PD Chapter 17: Forced to Come Out

The whole situation went down so fast it was unreal. He Linzhou couldn’t have dreamed that one day he’d come out in such an absurdly dramatic way.

After everything went down, things at home were tense, to say the least. That same night, father and son nearly tore the house apart with their shouting match. Neither side would budge. Father He, his eyes blazing, spat out, “Until you figure this out, you’re staying in this house and going nowhere. Don’t go out there making a fool of yourself.” He then stormed out, slamming the door.

“Fine, I’ll stay.” He Linzhou, lying back on the sofa, crossed his legs, smirking lazily. “Aunt Yu, I want some dragon fruit!”

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly under house arrest. If he really wanted to go out, he had plenty of ways to do it. Even if he forced his way out, none of the house staff could possibly stop a six-foot-tall guy. But he actually stayed home for a few days, not wanting to avoid a confrontation that he knew he’d have to face eventually.

On the fifth day of being holed up in his room, He Linzhou finally came downstairs in the early morning, yawning widely after a night of gaming. He grabbed a freshly toasted slice of bread from the dining table and asked the kitchen, “Got any soy milk?”

Mother He, still in her robe, hurried downstairs when she heard him, quietly pulling him aside. “Why’d you come down today?”

He Linzhou gave her a puzzled look. “What, do I need permission to come down and eat in my own house now?”

“Hey,” Mother He tugged his arm, pulling him into the kitchen and whispering, “since you’re down here, take the chance to apologize to your dad when you eat. He seemed in a slightly better mood this morning…”

He Linzhou gently shook off her hand, pulling the bread out of his mouth and, with a tinge of impatience, cut her off. “Apologize for what? What did I do wrong?”

She glared at him, frustrated, and tapped his forehead. “I can’t believe you. Goofing off outside is one thing, but why did you have to mess around right under your dad’s nose? Your dad finally got the board to agree to let you join the company, and then you pull something like this. You just made things so much harder for him! Now go and end all those… weird habits of yours.”

“Seems to me that Dad’s the one stuck in the past. Or actually,” He Linzhou crossed his arms and looked at her with a smirk, “if the board members are 500-year-old relics, Dad must be a 1,000-year-old fossil.”

“How do you talk to your mother like that?” she sighed, lowering her voice. “Look at Yuan’s second son. A few years ago, he had that big scandal with the model, but he still got married, and now his kid’s already walking. Why can’t you change too? It’s not like your dad and I are rushing you to get married right away. Just play along for now, and adjust things later.”

“Please, don’t compare me to that jerk. I saw him in the club the other day, grinding on people in a strip dance.” He Linzhou shot her a look. “And besides, Mom, you caught me watching g/v and, well… you know… when I was fifteen. I’m twenty-two now, and I’ve never even been with a girl. Honestly, I can’t even get excited by straight porn. So tell me, how am I supposed to ‘adjust’?”

He hadn’t exactly kept his voice down, and from the dining table outside, there was a loud smack on the glass. Father He shouted, “You have no choice but to adjust! If everyone else can get married and have kids, why can’t you?”

Mother He tugged at his sleeve, signaling for him to hold back.

Suppressing his irritation, He Linzhou pretended he hadn’t heard and left the kitchen to sit across from Father He at the table. With a mocking smile, he greeted him, “Morning, Dad.”

Father He kept his gaze on his tablet, barely looking up. With a cold snort, he gave a dismissive, “Hmph.”

Copying him, He Linzhou exaggeratedly mimicked the sound, then picked up his cup of warm, sweet soy milk, taking a sip as he casually asked, “So when do I start at the company?”

“Start at the company?” Father He glanced at him, his voice icy. “You may not care about saving face, but I do.”

With a thunk, He Linzhou put his cup back on the table. “I…” The rest of his words were swallowed when Mother He shot him a warning look.

Grinding his teeth, he picked up the cup again, forcing down his unspoken words with another gulp of soy milk.

“Old He, when are you letting Linzhou start at the company?” Mother He chimed in. “He’s just lounging around at home every day; might as well get him started with you, so he can learn and take some of the workload off you.”

“He’s been loafing around forever,” Father He said, stone-faced. “If he wants to waste time, let him. Once he’s matured and started a family, then we’ll talk about his career.”

Mother He nudged He Linzhou, who was intensely focused on the bacon on his plate, signaling him to say something nice.

He Linzhou took a forkful of bacon, muttering a muffled, “Sure.”

Father He looked at him, seemingly surprised that he’d agreed so easily, just as he heard Linzhou mutter under his breath, “Maybe in a couple of years, same-sex marriage will be legal. Or if not, I can just get a certificate overseas.”

He stretched lazily and started to head back upstairs, saying, “I’m full. I’m going back to sleep.”

“To sleep where?” Father He slapped his fork down on the table, growling, “There’s no place for you in this family. You can go sleep on the streets for all I care.”

He Linzhou turned back, chuckling and unable to hold back his sarcastic comment, “Dad, that line is so outdated. I told you, stop watching those cheesy soap operas with Mom. The whole ‘Ice King’ thing is ancient history, and no one does the domineering CEO act anymore.”

Father He’s gaze turned sharp, his voice slicing through the room. “Pack your things and leave this house right now.”

“Alright, alright,” Mother He stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. “Why are you going head-to-head with your own son?”

Shrugging, He Linzhou knew too well that this wasn’t the first heated exchange with his father. He’d been through enough of these dramatic arguments to know his father’s words were just empty threats. Looking back at his father, he joked, “So what, are you going to cut off my cards too? Then say something like, ‘I’d like to see how capable you are without the He family’s help!’”

Father He snorted. “Oh, you’ve got it all planned out, huh?”

Seeing Father He’s face darken, Mother He quickly tried to calm things. “Linzhou, you could tone it down a little too.”

Ignoring her, Father He picked up his phone and, right in front of him, called someone, his face a thundercloud. “Cancel all the cards under He Linzhou’s name.”

Stunned, He Linzhou turned to his mother, his voice suddenly softening in surprise. “Wait, you’re seriously doing this?”

Father He pointed to the door, expression deadly serious. “And I seriously mean get out.”

“Come on, Dad, I haven’t even slept since last night…” He Linzhou tried a last-ditch effort, attempting a playful tone.

The response was a booming, “Out!”