HSS CH60

Chapter 60: Can It Be Tomorrow?

Lin Jianxing had never witnessed such a blatant lie to his face, especially from his own son, spoken with such certainty that he himself began to doubt whether he had actually said it.

“No, I didn’t say that!”

Lin Miao asked, “Didn’t you just tell me to get married?”

Lin Jianxing nodded blankly, “Yeah, I did.”

“Then I’m getting married to Huoyuchuan,” Lin Miao said, “So you were telling us to get married, right?”

Lin Jianxing: “……”

Huoyuchuan grabbed Lin Miao’s hand and said, “I’ll arrange it right away. Can it be tomorrow?”

Lin Jianxing’s eyes almost popped out in shock.

Lin Miao hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, with no preparation at all. His heart pounded in his chest as he stammered, “Isn’t it a bit… too fast?”

Huoyuchuan replied, “It’s not fast. We still have a day.”

Lin Miao said, “But even tomorrow is pretty quick…”

Lin Jianxing, seeing his hesitation, breathed a sigh of relief and was about to agree when Lin Miao said, “How about the day after tomorrow?”

Lin Jianxing: “……”

What’s the difference between the day after tomorrow and tomorrow?!

“No way!” he objected, “The day after tomorrow is still too soon!”

Lin Miao suggested, “Then the day after that?”

“Even the day after that is not acceptable,” Lin Jianxing glared, “Is marriage something to be taken so lightly?”

“Not lightly,” Lin Miao said, “We’re waiting for two days.”

Lin Jianxing insisted, “At least two months!”

“Alright, I’ll listen to Dad,” Huoyuchuan said, “Then we’ll get the marriage certificate in two months.”

Lin Jianxing patted his chest, “Let me catch my breath. This day-by-day thing is giving me a heart attack.”

Wait a minute, he suddenly realized—did I just agree?!

On Saturday, they went back to their hometown together with Lin Jianxing.

The house still looked exactly as he remembered, with a simple style and not very spacious, yet it had held the joys and sorrows of four people, though one of them was no longer there.

When Lin Miao entered, he asked curiously, “This place doesn’t seem to have changed at all. Hasn’t anyone else lived here?” Did the family who bought the house not move in?

Huoyuchuan nonchalantly placed the keys in the entrance hall and said, “Maybe they have other places to live.”

In reality, not long after he sold the house, he received the news and bought it back. But at that time, everything was uncertain. He didn’t know if, upon reuniting, Lin Miao would still be the same as before…

Fortunately, he was lucky. Perhaps that reunion was his greatest fortune.

Since the house had been unoccupied for a while, it had gathered quite a bit of dust. Without a word, Lin Jianxing found some rags, handed them to Lin Miao and Huoyuchuan, and shouted for them to help clean.

Huoyuchuan took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing his sturdy forearms.

He wrung out the rag and had just wiped the table a few times when he heard Lin Miao call out to him.

“Huoyuchuan, look,” Lin Miao pointed to the neat notches on the door frame and excitedly told Huoyuchuan, “Mom used to measure my height right here.”

Huoyuchuan walked over and ran his hand over the lines, as if he could see Lin Miao growing up bit by bit, standing here at different ages, eagerly wanting to know if he had grown taller.

In their youth, they always looked forward to growing up, but once grown, they wished they could stay young forever.

Huoyuchuan had seen the lines before, but there were fewer back then. The additional ones represented the time they had been apart.

He looked at the lowest line and suddenly asked, “How old was this?”

Lin Miao was about to answer when he said, “So short.”

Lin Miao: “……”

Lin Miao kicked him in anger, “I was only five years old. How tall could I be?”

Huoyuchuan’s hand moved up a good distance and said with a teasing tone, “I was this tall at five.”

Lin Miao: “……Were you as tall as an ox at five?”

Huoyuchuan couldn’t help but laugh, “Just kidding. I was also very short at five.”

Lin Jianxing poked his head out from the kitchen and scolded, “What are you two whispering about? Hurry up and work. No slacking off! Did you mop the floor? Did you sweep the trash?”

“Alright, alright, we’re not slacking off,” Lin Miao grumbled as he cleaned the living room and left the room for Huoyuchuan.

Lin Miao’s room was the most familiar place to Huoyuchuan. It only had a bed and a small desk.

Back then, Huoyuchuan was often invited by Lin’s mom to have dinner. She would remember what he liked and disliked; she would worry about his safety if he went home too late and let him stay overnight; she would find him clothes to change into and remind them to go to bed early…

Those were some of Huoyuchuan’s few memories of home.

He and Lin Miao would squeeze onto the small desk to do homework, their arms brushing against each other, their legs touching, with the warm yellow light pouring down, enveloping them both.

Lin Miao was very focused when doing homework, not talking or moving, just concentrating on solving problems.

Huoyuchuan was also very focused, but most of the time, he was intently watching Lin Miao, looking at the little tuft of hair that occasionally stuck up, his long and thick eyelashes, the furrowed brows when he couldn’t solve a problem…

So, Lin Miao always finished his homework first. Huoyuchuan seemed to have a procrastination problem, writing a little only when prompted, and then a little more…

The diligent elementary school monitor, who was all about studying, would sometimes sleepily ask if the homework was done.

Only after getting an affirmative answer would he be satisfied and drift off to sleep.

Huoyuchuan would lie down with him on the bed, watching the sleeping figure in front of him, imagining their future, wondering if Lin Miao would ever realize his feelings and what his reaction would be…

But probably not, he thought. Even if he kissed Lin Miao, the latter would probably just ask, Can good friends kiss?

Later, he had fantasized countless times about what would have happened if he hadn’t left that year.

He would confess to Lin Miao after the college entrance exam. Lin Miao would probably be shocked and bewildered, then try to refuse.

He would despicably threaten that if Lin Miao refused, they would no longer be friends.

The soft-hearted Lin Miao would agree not to lose a friend.

Once agreed, they would no longer be friends. Naive Lin Miao would be deceived like that.

They would go to college together, with Lin Miao still inviting him to the library every day, watching him do his homework…

If he failed a course, Lin Miao would definitely be angry and ignore him for days.

No, Lin Miao wouldn’t let him fail. After all, he would be watching him study every day…

Huoyuchuan chuckled to himself as he thought about it. Lin Miao came over with a duster, puzzled and asking, “Are you that happy just wiping the table?”

Huoyuchuan reached up and wiped a bit of dust from Lin Miao’s face, smiling and saying, “Yeah, I’m happy.”

He asked, “If I go to college with you, where would you take me most?”

Lin Miao’s eyes lit up, “The cafeteria! There’s a restaurant on the second floor of our school’s cafeteria, and it’s so delicious!”

Huoyuchuan: “……” From being the most studious to being the most food-loving, huh?

As evening approached, the house was finally cleaned. Lin Jianxing wanted to stay there for another day, so he sent the two of them back first.

Lin Miao sat in the car, looking at the house gradually fade from view. He turned his gaze, bumped his head against Huoyuchuan’s shoulder, and said, “What should I do? I don’t have money to pay you back.”

Huoyuchuan wrapped an arm around him, “Then we’ll sign another agreement, with a term… a lifetime.”

Lin Miao couldn’t help but smile, but he still said, “Then wouldn’t I be even cheaper? Not even making three thousand five hundred a month.”

Huoyuchuan lowered his head and whispered in his ear, “You can touch my abs.”

Lin Miao’s eyes brightened. He struggled a bit, then reluctantly agreed, “Alright.”

That night, Lin Miao, who had gone to the study to find Huoyuchuan to touch his abs and relax due to the stress of final exams, didn’t come out of the study. Only intermittent sobs could be heard seeping through the door crack.

He was carried by Huoyuchuan and sat on the desk, tightly hugging his neck. The surging heat climbed upward, mixing sticky sweat with tears, dampening Huoyuchuan’s chest…

In the end, Huoyuchuan carried him out of the study, gave him water to drink, bathed him, dried his hair, and coaxed him to sleep.

Two weeks later, Lin Miao finally finished his exams and welcomed the winter vacation.

He hadn’t done part-time work for a long time, missing not only the money but also Xu Yue and the others.

Huoyuchuan drove him to “Muse,” stood by the side and watched him walk around serving drinks to customers. After watching for a long time, he noticed He Congshan sitting gloomily in the corner, drinking alone.

Huoyuchuan walked over and asked, “Got a stiff face?”

“Can yours be any stiffer?” He Congshan glanced at him, “I’m annoyed, and seeing you makes it worse.”

Huoyuchuan understood, “Got chased by Teacher Yu’s dad again?”

“I’d rather his dad hit me,” He Congshan sighed, “than always blocking me from seeing him.”

He looked worried and said, “What if he can’t see me?”

Huoyuchuan replied, “Maybe he’ll have some peace.”

“Shut up,” He Congshan said angrily, “Go away.”

He argued, “He’ll miss me, he will……”

Huoyuchuan said, “Miss slapping you?”

He Congshan was about to jump up and fight him, but then he suddenly thought of something, his anger subsiding as he curiously asked, “I heard your dad doesn’t dare to interfere with you anymore? Your dad is even more old-fashioned than his. How did you manage that?”

Huoyuchuan said, “I went back and told him I liked Huomingzhe.”

He Congshan was shocked, “You have that kind of preference?”

Huoyuchuan looked at him like he was silly.

He Congshan suddenly realized, “Then I’ll go say I like his older brother, or second brother? Third or fourth brother?”

Huoyuchuan said indifferently, “Whether you like him or one of his brothers, to his dad, what’s the difference?” All sons are being courted by a pig.

He Congshan worried, “What should I do then?”

Huoyuchuan said, “There is another way,”

He Congshan immediately perked up, “What way?”

Huoyuchuan replied nonchalantly, “Just say you like his dad.”

He Congshan: “……”

Isn’t your taste a bit too heavy?