The phone kept ringing a lot. Xia Wan struggled to poke his head out from under the thin blanket.
He sounded really sleepy. It took a while for him to pick up the phone, “Hello.”
“Wanwan,” the voice on the other side stopped for a moment and then sounded unsure. It was Wen Yunzhi’s voice, “Is it okay? Did I disturb your sleep?”
“Huh?” Xia Wan responded slowly for a moment, and then his confused brain finally woke up: “Auntie?”
He moved the phone away and checked the time above.
It was only half past seven.
Even though it was usually time for breakfast, calling at this hour seemed unusual unless something had happened.
“Did something happen?” Xia Wan asked nervously, feeling confused. He was unable to figure out why Wen Yunzhi had called so early.
“It’s nothing else,” Wen Yunzhi responded, her eyes landing on the others at the table. “I just wanted to ask you, Huo Yu made an appointment for us to meet tonight. Are you coming too?”
Xia Wan stayed silent for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Why did Huo Yu ask the Xue family to meet?
Was it related to the new energy project?
Didn’t the Xue family already reject this project? Do Huo Yu have any other cards that could make the other party interested again?
Xia Wan thought it over carefully, but it was still hard to be sure. Plus, Huo Yu had never mentioned anything about meeting the Xue family to him. But of course, he wouldn’t let Wen Yunzhi know about these.
“I’m not sure yet, Auntie,” Xia Wan said as he got out of bed. He went to the window and opened the curtains.
The sun was shining on the lake in the neighborhood, making golden waves in the breeze. It felt nice and comfy.
“You come too,” Wen Yunzhi said with a smile. “Grandpa is here too, and he has lots of health supplements he can’t finish. He put them away in the morning. They’re in the trunk. You can check later to see which ones are good for your dad to eat.”
“Thank you, Aunt and Grandpa,” Xia Wan said, expressing his gratitude immediately. The Xue family was really nice to him, so much so that he felt a bit heavy-hearted, and he couldn’t bring himself to say no to Wen Yunzhi’s invitation.
He hesitated for a moment, and suddenly, the word “you” that Huo Yu had said when he was drunk flashed in his mind.
His fingers tightened unconsciously around the phone.
Xia Wan couldn’t help but feel a bit “arrogant,” but ultimately, his rationality guided him to leave some room in his response. “If there’s nothing else in the afternoon, I’ll go with Huo Yu. After all, I haven’t seen Grandpa for a while. But there’s no need to bring nutritional supplements. My dad isn’t suitable for taking them now.”
“Good,” Wen Yunzhi said, and after a while, she asked cautiously, “Wan Wan, are you… how are you today?”
Xia Wan didn’t know what was going on; Wen Yunzhi’s phone calls always left him a bit confused.
He went over what he said in confusion, and after making sure there was nothing misleading, he smiled and replied, “I’m fine, Auntie.”
Then he asked, “Why do you ask like that?”
“Oh, oh,” Wen Yunzhi’s tone suddenly became awkward. “It’s nothing, nothing. I was just asking casually.”
After hanging up Wen Yunzhi’s phone, Xia Wan opened WeChat with some doubts and wanted to ask Su Tang if he had said anything to Wen Yunzhi.
But upon opening it, he immediately realized the issue.
Xia Wan bit his lip and looked at the red number “Discover” at the bottom of the screen. He couldn’t help being embarrassed and funny. After a while, he opened it.
Xia Wan checked his messages and saw lots from his dorm mates. Su Tang and Fu Ling started a funny chat that made him laugh a lot.
Finally, Fu Ling concluded: [Little Sweet Zero: So, in the end, Brother Yu is too good. ]
Su Tang quickly added:
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[Little Sweet Tangguo: Isn’t that right? We stamped our approval, so we should prioritize getting enough rest every night. Don’t hurry to wake up if there’s no morning class.]
Vtfc Wlcu vlvc’a rjs jcsatlcu, pera ifoa j yecmt bo vbar…
Wlj Qjc tfiv tlr obgftfjv, gfugfaalcu atja tf tjv qgjlrfv Leb Te’r rxliir abb wemt lc atf vbgw yfobgf. Lf jirb tjv j tfjvjmtf yfmjerf atfrf qfbqif mbeiv ubrrlq jybea jcsatlcu.
Ca atf rjwf alwf, tf ofia iemxs; atjcxoeiis, Leb Te vlvc’a tjnf atflg QfJtja jmmbecar jcv mbeivc’a rff atflg pbxfr.
Xia Wan didn’t reply immediately but took his time to respond bit by bit.
Among the messages, he noticed two unexpected messages.
One was left by Xue Zhen:
[Grandpa Xue: You are very strong; there’s no obstacle that cannot be overcome. Tell Grandpa will help you with anything.]
This message should have been replied to shortly after he posted it, even earlier than the responses from Su Tang, Fu Ling, and others.
Xia Wan stared at this message, feeling guilty for causing the old man to worry.
Another unexpected reply came from Xia Yang. Xia Yang’s message was very simple, with only three words: “What’s the matter?”
Xia Wan frowned a bit upon seeing this message. Without hesitation, he went back to the contact list and simply blacklisted him.
In fact, Xia Yang had been waiting for Xia Wan’s reply since he left a message yesterday.
He hasn’t been doing too well lately.
Last night, after he had finished drinking outside. When he heard the news, he immediately came back and forced himself to click on Xia Wan’s chat box.
But even so, he couldn’t talk to Xia Wan in a coax tone or act like nothing happened.
After all, not long ago, he and his father were kicked out of the hospital by Xia Wan. Such a humiliating and self-esteem thing, no one can easily let go, especially a small person like Xia Wan who was originally dependent on them, this kind of humiliation is even more impossible to bear.
But, who made people fly to the branches and become phoenixes now?
In a situation where the outcome in Beijing was already clear, Huo Yu was like a dark horse, unexpectedly emerging and capturing everyone’s attention.
Just one step…
If he can keep control of the project, then Huo Yu won’t just be Huo Yu anymore. He’ll become a really strong and powerful force.
And this power and influence will totally change the current situation in a strong and direct way.
First of all, the Qiu family was severely injured this time, and Mr. Qiu was getting old, so chances are the Qiu family would never be able to recover from this loss.
Secondly, it’s uncertain if Huo Peixue can regain his position in the Huo family.
Apart from anything else, everyone learned at the last banquet of the Huo family, when Xia Wan said the Huo family itself was the legacy of Huo Yu’s father, Huo Peifeng.
When someone said Huo Yu was incompetent, Huo Peixue and Huo Lin had reasons to manage it on Huo Yu’s behalf.
However, looking at Huo Yu’s current performance. He was so impressive that others looked at them in a somewhat subtle way.
If even the Qiu family and the Huo family could change, then what about their small Xia family? What can they do?
It was only at this moment that Xia Chenglin and Xia Yang finally realized they had been on the wrong team from the beginning.
Not only that, but they are now in a very tough situation.
They were involved in Huo Lin’s project. When they got the investment opportunity, they thought it would be a big success. To gain respect from the Huo family, they put in everything they had with them. Not only that, they had also used the company’s funds to maximize their profits.
Immediately after investing all their money, the Huo family was charged with various violations.
Huo Lin claimed those charges were just for old projects, but there was also no progress on the project in his hands.
Originally, the Xia family had a good plan. Once the project started and their Xia family’s name was on it, even if they were only squeezed into a small corner, with the influence of the Huo family, getting subsequent working capital would be easy. They could easily get a loan from the bank.
But now, the project hasn’t started, and the Huo family was in a desperate situation themselves. Where can they borrow so much money?
And now, it has even affected the normal operation of the company.
Before, Xia Yang had no choice but to tactfully urge Huo Lin, but in the end, Huo Lin scorned him with contempt.
Now it’s hard to say whose hands the Huo family will fall into. Xia Yang doesn’t dare to offend Huo Lin, but he also has to repair the relationship with Huo Yu. Therefore, even if he couldn’t save face anymore, he had to rebuild his relationship with Xia Wan.
Xia Yang hesitated with his finger on the screen. As he pondered how to talk to someone without losing his status, he unconsciously saw Xia Wan’s status.
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck. Just ten minutes ago, Xia Wan had posted a message on Moments.
No beginning or end, just a simple word: “Dead.”
It can be understood as a joke or self-mockery, or it can be seen as the other party experiencing a significant setback at the moment.
Xia Yang immediately seized the opportunity and clicked to reply: what’s the matter?
It doesn’t seem so urgent, but it also expresses concern. Xia Yang thought it was okay.
At night, Xia Yang didn’t sleep well, so he woke up a little late in the morning.
Sitting at the dining table, he refreshed his circle of friends again, but this time, he noticed that Xia Wan’s post was missing.
He felt something wasn’t right, so he exited, reopened the other party’s chat window, and entered the message:
[What happened yesterday? I saw your family members in your circle of friends worrying all night. Are you alright?]
After he finished writing, he read it carefully and made sure there was no problem. There he clicked on send.
However, the next second, a red exclamation mark appeared in front of him.
Xia Yang was stunned for a moment. Then he gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers tightly.
He was blocked by Xia Wan.
He was actually blocked by Xia Wan!
If it was anyone else, he would probably be more accepting, but it was Xia Wan.
In the past, he was the one who showed contempt for Xia Wan. How could it be Xia Wan’s turn to look down on him?
This reversal of identity was something he couldn’t accept. After a moment of silence, he viciously swept all the dishes on the table to the ground.
Unlike the tense atmosphere in the Xia family, the mood in the Xue family was much more relaxed.
Because of the word “Dead”, the Xue family all gathered at the dining table.
It’s just that Xue Zhen had already commented first, and others, even though they were a bit concerned after seeing the WeChat Moments, did not continue to add to the conversation.
Especially after Su Tang’s news, things suddenly took a strange turn.
Xue Chong and Wen Yunzhi felt a bit embarrassed when they saw those direct words, but upon careful consideration, it didn’t seem impossible.
Although Xia Wan was young. He was already married.
The couple exchanged subtle glances. Not only did their worries fade away, but they also felt a sense of relief regarding Xia Wan’s private life.
They could all feel relieved.
As a young man, Xue Wenxuan naturally had nothing to worry about.
The one who was really worried was actually Xue Zhen.
Eighteen years ago, the old man moved to the annex building alone. Over the years, he had breakfast in the main building only a handful of times.
But early this morning, the old man came over, and Zhou Qi was holding a painting in his arms behind him.
He naturally saw Su Tang’s ridicule of Xia Wan, but he was probably more concerned about the underlying reason behind Xia Wan’s thoughts. When he considered that Xia Wan could create works like “Jackdaw,” the wise old man couldn’t help but consider what might be going through Xia Wan’s mind.
It wasn’t until Wen Yunzhi hung up the phone with a smile and said, “He said he was fine.”
The old man was a little relieved.
Xue Wenxuan took a sip of coffee, smiled, and said to his grandfather, “I just said he was okay.”
Compared to Xue Wenxuan, Xue Chong was much smarter. He ate his breakfast slowly and smiled.
Sure enough, the old man snorted in dissatisfaction.
“Look at this painting of his,” the old man pointed to the “Jackdaw” placed on the cabinet next to him. “Although it’s an artistic creation, it still requires talent from the heart. How can someone of that age paint with such a desperate tone?”
“Withered vines, old trees, dim crows…” Xue Wenxuan, who studied business, thought for a moment after seeing this, “Is it based on poetry?”
“Do you see the small bridges and flowing water in that painting?” Xue Zhen said dissatisfiedly. “That’s not a crow; it’s an old crow dying in despair amidst the dead silence of a vast wasteland. Take a closer look.”
Xue Wenxuan got rebuffed, but instead, he smiled and leaned towards the old man, acting playful. “Grandpa doesn’t like me anymore after having Ake, huh?”
“Nonsense.” Xue Zhen said, “How old are you, and you are jealous of Ake.”
“I’m not jealous of him.” Xue Wenzuan said with a smile, “It’s too late for me to hurt him.”
Xue Zhen snorted at him and couldn’t help but laugh again.
…..
After replying to the message, Xia Wan washed up and went downstairs.
Huo Yu had already gotten up and was sitting in the hall talking on the phone. When he saw Xia Wan coming down, he glanced sideways.
The look in his eyes wasn’t much different from usual, but Xia Wan couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat.
As he washed up, he stood in front of the mirror, thinking deeply. He pondered whether to talk about Huo Yu’s drunken conversation from last night.
Now, with Huo Yu right in front of him, he had to acknowledge that if he missed the chance, he’d need to patiently await the next, more suitable opportunity.
“Alright.” Huo Yu’s call sounded like it was concluding, and he added, “Let’s play ball next time.”
As Xia Wan approached Huo Yu, he noticed that Huo Yu had just ended a call and was now looking up at him.
“Hangover soup…,” Xia Wan asked pretending to be calm, “Did you drink it?”
“Yes,” Huo Yu nodded, “I had it when I woke up in the middle of the night.”
“Really?” Almost instantly, joy bubbled up in Xia Wan’s heart, as light as a cloud, and he lowered his gaze.
“So happy?” Huo Yu smiled. He raised his hand, and touched the tip of Xia Wan’s nose.
Xia Wan felt surprised at first, but then he took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. He stayed still, leaning a bit. He was afraid to make any sudden moves.
“Dead?” Huo Yu raised the corners of his lips maliciously, “How did you die? Did you die because the hangover soup was too hard to make, and you died in shame?” He asked again:”Why are you still breathing so fast after you die?”
“Huo Yu!” Xia Wan stood up straight, gritting his teeth at Huo Yu.
“Hey, Xia Wan,” Huo Yu laughed very unkindly. He patted his side again, motioning him to sit down: “Come, tell me about what’s going on in your head.”
!!! So will they talk about their feelings? Oh, the cliffhanger…!
Thank you for the chapter~
Thank You for the chapter (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
Uh just kiss already please