Chapter 74
After leaving the hospital, Old Master He was in a daze. He looked up at the sky with complicated emotions in his eyes, unsure whether the decision he had made was right or wrong for He Zhen.
He coughed hoarsely, his voice tired and helpless. “It won’t do for Xiao Zhen’s injuries to keep not healing. Go to Suzhou and find President Zhao. Have him prepare some medicine for bruises and soft-tissue injuries.”
He Heng tucked the blanket over Old Master He’s legs and smiled lightly. “Alright.”
“What are you smiling at?” Old Master He’s gaze was half-concealed. “Laughing because I finally gave in to him?”
He Heng explained, “I’m smiling because you still can’t bear to see Xiao Zhen get hurt.”
Old Master He frowned tightly. “He’s just as stubborn as his father.”
He Heng added, “He may be stubborn, but he’ll never leave you.”
“As for the future, who can say?” Old Master He said in anger. “But he’s still much better than his father.”
After a moment of hesitation, He Heng tested the waters. “I heard Third Young Master—”
“He came back to the country?” At the mention of He Jingyue, Old Master He, though disheartened, was no longer as agitated as before. “Did he fail to invest in that woman’s movie and come slinking back?”
He Heng said, “I looked into it. Third Young Master’s film company really hasn’t been doing well. The reason he returned is unknown, but it’s possible he came back to see you and Xiao Zhen.”
“He didn’t return for sixteen years, yet he chooses this moment to come back.” Old Master He’s eyes were full of mockery. “He probably never imagined I’d give the position to a twenty-year-old child.”
He Heng said nothing, though inwardly he also found it strange.
“Keep a close watch on Xiao Zhen. Don’t let his father disturb him.” Old Master He was very worried that He Zhen would be emotionally affected by He Jingyue’s return. The medical report He Heng had shown him that day had truly frightened him.
“Oh, and don’t let him set foot in Hefeng Group either.”
He Heng’s eyes flickered uneasily. “Are you sure—”
“I’m sure,” Old Master He cut him off. “He didn’t come back with pure intentions this time. Don’t blame me for being on guard against him.”
He Heng nodded. “Understood.”
In the southern United States, the sun was shining beautifully.
There were still four days left before Yu Chen’s trip ended.
That morning, Yu Chen was still lying in bed wrapped in a blanket when He Zhen’s call suddenly woke him up.
He narrowed his sleepy eyes, his tone lazy and soft. “My dear boss, what do you need me for?”
Hearing the lively, cheerful voice on the other end, He Zhen slowly curved his lips into a smile. “Chen Chen, I have good news to share with you.”
Grandpa had agreed to let him pursue Yu Chen. He had originally planned to tell him when he took the ring out of the doll, but he couldn’t wait anymore. He wanted to share the good news with Yu Chen right away.
As if by telepathy, Yu Chen immediately sat up, his bright eyes bursting with anticipation. “What is it? Hurry up and tell me!”
He Zhen’s lips lifted slightly. “Grandpa… agreed to us.”
“Really—?” Yu Chen was overjoyed, his eyes shining with disbelieving excitement. “He agreed? And he wasn’t angry at all?”
“Mhm.” He Zhen concealed part of the truth and said lightly, “But He Heng and I persuaded him for a long time.”
“That’s great!” Yu Chen stood right on the bed and rolled around excitedly, making Li Huan in the living room smile in curiosity.
That cheer was even louder than when Yu Chen had been recommended directly to Fuda back then.
“Then… then what should I do?” Yu Chen raised his brows, both proud and smug. “After I go back to China, should I go visit him with you? I remember people saying that when you formally visit an elder, you should bring gifts, fruit, and things like that. I’ll go back right now and thank Grandpa with you.”
Leaning against the hospital bed, He Zhen’s eyes glowed. “Fat Chen Chen really knows quite a lot about manners.”
Yu Chen sounded proud. “Of course.”
“But what I told him was that I want to pursue you. Grandpa still doesn’t know that we’re already together.” He Zhen told him the truth, intending to steady Yu Chen first.
“Oh, so that’s what you said.” Yu Chen’s smile faded, and his thoughts suddenly became a little tangled.
“So you need to cooperate with me and let me pursue you for a while.” Even though He Zhen missed Yu Chen very much, because of his injuries, he still hoped Yu Chen would come back a little later. “Don’t rush. The guide told me there are still a few places you haven’t visited yet. I think you should spend a few more days having fun with Uncle before coming back. Next week won’t be too late.”
“But today is only Monday.” Holding the phone, Yu Chen suddenly felt a bad premonition rise inside him. He bit his lip and struggled for a long time before asking, “Boss, why are you saying this?”
“Fat Chen Chen.” He Zhen deliberately put on an annoyed tone. “Right now, I’m indeed only a suitor. You still haven’t made me official, remember?”
“Ah…” Yu Chen frowned slightly. “I forgot to make you official.”
“So there’s nothing wrong with me saying it that way.” He Zhen comforted him. “No matter how I put it, the meaning I wanted to express is the same. As long as the goal is achieved, isn’t that enough?”
“What you said… makes sense.” Yu Chen still felt that something was off. “Boss, are you saying this because you’re mad that I still haven’t made you official? I really did forget. Besides, we’ve already gone all the way. I thought we didn’t need a verbal confirmation.”
He Zhen laughed softly. “A sense of ceremony is still necessary.”
Yu Chen’s heart tightened, but he forced a smile. “Then I’ll make you official right now. I’ll make you my boyfriend.”
He Zhen froze in surprise, then replied gently, “Thank you, boyfriend.”
Yu Chen’s heart burned hot. He buried his face tightly into the pillow, his voice half-covered with shyness. “Then I’m going to eat now, boyfriend.”
He Zhen said, “Alright. I’m getting ready to rest too.”
After hanging up, Yu Chen hummed a tune, his heartbeat getting faster and faster.
Something this important had been resolved so easily?
He had no idea how He Zhen had managed to convince Grandpa.
Brushing his teeth, Yu Chen grinned foolishly at himself in the mirror.
But He Zhen was actually this honest?
The two of them had already slept together, yet He Zhen was still hung up on not having been made official. Was he really that stubborn about this strange sense of ceremony?
Yu Chen spat out the foam, his smiling eyes curving.
Suddenly—
Another possibility surfaced in his mind.
He Zhen was so smart. How could he possibly think he hadn’t been made official?
Since he had already found the courage to make things clear with Grandpa, wouldn’t it have been better to do it all in one step?
Someone as meticulous as He Zhen—wouldn’t he be afraid that if Grandpa heard they still weren’t officially together, he might break them apart?
After all, if they were only in the ambiguous stage, there was still room to turn things back.
Yu Chen stiffly set down the rinsing cup, the doubts in his heart growing heavier and heavier.
Could it be that He Zhen had deliberately said it that way to distance him from the matter, making it look like this was only his own unrequited love?
Yu Chen also remembered how He Zhen had deliberately refused his video calls over those few days.
Could it be that the negotiation with Grandpa had not gone smoothly at all, and that He Zhen had resorted to things like a hunger strike as a threat, which was why he didn’t dare let Yu Chen see him?
Yu Chen subconsciously touched the ring hanging over his chest. The anxiety in his eyes gradually turned into determination as he looked toward his suitcase.
His instincts told him things were not that simple.
Maybe He Zhen had only said all that to reassure him.
Maybe He Zhen was still fighting alone by starving himself.
Yu Chen frowned deeply and made a decision.
The next morning, He Zhen went to work as usual. Yesterday, He Heng had brought him some special medicine that worked very well on external injuries. When he woke up that morning, he felt much better. The bruise at the corner of his mouth had almost faded, and it no longer hurt so much to sit.
But as soon as he arrived at the office, he received some bad news. Several overseas trade departments that had originally been under Director Lin’s control had collectively submitted their resignations to HR that morning.
“President He, what… what should we do?” With He Heng absent that day, He Zhen’s assistant was a little flustered, afraid that He Zhen would be furious.
“A collective resignation? Isn’t that a good thing?” He Zhen scanned the list of names. “At least we won’t have to pay compensation.”
The assistant hesitated. “But what about the foreign trade department? Right now, there are only three managers left.”
He Zhen remained calm. “He Heng already went to the branch companies to pick people today. Those people will be in place by tomorrow at the latest. Don’t worry.”
The assistant froze. “The branch companies?”
“If they don’t want to work, there are plenty of others who do. If it weren’t for the flawed system they set up, there are talents everywhere in the branch companies. The incompetent people at headquarters would’ve been weeded out long ago.”
The assistant had never expected that He Zhen had already anticipated everyone’s resignation. He could not help feeling impressed.
Chairman He really had a ruthless eye for picking people.
“If those directors want to see me today, tell them I’m injured and can’t meet anyone.” He Zhen smiled faintly. “Except Director Zhang.”
The assistant grew even more confused.
Director Zhang was one of Director Lin’s people.
For the past two years, the two of them had worked together to stir up trouble. Everyone in the company knew it.
Facing the assistant’s confusion, He Zhen gave no explanation. He only signed the personnel transfer notice with casual ease. “The foreign trade department has always lacked a leader. I plan to put Director Zhang in charge.”
The assistant looked stunned, then suddenly understood what He Zhen intended.
The next day, He Heng officially joined the foreign trade department together with ten elites selected from branch companies all over the country.
This move left everyone in the entire group who had been waiting to watch the drama utterly dumbfounded. Originally, they had thought Director Lin would use this matter to teach He Zhen a lesson. Unexpectedly, he was the one who got counterattacked. All his people had resigned of their own accord, and not a single cent in compensation was paid.
As for those who had resigned on their own initiative, they were already suffering bitterly. They had previously received promises from Director Lin that it would not be long before the group called them back with promotions and raises.
Through this matter, He Zhen was also sending a message to everyone in the group.
The current Hefeng would no longer allow Director Lin and Director Zhang to run wild.
If people had any sense, they should know how they ought to work from now on.
Seeing Director Lin get humiliated, He Heng felt delighted. Selecting elites from the branch companies had been a very important matter. On the first day He Zhen took over the company, he had already asked him to start scouting people. He had never expected it would come in handy today.
“They’re all very grateful to you. They said Young President He knows how to recognize and use talent, and that you’ve finally given capable people like them a little hope.”
He Zhen poured He Heng a cup of coffee. He Heng quickly tried to decline it, but He Zhen lowered his eyes and said, “You’ve worked hard these past few days, including with Yu Chen’s matter.”
He Heng smiled. “It’s what I should do.”
“For the next step, I’m planning to rebuild the company’s rank structure, including the promotion system.” He Zhen leaned back tiredly in his chair and pressed his sore shoulder. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going home to visit Grandpa. I won’t be coming to the company.”
“Alright.” Holding the coffee, He Heng sighed. “When your grandpa heard that Director Lin had been embarrassed, he smiled so hard his mouth wouldn’t close.”
He Zhen curled his lips slightly. “As long as he’s satisfied.”
He worked until nine at night before dragging his tired body home. The bruises on his body had basically begun to fade. By the time Yu Chen came back, they would probably be nearly healed.
Pushing the door open, He Zhen subconsciously changed his shoes. But then he suddenly noticed that the light in the study was still on.
He remembered clearly that he had not gone into the study the night before.
With doubt in his heart, He Zhen gently pushed open the door. Before he could even see who was inside, Yu Chen had already thrown himself at him.
Feeling the pain in his waist and back, the emotion in He Zhen’s eyes trembled violently, and he quickly hid his surprise.
Even so, Yu Chen still noticed it.
“Boss!” Standing on tiptoe, Yu Chen cupped He Zhen’s face in both hands. “Why do you have that expression? It’s kind of like…”
He frowned. “Like you secretly brought your mistress home behind my back.”
He Zhen’s ears buzzed. He instinctively glanced toward the glass window to check the corner of his mouth, but that movement only made Yu Chen more suspicious. He immediately ran to the cabinet to see if someone was hiding inside.
Watching Yu Chen rummage around busily, He Zhen let out a helpless yet doting laugh. “Fat Chen Chen, even if I were hiding someone, I wouldn’t hide them in a drawer, would I?”
Yu Chen refused to believe it. “You definitely did something behind my back.”
He Zhen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him from behind. “What could I possibly have done? I’m so honest—don’t you trust me?”
Feeling the broad, gentle chest behind him, Yu Chen was like a furious little cat that had suddenly been coaxed calm.
Holding He Zhen’s wrist, he muttered aggrievedly, “Then why don’t you look happy? I came back early—shouldn’t you be pleasantly surprised…”
He Zhen sat down and pulled Yu Chen onto his lap. “I am pleasantly surprised, but I was shocked too. You left the light on in here without saying a word. I thought a thief had broken in.”
“So that’s what it was.” Yu Chen smiled as he looked He Zhen over. Seeing that He Zhen seemed to be in decent shape and did not look like someone starving himself, he could not help laughing at his own overactive imagination.
“Boss, what happened to the corner of your mouth?” The traces were already hard to see. “What did you eat? It looks yellow.”
“I was taking medicine.” He Zhen caught Yu Chen’s wandering hand. “I drank with clients a couple of days ago and triggered gastritis.”
“Ah? Did they force you to drink?” Yu Chen broke free from He Zhen’s hold and cradled his face to inspect him carefully. “I did feel like your eye sockets had gotten deeper. So you were sick.”
He Zhen gazed at Yu Chen’s worried, pained eyes and smiled. “You came back so suddenly without telling me? What about Uncle? Did he come back too?”
“He didn’t. I came back by myself.” Afraid that He Zhen would say he had over-imagined things, Yu Chen did not admit his true reason for returning. “Wasn’t I just thinking… you’ve been hungry for so long, so I came back to feed you?”
He Zhen, who had been stroking Yu Chen’s hair, suddenly paused.
A blush had already spread across Yu Chen’s cheeks. He jumped down from He Zhen’s lap and tugged on his white shirt. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
He Zhen’s smile faded a little, but he still forced himself to look expectant.
When they got to the bedroom, Yu Chen mysteriously pulled a cardboard box out from under the bed and showed him the contents.
It was the care box Xiao Yu had given him. There was a full set of things inside—lubricant, repair cream, little toys, and even some scented items to set the mood.
The tips of Yu Chen’s ears were tinged with a faint pink, like cherry blossoms in bloom.
He had flown all the way back to China. Worrying about He Zhen was one reason; missing him terribly was another.
Hooking a pair of cat ears around his finger, Yu Chen fumbled with them awkwardly, his reddened eyes sweet and shy. “Boss, I just missed you. I really didn’t want to stay in America any longer.”
He Zhen tried his best to suppress the raw possessiveness and impulse surging in his heart, then crouched gently beside Yu Chen. “I missed you too. Very, very much.”
Yu Chen lowered his eyes shyly. “I know you missed me, so… I came back.” He fiddled with the little toys and threw the blame onto Xiao Yu. “He insisted on buying them. I actually didn’t want to use them.”
He Zhen stared at Yu Chen, his eyes roiling with fierce love and possessiveness.
He deliberately restrained himself and gave a hoarse laugh. “Chen Chen, what exactly are all these?”
Yu Chen went blank, twisting his hands nervously. “They’re just… things we might use in the future.”
His eyes were half-lowered, full of tension. “You don’t like them?”
He Zhen closed his eyes and calmed the strange turbulence inside him. When he opened them again, he smiled thoughtfully. “Chen Chen, I’ve been wanting to ask you—what do you mean when you say uncooked rice has already become cooked rice? These last two days, I haven’t been able to understand the things you’ve been saying.”
To keep Yu Chen from discovering his injuries, He Zhen had no choice but to do this.
Yu Chen’s pupils tightened slightly, and a trace of embarrassed anger appeared between his brows.
“What else could it mean?”
He snapped the lid of the box shut. “It means what you did to me that night when I was drunk.”
Yu Chen had no idea what had gotten into He Zhen.
If he didn’t know He Zhen so well, he would almost think He Zhen was the kind of scumbag who refused to admit anything after pulling his pants back on.
“That night when you were drunk?” A puzzled smile gathered between He Zhen’s brows as he raised them slightly. “That night, you ate something bad and had diarrhea all night. I stayed beside you and kept feeding you electrolyte water from time to time. The thing you said I did to you was… what exactly?”
Yu Chen subconsciously touched his backside, his eyes widening. “That night… I had diarrhea?”
“What else?” Resting his chin on one hand, He Zhen smiled gently. “You ate crayfish, then had diarrhea, and your butt hurt a lot, right? As for that uncooked rice becoming cooked rice…”
He Zhen opened the box again and read the English words on it. “Don’t tell me you thought we…”
“Ahhhh!” Yu Chen covered his ears and scurried under the bed like a little mouse, his raised backside trembling pitifully. “Hurry up and go away! I need to stay here quietly by myself!”
He Zhen smiled with doting amusement. “Fat baby, don’t be like this. It’s really not that serious.”
