After Jiang Xinghuai finished speaking, he didn’t feel anything was wrong. Seeing Fu Yan smile at him, he felt reassured and turned back to cutting the cake.
The cake was too small. Divided proportionally, with nine men, each person would only get a single bite.
But since Jiang Xinghuai had directly cut half of it for Fu Yan, the remaining eight men had to split the other half.
Zhu Gaofei stared dumbfounded at the cake in his bowl, his tone sour: “Hurry up and eat it. Otherwise, once the wind blows, it’ll scatter into dust.”
“Ah! No way! This cake is blinding!” Zhou Dachun covered his eyes and cried out in pain.
“Where’s the cake, where’s the cake?” Guo Wei opened his eyes wide, searching everywhere.
Jiang Xinghuai: “………………”
“If you’re not eating it, give it to me.” Jiang Xinghuai glared at them.
“Just teasing you.” Zhu Gaofei chuckled, finished his bite of cake, and smacked his lips. “Tomorrow, you guys can drive my Jeep. I had Wei bring it over. It’s parked outside.”
“I have a car.” Fu Yan said.
“That little beat-up van of yours?” Zhu Gaofei asked.
Fu Yan raised an eyebrow.
“Fly a plane! Fly a plane!” Jiang Xinghuai jumped up.
“I have an off-road vehicle in my garage.” Fu Yan said.
“Flying a plane is so cool, fly a plane!” Jiang Xinghuai insisted.
“Alright, the off-road has a high chassis and it’s heavy.” Zhu Gaofei nodded. “We don’t have much in the way of weapons anyway. Only brought you about half of what we had.”
“No need for that many.” Fu Yan said.
“Let’s not talk about that.” Zhu Gaofei raised his hand and waved it off. “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Seven o’clock.” Fu Yan said.
“Then hurry up, time to pack your things.” Zhu Gaofei urged.
“Wait, did anyone hear me talking?” Jiang Xinghuai cleared his throat. “I know the suggestion about flying a plane was a bit dumb, but could you at least acknowledge me?”
“I’ll have Dachun move the usable weapons into your car later,” Zhu Gaofei said. “Didn’t give you the complicated stuff, only the simple and easy ones.”
“Thanks.” Fu Yan nodded in gratitude.
“Want some water?” Jiang Xinghuai cut in again, handing each person a glass of water.
“Good kid.” Fu Yan let out a low chuckle.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jiang Xinghuai glanced at him sideways. “Did that piece of cake just go straight to your brain?”
Fu Yan: “…………”
“I’m eighteen! An adult now!” Jiang Xinghuai shouted to remind him. “Not a kid! I’m a grown man now!”
Fu Yan nodded. “Alright, grown man.”
“I like it when you call me a grown man.” Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes curved in a smile. “Makes me sound really cool.”
“Grown man, go take a shower.” Fu Yan placed his hand on Jiang Xinghuai’s back and pushed him forward.
“Together!” Jiang Xinghuai grabbed him and dashed upstairs in a flash.
“Hey! What are you doing! What are you doing!” Zhu Gaofei stood where he was, watching their backs as they disappeared into the distance. “You two better not sleep together! Did you hear me?”
“And why were you holding hands just now! No holding hands!” After shouting, Zhu Gaofei racked his brains, then added, “Also! No taking off clothes when you shower!”
“Fei Ge, stop yelling…” Guo Wei put a hand on his shoulder, shook his head, and sighed. “They’re already long gone.”
After finishing his shower, Jiang Xinghuai went back to his room first. He sat cross-legged on the floor, folding his clothes one by one.
When he left home, he had brought a total of three pairs of pants. Fu Yan had already cut holes in two of them.
Jiang Xinghuai looked at his pants and sighed. After a while, he started laughing, chuckling happily.
“What’s got you so cheerful?” Fu Yan pushed the door open and came in.
“Look at how you cut up my pants.” Jiang Xinghuai held them up seriously. “You’ve got to compensate me.”
“Alright.” Fu Yan squatted down, quickly folded the clothes scattered on the ground, and put them into the bag for him. “Tomorrow I’ll look for the clothes I used to wear in middle school. You should be able to wear them.”
“Fine, as long as it’s not a suit.” Jiang Xinghuai nodded. But after nodding, he suddenly realized something was off.
Middle school.
Clothes Fu Yan wore in middle school.
“You’re just roundabout mocking me for being short, aren’t you?” Jiang Xinghuai was speechless.
“Get on the bed and sleep.” Fu Yan laughed. “Though it’s true, back in middle school I was already taller than you are now.”
“I’m still growing.” Jiang Xinghuai climbed into bed. He sat upright and pointed a finger at Fu Yan. “You’ve already stopped growing—no, you’re already aging.”
Fu Yan: “…………”
Fu Yan’s face darkened as he turned off the light.
Jiang Xinghuai couldn’t fall asleep. Stepping out of his safe zone was dangerous, yet in his heart, he felt a faint excitement and thrill.
It was like he was challenging something.
And even before the battle began, he had already declared victory for himself.
That was how confident he was.
“Don’t move around.” Fu Yan patted the blanket over his waist. “We’re getting up early tomorrow. Sleep.”
Jiang Xinghuai instantly froze, not daring to move. In the darkness, he blinked, lowered his breathing.
Slowly, he turned his head and saw Fu Yan’s dark silhouette.
So dark.
Sleepiness gradually welled up. Unconsciously, Jiang Xinghuai leaned over in that direction, hugged him, and slowly drifted off.
It didn’t feel like he slept for long, just like closing his eyes and opening them again.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Jiang Xinghuai lifted his head slightly and glanced toward the faint sound.
Fu Yan, with his back facing him, had just pulled on his pants. He had taken off his sleepwear and was about to put on a shirt. His bare torso turned as he reached for his clothes, the muscles along his back and waist stretching into graceful, powerful lines.
Jiang Xinghuai suddenly felt a rush of heat in his nose.
Seeing his eyes open, Fu Yan softly asked, “Did I wake you?”
Jiang Xinghuai awkwardly curled his body under the blanket, hiding with only his eyes showing. “No.”
“You can sleep a little longer.” Fu Yan said.
“Mm…” Jiang Xinghuai answered, burying his head back under the covers. What else could he do if he didn’t sleep? He couldn’t exactly get up like this.
It was quite a while before Jiang Xinghuai finally crawled out from under the blanket.
He lowered his head. Looking at his pants, his face was slightly flushed.
Being an adult really was different. Such strong firepower…
“Stop fussing with your hair!” Zhu Gaofei grabbed the back of Jiang Xinghuai’s neck and dragged him away from the mirror. “What are you doing, walking a runway show or heading to Paris Fashion Week?”
“I was just checking a little…” Jiang Xinghuai rarely acted spoiled like this.
“I’ll go start the car.” Fu Yan took the bag from Jiang Xinghuai’s hands and went to the garage first.
Looking at the big bag of luggage, Zhu Gaofei suddenly realized his godson really was about to run off with someone.
“How’s your leg?” Zhu Gaofei bent down, wanting to lift his pant leg.
“It’s scabbing over.” Jiang Xinghuai quickly stopped him.
“Come back early. Don’t go fooling around outside!” Zhu Gaofei glared at him, though his eyes were already red. “Got it?”
“Don’t worry.” Jiang Xinghuai spread his arms and hugged him, his voice choking up too. “Drink less, eat less sweets. Just look at how fat you’ve gotten.”
“You’d better eat more!” Zhu Gaofei gave his back a hard rub. “I packed you plenty of snacks, but don’t eat too many. Eat proper meals. Did you hear me?”
“Mm.” Jiang Xinghuai nodded.
Zhu Gaofei, feeling distressed, wiped away his tears. Then, pretending to be casual, he mentioned, “Do you still remember me telling you before, about your dad calling me?”
“What about it?” Jiang Xinghuai’s expression slowly cooled, not understanding why he would bring this up.
“When he called, he said he was in Beijing.” Zhu Gaofei watched his face. “This time, when you go over there, if you want to find him, I can give you his address—”
“Godfather.” Jiang Xinghuai cut him off. “I won’t look for him again.”
“He’s the one who abandoned me first.” Jiang Xinghuai enunciated each word clearly and firmly.
Zhu Gaofei sighed, patted his back. “Get in the car.”
The vehicle drove out through the black iron gate. Two big swans waddled along behind it, flapping their wings from time to time.
Jiang Xinghuai waved at them, then turned back and sat properly.
This entire villa district was in a remote location, so the greenery was especially well-maintained. The environment was beautiful, with fresh air.
Along the way, they only occasionally saw a stiff, wandering infected. Overall, it was far more soothing than the sights inside the city.
But Jiang Xinghuai leaned his head toward the window, his face clouded, his mood heavy.
He had tried hard enough to ignore it, to stop himself from thinking about how his father had abandoned him. But no matter what, it still affected him to some degree.
Actually, it wasn’t exactly abandonment. After all, he was still his biological son. It was just that, in comparison, he wasn’t important enough, not worth that much care.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to use his better side to hold together this family that was about to break apart. But no one cared. No one noticed whether his temper had gotten better or worse.
They had no expectations for him at all. In this family, he seemed like an unnecessary existence.
Even a pet cat or dog had more presence than he did.
He felt miserable, but powerless to change anything. Until that day, when his father told him he had to go to that woman’s house first, he suddenly gave up. Suddenly, it all felt meaningless.
“Close the window.” Fu Yan coughed twice as he spoke.
“Why are you coughing?” Jiang Xinghuai snapped out of his thoughts, rolled the window up, and then turned to frown at him. “Caught a cold?”
“I’m fine.” Fu Yan said.
Jiang Xinghuai’s brows furrowed tighter. Fu Yan’s complexion didn’t look good. Dark circles were even visible under his eyes.
These past two days, Fu Yan had been the most exhausted. Fu Yan had to do everything.
“Let me drive.” Jiang Xinghuai suggested.
“You have a license?” Fu Yan teased him.
“Uncle Dachun secretly taught me.” Jiang Xinghuai said, then glanced warily toward the roadside. “As long as no cops catch me, it’s fine. There shouldn’t be police checking cars anymore, right?”
Fu Yan thought about it, then finally nodded. His condition really wasn’t great right now. His head felt a bit dizzy. Normally, it was manageable. But at this moment, he didn’t dare take risks.
The two of them switched seats and settled in.
“Step on the gas first, right?” Jiang Xinghuai gripped the steering wheel nervously. “It’s the left side, isn’t it?”
Fu Yan: “…………”
“Why’s it raining now?” Jiang Xinghuai stared at the droplets falling, then hurriedly fumbled around for the windshield wiper switch. “Where do I press? Here?”
Honk!
The horn blared.
Fu Yan was silent for a moment. “I’d better drive.”
“Drive what! Your most important mission right now is to close your eyes and rest properly.” Jiang Xinghuai scolded him, then buried his head into figuring things out. After quite a bit of fiddling, he finally managed to work it out.
After all that commotion, the two of them finally got onto the main road.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Jiang Xinghuai asked worriedly.
“I’m alright.” Fu Yan took the paper map from the front windshield.
“I stole Fei Fei’s thermos.” Jiang Xinghuai proudly pulled a large thermos out of his pants pocket. “I made brown sugar water in it for you. Hurry, drink it. It’s really hot.”
“Thanks.” Fu Yan accepted it and set it aside. He unrolled the marked map, studied it for a moment, then tapped a certain spot with his finger. “We’re here right now. To get to Beijing, there are two routes. But we can’t take the highway. We’ll have to go the long way, so the travel time will increase.”
“I got it, stop talking.” Jiang Xinghuai looked at him with worry. “Your voice is already hoarse.”
“From here, we’re facing a twelve-hour drive to reach the destination, assuming nothing unexpected happens.” Fu Yan frowned at the map. “The conditions of a few routes are still unclear, so we’ll have to decide once we get there. And right now, I’m only assuming he’s still trapped in Beijing. I can’t be sure. So… we might have to search for a long time.”
“Stop talking, just rest already.” Jiang Xinghuai muttered.
“If the situation turns bad, I’ll change the route. As for the driving, I’ll switch with you after four hours.” Fu Yan finished, then turned to look at him. “Do you have anything else you want to ask?”
“Is your ex-boyfriend single right now?” Jiang Xinghuai asked.
Fu Yan: “…………”
Fu Yan turned his head, closed his eyes, and began to rest.
Author’s note:
Fu Yan: Why didn’t I just shut up from the start? I hate this.
