33rd Meow

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The teapot Huo Xiaoyun threw at Huo Zheng didn’t actually hit him, but when it shattered against the wall, shards of porcelain coincidentally grazed Huo Zheng’s face, leaving a shallow, narrow mark on his cheekbone.

Normally, he would have noticed such an injury right away. However, Huo Zheng, who had stormed out of the VIP room, was so immersed in his dark mood that he only realized the slight sting on his cheek when the lobby manager pointed it out to him.

It wasn’t a serious wound, but the bleeding was significant. By the time Huo Zheng became aware of the injury, his collar and shirt were already stained a rather frightening dark red.

This explained the horrified expressions of the waiters who had seen him, as well as the lobby manager’s look as if the sky was about to fall: If a guest as distinguished as Huo Zheng sustained such a visible injury within the hotel, and if he were the type to hold a grudge, the hotel’s management would likely face severe consequences. However, Huo Zheng knew that things wouldn’t escalate to that point. For one, he wasn’t an unreasonable person, and for another, he wasn’t particularly bothered by the injury.

In fact, despite the blood still trickling from the wound on his face, Huo Zheng’s mood was oddly sweet and joyful. He even had the presence of mind to reassure the panic-stricken lobby manager before heading straight home after a simple treatment at the hotel’s medical center.

Of course, before leaving, he took the opportunity rather reservedly to reply to He Yunzhou’s invitation.

[Huo Zheng: Alright.]

…

Sitting in the smooth and comfortable car, Huo Zheng kept unconsciously rubbing his phone, occasionally turning on the screen to look at the messages He Yunzhou had sent afterward.

[A Little Boat Swaying: The chicken soup is already simmering. I’m using an earthen pot this time so it will take a long time. If you’re busy, there’s no need to rush. I’ll be waiting for you all night.]

Huo Zheng couldn’t help but linger on that last sentence for a long time, his lips pressed tightly together, yet his heart felt itchy and sweet.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t, the warm body and bright, moist eyes of He Yunzhou from the last time he got drunk kept replaying in Huo Zheng’s memory like a carousel.

This “waiting for you all night” must have another meaning, right?

Huo Zheng was obsessively analyzing these words in his mind.

His heart raced, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hu…”nAfter a long while, Huo Zheng leaned against his forehead dejectedly and couldn’t help but sigh.

He realized that sometimes, he really couldn’t figure out what He Yunzhou was thinking.

Judging from the text messages, their breakup this time didn’t seem to affect He Yunzhou’s clumsy and outdated communication method.

Huo Zheng reluctantly gave He Yunzhou a way out, allowing him to return to his side once again…

But He Yunzhou was still too shy to utter any extra sweet words; the bravest hint he could muster was a pot of chicken soup and the simple sentence, “I’ll be waiting for you all night.”

In truth, Huo Zheng had hesitated before.

He knew he shouldn’t be so indecisive, so wavering, continually overturning the previous resolutions he had made. He should have made a clean break with He Yunzhou—

But then, how could it be that He Yunzhou had such bad luck today? How could it be that he happened to see that man sitting intimately with another woman in a high-end restaurant’s lobby?

How could it be that he had to meet with Huo Xiaoyun today and once again have his heart wounded by that woman?

So, it could only be said that it was He Yunzhou’s own fault…

Today, Huo Zheng is more selfish than ever before.

He no longer cared if he might hurt that stupid man, He Yunzhou, later on. At this moment, he only wanted to use that man’s gentleness and deep affection to let himself breathe a little.

Yet, as Huo Zheng repeatedly hypnotized himself into believing that everything was He Yunzhou’s fault and that it was that man who wanted to come back to him at this inappropriate time…

[“…Look in the mirror yourself, you and I are so alike. One day, you’ll understand,…”]

Huo Xiaoyun’s neurotic whispers before parting echoed like a ghost in Huo Zheng’s mind.

“Pa…”

Huo Zheng’s hand trembled, and his phone instantly fell to the ground.

The initial joy and excitement he felt about reconciling with He Yunzhou ebbed away like the tide, leaving only bone-chilling coldness.

Just at that moment, Huo Zheng received another message from He Yunzhou.

[A Little Boat Swaying: How about we have something simple tonight? We can press some fine noodles ourselves and put them in the chicken soup. What do you think?]

Huo Zheng stared blankly at the phone screen. At that moment, it seemed as if he could see through the glass screen to He Yunzhou’s gentle eyes, free of any shadow or calculation.

Suddenly, Huo Zheng felt that he… was very frightened.

“Am I really that much like my mother?” He suddenly raised his head and looked at the old driver in the front seat.

Driver Old Chen had been working for the Huo family for many years. Seeing Huo Zheng, covered in blood, get into the car, he had been watching his young master with worried glances through the rearview mirror.

From the sweet smile when he first got into the car to the sudden icy demeanor, Huo Zheng’s abrupt changes in mood, from joy to frostiness, were alarming from any perspective.

At this moment, when he suddenly heard Huo Zheng’s question, Old Chen’s breath hitched, and he almost stepped on the wrong pedal.

“Mr. Xiao Huo…”

After hesitating and then hesitating again, Old Chen finally couldn’t help but cautiously speak at a traffic light.

“You do resemble the young miss quite a bit. After all, she is your mother, so it’s inevitable.” However, in terms of personality, you and the young miss are quite different—

Old Chen was still debating whether to say another word of comfort when he heard Huo Zheng suddenly let out a cold, bitter laugh.

“Heh… Forget it…”

Huo Zheng gripped his phone tightly like a drowning man desperately clutching a fragile piece of driftwood.

“Old Chen, change the destination. I’m not going back to Xingfu Garden today.” Huo Zheng’s voice was hoarse as he spoke to Old Chen.

And while saying this, he was staring blankly at the messages from He Yunzhou on his phone screen

Only after a long while, with cold and stiff fingers, did he tremble as he typed a new reply on the phone screen—

[Huo Zheng: Sorry, something came up today, and I can’t get away. Regrettably, I won’t be able to come to your place for dinner as promised.]

Forget it, I’ll let you off. Huo Zheng said to He Yunzhou in his heart.

He waited for a long while, but after sending that message, He Yunzhou never replied.

Clearly, the decision to let go was his own idea.

But at this moment, Huo Zheng didn’t know why his heart was slowly sinking, sinking to the deepest, darkest, and coldest depths.

He Yunzhou didn’t try to stop him.

Watching as the car slowly passed the road leading to the Xingfu Garden community, Huo Zheng, looking ashen and haggard, put down his phone. He slowly leaned his head back, resting it against the seat.

At this moment, Old Chen’s stiff question rang out, “Mr. Xiao Huo, where do you plan to go today?”

Huo Zheng opened his mouth, about to casually name a place, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Yes, where was he going?

The Huo Family’s old residence?

No, there’s no way he’s going back to the place where he grew up. Huo Xiaoyun was in City A today, and it was just the time she needed to curry favor with Old Mr. Huo. She was surely there, playing the role of the good daughter, clinging to Old Mr. Huo’s arm.

Going back to the office to work overtime? Huo Zheng dismissed this idea. He had previously let himself stay at the office, but he couldn’t ignore the additional pressure this put on the project team because of his actions.

Those luxurious residences he had prepared in City A before?

Just thinking about those cold, dead, and massive rooms made Huo Zheng instinctively develop a serious resistance. He didn’t want to stay in that kind of place; it made him feel like he was being consumed by something.

A bar or a hotel? No, some people had figured out his preferences and often loitered around those places pretending to run into him by chance… Today, Huo Zheng had no desire to deal with those people.

Huo Zheng thought for a long time, so long that he realized Old Chen had been driving around the same block repeatedly. It dawned on him that in such a large city, he seemed to have no place where he could find peace.

Except… He Yunzhou’s home.

Food, cat, a small, messy, yet warm home.

Huo Zheng had never realized how much he longed for that place.

“It’s better to return to the Xingfu Garden neighborhood.” By the time he realized it, Huo Zheng had already instructed Old Chen as such.

……

However, even if he unconsciously returned to that shabby and noisy neighborhood, Huo Zheng still had no place to stay.

Old Chen had long driven away, while Huo Zheng stood pensively under the building of Block 14 in the Xingfu Community, staring blankly at the floors gradually lighting up in the twilight.

One floor, two floors, three floors…

Huo Zheng subconsciously counted the floors up to He Yunzhou’s home.

It seemed that just looking at that person’s home from a distance could warm his heart a little.

“Twenty-third floor.”

When he counted to the twenty-third floor, which was He Yunzhou’s home, Huo Zheng’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.

There was someone on He Yunzhou’s balcony.

And that person was leaning over, seemingly looking at him.

Huo Zheng’s phone buzzed. When he took it out to look, it was a message from He Yunzhou.

[A Small Boat Swaying: Huo Zheng??]

[A Small Boat Swaying: The person downstairs is you, right? What’s wrong???!!!]

A string of question marks and exclamation points, He Yunzhou’s anxiety and concern, instantly came rushing at him.

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The author has something to say:

Mr. Huo: I love him. No, I don’t love him. But I love him. No, I can’t love him… (tearing flower petals)

He Yunzhou: Ah, let’s have some thin noodles cooked in chicken soup tonight~ (simple and happy)