Chapter 37 Going Home

Chapter 37: Going Home

Chi Luoxi sulkily got into He Angxiao's car and followed him home.

As he left, he looked like a defeated kitten being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and dragged home, claws still bared in a hollow show of defiance, but ultimately no match for the menace of a dangerous human.

Even though he had a hundred reasons to feel reluctant and a thousand urges to turn and run, facing a villain like He Angxiao, who played by no rules and didn't hesitate to bare his fangs with threats, he was truly out of options.

The only thing scarier than a thug is a thug with an education.

He Angxiao wasn't just educated—he had money, power, cunning, thick skin, a sharp tongue, and at critical moments, he could even get tough and throw his weight around.

Chi Luoxi was utterly defenseless against He Angxiao's combo of moves.

They drove back in total silence.

Chi Luoxi pressed himself tightly against the car door, keeping as much distance as he could from He Angxiao, his head turned to stare out the window at the rapidly receding street scenes.

When they got home, Chi Luoxi didn't kick off his shoes and flop onto the sofa yelling that he was hungry like he always did. Instead, he changed his shoes and stood in the hallway, watching He Angxiao come in with the same wary look you'd give a dangerous criminal.

As if He Angxiao was no longer the husband he could act spoiled around, lean on, and trust, but a bad person he needed to guard against.

He Angxiao was pissed off by that look. Just the day before, Chi Luoxi had been nestled obediently in his arms watching TV, getting kissed into a daze.

How in one night did it turn into him looking at He Angxiao like he was the enemy?

The vast gap between before and now left He Angxiao frustrated, hurt, and totally confused.

He couldn't take Chi Luoxi looking at him that way—it was worse than getting cussed out.

"You yesterday..." He Angxiao began. "You went to see Chunhui and those people, didn't you?"

Chi Luoxi's heart jolted. Meeting He Angxiao's all-seeing eyes, he knew he had never had any secrets from him. His whereabouts, his social interactions—none escaped He Angxiao's notice.

This feeling of being completely seen through, of having no privacy, made him both furious and powerless.

Chi Luoxi stiffened his neck and replied bluntly, "So what if I did? So what if I didn't?"

"What exactly did they say to you?" He Angxiao pressed. He wanted to know which tactless person had been gossiping in front of Chi Luoxi, turning him bad overnight.

Seeing He Angxiao taking on this accusatory tone, Chi Luoxi's own grievances and anger surged. He glared at He Angxiao. "Do you need others to tell me about the things you've done yourself?"

He Angxiao was choked by that sentence. He quickly mentally ran through what he might have done to Chi Luoxi during the Chunhui period that could be used against him.

At most, it was the initial calculated approach, bribing Bai Man and the others to play along, scaring Chi Luoxi into coming to him willingly.

In his understanding back then, these were just harmless little tricks with a bit of flirtation, nothing serious.

He never thought they were a big deal at all, let alone worth Chi Luoxi turning against him over, even to the point of wanting to leave.

He Angxiao thought to himself that he had done so many things in his life that if he had to answer for every last one, he wouldn't finish until next year.

But in the Chunhui period, the things he had done specifically toward Chi Luoxi were just a few insignificant matters.

For now, the key was to calm this spitting cat down—he couldn't be too forceful.

He Angxiao stepped forward, ignoring Chi Luoxi's stiffness, and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Chi Luoxi struggled, but He Angxiao's arms were like iron hoops, locking him firmly in place.

"Chi Luoxi, listen to me." He Angxiao lowered his voice. Breathing in Chi Luoxi's familiar scent, the anger and anxiety inside him weirdly settled down a little.

"People change. When you don't really know a situation or a person, you can make dumb choices based on incomplete information or wrong judgments."

"Like when you first came to Jiangzhou. You didn't know anything, so you trusted people easily, signed that contract, and ended up at Chunhui, right?"

Chi Luoxi, in his arms, mumbled an "Mm." He couldn't deny that point.

Feeling Chi Luoxi soften a little, He Angxiao's tone grew more sincere. "But look, are you the same person now as you were back then? If you could go back to that time and sign that contract again, would you?"

"No," Chi Luoxi immediately shook his head. Once bitten, twice shy.

"So some of my actions back then might seem bad and excessive to you now. But that was at a time when I didn't fully know you, didn't understand what kind of person you were—I was just very interested in you, and I used some not-so-great methods to get close to you."

At first, when Chi Luoxi heard the part about people changing and making foolish decisions due to ignorance, he thought it kinda made sense.

Everyone makes mistakes; everyone does stupid things when they don't understand. He was no exception.

But the more he listened, the more wrong it felt. He Angxiao was simply making excuses for himself, trying to argue his way out. How could He Angxiao's premeditated scheme be lumped in with Chi Luoxi being naively fooled?

He Angxiao was just devious, full of twisted logic.

He could talk black into being white.

The sympathy and softening Chi Luoxi had felt instantly vanished. He tried to break out of He Angxiao's arms, but He Angxiao held him tightly.

All he could do was turn his head and say in a muffled voice, "You're not allowed to mess with them."

He Angxiao agreed right away. "Fine. I won't mess with them. And I won't touch your Brother Chunsheng either. I mean it."

He touched the still-aching bruise on his cheek, the one Chi Luoxi had given him with a punch in the car.

He Angxiao had no idea how he was going to show his face at the office tomorrow with this busted mug.

"But no more talk about leaving me, okay?"

Seeing Chi Luoxi still unyielding, not responding to the soft approach or the hard approach, the irritation flared up in He Angxiao again, but he pushed it down. Couldn't push too hard. He made his voice soft and played the weak card. "I know I'm a bad guy. But with you here, I won't do bad things."

Chi Luoxi didn't budge.

Frustrated, He Angxiao pecked Chi Luoxi on the cheek, let go, and told him to head into the room.

Not long after, He Angxiao came in carrying an ice pack, pointing to the bruise on his cheek. "Ice this for me. You really pack a punch."

Chi Luoxi glanced at the obvious bruise, and a pang of guilt hit him. He took the ice pack and pressed it against He Angxiao's injury.

He Angxiao hissed and sucked in a cold breath, but didn't pull away. He grabbed Chi Luoxi's wrist, easing his pressure, and said in a resigned tone, "You're the one who gave me this, and I haven't even blamed you."

Chi Luoxi: "...You provoked me first."

If He Angxiao hadn't threatened him with Brother Chunsheng, he wouldn't have been desperate enough to throw a punch.

He Angxiao looked at Chi Luoxi, his lashes lowered.

As long as he was still by his side.

He Angxiao was putting all his hopes on the proposal coming up in a few days. In his mind, he and Chi Luoxi only had a small disagreement. Chi Luoxi had been stirred up by outsiders, which led to distrust and misunderstanding.

As long as he made Chi Luoxi understand how much He Angxiao loved him and how much he wanted to spend his life with him, everything would work itself out.

Flowers, rings, vows, a romantic venue, the witness of a crowd… What better way could there be to prove his feelings than a carefully planned, grand, and sincere proposal?

He Angxiao truly wanted to build a good life with Chi Luoxi. As for those harsh, thoughtless words from the morning, they were just spoken to bring Chi Luoxi back—what was he doing staying at someone else’s house?

Chi Luoxi felt that He Angxiao, at his core, was truly not a good person.

Even when He Angxiao was kind to him, it all seemed to Chi Luoxi like a layer of sweet, tempting frosting painted over a rotten fruit—peel back that sugary shell, and underneath was sour, spoiled flesh.

He Angxiao was a pure, unadulterated villain, wrapped in a handsome, wealthy skin, but inside lived an arrogant, selfish, and utterly willful demon.

Chi Luoxi had only one thought in his mind: he had to leave.

But as soon as that thought surfaced, it was doused like cold water.

Brother Chunsheng was still in Jiangzhou, working on a construction site—the main source of income for his family. Brother Chunsheng’s father was in poor health, constantly on medication, and relied on the money Brother Chunsheng sent home each month.

Chi Luoxi knew He Angxiao wasn’t just making empty threats. He had the power to follow through. If, because of his own impulsive actions, Brother Chunsheng lost his job and his family’s income dried up, what would happen to Brother Chunsheng’s father? What about his whole family?

Chi Luoxi could disregard himself, but he couldn’t drag down Brother Chunsheng, who had been genuinely kind to him.

He Angxiao said he would take him to pick out the latest phone in a few days, and that he just had to endure for a little while.

Chi Luoxi thought to himself, who knew if He Angxiao had tampered with it again, installing a tracker or some other monitoring software? He was now filled with suspicion and distrust toward anything He Angxiao gave him.

Even if He Angxiao bought him a phone, he wouldn’t feel safe using it.

That was the aftermath of a collapsed trust.

To ensure the crucial proposal plan in a few days went without a hitch, He Angxiao entered a high-alert, battle-ready state, not allowing Chi Luoxi access to any electronic devices.

What if Hua Ai contacted Chi Luoxi again, whispering discouraging words in his ear, saying spirits shouldn’t be with humans? What if the Chunhui group found Chi Luoxi and kept sowing discord, shaking his resolve and lowering the success rate of the proposal?

Last time, He Angxiao had hidden the small flowerpot Chi Luoxi brought from his hometown, somewhere Chi Luoxi couldn’t find it.

These actions of He Angxiao—restricting Chi Luoxi’s outings, monitoring his communications, disposing of his cherished old belongings—seemed to Chi Luoxi to have an obvious purpose.

He wanted to lock him up!

Like in those TV shows, cut off all ties to the outside world, making Chi Luoxi dependent only on him.

This was practically... imprisonment, Chi Luoxi thought in terror.

A radish doesn’t like being shut away.

Sometimes, Chi Luoxi would see ornamental plants meticulously trimmed and twisted into all sorts of regular shapes by gardeners, and a wave of sympathy for their kind would well up inside him.

Those plants could have grown freely in the wild, stretching their branches and leaves toward the sun, rain, and dew, growing into their own unique, beloved shapes.

But here, they were forcibly twisted and shaped according to human aesthetics and desires, becoming part of the landscape, losing their wild, natural vitality.

Chi Luoxi felt that if he stayed by He Angxiao’s side any longer, one day he would lose his original self, lose the ability and courage to grow freely toward the sunlight.

He would completely become human.

He didn’t want to become that.

He Angxiao had calculated everything, but he forgot that Chi Luoxi still had one communication tool in his hands.

A gadget he had never paid any attention to: the old-fashioned senior phone.

While He Angxiao was handling work in the study and Su Yi was preparing dinner, Chi Luoxi, like a cautious little mouse, crept quietly into the master bedroom’s bathroom and locked the door behind him.

He Angxiao hadn’t gone to the company for the past two days—his face was bruised, and he didn’t want to be seen like this.

Chi Luoxi dialed Brother Chunsheng’s number.

The phone rang a few times and was answered. Brother Chunsheng’s familiar voice came through, mingled with confusion: “Hey? Radish? What’s up? Calling from this number?”

Hearing Brother Chunsheng’s voice, Chi Luoxi’s nose tingled, and his voice was choked with grievance: “Brother Chunsheng, I’m calling from my old phone. I have something important to tell you.”

On the other end, Brother Chunsheng seemed to sense the distress in his voice, and his tone turned serious: “Radish, what’s going on? Did something happen? Did that boss of yours bully you again?”

“Brother Chunsheng...” Chi Luoxi’s throat tightened, and he poured out everything that had happened over these days to his most trusted family member, haltingly and in full.

He said he wasn’t actually working for He Angxiao—he was in a relationship with him. Though it hadn’t seemed that way at first, he had genuinely fallen for He Angxiao.

On the other end, Brother Chunsheng was silent for several seconds: “…Radish, you… how can you like a man?”

Chi Luoxi was taken aback by the question, then felt even more wronged, his voice tearful: “I don’t know either… I just… like him.”

Brother Chunsheng was silent again for a while, then said angrily after processing: “It must be that bastard He bullying you! That son of a bitch threatens you? Who does he think he is!”

Chi Luoxi: “Brother Chunsheng, I’m just worried about you. He’s rich and powerful, and he seems really influential in Jiangzhou. He said he’d make it impossible for you to stay in Jiangzhou. I’m afraid that if I leave, you’ll suffer, lose your job, and then what about your dad’s medicine…”

“Let him fart his stinking dog crap!” Brother Chunsheng spat on the other end. “Who does he think he is? The King of Heaven? Or our foreman?”

“Radish, listen to me. Don’t let him scare you. He’s just taking advantage of your youth and naivety, thinking you’re easy to bully!” Brother Chunsheng’s voice was firm. “We construction workers rely on our skills and strength. If Jiangzhou doesn’t want us, we’ll go to another city. China is huge—are you telling me there’s no place to build houses? We can even go abroad! Does he think he’s the global president, controlling every construction market in the world so I can’t work? Bullcrap!”

Chi Luoxi was stunned by his crude but confident words, and asked softly, “Are you sure it won’t affect you? Brother Chunsheng, don’t just say that to comfort me…”

“Affect my foot,” Brother Chunsheng said firmly. “Radish, don’t be afraid. Your brother is here. If he dares to come after me, I’ll beat him so hard he won’t find his teeth! Picking on my little brother!”

“So here’s what you do, Radish. Listen to me. Don’t stay in this city. That bastard He is no good—stay far away from him. I’ll buy you a train ticket back to Wushan. Go home and lie low for a while. It’s a remote mountain village, far from the authorities. No matter how powerful he is, he can’t reach into our mountain valley. When the heat dies down and you want to come out again, I’ll figure something out for you.”

Chi Luoxi: “Okay.”

“City playboys are all scumbags!” Brother Chunsheng was still fuming. “Next time I see him, I’ll beat him up for you, to get even!”

Chi Luoxi: “Mm! Brother Chunsheng, I’ll listen to you. I’m going home.”

Brother Chunsheng was efficient; he quickly booked a high-speed train ticket for Chi Luoxi from Jiangzhou to Wushan, departing three days later.

After hanging up, a little of the heavy stone weighing on Chi Luoxi’s heart was shifted.

But at the same time, a feeling of guilty nervousness, like doing something wrong, crept in.

This made Chi Luoxi unconsciously more cautious and compliant when facing He Angxiao, a stark contrast to his aloof attitude over the past two days. For once, he didn’t go against He Angxiao.

When He Angxiao told him to eat more, he obediently ate more. When told to go to bed early, he lay down early. When He Angxiao spoke to him, though still expressionless, he at least responded with “mm” and “ah,” no longer completely ignoring or talking back as before.

He Angxiao was very pleased with this.

He felt that his soft approach was working; Chi Luoxi seemed to have finally come out of that inexplicable rebellious phase and turned back into an obedient little cutie.

Plus, the proposal was imminent, putting him in a great mood. Everything looked rosy to him, and he felt that all was ready, only waiting for the east wind.

The only flaw was the bruise on his face, purple and blue from Chi Luoxi’s punch. Although the medicine had faded it a bit, it was still visible up close.

He Angxiao looked at himself in the mirror again and again, a little annoyed. He had hired a professional photography team to capture the precious moments of the proposal. Having a mark on his face would

But thinking it over, he decided, oh well, nothing can be absolutely perfect.

As long as the main characters that day were him and Chi Luoxi, and Chi Luoxi would say yes to his proposal, what did a small bruise on his face matter?

Thinking of this, He Angxiao cheered up again, and even began to quietly look forward to tomorrow.

The night before the proposal, He Angxiao was especially excited, restless, repeatedly checking the ring he was going to use tomorrow, mentally rehearsing the proposal process and the words he would say, imagining Chi Luoxi's possible reactions—surprise, being touched, tears of joy, then throwing himself into his arms and nodding vigorously, saying "Honey, I do."

It was the perfect happy ending.

After he washed up in the evening, he walked into the bedroom. Chi Luoxi was already lying in bed, facing away from him, seemingly asleep. He Angxiao tiptoed to the bed and gently wrapped his arms around Chi Luoxi's warm, soft body from behind, taking a deep breath.

Chi Luoxi didn't immediately break free like he had in the past few days.

He Angxiao was secretly delighted, feeling this was a good omen. He leaned close to Chi Luoxi's ear and whispered softly, "Baby, let's end this relationship as it is, okay? Let's be together..."

He meant ending the state that was neither a proper sugar daddy arrangement nor a proper romance.

But Chi Luoxi's mind took a different turn—he thought He Angxiao no longer wanted to support him and wanted to end things. That was exactly what he wanted; he was about to leave anyway, so ending the relationship was perfect.

He quickly turned around, and in the dim light of the night lamp, for once he looked directly at He Angxiao seriously, reached out to cover He Angxiao's mouth, and nodded vigorously: "Don't say anymore. I've been thinking the same thing. I think this current situation isn't good—it's not proper or aboveboard."

He Angxiao, with his mouth covered, was puzzled at first, but upon hearing his words, his eyes lit up instantly.

See? After being together for so long, they really were on the same page. Chi Luoxi had long felt their current relationship wasn't proper or aboveboard and was also longing for a more formal and solid bond.

He Angxiao pulled Chi Luoxi's hand away from his mouth, held it tightly in his palm, and looked at Chi Luoxi with a burning gaze: "You think so too, right? So the most urgent thing for us now is to end it. Tomorrow—let's end it tomorrow, okay?"

Tomorrow? Chi Luoxi thought to himself, He Angxiao had finally come to his senses and wanted to set him free? Tomorrow he was just planning to take the train home anyway—perfect timing. Otherwise, he was afraid he might have to resort to some force.

Chi Luoxi quickly nodded: "Alright, tomorrow it is. I'm glad you've come to your senses. This kind of relationship was never going to last anyway."

He Angxiao was still a bit embarrassed: "This is my first time, so I'm not experienced, you know. When I was a kid, my parents' relationship wasn't good, so I had some hang-ups about this. But now that I've thought it through, it's okay."

Chi Luoxi said, "Then don't do this in the future. Once you settle down, don't mess around."

Why not just settle down with someone good?

He Angxiao quickly agreed, saying "Yes, whatever you say."

He Angxiao was left with nothing but overflowing joy and anticipation. He looked at Chi Luoxi's features, which appeared especially soft in the dim light, and a surge of heat and impulse rose within him.

He couldn't help but lean in and start kissing Chi Luoxi's face, his hand restlessly sneaking under Chi Luoxi's pajama shirt, stroking that smooth, delicate skin.

Chi Luoxi was dazed by the kisses. Feeling his hand moving, he shrank back slightly and whispered, "We still have things to do tomorrow, don't we? Isn't it a bad idea to do this today?"

Since they were ending things tomorrow, doing this felt a bit strange.

But He Angxiao kissed him more deeply, his breathing growing unsteady, his voice hoarse: "I can't hold back. Just think of it as a celebration, okay? Celebrating our new beginning tomorrow."

His kisses and caresses had an urgency unlike before.

Chi Luoxi was getting carried away by the sensations and thought to himself, so this is breakup sex?

Since it would be the last time.

Chi Luoxi's resistance weakened, and he let He Angxiao do as he pleased.

That night was especially passionate. He Angxiao was extremely gentle, and Chi Luoxi responded in kind.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, He Angxiao woke up.

He was full of energy, his eyes bright. Without waking Chi Luoxi, who was still sound asleep, he went to the walk-in closet and changed into a carefully prepared, custom-tailored suit pressed to perfection. He then meticulously styled his hair in front of the mirror. Although the bruise on his face hadn't completely faded, he was radiant and handsome enough to turn heads.

He returned to the bedside. He Angxiao looked at Chi Luoxi's quiet, obedient profile as he slept, and his heart melted.

He bent down and pressed a gentle kiss on Chi Luoxi's forehead, then placed a sticky note beside Chi Luoxi with his strong, forceful handwriting: "Baby, the driver will come pick you up later."

When Chi Luoxi woke up, the place beside him was empty.

The bedding still smelled of the other person's warmth and scent, mixed with the lingering, intimate scent of the previous night's intimacy.

He stayed in bed a little longer, as if saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye to this place he had once thought could be home.

Chi Luoxi picked up the sticky note and glanced at it.

So He Angxiao was even sending the driver for him—he had some decency after all.

Chi Luoxi grabbed his backpack and started packing: a change of clothes. But there was really too much. He packed a few everyday outfits; whatever He Angxiao did with the rest was his problem. He also put his textbooks and workbooks into the woven bag he had brought from Jiangzhou when he first arrived.

As for the sweater Grandma He had knitted for him, he didn't find the small flowerpot, but since he was going back to Wushan anyway, he left the sweater behind.

Fortunately, Chi Luoxi had long since secretly taken out the money he had carefully wrapped in a plastic bag and hidden under the flowerpot, and put it away—that was his emergency fund.

The amount of money he had when he left this city seemed to be the same as when he returned. Chi Luoxi had drifted through this big, bustling city, experienced deception, scheming, and fleeting warmth, and in the end, it seemed he had gained nothing and lost nothing.

When he arrived, he made a clatter with all his big and small bags. When he left, he was so much lighter than when he came, as if he had never left any trace in this city, nor had he ever been truly accepted by it.

Finally, Chi Luoxi took one last look around the room where he had lived for quite some time. Sunlight streamed through the window. Chi Luoxi said goodbye to the plants on the balcony, too.

After he finished packing, the driver arrived too.

The driver recognized Chi Luoxi and looked a bit confused when he saw all the luggage.

"You're here, Uncle. Can you help me with these?"

The driver quickly said yes and helped Chi Luoxi load the car. Chi Luoxi told him to go to the high-speed rail station.

The driver: "...Did you change the address? Aren't we going to Cixi Manor?"

Chi Luoxi said, "No."

He Angxiao had only told the driver to pick up Chi Luoxi, nothing else. Since Chi Luoxi insisted on going to the high-speed rail station, the driver had no choice but to take him there.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, in the exquisitely decorated glass greenhouse estate on the outskirts that looked like a fairy tale setting, He Angxiao was experiencing the most anxious and longest wait of his life.

He had arrived very early to personally oversee the final inspection of the venue setup.

The gorgeous flowers had been air-shipped from abroad, each blooming perfectly. The soft lighting had been adjusted countless times to create the most romantic, dreamlike atmosphere. The professional photography team was already in place, fine-tuning their equipment, and He Angxiao had even hired a small string ensemble.

Everything was flawless, waiting only for the other protagonist to arrive.

But he waited and waited.

He Angxiao glanced at his watch. Didn't the driver leave a long time ago?

He called the driver at home. The call was quickly answered, and the driver's voice carried a note of confusion: "President He, I've already dropped Mr. Chi off?"

He Angxiao was stunned. "Then where is he? Where did you drop him off?"

The driver said, "The high-speed rail station. I even helped Mr. Chi with his luggage personally, but he's really strong and didn't need my help at all. He's been inside the station for a while now."

He Angxiao: "…………"

Hundreds of eyes around He Angxiao watched as one of today's male leads hung up the phone, frantically opened his phone to look at something, and then actually passed out from sheer rage.

The wedding planner, while hurriedly telling someone to call 120 and wiping sweat, thought to himself that today's date not only curses straight couples but gay ones too.

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Author's note: I said forcing things wouldn't work. In the next chapter, President He heads into the mountains.

Little Luobei's family is about to get a new worker.

Planner: Oh my god, I thought with that flashy rich guy making such a scene today, the venue would become more valuable, but he actually bailed on the wedding.