back, purring and rubbing against He Guan's pants leg.

He Guan picked up Chocolate, seemingly unfazed by the cat hairs now adorning his tailored suit. He gestured to Lou Dongcang, "Come, pet her again."

Lou Dongcang hesitated, which was unusual for him.

He Guan urged, "Hurry, she might jump down any moment."

But Lou Dongcang knew he was just prodding.

Chocolate's breaths were even and relaxed, as she continuously nuzzled He Guan's hand, showing no intent of leaving his embrace.

Holding Chocolate, He Guan occasionally scratched under the cat's chin, waiting for Lou Dongcang to make another attempt.

Just then, a door behind them opened.

Instinctively, He Guan took a step closer to Lou Dongcang.

Elder Master Lou, now dressed in a suit, appeared revitalized. Seeing them still by the entrance, he inquired, "Why haven't you left?"

His voice resonated with vigor.

He Guan began, "Father-in-law..."

Lou Yingjie interrupted, "Call him 'Dad' now. Save 'Father-in-law' for the banquet hall... or else I might slap you."

He Guan: "..."

It had been a long time since an elder spoke to He Guan in such a manner. Reminded of interactions with his father, he instinctively responded, "Understood."

The old man, seemingly satisfied, nodded and passed them, heading towards the bend where a servant handed him a cane.

He Guan remarked, "We should head out too. The banquet is about to start."

Lou Dongcang replied, "Alright."

Noticing Lou Dongcang's guard down, He Guan seized the opportunity, grabbed his hand, and placed it atop Chocolate's head.

Chocolate didn't react in time, thinking it was still He Guan's hand, and eagerly raised its head to nuzzle it.

The Siamese cat's fur was incredibly soft.

Deceived by the human, the cat felt a cold touch on its head, swung its tail in irritation, and leapt away from the embrace.

He Guan let Chocolate leave without resistance, and quipped, "Rounded up, I did get to pet it."

The man beside him curled his hand, then relaxed it, and after a moment, raised it to hold He Guan's hand.

As a gesture of reassurance.

He Guan withdrew his hand before he could be touched, moved to his other side, and said, "Use the other hand; this one's full of cat fur."

Lou Dongcang: "But this isn't the hand with the ring."

He Guan: "The other hand has a lot of cat fur on it."

Lou Dongcang nodded, "Chocolate really likes you."

With certainty, He Guan replied, "Chocolate doesn't like you."

Lou Dongcang: "Mhm."

Changing the subject, Lou Dongcang asked, "Do you like Chocolate?"

He Guan: "Of course."

Pulling him forward along the deserted corridor, He Guan reassured, "It's okay. Even if it doesn't like you, I do."

After a moment's thought, he earnestly added, "I like you even more than I like it."

His affection came naturally, without a trace of complex emotions.

It was a pure, unadulterated fondness.

Without any hidden desires.

Lou Dongcang looked away, "Is that so?"

He Guan: "I'm not close with Chocolate, and it even shed its fur all over me..."

Lou Dongcang: "Would you like it more if you got closer?"

He Guan: "I can't possibly be closer to it than I am to you..."

They walked side by side, one posing a brief question after the other's long explanation, keeping the conversation alive.

The empty corridor didn't seem so desolate with their banter.

*

Seeking a private space to remove their rings, they found an unoccupied lounge.

He Gu discovered a lint roller in the room and frantically rolled it over himself, ensuring he was free of cat hair before he stopped.

Lou Dong stood by the sofa, facing him, showing no intention of sitting.

While using the lint roller, He Gu reflected: even though he had let one pet go, he seemed to still carry another with him.

Compared to the cat, this one is obedient and well-behaved, and doesn't shed hair.

Setting down the lint roller, he asked, "Why aren't you sitting?"

Lou Dong extended his hand to him: "Not sure how to navigate around. Lead me?"

Holding the tips of Lou Dong's fingers, He Gu guided him to the sofa, commenting, "This won't do. We need to set the record straight. If we're at home, you need to move by yourself. If you need help for just these few steps, it’s not a matter of not seeing, but being lazy."

Settling into the sofa, Lou Dong faced him, stating, "This isn't home."

This isn't home; it's the outside world.

Since he started maintaining the facade of seeing to others, he never closed his eyes. His beautiful gaze was so intense and unerring that it always gave He Gu the illusion of being keenly observed.

He Gu touched his nose, trying to change the subject, "Where's the ring? Show me."

Lou Dong opened the velvet box, revealing a lone ring inside.

Only upon a closer look did He Gu realize that, at some point, Lou Dong had already slipped it on.

Unlike the flashy 8-carat diamond ring He Gu previously wore, this design lacked large settings.

The two simple bands are adorned with tiny, precisely arranged geometric patterns – accurate, delicate, yet understated.

Together, they seemed like a perfect pair.

He Gu asked, "When did you put it on?"

Lou Dong replied, "While you were lint rolling."

He Gu, leaning closer to inspect the ring, remarked, "You're swift… I was hoping to put it on for you."

Lou Dong paused for a moment and then said, "After all, this isn’t a real marriage."

That comment took He Gu aback.

While He Gu was still in a daze, Lou Dong had already taken out the ring from the box and was reaching for his finger to put it on him.

Frowning at the sudden coldness, He Gu queried, "What do you mean?"

Lou Dong voiced, "He Gu, you can leave me here."

He Gu exclaimed, "What are you talking about? After all we've been through, you think I'd leave you here? Everyone in the hall downstairs saw us walk in hand in hand. How do you plan to explain that?"

Lou Dong murmured, "He Gu, it's too difficult."

He Gu: "What?"

Lou Dong: "Pretending I'm normal is too hard."

He Gu: "..."

Lou Dong: "This is our last chance, you can still back out. My father announced I've been ill and it's normal for me not to meet guests. We aren’t genuinely marrying, you're not obliged to do this. He Gu, I..."

His voice was calm and steady, sounding no different from usual as he insisted He Gu didn't need to do this.

...Yet, He Gu felt that every word he uttered was tinged with fear.

He had experienced rejection many times and now hesitated at this pivotal moment.

He didn’t want to go through it again...

People offer help, but once they realize the depth of the commitment, they retract their aid.

He Gu snatched the velvet box, asking, "Do you want to put the ring on me or should I do it myself?"

Lou Dong remained silent.

With a firmer tone, He Gu repeated, "Do you want to, or should I?"

Lou Dong's fingers twitched.

Throughout their conversation, He Gu sat slouched on the couch with one leg propped up. Seeing Lou Dong's reaction, he pushed against the sofa cushion, preparing to leave.

His movement was swift and abrupt. As he was about to retract his leg—

The person before him moved even faster. In an instant, He Gu found himself tightly embraced, pushed back onto the sofa.

He Gu let out a muffled grunt, reaching up to caress Lou Dong's hair, "Can't bear to let go, can you?"

Lou Dong: "...Yeah."

His cold hair brushed against He Gu's neck, his voice low and pitiful.

He Gu teased, "Weren't you just speaking so righteously, urging me to give up? Now that I'm leaving, why won't you let go?"

Lou Dong held onto him tighter than ever before.

He Gu felt it was almost as intense as that day in the bathroom. As he tried to adjust for comfort, the one holding him mistook it for resistance and gripped even tighter.

Taking a deep breath, He Gu commented, "Why do you always embrace me as if you're trying to strangle me? Do we have some unresolved grudge?"

Lou Dong: "..."

Gently, Lou Dong loosened his grip.

Able to breathe more freely, He Gu let out a long sigh.

Animals like cats and dogs, after being abandoned and wandering, often develop serious psychological issues. People are no exception.

He Gu: "I won't leave. I noticed some cat hair on you too. I'm thinking of grabbing the lint roller."

Lou Dong: "...Okay."

He Gu: "It's no trouble. I've told you hundreds of times. How about we set your alarm to something like this next time? Let's see... 'Come bother me, He Gu is bored.'"

A faint smile graced Lou Dong's lips.

He Gu nudged him, "If you're smiling, get up."

Only then did Lou Dong release him and sit up, "...I was wrong."

Lying on the sofa, He Gu looked up at him, "Do you know how often I've heard that? So much it's made my ears calloused."

It was merely an offhand, unthoughtful remark.

Instinctively, Lou Dong reached to touch his earlobe.

Used to Lou Dong's sudden advances, He Gu watched him stretch out his hand and feel his earlobe.

He Gu wasn’t fond of being touched, especially when someone caressed his ear, gently teasing, which made him want to pull away.

Lou Dong finally remarked, "No callouses."

He Gu chuckled, "I'm tired of hearing 'I was wrong.' How about this: the next time you want to say that, replace it with 'I love you.' Okay?"

Imagining himself saying it, He Gu felt it would be quite challenging, so he suggested it just to tease Lou Dong.

After all, he deserved it for making him upset.

Lou Dong remained silent for a long while.

This pause felt longer than when they were discussing the ring.

Without expecting a response, since he was only teasing, He Gu said, "Alright, get off me, I still have to wear the ring..."

The man hovering above him suddenly leaned down.

He Gu remained perfectly still, as Lou Dong whispered near his lips, his warm breath cascading over them.

It was clear, beyond any doubt.

"I love you."

He Gu's motion to rise halted halfway, his face flushed crimson in an instant. Although he awkwardly leaned against the back of the sofa, his words came out fierce.

"Okay, okay, get off me. Do you know how heavy you are...?"

*

By the time they arrived, the banquet was about to begin, with guests finding their respective seats based on familiarity and relationship.

Those less acquainted were seated in the main hall, closer friends in the dining room on the second floor, while family members and intimate clan members occupied the central banquet hall on the same floor.

The intimate manner in which they entered hand-in-hand, combined with their matching rings, attracted discreet glances.

He Gu seemed oblivious, pulling out a chair for Lou Dong, then guiding his hand to the chair's back to indicate its position.

To onlookers, it appeared as a sweet gesture of deciding who would sit first.

Lou Yi, seated across from them, greeted He Gu with an ingratiating smile.

He Gu nodded in acknowledgment, marking a casual greeting.

Compared to others of uncertain origin, seeing Lou Yi gave He Gu a feeling of homecoming.

Lou Dong, accustomed to ignoring his elder brother, continued to do so. Lou Yi did not greet him either.

Especially since Lou Yi was aware of his blindness.

Seeing Lou Dong moving so seamlessly today, as if fully recovered, Lou Yi stared at him intently for a prolonged period.

To outsiders, their interactions appeared as subtle confrontations.

Their entrance, with all the noises of pulling chairs and settling down, drew continuous attention. Several eyes hadn't left He Gu from the moment he entered.

Those gazes started at He Gu's face, moving downwards over his collar, waist, and the portion obscured by the table.

A few guests let out soft sighs of admiration.

Truly handsome...

Since his loss of vision, Lou Dong's sensitivity to stares had become as acute as a cat to catnip. He was acutely aware of the shifting glances that bypassed him only to focus on his companion.

The somber man lifted his eyes, those icy blue orbs sweeping the room like a commanding general surveying a battlefield.

Several guests averted their gaze, feeling an eerie chill down their spines.

After such a long absence, those eyes remained as unnerving as ever.

However, Lou Dong's behavior, contrary to past encounters, took many by surprise.

Rumors had spread of a recent ailment, a topic deemed inappropriate for public discussion. But aside from his intimidating aura, didn't he seem just fine?

She even got married to a man.

He Guan and Lou Dongcang took their seats one after the other, with the main seat at the far end of the long table.

Lou Yingjie is absent; he must still be in the waiting room.

——The master of the Lou family will not arrive early. He will only appear once all the guests have gathered.

Guests kept arriving during their wait, and the murmurs grew louder.

Before coming, He Guan had already been briefed on a few families that were close to the Lou family, so he wasn't surprised when he saw Jin Jue arrive.

Their eyes met, and the other person coldly looked away.

Since this wasn't a corporate setting, the disdain in his eyes was more evident, not masked at all.

It intensified when he saw Lou Dongcang.

He Guan couldn't be bothered with him and lowered his head to count the creases on Lou Dongcang's knuckles.

Strangely enough, ever since He Guan arrived, Jin Jue hasn't given him a friendly look.

Even if He Guan has some connections, there's no need for such disdain, right? Every time he sees him, it's as if he's been offended.

Excluding Lou Yingjie, the last to arrive was Lou Jun Duo.

His hair was slicked back, and with a warm smile, he entered the banquet hall, saying, "Everyone's here, long time no see."

Familiar young members of other families greeted him, and a lively exchange of pleasantries ensued.

He Guan studied the patterns on the ladle.

We were only waiting for you, weren't we?

Following behind him was another figure. He Guan took a special glance, recognizing him as the one who had delivered the invitation.

Unexpectedly, there was someone else following him.

He Guan knew him.

It was Yan Xu.

Why would Yan Xu come with Lou Jun Duo's assistant...?

The three entered the hall one by one, with the latter two sitting further down the long table.

That's where the families friendly with the Lou family sat, quite close to Jin Jue.

He Guan furrowed his brows, noticing that Yan Xu deliberately avoided his gaze. Once seated, he kept his head down, as quiet as a mouse.

Meanwhile, Lou Jun Duo walked to the position nearest the main seat, standing opposite He Guan, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Little Guan? What are you doing here? Weren't you…"

His voice was not loud, even somewhat innocent, but loud enough for everyone present to hear.

The banquet hall went silent instantly.

You could hear a pin drop.

The bored elites, sensing the whiff of juicy gossip, instantly perked up their ears like alert Dobermans.

He Guan gave a soft chuckle and said, “Long time no see, how have you been?”

His tone was gentle, as if an elder caring for a younger generation.

Of course, Lou Jun Duo was already aware that his lifelong crush had married his younger uncle.

In fact, he had braced himself for this news ever since he got the address from He Guan.

He just hadn't expected this revelation to come so soon, especially at his grandfather's birthday feast, serving him a dish of 'public display of affection.'

Lou Jun Duo responded with a smile, "I've been quite well. Little Guan, have you lost weight? It figures, what with getting married and all..."

Lou Jun Duo cast a concerned glance between the two, wishing he could telegraph to everyone just how problematic Lou Dongcang was.

He wouldn’t keep it a secret just because it's unseen, especially not for that old man's sake.

The news of Lou Dongcang's blindness coming to light would be more advantageous than disadvantageous for him.

Especially when the one marrying him was He Guan, whom he'd pined for so long...

Just as He Guan was about to reply, an old man entered the hall.

Holding a walking stick, he steadily walked in and unabashedly remarked to Lou Jun Duo as he passed, “Jun Duo, such disrespect.”

Lou Jun Duo: “Grandpa, I’ve been wronged! You see...”

Lou Yingjie took a seat.

“How did you address He Guan just now?”

“Is 'Little Guan' a name for you to use? No manners.”

“Call him 'Uncle'."

A look of worry froze on Lou Jun Duo’s face.