Chapter 25
Why was no one there? He had clearly heard Mr. Lu’s voice and knock. Had he imagined it?
An Le touched his ear in surprise, his voice choked with tears. “D-did I… imagine it?” If he had imagined it, did that mean his hearing was seriously worsening? What should he do? Tears instantly welled up in An Le’s eyes. He turned to call Xiao Xiao, but as he took a step, he heard the voice again, “Le Le.”
He turned around and saw Lu Heng standing at the door.
“Mr. Lu?” He was stunned for a moment, then reached out and touched Lu Heng’s clothes, confirming it was real before exclaiming joyfully, “Mr. Lu, it really is you! Th-then, why… weren’t you there just now?”
Lu Heng’s expression didn’t change; he simply showed the shopping bags in his hands. “While you were choosing clothes, I had someone put together a few outfits for you. I forgot to give them to you.” He didn’t explain why he had disappeared. He knew this would be enough to distract An Le.
Sure enough, An Le immediately forgot what had just happened, his gaze fixed on the bags in Lu Heng’s hands, incredulously saying, “Fo-for me?”
For him! An Le quickly looked down at his pants. The hole in his knee felt cold, making him unsure what to do. When he went out, Lu Heng had clearly said he didn’t mind him wearing those pants. Now he bought him new clothes. Was it… was it…
Seeing An Le’s changing expression, Lu Heng immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly said, “I don’t dislike you.” He took a step forward, put down the shopping bags, put his arms around An Le’s shoulders, lifted his chin, looked into his eyes, and said, “You look good in anything. It’s your freedom, but I bought you clothes not because I dislike you, but because I think you deserve better.”
Deserve better?
“Really?” An Le’s tears hadn’t had time to fall but couldn’t be held back anymore, welling up.
Lu Heng carefully looked at his two beautiful eyes, one vacant and listless, the other full of self-deprecation. At that moment, his heart ached. The idea of only wanting him for his heat cycle had long been discarded. He touched An Le’s vacant left eye, his voice involuntarily softening. “Really. Don’t be afraid. You’re beautiful, and you’re good. You’re no worse than anyone else.”
An Le said nothing but sniffed and hugged Lu Heng. Lu Heng stroked his back. When An Le’s mood improved, he took him and the clothes back to his room before leaving.
Downstairs, in the car, the harshness in Lu Heng’s eyes instantly appeared. “Have someone investigate An Le’s situation in the An family, and find out what’s wrong with his eyes and ears.” The information he had received only stated that An Le had a bad time in the An family, was ostracized, and couldn’t even go to school. But there was no information about Jiang Mo harassing An Le, nor any news about An Le’s eyes and ears.
“What’s wrong with the Boss’s wife’s eyes and ears?” Li Jie asked while driving.
Lu Heng’s expression was very unpleasant. “We’ll find out after the investigation.” He suspected that An Le’s experience in the An family was more than just ostracism and abuse…
——
An Le hid under the covers, recalling Lu Heng’s words. “You’re beautiful, you’re good.” Xiao Xiao had said those words too, and he had cried then, but the feeling was different from what Lu Heng gave him. He couldn’t distinguish the difference; he just felt it was different, but he liked both feelings.
He touched his face. Should he go out more? After they got married, he could ask Lu Heng to arrange a new job for him. Then he wouldn’t be able to stay home every day. He would go out, go to work; he couldn’t live like this anymore.
Thinking this, An Le crawled out from under the covers, opened the shopping bags Lu Heng had given him, and took out the new clothes. They were all beautiful. There were shirts, T-shirts, jeans, and jackets, all in styles he liked.
An Le smiled, his heart beating fast. He blushed as he tried on each outfit…
Because he came back late last night and tried on clothes for a long time, An Le woke up very late the next morning. It was past lunchtime when he opened his eyes. He slowly got up, opened the cupboard, and saw there was nothing to cook. The dinner Lu Heng had sent him had been eaten and taken away by Xiao Xiao. Now, if he wanted to eat, he had to go out.
He thought for a moment, put on the white shirt Lu Heng bought him, and a pair of jeans. He stood at the door, tidying himself up for a long time before nervously going out. He hadn’t gone out alone during the daytime in a long time. Along the way, An Le felt like people were looking at him.
Scared and anxious, he hurried to the dessert shop Xiao Xiao had taken him to before, pushing the door open and hiding inside. The staff knew An Le because Xiao Xiao had told them beforehand that An Le was shy and, if he came, they should be proactive and gentle. So, as soon as An Le entered, a staff member pulled him to a seat and gave him a mango crepe cake.
Seeing the staff’s kind smile, An Le was initially uncomfortable, but at the same time, he was extremely happy, even delighted. He made a bold decision—buying Xiao Xiao’s favorite durian cake and taking a taxi to Xiao Xiao’s company.
Xiao Xiao was taking a lunch break. With one phone call, Xiao Xiao came down to find him.
“Le Le, why did you suddenly come?”
An Le was happy, handing her the cake and whispering, “I, I brought you cake. I bought it.”
“You bought it? You went out today, alone?” Xiao Xiao was surprised. It wasn’t working hours yet. She secretly brought An Le into the office. While eating the cake, she said, “Why did you dare to go out alone today and even come to find me? Who gave you the courage?”
“And these clothes are new too. They’re so pretty. Did Lu Heng buy them for you?” Xiao Xiao asked a series of questions, not forgetting to scoop a spoonful of cake into An Le’s mouth.
An Le didn’t have time to speak, only smiling. After swallowing the cake, he said, “I, I just felt… I shouldn’t stay at home all the time.”
Xiao Xiao quickly nodded. “That’s right. You didn’t go out before because of the An family, but now you have Lu Heng; they’re nothing. Don’t be afraid; go out boldly!”
Xiao Xiao was overjoyed. After saying this, she suddenly asked, “By the way, do you have any money left?” Going out often requires money; she would transfer 500 yuan to An Le in a few days when she got paid.
“Yes.” An Le smiled. “I have a lot.”
“Okay then.” Xiao Xiao finished the small piece of cake, stood up, and said, “Wait for me here. I’ll go wash my face. You rarely go out; I’ll take a leave of absence and take you out to play later.”
An Le nodded and sat obediently in the chair waiting for Xiao Xiao to return. This was his first time in Xiao Xiao’s office. There were many small desks, all neatly arranged with computers and files. Some desks had cute cups and stuffed animals.
An Le blinked, envying Xiao Xiao’s life.
“Xiao Xiao, get ready. You’re going with me to that 3:30 contract meeting.” An Le turned his head curiously. An alpha in a wine-red suit walked in. Seeing him sitting in Xiao Xiao’s chair, his eyes showed a hint of amusement. Then, as if understanding something, he smiled and asked, “Are you An Le?”