His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 68

“…Then that’s it for now. I’ll handle the rest online and will come back when I have time.”

Kong Xunwen had already finished his afternoon stream and was scrolling through his phone. The lights in the room were off, and he was lying on the beanbag chair set up in the streaming room.

A long, thin line of light projected through the slightly ajar door. The sky had darkened, and only that faint line illuminated the room.

Kong Xunwen, who hadn’t been paying attention to Qiu Zhijie’s working sounds outside, suddenly heard that sentence. He frowned slightly, his dangling foot stopped moving, and the content on his phone no longer held his interest.

Handle it online?

Although he hadn’t paid much attention to Qiu Zhijie’s work recently, if he remembered correctly, it was almost time for the preparation of Qiu Zhijie’s main theme show.

Leaving the studio at a time like this?

Kong Xunwen sat up a little. After the sound of the door opening and closing outside, a phone rang, and then Qiu Zhijie answered the call.

At the same time, Kong Xunwen’s own phone vibrated slightly.

He glanced at the line of light again, then looked down at his phone. The contact was labeled ‘Teacher.’ Was it a call from his teacher?

Just then, Qiu Zhijie spoke after answering the phone outside: “Hello, Mom and Dad?”

Connecting the two, Kong Xunwen felt something was off. He answered his own call: “Hello, Teacher.”

…

“Are you two that busy lately?” Qiu Hanzhuo asked with concern, then looked at Kong Xunwen. “Why haven’t you eaten yet?”

Kong Xunwen glanced at Qiu Zhijie beside him, then at his teacher on the other side, and honestly replied with pursed lips: “We were about to eat.”

As for how they ended up like this… he was also confused. Not long ago, he learned from that phone call that Qiu Zhijie’s parents had met his teacher. Then, barely ten minutes later, he and Qiu Zhijie were on the scene.

Thinking of this, Kong Xunwen cautiously looked around and quietly asked, “So, why the sudden meeting?”

“Oh, that was me,” Yun Yueluan said with a smile.

Kong Xunwen and Qiu Zhijie couldn’t help but look at him together.

Yun Yueluan smiled again and poured a cup of warm water for Kong Xunwen beside him. “Since you two are serious, I thought it was time we met.”

Kong Xunwen took the water and took a sip, looking down and drinking very seriously, not lifting his head for a long time.

Qiu Zhijie withdrew his gaze and spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. “Indeed, we didn’t handle this well. We should have been the ones to arrange this meeting.”

“But if we have time later…”

Yun Yueluan raised a hand to stop him. “No need. I have things to do later, and you both have your own work.”

Qiu Hanzhuo also spoke up. “Exactly. Aren’t we meeting now?”

She said this, but in reality, she was just as confused as Qiu Zhijie and Kong Xunwen, who had been called in midway. Although she had eaten with Yun Yueluan recently, they only discussed everyday topics—nothing that required a special meeting.

In fact, shortly after that, Yun Yueluan even proactively suggested calling the two young ones over, which confused her even more.

However, despite the strangeness, the meal concluded. Even then, apart from Yun Yueluan himself, the other four people were still full of questions.

Qiu Zhijie watched his parents wave goodbye and drive off with their usual carefree manner. He turned, ready to discuss the matter properly with his boyfriend and head home, only to see that Yun Yueluan hadn’t left yet.

He paused slightly, looking at the young man beside him, who also seemed puzzled.

So, he quickly approached.

Before he could speak, Yun Yueluan glanced at him and said in a deep voice, “What exactly are you two thinking?”

Kong Xunwen blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Qiu Zhijie also didn’t understand where that question came from.

“Kong Xunwen’s illness—have you thought about the future?” Yun Yueluan continued, giving no chance to interrupt. “This disease is too unique. If you constantly dwell on it, it’s easy to focus too much on the present and neglect the future.”

The future…

“…”

Kong Xunwen remained silent, and Qiu Zhijie didn’t speak for a long time either.

Kong Xunwen secretly glanced at Qiu Zhijie and sighed inwardly.

Yes, the future. They had never discussed it together, as if they subconsciously avoided the topic. Every day just passed, taking it one day at a time.

“We just need to live well in the present.”

Most of the man’s face was obscured by the darkness; only the contours of his cheeks and features, and those stubborn black eyes, were visible.

Yun Yueluan looked at him, then at the pure, worried young man beside him, and finally looked back at Qiu Zhijie. “You two look like a couple who knows they’ll break up eventually.”

He sighed and stopped talking about that, changing the subject. “Our respective parents have met you two. Why haven’t you arranged for us to meet? We aren’t difficult people to get along with.”

He smiled.

Kong Xunwen blinked. “…We haven’t had the chance yet.”

Yun Yueluan smiled again, finally looking at Qiu Zhijie. “Alright, well, this worked out perfectly. I’m heading back into the mountains soon. My friend’s car will be here shortly. I’ll share some photos with you then.”

Kong Xunwen felt a pang of reluctance but nodded. “Okay. Please be safe on the road.”

“Old Yun! Over here! Over here!” A car stopped nearby and flashed its lights.

“Hey!” Yun Yueluan raised his hand and waved toward the car. He turned back to Kong Xunwen, opening his arms. “Alright, I’m leaving. Come here for a farewell hug.”

Kong Xunwen immediately buried himself in his teacher’s embrace, his voice muffled. “Teacher, you must have a safe journey. We’ll see each other next time.”

Yun Yueluan’s face relaxed into a smile, lines crinkling at the corners of his eyes. He patted the young man’s back. The youth was already taller than him now. “Of course. See you next time.”

The farewell hug lasted for a while, until the car horn honked nearby, and a head poked out of the window. “Old Yun! Stop hugging! I’m going to get a parking ticket!”

The embrace finally ended. Yun Yueluan turned and shouted, “I know!”

He turned back and firmly squeezed the young man’s shoulder. “Alright, I’m off.”

He had just taken one step when he noticed Qiu Zhijie standing nearby. He paused almost imperceptibly, then reached out and patted Qiu Zhijie’s shoulder too. “See you next time.”

Then he hurried to the car, got in, and even after closing the door, he was still waving at his student.

His friend beside him complained exasperatedly, “If you miss him so much, why don’t you just stay? Why go out and brave the elements?”

When the figures behind them were no longer visible, Yun Yueluan withdrew his hand and gave his friend a look of disdain. “What do you, a lonely bachelor, know?”

The friend laughed in annoyance and snorted. “Hmph, I’m warning you, you’re currently in the lonely bachelor’s car. I can’t compare to someone who has attachments.”

After a few squabbles, the friend became serious. “Hey, I mean it. Why didn’t you just stay? Your student has that…”

He trailed off, looking at the expression on the person beside him. However, the light and shadows outside the car window rapidly blurred, making Yun Yueluan’s expression indistinct.

“…We are two independent individuals.” After a moment of silence, he heard the reply.

“He has his own things to do, and I have mine. If I stayed because of this, he would only constantly be reminded of the situation. It wouldn’t be me who was trapped, it would be him,” Yun Yueluan said softly.

So, he did want to stay, but the statement was true. The friend glanced over again and raised his voice. “Alright, alright, this place can’t trap you. We still have a long way to go. What’s all this talk about being trapped? Your student is doing fine, isn’t he? Worst case, bring him along next time! I wouldn’t mind soaking up some youthful energy.”

Yun Yueluan couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, please. You reek of old man smell. Don’t go getting it all over my Kong Xunwen.”

“Hey, is that any way to talk to me?!”

*

“Hey, why didn’t you say anything just now?” Kong Xunwen got into the car with Qiu Zhijie and leaned over to look at the man, who seemed a bit off.

The teacher’s final question about the parents meeting wasn’t hard to answer.

Qiu Zhijie looked back innocently. “Hmm? What?”

“Tsk!” Kong Xunwen clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes at him.

After a moment of silence, Qiu Zhijie pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around the young man’s back. “Don’t be angry.”

“…You speak first.”

“If, truly, one day, it happens, let it just be us.” He spoke slowly, as if every word was being squeezed out.

Kong Xunwen rested his chin on the man’s shoulder, watching the faint light outside the car window, then lowered his gaze to the man’s clothes.

He understood what he meant.

If he was destined to leave later, there was no need for their families to intersect. By minimizing contact, only he himself would be affected in the end.

Kong Xunwen closed his eyes. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, nor could he discern his emotions upon hearing that sentence.

He felt like he didn’t understand Qiu Zhijie’s meaning, because it couldn’t be interpreted so simply.

But then he remembered his teacher’s words.

Yes, they truly acted like a couple who knew they would eventually separate, waiting for the executioner’s blade to fall.

Therefore, they didn’t think about the future, and even the future Qiu Zhijie envisioned was just this broken, somewhat ridiculous, and childish outcome.

The man holding him tightened his embrace. Kong Xunwen raised his hand. “I know. I’m not angry.”

“By the way, I heard you say this afternoon that you’re preparing to switch to working online?” He changed the subject.

Qiu Zhijie finally relaxed his grip a little. As the car started moving, the fatigue in his eyes was obvious, and there was even a faint crease between his brows, yet he smiled. “Yes.”

“What about your theme show?”

He finally showed a hint of distress. Qiu Zhijie shrugged. “It’s because the theme for the show hasn’t been decided yet, so I’ve been given half a month to conceptualize the theme and the designs.”

“Half a month?!” Kong Xunwen looked over abruptly, startled.

Half a month is only fifteen days. The inspiration needed for design is elusive, and this time frame was far from generous; in fact, it was quite tight.

Qiu Zhijie, however, remained calm and nodded. “Yes.”

Seeing the young man’s undisguised worry, he smiled. “Worst case, we just postpone it a bit. That’s not uncommon. I’ll just be criticized for running out of inspiration.”

Kong Xunwen nodded. Although he was still worried, he stopped showing it.

“Besides, who says I haven’t thought about the future? When I found out about this, I thought we could go back to your hometown together and stay there for half a month, just the two of us.” Qiu Zhijie leaned closer to the young man, pressing against him again.

“Wouldn’t that be great?”

A smile touched Kong Xunwen’s lips, but he said, “What kind of future is that? It’s just a short-term plan. And…”

“Don’t forget you still have ‘homework’ to finish.”