Chapter 56: The dashing gentleman

Grandpa Bai had thought they could return to Beijing the next day. However, Lin Feng said he wanted to wait a few more days, at least until the festival was over.

He smiled at the elder, his eyes shimmering with a gentle light.

"Grandpa, I used to keep to myself and never consulted anyone about my problems. But after arriving here in Beigou Village, I’ve made some new friends. When I was still troubled by my thoughts, an elder at the nursing home gave me a lot of advice."

"The nursing home?" Recalling that everything had begun after the video of Lin Feng’s impromptu performance at the nursing home spread online, Grandpa Bai raised an eyebrow.

He did not blame the nursing home. Neither the elders nor the staff were at fault. Rather, the sudden chaos must have frightened the elders and everyone else.

"I’d like to visit the elders and thank them. We should also apologize for the trouble we caused, even if it wasn’t intentional."

The boy obediently nodded.

The confrontation between grandfather and grandson ended peacefully, much to Bai Tingyu’s and Housekeeper Yang’s relief.

However, one person was displeased.

"You’re returning to Beijing in a few days?" The man’s tone was cold.

"Yes, Master Hou. After all, I only sent my grandson to your side so he could avoid the limelight. Who would have thought that all these things would happen?"

The elder’s tone was polite on the surface, but there was an underlying chill to his words.

Clearly, the incident had left him dissatisfied.

Grandpa Bai’s words subtly questioned Hou Yizhen’s ability to take care of the boy. However, since he was the one who had asked Hou Yizhen for this favor, he couldn’t truly blame the man.

Grandpa Bai even wondered if this negligence had occurred because he had entrusted his grandson to Hou Yizhen’s care despite the latter’s obvious reluctance.

He had thought that the man would be more than happy to return the boy to him. However, Hou Yizhen’s clear displeasure was confusing. What did this man actually want?

Lin Feng glanced at Hou Yizhen. Under the table, he stretched out a foot and gently tapped the man’s foot.

Hou Yizhen was about to respond to the old man’s words, but he paused and glanced at the boy sitting across from him.

Seeing the man’s gaze on him, Lin Feng blinked slowly once, his amber eyes clear and soft.

Hou Yizhen: "...."

Moving his gaze away, Hou Yizhen reluctantly backed down.

Under the shocked gazes of the guests, Housekeeper Yang, and the servants, he instead said, "This is indeed my negligence."

The male servant carrying a plate of dishes heard this and, in his shock, accidentally slipped.

The tray momentarily levitated in the air under the eyes of the terrified servants.

A hand appeared under the tray and held it steadily, not one drop falling off, while another hand reached for the male servant’s waist, steadying the panicked man.

All the servants quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Housekeeper Yang felt fortunate that he was able to react in time despite his shock.

At the table, Grandpa Bai was also taken aback.

Everyone, from guests to servants, thought in unison: This arrogant man actually admitted his mistake?

It might not have been a direct apology, but it was clearly a form of one. To think that this incredibly arrogant and bad-tempered man, who always believed he was right, would actually admit fault!

Did the sun rise from the west today?

Because everyone was in shock, they did not notice that the man had glanced at the boy again. And the boy, as if rewarding the man, gave him a happy smile, his eyes curving up gently, which made the man feel satisfied.

However, Hou Yizhen’s eyes suddenly deepened.

He couldn’t tell whether the boy had done it intentionally or without thinking, but his feet softly brushed against Hou Yizhen’s leg, moving up once and then down before finally slipping away.

It was such a fleeting touch that it could easily have been accidental.

Grandpa Bai was currently instructing his son, Bai Tingyu. "After lunch, you head back to Beijing first. I’ll stay with Xiao Feng until he returns home in a few days..."

As the dishes were being served, Hou Yizhen took a sip of tea and glanced up from the corner of his eye.

The boy’s expression remained refined and gentle, but the tips of his ears had turned faintly red.

Suddenly, Hou Yizhen felt that his throat was even drier, and he gulped down all the tea in the cup in one go.

The capital, hmm. Whatever, he also mostly stayed there anyway.

.....

Despite yesterday’s events, the management of Bohai Town gritted their teeth and mobilized all available manpower to ensure that the annual Bohai Spring Festival continued as planned.

Fortunately, people’s love of gossip and their eagerness to watch the latest drama had drawn even more visitors to Bohai Town today.

The management predicted that traffic over the next few days, until the festival ended on Wednesday, would remain heavier compared to previous years.

In this situation, this was the only silver lining.

At one corner of Bohai Town, the nursing home was bustling with activity.

However, it had nothing to do with an influx of visitors coming to see the elderly. Instead, the residents themselves were unusually energetic, chatting animatedly among themselves.

Outside, the distant sounds of performances in the town square could still be faintly heard.

Inside the nursing home, Grandma Tan and Grandpa Wang were in the middle of an argument.

Grandma Tan had her hands on her waist, her saliva spraying as she loudly condemned the old man, whom she felt knew Lin Feng’s sexuality. "You know Xiao Feng doesn’t like girls, so why didn’t you warn me?"

Grandpa Wang sat gracefully at the table with his back straight, covering his tea with disgust. "You’re the insensitive one. Why are you blaming me for your dull eyes?"

Grandma Tan: "It’s not that I’m insensitive. I’m not gay, so how am I supposed to know if others are?"

Grandpa Wang rolled his eyes. "How could you not know when everyone else already does?"

Grandma Tan’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as she turned around to look at the other elderly residents, extending a finger to point at them. "You, you all knew about it back then?"

Their old friends were gathered around them, cracking and eating melon seeds as they watched the argument unfold.

Seeing Grandma Tan finally look at them, they laughed.

"Sister Tan, just admit it already."

"Xiao Feng made it so obvious the other day."

"He was only being polite and didn’t want to embarrass you by refusing you outright. But we can all see what’s really going on!"

The few others who hadn’t realized it back then pretended they had known all along, joining in the teasing.

Grandma Tan’s face was red with anger. "You, are you really my friends? Why did no one tell me anything? If things had not happened last night, I’d still be asking my grandnieces to hook up with Xiao Feng, ah!"

"We apologize for last night’s events. We know that it must have surprised everyone, so we came today to express our sincere apologies."

"See! So you finally know your mistakes—Eh? Who are you?"

Grandma Tan finally realized that the voice sounded unfamiliar, and she turned around with a question mark on her face.

When the old lady turned around, she caught sight of an elderly man entering the nursing home.

Grandma Tan paused, her eyes widening as she took in his tall, straight posture, neatly combed silver hair, and handsome, well-defined features.

Though age had left a few fine lines on his face, it had done little to diminish his charm. Dressed neatly and carrying himself with an air of quiet elegance, he looked like a refined gentleman straight out of an old romance drama.

Grandma Tan stared for a moment, momentarily forgetting her argument.

’Good heavens! What a dashing gentleman!’

She unconsciously straightened her plump body and removed her hands from her waist, folding them in front of her.

"Oh, oh my," Grandma Tan said, covering her mouth shyly and asking in a slightly falsetto tone, "Who might you be?"