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Join the ServerWhen Xing Kong saw that the two of them were getting along surprisingly well, he once again invited Wei Chuhan to stay for dinner. This time, Wei Chuhan accepted.
As usual, He Zhou kept putting food into He Ting’s bowl, complaining one moment that he was too thin and the next that he wasn’t eating enough.
He Ting had a small appetite and put down his chopsticks early, but He Zhou insisted that he drink another bowl of soup before letting him go.
Halfway through the meal, Wei Chuhan looked up and glanced at them several times. Whatever he was thinking about, the corners of his lips slowly lifted into a smile.
After finishing his soup, He Ting quietly sat at the table and looked through the photos Fei Yang had sent him.
Fei Yang said a few of the shots needed to be redone and asked him to come by when he had time.
As He Ting replied to the messages, he listened absentmindedly while Xing Kong discussed a project with Wei Chuhan.
Wei Chuhan seemed to say something, and Xing Kong sounded genuinely pleased.
After Wei Chuhan left, Xing Kong deliberately stopped He Ting.
His expression was unusually serious. He asked whether He Ting had known Wei Chuhan before and warned him to stay away from him.
In Xing Kong’s eyes, He Ting was nothing more than a little white rabbit, while Wei Chuhan was an old fox.
If one day he got eaten alive, someone as naive as He Ting probably wouldn’t even know what had happened.
He Ting didn’t understand what Xing Kong meant, and Xing Kong had no intention of explaining.
“You kids don’t understand. Just listen to your brother-in-law.”
He Ting also knew that Wei Chuhan’s status was extraordinary. He figured they probably wouldn’t have many chances to meet again, so he smiled and agreed.
What he didn’t expect was that they would meet again so soon.
The person who asked him out that day was Jiang Yifan.
Jiang Yifan was one of Xing Kong’s material suppliers. Their business relationship went back many years and had always been stable.
Besides work, Jiang Yifan often visited Xing Kong’s house for tea and conversation, and he was quite close with the family.
But during their most recent collaboration, Jiang Yifan had made a serious mistake.
The materials he supplied had quality problems.
In truth, Xing Kong was an easy person to work with. He never squeezed his suppliers on price and always pursued mutual benefit.
But when it came to quality, he was extremely strict.
Jiang Yifan’s first attempt at cutting corners had caused a disaster.
Half the project had already been completed and had to be torn down and redone. The losses in manpower and materials were enormous, the delivery schedule was delayed, and there were even breach-of-contract issues.
Xing Kong had been furious.
He made it very clear that they could remain friends, but business cooperation was out of the question.
Jiang Yifan had sought Xing Kong out many times and offered to compensate for all the losses, but Xing Kong had already lost confidence in his work ethic and professionalism.
With no other options left, Jiang Yifan had thought of He Ting.
This time, he had spared no expense.
He brought He Ting to the top floor of Imperial Tower and had even prepared a Vacheron Constantin watch as a gift.
Jiang Yifan had often taken He Ting out for coffee or video games before, so when he invited him this time, He Ting didn’t think much of it.
As always, he happily agreed.
But when Jiang Yifan led him toward the top floor of Imperial Tower, He Ting began to feel uneasy.
Imperial Tower was famous for being expensive, and the top floor was on another level entirely.
They sat by the window, and when Jiang Yifan ordered the food, He Ting became even more uncomfortable.
Everything he ordered was the most expensive item on the menu.
He Ting silently blamed himself for being careless.
He had heard Xing Kong mention Jiang Yifan’s situation before, but he hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
After all, Jiang Yifan was his friend too, and he had always treated him well. He felt it would be unfair to distance himself just because of a business dispute.
But he also knew he couldn’t help him.
Xing Kong had his own reasons, and He Ting didn’t want to get involved in his brother-in-law’s business affairs.
Now that he was already here, it was too late to leave.
Rather than dwell on it, he might as well enjoy the meal. At worst, he could treat Jiang Yifan next time.
Thinking that through, the weight in his chest finally eased.
Jiang Yifan opened a bottle of wine and persuaded He Ting to drink.
He Ting rarely drank and had a poor alcohol tolerance.
But Jiang Yifan earnestly urged him, repeatedly bringing up their friendship over the years.
In the end, he concluded with, “When have I ever tricked you? Tell me, Tingting.”
Unable to withstand the pressure, He Ting obediently emptied several glasses in a row.
His cheeks flushed pink, and his head began to feel light.
Seeing that the timing was right, Jiang Yifan took a box from his bag and placed it in He Ting’s hands.
“Tingting, after all these years, I’ve never given you a proper gift. Now that you’re grown up, I picked this out for you. Don’t be polite with me.”
He Ting looked down at the packaging and was startled.
He knew that watches from this brand cost hundreds of thousands.
It was far too expensive.
He quickly pushed it back.
“Brother Jiang, thank you, but I really can’t accept it. Please take it back.”
Jiang Yifan pressed his hand down gently.
“Tingting, this gift isn’t completely free. I do have something I want to ask of you. Could you help me pass a message to your brother-in-law? Whether it works or not doesn’t matter. I just need the message delivered.”
He Ting lowered his head, looking troubled.
“Brother Jiang, I can help pass along the message, but I won’t interfere. I can only deliver your words. As for the gift, please take it back. It’s really unnecessary.”
He Ting had always been a very pure-hearted person.
Once money entered a relationship, it was no longer just friendship.
And friendship, to him, was too precious.
But Jiang Yifan refused to take it back.
The two of them went back and forth across the table, pushing the box toward each other.
Jiang Yifan kept his hand firmly over He Ting’s, and He Ting, unable to pull away, grew flustered.
The alcohol rushed to his head. His vision blurred, and everything in front of him doubled.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t free his hand.
Helpless, he thought he might as well accept it and return a gift of equal value later.
His family’s finances were comfortable.
His parents owned a small import-export company, and his sister and brother-in-law were also very well off.
Xing Kong’s business was extensive, and although it couldn’t compare with the Wei family, he was highly respected in the industry.
He Ting received spending money from his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law, and combined with what he earned from his part-time work, buying a watch like this was not impossible.
But he had always been frugal.
He had never lacked anything growing up, and he had little desire for material possessions.
As long as something was comfortable and practical, that was enough.
Apart from the clothes and shoes his family bought for him, most of the things he purchased himself were the same as any ordinary college student’s, usually only a few hundred yuan.
In the past two years, since becoming Fei Yang’s model, he hardly even needed to buy clothes.
He had very few expenses.
Spending such a large sum on something unnecessary still made his heart ache.
Just as he was about to accept it with silent pain, a large hand suddenly covered their intertwined hands.
Both He Ting and Jiang Yifan looked up in surprise.
Jiang Yifan, especially, had been moments away from succeeding when someone abruptly interrupted.
His eyes flashed with anger, but the moment he saw who it was, the anger vanished.
Standing beside the table was Wei Chuhan.
Wei Chuhan calmly removed Jiang Yifan’s hand from He Ting’s before turning to look at He Ting.
He Ting’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes misty, and he was resting his chin on his hand, looking at him with complete concentration.
His vision was blurred from the alcohol, and the overlapping shadows made the figure seem strangely familiar.
After staring for a while, he finally remembered who it was.
His eyes curved into a smile.
“Wei Chuhan.”
Jiang Yifan assumed He Ting had recognized Wei Chuhan from television or the internet and, in his drunken state, had casually called him by name.
He immediately kicked He Ting under the table and said nervously, “President Wei, hello. He’s just a kid and doesn’t know any better. Please don’t take offense.”
Wei Chuhan looked at him with dark eyes and said calmly,
“He doesn’t want it.”
Jiang Yifan froze before realizing he was referring to the watch.
He had initially been delighted to run into Wei Chuhan here and had even hoped to build some connections.
But seeing Wei Chuhan’s expression now, he decided it was wiser to keep quiet.
At first, Wei Chuhan had only seen the two of them pulling at each other from a distance, with He Ting seemingly unable to free his hand.
Now he noticed the watch on the table.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He pushed the watch back toward Jiang Yifan, then naturally took He Ting’s hand and said,
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
He Ting was led to his feet in a daze.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back.
“I’ll remember to tell my brother-in-law. Don’t worry.”
He followed Wei Chuhan toward the elevator and only then realized that their hands were still clasped together.
Wei Chuhan’s hand was warm and dry.
In the aggressively air-conditioned restaurant, that warmth felt incredibly precious.
It was like the feeling of crawling into a warm quilt on a freezing winter day, when icy wind roared outside your ears but your whole body was wrapped in gentle warmth.
Simple.
Comfortable.
Safe.
Although He Ting was slightly drunk, his thoughts were still clear.
Embarrassed, he gently withdrew his hand.
“Thank you for helping me out today,” he said softly. “But I can go back by myself. I don’t want to trouble you, President Wei.”
Wei Chuhan simply looked at him without speaking.
Thinking that his gratitude hadn’t sounded sincere enough, He Ting added,
“Then… next time, let me treat you to a meal. Would that be okay?”
A faint smile appeared in Wei Chuhan’s dark eyes.
“Okay. Let’s exchange phone numbers.”
“Oh.”
He Ting took out his phone, unlocked it, and was about to ask for Wei Chuhan’s number when Wei Chuhan had already taken the phone from his hands.
His gaze casually fell on the wallpaper.
It was Xiao Hua.
The smile in his eyes almost overflowed.
Still smiling, he used He Ting’s phone to call himself, then handed it back.
“Remember to save it.”
“Oh…”
He Ting accepted the phone blankly and slipped it into his pocket.
The elevator arrived.
He Ting stepped out and waved.
“Then I’m leaving. Thank you, President Wei.”
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Chuhan caught his hand again with a smile and pulled him back into the elevator.
He Ting pursed his lips but didn’t protest.
Wei Chuhan looked at him.
“Didn’t I tell you before to call me by my name?”
He Ting remembered.
But after Jiang Yifan had started calling him “President Wei,” he had unconsciously followed along.
After a long pause, he admitted quietly,
“I forgot.”
Wei Chuhan raised an eyebrow with deliberate amusement.
“You forgot my name?”
He Ting nearly choked on his own saliva.
“N-no…”
The young man leaned against the elevator wall, shyly pressing his lips together.
His eyes were lowered, and his long black lashes trembled faintly.
Looking at his embarrassed expression, Wei Chuhan couldn’t help smiling.
His gaze deepened.
He still wasn’t certain whether this was the person he had been searching for.
He was very similar.
Close enough to give him hope.
Close enough to make him afraid.
Rubbing his forehead, Wei Chuhan thought bitterly that if only he could return to that world one more time.
Then he could ask him.
Ask him who he really was.
But in that world, he had not been Wei Chuhan.
He had possessed none of Wei Chuhan’s memories.
He had been someone else entirely.
Even if he returned, what would it change?
He still wouldn’t remember to ask.
It was a dead end.
An endless loop.
By the time he started the car, He Ting suddenly remembered that he still had to go to Fei Yang’s place for a photoshoot.
Fei Yang had already called him several times.
The products were going online the day after tomorrow, and the photos weren’t finished yet.
He was practically on fire with anxiety.
But Fei Yang’s warehouse was in the western suburbs.
Rubbing his face, He Ting asked,
“Would it be convenient to drop me off in the western suburbs?”
Wei Chuhan nodded.
“Sure. What are you doing there?”
Too embarrassed to admit he worked as a model, He Ting simply said,
“A friend of mine is there. We made plans today.”
Wei Chuhan gave no obvious reaction.
After a while, he said lightly,
“You’re pretty busy.”
On the surface, it sounded like casual conversation.
But for some reason, He Ting felt a faint chill in his tone.
So he smiled awkwardly and fell silent.
Traffic was heavy.
As the car crept forward, He Ting turned to look out the window.
The stop-and-go movement made him drowsy, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
Wei Chuhan glanced sideways and saw He Ting’s little head bobbing gently with every start and stop of the car.
He smiled unconsciously.
“You’re still the same.”
The words slipped out before he realized it.
He fell silent, tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and focused on driving.
When they reached the western suburbs, they arrived at a large industrial park.
The car stopped in front of an old warehouse.
But He Ting was sleeping so peacefully that Wei Chuhan hesitated and chose not to wake him.
Leaning back in his seat, he quietly watched him.
A tiny bead of saliva had gathered at the corner of He Ting’s soft pink lips, making them glisten.
Wei Chuhan’s gaze darkened.
Almost involuntarily, he reached out and gently wiped away the moisture with his thumb.
The memories he had deliberately buried came flooding back.
After Tang Xi died, Gu Qiuhang had wandered through a hazy period of his life.
He numbed himself with cigarettes and alcohol, drifting between life and death.
Then, one day, the child was born.
When he held that tiny, impossibly soft life in his arms and the baby suddenly burst into tears, Gu Qiuhang’s tears became unstoppable.
They fell one after another.
In that moment, he finally woke up.
This was the child he and Tang Xi had created together.
The baby was so small.
So soft.
He trusted him completely.
And in this world, they only had each other.
This was the child Tang Xi had wanted with all his heart.
Gu Qiuhang gave him a terribly ordinary name.
Gu Niantang.
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