chapter 14

Before Ning Qiuyan could fully grasp what “very well” truly meant, Guan Heng continued, “If you encounter something like this again, call me directly.”

Guan Heng seemed very satisfied with Ning Qiuyan’s way of handling things.

He had appeared so quickly that he must have been looking for Ning Qiuyan already. With his actions, he gave Ning Qiuyan a living interpretation of the phrase: “Just live recklessly, and leave everything else to me.”

As the other party, because Ning Qiuyan had taken the first step of “entrusting myself to you,” he received Guan Heng’s praise.

A swelling emotion filled his chest, leaving him a little at a loss and somewhat shy.

The lighthouse light went out.

It was the driver who had gone to turn off the lighting equipment.

At the same time, the lights inside the car also went out automatically.

For a brief moment, silence fell. Guan Heng’s face was hidden in the shadows, but the faint gleam in his eyes was reserved for Ning Qiuyan.

Guan Heng asked, “Do you understand now?”

Ning Qiuyan sat up straight and replied, “…I understand. Thank you for coming to pick me up.”

Guan Heng did not respond to this gratitude-perhaps he simply didn’t care about Ning Qiuyan’s thanks at all.

The driver soon returned to the car and restarted the engine.

Guan Heng shifted slightly and pressed a button on the back seat, turning up the rear-seat heater.

Warm air blew over Ning Qiuyan, dispersing the frost and snow clinging to him from outside.

His nearly frozen body gradually warmed up, and the involuntary shivering stopped. This feeling of being silently cared for was wonderful, making his heart feel a little warmer too.

The back seat was spacious, with one seat of distance between the two of them.

Guan Heng’s presence was intense. Ning Qiuyan heard him ask, “What did you do today? What made you want to visit the farm?”

“I slept for a while this morning,” Ning Qiuyan answered. “I was afraid of disturbing you upstairs, so I wandered around outside.”

Guan Heng said, “Next time you want to do puzzles, just come upstairs. Even if I’m sleeping, it’s fine.”

Ning Qiuyan hurriedly said, “It’s really okay, I can play games in my room!”

Guan Heng glanced at him and said unhurriedly, “No games.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

For a moment, he really felt that Guan Heng could hear the sounds from downstairs and had long been annoyed by his gaming.

Guan Heng continued, “What did you see at the farm?”

Ning Qiuyan found himself following along and replied, “Cows, sheep, some deer, and chickens, ducks, and geese.” He paused, then added, “I also saw the slaughterhouse.”

“Were you afraid?”

“What?”

“Seeing so much blood-were you afraid?” Guan Heng asked again.

The car drove through denser and broader woods, heading onto the main road.

The starry sky hung high above. Snow blanketed both sides of the road, and the scenery, made even more majestic by the silence, became even grander. On all of Du Island, there was only this one road, and only their car was on it.

The way Guan Heng asked made it seem as if there was another meaning behind his words.

His complexion was still pale, tinged with coldness, but the night made him look radiant-a contradictory kind of beauty.

Guan Heng belonged to the night.

Ning Qiuyan was intimidated by this side of Guan Heng, and also frightened by the sight of fresh blood.

He chose a middle-ground answer: “The slaughterhouse was too bloody. I felt very uncomfortable there.”

Guan Heng: “Uncomfortable?”

Ning Qiuyan nodded and said, “I saw a little lamb that had just been born. Its mother was feeding it. It was fluffy and very cute.”

Guan Heng made a sound of acknowledgment, waiting for him to continue.

Ning Qiuyan said, “The little lamb will grow up sooner or later, and when it’s fat enough, it will be sent to slaughter. No matter how cute it is, that’s only temporary. It can’t escape the fate of being cut open.”

Just like that cow hanging on the wall, its eyes wide open even in death.

After hearing this, Guan Heng said naturally, “The farm supplies everyone on the island with meat, eggs, the proteins and minerals needed for survival, and all sorts of ingredients to satisfy the appetite. Every meal you eat on Du Island comes from the farm.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded. In many ways, Du Island was self-sufficient-Uncle Kang had told him this long ago.

Guan Heng added, “If you don’t see it as an animal paradise, but as a pen for prey, then when they end up on your plate, it will be much easier to accept.”

Ning Qiuyan understood the reasoning. He didn’t have a saintly compassion for all livestock either.

But seeing it with his own eyes still felt cruel.

“The farm is so big. Why are there so few people working there?” Ning Qiuyan didn’t want to think about it anymore and changed to another topic he was curious about.

“I only met one person there. When I first came, he was on the boat too. We came to the island together, and his surname is also Guan.”

Guan Heng seemed uninterested in this person with the same surname, only raising his eyebrows slightly and asking, “What do you want to know?”

Guan Heng didn’t seem to be teasing him, but genuinely ready to answer.

Summoning his courage, Ning Qiuyan asked, “Was he brought here against his will?”

“You could say that,” Guan Heng replied, but corrected him, “He was brought back.”

“Brought back?” Ning Qiuyan was puzzled.

Guan Heng only looked at him, his eyes unreadable, and said nothing more.

*

Their conversation was actually quite brief. Before they realized it, the car had already arrived at their residence.

The entire building was brightly lit, even the dry fountain was illuminated, adding a touch of life to the atmosphere.

Their car stopped to the side, and only the left door could be opened; the right side was piled high with snow.

The driver opened the car door for Guan Heng first. Only after Guan Heng got out could Ning Qiuyan exit from his side.
He had just shifted his position when a hand reached out in front of him.

The palm was facing up, slender fingers naturally curved.

It was a gesture waiting for him to offer his own hand.

“Come here.” Guan Heng was still standing there.

Ning Qiuyan blushed and placed his hand in Guan Heng’s.

Their hands only touched lightly for a moment; before Ning Qiuyan could even feel the warmth of Guan Heng’s palm, they let go.

With a gentle tug from Guan Heng, Ning Qiuyan got out of the car and saw Uncle Kang, his hair white, standing tall and straight on the porch of the house.

As they approached, Uncle Kang nodded to Guan Heng and said, “You’re back. …Someone is waiting for you inside.”

Uncle Kang mentioned a name, but Ning Qiuyan didn’t catch it.

Judging by the situation, it seemed there was a guest.

Guan Heng walked ahead of him, his back broad. Ning Qiuyan only reached up to Guan Heng’s ear, so he could only see Guan Heng nod before striding into the house first.

Ning Qiuyan had just climbed two steps when Uncle Kang reached out and gave him a hand.

It seemed everyone was afraid he might slip, which made him feel a bit embarrassed.

“You missed dinner,” Uncle Kang said kindly. “But I had someone save you a portion. It should be just the right temperature now.”

Getting lost on the way to a farm with only one road-Ning Qiuyan really wished he could crawl into a hole.

“Thank you, Grandpa Kang,” he said, face flushed.

“If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Guan,” Uncle Kang replied. “When he heard you went to the farm and hadn’t returned, he guessed you must have gotten lost nearby.”

So it was Guan Heng who noticed he was missing.

Ning Qiuyan wondered if, after waking up, Guan Heng had wanted him to go do the puzzle.

They walked inside together.

Uncle Kang asked, “You hadn’t been gone long. Where did Mr. Guan find you? Much faster than I expected.”

Actually, the lighthouse was quite close, even closer than the farm, right by the main road.

So it only took them about ten minutes to get back.

Ning Qiuyan said, “At the lighthouse. I accidentally turned on the switch.” He remembered something important. “Oh, and there’s actually cell signal at the lighthouse!”

“Is that so?” Uncle Kang understood and smiled. “That lighthouse hasn’t been used for two or three years. It was originally meant to guide lost ships at sea. Once, someone tried to sneak in and took a photo of Mr. Guan here. It caused quite a stir online, so Mr. Guan shut it down.”

A photo?

Ning Qiuyan immediately thought of the photo that appeared on the mysterious billionaire ranking two years ago.

So that was when it was taken?

But Uncle Kang continued, “The signal blocker was added at that time too.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…Grandpa Kang.”

He understood now. When he’d asked Uncle Kang where there was signal, and Uncle Kang had told him to try holding his phone everywhere, it was because he didn’t trust him yet and was deliberately keeping it from him.

So the reason there was signal on Guan Heng’s third floor was that there was no blocker there.

Ning Qiuyan looked aggrieved.

Uncle Kang smiled and patted his shoulder. “It’s good to help you kids break your internet addiction.”

As they spoke, they reached the lounge next to the dining room.

Ning Qiuyan immediately saw Guan Heng, who had entered before them.

Guan Heng stood there, letting the Servant remove the coat draped over his shoulders. His long hair, like silk, fell loose and was tucked behind his ear, revealing a profile that was impossible to look away from.

The Servant took the coat to hang up.

Guan Heng frowned slightly, listening to another person speak.

When they heard footsteps, both men looked over at them.

The person speaking to Guan Heng was a young man Ning Qiuyan didn’t recognize, with short black hair and sharp facial features, his skin as pale as Guan Heng’s.

They weren’t close, but standing together, they looked like a flawless painting.

He must be the guest Uncle Kang mentioned earlier.

The man had come in the night.

Suddenly, Ning Qiuyan had a feeling that this person and Guan Heng were the same kind of people.

He followed Uncle Kang into the dining room, and when the Servant saw them, he lifted the lid off the food.

Steam rose, and the aroma drifted into his nose.

Ning Qiuyan was so hungry his stomach felt empty; he drank a bowl of porridge first, then ate some side dishes.

Uncle Kang smiled and said, “No wonder Granny Bai likes to cook for you. After all these years, you might be the one who best showcases her skills.”

Ning Qiuyan remembered that the kitchen staff had told him the cook on Du Island was an old lady surnamed Bai.

He asked Uncle Kang why he’d never seen her.

Uncle Kang gave the same answer as the staff: “She doesn’t like to see people, has a very strange temper.”

Just then, Guan Heng entered the dining room.

With the guest.

The huge dining table had only Ning Qiuyan sitting at it. He took off his hat, his hair messy, and probably didn’t look very elegant eating.

Because the guest saw him and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

Across the table, Guan Heng said to him, “Come to the third floor after you finish eating.”

Ning Qiuyan quickly swallowed his food and nodded.

Was he going to have to stay up all night again?

He felt a bit troubled.

Guan Heng finished speaking and turned to leave.

The guest still wore a smile and winked at Ning Qiuyan. “We finally meet, Little Puppy.”

Ning Qiuyan: “?”

Little Puppy?

He looked at Guan Heng, but to his surprise, Guan Heng stopped and looked back at him.

Guan Heng’s expression didn’t change.

But before they left, Ning Qiuyan clearly saw a faint smile in Guan Heng’s eyes.