Chapter 88 Can I Pursue You?
The three people in the living room, apart from Tangyuan, were all preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy. He Fan did not stay for long; before he had even finished half of the Baihao Yinzhen (a traditional Chinese medicine) treatment, he got up to leave.
It was indeed getting late. The population density in Country A is low, so there were hardly any people on the road when driving back at this time. If it got any later, it would be a bit scary.
Mu Yan couldn't keep him any longer, so he escorted He Fan downstairs. The streetlights in the villa area cast a gentle orange glow.
The night breeze was a bit chilly. When Mu Yan came out to see him off, He Fan specifically reminded Mu Yan to wear a coat. However, he only wore a well-tailored cashmere coat over his white shirt. The evening breeze blew in, causing the hem of his shirt to flutter slightly.
He Fan chattered away with Mu Yan as usual, like a little sparrow, talking about the weather and seasonal fruits and vegetables. His tone was as familiar and gentle as ever, as if nothing had happened.
Being with He Fan always felt like a gentle breeze, with very little discomfort. However, while he could hide his feelings, Mu Yan couldn't pretend nothing had happened.
He had truly heard He Fan's words, and could no longer pretend he didn't know.
He and He Fan had known each other for four years, and for two of those years they were inseparable, eating together, jogging together in the morning, and even once when He Fan accidentally spilled milk tea on the sheets, they shared a bed.
He Fan is an alpha, and such a good-looking one at that. Since he enrolled in school, many omegas have asked for his contact information. Mu Yan, on the other hand, is just an insignificant beta. How could Mu Yan possibly think in that direction?
"Brother Xiaoyan," He Fan called out softly.
"Did I say something wrong today? Can you please not take it to heart, brother?"
He Fan's voice grew softer and softer. Mu Yan stopped and turned to look at him. He Fan's eyes drooped down, as if he had really done something wrong.
When Tangyuan did something wrong, she also looked down with her head down and eyes lowered. He Fansheng had a very superior face, and seeing such an expression on that face made Mu Yan feel particularly sorry for him.
“Xiao Fan,” Mu Yan looked at him helplessly, “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
"I made you unhappy, I..." He Fan hesitated for a moment, unable to continue. He had been looking into Mu Yan's eyes, but then quickly looked away as if afraid of frightening Mu Yan. After a long while, he finally spoke again in a low voice, "Brother... this makes me so scared. I don't want to lose even being friends with you..."
"Can I pretend I didn't hear that sentence, brother?"
They walked right up to He Fan's car, and the rustling of the ginkgo leaves in the night wind seemed to stretch out time.
Mu Yan looked at him, not avoiding his gaze, but also not speaking immediately. Silence fell between him and He Fan, turning into a state of hesitation and ambiguity.
He Fan's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.
He had clearly planned all of this beforehand, so why was his heart beating so fast?
No, you can't force Mu Yan... Shang Qiyue's fate is clear; taking things by trickery will only push people further away.
But what else could he do? Mu Yan seemed gentle and approachable; if you treated him even slightly well, he would be devoted to you wholeheartedly. But only those who have tried to warm a stone know that a stone cannot be warmed by touch alone.
No matter how much Mu Yan cared about him, she only treated him as a friend and a younger brother. Even if He Fan dressed up like a peacock every day and deliberately sprayed perfume that even a beta could smell, Mu Yan would only joke with Yao Zhiyuan and Han Xiao about which omega senior he was going to mess with today.
Even if he deliberately spilled milk tea on the bed so he could squeeze into Mu Yan's bed, Mu Yan just smiled and helped him wash the sheets and duvet cover, saying with a hint of reproach that he had told him not to sit on the bed to drink it, and then let him sleep in his own bed without any suspicion.
That night, he took a shower first and lay down on Mu Yan's bed. Mu Yan had just finished showering when he got into bed, and his body smelled familiar, like soap, which was more pleasant than any omega's pheromones.
Only a few centimeters. He Fan could see every single one of his eyelashes, and with just a slight tilt of her head, she could kiss the tip of his nose.
But now, Mu Yan is so far away from him.
It felt like an eternity before Mu Yan looked at him and finally spoke softly.
"Xiao Fan, I can't just pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
From high school to university, as young boys and girls begin to experience romantic feelings, there are bound to be a few people who approach Mu Yan as friends before confessing their feelings to him.
Some people have said that even if they don't accept the confession, they can still remain friends.
But Mu Yan knew that being rejected was embarrassing, and he could no longer comfortably appear beside the other person as a friend.
There needs to be a sense of propriety in relationships; pretending not to know the other person's feelings and engaging in ambiguous behavior is the most pointless thing to do.
"I don't know how to face you... but I can't go back to how things were before... you have to give me some time to think about it." Mu Yan lowered his head and said softly.
"I know you're a good person, a good friend, and a good lover. The timing isn't inappropriate either, but this is all too sudden for me. I haven't thought about our relationship in any other way; I need some time to think it over..."
He is now free; he can choose to be alone or to date anyone.
Mu Yan didn't think that this person couldn't possibly be He Fan.
He Fan is a good person; they've known each other for a long time. Even though Mu Yan originally preferred to find a beta girl, he didn't want to limit himself because of this.
An ideal type is for finding someone who hasn't appeared yet, not for constraining the people who already exist in your life.
Before he could finish speaking, He Fan's eyes lit up.
Like the only bonfire lit in the night, the sight of a bonfire evokes feelings of joy and boundless hope.
"So... can I start pursuing you now?"
Mu Yan was stunned for a moment.
"No, no, let's think about it. Once I've thought it through, I'll..."
His ears and face instantly turned red and felt hot; even the gentle evening breeze did not lower the temperature in the slightest.
"Of course I want to! Even though you just agreed, I still want to pursue you again," Mu Yan was so adorable that He Fan couldn't help but tease him. "I'm so happy that you're willing to consider me. Back in college, I thought, 'If you were willing to go on a date with me, that would be great.' I've planned so many things I want to do with you."
"I want to ski with you, I want to watch the sunrise at the beach with you, I want to ride the Ferris wheel with you. The biggest Ferris wheel in Country A is in City L, and it only takes two hours to drive there..."
Mu Yan's face burned even hotter, as if she had a fever: "You should read less romance novels. Not everyone can be like the characters in novels."
He avoided He Fan's gaze, his eyes sparkling in the night, his eyelashes casting fine shadows under the streetlights, just like when they first met.
But that wasn't entirely true. He Fan had never seen Mu Yan like this before—a little shy, embarrassed, and even a bit fierce.
Her earlobes are all red; I really want to kiss them.
Mu Yan had never been looked at like that before, and felt even more embarrassed, urging him to drive home quickly.
He Fan finally nodded and walked towards the car door. The moment her hand touched the car door, she turned back and glanced at him again.
The night breeze ruffled Mu Yan's hair under the streetlights. He looked at himself, only at himself.
"Good night," He Fan said softly.
Mu Yan turned around and walked into the villa. Before closing the door, he heard He Fan's words, turned back, smiled, and replied with a "Goodnight."
After the door closed, He Fan could no longer see anything.
But the scent of camellia from his laundry detergent still seemed to linger in the air.
The evening breeze was cool, and the bright moon shone brightly. He Fan started the car but didn't close the windows.
In the past twenty-two years of his life, he felt as happy as he was today.
Even on the day Xie Rong was pushed off the building.
Even though they didn't touch hands, it seemed like he had never been this close to Mu Yan before.
Once you break through that barrier, everything becomes much easier.
He Fan had always struggled to break down the boundaries of friendship, but after that, he knew exactly what he should do.
As for Lu Chong, he can continue peeling mangosteens to feed his dog.
He Fan drove home in a good mood, but the moment he saw the living room light was still on, the smile on his face slowly faded away.
He Qingyun was curled up in a corner of the sofa, already asleep, with a blanket draped over her. The blanket was an old-fashioned style, not the kind found in He Fan's home; it must have been taken from the car by Xie Chen.
Xie Chen sat on the other side of the sofa, watching He Fan enter, his expression calm.
Hearing the door open, He Qingyun immediately woke up and sat up straight. She subconsciously glanced at Xie Chen, who gave her a reassuring look.
Upon seeing the two, He Fan stood motionless at the door. The bonfire in his heart had been extinguished by cold water, and the firewood had gradually cooled down.
Xie Chen looked at him and said in a gentle tone, "You're back. Have a seat. I'm not here to interrogate you, but I need to know what happened."
Xie Chen will always be like this.
Even though He Fan knew that he considered her family in his heart and did not intend to treat her as a superior, the calm and unyielding sense of oppression emanating from him still slowly spread throughout the room, like a tide engulfing the entire house.
When Xie Chen is unhappy, he can't hide his superior aura. Even though He Fan knows how to deal with it, he still subconsciously feels intimidated.
He Fan didn't know what he had found out. He had kept too many things from Xie Chen, and for a moment he didn't know which thing to worry about.
He calmly sat down next to Xie Chen: "Brother, what have you found out, and what do you want to ask me? Just say it directly."
"Regarding Xie Ze poisoning my father," Xie Chen asked bluntly, "wasn't it also your doing?"
[Author's Note]
Please check out my upcoming novel, "The Frail Beauty Fighted Over by Twins," in the NP crematorium section of this column.
Lin Che has a secret that isn't exactly a secret: he has had a crush on Fu Tingzhi for three years.
If Fu Tingzhi's crew needs him, he'll rush over even if it means working non-stop all day. For Fu Tingzhi, he's willing to give up the hard-won opportunity to shoot a documentary he loves, and instead work with the director he hates most in the industry on a cheesy but profitable melodramatic romance film.
Fu Tingzhi was unaware that while he was enjoying Lin Che's kindness, he was completely oblivious to Lin Che's deteriorating health.
Lin Che followed in his footsteps, watching his resources improve, watching him rise to higher and higher positions, and watching him finally win the title of Best Actor.
But Lin Che gets tired too.
On the day Fu Tingzhi stood on the podium to accept the award, Lin Che quietly bought a plane ticket to Switzerland.
His body can't hold on much longer. Liking Fu Tingzhi is exhausting. The doctor said that in his final days, he should take it easy on himself.
*
On the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, Lin Che saw a pair of eyes that were exactly the same as Fu Tingzhi's. However, saying they were exactly the same wouldn't be entirely accurate, because due to his years in the entertainment industry, even though Fu Tingzhi had sharp phoenix eyes, his eyes often revealed a smile.
The man's eyes, however, were like the snow that never melts on a mountaintop, cold and intimidating.
However, after Lin Che fainted, it was this completely unfamiliar man who lifted him up by the knees and took him to the nearest hospital.
"Fu Linchuan," the man briefly introduced himself after Lin Che woke up.
*
When Fu Tingzhi saw Lin Che again, he was leaning against his brother whom he hadn't seen for many years. Fu Linchuan was holding a bowl of Chinese medicine and called him "good boy" to coax him to drink some more.
Beside them was a little boy, about three years old, with fair skin and delicate features, who looked about 70% like the two brothers when they were young.
Lin Che gained a little weight thanks to his care, and his originally thin and frail body gradually exuded a unique charm, like a ripe peach.
Fu Linchuan put his arm around him, his hand pressed tightly against Lin Che's waist, and looked indifferently at Fu Tingzhi.
“Brother,” Fu Yanzhi stared defiantly at the seemingly happy family of three, “do you know that Lin Che and I broke up less than four years ago?”
“I know,” Fu Linchuan gently patted the little boy’s head. “Nannan, this is the other father I’ve been talking about.”
Nan Nan glanced at Fu Yanzhi and burst into tears. He turned around and buried himself in Lin Che's arms, crying, "I don't want bad people, I want Daddy, Uncle, and my little sister!"
"Nannan, be good, how could I not want you?" Lin Che hugged him and unconsciously stroked his slightly protruding belly with his other hand. "Don't cry, don't cry, I won't abandon you."
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