Taming The Tiger

34. Too Involved

"He is there!" Yu Hua exclaimed blithely, pointing at the trio standing in front of the checkpoint.

"Good, go," Hu Jing Yao reluctantly saved his hand from the actor's grip and sent the other to his brother. He stood a bit far, oscillating between leaving or not. Jing Yong and that angry-yet-small friend of Yu Hua were already there, so he felt his presence wasn't needed. No, there was no hint of jealousy in that thought. It was just a statement, okay?

He was better than them anyway...

To divert his unpleasant thoughts, Hu Jing Yao channelled his attention to the actor's brother and wondered how come he didn't have half of Yu Hua's attractiveness. If Yu Hua was tiramisu, his brother could be only a pudding. A one which waited for three days in the fridge.

Twenty steps further than the CEO, Yu Hua threw his arms around his brother and hugged him tight. Hu Jing Yao watched as the younger man mimicked his brother's action, but his eyes were on the small man as if he was waiting for his approval. He saw the small man nodding and realised the younger one was indeed either scared of or threatened by the small man!

Unaware of the drama, Yu Hua broke the hug and grabbed his brother's arms, "how come you can leave this fast?"

"Exactly," Jing Yong whispered into Ming Lei's ear, "he needed to get a passport then a visa for Germany."

It is true! Then Yu Lan already handled everything behind Yu Hua's back! The scoundrel! Ming Lei cursed inwardly as he looked at Yu Lan with apparent anger.

Seeing Ming Lei was about to set Yu Lan on fire with his gaze, Jing Yong feigned a cough and nudged the small man, "don't make it too obvious, will you?"

Ming Lei heaved an angry sigh yet nodded while Yu Lan mumbled an excuse to his brother.

"I am so glad I didn't miss you," Yu Hua caressed Yu Lan's arm lovingly, "did you get everything you need?"

"Yes ge," Yu Lan smiled, "but I need to go now."

"Okay," Yu Hua forced a smile as well, "call me when you arrive, and don't forget, if you don't like it there, I will always be here."

"Thank you ge," Yu Lan initiated a hug, then he walked past the passport check. He waved with a smile and disappeared through the crowd.

As he no longer needed to stay strong, Yu Hua burst into tears. Ming Lei immediately wrapped him into a hug, making Hu Jing Yao want to jump on the small man.

"I need a hug as well!" Jing Yong hugged the both men with tears in his eyes, astonishing the CEO with his audacity.

"You little..." the angry man started, but his words changed to "what the..." when he realised that his emotions started to take a toll on his mental health. Panicked, he left the airport pell-mell.

As a result, when Yu Hua recollected himself, he couldn't see the CEO around. He checked his phone immediately to see if he sent him a message, but no. Probably he didn't want to be seen by Jing Yong, he reasoned and followed his friends to the parking lot.

That evening, Yu Hua confronted his father. First he told him about Yu Lan's leaving and for the first time, he accused the man for the miserable life they were leading. Then he made it clear that he wouldn't pay the additional debt and left the house for his shift with a few pieces of clothes so that he could crash in Ming Lei's apartment after work.

Throughout his shift, Yu Hua contemplated whether to send a message to the CEO or not. He wanted to thank the man for his wonderful help, but he was afraid to bother him.

Send it... don't send it...

At the end, he decided to send the message as he didn't want the CEO to think he was unappreciative.

[Thank you so much for your help earlier, Mr. Hu and sorry to bother you again.]- YH

Yu Hua dropped the phone into his apron and continued to work alongside Ming Lei. Although he wouldn't say it out loud, he expected a reply from the CEO; and therefore, he even unmuted his phone to hear the notification, yet he didn't receive one.

Not only that day, but also for the next seven days...