“This Is Not a Home”
Liu Yanrong specially sent He Xihuan back, first because of the undisguised worry in He Xihuan’s words.
He Xihuan of the He family had always maintained a good image in front of the public. They had business partnerships with the He family, and if anything unpleasant were to leak out from the club, the club would no longer be able to operate.
Second, he wanted to meet Xu Yiwen, who was deeply cherished by both the He family and He Xihuan.
Even while residing in Chuncheng, he had long heard of the working style of this young heir to the He Group.
He Xihuan had entered the group early. Having completed his education, his tempering within the company had been completed in parallel.
Though young, he had already been branded in his work with old-school labels such as meticulous, prudent, steady, and cautious.
In short, he was not someone easy to manipulate.
Yet this heir’s Omega was said to be a university lecturer.
As for a university teacher, Liu Yanrong felt confident he could handle him.
According to his records, Xu Yiwen was twenty-seven years old this year, with his birthday falling on June sixth.
An auspicious date, the very same day as his younger brother’s birthday.
Stepping out of the hotel, the chill around Liu Yanrong intensified.
He looked at the man emerging from the car, his brows slightly furrowed.
“I had the club’s driver go back first.” Fan Tuosen’s gaze was deeper than the night itself. Standing still in front of Liu Yanrong, he lowered his head, leaned close to Liu Yanrong’s neck, and sniffed the scent on him. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Sniff your grandpa!” Liu Yanrong stepped back in displeasure. “Which waiter acted as your hidden camera this time?”
Fan Tuosen pressed forward by a step, took off his coat, and draped it over Liu Yanrong’s shoulders, his tone gentle. “Next time, if I see him push you, I’ll kill him.”
“Your grandpa’s! Listen here, Fan, remember that you are my younger brother’s fiancé! Put away your inexplicable possessiveness toward other Omegas!” Liu Yanrong yanked off the coat from his shoulders, threw it back at Fan Tuosen, grabbed Fan Tuosen’s shirt collar, and scolded him in a low, suppressed voice.
Fan Tuosen’s unfathomable eyes flickered slightly as he caught Liu Yanrong’s hand and pulled him back to sit in the rear seat of the car.
Once the car doors locked, the gaze he cast backward revealed a sharp edge. “Yanrong, your brother left on the day he was born. Why can’t you accept it? As for the engagement, it was just a casual remark tossed out by our parents. Why do you take it so seriously?”
“I don’t accept it! My brother is still alive. Why should I accept the ashes given by that damned hospital? If you ever dare to put my brother and a word like left together again, I will cripple you first!”
Inside the confined space, Liu Yanrong’s furious voice roared out without fear.
Then, as if pierced by his own words, he threw his head back against the headrest, a single tear rolling down the corner of his eye.
Fan Tuosen’s voice grew mild once more. “Those few car crash photos, outsiders can’t see them, but you can.”
He stopped at that. If he pushed any further, the person in the back seat probably wouldn’t allow him to drive him home anymore.
Fan Tuosen turned back around and ignited the engine.
He Xihuan was drunk beyond recognition, and it took Xu Yiwen a great deal of effort to drag him back to the bedroom.
Unwilling to let go, Xu Yiwen could only slowly lean sideways with him onto the bed, awkwardly helping him take off his icy leather jacket.
The temperature in Chuncheng was higher than in Chongcheng, so after taking off the jacket, He Xihuan was left wearing only a black short-sleeved shirt.
He Xihuan’s alcohol tolerance had always been pathetic, a fact Xu Yiwen had known for a long time.
At the wedding banquet, the He family merely went through the motions, having He Xihuan and him take just a tiny sip.
Later, during several dinners and drinks at the He family home, the moment He Xihuan grew slightly tipsy, he would already be completely passed out from drunkenness.
However, regardless of whether He Xihuan’s alcohol tolerance was good or bad, when he didn’t want to drink, no one dared to force him.
In a family as prominent as the He family, they sat at the upper echelon of dining table etiquette and were the ones who made the rules, having no need to trade drinks for opportunities.
When He Xihuan got drunk, it was mostly because he wanted to drink himself.
Usually, He Xihuan would simply sleep soundly when drunk, but tonight he had grown unusually talkative.
Xu Yiwen wished he could sew shut the lips that kept calling him wife.
As for these sweet, cloying cries of wife, Xu Yiwen didn’t even need to guess to know they belonged to He Xihuan’s first love.
“Hey,” taking advantage of He Xihuan’s drunkenness and muddled consciousness, Xu Yiwen pulled his head out from the crook of his own neck, patted his face, and asked, “He Xihuan, the person you like, how are they anything like me?”
He Xihuan’s eyes were narrowed to mere slits, while his mouth kept mumbling words like wife, drink, and dizzy.
Xu Yiwen pushed his head away, frowned, and let out a breath.
This guy’s mouth was far too tight; he couldn’t get a single answer out of him.
Like a stubborn plaster, He Xihuan quickly plastered himself back against Xu Yiwen’s shoulder, prompting Xu Yiwen’s brows to furrow even deeper. With a lazy tone, he brought up their previous argument to settle scores. “Didn’t you hate coming home? Didn’t you say there was a generational gap between us? Since you hate me so much, why haven’t you signed the papers?”
He Xihuan wouldn’t remember anything after getting drunk, so Xu Yiwen grew bolder. He pinched He Xihuan’s cheeks, waiting for the words forced out by alcohol.
“Mmh,” He Xihuan shook his head and pulled down Xu Yiwen’s hand. “This, this is not a home.”
Having said that, he fell fast asleep.
Xu Yiwen patted He Xihuan’s face, suspecting that He Xihuan was faking it.
He had asked so many questions, so why did he only answer this single one?
Xu Yiwen got down from the bed, cupped his chin in one hand, and stared at He Xihuan on the bed.
After a moment of thought, he expended some more effort to carry He Xihuan on his back to the bathroom, using the cold water spray from the showerhead to wake up the sleeping He Xihuan.
Just like He Xihuan had doused him last time, he showed no mercy this time either, aiming the volume of water squarely at waking He Xihuan from his hangover.
Water splashed everywhere, wetting Xu Yiwen’s pajamas, yet He Xihuan still didn’t wake up.
“He Xihuan?” Turning off the water, Xu Yiwen squatted down, wrapped He Xihuan in a bath towel, and used a corner of the towel to wipe He Xihuan’s face.
The damp strands of hair clinging to He Xihuan’s cheeks reminded Xu Yiwen of what He Xihuan looked like with a buzz cut.
Those were photos from the album Wang Congmeng had shown him, seemingly taken when He Xihuan’s eldest brother had dragged him off to the military and forced him to get a crew cut.
Wang Congmeng had said that He Xihuan didn’t cry during military training, but he cried when getting his hair buzzed.
Naturally, teenagers, regardless of gender, whether Alpha, Omega, or Beta, all cared about their appearance.
Xu Yiwen’s fingertips paused at He Xihuan’s jawline.
Despite having been in intimate contact so many times, the two of them rarely had the chance to look at each other closely.
Upon closer inspection, He Xihuan’s facial features truly possessed the capability to make someone fall in love at first sight, just as Liu Yanrong had said.
His bone structure was superior, his contours distinct, his brow ridges prominent, and his eye sockets deep, a distinctly striking, bold-featured look.
Yet his internal personality remained murky and unfathomable.
With a single twitch of his eyes or lips, he could morph into either the deep, cautious businessman persona of President He, or the unhinged, wild-dog persona of the He family’s third young master who spoke recklessly at home, leaving anyone guessing.
Xu Yiwen brushed aside the water-drenched bangs on He Xihuan’s forehead, a ripple stirring in his eyes.
Why did he feel like he had seen He Xihuan looking like this, with water droplets beading on his forehead, somewhere before?
It wasn’t during their monthly marking, nor after He Xihuan took a shower, and certainly not when He Xihuan was soaked by the rain.
When was it, then?
Xu Yiwen couldn’t remember. Perhaps his mind had simply been bewitched by He Xihuan’s obedient appearance, or perhaps he was hallucinating from the impact of He Xihuan’s alcoholic breath.
Xu Yiwen found He Xihuan’s pajamas, helped him wash up briefly in the bathroom, changed him into clean clothes, and carried him back to lie on the bed before returning to the second bedroom to rest.