After that, Hu Xiaoyu returned to his lively self.
The only difference was that over the past six months, his life in the modern world had caused him to grow far more than his ten years spent at the Yu family's mansion.
He now knew that, as a regular friend, he couldn't just take things from Yu Tan's bowl or linger around the Yu family anymore.
And since Yu Tan still seemed intent on pursuing a relationship, Hu Xiaoyu, to show that he had no such intentions, naturally couldn't satisfy him as he used to.
Time passed quickly, and after Madam Yu's funeral, the New Year was just around the corner.
Before the New Year, Yu Tan invited Hu Xiaoyu to his home for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Hu Xiaoyu agreed, but it never happened. The Yu family mansion caught fire, destroying the third and fourth floors, and it would take some time to repair.
As for the cause of the fire, Hu Xiaoyu asked, and Yu Tan simply said it was due to old wiring.
In reality, a madman had tried to drag him to hell, but failed.
Yu Tan had kicked the person out of the Yu family mansion, but didn't pursue the matter because he still had the father-son title.
If he had known what was going to happen later, he might have wanted to dismember Yu Wenhe.
But no one could predict the future.
Anyway, in the end, the New Year's Eve dinner was held in the studio.
Hu Xiaoyu looked at Yu Tan and Ajiu, feeling a bit regretful that Uncle Hong had gone back to his hometown. He thought about how he would leave in less than a month and treasured the meal, gazing at Yu Tan.
It wasn't that he had to leave right away, but helping Yu Tan through his ordeal would definitely require revealing his spiritual powers.
In a society that didn't acknowledge ghosts, gods, or demons, once he saved Yu Tan, he could no longer reveal himself openly.
Ajiu, watching Yu Tan dote on Hu Xiaoyu throughout the meal, couldn't help but feel like they were being fed dog food.
It was a shame, though. The two of them clearly wanted to stick together, yet they kept up the act of just being friends, which was frustrating to watch.
Feeling impatient, Ajiu schemed a little and gave Hu Xiaoyu a call.
He knew Hu Xiaoyu's phone was charging in the lounge, and when he saw Hu Xiaoyu get up, he followed quickly and poured a little alcohol into his drink.
Just a tiny bit. It was up to fate whether it would have an effect.
The reason for the call? Well, the phone had accidentally been pressed while being placed on the table.
Afterward, Ajiu quickly tidied up the studio and left the scene.
As he passed by Hu Xiaoyu's room, he overheard Hu Xiaoyu's drunk, yet forceful voice: "Yu Tan! Don't move!"
"Come back!"
"It's still so big, stop blocking me, I want to touch..."
"Ugh, it smells so good..."
The next morning,
Hu Xiaoyu had never realized that alcohol could make him drunk.
He tried to recall the New Year's Eve dinner and figured out that, aside from being "dazed from alcohol," there really wasn't any other explanation for why he ended up with Yu Tan...
The bite mark on Yu Tan's chin, Hu Xiaoyu stared blankly at the ceiling, wondering if Yu Tan would give him an official label.
He wasn't about to let Yu Tan pin the label of "drunk and reckless" on him.
Although last night, Hu Xiaoyu had indeed been very enthusiastic, even pulling Yu Tan back when he had been about to walk out the door.
But Yu Tan knew that if Hu Xiaoyu had truly not wanted it, the drunk boy would not have gotten his way.
It was a half-push, half-pull situation, a mixture of desire, compliance, and something else. When looking back, it was hard to define, but the process had been undeniably wonderful.
Yu Tan would take responsibility.
As for how, Yu Tan couldn't wait to take this little one to a certain place, writing both of their names in a little book.
He had already thought about where their wedding would be held.
When Hu Xiaoyu glanced up at him, Yu Tan, with great seriousness and sincerity, said, "Little Fox, it was my choice."
He had promised never to lie to Hu Xiaoyu again, so this was the truth.
When Hu Xiaoyu heard "Little Fox," his ears turned bright red.
He had been truly drunk last night, but not as much as when he had been with Xu Feng. The fragments of the night were still very real in his mind. He now remembered who had been in charge.
Of course, after Yu Tan had been "bullied" enough, he had become the dominant one, pressing Hu Xiaoyu and calling him "Little Fox" over and over.
Hu Xiaoyu cautiously pulled up the blanket, covering his shoulders which were now dotted with marks, and said, "How about we just call it even?"
Yu Tan: "What?"
Hu Xiaoyu: "I've been through a lot with you. Can you let it go this once?"
Yu Tan was so frustrated he had no words, but in the end, he could only reply, "As long as you're happy."
But frustration aside, some things needed to be planned.
The Yu family group owned jewelry chains, the best gemstones, and skilled artisans. Of course, they could craft the best wedding rings.
He couldn't wait to pull Hu Xiaoyu back into his arms.
At first, Yu Tan had planned well, but later decided that the ring would be a proposal ring, picking one from over a hundred top styles.
The wedding ring could be intricately crafted later, but since Hu Xiaoyu's birthday was in less than a month, Yu Tan couldn't wait.
He thought it would be the perfect day to propose.
He wasn't confident it would work on the first try, but whether it took one or ten, Yu Tan was determined to succeed.
Hu Xiaoyu had no idea what Yu Tan was secretly planning these days. But since March 10th, he had been feeling an unspoken anxiety.
By March 15th, this anxiety came to a head.
Because on that day, Yu Tan asked Hu Xiaoyu, who had barely been working lately, to clear his schedule for March 18th.
March 18th was the very day Hu Xiaoyu had once calculated as Yu Tan's day of crisis.
He heard Yu Tan's joyful voice: "That day is your birthday, didn't you remember?"
Hu Xiaoyu hesitated, "Birthday?"
He had never considered himself the original person, and after severing ties with the Hu family, he had sealed away the memories of the original. He hadn't remembered his birthday.
It turned out the original's birthday was the same day as Yu Tan's day of calamity.
Hu Xiaoyu, afraid Yu Tan would see the shock and reluctance in his eyes, immediately hugged him.
In his heart, he asked, why exactly this day?
That question, no one could answer.
Hu Xiaoyu had wanted to suggest celebrating his birthday on March 17th, to at least say a proper goodbye to Yu Tan.
But he feared that interfering might spoil everything, causing the timing of his repayment to become uncertain, and thus bring harm to Yu Tan.
So, he didn't say it.
Yu Tan thought Hu Xiaoyu was just excited and gently patted his head: "Little fool."
On March 18th, Hu Xiaoyu was taken by Yu Tan to a villa.
The two-story building was much smaller than the Yu family mansion, but it was clear that it was well-maintained.
Yu Tan introduced it to Hu Xiaoyu, saying it was where he had lived before taking over the Yu family. This had been his true home.