Chapter 34

34th Meow

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Xingfu Garden Community Building 14 Homeowners Group

[Xiao Wei 21×3: F***, f***, did you guys see that person downstairs?]

[Smiling Wind: Ah, that rich guy? Did he get robbed?]

[Building 14, Unit 3302: … Can someone from the property management come and help him back? There’s a man downstairs with his face covered in blood, and the kids at home are scared and crying, afraid to go back home.]

[Attachment.jpg]

[smile:^[1]Written as English in raw. Seriously, he’s covered in blood. I don’t know what happened to the rich guy. But a handsome guy is a handsome guy. Even if his face is covered in blood, he’s still handsome like a model standing there motionless.]

[Smiling Wind: Has no one gone over to help him?]

[Xiao Wei 21×3: I wanted to, but I’m a bit scared to approach him.]

[smile: When I passed by, I wanted to ask if he needed to go to the hospital, but he just kept looking up at the sky and ignored me.]

[Smiling Wind: Haha, not enough charm from the beauty, huh…]

[Building 14, Unit 3302: Where is the property owner? That guy has been standing there for so long, why hasn’t anyone done anything?]

…

…^[2]This was added twice

If it weren’t for the inexplicable urge to glance at the homeowners’ group on his phone, He Yunzhou would never have believed that Huo Zheng, looking like the protagonist of a horror movie, would be standing downstairs from his home, dazed and covered in blood.

In the picture casually sent by one of the homeowners, the blood-covered man was staring at the sky. His profile was quite handsome, but the bloodstains on his body were starkly visible.

He Yunzhou couldn’t believe it and double-checked the time the messages were sent in the WeChat group, then rushed to the balcony to look down.

From the height of the 23rd floor, Huo Zheng’s figure looked small. Yet, even so, that patch of gray in He Yunzhou’s field of vision instantly made him panic.

Instinctively, he grabbed his phone, wanting to confirm if there was a mistake. After all, someone like Huo Zheng should never appear so disheveled…

But the moment those messages were sent, He Yunzhou realized he didn’t need any confirmation at all.

He knew it was Huo Zheng, he didn’t need a reason, he just knew.

Without a moment to think, He Yunzhou hurriedly turned off the stove and then dashed downstairs.

When he arrived at the front of the residential building as fast as he could, Huo Zheng looked at him as if he had been severely startled.

“Huo Zheng? My god… Are you alright? ” He Yunzhou panted heavily as he ran up to Huo Zheng and asked anxiously.

Huo Zheng stared at He Yunzhou in a daze, his lips moving but not uttering a word for a long while.

This made He Yunzhou’s heart tighten suddenly.

He didn’t have time to think too much. He directly approached Huo Zheng and carefully examined the wounds on his face.

In fact, the wounds weren’t very serious, but they were too long and narrow—Moreover, they appeared so precisely on Huo Zheng’s breathtakingly handsome face, making them even more shocking by contrast.

Not to mention, Huo Zheng’s shirt under his jacket was stained with blood.

Seeing Huo Zheng’s wounds and bloodstains, tiny beads of sweat from anxiety appeared on He Yunzhou’s forehead and the tip of his nose.

“Did someone do something to you, or did you have an accident? Is there no one to take care of you? I’ll take you to the hospital…” He said hurriedly to Huo Zheng.

However, Huo Zheng just kept looking at him deeply, without making any sound.

In the increasingly dim twilight, Huo Zheng’s green eyes looked particularly profound and especially difficult to understand.

He Yunzhou almost started feeling uncomfortable under Huo Zheng’s extremely focused gaze. He followed Huo Zheng’s eyes to look at himself and only then realized, belatedly, that in his rush, he hadn’t had time to change clothes.

He was still wearing the apron he used for cooking, with indoor plush slippers on his feet. Oh, right, he even forgot to bring his phone.

Fortunately, in his haste, he remembered to grab his keys, which made He Yunzhou feel a bit more at ease.

He Yunzhou’s face flushed slightly. After a moment’s pause, he said, “Wait for me; I’ll go change clothes—No, wait, you come upstairs with me first. I’ll help you treat your wounds, and then we’ll go to the hospital…”

With that, he grabbed Huo Zheng’s wrist and hurriedly led him toward his home. Huo Zheng didn’t speak or resist, allowing He Yunzhou to pull him along forcefully, step by step.

Along the way, Huo Zheng seemed immersed in another world. His expression was hazy and dreamy, yet his eyes were filled with an unusually intense and complex emotion.

However, this state fell on his eyes and it only amplified He Yunzhou’s panic and worry tenfold.

He Yunzhou had never seen Huo Zheng like this before. The pride and aloofness that usually surrounded the man seemed to have vanished entirely, leaving only endless confusion and vulnerability.

Even He Yunzhou didn’t know why he was so anxious seeing Huo Zheng in this state.

After opening the door, He Yunzhou carefully led Huo Zheng into the room and settled him on the sofa.

Then he hurriedly crouched by the storage cabinet, starting to rummage through it:

“I’ll get a first aid kit. We’ll treat your wound first, and then wait for me to change clothes. I’ll take you to the hospital…”

“There’s no need. ” It was only then that Huo Zheng suddenly spoke, interrupting He Yunzhou.

“It’s evening rush hour now, and it might take a while to… What?” He Yunzhou was holding the first aid kit he had just found and almost didn’t react.

“I said there’s no need,” Huo Zheng said calmly, sitting upright on the sofa, “Actually, this wound had already been treated medically earlier. It looks scary but it’s not serious. Sorry, did I frighten you?”

As he spoke, Huo Zheng slightly turned his head to look at his clothes, showing a faint, bitter smile.

“I only managed to have my assistant get me a new jacket. I thought it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t change my shirt, but now I see that I was too careless…” While saying this, Huo Zheng had completely shed his previous look of confusion and vulnerability.

His eyes were clear, his voice steady, and he seemed particularly calm and composed as if he had fully returned to his normal self.

“…”

He Yunzhou frowned slightly, looking fixedly at such a Huo Zheng.

Huo Zheng shrugged at him.

“If I told you this wound came from a fight with my mom, would you believe it? Haha, it’s not a big deal, but it’s a lot of trouble for you… I really should treat you to another afternoon meal sometime…”

During the time he said this, Huo Zheng’s unusual state completely disappeared. He seemed increasingly calm and relaxed.

Nan Gua, sleepy-eyed, crawled out of the cat bed. Hearing Huo Zheng’s voice, it lazily jumped onto the sofa, rubbing its forehead against Huo Zheng’s arm as a greeting.

“Hey, Nan Gua, finally awake? Have you been eating too well lately? You seem to have gotten fat again…” Huo Zheng lowered his head and smiled as he greeted Nan Gua.

He Yunzhou silently watched Huo Zheng. After a moment, he carried the first aid kit back to the sofa, placed the plastic box on the coffee table, and then sat down beside Huo Zheng.

There was a hint of stiffness in Huo Zheng’s expression, but the stiffness quickly vanished, replaced by a perfect smile.

He Yunzhou lowered his head and also stroked Nan Gua’s soft, fluffy fur.

Huo Zheng watched He Yunzhou petting Nan Gua. After a moment, he lowered his gaze.

He naturally initiated a conversation with He Yunzhou, “I remember you were trying to help it lose weight before. Why hasn’t it worked ah? Nan Gua is still…”

It’s a bit chubby.

Huo Zheng didn’t have time to finish his sentence.

Because at that moment, He Yunzhou suddenly moved closer to him. After a brief hesitation, He Yunzhou raised his hand and somewhat awkwardly put his arm around Huo Zheng’s shoulder.

Huo Zheng’s body stiffened abruptly, caught off guard by He Yunzhou’s sudden hug, almost causing him to bite his tongue.

Bang—

He felt as if fireworks were exploding in his head.

Then came the colorful halos, instantly bursting into bright, smoky blooms in his mind.

What was happening?

What the hell was going on?

Why was Nan Gua so fat?

Why did He Yunzhou—

Why did he suddenly hug me?

Countless thoughts raced chaotically through Huo Zheng’s mind, leaving him completely stunned.

But his body acted before his rational mind could.

The moment that man’s warm body, even carrying a hint of kitchen scents, leaned in, Huo Zheng uncontrollably grabbed him and tightly wrapped his arms around his waist.

He buried his head in He Yunzhou’s shoulder, breathing deeply.

Warmth seeped in, bit by bit, through the parts of their bodies that were touching.

The sensation on his skin and the sharpness of his nerves seemed to awaken only now…

The pain he hadn’t noticed at all in the hotel began to slowly spread from his wounds.

But strangely, although it was painful, Huo Zheng didn’t find it uncomfortable at all. Something warm slowly rose within his body, enveloping all the dark emotions that had been suppressed deep in his soul.

“It’s okay…” He Yunzhou said softly to Huo Zheng.

He didn’t know why he said that nor did he know what had happened to Huo Zheng.

But he knew that at this moment, he wanted to extend his arms and give some support to the man in front of him who seemed about to collapse.

“He Yunzhou… I…” Huo Zheng’s body trembled slightly. He involuntarily murmured the other’s name, his fingertips tightly gripping He Yunzhou’s clothes.

“I’m here.” He Yunzhou responded.

These simple two words made Huo Zheng’s heart ache.

…

As for He Yunzhou, the moment he hugged Huo Zheng tightly, he also froze.

His heart was pounding.

If he thought with logic and reason, there was no way he would so openly hug another man… but what truly controlled his body was something else.

Instinct, emotion, or perhaps intuition?

He Yunzhou couldn’t provide any answers.

The moment He Yunzhou saw Huo Zheng wearing a blood-stained shirt, smiling and joking about the origin of his wound, he knew he couldn’t just ignore this person.

Huo Zheng actually hid it very well.

Even injured, Huo Zheng presented himself with a high and aloof demeanor, exceptionally stern. Otherwise, other residents wouldn’t have complained about him scaring their children, nor would so many residents in the WeChat group have been infatuated with and concerned about him while being too afraid to approach him in reality.

Even his facade in He Yunzhou’s home was flawless.

But the person Huo Zheng met was He Yunzhou.

No one understood better than He Yunzhou how much sorrow it took for a person to use humor to hide their sadness.

No one was more perceptive than He Yunzhou in detecting the pain beneath a smile.

It was like when he once passed by the adoption area of a pet hospital and saw that fierce and skinny cat in a dirty wire cage.

Everyone told him how aggress that cat was and how much it liked to attack people.

But He Yunzhou just knew that all of the cat’s threats, including the rough hissing forced from deep in its throat, were merely to conceal its near-breaking point.

It was like the current Huo Zheng.

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The author has something to say:

Meanwhile, Pumpkin, who was squeezed between two large men: “…”

“I don’t know what I did wrong. Others fall in love, and I get attacked about my weight.” — by Nan Gua

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And I don’t know when I’ll get to the part where they have a meal together…

Mr. He and Mr. Huo finally had a second hug.

Mr. Huo, don’t cry, don’t cry, the pain will fly away~

✿✿ヽ(°▽°)ノ✿