Chapter 20 Part 1

The embrace lasted more than a minute until Zhu Ran gradually regained his composure. Not far away, someone had put a halter on Duo Le and shut it in the stable.

“Feeling better?” Huo Boyan slightly loosened his hold on Zhu Ran and looked down at him. “Can you stay by yourself now?”

Zhu Ran had completely calmed down, though he felt a bit embarrassed in hindsight. He quickly stepped back and said, “Thank you, I’m fine now.”

Huo Boyan let go as well. “Then I’ll go check on Duo Le first.”

Zhu Ran nodded in agreement. The moment Huo Boyan walked away, Huo Jiahui and Lin Ziqing came over.

“That scared me to death earlier. Why did Duo Le suddenly go berserk out of nowhere? Good thing Brother Boyan got there in time.” Huo Jiahui circled Zhu Ran once, anxiously asking, “Zhu Ran, are you okay?”

Zhu Ran shook his head. “I’m fine, just a bit shaken up.”

Lin Ziqing pulled a wet wipe from her pocket. “Here, wipe your face.”

Zhu Ran didn’t refuse. He’d broken out in a sweat on the horse’s back and rolled around in the dirt on the grass. Even without a mirror, he knew he looked a mess.

After wiping his face, Zhu Ran said he wanted to head back first.

After an incident like that, Lin Ziqing couldn’t very well keep everyone there. She nodded. “I’ll have the driver take you.”

Before leaving, Zhu Ran went to the stable to say goodbye to Huo Boyan. Duo Le was still quite agitated, and the vet was drawing blood for tests nearby. Huo Boyan, wearing black latex gloves, squatted beside it, examining its manure and feed.

When Zhu Ran said he was going home, Huo Boyan looked up. “Is there anyone at your place?”

Zhu Ran paused, then shook his head. No.

Huo Boyan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Go back, take a shower, and get some rest. But don’t sleep yet—wait for my call.”

Zhu Ran blinked. “Why?”

Huo Boyan pulled off his gloves. “You fell into the pool unexpectedly today and got spooked on the horse. Going to sleep too soon could deepen the trauma.”

In truth, he’d originally wanted to keep Zhu Ran there, surrounded by family and friends. But on second thought, he realized the environment wasn’t relaxing enough for him, so he compromised by having Zhu Ran go home and wait for his call.

Zhu Ran froze. He had indeed planned to go straight to bed.

Though his emotions had stabilized a lot since growing up, he’d been like this as a kid. When he was upset, he’d hide away, cry until he fell asleep, and sometimes even dream about whatever had hurt him.

Was that wrong?

Before Zhu Ran could respond, the vet seemed to notice something. Huo Boyan glanced over, then continued instructing him, “Wait for my call.”

Zhu Ran nodded, said goodbye to Huo Boyan, and took the car home.

This place wasn’t really his home, though. He was just staying in a guest room on the second floor of Little Aunt’s House. Though his aunt’s family treated him warmly, he was still just a guest.

As for the house in A City where he’d lived since childhood, that couldn’t be called home either. His father would occasionally tell him things like, “This is my house—if you don’t behave, get out.”

Zhu Ran returned to his bedroom, showered, changed into clean clothes, and blow-dried his hair.

His phone remained silent. Huo Boyan had told him to wait for the call but hadn’t said when it would come.

Zhu Ran deliberately avoided thinking about the close call on the horse. He grabbed a small cake from the fridge and, while eating it, vented to Song Xingchen about the day’s events.

“What? Someone pushed you into the pool, and you almost fell off a horse?” Song Xingchen held his Border Collie and ranted on. “That’s so bizarre. What’s with the Huo Family’s feng shui? Are they jinxing you or something!”

Zhu Ran had still been feeling down, but Song Xingchen’s antics made him burst out laughing.

“Xiao Bao, give your unlucky godfather a smile.” Song Xingchen lifted the dog’s paws.

Xiao Bao’s grin melted Zhu Ran’s heart; he wished he could reach through the screen and pet its head.

Zhu Ran: “Xiao Bao is so cute. I really want a dog too.”

Song Xingchen: “Beg your parents some more. My mom wouldn’t let me get one before, but now she loves Xiao Bao more than me.”

Zhu Ran had given up hope. He shook his head. “I’ll get one when I live on my own someday.”

They chatted idly for a while until Song Xingchen had to go handle something. He left the video on so Zhu Ran could “talk” to Xiao Bao.

Zhu Ran watched the half-hour puppy livestream until the call ended. Then he went out to drop off the clothes his cousin had lent him at the dry cleaners, worried they might not return to their original state. On the way back, he bought a necklace from the same brand as a gift to make up for it.

By the time he returned, night had fully fallen. Lin Ziqing texted that the banquet would continue for a bit—they wouldn’t be home for another two hours. If Zhu Ran wanted to come over, she’d send the driver.

Zhu Ran declined. The Huo Family jinxed him; he didn’t want to go back.

After finishing the dinner the Filipina maid had cooked and fully charging his phone, Huo Boyan’s call finally came in.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Huo Boyan’s low voice came through, with faint banquet clamor in the background.

Curled up in bed, Zhu Ran had never waited so seriously for anyone’s call. He didn’t know what to say and replied dryly, “It wasn’t that long.”

“Have you eaten dinner?” Huo Boyan asked next.

They rarely exchanged everyday chit-chat like this. Zhu Ran nodded obediently. “Yeah, the auntie made tom yum soup.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. Just as Zhu Ran was about to ask if that was all, Huo Boyan suddenly said, “The investigation results are in. Do you want to hear them?”

Zhu Ran paused. “Is it okay to talk now?”

Huo Boyan said it was fine, then explained the whole story to Zhu Ran.

Duo Le’s frenzy wasn’t an accident—someone had drugged its feed. It showed no signs at rest, but running triggered the drug, causing the horse to lose control. The sabotage had targeted Huo Boyan himself, but Zhu Ran had ended up riding his horse by chance, unwittingly foiling the plot.

Zhu Ran was truly frightened now. He was just an ordinary college student; his biggest troubles had been family issues. He never imagined getting dragged into some wealthy family’s feud.

Though uneasy, Zhu Ran stayed relatively calm, exhaling slowly. “As long as everything’s okay.”

“Though it wasn’t aimed at you,” Huo Boyan said, “just in case, I’ll arrange protection for you during this time.”

Zhu Ran didn’t stand on ceremony. If not for Huo Boyan, he wouldn’t have gotten involved. He nodded and agreed.

Huo Boyan fell silent. His light breathing came through the phone, tickling Zhu Ran’s ear.

Zhu Ran moved the phone a bit farther away. After a quiet moment, he asked, “All done?”

“Mm.” Huo Boyan responded but didn’t hang up.

“Then can I go to sleep now?” Zhu Ran asked.