Chapter 79
by VolareHe Xiaoyun X Xia Chi
He Xiaoyun had only slept for less than four hours when he was woken up by his phone. Annoyed, he glanced at the caller ID and saw the words “Xia Chi” displayed.
After a three-second reaction, he remembered that this was his wife’s younger brother.
Yesterday, something went wrong at the engagement banquet. Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen were suddenly exposed as being gay. Although the photos were only displayed for five minutes, it was enough for the people in the banquet hall to see clearly. On the one hand, it was for Ling Sheng’s sake, but more importantly, it directly affected the development project that was about to be signed. Moreover, someone dared to disrespect him like this, which made him even more angry. After a thorough investigation overnight, he didn’t get to sleep until four in the morning.
Now it’s not even eight o’clock, and he’s already woken up.
He Xiaoyun is very grumpy when he wakes up, but considering that the Xia family also lost a lot of face yesterday, he still held back his temper and answered the phone.
“Brother-in-law.” Xia Chi’s voice came through the phone, a deep, magnetic voice that should have been a bass cannon, but it was clear and transparent with a hidden excitement, revealing a youthful feeling.
He Xiaoyun wasn’t used to this title, but he didn’t correct it, and only asked, “What’s the matter?”
It better be something important.
“I’m outside your door.”
He Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment, then hung up the phone and lay in bed for a minute to wake up before slowly getting up. He has a habit of sleeping naked, and now he doesn’t have a stitch of clothing on.
Annoyed, he grabbed a handful of hair, went to the cloakroom to find a pair of underwear, and then put on a bathrobe and went downstairs to open the door.
He lives in a duplex, a house of more than 200 square meters, with two floors. Lazily tying the belt, he walked to the entrance and glanced outside, then opened the door.
“Brother-in-law.”
As soon as the door opened, he saw Xia Chi’s handsome face.
His height of 1.9 meters is five centimeters taller than him. He has to look up slightly to meet his eyes at this distance. His bone structure is very good, his brow bone is high, and his nose is very straight. The protruding radix nasi makes his eye sockets appear deeper, giving him a mixed-race look.
He remembers that Xia Chi’s mother seems to be of mixed race, with British ancestry.
Xia Chi and Xia Wan are half-siblings. Xia Chi’s mother died when he was six years old. Xia’s father married Xia Wan’s mother a year later, and Xia Wan was the daughter of Xia’s mother and her ex-husband, originally named Zhou Wan, but later changed her name.
Then the two had another son, Xia Wang, who is only ten years old now.
This kind of thing isn’t a big news story. He Xiaoyun is very sleepy. After opening the door, he walked back. Out of courtesy, he still asked a few simple questions: “Why are you here? Is there another problem with the board of directors?”
The relationship between the He family and the Xia family was established in the generation of Xia Chi’s maternal grandfather. To put it bluntly, Xia Chi’s father is a phoenix man who was spotted by the golden phoenix – Xia Chi’s mother – and married. Even the company at home was handed over to Xia’s father. Xia Chi’s maternal grandmother died early, and his mother died when he was six years old. His maternal grandfather also passed away when he was eighteen. Xia Chi went to school in China for high school and went back to the United States for college after his grandfather passed away.
He is seven years older than Xia Chi. He vaguely remembers that before he was twenty years old, when Xia Chi’s maternal grandfather was still alive, he would occasionally go to Xia Chi’s maternal grandfather’s house. At that time, Xia Chi was just a little kid who didn’t like to talk. When he got older, he was busy with the company and busy with dating. Xia Chi went back to China for high school, and when he came back to China, Xia Chi went back to the United States for college. The last time they met was three years ago, at Xia Chi’s maternal grandfather’s funeral.
But now he is his brother-in-law anyway, and the photo incident has just happened, and the outside world is in chaos. It’s not good to directly refuse people.
Xia Chi followed him in, and when he reached the living room, He Xiaoyun realized something was wrong. He turned around and looked at Xia Chi’s hand.
He was dragging a small suitcase.
He Xiaoyun didn’t speak, stopped and stood there, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow at him.
He is already extremely good-looking, with slender eyebrows and eyes. At this time, because he didn’t get enough sleep, there was an undispelled sleepiness and laziness between his eyebrows and eyes, and a trace of Fierce. The messy hair from sleeping was simply combed twice with his fingers and hung on the side of his cheeks, with the ends falling on his shoulders. A small mole at the corner of his eye moved slightly as he raised his eyebrows, giving off an indescribable bewitching taste.
Xia Chi subconsciously pushed the small suitcase behind him. The tall man stood in front of He Xiaoyun, lowered his head like a student admitting his mistake: “Brother-in-law, I have no place to live, please take me in.”
How could the dignified young master of the Xia family have no place to live?
He Xiaoyun was already annoyed by the engagement banquet, and he didn’t get enough sleep, so he didn’t have much patience: “I’ll book a room for you.”
He’s not used to living with people. He usually has rooms reserved for him in hotels. He goes to hotels when he’s playing. Even if it’s a lover, he never brings them home. He’s generous. Except for Ling Sheng, as long as he confirms the relationship, he’ll give the other person at least an apartment. So he goes to his lover’s place instead of bringing them to his own place.
He also gave Ling Sheng, but he didn’t want it no matter what.
Xia Chi pulled his small suitcase, his voice low and pleading: “Brother-in-law, I came out without telling my sister. If I go out and book a room, they’ll know.”
He Xiaoyun was speechless.
He doesn’t like taking care of children, let alone that his marriage with Xia Wan isn’t real. Although he went to the Xia family’s manor when he was a child, there’s an age difference between them. Now, Xia Chi is just a little kid he’s not familiar with.
That’s all.
“I can clean for you, I can also cook, and I’m very quiet, I won’t disturb you.” Xia Chi listed his advantages: “I can also be your driver, assistant, secretary, anything. I just don’t want them to keep staring at me. I just want to be free, so I sneaked out. Brother-in-law, please.”
He Xiaoyun was unmoved: “I have an aunt who cleans, I don’t need a cleaner. I hate the smell of oil smoke, so I don’t like cooking at home. I don’t like having a second person breathing in this house. I also have a driver, assistant, and secretary. I don’t lack anything. I’m not interested in taking care of children. I’ll have my assistant book a room for you. You don’t need to expose your whereabouts. Go play if you want, and go back when you’re done.”
But Xia Chi seemed to have come prepared: “I can help you investigate the photo incident. You can’t come forward now, and the group needs you to be in charge. I can also take care of the engagement banquet. I can do everything you can’t come forward to do.”
He Xiaoyun’s gaze finally became a little more serious. With this incident, he really couldn’t come forward for many things in the short term, and it was his idea to hold the engagement banquet in Jiang City in the first place. Now that this has happened, it’s also a slap in the face of the Xia family.
But he couldn’t ignore Ling Sheng’s affairs. At this time, he really needed someone who was capable, had power, and hadn’t been involved to help him.
Xia Chi is a member of the Xia family. As the second largest shareholder of the Xia Group, holding 30% of the shares, second only to Xia’s father’s 35%, and has no direct relationship with Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen, he is indeed a good candidate.
“How long will you stay?” He Xiaoyun quickly made a decision.
Xia Chi’s eyes darkened, but then lit up again. He smiled at He Xiaoyun, looking pure and enthusiastic: “Don’t worry, brother, my dad won’t let me out for too long.”
He Xiaoyun turned around and went upstairs to catch up on his sleep. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned around and leaned on the handrail, his body leaning lazily. The bathrobe in front of him was only tied with a belt at the waist. He had been crossing his arms just now, but now he put his hands down, and the bathrobe opened a little, revealing a patch of white skin from his neck to his chest. He put his feet on the upper and lower steps, and the hem of the bathrobe opened, revealing a small patch of his thigh.
Xia Chi looked up at him, still holding the suitcase in his hand. The casually open bathrobe made his knuckles tighten, turning white little by little.
He Xiaoyun didn’t seem to realize that he was exposing himself at this time, his expression was slightly playful, and he looked down at him: “Did your sister tell you that I’m gay?”
Xia Chi’s Adam’s apple rolled, but he still smiled as he looked at him, his gaze briefly hot and then quickly calmed down, saying: “She did.”
He Xiaoyun raised his eyebrows, and his half-smiling expression became even more teasing: “Then you still dare to come?”
Xia Chi lowered his eyes, lowered his head slightly, and looked away: “I’m not your type.”
He Xiaoyun put away that expression, lazily yawned, and inexplicably felt that his morning grumpiness had dissipated a little, but he was still very sleepy. He turned around and went upstairs to catch up on his sleep: “You live downstairs, don’t come upstairs.”
The lower level is the living room and an open kitchen, as well as a nanny’s room, but He Xiaoyun has never let a nanny live there. He has been sleeping alone since he was a child, and there’s no reason why he would let a stranger live in his place when he grew up.
The upper floor is He Xiaoyun’s rest area. Except for cleaning, it is absolutely forbidden to step into. Xia Chi moved into the nanny’s room, and he was very conscious and capable. During the days when He Xiaoyun’s actions were restricted due to the investigation, Xia Chi helped him with many things, and he was very efficient, saving him a lot of trouble. With his support, the people on the board of directors also became much more disciplined.
This day, Xia Chi had just returned from outside when he heard He Xiaoyun on the phone.
“Ling Sheng, have you considered withdrawing?” He Xiaoyun stood in front of the French windows, wearing a knitted cardigan, looking very lazy, but after hearing the answer on the other end, his brows furrowed, looking even more irritable, but he didn’t say anything, just hung up the phone.
Xia Chi took out the juicer to squeeze fresh orange juice for him. He Xiaoyun likes to drink fresh juice, and doesn’t drink the juice bought from the supermarket. Since Xia Chi came, He Xiaoyun’s nanny has been on vacation.
These days, his actions were restricted, and he spent a lot of time at home. He’s not used to having other people in his personal space. Xia Chi took over all of his affairs, inside and out. Outside, he could be his assistant to investigate cases, and at home, he could be a nanny to take care of his daily life. And compared to a nanny, Xia Chi was obviously more pleasing to the eye. He Xiaoyun let the nanny go on vacation without much consideration.
He Xiaoyun had gotten used to it. He took it and took a sip, sitting back on the sofa, his face still showing unscattered irritability and depression.
“I feel like they have a pretty good relationship.” Xia Chi said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to help them?”
He Xiaoyun’s gaze at him was a little cold: “That was before. Jiang Chen caused so much trouble, and in the end, all the consequences are being borne by Ling Sheng. This kind of relationship is worthless.”
Xia Chi nodded, agreeing with his words: “Yes, Jiang Chen is useless.”
Xia Chi’s attitude pleased him, and He Xiaoyun’s expression improved slightly. Xia Chi was very well-behaved. The big guy of 1.9 meters wouldn’t disobey him even half a word in front of him. This was one of the reasons why He Xiaoyun hadn’t driven him away since he lived here.
He Xiaoyun took another sip of orange juice and smiled faintly: “It doesn’t matter, Ling Sheng will always come to me. The Jiang family won’t let him go so easily. What is love in the face of interests? He’s a smart man, he’ll see it sooner or later.”
As he spoke, he thought of the days when he was with Ling Sheng before. He didn’t notice that Xia Chi’s expression had changed. After drinking the orange juice, he handed the cup over casually without even looking. Xia Chi naturally took the cup and then asked: “If Ling Sheng comes back to you, will you accept him?”
He Xiaoyun didn’t hesitate: “I will.”
Xia Chi held the empty cup for a long time without moving. Just as He Xiaoyun wanted to ask him what he was doing, he spoke: “Do you like him that much?”
“Yes.” He Xiaoyun replied quickly.
The liking is real, at least Ling Sheng is indeed the one he likes the most among all his lovers, but there is also a bit of a man’s desire to win.
Ling Sheng rejected him so many times. He started dating his first boyfriend at the age of fifteen. In thirteen years, it was the first time he had been rejected so many times by someone. He was really going to help him at the beginning. At that time, he saw that Ling Sheng liked Jiang Chen so firmly, and the two had a good relationship. For the sake of their friendship, he withdrew. After all, he didn’t like to force others, and Ling Sheng wasn’t someone who could be forced.
But now the situation is different. If Ling Sheng breaks up with Jiang Chen, he has no reason not to bring him back. But this time, he hopes that Ling Sheng will turn around, even if he just lowers his head to him, he can give up the development project for him.
Furthermore, he never thought that he was worse than Jiang Chen in any way. A childish kid who is still in school, has no other advantages except being handsome, and now has caused a lot of trouble.
He Xiaoyun thought of what Ling Sheng had said to him on the phone just now, and his desire to win suddenly rose again. He narrowed his eyes, leaned his head on the sofa, and said half with emotion and half with regret: “He is the only one of all my lovers who has been proposed to by me, of course I like him.”
“Proposed?” Xia Chi’s voice became even lower, with a sense of oppression before the storm was about to rain: “You proposed to him?”
He Xiaoyun wouldn’t be able to detect his emotions, and he would have wasted these twenty or thirty years. He frowned and looked at Xia Chi: “What’s it to you?”
Xia Chi silently put the hand holding the glass behind him, not wanting him to see the glass that was about to be crushed by him, and instantly changed the expression on his face: “I’m a little surprised, I didn’t expect that brother-in-law also had someone he liked so much that he wanted to marry before his sister.”
He Xiaoyun stared at his face for a while, turned his face away as if he didn’t notice anything: “Why am I marrying your sister, everyone in the Xia family should know.”
Xia Chi obediently “ummed” and walked towards the kitchen with the glass.
“Xia Chi.” But He Xiaoyun stopped him from behind.
Xia Chi had already walked to the island platform. He put the glass on it, fearing that he couldn’t help but drop it, and only used a second to adjust his expression before turning around to look at He Xiaoyun.
He Xiaoyun leaned there, looking casual, very lazy, as if he was just chatting casually: “Did your sister tell you that I like men?”
Xia Chi nodded: “Yeah.”
He Xiaoyun “oh”ed, with a few traces of probing in his eyes: “Then who told you what type I like?”
Xia Chi couldn’t answer for a while. Just as he was thinking about how to answer, He Xiaoyun smiled faintly, with half ridicule and half teasing in his eyes: “You’re gay, aren’t you.”
It’s normal to like men. In the gay circles in the United States, He Xiaoyun’s reputation is also very loud. But he’s different from other hunters. He has a fixed aesthetic orientation, and his lovers are basically in this range, including Ling Sheng.
The height should be between 175-180, too tall or too short is not good. The person should be delicate and beautiful, refined, with white skin, and most importantly, beautiful eyes.
In terms of personality, they should be well-spoken, know how to read people’s faces, be able to negotiate, but not be clingy.
But these are all things in the gay circle, and straight men can’t pay attention to these, let alone understand them so clearly.
When Xia Chi first came, he didn’t get enough sleep, and he was Xia family, so he let down his guard. Later, he woke up, and when he thought of those few simple conversations, he realized it. Moreover, in the past half month, he even knew his preferences and taboos very clearly, which made people even more suspicious.
No, or rather, he was almost certain.
He Xiaoyun has been in the business world and love field for so many years. It would be embarrassing if he was fooled by a child seven years younger than him.
“You came for me.” He Xiaoyun used a declarative sentence rather than an interrogative one.