Chapter 41 Parents

Chapter 41: Parents

It had been raining for days, the air smelled of dampness. Today, the sun finally emerged from behind the clouds, making the wet streets glisten.

Xie Fengshi stood downstairs, watching Kaelen pack the things he had prepared for Isaac into the trunk. After finishing, Kaelen walked over to Isaac: "Text me when you get there."

"Got it."

"Don't fight with Dad when you get home."

Isaac pulled his collar up to cover his face: "Got it."

"Eat whatever Mom gives you, and don't be picky."

"Kaelen, since when did you get so annoying?"

Kaelen reached out and flicked Isaac on the forehead: "I'm talking to you, what kind of attitude is that?"

Isaac glared at him, covering his forehead, his gray-blue eyes clearly saying, "Are you out of your mind?"

Knowing he was about to go home, Isaac decided not to talk back. He turned to look at Xie Fengshi, who was standing nearby, his nose red from the wind: "You should go back, it's cold out here."

"I'll head back after you get in the car."

Isaac nodded, slipping into the car in two steps. He rolled down the window and poked half his face out, waving at the two of them.

Xie Fengshi waved back. Only after the car disappeared around the corner did he speak: "I got used to him coming over for dinner every day. Weird that he's gone now."

Kaelen smoothed down Xie Fengshi's wind-blown hair: "When he comes to see you again, he'll probably have put on a few pounds."

Xie Fengshi smiled and patted his hand: "Don't talk about your brother like that."

They turned and walked back. Going upstairs, Xie Fengshi led the way, with Kaelen following behind. As Xie Fengshi changed his shoes at the door, he casually asked, "You told Isaac yesterday too, don't argue when you get back. Is their father-son relationship not good?"

Kaelen replied, "It's not bad—they're just too similar."

"Too alike?"

"Yeah, Isaac takes after him—his temper, his personality, even the way he talks. When two people who are too alike are together, they either get along incredibly well or they clash easily. They're the latter type."

Xie Fengshi poured a glass of water from the kitchen and handed it to Kaelen, then sat down on the sofa, pulling his legs up and curling into a ball: "Isaac's running away from home—it wasn't just about his birthday, was it?"

Kaelen took a sip of water and set the glass on the coffee table: "Not entirely. The issues between Isaac and Dad have been going on for a long time. He's been rebellious since he was a kid, and Dad is used to giving orders. One wants to control, the other refuses to be controlled—so they end up bickering every few days and having a blowout every week. It was fine when they were younger—they'd fight, then be coaxed into making up. But as they grew older, it got worse. Isaac thinks he's in the right, and Dad thinks he's the elder. Neither one backs down.

When Mom's busy, I'm the one playing peacemaker. When I'm busy, Mom steps in. When we're both busy, nobody can hold them back. On his birthday, Mom was abroad, and I was in a meeting. It was just the two of them at home. I think you can guess how it went."

"They had a fight?"

"They had a huge fight, and then Isaac left." Kaelen's hand restlessly rubbed Xie Fengshi's earlobe. "After he left, Dad didn't say anything, but I know he was worried sick. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given Isaac access to multiple bank accounts, and he's even had people check his spending records, afraid he wouldn't use them."

Kaelen said all this as if it were just everyday chitchat, but as Xie Fengshi listened, he felt a strange, heavy feeling inside.

Memories from the original body kept flooding back and bothering him. Xie Fengshi pressed his face deeper into his knees: "Your dad really loves Isaac, you know."

"Yeah, it's just the way he shows it is messed up. He's never been good at expressing himself."

Xie Fengshi couldn't help but think of Lu Shiyan. Lu Shiyan's mom would push snacks on him, tell him not to eat too much, and nag him on the phone. Lu Shiyan always complained, but Xie Fengshi could tell he was happy.

That day in Lu Shiyan's car, when he had said those things, Lu Shiyan hadn't responded, afraid it would make him sad. Actually, he wasn't that upset—just a little envious. That little bit of envy was barely noticeable; if you didn't notice it, it wasn't there, but once you did, you couldn't ignore it anymore.

Kaelen had somehow moved closer, wrapping an arm around Xie Fengshi's shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Xie Fengshi leaned into him willingly.

"I just think Isaac is especially lucky. I used to think getting kicked out wasn't a big deal—I can survive anywhere alone. But when I'm idle, I can't help wondering, if only someone had given me a hand back then."

The random words left Kaelen totally confused. Xie Fengshi really wanted to say that he wasn't the fake young master raised by the Xie family for twenty years and then kicked out. In his original world, he was alone too—from start to finish.

"Sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong. Why else wouldn't they want me?"

Even Xie Fengshi was startled by his own words. He thought he'd long outgrown asking that question.

In his past life, he never asked because he already knew the answer—it wasn't his fault; it was just bad luck. After crossing over, he knew the original person's situation wasn't his fault either. But knowing and feeling were two different things.

You could tell yourself rationally a thousand times that it wasn't your fault, but the feeling of being abandoned doesn't go away just because you logically know better. It keeps popping up and stabbing you, always drawing blood.

After being so ridiculous and emotional, Xie Fengshi started feeling embarrassed. He wanted to backtrack but didn't know what to say, so he simply buried his face into Kaelen's chest.

Three, two, one—playing dead.

Kaelen helplessly tightened his arms around Xie Fengshi and gently comforted him: "You didn't do anything wrong. Them not wanting you—it's not your problem. You don't have to be responsible for their choices. Them choosing to abandon you was their decision. But Fengshi, their decision doesn't define you. You got where you are today because of yourself."

"I didn't..."

"You did. When you first came here, you had nothing. You got your first job on your own, paid off your debts, made friends, moved to a new place. You started from nothing and accomplished in a few months what many people can't do. That's all you, step by step."

Xie Fengshi lifted his head from Kaelen's chest, revealing a red nose and teary eyes. Kaelen's expression was so serious that Xie Fengshi couldn't bring himself to argue.

Kaelen reached out and gently wiped the dampness from the corner of Xie Fengshi's eye: "From now on, you've got me. You don't have to handle everything alone."

The moment he finished speaking, Xie Fengshi's eyes reddened. Tears welled up, and he tried desperately to hold them back, his eyelashes trembling from the effort, but he couldn't stop them. A single tear fell, tracing a path down his cheek, and Kaelen caught it with his thumb. Instead of wiping it away immediately, he pressed lightly, letting the tear smear across Xie Fengshi's skin.

"How come you didn't give me a warning?" Xie Fengshi's voice was thick with a stuffy nose.

A tender smile appeared in Kaelen's blue eyes: "If I warned you, how would I get to see you cry?"

Xie Fengshi wanted to laugh at his audacity. With tears still on his face, the corners of his mouth had already lifted. In Kaelen's eyes, he looked both pitiful and adorable. Xie Fengshi buried his face back against Kaelen's chest, shamelessly wiping his tears on Kaelen's shirt.

Kaelen looked down to see a fuzzy head rubbing back and forth against his chest. The person in his arms sniffled: "Your shirt is wrinkled."

"It's fine."

"It's expensive."

"It's not."

"Liar."

Xie Fengshi leaned on him for a bit longer before slowly raising his head.

After crying, his eyes were especially bright, like a night sky washed clean by rain. His lashes still glistened with moisture, the redness around his eyes still there—soft and beautiful.

Kaelen swallowed hard, unable to help himself. Xie Fengshi noticed his gaze and wanted to turn away but forced himself to stay still. He waved his hand in front of Kaelen's eyes: "What are you looking at?"

Kaelen caught his wandering hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the fingertips: "Looking at you. You're beautiful when you cry."

Xie Fengshi's ears burned: "What's wrong with you? Who says stuff like that?"

Kaelen blinked innocently: "I'm just stating facts. You're already good-looking normally, but even more so when you cry—your eyes are brighter, your lips redder, and you're even prettier..."

He didn't even finish his sentence before Xie Fengshi covered his mouth: "Okay, you can shut up now."

Kaelen laughed into his palm, and Xie Fengshi, couldn't stay mad at that laugh, withdrew his hand and turned his face to the side, pretending to be interested in the weather outside, though the rain had long stopped.

Kaelen came up from behind him, wrapping his arms around Xie Fengshi's waist. Xie Fengshi leaned back into his embrace, their hands overlapping. "Kaelen, what are your parents like?"

Kaelen barely hesitated. "Mom is very gentle. She has her own career, busier than I am sometimes, but she never brings work home. She says no work talk at home."

"What about your father?"

"Dad is very strict. He's not good at expressing himself—he never says stuff like 'I love you'—but he does a lot for us."

Xie Fengshi felt his lips curl into a smile. "Your dad sounds so stiff."

"Yeah. Isaac completely inherited that from him. Two stiff people stuck together—no wonder they always argue."

Xie Fengshi turned around in his arms, shifting until they were sitting face to face. "You're really chatty today."

"You think I talk too much?"

"Why are you putting words in my mouth? I just think you're different today."

"Different how?"

Xie Fengshi thought for a moment. "I can't put my finger on it, but you seem especially relaxed today."

A smile flickered in Kaelen's eyes. His hand naturally landed on Xie Fengshi's waist, fingers pinching the small of his back through the thin sweater. Xie Fengshi felt a ticklish sensation, wanted to squirm away, but didn't, letting him do as he pleased.

Xie Fengshi tried to keep his expression calm, but he had no idea how devastating he looked from that angle.

His slightly lifted chin revealed the delicate line of his neck, his sweater collar loose and slouchy, the flush at the corners of his eyes not yet faded.

"Kaelen, what are your hands doing?"

"You don't like it?"

Xie Fengshi bit the soft inside of his lip, neither saying he liked it nor disliked it. His fingers hooked onto the buttons at Kaelen's collar and unfastened them.

One, two. The shirt fell open, revealing his chest. Xie Fengshi pressed his fingertips against it, feeling the solid contours of muscle.

"When you touch me, I really like it."

The hand on his waist tightened instantly. Xie Fengshi's lips curved slightly. "Did you think I'd get shy?"

Kaelen's voice dropped, hoarser than before. "You are shy."

"That's different. I can't help my ears turning red."

Kaelen took a deep breath. "You're doing this on purpose."

Xie Fengshi leaned in and kissed the rim of Kaelen's ear. "I am. Wha——!!"

The next second, Xie Fengshi was pressed into the sofa, his back against the soft cushion. Kaelen loomed over him, golden hair falling across Xie Fengshi's face, his blue eyes dark with turbulent emotion.

Xie Fengshi looked up at him, reached up, and looped his arms around Kaelen's neck, pulling him as close as possible.

"You said I look good when I cry. So make me cry again, then."

At those words, Kaelen's composure shattered completely. He lowered his head and kissed Xie Fengshi, tongue pushing past his teeth in an instant, and Xie Fengshi's resistance crumbled. The kiss left him gasping for air. Kaelen pressed on relentlessly, not giving him a chance to breathe. Xie Fengshi's eyes started to sting again, involuntary tears welling up and blurring his vision.

Feeling his ragged breathing, Kaelen finally pulled away, his lips still brushing against Xie Fengshi's. "Breathe."

Xie Fengshi gasped for air. Kaelen leaned down and kissed the corner of his eye. "You really cried."

Xie Fengshi lifted his hand and thumped his shoulder. "Can't you be more gentle?"

Kaelen let out a low laugh, his lips moving from the corner of his eye to the tip of his nose, then finally back to the corner of his mouth. Xie Fengshi was too overwhelmed by the kisses to argue. He slid his fingers into Kaelen's golden hair and ruffled it. Kaelen pressed his mouth to Xie Fengshi's Adam's apple. "You're like a cat—piss you off and you hiss, pet you and you purr."

"Who purrs?!"

"You just did."

"I did not!"

Xie Fengshi touched his own ear. It was so hot that his fingers recoiled.

Kaelen noticed the movement and his heart melted. He pressed a kiss to Xie Fengshi's lips. "What do you wanna eat later?"

Xie Fengshi was still dizzy from the kisses. "...What?"

"What do you want to eat? We can't just keep kissing forever; you'll get hungry."

It took Xie Fengshi's brain a beat to catch up. "You're cooking?"

"Mhm. I'll cook."

Xie Fengshi's expression was full of distrust. "What can you even make?"

"Fried eggs."

"That's it?"

"Instant noodles too."

Xie Fengshi: "You call what you guys make 'instant noodles'?"

Kaelen tilted his head, faking innocence. "Why not? Boil water, drop the noodles in, done in a few minutes."

"You don't even add an egg?"

"You can. But if the egg breaks, it becomes a pot of mush."

Xie Fengshi couldn't help bursting out laughing. Kaelen hovered above him, watching him laugh, his eyes full of tenderness.

Xie Fengshi wiped the tears of laughter. "Fine, I'll cook. You can help."

"Okay."

Xie Fengshi pushed at his shoulder. "Then get up. You're squashing me."

Kaelen lowered his head and gave him one more kiss on the lips before slowly pushing himself up.