IHSAGW Chapter 21

The two of them locked eyes for three seconds. Huo Weiran turned his face aside, suppressing the warmth rising in his chest, then looked back again.

The feeling was far too strange. Huo Weiran had seen many good-looking people, but this was the first time he had ever been unable to hold someone’s gaze.

He was perfect—perfectly aligned with every preference deep in Huo Weiran’s heart. Huo Weiran felt an impulse to follow him at all times, yet was afraid that he might discover even more of his flaws.

When he was close to him, Huo Weiran couldn’t control the heat in his body. Everything felt contradictory yet sweet, as if some chemical component within him was constantly reacting with his rationality.

So far, the two members of the Huo family that Nian Le had interacted with were, more or less, a little strange.

Thinking of Huo Huohuo’s various feats of forgetfulness, and then looking at the inexplicable oddness of Huo Weiran, Nian Le had already grown somewhat accustomed to their way of doing things.

Since he still had to stay at the Huo residence for at least another week, faced with Huo Weiran’s gaze, Nian Le naturally couldn’t ask, “What are you staring at?”

Being looked at wouldn’t cost him a piece of flesh.

“Good night.” Nian Le arranged his words, chose the most appropriate one, turned around, and continued upstairs.

Huo Weiran stood where he was, trying to think about the meaning of “good night” coming from his fiancé’s mouth. He froze for a moment, and when he looked up again, Nian Le’s figure was already gone.

Nian Le entered the guest room and was just about to close the door when he heard rapid footsteps outside. A hand suddenly grabbed the doorframe. Nian Le immediately loosened his grip on the doorknob, nearly catching his younger brother’s only good hand in the door.

He reopened the door and looked up at the quickly approaching Huo Weiran, a questioning look in his eyes.

Huo Weiran pressed one hand against the nearby doorframe and stared down intently at the young man in front of him. The side of his face heated up uncontrollably, his heartbeat in disarray.

Only by shifting his gaze elsewhere, somewhere he couldn’t see him, would the abnormalities in his body slowly subside.

Nian Le thought his younger brother might have some request about tomorrow’s breakfast. He waited for a long time, but saw only Huo Weiran’s gray eyes darting away repeatedly, unable to say a single word.

At the spot where Huo Weiran’s hand gripped the wooden doorframe, a faint crack sounded. Nian Le could vaguely make out a thin fissure. Doubt surged in his heart what kind of request could make him chase over here, say nothing, and yet nearly crush the doorframe?

The two of them stood facing each other at the doorway for a full half hour.

Sleepiness welled up. Nian Le glanced at the time, then looked back at Huo Weiran and saw that his fingers were still tightly clenched around the doorframe. The crack in the wood was slowly widening.

If this continued, the entire doorframe would be torn off.

“What do you want to say?” Nian Le asked gently. His words carried a hint of confusion, but his eyes were full of patience.

No matter how outrageous the request, it could be said aloud, there was no need to make someone who’d never had a rebellious phase blindly guess.

Huo Weiran’s ears reddened a little.

The guest room light hadn’t been turned on yet. The corridor lights fell over the two of them. Huo Weiran stood with his back to the light, yet he could still see the softened glow diffused by his own shadow, gently spilling over Nian Le.

His pale skin took on a warmer hue, and from his light-colored eyes, Huo Weiran could faintly see his own reflection.

His expression was so gentle. Even after waiting for so long, the warmth in his eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

How could he have such great patience with him? He seemed able to tolerate every little mood from his fiancé, smiling as he soothed him, without a trace of annoyance.

What exactly had Mother promised him?

Huo Weiran tried hard to rein in his thoughts, yet his mind drifted back to that brief moment earlier today when their fingers had intertwined.

Another crack sounded. Nian Le looked up at the widening gap and slowly took a deep breath.

This probably wouldn’t have to come out of his pocket.

But if Huo Huohuo or Mrs. Huo asked about it, Nian Le wouldn’t know how to explain.

Your brother/son stood here without saying a word and crushed it by hand?

After thinking for a moment, Nian Le raised his eyes and spoke earnestly.

“Xiao Ran, your hair is a bit messy.”

Messy hair?

Huo Weiran quickly raised a hand to tidy it, unable to believe that he had been standing in front of Nian Le with his hair in disarray and staring at him for so long!

“That’s better.” Nian Le smiled and grasped the doorknob. “Rest early.”

At the moment the door was about to close, it was stopped by a hand. Nian Le silently sighed, preparing himself to continue the standoff. When he looked up, he saw Huo Weiran as if he had mustered immense courage, his gaze firm.

“Good night.”

After those two simple words were spoken, Nian Le watched his younger brother hurry away, as if something were chasing him from behind, quickly entering his bedroom and shutting the door tightly

Nian Le’s brows gradually knitted together. He raised his eyes to look at the crack in the doorframe and stood there, falling into silence for a moment.

After a good night’s sleep, early the next morning, Nian Le quietly prepared breakfast. Huo Weiran stood beside him cutting fruit, yet his gaze kept drifting uncontrollably toward his fiancé.

After returning to his room, Huo Weiran replayed his actions from the previous night again and again, feeling that he hadn’t been decisive enough. Just like before, when Nian Le asked him to call him “gege” (older brother) even though he had mentally prepared himself, his blood still rushed, his whole body heated up, and he simply couldn’t say those two words.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Nian Le poured the soup into an elegant porcelain jar and took the initiative to speak, breaking his younger brother’s hesitant silence.

“Very well,” Huo Weiran answered quickly, then suddenly felt that his reply wasn’t quite appropriate.

After blocking Nian Le at the door for so long last night, he must have thought about many things, how could he possibly have slept well?

“So-so,” Huo Weiran changed his answer.

Nian Le set the soup jar on the dining table. Hearing Huo Weiran’s words, he turned to look at him.

The moment their eyes met, Huo Weiran’s breathing stalled for a brief instant, and he blurted out the truth without meaning to.

“It was a bit hard to fall asleep. I woke up a few times during the night.”

Nian Le paused, suddenly realizing what Huo Weiran might have wanted to ask for the night before.

“If you’re not sleeping well, you should’ve told me earlier,” Nian Le stepped closer, his gaze earnest. “This afternoon I’ll make some dishes that help with sleep. You can try them.”

Looking at the person in front of him, Huo Weiran couldn’t help but drift into another daze.

After they got married, would he still treat him this well? Or once the conditions his mother promised were fulfilled, would he lower his standards and simply muddle through?

While eating breakfast, Nian Le sent a message to the driver. When he looked up again, he found several extra pieces of food in his bowl. Looking across the table, Huo Weiran seemed unwilling to admit they were his doing, his gray eyes shifted elsewhere, revealing the sharp, well-defined curve of his profile.

Nian Le thanked him, and in response, several more servings were quickly added to his bowl, as if afraid he wouldn’t eat enough. In the end, Huo Weiran even poured half a bowl of fruit salad into Nian Le’s bowl.

Half an hour before the competition began, Nian Le patted his stomach, rode his beloved shared green bike, and arrived at the venue early. He skillfully found the table assignment list, and upon seeing his opponent’s name, his brows lifted slightly and his eyes stirred.

He quietly walked to his seat and sat down steadily to wait, his fingers brushing over the board in front of him, fully aware—

After this round, there would be only one final match left.

As long as he won this one, even if he didn’t participate in the final round, there would be no suspense about advancing to the top thirty-two.

Nian Le had always preferred playing it safe, because there were simply too many uncertainties in this world.

Many gazes in the venue fell upon him: the little girl with her hair in a bun, the young first-dan player, several boys from Mianhai Dojo, Chi Mianmian who had resigned in the previous round. Attention came from every direction—subtle and silent.

One minute before the match started, Nian Le looked at the still-empty seat across from him. He lowered his gaze to the board, and when he looked up again, someone was already sitting there.

“Sorry, sorry—my replacement came late…” The auntie’s voice halted as she looked at the young man in front of her, surprise rendering her speechless for a long moment.

Nian Le’s expression remained calm as he looked at her, faintly catching the scent of cream puffs on her.

They exchanged a glance, as if returning to that noon a few days ago, when Nian Le had walked out of the shop with a paper bag, and the auntie had chased after him, happily pressing a big bag of delicious cream puffs into his hands.

“Why is it you?” the auntie exclaimed in shock, her mouth falling open, unsure whether to sit or stand.

This young man—the good kid who had helped her out before. How could it be that the two of them were drawn together, becoming opponents in such a crucial round?!

Nian Le fell silent for a moment, then gave the auntie a gentle smile.

“Auntie, it seems we have some fate between us. Since we’re opponents, don’t feel any psychological pressure—just do your best.”

The cream-puff auntie sat down somewhat awkwardly, looking at the young man as the chief referee announced the start of the match.

In this round, the auntie had the first move, playing Black. Neither of them asked about the other’s number of wins, nor did they bring up past events. They simply played.

Nian Le picked up a white stone from the bowl, placed it on the board, and lightly pressed the clock. The auntie glanced up at him, steeling herself as she pinched a black stone, played a small knight’s move, and placed it to the side.

After just a dozen or so moves, Nian Le could already tell why the auntie had defeated that Mianhai Dojo student.

Her style was extremely meticulous, she would fight tooth and nail for even half a point, never letting the slightest advantage slip away. She leaned forward, completely immersed in the game.

Many players used this kind of style, but it consumed enormous mental and physical energy. That was why many older players could no longer maintain the same precision they had in their youth.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Nian Le twisted open the bottle of mineral water provided by the organizers and took a small sip. When he looked up, he saw no trace of fatigue on the auntie’s face. Clearly, she was accustomed to heavy manual labor, her mental and physical endurance far exceeded that of most people.

This game lasted longer than any of his previous matches. The auntie thought very cautiously, sometimes spending twenty minutes on a single move. Nian Le lowered his gaze to the board, his posture straight, constantly calculating his opponent’s possible continuations.

The numbers on the electronic clock kept ticking. Four hours passed, and players at nearby tables had mostly finished their games, signed their names, and left. Looking at the board in front of him, still only in the midgame, Nian Le knew this was a grueling battle of stamina and focus and that his endurance might not match the auntie’s. If he forced himself to endure it, a headache would only be a matter of time.

Suddenly, unusual noise came from the tables and chairs not far behind the auntie. Nian Le instinctively looked up and saw a very familiar face.

The leading boy from Mianhai Dojo, the one called “Brother Cheng” was sitting at a table not far from them. He seemed to have just won his match. Wearing a smug expression, he stood up and deliberately made noise with his chair while looking at Nian Le.

Noticing Nian Le’s gaze, Brother Cheng turned his back to the nearby referees and extended his fist toward him, raised his thumb, then slowly dragged it across his neck.

Watching the series of threatening gestures that were enough to make anyone’s heart race, Nian Le’s expression remained calm. At that moment, the auntie finally finished her long contemplation and placed a stone on the board. With a sigh of relief, she pressed the clock then heard the noise behind her and instinctively started to turn her head.

“Don’t turn around.” Nian Le’s eyes narrowed slightly as he pinched a white stone between his fingers, his voice calm and gentle.

“There’s nothing there. Keep your focus on the board.”