Chapter 55: Learning to Drive

Chapter 55 Learning to Drive

This time, there was no international protocol or any other reason; Wen Zhaofu simply wanted to comfort Yun Fan. At this moment, Wen Zhaofu wasn't focused on who had upset Yun Fan; his sole desire was to console him properly.

Yun Fan looked at Wen Zhaofu, and somehow, being gazed at so tenderly by the man before him, he felt an even greater surge of grievance.

This was so unlike him. Yun Fan sniffed and gave Wen Zhaofu an embarrassed look.

How could Wen Zhaofu not understand Yun Fan's thoughts? He empathized and was even more willing to be accommodating, so he reached out, pressed the back of Yun Fan's neck, and drew him into his embrace.

In this position, Yun Fan was bent over. To make him more comfortable, Wen Zhaofu sat as upright as possible, gently rubbing Yun Fan's back and whispering in his ear.

"Xiao Yun, I told you, if you're unhappy, tell me," Wen Zhaofu's breath brushed against Yun Fan's ear. "I'm here, it's okay, Xiao Yun."

"Mm, sir," Yun Fan also patted Wen Zhaofu's back. "I'll be fine soon."

"It's okay to take your time," Wen Zhaofu smiled. "I'll always be by your side."

Yun Fan's heartbeat gradually quickened. He didn't want to admit how much he was becoming enamored with Wen Zhaofu's embrace, yet in this moment, amidst the surrounding clamor, he couldn't bring himself to pull away from this quiet refuge.

Perhaps Yun Fan wasn't just unwilling to show his vulnerability; he also didn't want to reveal his feelings.

"Sir," Yun Fan called out softly.

"Xiao Yun," Wen Zhaofu responded swiftly, his voice deep.

Yun Fan pressed on Wen Zhaofu's shoulders and looked earnestly into his eyes. Those eyes, usually profound, were now filled with deep affection: "Sir, give me a little more time."

"Okay," Wen Zhaofu nodded immediately. "No matter how long, I'll wait for you."

"Thank you..." Before Yun Fan could finish, he saw Wen Zhaofu's eyes gleam, and then he was hugged again.

This time, Wen Zhaofu's arms were much tighter than before. Yun Fan's upper body was almost pressed against his chest, and his legs felt a bit unsteady. For a moment, Yun Fan thought Wen Zhaofu wanted him to sit on his lap!

That wouldn't do, absolutely not—Wen Zhaofu's legs weren't fully healed yet!

At the other end of the alley, Liu Erxing tugged at Wen Haochen, while Cheng Yu gritted his teeth. The three of them held their breath simultaneously, glaring angrily at Wen Zhaofu.

They had clearly seen Yun Fan separate from him, but now he was hugging Yun Fan again. His intentions were all too obvious.

Wen Haochen immediately bristled, momentarily forgetting his dream of becoming a racing driver from just moments ago. Now, all he felt was the dread that his brother was going to make Yun Fan his partner.

If Liu Erxing hadn't quickly grabbed Wen Haochen, the young man would have charged forward right then. The consequences? Most likely, Wen Zhaofu would have thrown this reckless husky all the way to South America.

Cheng Yu naturally sensed Wen Zhaofu's challenge, but he wasn't as impulsive as Wen Haochen. Still, he refused to believe Yun Fan was willing. He thought Yun Fan was only complying because Wen Zhaofu was his employer.

Liu Erxing, who had suffered enough setbacks that night, was actually the calmest. He licked his lips and let out a light laugh. The problem he faced was much bigger than the others', after all—he was the one who had directly upset Yun Fan.

No matter who was hugging Yun Fan now, it couldn't erase the fact that he had upset Yun Fan.

Liu Erxing didn't understand himself either. Though he clearly liked Yun Fan, he always ended up doing things he couldn't explain.

Perhaps he was just too conflicted; he no longer knew how to love someone properly.

Wen Zhaofu naturally wouldn't miss any opportunity to express his feelings and assert his standing with Yun Fan. From then on, until he returned to Hong Kong, he didn't let Yun Fan leave his sight.

The small jade abacus Yun Fan had given him was kept in a velvet bag, carried with him every day.

After years of ups and downs, Wen Zhaofu was no longer as obsessed with making money, but if Yun Fan wanted him to earn more, then he would do just that.

Whatever Yun Fan said, he would listen.

After returning, Wen Zhaofu first let Yun Fan rest and relax, so Yun Fan happily launched into storytelling, sharing his travel experiences with the little gardener and the kitchen staff.

The old butler occasionally passed by and saw Yun Fan's animated storytelling. He wanted to scold him but remembered that this was exactly what Wen Zhaofu had tasked Yun Fan with, so he kept quiet.

"Before you knew it, Young Master Liu pulled off a perfect drift and overtook the car in front," Yun Fan gestured as if steering a wheel, as though he were the one driving the race car.

The little gardener's eyes sparkled, filled with a longing for speed. Uncle Man clicked his tongue in amazement, saying he must go watch a race in person someday.

"So thrilling, Young Master Liu is the best." Yun Fan gave a thumbs-up emphatically.

The old butler listened to Yun Fan's praise for Liu Erxing with growing concern. He worried that Yun Fan, being close to Liu Erxing, might side with the third household, which would be detrimental for the second branch and Wen Zhaofu.

While the others were still caught up in the excitement, the old butler could only look up at a forty-five-degree angle, wondering if he should warn Wen Zhaofu. But he couldn't bring himself to speak up, because just before Wen Zhaofu left for Beijing, Zhu Zhiqian had been severely reprimanded.

The old butler knew Wen Zhaofu was displeased with Zhu Zhiqian's attitude toward him and had intervened to discipline him on his behalf. Normally, such minor household matters shouldn't trouble Wen Zhaofu, but he had done it anyway.

The astute old butler felt both grateful to Wen Zhaofu and a bit sorry for his son. More than that, he sensed Wen Zhaofu hadn't acted solely for his sake. So, who else was it for?

The old butler adjusted the cuffs of his tailcoat and cast a sharp glance toward Yun Fan.

*

After Yun Fan returned to Hong Kong, Wen Zhaofu's assistants noticed their boss's work efficiency had skyrocketed again.

Wen Zhaofu had always made decisions quickly, but now he was even faster. Sometimes, he would offer sound advice before his subordinates had even finished their reports.

From time to time, they also noticed their boss liked to fiddle with a small jade abacus while deep in thought. Their intuition told them it must have been acquired from some master.

Had the Wen family reached some major turning point? Even Wen Zhaofu had to resort to this?

Amid everyone's speculation, Wen Zhaofu took his suit jacket and put it on, preparing to leave work early once again.

"You should all go home early too and spend more time with your families," Wen Zhaofu said smiling, pressing a button as his wheelchair glided smoothly forward.

The assistants exchanged glances. Since when did their boss have family to spend time with? He had never said anything like this before.

These days, Yun Fan was practicing driving right-hand drive cars with his Big Brother. He had suggested it himself, feeling it was too inconvenient to always rely on Big Brother to drive him around.

The usually quiet Big Brother seemed a bit worried this time and even asked Wen Zhaofu if he would no longer need him to drive once Butler Yun learned how.

Wen Zhaofu laughed heartily: "Nonsense, of course not. If Xiao Yun heard that, he might not want to learn anymore."

That wouldn't do. Big Brother was determined to teach Yun Fan well, calling him out bright and early every morning to practice until Wen Zhaofu returned and called it off.

One dared to teach, and the other dared to learn. Big Brother passed on all the unorthodox driving techniques he had accumulated over the years to Yun Fan.

Yun Fan thought his instructor was excellent—he never scolded him and was willing to teach practical skills instead of just showing off his own skills.

"Just drive boldly, the car will listen to you," Big Brother patted Yun Fan's shoulder. "Tomorrow, I'll take you out on the road. We'll practice for a while longer."

"Okay!" Yun Fan said with a beaming smile.

Wen Zhaofu returned to Langyun Terrace just in time to see this scene and smiled as well. These days, he had asked someone else to drive him, leaving Big Brother free for Yun Fan.

"Xiao Yun," Wen Zhaofu called out before even entering the gate.

Yun Fan's eyes lit up, and he turned around: "Sir! You're back."

With that, Yun Fan hurried toward Wen Zhaofu. He ran so fast the wind ruffled his hair, making him look free-spirited and dashing. Wen Zhaofu instinctively wanted to open his arms but held back through self-restraint.

With so many people watching, he couldn't embarrass Yun Fan. So when Yun Fan approached, Wen Zhaofu gently squeezed his palm.

"Tired?" Wen Zhaofu asked, looking up.

Yun Fan hadn’t noticed it before, but with Wen Zhaofu’s gentle massage, he indeed felt a slight numbness. He shook his hand and pushed Wen Zhaofu’s wheelchair inside.

Big Bro waved to Wen Zhaofu, thinking to himself that his boss’s voice was surprisingly loud.

Once they entered Wen Zhaofu’s bedroom, he retrieved a cane from a hidden compartment in the wheelchair and leveraged himself up. Yun Fan helped him undo his tie. Wen Zhaofu tilted his head back but kept his eyes on Yun Fan.

The scene felt so domestic that Wen Zhaofu couldn’t help but laugh. Yun Fan’s index finger happened to rest on Wen Zhaofu’s Adam’s apple—he not only heard the laughter but also felt the vibration with his finger.

The sound tingled his heart, and the tremor reached the soles of his feet. He was overwhelmed and whispered, "Don’t laugh."

"Okay," Wen Zhaofu replied immediately.

"Xiao Yun, you don’t have to push yourself so hard while practicing driving. No need to rush," Wen Zhaofu said, squeezing Yun Fan’s wrist as he began to take off his suit.

Yun Fan still wasn’t quite used to Wen Zhaofu changing clothes in front of him, so he turned his back and leaned against the door, remarking casually, "I want to learn quickly so I can take you out for a drive."

"Sure, no problem," Wen Zhaofu replied, having changed his clothes. He gently patted Yun Fan from behind. "I just hate seeing you—your hands are already calloused."

Yun Fan looked up with a smile and shook his head dismissively. Wen Zhaofu said nothing more, and they went downstairs together for dinner.

Wen Zhaofu sat at one end of the table, with the others arranged on either side. Yun Fan sat opposite the old butler. Seeing the awkward seating arrangement, Wen Zhaofu thought to himself that sooner or later, he would replace the table with a round one so he could sit next to Yun Fan.

Everyone at Langyuntai could see how close Yun Fan and Wen Zhaofu had become, and this closeness was different from before. Neither of them avoided the matter anymore.

The old butler sounded the alarm in his head, thinking, "See, Yun Fan is still trying to take over—such a schemer." But he couldn’t understand how Wen Zhaofu, whom he had watched grow up, had been taken in by him.

Man Shu, on the other hand, had no such concerns. He thought it was wonderful—Wen Zhaofu was clearly much happier than before, and that was a very good thing.

The little gardener sat next to Yun Fan. He used to not eat inside the house—the old butler wouldn’t allow it—but now Yun Fan insisted on bringing him in. He hardly knew Wen Zhaofu and wouldn’t casually comment on his boss’s affairs. He just dug in wordlessly, savoring Man Shu’s excellent cooking.

The next day, under Big Bro’s guidance, Yun Fan drove out of the Wen Yanlan estate. Yun Fan was so excited that if he hadn’t needed to focus on the road, he would have shouted aloud.

His excitement was contagious, making Big Bro feel like he had done a great deed. He thought to himself, no wonder Wen Zhaofu was so fond of Yun Fan—just seeing Yun Fan smile made the world feel like a better place.

Yun Fan parked the car steadily in the Wen family’s parking lot, took out his phone, and sent Wen Zhaofu a message: "Knock off early, bro! I’m taking you out for a drive!"

In his office, Wen Zhaofu waved his phone at his assistant. "I have to go. My ride’s here."

The assistant frowned—it sounded like his boss was bragging!