Chapter 24

Un... Uncle?

Su Xingchuan's eyes went wide with shock, and he stared blankly at Xu Zhengdong.

This time, it was his turn to be dumbfounded.

Xu Zhengdong's face practically screamed 'spectator mode.' The corners of his mouth had already curled up uncontrollably, and his shoulders shook with laughter. He walked over to Su Xingchuan, clapped him on the shoulder, and teased, 'You changed your tune pretty fast. But I gave you hints early on. That day at the restaurant, I locked you two together, remember?'

Xu Zhengdong shook his head and laughed. 'You look so clever, but what a pity, what a pity.'

Su Xingchuan finally, thoroughly, got it.

No wonder Xu Zhengdong had acted so inconsistently that day; no wonder Li Xuan never showed any guilt about 'cheating' from start to finish; no wonder Li Xuan never mentioned a boyfriend; no wonder the first time he met Xu Zhengdong, he felt a sense of déjà vu…

So the nephew takes after the uncle?

Su Xingchuan felt his CPU had fried. What did he just—just call Xu Zhengdong? What did he end up calling him too?

His brain's neural circuitry was reduced to ashes.

Xu Zhengdong had already left to give them some space, but his laughter still echoed in Su Xingchuan's ears. Su Xingchuan was so embarrassed that beads of sweat started forming at his temples.

Li Xuan hadn't fully grasped the situation yet. He tugged at Su Xingchuan's knit sweater from behind and asked, 'What were you two talking about?'

Su Xingchuan turned around and hugged him.

Li Xuan asked him, 'Aren't you cold?'

Su Xingchuan hadn't even had time to put on a coat when he rushed out.

But he wasn't cold at all now—just burning with shame, heat radiating all over his body. He could only hold Li Xuan tight and bite his earlobe to vent his frustration.

Li Xuan flinched from the pain. 'What are you doing?'

'I made a fool of myself in front of your uncle.'

Li Xuan was always a beat slow in front of Su Xingchuan. 'You… misunderstood my relationship with my uncle?'

'You never said anything.'

'You never asked.' Li Xuan sounded perfectly innocent.

'That time I took you home, I saw you getting into your uncle's car. A nurse at your hospital also said there was a very handsome man taking care of you, so I thought you were a couple.'

Li Xuan thought about it, then suddenly had a realization. 'That time you kissed me—'

'It was out of spite,' Su Xingchuan said, then immediately felt it wasn't right and quickly added, 'But I also really wanted to kiss you.'

Li Xuan said, 'You're so dumb, Su Xingchuan.'

But he had also acted foolishly yesterday.

His level of embarrassment matched Su Xingchuan's.

Before Su Xingchuan could say anything, Li Xuan pinched his arm and warned fiercely, 'Don't say it!'

Li Xuan unzipped his down jacket, wanting to wrap Su Xingchuan inside. But he wasn't as tall as Su Xingchuan, nor were his shoulders as broad, so in the end all he could manage was to barely cover Su Xingchuan's arms.

Su Xingchuan bent down to accommodate him, leaning close to his face with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 'Give me a kiss, and I won't say it.'

Li Xuan pursed his lips, unwilling.

Little Doctor Li was gradually shedding his cold disguise, and Su Xingchuan's heart fluttered uncontrollably again. He kissed Li Xuan on the cheek first, then at the corner of his lips.

When Li Xuan leaned closer too, he whispered, 'Just as silly as me, kitty head.'

Li Xuan's face flushed red, and he turned to leave.

Unfortunately, the elevator doors were closed; he had nowhere to go. Su Xingchuan easily trapped him at the elevator entrance, kissed his cheeks over and over, and asked, 'Come over to my place tonight, okay?'

Li Xuan crossed his arms and gave a proud little huff.

.

Xu Nianzhi had someone reach out to Su Xingchuan's mother. She went to Su Xingchuan's hometown in person and met with He Ning.

They arranged to meet at a tea house. Xu Nianzhi arrived early, and then He Ning walked in, her face full of anger.

Xu Nianzhi smiled. 'Hello, Ms. He.'

Skipping all pleasantries, He Ning got straight to the point as soon as she sat down. 'I don't agree. I absolutely do not agree to them being together.'

'I understand how you feel. Twenty years ago, when my own younger brother first told me he liked boys, my reaction was about the same as yours. I also felt the sky was falling—how could this be? I couldn't understand. Both my parents were highly educated—how could they have a homosexual son?'

'Your brother too?'

Xu Nianzhi smiled wryly. 'Yes, so when my son told me he also liked boys, I wasn't even that shocked anymore. I've often reflected on what I might have done wrong to make them abnormal, but I can't find the answer. My family atmosphere, my relationship with my husband, our love for our child—I think there's nothing wrong with any of it. Possibly, he was influenced by his uncle.'

'Why didn't you stop it?'

'I tried to stop my brother. He became rebellious, and to this day, he still doesn't have a stable partner. So I don't want to repeat that mistake with my son.'

He Ning said indignantly, 'Then you'll just let your son ruin my son?'

Xu Nianzhi fell silent. She knew that once the conversation entered this dead end, their talk today would definitely end unhappily. So she took out her phone and showed He Ning a photo.

It was that night when Su Xingchuan walked Li Xuan, who was holding a stack of certificates, home. Li Xuan didn't want to go inside, so Su Xingchuan stood below the steps coaxing him. The porch light was warm-colored, shining on their faces.

There were obvious tear stains on Su Xingchuan's cheeks, but the corners of his mouth curved up in a happy smile. He bent down to touch foreheads with Li Xuan.

He Ning stared at the photo, stunned.

'Ms. He, your son is outstanding; I can tell—natural and poised, very polite,' Xu Nianzhi paused. 'But my son is also good—he's also very well-behaved.'

'During these seven years apart, he went abroad to study alone, then came back and started working at a hospital. He's busy every day, often working night shifts. Actually, with our family's financial situation, even if he didn't work, I could support him for a lifetime. But he wanted to keep himself busy—because when he's busy, he doesn't have to think about Xingchuan.'

The stiffness on He Ning's face began to soften.

'Ms. He.'

He Ning suddenly realized that Xu Nianzhi hadn't called her 'Mrs. Su' or 'Xingchuan's mother.'

'Ms. He, has Xingchuan really been happy all these years?'

He Ning's eyes darted away.

Xu Nianzhi said, 'Anyway, they're only twenty-seven; they still have a long life ahead. Why don't we wait another couple of years and see how they're doing, whether they're truly happy—can we do that?'

He Ning looked at Xu Nianzhi. Her features were gentle and graceful—even with age, you could still see the beauty of her youth. But her words carried more power than her looks, striking He Ning's heart as a fellow mother. These past two days He Ning had been too hysterical and was already exhausted. Xu Nianzhi's words felt like a spring breeze, letting her glimpse another possibility at what she'd thought was a dead end.

What if they really were happy?

She had never thought about it before—what if they were truly happy?

For seven years, no matter how she urged or hinted, or even pushed girls in front of Su Xingchuan, he remained unmoved. He toiled alone in Jiangcheng. Everything was good—his income increased year after year, the gifts he brought back got more expensive each year, and he'd even replaced all the old furniture at home. The neighbors were all envious. But deep down, she knew: her son wasn't happy.

If Li Xuan could make him happy again—

He Ning said nothing.

She didn't say yes, and she didn't say no.

She just sighed, stood up, and left despondently.

Xu Nianzhi watched her walk out of the tea house.

.

That evening, Su Xingchuan made plans to have dinner with Xie Liang and Xue Ningzi.

This was also the first time in seven years that Su Xingchuan formally introduced Li Xuan to his friends.

At the dinner table, Xie Liang, emboldened by alcohol, kept teasing Li Xuan, making Li Xuan so angry that he kicked Su Xingchuan's legs haphazardly under the table.

Su Xingchuan immediately laughed and cut off Xie Liang's teasing.

Xue Ningzi had been observing Li Xuan the whole time. After the meal, when Su Xingchuan had paid the bill, Xue Ningzi whispered to him, 'I feel like he really likes you a lot. He kept looking at you while you were talking.'

Su Xingchuan looked back. Li Xuan was standing on the steps, both hands in his pockets, deliberately turned away so he wouldn't look at Su Xingchuan.

It was just like before, when he'd see Su Xingchuan talking to Yu Qinglan. Su Xingchuan couldn't help but smile, thinking: But he's improved a lot compared to before—he doesn't rush up and throw a tantrum anymore.

Su Xingchuan said smugly to Xue Ningzi, 'He doesn't just like me—he's also very jealous.'

Xie Liang was half-drunk and slurring his words, but he still didn't forget to tease Li Xuan. 'Little Doctor Li, that day he asked me to catch adulterers, and I drove all the way to the entrance of Zhongjin Building—'

Before he could finish, Xue Ningzi pushed him away.

Li Xuan watched them, wanting to say something but holding back.

He wanted to say goodbye, or wish them a happy marriage.

But he didn't seize the chance.

Su Xingchuan walked over. 'Let's go home.'

He held out his hand, and Li Xuan took it.

Su Xingchuan had drunk a little, so he didn't drive. He checked the map on his phone—the restaurant was less than two kilometers from Xinchen Mansion, very close. Su Xingchuan asked, 'Take a taxi?'

Li Xuan shook his head. 'Let's walk back.'

So they walked back hand in hand.

On the way, Su Xingchuan talked a lot about life after graduation. Midway, noticing Li Xuan was silent, he asked softly, 'What about Xuanxuan?'

'There's nothing much to tell.'

Su Xingchuan was puzzled. 'How can that be?'

'I'm not a very interesting person. I don't have many friends; most of the time only my uncle hangs out with me.'

It smelled a bit like a pity play, but Su Xingchuan fell for it every time.

A flicker of heartache passed through Su Xingchuan's eyes. He intertwined his fingers with Li Xuan's and promised, 'From now on, I'll be the one to hang out with you.'

Li Xuan blinked, and the corner of his mouth quirked up.

Worried Li Xuan might be cold, Su Xingchuan pulled the zipper of his down jacket all the way up, turned his sweater collar up, fastened every snap on his hood securely, and then asked, 'Why didn't you wear a scarf?'

Li Xuan tilted his head up to look at him, didn't answer the question, and suddenly blurted out, 'Su Xingchuan, I missed you so much.'

Su Xingchuan was stunned for a moment before noticing there were glimmers of tears in Li Xuan's eyes.

Su Xingchuan pulled him a little tighter into his arms.

'If you'd been bad to me, I could have accepted it. But you were so good to me. When we broke up, I was so sad. I didn't want to say all those things—I only wanted to be with you.'

Su Xingchuan's voice also caught a little. 'I know.'

'During my internship, I accidentally hurt my hand—even worse than that time before. It was the palm of my hand, but you weren't there by my side.'

Li Xuan buried his face against Su Xingchuan's shoulder.

Muffled, he said, 'Hate you.'

Su Xingchuan couldn't imagine how this delicate darling, without his care, had gotten through all these years. He could only hold Li Xuan tightly and say softly, 'I won't leave again, baby.'

Su Xingchuan brought Li Xuan home.

As soon as they closed the door, he pushed Li Xuan against the wall.

Li Xuan let out a little whimper, instantly igniting Su Xingchuan's desire. All restraint, all reason, was thrown aside.

Winter really is a season unsuited for passion. Su Xingchuan fumbled for quite a while before he managed to get Li Xuan's down jacket off. He tossed the jacket onto the back of a nearby chair, then wrapped his arms around Li Xuan's slender waist and bent down to kiss him. Li Xuan also raised his arms and looped them around Su Xingchuan's neck. Like dry tinder meeting a spark, passion was ready to ignite at any moment.

His hands roamed Li Xuan's waist, pressing him closer. Neither of them could control their bodies' longing for each other. Su Xingchuan's breathing grew heavier, but in the next second, he suddenly stopped.

He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled away from Li Xuan's lips.

Li Xuan's eyes were misted over, looking pure and innocent. He asked dazedly, 'What's wrong?'

Su Xingchuan collapsed against Li Xuan, pained, and said, 'Little Doctor Li, you have to take responsibility for me for life.'

Li Xuan caught on. 'Does it still hurt?'

Su Xingchuan didn't say a word.

Li Xuan thought for a moment, then said considerately, 'It's okay. Even if you can't now, you were very capable before.'

…

Li Xuan felt he wasn't being sincere enough, so he added, 'Men naturally decline after twenty-five anyway—'

Before he could finish, Su Xingchuan sealed his lips with a kiss.