PTBLSI chapter 49

 

The floor-to-ceiling window in the living room was enormous, offering a framed view of the city at night. The orange cat seemed to understand that it was out of place, dragging its tail as it hid in the corner of the sofa.

Fu Yanchuan stared at Qi Xi without moving for a long while. Then he leaned close to Qi Xi’s lips and said, “Xi Xi, say it again.”

Qi Xi was no longer afraid of Fu Yanchuan, and he even showed signs of wanting to climb all over him and cause trouble. He pushed Fu Yanchuan’s face away and said, “Not saying it! Unless you say, ‘Xi Xi brother is amazing.’”

Seeing his serious expression, Fu Yanchuan laughed. “Xi Xi is amazing.”

“You didn’t say ‘brother.’”

Qi Xi was dissatisfied and asked, “Didn’t say what?”

“Brother.”

“Mm.”

Fu Yanchuan accepted the “brother,” then leaned over and kissed him. “Brother likes you, too.”

“You’re so annoying!”

Qi Xi blushed as he pushed Fu Yanchuan away, struggling to hide in the other corner of the sofa. He grabbed the orange cat that was watching the fun. “Dasheng, you’re still the most well-behaved. Not like some people who trick others into calling them brother.”

The orange cat looked confused. “Meow?”

Fu Yanchuan looked at the person and cat opposite him. Qi Xi was giving him a sideways glare, like a little dog whose fur had been teased into standing on end. Just as he was about to call someone over, a phone call came in.

Uncle Quan was worried that Fu Yanchuan had argued with Fu Zhenrong so fiercely before the New Year and hadn’t gone home once during the holiday. Now, he wasn’t attending the family banquet either, so Uncle Quan called again to remind him.

“Sir, don’t forget tomorrow’s family banquet at Yanhui Mountain Villa.”

Fu Yanchuan held the phone for a moment, then looked at Qi Xi and answered firmly, “I’ll go.”

Uncle Quan could tell from his tone that he was about to do something outrageous and worriedly added, “It’s the New Year. Whatever it is, wait until after the holiday. No matter what, they’re still your family.”

“It’s precisely because it’s the New Year that it’s good.”

After saying that, he hung up, tossed the phone aside, and called to the orange cat, “Dasheng, come here.”

The cat slipped out of Qi Xi’s hands and went to Fu Yanchuan’s side. It lay down obediently, letting Fu Yanchuan scratch its chin.

Qi Xi snorted, climbed over, and lay down on Fu Yanchuan’s legs. He raised his hand to touch Fu Yanchuan’s Adam’s apple. Fu Yanchuan always liked touching him there, but Qi Xi didn’t know what he was feeling for.

Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan grabbed his hand. “Didn’t you want to be the brother, Xi Xi? Why are you so jealous?”

Since returning from the sanatorium, Fu Yanchuan had occasionally called him “Xi Xi.” Every time he heard it, Qi Xi felt as if worms were crawling around in his heart. He covered Fu Yanchuan’s mouth with the hand that wasn’t caught. “I’m not jealous at all. Don’t call me Xi Xi anymore.”

Finally, Fu Yanchuan stopped petting the cat, lifted Qi Xi up, pulled him into his arms, and asked, “Xi Xi doesn’t like it?”

He didn’t answer. He hugged Fu Yanchuan’s neck, hid his face, and lightly bit his neck. In a muffled voice, he said, “If you call me Xi Xi again, I’ll call you Yan Yan.”

“Mm.”

Qi Xi froze for a second before lifting his head in surprise. “You agreed?”

“You can call me whatever you want.” Fu Yanchuan didn’t know what Qi Xi was being awkward about, but seeing him like this made him feel comfortable all over. He added, “If you call me Brother Yan Yan, I’d be even happier.”

“I’m not a kindergartener! I’m not calling that. I’ll call you Fu Yanchuan!”

“Call it once for me to hear.”

Qi Xi didn’t expect Fu Yanchuan to not be picky at all, so he called out, “Fu Yanchuan!”

“Mm.” Fu Yanchuan responded, then suddenly said, “Come eat with me tomorrow, okay?”

Qi Xi had just heard Fu Yanchuan’s phone call and asked, “Are you visiting relatives?”

Fu Yanchuan nodded. Qi Xi asked uncertainly, “Is it okay if I go? Won’t it be strange?”

“Not strange.”

As he spoke, he bit onto Qi Xi’s lip, sucking it up a little. “I hope you go with me, Qi Xi.”

Looking into Fu Yanchuan’s earnest eyes, Qi Xi thought of his father and felt that he must be just like him—unwelcome at home and not valued when visiting relatives. Feeling sorry for him, Qi Xi agreed. “Okay, I’ll go with you. From now on, no matter where, I’ll go with you.”

Fu Yanchuan tightened his grip on Qi Xi’s waist and whispered in his ear, “Xi Xi, kiss me.”

The Fu family held their annual family banquet at Yanhui Mountain Villa. The property had belonged to Fu Yanchuan’s great-grandfather and the banquet always started at noon and ended after lunch the next day.

There were too many siblings in Fu Zhenrong’s generation. In Fu Yanchuan’s memory, more people came every year. Later, even the rooms in the villa weren’t enough, so the younger generation had to squeeze together to sleep.

That night, Qi Xi went back to his own room to sleep. Early the next morning, Fu Yanchuan went to wake him up. Qi Xi stretched several times under the blanket before opening his eyes. “Brother Yan, morning.”

Fu Yanchuan hugged him through the blanket and asked, “Awake?”

Qi Xi shook his head honestly but then panicked, remembering that he had to support Fu Yanchuan today. “What time is it?”

Fu Yanchuan pressed him down. “No rush. It’s fine to be late.”

“Then let go of me so I can wash my face.”

Qi Xi didn’t understand Fu Yanchuan’s reply and felt secretly a little disappointed. However, he quickly decided that what they were wearing were couple outfits. If he said they looked like a couple, then they looked like a couple—what did that have to do with Fu Yanchuan?

Yanhui Mountain Villa was located on a mountain on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t far, but compared to the sanatorium, it was higher up and colder.

Although the property was under Fu Zhenrong’s name, it was managed by Fu Yanchuan’s fourth aunt. It was usually rented out for events such as cocktail parties and private auctions.

Qi Xi thought they were visiting someone’s home, but when they arrived, he realized it was an estate. There was a fountain and a plaza at the entrance, and the buildings inside resembled an earl’s castle from a TV drama.

As soon as he got out of the car, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Whose place is this?”

“Nobody’s.”

The car stopped in front of the main gate. Fu Yanchuan held Qi Xi’s hand and led him inside.

Qi Xi looked around curiously and forgot about the cold. It was only when he entered and the warm air wrapped around him that he shivered and moved closer to Fu Yanchuan.

“Brother Yan, it’s so cold.”

Fu Yanchuan covered his frozen, slightly red ears. “Once we’re inside, it won’t be cold anymore.”

“Oh my, what am I seeing here? President Fu, this is—?”

Someone suddenly spoke up. Qi Xi hurriedly let go of Fu Yanchuan and looked inside. He saw a tall man standing there. Instinctively, he hid behind Fu Yanchuan.

Fu Yanchuan wrapped an arm around Qi Xi and said, “Don’t be afraid. This is my cousin, Fu Jinghong.”

Qi Xi immediately straightened up and bowed slightly to the other person. “Hello, I’m Qi Xi.”

Fu Jinghong narrowed his eyes, looked Qi Xi up and down, and then looked at Fu Yanchuan in disbelief. He asked, “What do you mean by this?”

“Exactly what it means.”

Holding Qi Xi’s hand, Fu Yanchuan said, “Ignore him. Let’s go inside.”

Inside there was a living room. Qi Xi thought it was too big to be called a living room; it was as big as a banquet hall. Many people were gathered in clusters—adults and children alike—as if someone’s family were holding a wedding celebration.

He asked Fu Yanchuan in a low voice, “Brother Yan, are all these people your relatives?”

There were simply too many people in the Fu family. Fu Yanchuan didn’t plan to introduce them to Qi Xi individually. Soon after they entered, everyone looked toward them, then stared at their intertwined hands.

“Yanchuan? Who is this?”

Fu Yanchuan’s fourth aunt asked. She basically arranged all the family banquets.

Fu Yanchuan introduced him to everyone at once. “This is Qi Xi.”

After speaking, he turned to Qi Xi. “Xi Xi, call her Fourth Aunt.”

The other adults in the room instantly understood what Fu Yanchuan meant, and their expressions varied as they examined Qi Xi.

But Qi Xi himself didn’t understand yet. Staring at him, they all seemed to be waiting for something. Fu Yanchuan told him to call her, so he obediently said, “Hello, Fourth Aunt.”

“Hello.”

Fu Yanchuan only wanted to make his attitude clear. He didn’t want Qi Xi to be dragged away and asked a bunch of questions. After hearing the greeting, he said, “Fourth Aunt, I’ll take him inside first.”

Qi Xi was pulled away by Fu Yanchuan, but he still said, “Fourth Aunt, we’ll go first.”

Fu Yanchuan led him to a side room where there were many children—his nephews and nieces, and his younger siblings who had arrived later.

Fu Wanyi was also there with two children. The twin sister and brother ran over immediately when they saw Fu Yanchuan.

“Uncle Yan, happy New Year!”

Fu Yanchuan had one child hanging onto each leg. He reached into Qi Xi’s coat pocket and pulled out two red envelopes.

Qi Xi didn’t know when Fu Yanchuan had put them in his pocket. Fu Yanchuan handed one to each child and said, “These are from Uncle Qi.”

The twins immediately turned to look at Qi Xi, examining him curiously for a long while. Then, they let go of Fu Yanchuan and went to greet Qi Xi. “Happy New Year, Uncle Qi! Thank you, Uncle Qi.”

Seeing this, a group of nearby children also crowded over to Fu Yanchuan to give their New Year greetings, chattering noisily.

Fu Yanchuan cut them off and pushed Qi Xi to the front. “If you’re giving New Year greetings, go greet Uncle Qi. He’s in charge of the red envelopes. Got it?”

A slightly older niece of Fu Yanchuan suddenly asked, “Shouldn’t we call him aunt instead?”

Qi Xi’s straightforward brain froze. Fu Yanchuan put an arm around Qi Xi and told the niece, “Go ahead and try calling him that. Let’s see if he responds.”

The niece stepped forward and said, “Happy New Year, Aunt!”

Qi Xi’s face instantly turned red. Flustered, he replied, “I—I’m not—I… I’m a man!”

Fu Yanchuan laughed, holding Qi Xi and comforting him, and said to the niece, “See? I told you not to call him randomly! You scared your Uncle Qi!”

Suddenly, all the children in the room were stunned by Fu Yanchuan’s laughter. Although the youngest was only 5 years old, none of them had ever seen Fu Yanchuan laugh like that before.

 

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