“Were you really faking it earlier?”
Huo Junnian narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Jiang Ling with a raised eyebrow.
Hearing this, Jiang Ling immediately retorted, “Uncle, how can you say I was faking it? I only did that just now to make you happy.”
“Besides, that person surnamed Zhou slandered me for no reason. I really felt quite aggrieved. It is a good thing you came to help me, Uncle. You are so kind.”
Listening to the young man’s flattery, Huo Junnian could not help but laugh and shake his head. Jiang Ling tilted his chin, his gaze lingering as it swept over Huo Junnian.
Seeing Jiang Ling’s strange look, Huo Junnian instinctively touched his face. “What? Is there something on my face?”
“No. I just did not realize that Uncle was so popular. People throw themselves at you wherever you go. That Zhou person even transferred twenty thousand pesos to me, telling me to leave you voluntarily. I think this is great. Next time I am short on money, I will just take Uncle out for a stroll. I certainly will not have to worry about money then.”
“Good heavens, you brat, are you treating me like a money tree?”
Jiang Ling sighed. “I did not say that. After all, you are the one who caused this disaster today; you should take the primary responsibility.”
Upholding the philosophy that as long as he was not embarrassed, the embarrassment belonged to others, he went for a direct verbal strike. “He also said that none of Uncle’s lovers are my type. I am curious, Uncle, what kind do you like? I asked him, but he would not say. So, I have no choice but to ask Uncle myself. So, what kind do you actually like?”
Hearing a junior tease him about his private life, Huo Junnian felt a bit awkward but was not particularly angry. “What use is it for you to worry about that?”
Jiang Ling said, “Who says it is useless? Of course it is useful.”
Huo Junnian joked, “Why? Are you planning to introduce someone to me?”
Jiang Ling shook his head. He looked at the man sideways, his gaze meaningful. “That will not do. Everyone I know is my age. They are too young; I am afraid Uncle would not be able to handle them.”
The air went silent for a second.
Huo Junnian was moved to laughter by the boy’s audacity. He reached out and ruffled the boy’s soft black hair firmly. “Even I am fair game for your teasing now.”
“Mm-hm.”
Jiang Ling did not dodge, letting the man mess up his hair, but his upturned eyes held a sharp edge that was hard to hide. Huo Junnian was not at all surprised, because this was the Jiang Ling he knew: a person with thorns in his soul. Even if he had turned into a well-behaved and obedient version of himself, no matter how much he changed, there were still shadows of his former self.
“Forget it. We will not eat out today. Let us go home first.”
Jiang Ling had no objection to this. However, he did not expect that this “going home” did not mean returning to his grandfather’s house, but rather to Huo Junnian’s home.
Huo Junnian’s house was in an excellent location: a detached western-style building in the city center. Despite being in the heart of the city, it was surrounded by a garden of several hundred square meters, making it exceptionally quiet with fresh air.
From the moment he entered, Jiang Ling began looking left and right. He asked curiously, “Is this some centuries-old antique?”
“Not centuries, but it has a history of over a hundred years.”
“It looks very expensive. It must have cost a lot of money to buy.”
Huo Junnian did not answer immediately. He said with a smile, “Why don’t you guess?”
“A few hundred million?”
“Come upstairs with me first. I will show you the rooms.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling instantly forgot everything else and followed Huo Junnian upstairs. He asked with some pleasant surprise, “Is this a room you prepared for me?”
“Of course.”
They arrived at a door on the second floor. Huo Junnian stood at the entrance and invited Jiang Ling in. He said with a smile, “Yes, this is the room prepared for you.”
As Jiang Ling walked into the room, he was momentarily stunned. It was not that the room was exceptionally grand, but rather because of the decorations and the meticulous layout. Inside a large wall-to-wall cabinet were all the limited-edition anime merchandise he had dreamed of as a child, along with the car models he liked. On the bedside sat a Stitch plushie he used to love, and huge manga posters hung on the walls.
These were all things he might have mentioned in passing when he was young. Some he had even forgotten himself, yet the other man had kept them firmly in his heart. He was grown up now, not that ten-year-old child anymore. He did not even like many of these manga and toys as much as he used to.
Although the room was garishly decorated like a children’s playground, it felt wonderful to be kept in someone’s heart like this. Sometimes Huo Junnian was like an extreme enabler; as long as he wanted to, he could spoil anyone rotten.
The corners of Jiang Ling’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. As long as it was something he liked, Huo Junnian would fulfill his wish. If one day the man found out that what he truly coveted was the man himself, would he still satisfy him like this?
Jiang Ling stood in the room, looking at everything in silence. Seeing Jiang Ling standing still without any reaction, Huo Junnian’s brow furrowed slightly. He walked over with some concern.
“Ah Ling?”
At that moment, Jiang Ling suddenly moved. He turned around abruptly and pulled the person behind him into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around the man’s waist. Startled by the sudden hug, Huo Junnian’s body stiffened for a moment, but he did not push the boy away. Instead, he raised his hand and gently patted the young man’s back.
He said softly, “What is wrong?”
Jiang Ling buried his head in the man’s shoulder, his arms tightening bit by bit. His voice was muffled. “Uncle.”
Huo Junnian gave a gentle hum of acknowledgment. As that warm, refined voice sounded in his ear, Jiang Ling’s scalp tingled. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, as if trying to fill his entire body with the man’s scent.
It was not until Huo Junnian felt the strength of the boy’s embrace becoming too much that he patted his shoulder as a reminder. “Alright, alright. Have you hugged enough? Uncle is about to be strangled breathless by you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling slowly let go.
“Are you still unhappy about what happened earlier?”
Huo Junnian stepped back slightly. He held the young man’s shoulders and suddenly met a pair of slightly reddened eyes. The long eyelashes trembled, making him look like a pitiful puppy abandoned on the spot. However, the moment their eyes met, the boy turned his head away as if he did not want to be discovered.
“No.”
“Then why is it?”
Jiang Ling pursed his lips and said, “Because of you.”
Huo Junnian did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Because of me? Then tell me, when did I provoke you? Ah Ling, you cannot just wrong me like that.”
Jiang Ling turned around and went to the bedside. He picked up the Stitch plushie and patted it a few times before turning back to the man. He asked, “Has this room always been mine?”
“Of course.”
Through Jiang Ling’s reaction, Huo Junnian had more or less guessed why the boy had lost control of his emotions just now. He crossed his arms and said with a smile, “As long as you want it, there will always be a room belonging to you here.”
“Really?”
Jiang Ling’s tone rose slightly. He raised an eyebrow at Huo Junnian. “I will remember those words. Do not go back on them later, Uncle.”
“Rest assured. Have I ever gone back on a promise I made to you?”
Jiang Ling did not respond to that; he only shrugged.
“Alright, let us go down to eat first. You must be hungry after being out for so long.”
Jiang Ling followed Huo Junnian downstairs while clutching the plushie. “I am not hungry. I am full of anger.”
“If you are not hungry, should I ask the butler to take your portion away?”
“Then I will eat yours.”
“Ah Ling, you are being a rogue. Didn’t you say yourself that you weren’t hungry?”
“If I say I am not hungry, am I really not hungry? If I say I like it, do I really like it?”
The two of them talked as they went downstairs. After finishing dinner, Huo Junnian asked Jiang Ling if there were any other places he wanted to go and play. Clutching the plushie in his arms, Jiang Ling shook his head. He said, “Just take me back.”
Huo Junnian said, “Are you sure? Between now and the start of your school term, there is a lot of work at the company. I might not have time to take you out to play again.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling’s hand tugging at Stitch’s ear paused. He let go and said expressionlessly, “I am not a child. I do not need someone to accompany me every day.”
Huo Junnian smiled but did not answer. He nodded in agreement. “You are right. You have grown up. I should treat you by adult standards.” He made a gesture of invitation. “Then, adult, let us go. I will take you home.”
Jiang Ling stood silent, staring at the man for a few seconds before turning around and walking toward the car. They soon arrived at the Bai residence. After getting out of the car, Jiang Ling waved at the man. “Goodbye, Uncle.”
Huo Junnian nodded. He watched until Jiang Ling’s back had completely disappeared. This time, however, he did not leave immediately; instead, he made a phone call from inside the car.
As soon as the call connected, a man’s voice came through the phone. Lu Feng teased, “Yo, why the sudden call?”
Huo Junnian said coldly, “Was that Zhou Li your arrangement?”
Lu Feng did not notice anything wrong with Huo Junnian’s voice. He said in a suggestive tone, “How was your outing today? That’s right. You have been single for almost a year. I was afraid you’d develop some issues from holding it in, so I thought I would introduce someone to you. I did some research; his circle is clean, he is not promiscuous, he has only had two boyfriends before, and he is quite simple. Anyway, you were taking the kid out to play today, so it is not a bother. There was no harm in getting to know him.”
Hearing the last sentence, Huo Junnian was moved to laughter despite himself. He lost his temper and only sighed. “You really caused me a lot of trouble today.”
“Why? Are you not satisfied?” Lu Feng asked in surprise. “I saw the photos earlier. From my ‘straight man’ perspective, he looks quite good. He is a rising artist with a bit of a reputation in the circle. Most importantly, he is interested in you and is willing to keep the identity secret, content to be your lover.”
Huo Junnian shook his head. “Do not introduce anyone to me next time. You aren’t introducing someone; you are adding to my troubles.”
Lu Feng was completely puzzled. “How so?”
Huo Junnian briefly recounted what had happened that morning. After listening, Lu Feng immediately cried out that he was wronged. “You cannot blame me for this. I did not know the ‘kid’ you mentioned was such an eighteen year old treasure. Wait, Zhou Li just messaged me. He is complaining, saying you already have someone by your side and yet I introduced him.”
Huo Junnian said, “You have to settle this matter yourself.”
Lu Feng suddenly exclaimed in amazement, “Good heavens! That little friend of yours is really quite something.” He had just filled in all the details from Zhou Li and burst out laughing.
“This is killing me! Right in front of so many people, he blatantly squeezed twenty thousand pesos out of Zhou Li and even made the remark ‘voluntary gift.’ So clever! In the end, Zhou Li could only swallow the bitter pill. He has the grievance but cannot speak of it, and he is too embarrassed to make the matter public. He can only swallow this loss in silence. Huo Junnian, where on earth did you dig up this treasure?”