Xu Qingfeng’s gaze swept toward An Yan, who was sitting on the sofa with his chin tilted up, looking at him. The boy’s eyes were sparkling, clearly filled with expectation.
Having already intended to build a bridge of friendship with Huo Xiu, Xu Qingfeng naturally had no reason to refuse.
‘It’s just… I wonder when the two protagonists will meet again, now that their first encounter has been missed due to this twist of fate.’
In the original novel, An Yan was indeed a top-tier, well-behaved student. He was almost impossible to dislike; instead, he inspired a desire to protect him, like a piece of beautiful fine porcelain. Xu Qingfeng was no exception; subconsciously, a protective instinct stirred within him.
He returned to the kitchen to continue his work.
In the spacious living room, only one person remained. This was An Yan’s second time visiting this mansion. Scenes he had previously only seen on television were now appearing realistically before his eyes, yet he felt an unsettling sense of being unable to fit in.
Coming from an ordinary family background, he naturally felt the discomfort of being in a different world.
Forget about watching TV peacefully while waiting; even the leather sofa beneath him felt as if it were lined with thorns, making him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. The content on the television didn’t register in his mind at all.
Feeling that he ought to do something, An Yan stood up and walked toward the kitchen, thinking that contributing some effort would be better than just sitting there.
The first thing that caught his eye was…
In the kitchen, Xu Qingfeng was bent over with his back to the door, chopping vegetables. The drawstring of the apron cinched the mature man’s lower back tight, outlining a lean and attractive waist, while his western trousers wrapped around his straight, well-proportioned legs.
An Yan gazed at the man’s silhouette, his mind momentarily drifting.
It was Xu Qingfeng who turned around first and discovered his presence. He was startled by the figure that had appeared so silently, his sword-like eyebrows arching slightly, though he quickly regained his composure.
“Is something the matter?”
Xu Qingfeng’s voice brought An Yan back to his senses. He awkwardly scratched the flushing skin on the side of his cheek and said softly, “Actually… I know how to cook too. Is there anything I can help with?”
This kid really is sensible.
“I can handle it, you should just rest.” After all, An Yan was a guest, and strictly speaking, Xu Qingfeng was his elder; naturally, it didn’t feel right to make An Yan work.
But unexpectedly, An Yan who Xu Qingfeng thought would obediently go back to rest was surprisingly persistent about helping.
Xu Qingfeng had no choice but to stop refusing and let An Yan join him in the kitchen.
The kitchen was large, and it didn’t feel crowded with two people working inside. An Yan hadn’t been lying; he was very skilled at these tasks, and his expression remained cheerful throughout, as if he were genuinely enjoying himself. Naturally, their efficiency increased significantly.
Gu Tianze returned to this home, a place he hadn’t set foot in for over half a month. Today, he had dressed up meticulously, having a regular stylist give him the most popular trendy haircut. He had even learned from Xu Qingfeng’s playbook and sprayed on some mature men’s cologne.
An Yan, whom he hadn’t seen for a while, did indeed let his gaze linger on him for a bit longer when they met. Gu Tianze speculated Captivated by me, aren’t you? Hmm? Right?
He was handsome, and he knew it.
Just as he was feeling smug, a light pressure landed on his shoulder.
“Not bad. Even prettier than an opening peacock,” Xu Qingfeng praised with sincere intent, though it might not have sounded that way to others.
No wonder he could win An Yan over.
Gu Tianze, showing no face at all, brushed the hand off his shoulder, patted away non-existent dust, and took a few steps forward to pull An Yan into his arms.
“I missed you,” he whispered softly into the boy’s ear.
Even with the low volume, the quiet interior allowed Xu Qingfeng to hear exactly what he said.
According to the descriptions in the original novel, at the beginning, Gu Tianze truly did like An Yan. It wasn’t a pretense, which was why Xu Qingfeng was willing to help his “scumbag son.”
The reason Xu Qingfeng had invited An Yan over was, of course, because he knew Gu Tianze would only return home so easily if An Yan were there, and he understood the weight An Yan currently held in the boy’s heart.
At the dining table, Gu Tianze’s behavior was very enthusiastic. He didn’t hide anything despite Xu Qingfeng’s presence, straightforwardly expressing his affection for An Yan.
For instance, he would peel shrimp for him, pick out fish bones, and intimately bring food to those rosy lips…
An Yan had many pursuers; as the school hunk, it was only natural that he was popular. Gu Tianze had managed to move An Yan with this very warmth and sincerity, successfully becoming the first person to win his heart.
The “oversized lightbulb” didn’t let Gu Tianze’s uninhibited behavior affect his appetite. Xu Qingfeng focused on eating with single-minded devotion, only occasionally looking up at the love-struck Gu Tianze and the flushed An Yan.
Sometimes, his observing gaze would meet An Yan’s, causing the heat on An Yan’s face to rise even higher.
Gu Tianze didn’t think much of it, but An Yan, feeling shy, pushed the other’s hand away.
“I can eat by myself, you don’t need to take care of me…” To be honest, Gu Tianze’s attentive behavior actually prevented An Yan from eating much.
Because of An Yan’s rejection, Gu Tianze’s brow furrowed deeply.
If it were just the two of them without a third person present, he might not have felt angry. But now, with the Xu Qingfeng he loathed watching, he felt a sense of humiliation like his “warm face had pressed against a cold butt” and a surge of annoyance at losing face!
In the past, when he fed An Yan, the boy would accept it obediently. Why was he starting to refuse now?
“Heh, fine. Eat it yourself then.”
Unable to find an answer, Gu Tianze lost his appetite. He slapped his chopsticks onto the table with a loud thwack. With a face as dark as a thundercloud, he turned and headed upstairs without looking back.
An Yan, who was closest to him, flinched at the sound. This was the first time he had seen Gu Tianze lose his temper.
Before their relationship was official, Gu Tianze had been gentle and considerate. His appearance and family background were top-tier. Sometimes, An Yan even felt fearful because of this burning love, often wondering if he was truly worthy of Gu Tianze.
But every time, Gu Tianze would soothe him gently, detailing his virtues. An Yan’s heart felt as if it were soaking in a hot spring of words, incredibly warm.
However, Xu Qingfeng, who knew all of this clearly, was well aware that irritability was the boy’s true nature.
“Don’t mind him. He’s probably just tired and wants to rest.”
Disliking the waste of food, Xu Qingfeng continued to chew and swallow slowly.
Despite the reassurance, An Yan couldn’t relax enough to keep eating. He also put down his chopsticks.
After leaving the dining table, An Yan knocked on Gu Tianze’s bedroom door. Although he didn’t know what he had done wrong, if Gu Tianze was angry, it was probably better to apologize.
He vaguely felt that perhaps it was his rejection of Gu Tianze’s kindness that had made him unhappy. If that was the case, it truly seemed like he was the one in the wrong.
Gu Tianze was sitting casually with one ankle resting on his thigh. He seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness from a moment ago, asking with smiling eyes, “What are you here for? Didn’t you want to eat by yourself? Did you get full that fast?”
Though his tone was light, the triple-questioning still felt oppressive.
An Yan felt a sense of strangeness toward the person in front of him. For a moment, he couldn’t answer, and his expression became sorrowful.
This aggressive feeling was like a sharp knife, prickling with unease. An Yan didn’t like it. In fact, he hadn’t filled his stomach at all and was currently feeling quite hungry.
The grievance welling up in his heart caused his eyes to redden.
Only then did Gu Tianze, who was staring intently at his face, put down his leg. He pulled the boy close and leaned his head against An Yan’s stomach.
His tall frame looked somewhat vulnerable because of this posture, as if he were showing weakness. He spoke up, “I just want to do my best to be good to you. In the future, don’t refuse the things I give you, okay? It really makes me sad…”
The muffled voice made An Yan’s heart melt completely. He finally understood the reason for the tantrum. His mood became complicated, filled with both emotion and self-blame.
He hugged the head leaning against him and stroked it, nodding. Realizing Gu Tianze couldn’t see him, he said solemnly, “Okay, I promise you.”
Gu Tianze asked An Yan to stay the night, mentioning that there were spare rooms in the house. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the idea of sleeping together, but the timing wasn’t right the right timing had been ruined by that bastard. He could only use this method to keep An Yan there.
An Yan was hesitant at first, thinking it might be a bother or inappropriate, until Xu Qingfeng also spoke up to invite him to stay.
Under such hospitality, he agreed with a sense of unease; he truly wasn’t used to it.
After An Yan went to the guest room to rest, Xu Qingfeng felt it was time for a talk with Gu Tianze. He called Gu Tianze and told him to come to the study.
Though Gu Tianze initially refused flatly, his curiosity got the better of him when he heard Xu Qingfeng say it was about “something very important.” He went to the study reluctantly.
Gu Tianze stood with his hands in his pockets, letting out a disdainful snort from his nose. He said to Xu Qingfeng, “It better actually be something important. If you’re wasting my time with trivial matters, I’ll block you so you can never annoy me again.”
Xu Qingfeng was still wearing only his white shirt, not as meticulously dressed as usual in his suit jacket, carrying a hint of leisure. He elegantly rolled up his sleeves, and his well-proportioned lips moved slowly. “Don’t lose your temper with An Yan so easily in the future. You’re an adult now, don’t act like…”
Before he could finish, Gu Tianze raised his voice to interrupt him.
“You just wanted to say this? Enough! I’m in no mood to hear your nagging!” After shouting, he turned straight toward the door.
Just as he reached out to pull the door open, a hand pressed against it, holding it shut. No matter how much strength Gu Tianze used, he couldn’t open it.
He turned his head only to see Xu Qingfeng’s “fake smile” a smile that wasn’t genuine at all.
“I haven’t finished speaking. What’s the rush? Go sit down.” A command was issued in a gentle tone.
Confusion crept into Gu Tianze’s eyes. Refusing to believe it, he tried to open the door again but remained unsuccessful.
He was furious!
Facing the unwilling Gu Tianze sitting on the sofa, Xu Qingfeng could see exactly what he was thinking at a glance; after all, it was a talent to be able to speak profanities with one’s facial expressions.
“I only have one important thing to notify you of.”
Xu Qingfeng’s tone was like that of a superior dealing with a subordinate. He placed his hand on the hair Gu Tianze had just meticulously styled and rubbed it lightly without ruining the shape.
“You need to be home before 21:00 every day.”
“Then let me tell you one thing too im-pos-si-ble. So shut your mouth.” Gu Tianze hated the way Xu Qingfeng rubbed his head like he was a large dog. He stood up, wanting to escape that annoying hand.
Regrettably, he couldn’t stand up.
Applying silent pressure with his hand while the smile on his face grew even more “cordial,” Xu Qingfeng said, “Can you still hit the bars without money? They’re not that fun anyway; you might as well come home.”
Gu Tianze suddenly met the mature man’s eyes and faintly guessed something…
“Are you crazy? What the hell do you want to do to my allowance?!”
“I’ll do whatever I want. Try me if you don’t believe it.”
Xu Qingfeng increased the pressure, ruffling the “dog head” beneath his hand into a complete mess.
After Gu Tianze left in a fit of rage, the study finally became quiet.
Xu Qingfeng rubbed his throbbing temples, knowing the kid would definitely not let this go. By using the restriction of Gu Tianze’s spending as a threat, Gu Tianze would inevitably rebel and cause trouble for him.
But if he didn’t make Gu Tianze clearly realize who was the one in charge, it would be impossible to change this disobedient brat.
Suddenly gaining such a troublesome son made even him feel a bit weary and exhausted.
To alleviate this fatigue, he felt a desire to confide in someone, but here, he had no friends.
No, that wasn’t right. He did have a friend the only person he could talk to…
He typed the following words into his phone:
Query: How do you make an adult change their ways for the better? 🙂
This time, he received a reply from Huo Xiu very quickly.