DLRAS Chapter 90

Chapter 90: It was a whim.

Half an hour later, Huo Niansheng climbed up to the attic. He came to call Chen Wengang: “Who are you still on the phone with?”

Chen Wengang said, “Just a moment.”

Jiang Cai immediately grew alert: “Who else is there?”

She had been rambling to Chen Wengang for ages. Before going abroad, she hadn’t necessarily thought much of him, but things were different now. Having finally found someone who spoke her mother tongue and whom she could trust, he suddenly seemed as precious to her as a giant panda.

Jiang Cai’s mind was a mess, and her words were all over the place. Chen Wengang couldn’t get a word in edgewise and simply listened to her vent.

It wasn’t until Huo Niansheng’s face appeared in the frame that she paused awkwardly. “That’s it then, I won’t say anymore, hanging up.”

Huo Niansheng let out a scoffing laugh.

Chen Wengang tugged at his hand, following behind him as they walked down the stairs step by step.

Yu Shanding had gifted a tea set for the housewarming. He unpacked it, scalded it with boiling water, and began brewing the high-end tea leaves he had brought along.

The TV was on, blaring noisily as Lu Chenlong watched cartoons with his younger brother, pointing at the screen to explain things to him. Yu Shanding handed Chen Wengang a teacup and called the others over for a taste. Zheng Baoqiu and Qi Tongzhou were playing Chinese checkers; Qi Tongzhou also accepted a cup from Yu Shanding. However, he couldn’t distinguish good tea from bad. His palate was accustomed to coffee, so he merely thought it tasted fine and quite fragrant.

Zheng Baoqiu had no interest in tea either, propping up her chin and waving her hand in refusal.

With so many people in the house, it felt a bit crowded, making it hard to even turn around freely, but it was incredibly lively. This was exactly why a housewarming needed human presence to “warm” it up. Only with a crowd would the energy flourish, bringing the cold, old house back to life so it could shelter its inhabitants from the wind and rain.

Zheng Baoqiu excitedly called out to Chen Wengang: “Come quick, I’m about to win! Next round we’ll play with three people.”

Without taking no for an answer, Chen Wengang was dragged into the fray.

Huo Niansheng also took a teacup, took a slow sip, and sat behind him to watch, keeping one hand resting steadily on Chen Wengang’s waist.

Qi Tongzhou was the only one entirely distracted. He couldn’t help but steal glances at that hand and that waist, and within a few moves, his game had fallen to pieces.

The colorful glass marbles rolled into a messy pile before his eyes, much like the chaotic tangle of thoughts in his mind.

Qi Tongzhou couldn’t help but guess—what kind of blackmail did this man have on Chen Wengang? Was it really blackmail?

If someone didn’t accept him, he wouldn’t pester them. So why was it okay for Huo Niansheng to do so?

This was wrong; it was despicable behavior!

Amidst his internal conflict, Qi Tongzhou accepted a friendly gesture from Xiaobao, who stumbled over and proudly offered whatever he was clutching in his fist.

Qi Tongzhou reached out to take it, and Xiaobao dropped a handful of empty, sucked-clean crab legs into his palm.

Secretly, Zheng Baoqiu found a moment to whisper to Chen Wengang: “I found out where Mu Qing’s new place is.”

“How do you know? Did you ask him?”

“No. When he was moving his stuff, Uncle Lin brought someone to help him pack, and I tagged along to take a look.”

Chen Wengang wasn’t surprised that Mu Qing couldn’t handle these things himself. For a wealthy young master, having an appallingly low level of basic life skills didn’t seem strange at all. He knew many people like that. Growing up in massive mansions surrounded by servants, they had never experienced communal living. Even if they went to a boarding school, they never had to wash a single sock or make a bed themselves; the school provided staff to do it for them.

Chen Wengang still remembered when he first transferred to Zheng Yucheng’s elementary school. Some classmates didn’t even know how to eat a hard-boiled egg—the eggs they saw at home were always peeled and sliced. Discovering that they had to crack and peel the shell themselves thoroughly challenged their worldview.

Zheng Baoqiu said of Mu Qing: “He knows how to enjoy himself. He rented a serviced apartment, so he’s still living quite comfortably.”

She added, “But it’s definitely not as nice as your place here. He’s a complete loner now; nobody wants to pay attention to him anymore.”

Chen Wengang smiled. “What’s so nice about my place?”

Zheng Baoqiu teased him: “I see exactly what’s going on. Wherever you go, my cousin follows right behind. What do you have to be dissatisfied with?”

By evening, after dinner, the guests began to take their leave one by one.

Before departing, everyone helped gather the trash. Chen Wengang held a black garbage bag filled with bright orange crab shells, and Yu Shanding reached out to take it from him: “Give it to me, we’ll toss it on our way past the dumpster.”

Once the guests departed, the tea went cold, and the house finally quieted down.

The streetlamps began to flicker on. Some neighboring families ate dinner late, and the sizzling sound of vegetables hitting a hot wok just started ringing out.

Chen Wengang linked arms with Huo Niansheng, and the two went out for a walk, strolling along the cobblestone path toward the riverbank like any ordinary couple.

He was deeply familiar with the environment around here.

White houses stood in close rows along the water, varying in height and unevenly staggered. Most families cultivated plants, with lush green branches and leaves poking out through window grilles. Some houses had back doors opening directly onto the river. Chen Wengang pointed out to Huo Niansheng that, many years ago, some families used to wash their clothes right in the river water. The wooden washboards were rubbed smooth and rounded in the center, and housewives would stand barefoot in wooden tubs to stomp on the laundry.

Huo Niansheng lowered his head and kissed him—a cool, soft touch pressed against his lips, feeling like a translucent drop of rain in the river breeze.

On their way back, just as they neared the house, rain actually started falling from the sky. Chen Wengang pulled Huo Niansheng into a quick jog.

They were lucky. The moment they shut the door, the heavy rain poured down with a roar, carrying a bleak chill. With each autumn rain came a deeper cold.

Chen Wengang felt around in the dark for the light switch, while Huo Niansheng, hands in his pockets, leisurely followed behind him.

A soft glow filled the room. Turning around, Chen Wengang immediately collided with a pair of deep, dark eyes.

His heart pounded wildly. He thought to himself: You can hide on the first of the month, but you can’t hide on the fifteenth. The reckoning was inevitable.

Huo Niansheng pressed him down, making him sit on the sofa, and pulled the jewelry box out of his pocket again. The matter from that afternoon still hadn’t been clearly resolved.

Chen Wengang’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and Huo Niansheng sat down beside him.

It was meant to be a surprise, but it had somehow turned into a scare. Actually, Huo Niansheng felt he was the one at fault here; he was in the wrong first. What right did he have to casually demand someone else’s things? Yet, Chen Wengang’s reaction made it seem as though he was the guilty party.

Once again, he wore that hesitant, self-imprisoning expression in front of Huo Niansheng.

What Huo Niansheng hoped he would confess wasn’t about two rings, but all the secrets hidden in his heart. He knew there definitely were some.

Fragmented memories were like a jigsaw puzzle. He had touched a few pieces, but most lay shattered and scattered on the floor. He didn’t know how much Chen Wengang had grasped, but looking at his current state, his heart ultimately softened. He didn’t have to force Chen Wengang to say anything; whatever he wanted to do was fine.

Huo Niansheng patted his back. “Are they really not for me? I thought you were going to use them to propose.”

Chen Wengang didn’t want to lie to him: “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I hadn’t yet considered whether you would accept.”

Huo Niansheng asked, “So what do we do now? You’ve already brought them out. Aren’t you going to put it on me?”

Chen Wengang took the box. Inside lay two silver rings, exquisitely crafted exactly to the design he wanted.

In truth, this design was somewhat similar to the one Huo Niansheng had brought in their past life—which was precisely why it had captivated him at first glance. But whether it was truly identical, or what those original two rings specifically looked like, could no longer be verified. Only a vague, blurry impression remained.

It wasn’t that he didn’t regret it; he even felt a deep remorse. He had personally worn it once—for a total of less than a minute.

As desperately as Huo Niansheng had wanted to put it on him, that was how urgently he had pulled it off and thrown it back, as if wearing it for a second longer would burn his hand.

Now that Chen Wengang was the one preparing the rings, he finally grasped a bit of empathy. He dared not look back at how hurtful that action had been. If Huo Niansheng had vindictively thrown the ring back at him in the next second, it might have actually made him feel a little better.

He grasped Huo Niansheng’s hand and slid it on bit by bit, his breathing unsteady, his heart trembling.

But Huo Niansheng, completely unaware, didn’t do anything of the sort.

Chen Wengang lowered his eyes, watching as Huo Niansheng placed the other ring on his ring finger.

Heaven had indeed given him a second chance, but he didn’t feel particularly relieved. This was purely a fluke.

Chen Wengang pulled a small smile, straddled Huo Niansheng’s lap, buried his face in the crook of his neck, and eagerly kissed his Adam’s apple and throat. Huo Niansheng, though confused by the sudden intensity, found his lips and kissed him back fiercely. They moved to the bedroom, and Huo Niansheng pressed him onto the bed.

The bedding was dry and soft, carrying the scent of sunshine.

Outside the window, the torrential rain poured.

…

Men tend to spout nonsense after intimacy. Huo Niansheng suddenly said, “Since the rings are already on, what’s the next step? Getting married?”

Chen Wengang stared at him with wide eyes, his expression blank and ignorant, not yet having processed the afterglow or the meaning behind his words.

Huo Niansheng rolled over, played with his fingers, pinching the hard metal band repeatedly, and asked again, “Do you want to get married?”

Chen Wengang finally understood. Possessed by some strange impulse, he asked blankly, “How do we get married?”

Huo Niansheng was acting on a whim, but he discussed the matter with great enthusiasm: “We can go to Las Vegas or somewhere else. There’s always a place where we can hold a ceremony. Regardless of whether it’s recognized domestically, it still signifies settling down. Do you want to?”

Chen Wengang felt like he was joking. But this joke was too enormous, and he didn’t dare answer right away.

Huo Niansheng pressed his forehead against his. “What, do you want to find another man? I thought when ordinary people reach this stage, they tie a rope to settle down. Look, everyone thinks I won’t get married, but I actually think stepping into a marriage to try it out wouldn’t hurt.”

Chen Wengang smiled faintly, wrapping his arms tighter around his neck. “Alright. But ordinary people don’t use a rope.”

Huo Niansheng had previously joked to Li Hongqiong that getting married was like hanging a rope around one’s neck, and now he was willingly walking right into the trap. “I’ll explain it to you later.”

Chen Wengang simply looked back at him gently and ethereally. Lying on the pillow, his face illuminated by the bedside lamp, he looked shy and tender.

Huo Niansheng thought of a phrase: It is all vanity, a chasing after the wind.

A restless yearning surged in his chest. He was chasing the wind, and Chen Wengang was chasing the wind, too, because humans are blindly ignorant creatures, never truly knowing what they want. But in order to grasp just a little something in their hands, they continue to chase tirelessly.

The rain was still falling, the sound lulling them to sleep.

Chen Wengang’s eyelids gradually grew heavy.

When he opened his eyes the next day, everything came rushing back. He lay there for a moment, then held his hand up to his face.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet. The ring was still there. He hadn’t been entirely sure if the rest was just a surreal dream.

Huo Niansheng was woken up by his movement. He rolled over and lazily scooped him back into his arms. “Why are you up so early?”

Chen Wengang mumbled a vague response, turned his head, and asked, “Do you still remember what you said yesterday?”

“What? Oh. Of course I remember.” Huo Niansheng’s consciousness cleared a bit. “Are you backing out?”

“No.” Chen Wengang propped himself up halfway and tenderly kissed his eyelid. “I love you.”

Amanda brought Jiang Cai back to the country a week later, and Chen Wengang drove to the airport to pick them up himself.

After receiving Jiang Cai’s phone call that day, Chen Wengang had brought it up to Huo Niansheng once: “You’re her brother. What are your thoughts?”

Huo Niansheng maintained his detached attitude: “Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all up to fate. Let her mourn.”

Jiang Cai seemed to have lost a little weight, though it wasn’t overly obvious. Her chin was sharp, and on her palm-sized face, it seemed only her two large eyes remained.

Chen Wengang took her suitcase and teased, “Did they not give you enough to eat abroad?”

Jiang Cai complained endlessly about being exhausted, but she had finally learned a bit about social graces. Suddenly remembering something, she spoke up as if claiming credit, saying she had brought durian candy, coconut candy, and other local specialties, and had packed a portion specifically for Chen Wengang in her suitcase.

She was completely inept at these social niceties, her small talk feeling very forced and deliberate. He wondered who had taught her.

By the time they returned to the city center, it was already eight in the evening. The three of them decided to grab something to eat and sat down at a hotpot restaurant.

Jiang Cai’s emotions had stabilized. When she talked about her loss of composure that day, she even seemed a bit embarrassed.

She acted like she didn’t care: “Actually, it’s fine. At least I went over and saw her one last time. In the end, I was the one taking care of her in the hospital room. Sister Luo told me to clear the air with my mom. The good and the bad have all been spoken; there are no regrets left.”

Chen Wengang flipped through the menu. “A person doesn’t have many close connections in this lifetime, especially parents. If you can cherish them, you should.”

Jiang Cai let out an “Oh” and placed both her hands on the table.

Chen Wengang asked, “What are your plans now?”

Jiang Cai let out an “Ah?”—this time the pitch rising as she looked back at him blankly.

One look, and Chen Wengang knew she had absolutely no concept of the situation. “You need to understand that you’re entirely alone now. With your mother gone, you can only plan for yourself. How you’re going to live your life from now on, how Huo Zhenfei is going to arrange things for you—these are all things you have to go and negotiate with him.”

Jiang Cai found the very thought highly repulsive. “Why should I listen to him? At the worst, once I come of age, he won’t be able to control me anymore, right?”

Chen Wengang regretfully informed her: “As long as he wants to control you, he can. He has plenty of methods. You don’t need me to tell you; you can feel it yourself. Your current situation makes you a sandwich cookie caught in the middle. The Huo family has acknowledged you, yes, but there are very few people who actually hold any goodwill toward you. The moment you step in, you lose your freedom. You definitely won’t have control over your own life.”

He poured her a cup of tea. “Did your mother explain this to you too?”

Jiang Cai looked sheepish.

In her final days, Jiang Wanxia had indeed constantly nagged her about this, holding her hand and instructing her to flatter Chen Wengang and build a close relationship with him. She was a woman who hadn’t been treated kindly by life, so she knew very well whose kindness could be exploited.

But Jiang Cai didn’t see it that way. The experiences of the past period had inevitably forced her to think more deeply. It was true that Chen Wengang was a good person, and if she wanted to improve her relationship with him, it was entirely genuine. She didn’t want to flatter anyone, nor was she trying to garner pity.

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