Chapter 8
In front of Chen Jie, Xano couldn't let Han stay in the meeting room. He had to take him to the employee lounge at the back. As it was close to work hours, the lounge was empty. Xano asked Han to sit down and said he was going to change his clothes. But Han tightly held onto his hand.
"What's wrong?" Xano, with one hand held by Han, used his other hand to gently lift his chin.
Han didn't want to look up, so Xano had to pinch his chin and, from a superior position, ordered him to "look up."
Han then lifted his head, and there were tears in his big, round eyes.
"Not happy?" Xano let go of his chin, thinking that he probably didn't want to see Chen Jie, so he softened his tone and tried to comfort him. "How about I take you home during lunchtime tomorrow?"
Surprisingly, this made Han even more upset, and his eyes welled up with more tears, threatening to fall.
"Come on, my little ancestor," Xano sighed, "You've got such a good name, but you're full of tears. If I were you, I'd cry too."
Han didn't understand what he meant, but he understood the first sentence and tightly gripped his fingers. "I don't want to be home alone..."
Xano suddenly realized that Han was scared by his statement, "You'll be able to stay home by yourself tomorrow." Han was becoming increasingly reliant on him, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but besides him, who else could Han rely on?
Xano leaned close to Han's ear, put on a mysterious look, and whispered, "Brother lied to her. I'll still take you with me tomorrow."
"Really?" Han asked.
"Of course, why would I lie? Do you trust me?" Xano asked, extending his pinky finger.
Han didn't understand what it meant to "trust" someone, so Xano held his hand, and with one hand, he hooked the little finger, playing along.
Han looked at him with a silly expression, letting Xano have his way. When Xano held him tightly, Han tried to resist the temptation to kiss his teary eyes but managed to smile gently at him. Just as he was about to say something more, the landlady's voice came from outside the door, calling, "Xiao Han, has Mr. Wang arrived? Is the car fixed?"
Xano had to pat Han's head and put on his work uniform, then he went outside.
Mr. Wang's car had been repaired the day before. He had tested the car with his employees, and Xano had helped install a part. He had expected the landlady to find some work for him, but she surprised him by not mentioning it. Instead, she told him to take a break, and he wondered what she was up to.
Busy with work until lunchtime, Xano hadn't had a chance to check on Han. After washing his hands, he hurried to the employee lounge. Some of his colleagues were eating lunch with their sleeves rolled up, and a meal was prepared for Han as well. Chen Jie was handing him disposable chopsticks. When Han saw Xano, he immediately stood up and called out, "Brother!"
"Wow, they are quite close," Chen Jie remarked, "Little Han is here today."
Xano had met Chen Jie a long time ago when Han lived in the dormitory. Whenever she spoke to him, he would lower his gaze and hide behind Xano.
Xano said, "A few days ago, he was scared and not feeling well when it rained. I took care of him for two days. He'll be able to stay home by himself tomorrow."
Han didn't say anything behind Xano but held his hand tightly.
During lunch, Xano and Han were sitting together. Other colleagues had noticed and commented on how close they were, and one of them said loudly, "Are you hungry, Han? If you're hungry, let your brother feed you!"
Xano's face darkened, and he gave the colleague a cold, stern look.
Another colleague, Zhang Yong, mumbled to himself, "Damn... they even share the same bed. What an interesting couple."
Zhang Yong was known to have a gambling problem, and he usually lost his earnings. He was very attentive to the landlady and was always trying to get closer to her. He was frustrated that Xano didn't give the landlady more attention, and this frustration led him to blurt out, "That woman is so promiscuous and wealthy. If it were me, I'd sleep with her a few times first, then ask for some money..."
Xano slapped the table with his chopsticks in frustration. Han watched the commotion, and when he realized that Xano was going to confront Zhang Yong, he suddenly began to scream loudly, seemingly terrified.
In response to the noise, several colleagues rushed over. Xano's menacing appearance momentarily startled them, and they hesitated to intervene. It was only when Han's increasingly high-pitched screams caught their attention that Xano regained some composure. He stormed over and, after giving Zhang Yong a couple of hard kicks on the thigh, he sternly warned, "You say it again!"
Zhang Yong was in too much pain to utter a word.
The commotion attracted more of their coworkers, and they rushed to help Zhang Yong.
Han watched all of this with wide, fearful eyes. He seemed to be waiting for something, with his hand squeezing Xano's fingers tightly, ready to react.
Xano, who had just attacked Zhang Yong, was already regretting his actions. He couldn't believe he had lost control like that in front of Han. He wanted to know why Han didn't want anyone else to touch him, but this wasn't the right time or place. Instead, he squeezed Han's hand and reluctantly pulled his own hand free.
The disposable chopsticks that Chen Jie had prepared for Han were left on the table. Frustrated, she slammed them on the table and left. Xano, however, quickly calmed down and regained his senses. He decided to go back to the employee lounge to check on Han, who had been his primary concern.
Han watched him approach and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Xano nodded and said, "I was just going to get you some food."
Han grinned and said, "You don't want to scold me anymore?"
Xano teased him, "You've learned a new word. Have you ever heard of 'scolding'? It means punishing someone when they do something wrong."
Han asked, "What does 'punishing' mean?"
Xano wrinkled his brows, not sure how to explain. He pulled Han closer and reluctantly decided to tell him, "It means giving someone a penalty when they do something bad."
The taxi arrived at the workshop, and Xano carried Han out of the car. The taxi driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and noticed Han, who had been fast asleep, looking very much like an adult. The driver couldn't see his face clearly, but he still found it a bit unusual. However, he focused on driving and didn't think much of it.
Inside the workshop, Xano filled the basin with water, and they both washed their hands. Han leaned against him and playfully asked, "Why is the water sweet?"
Xano was surprised and replied, "How could water be sweet?"
Han insisted, "It's true. Try it."
As he said this, Han moved closer and kissed Xano's lips gently. This was the second time he had done this, and Xano couldn't avoid it. When their lips met, he had only one thought: it's really sweet.
Han quickly retreated after the kiss, teasing, "You said you wouldn't scold me!"
Xano asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you even know what this means?"
Han struggled to understand the question and couldn't answer.
Xano pressed him, "Do you understand?"
Han said innocently, "What does it mean?"
Xano stared into his eyes and saw trust and reliance. He let go and grabbed Han's chin. "Do you know what it means?"
Han replied, "What does it mean?"
Xano finally relented and said, "Never mind."
Xano carried Han and sat him on the bed while he explained that he had to discuss something with him.
"What is it?" Han asked, playing the part of a big boss.
"Do you want to change your place of residence?" Xano asked.
Han replied nonchalantly, "Okay."
"Is that all?" Xano yelled, "I could have sold you on the market!"
Han replied, "But that wouldn't be okay."
Xano laughed and said, "You're clever. Changing your place of residence means not sleeping here anymore. What do you think?"
Han responded, "Not here anymore, huh?" He turned his head, a little puzzled, and asked, "Where are we going then?"