Early morning.
The air still carried a touch of stifling dampness. Lian Que opened the window, and the cool breeze rushed in eagerly, washing away a portion of the restless irritation in his heart.
He turned his head to look at Chen Xingjian, who was tying his tie in front of the mirror, and silently muttered to himself.
Could Chen Xingjian really endure this much?
Last night, Lian Que had consciously carried his large and small bags of bedding and knocked on Chen Xingjian’s bedroom door. To ensure absolute preparedness, he had even set multiple alarms on his phone, terrified he wouldn’t be able to wake up in the morning.
Never did he expect that he wouldn’t even make it past Chen Xingjian’s door. Knocking didn’t open the door; instead, it summoned Aunt Wang upstairs.
“Mr. Lian, you should go back first. There’s a lot to do at the company today, so the young master probably turned in early.”
Looking thoroughly pathetic, Lian Que had to stuff all his bulky bags back into the guest room, adding a few more mental tally marks against Chen Xingjian in his little ledger.
Even if someone took sleeping pills, they wouldn’t take effect this quickly, right? What “the young master was too tired and fell asleep” it was clearly just that he didn’t want to see him.
Lian Que touched his waist; he hadn’t gained weight recently, and in such a short span of time, Chen Xingjian shouldn’t be looking for anyone else anyway.
“What are you pondering?” Chen Xingjian spoke up.
“Pondering whether you’re up to snuff.”
The words slipped right out of Lian Que’s mouth. Only after the fact did he realize he had provoked a tremendously dangerous topic.
Chen Xingjian’s nimble knuckles flipped up and down, finally finishing the adjustment of his collar, before casting a meaningful glance at Lian Que at the very end. “Whether I’m up to snuff or not, don’t you know?”
Lian Que blushed a bright red all by himself. After hastily getting himself together, he headed straight downstairs.
Today, Chen Xingjian was taking him home, and Lian Que didn’t want to be looked down upon.
In a rare move, he styled his hair into a slicked-back look. The whole styling stripped away his usual soft, easily bullied vibe, making him look much sharper, with a hint of edge between his brows and eyes.
Chen Xingjian’s gaze lingered on Lian Que’s face for a few extra moments before giving a concise evaluation right before they walked out the door: “Pretty good. Doesn’t embarrass me.”
Lian Que reached out to tidy his strands of hair again, his spine unconsciously straightening a bit more.
As an illegitimate child returning home who theoretically couldn’t be shown in public, if anyone was going to be embarrassed, it would be him. What did that have to do with Chen Xingjian?
Recalling that Boss Jin who had eventually been forced to lick the floor tiles clean, Lian Que unconsciously shuddered.
Who in Beijing would ever dare laugh at Chen Xingjian?
When the two arrived at the Lian residence, Lian Qingfu and Li Fangya were already waiting at the entrance. As they drew closer, you could practically smell the sycophantic scent radiating off them.
The moment Lian Que stepped out of the car, Lian Qingfu couldn’t wait to greet them, his tone tinged with a cautious, ingratiating flattery: “Xiaojue, you’re back. Have you been getting used to life at Mr. Chen’s place?”
The person before him seemed to overlap with the phantom from his memories, leaving Lian Que in a daze.
When he first timidly crept into the Lian household, the very first person he saw was also Lian Qingfu, following behind him with trembling steps and calling him Dad.
Lian Qingfu had spared him half a glance before raising his foot and kicking him so hard he staggered: “Where’s your mother? Words alone mean nothing who the hell knows if you’re even my seed?”
Li Fangya wasn’t wicked in such an obvious way; she simply liked to parade him around by her side like an exhibit, letting her wealthy friends point fingers and gossip about him, only stepping in lazily at the very end to smooth things over.
And in the end, Lian Que still had to cozy up to her, flattering her for being kind-hearted and willing to take him in and give him a place to land.
A smile tugged at the corners of Lian Que’s lips as he crisply replied, “Uncle, waiting for me right at the door, huh?”
The smile on Lian Qingfu’s face froze bit by bit. He shot a warning look at Li Fangya standing to the side.
Li Fangya hurriedly scrambled to smooth things over: “Xiaojue, look at you, always holding onto grudges, aren’t you? There are no overnight feuds in a family. Since President Chen has graciously come to our home today, please don’t throw these little tantrums.”
“Didn’t you warn me back then never to call you Dad outside? I’m just following your instructions.” Looking puzzled, Lian Que tilted his head and sidled up against Chen Xingjian’s side. “I didn’t mean to make anyone angry.”
The autumn wind was slightly chilly. Chen Xingjian raised a hand to pat the top of Lian Que’s head, casting a cool, indifferent glance at Lian Qingfu: “It really is my first time visiting as a guest, and I certainly’ve had my eyes opened.”
Lian Qingfu stiffened his neck, raised his hand and slapped Li Fangya across the face, roaring furiously: “How many times do I have to tell you! I told you to take good care of Xiaojue. Is this how you take care of him?”
Li Fangya covered the side of her face that had just been struck, wearing an expression of utter disbelief.
Swinging his hand for another blow, Lian Qingfu continued his furious scolding, practically throwing Li Fangya’s dignity onto the ground to be trampled: “What are you staring at? Looking at you just makes my blood boil! If I had known beforehand that you were bullying Xiaojue behind my back, would I would I have ever handed him over to you to look after?”
“Let me tell you this: if Xiaojue gets angry with the family because of you, I’ll never let you hear the end of it!”
With a rough shove, Lian Qingfu pushed the stunned Li Fangya aside, then bent over at the waist to respectfully and deferentially invite Chen Xingjian inside: “President Chen, I’m truly sorry to let you witness a family joke on your very first day here.”
Chen Xingjian lowered his head, his gaze falling directly onto Lian Que’s face.
I vented your frustration. Satisfied yet?
Lian Que visibly brightened by several degrees, taking the initiative to tug on Chen Xingjian’s hand. “Let’s go inside quickly. It’s still pretty cold standing out at the door.”
Lian Qingfu repeatedly agreed, trotting ahead to pull open the front door. As he stepped inside, his foot caught on the edge of the rug, and he nearly took a direct tumble onto the hardwood floor: “I didn’t expect President Chen to arrive so early, so the kitchen hasn’t finished preparing lunch yet. Please sit down and rest your feet first.”
Clearly, Chen Xingjian had zero interest in lingering in the living room. Frowning slightly, he said in a flat tone, “No need. Let’s go to Lian Que’s room.”
Lian Qingfu’s smile turned slightly stiff as he tried to block them: “Xiaojue loves to play around and hasn’t been home in a long time; his room has been vacant and uncleaned for ages. You’d better sit in the living room instead.”
Lian Que let out a cold snort. Lian Qingfu sure knew how to sugarcoat things he didn’t have any room of his own to begin with.
Li Fangya had been dying to never lay eyes on him, so she had only instructed the servants to throw him into a utility closet back then.
The utility closet was damp and dark, just barely large enough to fit a small cot, with not an inch of space to spare. Random junk was piled high all around it.
When he went back there, there wasn’t even a place to set his feet; he could only curl his legs up and lean against the bed, waking up with his thighs and calves aching as if they were broken.
Stepping past Lian Qingfu, Chen Xingjian looked toward Lian Que. “Take me up to see it.”
Lian Que had just been planning to go up and pack away the things he had left behind anyway, so since he had to make the trip either way, the two of them headed upstairs one after the other.
Lian Qingfu still wanted to make a dying struggle, advising: “Why don’t we go to my study instead? Xiaojue’s room hasn’t been cleaned in way too long; it’s probably covered in dust.”
Frowning, Chen Xingjian spoke in an icy voice, “Director Lian, if you’ve got so much spare time, go to the kitchen and rush the food.”
Things having reached this point, Lian Qingfu could only freeze in place, watching the two of them head toward the utility closet one after the other.
Lian Que gave Chen Xingjian a preemptive psychological warning: “It might be a bit small in there. Once I go inside, you can just stand outside the door.”
“What do you mean, stand outside the door?” Chen Xingjian followed right behind Lian Que’s footsteps. “When does a visitor ever fail to even enter the bedroom?”