Green Tea Enters The Story Of Abuse [Book] Chapter 16
byChapter 16: Brother, Do You Want to Pet It? It’s Very Soft…
The human heart is subtle, and it’s hard to judge truth from falsehood directly, but Xing Zhan was certain that An Yu loved the sun—loved it so much that he would bask in it whenever possible, even flipping over to get an even tan.
He asked Father An with a hint of curiosity, “Don’t most people like the sun?”
An Pinghai replied helplessly, “An Yu has been like this since childhood. His personality is quite eccentric.”
The truth was, An Yu loved to laugh when he was little. If he felt wronged, a walk in the sun would cheer him right up. An Pinghai disliked this and deliberately made him live in a bedroom on the shady side of the house.
Wu Yuan, standing slightly behind Xing Zhan, couldn’t help but frown. How was An Yu eccentric?
Every day, besides visiting Old Master Xing at the hospital, he was home. He ate three meals on time, patiently cared for his cat, enjoyed watching movies, and only played single-player match-three games.
Compared to his peers, An Yu was a model of obedience and sensibility.
Wu Yuan often felt weary from navigating the world of fame and fortune. Whenever he saw An Yu quietly enjoying simple things, his heart would unconsciously calm down. His colleagues even commented on how much better his attitude had been lately.
Xing Zhan expressed his displeasure: “He is not eccentric, and we get along well.”
An Pinghai quickly said, “That’s good then…”
He secretly cursed his carelessness. An Yu was Xing Zhan’s person now. Speaking ill of An Yu in front of Xing Zhan was practically slapping him in the face.
An Shi felt a pang of humiliation. Xing Zhan was actually praising An Yu in front of him.
So, even if he didn’t like An Yu, just because he was married to him, Xing Zhan would defend him. Yet, Xing Zhan looked so aloof, as if he didn’t care about anyone or anything.
If he had been the one to marry Xing Zhan back then, would Xing Zhan be defending him now?
Xing Zhan had been skeptical when An Yu mentioned being unloved at home, especially since An Yu was charming and intelligent.
Now, it seemed the An Family was blind. An Pinghai clearly favored An Shi, and An Shi’s seemingly unintentional words were actually malicious.
There was no point in saying more. He briefly explained the basic situation of the two families’ cooperation: “Wu Yuan will follow up on the subsequent signing and related matters.”
Wu Yuan nodded to An Pinghai, though he was inwardly surprised.
The An Family was originally scheduled for three cooperation projects recently. Why did the boss only mention the smallest one, and why did he cut the An Family’s share in half?
If Xing Zhan hadn’t precisely halved the share, Wu Yuan would have been tempted to remind him if he had mistaken the project.
If the Xing Family was a giant battleship, the An Family was merely a small boat. If it could hitch a ride on the battleship, it would advance rapidly, riding the wind and waves. Therefore, An Pinghai had little say in the cooperation.
But why only one project?
Although even this single project was quite substantial for the An Family…
An Pinghai dared to ask.
Xing Zhan replied, “It’s our first collaboration; there must be an adjustment period. Does CEO An not understand the principle of gradual progress?”
The foundation of the two families’ cooperation was An Yu. The An Family didn’t acknowledge An Yu, yet they wanted the high returns he brought. That was too much bullying. An Yu might value kinship, but Xing Zhan was not made of mud.
An Pinghai laughed, “You are truly thoughtful.”
His smile was so fawning that An Shi felt embarrassed. Seeing Xing Zhan’s composed and noble demeanor, however, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of pride.
On the way back, Xing Zhan instructed Wu Yuan, “Go investigate the young master’s past in the An Family.”
Wu Yuan asked, “You mean?”
Xing Zhan said, “Grandpa likes him very much. I can’t be completely ignorant about what he likes, how he got along with the An Family members, and whether the three brothers were affectionate.”
In truth, what Xing Zhan really wanted to know was what kind of life An Yu lived in the An Family.
But that was difficult to say aloud.
Suspecting and investigating his own partner was nothing for a man in his position of power, but it could easily lead to An Yu being looked down upon by those around him.
Wu Yuan nodded. “Regarding today’s project…”
Xing Zhan said, “Father An and his son are mediocre in ability. They can’t handle too much. Let them practice first.”
Wu Yuan replied, “…You are right.”
He must be feeling protective of the young master.
Those father and son had belittled the young master so much, yet they still wanted a large project. They’d have better luck dreaming.
He murmured, “Thank goodness it wasn’t An Shi.”
He originally thought An Shi was just average-looking, but he turned out to be foolish too, trying to poison their ears against the young master right in front of them, and doing it so poorly. No wonder the young master impulsively crashed the wedding.
Xing Zhan said nothing, but the image of An Yu’s flushed, sleeping face from earlier floated into his mind.
Returning home, he saw An Yu still on the sofa, though he had flipped from lying flat to lying on his stomach. The Little Orange Cat was curled up like a ball of fur in the crook of his neck. Both the man and the cat had faint golden highlights in their hair.
He likes sunbathing so much—was he unable to do it at home before?
Xing Zhan didn’t know when he had walked over or how long he had been watching.
By the time he realized it, he met An Yu’s eyes—moist, peach blossom eyes that held a knowing, mischievous smile.
Xing Zhan’s back stiffened, and then a ball of fur was placed in his hand.
An Yu had slept well the night before and was only dozing now. He had sensed Xing Zhan approaching but hadn’t expected the man to stand there, staring intently.
The Little Orange Cat’s purring was audible near his ear.
He understood!
No one could resist fluffiness.
The Little Orange Cat’s fur was shiny now, and its body was plump and round. It was a truly adorable kitty.
An Yu generously offered the Little Orange Cat to Xing Zhan. Seeing him frozen, he encouraged him, “Brother, pet it. It’s very soft, squishy, and warm…”
Xing Zhan tentatively stroked it. It was true. He stroked it again.
He was a little surprised.
Many people feared him, yet this little creature was obediently lying on his arm, emitting a comfortable purr.
Xing Zhan didn’t realize that he had been sharing a bed with the cat for many days.
When he, this large human, fell into a deep sleep at night, the cat had long since licked his fingers and sniffed his cheek, recognizing him as a familiar and safe presence.
That evening, Xing Zhan deliberately returned to the bedroom half an hour early. Sure enough, neither An Yu nor the cat was asleep.
He got to pet the cat again, only handing it back to An Yu when he received a phone call.
An Yu squeezed the cat’s paw pads, listening as Xing Zhan addressed the person on the other end as “Lanfeng.” He couldn’t help but prick up his ears.
Lanfeng… Zong Lanfeng?
Was this Zong Lanfeng, the heir of the Zong Family, whose background and appearance rivaled Xing Zhan’s in the original novel?
The book described Zong Lanfeng as extremely handsome and gentle. An Shi had been stunned when he first saw him.
An Yu was a sucker for good looks. The people he most looked forward to meeting, besides Xing Zhan, were the Zong brothers, Zong Lanfeng and Zong Xiuyuan. Of course, Zong Xiuyuan hadn’t been found yet and was still called Zhao Xiuyuan.
Besides being a look-lover, An Yu needed Zong Lanfeng’s help with something.
However, Xing Zhan disliked being asked personal questions, so An Yu didn’t ask who “Lanfeng” was right now.
Ten months remained.
Zong Lanfeng was Xing Zhan’s best friend. An Yu figured he would naturally have a chance to meet him eventually.
The person Xing Zhan was talking to was indeed Zong Lanfeng. They arranged to meet up.
Zong Lanfeng asked, “Bringing a plus-one?”
Xing Zhan subconsciously said, “No.”
He paused for a moment but didn’t correct himself. He hadn’t planned on letting An Yu enter his social circle; this had been decided long ago.
Zong Lanfeng sensed that Xing Zhan didn’t favor An Yu and felt slightly relieved.
They met a few nights later.
When Xing Zhan arrived, Zong Lanfeng had already finished half a bottle of wine.
Xing Zhan was used to Zong Lanfeng’s state.
Every time Zong Lanfeng traveled thousands of miles to search for someone based on a small piece of information, he would be dejected for a few days if the search was fruitless.
Xing Zhan silently took a seat and poured himself a glass of wine.
Although Xing Zhan said nothing, his presence was enough comfort for Zong Lanfeng. “I’m sorry, Brother Xing. I skipped your wedding to look for someone, only to return empty-handed.”
Xing Zhan patted his shoulder. “If fate wills it, you will meet.”
Zong Lanfeng nodded. “What about you? Is the one at home behaving?”
As his nominal partner, Xing Zhan never commented on An Yu publicly, but he could share a couple of honest words with Zong Lanfeng: “He’s quite obedient. Grandpa likes him very much.”
As he spoke, a faint smile unconsciously touched his face.
Zong Lanfeng realized he had relaxed too soon. “Obedient? How can someone who steals his brother’s marriage be obedient? He threatened people, and it seems he even used violence… Brother Xing, don’t let a small ditch capsize your ship!”
Xing Zhan frowned. “Used violence? Who touched him?”