The youth’s warm breath puffed against Huo Junnian’s face like a feather lightly brushing past, bringing a faint, itchy sensation. He was dazed by the heat radiating from the boy’s body until a crack of thunder sounded outside.
Boom!
Huo Junnian snapped awake. It was only then that he realized how close their distance actually was. He instinctively furrowed his brows and jerked his hand back. When he looked at Jiang Ling again, his gaze held a new layer of sharpness and wariness.
“Jiang Ling, what are you doing?” He looked at the boy’s bare upper body, a hint of suppressed anger in his voice. “Do you know who I am?”
“I know,” Jiang Ling replied. He did not seem frightened by Huo Junnian’s anger; instead, he let out a light laugh. “You are my dear Uncle.” He deliberately emphasized those words, speaking them one by one. “You still have not answered my question.”
Jiang Ling tilted his head and added with a smile, “The fact that you are my uncle and the question I asked you are not mutually exclusive.”
Despite knowing their relationship, the boy still willfully tested his bottom line. Huo Junnian’s brows locked together, his gaze deepening as his lips thinned into a hard line.
“What do you want me to answer?”
The topic had circled back. After several exchanges, there was still no progress. Jiang Ling frowned slightly and took a step back. With his back against the desk, he hopped up and sat on it, supporting himself with his hands on the surface. He knew Huo Junnian had regained his composure, so it was not wise to push too hard. It would not be good to truly provoke him.
Jiang Ling tilted his head, staring at his swinging feet. In a somewhat casual tone, he said, “Just use the perspective of a gay man to evaluate me. From the inside out, from head to toe. Also, I cannot handle a heavy blow, so you had better pick something nice to say.”
However, before he could finish, his vision suddenly went black. It felt as if his head had been covered by something. Jiang Ling froze. Just as he raised his hand to pull the object off, a crisp sound echoed in the quiet study. His hand was slapped away with significant force, leaving the back of his hand feeling numb.
“Do not move.”
Jiang Ling’s hand froze mid-air. With his head covered and his vision gone, he could only hear the rustling sounds of fabric. Just as he was feeling confused, a wave of warmth enveloped him as something was wrapped around his body. In the next second, the thing over his head was pulled away.
Jiang Ling instinctively looked over. It was the school uniform he had discarded earlier; Huo Junnian had picked it up and thrown it over his head. But what was he wearing now? Jiang Ling looked down and saw that he was wrapped in a suit jacket that did not belong to him. He looked up at the man and blinked. “Uncle.”
Huo Junnian commanded, “Put your clothes on properly. Who taught you to take off your clothes regardless of the occasion?”
“Oh,” Jiang Ling replied, his confidence wavering. He argued in a small voice, “The clothes were wet. Was I supposed to keep wearing them?”
Despite his words, he obediently slid his arms into the sleeves. Once he was dressed, he looked at Huo Junnian again. “I am dressed.”
Huo Junnian saw that although Jiang Ling had the jacket on, it remained open, exposing a large area of skin. He frowned deeply and said, “Button it up.”
“No way. It is just a few buttons. It does not make much of a difference whether I button them or not.”
“If you do not button it, then go back to your room, change into another outfit, and come back.”
Jiang Ling’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to protest but eventually chose to stay silent. He lowered his head and fastened the few buttons on the suit. “Is this good enough?”
Huo Junnian looked again. Although the collar still showed a lot of skin, it was much better than before. He looked at the youth with a serious expression and asked, “Since when?”
“What?” Jiang Ling was confused.
“Since when did you discover that you like men?”
Jiang Ling blinked, his mind a bit muddled. “Wait, were we not just talking about my inner and outer beauty?”
Huo Junnian interrupted him directly, his voice deep. “Are we listening to you, or are we listening to me?”
Jiang Ling shut his mouth instantly. “Fine, we will listen to you. It has been a while.”
Huo Junnian continued, “How long is a while?”
Jiang Ling frowned slightly. “Why are you asking so specifically?”
Huo Junnian did not answer, choosing instead to stare at him in silence. Jiang Ling felt his scalp go numb under that gaze and eventually compromised. “Two years ago.”
“How did you find out?”
Jiang Ling immediately became reluctant. He did not like answering as if he were being interrogated. He glared at the man with resentment. “How should I know? I just suddenly realized it.” He gave a perfunctory answer.
Huo Junnian noticed Jiang Ling’s impatience but did not let him off. “Does your father know?”
“How could he!” Jiang Ling looked at Huo Junnian in disbelief. “If my dad knew, would I still be standing here? He would skin me alive! I am not joking with you!”
Hearing this, Huo Junnian’s face showed no sign of relief; instead, he became exceptionally grave. “I wish you were joking with me tonight.”
The study fell silent again. Jiang Ling lowered his head and said, “I know what you mean, but there is no way around it.” His eyelashes trembled slightly. “Sexual orientation is innate. One day, I just found out I liked men.” After saying this, he looked up at Huo Junnian and said calmly, “You are the only one who knows this. I have not told anyone else. You will not tell my dad, will you?”
Huo Junnian remained silent, his brow furrowed tightly. This was undoubtedly a thorny issue. He was gay himself, so he had no standing to criticize Jiang Ling.
After a long time, Huo Junnian finally spoke. “Rest assured, I will not tell your father about this.”
Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest. “Then I am relieved.”
“But if you are going to like someone, you had better find someone else. Tang Qin will not do.”
Jiang Ling froze for a second. Even a fool would understand why Huo Junnian disapproved. But at this moment, Jiang Ling chose to play dumb. “Why?”
“Why?” Huo Junnian let out a cold laugh. “You tell me why?”
Jiang Ling feigned a realization and rolled his eyes. “Did I not say it already? I do not mind his past.”
Huo Junnian said, “It is more than just that. In any case, he is not suitable for you. Find someone else to like.”
Jiang Ling was suddenly amused. He figured the man would be even less happy then. “How can I do that? How can I just switch my feelings to another person midway? I am a human, not a machine.” Jiang Ling grumbled, “I cannot decide who I like.” He frowned, finding it strange. “Uncle, have you never liked anyone? Your request is truly demanding the impossible!”
Huo Junnian felt a headache coming on from Jiang Ling’s persistence. “Shut up!”
Jiang Ling immediately closed his mouth. After a few seconds, he shifted restlessly on the desk and leaned closer to Huo Junnian. “Since we have already talked this much today, why do we not have a heart to heart?”
Huo Junnian looked at him. Sensing the atmosphere had softened, Jiang Ling gave a cheeky smile. “How about we talk about your past relationships? It would give me some romantic experience.”
The moment those words left his mouth, he was flicked on the forehead. Jiang Ling clutched his brow, saying huffily, “Why did you hit me?”
“You deserved it,” Huo Junnian said coldly. “Instead of studying hard every day, all you think about is dating? What did you get on your math test this time?”
The mention of the test killed any romantic notions in Jiang Ling’s head. He muttered, “Seventy six points.”
“That is a big improvement from last time.” Huo Junnian did not say much else, but he let out a light laugh.
Jiang Ling felt insulted. If he did not get a high score next time and throw it right into Huo Junnian’s arms, he would change his last name! Just as he was making this vow, someone patted his head.
“Let us go.”
Jiang Ling blinked and came back to his senses, watching Huo Junnian walk away. “Where to?”
“If you do not come downstairs to drink the ginger soup soon, it will be cold.”
Jiang Ling followed immediately. A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes as he whispered to himself, “How does he know Auntie Zhang made ginger soup?”
Walking ahead, Huo Junnian said without turning back, “The scent of ginger has reached upstairs. Walk faster.”
“Okay, I am coming!” Jiang Ling said, though he did not actually speed up.
Once Huo Junnian had disappeared down the hallway, Jiang Ling could not help but lower his head to sniff the suit jacket wrapped around him. It still carried the man’s unique scent. He closed his eyes, recalling everything that had happened in the study. He had managed to muddle through it this time. It was a narrow escape.
After going downstairs, Jiang Ling finished the midnight snack Auntie Zhang had prepared with Huo Junnian, and then they returned to their respective rooms. Back in his room, Jiang Ling took off the suit and placed it carefully on the bed. Then he went to the bathroom for a hot shower. When he came out, he flopped onto the bed, hugged the jacket the man had worn, rolled around excitedly, and fell asleep happily.
Huo Junnian, however, was the opposite. For the first time, he suffered from insomnia, and the youth’s image lingered in his mind.
The next morning, Jiang Ling woke up full of energy. He waited downstairs early for Huo Junnian to come down. To his disappointment, he had not seen Huo Junnian by ten in the morning. It was strange. Huo Junnian usually had a very regular routine and rarely woke up this late. Just as he was wondering, the man came downstairs fully dressed.
“Morning, Ling.”
Jiang Ling replied with a smile, “Morning, Uncle.”
Just as he thought the man was coming over for breakfast, the man walked right past him toward the door. The smile fell from Jiang Ling’s face. “You have not had breakfast. Where are you going?”
Huo Junnian paused and turned to look at him. “There is something at the office; I have to go.” He looked at the breakfast on the table and said gently, “I have no appetite after missing the mealtime. I am leaving now. See you tonight.”
Huo Junnian took a step toward the door but suddenly remembered something. He turned back. “By the way, remember to do your homework. I will check it when I get back tonight.”
Jiang Ling stared at the man’s retreating back for a few seconds before following him immediately. When Huo Junnian opened the car door to get in, a bang of the door closing signaled that the passenger seat was now occupied.
“What? You want to come to the office with me?”
“Is that not allowed?” Jiang Ling turned his head and snorted. “What kind of boss works overtime every single day? I am afraid you are not working overtime, but trying to avoid me.”
Huo Junnian raised an eyebrow. “Why would I avoid you?”
“How should I know? Maybe you find me troublesome.”
Huo Junnian agreed. “Fine, then take your homework and come with me to the office.”
Jiang Ling stared at him for a few seconds, then got out to grab his backpack before returning to the car. Sitting in the passenger seat again, Jiang Ling’s face was expressionless. Seeing the car remained stationary, he urged, “Let us go. What are you waiting for? Were you not in a hurry to get to the office?”
Huo Junnian glanced at the youth and drove off. Once at the company, Jiang Ling went straight to the office and put his bag down. He watched Huo Junnian finish a handover with his secretary and head toward the conference room. He raised an eyebrow. Was I really overthinking it?
As the day went on, Jiang Ling discovered that Huo Junnian truly was busy. After a morning meeting, he barely rested before heading out again in the afternoon. Jiang Ling, meanwhile, was left in the office to do his homework.
Jiang Ling’s brow was tightly knit. Since his confession the previous night, he had keenly sensed that Huo Junnian’s attitude toward him had changed. The next week or two completely confirmed his suspicion. Take head patting for example; previously, every time Huo Junnian picked him up from school, he liked to ruffle his hair. Even though Jiang Ling was not entirely willing, he had allowed it. But now, forget head pats, even their everyday interactions were kept at a distant range.
How should I put it? There were pros and cons to this. The cons were as mentioned. The pro was that Huo Junnian finally stopped treating him like a child. However, after the last incident, Huo Junnian was on guard and would not easily let him get close.
For instance, he was currently sitting in the car, and the person who had come to pick him up today was the driver, not Huo Junnian. Jiang Ling was extremely disgruntled. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He frowned and checked the sender, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Tang Qin? What did he want now? Since the last time they added each other, perhaps out of consideration for Huo Junnian, Tang Qin had only sent a simple greeting and nothing else. At the time, Jiang Ling’s mind was entirely on Huo Junnian, so he had not bothered with it.
“Young Master Jiang, do you still remember me?” Jiang Ling: “Of course I do.” “My group has a concert in City H this month. I have a few extra tickets. I wonder if you would be interested?”
Jiang Ling thought it over. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and an obscured smile appeared on his face. “Sure. What date is the concert?”
Jiang Ling agreed to the concert. Huo Junnian knew nothing of this. On the day of the concert, Jiang Ling reported in advance, saying he was going out to play ball with friends and might be back late. Huo Junnian agreed without thinking much about it.
However, it was not long before he saw a photo on Jiang Ling’s social media with the caption: “Someone said they would treat me to barbecue after the concert. I wonder if I should go?”
It was then that he realized he had been tricked by Jiang Ling. Looking at the photo of the two standing side by side, his brow instantly furrowed. He immediately made three calls, but no one answered. Huo Junnian’s gaze turned cold. He tapped the desk with his finger before finally standing up to go to the dressing room and change into outdoor clothes.
It was almost eleven PM. He did not feel comfortable letting the youth wander around alone at night. He decided to personally go and catch the little brat.
At eleven PM, the concert ended. Jiang Ling sat in the VIP box, and his eyes never left his phone. Why only three calls? If he calls a few more times, I probably will not be able to resist answering.
Shortly after the concert ended, Tang Qin sent another message: “Young Master Jiang, do you want to go out for a midnight snack now?” Jiang Ling took one look and irritably swiped the message away. Who wants to eat with you! I am not crazy!
Jiang Ling clicked on the familiar avatar again and waited. When no more messages came, he frowned. He decided not to wait any longer and to take a taxi back. As he stepped out of the box, he happened to run into Tang Qin, who had just finished removing his makeup.
Tang Qin’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Jiang Ling. “Young Master Jiang, what a coincidence! I thought you had already left. Shall we go for a midnight snack together?”
Jiang Ling cursed his bad luck internally. He pretended not to hear anything and turned around, intending to take another path. But as soon as he turned, he heard a familiar voice.
“Who are you planning to go for a midnight snack with?”
Jiang Ling froze. Looking at Huo Junnian standing before him, he thought he was seeing things. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. “Uncle, why are you here?”
Huo Junnian let out a cold laugh. “If I did not come to pick you up, would you not be staying out all night? Were you not going to play ball? Why are you here at a concert?”
Jiang Ling gave an awkward smile. “If I had told the truth, would you have let me out?”
“President Huo, you are here too.” Tang Qin noticed Huo Junnian and immediately said goodbye to his teammates to come over and greet him. “Would you like to join us for a midnight snack?”
“No need.” To prevent the little brat from escaping, Huo Junnian immediately grabbed him. Hearing Tang Qin’s invitation, he looked over with a cold expression. “Tang Qin, do not overstep. You should know what is okay to touch and what is not. This is my final warning; I am not joking with you.”
Tang Qin’s face turned pale instantly. He had thought that because Huo Junnian helped him with resources last time, there was still a chance for them. He had not expected Huo Junnian to be so cold. After the warning, Huo Junnian grabbed Jiang Ling and turned to leave.
“Let us go.”
Jiang Ling, who had been watching the drama, was suddenly pulled by the back of his neck. He stumbled back several steps and hurriedly caught up with Huo Junnian’s pace. “Slow down, my neck hurts.”
Huo Junnian said nothing, but he loosened his grip. He pushed the boy into the car, and after closing the door, he looked at him and said coldly, “Must you go against me?”