Chapter 29

Chapter 29

After seeing He Mingshuang off and handling a few calls from the "Blue Mane" crew, Chu Heng began walking back from a corner on the first floor of the inpatient building.

He'd only taken a few steps when his phone vibrated several times in his pocket. Assuming it was a message from Qu Chuan, he pulled it out to look and was immediately surprised.

The message wasn't from Qu Chuan. It was from the private investigator he hadn't contacted in a while.

Just one document.

About Meng Hui.

Meng Hui had still been living his routine, point-to-point life lately, so normal that Chu Heng had begun to doubt whether his initial suspicions were mistaken. But since the private investigator had sent him this document, it meant he'd uncovered something new.

Chu Heng opened the document. As he read, his expression gradually darkened.

Meng Hui came from a poor background. His life story up to now could be considered an inspirational model. He had climbed his way out of a remote mountain village, getting into a key municipal high school from a junior high with a near-zero advancement rate, then into a prestigious domestic university from that fiercely competitive high school. During university, he had won numerous awards and scholarships.

Chu Heng already knew all this. When he and Wang Yelong first received Meng Hui's resume, they had both been puzzled why someone with his academic background would want to be a celebrity assistant. Meng Hui's explanation was that he dreamed of entering the entertainment industry as a producer. He had mistakenly chosen the wrong major when filling out his university application, and for various reasons later on, he failed to successfully transfer majors. He wanted to use the assistant role as a stepping stone.

Generally speaking, celebrities wouldn't hire someone with such lofty ambitions as an assistant, as they tend to be unstable and likely too proud, unwilling to do menial tasks like serving tea and water.

But Meng Hui's overall qualities were truly outstanding, far surpassing the other candidates in the interview. Moreover, he had a gentle temperament and was thorough in his work. In the end, Chu Heng and Wang Yelong had still chosen him.

As an assistant, Meng Hui was diligent and beyond reproach. But he had never mentioned that there was a person who had profoundly influenced his destiny in the first twenty years of his life.

Yu Shangbiao.

He had sponsored Meng Hui from elementary school all the way through high school. The money from a decade of sponsorship was even enough for the impoverished Meng Hui to get through university without financial worry.

The reason the sponsorship stopped wasn't because Yu Shangbiao no longer wanted to, but because he had died in the year Meng Hui took the college entrance exam.

Chu Heng felt the blood in his veins run cold. He didn't even know how he closed the document and walked out of that chilly corner.

When he came back to his senses, he found himself smoking. He had smoked an entire pack and was opening a second one. A circle of cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet, several only smoked for a puff or two. Chu Heng abruptly stopped, then irritably threw away the cigarette in his hand.

Suppressing his impatience, he gathered the cigarette butts from the ground and threw them in a trash can. He went to a small supermarket next to the hospital and bought a pack of gum and a bunch of lollipops. Then he found another corner and expressionlessly chewed gum for five minutes before crunching and swallowing all the lollipops.

So unlucky.

He thought.

...

Not long after Chen Jiasheng left, the sun began to set. The brilliant afterglow painted the horizon with golden-red evening clouds. A faint sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Chen Jinsheng withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at the newcomer.

Chu Heng was holding a bag of mixed berries—strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. He first glanced at the IV drip bottle, then walked over and sat down.

The peeled apple on the bedside table had long since oxidized and turned yellow, as neglected as the exquisite fruit basket beside it. Chu Heng glanced at it, casually tossed the oxidized apple into the trash, opened a disposable plastic container, speared a strawberry with a fork, and brought it to Chen Jinsheng's lips.

"After this bottle finishes, we can go back. Have some fruit to tide you over first."

Chen Jinsheng silently ate the strawberry. It had its stem and calyx removed, was sweet, soft, and juicy, sliding down his throat without needing much chewing.

Chu Heng speared a blueberry next, then a raspberry. After Chen Jinsheng swallowed, he asked, "Which tastes better?"

"They're all good."

Chen Jinsheng wasn't very picky.

Chu Heng made an acknowledging sound and continued feeding him the fruits, rotating the types. He fed with focus, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Chen Jinsheng's lips, slightly stained red by the berries. His Adam's apple moved almost imperceptibly.

A few minutes later, he put down the nearly empty fruit box, sat on the edge of the bed, hooked his arms around Chen Jinsheng's neck, and kissed him.

Chen Jinsheng was slightly taken aback.

Taking advantage of his momentary surprise, Chu Heng's tongue pried open his lips and teeth, venturing inside. His movements were somewhat clumsy. His tongue paused for a while before tentatively licking the roof of Chen Jinsheng's mouth, then gently touched Chen Jinsheng's tongue, attempting to entangle with it.

He had his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed, his dense eyelashes trembling faintly, his expression focused as if conducting some experiment.

So sweet.

An intense candy sweetness transmitted from Chu Heng's lips and tongue. Chen Jinsheng's hands involuntarily clenched the bedsheet. A moment later, he lifted his injured hand and placed it on Chu Heng's waist.

"Don't move around." Chu Heng pressed his hand down firmly, pulling back slightly to look at him disapprovingly.

The distant evening clouds gradually faded. Amidst the gentle, smoke-like pink and purple twilight, the two of them, without many words, kissed again.

Chen Jinsheng's lips and tongue were quite soft. Kissing him felt really comfortable.

Chu Heng thought hazily.

Why hadn't he noticed this before? Do lips become especially soft and sweet after eating berries?

"Bang—"

"Hiss—"

His wandering thoughts were quickly interrupted by the loud sound of a door slamming, mixed with a sharp intake of breath. He opened his eyes and looked back to see three people standing stiffly at the doorway.

Xiao Hongbo's hand was still on the door. Wang Yelong stared at them in shock. Their faces were each greener than the other.

Bai Leyao seemed to have suffered a great shock, standing dumbfounded in place, with two suspicious blushes on his cheeks.

Ten eyes met. The air was quiet for a good while.

"I'm begging you," Xiao Hongbo turned his head, enunciating each word clearly as he spoke to Chu Heng, "when you're kissing in a place like a hospital where people come and go, could you at least close the door?"

"Sorry, forgot." Chu Heng calmly wiped his mouth, glanced at the IV drip bottle, sat back in the chair, picked up the fruit box, and continued feeding Chen Jinsheng the remaining berries.

Seeing this, Xiao Hongbo's expression softened a bit. He ignored Chu Heng and looked at Chen Jinsheng. "Brother, how's the injury? Serious?"

Chen Jinsheng swallowed the blueberry. "Just a superficial wound. Nothing serious."

Xiao Hongbo breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I've already asked someone to look into the person who suddenly attacked you. We should have results in a few days. Rest and recover peacefully. Don't worry about anything else."

Chen Jinsheng: "Thank you."

"No need for formalities with me."

"Ahem." Wang Yelong suddenly cleared his throat dryly.

Chu Heng paused, fed the last raspberry to Chen Jinsheng, threw away the fork and plastic box, and stood up. "You guys talk."

He walked out of the ward, and Wang Yelong immediately followed. The two walked to the empty stairwell at the end of the corridor. Wang Yelong's first words were:

"Ancestor, do you think there isn't enough drama already?"

"?" Chu Heng shot a puzzled look.

Wang Yelong silently pulled out his phone and unlocked it, turning the screen toward Chu Heng.

In the morning, a video of Chu Heng buying flowers late at night had shot to the top of the trending searches.

At noon, a video of a *Blue Mane* fan attacking Chu Heng and getting knocked out with one punch caused an uproar.

In the evening, a video of Chu Heng chain-smoking furiously amid a litter of cigarette butts in the hospital had drawn countless curses.

"But I picked up all the butts!" Chu Heng blurted out.

And there was no no smoking sign in that area.

"You're gonna die young if you keep that up," Wang Yelong had long wanted to scold him. "And what were you trying to do just now? Complete a four-piece trending set on the first day of the Lunar New Year, or what?"

He had been steeling himself for the relationship between Chu Heng and Chen Jinsheng and knew exactly what was going on between them. But thinking about it and actually seeing it were two different things; the visual impact of seeing two grown men kissing so intimately, all tangled up, was overwhelming. After the shock came panic. If some passerby had caught that on camera, Chu Heng would be finished, and their entire company might as well start packing their desks.

"Sorry, I totally forgot," Chu Heng shrugged, assuring Wang Yelong. "Won't happen again."

Wang Yelong sighed. "Can't you ever give me a break?"

He truly missed the old Chu Heng who used to be a total workaholic.

An old house on fire—that's trouble.

Wang Yelong was feeling pretty gloomy but pulled himself together and asked point-blank, "Are you serious about this?"

"...I don't know," Chu Heng mumbled.

"You don't know?!" Wang Yelong repeated in shock. "You don't even know, and you're going this far?!"

"It's not playing," Chu Heng was clearly getting irritated.

"Then it *is* serious."

"I don't know means I don't know. I can't explain it," Chu Heng said, throwing caution to the wind. "Anyway, I don't mind him kissing me. I don't mind kissing him either."

"What's the difference?"

"I don't know. It's just different. Stop asking, it's annoying."

Wang Yelong fell silent.

He got it. He had to treat this as the real deal.

...

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Chu Heng was lounging around at home.

Chen Jinsheng's hand was injured, so Chu Heng was careful in his sleep, afraid he might accidentally press on his arm. Naturally, he couldn't bring himself to ask him to do household chores either.

He'd just finished hanging up the wash when Chen Jinsheng said to him, "I want to go somewhere."

"Oh, sure," Chu Heng turned around and saw Chen Jinsheng all dressed and ready to go. He went to the bedroom to change clothes and only thought to ask when he was at the door, putting on his shoes, "Where to? Is it far?"

Chen Jinsheng gave an address and then said, "To see my dad. We need to stop by the supermarket first to buy some things."

It wouldn't be right to go empty-handed.

It took him a few seconds to process the first part of what Chen Jinsheng had said.

The third day of the Lunar New Year was indeed a day for paying New Year's visits to elders. Chu Heng felt a bit odd, but in the end, he kept quiet. Those old grudges were water under the bridge, and it was only right for a child to visit their parents.

He drove Chen Jinsheng to the supermarket. Worried about being spotted and fueling more gossip, he had Chen Jinsheng wait in the car while he, wearing a mask and hat, did a lap around the supermarket. After filling a shopping cart with gift boxes and fruit, he drove toward the outskirts of the city.

Chu Heng entered the address Chen Jinsheng gave into the navigation. The further they drove, the more remote it became. Urban buildings gradually thinned out. After passing the locally famous former dynasty summer resort and a pond that looked either man-made or natural, they finally saw a white-walled compound and a black iron gate in the distance.

"Why did your dad move up here to the mountains?"

Leaving aside the lack of neighbors, just think how inconvenient it is for business associates and important guests to drop by. Chu Heng had been to the old Chen family residence and the villa where Chen Jinsheng's parents used to live, and he remembered how busy those places used to be. Seeing the car climb higher and higher, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"He's retired," Chen Jinsheng said.

Chu Heng did the math—Chen Jinsheng's father was over sixty.

He glanced distractedly at Chen Jinsheng, whose expression was as calm as if he were going to a flower and bird market.

He guessed Chen Jiasheng had probably taken care of things already.

As the car approached, the first things that came into view were two clusters of blooming peony bushes outside the courtyard walls, with a wide path between them just spacious enough for a car to pass through, leading straight to the black iron gate.

Faint barks and the sound of flowing water came from inside the gate. Chu Heng didn't drive in. Instead, he found an open spot outside the peony bushes to park, unfastened his seatbelt, leaned over to open the passenger door for Chen Jinsheng first, then got out himself and retrieved the various-sized gift boxes from the trunk.

Chen Jinsheng took a few, carrying them with one hand. Chu Heng carried the rest and walked with him to the closed iron gate. After ringing the doorbell, he said, "I won't go in. Do you want me to pick you up tonight or tomorrow?"

He estimated that Chen Jinsheng would at least stay for a reunion dinner. Since the Chen family didn't think much of him, going in would just be asking for trouble.

But Chen Jinsheng said, "No need. I'll be out soon."

Chu Heng didn't press further. "Then I'll wait for you outside."

As soon as he finished speaking, a person emerged from behind the small fountain in the front yard, looking quite surprised to see them.

"Brother?"

Chen Jiasheng walked over quickly, glanced at Chu Heng, and said to Chen Jinsheng, "Why didn't you say you were coming in advance?"

Chu Heng was also quite surprised. Chen Jinsheng's visit seemed to be on a whim. Wasn't he afraid of being turned away by his father, who might not appreciate it? But since they were already here, there was no point in turning back. Chu Heng composed his expression and, before Chen Jiasheng could reach out to take the gift boxes from Chen Jinsheng, handed over the large and small bags he was carrying to him instead.

He had little to say to Chen Jiasheng. On the rare occasions they had crossed paths before, they had pretended not to know each other. So, he just casually greeted him and returned to the car.

Chen Jiasheng slowly withdrew his hand, preventing the items from falling to the ground. "He's not coming in?"

Chen Jinsheng hummed in affirmation. "Where's Dad?"