Chapter 27

  The second floor had a study besides their bedroom. The lights were on and several red wooden chairs were knocked over to the ground. Yuan Zhi was sitting cross-legged in the corner, expressionless, watching Yan Bai walk in leisurely.

  "Isn't it cold on the ground?"

  Yuan Zhi blinked and turned his gaze away in annoyance.

  Yan Bai pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and took a few steps inside, saying, "In the future, don't go against Director Yuan like that. After all, he is your father, and you still..."

  "Shut your damn mouth!" Yuan Zhi cut him off with a cold gaze.

  Yan Bai continued nonchalantly, "Besides, you're still young and have to rely on him for a living. A clever person shouldn't suffer losses in the short term. You must return to the Yuan family this New Year."

  "Keep dreaming, if you want me to do something, at least have the decency to ask nicely."

  "Yuan Zhi." Yan Bai helped him up and sat down in a chair, elegantly crossing his legs, with an air of obvious confidence on his face. "Just like Director Yuan said, you need to make it clear what your identity is. After Director Yuan's passing, you no longer have the qualifications to negotiate, and being able to stay here safely is also because of that will. Otherwise, do you think you can still live so comfortably?"

  Yuan Zhi sneered, "Do you know how comfortable I am? Do you think I want to stay in this place? If you don't like it, then let me go!"

  "It won't be possible before you're 25 years old. Old Yuan has ordered that you be chosen as the successor of the Yuan family, and his lifelong friends have also been taking care of you at his request, so you must stay here." After a pause, he emphasized, "And you'd better behave yourself while staying here. Once you turn 25, if you still want to leave, just sign the stock transfer agreement of the Yuan family, and no one will stop you with a straight face."

  Yuan Zhi's hands, placed on his knees, couldn't help but tremble. The Yuan family had a shady past and their whitewashing over the years was limited. This time, Yuan Chongyang appeared mainly to show his face in public, openly informing outsiders that he was doing well in the Yuan household, reducing external speculation while also benefiting the cooperation between the Yuan family and other influential families. Yuan Zhi felt sad about being bound by such interests, but he couldn't escape; Yuan Chongyang wouldn't let him go.

  "It's already been made very clear, you'd better think it through carefully. Even if you're not willing to show up, there must be a way to force you out, but the nature of these two things is vastly different. Moreover, making a scene will only make things harder for you."

  Yan Bai stood up, "I'll go first, call me if you need anything."

  "Get out!"

  Face filled with anger and despair.

  Yan Bai's footsteps paused for a moment, and then he slowly walked out, as if he hadn't seen that beautiful yet hateful face.

  As soon as he went out and turned right, He Sheng was stuck to him like a wooden stick, his dark eyes fixed on him with a dull and unfamiliar expression.

  "How did you get up here?"

  "Come and call Yuan Zhi to go eat together."

  Yan Bai said with a hint of disdain, "Don't bother with him now, it's no good for you, just go eat by yourself!"

  He Sheng didn't move, slightly turning his body to avoid his touch, frowning at him, "Why are you guys bullying him? It's clearly the adults who did something wrong, yet you're still talking to Yuan Zhi like that. Don't you know what's going on inside? Why are you helping them?"

  The child's tone was not particularly fluctuating, but the continuous questioning still made Yan Bai slightly surprised. He put his hands in his pockets, thought for a moment, and said: "Because I want to live, I am working for Yuan Chongyang, I am not forcing him, it is my responsibility, just like you were brought here, he also has no choice!"

  So she and Yuan Zhi are the same kind of people, their lives being pushed forward by others without anyone understanding their thoughts or caring about them. She suddenly remembered the arrogant boy who was unbearable to look at when they first met, and the huge gap made her feel suffocated in her chest. How did such an unruly person get through all these years?

  He Sheng didn't know what else to say, her words were of no use, she silently took a step back and said softly: "I understand."

  She also understood why Yuan Zhi would dislike Yan Bai so much, this person's existence was a reminder of how deeply Yuan Chong Yang had hurt that obedient boy.

  "Aren't you going downstairs yet?"

  He Sheng nodded.

  Yan Bai didn't say anything else, his fingers gently rubbing the gloves in his pocket, and after a while, he turned around and left.

  The only sound in the corridor was He Sheng's gentle breathing, his hands clutching the hem of his clothes were slightly sweaty, and he stood silently for a long time before hesitantly heading towards the study.

  She stuck to the door frame and took a peek, pursed her lips and stepped inside, burying her head in her knees. Yuan Zhi's sensitive head lifted up, his gaze sweeping over with a gloomy chill.

  "Get out." He said calmly.

  He Shuang didn't move, carefully watching him. After a while, he took a few more steps inside. Yuan Zhi got angry, knocked over the small table lamp beside him and shouted: "Get out!"

  He Sheng shrunk his neck, instantly turned pale, and didn't dare to walk in his direction again. However, he didn't leave either, instead taking a few steps back, turning off the indoor lights, leaning against the wall, and sitting on the ground, imitating Yuan Zhi's posture.

  The two of them sat in silence, each occupying a corner, and this cold winter night suddenly became long and drawn out. In the darkness, He Songmu stared blankly ahead, her mind a complete blank, perhaps because tonight's information was too overwhelming, leaving her at a loss for what to say or how to react.

  The silvery moonlight seeped in from the window, and with this brightness, one could make out the faint outline of the food in the room after adapting to the darkness. He Song turned his head to look at Yuan Zhi, who was hunched over with a proud back, losing his usual swagger, looking humble and disheveled.

  Time slipped away quietly, He Sheng curled up her legs and began to feel the chill. It was at this moment that she suddenly noticed a figure huddled in the corner not far away, trembling slightly. He Sheng stared for a while, disbelieving, her eyes widening slightly. When she thought it was just her imagination, she heard a faint, unclear, and fragmented sobbing sound, very soft, easy to ignore if one wasn't paying attention.

  If she hadn't made that call to Yan Bo, could Yuan Zhi have delayed the inevitable for a few more days?

  Have you ever felt overwhelming regret?

  He Shuangyou, crying Yuan Zhi is her deepest regret.

  As if feeling the same, He Sheng tapped his chest with his hand and got up with difficulty. In the darkness, Yuan Zhi moved her head slightly, her tearful eyes fixed on him until he disappeared from view, then she lowered her head again and buried it deeply.

  He Sheng went back to his room and fetched the quilt that had once covered him, then turned around again. The other party still maintained its previous posture without moving a single bit.

  She hesitated for a few seconds before approaching, this time Yuan Zhi did not show any excessive emotions. He Kung knelt down in front of him, wrapping half the blanket around him and covering himself with the other half. The two pairs of feet under the blanket were tightly pressed together.

  Seemed a bit tense, dryly laughed a few times, softly said: "Our family is very poor, my mom wanted to make life at home more comfortable, so she asked Yan and his friends to bring me here. I begged many times but it was no use. My grandfather treated me the best, but he couldn't keep me either because I eat too much, they can't afford to raise me."

  Pausing for a moment, his voice dropped even lower, "I'm the one our family doesn't want."

  Her tone was flat, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter. Her slightly pursed lips trembled, and her eyes welled up with tears, but she seemed to be trying hard to smile, to prove that it wasn't a big deal after all.

  Yuan Zhi had already lifted his head, his eyes fixed firmly on the slightly disheveled face in front of him, and said hoarsely, "Want to cry?"

  He Sheng shook his head, but tears rolled down, and he looked away in embarrassment.

  Yuan Zhi raised his hand to support her chin, and with the light coming in from outside the window, he took in her very wronged expression. He wiped away the bright tear stains with his thumb and said: "He Song, I want you, but my temper is bad, don't run."

  He Sheng let out a few mournful cries, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed uncontrollably. He bit his lip and couldn't speak, but kept nodding vigorously, tears streaming down his face. Yuan Zhi's fingers were almost scalded by the heat.

  He patted He Song's head, pulled the girl towards him and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder, saying with a sigh, "Thanks!"

  Thanks for having someone want him.

  But thinking carefully, it can be found that with Yuan Zhi's conditions and good looks, there are many people who want to guard him, but the opportunity just happens to be given to the silent and taciturn He Shuang.