Chapter 37: It’s Fine to Be Willful

Chapter 37: It’s Fine to Be Willful

After making sure Ye Man took his medicine, everyone left, shutting the door to let him rest quietly alone.

The receptionist boiled some hot water and, upon coming out, saw someone who had just left return shortly after.

"Mr. Xu? Why have you come back? Did you forget something?"

Xu Huaiting not only returned but also carried a huge bag.

"No, I'm going to the courtyard."

Outside Ye Man's window was the courtyard the receptionist had mentioned earlier, featuring an ornamental rock formation, an ancient century-old pine tree, white gravel-covered ground, and a small, well-designed artificial stream.

There was a covered walkway on the way from the entrance to the room, and a door on one side led to the front courtyard, from where one could circle around to the back courtyard outside Ye Man's window.

Under normal circumstances, not just anyone would be allowed to roam around here.

But Xu Huaiting was the property owner, the employer here, so naturally, no one would stop him, and they would even offer to help.

Xu Huaiting declined the help of others, squatting on the ground with his knees apart, wearing an expensive suit and a watch worth millions, yet squatting like a thug, completely unbothered, not at all concerned about damaging his executive image.

He looked up at the tightly closed curtains of the window, quietly took out the fireworks from the bag, and placed them on the ground.

Before leaving, the receptionist glanced at him.

The action, the expression—to those who knew, he was setting up fireworks; to those who didn’t, it might seem like he was preparing to rob a bank.

Large events like fireworks displays require city permits and must be held in an open space. Such a small courtyard couldn’t accommodate large fireworks, as it could easily cause a fire. Setting off small fireworks was more manageable.

Xu Huaiting thought of Ye Man's expression earlier.

Unhappy but not saying anything.

Wanting something but not saying anything.

Not knowing if he was in pain.

Saying one thing but meaning another.

Such a small person, with such complicated thoughts, making a mountain out of a molehill, pondering over trivial matters more complex than the presidential race of Country X.

Just wanting to see fireworks? What’s there to be afraid of saying?

Drop a marble into his heart, and it would take a hundred years to roll out.

Xu Huaiting was amused by this thought for a second.

Looking up, he found that the person in the room had come out at some point.

Although Xu Huaiting’s movements were light, they weren’t completely silent. Ye Man opened the glass door leading to the courtyard, heard the rustling of Xu Huaiting’s clothes and the clinking of fireworks hitting the gravel on the ground, realized someone was outside, and froze.

Even if he did nothing, Xu Huaiting could imagine that, at this moment, his little brain was probably working overtime.

Xu Huaiting stood up, "Not resting well, sneaking out to do what?"

After speaking, he took off his coat and wrapped it tightly around the stunned person.

Ye Man wasn’t nearly as worried about his fever as everyone else, and he even seemed pretty nonchalant about it.

People aren’t that fragile; even if it’s uncomfortable, you can just tough it out. It’s just a fever, not like it’s some life-threatening disease.

But others seemed to take it very seriously.

Chi Jue was bustling around him, mixing up medicine, checking his temperature, and slapping on a cooling patch. Ye Man wanted to throw out a few snarky comments, but he bit them back. Plus, he didn’t want to be a burden, so he agreed to rest up—at least on the surface.

On the surface, at least. He played the good boy again.

The moment everyone was gone, he popped right up.

He shot up too fast and got a head rush.

“Brother Tong, Brother Tong, I wanna go see the fireworks—can you hook me up with directions?”

The system sucked in a sharp breath and screeched, “Ye Man, you better lie down and get some rest, right now!”

He’s blind, he’s sick, and he’s still trying to sneak out to see the fireworks!

The system was ready to kneel and call him the big shot! Xu Huaiting’s not the big shot—this guy is!

Ye Man froze at its outburst, feeling wronged: “But we had a deal when we got here—how can you just break it?”

The system shot back, “We’re not breaking the promise! Next time, I swear, you’ll see it!” It was ready to burst into fireworks just for him!

But Ye Man dug in his heels. “There won’t be a next time.”

“No next time,” he repeated, dead certain.

“It has to be now.” It came off as bratty and stubborn.

Ye Man wouldn’t usually say stuff like this, but the fever had his focus all over the place, and his brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. His unfiltered thoughts just spilled out.

He talked it over with the system, plotting to slip out unnoticed and sneak back in without a trace. No one would know, no one would be bothered, no one would stress, and he’d get what he wanted. Win-win, right?

The system couldn’t talk him out of it, no matter what.

Ye Man could handle himself. He didn’t think a fever was a big deal, but he wasn’t about to pretend he wasn’t sick—that’d just be stupid.

He dug through his suitcase, pulled out a beige knit jacket, wrapped a scarf around his neck, swapped his slippers for shoes, slapped on a mask, and was good to go.

Going out the front door was too risky, so Ye Man recalled the house layout the receptionist had mentioned earlier and decided to slip out through the backyard.

The moment he cracked open the door by the floor-to-ceiling window, Ye Man realized someone was out there.

Only when Xu Huaiting spoke did he relax. Not a threat.

Ye Man knew he couldn’t admit he was planning to sneak out to see the fireworks—he needed a cover story, fast.

But his fever-addled brain short-circuited, and he blurted, “I wasn’t planning to sneak out to see the fireworks, I swear!”

Ye Man: “…” My damn mouth.

A gust of wind made him shiver. It wasn’t very cold yet, around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. He was bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf, but the wind seemed to have a mind of its own, sneaking through the gaps in his clothes and making him feel cold.

Just as the chill set in, the wind stopped.

Xu Huaiting pushed him back into the house and closed the door.

He looked at the seemingly obedient person in front of him, who was actually plotting something big.

"You wanna see the fireworks?"

Ye Man stayed silent.

Xu Huaiting: "I’ll set off some in the yard, and you can watch from here."

Ye Man looked up.

Xu Huaiting: "Talk to me—how else am I supposed to know what you want?"

Ye Man felt hurt by his words. What did he know? What good would speaking up do? Who could he even turn to?

Maybe the fever made him more emotional. Even though Xu Huaiting hadn’t been harsh, Ye Man felt a wave of sadness.

Xu Huaiting had only asked a question, but Ye Man burst into tears. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, saying in despair, "I don’t want to see the ones in the yard—I want to see the ones we talked about before..."

"I can go alone—why won’t you let me?"

Xu Huaiting was taken aback by his crying.

He was crying like the world was ending, his tears tugging at Xu Huaiting’s heart.

He quickly stepped forward to wipe away his tears. The usually aloof man tried his best to be gentle, saying, "Don’t cry... I was just asking, I didn’t say you couldn’t watch..."

"If you want to see them, I’ll take you."

Ye Man opened his swollen eyes: "I just want to see the ones we planned on."

Xu Huaiting took off his mask, glanced at him, and turned to get a tissue: "We’ll see those—I’ll take care of anyone who says no."

He held the tissue to his nose, "Blow."

Ye Man took a moment to blow his nose forcefully, then continued crying.

"You’ve made a mess of your face—is this really worth all the tears?" Xu Huaiting pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to Ye Man: "Hold on, drink some water to calm down."

He took out his phone and called Secretary Chen.

After about ten minutes, Secretary Chen knocked on the window with a suitcase in hand.

He didn’t know why it felt like a secret mission, but the boss had said so, so he could only follow orders.

Ye Man held the cup, sipping the water slowly, while Xu Huaiting took out a down jacket from the suitcase.

Inside, there was even a full set of mountaineering gear, the kind that could withstand extreme cold of minus twenty to thirty degrees.

"Stretch out your arms."

Ye Man obediently held out his arms, looking dazed as Xu Huaiting wrapped him up like a giant penguin.

Xu Huaiting was satisfied.

Ye Man, drenched in sweat from the heat: "..."

He had sweated so much that he might even shake off his illness soon.

In the end, he turned down the overly fancy get-up.

Xu Huaiting selected a down jacket with just the right amount of insulation, figuring it should be enough to keep him from getting cold. Having served in the military, he had seen his share of things and knew what he was doing.

The down jacket was oversized, hanging down to his feet when he put it on, and the sleeves were slightly too long. Ye Man’s hands were tucked inside as Xu Huaiting zipped it all the way up, the collar covering half his face. He then put on the hood, leaving only a bit of his eyes visible. From afar, he looked just like a penguin.

Xu Huaiting pulled the hood down a bit further, crouched in front of him, and turned his back: "Come on, I'll carry you."

The person behind him hesitated, but Xu Huaiting waited patiently. He had patience to spare.

Patience was second nature to all hunters. They always knew how to bide their time and control the pace of their approach.

He had seen many timid and alert little animals that would retreat into their burrows at the slightest approach of a stranger.

You had to move slowly and carefully, giving them time to repeatedly test and assess your threat. This process could take a while, and any sudden move could scare them off, resetting everything or even making them flee for good.

Only when they were sure you meant no harm would they trust you, expose their soft bellies, and let you pet them.

The rustle of the down jacket fabric, the gradual weight pressing against his back, the sleeves tentatively resting on his shoulders before slowly tightening.

A few stray hairs tickled his neck, making it itch.

Xu Huaiting licked his lips, his throat dry and his chest tightening.

"Hold on tight," he said, lifting him steadily.

Ye Man clung tightly, his voice muffled by the mask: "Holding on."

...

The fireworks show was set by the beach, the ideal spot for such an event.

When they arrived, it was still over ten minutes before the show was set to start. Many people were already there, including plenty of couples, and vendors were set up to cater to them.

Xu Huaiting leaned against the car, and as the time neared, he opened the back door. Ye Man, bundled up like a penguin, was inside, sound asleep with the warm air blowing.

Xu Huaiting woke him, crouched down, and turned his back: "Come on, let’s go."

After a moment, the person in the car slowly got onto his back.

Xu Huaiting walked steadily, and Ye Man leaned against his back, realizing that being blind wasn’t so frightening after all.

If they fell into a ditch together, at least he wouldn’t be alone.

Xu Huaiting found a relatively sheltered spot, and Ye Man finally got to see the fireworks he had been longing for.

Though he couldn’t see them clearly.

In Ye Man’s view, it was just darkness, with occasional flashes of pink and blue light. He couldn’t see what the fireworks actually looked like.

But he was still happy.

After watching for a while, he finally remembered a question.

Ye Man tensed up a bit, "How do you take a blind person to ‘see’ fireworks?"

"I checked out your medical records."

So, he knew he wasn’t fully blind yet?

"...Oh."

The fireworks lasted for what felt like forever. Halfway through, Ye Man was so exhausted he kept dozing off.

He was still sick, after all, and low on energy.

When Xu Huaiting offered to take him back, he didn’t put up much of a fight and obediently nodded, letting Xu Huaiting carry him back.

First time’s awkward, second time’s a breeze. Ye Man’s movements were smoother now, less hesitant than before.

The car was a bit of a walk from the viewing spot.

"Go ahead and sleep if you’re tired, I’ve got you," Xu Huaiting said.

Ye Man buried his face in Xu Huaiting’s neck, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After a few quiet steps, Xu Huaiting heard Ye Man murmur, almost like he was dreaming, "My dad always promised he’d take me to see the fireworks, said he’d take me if I was obedient, said he’d take me if I behaved well, said he’d take me during the New Year..."

"But every time I met his conditions, he’d say there was no money or time, said he’d definitely take me next time."

But then his mom passed away, and his dad just took off, and they never went even once.

There was never a next time, no matter how long he waited.

Ye Man wondered if it was because he wasn’t obedient enough.

It was hard not to think so, since every time he mentioned it to Ye Guowen, the man would shout, as if he was asking for something outrageous, making him question if his request was just childish, whether it was his asking that made his dad refuse to take him.

"I’m not usually this stubborn," he explained in Xu Huaiting’s ear.

Xu Huaiting hoisted him up by his bottom, adjusting his grip, "This isn’t being stubborn. Your dad broke his promise—that’s on him."

"Besides, it’s fine to be a little stubborn sometimes."

If he’d just let himself be a little stubborn and carefree, Xu Huaiting would feel better.

Otherwise, if he kept crying like that, it would break Xu Huaiting’s heart.

The arms around his neck tightened again.

Xu Huaiting took a few more steps, then suddenly stopped.

Narrowing his eyes, he caught on to something.

He gave a warning by hoisting Ye Man up again, his voice low and sharp, "Ye Man, let’s get this straight, I’m not going to be your dad."

A steady breath against his neck.

Ye Man was asleep.

Xu Huaiting cursed under his breath.

He pulled out one hand to adjust Ye Man’s hat, then continued to carry him dutifully.