Xu Qingfeng stood between the two men in an extremely natural manner, separating them.
He followed this with a reassuring smile toward An Yan, using his eyes to convey that he could handle the situation.
An Yan, naturally trusting him, visibly relaxed. His spine straightened, and he no longer appeared so humble or uneasy.
Xu Qingfeng let out a soft chuckle. Because of his laughter, the previously tense atmosphere lightened considerably.
Taking off his coat, he handed it to Huo Xiu and spoke, “Xiao An is my junior. He made an unintentional mistake; he isn’t usually like this. Whether you want to take your clothes to the dry cleaners or require full compensation, I can handle that for him.”
“But before that, you can wear mine first. It’s windy outside; be careful not to catch a cold.” Xu Qingfeng extended his coat closer toward the other man, already prepared in his heart to be rejected after all, he was facing Huo Xiu.
However, whether he was rejected or not, as long as his intention was conveyed, it would be enough.
When Huo Xiu actually accepted the coat, it caused the man who had already braced himself for rejection to feel a sense of shock…
Not only did Huo Xiu accept it, but he also put it on immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
It happened that both were wearing light-toned suits and were of similar stature. The brand Xu Qingfeng habitually wore was also quite expensive. Consequently, the coat did not look out of place on Huo Xiu.
On the contrary, Xu Qingfeng felt a sense of unease seeing his own clothes on Huo Xiu’s body, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed.
This felt… very intimate.
Just like they were still friends.
Furthermore, Huo Xiu had given him his contact information, which meant he had averted another invisible crisis for the future father and son.
“I already have your number.” Xu Qingfeng still felt a slight twinge of sadness at the mention of the word “phone,” since it had been a long time since he received a reply from Huo Xiu.
Having it was almost the same as not having it.
Huo Xiu merely pushed the business card closer, his thick lashes half-lowered, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.
“I change my number periodically.”
Only then did Xu Qingfeng focus on the card. Indeed, the string of numbers was different from the one he had previously memorized.
In other words…
The reason Huo Xiu hadn’t replied to any messages since leaving the piano parlor wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to him, but because he had changed his number?
His mood surged from the depths of despair back to joy. Even though he knew there might be some hidden secret within this, it was enough to know that Huo Xiu hadn’t done it on purpose.
After Huo Xiu left, what remained with Xu Qingfeng were his own coat and the business card.
Xu Qingfeng held the card, looking a bit dazed.
“Um…”
Snapping back to reality, Xu Qingfeng turned his head and met An Yan’s hesitant gaze. He knew he might be acting a bit strange now, which could make others uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qingfeng quickly regained his usual composure.
An Yan shifted his gaze to the suit jacket draped over the man’s arm and continued in a tone of self-reproach, “Uncle Xu, since it was my mistake, I should bear the responsibility myself. I feel bad for constantly bothering you.”
This child is truly sensible, Xu Qingfeng thought, but this definitely won’t do; he already has Gu Tianze.
Xu Qingfeng gave An Yan’s shoulder an appreciative pat, brushing the matter aside with a calm attitude.
But seeing An Yan’s slightly disappointed expression, he became unsure of what kind of feelings An Yan harbored toward Huo Xiu.
It couldn’t be that he had fallen in love at first sight just by speaking, could it?
After leaving the cafeteria, An Yan took Xu Qingfeng around the campus to see the scenery.
The school’s scenery was indeed pleasing and pleasant, providing a different kind of enjoyment for Xu Qingfeng.
At that moment, Gu Tianze, who had finally finished his business and arrived late, used the excuse of touring the campus to openly act affectionately with An Yan.
Xu Qingfeng didn’t mind; on the contrary, the better their relationship was, the happier he was to see it.
However, An Yan was naturally introverted, while Gu Tianze was a bit too flamboyant. This public display of affection naturally drew resistance from An Yan.
Gu Tianze, who had been in a good mood, began to pout with an unpredictable temperament.
Just as the atmosphere between the three became subtle, a young man ran toward them and greeted Gu Tianze.
“Hey, Tianze, why are you here? I’ve been looking for you for ages. Where are you running off to before the project is finished?”
The boy’s eyes seemed to have a filter; he completely failed to notice the two people beside Gu Tianze, focusing solely on him.
Gu Tianze was in a foul mood, but in front of others, he maintained his persona. Not a trace of negative emotion was revealed.
Instead, he quite formally introduced the two people beside him.
“This is Xu… my dad. It’s rare for him to visit, so I’m showing him around.” This sharp turn almost caused Gu Tianze to trip over his tongue, and his tone was not very natural.
After all… this was the first time he had acknowledged Xu Qingfeng’s status, even if he was just putting on an act for an outsider. He still felt embarrassed in his heart, as this man was so annoying and spineless.
Wait, he isn’t as spineless as before.
Because of his words, the boy finally deigned to shift his gaze to the others…
The moment he saw Xu Qingfeng, his eyes visibly lit up, and his expression became enthusiastic. “So it’s Tianze’s father! Hello, Uncle! My name is Chen Feng. You look so young; one would totally believe it if you said you were his brother.”
His mouth was like it was coated in honey, and his sincerity seemed genuine.
In fact, Xu Qingfeng was indeed very young. He politely extended his hand to the young man. The luxury watch on his wrist easily caught the other’s attention.
When they shook hands, Chen Feng’s fingertips brushed against the watch face as if by accident, and he only withdrew his gaze after a moment.
With an unfamiliar person present, Gu Tianze’s intimacy with An Yan was self-consciously tucked away, maintaining a certain distance. “This is my friend. I presume I don’t need to introduce his name.”
School hunk, top student.
These two golden labels made An Yan known to almost everyone in the school.
However, the word “friend” revealed that their relationship was not yet public, drawing a dissatisfied look from Xu Qingfeng. He was already using his eyes to give this “puppy” of a son some “tough love” education.
He didn’t even need to guess what An Yan would think; he would certainly be sad.
As expected, disciplining a “scum son” was no easy task; the dark, long road ahead still required much effort.
An Yan indeed lowered his head upon hearing the word “friend,” even failing to respond to Chen Feng’s greeting.
A person who usually valued etiquette had committed such a breach of manners; it was clear how poor An Yan’s state of mind was.
However, Chen Feng was clearly of an outgoing personality and didn’t mind. Instead, he laughed off the awkwardness.
This caused Xu Qingfeng to take a second look. He felt that this person’s “level” was quite high; he didn’t seem like an ordinary college student, and his mind was quite mature.
And Chen Feng’s next action further confirmed Xu Qingfeng’s thoughts.
The young boy directly grabbed Gu Tianze’s arm and pulled him away, turning back to smile at Xu Qingfeng. “Uncle, we still have to go study, so we’ll be taking him away now~”
“Goodbye, An Yan!”
A trace of ferocity flickered between Gu Tianze’s brows, showing his displeasure. But if he truly wanted to reject such a lack of personal space, he had the strength to break free.
But he didn’t do it.
He only glanced back at the downcast An Yan two or three times as he was led away.
An Yan never looked at Chen Feng once. He only raised his head after the two had completely disappeared…
The rims of his eyes and the tip of his nose were red, making him look a bit like a white rabbit.
Noticing this, Xu Qingfeng sighed in his heart, thinking: It’s exactly because he’s like this that he’s so easily bullied!
He searched his memory again and found that the name “Chen Feng” didn’t match any specific role, meaning he was likely just a background character who didn’t appear in the book an insignificant minor figure.
Xu Qingfeng’s gentle, pleasant voice rang out, “Don’t mind him, Xiao An.”
Indeed, how could he let a minor character break his spirit?
“I’m not…” An Yan hurriedly rubbed his eyes to hide it. Little did he know that this made them even redder, giving him a pitiful look.
Xu Qingfeng knew that changing a person was difficult, but now he realized that it wasn’t just the “scum son” who needed to change.
An Yan should also become more independent; that way, he wouldn’t be so easily hurt.
To be honest, seeing An Yan sad, his heart wasn’t entirely unmoved; he couldn’t just stand by and watch coldly.
He opened his arms to An Yan, offering a warm embrace.
In Xu Qingfeng’s view, if one were even stingy with a comforting hug, that would be far too ungentlemanly.
Although An Yan hesitated at first as he usually tried to avoid physical contact with both the opposite and same sex he ultimately responded to Xu Qingfeng.
By the young man’s ear, Xu Qingfeng lowered his voice, worried about overwhelming him. “Don’t keep everything bottled up inside. You can tell him whatever you want to say. If you can’t bring yourself to speak to him…”
“You can come to me. I will help you teach that brat a lesson.”
Xu Qingfeng was only doing what he felt he should, but it made An Yan burst into tears.
Tears soaked his shoulder.
He simply patted the other’s back lightly. If he cried it out, he should be able to release all the pent-up emotions in his heart, right?
The result was as he expected. When An Yan looked up again, his eyes were clearer, his mood had obviously improved, and he was no longer sad.
He also seemed more honest, telling Xu Qingfeng what was hidden in his heart. “Tianze… he is always surrounded by all sorts of excellent people like Chen Feng. I’m not good enough, and he is always annoyed with me… In my heart, I worry about when someone else might snatch him away. It really gets a bit tiring…”
Following An Yan’s confession, Xu Qingfeng thought of something.
In reality, An Yan’s worries were not unfounded; they were things that would truly happen in the near future.
The so-called “Scum Gong” (Scum Top) was “scum” because he was a piece of trash, particularly in matters of emotion.
One of the essential conditions for being a qualified “Scum Gong” was infidelity.
“Uncle Xu, do you think… Tianze’s love for me will shift to someone else? I’m sorry, is it very unsightly for me to be so insecure…”
Xu Qingfeng remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking: “I am relieved that you are willing to open up to me. Rest assured, Xiao An.”
“He won’t cheat.”
“If he does, I will finish him off personally.”