The atmosphere during dinner was strangely awkward. Yu Qingtong's gaze kept sweeping over the two people sitting opposite her, with a kind, aunt-like smile that made it hard to ignore her.
An Qingyan was thin-skinned, and the tips of her ears turned slightly red. She focused on eating her white rice and only picked up the plate of green vegetables in front of her.
Seeing this, Gu Fei silently picked up a piece of meat and put it into his bowl, the action natural and casual.
"Yan Yan, don't just eat white rice, eat more meat." Yu Qingtong naturally noticed this, and she also kindly picked up a piece of chicken for An Qing Yan, with a kind smile on her face, "This spicy chicken tastes good, you should try it."
She ordered spicy chicken when she went out to eat with Shuman at noon today. She thought it tasted good, so she specially asked the housekeeper to make it for her. It tasted great.
An Qingyan politely thanked the auntie, not thinking much of it. Just as he was about to eat, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached into his bowl, stopping him.
He looked at the owner of the chopsticks in astonishment, and Yu Qingtong had the same expression.
"What's wrong?"
"You can't eat spicy or heaty foods these next two days."
Gu Fei's tone was as natural as ever, and his expression was serious. After speaking, he picked up a piece of chicken from the boy's bowl and put it into his own bowl, and then put some light meat and vegetables into An Qingyan's bowl.
An Qingyan: "..." (Original URL)
Realizing something, his cheeks flushed silently, his head drooped even lower, and he ate his meal in silence, his pace quickening.
Seeing this, Yu Qingtong suddenly remembered the red mark she had seen on An Qingyan's neck that afternoon, which she said was a mosquito bite... This was definitely not a mosquito bite!
She finally realized what was going on, glared at her son, and then smiled at An Qingyan, saying, "Yan Yan, eating more light food is good for your health."
"Hmm..." An Qingyan wished he could find a hole to crawl into. He hurriedly finished the food in his bowl. "Well, I'm full. You guys take your time."
After saying that, he turned around and walked outside with a red face, and disappeared in a short while.
Yu Qingtong's smile vanished instantly. She looked at Gu Fei, who was half-smiling, with a stiff expression, and said helplessly, "I mean, really, don't you know Yan Yan is shy?"
Gu Fei remained silent and ate his food with his head down.
After dinner, the mother and son took a walk in the backyard. Yu Qingtong decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with her son. She looked up at the dark blue night sky above, where a few faint stars were twinkling.
"It's only been seven years since your father left," she said with a touch of emotion.
When her husband died in a car accident, Yu Qingtong felt like the sky had fallen. At that time, she felt that there was no hope in life and that she was worse off than dead.
Fortunately, there was Gu Fei, her son.
Even for her son's sake, she had to live a good life.
Gu Fei was only twenty years old at the time, still in college. His father's death was a great blow to him, but he didn't have time to be negative and grieving.
He had to handle his father's funeral arrangements and take over the Gu Group. During that time, he was so busy that he barely had time to rest, but he still managed to get through those difficult days.
Seeing Gu Fei remain silent, Yu Qingtong smiled and patted his shoulder, "Son, your father will be proud of you."
"Yes." Gu Fei nodded and said earnestly, "I'm proud of him too."
Yu Qingtong smiled and said, "I'm most worried about you. You've always been aloof since you were little, and you don't even have many friends, let alone find a partner, date, or even get married and have children."
"I'm worried about you. You've been all alone all this time. What if I'm no longer in this world? You'll be all alone, without anyone to keep you company."
Gu Fei's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. In the end, he didn't say anything. He didn't feel lonely; this was the norm in his life. He didn't need to find a partner, let alone get married.
But his thoughts changed after he met An Qingyan.
"Now that you have Yan Yan, I can rest assured." Yu Qingtong smiled with relief. "I can tell that you like Yan Yan very much, and Yan Yan likes you very much too."
"You know, when Yan Yan confessed to me this afternoon, he was so nervous and conflicted. After he finished, he thought I would object to your relationship."
"He immediately apologized to me, saying he was sorry and that it was all his fault. He said he was the one who liked Gu Fei first, and that I could hit or scold him as I pleased, but I shouldn't blame Gu Fei."
"He likes you so much..."
Upon hearing Yu Qingtong's words, Gu Fei paused. He didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment; his heart felt as if it were wrapped in soft cotton candy, very sweet.
Even the cold wind blowing in at night seemed to have become gentler.
He tilted his head slightly, looking at the twinkling stars in the night sky. His deep eyes seemed even gentler than the night itself. He said earnestly, "We will always be together."
"Of course! Let me tell you, if you dare to bully Yan Yan or treat him badly, I'll be the first to not let you off the hook. I'm even risking breaking off all ties with your Aunt Shuman to support you!"
As she spoke, Yu Qingtong's tone softened. "I learned about it online before, and your Aunt Shuman also told me that Yan Yan's life was not good before."
Schumann told her all this while crying.
She looked at Gu Fei earnestly, "So son, you really have to treat Yan Yan well, don't let him suffer anymore, understand?"
——
Two days later, the An family's car stopped outside the Gu family's gate. An's parents, An Jing, and An Yu all came over to pick up An Qingyan and take her home.
Having lived in the Gu family for so long, An Qingyan had a lot of luggage. His clothes, shoes, and socks alone could fill several suitcases, all of which were provided by Gu Fei.
Gu Fei didn't let him take everything; he left most of it behind. Anyway, the child would come back in the future, and it would be too much trouble to move it around. The man said this with great certainty.
An Qingyan muttered a few words under her breath. When did he ever say he was coming back? Although she said that, she still did as the man said and only packed some of her luggage, leaving the rest behind.
He also kept the wooden rabbit, placing it on the bedside table in the Gu family's home. "Brother Fei, this rabbit has been with me since it was a kitten, so I'm leaving it here."
"You can see it first thing when you go to sleep and when you wake up every day, so that you can remember me."
The boy's eyes crinkled as he spoke.
Gu Fei picked up the exquisitely crafted wooden rabbit, gently stroking its head with his fingertips, as if lost in thought. After a while, a smile appeared at the corner of his eyes and brows. "Will Yan Yan miss Brother Fei too?"
"Yes!" The boy nodded solemnly.
After a while, he said again, "Brother Fei, I want to drink orange juice."
Gu Fei naturally nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll wait."
He raised his hand and ruffled the boy's hair before turning and leaving.
An Qingyan watched his departing figure, immediately closed the door, then returned to the dressing room. Her gaze swept over the rows of neatly arranged clothes, finally locking onto a very familiar white shirt.
He took the shirt, unzipped the suitcase, carefully folded it, and put it at the bottom of the suitcase to hide it before zipping it up again.
——
The rooftop terrace of the villa was quiet. Gu Fei and An Jing sat side by side on the sofa. He lit a cigarette and handed the pack to An Jing, indicating whether he wanted some.
"So worried, you've even started smoking." An Jing knew his brother wasn't addicted to cigarettes, so he lit one too, and the smoke enveloped the two of them.
"Gu Fei, what do you want to say to me?" An Jing asked.
Gu Fei slowly brought the cigarette to his lips, took a puff, then held it between two fingers, letting the ash fall. His voice was a little hoarse.
“Yan Yan doesn’t like to eat fish, celery and cilantro. He usually prefers vegetables and fruits and eats very little meat, which makes his nutrition unbalanced. You should tell him to eat more meat.”
"He loves sweets, like cakes and puddings, but don't let him eat too much."
"Remember to give him a glass of warm milk every night before bed."
"Also, he is introverted and sensitive, likes to keep everything to himself and doesn't like to bother others, so you should pay more attention to his emotions."
...
"..." An Jing's hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly.
Is this still the same cold, distant, and taciturn friend he's known for over twenty years? Why does she sound so much like a worried mother, explaining every single detail of her son's life?
Yet he still maintained a calm and indifferent expression!
Gu Fei asked seriously, "Did you remember?"
An Jing: "I...I've remembered."
Gu Fei: "Then repeat it."
An Jing: "?!" That's going too far!!
However, he did listen carefully. With his years of experience memorizing lines, he easily repeated what he had just said. "Teacher Gu, are you satisfied?"
"Actually, you don't need to tell me. I will take good care of him. He is my younger brother."
Gu Fei didn't speak. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke:
There's something I think you need to know.
"Yan Yan... feels no pain."
——
"Then we'll be going now."
"Be careful on the road, and remember to come visit Auntie often, Yan Yan."
"Yes, I will. Goodbye, Auntie." An Qingyan shifted her gaze to the man less than two steps away from her. She wanted to go over and hug him, but after hesitating for a moment, she gave up. Her family was still nearby.
"Goodbye, Fei-ge." He smiled at Gu Fei.
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in his line of sight took two steps forward, opened his arms and hugged An Qingyan. An Qingyan hung his hands at his sides, somewhat at a loss, and did not hug back.
To others, it was just a polite hug, but An Qingyan overheard the man whispering in his ear, his voice magnetic and gentle: "Baby, see you another day."
After speaking, Gu Fei released his hand, his handsome face still calm and composed, but there was a gentle smile in his eyes, and the boy's figure was reflected in his pupils.
"Yan Yan, we're leaving now."
An Qingyan was flustered and hesitated for a moment before saying "okay" and hurriedly getting into the car.
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