bedroom.
The door of the storage room was wide open and miscellaneous items were piled all over the floor.
Ye Ci squatted in front of the suitcase and stuffed a pair of sneakers wrapped in a plastic bag into the tight space.
According to the requirements, Ye Ci should cooperate with Huo Tinglan to complete the relevant civil affairs procedures within one week after the marriage agreement takes effect and move to the Huo residence for long-term residence, so as to provide pheromones to Huo Tinglan at any time. The procedures were completed on the day of signing the agreement. Ye Ci had delayed the move for a few days, but finally could not delay any longer. Chu Wenlin directly instructed the driver during dinner this morning to return to the Chu residence at 1 pm to send Ye Ci and his luggage to the Huo family.
Ye Ci had very few things of his own, taking up less than half of the suitcase, but after Ye Hongjun's old house was sold, there were a lot of old things cleared out, and he was reluctant to throw away any of them.
The home where he had lived with his mother for seventeen years was gone, and these miscellaneous items carrying memories were his only remaining thoughts.
When Ye Ci moved from the rental house to the Chu residence, Chu Wenlin's first wife, Ruan Jiayi, came to see him. She was a beautiful omega who looked so young and graceful. She lifted her skirt lightly like she was wading into a quagmire, and tiptoed through the gap between the luggage to avoid her ankles getting in contact with the things on both sides. She didn't say anything unpleasant, but just gently told Ye Ci to tell her if he was not used to living in a certain place. After she finished speaking, her eyes swept across Ye Hongjun's old clothes in the storage room, and she curled her lips slightly with an ambiguous meaning.
Real contempt is often not as vicious and sarcastic as in soap operas. Those people will maintain the illusion of being well-educated, and calmly and pretending to be unintentional, crush the dignity of others into as thin as paper.
The non-woven luggage bag he had used when he came here had long been thrown away as garbage by the servants. Ye Ci collected a few sturdy cardboard boxes. He had to take all the things away, otherwise 80% of the remaining things would be swept into the garbage station by the servants.
Ye Ci packed up three full cartons and moved them to the door, but there were still a lot of miscellaneous items left in the room. Ye Ci stood in the middle of the messy bedroom and looked around. A deep feeling of fatigue surged from his bones and filled his whole body.
He pulled over a chair and sat down to rest, his eyes falling on the edge of the bed.
There were some folded clothes lying there.
Among them was a beautiful camel coat, which Ye Ci had bought during a promotion two years ago as a birthday present for Ye Hongjun.
The brand is not a first-tier brand, but it is still shockingly expensive after the discount, and Ye Ci spent all his savings from odd jobs. The clothes have a good shape, but they are also delicate, afraid of being pressed and folded. Ye Hongjun treasures it very much and is very careful every time she wears it. The last time Ye Ci took it out of the luggage bag, he regretted it. This is his mother's favorite clothes, but he didn't treat it well.
Thinking of his mother, Ye Ci's eyes became sore and painful. He took a deep breath and restrained himself, not daring to allow himself to be weak.
At this time, footsteps were heard at the bedroom door, but Ye Ci didn't pay attention. He was invisible in the Chu family. The servants passed by the door many times this morning, but no one came in to help or ask a question. When Chu Wenlin was not at home, the servants tacitly did not call him even when it was time to eat in order to please Ruan Jiayi.
Unexpectedly, there were two knocks on the door. Ye Ci quickly tilted his head, letting the corner of his eyes brush against his shoulder, and then turned around to look.
The person standing outside the door was Huo Tinglan.
He was wearing only a graphite-colored shirt, the silk was soft and showed the outline of his chest muscles, the cuffs were folded up in two flat folds, and he was not wearing a watch, looking ready to work.
Ye Ci didn't want others to see his vulnerability, so he stared at Huo Tinglan with a tear in his eye, as cold as snow.
"I'm here to pick you up... Your father isn't here, so I came up by myself." Huo Tinglan's gaze lingered on the corners of Ye Ci's slightly red eyes. He saw through something, but didn't ask. He just looked away and looked elsewhere.
This is a guest room, not large in size, with simple furniture. A folding study table is placed next to the window with good lighting. The paint finish imitating bamboo wood grain looks old. Two packaging bags are stuffed in the wastebasket in the corner, with the words "Coconut Bread" and "Red Bean Bread" printed on them. The plastic paper shines with a cheap, nutrition-less luster.
… No wonder he’s so thin.
Huo Tinglan's Adam's apple rolled slowly.
This was the living environment when Ye Ci was eighteen years old.
According to Huo Tinglan's investigation in his previous life, Ye Ci would have lived here for a long time, until Ye Hongjun passed away after medical treatment failed.
The sad news of his mother's death would completely crush him, and Chu Wenlin, who had successfully divided up the inheritance, would regard him as a burden and send Ye Ci, who had already suffered a mental breakdown, to a youth behavioral correction center.
Ye Ci would endure torture for a long time in that dark place, and many of his mental problems arose during that period.
After that, he managed to escape from that place, severed his father-son relationship with Chu Wenlin, and made a living by racing in a second-rate racing track. At that time, he lived in a simple rented house, but he was still obsessed with studying. He would insist on reading books and try to take the adult college entrance examination until the manager of a well-known racing team saw his talent and signed him away...
From the age of eighteen to twenty-two, the four years that Huo Tinglan was absent in his previous life was not long at all.
But for Ye Ci, those were the loneliest and most painful four years. The malice and destruction from his closest relatives were enough to create a haze that would cover his entire life.
At this time, the life assistant was about to come in with a pile of empty storage boxes. Huo Tinglan came to his senses and subconsciously took a step to the side to block the assistant's line of sight into the house. He turned around and took the empty boxes, and signaled the assistant to move the packed boxes at the door.
"How can I help you?" Huo Tinglan asked.
Ye Ci was trying his best to act cold, and was slightly stunned when he heard that. He refused to help reflexively: "No."
Huo Tinglan was silent for a moment, then looked towards the storage room and asked, "Are you taking everything away?"
“…Yes.” He said this, Ye Ci was embarrassed to choke him, and struggled to straighten his tongue and speak properly, “I will clean it up myself.”
Huo Tinglan looked at him for a moment, said nothing more, and began to separate the stacks of storage boxes. He squatted down and packed things one by one. His movements were proper and natural, as if he was supposed to do these things for Ye Ci.
Many of these old things are of commemorative significance: photos of mother and son, various academic awards from Ye Ci's elementary and middle schools, and Ye Hongjun's handwritten parenting diary... Huo Tinglan had never seen any of them in the five years since they were married in the previous life. He didn't know where they were all thrown away. He pulled out a silk handkerchief from his shirt pocket and wiped the light dust on a wooden photo frame. His gesture revealed a kind of hidden cherishment and love. Ye Ci's eyelids burned when he saw him wiping things. He felt inexplicably embarrassed. He felt something was wrong but couldn't explain it. He was silent for a moment, and he missed the opportunity to refuse.
He hesitated for a moment, then dragged an empty box to the wall diagonally opposite to Huo Tinglan, and used it as a base to pack more efficiently. Before he had finished packing for a while, Huo Tinglan's deep voice rang out above his head: "This kind of coat cannot be folded like this."
Two straight trouser legs stopped in front of him, and Ye Ci was startled. The coat that Ye Hongjun treasured the most in his hand had been taken away by Huo Tinglan. His slender and steady fingers wiped the folds, straightened the laces and buckles, and then used a hanger to support it and put it into the dust bag. After finishing, Huo Tinglan handed the dust bag to the assistant and asked the assistant to take it downstairs.
When Huo Tinglan was carefully tidying up his coat, Ye Ci stood far away and looked at him cautiously out of the corner of his eye while he was tidying up.
If you haven't been treated gently for a long time, you will feel unfamiliar and even strange about kindness.
Besides... this kindness itself is a bit strange.
During this time, the housekeeper, Uncle Tong, eagerly sent people to help. Even the most rude families would not let guests come to work. That would be a joke. But Huo Tinglan just said indifferently, "No need to bother you." After saying that, he did not send them away. He continued to tidy up the things, like a performance. Several servants and Uncle Tong did not dare to help, and it was even worse to leave. They stood in the corridor on the second floor and were left alone by Huo Tinglan, which was like standing in the corner. After a long while, several people really couldn't bear the low pressure of the A+ level alpha. With sweat on their foreheads, they retreated awkwardly.
The two of them and their assistant worked until twelve o'clock and finished moving all the things.
Ye Ci threw his schoolbag over his right shoulder and walked down the stairs following Huo Tinglan from a distance. He glanced at Huo Tinglan's tall and straight back from time to time, and the confusion on his face became more and more intense.
Huo Tinglan came all the way to pick him up, and was so meticulous and busy...
If nothing else, he should say thank you.
This is the most basic courtesy.
He was born in poverty, but his upbringing was no worse than that of the upper-class ladies and gentlemen. Ye Hongjun was quiet, well-educated and polite. If she had not been cheated by Chu Wenlin, she would not have ended up living in the slums that were incompatible with her personality.
The fists in the sleeves of his school uniform clenched and loosened. After hesitating for a few rounds, Ye Ci gritted his teeth and ran a few steps to catch up with Huo Tinglan. As soon as he got close, he immediately caught a scorching scent of tequila at the tip of his nose. Before he could open his mouth, his cheeks were already burning hot.
"What's wrong?" Huo Tinglan paused and turned his head to look at him.
"Today..." Ye Ci licked his lips, unsure of how to adjust his expression, and said with a hesitant look: "Thank you, thank you."
Huo Tinglan was too imposing, and with the alpha pheromones leaking out, he gave people a strong sense of oppression when he looked at them. Ye Ci was so depressed by him that he performed poorly. The second half of the sentence only had three words and he stuttered.
Shameful!
Ye Ci wanted to stretch out his tongue and iron it.
I don’t want to open my mouth in front of Huo Tinglan for the next year...
Huo Tinglan lowered his eyes and looked at Ye Ci's face, which was trying hard to hide his annoyance. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, as if he wanted to tease him. After a moment of silence, he said politely, "You're welcome."
Perhaps considering that living together in a cramped space might make Ye Ci nervous, Huo Tinglan took the initiative to suggest that he and Ye Ci ride in two separate cars, and the two arrived at the Huo residence one after another.
When getting in the car, Ye Ci hesitated for a moment, unwilling to ride with an A+ level alpha whose pheromones were highly corrosive. Facts proved that his worry was unnecessary. Huo Tinglan was considerate and gentlemanly in his dealings with others, and every detail made people feel comfortable. It seemed that he really had no intention of relying on the legal marriage relationship to do anything to Ye Ci.
I think too much...
Mr. Huo is not that bad.
Ye Ci held his schoolbag with his head down, twisting the straps awkwardly, rubbing his fingers until they turned red.