Chapter 38: Carrying Someone Home

Chapter 38: Carrying Someone Home

Ye Man had fallen asleep, but his grip remained tight despite being asleep.

Unless he was awakened, Xu Huaiting had no hope of getting him into the car.

Standing by the car, he estimated the distance in his head.

It was about a thirty-minute walk, not too far. Ye Man was dressed warmly enough that Xu Huaiting's back was warm and cozy. This short distance shouldn't make him cold.

So, let him sleep.

He had finally fallen sound asleep.

After a brief consideration, Xu Huaiting quickly decided to carry him back.

Ye Man's face was pressed against his shoulder, warm and gentle, with soft, even breaths.

At such a close distance, Xu Huaiting didn't need to focus to clearly sense his presence.

Since they had left early, there weren't many people on the road, and at this hour, there weren't many cars on the quiet and serene seaside road either. To the right was the moonlit sea glistening softly. Xu Huaiting steadily walked up the slope, with no one speaking, the surroundings quiet, yet he didn't feel bored or dull. Instead, he felt an unusual sense of solidity.

In a blink, the soft glow of the mansion lights appeared in sight.

Someone was standing at the door.

Seeing Xu Huaiting carrying Ye Man back, Chi Jue remained calmly, not at all surprised that his sick brother, who should have been resting in his room, had been carried back from outside.

Ye Man didn't want anyone to know he had sneaked out to watch fireworks while sick, so Xu Huaiting had made sure to keep things quiet when taking him out.

But Chi Jue wasn't a fool. He quickly pieced together what had happened when someone went missing.

The cause and effect were quickly figured out the whole story.

Xu Huaiting didn't expect to completely hide it; only Ye Man thought he could sneak out and back unnoticed. Only he felt his actions were too reckless and needed to be kept secret, so he had to hide it, as if it were some great misdeed.

No one else thought it was a big deal.

In fact, going out openly wouldn't have been a big deal.

But since Ye Man cared about it, Xu Huaiting went along with it as the unnoticed 'thief.'

For him, it wasn't a big deal either way; what mattered most was making Ye Man happy.

"Thank you, Xu Huaiting. I'll take care of Xiao Man from here," Chi Jue reached out to take Ye Man from Xu Huaiting's back, but Xu Huaiting avoided him, nodding to the bag in his hand: "You're carrying something; it's not convenient to hold him. I've brought him this far; a few more steps won't hurt."

Chi Jue's bag contained a few sparklers, originally intended for Ye Man to play with.

When told he couldn't watch fireworks, Ye Man didn't seem too upset.

However, compared to others, Ye Man was more himself around Chi Jue, not as compliant and polite as he was with his parents and older brother.

At home, Ye Man never said anything that might upset others, his expressions either charming smiles or sorrowful tears, but he never lost his temper.

Only with Chi Jue was it different.

Sometimes he let his temper show more openly with him, making it easier for Chi Jue to understand his thoughts.

He had been so excited to see the fireworks, and now that he couldn't, he was probably bottling up his disappointment.

His health was already poor, and getting upset would only make it harder to recover.

Chi Jue came up with a compromise: using these small sparklers to calm him down first, to avoid making him more upset. Once he gets better, he can watch whatever he likes.

Surprisingly, someone else had the same idea and acted even sooner, even taking him out.

Chi Jue wasn't entirely on board with this. Even though Mr. Xu seemed well-prepared, what if this outing made his condition worse? What could be more important than health, worth taking such a risk?

But since it’s already happened, he wouldn’t dwell on it.

Since they’ve already gone out and he’s likely cheered up, there’s no point in scolding him and ruining the good mood—it’d be counterproductive.

Now, he’s focused on keeping a closer eye on him over the next few days, ready to step in if things take a turn for the worse.

In the end, Mr. Xu was the one who took him to his room.

As he put it, it’s just a short way.

Once inside, Chi Jue hesitated for a moment before awkwardly stepping forward to try waking Xiao Man: "Xiao Man, wake up, we're in your room. Loosen your grip and let go of Mr. Xu."

Mr. Xu almost couldn't leave.

After being called a few times, Xiao Man woke up briefly, finally letting Mr. Xu free himself from his grip.

He was so out of it he didn’t even realize what he’d done.

Chi Jue helped him out of his coat and shoes, tucked him into bed, gave him some water, and got him settled, sweating the whole time.

Turning to Mr. Xu, he said apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Xu."

Mr. Xu: "It's okay."

Both men kept their voices low, two grown men whispering.

Chi Jue gently closed the door and personally walked Mr. Xu out.

Sensing Chi Jue had something to say, Mr. Xu lingered at the door, instinctively reaching for a cigarette before remembering something and stopping.

"Mr. Xu, Xiao Man’s had a tough time, as you’ve seen—his eyes..." Chi Jue said carefully, "Even though he seems to have accepted it easily and never complained to the family, it’s impossible for someone who’s always been able to see to suddenly lose their sight and take it so calmly. He just doesn’t like to open up about these things, keeping it all bottled up. He’s sensitive, not in the best health, and easily hurt..."

"He can’t handle any more stress, do you get that?"

At this point, Chi Jue smiled: "Xiao Man’s a simple guy; if you’re good to him, he’ll hold you close. He takes these things to heart and isn’t one for pretending."

If Xiao Man heard Chi Jue say he wasn’t good at pretending, he’d definitely argue.

Unfortunately, his version and Chi Jue's are essentially worlds apart.

Chi Jue didn’t spell it out, but it’s obvious to anyone that Mr. Xu means something to Xiao Man. Otherwise, why would he come in the middle of the night to carry him out to watch fireworks? The tube fireworks he bought are still sitting outside Xiao Man's window.

But Chi Jue didn’t want to spell it out directly, leaving no room for maneuver.

"Xiao Man is good-looking, we know that." That's as far as he could go.

Anyone with eyes can see that.

Even Chu Rong, that scoundrel, would stare a bit longer when he came to pick a fight, which speaks volumes.

Chi Jue’s worried Mr. Xu might just see Xiao Man as good-looking and easy to fool, playing with him for a while, being nice to win him over, then getting bored and walking away.

This kind of thing happens all the time in these circles. A passionate chase for a bit, then losing interest after a while, giving some money, houses, cars, shops, jewelry, funds, stocks, and then going their separate ways, no harm done.

But Ye Man is different.

He’s not cut out for this game.

Ye Man’s behavior today made Chi Jue very worried.

Even if he brings it up with his older brother, he’d probably think the same. This whole situation is really concerning.

He heaved a deep sigh.

Figuring out how to handle this without hurting his little brother or offending Mr. Xu is tricky.

It’d be best if Mr. Xu backed off on his own.

Chi Jue joked, "Mr. Xu can have his pick of anyone. Xiao Man... is still young and doesn’t get it."

After listening to him for a while, Mr. Xu finally said, "I remember you two are the same age. At your age, you’re already engaged to Meng Yao."

Chi Jue was blindsided.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "If it’s because of my relationship with Meng Yao that you’re approaching Xiao Man, I’ve already cut ties with Meng Yao..."

Mr. Xu replied, "Whether you contact Meng Yao or not is your business. I’m not surnamed Meng, not his father or mother. I can’t meddle in that."

When he has nothing to do, he helps his parents beat him up a couple of times. Mr. Xu thinks he’s already quite benevolent.

He thought it over seriously. "My reputation isn’t so tarnished that you’d think I’d bully someone so innocent. I don’t know how others play around, but I’ve always kept my nose clean, never messing around with people. Mr. Chi, I hope you don’t go spreading rumors and tarnish my name."

"You may not know yet, but in my family, being single is a big deal," Mr. Xu said, putting his hands in his pockets and smiling lightly. "If this leads to me being alone for the rest of my life, I’ll have to hold you accountable."

Chi Jue was speechless.

"Besides, it turns out that Xiao Man never complains to you."

"He opened up to me, saying that his biggest wish in life is to watch fireworks hand in hand with his lover..." Mr. Xu smiled. "It seems he hasn’t told you this either."

Chi Jue gaped at him in disbelief.

Mr. Xu sighed, walked over, and gave Chi Jue a knowing pat on the shoulder. "You... well... keep it up."

"More, I won’t say."

"As for what I think of him, I still prefer to tell him personally. Not everything is suitable for family members to solve on behalf, right."

Chi Jue didn’t speak.

Mr. Xu casually changed the subject. "By the way, I’ve made an appointment with an ophthalmologist here. Let him recuperate here for a couple of days, and when he recovers a bit, I’ll take him over to have a look."

The Chi family has also communicated with a doctor, but it’s not a bad thing to have more opinions. Doctors are different—maybe this one doesn’t work, but that one does.

Mr. Xu left.

Chi Jue stood at the door in the cold night wind for a long time, then turned around and kicked the wall hard.

"Damn, did Xiao Man actually tell him that?"