Chapter 50 Going Home "I want to see you."

After sending the rejection, Gu Ci was actually very uneasy. But facing the situation at the time, no matter how uneasy he was, he could no longer pretend to be ignorant and continue to hide his head like a turtle.

Hugging the pillow and tossing and turning in bed, Gu Ci fell into insomnia again.

For so many years, he has always been puzzled. How did Huo Wenyuan fall in love with him? Is he... really serious?

Gu Ci thought for a few seconds, buried his face in the pillow, and then closed his eyes in self-deprecation, choosing to avoid this topic.

Forget it, I can't figure it out, I don't want to think about it anymore.

The next morning, he was awakened by the vibration of his phone next to the bedside table. He opened the phone in a daze. It was a call from Butler Feng.

Gu Ci instantly perked up, sitting up and answering the phone: "Uncle Feng!"

"Good morning, Xiao Ci." Even through the receiver, he could imagine Butler Feng's beaming face. "It's the weekend, coming home for dinner? We'll have your favorite udon noodles and hairy crab. Don't worry, no bone broth this time."

Gu Ci couldn't help but smile. He had always been close to Butler Feng, and thinking it had been a while since he'd been back to see them, he agreed readily. It wasn't until he hung up the phone that he realized something was amiss.

Huo Wenyuan...wasn't he there too?

"..."

His mood suddenly became complicated.

Gu Ci picked up the phone, then put it down again. Just as he was debating whether to ask Butler Feng indirectly, he received another message.

"Old Du will pick you up downstairs later. There's a surprise today^^"

Gu Ci's eyebrows jumped at the word "surprise."

Could this surprise be...

After washing up and changing into a simple sweatshirt and jeans, Gu Ci grabbed the souvenirs he'd brought from a recent academic conference out of town and went downstairs.

The driver, Lao Du, was already downstairs. Gu Ci greeted him with a smile, opened the back door, and put down the gifts. Unexpectedly, the moment the door opened, he was stunned.

The man inside looked up at him, his lips curled slightly.

Gu Ci's fingers tightened around the gifts, unable to control his expression, and his features twisted into a knot.

Huo Wenyuan raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you coming in?"

Afraid Uncle Du would think too much, Gu Ci obeyed and got into the car, but he was very careful to keep his distance from Huo Wenyuan.

Oh my god... Didn't Uncle Du say he was coming to pick him up? Why would Huo Wenyuan come?

Gu Ci had probably expected to run into Huo Wenyuan at Huo's house, but after all, it was his house, so a meeting was inevitable. But how could he... run into him before he even arrived?

Especially after... his resolute reply yesterday: "I refuse." Although Huo Wenyuan hadn't replied since then, the longer he remained silent, the more embarrassed Gu Ci became.

He stole a glance at Huo Wenyuan, who looked like he was busy with work. A pair of narrow, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his tall nose, and the first two buttons of his shirt were loosely undone, revealing the slender, powerful lines of his neck.

Perhaps his gaze was too focused, but Huo Wenyuan had noticed his prying behavior and turned to look him straight in the face, his lips curled. "What are you looking at?"

Gu Ci quickly turned back, his face flushing deeply. He stammered, "No, nothing."

"Really?" Huo Wenyuan teased, seemingly determined not to let him go. Fortunately, before he could continue, his phone vibrated, saving Gu Ci from being caught.

Huo Wenyuan, answering the call, was a completely different person. His tone and demeanor were as cold and hard as ice, making Gu Ci feel a little sympathetic towards the person on the other end.

He'd thought Huo Wenyuan had changed... well, some things hadn't changed. At least judging by the current situation, this was the grown-up version of the old Huo Wenyuan.

After Huo Wenyuan hung up, Gu Ci felt like he'd been lectured from head to toe by his boss.

"Why are you so nervous?" Huo Wenyuan looked at him, his tone softening again.

Gu Ci shook his head: "No, nothing..."

It's not like he was putting himself in his boss's shoes, feeling a bit like he was feeling the same way...

Huo Wenyuan saw what he was thinking, took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, and said, "I'm not usually like this."

Gu Ci was skeptical.

They soon arrived at the Huo residence. Butler Feng had arrived at the door ahead of time, waiting enthusiastically for them to get out of the car.

Gu Ci instantly forgot his awkwardness with Huo Wenyuan and walked over to hug Butler Feng, "Uncle Feng!"

"Hey!" Butler Feng, a few strands of gray at his temples, said with a charming smile, "It's been a while. See if our little Ci has gained any weight?"

He examined Gu Ci's face and said distressedly, "Oh, you've lost weight again! I told you to come back for dinner. You must be working overtime on research, right?"

Gu Ci smiled and shook his head, "It's fine. Uncle Feng, this is a gift I brought you from my last business trip. Didn't you say you had a sore back last time? Here's a moxibustion device developed jointly by a research institute and a university. Try it next time your back hurts."

Butler Feng's smile faded even further. He glanced smugly at the people around him and beckoned Gu Ci inside for some fruit.

Huo Wenyuan's eyes remained fixed on Gu Ci's back, focused on that slender waist, his gaze growing darker.

Gu Ci initially tried to ignore Huo Wenyuan's presence, but later, as he chatted with everyone in the Huo family, he'd practically forgotten about his return and left him alone.

But Huo Wenyuan wasn't upset. He took a few work calls and then sat on the other side of the sofa, watching Gu Ci chat with the people around him with great energy.

After seven years, returning here, everything pale, dark, and muddled came alive again.

Initially, his health had made it difficult for him to even leave the manor, let alone return to see Gu Ci. Later, when he finally recovered, Huo Xiao restricted his travel to prevent him from returning to Gu Ci. It was then that he realized he couldn't protect Gu Ci without developing the strength to withstand anything.

Now, after all this, back at the Huo family, Gu Ci was still there, frozen time began to flow, and he finally saw a new beginning.

Gu Ci was still there, and that was enough.

Time flew by and it was evening. After watching TV with Butler Feng, Gu Ci saw the wall clock and felt that it was getting late, so he offered to leave.

Butler Feng tried to persuade him to stay: "It's rare for you to go home, and it's your day off. Why don't you rest for one more night? I'll take you home tomorrow."

Gu Ci looked upstairs and saw Huo Wenyuan, who had been called away by a phone call in the afternoon and was working temporarily in the study. So he said: "It's okay, it's more convenient for me to go back. I can still come to see you next time."

Butler Feng saw his concerns and suddenly said: "Don't worry, if he is worried about the young master, he shouldn't stay at home."

Gu Ci: "Yeah?"

How did Uncle Feng know what he was thinking?

Butler Feng saw the astonishment in Gu Ci's eyes, pointed to the upstairs and said: "He has bought other properties in Guicheng. There are plenty of places to live. Don't worry about him."

Given Huo Wenyuan's strength, Gu Ci was not surprised by this, and asked, "Then... is this the first time he has come back in all these years?"

Butler Feng nodded, "Xiao Ci, I have never told you news about the young master. First, even I don't know, and second, since he left, he has never come back except recently."

"But the young master is also... his temperament hasn't changed at all over the years." Butler Feng looked at him meaningfully, "He dropped important arrangements and flew back to the country yesterday, which made Mr. Huo very angry, and the two even had a big fight. But now... after the press conference, it's hard to say who has the final say in the Huo family."

Gu Ci didn't know that Huo Wenyuan had experienced so many things before he came back, and frowned, "Why did you come back so suddenly?"

Butler Feng smiled and patted his shoulder, "I don't know. Do you know?"

This sentence successfully brought Gu Ci into thinking, but Butler Feng did not continue the topic, and said, "I have arranged for someone to clean up your room again. It's great to be home. Go upstairs and have a rest."

Gu Ci finally stayed at the Huo family. Arriving at the familiar floor, passing by the light coming through the crack of the study door, Gu Ci didn't dare to slow down and walked quickly into his room. It

's no exaggeration to say that he felt more guilty than a thief.

He couldn't understand why Huo Wenyuan was like a mouse seeing a cat.

Gu Ci looked at the layout of the room, his fingers stroked the textbooks and notebooks on the bookcase, his eyes moved.

After moving out of the Huo family, many things also left with him, but other things were still neatly kept in their original places, spotless, as if he had never left.

While flipping through the old notebooks, Shang Zui suddenly called. When Gu Ci answered the phone, he heard Shang Zui ask: "Little Gu Ci! Where are you?"

Gu Ci said: "I... am at the Huo family."

Shang Zui perked up when he heard: "You are at the Huo family?!"

"Then have you met Huo Wenyuan?"

Gu Ci hummed softly.

"Amazing! Huo Gou's execution is amazing..." Shang Zui sighed to himself, then probed, "So...did he tell you anything?"

Gu Ci asked doubtfully, "What?"

"Just..." Shang Zui's confidence waned again. "Nothing?"

Gu Ci listened with growing confusion. "What should he say?"

Shang Zui said with regret, "Well, it seems his execution isn't that strong either..."

Gu Ci seriously suspected Shang Zui knew something and asked, "Shang Zui, do you know something I don't?"

Shang Zui feigned ignorance and denied it, "No, I'm just gossiping! By the way, I'm going on vacation soon. I'll come visit you when I'm free!"

The phone beeped, leaving Gu Ci completely bewildered. His reminiscing about his youth vanished.

He simply opened his closet, found his pajamas, and went to the bathroom to wash up. Finally, he felt more sober. As he emerged, drying his hair, there was a clear knock at the door.

Gu Ci asked who it was, but no one answered.

He tightened his grip on the doorknob, and from some unknown source, he mustered up the courage to ask, "Is it... Brother Wenyuan?"

"It's me." Huo Wenyuan's voice rang out at the same time.

Through the door, his voice seemed lower, yet possessed a bewitching magnetism.

"Cici, can you open the door?"

"I want to see you."