Chapter 29: Just a Hug

Chapter 29: Just a Hug

Cen Wu grabbed Xie Guilan's wrist and pulled him away. They left the school early. Cen Wu originally didn’t plan to have the driver pick them up and intended to take the bus home with Xie Guilan.

But as they reached the school gate, Cen Wu was surprised to see that Guan Xingxue's car was still there. He paused, then pulled Xie Guilan along.

Guan Xingxue and Cen Junshan were a loving couple. That night, they went shopping and brought the shoes over for Cen Wu. Since Cen Wu would be done with class in a few hours, they waited for him there.

Xie Guilan's eyes looked dark and intense in the stormy night. He furrowed his brow, trying to pull his hand away from Cen Wu.

But Cen Wu was afraid he would run, so he refused to let go. Xie Guilan could only half-push and half-follow him until they reached Guan Xingxue's car.

Cen Junshan was driving. Guan Xingxue had been waiting in the backseat for Cen Wu but got out and went to the front passenger seat when she saw Xie Guilan.

As she passed by the door and noticed the shoes on Xie Guilan's feet, she realized Cen Wu had asked her to buy them for him.

Xie Guilan bowed his head slightly, addressing Cen’s parents formally: "Mr. Guan, Mr. Cen."

In the Xie family, he was just a servant, and the same was true for the Cen family. He had no right to call Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue "Uncle" or "Auntie." Even if Cen Wu brought him home, there could be no breach of etiquette.

Cen Wu turned to look at Guan Xingxue, his eyes pleading silently, not wanting her to say anything.

Xie Guilan was difficult to handle. A hedgehog might curl up, but Xie Guilan was like a hedgehog hidden deep within a shell, layer after layer. He could accept Cen Wu now, but that didn’t mean he could accept others knowing, as it would surely have to be repaid later.

It would be even harder to reach him afterward.

Strangely, though Guan Xingxue wasn’t his biological mother, she always seemed to understand what he meant.

Perhaps it was a mother's intuition.

Guan Xingxue's peach blossom eyes curved as she wrinkled her nose at him, saying nothing.

Cen Wu quickly ushered Xie Guilan into the car, only letting go of his hand once they were inside.

After a day of running around the hospital, Xie Guilan's wrist was freezing cold, warmed only by Cen Wu's palm. Once released, the cold night wind, carrying the rain, hit him. Xie Guilan's fingers curled slightly, momentarily unable to adjust to the cold.

Xie Guilan lowered his long lashes. His thin lips were a vivid red, contrasting sharply with his cold, stern pallor.

Sitting next to him, Cen Wu was sensitive enough to notice that Xie Guilan's mood had sunk again. He glanced at him quickly in the rearview mirror.

Xie Guilan’s usual cold expression made it hard for Cen Wu to guess what was bothering him.

Cen Wu felt lost, like he was always guessing what would upset Xie Guilan next. Unable to figure it out, he shook Xie Guilan's wrist gently to coax him.

He noticed Xie Guilan's lips tighten slightly, as if he wasn’t that upset anymore.

Cen Wu: "..."

Got it. I’ll keep holding your hand.

Cen Wu didn’t let go of Xie Guilan's wrist again until they got home. He only released him once they were inside, not wanting Cen’s parents to notice. Xie Guilan didn’t want to be found out either.

This time, there was no change in his mood.

It was nearly 9:30 p.m. when they arrived home. Cen Wu told Guan Xingxue that Xie Guilan would be staying the night. Guan Xingxue and Cen Junshan didn’t say anything and had the butler prepare a guest room.

Then Cen Wu took Xie Guilan to his bedroom to do their homework first.

Xie Guilan's clothes were also a bit wet. He still had that broken umbrella with him. Cen Wu grabbed a towel and borrowed a fresh set of pajamas from Cen Xiao, asking Xie Guilan to go take a shower first.

Cen Xiao's pajamas were quite loose and not very "masculine." Xie Guilan, with a cold expression, took his time putting them on. When he came out, Cen Wu noticed that the drawstring on Xie Guilan's pajama pants was tied in a tight knot.

Cen Wu: “……”

Was he imagining things?

It felt like Xie Guilan was bracing for something.

Cen Wu shook his head, pushing away his wild thoughts. He still had homework to do. He took out his assignments and even left half of his desk for Xie Guilan. Xie Guilan paused, his heart filled with unresolved irritation, but he eventually walked over.

He didn’t know why he had come.

Why had he come?

But since both Cen's parents were there, he couldn’t just leave.

Xie Guilan hardly ever did homework. When he did, he only picked the questions that were useful to him. If he did any work at all, he'd only do half the problems before switching to other practice books.

Meng Liangping often got extra problems from other schools for him to work on.

Cen Wu was doing math last. By the time Cen Wu finished the first big problem, Xie Guilan had already completed his homework. He even breezed through a senior-level science mock exam.

Cen Wu was so focused that he forgot Xie Guilan was even there. In school, Xie Guilan sat close to him, so he was used to it.

He used a red pen to correct his work, and a series of X's appeared, with half of the worksheet covered in wrong answers.

Frustrated, Cen Wu twisted around and suddenly kicked something. He froze, carefully turning his head to meet Xie Guilan's dark, cold, and gloomy eyes.

Cen Wu: “……”

Oops.

He had kicked Xie Guilan's leg.

Cen Wu carefully moved his leg away and looked up to find Xie Guilan staring at his worksheet.

A sheet full of red X's.

Cen Wu's ears instantly turned red. He buried his face in his arms on the desk, covering the worksheet tightly, and stammered, "W-what are you looking at? I have... I have a plan, you wouldn't understand."

Xie Guilan: “……”

Xie Guilan shifted his gaze away, his face still cold and indifferent, as if he didn’t care at all. But his furrowed brow and pale complexion hinted that he wasn’t as indifferent as he seemed. Cen Wu noticed that Xie Guilan's hand had been resting on his stomach.

Probably hadn’t eaten dinner again.

No wonder CEOs always end up with stomach problems. Cen Wu remembered that Xie Guilan's stomach would give him trouble later on.

Cen Wu pursed his lips and grabbed Xie Guilan's hand. "Come with me."

It was already past eleven o'clock at night. The light in Cen Junshan's study was still on, but the servants had all gone to bed. The kitchen was pitch-black. Cen Wu quietly led Xie Guilan to the kitchen.

Xie Guilan frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Young Master..."

He felt that this wasn't quite appropriate and had originally wanted to say he wasn't hungry, but Cen Wu didn't give him the chance to speak.

"It seems like we only have dumplings," Cen Wu said longingly, "Should I boil... boil some dumplings for you?"

Cen Wu wasn’t much of a cook. Although he had been living on his own for quite some time, he could eat at the school cafeteria, and when he was busy with work, he would order takeout. So, he still didn’t know how to cook very well.

He couldn’t serve Xie Guilan reheated leftovers.

So, he could only boil dumplings.

"Anything is fine," Xie Guilan said.

Even if Cen Wu served him cold leftovers, he wouldn’t complain. At the Xie family, being able to eat leftover food was already good enough. Although he seemed picky, there wasn’t really much choice. If they gave him anything, he would eat it, even more indiscriminately than a dog.

Xie Guilan’s eyes looked tired, his gaze cast downward. Cen Wu kept the kitchen light dim so as not to wake anyone. Xie Guilan’s nose was sharp, and his deep features were swallowed by the darkness, giving off a kind of decadent and rebellious aura.

Cen Wu said he was afraid of him, but he wasn’t really that afraid. He couldn’t really remember what kind of person he used to be. He used to be someone who wasn’t afraid of anything.

Cen Wu cupped Xie Guilan’s face and rubbed it gently. The small kitchen light reflected in his eyes as he said softly, "Don’t be unhappy."

Xie Guilan: "..."

Xie Guilan’s thin lips moved, but he didn’t say anything and just avoided letting Cen Wu rub his face.

Cen Wu pouted and got back to boiling the dumplings.

Halfway through cooking, he suddenly heard Guan Xueshi’s voice. Guan Xueshi had woken up in the middle of the night to get some water and, seeing that the kitchen light was on, came over to ask, "Xiao Wu, why aren’t you asleep yet?"

"I... I... I’m hungry," Cen Wu stammered, his lips trembling.

"Just eating dumplings?" Guan Xueshi leaned in and gently nudged Cen Wu aside. "Mom will cook some noodles for you."

Guan Xueshi looked up and smiled at Xie Guilan, asking, "Xiao Xie, do you want some too?"

"He’ll eat," Cen Wu answered quickly.

Xie Guilan swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he held back his refusal.

Guan Xueshi told them to wait outside. After a short while, she brought over two bowls of crab roe noodles, the golden crab roe sprinkled over the noodles, along with a few crab legs.

Guan Xueshi fried a soft-boiled egg for each of them and added some crispy greens, the aroma making their mouths water.

Cen Wu wasn’t actually hungry, but if he said he wasn’t, Guan Xueshi wouldn’t make anything for Xie Guilan, so he ate along with her.

Guan Xueshi rested her chin on her hand and watched Cen Wu.

She was sleepy, but her eyes still held a gentle warmth. She was the kind of mother who would still praise her child for finishing their meal, even though Cen Wu was already seventeen or eighteen years old.

Xie Guilan lowered his head and ate his noodles. He didn’t understand what Cen Wu was thinking—bringing him back while his parents were still at home.

Wasn’t he worried about getting caught?

Cen Wu originally didn’t dare to talk much with Guan Xueshi. Whenever he tried to speak, his voice would shake and he’d stutter.

Guan Xueshi and the others weren’t fools; they had probably noticed on the first day but didn’t ask him anything, afraid of accidentally hurting his feelings. If his stuttering got too bad, Guan Xueshi would definitely take him to see a doctor.

But Cen Wu wanted to help Guan Xueshi get to know Xie Guilan better. Guan Xueshi had no idea—this was the first time she had cooked for her own child.

Over the past dozen years, in places she didn't know about, Xie Guilan often went hungry and had no proper clothes to wear.

In the original story, Guan Xue also cared for Xie Guilan, but Xie Guilan had a cold relationship with the Cen family; he only used them and had no real feelings for them.

However, the Cen family willingly allowed him to use them, so Xie Guilan never sought revenge against them.

The first time Guan Xue met Xie Guilan was at Xie Shangjing's birthday party ten years ago, when Xie's father had just brought Xie Guilan to the Xie family. Xie Shangjing had made a big fuss.

Xie's father was very indulgent of Xie Shangjing and would give him anything he asked for. Xie Shangjing couldn't understand why, no matter how much he cried and threw a tantrum, his father wouldn't send Xie Guilan away this time.

"Xiao Jing," Xie's father held him and comforted him, "just think of him as a little puppy in the house. Just ignore him."

Xie's father wanted to discipline Zhou Li but didn't want to create any estrangement between him and Xie Shangjing. He would try to calm him down whenever possible.

Xie Shangjing's eyes had a darkness not fitting for a child. He asked, "Really?"

"Really," Xie's father said.

That night at the birthday party, Xie Shangjing let his Rottweiler off the leash.

Then, together with the protagonist, they tied the leash around Xie Guilan's neck and left him outside the banquet hall for the entire night.

It was deep winter, and it was very cold at night. Guests coming and going saw a child kneeling nearby, the newly adopted illegitimate son of the Xie family. His dark eyes were quite frightening.

Young Xie Guilan wore a thin, threadbare cotton jacket, the padding all crumpled and barely warm, his hands and feet numb and bruised from the cold, and his lips extremely pale.

But by then, the Xie family already had half of Huai Jing's business world. Most guests hesitated to speak up to Xie Mingcheng. Besides, it was a family matter, and whoever intervened would get into trouble.

The Cen family didn't care about Xie Mingcheng. As an old, prestigious family, they had a lot of influence, but Guan Xue didn't intervene either.

She waited until the protagonist gave Xie Shangjing his birthday gift and played with him for a while before leaving. If it weren't for the protagonist wanting to play with Xie Shangjing, she wouldn't have come that night.

"Mom," the protagonist rubbed his tears and kicked his legs, not wanting to go home, "I want to play with my brother."

Guan Xue comforted him, put a wool hat on him, and walked past Xie Guilan without giving him more than a second of her attention, then shifted her gaze away without any emotion.

Xie Guilan wasn't the type to bring up such incidents, and besides, Xie Guilan didn't care. He had too many enemies to deal with, and he was always busy.

But later, when someone mentioned it by chance, he learned that Guan Xue didn't remember it at all. The night had been dim, and she hadn't really seen who was kneeling there.

And she didn't care.

The Cen family was actually quite cold-blooded. Whether it was her, Cen's father, or even Cen Xiao, they only cared about their own family members. If it wasn't their own, they wouldn't give any extra attention.

In the original story, Xie Guilan didn't say anything, just lifted his eyes, and aside from that action, he had no other reaction.

But in this life, until his death, his relationship with the Cen family would never improve.

However, Xie Guilan's estrangement from the Cen family wasn't entirely because of this incident; it only accounted for a small part of the reason.

More of it was because Xie Guilan was naturally cold. If he had been seven or eight years old, maybe he would have thought about his biological parents, but at eighteen, he wouldn't develop feelings for anyone anymore.

Moreover, Xie Guilan's coldness hurt others. Since Guan Xue and the others didn't understand him, and Xie Guilan didn't give anyone the chance to understand him, they didn't know how to care for him, which led to further estrangement.

Cen Wu didn't want to interfere with Xie Guilan's decisions. Whether Xie Guilan accepted the Cen family was his decision, and no one could blame him for it.

He just hoped that Guan Xue and the others would be kinder to Xie Guilan.

Despite the original story portraying Xie Guilan as cold, he was still sensitive and couldn't help feeling lonely.

Cen Wu tried his best not to stammer as he talked to Guan Xingxue about school. Guan Xingxue politely asked Xie Guilan a few questions.

At any rate, they had started a conversation.

After spending some time with them, Guan Xingxue went to bed.

Cen Wu peeked out and saw that she had really left, then gave his scrambled egg and crab leg to Xie Guilan and shared half a bowl of noodles with him. "You didn’t… get enough to eat, did you?"

"……" Xie Guilan remained silent and continued eating with his head down. He didn’t look sloppy or embarrassed, but a teenage boy who was very hungry would inevitably eat ravenously.

Cen Wu also brought over the dumplings for him.

After finishing the meal, Xie Guilan was about to head to the guest room to sleep, but Cen Wu pulled him back and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Xie Guilan: "……"

Xie Guilan’s eyes were filled with gloomy darkness. He thought this was too fast. Did Cen Wu bring other people home this quickly too?

Moreover, Cen Wu’s parents were home tonight.

What could they possibly do?

Even Xie Shangjing wasn’t this bold; he only brought people home when his father and mother weren’t around.

Cen Wu didn’t know what Xie Guilan was thinking. He was afraid that Xie Guilan might feel uncomfortable sleeping in someone else’s house.

Xie Guilan was stiff and unresponsive.

Cen Wu took his silence as a yes, grabbed the blanket, and led him to his room. He gave Xie Guilan a quick wink and said, "I... I’m going to take a shower first."

Xie Guilan: "……"

Xie Guilan’s eyes were clouded with frustration.

How did things get so messed up?

What was he even to her?

Cen Wu had already gone to the bathroom, and soon the sound of water could be heard. With a sullen face, Xie Guilan finally sent a message to Ji Changyu.

"Xie Guilan: The last time you went to that girl with the surname Su’s house... What did you do at night?"

Ji Changyu didn’t engage in indecent activities, but the waitstaff at Blue Night had looks requirements. Ji Changyu was quite handsome and sometimes flirted with bar patrons, engaging in relationships.

Xie Guilan wondered if there was a possibility that Ji Changyu had done homework all night.

Ji Changyu wasn’t asleep yet and quickly replied to him.

"Ji Changyu: ？"

"Ji Changyu: What’s up? Who did you go home with?"

Xie Guilan didn’t respond, and Ji Changyu couldn’t resist teasing him with another playful message.

"Ji Changyu: What do you think? What can you do late at night? But as your brother, I have to advise you, in this business, never fall in love with a customer."

Xie Guilan: "…………"

Xie Guilan blocked Ji Changyu.

Cen Wu came out of the bathroom to find that Xie Guilan was already asleep, lying on his side, facing away from him, with his injured face pressed into the pillow.

Isn't that going to hurt?

"Xie... Xie Guilan," Cen Wu propped himself up on his knees on the bed and leaned over to call him softly, "Xie Guilan."

Xie Guilan didn't respond, as if he was already deeply asleep, stubbornly lying in that position.

Cen Wu sighed and decided to leave him alone.

Cen Wu lay down to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep. Too many things had happened that night, and memories of the past kept him awake.

The manor villa was silent under the night sky. Cen Wu pulled the blanket tighter around himself and suddenly remembered the horror movie Zhang Yuanzhou had played earlier.

He couldn't help but inch closer to Xie Guilan and called out softly again, "Xie... Xie Guilan?"

If Xie Guilan was really asleep, Cen Wu thought about moving closer to him for warmth. Xie Guilan had a strong body and was very warm, almost scorching to the touch, which made Cen Wu feel comforted.

Xie Guilan's expression darkened. Why couldn't they just sleep? What was all this fuss about? He turned around with a cold look and said in a frosty voice, "Fine, you can hug me. That's it."

Nothing else.

Cen Wu was startled. He hadn't expected Xie Guilan to be awake, and he felt confused.

Huh?

Why a hug?

But a hug wouldn't kill him. Earlier, when Cen Wu hadn't held Xie Guilan's hand, he had seemed upset. Fine, if he wanted a hug, Cen Wu would give him one. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan stiffened, his hand resting on Cen Wu's back, awkwardly holding him.

Cen Wu gently touched Xie Guilan's face, careful not to press too hard, and whispered, "Should... should I apply some medicine?"

The cut on his lip wasn't serious, but the slap on his face was pretty bad. If they left it untreated, it would definitely swell by morning, and he'd be the talk of the school.

Xie Guilan didn't say anything, and Cen Wu didn't ask, but he could guess. It must have been Xie Mingcheng who hit him.

Song Lingwei wouldn't dare hit Xie Guilan. Cen Wu knew she was afraid of him. She might engage in minor arguments, but she wouldn't dare be so ruthless.

Xie Guilan uncomfortably turned his head away, feeling the gesture was too intimate. He hummed in agreement, so Cen Wu went to fetch the medicine. After applying it, Cen Wu was a bit conflicted. Should she continue hugging him?

Ah, just a bit longer.

Cen Wu started to feel drowsy, and with Xie Guilan's warmth enveloping him, he fell asleep, his nose nestled in Xie Guilan's neck, a position of utmost intimacy.

Xie Guilan's thin lips pressed into a cold line. They were supposed to just hug for a moment, but now Cen Wu had been holding on for so long. How much did Cen Wu actually like him?

Cen Wu was very thin, and even through the blanket, Xie Guilan's palm could feel the fragile bones on his spine. But Cen Wu's face was incredibly soft, his eyelashes fluttering in his sleep, brushing against Xie Guilan's collarbone like an unruly cat. Even his bones felt delicate, but his skin was soft as silk.

Xie Guilan lowered his head, his nose brushing Cen Wu's hair. He couldn't help but wonder what shampoo Cen Wu used—it smelled intoxicating.

Cen Wu woke up in the middle of the night to find Xie Guilan holding him tightly. When he opened his eyes, Xie Guilan was still asleep, but his face looked pale. Cen Wu moved slightly, and Xie Guilan's dark, intense gaze was unsettling in the dim light.

"Are you... does your leg hurt?" Cen Wu propped himself up. The collar of his pajamas was wide, and as he lowered his head, Xie Guilan’s eyes were met with a blinding flash of white. If he looked down, he could see a hint of red.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Xie Guilan couldn't stand it anymore and looked away. He had just woken up, his voice hoarse, and muttered, "I’m okay."

Cen Wu didn’t believe him at all. He got up and pinched Xie Guilan’s calf, noticing the muscles were tight and rigid.

Xie Guilan had grown very tall, eventually reaching 191 cm. He wasn’t quite there yet, and the growing pains were severe. Since his first year of high school, his legs would often cramp at night while he slept.

No one took care of him, and Xie Guilan didn’t care either. He lived by the principle of surviving if he could, and if not, dying was fine too.

Cen Wu felt like a worried parent. He fetched a warm towel and applied it to Xie Guilan’s leg, waiting until the muscles relaxed before gently massaging his calf.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Xie Guilan said in a hoarse voice, "Young Master, I can do it myself."

"It's... okay," Cen Wu replied.

It was awkward for Xie Guilan to do it himself. If he sat up now, bending his legs would cause even more pain.

Cen Wu rolled up Xie Guilan’s pajama pants a little and cupped his palm over his calf, slowly kneading the tight muscle. Xie Guilan’s leg involuntarily bent, and Cen Wu pressed his other hand on his knee, keeping him still.

Xie Guilan didn’t move anymore. After lying there for a while, he suddenly pulled the blanket over his lower body.

He became increasingly stiff.

Cen Wu didn’t notice and continued to massage his leg. Xie Guilan asked in a low voice, "How did you know my leg was hurting?"

Cen Wu: “……”

Cen Wu didn’t dare to say. When he was done, he let go of Xie Guilan’s leg and wriggled into his arms.

He stretched out his arms and hugged Xie Guilan, resting his chin on the blanket, staring at him with wide eyes.

Cen Wu’s face was almost ghostly pale, and his long lashes cast soft shadows, giving him a distant, aloof look. There was a hint of coquettishness in his gaze—this wasn’t Xie Guilan’s imagination.

Cen Wu acted as if he hadn’t heard. He gently patted Xie Guilan’s face and muttered, "Alright, time to sleep."

He then hugged Xie Guilan and closed his eyes.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Xie Guilan closed his mouth and didn’t ask anything more.

Cen Wu soon fell asleep. His skin had an almost ghostly pallor, and his long lashes hung down, giving him a cold, distant appearance.

As if revealing his true form.

But when held, he was still soft.

Xie Guilan held him for a while, and once Cen Wu was truly asleep, he carefully lifted Cen Wu’s arm that was draped over his shoulder. He supported his back and legs, laid him down gently, covered him with the blanket, and headed to the bathroom.

The thin pajama pants left nothing to hide.

Xie Guilan’s expression darkened, his mood heavy with unspoken frustration. He stood in silence for a few moments, his mind coldly commanding him.

Pull yourself together.