Chapter 120: Origins (2)

“My life is good as it is, so I don’t need that,” he had answered at the time, and the man hadn’t pressed him further.

It wasn’t until he reached the first year of high school, joined the student council, and met Yu Fan, the student council president, that he learned his father was Yu Fan’s driver.

The very next day, that man appeared again, insisting that his son could not be seen as just the driver’s child. Simply put, the man with his half-noble bloodline couldn’t bear to lose face.

But no matter what the man said, he refused to go back. In the end, the man proposed a condition: he must keep his relationship with his father a secret from outsiders, or else he would have to obediently return to the Ou family. The man also promised not to interfere behind the scenes.

This was a private agreement between him and that man, one he never disclosed to his parents. In fact, he had no intention of accepting it at the time but chose silence, knowing that even if he refused, the man wouldn’t let it go so easily.

For the past two years, he had been very cautious, and as a result, his relationship with his father became increasingly distant. He believed that if his father thought he cared deeply about the matter, he would quit the job. But his father was reluctant to give up such a well-paying position. He understood that his father was working hard to save money so he could study abroad one day, so he never asked him to quit. Indeed, his father never openly acknowledged their relationship at school for his sake.

This secret could have been kept smoothly, but because his father was overly anxious with his mother, he accidentally let something slip, and that’s how things escalated.

Now, having failed to uphold their agreement, the man had come looking for him, and the reason was obvious.

Even so, he didn’t want to stay here.

“You’ve kept me here for a whole day; if you have something to say, say it now,” he told the man. Since yesterday, he hadn’t had the chance to talk to him.

He could leave, but he knew that even if he did, the man would still come after him. He didn’t want this to involve his parents, so he had stayed until now.

Earlier, he had been sitting alone in the spacious living room, not looking around but staring down at his fingers, until his phone rang.

It was a call from an unfamiliar number, but he knew exactly who it was.

He answered and heard her say, “It’s me.”

As if afraid he wouldn’t recognize her, she added, “I’m Qiao Xi.”

He replied, “I know.”

Though they hadn’t spoken before, he did know Qiao Xi’s number.

Then he asked, “What’s up?”

She said, “I’ll only ask you once.”

He listened carefully, waiting for her to continue, but she said nothing more.

Thinking she might be waiting for his response, he said, “I’m listening.”

As he waited for her to speak, footsteps suddenly sounded, and he looked up to see the man descending the stairs.

This was the first time he had seen him all day since he arrived.

Realizing he was still on the phone, he put the phone back to his ear, but there was silence on the other end. The man had nearly reached him, so he said into the phone, “I have something to do; let’s talk another time.”

He heard Qiao Xi say, “Is that so? Bye.”

He caught the calmness in her voice, even more subdued than before. Just as he was about to speak, she hung up.

Perhaps during those few seconds when he had turned his attention to the man, Qiao Xi had said something he missed.