CH 19

The meeting with his father occurred at an inconvenient time. In a panic, An Wuyang could only conceal his face, overlooking that his exposed back might naught his cover as his father might recognize it. 

He was so pumped that hiding in Huo Yunchuan’s chest was not enough. His fists gripped the man’s clothes even tighter and drilled his face even more as if he wanted to squeeze his entire body into the other’s.

“……” Eldest Young Master Huo stiffened in utter shock. The sensation of the boy’s breathing and nose rubbing against his chest was too clear through his thin undershirt.

On the one hand, he was stunned, but on the other, he wanted to complain. This coquettish act came on him suddenly. Willful, indeed.

“What’s the matter, cough?” He asked as he hugged the other person.

An Wuyang needed more time to respond. His heart was galloping like a mad horse against his ribcage, and his palms were sweating profusely. At the same time, An Wuyang’s eyes were nailed on the periphery of his father’s approach behind him… One step, two steps…

“Good morning, Section Chief An.”

The unexpected greeting took aback him; it turned out that someone else had greeted his father.

“Xiao Lin is early today,” Father An said as he approached.

Fortunately, he went unnoticed, which was great.

An Wuyang monitored his father as he walked away, peering over Huo Yunchuan’s shoulder. While he was relieved, he could not explain why his heart ached for a sense of loss.

‘Dad couldn’t even recognize my back.

What if I turned out to be my younger brother?’

He couldn’t stop such wild thoughts from racing through his mind.

“Are you feeling ill?” Huo Yunchuan bowed and asked seriously, wrapping his arms around An Wuyang’s sides.

“No.” Seeing his father had walked far enough, An Wuyang promptly withdrew. “I’m fine.” Realizing how he had acted, he put on a naïve pretense as if nothing had happened.

The warmth of the other in Huo Yunchuan’s arms receded slowly, as did the distinct smell tickling his nose.

He clenched his fingers together and said, calmly and naturally, “Let’s proceed, then.”

An Wuyang worried about his father in the company and was unwilling to stay long. “How long will it take you? Can I wait for you downstairs instead?”

Huo Yunchuan stared at him. “Milk tea shop?”

An Wuyang hurriedly nodded. “Yes.”

“Don’t even think about it.” The man’s expression turned frigid, and with arms perched around the boy’s waist, he motioned them forward. “Don’t let me catch you eating junk food in secret. Otherwise, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“……” An Wuyang was perplexed. ‘Did this man misunderstand something?’

“I…”

‘It wasn’t just for snacks!’

This man certainly misunderstood the ways of an 18-year-old, and it was dire.

He stood 1.87 meters tall and possessed long legs. His usual stride was long and swift. Today, however, to accommodate the youngster ahead of him, his walking speed was three times slower than usual.

Huarui’s employees had never met the head of the company and had only heard of Huo Yunchuan’s name.

When they realized the imposing man before they were the legendary Boss Huo, the ladies’ expressions were painted with pure horror. They didn’t even dare breathe in front of the boss.

“Mister Huo, hello.”

“Where is the office?” Huo Yunchuan asked.

The beautiful young lady knew the bounds and was cautious. She nervously answered, “Allow me to take you there. Please come this way….”

Huo Yunchuan then trod slowly with his arms around An Wuyang, not looking sideways the entire while. And could not be bothered to pay attention to those who were inconsequential to him, even if they were his employees.

This man’s dignified and imposing bearing seemed to come naturally to him as if it were engraved within his bones.

An Wuyang was conflicted about staying further beside the man. He felt the gap between them was too significant to bridge, much like the factual difference between a stone and a diamond.

“Would you like to drink coffee or tea?” the receptionist asked.

“No, you go out,” said Huo Yunchuan.

He scrutinized the sofa before allowing An Wuyang to sit. “Stop moving about. I’ll go fetch water,” he said, twisting the thermos cup off. Huo Yunchuan discovered a nearby water dispenser and filled the cup with hot water.

An Wuyang got out of bed early this morning and walked a lot. So, when he got into contact with the plush sofa, he could not stop and plopped down.

Only after he had settled into a comfortable position did Mister Huo walk back with a cup in his hand.

“…” The uncouth young man straightened up as though burned by hot coal; his cheeks burned with humiliation.

Huo Yunchuan’s eyes locked for a few seconds, but he said nothing. He threaded the distance, set the thermos cup down, and sat. “You may lie down if you are tired.”

His tone was kind and polite.

The issue was… An Wuyang cast a glance at him. The man sat in the same spot where he had just rested his face. If he yielded and resumed his original position, he would sleep on the man’s lap.

He withdrew his gaze, sat still, fully aware of his heart, and pretended he was not exhausted. 

Eldest Young Master Huo waited long, but the boy beside him remained motionless. 

His lips became a thin line, and he sneered. Once again, he was reminded that the other party hated him and refused to be intimate.

“…” Then so be it. So lovely that everyone agreed.

After a while, An Wuyang asked, “Would you like to scoot away a little? When I lie down, I might pin your legs.”

President Huo scooted his derriere over noiselessly while continuing his silent treatment.

An Wuyang originally wanted to lie down against the armrest, but he could not show disrespect toward the other. Thus, after reckoning the distance, he laid down with his head towards Huo Yunchuan. 

He expected his cheeks to land on the softly cushioned sofa but was electrified. What An Wuyang connected with was Huo Yunchuan’s leg, and the suit’s pants fabric caressed his cheeks hotly. 

“Sorry…” He jolted from the electric shock. 

“Lie down. Don’t mess around.” A hand pressed An Wuyang down. Their exposed skin was heavily plastered to the other. 

An Wuyang’s breathing pattern became erratic. Although subtle, he was uncomfortable with the intimate proximity. His mind was unspared, filled with galloping thoughts on how close the distance was and such…

When he realized Huo Yunchuan was studying him, An Wuyang face went beet red, and he shut his eyes and pretended to sleep. 

After some reflection, sleeping in someone else’s office was not a good idea. If Father An came over at any time, this scene simply could not be seen.”I am no longer drowsy, Mister Huo,” An Wuyang said, opening his eyes, “so I’ll get up and wait for you instead.”

He then propped himself up and leaned against the sofa, preferring to keep a safe distance.

For the second time in a half-hour, Huo Yunchuan realized how unliked he was.

“As you wish,” he said, pulling his gaze away.

Meanwhile, someone initially scheduled an appointment with the president of the primary company. On the other hand, Secretary Chen informed him on the spur of the moment that the president had returned to Huarui.

Gao Yan was heading to an official appointment and was constantly on the move.

Returning to Hua Rui and seeing President Huo took him more than a half-hour.

Gao Yan was taken aback when he noticed Huo Yunchuan had company inside the office. But still, the latter was unenthused for any introduction. Thus, Gao Yan did not ask questions, only glancing covertly in his periphery.

“Cousin, how is the old man doing overseas?”  Huo Yunchuan inquired. Not only were they subordinates, but he and Gao Yan were also distant relatives.

However, using Gao Yan was not only for the sake of them being relatives. That was not how Huo Yunchuan played. 

“The Old Master¹ is faring well. He hasn’t returned to his homeland for over 20 years, so he might have to return this time.” Gao Yan sat across from him with his heart welling up with heavy emotions. 

The first he saw his biao ge² in person, Gao Yan felt that he was indeed the epitome of how the elders assess him–imposing and impressive. Although Yunchuan was only one to two years older than him, the achievements between them could be compared to heaven and earth. 

Huo Yunchuan was well-off, even in the face department. The type of person could not be envied for being the brilliant son of heaven. 

“En, I’ll see him then when he returns.” Huo Yunchuan was taken under the wing of the other man when he was a child. Unsurprisingly, he faced Gao Yan more amiably than others.

“As for the company, I know you are well-versed in management. So, I won’t interfere in any trivialities as long as it could benefit me with excellent results.”

“I know.” Before returning to China, Gao Yan discussed the developmental course of the new company with the other party. Great timing that the global economy was in a slump. In fact, he admired Huo Yunchuan to an extent for pioneering another territory for expansion during this recession. 

They talked about the economy, work, market trends, and so on. An Wuyang could not understand 80% of it and was not interested in understanding either. 

With nothing to do, he sat there, bored, staring at the thermos cup on the table. 

Just as Huo Yunchuan was listening to Gao Yan’s opinions, his gaze slid to An Wuyang whose eyes were eyeing the thermos. He promptly asked, “Want to drink water?” Then he grabbed the thermos, unscrewed the lid, and offered the bottle. 

An Wuyang, who had gotten used to this attentive care, took it straight away to drink. 

When he realized that the office had become quiet, Huo Yunchuan looking at him and the gentleman across from them too, An Wuyang felt self-conscious.

He returned the bottle to Huo Yunchuan and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

The latter tidied his things away and promptly stood up with An Wuyang. “I’ll take you there.” Huo Yunchuan glanced and said toward Gao Yan, “You wait for a moment.” 

“It’s fine. You’re occupied with another matter first,” Gao Yan replied immediately.

In fact, his mind felt akin to the gales of the storm and was enormously curious. Why hadn’t he heard before that there was such a person by Huo Yunchuan’s side? 

To be taken care of like this, you must be very significant. 

Gao Yan’s heart thumped. Only unreasonable assumptions crossed his mind. Perhaps it was Huo Yuchuan’s illegitimate son… However, the age felt wrong. 

The youngster looked to be at least sixteen or seventeen years old.

Unless Huo Yunchuan was 14 when he had him…

Sss³! Such time was impossible. 

Gao Yan discerned as if he knew something incredible. So, should the Huo family know about it too?

As soon as An Wuyang went out, he regretted it. He remembered his father’s presence. He should not have come out. 

There was nothing to turn back for him, though. He only tipped the brim of his hat lower and leaned toward Huo Yunchuan. 

“Hello, may I ask where the lavatory is?” Huo Yunchuan asked someone passing by. 

After asking the location, he drew the boy closer, who suddenly became willing to get close to him, and headed to the bathroom.

An Wuyang’s attention was focused elsewhere. He overlooked Huo Yunchuan, who followed him even into the tiny cubicle. 

He stood in front of the toilet bowl, unzipped his pants habitually, supported himself up, and urinated in one go.

Huo Yunchuan stood behind and watched with pleased eyes. His throat did a painful bobbed. A hand tugged at his tie while internally thinking he must be insane. Even someone with a severe case of clean freak would be ecstatic to see someone else pee.

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The author has something to say:

Mr. Huo is incurable. Just give him sunlight, and it will be bright. 

Footnotes:

[1] 老人家 (lǎo rén jiā) – Polite term for old woman or man

[2] 表格 (biăo gé) – An older male cousin from the mother line.

[3] Sss – The sound of air sucked between the teeth, which was Gao Yan’s reaction to his absurd ideas.