Xia Wan glanced up at him, sensing that his words carried a mix of humor and a hint of seriousness.
The sun shone from behind him, casting a light shadow on his face, and making him seem gentler than usual.
Suddenly, Xia Wan started thinking about the rumors he heard from outside.
“They are saying the person in the photo was Pan Xingwen,” he whispered, pulling his wrist away from Huo Yu’s grasp.
“What?” Huo Yu was surprised and a bit confused when he heard the name Pan Xingwen; it sounded familiar to him.
“He is a newcomer from Shenzhou.” Xia Wan explained.
He gripped the ball tightly, and the sweat in his hands stained a small part of the basketball’s surface dark brown.
Huo Yu didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news, but vaguely but vaguely recalled after Xia Wan mentioned it. It seemed Shenzhou was indeed promoting a newcomer named Pan Xingwen lately.
“What photo?” Huo Yu asked.
“Wait, I will show it to you,” Xia Wan said, unlocking his phone and showing the photo to Huo Yu. “This one.”
The photo was actually centered on Huo Lin and the police, While Huo Yu was holding Xia Wan and occupying the right side of the frame.
Huo Yu glanced down briefly and then spoke in a low voice, “Don’t you know who I am holding in my arms?”
Panicking, Xia Wan pressed his lips together and quickly turned off the screen.
Of course, he was well aware that Huo Yu was holding him in his arms.
However, after seeing so many people on the Internet saying that the boy Huo Yu was holding was Pan Xingwen, he was still inexplicably uncomfortable.
Especially when Pan Xingwen was a member of Shenzhou.
Xia Wan doesn’t know why, but these small details that didn’t bother him before now feel magnified constantly unsettling his nerves.
But with Huo Yu’s words, those concerns seemed to vanish effortlessly.
Xia Wan felt uneasy as he held the basketball in his arms again.
Huo Yu chuckled softly but didn’t tease Xia Wan further for saying something silly.
After a brief pause, he brought up a new topic: “NF has a charity event in November. Shen Yan mentioned you’re invited. Are you planning to attend?”
“I will go,” Xia Wan said with a natural expression. “Our studio has earned a lot lately, so it’s a chance to give back to society.”
Xia Wan’s studio is now officially set up. Besides him and Fu Ling, there are six other members, making a total of eight in the team.
Su Tang and Shen Xing haven’t officially joined his studio due to their own reasons but occasionally come over to help out.
“Repaying society?” Huo Yu smiled, running his fingertips over the basketball held by Xia Wan. “I didn’t expect it, but you’re quite compassionate.”
“There are many things you haven’t seen,” Xia Wan murmured, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “Aren’t you also invited?”
“Well,” Huo Yu responded in a low voice, “I’ll try to make time to attend. If I can’t, you can help me with the donation check.”
The charity event was more than two months away, and Xia Wan wasn’t sure what state he and Huo Yu would be in by then. Whether or not they would still be in this contractual relationship.
“Why should I take it?” Xia Wan said, “Let Shen Yan or Pan Xingwen take it.”
Xia Wan felt a twinge of jealousy towards Pan Xingwen.
The NF ceremony invited numerous Shenzhou artists, including Pan Xingwen and Huo Yu, who have a connection. Being quite popular lately, Pan Xingwen subtly mentioned in a previous interview that he accepted the invitation.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yu paused briefly.
Xia Wan was completely covered by his shadow. As he raised his face slightly to look at him, his tone sounded somewhat aggrieved and hurt.
But when Xia Wan showed this not-so-hidden anger and hurt while avoiding eye contact, it made Huo Yu’s heart suddenly feel warm.
Huo Yu felt like a kid playing hide-and-seek. After facing many challenges, he finally found what or who he was searching for in a hidden spot, and it brought joy to his heart.
The tips of Huo Yu’s fingers shifted on the basketball and lightly touched the back of Xia Wan’s hand.
“Brother, brother!” Suddenly, the barbed wire fence surrounding the stadium next to them shook.
Outside, a few half-grown kids were waving at them, each holding a basketball.
Huo Yu lifted his gaze and stared at them coldly, surprising the children. For a while, none of them dared to speak.
Xia Wan turned around with a smile and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Brother,” the leader asked in a hushed tone, “Are you still using the court?”
“No.” Xia Wan smiled and stood up, “You can use it.”
Several kids cheered and hurried in from the entrance.
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.
As Xia Wan and Huo Yu walked downstairs holding the ball, Zhang Nan was seeing off Zhang Ruicheng.
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Zhang Nan smiled and said, “I’ve known about Xia Wan’s relationship with you for a while now.”
“Do you guys know each other?” Xia Wan asked, a bit curious.
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know Mr. Huo now?” Zhang Nan smiled, glancing at Huo Yu.
Huo Yu smiled and leaned in, explaining to Xia Wan in a soft voice, “I’ve met him once before.”
Then he said to Zhang Nan, “Shall we go up and sit together?”
Zhang Nan hesitated for a moment and then said, “Next time. I’ll invite Mr. Huo out, and we can have a drink.”
With a smile, he added, “When that time comes, Mr. Huo will have to honor me with your presence.”
Huo Yu nodded, exchanged polite words, and then headed home with Zhang Ruicheng and Xia Wan.
The watermelon selected by Aunt Zhang was sweet and tangy. It had been in the refrigerator all morning, and now, when opened, it emitted a sweet and fragrant aroma.
Zhang Ruicheng had two slices of watermelon and then went downstairs to play chess with Xia Chengzhang.
Xia Wan washed his hands with Huo Yu and then returned to his bedroom.
The new house was much bigger than the previous one, and Xia Wan’s bedroom was also more spacious. There was a single sofa that was placed casually against the wall.
Having encountered some issues with the product selection team, Xia Wan asked Huo Yu to make himself comfortable. Then he sat down at the desk and turned on his laptop, while Huo Yu settled on the sofa.
While Xia Wan was busy, Huo Yu looked down and sent a message to Shen Yan, asking him to clean up all the news about Pan Xingwen and himself.
Shen Yan replied quickly, “Does sister-in-law has any issues with it?”
“No,” Huo Yu raised his eyes, looked at Xia Wan, and then replied, “I have an objection.”
Shen Yan made a teasing expression with a “tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk” sound. After finishing the message, Huo Yu didn’t respond.
He opened his email and wrote another message to Wei Qian, asking him to investigate more about the backgrounds of Zhang Nan and Zhang Ruicheng.
When his representatives reached out to Huo’s shareholders earlier, they had actually been in touch with Zhang Nan. However, at that time, Zhang Nan wasn’t their main concern. After all, he only held 3% of the shares, and he had also declined their acquisition request.
But now it’s different.
Now that they’ve successfully acquired Huo Lin’s ten percent, and both sides have nearly equal bargaining power. Even though Zhang Nan’s three percent might not seem like a lot, it’s enough to influence the outcome.
After sending the email to Wei Qian, Huo Yu answered some more emails and messages before leaning back further into the sofa.
From this angle, he can see Xia Wan’s profile just by looking up.
Xia Wan looked really serious when he worked, just like when he drew those jewelry designs. Even though the sofa and the desk aren’t very far apart, for some reason, Huo Yu still wishes they were closer. This way, if he stretched out his legs, he could easily reach and feel Xia Wan’s feet.
Xia Wan had bare feet, and his legs were straight, pushed against the wall, with his toes curled up. His hands were busy typing on the keyboard, making clear sounds in the quiet room. Sometimes, it would stop for a moment and then start again.
The sunlight comes through the window, touching Huo Yu’s body and making everything feel relaxed and lazy. In the warm autumn sunshine, Huo Yu once again felt the comforting feeling of stability and happiness that he used to have in Xia Wan’s bedroom before they moved.
Huo Yu’s eyelids slowly became heavy. He raised his hand to support his forehead.
“That’s right,” Xia Wan, who seemed busy for a while, turned his head to look at Huo Yu. But when he noticed Huo Yu looking all sleepy, he stopped talking.
It seemed like the sun had gotten in his eyes, and Huo Yu tilted his head slightly.
“Are you tired?” Xia Wan stood up, knowing that Huo Yu had been busy with a lot of things lately. He probably didn’t get a good night’s sleep, so Xia Wan suggested, “Go sleep on my bed.”
He bent down and cleared the things on the bed, then went to the closet to find a new bedsheet.
“It is fine,” Huo Yu said as he quickly grabbed Xia Wan’s wrist. “You do not have to go overboard.”
Xia Wan hesitated for a moment and placed the sheets back.
Huo Yu lay on the bed, stretched out comfortably, and buried half of his face into Xia Wan’s pillow.
Xia Wan didn’t know why, but seeing Huo Yu’s relaxed face made him feel a little warm inside.
The pillow carried Xia Wan’s scent—not too strong, just light and very clean. It was like the sunshine outside the window, making him feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe.
“What were you asking earlier?” Huo Yu placed a hand under his head and looked at Xia Wan lazily.
“Oh,” Xia Wan thought for a moment, “I just wanted to ask how you met Zhang Nan?”
Huo Yu smiled, his voice very soft, sounding a bit drowsy, “He’s a shareholder of the Huo family, but his shares are quite low. The last time I saw him was at Huo Peixue’s house.”
Xia Wan didn’t ask anything else because Huo Yu closed his eyes heavily after saying the last few words.
Xia Wan sat in that position for a while, then slowly moved toward the bed.
Xia Wan bent down and gazed at Huo Yu’s sleeping face. Unable to resist, he reached out and gently touched Huo Yu’s cheek.
Huo Yu’s cheek skin felt warm, and the surface was softer than Xia Wan expected. It was a different feeling compared to the firmness of the muscles in his chest.
His eyelashes were very thick, and he looked very peaceful while sleeping.
Xia Wan peeked at him in secret and even tried to breathe as quietly as possible.
In the silence, Xia Wan’s phone suddenly rang. He quickly withdrew his hand. He hung up the call and then stepped out to return it.
The call was from other members of the product selection team. Since Xia Wan hadn’t replied to the message, they decided to call him to get a response.
After taking the call, Xia Wan went to the kitchen to help Aunt Zhang for a while, and Zhang Ruicheng came back with Xia Chengzhang.
“Where is Xiaoyu?” As soon as Xia Chengzhang came in, he asked Xia Wan, looking around. “I noticed his car was still parked downstairs.”
“Sleeping,” Xia Wan said with a smile. “He’s been busy with a lot of things lately, so he’s probably too tired.”
“How long has he been sleeping?” Xia Chengzhang asked, “Did he have his food?”
“I just informed Aunt Zhang, just to leave him a bowl of soup and a bowl of rice.” Xia Wan said.
…
Huo Yu slept deeply. When he woke up, the room was already dark. If he listened carefully, he could hear someone talking softly outside.
He opened the door and saw Xia Chengzhang and Zhang Ruicheng sitting under the living room window, drinking tea and playing chess.
While, Xia Wan was sitting next to Xia Chengzhang, drawing on a PAD.
“Awake?” Xia Chengzhang was facing the direction of Xia Wan’s bedroom. He was the first to notice Huo Yu, and hurriedly called Xia Wan, “Wanwan, go and heat the food for Xiaoyu.”
“Aunt Zhang is making dinner,” Xia Wan didn’t move. “Let him eat dinner.”
“This kid really doesn’t listen. Don’t listen to his words,” Xia Chengzhang said, passing the task to Huo Yu. “You give him orders.”
“I’ll have dinner,” Huo Yu laughed and walked to Xia Wan’s side.
Xia Chengzhang also laughed, “Are you used to him?”
Seeing Huo Yu standing next to Xia Wan, raising his hand to rub Xia Wan’s hair, Xia Chengzhang felt extremely relieved.
“What are you drawing?” Huo Yu asked.
“The homework left by the teacher.” Xia Wan’s fingertips swiped on the screen, “It has to be handed in tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm,” Huo Yu looked at him for a moment and suddenly asked, “Are you going home tonight?”
Normally, Xia Wan would go to school directly from Xia Chengzhang’s place on Monday and return to Huo Yu’s house on Monday night.
But today, Huo Yu came with him, so Xia Wan nodded.
After dinner, they dropped off Zhang Ruicheng first and then drove back to Huo Yu’s place.
After entering the community and turning onto the path leading to Huo Yu’s house, Xia Wan saw a tall and thin figure standing at the door.
In the darkness, the cigarette butt in the man’s hand was clearly extinguished, standing out prominently.
As they got closer, Xia Wan couldn’t help but approach Huo Yu and said, “It seems to be Sun Baijiang.”
Huo Yu softly responded with a “hmm,” his face displaying a calm expression.
As the car approached, Sun Baijiang tossed the remaining half of his cigarette on the ground, stamped it out, and walked forward.
Seeing the two of them getting out of the car together, he paused for a moment, then greeted Xia Wan first, “Xia Wan.”
Then he looked at Huo Yu and said, “Xiao Yu.”
Xia Wan nodded to him with a smile, “Hello.” But Huo Yu remained silent.
“Is it okay for me and Huo Yu to have a few words alone?” Sun Baijiang looked at Xia Wan and asked.
Xia Wan glanced at Huo Yu and nodded. Just as he was about to leave, Huo Yu suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Huo Yu said calmly, “There is nothing he can’t hear about.”
Sun Baijiang seemed a little hesitant, but he didn’t hesitate for too long. He probably felt that if he hesitated too long, Huo Yu might not even give him a chance to speak.
“Do you have shares in Shenzhou?” he asked.
After signing the contract with the Xue family, Huo Yu no longer tried to hide the fact that he owned Shenzhou shares.
Pan Xingwen’s plan to use Huo Yu for publicity can be seen as a reasonable use of internal resources.
“Yes.” Huo Yu said.
“So you refused to sign me even though you knew I could bring huge benefits to the company?” Sun Baijiang asked.
“If you can benefit your company a lot, why do you need to come to Shenzhou?” Huo Yu smiled lightly, “Besides, Shenzhou is doing just fine without you.”
“Is that Pan Xingwen good?” Sun Baijiang asked.
His words suddenly carried an aggressive tone, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
“It has nothing to do with you,” Huo Yu said after a moment, his voice calm. “I am willing to stop and talk to you today because I have more important people and things in my heart, and I don’t want to allocate any energy to the past.”
He paused for a moment and added, “Not even hatred.”
Sun Baijiang blinked slowly, looking like he didn’t really get what Huo Yu meant.
“Sun Baijiang,” Huo Yu said seriously, “I will seek justice for myself and then reconcile with the past. Do you understand?”
Sun Baijiang’s face turned very pale, looking more lonely and sad under the cold moonlight.
Reconciliation with the past, no love, no hate. He meant nothing to Huo Yu.
He clenched his fists, wanting to say that he could still help Huo Yu.
But all those words got stuck in his throat, and he didn’t say a single word.
He watched helplessly as Huo Yu held Xia Wan’s hand and walked confidently into the villa. He used to visit this old villa a lot when he was a kid, but he never got the chance to go inside again as a grown-up. The dark and cold windows slowly lit up with warm lights. But the light in his heart slowly faded. It eventually went out.
“Eldest Master,” Xia Wan looked at Huo Yu with bright eyes as they went up the stairs. “Who is the more important person you just mentioned?”
He raised his face and looked at Huo Yu bravely, not showing any signs of fear.
It seemed that even if Huo Yu still teased him, he wouldn’t take it to heart.
Huo Yu went up one more flight of stairs than Xia Wan. When he heard this, he stopped and turned around.
He looked down at Xia Wan, and a smile slowly appeared in his slightly cold eyes. Unlike before, he didn’t avoid talking or teasing Xia Wan. Instead, he said one word very slowly, deeply, and seriously.
The same word he said when he was drunk that day: “You.”
Xia Wan looked at Huo Yu, his heart suddenly beating faster. It felt like his whole chest was filled with colorful bubbles of happiness, ready to burst.
“But, Sun Baijiang,” he held on to the last bit of reason and turned his head to look outside. “What exactly did he do?”
Huo Yu didn’t speak but took Xia Wan’s hand and placed it on his heart.
Through the thin clothes, Xia Wan could feel the warmth of Huo Yu’s body and the steady, strong heartbeat.
Xia Wan’s heart couldn’t handle it. He was shocked and a little surprised, “Is this wound related to him?”
Huo Yu didn’t say anything. He just raised his hand and gently touched Xia Wan’s hair.
The touch was very gentle, but it felt like it tugging Xia Wan’s heart. It made him think of the helpless young man lying in the cold hospital room, experiencing the despair of being betrayed by the person he trusted the most.
Xia Wan unconsciously raised his hands and wrapped his arms around Huo Yu’s waist, burying his face in his chest.
“It’s all over,” Huo Yu said, but then he felt a little wetness and warmth.
Through the thin T-shirt, Xia Wan pressed his warm lips on the location of Huo Yu’s scar.
It was like comforting, like a special mark, and giving new meaning to that sad wound.
Spoiler for the next chapter!!!!
Xia Wan blinked, then slightly parted his lips as if he wanted to say something. Before he could make a sound, Huo Yu lowered his head and kissed him.
It was a very gentle kiss.
TN
Who else feels that Sun Baijiang is a bit annoying? He is playing a gooseberry role!! Anyways we have our Xia Wan and Huo Yu kiss!!!!
😆
Yay, first kiss!!! This is such a slow burn (which I enjoy). They’re both really just so sweet. What villian??? Thanks for the chapter and spoiler! 😆
ooooh finally! looking forward to the next chapter!
Thank You for the new chapter (⸝⸝⍢⸝⸝)♡
Sry, I have come back after a few chapters post but the time between is a bit long, who is Sun Biajiang again? Ty
He is the film star who is under Xia Wan’s aunt. Aka Su Tang’s mother.
He is also the one who met them at Huo Lin’s engagement banquet.
Thank you for the chapter 🥰
Omfg I can’t they finally kissed🫣🫣
I take back what I said about sun baijiang some chapters ago, but damn! It’s happening!!!
Awwwwww
So sweet
This couple giving me toothache