Chapter 69
On the screen, Yu Chen was still chatting away endlessly with Xiao Yu.
The time had come, and He Zhen had no choice but to head next door to the conference room for his meeting first. Before leaving, he cast a light glance at Yu Chen, who was busy typing, and gave a small cough.
With a duck leg still in his mouth, Yu Chen turned his head to look at him. “You’re leaving?”
“Just next door.” He Zhen’s gaze deepened a little as he deliberately asked, “What are you busy with?”
Yu Chen answered vaguely, “Talking with Professor Lin.”
“If you need anything, come find me anytime. If you get hungry, call my secretary.” Before leaving, He Zhen glanced at Yu Chen one last time and said in an unhurried tone, “If your butt starts hurting, tell me. Don’t endure it by yourself.”
Yu Chen’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his head and pretended to be busy. Only after the sound of the door closing did he carefully lift his head again. Luckily, no outsider had heard that, or he really would not have been able to face anyone.
On WeChat, Xiao Yu was asking him all kinds of questions.
Yu Chen had already been completely led astray and was now researching little chrysanthemum care techniques, so absorbed that he did not even notice He Zhen’s secretary walking in.
“Sir, would you like anything else to eat?”
Hearing the greeting, Yu Chen quickly looked up. “Oh, no need.”
“If you need anything, just call me.” The secretary set an invitation on He Zhen’s desk. “Young Master He said that if you get sleepy, you can go rest in the lounge inside.”
Yu Chen thanked him and let his gaze fall on the invitation.
“Is this for some kind of event?”
The secretary explained, “Young Master He has been at the company for nearly a month now. The board wants to host a welcome banquet for him.”
“A lot of people invited?”
“Quite a lot. They’re basically all the group’s business partners.”
Yu Chen nodded. After the secretary left, he opened the invitation.
The guest list ran long, filled with well-known entrepreneurs from all over the country.
He was looking forward to this carefully prepared welcome banquet for He Zhen, yet he also felt a little sensitive, worrying that some chairman from a major conglomerate might take a liking to He Zhen and want him as a son-in-law.
Although at the family welcome banquet, He Zhen had already made his position clear. But faced with the warm invitations of outsiders, He Zhen surely could not reject them too bluntly.
Yu Chen sighed quietly and sat down in front of He Zhen’s computer.
The screen suddenly lit up.
The wallpaper on the computer made him freeze. It was actually a photo of the two of them together in the second grade of elementary school.
He himself had really been so fat back then, like a plump little lotus root, several sizes sturdier than He Zhen.
At that time, He Zhen had really liked hugging him face-to-face.
Yu Chen had always wondered—how had He Zhen managed that?
Resting his chin in one hand, Yu Chen’s lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
If only childhood could have gone a little slower.
Growing up was wonderful too, but it came with so many worries.
Without realizing it, Yu Chen’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he fell asleep sprawled over the desk.
During a tea break in the meeting, He Zhen came back to the office to check on Yu Chen.
The boy opposite him was sleeping sweetly, curled over the broad, solid wooden desk, making him look small and fragile.
It was hard to say what he was dreaming about, but Yu Chen kept frowning lightly, as if he was not very comfortable.
He Zhen walked over slowly, draped his own jacket over Yu Chen, and after a moment’s thought, simply picked him up and carried him into the lounge.
Yu Chen had had diarrhea last night, so he clearly still was not feeling well.
He Zhen turned the temperature up in the lounge, watched Yu Chen’s sleeping face for another few minutes, and suddenly thought of the conversation between Xiao Yu and the other two.
Two years had passed, so how was Yu Chen still like a child?
But then again, after thinking it through, it was normal.
After all, Yu Chen had only just turned eighteen not long ago.
After carefully rearranging the blanket over him, He Zhen glanced at his watch and had no choice but to leave.
In the blink of an eye, another two hours passed.
When Yu Chen woke up, it was already afternoon.
Staring at the darkened room, he called out He Zhen’s name.
That sleep had left his mouth parched. He licked his lips and slowly searched for his shoes, preparing to get out of bed.
At that moment, He Zhen pushed the door open and came in.
With a small frown between his brows, Yu Chen muttered, “Where did you go?”
He Zhen sat down at the edge of the bed and pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from Yu Chen’s forehead. “I was outside working. The meeting only ended half an hour ago.”
Freshly awake, Yu Chen’s cheeks still carried a faint blush, and his damp eyes were full of grievance. “Didn’t you know I wasn’t feeling well? And you still didn’t stay with me.”
Even Yu Chen himself felt that he sounded a little too much after saying it.
But he wanted to cling to He Zhen and make him coax him.
He Zhen drew him into his arms, his hand probing the sweat on his back. “My fault. I should’ve stayed with you.”
A trace of dazed vulnerability hung in Yu Chen’s bright eyes, and his nose tingled sourly. “You’re not allowed to do that next time.”
He Zhen gave a quiet “mm” and simply brought his laptop into the room, working while holding Yu Chen in his arms.
When Yu Chen was quiet, he was very obedient and did not disturb He Zhen. His round eyes wandered here and there. He really enjoyed the feeling of acting spoiled with He Zhen. The He Zhen of now was not like the reserved, tsundere He Zhen of childhood. He could express his feelings now and respond actively.
After a long while, Yu Chen suddenly asked in a low voice, “I heard the company is holding a welcome banquet for you.”
“Mm.” He Zhen’s fingers moved quickly through the documents, and while turning a page he replied, “Do you want to come?”
Yu Chen slowly rested his chin against He Zhen’s chest, tilting his face up. “Will there be dancing? In novels, at these kinds of wealthy-family banquets, everyone has their own dance partner.”
He Zhen smiled faintly. “Probably.”
Jealousy rose sharply in Yu Chen. “Then who are you inviting?”
“Who else could I invite but you?” He Zhen tapped Yu Chen lightly on the forehead, finding his thoughts very strange.
“Then is Grandpa going to attend too?”
“He is.”
With Old Master He in his current condition, the fact that he could still appear publicly was enough to prove how important this banquet was.
Yu Chen had his own concerns. “Then I’m not going. You’ll be busy socializing, and Grandpa will definitely be introducing you to the group’s business partners. If I follow you around, what would that even look like?”
There was another reason too.
Yu Chen was afraid of seeing other people casually trying to pair He Zhen up with someone else, while he himself could do nothing about it except privately die of jealousy.
“Why can’t you attend?” He Zhen picked up on the dullness in Yu Chen’s tone. Setting his computer aside, he lightly lifted Yu Chen’s face. “Leave that to me. You just need to stay with me.”
“I’ll think about it a bit more.” Yu Chen was genuinely worried about causing trouble for He Zhen. “Let’s talk about it when the time comes.”
“I want you to go.” He Zhen explained, “Those old foxes on the board are all slippery beyond belief, and the middle management in the company is divided into all sorts of factions. Dealing with them is truly boring. If you go, I’ll at least be happier.”
At that, Yu Chen suddenly remembered something.
In the original book, He Zhen had not ended up getting the inheritance rights. After leaving He Feng Group, he founded his own company. But He Zhen’s two uncles still refused to give up. They sent their subordinates to hunt him down mercilessly and even framed Yu Chen, sending him to prison.
In the book, Yu Chen had been He Zhen’s right-hand man.
Although the internal power struggle at He Feng Group had not been described in excessive detail, several villains’ names had still been mentioned. The only question was whether, now that He Zhen’s two uncles had fallen from power, those villains were still around.
“Are those bad people bullying you?” Sitting up straight, Yu Chen’s expression turned serious. “Are they giving you a hard time?”
“No.” He Zhen smiled tiredly. “My grandfather is still here. Even if they’re unhappy, they don’t dare do anything to me.”
Yu Chen wrinkled his nose. “But it must be hard for you to push work forward, right?”
“Mm.” In front of Yu Chen, He Zhen did not want to hide it. He was even more willing to speak his thoughts aloud to him.
“I want to push forward reforms and cut out the parasites in the company. But He Heng says my ideas are too risky and still not thorough enough.”
“That’s a good thing!” Yu Chen’s eyes lit up. “What you’re doing is giving everyone back a fair, clean working environment. If the company is full of people who only flatter and never work, it’s bound to collapse sooner or later.”
He Zhen looked at him, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “You agree with what I want to do?”
“Of course I agree!” Yu Chen snapped his fingers. “But it needs to be thought through more carefully. I’ll help you plan!”
The outline of this matter had already begun to take shape in He Zhen’s heart. Reform was imminent, and he did not want to hold back. If he wanted to tear down the old and build the new, then he had to have courage. That was something his grandfather had always said.
But now, he was willing to hear Yu Chen’s ideas too.
So he gently dimmed the sharpness in his eyes and nodded tenderly. “I’ll listen to you, leader.”
Yu Chen struck a pose. “Once I’ve thought of a method, I’ll tell you. For now, I’ll just go with you to the banquet.”
“You’re willing to go now? Then we’ll dance together.”
“We’re really going to dance?” Expectation rose to Yu Chen’s smile. “I’ve almost forgotten all the steps from etiquette class back then.”
“It’s alright. I can help you review.”
A trace of satisfaction hung at the corners of Yu Chen’s eyes and brows. “Tell me, do you think my butt hurting will affect my dancing that day?”
Holding back a laugh, He Zhen asked, “It still won’t be better by next week?”
“This injury might heal, but I can’t get hurt again for the time being.” Yu Chen hinted desperately. “Boss, can you exercise a little restraint lately?”
The laughter He Zhen had suppressed for so long still escaped him. “Alright. I’ll listen to you.”
Another four days passed, and Yu Chen’s butt had completely stopped hurting. By now, he fully believed that he had a unique constitution. He had even begun to fantasize that occasionally satisfying He Zhen a few times should also be manageable.
Ever since that night together, although Yu Chen still occasionally felt shy, he no longer felt nearly as restrained around He Zhen.
In the past, before going to sleep at night, he would still put on an act of reserve and use a quilt to separate himself from He Zhen. But now, he practically wanted to throw himself straight into He Zhen’s arms, twisting around on him like a little snake.
Naturally, He Zhen knew exactly why Yu Chen had changed.
He only smiled without saying a word and did not expose him.
During this time, Yu Chen seemed full of life and sparkle.
He felt as though he were a flower bud just about to bloom. Nourished by He Zhen, he was growing more and more vivid.
Of course, he did not dare share such adult thoughts with He Zhen. He only dared secretly complain about them to Xiao Yu.
To show off his loyalty as a brother, Xiao Yu specially sent Yu Chen a secret delivery containing all kinds of interesting couple’s products and maintenance oils.
After receiving it, Yu Chen hid the box under the bed, intending to show it to He Zhen only after the banquet was over. Otherwise, if He Zhen lost control and did this and that to him, what then?
He still wanted to dance with He Zhen.
During these last few days, he had been living an extremely comfortable little life at He Zhen’s place, but he had neglected one thing completely.
He had not gone home to sleep for an entire week straight.
Although he called Li Huan every day to check in, compared with before, his behavior had become a little strange.
So that evening, Li Huan came by without warning.
He had a day off today and had specially gone to the supermarket to buy lamb and beef, planning to make dumplings for Yu Chen.
After knocking and getting no response, he entered the electronic code. The moment he stepped in, he found Yu Chen’s apartment empty and nearly everything on the shelves covered with dust.
He laughed to himself, sighing that boys really were careless about such things. At first, he had thought his precious little treasure cared quite a lot about cleanliness.
After changing into slippers, Li Huan planned to help Yu Chen do a thorough cleaning.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, he discovered that many of the clothes in Yu Chen’s wardrobe seemed to be missing.
Could it be that the styles were outdated and had all been thrown away?
Li Huan found it strange and kept mulling it over while he worked.
About two hours later, Yu Chen’s place looked brand new.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Huan went into the kitchen to make extra dumplings. He could freeze the rest and leave them in the refrigerator so Yu Chen could just boil them whenever he was feeling lazy.
Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye it was already eight in the evening, yet Yu Chen still had not come home.
Worried something might have happened to him, Li Huan frowned slightly and called Yu Chen.
At that moment, Yu Chen was leaning in He Zhen’s arms watching a movie, laughing so hard he was shaking and ordering He Zhen around to massage him from time to time.
When the phone rang, he answered without even looking. “Hello.”
Li Huan’s voice came through. “Chencheng, where are you?”
Yu Chen immediately signaled for He Zhen to mute the sound and then glanced at the time. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
Hearing that Yu Chen sounded full of energy, Li Huan finally relaxed. “Are you outside?”
“Ah, yes!” Yu Chen hurriedly sat up. “I’m hanging out with brother.”
Li Huan gave an “oh.” “Then when are you coming home?”
Feeling guilty, Yu Chen glanced at He Zhen. “I’m coming back right away.”
Li Huan smiled. “Have you eaten? Dad’s at your place right now. How about I make you some steamed beef dumplings?”
“Yay!” Yu Chen jumped out of bed at once. “I’ve been craving that so badly! Dad, wait for me, I’ll be right back.”
“Alright, no rush. I’ll make a few more dishes for you too.” Cheerfully, Li Huan asked about He Zhen. “Has Xiao Zhen eaten? Why don’t the two of you come over together? I’ll make a few dishes he likes too.”
Yu Chen turned back to look at He Zhen. “Sounds good.”
After hanging up, Yu Chen’s heart was still pounding wildly.
That had been way too thrilling.
Thank goodness He Zhen did not live at his place. Otherwise, if his dad had opened the door and seen him and He Zhen kissing on the sofa, he probably would have had a heart attack from sheer rage.
He Zhen got changed with him. “Uncle went to your place?”
“Mm. He’s there making dumplings for me.” Hurriedly buttoning his shirt the wrong way, Yu Chen added, “Come back with me. Have dinner with my dad.”
He Zhen nodded. “Alright.”
After the two of them got ready, they hurried into the elevator and went down to the garage. Yu Chen’s apartment complex was not far from here, only about a ten-minute drive.
On the other side, Li Huan was in a good mood, preparing cold dishes. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
He opened it and found an unfamiliar middle-aged woman standing there. He nodded politely. “Hello, may I ask who you are?”
The woman smiled. “You’re Yu Chen’s father, right? I’m the neighbor next door. The gas company has come by several times these last few days, but Yu Chen hasn’t been home. I happened to hear movement today, so I came to remind you to contact the gas company in time to replace the valve.”
Li Huan’s expression shifted slightly, but he still nodded politely. “Thank you.”
The woman smiled and waved her hand. “No trouble at all. Has Yu Chen gone on a trip? The other day I saw him going out with a suitcase, and he hasn’t come back since. I was thinking the gas valve replacement would have to be delayed again, but then you showed up.”
Li Huan’s eyelid twitched very slightly, though he kept his calm smile. “Mm. Thank you for your trouble.”
“Not at all. Goodbye.”
After the neighbor left, Li Huan’s expression turned grave, and he once again carefully looked around the apartment.
These days, Yu Chen had been telling him that his coursework was heavy and that he needed to sleep over here. Had he been lying?
If Yu Chen had not been staying here, then where exactly had he been staying?
