Chapter 39 Phone Call

Chapter 39: The Call

On the second floor of the Gu residence, the lavish hallway was adorned with famous paintings spaced every few yards, complemented by finely glazed porcelain vases and blooming flowers, creating an atmosphere of elegance and grandeur. Viewed from the first floor, it was a feast for the eyes.

In this corridor, which exuded an air of sophistication, a person whose appearance starkly contrasted with the surroundings inched forward slowly, propping himself up with three... drumsticks.

It was Wen Yu, with injuries to both hands and one leg.

He didn't remember the details of that night. At the factory, he hadn’t realized his foot was also injured. After being bandaged, even the slightest movement made it feel extremely heavy.

He wondered how many rolls of bandages his Senior Brother had used.

How badly was he injured to warrant such thorough wrapping? And yet, he felt no pain—likely due to strong painkillers... Could it be a serious bone injury?

Alarmed by his own thoughts, Wen Yu hesitated to put weight on his injured leg. Instead, he used the drumsticks to hook onto the ornamental gaps in the railing, hopping along on one leg.

No wonder Senior Brother Mu... recommended... rest...

After moving a few meters, Wen Yu leaned against the railing, panting—it was exhausting.

Mu Jilu hadn’t told him which room Xue Shu was in, but since they were at the Gu residence, Wen Yu headed toward the room he remembered. He estimated he needed to turn a corner up ahead, then continue straight... Why was it so far?

Why did the Gu family have to build such a massive house?

Wen Yu thought in despair: Maybe I should just give up. After all... ending things with Xue Shu might be best.

If they ended things, his complicated feelings and frustrations about Xue Shu would no longer matter... But would that be too rash?

Yet, what he truly wanted...

Before he could finish his thought, someone rounded the corner ahead.

It was Xue Shu, leaning on the railing with one hand and brandishing a drumstick with the other, hopping along.

Both were stunned, their first impression being that they were looking into a mirror—two strikingly similar individuals calmly observing each other across an invisible mirror.

Well—there were still some differences.

Wen Yu’s gaze fell on the round, bandaged head... literally... that thing on his head.

Xue Shu’s injuries were clearly more severe than his. But... since Senior Brother had treated the wounds, perhaps he’d wrapped extra bandages around the head out of frustration from seeing Xue Shu mess with it...

No, no... Senior Brother wouldn’t be that petty.

As Wen Yu’s mind raced with wild thoughts, Xue Shu slowly snapped back to reality.

The moment he realized the person he’d been worrying about was right in front of him, he remembered the text. His deep eyes suddenly lit up.

The raw excitement startled Wen Yu, who had just been thinking about cutting ties, making him feel inexplicably guilty.

Blushing, Wen Yu turned without a second thought and started hopping away.

Xue Shu, startled, also leaned on the railing and began hopping after him—his leg, injured at some point, was bandaged just as thickly as Wen Yu’s, rendering it useless. He could only drag it along, hopping on his good leg.

Moreover, with the massive bandage on his head, he had to adjust it every few bounces. In the end, his speed matched Wen Yu’s.

Thus, a "bedpan spirit" and a "drumstick spirit" began a slow race down the second-floor corridor.

======

"Aunt, aunt, aunt," Wen Xiaoyi tugged at Wen Ti’s sleeve, "I see Dad! What are he and that big-headed uncle doing?"

Wen Ti looked up from a stack of documents and followed Wen Xiaoyi’s pointing finger. The A4 paper she’d been holding slipped from her hand.

After freezing for a moment, she closed her eyes, her tone calm yet despairing: "They’re in rehab."

Had her brother become foolish after a few months apart?

"What’s rehab?" Wen Xiaoyi asked curiously.

"It’s exercising to get back to normal after an injury," Wen Ti replied, rubbing her temples.

"Oh~~" Wen Xiaoyi watched for a while. "Can I go see Dad? I want to, but they seem to be having so much fun..."

"Auntie will take you to see Dad later. For now..." Wen Ti lowered her head, unwilling to watch any longer, "let them have their moment alone."

"Okay." Wen Xiaoyi obediently picked up her teacup and drank, swinging her legs as she watched the clock’s hands move slowly—hoping time would pass quickly.

Sitting nearby, Gu Ya held a teacup, her posture unchanged since Wen Xiaoyi spoke.

She... she felt embarrassed.

Clearly, her son seemed much dumber than Wen Yu.

Dammit, that hopeless boy.

======

The two continued moving from one end of the corridor to the other—

Why was this damn hallway so long? Why do wealthy families love big houses? Do they just enjoy exercising at home?

Walking this corridor a few times a day—wouldn’t that be exhausting?

Really... Wen Yu couldn’t hop any further. His pace slowed significantly, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead almost dripping.

The person behind him wasn’t faring much better, his breathing growing heavier with each hop. At times, Wen Yu felt like an antique bellows was trailing him, wheezing with every hop.

He couldn’t take it anymore... Wen Yu stopped and turned around: "If you have something to say... huff... just say it... huff... Why keep following me?"

If this continued, it would take forever to find out what the other was thinking.

Xue Shu stopped suddenly, his head lurching forward from the momentum. Before Wen Yu finished speaking, he quickly reached out to steady the tilting, oversized bandaged head.

After a moment of silence, Xue Shu pulled out his phone, opened it with one hand, and showed Wen Yu his text thread with Mu Jilu.

Wen Yu glanced instinctively, his gaze freezing.

Xue Shu had seen the message—not only seen it, but he’d also sent multiple replies.

Those dozen or so messages lay bare before Wen Yu, each one a heartfelt confession.

All his questions were answered, and to his surprise, Xue Shu’s feelings for him ran even deeper than he’d imagined.

But—Wen Yu felt a heavy weight in his heart. It was strange—such unearned devotion... he couldn’t bear it.

"Why... why do you like me so much?"

They’d only met a few times. How could such... strong feelings develop?

Even including four years ago, their interactions had only amounted to that single night... So why did Xue Shu seem so obsessive and devoted?

Moreover, Wen Yu asked himself, he had changed significantly over the past four years. If Xue Shu had fallen for the person he was back then, meeting again should have made it obvious.

Any normal person should feel disappointed and then... leave.

Xue Shu lowered his head to type, using only one hand, which made it somewhat difficult. Wen Yu stood by, waiting.

"Dad!"

The typing hand paused.

Wen Yu turned his head. Wen Xiaoyi came scampering up the stairs, with Wen Ti following behind him.

After a night of fear and worry, and seeing Wen Yu bedridden and unable to open his eyes for three days, Wen Xiaoyi couldn't wait to see his lively dad.

If it hadn't been for his aunts comforting him these past few days, the child would have been utterly distraught.

Now that Dad was finally awake, yet playing some "lovebird" game with the uncle with a large head, Wen Xiaoyi waited for a while but couldn't stand it any longer.

Seeing Wen Yu, he quickened his pace, scrambling up the last few steps on all fours.

Knowing Dad couldn't hold him right now, he just tugged at the hem of Wen Yu's clothes and buried his face in his waist. "Waaah, Dad, Xiao Yi was so worried about you, waaah..."

Wen Yu’s waist tickled from the nuzzling. He crouched down and hugged Wen Xiaoyi. "Alright, Xiao Yi, don’t cry. Dad will never leave you again, okay?"

Hearing this, Wen Xiaoyi lifted his face, his big almond-shaped eyes red-rimmed and pitiful. "Then Dad has to promise Xiao Yi that you’ll never leave me at someone else’s house again, okay?"

"Okay," Wen Yu replied, feeling terribly guilty. "Dad swears, I’ll never leave Xiao Yi alone again."

"Really? Then Dad has to keep your word!" Assured by his dad’s promise, Wen Xiaoyi immediately brightened up, wiping his tears on Wen Yu’s clothes. His chubby little face jiggled as he shook with joy.

Curious about what was stopping his dad from holding him, he reached out and poked the thick bandages wrapped around Wen Yu.

"Stop!!!"

A sharp, cracking voice thundered through the air, startling everyone.

The three Wens froze in unison, their eyes turning to the side.

Xue Shu stood stiffly, his face stern and serious.

Wen Yu looked at the man, who acted as if nothing had happened, and asked suspiciously, "Xue Shu? Just now..."

Xue Shu shook his head.

Wen Yu and Wen Ti exchanged a glance. The observant lawyer nodded slowly, then turned back to Xue Shu, who was still trying to deny it, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Xue Shu—Xue Shu wished he could jump off the railing right then and there.

"Ahem," Wen Ti broke the awkward silence. "Actually, neither of you has leg injuries."

The smile on Wen Yu’s face froze.

She whispered four words in the middle of her sentence, and Wen Yu didn’t catch them, but what he had heard was enough for him to confirm: What a schemer.

They had indeed been fooling around for ages because of the misleading bandages, exhausting themselves, only to end up... thoroughly pranked by him.

The two of them silently removed the cumbersome bandages with the others' help.

Wen Yu carefully unwrapped the large wad from Xue Shu’s head, freeing his face, which had been squeezed and squashed by layer upon layer of bandages.

Just as Mr. Xue breathed a sigh of relief, a childish voice piped up, "Huh, you look familiar."

His heart clenched. He slowly turned to look at the thoughtful child, and under that gaze, his heartbeat pounded harder.

If... if this child called him "Dad," should he answer or not?

Wen Yu was right there watching. Not answering would seem rude, but... Xue Shu’s face stiffened—his ruined voice had given out at the worst time.

After scrutinizing the uncle for a while, Wen Xiaoyi’s little brain whirred and clicked.

Xue Shu’s nerves were stretched taut.

The child exclaimed loudly, "Big Bro!"

Xue Shu strained to push past the obstruction in his throat, replying, "Uh-huh!"

His voice was extremely hoarse, and as soon as he spoke, it sounded like a broken gong hitting a cracked edge—deafeningly loud.

The four people present were stunned by the sound. Once they recovered, the three adults’ eyes popped so wide they could have sunk an entire country three meters underwater.

Wen Xiaoyi, however, reacted quickly. "Big Bro, if your voice isn’t working well, you shouldn’t talk too much. You need to rest it, or it’ll sound bad later."

This reaction might as well not have happened. Xue Shu closed his eyes—maybe jumping off the balcony was the better option.

How could this child change his tune so quickly? Just a few days ago, he was calling him "Dad," and now it was "Big Bro." If he was the kid’s big brother, then wouldn’t that make Wen Yu...

Xue Shu couldn’t accept it. He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Did you get it wrong..."

His voice was so raspy that Wen Ti and Wen Yu couldn’t stand it halfway through, both rubbing their temples.

Xue Shu, well aware of his condition, shut his mouth and looked at Wen Yu with a pitiful expression.

"..." Wen Yu took a moment to compose himself, not daring to raise his voice and hurt his own head. He asked Wen Xiaoyi softly, "Xiao Yi, did you get it wrong? Shouldn’t you call him... Uncle?"

"No, Xiao Yi didn’t get it wrong," Wen Xiaoyi blinked, very earnestly. "He’s Gu Wei’s older brother! Gu Wei said we shouldn’t leave him out. He looks old, so we call him Big Bro and include him in our games."

So it was Gu Wei... Xue Shu temporarily suppressed the urge to punch someone and forced out a kind reply from his throat, "How about... calling me Uncle instead?"

"No!" Wen Xiaoyi declared sternly. "I won’t exclude you or refuse to play with you because of your age! And I promised Gu Wei—I’m a trustworthy big bro. Even though you’re my big bro..."

He trailed off, a bit confused by the two "big bros." Wen Yu seized the opportunity and quickly said, "Xiao Yi, see, if you’re already a big bro, calling someone else Big Bro will just be confusing, right? So it’s better to call him Uncle..."

Xue Shu nodded vigorously in agreement.

Frowning in thought for a moment, Wen Xiaoyi hesitated. "Do I really have to call him Uncle? But Gu Wei..."

"What he says doesn’t count..." Xue Shu croaked, thinking fiercely to himself: He’d remember this grudge. Even if Gu Wei called him "cousin" for months, it wouldn’t make up for it. If he didn’t get revenge, he wouldn’t be worthy of the name Xue!

His raspy voice was too damaging, and it didn’t last long. After just a few words, his voice gave out again. Wen Yu quickly picked up, "Yes, yes, Xiao Yi, see? If you want to call him Big Bro, doesn’t he have to agree first? If he doesn’t agree, then what others say doesn’t count, right?"

Wen Xiaoyi blinked and nodded. "Okay."

Seeing that he was finally convinced, Wen Yu and Xue Shu both breathed a sigh of relief.

Wen Ti, standing to the side, was nearly dying from suppressed laughter.

Perhaps her laughter was too obvious. Just as Wen Yu and Xue Shu were still brainwashing Wen Xiaoyi, her phone rang abruptly.

Startled by the sound, she finally burst into unrestrained laughter. "Hahahahaha..."

"...Sis, please stop laughing and answer the phone, alright?" Wen Yu's face flushed crimson, while Wen Xiaoyi, still clueless, kept laughing along with his aunt.

Wenti repeatedly apologized, "Sorry, sorry, hahaha... I'll go answer the phone."

"Huh, bro?" As she spoke, Wenti picked up the call and walked to the side.

Before she had gone far, her unending laughter cut off abruptly.

Wen Yu suddenly looked up, an inexplicable premonition washing over him, as if his heart had been stomped on—throbbing with distress.