24 2.11 (2/2)
When Feng Kuo noticed the young man walking toward him, his hands trembled. Finally, finally, his Jun was in front of him.
He took a deep breath to suppress his nervousness, then smiled, naturally handing over the dark red roses. ”Jun, it's been a while.”
Chen Yu didn't change his expression at all, he merely greeted, ”Mr. Feng.” He didn't even peek at the flowers and directly walked around to the passenger side.
Feng Kuo twitched, glowering at the bouquet for not being attractive enough, but he held himself back and held the car door for Ren Yijun. ”I've reserved some seats at the French restaurant you liked, is that okay?”
Chen Yu got in the car, texted his family that he would have dinner with an acquaintance, and hummed in agreement without looking up.
A barrage of messages instantly arrived.
Yang Shu: ”Alright, darling, don't play too long.”
Ren Qiu: ”Didi, would you like me to save some of my dishes for you? You've never liked eating outside!”
Du Guang: ”Don't mind her, Uncle, you don't have to stuff yourself with Mom's cooking every day. Have a good time!”
Ren Chun: ”Younger brother, remember what I told you, eat a proper balanced meal.”
Yang Shu: ”Girls, don't bother the poor boy, let him make some friends.”
Chen Yu's mouth twitched and his face was covered with black lines. He simply sent off an ”En, thank you all,” without checking the new responses. No doubt they would be something along the lines of ”Such a polite child,” ”Good Didi,” and so on.
From the side, Feng Kuo watched Jun chatting so happily with someone else, and he couldn't stop himself from asking, ”Oh? Have you met a nice friend? He must be very fun for you to be smiling so much?”
Chen Yu: ”...” Why did everyone assume he hadn't had friends already? And how did he look like he was having fun?
He turned toward the driver's seat with a blank face. Feng Kuo's heart pounded when the young man paid attention to him at last, but his next words were like a bucket of ice water. ”What status are you using to ask such personal questions, Mr. Kuo?”
Feng Kuo's eyes turned red. Of course Jun was right, he'd destroyed the relationship they'd had. Right now, he was worth less than a stranger. A gloomy silence filled the air until the two were seated in the restaurant's private room.
When the waiter left after taking their orders, Feng Kuo braced himself and opened, ”Jun, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I...” he couldn't bring himself to explicitly confess that he'd been toying with the youth, so he swallowed and tried again, ”I swear I didn't mean to use you, really, I...I only intended to hold onto you. I'll never do anything like that again, can you forgive me?”
Chen Yu considered for a moment, then he nodded. Feng Kuo was overjoyed, but he felt that something was off. Hesitantly, he asked, ”So...we can start over?”
Ren Yijun showed a shocked expression, as if that possibility hadn't even crossed his mind. Jerking backwards, he moved to stand up, saying, ”Mr. Kuo, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Perhaps we can discuss this next time.”
Feng Kuo had prepared himself, there was no way Jun would have agreed so easily. At most, he would regard him as a passing acquaintance if he left now. He seized Jun's wrist before he could take a step and swung him onto his lap. There was no way he'd let Jun leave without at least getting a definite promise to meet again.
Chen Yu instinctively twisted to fling the man's large hand off, but remembering how restless Feng Kuo had been when he'd been waiting to see him, he decided to hold back temporarily. ”What is the meaning of this, Mr. Kuo?”
”Jun, Jun, please, I'm begging you, give me another chance. I'll never treat you like you're beneath me again, I'll make sure to respect you, I'll be the one you can trust, please...” Feng Kuo whispered hoarsely, interlocking their fingers with one hand and pressing the chilly face against his chest with the other.
”I...” Feng Kuo's sincere tone affected him, Chen Yu lowered his gaze to their clasped hands to hide his wet eyes. ”How can I trust you? You betrayed me even when you thought we had a deal between us...”
Unable to bear seeing Jun cry, Feng Kuo desperately searched for a solution, then he blurted out, ”Let me suffer what you suffered, I'll sell myself to you, no, I'll pay you to buy me. I'll transfer everything I own to you, you can do whatever you want with me and I won't be able to do anything.” It was an impulsive promise, but the more he thought about it, the more Feng Kuo felt it was an appropriate way to begin making amends.
Chen Yu startled, staring at Feng Kuo. He dazedly refused, ”You don't mean it, you wouldn't do something like that for me...”
Hearing the person who held his whole heart disparage himself, Feng Kuo frowned and cherishingly stroked his hair, assuring, ”Of course I mean it. I love you, I want to be with you forever. If you can't believe me yet, just give me some time to prove how important you are to me.”
With a confused expression, Jun didn't respond for a while, so that Feng Kuo tensed up more with every passing second. At last, he mumbled, ”Then you...You'll be my uncle again?”
Feng Kuo couldn't conceal his ecstasy. He kissed Jun's soft cheeks and murmured, ”Mhm, until you let me be your lover.”
The young man blushed and hid his face against Feng Kuo's broad chest, the vacant mask he'd been holding onto cracking. Feng Kuo laughed and embraced him, keeping him on his lap for the whole meal.