NASAY CH 61

Huo Xingzhou never got along with his siblings at home, and due to Huo Yansheng and Wu Suyan’s careers, the time he spent with them was even more limited.

He had no desire to deal with these passive-aggressive people, yet they still had the audacity to come looking for trouble.

Yanyan cried while pointing the way, but his words were incoherent. Huo Xingzhou wasn’t in the mood to listen—so long as they were heading in the right direction, that was enough.

Turning into an alley, he immediately saw Luo Xing being restrained—Huo Jiaming was holding him tightly around the waist while Huo Jiazhou had him by the neck, pressing him onto a pile of firewood stacked by their grandmother. Scattered on the ground were red banknotes, with one even stuck to Luo Xing’s collar.

Luo Xing was struggling, his right cheek swollen high with a bright red handprint.

A surge of rage instantly rushed through Huo Xingzhou’s veins. “Oh?”

Huo Jiazhou froze, turning his head.

Huo Jiaming, who was more timid, let go immediately at the sound, allowing Luo Xing to break free. He gasped for air, leaning on the firewood stack as he coughed violently.

The once-noisy alley fell into complete silence.

Huo Jiaming nervously looked at him and mumbled, “Cousin…”

Huo Xingzhou ignored him, stepping forward to gently help Luo Xing up. He reached out and touched his swollen face, his voice soft.
“Does it hurt?”

“It’s nothing, it’s fine.”
Luo Xing shook his head, enduring the pain in his neck as he forced a smile.
“Why are you here?”

Huo Xingzhou placed the still-sobbing Yanyan into Luo Xing’s arms and said warmly,
“Yanyan got scared just now. Take him to find Auntie. I’ll come find you later.”

“No way!”
Luo Xing knew that Huo Xingzhou was planning to fight his cousins. Even though he had been hit and felt wronged, it was the New Year—he couldn’t let their grandfather find out.

Besides… Huo Jiazhou already knew about their relationship. If he got angry and told their grandfather, how would they clean up the mess?

He absolutely couldn’t let them get into a fight.

“I’m fine, don’t fight them,”
Luo Xing grabbed his hand urgently.

His grievances were minor, but making Huo’s parents look bad was a big issue. Those people already wanted to see them embarrassed—how could he let that happen?

“I know, I won’t fight them. I’ll just have a little chat.”
Huo Xingzhou smiled, patting his face gently.
“Don’t you trust me?”

“But…”
Luo Xing held Yanyan tightly. Seeing Huo Xingzhou’s expression darken, he hesitated.

“If you don’t take Yanyan away now, he’ll start crying again. You don’t want to scare him, do you?”

Luo Xing looked down at Yanyan’s red-rimmed eyes, realizing the little one was on the verge of tears again. His heart ached, and he quickly turned away, hugging him close.
“Then you have to promise me—no fighting!”

“I know. Go now.”

Watching Luo Xing walk away, Huo Xingzhou let out a cold chuckle, pulled off his down jacket, and threw it onto the firewood stack. He rolled up the sleeves of his knit sweater, flexed his wrists slightly, and then swung a punch straight at Huo Jiazhou’s face.

Bam!

Caught off guard, Huo Jiazhou was knocked to the ground. His right cheek immediately went numb. Blood filled his mouth, and when he moved his tongue, he spit out a bloody lump—half a tooth.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
Huo Jiazhou scrambled up and lunged at Huo Xingzhou, roaring,
“You’re hitting your own cousin over some bastard? Is your brain full of shit?!”

Huo Xingzhou’s back hit the wooden rack with a thud. He frowned slightly, then kicked back, flipping their positions. He pinned Huo Jiazhou down onto the firewood pile, stopping just half an inch away from a sharp protruding branch.

“You called who a bastard?”
Huo Xingzhou sneered, pressing harder on his throat.
“If you weren’t still somewhat related to my family, I would’ve already ended you. And yet you still have the nerve to talk?”

Huo Jiazhou didn’t speak but smirked defiantly.

Huo Jiayu, who had been standing frozen in fear, trembled as she tried to run away.

“Wait.”

Huo Xingzhou’s gaze swept to the timid and cowardly Huo Jiaming.
“You. Tell me—who slapped Luo Xing?”

Huo Jiaming shrank back, glancing at Huo Jiayu but saying nothing. He hunched his shoulders and retreated several steps.

“It wasn’t me… I didn’t hit him… He started it first…”

Huo Xingzhou released Huo Jiazhou and stepped toward Huo Jiayu, locking eyes with her.
“Speak. What did you want with Luo Xing?”

Huo Jiayu, guilty and afraid, avoided his gaze, mumbling,
“N-nothing… We weren’t doing anything…”

“Nothing? So that slap mark on his face—did he hit himself?”
Huo Xingzhou sneered. He reached out, brushing off the collar of her down jacket. His cold gaze made her tremble.

“What do you want?! Are you really going to hit your own sister over some classmate?”
Huo Jiayu backed away in panic.

Huo Xingzhou grabbed her by the throat in an instant, cutting off all air.

She struggled in pain, clawing at his wrist, but it was futile. The suffocating terror crashed into her mind, and she flailed desperately.

After a long while…

Just as she was on the verge of passing out, he finally let go. His voice was quiet, almost inaudible.

“I don’t hit women. But you hit my treasure—and I can’t let that slide.”

Huo Jiayu collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air as tears and snot ran down her face.

“Slap yourself.”

She stared at him in shock, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

Huo Jiazhou was equally stunned.

He suddenly recalled something from their childhood—when he had broken Huo Xingzhou’s favorite model, Huo Xingzhou had been upset but said nothing.

One year, Huo Jiaming had borrowed a pair of his globally limited-edition sneakers and damaged them. Huo Xingzhou had simply said, “Keep them.”

But now, he had lost control over a single slap Luo Xing suffered.

He had always been the kind of person who was carefree and indifferent to most things, as if nothing could ever make him truly angry.

It was only now that Huo Jiayu realized they had never touched what he truly cherished.

“What are you waiting for?”
Huo Xingzhou squatted in front of her, with a slight smile on his lips, but his words were ice-cold.
“I don’t hit women, but your dad sure does.”

Huo Jiayu shuddered, clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and raised her hand, slapping herself hard across the face.

“Enough!”

Crying, Huo Jiayu scrambled up from the ground, shoved Huo Xingzhou angrily, wiped her tears, and ran off.

Huo Xingzhou turned around and saw that Huo Jiazhou was still standing there. He bent down, picked up every last red banknote scattered on the ground, neatly stacked them, and stuffed them into Huo Jiazhou’s collar.

“Using money to humiliate people? This little amount, and you actually think it’s worth something? Pathetic.”

Then, he walked back to the pile of firewood, retrieved his phone, unlocked it, and tossed it onto Huo Jiazhou’s face.

“The password is six ones. Transfer as much as you want.”

The thing Huo Jiazhou hated most was Huo Xingzhou’s arrogant, wealthy attitude. Instantly provoked, he snapped,.
“Yeah, I am humiliating him. So what? He’s willingly letting you f*** him, all because he wants your money! Taking Grandpa’s ring—does he even deserve it?”

Huo Xingzhou’s eyebrows furrowed. He had already suspected this was about the ring before he arrived, but he hadn’t expected that they even knew about his relationship with Luo Xing!

“What did you just say?”
Huo Xingzhou turned his head, a deep, murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
“You’re f***ing asking to die.”

“Stop!”

Just as Huo Xingzhou’s fist was about to land on Huo Jiazhou, a voice rang out, and he instantly halted.

“Mom.”

Wu Suyan glanced at the group of children, her gaze sharp and serious. She then turned to her son.
“Xingzhou, you dare to hit your own cousin? Come here.”

Huo Xingzhou licked the cut on his lip, grabbed his down jacket from the firewood pile, picked up his phone without even looking at it, and chuckled.

Wu Suyan helped Huo Jiazhou up, patted the dirt off his clothes, and sighed.
“Don’t bother arguing with your younger brother. Later, I’ll have your uncle discipline him. He’s getting more and more out of control.”

Huo Jiazhou coldly brushed off Wu Suyan’s hand and scoffed.
“No need.”

“Jiazhou—”
Wu Suyan awkwardly moved her lips, let out a sigh, then turned back to look at Huo Xingzhou.
“Tell me, why were you fighting?”

“How did you even know I was fighting here? Did Luo Xing tell you?”
Huo Xingzhou smiled as he casually draped an arm around his mother’s shoulder and said indifferently,
“He’s just a kid—what does he know? My cousin and I were just playing around, sparring a bit.”

“Don’t joke with me! Be serious!”
Wu Suyan glared at him, exasperated.
“How many times have I told you to control your temper and avoid conflicts with them? Your grandparents are old, and—”

“Xingzhou, come here.”

Before Wu Suyan could finish, she was interrupted by Huo Yansheng, who stood at the end of the alley with a grave expression Huo Xingzhou had never seen before.

He instantly knew things had gotten serious.

The whole family was gathered in one room. Grandpa sat at the head of the table, his face dark, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

Second Aunt and Third Aunt were crying and wailing. Huo Jiayu buried her head in her mother’s arms, sobbing miserably.

Grandma sat in the corner, cradling a frightened Yanyan, softly comforting him. Luo Xing stood on the other side, looking uneasy, lightly biting his lip.

“Dad, don’t be upset. Kids fight—it’s normal. When I was little, I fought with my older cousins all the time. It’s not a big deal,”
Aunt gently tried to soothe the old man, smiling as she glanced to the right.
“Third Sister-in-law, why don’t you comfort Jiayu? I’m sure Big Brother will discipline Xingzhou later. We’re all family, let’s just move on from this.”

The moment Third Aunt heard that, she exploded. She shot up from her seat and pointed a trembling finger at Aunt’s nose.

“Oh, so just because you say ‘let it go,’ we’re supposed to let it go? Family? Who’s family? Who in their right mind would hit their own sister? I won’t even call her his sister—let’s say she was just some other girl! He went straight for a slap? Is this how you raised your son? Hitting girls?”

Aunt had just been trying to mediate and didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere on New Year’s Day, but now, instead of calming things down, she had made herself a target. Her face turned bright red in embarrassment.

Huo Xingzhou’s uncle pulled his wife behind him, ready to speak, but she pressed his hand down and said,
“Third sister-in-law, that’s not right. Even if you don’t care about Big Brother’s face, you should at least consider Father’s. You can point at me and scold me all you want, I won’t get mad, but saying things like that in front of our parents—aren’t you afraid of biting your own tongue?”

Second Aunt had been watching the scene unfold, but the moment she caught sight of her son walking in from outside, his face covered in wounds, she immediately burst into tears.
“Zhouzhou! What happened to your face?!”

Huo Jiazhou turned his head away, unwilling to answer.

Second Aunt grabbed his arm and dragged him in front of Grandfather, crying and wailing,
“Dad, you have to do something about your so-called good grandson! Look at what he’s done to Zhouzhou! We came home to celebrate the New Year, not to get beaten up!”

Huo Yansheng and the others walked in through the doorway, all frowning at the scene before them.

Wu Suyan stepped forward, first giving the elder a small smile before apologizing,
“Second Sister, Xingzhou was out of line. I apologize on his behalf. I feel bad for Jiazhou too, but let’s not—”

“Get lost! Who needs your fake sympathy?!”
Second Aunt shoved Wu Suyan aside and picked up a teacup, hurling it toward her. Huo Yansheng swiftly stepped in, blocking it just in time.

“Zhouzhou is so filial. He came all the way home to spend the New Year with his grandparents, and he almost lost his life here,”
Second Aunt sobbed, hugging Huo Jiazhou while glaring at Wu Suyan with venom in her eyes.
“Wu Suyan, what exactly are you trying to do?!”

Wu Suyan frowned slightly.
“Parents are always the last to find out when kids fight. They wouldn’t tell me beforehand. What hidden motive could I possibly have? Second Sister, don’t say things in anger—”

“Oh, I’m the one being unreasonable?”
Second Aunt sneered, her voice sharp and biting.
“Yes, our family isn’t as wealthy as yours, and maybe we didn’t raise our son to be as ‘noble’ as yours. But Zhouzhou is still our beloved child! How dare you let your son hit him?!”

As she spoke, she lunged forward to hit Huo Xingzhou, but he caught her wrist with ease.

“Xingzhou!”
Huo Yansheng’s face darkened.
“Let go.”

Huo Xingzhou released her immediately, and Second Aunt took the opportunity to slap him several times. The house was soon filled with shouting, crying, and chaos.

Standing on the sidelines, Luo Xing felt like a taut string had been pulled inside him. His eyes stung as he watched Huo Xingzhou get hit. He knew—this was all his fault.

If only he had refused to take that ring.

If only he had held back last night and not come looking for Huo Xingzhou.

If only… he hadn’t come here for the New Year at all.

Zhao Jiulan was right. He was a walking disaster, bringing only pain to those around him. He should have stayed out of everyone’s way. If he hadn’t come, this New Year would have been happy—just like before.

“Enough! Stop this nonsense!”
Grandfather slammed his palm against the table, his voice still strong despite his age. He coughed once, then fixed his sharp gaze on Huo Xingzhou.
“Tell me—what happened?”

Huo Xingzhou glanced at Luo Xing before stepping forward obediently. He let out a soft chuckle and said,
“Grandpa, you’re the one who started all this mess.”

“Me?”

Wu Suyan whispered,
“Speak properly.”

Huo Xingzhou smirked.
“Oh, alright. Grandpa, my cousins found out that you gave that ‘worthless thing’ to Luo Xing. They cornered him in the alley, demanding he hand it over. Luo Xing probably refused, so my dear cousin hit him across the face. You might not know this, but my friend has hearing issues. A slap like that could’ve made him go permanently deaf.”

He paused, then turned to look at Huo Jiazhou, letting out a cold laugh.
“And my cousin here? He pulled out a stack of cash and threw it at Luo Xing’s face—trying to humiliate him.”

As Grandfather listened, his face grew darker and darker. The expressions of the other relatives also turned pale.

Wu Suyan coughed lightly. “Alright, that’s enough.”

“Grandpa,”
Huo Xingzhou continued,
“my friend came to celebrate the New Year with me because he thought I’d be lonely. It was his choice to be here. So it’s my responsibility to protect him.”

He tilted his head slightly, casting a glance at Luo Xing before silently mouthing,
“Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

Luo Xing gave the faintest nod in response.

Grandfather’s chest rose and fell with anger before he let out a laugh, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Good! So my grandchildren have now learned to throw money at people in contempt? These are the fine sons and daughters you’ve raised!”

Second Aunt and Third Aunt avoided his gaze, fidgeting awkwardly. But suddenly, their spirits flared back up, their voices sharp as knives.

“That ring—if you won’t give it to us, we wouldn’t say anything. But you can’t just hand it over to an outsider! Who does he think he is?!”

“Exactly! That’s not just some worthless trinket—it’s an ancestral heirloom! It’s worth at least tens of millions! And you just gave it away to some outsider? Zhouzhou and the others were just worried you’d been tricked! And now you’re blaming us instead?”

“I’ve known for a while that you all had your eyes on that ring,”
Grandfather said coldly.
“I’ve already told you—I’ll give it to whoever I want. I like this kid, so I gave it to him. It’s none of your business.”

“To you, it’s just about a ring. But if it were something even more valuable, would you go as far as to kill someone for it? You should be worrying about how to raise your children properly.”

Huo Jiazhou saw that Grandfather was siding with Huo Xingzhou yet again. Unable to contain himself, he burst out,
“Grandpa, don’t let him fool you! Huo Xingzhou is gay! He and Luo Xing—”
his voice turned sharp,
“they’re a couple! They’re nothing but a pair of f***ing fags!”

Bang!

The old man’s cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground, tea spilling everywhere.

The room, which had been filled with crying and arguing, suddenly went silent. It was so quiet that even the drop of a needle could be heard.

Huo Xingzhou’s fingers tensed, and the veins on the back of his hand popped out.

The old man didn’t speak for a long time.

Even Second Aunt was stunned. She opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything for a moment, then tugged at Huo Jiazhou and said,
“You can’t just say things like this without evidence.”

Their aunt reacted the fastest, turning to look at Luo Xing, who stood nervously in the corner. His pale face was filled with panic, and his fingers clutched tightly at the hem of his shirt as he anxiously looked at them.

Luo Xing couldn’t hear them.

For the first time, he hated the fact that he was unable to hear.

What were they saying? Why was everyone looking at him?

Had Huo Jiazhou exposed him and Huo Xingzhou’s relationship?

Huo Jiazhou looked smugly at Huo Xingzhou’s darkened face and mocked,
“Last night, I came back to grab something and saw them kissing in the kitchen!”

“I knew it,”
Second Aunt sneered in disgust at Huo Xingzhou and Wu Suyan.
“No wonder he brought an outsider home for the New Year. Turns out he was just after the family heirloom.”

“Elder brother, sister-in-law, this won’t do. Xingzhou is still young, you can’t let him go down the wrong path. I know you’re busy with work, but you can’t just ignore this.”

“That’s right. If this gets out, it’ll be humiliating. Our Huo family has never had such disgraceful affairs. How am I supposed to face people after this?”

“A disgrace to the family.”

The old man still hadn’t spoken. He listened to their noisy accusations, both open and veiled, and then looked at Huo Yansheng with a headache.
“Do you have a cigarette?”

Huo Yansheng paused, then turned and left the room.

The old man didn’t smoke, and neither did Huo Yansheng, but there were cigarettes in the house, gifts from others. He quickly found a pack and handed it to the old man along with a lighter.

The old man took a deep drag, bowing his head as he rested his fingers on the edge of the table without saying a word.

The cigarette burned down in silence. When the old man stubbed it out, extinguishing the last wisp of smoke, he lifted his head and looked at Huo Yansheng.

“You knew about this?”

Huo Yansheng nodded.

He met the old man’s gaze and took a deep breath. This was something they had always needed to tell him, but he hadn’t expected it to come out like this.

The unexpected exposure left him unsure of how to ease the old man’s shock. He could only hope it wouldn’t hurt his health.

Huo Xingzhou walked to the corner, took Luo Xing’s hand, and led him back to the old man.

Luo Xing struggled free and shook his head, apologizing.
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have come.”

“It’s not your fault. Don’t take the blame.”
Huo Xingzhou held onto his hand tightly and said in a low voice, “I’m here.”

“No… no, this isn’t right.”
Luo Xing was terrified of hurting his family and couldn’t help but shrink back.
“We… we can’t…”

Huo Xingzhou’s face darkened.
“You’re not allowed to back down. Look at me.”

Luo Xing, tears in his eyes, looked at Huo Xingzhou’s face. He could feel the suppressed anger and emotions radiating from him.

He reached up to wipe his tears, shaking his head.
“I can’t… I just can’t…”

“If you don’t want me to kiss you in front of Grandpa, then behave and listen to me.”
Huo Xingzhou lifted a hand, gently wiping away his tears with his knuckles, and softened his voice.
“I want you. No matter what happens, even if I die, I still want you.”

Luo Xing’s heart ached.

Huo Xingzhou pulled him back to kneel before the old man. He looked into his grandfather’s eyes, neither servile nor overbearing, and said,

“Grandpa, I originally planned to tell you later. But since Huo Jiazhou has already exposed it, I won’t hide it anymore, and I will never let Luo Xing suffer any grievances.”

The old man’s pupils contracted. Before he could speak, Huo Xingzhou continued,

“His name is Luo Xing. He’s seventeen years old and my deskmate. He was selected from the province to attend our school.”

“He ranks first in every exam, teaches me problems, encourages me to take the college entrance exam, and has won multiple gold medals for the school. He even translates my father’s books into French for international publishing and is an excellent Go player.”

“He has such a bright future. He’s capable of so many things, yet he’s willing to give up everything to be with someone like me, who has nothing.”

“I can’t let down his love for me.”

Huo Xingzhou didn’t say anything dramatic like “I love him no matter his gender.” Instead, he formally introduced Luo Xing, listing his strengths so the old man could see that their relationship was real.

It was Luo Xing’s sacrifice that allowed them to be together.

If he ever wronged Luo Xing, then he truly would be a worthless person.

The old man clenched his teeth as he listened, his hand gripping the edge of the table so hard it visibly trembled. He stared at them, still kneeling before him—one meeting his gaze with unwavering determination, the other with teary eyes, too afraid to look up.

“Oh, how touching,”
Second Aunt sneered
“Loving a man so deeply, you’re almost making me cry.”

She scoffed, turning to Wu Suyan.
“Wu Suyan, you gave birth to such a twisted, perverted son. Aren’t you disgusted?”

“If it were me, I’d be so ashamed… Ha!”