Chapter 05 – Speaking

The two had been living under the same roof for about a week. During this time, their interactions were much like those of roommates, limited to brief greetings and a few words here and there.

Due to the previous incident with the housekeeper, He Rong hadn’t found a satisfactory place when he talked to the real estate agency. Plus, Xiang Ning had offered to take care of the household chores, so He Rong hadn’t brought up the matter again. He didn’t know that Xiang Ning had secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he simply wasn’t used to interacting with people too much.

Even the other furniture in the room was bought and delivered by He Rong. It was a lot of stuff, and it took several trips. Xiang Ning eventually retreated to his study.

He Rong, looking at the smiling Assistant Yuan, said, “You could have brought everything at once.”

“Sure, President He.” Assistant Yuan nodded, then hesitated and asked, “President He, have you found a new assistant yet? I’m not feeling too well.”

He Rong shook his head. “Have HR arrange it, or do you have any recommendations?”

Assistant Yuan silently grumbled. A good-looking, obedient, and capable person who also met President He’s high standards and was preferably male—such a person would be hard to find.

“President He, you could hire two assistants, one for work and one for personal matters. Little Yang outside is pretty good for the work assistant role.”

He Rong neither agreed nor disagreed, and the topic was dropped.

On the weekend, He Mingde called and asked him to come home. He Rong casually agreed and hung up, then thought for a moment and sent a message to Xiang Ning, asking if he had any plans for the day.

A quick reply came back: “No plans.”

“Can you come back to the He family for dinner tonight?”

After a while, the reply came:

“Sure.”

He Rong put down his phone and got back to work.

Xiang Ning, upon seeing the message, started to feel nervous. He opened his wardrobe and spent a long time picking out what to wear, biting his fingernails as he thought. He decided to wait for He Rong to come back and tell him what to wear.

He took some clothes and went to take a shower. It was only three-thirty, so he sat on the bed for a while, staring blankly, and then started biting his fingernails again.

After a while, Xiang Ning picked up his sheet music and started writing and drawing on it. He soon got distracted again. He snapped out of it and focused on revising the score. He had to submit part of it to Director Lin this week, and although he had some ready, he was still uneasy and kept making changes.

Time flew by, and when he heard the sound of He Rong opening the door, he realized it was already getting dark. He quickly put on his slippers and ran down the stairs.

He Rong looked up in surprise and saw Xiang Ning hesitantly standing in front of him, holding a piece of paper.

“Can you help me pick out some clothes?”

He Rong understood and followed him upstairs. Xiang Ning opened the wardrobe, which was still filled with the clothes Assistant Yuan had delivered, many of which still had the tags on.

He Rong picked out a white printed T-shirt and a pair of regular jeans and handed them over. Xiang Ning hesitated as he put them on, turning to look at him uncertainly.

“Looks good.”

“Is it too casual?” Xiang Ning tugged at the hem of his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling uncomfortable.

“It doesn’t have to be formal. My relationship with them isn’t great.” He Rong glanced at his watch and asked, “Ready to go?”

Xiang Ning nodded and followed him downstairs.

While waiting at a red light, He Rong noticed Xiang Ning getting increasingly nervous. He couldn’t help but speak up.

“My father and Aunt Hui live together, but they aren’t married. You don’t need to worry about it; just follow my lead. If they do anything, just ignore it.”

Xiang Ning turned to look at him and nodded.

He Rong saw his hand gripping the hem of his shirt and shook his head, amused.

He Rong led Xiang Ning into the house, where Xu Hui stood by the door, giving an awkward smile. “You’re back.”

He Rong nodded and found a pair of slippers for Xiang Ning, indicating for him to change. He casually responded.

Xu Hui glanced at Xiang Ning, who was bending down to change his shoes, but didn’t say anything. She subconsciously tightened her grip on her phone and went upstairs.

He Rong took Xiang Ning’s hand and looked at his red earlobes, smiling subtly. Xiang Ning pursed his lips and looked down, embarrassed; his palms were sweating.

He Rong, pretending not to notice, led him to the living room. The house was empty, and the TV was on, playing an advertisement. He Rong handed the remote to Xiang Ning, indicating for him to change the channel. Xiang Ning fumbled with it for a bit and then lowered his head to play with his phone.

Less than ten minutes later, He Mingde, clearly having been informed, came downstairs and said before reaching the living room, “He Rong, who did you bring back?”

He Rong, calm and composed, took Xiang Ning’s hand and placed it on his lap. “This is Xiang Ning. We are married.”

Xu Hui, who had hurried out, heard this and stepped back behind He Mingde, her eyes darting to Xiang Ning. Xiang Ning, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, instinctively moved back.

He Rong patted him reassuringly, and Xiang Ning gave him a small smile.

“You’re married?” He Mingde’s face darkened as he approached. “You brought someone home without asking if the family agrees?”

Xu Hui gave a meaningful look, and the nanny timely appeared from the dining room. “Mr. He, Mrs. Xu, dinner is ready.”

He Mingde scrutinized Xiang Ning and then relented. “Let’s eat first.”

They sat down, and He Mingde suddenly said, “Wait, someone else hasn’t arrived yet.”

Xiang Ning put down his chopsticks and sat still. Xu Hui checked her phone and smiled. “They’ll be here soon.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. The nanny opened the door, and a delicate female voice said, “Uncle He, Aunt Xu, is Brother Rong here?”

Xu Hui got up to greet her, scolding, “You child, you’re always so slow. Everyone’s waiting for dinner.”

“Yes, Aunt Xu, don’t be mad at me.”

With laughter, they entered the dining room, and it was Yuan Qian. He Rong’s expression darkened slightly upon seeing her, but he quickly turned his attention to the table.

Yuan Qian greeted He Mingde and sat down opposite He Rong, acting as if it were the most natural thing. She flicked her hair and smiled. “Brother Rong, Uncle He invited me for dinner. Nice to see you again.”

He Rong nodded in acknowledgment. She seemed to notice Xiang Ning sitting next to He Rong and asked, “Oh! Who’s this?”

Xiang Ning looked to He Rong for help.

“This is my partner,” He Rong answered for him.

Yuan Qian didn’t seem surprised. She smiled at Xiang Ning and said, “Hello.”

Xiang Ning nodded nervously and smiled back.

“Ahem.” He Mingde cleared his throat. “Let’s eat. We can talk after dinner.”

For a moment, there was silence. Xiang Ning quietly ate the dish in front of him, then heard, “You like this dish?”

He pulled back his chopsticks and looked up to meet Yuan Qian’s eyes, nodding reluctantly.

He Mingde grunted, and Xiang Ning instinctively looked at He Rong, unsure whether to continue eating.

“You should try something else. Eating the same dish can get boring.” Yuan Qian moved the dishes on the table and placed a dish of braised eggplant in front of him. “This is also very good.”

Xiang Ning, caught in a bind, picked up his chopsticks, and a piece of pork rib appeared in his bowl. He Rong put down his chopsticks, remaining calm.

Yuan Qian smiled. “You two have a great relationship.”

“Like Uncle He and Aunt Xu.”

He Rong stood up. “I’m done eating.”

“Wait, you’ve barely eaten…” Xu Hui glanced at He Mingde, who looked furious and slammed his hand on the table.

He Rong pretended not to hear and stood up to leave. Xu Hui closed her mouth and patted He Mingde’s back.

Xiang Ning also wanted to leave. He looked at He Rong, about to stand up, when Yuan Qian asked, “What’s your name?”

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, and the table fell silent. He Mingde coughed loudly. “No manners.”

Yuan Qian laughed and tried to smooth things over. “How could someone Brother Rong likes be bad? There must be some reason.” She looked at Xiang Ning, her smile making him feel uneasy. “Uncle He can be a bit strict, but he’s a good person.”

Xiang Ning nodded, glancing at He Rong’s figure and hurriedly stood up. The chair scraped against the floor, and he blushed, bowing slightly before hurrying to stand behind He Rong.

“Can’t you speak?” Yuan Qian seemed to realize she had said something wrong and quickly covered her mouth.

He Rong pulled Xiang Ning closer and glanced at her. Yuan Qian stiffened, instinctively turning her head away. Xu Hui looked worriedly at He Mingde’s face and put down her chopsticks.

“We’re leaving.” He Rong, holding Xiang Ning’s hand, turned to leave.

“Stop!” He Mingde slammed his chopsticks on the table and picked up his cane, slamming it down. Xu Hui jumped and hid behind him, covering his chest, and looked up at He Mingde.

“If you dare to walk out of this house today, try it!”

He Rong paused, then turned to face He Mingde, his expression calm. “Father, I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.”

He Mingde’s face turned even darker. “You’re still my son, and you will respect me.”

He Rong’s grip on Xiang Ning’s hand tightened. “I respect you, but I also have a life to live. Xiang Ning is part of that life.”

Xu Hui, standing behind He Mingde, looked at the two of them, her expression conflicted. She knew He Rong was serious, but she also feared the consequences of defying He Mingde.

“Please, Father,” He Rong continued, his voice steady. “Let us go. We’ll talk later.”

He Mingde’s eyes narrowed, but he finally nodded, though reluctantly. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”

He Rong nodded and, still holding Xiang Ning’s hand, led him out of the house. As they walked away, Xiang Ning felt a mix of relief and anxiety. He knew this was just the beginning of a long and complicated journey.