His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 53

Cheeks Aching

When Qiu Zhijie looked up again, the young man had already quietly said goodbye to the camera, closed the live stream, and was walking toward the camera facing the two of them.

He rarely frowned, finding the situation a bit tricky.

Kong Xunwen had just arrived and met the man’s gaze, causing him to tilt his head. His heart also tightened, and for a moment, many guesses flashed through his mind.

These guesses vanished the moment Qiu Zhijie spoke, and when he heard the man’s words, his mind went blank.

“…Outside are… my parents.”

“Huh?”

————

Kong Xunwen looked at the front door, took a deep breath, and quickly opened it. He then saw a man and a woman outside…

Forgive him, but that was the only description he could come up with for the moment.

In reality, the woman exuded sophistication from head to toe. The moment the door opened, her gaze locked onto him, making his heart jump as he sensed the scrutiny in her eyes.

The man beside her was wearing a relatively casual suit. For a moment, he seemed to see a mature version of Qiu Zhijie.

Of course, a closer look revealed the differences.

Kong Xunwen nervously lowered his eyes, feeling as if he were back when he was an intern first joining Zhijie Studio.

“Hello.” The woman didn’t speak. Qiu Hanzhuo knew that when she spoke, she tended to make people nervous. She wasn’t here to cause trouble today, only out of curiosity.

So, it was Shi An who spoke.

Kong Xunwen knew his current demeanor was impolite, so he raised his eyes to look at him: “Hello.”

Then came a silence.

“We have two meetings this afternoon. We came over suddenly because we wanted a place to rest. I hope we aren’t disturbing you too much?” Shi An raised an eyebrow. Qiu Hanzhuo, beside him, had already stopped scrutinizing the young man. Her averted eyes showed a hint of satisfaction, and she nodded in agreement.

Kong Xunwen’s nervousness hadn’t completely subsided, but it was much better. He nodded: “Not at all.”

He quickly stepped aside: “Please come in.”

Qiu Hanzhuo walked in naturally. They had already changed their shoes outside. She then spoke, in what she considered a gentle tone: “No need to be so polite.”

Kong Xunwen subtly stepped back: “Okay.”

He was still very nervous.

Qiu Hanzhuo blinked and moved aside, letting Shi An step forward to communicate.

The door was gently closed. Kong Xunwen unconsciously glanced at the closed door, feeling a sudden, mistaken sense that he was about to step into a dragon’s den.

The young man’s eyes held a hint of expectation.

This was because when he had mentioned this to Qiu Zhijie earlier, the man had reassured him that he would arrive quickly.

Although he knew it wouldn’t be fast coming from the company, Kong Xunwen couldn’t help but hope that the door would open right now, and the man would walk in and resolve his awkwardness.

“Oh? Little Qiu.” The woman’s voice, tinged with surprise, reached him.

Kong Xunwen withdrew his expectant gaze, only to meet Shi An’s eyes. They exchanged a look, and the other man smiled at him.

That moment seemed to have been noticed.

It was a bit embarrassing. Kong Xunwen pinched his slightly numb fingertips.

His performance must have been terrible.

It was only when he followed the couple and sat down on the sofa that he realized the video call had never been hung up—which was why Qiu Hanzhuo had said what she did just now.

The man on the phone screen was frowning, his lips tightly pressed, looking clearly angry. Facing his parents, he didn’t hold back; instead, the coldness in his eyes became more pronounced.

However, because he was confined to the screen, even his anger seemed less severe.

Qiu Hanzhuo looked at her son. Although she found the scene somewhat amusing, she didn’t laugh, granting her son some dignity in front of his beloved.

Qiu Zhijie: “You didn’t tell me you were coming to my place.”

Qiu Hanzhuo nodded, looking apologetic: “Indeed. Sorry, Little Qiu.”

She glanced at Shi An.

Shi An received her pleading look but was helpless, only offering her a smile to indicate his inability to assist.

Fine.

Qiu Hanzhuo turned back and honestly explained her true thoughts to Qiu Zhijie: “I was just a little curious…”

She looked at the young man, who had quietly walked over and sat down on the sofa, finally letting out a sigh of relief when no one was looking at him. Then, upon hearing their conversation, he widened his eyes and looked over, suddenly resembling a startled cat.

She smiled briefly.

Even her smile was sharp, a vibrant and direct impact.

Kong Xunwen, who had just relaxed, tensed up again, subconsciously looking toward the person still on the phone who hadn’t arrived yet.

Qiu Zhijie couldn’t see, but he could probably guess some of it, and he was genuinely angry.

“Curious about your sweetheart.”

This time, it was Qiu Zhijie’s turn to want to see the young man’s expression but finding himself looking at empty space.

Kong Xunwen looked at Qiu Hanzhuo, then at the phone screen tilted toward him. He paused, suddenly recalling what Qiu Zhijie had said before.

He had liked him for a long time.

So… even his family knew?

Kong Xunwen squeezed his fingertips, his gaze following the movement, seeing his knuckles turn white.

He seemed very serious.

He thought.

Before long, Qiu Hanzhuo and Shi An prepared to leave. Kong Xunwen finally reacted and quickly stood up to follow them.

Qiu Hanzhuo and Shi An faced Kong Xunwen at the door.

“We came too suddenly this time. Sorry we didn’t inform you beforehand and made you uncomfortable.” This time, Qiu Hanzhuo spoke herself.

She smiled very gently this time: “I look forward to seeing you again next time.”

Shi An stood beside her, like an accessory, nodding in agreement.

Kong Xunwen, hands clasped behind his back, looked at Qiu Hanzhuo with some surprise upon hearing this.

Was he… approved?

The door opened, then closed.

Kong Xunwen stared blankly down at his outstretched palm.

Just now, he had shaken hands with Qiu Zhijie’s mother.

Did she have a good impression of him? But his performance had been so poor.

Or was it just politeness?

“Click—”

The young man looked up, startled.

Qiu Zhijie was still frowning and slightly out of breath; he had rushed over. They had been in contact on the way, but then the video had suddenly been cut off mid-conversation.

He didn’t know what had happened afterward.

He instinctively scanned the room. When his gaze landed on the young man in front of him, Qiu Zhijie’s expression relaxed, his eyes softened. He placed both hands on Kong Xunwen’s shoulders and leaned in close.

Meeting the young man’s still somewhat bewildered eyes, he saw no sign of distress. His heart settled considerably. His parents wouldn’t cause trouble; it seemed everything was fine.

Only his face was reflected in the light-colored pupils. The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He suddenly abandoned his previous thoughts, tilted his head, and lightly kissed the young man’s nose.

Kong Xunwen closed his eyes, feeling the warmth land on his nose. When he opened his eyes, he met the man’s slightly teasing smile. Qiu Zhijie glanced at him, turned, and went back to sit on the sofa.

On the table lay the phone, the call having been cut off by Qiu Zhijie’s mother before they left.

Qiu Zhijie followed and sat down on the sofa, pressing close to him. He closed his eyes, sensing the young man’s presence while explaining: “I knew they were coming today, but I didn’t expect them to show up at the house.”

Kong Xunwen relaxed into the sofa. A head followed him, resting on his shoulder. He already knew this and had no intention of blaming the man.

He sighed.

Qiu Zhijie reached out a hand, his thumb stroking the young man’s lips, carrying a hint of intimacy, but he maintained his posture without opening his eyes.

It was as if he was trying to gauge his emotions purely by touch.

Kong Xunwen stiffened, refraining from pursing his lips. With the other party so relaxed, the thing he had intended to say suddenly became difficult to voice.

About his illness, about whether they should stay together.

But he hadn’t fully figured it out himself; he was still confused and a little… reluctant to let go.

So he asked: “Aren’t you going back?”

Qiu Zhijie opened his eyes: “Hm?”

“They’ve left. Aren’t you going back to work?”

Qiu Zhijie sat up. The hand that had been near the young man’s lips smoothly turned his chin to face him. He leaned close to the young man’s cheek, meeting his eyes.

Kong Xunwen’s mouth was pinched into a pout. He tried hard to press his lips together, but the pressure on his cheeks didn’t relent.

He had no choice but to be controlled, looking at Qiu Zhijie, blinking his innocent eyes, and making a muffled sound: “Whash wrong?”

Qiu Zhijie: “Don’t flirt.”

Kong Xunwen was about to retort that he wasn’t, when he heard the man continue: “Do you want us to separate that badly?”

His expression was serious, his dark eyes staring intently as if trying to capture him, refusing to let go.

He just thought the man had to go back to work, that’s all.

Kong Xunwen looked at those eyes, finding him a bit unreasonable, but the man himself seemed to treat this as a very important matter. His cheeks were starting to ache.

He shook his head vigorously, swatting at the hand on his cheek in dissatisfaction.

Lest the man accuse him of flirting again.

Qiu Zhijie stared at him for a while before letting go. He then moved his hand past Kong Xunwen’s face and placed it on the backrest of the sofa. The cool emerald bracelet brushed past Kong Xunwen’s ear.

A few seconds later, Kong Xunwen realized he was surrounded.

A pair of dissatisfied dark eyes appeared in his field of vision. He remembered and explained: “Didn’t you only come over temporarily because they showed up? You have other work this afternoon, right?”

The man still looked at him seriously for a long time, as if finally confirming that he wasn’t lying. His expression softened, and he leaned closer. The hand on the sofa dropped down onto the young man’s shoulder and back, and he settled against him again.

He returned to his lazy demeanor.

“Don’t worry. Isn’t Teacher Yun coming this afternoon? I’ve arranged everything. The afternoon is free.”

Before Kong Xunwen could sigh in relief, he heard the person on his shoulder mumble, the vibration of his vocal cords transferring to him.

“Is something on your mind these past few days?”

His heart skipped a beat, beginning to pound wildly. The thing he had been hiding was discovered.

Immediately, he realized this was a perfect opportunity to voice his thoughts, even if they were chaotic, even if both of them would feel uncomfortable. But they would reach a good outcome, one that was better for both of them.

A voice in his heart seemed to tempt him: Say it. Don’t let yourself hesitate and suffer alone. Let him know. Hand the choice over to him.

His throat and tongue were dry. All surrounding sounds suddenly disappeared, as if he were standing on a stage meant only for him. Eyes were watching him. He needed to gather his courage, he needed to…

He parted his lips, belatedly realizing his breathing was unsteady. His heartbeat drowned out all other sounds—

“Buzz—Buzz—”