Inside the cold, sterile hospital.
Xu Qingfeng originally thought his injury was merely external and that hospitalization was entirely unnecessary. However, he could not withstand the doctor’s stern reminders and was forced to stay for a day of observation, along with an IV drip and a tetanus shot.
Looking back now, he didn’t quite know why he had done what he did at that moment, but he had acted out of pure instinct.
Xu Qiao’s movements had been incredibly fast. If Xu Qingfeng hadn’t been closer to Huo Xiu, he likely wouldn’t have been able to block it in time. Fortunately…
He had blocked the blade with his hand.
At that moment, his palm had been ripped open, and blood pooled on the floor. Xu Qingfeng hadn’t felt the pain then, perhaps because his brain had numbed his pain receptors.
He had remained rational enough to make two phone calls: one to the police and one to his personal lawyer.
Xu Qiao would receive the maximum punishment he deserved.
Only after methodically handling these matters did Xu Qingfeng faint from excessive blood loss.
When he woke up again, he was in the hospital.
Once it was confirmed that he couldn’t be discharged immediately, Xu Qingfeng resigned himself to leaning back against the headboard of the hospital bed. He lifted his right hand, which was wrapped up like a zongzi (rice dumpling), and managed to joke with the person beside him. “Look, doesn’t this look like a freshly steamed bun? White, round, and chubby?”
Huo Xiu’s expression, however, grew even heavier at this lighthearted tone, as if a layer of frost had settled over him.
But he still responded to Xu Qingfeng’s question: “It doesn’t.”
Huo Xiu, holding a paring knife, gazed at Xu Qingfeng with a somewhat complicated look for a moment. Then, he picked out the largest, most vibrant apple from the fruit bowl and began to peel it. “You shouldn’t have rushed out. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been injured.”
As he spoke, Huo Xiu didn’t look at him; instead, he focused intently on the fruit, as if peeling an apple were a grueling and monumental task.
Xu Qingfeng also looked at the apple. Huo Xiu’s beautiful, large hand could easily hold it, and the contrast between the red skin and white flesh was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
He hadn’t known the term “hand fetishist” before; he had only recently seen it online.
But the characteristics matched him perfectly. It seemed he was indeed a “hand control” type; otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost his composure the first time they met.
“This hand of mine… it’s just an injury, it’s nothing. You shouldn’t be the one getting hurt.” Xu Qingfeng looked toward the upper left, deep in thought, and continued, “If I hadn’t rushed over to protect you, I would have been the one to regret it.”
Hearing this, Huo Xiu looked up at him again. The emotions swirling in his deep eyes were even more complex.
A certain sentiment grew increasingly dense there, like a whirlpool; Xu Qingfeng nearly felt himself sinking into it with just one glance.
“Besides, back when I was younger, I encountered things far more dangerous than this. It’s just that someone as crazy as Xu Qiao is indeed rare.” Xu Qingfeng wanted to use this to show that this incident was no big deal.
To his surprise, Huo Xiu stopped the knife in his hand and pressed further: “What more dangerous things?”
Xu Qingfeng waved his uninjured left hand slightly. “Actually, it wasn’t that dangerous. Just being kidnapped and ransomed by thugs, almost got my ticket punched, that’s all…”
His voice grew smaller and smaller as he noticed Huo Xiu’s expression becoming increasingly grim. Even though he wanted to lighten the atmosphere, he simply couldn’t.
He should have known better than to mention it; this method of comfort was clearly wrong.
But it was precisely because of this rare, outward display of emotion from Huo Xiu that Xu Qingfeng realized with clarity: perhaps he was more important to Huo Xiu than he had originally imagined.
“Next time, let me be the one to protect you.” Huo Xiu handed over the peeled fruit. “Uncle.”
Xu Qingfeng was startled by the honorific Huo Xiu used for him, but the surprise only lasted a fleeting moment. “Alright…”
He took the fruit which didn’t have much flesh left, being almost entirely the core and suppressed his urge to grin wildly, taking small, refined bites.
The next day, Xu Qingfeng was discharged to recover at home. The home environment was better than the hospital, and he could occasionally handle company affairs.
Since his hand was injured and looked unpleasant, Chairman Xu planned to stay home until the bandages were removed before considering going back to the office. For now, working from home was manageable.
However, only a few days after returning home, he received a message from Huo Xiu wanting to visit.
Upon reflection, since they had known each other for so long, it was perfectly normal for a friend to come over for a visit. It was something that should have happened long ago.
Except…
There was still Gu Tianze at home. This unpredictable factor was the reason Xu Qingfeng had never proactively invited Huo Xiu over.
But now that Huo Xiu had brought it up, there was no reason to refuse.
The ever-organized Xu Qingfeng immediately went to drag the sleeping Gu Tianze out of bed. Now that his hand was injured, he couldn’t practice the piano, which had given the kid a bit of peace.
Gu Tianze was large-framed, but he was no match for Xu Qingfeng, and he didn’t dare actually do anything to him.
He could only get out of bed with a face full of resentment and sit on the edge of the sofa to listen to the lecture.
Xu Qingfeng warned him seriously: “When Huo Xiu arrives later, remember to be on your best behavior. He is my most important friend. You two are the same age; you should be able to become friends smoothly.”
That’s right Xu Qingfeng’s original plan was nearing realization, and the future looked bright indeed.
Gu Tianze yawned until tears came to his eyes. Rubbing the corners of his eyes, he said slowly, “I didn’t expect it… even you have to cling to Huo Xiu’s thigh. How embarrassing.”
Xu Qingfeng: …This kid really needs a beating.
“If you don’t want to end up not knowing how you died, remember my words. Don’t act like you don’t care.”
Gu Tianze let out a cold snort through his nose, clearly skeptical, but he complied on the surface.
Only then did he notice Xu Qingfeng’s hand. Realizing he hadn’t seen the man the previous night, his brows shot up. “What happened here? Did you go out for a gang fight last night? Pretty fierce.”
Faced with Gu Tianze’s sharp tongue, Xu Qingfeng’s patience had been well-trained. He didn’t intend to tell him about the Xu Qiao incident; the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
He was holding Xu Qiao accountable for intentional injury without involving Huo Xiu too much. Xu Qingfeng had taken almost the entire incident upon himself.
First, it was out of consideration for Huo Xiu’s reputation; second, he selfishly didn’t want such filth stuck to the bottom of Huo Xiu’s shoes for the rest of his life.
He didn’t want people to bring up “bizarre anecdotes” every time Huo Xiu’s name was mentioned.
“Do you think I’m in the triad? If I were, the first thing I’d do is kick you out of the house and adopt a few more god-sons to be filial to me.” Xu Qingfeng was telling the truth; he wasn’t joking.
When he first crossed over into this body, he discovered that the Gu Group’s assets were vast and involved many things, including many “grey and black” industrial chains.
For example, some commercial KTVs, high-interest loans, tax evasion, and many other “red lines” that companies might step on. Xu Qingfeng naturally couldn’t tolerate the existence of such liabilities. After seizing actual power, he had taken drastic measures to cut these industries out root and stem.
He hadn’t left a single stain on the company.
That way, he could stand tall without fear, and no one could ever get a hold on him.
Gu Tianze curled his lip in disdain. “So heartless. Without me, where would you be today?”
After saying that, he added habitually, “I’m out of allowance. Give me another 200,000 for now.”
In fact, since the economic sanctions on Gu Tianze began, there hadn’t been a single month where his allowance wasn’t spent early. Often, he had to ask for money two or three more times in the middle of the month.
Xu Qingfeng wasn’t strictly heartless. He knew that Gu Tianze’s previous monthly expenses started at tens of millions either buying cars, luxury goods, or giving gifts and booking out nightclubs for friends.
So, after capping it at several hundred thousand, he didn’t refuse entirely when Gu Tianze reached out for money. Instead, he judged based on the situation, trying to let the other person adapt to the process of going from luxury to frugality.
Given the current situation…
Xu Qingfeng wore a leisurely smile and whispered like a devil: “It depends on your performance toward Huo Xiu today. If you make him think you’re pathetic, then you can spend the rest of the month whistling for your supper.”
“Bang!!” Gu Tianze slammed his fist onto the coffee table.
In truth, Xu Qingfeng knew that when Gu Tianze wanted to present himself well, he could do it perfectly; otherwise, he wouldn’t have such high popularity at school.
However, one can fake it for a moment, but not for a lifetime. The closer someone was to Gu Tianze, the more they could see his true nature.
He only hoped Gu Tianze could leave a decent first impression on Huo Xiu.
As agreed, the doorbell rang. Huo Xiu had arrived on time.
Today, Huo Xiu wore a pure black turtleneck cashmere sweater, which made his skin look as cold and white as jade. In his long-fingered hand, he carried a gift. His expression remained cold, only warming slightly when he saw Xu Qingfeng.
His thin lips parted slightly: “Long time no see.”
In reality, it had only been a few days.
Xu Qingfeng’s smile was warm and enthusiastic. He patted the shoulder of the person beside him and introduced: “This is your first time meeting, so you don’t know each other. This is my son, Gu Tianze. He is also An Yan’s boyfriend.”
The reason he mentioned that last sentence was, of course, because he hoped Gu Tianze and An Yan would stay together, and also to let Huo Xiu know this.
It would avoid unnecessary disputes; otherwise, he would be caught in the middle and stuck in a difficult position. For some reason, when Xu Qingfeng thought about the possibility of Huo Xiu and An Yan being together, a hint of bitterness rose in his heart.
But the strange feeling was fleeting.
“Who is An Yan?” Huo Xiu’s response consisted of only four words.
“I thought you’d remember him. After all, you’ve met—he’s the one who accidentally dirtied your clothes last time.” As for what happened before that, Xu Qingfeng didn’t dive deep into it. He simply changed the subject: “I’m going to help the chef prepare lunch. Tianze, you show Xiu around the house.”
The Gu family villa was huge; showing a guest around was perfectly normal. Naturally, the reason Xu Qingfeng arranged this was his hope that Gu Tianze and Huo Xiu could get along well during this time.
He hoped a good impression would be made.
Huo Xiu didn’t object. He just glanced toward the kitchen, then fixed his gaze on Xu Qingfeng’s injured hand and said softly, “Don’t touch the water.”
“I won’t.” Xu Qingfeng felt that something was a bit different, but he welcomed this progress toward a more intimate relationship. At the very least, that invisible wall of ice seemed to have melted for him.
Gu Tianze did indeed act hospitable, leading Huo Xiu away to see the rooms.
He only hoped no mishaps would occur.