Chapter 291: Go complain at your company

Conditions were limited, Xu Yanfeng went to the bathroom and took a quick shower; when he came out, he was still wearing a shirt and suit pants, but not neatly—several shirt buttons were undone, the cuffs were loose, and the hem wasn't tucked into his pants.

Zi Heng was still awake, utterly unable to sleep.

Xu Yanfeng lay down beside him, one arm extended horizontally, touching the top of his head.

Zi Heng tilted his head, staring at him for a long while without speaking. Xu Yanfeng lowered his gaze, placing his hand over Zi Heng's eyes. His palm was broad enough to cover Zi Heng's whole face: "What time is it? Hurry up and sleep."

Zi Heng had never slept in the same bed with him before, feeling strange. He pulled away Xu Yanfeng's hand, still remembering what he had said earlier: "Why don't you sleep on the floor?"

Xu Yanfeng choked slightly, turned onto his side, looked at him, and spoke softly: "You really can bear to let your dad sleep on the floor?"

Zi Heng retorted: "You're not my dad."

"……"

During this time together, Xu Yanfeng also noticed that Zi Heng was more mature in thought than most kids his age, perhaps partly due to Xia Xi's education and guidance, and perhaps partly due to the child's innate perceptiveness. In short, he couldn't simply treat him as a clueless little kid.

"How am I not your dad?" Xu Yanfeng said seriously. "You are my and your mother's child; your veins carry our shared blood, which cannot be erased. We are family, the closest people to each other in this world."

Zi Heng didn't quite agree with what he said, so he remained silent.

Xu Yanfeng could sense that Zi Heng still harbored some resistance toward him, though it wasn't as strong as at first and hadn't disappeared completely. He pressed his lips together and, through the blanket, gently patted Zi Heng's body to coax him to sleep.

Zi Heng didn't hear him speak; the surroundings were quiet, a steady weight pressed on him, bringing a sense of safety that dispelled the unease born of the unfamiliar setting. Zi Heng was about to fall asleep when he suddenly heard the man let out a low sigh.

Zi Heng thought it was an auditory hallucination, lifted his eyelids, and saw Xu Yanfeng staring blankly at him.

Xu Yanfeng admitted that he had previously oversimplified things, believing that because he and Zi Heng hadn't spent enough time together, if they lived together longer they would develop feelings, and the child would grow ever closer to him until fully accepting him.

The fact seems not to be so; this child appears to have a knot in his heart.

After thinking it over repeatedly, he still decided to ask clearly: "Why would you rather have Lu Mingji or Zhou Du as your dad instead of me? I want to know the reason."

He couldn't figure out where he had fallen short, actually being outdone by those two.

Zi Heng let out a soft hum: "Why are you asking this?"

"Only by recognizing mistakes can they be corrected—hasn't your teacher taught you that?" Xu Yanfeng also didn't think it shameful for an adult to admit fault before a child, and he said slowly, "Tell me what's wrong, and I can prescribe the right remedy."

Worried that Zi Heng wouldn't understand, Xu Yanfeng explained again: "Prescribing the right remedy means that only by knowing what illness one has and taking the appropriate medicine will the illness improve; otherwise it will never get better."

Zi Heng was nearly dazed by his circling, his mind foggy.

Xu Yanfeng patted his head: "Don't you understand?"

"I understand."

"Then tell me, where am I wrong?"

Zi Heng had his own measure in his heart, but getting him to voice it was extremely difficult.

He wanted to say, why do other kids' fathers stay by their side from a young age, watching them grow up like heroes, always stepping in front of them when trouble arises?

Abroad, his mother alone had to attend school, work, and take care of him and his older sister; where was the so-called father then?

He never showed up even once.

On what grounds does this person claim to be his father and demand unconditional acceptance, merely because of the blood relation he mentions?

He does not agree.

These words weighed on Zi Heng's heart, and he didn't know how to express them.

Xu Yanfeng waited patiently; after a long while, still hearing no reply from Zi Heng, he raised his tone in an "hmm" and leaned in to look: "Are you asleep?"

"No." Zi Heng's mood was flat as he asked the most direct question: "You say you're my dad, so why have you never come looking for me and my mother?"

Xu Yanfeng was stunned by the question, his throat tightening slightly.

Zi Heng added: "Uncle Lu has helped us a lot, and my godfather visits us when he has time."

So he thought it wouldn't be strange to have either of them as his dad.

Xu Yanfeng remained silent for a long time, then sighed. This little brat was far more formidable than he imagined; a single sentence pierced straight to his heart.

Zi Heng was absolutely right; he had nothing to argue with.

"A few years ago, your mother and I split due to some misunderstandings; she went abroad, I couldn't overcome my psychological barrier, didn't dare to look for her, and didn't know of your existence." Xu Yanfeng tried to explain that past in terms the child could understand, omitting overly complex details unsuitable for him.

Zi Heng didn't know how to respond; he wasn't clear on what had happened between the adults.

Xu Yanfeng paused a few seconds, then continued: "I'm renewing my pursuit of your mother; she seems to still like me—I shouldn't say 'seems,' she probably hasn't forgotten me. Anyway, telling you this is pointless since you wouldn't understand. You just need to remember one thing: although you may not be happy about it now, I will forever stay by your side and your mother's from now on."

After hearing his words, Zi Heng calmly said: "You're really confident. My mother hasn't even agreed to you."

"It's just a matter of time." He still had that confidence.

"I don't need you to accompany me." Zi Heng said stubbornly.

"Fine then, you and I—we'll accompany your mother and protect her together; would that work?"

Zi Heng offered no further objection, opened his mouth for a long yawn, turned over, and nudged toward him—he was genuinely tired, having never stayed up this late before.

Xia Xi woke up very early, before five, and outside it was still dark.

As soon as she opened her eyes, Xu Yanfeng noticed. After getting Zi Heng to sleep, he rose from the sickbed chair, moved a seat to the bedside to keep watch, and hadn't closed his eyes all night.

Afraid that a sudden sound would startle Xia Xi, Xu Yanfeng gripped her hand tightly, leaned slightly forward, to let her know he was there.

Xia Xi felt the pressure on her hand, slowly turned her head, and in the dim light saw Xu Yanfeng's face—light and shadow distinct, sharp as an old movie still, giving an unreal feeling.

"Does it still hurt?" Xu Yanfeng asked softly.

"No." Xia Xi's voice was a little hoarse, recalling last night's agony as if she were dying, "What's wrong with me?"

After arriving at the hospital, her consciousness became clouded, and she didn't know anything that happened afterward.

Xu Yanfeng relayed the doctor's exact words to her; as he spoke, his voice grew progressively harder and his expression more stern, no longer gentle, finally emphasizing: "The doctor said it might be damage to the stomach's mucosal protective barrier due to irregular eating habits."

Irregular eating habits.

Who knows how she spent her day at the company.

He didn't know what her condition had been before, but since moving in to live with him, they've been eating breakfast and dinner together. However, Zi Heng said she had stomach trouble while abroad, likely accumulated then, and recently, neglecting it caused it to flare up.

Xia Xi fell silent, then asked: "Can I be discharged today?"

Xu Yanfeng reached out and pressed on her forehead, as if to calm her: "Xia Xi, you're a person, not a machine; having undergone surgery, you should at least stay a few days in the hospital before we talk about leaving."

Xia Xi muttered: "It's just removing a polyp."

Xu Yanfeng was rendered speechless by her casual tone.

Xia Xi saw his face change repeatedly, getting worse, as if he was angry at her. She pursed her lips, thinking Xu Yanfeng was also concerned about her, so she didn't argue, and conceded: "I'll follow the doctor's advice; I'll do whatever the doctor says."

Xu Yanfeng's complexion eased a little: "From now on I'll strictly control your three meals a day; if you're perfunctory again, I..." He seemed not to have thought of anything that could threaten her, he stayed silent for several seconds before saying, "I'll file a complaint at your company."

Xia Xi: "……"

"What a terrible company, making people work overtime to the point of insanity, not even giving time to eat; it might as well go bankrupt."

Xia Xi gave a light cough, reminding him: "I'm a partner at the company."

"……"

"It's an old problem, just more serious this time; I'll pay attention from now on." Xia Xi looked at his choked expression, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted, wanting to laugh but holding it back, her eyes bright and lively.

Like when she was in college.

Xu Yanfeng's heart seemed to be struck; he held the bedrail and stood up, back arched, eyes lowered, taking advantage of her weakness and lack of defense, his lips landed on the corner of her mouth.

A touch and then immediate separation.

Xia Xi froze, her eyelids stopped blinking, she stared fixedly at the person before her, then she heard the man's voice, sounding both helpless and warning: "Can't you stop always arguing with me?"