He packed his luggage, put his clothes and personal items in order, then sat on the bed and began to meditate.
Primordial Qi moved through him once. Before he could start the second round, his ears suddenly twitched as he heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.
Soon, his door was being frantically knocked on, and the anxious voice of Boss He came from outside: "Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen!!"
Chen Yan jumped off the bed and went to open the door, seeing Boss He standing there in his pajamas, his face full of urgency, tension, and excitement, staring straight at him. Behind him, Mrs. He and Sun Chen were also there, Mrs. He holding a coat, trying to drape it over Boss He.
"No need!" Boss He shrugged off his wife’s hand.
"It’s chilly at night..." Mrs. He muttered softly, but she was gentle by nature, so she didn’t go against her husband’s wishes and stood aside without saying more.
"President He," Chen Yan smiled warmly, "it’s the middle of the night, what brings you here?"
He Jianbo was breathing heavily, having jogged over. But now, standing in front of Chen Yan, he seemed unable to speak a word, his throat choked with emotion.
The near-fifty-year-old millionaire’s eyes suddenly reddened, his shoulders trembling slightly with emotion: "I, I..."
Chen Yan sighed, guessing what it was about, and stepped aside to let him in: "Boss He, it’s cold outside, come in and we’ll talk."
Boss He nodded vigorously, then turned to Mrs. He and said, "You go back, don’t follow. I have something important to discuss with Mr. Chen."
Mrs. He was puzzled but nodded, hesitated for a moment: "Take the coat, don’t catch a cold."
Saying that, she handed the coat to Boss He, then left.
Chen Yan looked at Mrs. He in her pajamas as she left, sighed: "President He, you’ve married a good wife. In the middle of the night, she runs out with you in her pajamas, not thinking of the cold herself but worrying about you catching a chill."
Boss He’s expression changed slightly, he nodded, and then walked into Chen Yan’s room.
Inside, Boss He sat on a chair, his lips moved hesitantly, unsure of how to start.
Chen Yan smiled, sat across from him, and said slowly: "Boss He, did you receive a dream from Mrs. He?"
He Jianbo’s face suddenly changed, he stood up abruptly, exclaiming: "You... you knew?! It wasn’t just a dream?!"
Chen Yan gestured for him to sit down again.
This time, Boss He’s eyes were bloodshot, the muscles on his face faintly trembling. After a few seconds, he looked up at Chen Yan: "Just now, I dreamt that my mother came to me and said many things."
Chen Yan nodded: "Hmm."
Boss He continued: "When I woke up, I was covered in sweat, thinking it was just because I missed my mother too much lately.
But the more I thought about it, the more restless I became. The scenes in the dream were too real. The things my mother said were too shocking, I..."
Chen Yan understood Boss He’s concern by then.
The old fox must have shown him the truth in his dream.
But Boss He was half-believing and dared not tell anyone upon waking up.
Chen Yan nodded, his face with a slight smile, said slowly: "Mrs. He gave you the dream to tell you to come to me afterward, right?"
Boss He looked at Chen Yan with widened, frightened eyes.
Chen Yan smiled silently, just gazing at him quietly.
After a while, Boss He clutched his hair with both hands, his voice raspy: "Mr. Chen... my mother, she, she...
Is she really, not human?"
Chen Yan could partly understand Boss He’s feelings, silently nodding.
Boss He’s eyes filled with tears: "She... if she’s alive, why did she fake her death and leave me? If she is alive, why can’t she meet me?"
Chen Yan shook his head: "Mrs. He naturally has her reasons. Think of it as a demon and human cannot coexist for long. She isn’t human, and she’s stayed here long enough, it’s time to leave."
Saying that, Chen Yan took out his phone, opened a video, and handed it to He Jianbo.
The video was secretly filmed by Chu Keqing from a distance. Because of the distance, no one could hear the conversation between Chen Yan and Mrs. He—even visually, Chen Yan had his back to the camera, and Mrs. He’s words were just lips moving without any complete lip shapes that could be read.
So there was no worry about leaking the conversation between Chen Yan and the old fox!
However, it clearly showed Chen Yan and Mrs. He talking under the tree.
Mrs. He raised her head, revealing a fox face and then turned back to human form before disappearing, all major details were recorded clearly.
After handing the phone to He Jianbo, Chen Yan said slowly: "You can take your time watching this. Call me when you’re done."
With that, Chen Yan slowly turned and left the room, going out into the courtyard.
There was a stone bench in the courtyard, so Chen Yan simply sat there.
He touched his pocket, finding a pack of cigarettes—though he didn’t like smoking, his feelings were complicated at the moment, so he took one out and lit it.
But he held the lit cigarette between his fingers without puffing on it.
After a while, Chen Yan suddenly spoke: "You’re not asleep either?"