By the time he was almost home, Xu Qingfeng had calmed down. He reflected carefully and realized that perhaps he had overthought things; Huo Xiu probably…
He probably had no intention of kissing him at all. Combined with the fact that Huo Xiu’s subsequent attitude remained as consistent and unremarkable as ever, it seemed he had simply been sentimental for nothing.
However, Xu Qingfeng couldn’t entirely be blamed for overthinking; the atmosphere at the time was indeed somewhat ambiguous.
Moreover, according to common sense, Huo Xiu would likely prefer a beautiful young person like An Yan. Why would he develop an interest in an old man like him?
It was through this “common sense” reasoning that Xu Qingfeng was able to regain his composure. He was even able to smile as usual and say goodbye to Huo Xiu after getting out of the car.
Huo Xiu’s thin lips parted slightly, but not a single syllable escaped. He drove away without a word.
Accustomed to this, Xu Qingfeng didn’t think much of it.
It wasn’t until he pushed open the front door that he sensed something was wrong…
Gu Tianze’s shoes were not in the foyer. Had that brat not come home yet?
That wasn’t right; he had clearly left before him.
To confirm, Xu Qingfeng went upstairs and pushed open the door to Gu Tianze’s room. As he had suspected, the boy was indeed not home.
With his brow furrowed, he instinctively felt something was amiss. He initially wanted to contact An Yan to confirm if Gu Tianze was there, but considering the late hour, An Yan was surely asleep and it wouldn’t be convenient. He could only drop the idea.
Due to this faint sense of unease, he lost the desire to rest and stayed in the living room waiting for the boy to return.
During this time, he called Gu Tianze two or three times, but the results were always the same: no answer. He decided not to waste any more effort.
Leaning against the back of the sofa, he rubbed his furrowed brow, forcing it to relax. He was currently very worried about Gu Tianze’s safety. Although this bastard was great at causing trouble, after spending this time together, Xu Qingfeng really had started to see him as a son.
The feeling of suddenly “becoming a father” wasn’t actually that bad. Though Gu Tianze had many flaws, he also had very few virtues.
In truth, besides his physical safety, Xu Qingfeng was also faintly worried about the safety of Gu Tianze’s “chastity.”
He hoped things wouldn’t develop in the direction he least desired.
Even if it might not go through, Xu Qingfeng continued to call on his phone. This style was not his usual way of doing things.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, and his phone eventually ran out of power and shut down, yet he still hadn’t made contact. This futile effort was, in the end, futile.
Xu Qingfeng folded his arms and closed his eyes tiredly, thinking if you have the guts, don’t come back. If you do come back, I’ll settle the score with you.
The clock in the living room ticked quietly. The hour hand gradually moved from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM before the sound of the door opening finally drifted in.
Xu Qingfeng, who had been resting his eyes, snapped them open and looked toward the entrance.
After a chaotic and wretched night, Gu Tianze dragged his exhausted and injured body through the front door. Just as he bowed his head to change his shoes, a dark, looming shadow enveloped him.
Lacking even the strength to speak loudly, he said with rare calmness: “Waiting for me to come home? Nothing better to do?”
Looking again at the bright, warm living room, he inadvertently remembered a simple wish from his childhood that had never been realized a lamp left on just for him.
“I was waiting for you,” Xu Qingfeng admitted directly. Seeing the boy return safely, the worry in his heart vanished instantly, and his eyes seriously scrutinized Gu Tianze.
His gaze moved from top to bottom from the brow bone that was still seeping blood, to the fresh red handprint on his cheek, and then to… the teeth marks and hickeys on his slender neck.
He had many questions, but he was interrupted before he could speak.
“I don’t believe it. You definitely have an ulterior motive.” Gu Tianze was rarely this disheveled, and the fact that Xu Qingfeng was seeing him like this caused the stifled frustration in his heart to amplify. “Are you just waiting to see me as a joke? Seen enough? If you have, then get lost.”
He didn’t believe Xu Qingfeng could be the person waiting for him to come home. He pushed past the man standing in front of him and headed toward his own little nest.
Xu Qingfeng’s sharp mind began to work. He didn’t know how Gu Tianze ended up like this, but he had a very bad suspicion.
Driven by a need to uncover the truth, he called out to him, “Does this have something to do with Chen Feng?”
In these few hours, Xu Qingfeng couldn’t think of any other culprit but Chen Feng. After all, Gu Tianze’s social standing was generally good, with Chen Feng being his only real enemy.
Seeing Gu Tianze’s injuries made him feel uneasy, but the hickeys on his neck were even more of an eyesore. It wasn’t out of personal offense, but rather feeling heartache for An Yan.
A multitude of complex emotions were bottled up in his chest with no outlet. Xu Qingfeng predicted he would be plagued by insomnia; usually health-conscious, he now felt not even a hint of sleepiness.
He was excessively awake.
At his question, Gu Tianze’s heavy footsteps halted. He raised his voice and spat out two blunt words: “It’s not!”
This obvious panic gave off a “guilty conscience” vibe. How could Xu Qingfeng not notice?
Xu Qingfeng tried his best to maintain his composure, attempting to resolve the situation in the most objective way. His throat, dry from not drinking water for a long time, produced a parched voice: “I won’t tell An Yan. After all, this wasn’t of your own volition.”
But he knew that if the facts were as he imagined, it would be unfair to An Yan regardless. Caught in the middle in the role of a “father,” how could he possibly be impartial?
It was a difficult position to be in.
Unexpectedly, his words of consideration provoked an even greater reaction from Gu Tianze, who lunged forward and grabbed him by his neat shirt collar!
“You bastard, do you think you fucking understand again? You think you get everything? No, you don’t understand a damn thing! Shut up!”
This explosive, raging appearance was actually familiar to Xu Qingfeng. He didn’t struggle, letting Gu Tianze mess up his clothes.
Leaving behind that roar of anger, Gu Tianze backed away a few steps and then sprinted back to his room, locking himself inside.
The living room became cold and quiet once again.
Xu Qingfeng only hoped that the boy would feel better after venting. He expressionlessly straightened his rumpled collar.
Tonight had truly been a series of twists and turns. In the end, it seemed the outcome hadn’t changed? All the night’s tossing and turning seemed to have been in vain.
Could this… be so-called destiny?
“How is that possible? If destiny existed, I wouldn’t have appeared here.”
Instead of living out his peak, smooth-sailing life, he was here dealing with a “scumbag son’s” relationship problems.
However… it was quite interesting. Compared to his already stable life, a different kind of challenge was certainly more engaging.
Xu Qingfeng didn’t dwell on the matter further. Instead, considering Gu Tianze’s injuries, he helped him call the school to request a leave of absence for rest.
It wouldn’t be too late to go back to school once the boy’s psychological and physical state returned to normal.
What Xu Qingfeng didn’t expect was that the “little angel” An Yan, upon hearing that Gu Tianze was sick, immediately wanted to come to the house to visit.
Xu Qingfeng declined out of consideration for An Yan: “Xiao An, I can understand where you’re coming from, but currently Tianze’s state is too poor. He can’t even speak properly. Let’s make it another day.”
It was true; he had even temporarily stopped the piano practice, fearing he would provoke the boy and they would end up in a physical fight.
An Yan listened, but only halfway. He remembered the “another day” part very clearly and called every day to ask when it would be convenient to visit.
Unable to resist the persistence, Xu Qingfeng finally agreed on the third day.
However, he could still see that Gu Tianze had not returned to a normal state. The boy was trapped in a gloomy and violent atmosphere.
If it weren’t for An Yan’s pleading, he really wouldn’t want them to meet at this time. If their feelings were hurt, it wouldn’t be a good thing.
To avoid any complications, Xu Qingfeng intended to accompany them throughout the visit.
As it turned out, Gu Tianze’s attitude was shocking. After learning that An Yan was there to see him, he stayed behind closed doors, locking himself in his bedroom and refusing to come out.
This was something that would have been absolutely impossible in the past.
Before, if An Yan were even two kilometers away, Gu Tianze would have already scrambled to pick him up.
All these unusual signs pointed to one thing, further confirming Xu Qingfeng’s guess Gu Tianze had likely done something to betray An Yan, which was why he now felt too ashamed to face him.
The worst-case scenario was that something substantial had already happened with Chen Feng; the train had derailed.
This was something Xu Qingfeng was very unwilling to see. After all, Chen Feng’s actions were clearly those of a despicable person. If a person like that were with the “scumbag son” from the original story, it would just be trash matching with trash.
But the current Gu Tianze had transformed from a “dog” into a “human.” Under Xu Qingfeng’s reform, he was getting better and better. How could Chen Feng possibly be worthy?
Xu Qingfeng decided that since Gu Tianze was unwilling to say anything, he would definitely find time later to seek out Chen Feng and learn the truth of the matter.
Right now, the more important person was An Yan.
An Yan, who had arrived with a fruit basket and flowers, was knocking on the bedroom door. Even though the owner of the room kept him shut out, he didn’t give up easily.
He had carefully selected the freshest fruit and the most beautiful, bright flowers from the florist specifically for this visit. The worry in his heart was written all over his face.
“Tianze, open the door. Let me see you, otherwise, I’ll only worry more about your safety.” An Yan’s tone held a hint of humbleness and urgency. He was completely unaware of what had specifically happened on that night three days ago.
“I’m perfectly fine! Go away, I don’t want to see you!” Gu Tianze’s voice was full of vigor and sounded very close, suggesting he was standing right behind the door.
Watching from a short distance with his arms crossed, Xu Qingfeng sighed in his heart. They say “one takes the color of one’s company,” but in his view, neither An Yan nor Gu Tianze was particularly bright.
One was completely unaware that this wasn’t a matter of being “sick” or not.
The other didn’t even dare to meet, appearing brave but actually being a coward afraid of loss.