Chapter 331– The Domineering CEO’s Little Sweetheart – Longing Becomes an Illness (08)
Xi Yuanhan thought for a long time, but when faced with Bai Tang’s quiet and warm face, he still couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
It wasn’t until Zhang Ma returned, stepping through the night dew, that he was still weighing how to speak.
“Aunt Zhang~” Bai Tang, sitting on the sofa watching TV, spotted her entering and obediently called out.
“Hey, young master, have you eaten?” Zhang Ma had gotten up early today and prepared all the day’s meals in advance, storing them in the fridge—Xi Yuanhan would just need to heat them up.
“I’ve eaten~” Bai Tang hugged a squirrel plush that was half his size, turned his head, and continued immersing himself in the TV program The Natural World.
Zhang Ma went to the kitchen to tidy up. The meals she had put in the fridge were mostly untouched, but the trash bin contained vegetable and fruit peels she had cut.
She called out to Xi Yuanhan, “Xiao Xi, did you cook today?”
“Yes,” Xi Yuanhan replied. “I know how to cook. Food spoils easily in the summer.”
That was fine, as long as Bai Tang wasn’t going hungry.
Zhang Ma nodded, indicating she understood.
Xi Yuanhan hesitated for a long while, but finally spoke the words he had been thinking all day: “Zhang Ma, I’ll be leaving for a while.”
“You’re quitting? Have you told Mr. Bai?” Zhang Ma was surprised. She instinctively peeked from the kitchen into the living room. Bai Tang sat on the sofa hugging his squirrel plush, completely absorbed in the show.
If Xi Yuanhan left, what would the young master do?
In this household, Bai Tang relied on Xi Yuanhan more than anyone. His condition had finally improved—there couldn’t be any setbacks now.
Xi Yuanhan said, “Not yet. I have some personal matters to take care of—they’re quite important. I’ll speak to Mr. Bai tomorrow.”
Zhang Ma replied, “I can’t make this decision for you. You need to talk to Mr. Bai. If he says it’s okay for you to leave, then you can go.”
Outside, Bai Tang, still watching TV, was suddenly informed by Qiu’er of an important piece of news: Xi Yuanhan was leaving.
Bai Tang tightened his grip on the squirrel plush, but his face showed no expression. “A Han has his own matters to handle. I choose to respect that.”
Qiu’er said, “But he told Zhang Ma and not you. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
Xiao A chimed in, “Perhaps the male lead didn’t want the host to be sad, so he waited until the last moment to tell them.”
Bai Tang didn’t respond. The only sound in the living room was the narrator from the TV.
Mrs. Liang had just undergone surgery. Liang Shaomei asked Zhang Ma for leave to take care of her mother in the hospital for a few days.
Three days passed, neither quickly nor slowly. During that time, Xi Yuanhan went about his life as usual, carrying on with his work, treating Bai Tang the same as always.
On the fourth day, Liang Shaomei was preparing to return. Xi Yuanhan, calculating the time, packed a small backpack before Bai Tang woke up. After saying goodbye to Zhang Ma, he prepared to leave.
Zhang Ma said, “If you leave without saying a word, the young master will be heartbroken.”
Xi Yuanhan was reluctant to leave Bai Tang, but what he was about to do was far too dangerous. He couldn’t let Bai Tang get involved. To avoid dragging him into it, he planned to handle the matter first—and come back once it was resolved.
“I’ll go now. I’ll come back as soon as I’ve taken care of everything.”
Xi Yuanhan stepped out of the Bai residence. Before leaving, he glanced up at the balcony of Bai Tang’s room one last time, then walked away with his bag.
He didn’t know that the boy he missed so deeply had been hiding by the window, quietly watching him go—watching as he grew smaller and smaller in the distance, until he disappeared completely.
“Host, don’t be sad. Once the male lead finishes his revenge, he’ll come back,” Xiao A comforted.
Bai Tang had already been in this world for quite some time. Though his condition had improved greatly under the influence of his character role, its effects hadn’t fully faded.
Xi Yuanhan’s sudden departure without a word awakened the pessimistic side buried in Bai Tang’s heart.
He knew that his lover was doing it for his sake—he didn’t want to burden him. Ignorance, after all, was the happiest state.
They had weathered so many worlds together, yet now, it felt as though Xi Yuanhan didn’t trust him anymore.
“Tang Tang, think of it this way,” Qiu’er comforted him. “For once, you don’t have to be managed by the male lead. You can eat as many pine nuts as you want, keep the air conditioner on all day, and do whatever you please without restrictions.”
“Mm.” Bai Tang lowered his head slightly, his face full of loneliness.
Father Bai had never felt entirely at ease leaving Bai Tang alone at home with just Zhang Ma. That was why he had hired Xi Yuanhan and Liang Shaomei in the first place. Now that Xi Yuanhan was taking a leave of absence—and after the previous break-in incident—Father Bai grew even more uneasy. After Xi Yuanhan’s departure, he hired another bodyguard.
Since Xi Yuanhan left, Bai Tang had clearly grown quieter. He used to talk quite a lot, but now he could sit in silence, staring off into space all day.
Before Xi Yuanhan came, Bai Tang had also been quiet—but that silence was different. Now, Zhang Ma could sense an undercurrent of sorrow emanating from him.
Liang Shaomei tried every possible way to cheer him up, but with little success.
Father Bai had just chosen a new bodyguard from a security company. On the way to the Bai residence, the car carrying the bodyguard was rear-ended while descending an overpass. The impact sent the car flipping through the air—
“Ding-dong—”
The doorbell rang. Liang Shaomei, who had been telling Bai Tang a joke, ran to open the door. A man wearing sunglasses stood at the entrance, flashing a broad, toothy grin.
“Hello, I’m Gao Hong, the bodyguard Mr. Bai Kangsheng hired,” the man said. His skin was tanned, his build solid and muscular—clearly the kind of person who had trained extensively.
Father Bai had already informed Zhang Ma and Liang Shaomei that a new bodyguard would be coming. Since the man presented proper identification, they had no reason to doubt him.
“Hello, please come in,” Liang Shaomei said, opening the door fully to let Gao Hong enter.
Still smiling brightly, Gao Hong carried his luggage inside. As he passed the living room, his gaze lingered for a moment on the boy sitting on the sofa, head lowered, quietly clutching a squirrel plush and lost in thought.
“This is Mr. Bai’s son, Bai Tang. He’s the one you’ll be protecting,” Liang Shaomei introduced.
Gao Hong nodded and greeted warmly, “Hello, young master. I’m your bodyguard—my name is Gao Hong.”
His voice was loud and clear, yet the boy didn’t seem to hear him, leaving Gao Hong feeling a little awkward.
“The young master’s always like that,” Liang Shaomei explained with a small smile. “He doesn’t talk much. When he’s deep in thought, no matter how loud you get, he won’t notice.”
She led Gao Hong to a room on the first floor. “This will be your room. Go ahead and unpack your things—I’ll come find you later.”
Gao Hong smiled as he saw her off. Once the door closed, he unzipped his suitcase—but instead of clothes, it was filled with cold, gleaming metal objects.
He drew out a knife. The silver-white blade reflected his face.
After carefully putting the weapon away, he took out a small case filled with portable listening devices.
Half an hour later, Liang Shaomei returned and led Gao Hong around the Bai residence, showing him the layout.
Holding a listening device in his hand, Gao Hong discreetly planted them in inconspicuous spots whenever Liang Shaomei wasn’t looking.
“That’s about it,” she said as the tour concluded. “The areas I mentioned just now are open to you—but the studies on the second and third floors, Mr. Bai’s room, and the young master’s room are all off-limits. Oh, and of course, you shouldn’t enter my room or Zhang Ma’s room either.”
Everyone has their privacy, and though Gao Hong looked like a straightforward, honest man, Liang Shaomei thought it best to make the rules perfectly clear.
When it was time for dinner, Bai Tang had just sat down when Gao Hong plopped himself into the seat beside him.
Bai Tang froze for a moment and looked up at him.
Thinking Bai Tang was just trying to get to know him, Gao Hong gave his signature bright, eight-toothed grin.
“My name is Gao Hong—”
Before he could finish, Bai Tang suddenly pushed him away. “That’s A Han’s seat. You can’t sit there.”
Zhang Ma and Liang Shaomei came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, only to find Gao Hong sitting on the floor.
“What’s going on? What happened?” Zhang Ma asked quickly.
The boy’s eyes had turned red; tears welled up and slid down his cheeks.
Gao Hong looked completely innocent. “I don’t know. I was just sitting here, and the young master suddenly pushed me.”
The chair beside Bai Tang had clearly been moved, and judging from his reaction, Liang Shaomei more or less guessed what had happened.
“Ah Hong, why don’t you sit over here instead? That seat’s already taken,” Liang Shaomei said, pulling him to the chair next to hers.
Zhang Ma took a tissue and gently wiped Bai Tang’s tears.
It had already been five days since Xi Yuanhan left, yet Bai Tang’s longing for him hadn’t faded—instead, it grew stronger by the day.
He had actually wanted to go find Xi Yuanhan, but Qiu’er and Xiao A had warned him that they were being watched by Gao Li’s men. If he left, Zhang Ma and Liang Shaomei might be in danger. His sense of responsibility kept him at home. He couldn’t leave—if Gao Li sent people to attack, it would be disastrous.
Bai Tang forced a small smile at Zhang Ma, apologized softly to Gao Hong, and went upstairs to his room.
Zhang Ma sighed, went back to the kitchen for a new bowl and chopsticks, took a bit from each dish, and told Liang Shaomei and Gao Hong to eat first. Then she carried a tray of food upstairs for Bai Tang.
When she pushed open the door, Bai Tang was lying on the bed, silently crying.
Qiu’er and Xiao A were panicking internally, but psychological illnesses weren’t something a treatment system could heal—they could only hope Tang Tang would slowly recover on his own.
He had been doing so well with Xi Yuanhan by his side, almost fully recovered—and now that man had run off. Run off!
Seeing Tang Tang’s pitiful state, even Xiao A, who usually took the male lead’s side, couldn’t help but feel resentment toward him.
Seriously, he had so many subordinates, even Jiang Xue—someone who knew the enemy better than he did. Couldn’t he coordinate with them, divide the work? Why did he have to do everything himself? Sure, he’d feel accomplished—but he left the host alone to suffer.
“Young master, please eat a little,” Zhang Ma coaxed gently. “If Xiao Xi were here, he wouldn’t be happy knowing you weren’t eating.”
At the mention of Xi Yuanhan’s name, Bai Tang could no longer hold back his sobs. “When… when will he come back?”
“Well…” Zhang Ma wasn’t sure herself. “As long as you eat well and behave, Xiao Xi will be back soon.”
“O… okay.” Bai Tang picked up his chopsticks and began to eat slowly, one bite at a time.
Through surveillance, Qiu’er saw that Xi Yuanhan had already infiltrated Gao Li’s base. But he didn’t dare tell Tang Tang—if he did, Tang Tang might rush off impulsively.
Over the years, Gao Li’s influence had grown considerably. On the surface, he was a legitimate businessman, but behind the scenes, his illegal dealings had never stopped. To Qiu’er, Gao Li was a dangerous man—and with Tang Tang’s unstable mental state, taking any risks was unthinkable.
Author’s Note:
Tang Tang’s autism is starting to develop into depression…