Chapter 360, Part 2
360:
Huo Zinan was stunned for a moment.
He looked at the little sunflower in Ye Qingxi's hand.
The little sunflower is beautiful; its petals are golden, like sunshine.
Huo Zinan remembered that he had once taken a bunch of such small sunflowers to Ye Qingxi, wanting to give them to him.
Because at that time, he felt that Ye Qingxi was like a little sunflower.
Sunshine, brilliance, always facing the sun.
This was the perfect flower for him, so he specially picked this one and reserved it for Ye Qingxi.
But he didn't give away his little sunflower.
Because Ye Qingxi was with his good friend.
He doesn't need his little sunflower.
Just like, he doesn't need him either.
Huo Zinan didn't know why he would give him this now, whether it was intentional or unintentional.
Is it related to the little sunflower he never gave away back then, or did he just happen to pass by a flower shop and buy a bunch on a whim?
He seemed awkward and resistant, perhaps because he felt embarrassed recalling the past, and refused, saying, "I don't want to."
"How can you talk like that, child!" Mrs. Huo said angrily. "Xiao Xi bought this especially for you, and you say you don't want it?! Hurry up and accept it!"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi quickly said, "Auntie, let's talk alone for a while."
After saying that, he quickly closed the door.
Before Mrs. Huo could react, the door had already closed.
She was a little confused, but also felt that this was for the best.
In this way, she could better appeal to Mu Shaowu's emotions, saying that the two children were destined to be together and had a good relationship, so that Mu Shaowu would help her.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Huo called out through the door, "Then Nannan, you and Xiaoxi have a good talk. Xiaoxi, if you want anything, tell Nannan, or tell me."
"Okay," Ye Qingxi replied.
Only then did Mrs. Huo leave.
The air fell silent instantly.
The house, which was not small at all, seemed extremely cramped at that moment.
Huo Zinan looked at the person in front of him, somewhat at a loss.
He instinctively wanted to pick at the scar on his arm, but before he could roll up his sleeve, he remembered Ye Qingxi was there, so he restrained himself.
"What are you doing here?" He turned his back and walked to the bedside.
Ye Qingxi looked at him, then at his room.
It was dark, and the curtains in his room were not drawn.
Huo Zinan did not turn on the lights either.
When the door wasn't closed, some light from the living room shone in, which made it a little better.
Now that the door is closed, the room seems especially dark.
The sun hasn't set yet, and his house faces a good direction, which is why his house still has some visibility instead of being completely dark.
Ye Qingxi walked to the light switch and turned on the light.
The room lit up instantly, and Huo Zinan belatedly realized that he hadn't turned on the lights.
That's true. These past few days, he seems too lazy to turn on the lights—and there's no need to.
With the lights on, Ye Qingxi could see the situation inside Huo Zinan's room more clearly.
It's not messy; in fact, it's quite simple.
The room, just like he was now, looked lifeless and stagnant.
"I came to see you," Ye Qingxi said.
Huo Zinan was puzzled. He looked at him.
What's there to see in him?
Are they that close?
"Now you see it."
Ye Qingxi nodded, "Mm."
"We can go now," Huo Zinan said.
Ye Qingxi thought to herself, "That's still not possible."
He walked up to Huo Zinan and asked him, "Did you block me?"
Huo Zinan: ...
Huo Zinan didn't expect him to bring this up.
Still so direct.
He did indeed block Ye Qingxi.
I originally intended to delete him, but at the moment of deletion, I remembered the message that appeared when I sent a message after being deleted by someone else: "You are not their friend." For some reason, I changed it to block him instead.
"Why did you block me?" Ye Qingxi asked curiously.
Huo Zinan: ...
What else could it be?
Of course, it's because he doesn't deserve it.
His life got worse and worse, becoming increasingly meaningless, unlike Ye Qingxi, whose life was full of beauty and brilliance.
Their meeting was an accident. If the program hadn't suddenly added the "intern dad" position that year and selected two children from non-celebrity families for it, he and Ye Qingxi would never have met.
He is the mud on the ground.
Ye Qingxi is like a cloud in the sky.
The difference between them is like heaven and earth; how could he possibly dare to dream of becoming friends with them?
So after realizing the gap between them, he blocked him to stop having unrealistic fantasies.
It was as if by doing this, Ye Qingxi could disappear from his life.
"Did you come here to confront me and demand an explanation?" Huo Zinan asked him.
Ye Qingxi shook her head.
He said, “I originally wanted to chat with you on WeChat, but you blocked me, so I had no choice but to ask my dad to help me find your home address. Then I asked my teacher for leave, and my dad booked a plane ticket. It took two and a half hours by plane and almost an hour by car to get here.”
Huo Zinan: ...
Huo Zinan hadn't expected that this was the reason he had appeared.
There was no need, he thought. Knowing that he had already blocked him, why bother coming over?
If it were him, he definitely wouldn't have gone to such lengths to come here.
"When I passed a flower shop, I had the driver stop so I could buy you this bouquet." Ye Qingxi handed the flowers over again.
"Do you remember? The year we filmed a variety show together, in the last episode, you were the owner of a flower shop, and you brought a bunch of these little sunflowers, wanting to give them to me."
Huo Zinan: !!!
Huo Zinan looked at him in surprise.
He definitely didn't just buy a random bouquet of flowers.
He saw it when the show aired, or even after they separated; he saw the relevant screen recordings and still remembers them now.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were outside the door at that time."
“But even if I knew, it wouldn’t change anything,” Ye Qingxi said frankly. “The person you saw that day was my childhood friend. We’ve known each other since I was five years old, and we’ve always had a good relationship, even now.”
"Besides, they came specifically to see me, so I can't possibly turn them down because of you."
So what? Huo Zinan wondered, why bother telling him all this?
Tell him that he is indeed delusional.
Tell him he already has a very close friend? So he's not good enough?
He knew; he already knew.
He didn't need him; he knew that back then.
So why is he saying it now?
Why would I fly all the way here to tell him?!
Huo Zinan subconsciously wanted to pick at the scar on his arm again.
But as soon as he touched his sleeve, he remembered Ye Qingxi.
He didn't want Ye Qingxi to see it.
She didn't want Ye Qingxi to know what kind of mess she looked like.
He had once longed for him.
Even after they separated, he continued to keep an eye on him.
He performed at the opening ceremony of the World Championship.
Receiving an award at the Golden Phoenix Film Festival.
To leave behind classic film and television images on the screen on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
He has played leading roles and supporting roles.
I have worked with directors both in China and abroad.
Huo Zinan knew all of this.
He couldn't help but look at him and pay attention to him.
In his eyes, Ye Qingxi was the kind of perfect child that almost everyone liked, the kind he most wanted to be.
Everything is great.
She's good-looking and has a good personality.
Even someone as unlikable as himself, he would treat gently.
He would want to protect him when playing Eagle Catches Chicks.
She would walk beside him in the cave, holding his hand.
The kids around him didn't really like him. Even his cousin, who had already bought him his favorite Transformers toy, always preferred to play with his other younger brothers.
Not to mention protecting him.
Ye Qingxi was the first person to say she would protect him, and the first to actually do so.
Huo Zinan couldn't possibly be indifferent to him.
However, they were just strangers who met by chance, and their relationship ended when the variety show ended.
Ye Qingxi has her own ladder to heaven.
He returned to his narrow bridge.
They can't even see each other, let alone become friends.
Huo Zinan knew; he had always known.
He just didn't understand why Ye Qingxi was saying this to him now.
He came to see him specifically to cruelly tell him that even now, even though he knows everything, he still only cares about his friends?
"But actually, I've always considered you a friend," Ye Qingxi said gently.
"Although they may not be as close as my childhood friends, they are still friends. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to come directly to your house just because you're in trouble now, and I can't contact you on WeChat or have your phone number."
Huo Zinan: ...
Huo Zinan was stunned.
He looked up, as if he couldn't believe it.
Ye Qingxi handed over the small sunflower in her hand, "Back then, you gave me a flower like this, but I didn't receive it. Later, when I saw the screen recording and the episode that aired on TV, I was actually quite disappointed."
"Now, I'm giving you these flowers, and I hope you'll accept them."
As Huo Zinan listened, her gaze unconsciously fell on the flowers in his hand.
It's a very pretty little sunflower, with bright golden petals, much prettier than the one he picked back then.
Huo Zinan watched quietly for a while before finally slowly extending his hand.
Just as he grasped the sunflower, Ye Qingxi grabbed his wrist.
Before Huo Zinan could react, Ye Qingxi had already rolled up his sleeves, revealing a dense array of scars hidden beneath.
Some of them had already scabbed over, while others had their scabs torn off, revealing stark red flesh, and still others were new, ready to bleed again at any moment.
"What are you doing!" Huo Zinan immediately bristled.
He quickly withdrew his hand, lowered his sleeve, and hurriedly tried to hide it.
His heart was pounding; he was panicked and scared.
He was afraid that Ye Qingxi would look at him with surprise.
Will he panic and realize that he is no longer the person he remembers, and that he is no longer as good as his childhood friend?
He was so flustered that he didn't dare to look Ye Qingxi in the eye, and naturally didn't notice the heartache and pity in Ye Qingxi's eyes.
"I'm sorry," Ye Qingxi said. "I saw the scar on your arm when I was watching that video, but I'm not sure if I saw it wrong, or what the scar is, so this is all I can say."
Since he entered the room, there have been two instances where Huo Zinan clearly wanted to pick at his scars, but he stopped himself both times.
Ye Qingxi could see it and understood it very well.
Back then, he didn't want others to see it either.
Therefore, Huo Zinan was destined not to show it to him, so if he wanted to know what was wrong with his arm, he had to do it himself.
He succeeded very easily.
After all, Huo Zinan had no defenses against him.
Ye Qingxi handed the flowers out again.
But Huo Zinan did not answer the call again.
He didn't dare, unsure if Ye Qingxi wanted to roll up his sleeves again.
Seeing this, Ye Qingxi reached out to take his hand.
Huo Zinan instinctively tried to dodge, but was grabbed by him.
He took his hand and then placed the little sunflower in his hand into his.
"Have you been happy all these years?" Ye Qingxi asked him.
Huo Zinan didn't expect him to ask that question. She glanced at him, unsure how to answer.
Do you love your parents? Do you think they love you?
"I don't love you," Huo Zinan silently answered in his heart.
"Do you want to continue living like before?" Ye Qingxi asked.
Huo Zinan did not speak.
He didn't understand why Ye Qingxi was asking him these questions.
When friends meet, shouldn't the questions be about how you've been lately, how you've been these past few years, what exactly happened that day, and so on, instead of whether you love your parents? Do your parents love you?
That's a very pointed question.
That's way too far beyond the level of familiarity they have now.
Ye Qingxi knew, of course, that he shouldn't have asked these questions right away; it was too presumptuous and presumptuous.
But there are many things that he doesn't ask about, and others, let alone ask, simply don't care.
Since Huo Zinan didn't express his opinion, there was nothing he could do.
He wanted to help Huo Zinan, but how to help and to what extent was a decision Huo Zinan himself had to make.
"I came here this time to help you," Ye Qingxi said gently. "But I don't know which kind of help I can give you that you want most. So, Huo Zinan, I'm giving you the choice. You choose the kind of help you want."
Huo Zinan looked at him without saying a word.
"Option A: I'll have my dad find someone to help you handle this matter and do some public relations. At the same time, I'll post on Weibo to speak up for you, and I'll also have He Lei and Tao Tao post on it. That way, we can also hype up the team spirit, evoke everyone's memories of the past, and make the public spontaneously remember your good deeds. Maybe you'll even gain a new batch of fans through this incident."
"Option B." Ye Qingxi paused for a moment.
He wasn't sure what Huo Zinan's expression would be, what he would think of him, or if he would think he was crazy if he said those words.
But from the moment he entered the Huo family, all he saw was his mother's impatience, dissatisfaction, and resentment towards him; all he saw was his lifeless demeanor; his habit of keeping the curtains drawn and not turning on the lights; the dense scars on his arms that had scabbed over and then been picked open; and his evasiveness, fear, and avoidance.
He wasn't like this before. He used to be very arrogant and paid a lot of attention to his appearance.
Even if she likes him and wants to be friends with him, she will still say on the surface, "I'll reluctantly go with you."
He didn't grow up well.
He's like that little sunflower he never gave away; it will wither away soon.
Ye Qingxi didn't know if this had anything to do with his parents or his current family.
But he was afraid of what was going on.
So he slowly said, "Option B, I'll take you away."
“I’ll take you away from your current home and your parents. If you’re willing, I can have an uncle I know contact your parents and have them sign you to their company. Then, as a trainee, I’ll send you abroad. That way, they won’t be able to contact you anymore. You can study abroad like other kids. When you turn eighteen, you’ll be an adult and won’t need your parents’ supervision anymore. Then you can decide whether you want to see them again, and whether you should continue your studies or go back to acting.”
"Of course, if you feel that there are no familiar people abroad, and that you are surrounded by people of different skin colors and speaking different languages, and you don't like it, you can stay in China. I can take you to my city, where I happen to have a house. You can live there, study, go to school, and then decide on your future when you turn eighteen."
"Huo Zinan, you can think about it seriously and then tell me which one you want to choose."
"I respect your choice, whichever it is."
"But you must take this seriously, because, apart from me, you may never meet another person who is willing to go to such lengths to come here for you, who dares to say these things to you, and who dares to bear the consequences of these words."
"So you must think it through carefully, seriously, and without regret."
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