Chapter 72
After all, He Zhen was the grandson he had raised with his own hands. A trace of reluctance showed in Grandpa He’s aged eyes and brows, but he still brought his cane down hard against the floor.
“I’m giving you one week. Pull yourself together and forget this kind of unrealistic nonsense.”
Cold sweat slowly trickled down both sides of He Zhen’s face. Biting his bloodless lips, he straightened his back and looked at Grandpa He. “Grandpa, I like Yu Chen. Other than him, I want no one else.”
“You—”
Grandpa He flew into a rage and swung the cane hard against He Zhen’s shoulder. “How did you pick up such a rotten habit? You actually like men!”
Enduring the pain, He Zhen answered softly, “I don’t like men. I only like Yu Chen. Without him, I might not have survived.”
“You… you’re trying to anger me to death!” Grandpa He clutched at his heart and struck He Zhen again and again with the cane. “I never thought your mind could be this muddled! This absurd!”
The hard cane landed densely across He Zhen’s body.
He bent forward slightly, doing his utmost to hold himself upright.
His damp hair clung to his forehead. Every blow that fell on He Zhen brought things, in a way, closer to a better direction.
He was not afraid of being beaten by Grandpa He.
Only once Grandpa He had vented all the disappointment and fury in his heart could there be a future for him and Yu Chen.
The heavy sound of the cane gradually slowed.
He Zhen’s head spun, and big drops of sweat kept pouring off him.
Grandpa He was angry, but heartbroken too. His swollen eyes were streaked with red.
At last, He Heng, who had been standing outside the door, rushed in and gently stopped Grandpa He. “Please calm down. If you want to punish him, there’ll be time later. Don’t hurt your own health from anger.”
Grandpa He let go of the cane. It clattered to the floor. His voice sounded exhausted, yet he still forced himself to stay hard-hearted. “He only told me this because he wants to anger me to death! If you ask me, he doesn’t even want me as his grandfather anymore!”
Knowing that Grandpa He had never wanted things to go this far, He Heng turned to He Zhen and tried to persuade him. “Calm down first. I’ll take your grandfather home to rest.”
By then, a bluish tint had already appeared around He Zhen’s lips.
He raised his head in a sorry state. Even though pain had already spread through his entire body, his gaze remained firm, without the slightest intention of backing down.
Grandpa He stared into He Zhen’s eyes and suddenly thought of He Jingyue. His whole body froze. His cloudy old eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow.
“Xiao Zhen…”
Grandpa He’s voice was hoarse. “I’ll ask you one last time. Can you give up this idea or not?”
He Zhen replied slowly, “You once promised me that whatever I wanted, you would agree. From childhood until now, I’ve never asked you for anything. The only thing I want is Yu Chen.”
“Fine… fine, then…”
Grandpa He’s withered hand trembled. “You’ve disappointed me too much. He Heng, take me away.”
“Grandpa, you may not understand how I feel.” He Zhen turned slightly and braced himself against the edge of the bed to keep standing. “If it weren’t for Yu Chen, you and I might never have become this close. When my uncles made their move, I would already have been ruined. Every time I faced hardship, he was the one beside me. Do you know how cold and empty that enormous manor felt at night? I couldn’t sleep, so I’d sit by the window and stare at the pitch-black sky. The servants looked respectful to my face, but behind my back they often called me a wild child with no father and mother. My riding instructor had bad intentions; every lesson, he was trying to harm me. That house steward Xu Kai was one of my uncles’ people too—watching me every day, waiting for chances to pull tricks. If Yu Chen had never appeared, I really wouldn’t have been able to endure that kind of life any longer. And if one day he were to marry someone else, then I would inevitably become just one more passerby in his life.”
He Zhen’s voice grew weaker and weaker, and even his consciousness began to blur. “Grandpa, I don’t want that. I want to become the most important…”
Before the last few words could fully leave his lips, there was a thud—He Zhen collapsed beside the bed.
Outside the hospital room, Grandpa He sat with lifeless eyes, his gaze lowered in silence.
Inside, the doctors were discussing things, and He Heng was keeping watch.
“Mr. He, how did Young Master He suddenly—” The doctor stopped halfway and did not continue that line, instead shifting the topic toward nursing care. “Young Master He suffered some external injuries. They aren’t too serious. As long as the medicine is applied consistently for two months, he’ll recover. The reason he fainted is related to the fever, but the main issue is that he needs to eat. His blood sugar is very low. It looks like he hasn’t been eating properly for quite some time.”
He Heng had been working at He Zhen’s side all along, so naturally he knew what He Zhen’s recent eating habits were like. These past few days, He Zhen had barely eaten anything at all. It would have been stranger if he still had plenty of strength.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
After handling everything, He Heng stepped out of the hospital room and came to Grandpa He’s side.
“I’ll push you in to see him.”
Grandpa He nodded lightly. His almost white hair looked slightly disheveled. “Was my hand too heavy just now? What did the doctor say? Did I… did I hurt any bones?”
“You weren’t too bad just now. You didn’t hit that hard.” He Heng tried to reassure him. “The doctor said Xiao Zhen’s main issue is emotional suppression. Physically, it’s only some flesh wounds. You vented the anger in your heart instead of bottling it up, and Xiao Zhen would be glad of that too.”
“Would he…” Grandpa He tiredly looked at He Zhen’s bloodless face, his back slightly more bent than before. “Do you think he really likes Yu Chen that much? Yu Chen rejected him, yet he was hurt to this extent. I’ve never seen him so obsessed with anyone. Today, when he knelt in front of me, the look in his eyes reminded me of his father.”
He Heng frowned slightly. “Xiao Zhen is different from his father. That child suffered so much in America for your sake. And yes, you don’t agree with him liking Yu Chen, but he isn’t selfish. He’s willing to take responsibility. That’s completely different from his father abandoning you and running abroad.”
“Besides, Yu Chen is filial and sensible. He’s good both to you and to Xiao Zhen. Don’t you like him too?”
“But he’s a boy.” Grandpa He’s eyes were full of helplessness. “If only he were a girl—if Xiao Zhen liked her, I definitely wouldn’t stop it. But how can two boys be together? How will there be children? Is the group supposed to be handed to outsiders in the future?”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to go to outsiders.” He Heng crouched down and adjusted the silk blanket draped over Grandpa He. “The He family has so many people. Even if Xiao Zhen doesn’t have children, others do. The question of cultivating an heir can simply be left for him to worry about.”
“When you put it that way… I suppose that could work.” Grandpa He murmured, “And there’s still Zhian.”
“Exactly.” He Heng continued persuading him. “When you were originally selecting an heir, didn’t you also consider training other children in the family?”
This time Grandpa He did not answer. He only furrowed his brow lightly.
After a long while, he sighed. “But Yu Chen doesn’t like him. If I step in and force a match for him, how is that any different from those old feudal landlords and bullies?”
He Heng laughed. “That kind of thinking really shouldn’t exist. If you want to pursue someone, you still have to rely on your own ability.”
“Do you think… a few years from now, he might stop liking Yu Chen?” Grandpa He held on to a sliver of hope. “He’s still young. Feelings are the sort of thing with many variables.”
After thinking for a moment, He Heng pulled out He Zhen’s old medical records on his phone.
“Xiao Zhen’s depression started when he was three. At the time, the doctor said that if it wasn’t intervened in quickly, it might develop into social withdrawal and have extremely bad effects later in life. Dr. George counseled him for two years, but the results weren’t obvious, and his depression index only kept rising. It wasn’t until Yu Chen came, when Xiao Zhen was five, that his condition finally began to improve.”
Grandpa He stared gravely at those diagnostic documents, shock and lingering fear gradually spreading across his eyes.
By the time Grandpa He had taken over raising He Zhen, he had already gotten better.
Grandpa He had never known things had once been that serious. He had only assumed it was a child’s rebellious phase, that He Zhen’s refusal to approach others was simply part of his personality.
“He and George said Xiao Zhen’s condition back then had already become somaticized. At its worst, he even developed feelings of wanting to give up on life.” He Heng pressed his lips together. “So it’s actually natural that he depends on Yu Chen and likes Yu Chen. It isn’t some short-term impulse. If Yu Chen had really been a little girl, the two of them probably wouldn’t have become this close.”
Dr. George’s records were detailed and thorough. Even the conversations between them had been noted down word for word.
Grandpa He’s eyes fell on one sentence.
Four-year-old He Zhen had said: “There isn’t a single person in this world willing to love me. The children in the manor all run when they see me and say I’m a monster. In my dreams, I often ask my mother why she didn’t take me with her.”
“After your two sons learned that you wanted to pass the inheritance to Xiao Zhen, they planted many eyes around him. Once, the son of a worker in the manor played with Xiao Zhen for one whole day, and the next day that worker was dismissed. After that, all the servants warned their own children not to speak to Xiao Zhen, and to run whenever they saw him. These were all things the former house steward Xu Kai confessed when Xiao Zhen was poisoned. I was afraid you’d be too heartbroken. Since Xiao Zhen has Yu Chen by his side now and is so happy, I didn’t tell you.”
Grandpa He did not want to read any more. He handed the phone back to He Heng.
In the blink of an eye, two cloudy hot tears fell onto his lap.
“His depression is already gone. It shouldn’t…”
Grandpa He’s voice grew hoarser and hoarser until, in the end, he could not continue.
“It’s not impossible for it to relapse,” He Heng said.
Grandpa He wiped away his tears, then looked at He Zhen for a while longer. “Take me home. I need to think about it some more.”
He Heng replied, “Alright.”
That evening, He Heng came by to visit He Zhen.
Because He Zhen’s back injuries were rather serious, he could only temporarily lie on his stomach to sleep.
“You’re awake? How do you feel?” After washing his hands, He Heng prepared to apply medicine for him.
“I’m alright.” He Zhen spoke very softly, his eyes closed.
He Heng glanced at the untouched dinner and gave a short laugh. “Still planning to keep starving yourself?”
He Zhen’s eyelids suddenly twitched, and a trace of hesitation gathered in his expression.
How did He Heng know he hadn’t been eating these past few days?
The two of them were together during the day, but at night they stayed separately.
“I guessed.” He Heng held a cotton swab. “I suggest you eat a little first. Don’t actually starve your body into ruin. As for Grandpa He’s side, I can help you hide it. As long as he thinks you simply didn’t eat, wouldn’t that be enough?”
He Zhen frowned. “Why are you helping me?”
He Heng laughed. “First of all, there’s nothing wrong with liking Yu Chen. I’ve watched the two of you grow up, and I don’t want anything serious to happen to you because of this. Most importantly, you’ll be my boss in the future, so I ought to show some goodwill.”
He Zhen relaxed his guard, a trace of helplessness hanging in his gaze.
“Actually, I originally had another plan.”
He Heng lifted a brow. “Let me hear it.”
Even He Zhen himself felt that plan was childish.
“I wanted to invent a fictional person and come out to Grandpa using that made-up character.”
He Heng immediately understood. “This person wouldn’t smoke, drink heavily, and do every bad thing under the sun, would he?”
“Mm. Including drugs.” He Zhen slowly stared at the pale wall. “Originally I’d planned to reveal it in freshman year. Since the environment abroad is more open, Grandpa would think I’d gone astray and direct his anger first toward the idea that I liked boys. Then I would fight him for a few years. Once he compromised, maybe he’d eventually allow me to find a boy with good character.”
He Heng pondered. “Then why didn’t you use that method?”
He Zhen murmured, “If I don’t even have the courage to admit that I like Yu Chen, then what kind of liking is that supposed to be?”
He Heng set aside the medicine in his hand and looked at He Zhen.
“Do you truly like Yu Chen, rather than liking men?”
“Mm.” The moment Yu Chen was mentioned, the dimness in He Zhen’s expression slowly warmed. “I only like him. I always have.”
From the bottom of his heart, He Heng truly admired He Zhen for this.
He understood that He Zhen’s lie had been to protect Yu Chen.
And he respected this young yet intense love.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help talk some sense into your grandfather.”
“Mm.” He Zhen heard his phone buzzing. After hesitating for a moment, he simply turned off the network.
He Heng’s eyes dropped to it. “Not answering?”
“How am I supposed to answer in this state?” A faint smile surfaced at He Zhen’s lips. “If he finds out about this, he’ll be here tomorrow.”
He Heng smiled wistfully. “That’s true.”
In America, it was just morning.
Yu Chen was brushing his teeth while recording a selfie vlog for He Zhen.
“Hello, Makka Pakka! My dearest boss, are you about to go to sleep right now, which is why you didn’t pick up my video call? Dad still hasn’t gotten up yet, and I’m in the bathroom. Since we haven’t seen each other in so many days, you must miss me, right? No, that can’t be right—you definitely don’t miss me! If you missed me, why wouldn’t you take the initiative to video call me? But I’m guessing you’re probably worried my dad would notice something strange, so I’m temporarily forgiving you! Of course, if you send me a selfie clip too, I might completely forgive you. Let me give you a little hint—you can send me an abs video.”
Only after beauty-filtering himself in the video did Yu Chen finally feel satisfied enough to send it to He Zhen.
In the mirror, the corners of his mouth were practically splitting all the way to his ears.
These few days in America had been extremely enjoyable. He Zhen had been very thoughtful—not only arranging the hotel for them, but even finding them a private tour guide, translator, and bodyguards. Li Huan had praised He Zhen again and again, repeatedly saying how considerate he was.
Yu Chen hummed cheerfully and spat out his mouthwash with a grin.
He had a feeling.
His relationship with He Zhen was definitely going to receive his dad’s blessing.
After washing up, Yu Chen returned to the bedroom to pick out clothes.
They were staying in a suite, with two bedrooms and one living room, so it was very spacious.
The weather here was similar to back home. Yu Chen slipped on a simple linen-colored T-shirt and started tidying his backpack.
At the very bottom of the bag was the doll He Zhen had given him all those years ago.
By now, after so many years, it had long become a habit—no matter where he went, he always carried it with him.
Yu Chen took the doll out and squeezed it in his hand. Only then did he notice that the screw on the back had somehow loosened. It was wobbling loosely, looking very insecure.
Afraid the parts inside might shake loose and fall out, he did not dare be careless. He quickly called the hotel front desk to ask whether they had a toolbox. While talking with them, he measured the size of the screw on the back of the doll and gave them the approximate dimensions.
But unexpectedly, his hand slipped.
The doll dropped onto the floor.
Alarmed, Yu Chen immediately crouched down to pick it up, only to find that the screw had now come all the way out. Frowning, he tried to put it back, but realized that something inside the compartment behind the screw was rattling.
Turning the light brighter, Yu Chen carefully placed the doll on the bed and removed the back cover.
He suspected it was some broken part or battery.
With his brows tightly knit, he grew restless, unsure whether it could still be fixed.
He gave it a small shake. The thing he expected did not appear. Instead, a ring rolled out into his palm.
Yu Chen froze slightly and slowly lifted the ring up.
