DLRAS Chapter 72

Chapter 72: I hope you can give me an answer.

Water splashed out of the bathtub onto the floor, making a wet, slapping sound. The marble floor was soaked, and the clothes on the ground were drenched as well.

The person in the tub seemed to turn into a jellyfish—stretching, contracting, drifting, and finally melting into the transparent water.

Chen Wengang stared down at the floor, which looked like it had been flooded. Having soaked in the hot water for so long, the blood rushed to his face. He propped himself up, saying he wanted to go out to get some air. Suddenly, his ankle was grabbed; Huo Niansheng lowered his head and touched his lips lightly against the inside of his ankle joint.

Startled, he immediately curled his leg back, pulling away and splashing water like a fish leaping from a pond.

Huo Niansheng chuckled, propped himself up, and covered him.

With a palm pressed against his chest, the heart beat powerfully beneath the flesh, pounding like a drum with every beat.

Chen Wengang pushed him away, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and stepped out of the bathroom. A rush of cool air flooded his chest.

Only then did he feel able to exhale.

Soon after, Huo Niansheng followed, drying his hair with a towel, and casually turned on the television.

On the screen, a popular period drama (Republic of China era) appeared, and the speakers blared with noise. The female lead, who had been separated from her family since childhood, was confronting her younger sister—a “socialite” daughter—demanding to know why she, having enjoyed a life of luxury, still felt the need to target her and sabotage her at every turn.

Huo Niansheng didn’t change the channel, focusing intently on their verbal sparring.

Chen Wengang leaned against the bar counter and twisted open a bottle of juice. “You like watching this?”

Huo Niansheng turned to him and signaled “shh.” “Let’s listen to how she explains it first.”

The younger sister, wearing a western-style dress and permed hair, made a vicious expression: “You stole the love of our parents, and you stole Shijie’s love too!”

Shijie, whose face was unknown, was likely her fiancé.

Chen Wengang’s brows knit into an indescribable knot. The show’s popularity was inexplicable. Huo Niansheng, however, was bored, his eyes glued to the TV as he pointed at the supporting actress: “Look at this character; she’s actually quite similar to Huo Yingfei. If he played this role, he wouldn’t even need to act. The mindset of people like them is that they want to monopolize everything good; even if they don’t want it themselves, they’d rather throw it away than let others enjoy it.”

Chen Wengang suddenly came to his senses. “Huo Yingfei?”

“Another cousin of mine, related to me in a similar way as Huo Zhenfei.”

Huo Niansheng’s expression was calm; he offered no further explanation.

The TV screen flickered, switching to a commercial break.

Chen Wengang placed the juice on the counter. He felt he should say something, but he didn’t know where to start. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and used his fingers to rake through Huo Niansheng’s half-damp hair, helping him smooth it out.

Huo Niansheng hummed a laugh, captured his hand, and stroked it slowly with his thumb.

The next day, although it was still Sunday, Huo Zhenfei had only come to watch the race and find some entertainment, so he left after exchanging pleasantries.

Chen Wengang went to check on the Alex again.

The engine couldn’t be fixed that quickly. Their return this time was destined to be fruitless, but there was no rush; there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

When they reached the entrance of the Zheng residence, Chen Wengang got out of the car, and Huo Niansheng leaned out the window to say goodbye.

Chen Wengang asked, “Shall we go out to sea together next time?”

Huo Niansheng smiled. “You’re the one in charge.”

After parting, he drove down the mountain.

On the way, he received a phone call. Huo Niansheng made a U-turn and headed toward the hospital.

Huo Kaishan’s complexion remained the same—gray, pale, and dull—and the hospital room still held that scent of disinfectant mixed with decay and old age.

This time, Huo Niansheng was summoned alone. He moved a chair with composure and sat opposite the bed.

At least he didn’t bring his usual flippant, reckless attitude inside. “Grandfather, how have you been feeling lately?”

Huo Kaishan was still holding the photo frame—the one he had shown Huo Jingsheng. Huo Niansheng had actually seen the front of it too. He groped the photo with bark-like fingers and answered a different question: “Your father, Fenglai, was the first son born to your grandmother and me.”

Huo Fenglai.

Huo Niansheng smiled faintly. “I know.”

Huo Kaishan leaned against the headboard, his eyes cloudy, his breathing short. “In the parlance of our time, the family had its eldest son. I was happy, of course… but I never thought that having a son meant he needed to be raised. I thought that was a woman’s job. Wasn’t your grandmother there? Wasn’t she the mother? As it turned out, she didn’t care either; she spent her days penciling her brows and applying makeup, going out to play mahjong with her friends.”

He caught his breath. “Like that… lately, I’ve been constantly reflecting. From childhood, Fenglai was cared for by nannies and servants. They were even less likely to discipline the young master; they gave him whatever he wanted, indulged him in every way. As long as they could please him, they took turns waiting on him—lighting his cigarettes, pouring his wine. When he got a bit older, he was led astray by bad friends. I remember when Fenglai was just a teenager in school, he was already dating female classmates and taking them out for the night. When the other families came to complain, I just said it was nothing, kids will be kids, and that it was normal to be fickle. Did he even know what dating was? It wasn’t until my secretary told me that I found out he was a platinum member at nightclubs—he knew the ropes better than his own father.”

Huo Niansheng leaned back in his chair, not interrupting, just listening.

Huo Kaishan continued: “Later, we had other children—your second, third, and fourth uncles. Although I couldn’t say I raised them much either, at least I didn’t completely let them run wild like before. Niansheng, do you all think I’m just a stubborn old man? You’re wrong. I have family affection in my heart. Now when I look at your uncles, everyone at least has a wife and children. Only Fenglai… he didn’t even live out a full life. Your grandmother is long gone, too. As a father, I can only reflect on my own responsibilities. I feel regret for him.”

Huo Niansheng said, “Grandfather, there’s no need to overthink it. The doctor said excessive worry is bad for your health.”

Huo Kaishan ignored him, staring at him intently. “So, can you understand my desperation as a grandfather now? Jingsheng doesn’t have the guts; he wouldn’t dare disobey. What worries me most is you. If you turn out like your father, I won’t be able to die in peace.”

Huo Niansheng met his gaze and smiled slightly.

The almond-shaped eyes tilted upward, showing Huo Kaishan the dashing, romantic eldest son of yesteryear.

He began to breathe with difficulty. Huo Niansheng walked forward, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the kettle, and poured a cup of water for the bedside table.

Huo Kaishan said, “Before I close my eyes, I hope you can give me an answer.”

Huo Niansheng said with a smile, “Grandfather, let’s wait and see.”

In the evening, Zheng Yucheng finished his social obligations, and by the time he arrived home, the clock pointed to ten.

At this hour, Zheng Bingyi and Huo Meijie had already gone upstairs to their rooms, but the living room television was still on, and two figures were crouching there, petting a dog.

Chen Wengang was half-kneeling on the carpet, using a fine-toothed brush to groom YOYO. The proud poodle lay on its back, four paws stretched out, eyes narrowed in contentment. Zheng Baoqiu was holding a colored yarn to tie a small braid on the dog, holding her phone up to record it.

Zheng Yucheng walked over silently, not startling anyone, watching the two of them from behind.

Chen Wengang smiled and swatted away her “magic claws,” rescuing YOYO and smoothing out the tangled hair with the brush.

That thin back reminded him of someone—a young lady from the He family he had met recently, He Qinfang.

Zheng Yucheng’s meeting with her had been an arrangement—as an old friend of his father, Uncle He had been very good to him. There were other elders in the He family who took a liking to him. Since things weren’t working out with He Wanxin, everyone had organized for him to meet other girls of similar age.

Both parties were young, so it wasn’t a grand, formal blind date; the two families simply attended the same banquet.

At the banquet, Zheng Yucheng saw the well-read, reserved, and introspective girl. Zheng Bingyi admired her, too. She stood quietly by the elders, and her scholarly air actually made one feel as if she carried a bit of Chen Wengang’s shadow.

But he had no intention of taking things further.

He Qinfang came over obediently to talk to Zheng Yucheng, but he dodged away to smoke half a pack of cigarettes.

It happened that He Wanxin also attended the banquet. When Zheng Yucheng was lighting a cigarette behind some greenery, he caught sight of her yelling at a waiter over a brooch. He stayed hidden in the shadows, watching them for a long time, as if he had only just realized what was happening, before stepping out to intervene.

He Wanxin, originally aggressive, changed her face like an actress the moment she saw him, raising her hand high to let the waiter off the hook.

When Zheng Yucheng went to the restroom, he suddenly laughed at himself. He laughed harder and harder, until he was bent over, gasping for air.

Then, He Wanxin became his girlfriend—at least in name.

Sometimes, making a decision only takes a split second. Zheng Yucheng felt as if he had suddenly understood something. He couldn’t be devoid of desires and treat marriage like a business deal. If he had to get married, why drag another innocent girl into the mud? He Wanxin wasn’t a good person, and he wasn’t a good person either. Since He Wanxin was so obsessed, that was perfect—bad people locking onto bad people; who could be a better match than the two of them?

He and He Wanxin made three stipulations:

As long as they were in front of others, he would maintain He Wanxin’s reputation to the greatest extent and fulfill his responsibilities as a gentle and attentive partner. Privately, she would concede and not force an intimate relationship. Furthermore, if they were to marry in the future, she agreed to have children through IVF.

Of course, that was a matter for the future, to be settled through a prenuptial agreement.

When the agreement was reached, Zheng Yucheng didn’t know if he was carrying a heavy burden or if he had finally let go of one.

Zheng Baoqiu finally noticed someone behind her. “Big brother, you’ve been drinking? I’ll have the kitchen—”

Zheng Yucheng waved his hand. “It’s alright, no need. I’ll go sleep it off.”

Zheng Baoqiu ran off. “At least have a cup of honey water, wait a minute, I’ll go make it for you.”

Chen Wengang stopped grooming the dog and looked back at Zheng Yucheng. YOYO pawed at him impatiently.

Zheng Yucheng walked up the stairs without looking back. “You two carry on, I need to rest.”

He climbed two steps at a time, as if afraid he might regret it.

Chen Wengang couldn’t fathom what hidden secret he carried. In the ten or fifteen days that followed, his own life remained very peaceful.

A professor in the School of Social Sciences whose research interests aligned with his replied to his email. Everything went smoothly when they met at the school. After talking for over an hour, the professor welcomed him to submit his application.

On his way back, he caught the freshman sports meet. He ran into a few classmates and was inexplicably dragged to the stands to cheer for their department.

Across the track, he and You Ying saw Qi Tongzhou. But they were far away, and Qi Tongzhou didn’t notice them in the stands.

After the school year started, the young people were busy burning through their youth; it wasn’t surprising they were signing up for the sports meet. What was surprising was that Qi Tongzhou had participated in the 10,000-meter run. After placing, he returned like a hero, with a crowd of people offering him water, fanning him, and helping him off the track.

A familiar figure seemed to flash by. Chen Wengang remembered Li Hongqiong’s gossip and looked over there several times, unsure.

You Ying asked curiously, “What are you looking at?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I think I saw wrong.”

The professor had given Chen Wengang a reading list. He borrowed some books from the library, but he didn’t need to run to campus every day. Most of his time was still spent at the Houren Special Education School; if there was work, he did it, and if not, he flipped through books and did his studies.

In the evening, Chen Wengang left late. He was the only one left in the office when someone knocked twice.

Jiang Wanxia walked in, calling out a timid “Teacher Chen.”

Luo Suwei had determined that she had not passed her probation and had issued an ultimatum for her to move out as soon as possible, though she had helped her find other accommodation.

Jiang Wanxia had been dragging her feet and hadn’t moved out yet. Chen Wengang felt a sense of vigilance. “Sister Wanxia, what is it?”

She lowered her voice. “I want to… talk about Caicai.”

Chen Wengang sighed and closed his book. “Sit down—wait, stay there.” He got up to fetch her a chair.

Then he sat back in his office chair. Jiang Wanxia was very grateful. “I’ve always known you have a kind heart, so…”

Chen Wengang interrupted her. “Speak plainly.”

Jiang Wanxia lowered her voice.

After listening, Chen Wengang was stunned for a long time.

She swore, “It’s true. Her father is Huo Fenglai. When I was working as a greeter at the hotel… that’s when I conceived her. If you don’t believe me, you can have a DNA test done with the Huo family.”

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