Chapter 33: Can’t he even take care of this little thing?
When Chen Wengang had settled into a deeper sleep, Huo Niansheng got out of bed again. He looked down at his wrinkled shirt and trousers, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and tugged at his cuffs. Chen Wengang was like a puzzle; many clues were now connecting in Huo Niansheng’s mind.
For instance, his need to see a doctor for medication. Or the alprazolam that Huo Niansheng inexplicably recognized—in his memory, it wasn’t just this one type of pill, but a myriad of colorful pills and capsules… He had a vague impression of someone taking these strong, side-effect-heavy drugs like daily meals. It was just a blurry silhouette, flashing at the edge of his memory like an image behind frosted glass.
Furthermore, having psychological issues was one thing, but why was Chen Wengang’s reaction to being splashed with wine so extreme?
Had he experienced a similar situation before? Was it a trauma response? Had someone bullied him?
Who did it? Zheng Baoqiu didn’t seem to know. Did Zheng Yucheng know?
He claimed to be inseparable from him, yet he couldn’t even look after him in this regard?
In short, someone must have triggered him. A dark, ruthless look finally surfaced in Huo Niansheng’s eyes; he didn’t believe there would be no traces left behind.
At that moment, a few faint knocks sounded at the door, the person carefully controlling their strength.
Huo Niansheng went over and opened it.
Zheng Baoqiu stood outside, having already changed her clothes. She craned her neck around him, trying to look inside. “How is Wengang-ge?”
Huo Niansheng had reverted to his usual nonchalant demeanor, smiling lazily. “He’s fine now.”
He stepped out as he spoke, locking the door behind him. “He’s asleep. Don’t go in and disturb him.”
Huo Niansheng took two steps down the corridor, but Zheng Baoqiu lingered behind, staring at the door for a few more seconds.
He turned around and waited for her to catch up. “Cousin, what exactly happened just now?”
“I’m not sure. Probably a bit of a stress response. Has anyone ever splashed something on him before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Or something similar. Did someone intentionally shoot him with water guns when he was a kid?”
“I don’t remember that either… Is the situation very serious?”
“No. The doctor took a look and said he’s fine.”
“That’s good, then.”
Zheng Baoqiu observed his expression. “By the way, when we got here today, we booked rooms. I’m in 501, and Wengang-ge is in 503…”
Huo Niansheng pressed the down button by the elevator.
The car happened to be on their floor. With a ding, the doors slid open.
Zheng Baoqiu followed him in and heard Huo Niansheng chuckle. “Baoqiu, he is an adult.”
As the floor numbers changed, Zheng Baoqiu felt a bit awkward having her thoughts seen through. Huo Niansheng continued, “He is actually more mature than you, and he isn’t stupid; he knows how to protect himself. You try to fight all his battles for him, but have you ever considered that it might hurt his pride?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt his pride. Isn’t it normal for family to protect each other?”
“Is it possible that, subconsciously, you still feel he is in a weaker position than you in terms of status?”
“I… I don’t.” Though she denied it out loud, after a moment’s thought, she felt a bit shaken. “Could I?”
“Similarly, my wanting to pursue him is a matter between the two of us.” The elevator reached the first floor, and Huo Niansheng patted her head in a teasing manner. “We are two adults. Even if something happens between us, it’s completely reasonable, fair, and legal. You don’t need to constantly worry about him being taken advantage of.”
“…I’m not worried about him being taken advantage of, I just think that if you’re not serious about a relationship, you shouldn’t mess around with him!” Zheng Baoqiu froze, then realized what he meant and hissed at his back in a hushed voice, “Please, Cousin! That’s exactly how you end up hurting people, okay!”
Huo Niansheng just smiled and didn’t look back, leaving it unclear if her words had actually registered.
It was getting late. The pool party was still going, but nearing its end. The ground was wet and slippery, covered in sequins and gold dust, effectively turned into a champagne mud pit. Some spots were half-dry and mixed with god-knows-what, sticking unpleasantly to people’s shoes.
Qi Tongzhou was nowhere to be seen, likely sent back to his room by his god-sister.
Li Hongqiong, however, was still drinking on the terrace. Seeing Huo Niansheng, she approached and politely asked about the situation.
Huo Niansheng offered a few absentminded, perfunctory replies.
Seeing him like this, Li Hongqiong scoffed and announced she was going to rest too.
Huo Niansheng lazily raised a hand in a wave, then shoved it back into his pocket, wandering off as if inspecting the grounds.
Scanning the crowd, he suddenly spotted a figure in the gaps—it was the young model who had been throwing himself at him in the restroom earlier.
Huo Niansheng narrowed his eyes, staring at the boy for a few seconds.
Sensing the gaze, the model turned and noticed him.
Secretly thrilled, the boy hurried over. “President Huo.”
Huo Niansheng let him approach, allowing the cheap, overpowering perfume to assault his nose. The young model pinched his voice, sounding overly sweet and cloying:
“Mr. Huo, still haven’t found any fun tonight?”
Huo Niansheng gave a tight, superficial smile, which the boy took as tacit agreement.
“I’m very skilled, are you sure you don’t want to try me out? Don’t reject me so quickly, I can give you a little performance first…” He made a suggestive gesture. “Then you can decide, okay?”
Huo Niansheng eyed him. “Where do you want to perform?”
He didn’t seem to have the patience to go find another room.
The closest place for a quick hookup—
The boy’s eyes subconsciously flicked toward the restrooms.
Huo Niansheng let out a scoff. “You certainly have unique tastes.”
The young model looked embarrassed and was about to backpedal when Huo Niansheng cut in, “Enough. Your methods for seducing men are still lacking; go play with someone else. But I hear you people have your own ways of dealing with peers in the industry, is that right?”
The young model hesitated, sneaking a glance at him.
Huo Niansheng pulled out a metal lighter, flicking the lid open and shut. The metallic clack echoed as it reflected a cold gleam of light.
The night deepened. Most of the partygoers had left, leaving only a few drunks lingering by the pool.
Yu Shanding had found a romantic prospect and was cozying up with a beauty on a lounge chair by the pool, enjoying the breeze too much to want to move.
The two each held a glass of wine, drinking under the moonlight. Suddenly, Yu Shanding noticed a shadow sneaking away behind him.
He paused, unable to tell who or what it was, and couldn’t be bothered to interfere.
A quarter of an hour later, two half-drunk guys stumbled over, cursing and complaining that they had lost something.
They were making so much noise that the romantic atmosphere instantly evaporated. Yu Shanding couldn’t pretend not to see them anymore. Cursing his luck for staying out here, he sent the beauty back to her room first and went over to ask. He learned that their phones were missing.
That did count as a valuable loss, so a few staff members were alerted, and a large-scale search commenced.
Just as they were coming up empty, another young man walked over, frowning slightly. “My phone is gone too.”
Yu Shanding rubbed his forehead, vaguely recalling who this kid was—the nephew of the Zheng family, Mu-something.
“What brand? What color?” he asked. “Did you lock it in a locker tonight?”
“Black,” Mu Qing glared at him. “I’ve had it on me the whole time.”
“So it just went missing?”
“It hasn’t been missing for long, but it’s already turned off. It seems this thief is specifically targeting me and my friends.”
There was no proof yet as to why the phones vanished, but Mu Qing’s insistence on a thief wasn’t entirely baseless. Three acquaintances losing their belongings simultaneously strongly suggested foul play.
However, most people who could afford to attend the yacht club wouldn’t stoop to petty theft. Who knew what the motive was?
The tables, chairs, and potted plants around the venue were practically turned upside down, but they found nothing.
One of the drunk victims lost his patience and started yelling, demanding that everyone left at the scene be strip-searched.
He’s drank himself stupid, Yu Shanding thought. Most people had already left; who was he going to search?
Mu Qing’s attitude was slightly more polite. He asked Yu Shanding calmly, “Can you let us check the security footage?”
Yu Shanding pursed his lips and gestured toward the staff.
A staff member quickly said, “Of course, we can pull it up at the security office.”
They went back and forth for another round, but the results were disappointing. The surveillance system here was a bit old, and the coverage wasn’t comprehensive. Even in the areas covered, it was too dark, too crowded, with people going in and out of the water. It was genuinely impossible to distinguish what anyone was holding in the footage.
The drunk guy lost it completely, flying into a rage and threatening to file a complaint about their useless security cameras.
Mu Qing’s face also turned cold. “This isn’t just about money. Important things like phones have all sorts of private information on them. I must ask you to figure something out. Otherwise, I really will call the police to search everyone one by one.”
At this moment, Yu Shanding’s sharp eyes finally noticed something odd at the bottom of the pool. “Hey, what’s that down there?”
Hearing this, the group hurried over, craning their necks to look down.
Because of the light refracting off the water, it was hard to see clearly. As Mu Qing’s friend squinted through blurry eyes, he suddenly felt a hard shove from behind. He pitched forward, plunging headfirst into the water with a massive splash.
The staff scrambled to haul him out. He coughed up a lungful of water, and combined with all the alcohol he’d consumed, promptly threw up all over the deck.
Some of the vomit splattered onto a pant leg. Mu Qing’s expression changed, and he took a disgusted step back, but wasn’t fast enough to entirely avoid the crossfire.
His brow was knotted in absolute disgust. The staff felt the same; though they didn’t say it, no one wanted to jump into that water.
In the end, it took some time to drain the pool completely before they could retrieve the unidentified objects.
It proved to be the three missing phones.
Truth be told, Yu Shanding was the one who gave that covert push. Mostly because as soon as he looked, he saw the instigator who had splashed Chen Wengang bending over right in front of him. Setting up an elaborate revenge plot was too much trouble, but with the guy right there, why not just give him a free shove?
This matter needed to be passed on to Huo Niansheng.
As for the culprit who threw the phones in, Yu Shanding had no clue.
He vaguely recalled the sneaky shadow from earlier, but shook his head. He had no real impression of it and figured he was overthinking.
Speak of the devil. Huo Niansheng suddenly called, hearing the noisy background. “Why are you still downstairs?”
Yu Shanding stepped away and gave him a rundown of the situation.
Huo Niansheng gave a noncommittal “Mhm,” sounding entirely unconcerned. “You don’t need to help them look, it has nothing to do with you. You’re just hosting, you’re not their nanny. Go upstairs and turn in early. Let them sort out their own mess.”
Chen Wengang stirred beneath the covers.
He had been awakened by the low murmur of Huo Niansheng on the phone. Opening his eyes, he checked the time; he had only slept for a little over an hour.
Yet his mind felt much clearer. The quality of that short nap rivaled a full night’s sleep.
He slipped a hand out from under the blanket. Huo Niansheng smiled, reached out to hold it, and quickly ended his call. “Did I wake you?”
Chen Wengang shook his head.
Huo Niansheng shifted down from the head of the bed and wrapped his arms around him over the blanket.
Chen Wengang rolled over, found a comfortable position, and rested his chin in the crook of Huo Niansheng’s neck.
Huo Niansheng’s embrace was exactly as broad and warm as he remembered.
And deeply nostalgic.
This was a moment he had once been willing to give everything for, yet still could never obtain.
However, having been splashed with wine, he was entirely sticky. Chen Wengang quickly caught the scent of alcohol, sweat, and a hint of seawater coming from himself. He looked down, and just as a frown began to form on his face, Huo Niansheng beat him to the punch with a laugh: “You flop onto my bed like this and sleep like a log without a word. I haven’t even complained, and now you’re disgusted with yourself?”
Chen Wengang laughed too, throwing off the covers to get up. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He put on his shoes, stepped out of the bedroom, but headed straight for the front door. Just as his fingers touched the handle, a large hand stopped him.
Huo Niansheng pinned him against the door, his voice teasing. “Aren’t you taking a shower? Why run all the way back?”
The corner of Chen Wengang’s mouth curved up. “I’m washing in my own room.”
“I have a bathroom right here,” Huo Niansheng said.
He spun Chen Wengang around. Lowering his head, Huo Niansheng kissed his forehead, then trailed down the bridge of his nose, seeking his lips.
Chen Wengang couldn’t help but grip his arms.
But it only lasted two seconds before he pushed Huo Niansheng away.
“I’m going to shower.” Chen Wengang laughed helplessly. Nobody could focus on romance while covered in this sticky mess. Huo Niansheng might be able to stomach it, but he couldn’t. “I can’t stand this smell of cheap wine for another second.”
