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Chapter 13: Lover, beloved, and partner.
Huo Niansheng truly started counting, “Ten—”
Then came eight, seven, and six.
Each count was drawn out, not really measured in seconds.
Chen Wengang raised his hand to stop him from playing with his own hair, lightly furrowing his eyebrows, “Don’t do this.”
“Did I scare you?” Huo Niansheng suddenly chuckled, breaking the tension. He smiled and said, “Sorry! I was just joking.”
The prowling cheetah lazily leaped back into the tree, squinting its eyes and retracting its teeth and claws.
In an instant, the threat vanished without a trace.
“We’re all relatives, and it’s a big day for the Zhengshi Group. How could I really not give face to my uncle?” He stepped back, courteously releasing Chen Wengang, “I don’t have anything important going on. If you had come earlier and told me, the venue would be at your disposal.”
Chen Wengang realized he was still holding onto Huo Niansheng’s sleeve. He also let go, “Sorry for bothering you.”
“I should be the one apologizing. I have this bad habit; I often overstep with my jokes.” Huo Niansheng said, “If I unintentionally offended you, I apologize. Have you had dinner tonight? Give me a chance to treat you to supper.”
Before Chen Wengang could respond, his phone rang.
It was Zheng Maoxun looking for him again, “Where did you go today? When can you come back?” But this time with a slightly more polite tone, “…Can you come back sooner? I have something to discuss with you.”
Chen Wengang pressed his temples, “What’s the matter?”
Zheng Maoxun cleared his throat, “It’s about that… the legal dispute with Rongcheng International. Dad asked me to organize and report to him on the progress of the third trial. Analyze our chances of winning…”
Originally, he was quite carefree, but then he almost forgot about this matter and was dumbfounded at the last minute, “Anyway, Dad just asked, and I told him the documents are still at the company. I’ll report to him tomorrow after work. Since you’re good at handling urgent matters, consider it as I owe you a favor.”
Beside him, Huo Niansheng immediately understood and said, “Is it urgent? Then next time.”
The call was still on, and Zheng Maoxun heard the sound on the other end: “Who are you talking to?”
“I’ll be back in a while.” Chen Wengang endured and hung up on this ancestor’s call.
However, Zheng Maoxun’s interruption rescued him from the thoughts he hadn’t sorted out yet.
Chen Wengang knew that Huo Niansheng had no intention of spending the night with him today.
He silently scrutinized Huo Niansheng. Undoubtedly, at this stage, Huo Niansheng was interested in him to some extent, but the depth of that interest was an unknown variable.
So, Huo Niansheng was just teasing him and flirting with him. But he wouldn’t actually go to bed with Chen Wengang; that would cause unnecessary trouble.
At this moment, Chen Wengang was determined to bring that trouble upon him.
People are insatiable. When they didn’t meet, he hoped for him to be alive; when they met, he found himself wanting more.
He wanted to be Huo Niansheng’s lover, beloved, and partner.
Huo Niansheng handed Chen Wengang his suit jacket.
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Huo Niansheng said, “I’ll have Yu Shanding send you.”
Chen Wengang politely declined, buttoned up his suit, and bid him farewell.
Huo Niansheng stood by the pool table, always wearing a slightly teasing look in his eyes when looking at Chen Wengang.
His friendliness and warmth seemed like a superficial performance, not standing up to scrutiny; it appeared affectionate but was, in fact, indifferent.
Like a deadly trap, luring people unknowingly deeper until they step into nothingness and shatter into pieces.
As Chen Wengang turned to leave, Huo Niansheng suddenly stopped him, “We still do not have each other’s contact information.”
He pointed at himself, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t bring my phone. Can you just take my number?”
Chen Wengang entered the numbers as he recited them, but Huo Niansheng gave him the wrong number, switching the last two digits.
So naturally, it resulted in an empty line after dialing.
Huo Niansheng feigned surprise, “Is it wrong?”
Chen Wengang handed him the phone to try.
This time, the correct number was entered, and when dialed, the screen displayed the name. Chen Wengang suddenly realized that he had already saved the contact. He could have used the excuse that it was given by Zheng Baoqiu; though clumsy, it was still an explanation. However, he didn’t want to resort to such lies, so he remained silent.
Huo Niansheng glanced at him but only smiled without asking further.
He exited the dialing app, opened Chen Wengang’s messaging app, and sent himself a friend request without permission.
After these probing moves that almost crossed the line, he handed the phone back to Chen Wengang, saying, “Thank you.”
Chen Wengang tucked his hand into his pocket, skipped the elevator, and descended the stairs through the fire escape.
Walking out through the revolving glass door of the nightclub, the streets were bustling with people.
This bar street comes alive only in the evening, resembling modern ladies lazily grooming and dressing up, heralding the commencement of nightlife. Dreams of the mortal world, waves of cheers, and men and women in vibrant attire brush past him. Occasionally, someone walking by would discreetly glance back at him.
Standing at the street corner, Chen Wengang felt that everything just now was not a dream.
He hailed a taxi and provided the address for the Zheng residence.
On the way, Chen Wengang stared at the receding streetlights for a while, unlocked his phone, and saw a social media notification:
“Huo Niansheng has accepted your friend request. You can now chat.”
Huo Niansheng’s account displayed his real name as the nickname, with a pitch-black image as the profile picture.
Most business professionals tend to separate their personal and professional contact information. Chen Wengang, however, didn’t make such a distinction. His friends on the platform were not numerous, and his profile picture was a simple doodle of a smiling face drawn by Zheng Baoqiu.
The image didn’t hold any special significance. It was just a playful creation by Zheng Baoqiu, sent during the registration process, prompting Chen Wengang to replace the default system avatar. Since then, it has remained unchanged for years.
Zheng Baoqiu mentioned to him that this proved he was someone who liked stability and was extremely nostalgic.
What about Huo Niansheng?
Chen Wengang opened his friend’s circle, finding a blank canvas with no traces or hints to speculate on. Switching to the chat interface, the other party hadn’t sent any messages, peacefully resting on his friends list. This marked the beginning of something entirely new.
Chen Wengang leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
***
After returning home, Chen Wengang first went to Zheng Maoxun’s room to help him catch up on his studies, ensuring he could present a structured report the next day to pass his father’s surprise inspection. Unexpectedly, Zheng Maoxun seemed ungrateful, stating, “I’ve discovered you have quite a knack.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were out for a day—got the venue sorted, even managed to handle my cousin with those special skills of yours.” Zheng Maoxun shook his phone, mimicking zipping up his mouth, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth shut. You can go and brag to Zheng Yucheng.”
Chen Wengang knocked on his head with a sigh. Zheng Maoxun, holding his head, scolded, “What are you doing?!”
“Is this how you treat a benefactor? Also, remember the three rules: don’t mention anything about me and Zheng Yucheng.”
“I don’t believe it. You two were so close; how could you break up? You must be secretly…”
Chen Wengang turned and walked away, his fingers already touching the bedroom door handle.
Zheng Maoxun hurriedly called him back, “Hey, hey! No, did you really break up?”
Chen Wengang, feeling both amused and exasperated, stared at him, wondering what mischief he was up to.
“I was just testing the waters,” Zheng Maofeng said. “If you break up, you break up. But for people like you, are there any specific requirements?”
“People like us? What specific requirements?” Chen Wengang responded warmly.
“Choosing a partner. I can ask around my friends to see if anyone likes guys, and then introduce one to you.”
This young master seemed a bit out of sorts today. Without hesitation, Chen Wengang closed the door on him.
Back in the bedroom, he glanced at his schedule, opened the hospital’s website, and finally booked an appointment.
He had been meaning to get a checkup, but it kept getting delayed. Unexpectedly, seeing a reminder from Huo Niansheng prompted him to take action.
In truth, Chen Wengang was a bit reluctant to see a doctor. In his previous life, he had taken medication for depression and anxiety for many years, creating an inherent aversion.
Most psychiatric medications come with severe side effects—headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, and damage to liver and kidney functions. The list of adverse reactions in the instructions reads like a roll of toilet paper. The first time Huo Niansheng saw it, he furrowed his brow and asked the doctor, “Can’t you prescribe milder medications? What about imported ones? Aren’t there any less tortuous options?”
The doctor explained to him in the corridor, “Mr. Huo, it’s not about money. If patients don’t need it, we won’t prescribe it randomly. Psychiatric medications mostly affect the central nervous system. Think about it; how could there be options with less harm?”
Chen Wengang overheard their conversation, but he felt indifferent to his own situation—partly not entirely his fault. The illness had deprived him of the ability to experience normal emotions, creating a barrier between him and the world.
When Huo Niansheng returned, he resumed his nonchalant demeanor, hands in his pockets, tossing several boxes of medicine onto the table.
Standing in front of the table, he lowered his head, looking lost in thought. Chen Wengang sat there, lacking the desire to speak.
Huo Niansheng let out a sigh, then turned around with a smiling face. “Darling, you’re really here to challenge me.”
Approaching, he played with a strand of Chen Wengang’s hair, saying, “So, shall we give these a try? If it doesn’t feel right, we can stop.”
It was hard for Chen Wengang to imagine the mindset Huo Niansheng had maintained while taking care of him all this time. However, that smile, hidden in the depths of his memory for many years, was both guilty and courageous, tormenting yet bringing moments of happiness.
Before going to sleep, Chen Wengang received two messages on his phone.
One from his friend Lu Chenlong, and the other from his eldest uncle, Chen Zeng.
Today was indeed peculiar, as it seemed that everyone was inviting him for meals and drinks—
Chen Zeng, due to the upcoming Qingming Festival, asked his nephew to come over for dinner and discuss the relocation of their grandparents’ graves.
Lu Chenlong was still concerned about the recent disturbance and inquired about Chen Wengang’s situation, suggesting a get-together during the weekend.
Chen Wengang replied to his uncle first, politely agreeing to the dinner.
As for Lu Chenlong, he felt a bit embarrassed. Originally, he was the one planning the gathering, but it got delayed until his friend took the initiative.
【Chen Wengang: Isn’t the store busy lately?】
【Lu Chenlong: Sigh, it’s endlessly busy. Can’t even find time to eat with my buddies.】
【Chen Wengang: I’m free this weekend. Where should we go? I’ll treat you and Xiao Bao to a meal.】
【Lu Chenlong: Guarding my own store, why go eat outside? Just come with an empty stomach and watch as I showcase my skills.】
Chen Wengang joked with him for quite some time. When dealing with Lu Chenlong, he could say whatever came to mind. After setting the date and exchanging goodnight wishes, Chen Wengang tapped his phone, switching to the chat with Huo Niansheng.
The black avatar remained silent.
He placed the phone by his pillow.
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For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
Interesting story. Thanks!