Chapter 53: Peace Button

Chapter 53: The Peace Buckle

Liu Erxing had an upcoming race, and even with his confidence, he needed to return to his team early for training. So, after spending most of the day in Tianjin, they headed back to Beijing together.

This time, Liu Erxing didn’t check Yun Fan into a hotel but brought him straight to his own home. No one was there, and with plenty of rooms, there was more than enough space for both of them.

Though he claimed it was more convenient to stay at his place, Liu Erxing actually had an ulterior motive—he didn’t want Yun Fan staying with Cheng Yu and Wen Haochen.

Liu Erxing’s home was situated by a river in a *hutong*, a traditional Beijing alleyway, surrounded by lush trees, with a small gate tucked beneath the branches.

Once inside, Yun Fan discovered it was like a world of its own. One courtyard led to another, making it impossible to tell just how deep the compound went.

“Wow, so you usually live among antiques,” Yun Fan exclaimed, looking around in amazement.

Liu Erxing reached out to turn on the light and chuckled. “Ah, see that chair? I heard it could sell for seven figures at an auction in Hong Kong. I thought, since we have so many at home, this one doesn’t look like much—so just sit on it. What's the point of letting it sit there if it’s not being used? It’s only useful when it’s under your butt.”

“Feel free to take anything you like. I’ll just say I broke it later—my dad won’t say anything,” Liu Erxing shrugged. “I’m not like Young Master Wen or Cheng Yu; I don’t treasure these things that much.”

Damn, that statement was next-level flex. Yun Fan stared at Liu Erxing in shock, suddenly growing cautious. Since the room was filled with so many treasures, he had to be extra careful.

Liu Erxing might not care about damaging those antiques, but Yun Fan didn’t dare. Liu Erxing might not do anything to him, but his father was another story.

Seeing Yun Fan’s cautious demeanor, Liu Erxing couldn’t help but laugh. He led Yun Fan further inside and stopped at a room on the east side.

The password lock on the door required a fingerprint, facial recognition, and a passcode. Liu Erxing didn’t bother hiding any of it from Yun Fan, boldly inputting the codes in front of him before pushing the door open and gesturing inside. “Come on, take a look.”

The items they had picked up the previous day now had a home. The large room was filled with all kinds of antiques—some encased in glass displays, others looking like coins stored in boxes. Some items were left unattended, simply scattered on the floor.

“Hey, if you stay in Beijing, I’ll leave this place for you to manage,” Liu Erxing said, running a hand through his hair. “We’ll split the profits 20-80; you get the lion's share.”

It sounded tempting, but Yun Fan wasn't keen on the idea. Although the room was climate-controlled and it was daytime, it still felt a bit eerie. Maybe it was because Liu Erxing kept staring at him lately, making him uneasy.

After stepping out, Yun Fan stood in the sun for a few minutes, finally feeling a bit better. Liu Erxing watched him from the shade of a tree, chewing on a blade of grass and shrugging with a smile.

“Let’s go inside and rest for a bit,” Liu Erxing said, spitting out the leaf and walking over to slap Yun Fan on the back.

They ventured further in, passing through a vine-covered archway, when suddenly a group of dogs rushed up, startling Yun Fan.

A German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever, and a little Pomeranian swarmed around Yun Fan’s legs, clinging to him and rooting him to the spot.

Liu Erxing laughed as he gently pulled the little ones off Yun Fan. “Scared of dogs?”

“It’s fine, just a bit sudden,” Yun Fan replied, relieved.

He crouched down and patted each dog’s head, receiving affectionate licks in return. Liu Erxing, holding dog food and tilting his head as he watched, felt a twinge of jealousy toward the dogs—they could lick Yun Fan without getting pushed away.

Once the dog encounter was over, Liu Erxing pointed to a few glass cabinets not far away and asked Yun Fan, “Most people are scared of these little things. What about you…”

“Oh my god!!!” Yun Fan took one glance and immediately turned away. “How… how could you keep snakes?!”

The dogs, seeing Yun Fan frightened, quickly gathered around him, sticking out their tongues and looking at him with bright, eager eyes. Yun Fan patted his chest and took quick, little steps further inside.

Liu Erxing licked his lips. Even though Yun Fan was scared, the flush spreading across his face made him look soft and cute.

This is bad, Liu Erxing thought. He might be poisoned—poisoned by Yun Fan.

“Baby Bus! Baby Bus!”

Yun Fan looked up and met the eyes of a little parrot. He stared at the bird in confusion and asked, “What on earth have you been teaching it?”

“No idea,” Liu Erxing said, equally puzzled. “Once, my cousin’s kid came over and played with this bird for an afternoon. After that, it only says this one phrase.”

“How interesting,” Yun Fan said, tapping the parrot’s head and receiving another “Baby Bus” in response.

In Liu Erxing’s little zoo, Yun Fan relaxed a lot. Sometimes, being with animals was better than being with people. Animals were always sincere, their eyes wet and adorable.

Liu Erxing went out for a bit and returned with two cups of *Duck Shit Aroma* tea he had brewed. “Have a cup to cleanse your palate—we’ve been eating a lot these past few days.”

“You noticed, huh?” Yun Fan laughed as he took the cup, clinking it cheerfully with Liu Erxing’s.

Back at home, Liu Erxing’s demeanor changed a bit. He held a bracelet in his hand and, after sitting down, began fiddling with it. Yun Fan watched his nimble fingers threading and unthreading the beads as if performing a magic trick.

“Like it?” Liu Erxing set the bracelet down onto the nanmu table. “Take it. I’ve been working this one for a while—it’s not so stiff anymore.”

Yun Fan quickly shook his head and waved his hands. “I can't accept gifts without reason. Young Master Liu should keep his treasures to himself.”

Liu Erxing chuckled lightly and didn’t argue, taking the bracelet back to continue fiddling with it. There were no staff at his home; only cleaners came at fixed times. He thought it was perfect just sitting quietly with Yun Fan like this.

Maybe even Young Master Wen didn’t have many chances to spend time with Yun Fan like this. Young Master Wen was always surrounded by people, rarely enjoying such quiet moments.

Yun Fan looked around, thinking there were far too many doors and windows here. If the old butler came, he would surely have a headache figuring out how to manage this estate.

“That door is so tall. What’s inside?” Yun Fan turned to ask Liu Erxing but noticed his expression had changed.

Liu Erxing dropped his relaxed demeanor, let out an “ah,” and forced a smile. “I paint sometimes. That’s my art studio.”

“Wow, you’re really multi-talented,” Yun Fan said, widening his eyes. “Do you sell your paintings?”

Liu Erxing shook his head. “I just paint casually. No real technique to it.”

Yun Fan didn’t ask further and took a sip of his tea. He thought of Young Master Wen, who designed yachts, and felt that his employer’s skills were more practical—they could make money.

Liu Erxing had no idea what this little money-minded guy was thinking. As Yun Fan got up to rest and walked away, Liu Erxing picked up the small teacup Yun Fan had used.

“Yun Fan…” Liu Erxing licked his lips and pressed the teacup against his own.

Then he stood up, opened the door Yun Fan had been curious about, and placed the teacup inside.

*

Thanks to Liu Erxing’s keeping Yun Fan in the dark, Yun Fan had no idea that Cheng Yu and Wen Haochen had also come to Beijing.

Young Master Wen knew, but he wouldn’t say anything about it. He only continued his habit of saying “Good morning” and “Good night” to his Xiao Yun every day.

According to Young Master Wen, Old Uncle Cheng had another fight with his son—this was something Uncle Cheng had told Young Master Wen.

Since Yun Fan came to *Langyuntai*, an unexpected effect was that Uncle Cheng and other staff members had become closer to Young Master Wen.

They no longer saw him only as their boss but gradually as someone they could approach. Young Master Wen was happy with this change. He was never cold to his own people and had no desire to be aloof.

So, even with Yun Fan away, Uncle Cheng could still chat with him, warming his heart a little.

Just as Yun Fan would share things from his life with Young Master Wen, Young Master Wen now did likewise. The two discussed Uncle Cheng and Zhu Zhiqian, both feeling Uncle Cheng was getting a raw deal.

“Xiao Yun, don’t worry about this. If needed, I’ll help Uncle Cheng,” Young Master Wen comforted him. “For now, just focus on having fun and enjoying yourself.”

“Okay.” Yun Fan replied softly from his bed. “I’m a bit tired from all the fun. I wanna go back to Hong Kong.”

Young Master Wen truly hadn’t expected Yun Fan to say that. On the other end of the phone, unseen by Yun Fan, his eyes were filled with tenderness. He picked up his tablet, checked his calendar, took a deep breath, and continued, “Then I’ll come get Xiao Yun on Sunday, okay?”

Yun Fan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected Young Master Wen to come personally to get him. At that moment, listening to Young Master Wen’s low, calming voice, could he honestly say he didn’t want to see Young Master Wen?

He couldn't.

Just like he couldn’t resist a little extra cash, he couldn’t.

"Okay, Wen Zhaofu, come pick me up." Yun Fan squeezed his eyes shut as he said the words.

Wen Zhaofu’s light laugh echoed in Yun Fan’s ear, sweeping over him like the bristles of a foxtail grass, making him tingle all over.

Unseen by Yun Fan, Wen Zhaofu, still seated at his desk, opened a drawer, took out a photograph, and gently kissed the image of him.

The next day, Liu Erxing had to go for training and said a regretful goodbye to Yun Fan, saying he couldn't hang out. Yun Fan happily bounced around, saying that as a grown man, he could find things to do on his own.

Seeing Yun Fan in good spirits, Liu Erxing smiled too, waved his hand, grabbed his racing suit and bag, and left.

After thinking for a moment, Yun Fan looked up a guide on his phone and drove to a temple a little ways away.

One good thing about Young Master Liu’s place was that there were tons of cars—there was always one that suited him. Yun Fan didn’t like low-slung sports cars, thinking they were too loud, so he picked an SUV.

He wasn’t there to pray to the gods or worship Buddha, but to buy something for Zuzu and Wen Zhaofu. After strolling around and sitting under an ancient tree for a while, he bought a jade Ruyi for Zuzu and a jade abacus for Wen Zhaofu.

Inspired by his earlier "antique judge" moment with Liu Erxing, he carefully examined the quality of the jade and picked the best—and most expensive—ones.

Perhaps such items were commonplace for the Wen family, but Yun Fan knew that Zuzu and Wen Zhaofu would see the sincerity in his gesture.

Before leaving, Yun Fan caught sight of a peace buckle in the corner of the counter. He paused, then bought one more.

That evening, Liu Erxing rushed back from the training ground and took Yun Fan out to dinner with Cheng Yu and Wen Haochen. Only then did Yun Fan realize that these two big shots had also come to town.

"You two... came to watch... the race?" Yun Fan said slowly, his face full of disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah, it’s going to be amazing," Wen Haochen replied, smiling as he stared at Yun Fan.

Cheng Yu adjusted his tie and smiled at Yun Fan. "It’s a rare opportunity, couldn’t miss it."

Liu Erxing couldn’t take it anymore. He threw down his towel and yelled, "Waiter, bring me two large pots of vinegar—the kind that’s been aged for five thousand years!"

So annoying, Liu Erxing thought bitterly, as if they were afraid he’d do something to Yun Fan. Thinking it, he said it out loud: "Look at Zhao Fu, how steady he is. He doesn’t just butt in."

"Oh, right," Yun Fan slapped his forehead. "Mr. Zhao Fu said he’s coming to Beijing on Sunday to take me back to Hong Kong together."

Liu Erxing’s eyes widened as he stared straight at Yun Fan. So all his praise was in vain—there’s always someone better!

Well, well, Wen Zhaofu, you old fox.

"Young Master Liu, this is for you." Yun Fan took a small bag containing the peace buckle from his backpack. "Wishing you a smooth and safe race tomorrow."

Liu Erxing, who had been full of complaints just moments before, suddenly froze on the spot as if struck by a spell. He stared at Yun Fan, his mouth slightly agape, unable to make a sound.