DLRAS Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Really? What if I didn’t agree?

That paparazzi, still beaming with a thick-skinned smile, said, “Young Master Huo, to tell you the truth, there’s one thing I’ve always been curious about.” He spread his hands open, “Since you two have such a great relationship, how come you ran off abroad for a secret flash marriage back then? It was so quiet, and no one was notified. Was there some underlying story behind it?”

Chen Wengang leaned against Huo Niansheng, while Huo Niansheng countered, “What does it have to do with you? You pry quite a lot.”

Relying on the old adage that one doesn’t strike a smiling face, the paparazzi continued to smile, “Then have you never thought about holding another grand wedding domestically?”

Huo Niansheng still maintained it was none of his business, “We’re planning to head back. If you’re going to beat it, do it quickly.”

Unable to fish out any more inside scoops, the paparazzi finally stopped pestering them. Slipping away as if his feet were greased, he vanished into the corner of the street alley a moment later.

The remaining two didn’t actually leave just yet. With the night breeze blowing gently, Chen Wengang gazed out at the river surface, placing his hands onto the railing as well. They looked out at the river view in the distance. He casually plucked a rose petal from Huo Niansheng’s arms, holding it against the tip of his nose to sniff the fragrance.

Chen Wengang remarked, “If he behaves a bit better, maybe one day I’ll tell him that when we went to get married back then, I was completely dazed myself. I was rushed along the entire way, like a duck being driven onto a perch. By the time I snapped out of it, the marriage was already finalized. It was just that bizarre.”

Huo Niansheng snorted at him, “If everyone dragged their feet like you do, seeing someone they fancy but waiting instead of packing them up and taking them away immediately—what on earth are you waiting for?”

Chen Wengang gave his arm a gentle slap, “What kind of talk is that? I was clearly afraid back then that you wouldn’t be willing.”

Huo Niansheng drawled out his words, “See, that’s exactly where I differ from you. I simply don’t consider those kinds of questions.”

Chen Wengang asked back, “Really? What if I hadn’t been willing?”

Huo Niansheng formed a gun with his hand, pressing it against Chen Wengang’s head in a threat, “Tie you up and smuggle you over.”

Chen Wengang laughed and leaned into him. The wind suddenly picked up, causing the petal in Chen Wengang’s hand to break free, its dark red form drifting away with the wind. He hurriedly supported himself against the railing and leaned outward, his eyes tracking its descent.

Huo Niansheng tilted his head to look at Chen Wengang. With a focused expression and knitted brows, Chen Wengang seemed deeply regretful, even displaying a hint of slight childishness. Huo Niansheng reached out to stroke the back of Chen Wengang’s neck, catching his clothes to prevent him from falling, but he couldn’t help but let out a soft smile—in truth, Huo Niansheng loved seeing him like this. Throughout his growth, Chen Wengang had matured and become sensible very early on; a part of him seemed to have been forced to ripen early by his environment. Yet deep down in his heart, there remained a small, child-like corner that was forever sealed away. Only occasionally in front of Huo Niansheng would he lower his guard and let it slip out inadvertently. This was a side reserved solely for him.

Chen Wengang could no longer find the flower. He turned his head and asked Huo Niansheng, “What are we having for breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“Let’s cook some millet porridge. There’s still a block of tofu in the fridge; we can slice it and add some salt to make a cold salad.”

“Then the sesame oil is out. I’ll buy some when I come back from walking the dog. Are you coming along with us for a run?”

“What do you mean ‘us’? How did you two end up on the same side? Give me a shout, I’ll go too.”

Chen Wengang let out a yawn. While thinking about which route would pass by the market tomorrow, he gradually snuggled into Huo Niansheng’s embrace.

Later on, they shifted to sitting on the steps to chat, not returning home to sleep until the early hours of the morning, and headed out for a run early the next morning.

Two days later, a certain newspaper published a small snippet. It mentioned that Young Master Huo had condescended to not only enjoy a late-night food stall with his boyfriend but also pour his heart out by the riverbank, selecting a photo that didn’t reveal their faces too clearly. That paparazzi didn’t particularly embellish the story; perhaps because the material was mundane, there was indeed no room for his toxic tongue to perform. The conclusion merely lamented that Young Master Huo was infatuated to the core, willing to lead an ordinary citizen’s life—at most, it showed that his pursuit of quality of life had dropped to an absolute minimum, and because of this, it unexpectedly carried a sense of a devotion too deep to last.

Given that the other party’s intrusion remained within a tolerable limit, Chen Wengang still just looked at it and laughed it off nowadays. He also knew that over these years, in order to muzzle the paparazzi, Huo Niansheng’s public relations and legal teams had put in no small amount of work. Setting aside how things were in the past, they later dealt with a batch of stubborn individuals who insisted on sticking their necks out, adopting an incredibly aggressive stance—whether by issuing lawyer’s letters to fight it out in court or using deterrent measures. By now, both sides had basically compromised into a relatively balanced state. They didn’t demand that the paparazzi shouldn’t gossip a single word—after all, they made a living off celebrities—but when it came to Chen Wengang’s identity, the vast majority of the time they merely used “Mr. Chen” to refer to him without naming names, leaving him some breathing room to live his life freely.

The Huo Group’s projects for the second half of the year entered full swing, and over the following two weeks, Huo Niansheng suddenly became exceptionally busy. Chen Wengang delivered dinner to his office several days in a row.

He hadn’t really delivered meals much in the past, but ever since their chat by the riverbank, Huo Niansheng had been nagging relentlessly, saying that Chen Wengang clearly knew everything back then but still didn’t proactively propose. Chen Wengang had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender—for this very reason, he gave in to whatever Huo Niansheng wanted in bed, and outside of bed, he agreed to Huo Niansheng’s requests to deliver meals and flowers. Whenever Chen Wengang had time, he would prepare it at home and bring it over in a lunchbox. If he had to work at the foundation, he would buy some takeout from a shop and bring it over to dine with Huo Niansheng.

Afterward, whether Huo Niansheng was holding a meeting or reviewing processes, Chen Wengang would just read a book on the sofa nearby. If it got too late, Chen Wengang would take a short nap in his lounge and wait to go home together with him.

The employees at the subsidiary weren’t as well-informed as those at the headquarters, so they still harbored a gossipy curiosity regarding Director Huo’s private affairs. Once, when Chen Wengang went downstairs to use the restroom, he overheard people talking outside, and they even started discussing him. Someone remarked that Director Huo’s little lover was a bit too clingy; while acting spoiled to seek affection was undeniably cute, being too clingy showed a lack of propriety, and weren’t they afraid their benefactor would grow impatient? However, another person speaking felt that this precisely demonstrated his skill—to be able to manipulate Director Huo like this fell under the category of a willing punisher and a willing victim.

When Chen Wengang returned upstairs, he ran into the general manager in the corridor. The general manager was highly courteous to him, even carrying a hint of deference. Together with the employees of the president’s office on this floor, everyone was very familiar with him. Chen Wengang possessed a gentle temper and knew how to handle relationships, frequently treating them to snacks, so he had managed to build excellent rapport among these people. He didn’t mention this matter much to Huo Niansheng or the general manager, only pulling the head secretary aside to give her a reminder. She was incredibly startled, apologizing repeatedly and promising to communicate with the relevant department heads to handle it properly.

Chen Wengang reassured her instead, saying he wasn’t angry and that being talked about wouldn’t kill anyone. It was merely inappropriate for employees to casually spread rumors about the chairman in the workplace, so it simply required additional management.

The head secretary felt even more self-conscious—the matter certainly had to be dealt with, and she already had a plan in mind. It was just that she had initially worried Chen Wengang would throw a tantrum with Director Huo and make a massive scene, which would make things ugly for everyone. Yet he didn’t appear angry in the slightest; she suddenly realized that it wasn’t just that he had an excessively good temper, but rather that his upbringing and self-restraint were far too exceptional. With someone like him, it wasn’t that he couldn’t get angry, but rather that causing him to waver or break his composure was far too difficult—not something an ordinary person could achieve.

For a period afterward, Chen Wengang didn’t hear any more inappropriate remarks at Huo Niansheng’s company. As for the projects, the busy spell passed; while Huo Niansheng still had occasional social engagements, working overtime daily was no longer required, and Chen Wengang’s meal-delivery mission drew to a close.

Midway through the summer vacation, Chen Wengang received a message from his cousin, Chen Xiangling.

As the old city redevelopment project advanced, the housing prices in the redeveloped sections of the old district soared accordingly. A few years ago, Chen Wengang’s uncle and his wife took out a loan to buy a school district house elsewhere for their two sons’ education, but they shortchanged their daughter, leaving her no space in the family to establish herself. He had simply topped up some money to buy the old house on Chuntiao Street and placed it under Chen Xiangling’s name. Chuntiao Street was close to the commercial district, and nowadays the average housing price there was actually more expensive than that of new residential complexes located in the distant suburbs.

This had been Chen Wengang’s intention all along; whether the old district was demolished for rebuilding or redeveloped, there would be corresponding compensation, so it wouldn’t be a losing enterprise anyway. He had deliberately bought it from his uncle at the market price of that time, which was considered doing everything required by kindness, leaving no room for future disputes. Yet when his uncle and aunt learned of this, they regretted it and turned back to cozy up to their daughter again. Furthermore, Chen Wengang had leveraged Li Hongqiong’s connections to purchase a commercial storefront and gifted it to Chen Xiangling; the couple had somehow fished out these details from somewhere as well.

Chen Wengang made a video call to her: “I understand. Focus on your studies; you don’t need to worry about any of this.”

Chen Xiangling smiled at him from the other end: “I’m not worried, I just wanted to let you know.”

A girl changes fast as she grows into adulthood. Her appearance hadn’t changed much compared to three or four years ago—she still wore two braids and no makeup—but her aura was somewhat different. Having read more books, she had matured and looked more like an adult.

Chen Wengang inquired about her usual studies and life, finally asking, “Do you want to come back for a visit during the vacation?”

Chen Xiangling answered without even thinking: “Better not. My English isn’t good enough. Even though I’ve gone abroad to study, I can’t entirely keep up with what the professors lecture about here. I have to use a recording pen to record them and slowly listen to them again on my own. I’ve accumulated a whole semester’s worth of recordings, and there are many parts I only half-understand; who knows how long it’ll take me to finish listening to them.”

Chen Wengang smiled and said, “There’s no need to push yourself so hard.” Looking at Chen Xiangling on the screen, he changed his mind again, “Actually, don’t come back. Since you have vacation time, you might as well travel around a bit to broaden your horizons. By the way, do you have enough money?”

“Yes, I have a scholarship for tuition, and didn’t you give me living expenses?”

“Why do I feel like it’s been a long time since the last transfer? Let me transfer some more to you?”

“No need, no need. It’s truly enough.”

“Forget it, I’ll still transfer some to you—specifically for traveling.”

After hanging up the video call, Chen Xiangling sent Chen Wengang a photo, which was a screenshot of their video call just now. She had cropped Chen Wengang’s face and used a software to photoshop a pair of tortoiseshell glasses onto him, making him look like an elder wearing reading glasses peering over the frames, teasing him for being long-winded. Chen Wengang let out a helpless laugh, immediately sending over a photo of Huo Niansheng to have her photoshop it as well.

He didn’t contact his uncle, Chen Zeng, right away. No matter how anxious the couple was, there was no way they could make the house change ownership out of thin air. Originally, because of Chen Xiangling, Chen Wengang harbored some quiet disapproval toward them regarding various matters, so he simply left them out in the cold for now.

Another matter was that during this period, Pan Zhengyang began expressing his intentions to pursue him again.

Originally to Pan Zhengyang, Chen Wengang was likely a pursuit target whom it would be nice to have but wasn’t worth forcing. However, the level of attraction between a student with little money cohabiting with a working-class boyfriend versus the adopted son of Zheng Bingyi, who held an inseparable connection to the Shipping King’s Zheng family, could not be compared in the same breath.

Pan Zhengyang visited the foundation under the guise of a business partner conducting an inspection, bringing gifts and flowers for everyone. The moment Chen Wengang arrived at the office, a massive bouquet of yellow roses was sitting on his desk.

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