Ke Qin cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation. He had more or less guessed who the strikingly handsome young man before him was. The realization surprised him, yet it also seemed perfectly reasonable. Having already met Zhi Li’s parents, Ke Qin had assumed their son could hardly be unattractive, but he had not anticipated the power of inheritance being quite so astonishing. Zhi Li was so beautiful that he hardly appeared real. With an unnatural expression, Ke Qin turned toward Ke Bu.
Ke Bu had even less idea what he should do next. Everything had happened far too suddenly, so all he could do was tug at Zhi Li’s sleeve. “This is Zhi Li.”
Ke Qin nodded. “Send your mother a message and ask her to come over. It’s time we sat down and had a proper talk with the two of you.” An awkward silence followed. Of course, the only people who found it awkward were Ke Qin and Ke Bu. Without even offering a greeting, Zhi Li walked directly past Ke Qin and into the house, sweeping a cold glance around the room. Ke Bu followed furiously and grabbed him. “Do you have any manners at all? What did your parents teach you?!” The moment the question left his mouth, he realized how foolish it was. Zhi Li’s parents were hardly respectable people themselves. “Pretend I didn’t say anything. At the very least, you should call him ‘Uncle’ with some enthusiasm. Even if you have to fake it, at least try!”
Zhi Li turned around, looking genuinely puzzled. “You become inexplicable in the strangest situations.”
“Don’t use that expression to criticize me. This is how the normal world works.”
“The world you normal people live in is always inexplicable.”
“For a moment, that actually sounded profound—bah! This isn’t the time to discuss that!!” Although Ke Bu appeared to be bantering with Zhi Li as usual, his heart had long since begun pounding wildly, and his entire body had gone taut. He was only pretending to be calm. Talking to Zhi Li was the sole thing keeping the oppressive tension from overwhelming him; every frightened emotion inside him instinctively reached toward Zhi Li for support.
“It’s fine. I’m already used to it.” Ke Qin pointed toward the coffee table. “Go pour our guest some tea.”
“Okay.” Ke Bu had just started forward when he turned back. “What do you mean, you’re already used to it?”
“Didn’t he tell you? His parents came here first a while ago.”
Ke Bu turned his head and, from an angle Ke Qin could not see, mouthed furiously at Zhi Li through clenched teeth. The message was probably something along the lines of: Your parents came here and you didn’t even tell me? I’m going to kill you.
Zhi Li ignored Ke Bu’s expression, picked up the remote, and switched on the television. He had already made himself completely at home. Ke Bu went into the kitchen to fetch cups, while Zhi Li changed channels and asked calmly, “Uncle, what have you decided?”
Ke Qin was somewhat taken aback by Zhi Li’s directness. He steadied himself and sat on the sofa. “We’ll discuss it once Ke Bu’s mother arrives.”
Zhi Li had inherited his nature from Lan Yin and Zhi Zuo Si. In the same way, Ke Bu had inherited his from Ke Qin and Wu Qian. They always avoided confronting the true heart of a problem, delaying whenever possible and refusing to bring anything unpleasant into the open.
Zhi Li tapped his fingers lightly against his knee and spoke in a quiet voice. “No matter how long you consider it, you’ll agree in the end.”
“You’re that certain?” A trace of mockery toward the arrogance of youth appeared on Ke Qin’s face.
“Anything I truly want becomes mine.”
“In my eyes, you’re still only a child. Don’t speak as though everything is already settled. I dislike young people who make grand claims without anything to support them. I understand that you’re young and proud, but you still need to be more grounded. With an attitude like yours, you expect me to entrust Ke Bu to you?”
“If I put on a polite act, would you agree?” The question left Ke Qin unable to respond. Zhi Li held his gaze, his eyes a beautiful, profound black. His voice hovered somewhere between coldness and warmth. “Uncle, I need to correct one mistake. I came here for a single purpose: to make you acknowledge our relationship. I didn’t come to ask you to hand Ke Bu over to me. I told you already—what I want is mine. And Ke Bu is already mine.”
“You…” Before Ke Qin could continue, the doorbell rang. The moment Wu Qian entered and saw Zhi Li, she froze as well. That was everyone’s reaction upon meeting him for the first time.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Zhi Li said. Even though he had deliberately softened his voice, his tone was no longer the real problem.
Ke Bu emerged carrying two cups of tea. After greeting Wu Qian, he noticed Ke Qin’s unpleasant expression. Unsure what the two men had discussed, he tried to change the subject. “When did Zhi Li’s parents come here?”
“Last Tuesday.”
Ke Bu had always been quick-witted, and something suddenly occurred to him. “Dad, when I came home that day, your face looked red and swollen. Did they do that?”
“N-No,” Ke Qin denied, attempting to conceal it. After all, he could hardly explain why Zhi Zuo Si had punched him, nor did he want to.
Ke Bu immediately rushed to Zhi Li’s side and glared at him, growling in a low voice, “Your parents actually hit my father. What is that supposed to mean?!”
Zhi Li did not show the slightest remorse. “Those two bastards. I specifically told them not to hit anyone.”
“And that’s all you have to say?” Ke Bu was both furious and indignant, although deep down he understood what Lan Yin and Zhi Zuo Si were like. They would not strike someone without a reason.
“What else do you want? Tell your parents to hit them back. I don’t mind.” Zhi Li shrugged.
Ke Bu pointed a trembling finger at him. “Your entire family has some nerve!”
This was already the umpteenth time the two of them had begun talking among themselves right in front of Ke Qin. Ke Qin and Wu Qian watched silently from the side. Ke Bu’s youthful face was alive with vivid emotion. Whether he was angry, furious, or complaining, a warm glow remained in his eyes. How long had it been since they had last seen him like this? They had believed Ke Bu had changed, but only now did they realize that he had never changed at all. Only the way he behaved around them had changed. Zhi Li was right. This side of Ke Bu belonged only to him, because Zhi Li was the one who could bring it to life.
Lan Yin and Zhi Zuo Si’s words had left them thinking for a long time. They still did not want to accept the relationship, and they truly hated having to admit what stood before them, but how could they fail to see it? Ke Bu’s gaze followed Zhi Li without pause; delight occasionally flickered across his face; his hand kept reaching out almost unconsciously to tug at Zhi Li’s clothes; and the love inside him stirred restlessly, always on the verge of overflowing. With every small gesture displayed so plainly before them, how could they possibly pretend not to see?
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