Chapter 68: Pocket Money
After the lawyer left, An Yi also began to feel troubled.
After all, the divorce date was now approaching, and the clauses in the marriage agreement they had signed before were beginning to take effect. Even if Huo Beixing refused to sign, the two of them were still destined to divorce.
Looking at the gloomy Huo Beixing, An Yi could not put words to the taste in his heart.
Truthfully, when Huo Beixing had just looked so reluctant and unwilling to divorce, there had been a small, unspeakable happiness in An Yi’s heart.
He was happy that Huo Beixing cared about him, needed him, and felt reluctant to part with him.
Yet while secretly feeling pleased, he also could not help despising his own thoughts.
He should not have such thoughts and such inner reactions.
At least, as a normal person, he should not.
An Yi struggled continuously between his reluctance to part with Huo Beixing and the moral condemnation in his own mind.
What was it that the teachers in the mountains had taught to educate people?
And what was it that he himself had learned?
Looking at the tall man holding him, An Yi reached out and hugged him back.
“Huo Beixing, I like you.”
Huo Beixing felt a numb tingling by his ear, while his heart seemed to boil hotter and hotter like water brought to a raging boil. He pulled An Yi tightly into his arms.
“Wife, I like you too.”
Since marrying Huo Beixing, this was the first time An Yi had ever felt so desolate.
He felt that these past two years had been the happiest two years in his more than twenty years of life.
But the reason a person was called a person was because they possessed reason and the ability to think.
Back in the mountains, he had always devoted himself to becoming a good person, and that had never changed.
He did not want to become someone he himself would despise.
He acknowledged his feelings, but also rationally chose not to continue.
At that moment, however, Huo Beixing was floating on air because of that one sentence of I like you from An Yi.
Fuck, he had finally waited for this.
If you never forget, there will surely be an echo!
After hugging Huo Beixing and saying the words I like you, An Yi felt that there was nothing left to regret. After all, he had confessed, and he had hugged him too. That was enough for him.
Little Frog could pick things up and let them go.
He was going off to find another pond.
Just as Huo Beixing was calling someone to buy firecrackers, An Yi went clattering upstairs in his slippers and began packing his suitcase.
He really had a lot of clothes and things. Over the past two years, every time Huo Beixing went out and saw some new trinket, he had never held back from bringing it home for him.
He stuffed all those odds and ends into the suitcase, then had one of the household staff bring over several moving boxes. Once he had packed away his clothes and the little toys Huo Beixing had given him, he deliberately locked up the walk-in closet. He planned to send the luggage inside away tomorrow while Huo Beixing was at swimming class.
Walking over to the bedside drawer in the bedroom, An Yi intended to take out his ID card, passport, and the like, only to open the drawer and see the ten houses strung together on a chain.
An Yi: ……
Sure enough, no matter how many times he looked at them, those pigeon-egg-sized stones were still terrifyingly huge.
The marriage agreement stated that all the jewelry and money Huo Beixing had gifted him during the marriage could be taken with him, and there was also a divorce alimony sum reaching into the tens of millions.
But An Yi did not intend to take any of that.
It was too precious.
When the time came, he would just take some low-limit card from Huo Beixing and leave. That would count as alimony without making things difficult for the lawyer.
Once he had finished packing everything, An Yi collapsed limply onto the sofa.
Sure enough, packing luggage was a real physical job.
The whole time, he also had to keep worrying about when Huo Beixing might suddenly come upstairs and how he would explain things if that happened.
By this point, regarding the divorce, he had no intention of addressing it head-on anymore.
After all, action spoke louder than emotion.
If the next time they came to sign the divorce agreement today’s scene repeated itself, he definitely still would not be able to harden his heart.
An Yi decided he would leave tomorrow.
That way, if he saw Huo Beixing’s reluctant, lingering mood, he would not have to bear the psychological burden. He could simply leave in style.
Early the next morning, just as Huo Beixing was heading out with his big sports bag on his back, An Yi suddenly appeared in front of him.
Huo Beixing was a little surprised. “What is it?”
Actually, An Yi still felt a little embarrassed to ask him for money.
“It’s just…”
“What?”
Forgetting to prepare a draft beforehand, An Yi hastily made up a reason. “These next few days I’m going out with friends, and I was thinking maybe you…”
Huo Beixing looked down at his embarrassed expression. “Me?”
Closing his eyes, An Yi blurted out, “I was wondering if you could give me some pocket money.”
At that, Huo Beixing burst out laughing. Looking at how nervous An Yi seemed, he had thought it was something important.
He pulled out his card holder and placed it in An Yi’s hand. “All the money I have on me right now is in here.”
Leaving aside the company shares.
“Wife, you can spend it however you want. Spend it any way you like.”
Then he stepped closer and said by An Yi’s ear, “When it runs out, I’ll earn more for you.”
An Yi’s face heated up a little. Asking Huo Beixing for money felt rather like tricking New Year’s money out of a child.
He opened the card holder and took out one card that was neither a black card nor edged in gold, something plain and ordinary-looking. The limit on it should be smaller.
Then he handed the card holder back to Huo Beixing.
“One card is enough.”
Huo Beixing refused to take it. “Then just keep the rest for now. I don’t want them.”
“Why?”
“What if there’s a robbery?”
An Yi: ……
That… actually did make a bit of sense.
“Then I’ll just put them in the bedside drawer for you.”
Without waiting for an answer, An Yi turned and went upstairs. At the corner, he secretly stood behind the wall and watched Huo Beixing’s back. Only after Huo Beixing walked out the front door did An Yi go back and start contacting a moving company.
Watching the movers come carry out An Yi’s luggage, Uncle Zhong was crying his heart out, all snot and tears.
Seeing him sob so hard he could barely make a sound, An Yi handed over a handkerchief.
He had not expected the little old man to be this emotional.
Uncle Zhong’s heart was full of bitterness.
Once An Yi left, he would be the only one left to deal with that bastard Huo Beixing.
How ruthless.
How could you bear to leave an old man like me to suffer this fate alone?
Once the workers had finished moving out all his things and everything was ready, An Yi sat down in the moving company’s vehicle.
Uncle Zhong hurried over to the car window and asked with deep reluctance, “Will we still see each other again, Young Master An Yi?”
An Yi bid him goodbye and thanked him for taking care of him over the past two years, then the driver started the car.
Suddenly Summer Sweetheart and Princess Lily came running out of the yard, chasing after An Yi’s car.
“Woof woof woof!!!”
“An Yi, how am I supposed to live without you?!”
“An Yi!!!”
“Without you, walks aren’t even walks anymore!!”
An Yi did not see the two faithful dogs.
Instead, he returned to the apartment the An family had bought for him in the city.
Although he had not been back in over two years, the housekeeping aunt still came every month to clean.
Knowing that An Yi was about to divorce soon, Chen Lin had made the housekeeping and cleaning staff more diligent, having them come once every three days.
So when An Yi returned, the apartment was spotless and not even a speck of dust could be found.
The flat was four hundred square meters. When An Yi sat down on the sofa, although the apartment was not as large as the Huo residence, it was much quieter.
So quiet that he found it a little hard to get used to.
Normally, Huo Beixing would already be calling in his ear for him to come play.
—
When Huo Beixing returned from the swimming center, the moment he opened the door, he came face to face with Uncle Zhong’s big face.
Huo Beixing: ……
That was unexpected.
For the first time, there was pity in Uncle Zhong’s gaze as he looked at him, but he had no intention of helping him.
After all, Huo Beixing had been fickle in the past, never short of people around him. If his old nature did not change, then keeping An Yi by his side would not be anything good.
With some people and some things, being unable to hold on was sometimes the best outcome.
Huo Beixing changed his shoes and ignored Uncle Zhong, heading straight upstairs to the bedroom.
At first, he only assumed An Yi had gone out for work. He remembered that the progress on the design competition An Yi had been involved in these past few days had already been completed, so he did not think too much of it.
But when he stepped into the walk-in closet and saw the wardrobe more than half empty, Huo Beixing froze in place for several seconds.
That morning, An Yi had asked him for a card, saying he was going out with friends.
Did that going out mean traveling?
But he had taken far too many clothes for that.
Just as Huo Beixing was about to take out his phone and call An Yi—after several rings there was still no answer, and just as the call automatically disconnected, he noticed that all of An Yi’s belongings by the bedside were gone.
The little night lamp, the books he used to read design materials, and the paper crown Huo Beixing had folded for him back when he had been foolish.
These things had always sat by the bed.
A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Huo Beixing’s chest. He strode over to the bed and yanked open An Yi’s drawer. This was where An Yi usually kept his documents. Normally Huo Beixing would never touch it, but now it was completely empty.
Forget documents—there was not even a scrap of paper inside.
Huo Beixing’s expression darkened. His fists clenched, clearly already angered.
He shoved open the door and went downstairs, dropping the act completely.
“Where is An Yi?!”
The muscles in his arms were taut, his jawline tight, his expression frightening, as though someone had stolen An Yi away.
Seeing him like this, Uncle Zhong was not very surprised. He merely said at an unhurried pace, “Young Master An Yi left today.”
The moment Huo Beixing heard that he had left, a fire shot up inside him. “When? Why didn’t you stop him? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Uncle Zhong replied, “Young Master, even if I had told you, would Young Master An Yi really not have left? You might be able to trick him for a while, but could you trick him for a lifetime?”
Huo Beixing gritted his teeth.
When he had left that morning, An Yi had clearly said he was only going out with friends. But now when he came back, he was being told that An Yi had left, that he was not coming back, that he didn’t want him anymore.
Uncle Zhong continued, “The relationship between you and Young Master An Yi was always a marriage alliance to begin with. Now that Young Master An Yi has left—”
Huo Beixing could not stand hearing Uncle Zhong go on and on about the logic behind An Yi leaving. “We’re not divorced yet!”
Smack!
Uncle Zhong instinctively raised a hand and hit Huo Beixing on the head.
“You scared me half to death.”
Huo Beixing: ……
In Huo Beixing’s eyes, Uncle Zhong was an elder, so he had no particular reaction to the slap. His heart was only filled with panic over An Yi’s departure.
At the side, Uncle Zhong leisurely brewed a cup of black tea. “Young Master, this is for you.”
Huo Beixing took it and gulped it down.
Uncle Zhong cried out in alarm, “Young Master, it just finished steeping!”
Pfft—
Huo Beixing: ……
Forget it.
Looking at Huo Beixing’s distracted, soul-lost appearance, Uncle Zhong said, “If Young Master really likes Young Master An Yi, then just go find him. I think tomorrow would be good. Yes, go tomorrow.”
That was exactly what Huo Beixing intended.
Today, he would first have someone investigate whether An Yi had gone back to the An family or where he was living now. After all, after moving all day today, An Yi would have no energy left if he went right away.
After Huo Beixing went upstairs, one of the household staff walked over to Uncle Zhong.
Seeing the confusion on the person’s face, Uncle Zhong said, “If you’ve got something to ask, then ask.”
The person said, “I feel like going to see him the very next day is a little too fast. Since Young Master Beixing and Young Master An Yi just separated, their emotions must definitely be bad right now. Shouldn’t they first be allowed to calm down and wait until they’re more rational before talking?”
Uncle Zhong replied, “You don’t understand.”
The person: ?
Uncle Zhong said, “Young Master An Yi is only willing to be with the young master when he’s being irrational.”
Little Frog, free and clear-headed.
The next noon, Pink Crystal Maiden Heart held a studio team-building gathering in a café. Gu Lingling was stuck in traffic and would arrive a little later.
By the time An Yi arrived, Lin Jiu was already frowning over the dessert menu, unable to decide what to eat. Seeing An Yi, he raised a hand and beckoned him over.
An Yi sat down. Today he was dressed very casually, in a simple hoodie and sweatpants, looking like a college student who had yet to leave campus. After all, moving house yesterday had consumed a huge amount of energy. By the time everything had been put away, the whole afternoon was gone, and when he woke up the next morning, he could barely raise his arms.
Lin Jiu looked at his exhausted state.
“Did you run into a fox spirit or something?”
An Yi: “What fox spirit?”
Lin Jiu: “You look like you’ve had your vital essence sucked dry.”
An Yi: ……
“No. It’s just that I got divorced yesterday.”
Lin Jiu: “You got divorced?”
An Yi nodded.
An Yi had previously mentioned his marriage partner to him, saying that the man’s head was not entirely right.
Lin Jiu asked, “Did you divorce him because he’s dumb?”
After thinking about it, An Yi said, “Sort of.”
Because he was dumb, An Yi had developed feelings he should not have, so they absolutely had to divorce.
Lin Jiu asked again, “Then what if he weren’t dumb?”
Then he would just be a playboy.
An Yi replied, “Then we definitely couldn’t be together even more.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, and a shadow fell over his head.
Huo Beixing lowered his eyes and looked at him.
“Running around saying you love me, yet you tricked me out of my pocket money?”
