Chapter 33 Part 1

Zhu Ran returned to his new room and immediately bought a return ticket on his phone.

Zhu Yanqing’s behavior filled him with deep disgust. If the law allowed for severing parent-child relationships, he would be the first to apply.

Sometimes, when he thought about it, it felt ridiculous. Parents were supposed to be the most important and intimate people in one’s life, yet they were also the only ones a person couldn’t choose for themselves.

However, Zhu Ran wasn’t too heartbroken. After all, he had long known the fact that his father didn’t love him. Now that this had happened, it was actually a good opportunity for him to break free from Zhu Yanqing.

The cruise ship docked at the port in the evening, and Zhu Ran left with his luggage without looking back. He took a taxi straight to the airport terminal.

The taxi crossed the Tsing Ma Bridge, with the silhouettes of distant high-rises flickering in the background. Zhu Ran wore his earphones and listened to Eason sing, “The weather wasn’t as expected, but if you have to go, you still have to fly.” As he listened, Zhu Ran grew depressed again. He hadn’t been happy when he arrived, and now leaving didn’t feel good either. This place truly clashed with him.

The taxi stopped at the T1 Terminal. Zhu Ran got out with his luggage and lined up at the counter to get his boarding pass. But when he unzipped the inner compartment of his backpack to grab his documents, he discovered that his travel permit was missing.

It couldn’t have been lost—he always kept his documents in his backpack, with his passport and travel permit together.

Zhu Ran turned his backpack inside out but still couldn’t find it. He then meticulously searched his suitcase, but it was nowhere to be found.

It was impossible that he had lost it. He wasn’t the careless type; he always double-checked his documents and luggage before leaving. He hadn’t even taken out the travel permit or passport while boarding the ship.

If he hadn’t lost it, then someone must have taken it…

Zhu Ran felt as if all his strength had been drained. He mechanically closed his suitcase and stepped aside, his big eyes empty and vacant as he stared blankly at the passing travelers.

He was in one of the world’s busiest airports, with hundreds of routes connecting to destinations around the globe and over a thousand flights taking off and landing daily. From here, one could reach almost anywhere in the world. Yet Zhu Ran looked around and had no idea where he could go.

“Sir, sir!” A concerned voice called out. Zhu Ran looked up to see a staff member smiling at him. “The check-in counter for this flight is about to close. Do you still need to board?”

Zhu Ran shook his head mechanically and left with his suitcase.

He canceled his ticket and stayed alone in the airport for a very, very long time. It wasn’t until after dark that he finally dialed a number. After a few seconds of silence, Zhu Ran asked, “Huo Boyan, is that you?”

“Zhu Ran?” Huo Boyan’s surprised voice came through. “You didn’t leave?”

Zhu Ran gripped his phone, his breathing growing heavy.

Huo Boyan asked, “Where are you? Did something happen?”

Zhu Ran didn’t answer and simply hung up.

Then, his finger hovered over another number that he had blacklisted. Zhu Ran removed it from the blacklist but still didn’t dare to call. After hesitating several times, he tossed his phone aside and buried his face in his palms.

He knew now wasn’t the time to wallow—there would always be a way to solve things. Besides, it was just a matter of missing documents; he could always apply for replacements.

Zhu Ran repeated this to himself over and over, but his body seemed to shut down completely, without even the strength to stand. Sitting alone in the bustling airport hall, he had the illusion that he was rotting away.

Zhu Ran sat like that for over ten minutes. People came and went through the airport, everyone busy with their own affairs, and no one noticed anything unusual about him.

A little while later, someone came running from afar. Amid the throngs of people in the terminal, only this man headed straight for him, squatted down in front of him, and called his name: “Zhu Ran, what’s wrong?”

Zhu Ran’s blank gaze finally shifted from the crowd to this person. What a handsome face, and his eyes were filled with anxiety, as if he actually cared.

It was so ridiculous—someone actually cared about him.

Zhu Ran laughed out loud.

He thought he had lightened the mood, but for some reason, the man’s expression grew even more urgent.

“Zhu Ran, look into my eyes and take deep breaths with me.” The man cupped his face with both hands, issuing a gentle yet commanding order. “Do you recognize me? Think about who I am right now, then say my name.”

Zhu Ran’s vacant eyes stared at the man in front of him. After a dozen seconds or so, his gaze finally focused. He pushed the man away in disgust. “Huo Boyan, you’re so annoying.”

Huo Boyan paused, then finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the chair next to Zhu Ran.

Zhu Ran glanced at him sideways. “How did you get here?”

Huo Boyan replied, “I got your call and was worried, so I came to check on you.”

Zhu Ran had prepared a bunch of sharp retorts, but when he actually saw Huo Boyan’s eyes, he suddenly couldn’t say anything. He just turned his face away and muttered softly, “What’s there to worry about? I’m not a kid…”

“You’re definitely not a kid,” Huo Boyan said. “If you were, I could just take care of you however I wanted.”

Zhu Ran wanted to retort that not being a kid meant he couldn’t be managed? But he realized he had no ground to stand on with that, and saying it would just make things awkward, so he held back.

“Not leaving anymore?” Huo Boyan asked.

Zhu Ran shook his head. “I have other plans.”

Huo Boyan didn’t press and simply sat quietly for a moment before saying, “Zhu Ran, want to come to my place?”

Zhu Ran’s face paled slightly. He didn’t answer right away, his vacant gaze piercing through the passing crowd. It took a long time before he said, “Huo Boyan, you’re not going to ask what happened?”

“If you want to tell me, just do it,” Huo Boyan said calmly. “Of course, if you don’t, that’s fine too.”

Zhu Ran fell silent for a bit, then nodded and said thanks.

Huo Boyan had dropped everything midway through work to come. After getting Zhu Ran’s agreement, he first took him back to the company.

Huo Boyan’s company occupied an entire office building in Central. Its glass curtain walls formed a unique shape, reflecting the city’s lights in a dazzling, flowing display of modern opulence.

They arrived after eight in the evening, but plenty of people were still working. Zhu Ran wasn’t sure what the main business was.