After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: So Many People Like You

“Xu Jun? Xu Jun? Are you still in there?”

For a moment, the leaves swaying outside the window are still. After a while, the bathroom door is slowly opened. Worried that something might have happened to him inside, the homeroom teacher was about to scold him a little out of concern, but when he sees the person who comes out, all the words he wants to say get stuck in his throat. He suddenly can’t speak.

The man stands in the bathroom doorway. It’s clearly an expressionless face, but it inexplicably shows a great sadness. That sadness is like a turbulent tide, almost drowning him entirely. The gaze behind the glasses lands in mid-air. He doesn’t know where he is looking.

But anyone can feel that his gaze is unfocused, as if it is a mix of too many emotions. The sadness is so overflowing that it’s contagious.

The homeroom teacher asks carefully, “…Xu Jun? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

After a long time, the phone is handed over. The homeroom teacher hears his calm voice say, “I’m fine… Thank you for your concern.”

As he speaks, this young man, who the homeroom teacher thinks so highly of and who is meticulous and rigorous in his work, this young man who many school leaders have nothing but praise for, leaves the office without looking back. The teacher mutters a few words about how he must be under too much academic pressure, what a stubborn child. If his family is having difficulties, he should have…

He is stunned when he sees a water stain on the phone screen.

After he got out of bed that day, Tao Ning purses his lips and doesn’t let Zhao Jingqun kiss him for almost the entire night. But Zhao Jingqun gracefully kneels by the bed, kissing the back of his hand while saying, “I was wrong, my sweet boy. You know I can’t control myself. On top of that, I heard a man I don’t know caring about you on the phone, so I couldn’t control myself and went a little overboard. I swear I’ll never do it again. I’m truly sorry, baby…”

In reality, Zhao Jingqun sneers inwardly. Roommate? Caring so much about his wife? Is he looking for death? He did it on purpose so that Tao Ning’s so-called roommate would hear it. Does he want to steal him from him? Not a chance.

Since realizing the not-so-shallow relationship between Song Yucong and Tao Ning, Zhao Jingqun has been a little neurotic lately. He basically resists any strange man approaching Tao Ning. When one comes, he will investigate them thoroughly, afraid that if he doesn’t watch out, Tao Ning will be led astray.

With a height of over one-ninety meters, Zhao Jingqun is a tall and big man. His usual slouching posture is enough to give people a sense of oppression, but at this moment, he is curled up, kneeling by the bed, looking truly pitiful.

Tao Ning hesitates and asks, “Are you really sorry?”

The man kneeling on the floor answers without a second thought. “I’m really sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“…for letting that kid get a free show.” Zhao Jingqun says this through gritted teeth, but this is the only time. He just wants to make all the men who get close to Tao Ning retreat in the face of difficulty.

Tao Ning’s body, his tearful eyes, the moans that escape his swollen lips, his bones and his blood… everything, everything should belong to him, Zhao Jingqun.

Tao Ning’s cheeks quickly turn red with shame. He slowly discovers the vicious side of Zhao Jingqun’s personality. He is certain that Xu Jun heard those shameful sounds. How will he face Xu Jun in the future? He can’t help but cough a few times in anger. A hot palm immediately pats his back. Zhao Jingqun grabs his hand and asks anxiously, “What’s wrong, baby? Is it a cold? I’ll go call the doctor.”

Zhao Jingqun rushes to call the doctor.

While he is gone, Tao Ning picks up his phone and dials the number. The screensaver is a picture of him sleeping from the side. He doesn’t know when Zhao Jingqun took it, but Tao Ning doesn’t care about that anymore. The phone has a password, and he intuitively enters his birthday. The phone unlocks.

Tao Ning makes the call, but the person who answers is not the cold and indifferent voice he remembers. It’s the teacher’s. “Hello, is this Tao Ning’s parent?”

“…Teacher, I’m Tao Ning.”

“Oh, oh, oh, Tao Ning. Are you coming back to school next week?”

“Mhm, Teacher… May I ask if Xu Jun is with you? Can you let him take a call?”

“Oh, what a coincidence, that child left early. But I want to ask you for a favor.”

“Okay, please tell me.”

“That child was asking about your recent situation. He seemed very worried about you. But I saw that he has been working several jobs lately. He’s still a student and has so many things to be busy with every day. How can he handle it? You’re Xu Jun’s roommate, so you should be close to him. I want to ask you to ask him if his family is having difficulties. The school will actively help him. Tell him not to hold it in just because of his pride…”

Is something wrong with Xu Jun’s family?

Tao Ning remembers that in the period before he returned to the Song family, Xu Jun indeed came back early and left late. He seemed very busy. At that time, Tao Ning thought he was dealing with the trouble Song Yucong brought him and student council matters, so he didn’t bother him too much… Was he working outside all this time?

He doesn’t know what to feel. Xu Jun’s parents are very nice. They are very much in love, which is why they raised Xu Jun to be as indifferent and gentle as a true gentleman. Tao Ning truly felt warmth in Xu Jun’s home, as if he was back in his own home. So, he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Xu Jun’s family.

He immediately agrees and plans to go back to school today to check on him.

Zhao Jingqun brings the doctor in. The doctor examines Tao Ning and says there is nothing serious but that he needs to rest and not have too many emotional fluctuations. Zhao Jingqun listens carefully and nods repeatedly, saying “yes.” Before leaving, he gives the doctor a big red envelope.

After the doctor leaves, Zhao Jingqun holds Tao Ning and lets out a long sigh of relief. Because Tao Ning’s aplastic anemia is like a ticking time bomb tied to his heart. With the slightest rustle of grass in the wind, he gets so scared. He wishes he could watch Tao Ning twenty-four hours a day and then put him in his pocket. Only when he sees with his own eyes that Tao Ning is fine can Zhao Jingqun deal with business matters.

As a result, the executives of the Zhao family are now begging their Young Master Zhao to fly back to Province X. Zhao Jingqun doesn’t even bother to pay attention to them. He says he will handle things remotely for the next year and tells them to figure it out themselves. Those people have no choice but to resign themselves to the fact that they will be sending countless documents and contracts to this smiling and cold-hearted heir.

Zhao Jingqun hasn’t even recovered from his scare when a sentence from Tao Ning makes his heart hang from the clouds again. “I want to go back to school.”

Without thinking, Zhao Jingqun refuses. “No.” Realizing his tone is too harsh, he immediately softens his voice. “My dear, be a good boy… I’ll send you back to school after you rest for a while.”

“No, I want to go back today.”

He just went out to call the doctor. Why is Tao Ning insisting on going back to school? Zhao Jingqun thinks this is very unusual. His gaze falls on the phone on the table. He picks it up and looks through it, but he doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary. There are indeed only two call records with the number noted as “Teacher Yang.”

Zhao Jingqun frowns, puts down the phone, and continues to persuade Tao Ning. “Be good. It’s very late today. How about we go next week?”

It’s Friday. If Tao Ning goes back to school, according to the agreement, won’t he have to stay at school for two days? How is that acceptable? What if he gets a fever or a cold again?

In a place where Tao Ning was not present, the doctor actually seriously warned Zhao Jingqun that Tao Ning’s immunity is very low now. He will get a fever or a cold with the slightest wind or rain. If this happens often, it could lead to an infection and break down his body. What’s more, a matching bone marrow for Tao Ning has not been found yet. The consequences would be unimaginable.

These words made Zhao Jingqun so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He even had a nightmare that night.

The Zhao family heir, who is ruthless and seasoned in business and in the Southeast Asia region, wouldn’t even blink in the face of the most disgusting and cruel things. Instead, he would hold a cigarette and appreciate it with great interest for a long time.

Only when it comes to Tao Ning would this naturally cold-blooded heir lose his composure.

It is also because of his ruthless nature that Zhao Jingqun has many enemies. Many people want his life. He is now hiding Tao Ning very well. Basically, very few people know about this. He publicly says that he came to Haizhou for business because he’s interested in a project here and wants to expand his business partnerships in Haizhou in the future.

“Zhao Jingqun, I want to go back to school today.” Tao Ning looks at the man in front of him who is full of concern for him. After being stared at for a while, the man looks back at him, sighs, and says, “You really are my ancestor, Zhao Jingqun… Tomorrow. You can only go back to school tomorrow.”

Tao Ning “Mhm”s softly.

When they go to bed at night, Zhao Jingqun holds him very tightly. His face, which is usually full of a nonchalant smile, has a slight frown. Tao Ning smooths his frown for him and then falls into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Zhao Jingqun kisses and coaxes Tao Ning, feeding him his medicine spoon by spoon. Afterward, he exaggerates by saying he will make him a table full of food. Then he says he will take him to the zoo on the way to school. He is clearly trying to stall for time.

Tao Ning knows all of this but doesn’t expose him.

He uses his chopsticks to poke the pork and cabbage roll Zhao Jingqun made for him. The sweetness of the cabbage and the freshness of the meat burst forth from the sauce. The meat is plump, and the aroma instantly hits him. It’s fresh pork and cabbage that Zhao Jingqun bought back from the market at six in the morning. He bought a bunch of ingredients and made seven or eight dishes. Every dish suits Tao Ning’s taste.

He is not afraid of Tao Ning wasting food. He just wants him to be happy while eating.

Zhao Jingqun doesn’t like Tao Ning eating anything made by anyone else, and he never hires a caregiver or a servant to serve Tao Ning. He has to do everything himself.

“Baby, there are lions, tigers, bears, and deer at the zoo… You like those little animals, don’t you want to go see them?”

“I do.”

“Then let’s go to the zoo first.”

Tao Ning shakes his head. “Let’s go back to school. We can go to the zoo later.”

Zhao Jingqun has no choice with his baby. Fortunately, he had the foresight to put a tracker on Tao Ning. It won’t be difficult to monitor Tao Ning. He reluctantly and a little suspiciously gives in and takes Tao Ning to school.

He doesn’t use a driver, and the car is very low-key, a Mercedes-Benz worth a few hundred thousand. Zhao Jingqun steadily drives his baby to the school gate.

But Zhao Jingqun never expected that Occident International School would be so snobbish. The security guard sees that his car is not expensive and doesn’t know any family named Zhao. Not only can’t his Mercedes-Benz get in, but they won’t even let the Zhao family heir enter the school gate.

Zhao Jingqun’s smile is a little stiff, but he is still calm. He directly gives the security guard several thousand dollars and asks him to help Tao Ning carry his things to the dorm—it’s actually a bag of medicine, a bag of toys, and a bag of pastries that Zhao Jingqun made himself. He is afraid that Tao Ning will get tired from carrying them.

The security guard sees that he is so understanding, accepts the money, and agrees.

Zhao Jingqun is relieved. He goes back to the car and kisses Tao Ning hard. Then he pulls out a pair of black-rimmed glasses from his pants pocket and puts them on Tao Ning. “Don’t bother with the pair you left at the Song family’s. I bought you a new pair. They don’t have a prescription, and the frame is light. Wear them well… Your husband will come pick you up next Monday.”

“Mhm.”

Even with a hundred-fold reluctance and a hundred-fold love, Zhao Jingqun finally lets Tao Ning go back to school.

As soon as the car is empty, he habitually takes out a cigarette to light it. But when he has it in his hand, he only rubs the tobacco hard. He breaks half a cigarette and puts the other half in his mouth. He opens a monitor, staring at the red dot that is getting farther and farther away from him.

Until Tao Ning arrives at the dorm, he thanks the security guard for carrying the three big bags to the door for him.

Click.

The dorm door opens. The faint scent of disinfectant, which he hasn’t smelled in a long time, greets him. Tao Ning sniffs. He is about to carry the things inside when he looks up and sees a tall, thin figure in the dim dorm. He is standing not far from him, watching him.

“…Xu Jun?”

After a long time, the tall, thin figure walks out of the darkness. Only then does Tao Ning realize that Xu Jun has lost a lot of weight in the short time since they last saw each other. The indifferent aura that was once on him is now replaced by a rare sense of defeat, as if he has gone through something extremely painful.

Only the eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses are still the same as before, staring at him without moving. But Tao Ning feels that those cold eyes seem to have something more in them now.

He looks at Tao Ning and “Mhm”s faintly.

They stand in silence. After a while, Tao Ning hears his indifferent voice suddenly say:

“…Tao Ning.”

Tao Ning is stunned for a moment. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”

Xu Jun looks at him quietly. He doesn’t answer but says, “So many people like you.”

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