Xia Wan paused for a moment, then he turned his head away and laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” Huo Yu asked, glancing at Xia Wan with a slightly serious tone, his voice sounding a bit stiff.
Huo Yu’s words weren’t really cheesy, but his good looks and aloof demeanor made his straightforward words seem oddly out of place.
Xia Wan naturally wouldn’t tell the eldest master that his way of talking about love was a bit too straightforward. After a brief pause, he leaned closer to Huo Yu and responded, “I smile when I’m happy, that’s why!”
Huo Yu made a disapproving sound and lifted his hand to gently push Xia Wan’s head away. “Don’t think I don’t know.”
Suppressing his laughter, Xia Wan leaned in again and said, “What does the Eldest Master know? Share it with me, I want to hear.”
Huo Yu pressed his lips together and whispered after a moment, “I won’t say anything to you more.”
Xia Wan stopped laughing abruptly, his expression turning serious. He leaned in, adopting a softer tone, and urged, “It won’t work like this! Just tell me, please.”
While speaking, Xia Wan tugged at Huo Yu’s cuffs and gently shook them a few times.
Unaffected by Xia Wan’s actions, Huo Yu maintained his indifference and firmly declared, “I won’t.”
“Alas~” Xia Wan sighed, holding his chin after a moment, “My happiness is gone.”
Huo Yu turned the wheel and drove the car towards the road to Xia Chengzhang’s house.
“Do you really want to hear it?” Huo Yu asked as he noticed Xia Wan looking unhappy.
“Of course,” Xia Wan quickly declared, “The eldest master’s sweet words are so lovely that even a worried person would feel happy after hearing them.”
Huo Yu cast a wary glance at Xia Wan, his eyes showing caution. However, after a short while, a small smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
Xia Wan’s eyes tilted upward as he stared at Huo Yu’s smile for a moment, his gaze fixed on him. Waiting for Huo Yu to say.
“It’s not love talk,” Huo Yu said.
“Huh?” Xia Wan was a bit confused, but Huo Yu didn’t say anything more.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Xia Wan said angrily.
……
While Xia Wan was away, Zhang Nan and Zhang Ruicheng visited Xia Chengzhang’s house. They sat in the living room and were having tea with Xia Chengzhang.
When Xia Wan and Huo Yu walked in together, Zhang Nan stood up first.
“It’s like saying Cao Cao has arrived,” he chuckled, referring to the old saying that when you mention someone, they appear immediately.
“What were you saying about us?” Xia Wan asked, smiling.
“We were discussing how extremely busy you are,” Zhang Ruicheng remarked. “Your dad mentioned you’ve been occupied since the end of October, and you haven’t had a moment to catch your breath until now.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Wan quickly took a deep breath and jokingly said, “Time to replenish the breath!”
Zhang Ruicheng found it amusing as he observed Xia Wan and Huo Yu sitting down beside Xia Chengzhang. With a smile, he said, “I have something to discuss with your father, and it just so happens that you can come and listen.”
“Yes?” Xia Wan looked at Xia Chengzhang and asked with a smile, “Why is Uncle Zhang so serious?”
Xia Chengzhang lowered his eyes and said, “Don’t pay attention to Uncle Zhang’s nonsense.”
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.
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Zhang Ruicheng, who was drinking water when he heard this and ended up spraying water all over himself.
Xia Chengzhang quickly dismissed the idea, “That’s nonsense. If it were true, why wouldn’t he introduce himself first? It doesn’t make sense.”
Xia Wan handed Zhang Ruicheng a tissue and asked with a smile: “What else could it be? Apart from this, I really can’t think of anything else.”
“Xia Wan can’t guess it correctly,” Zhang Nan cleaned up Zhang Ruicheng and said with a smile, “Mr. Huo should be able to guess it, right?”
Seeing Xia Wan looking at him, Huo Yu slowly placed the tea bowl down.
“I guess Uncle Zhang wants to invite Dad back to the Xia family’s studio, right?” Huo Yu suggested.
Xia Wan was stunned. He could hear every word Huo Yu said clearly, but when the words were put together, he couldn’t understand them at all.
Why would Uncle Zhang want to close down the Xia family’s studio? What’s the significance of Xia Chengzhang “returning” to the Xia Family Studio?
From when the original owner was a kid to being all grown up, in his mind, Xia Chengzhang was just a regular worker. The father and son worked really hard from morning till night just to get by.
He never thought about what other talents Xia Chengzhang might have.
“Your dad,” Zhang Ruicheng said with a sigh, “he graduated from the same university as me and was a top student in our school’s School of Architecture. I don’t know how many students were there at that time who were as talented as your dad….”
“Old Zhang,” Xia Chengzhang interrupted him in between.
Xia Wan turned towards the sound and looked at Xia Chengzhang. However, Xia Chengzhang simply raised his hand to signal Zhang Ruicheng to stop talking.
“A good man is not brave enough,” Xia Chengzhang said. “I haven’t touched those things in decades. I’m already done with that part of my life.”
“Even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll still support you,” Zhang Ruicheng said. “It was us brothers who should rightfully own half of the studio.”
“What you earn is yours,” Xia Chengzhang said. “The studio hasn’t been my concern for a long time.”
“How could it have nothing to do with you?” Zhang Ruicheng was a little upset. “The studio wouldn’t exist without you. If you did now lose your legs back then the story would have been completely different. Everyone knows how much you sacrificed.”
Xia Chengzhang tilted his head, and a trace of pain crossed his face. Even after all these years, he couldn’t let go of the accident. It was the turning point in his life, transforming him from someone full of spirit with a bright future to losing everything and falling into the depths of despair.
“Old Xia,” Zhang Ruicheng said, “just give me a chance to atone for my mistakes.”
Xia Chengzhang tightened his fists. He held his fists tightly and didn’t say anything for a long time.
Xia Wan sat up straight and asked, “Uncle Zhang, can you tell me what happened first?”
He turned to Huo Yu and said, “You know about this, right?”
“Yes,” Huo Yu agreed casually. With a nod, he took Xia Wan’s wrist and took him to the bedroom.
“What happened to my dad?” Xia Wan asked as soon as the door closed, a mix of concern and anxiety in his eyes.
Huo Yu, holding Xia Wan’s wrist, led him to the sofa. With a calm demeanor, he shared a detailed account of Xia Chengzhang’s past, explaining the challenges and events Xia Chengzhang faced when he was younger.
When the original owner was a kid, every time he asked about Xia Chengzhang’s legs, Xia Chengzhang would get sad for a long time. Eventually, he just stopped asking because he felt it made Xia Chengzhang unhappy.
Now, as Huo Yu shared Xia Chengzhang’s life experiences, Xia Wan learned that after the accident, Xia Chengzhang not only lost his business but also went through many challenging circumstances.
His lips tightened, mirroring Xia Chengzhang’s expression, and he clenched his fists in anger.
“The Xia family were just too mean!” Xia Wan’s voice was filled with anger. “They really found someone who wasn’t smart. How dare they keep taking advantage of my dad? How dare they keep bothering us, asking for help, and making us go around for them? It was just…”
He was so mad that he was shaking and couldn’t find better words.
“Evil people will get what they deserve.” Huo Yu gently explained, he bent down and hugged him. “Right now, all they have is debt, but we’ll work hard and make things better and better for ourselves.”
Xia Wan remained silent, his face hidden in Huo Yu’s chest. Soon, Huo Yu sensed a damp warmth soaking into the fabric, leaving a mark on his skin.
Without uttering a word, Huo Yu gently stroked the back of Xia Wan’s head with his palm, providing comfort in silence.
“I only wish I could have personally fought back and let out all my anger for my dad.” After a while, Xia Wan said, his voice choked with sobs.
“I’ve handled it for you,” Huo Yu reassured, and after a moment, he added, “You shouldn’t have to get involved in these things and dirty your hands.”
Huo Yu’s softly spoken words echoed like thunder in Xia Wan’s ears. At that moment, memories of Huo Yu’s drastic actions from the original story rushed back to him.
If he felt sorry for Huo Yu before and wished to rescue him from the grip of hatred and a tragic fate, today, for the first time, he experienced that same sentiment.
In reality, Huo Yu’s experiences were much more tragic than his and Xia Chengzhang’s.
Xia Wan pursed his lips, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.
Unable to resist, he raised his hand, pulled Huo Yu down, and kissed him passionately.
The kiss that followed was fierce and unrestrained as if he was pouring out the intensity of his feelings through that moment of connection.
After a brief pause of surprise, Huo Yu responded to Xia Wan’s fierce kiss with gentle tenderness.
A salty liquid mingled between their lips and teeth as they kissed.
Huo Yu patiently stroked Xia Wan’s slender back repeatedly.
“Don’t cry,” he said, comforting Xia Wan.
Huo Yu fulfilled his promise to Xia Wan, and indeed, the Xia family now had nothing but bank debt.
Huo Yu kept a certain distance from the matter, He simply bought Zhang Nan’s shares for an amount much higher than their actual value. Additionally, he kept the money that the Xia family had given to Huo Lin previously, deciding not to return it.
Whenever someone from the Xia family visited, whether it was to seek assistance or cause trouble, the company staff consistently responded with a single statement, instructing them to provide legal documents or approach Huo Lin.
The sum of money was considerable, and Huo Yu intended to give it to Xia Chengzhang once the situation settled down.
Because that’s what the Xia family owes Xia Chengzhang.
After Zhang Nan successfully transferred the studio to Zhang Ruicheng, he kept his promise and transferred the original 3% share back to Huo Yu at the original price.
The entire process went smoothly, and the two successfully achieved their goal of assisting each other.
Zhang Nan provided Huo Yu with shares, and in return, Huo Yu offered substantial support to Zhang Nan in managing and handling financial matters, as well as in dealing with the Xia family. This collaboration enabled Zhang Nan to swiftly achieve his goal and outmaneuver the Xia family without them being able to resist.
He also heard that just two days ago, the Xia family went to the Huo family’s old house to cause trouble.
It’s unclear how the situation has developed, but it seems like both sides are now in conflict.
In the end, Xia Chengzhang insisted on not taking any shares in the studio, and Xia Wan had no intention and desire to see Xia Chengzhang go to the place that brought him sadness and hardship.
Eighteen years ago, when Xia Chengzhang faced trouble, Zhang Ruicheng failed to stand up for him, creating a lasting wound in his heart.
Over the years, this incident has weighed heavily on his conscience, causing Zhang Ruicheng constant distress.
Furthermore, winning against the Xia family wouldn’t have been as easy for him and Zhang Nan without Huo Yu’s assistance.
Without Huo Yu’s support, the outcome might not have been as favorable for Xia Chengzhang and Zhang Nan.
Moreover, Zhang Ruicheng’s cost of the entire studio only accounts for one-third of the cost, so he does not desire nor have peace of mind to hold it all in his hands.
Finally, after Zhang Ruicheng’s insistence, Xia Chengzhang agreed to transfer the remaining half of the studio to Xia Wan’s name.
……
The past few days felt exceptionally long for Xia Wan.
He gained many things, but each of them was accompanied by blood and tears, built upon the pain of many people.
As a result, he didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.
When the hot water cascaded down on him, he involuntarily held his breath, recalling the suffocating pain and hatred he felt when Huo Yu revealed Xia Chengzhang’s past.
He found himself yearning for Huo Yu.
Even though they had only recently parted ways.
Even if there was just a wall separating them.
He misses Huo Yu.
After taking a few steps out of the bathroom, Huo Yu paused to wipe his hair.
He had spotted Xia Wan.
His hair was damp, and his lips were bright red, maybe because he had just taken a shower. The skin not covered by the bathrobe was light pink in color.
He leaned against the door frame of his bedroom, holding half a cigarette in his hand. The cigarette butt was bitten between his teeth and held between his thin, white fingers.
“Have the money to buy cigarettes?” Huo Yu glanced at him, his question carrying an unclear undertone.
Xia Wan didn’t know how to smoke, so he was sucking the cigarette into his mouth and spitting it out directly. Amidst the smoke, his voice seemed to exude a different charm.
“You left it in my room last time,” Xia Wan said.
“Put it out,” Huo Yu commanded his tone firm, leaving no room for disobedience.
“Why can you smoke, but I can’t?” Xia Wan asked with frustration. “I’m not a little kid anymore!”
Ignoring Xia Wan’s protests, Huo Yu proceeded to the door, and calmly he took the cigarette from Xia Wan’s hand.
“I won’t smoke anymore,” he declared, then went to the desk and stamped out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray.
Xia Wan unconsciously bit his lip. Huo Yu claimed he wouldn’t smoke anymore, but quitting smoking couldn’t be that easy, could it?
Lost in his thoughts, Xia Wan suddenly heard Huo Yu’s deep voice calling him, “Come in,”
Huo Yu continued, “Didn’t you mention wanting to do something exciting as adults do?”
Thank You for the new chapter ( ๑ ❛ ڡ ❛ ๑ )❤
Thank you for the chapters!
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TYSM!!!