ASSHKHME Chapter 31

Chapter 31: A Ride Along the Way

The two stood face to face.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the enormous French windows, the scorching light dancing on their young and somewhat naive faces.

Chen Zhuo was wearing Xie Yu’s white cotton bathrobe, radiating a pleasant scent of sunshine. The neckline was loose, revealing a large expanse of fair collarbone.

In Xie Yu’s dreams, that area should be covered with a string of kisses.

Xie Yu shifted his gaze uncomfortably, landing on the silver stud earring in Chen Zhuo’s left ear, which refracted shards of light. He didn’t continue with the dangerous topic.

“I’ll go downstairs first. Hurry up and change your clothes. Didn’t your cousin Qingyou tell you to come back to the Xu family? It’s on my way, so I’ll give you a ride.”

Chen Zhuo let out a confused “Ah,” watching Xie Yu’s retreating figure. He tugged at the tie around his waist and muttered, “On the way? Does he even know where the Xu family is? Did this guy take the wrong medicine today?”

But there’s no point in not using a free driver, so Chen Zhuo happily accepted.

After breakfast, he said goodbye to Xie Yu’s parents and got into the “ride along the way” driven by chauffeur Xie.

Xie Yu started the Benz, hesitated, and clicked on the navigation bar, then stopped.

Chen Zhuo leisurely leaned back in the passenger seat, propping up his head to look at Xie Yu, his tongue subtly sweeping over his teeth, carefully observing his awkwardness.

Xie Yu felt uncomfortable under his gaze and finally couldn’t help but speak, his voice muffled, “Okay, give me the address.”

Chen Zhuo chuckled softly, reported the Xu family’s address, and teased, “Little Yu, Little Yu, the way you’re acting, I might suspect you like me.”

Xie Yu was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost jumping up. His foot missed the mark, and he slammed on the accelerator. Accompanied by the engine’s roar, the Benz quickly sped onto the asphalt road.

Chen Zhuo’s body was pressed against the back of the seat by the intense force of acceleration. His expression changed drastically, and he gripped the safety handle tightly. “Damn it, Xie Yu! I was just kidding with you, are you trying to kill me!”

The car drove smoothly. Xie Yu looked at Chen Zhuo with resentful eyes, gripping the steering wheel and coldly snorting, “It’s only a joke if other people think it’s funny.”

Chen Zhuo’s face was somewhat pale, and the hand gripping the seatbelt was covered in fine sweat.

Back when he did accident analysis, if that car had been ten seconds faster or ten seconds slower, his parents wouldn’t have died.

Even though it was a natural disaster and unrelated to driving habits, Chen Zhuo had more or less developed a psychological shadow.

Xie Yu didn’t hear Chen Zhuo retort, so he glanced at him sideways, noticing that his complexion wasn’t good.

Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly remembered that Chen Zhuo’s parents had died in a car, and he scratched the steering wheel in annoyance. He immediately turned on the hazard lights and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Seeing him stop, Chen Zhuo said unhappily, “What are you doing? Trying to kick me out?”

Xie Yu pried open his hand gripping the seatbelt, one finger at a time, held it, like holding hands, and leaned over to ask him, “Were you scared?”

The distance between them suddenly narrowed.

In the confined space, Chen Zhuo could even feel Xie Yu’s breath lightly falling on his face.

Those eyes, which always held a frivolous teasing, were now openly showing concern, staring straight at him, the pupils brighter than the sunlight outside the window.

A strange feeling rose in Chen Zhuo’s heart, and he uncomfortably pulled his hand away from Xie Yu’s grip. “No, I wasn’t.”

Xie Yu also realized that his behavior was too intimate. He opened the glove compartment and busied himself, not knowing what he was looking for. Finally, he took out his driver’s license, looked at it back and forth, and then put it back.

A traffic policeman came over and knocked on the car window. “Hello, parking here for an extended period is not allowed. Do you need any assistance?”

Xie Yu turned his head and asked Chen Zhuo, “Are you feeling better?”

Chen Zhuo was stunned for a moment. “Huh? Oh, I’m fine.”

Only then did Xie Yu say to the traffic policeman, “We’ll leave right away.”

The two, who usually bickered whenever they were together, were silent all the way. The Benz drove for about an hour and arrived at a villa area in the southern suburbs.

Chen Zhuo unfastened his seatbelt. Before getting out of the car, he thought for a moment and still reminded him, “Safety is the most important thing. Don’t get road rage.”

Xie Yu opened his mouth to argue that his driving skills were excellent, but what came out was, “You have an 8 a.m. class on Monday, are you coming back to the dorm to sleep tonight?”

Chen Zhuo paused in the action of opening the car door. “Of course I’m going back. How far is this from school?”

“Oh.”

Xie Yu nodded. He didn’t say anything else. After he closed the car door, he turned the car around and left.

Chen Zhuo watched Xie Yu’s taillights disappear from sight, took off his earring, and turned to walk into the villa area.

After walking a few steps, he realized that his hands were empty. After thinking about it, he ran to a nearby shopping mall to buy a bouquet of flowers and some pastries.

Chen Zhuo hugged the flowers, carried the pastries, and sighed softly. Only guests would feel embarrassed to come empty-handed.

Chen Zhuo knew that even though he had lived here for ten years, this magnificent villa was still not his home.

His home was in that old, dilapidated building with peeling walls. His parents were long dead. In this world, he didn’t have a single relative.

When you grow up, you should be sensible and maintain an appropriate distance. Otherwise, people will suspect him of coveting the Xu family’s wealth.

The Xu family didn’t go through the adoption procedures back then, but only claimed to be taking care of the only son of an employee who died on duty. It was probably considering this point.

Chen Zhuo took a deep breath, his footsteps heavy as he stepped into this “home” that he resented but had to be grateful for.

The family’s maid came up to greet him and took the pastries from his hand, saying kindly, “Young Master is back?”

Chen Zhuo only felt ironic when he heard this title. What kind of young master was he? He was just a tool to quell public opinion and show the Xu Group’s goodness.

But after all, it was ten years of care. Even if the feelings weren’t sincere, the money spent on him was real.

Chen Zhuo sighed.

A familiar voice sounded, “Xiao Zhuo.”

Chen Zhuo raised his eyes and looked over, a genuine smile appearing on his face. “Cousin Qingyou.”

Xu Qingyou was wearing home clothes, with a pair of rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose, as if he had just come out of the study.

His gaze lightly swept over the pastries the maid was holding, and he reached out to smooth down the hair on Chen Zhuo’s head that was sticking up. “You’re coming back to your own home, why are you bringing things?”

Chen Zhuo hugged the flowers, his eyes flickering. “I just happened to be passing by and bought them casually.”

Xu Qingyou didn’t say anything else. He supported Chen Zhuo’s back with his right hand. “It’s sunny outside, let’s go inside and talk.”

In the main hall, a woman walked down the stairs, her temperament elegant and capable. After seeing Chen Zhuo, she said, “Xiao Zhuo is back.”

Chen Zhuo said, “Auntie, the lilies in the flower shop were blooming so beautifully, so I bought a bouquet to give to you.”

Zheng Fei’s gaze fell on the fresh and elegant bouquet of lilies in Chen Zhuo’s arms. “Xiao Zhuo is thoughtful. Put them there.”

Zheng Fei asked about Chen Zhuo’s studies in a businesslike manner. “The dean of your college is an old friend of your Uncle Xu. If you encounter any problems, feel free to say so.”

Chen Zhuo was a little restrained. “Thank you, Auntie. I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong. No need to trouble you.”

Zheng Fei nodded, flipping through the financial news on the coffee table, and changed the topic. “Qingyou, that girl from the Li family is good. She’s a good match for our family, and she’ll be helpful to your career in the future. Don’t keep refusing. Make time to take her out for a meal.”

The way she said it didn’t sound like a mother looking for a match for her son, but more like a superior assigning a task to a subordinate.

Xu Qingyou didn’t have much emotional fluctuation. “I know.”