Chapter 70 Mysterious Night
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Gu Liyu handed a snack to An Lan and said calmly, “Eat a little more, or you’ll be hungry at night.”
“Oh, okay.”
The peaceful atmosphere made An Lan feel like nothing significant would happen.
After dinner, Xu Xingran drove them home.
When the car stopped downstairs at An Lan’s house, Xu Xingran spoke, “An Lan, pack up the things you need for the next few days and go with Gu Liyu.”
An Lan was surprised; Xu Xingran’s voice was heavy, indicating his seriousness.
Xiao Chen, in the passenger seat, also nodded and said, “Yes, go with Gu Liyu. Although I live downstairs and can watch over you anytime, I also have Xiao Le to take care of… If you stay with Gu Liyu, it can prevent him from worrying about you, and you’ll be under his watchful eyes. I think it’s a win-win.”
An Lan understood the meaning behind Xiao Chen’s words. Gu Liyu had possessiveness towards him, especially now that the shadow of “Eden” hadn’t completely dissipated. If An Lan wasn’t by Gu Liyu’s side, Gu Liyu wouldn’t feel secure enough.
An Lan went upstairs, coincidentally encountering his parents watching TV. They were angrily criticizing the melodramatic plot of the TV drama.
“Dad, Mom, my classmate Gu Liyu’s parents are away for a while. I want to go stay at his place for a few days. Don’t worry; I’ll study well.”
In the past, when Qiao Chuluo’s parents were on business trips, An Lan would also go to keep him company. His parents didn’t find anything inappropriate about it. Moreover, as the child grew up, they preferred to be with their peers. They just reminded him to call home every night.
An Lan went downstairs with his bag. Xiao Chen was opening the car door, and Xu Xingran spoke, “Ah Chen, how about you take Lele back to the Xiao family.”
The Xiao family had good security measures, and as long as Xiao Chen mentioned these matters to Xiao Hongwen, Xiao Chen and Xiao Le would be arranged with professional security personnel. Despite Xiao Hongwen’s flaws regarding Han Li or Su Songning, now he valued Xiao Chen the most. For his sister, Xiao Chen didn’t need to confront him.
“I know. Tonight, I’ll pack up with Lele and take her home.”
Xiao Chen went upstairs, and Xu Xingran drove to the Gu family’s residence.
“The last time we were united, let’s do the same this time,” Xu Xingran said.
After going upstairs, Xiao Chen efficiently packed up Xiao Le’s clothes, and took her away from here.
Although Xiao Le didn’t know why her brother suddenly wanted to go home, she believed in every decision made by Xiao Chen.
On the way back home, Xiao Chen asked Xiao Le to make a call to Xiao Hongwen, with a reason that seemed very “authentic.”
“Dad… There are a lot of cockroaches in the house where I stay… I want to come back…”
Hearing this news, Xiao Hongwen couldn’t hide his joy: “Okay! Okay! Have you had dinner? I’ll have dinner prepared for you!”
Xiao Le looked at Xiao Chen, and Xiao Chen nodded.
Since they were going back, they had to open their hearts. Even if they couldn’t forgive him, there was no need to make their lives tense.
“Brother has eaten, I didn’t eat much for dinner,” Xiao Le said.
“That’s good! Dad will have dinner with you tonight.”
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Le felt a mix of emotions, “I never thought I could have such a position there.”
“Moved?” Xiao Chen asked with a smile.
“Not really,” Xiao Le sighed, “Just feel that he’s quite pitiful. He was all set on forming an alliance with the Han family, only to find out that the Han family is rotten to the core. He thought Xiao Yun was his most outstanding son, but Xiao Yun not only got a heart disease but also had a dark heart. Actually, he doesn’t need to value me and you so much. Even if he divorces Han Li, he can have a few more children.”
Xiao Chen laughed, “Do you think high-quality alphas can be born just because you want to? Xiao Nan’s parents are a high-quality alpha and a high-quality omega, and Xiao Nan didn’t turn out to be of high quality.”
“Then it’s still thanks to our mom’s genes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have a high-quality alpha brother to rely on.” Xiao Le joked.
“Lele, I believe a person’s happiness and achievements have nothing to do with whether they are a high-quality alpha or omega. For example, last year’s world champion in the ten-meter air rifle was a beta, and the top student you secretly like is also a beta,” Xiao Chen said seriously.
“I know… Like Brother An Lan, even if he’s just a beta, he would still lend me his phone that day.”
“Yes.” Xiao Chen reached out and rubbed his sister’s head.
They returned to Xiao’s home. As soon as they entered, Xiao Hongwen personally greeted them and took their luggage.
“Ah Chen… you stay at home too.” Xiao Hongwen looked at Xiao Chen with almost pleading eyes.
Actually, Xiao Chen understood. Besides guilt, Xiao Hongwen also knew that Xiao Chen, Xingran, and Gu Liyu had good relations. He hoped that the Xiao family would not be implicated by the Han family through the relationships of the other two families.
“Okay, Lele insisted on coming back, so I’ll… come back too.” Xiao Chen said.
“Come and eat. Dinner is ready. Unpack your luggage later.”
Xiao Hongwen warmly pulled Xiao Le to the dining table. My goodness, there were only three of them, but Xiao Hongwen had prepared nearly ten dishes.
Xiao Le gave Xiao Chen a meaningful look, silently saying: What a high standard treatment.
Xiao Chen was almost amused by her.
While they were having dinner, Xiao Chen noticed that Xiao Hongwen’s phone kept flashing, indicating that someone was calling him. However, he didn’t answer it, and Xiao Chen could immediately imagine that it was either a call from the Han family or Xiao Yun.
“You should answer it,” Xiao Chen raised his chin.
“No, no. I finally have the chance to have dinner with you guys. I’ll deal with it after dinner.” Xiao Hongwen said.
Xiao Chen smiled, “Let me guess, it’s Xiao Yun.”
Xiao Hongwen was stunned for a moment, obviously, Xiao Chen guessed it right.
Xiao Chen continued, “Xiao Yun is coddled, he probably doesn’t want to stay in the hospital. If it wasn’t for the foolishness and impulsiveness of that mother and son, the cooperation between the Han family and Eden might not have been exposed. So, the Han family doesn’t really want to take care of Xiao Yun. All of Han Li’s assets are frozen, and Xiao Yun can’t use them. At this point, Xiao Yun can only rely on you, his father.”
“Ah Chen, I…”
Xiao Hongwen was about to say something, but Xiao Chen interrupted him, “You want to say that no matter what mistakes he made before, he is now desperate, and with a heart condition, it’s better to let him come back and stay. Right?”
Xiao Hongwen didn’t know how to answer because Xiao Chen said exactly what he wanted to say just now. But if Xiao Hongwen said it, it would be full of sympathy. Xiao Chen, on the other hand, said it straightforwardly, even with a hint of sarcasm.
“I will arrange a better nurse for him and find a better sanatorium for him. Lele is going to take the middle school entrance exam, and you’re going to take the college entrance exam. You need to concentrate on studying,” Xiao Hongwen said.
“Yes.” Xiao Le nodded, “Now the food seems a little better.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Xiao Hongwen was wondering who would come so late, and the housekeeper said, “Sir, it’s Xiao Nan!”
“Why did that foolish guy Xiao Nan come?” Xiao Le showed a disdainful expression.
The housekeeper continued, “He brought the young master back!”
“D*mn…” Now it was Xiao Chen’s turn to show a disdainful expression.
As soon as Xiao Nan came in, he started reproaching Xiao Hongwen, “Uncle! Are you crazy? How could you just leave Brother Yun in the hospital like that? He’s still your son, right?”
“No, no, Brother Yun needs real-time monitoring in the hospital due to his health. If he comes home, in case something happens, even if I drive him to the hospital immediately, it won’t be in time!” Xiao Hongwen’s explanation sounded reasonable.
“You still don’t know how the people in the hospital treat Brother Yun after reading those tabloids! That hospital won’t do!…” Xiao Nan looked up and found Xiao Chen was watching him with a smile.
It was like watching a play.
Xiao Nan’s face turned red all of a sudden. He was not unaware of what Han Li had done. His father had also told him many times that in the future, it was most likely Xiao Chen who would inherit the Xiao family. He shouldn’t oppose Xiao Chen anymore.
“That… you better change the hospital for Brother Yun.”
“Okay, I’ll contact a hospital for him right away. It’s very late. You send Ah Yun back to the hospital first. His heart is really…”
Xiao Hongwen was about to say something more, but Xiao Yun grabbed him and said in a trembling voice, “Dad, I beg you, don’t let me stay there. Please…”
Xiao Hongwen actually felt reluctant in his heart. After all, Xiao Yun was his son, whom he had cared for so many years. He turned to Xiao Chen, thinking he would need to do a lot of persuasion, but to his surprise, Xiao Chen said, “At least he’s from the Xiao family. If there’s anyone to discipline or bully him, it should be us from the Xiao family.”
After saying that, he lowered his head and continued eating with Xiao Le.
Xiao Hongwen quickly accompanied Xiao Nan to send Xiao Yun back to his room.
“Look at our esteemed father, so proactive and efficient, afraid that you might change your mind.” Xiao Le kicked Xiao Chen under the table, “Brother, you’re vengeful. You find anyone annoying after a second. How could you let Xiao Yun come back to stay?”
Xiao Chen pressed his sister’s head, “Why think so much? Just remember, don’t bother with Xiao Yun. If he falls down the stairs, call someone else to help. If he has a heart attack, call someone else for first aid. Don’t get involved.”
“Are you afraid he’ll fake an accident against me?” Xiao Le asked.
Xiao Chen smiled and didn’t answer her. Instead, he sent a message on his phone.
Xiao Chen: [My big brother is back home.]
Xu Xingran: [What a coincidence.]
Gu Liyu: [Seize the opportunity.]
Xu Xingran: [Maybe if you ask him the first question, he’ll have a heart attack.]
Xiao Chen: [Don’t worry, I have fast-acting heart pills and a defibrillator.]
Xu Xingran: [Can you use a defibrillator?]
Xiao Chen grinned and replied: [Alone Avoid Yu, what are you and An Lan doing now?]
Gu Liyu: [He’s gone to shower.]
Xiao Chen: [After showering, what are you doing?]
Gu Liyu: [Sleeping.]
Xiao Chen: [Really uncreative.]
Xu Xingran: [I’m going to sleep too. Remember to pry open Xiao Yun’s mouth.]
At this moment, An Lan walked into the bedroom wearing pajamas and slippers. He saw Gu Liyu sitting on the bedside table, sending messages with one hand.
“Finished washing up?” Gu Liyu looked up at him.
An Lan nodded, “Your mom asked me if I wanted to drink milk just now. It feels like she treats me like a child.”
Gu Liyu reached out, gently pulling An Lan to his side, put down the phone, and circled his arm around An Lan’s waist, half-leaning back, looking up at him.
“She really wants to pamper me, but… I’m not the kind of child who needs pampering. So, she transfers those feelings to you. Pampering you is probably like pampering me to her.” Gu Liyu said.
“So, is this a case of loving the house and its crow?” An Lan asked with a smile.
“Yeah.” Gu Liyu’s hand gently pulled the hem of An Lan’s pajamas, “Just now, I told Xiao Chen that we finished washing up and are going to sleep. Xiao Chen thought it was not creative.”
An Lan looked into Gu Liyu’s eyes, which no longer had the initial sense of alienation. On the contrary, Gu Liyu’s gaze made An Lan feel that their spirits were connected in the depths.
“What’s considered creative?” An Lan asked, regretting it immediately.
Apparently, Xiao Chen’s words were full of discordant meaning, and Gu Liyu deliberately provoked An Lan by asking this question.
“How do you imagine love should be?” Gu Liyu asked.
“It’s not anything special, just eating together, watching movies, playing games together. That’s life; what else can you do?” An Lan smiled.
The same sentence again, they were both in their first relationships, and neither of them had any experience.
Although in some aspects, Gu Liyu gave people the feeling of being experienced.
“We’ve eaten together, but we haven’t watched a movie together or played games together.” Gu Liyu said.
“If we’re going to play games, we should go to an internet cafe. I’ll take you there. As for watching movies, do you have any favorite movies? Shall we watch them together?” An Lan said.
“There is one that I learned a lot from.”
“Not some educational documentary, right? Watching such movies together would be very helpful for falling asleep.”
Probably not even ten minutes later, he would lean on Gu Liyu and fall asleep.
They didn’t turn off the lights. It was still early, and the two of them laid under the quilt. The laptop was placed on Gu Liyu’s left leg and An Lan’s right leg. Each had one earphone. It felt intimate and strange.
“Why not play it out loud?” An Lan curiously asked.
“Don’t want my mom to hear.” Gu Liyu answered.
Hear what?
An Lan was curious.
The movie was called “Mysterious Night.” Could it be a suspense film?
But An Lan had no impression of the movie’s name at all.
The beginning of this movie showed the vice president of a major fashion group, also the young heir to the group, Bruce, working overtime at his desk.
It was a large fashion group, but that year’s designs had no highlights, constantly suppressed by competitors. Bruce was troubled by this.
That night, Bruce worked until three in the morning. The next day was Easter, and the entire building was empty, with everyone busy going home to celebrate. In theory, only Bruce was still in the office.
However, he heard movement outside, like someone singing.
Bruce quietly left his office and entered the open office area where the employees worked.
In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the urban night scene. All the computers had been turned off, but there was a figure leaning against the window, a silhouette of a young man.
He didn’t know Bruce was there. Instead, he slowly lifted one leg, twisted his body into elegant lines in front of the window, and Bruce only then realized that he was performing ballet.
He should have learned it a very, very long time ago, but now it had become unfamiliar. Nevertheless, this casual dance, amidst the interplay of light and shadow outside the window, exuded a soul-stirring beauty.
Bruce stood there holding his breath for a long time before realizing that the young man was singing “Fly Me to the Moon.” When he lifted his left hand onto his right shoulder and turned half a circle, he appeared as if he would be embraced by the starry sky outside the window at any moment.
But the young man noticed Bruce’s presence, and he seemed surprised, taking a step back.
Bruce approached him, trying to reassure him, “Don’t be afraid. Your dance just now was beautiful. What’s your name? You…”
The young man, like a child caught doing something wrong, hurriedly left.
Bruce turned on the lights, brightening the entire open office area, but there was no trace of anyone.
The next day, Bruce tried everything to find out who that person was because he was his muse.
Seeing this, An Lan couldn’t help but say, “It’s a bit like Cinderella. The prince doesn’t know who Cinderella is, so he has to let all the girls in the country try on the crystal shoe one by one?”
Gu Liyu’s hand circled around An Lan’s head, gently pressing against his face, bringing him closer to his shoulder.
“Bruce is worse off than the prince. The prince at least has a crystal shoe, but Bruce has only seen the shadow of the other person in the backlight,” Gu Liyu replied.
An Lan couldn’t help but laugh, lifting his face to look at Gu Liyu, “So, is it really possible for someone to fall in love with another person just because of the silhouette of their shadow?”
Gu Liyu lowered his eyes and lightly kissed An Lan on the forehead, “Certainly. I noticed the way you shot for the first time and remembered it.”
“My shooting style?” An Lan asked.
“Yes. In the finals of that competition, you withdrew due to a wrist injury, and I was very disappointed,” Gu Liyu kissed An Lan’s nose.
An Lan smiled, lifting Gu Liyu’s hand. There were still scars in his palm, “So, when you insisted on participating in the finals as soon as you woke up, it wasn’t just to compete with the Class Monitor. It was also because you thought I would participate in the finals?”
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