Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Fan Zhongchuan sat on the bed's edge, pulling Ning Yuyi, who was seated in the middle, into his embrace, "We'll only know if we're compatible after trying."

Dare I try?

I fear I might not survive a single attempt!

Ning Yuyi gave him a pensive look.

Fan Zhongchuan refrained from teasing him further, "Be good, it's late. Let's sleep."

"Okay."

In the end, Ning Yuyi slept in Fan Zhongchuan's room, on his bed.

—Right next to Fan Zhongchuan.

When Ning Yuyi woke up, he felt pinned down by the upper half. It took a while before he could sit up.

Fan Zhongchuan was sleeping beside him, eyes closed. His typically stern features seemed softer in slumber.

Observing the sleeping Fan Zhongchuan, a mischievous thought crossed Ning Yuyi's mind.

He tiptoed out of bed, fetched a spare hair tie from the bathroom, then stealthily tied a small tuft of Fan Zhongchuan's hair into a tiny ponytail.

Admiring the tiny pink ponytail on Fan Zhongchuan's head, Ning Yuyi struggled to suppress his laughter. As he was about to tie a second one, he suddenly found himself pinned beneath a pair of powerful arms.

"Having fun?" Fan Zhongchuan's clear eyes gazed into his, both hands holding Ning Yuyi down.

Ning Yuyi nodded enthusiastically, "It's fun. How about I tie another one?"

"It'd be symmetrical with another one!"

"Ten kisses for it."

In one swift motion, Ning Yuyi gave Fan Zhongchuan ten quick kisses and then contentedly sat up to tie a small tuft of hair on Fan Zhongchuan symmetrically.

To showcase her "handiwork," Ning Yuyi took a photo and sent it to Fan Zhongchuan.

"What do you think? I'm quite skilled at braiding hair, aren't I?" Ning Yuyi said, barely suppressing her laughter, as she showed the photo to Fan Zhongchuan.

Fan Zhongchuan, with a deadpan expression and sporting two little tufts of hair - one pink and the other purple, remarked, "Quite impressive. Perhaps, Ning Ning, if we have a daughter, you can braid her hair every day."

"!!!" Ning Yuyi bristled, "You can have the child!"

"That's not right!"

"Whose idea was this?"

"Fan Zhongchuan is still in his probationary period! How did their conversation already shift to having children?"

Ning Yuyi, with a burst of emotion, gave him a pat and climbed off the bed, preparing to leave.

Fan Zhongchuan hurriedly appeased him: "Alright, alright, I'll do it, I promise."

"... I still feel like I'm at a disadvantage. What should I do?"

Ning Yuyi buried his face in Fan Zhongchuan's shoulder, leisurely playing with the two small tufts of hair on his head, and asked him.

"Are you planning to return to our home country?"

Last night, before going to sleep, he heard Fan Zhongchuan receive a phone call. It seemed like there was an emergency at the company.

"Mhm," Fan Zhongchuan whispered in acknowledgment.

Ning Yuyi felt reluctant to part, so he specially told Xie Yiezhou he wouldn't go out in the morning, opting to spend it with Fan Zhongchuan in the room instead.

At noon, accompanied by Xie Yiezhou and Xie Yinan, Ning Yuyi went to the airport to see Fan Zhongchuan off.

"Stop staring, he's already gone," Xie Yiezhou said with a touch of resignation, ruffling Ning Yuyi's hair. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

Ning Yuyi slowly shifted his gaze, humming in acknowledgment.

After Fan Zhongchuan left, Ning Yuyi toured Paris for three days before moving on to the next destination of his journey: Greece.

This time, they didn't stay at a hotel but at a seaside villa invested in by Xie Yinan.

Not far from the entrance was the beach.

With a small basket in hand, Ning Yuyi, barefoot, strolled along the beach collecting shells, all while chatting with Zhou Erhe on the phone.

"Make sure to apply plenty of sunscreen. You're joining the crew soon, don't get sunburnt or tanned. The character of the Ninth Prince is supposed to look fair and delicate," Zhou Erhe prattled on.

"I got it, I got it." As Ning Yuyi bent down to pick up a large seashell, he teased, "Aren't you going to date, Zhou Mama?"

Yet, after Ning Yuyi posed that question, Zhou Erhe's voice abruptly ceased.

Ning Yuyi felt something was amiss: "Zhou, are you still there?"

"I'm here." Zhou Erhe sighed almost imperceptibly, and quickly recovering lest Ning Yuyi noticed, said, "We're starting next Wednesday. Can you make it back in time, or will you delay with Xie Yezhou?"

"No, Zhou, don't change the subject. What happened between you and Ying Jin?" Ning Yuyi disregarded the seashell and sat on the beach, gazing at the ocean.

"We... broke up?" Zhou Erhe sounded unsure, "I think we did. We had a fight last time."

More precisely, he had been the one picking the fight.

"What do you mean, 'think'? Zhou, didn't you love him?"

Zhou Erhe felt a sting in his eyes and tilted his head back to prevent the tears from rolling down.

"Now I understand why some companies prohibit office romances." Zhou Erhe sounded sorrowful, "Last time, I visited his office and saw him teaching a newbie."

"Were you jealous?"

"Do you need me to send you a video of that moment?"

"Come on, Zhou, it's not that serious," Ning Yuyi hurriedly apologized, "Just over this? Don't you know the kind of person Ying Jin is?"

Zhou Erhe blankly stared at a picture of him and Ying Jin on his computer desktop.

Indeed, doesn't he know what kind of person Ying Jin is?

Yet, he couldn't control himself from starting that argument. Love made him more sensitive, often neglecting work.

The memories of the recent social media incident were still fresh in Zhou Erhe's mind.

What if Ning Yuyi didn't have such a strong backing? What if the Xie family didn't want to go public at the time?

Would Ning Yuyi's future have been ruined by his relationship?

"Zhou." Ning Yuyi switched on his camera to show the seascape, "I'm in Greece right now and will be here for another five days. Do you want to come over to clear your mind?"

The seaside view was indeed captivating. Zhou Erhe was momentarily entranced, but then he remembered the balance in his bank account.

"Maybe not..."

"What if I cover all expenses?"

"Alright, wait for me then. I'll book a flight for tonight. You just handle food and accommodation."

Ning Yuyi: "..."

Zhou Erhe quickly booked his flight and informed Ning Yuyi before ending the call.

Just then, a wave rolled in, reaching Ning Yuyi's feet.

Ning Yuyi instinctively withdrew his foot and, after a moment's hesitation, rose to his feet and walked toward the sea.

Stopping where the water barely reached his ankles, he aimlessly splashed the seawater with his foot.

He could feel the helplessness in Zhou Erhe's voice over the phone: the pain of parting even when you're still in love with someone, and knowing they love you back.

Ning Yuyi lowered his gaze, his mood a tad somber, devoid of the earlier excitement he felt at seeing the ocean.

"You might want to wear shoes; sharp shells often hide beneath the sand in the water and can cut your feet."

The words, spoken in a perfectly modulated broadcaster's tone, caught his attention. Ning Yuyi turned and saw a tall, blond man standing under an umbrella nearby.

Isn't this a private beach?

As Ning Yuyi took a step to leave...

"Ouch!"

A sharp pain shot up from his toe. Looking down, he saw a hint of red clouding the water around his foot before quickly dissipating.

Was he cut already? Just his luck.

Lifting his injured foot to avoid infection, Ning Yuyi hopped back to the beach.

The tall blond man rushed over to steady him. "Let me help you back. That needs disinfecting or it might get infected."

"It's fine, just a minor cut," Ning Yuyi replied with a slight smile.

He had had such minor injuries frequently as a child, usually from being shoved against walls or the ground by other students. He was used to it.

But the pain was intensified when the salty seawater touched the fresh cut.

"Better get it treated," the blond man insisted, attempting to lift Ning Yuyi, who retreated with hops of alarm.

Unsteady on one foot, Ning Yuyi quickly found himself sitting on the sand.

With a bewildered look, he asked the stranger, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Anxiel. My father sent me to spend some time with your uncles and aunts." The blond man looked exasperated. "Do I really look like a bad guy?"

"Isn't that obvious? Who approaches someone out of the blue just to hug them?"

Even though you've injured your foot.

Ning Yuyi had left empty-handed, without his phone to contact Xie Yezhou. For a moment, he placed his injured foot on the sand to help himself stand.

Sand from the beach clung to the wound, making Ning Yuyi wince in pain as he tried to lift his foot.

"Let me help you back," Anxiel offered, supporting one of Ning Yuyi's arms, allowing him to lean on him.

Ning Yuyi shook his head and hopped back a couple of steps. "My elder brother will come looking for me soon."

Meaning, you better leave fast; my backup is on its way!

Anxiel looked a bit helpless, wondering why, in front of this young boy, he seemed like a bad guy.

Yes, a young boy.

To Anxiel, Ning Yuyi seemed like an immature child, even though he knew Ning Yuyi was already twenty-two.

But Ning Yuyi looked younger than Anxiel's sixteen-year-old cousin, so he naturally saw him as a child.

……

Noticing that Ning Yuyi had been gone for a while, Xie Yezhou applied sunscreen and decided to check on him.

He then saw Anxiel bending over towards Ning Yuyi, making some unclear motions, with Ning Yuyi continuously backing away.

"Anxiel, what are you doing?" Xie Yezhou shouted, rushing over.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Anxiel quickly stood up, raising his hands towards Xie Yezhou.

"I didn't do anything; I was just trying to help your brother."

Upon hearing the word "help," Xie Yezhou hurriedly checked on Ning Yuyi.

"What happened to your foot?" Xie Yezhou crouched down, noticing the bleeding wound on Ning Yuyi's big toe with sand trapped in it and frowned deeply. "We need to take care of this immediately."

"Elder brother," Ning Yuyi, startled by Xie Yezhou's sudden shout, responded, "I'm fine."

"Let's head back first," Xie Yezhou interrupted Ning Yuyi's next words, "I'll carry you."

Without waiting for a reply, Xie Yezhou crouched down slightly, signaling for Ning Yuyi to climb onto his back. Step by step, he carried Ning Yuyi back to the villa.

As they entered the courtyard, Ning Yuyi glimpsed a foreign middle-aged man sitting inside the villa through the floor-to-ceiling doors.

"Elder brother, do we have a guest?"

"Yes, it's Anxiel's father."

Anxiel, maintaining a respectful distance behind Xie Yezhou, met Ning Yuyi's gaze upon hearing this.

See, I wasn't lying.

Years later, when someone on a social platform asked if there was a moment in life so embarrassing it felt socially fatal, Ning Yuyi, after much contemplation, recounted this experience.

Author's Note: The next update will be at midnight.