There was no sound on the other side of the line for a while.
Xie Li felt like laughing; he was able to make Mrs.Yao, who laughed in the business world and then spoke like an arrow next, remain silent for almost thirty seconds. He felt that he had set a record that would go down in the family history.
After thirty seconds had passed, Mrs.Yao finally calmed her mood, her tone was heavy, “Are you serious?”
“When have I ever joked with you?”
“… What about your father, have you talked to him?”
“No, I was too lazy to call him, so I just asked your assistant to let his assistant know.”
It was probably her son’s still lazy tone at this point that made Mrs. Yao angry. After another bout of silence, her style was more severe, “This matter affects you and the family, do you think it’s appropriate to report it with a call?”
“Family?” Xie Li raised his eyebrow, “So we still have a family. Then what do you think is appropriate?”
“Come over and we’ll have a serious talk.”
Xie Li frowned slightly, “It’s enough that you talk to father. I give you my terms and then you negotiate whatever both of you want. Don’t you guys play like that in the business world?”
“It’s not the same.”
“It’s no different.” Xie Li stood up, his tone a little impatient, “The last deal was that we wouldn’t interfere with each other once I came of age, now I’m the one who has taken the initiative to shake your hand. Either you keep saying the same thing and consider this a waste of time, or you accept my terms and…”
Xie Li paused, and said with some reluctance, “…you don’t interfere with my emotional part. You guys can do whatever you want with the rest.”
There was an abrupt silence on the other end of the call.
After a long time, Mrs.Yao said, “Do you have a boyfriend and that’s why you took the initiative to send a war message?”
Xie Li calmly said, “Currently in process. Even if you came to deliver a check for tens of millions, you would only get the door slammed in your face.”
Msr. Yao, “… you said the rest is up to us. Don’t you want your freedom and be able to choose your career anymore?”
“…”
“Okay, I will contact your father, I will let you know when there are results.”
“Mm.”
The call ended.
Xie Li looked out the window at the sunset and sighed slowly, lowered his eyes, and smiled helplessly.
… He had struggled for eighteen years to get out of that circle and that cage. Unexpectedly, shortly after a year of being out, he returned for someone.
It should be said that he was ‘destined’ for such a thing.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, Yu Rui frowned slightly when he got out of the car and saw the familiar villa.
“At school, they say you live in the suburbs.”
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.
“P’nf cfnfg rjlv remt j atlcu.” Wlf Ol rtgeuufv, tlr abcf kjr lccbmfca.
“Tbe ilnf tfgf jibcf?”
“Zw.”
“…Qts jgf sbe ralii kbgxlcu lc j msyfgmjof?”
“Ktlr nliij lr j mbwlcu-bo-juf uloa ogbw ws ecmif. P mjc’a rfii la.”
“….”
Wlf Ol jrxfv atf qfbqif Jjl Tjc tjv jggjcufv ab mjggs jii bo Te Eel jcv Te Ol’r ieuujuf eq ab atf rfmbcv oibbg bo atf nliij. Ktf wjrafg yfvgbbw jcv atf ijgufg uefra yfvgbbw kfgf mifjcfv jcv jggjcufv jr Te Ol’r jcv Te Eel’r gbbwr gfrqfmalnfis.
Yu Li looked surprised and curious as she walked around the villa, but Yu Rui had a frown on his face. After the movers left, he and Xie Li leaned against the wooden staircase on the second floor, looking at Yu Li, laughing and talking to a maid on the first floor.
Yu Rui whispered, “Where is your room?”
Xie Li, “There are plenty of guest rooms on the third floor. If you want to bring friends over in the future, they can stay there.”
“This is your house, not mine.”
“If you want, I’ll take you to do the paperwork this afternoon.”
Yu Rui looked coldly at Xie Li.
Xie Li leaned over the ladder and looked at Yu Rui with a smile, “I knew you wouldn’t accept. You’re always so careful with me, are you afraid of getting carried away if you’re not careful?”
Xie Li thought for a moment and then added, “But it doesn’t matter, the house is only rented to you and the rent is paid annually. The maids here are also considered your people so that you can ask them for anything in the future.”
Yu Rui was silent for longer this time, and with his patience reaching its limit, he frowned, “Your performance along the way sounded like you were preparing a will.”
Xie Li raised his eyebrows slightly, “Is it that obvious?”
“… What’s going on?”
“Nothing, it’s just that we definitely can’t hide the matter of you moving in with me from my parents. To save you from trouble in the future, I took the initiative to come out to them.”
“!!”
Yu Rui was so shocked that he froze on the spot.
When he reacted, he was so angry that he clenched his teeth, “Xie Li, you’re crazy…”
“I always have been, I’m tired of repeating it to you.” Xie Li laughed softly, “But most of the time there is a price to pay for being crazy. My price is that my freedom, which was already in my hands, has to be returned now.”
Yu Rui’s eyes trembled slightly, “What have you been told to do?”
“Why do you think that I know?”
“If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“Tsk, Class President.” Sneered Xie Li, “You’re going to make me angry if you continue to be so smart in the future.”
“…”
The young man’s eyes and tense expression were a clear indication that he was in no mood to joke around at the moment. Xie Li and Yu Rui looked at each other for a few seconds.
“According to my parents’ style of doing things in the past, it’s impossible for them to give up without trying.” Xie Li thought about it for a moment, “I’ll probably be sent to the toughest and strictest army to ‘exercise and reform’ for a few years… a good place to turn trash into talent.”
Yu Rui gritted his teeth, “A few years?”
Xie Li smiled lazily, “I don’t know.”
“What about your studies?”
“If I keep up my studies, I can continue them in the army without any interruptions.”
“Is it too late for me to leave with Xiao Li?”
Xie Li was surprised, “The Class President is very smart, why do you have to play dumb?”
“…”
“Don’t ask questions that you know have no answers.”
Yu Rui looked away in annoyance, “You did this without even asking me.”
“Ask what?” Xie Li smiled and leaned closer to the young man’s ear, “Ask if you wanted to be ‘morally kidnapped’ by me? Ask if you want me to make such a big sacrifice in exchange for your inability to give up your conscience?”
Yu Rui squeezed his fists and his expression tensed, “Or I might turn a blind eye because you’re the one who wants to do it anyway… and it has nothing to do with me.”
“Then turn a blind eye, Class President, why do you have to argue about it?” Xie Li smiled with a touch of perversion, “Then what? This madman bets you won’t do it, and he wants you to have a bad conscience, so of course, I won’t ask you. I want your whole being, I’ll do anything to get what I want.”
“…”
Looking at the young man’s ears that have reddened perhaps out of anger or embarrassment, Xie Li’s gaze deepened, then he took half a step back and laughed hoarsely.
“Class President, don’t be fooled, I’m not a normal person. Since I’m getting into this mess for you, of course, I’m going to drag you down with me, and tie you to me to make sure you can’t escape.”
Yu Rui looked at him angrily, “Are you so sure you won’t regret it?”
Xie Li, “Not only would I bet that I won’t regret it, but I also bet you won’t change your mind. If I lose once, I will lose everything. Class President, will you bet?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Of course…”
Xie Li slowly bent down, seeing that the young man did not hide or retreat, he smiled triumphantly and kissed Yu Rui’s lips.
“… not.”
Mrs. Yao and Mr. Xie, who have been separated for more than ten years due to their differences, rarely showed a high degree of unanimity in matters of their son’s external nature.
In the past, whenever it came to anything related to the family, they had to discuss it dozens of times to make a final decision, but this time, just the following day, Xie Li received a call from Mrs. Yao.
The two’s final decision was very fitting “no one knows their parents better than their child”.
As agreed by the two, Xie Li left for the airport that afternoon.
Fortunately, it was Sunday, so Yu Rui took time off from his part-time tutoring job to see Xie Li off at the airport.
In front of the empty VIP security checkpoint.
The white-shirted young man’s thoughts were complicated, but there was little emotion on his handsome face.
Xie Li, dragging his suitcase, looked lazy as if the person who was about to leave for an unknown future was not himself. He looked at Yu Rui and smiled, “About to leave the pervert’s control, and yet, the Class President doesn’t even smile?”
“… Laugh all you want.” The young man had a rare uncontrolled emotional outburst, his eyes seemed to be throwing knives.
“Tsk.” However, Xie Li laughed with growing pleasure, “Or shall we go to the bathroom and I’ll let you take it out on me?”
“…” Yu Rui glared at him and looked at the time, “Only 40 minutes left until take-off, you should go inside.”
“Certainly.”
Xie Li looked down regretfully. He dragged his suitcase towards the security checkpoint.
He had yet to take the first step when he turned around.
Yu Rui hurriedly averted the complex gaze he revealed when he was almost caught looking at the man’s back, and frowned, “Still n-”
“Class President…” Xie Li suddenly leaned over and laughed hoarsely in his ear, “…when I come back, you should… have come of age, right?”
“!!”
Xie Li smiled innocently, “Ah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Yu Rui, “… go away!”
THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY:
The time jump you wanted is coming.
[kuro: Tbh I’m not so attached to Yu Rui but I still feel like my cabbage is being dug out by a very very stinky pig. Xie Pig: oink…oink (happy noises)
rottenmindedbigsis: sorry! my pig scaped!]
Even Yu Rui can’t overlook this sacrifice! I can’t wait to see how he and Yu Li thrive without all the stress they had at home before.