Chapter 267 - Are they still in a war?

Xiao Lei blinked in confusion a couple of times. She noticed Callum and Luo Guangying's action earlier and thought, "Are they still in a war?" 

"Sorry, we were tired, so we took a nap..." Han Ye said before yawning. Xiao Lei had basically cried herself to sleep in his arms, and she was holding him so tightly that he could not dislodge himself, hence why he was on the bed with her earlier.  

After placing the cuc.u.mber slices on Xiao Lei's eyes to reduce the puffiness, he had fallen asleep next to her.

Luo Guangying went to stand next to Xiao Lei's bed, and he asked, "How are you feeling now?" 

"Not great... but I'll live through it," Xiao Lei said with a sad smile. 

"We will be here if you need us," Callum said as he stood next to Luo Guangying. 

She nodded. "I'm just worried about what to say to Zhihao, especially in view of what happened recently."

All the men nodded. They could understand her dilemma. 

"I didn't have that many interactions with Xiao Zhihao prior to this, but from what I could tell based on our limited interaction, I think that he would be able to handle it," Callum said. When Xiao Lei looked at him, he continued, "He's a quiet boy, but he's not a weakling. However, based on what I saw when we found his friend, I could tell that there's another side of him, a side that might burst out badly if not handled with care." 

"What do you mean?" Xiao Lei asked, completely confused by his statement. She looked at Luo Guangying before looking back at Callum. 

Luo Guangying glanced at Callum for a while. When he understood everything, he sighed slightly before explaining, "We think that Zhihao might have suppressed his emotion for too long. That day, he nearly killed that b*stard when he found the girl's body. He was uncontrollable."

Callum nodded. "I've seen kids like him before. The Shenlong Family tends to look out for and recruit... out of place children."

When he saw the fearful expression on her face, he quickly added, "Don't worry! I'm not saying that he has sociopathic tendencies or anything of that sort. I'm just saying that it would not be a good idea to hide this from your son. The only way for a secret to stay a secret is if everyone who knows it is dead. Otherwise, no secret stays forever. If you don't tell him now, then when? When he's finally done mourning for his friend? Are you going to let him mourn just when he's getting better? What if something else happens then? Are you going to continue hiding it? When he asks why you keep coming here, what are you going to tell him?"

Xiao Lei frowned as she thought about his words. 

Looking at her, Callum sighed softly before continuing, "If you hide it from him now, it would only get harder and harder for you to tell him the truth later. And..."

He glanced at Han Ye briefly before looking back at Xiao Lei. "It would be hard for you to move on as well..."

Xiao Lei failed to understand the true meaning behind his last sentence, but she felt that his earlier words make sense. 

Han Ye sat down on the side of the bed, and he said, "I agreed with Callum. I don't want to see Zhihao sad, but there's never a good time to tell a boy that his father is gone forever. Rather than letting him feel sad for an unknown period of time, it would be better for us to tell him now. Too many people knew about it. The a.d.u.l.ts might be able to keep everything shut, but what about the kids?"

Xiao Lei looked at him sadly. "Han Ye..."

This was not what she wanted for Xiao Zhihao. She knew. 

She knew that they were right, and everything made sense, but as a mother, she did not want to see her son constantly walking around with a sad face. Yun Qi's death had already caused a huge scar on his young self; Xiao Lei was afraid that once Xiao Zhihao knew the truth behind his father's disappearance, he would break down. 

Han Ye smiled softly as he said, "I'd be there with you when you tell him. Zhihao is still young, so we can still watch over him. If you choose to tell him later, when he's older and bigger, it would be hard for us to watch over him constantly. And if you want...

"You can get him to live at home again. So that he would be more assured. When you lose someone dear to you at a young age, a part of you might believe that you'll continue to lose more of your loved one," he said softly.

Xiao Lei stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. Everyone in this room had lost someone dear to them when they were young. Xiao Lei lost her parents at 10 years old and betrayed by her uncle, and she did not feel safe until years after she was with Xiao Yunjie.

Han Ye lost his mother when he was in high school, and if Wu Yuexue weren't there with him at that time, he might have completely lost his direction in life.  

Callum lost his father when he was almost 10 years old, and he would have turned out worse and possibly emotionless if DX's father, Du Jin, did not go and pick him up before he was taken back by the Shenlong Family. 

Luo Guangying lost his mother when he was 10 years old, and even now, even after finding her back, there was still a part of him that was worried about losing her again.  

Each and every one of them had suffered a loss, so they knew how important it was to make Xiao Zhihao feel more reassured, and one of the ways Xiao Lei could do that was to bring him home. 

"I'll prepare a driver for you and Zhihao, and I'd also place a few more guards around your house," Callum said. When Xiao Lei looked up at him, Callum continued with a kind smile, "Your husband saved my sister-in-law, my nephew, and my unborn niece's lives. I'd do anything to make sure that you and Xiao Zhihao would have good lives and be protected." 

Han Ye looked at Xiao Lei. "What do you think, Xiao Lei?" 

He wanted to reach out and hold her in his arms, but it would not be appropriate for him to do so. She had just lost her husband, and he did not want to push her too far. He merely looked at her with a kind expression as he waited for her decision.

Xiao Lei thought about it for a while. The reason why she wanted Xiao Zhihao to stay at his school was to ensure his safety while giving him the best education. After she signed the surrogacy contract and Callum offered to protect her and her son, she had thought about asking Xiao Zhihao to move back home. But at that time, she was worried that it might affect his studies. 

But now... Even though his studies were important, his wellbeing was even more important to her.

In the end, Xiao Lei looked at Callum and nodded. "Alright then."

"I'll get my men to do it," Callum said with a smile. He then took out his phone with the intention to get everything settled today. 

However, before he could do anything, Han Ye looked up at Callum and said, "Let me handle the things."

When they looked at him, Han Ye looked at Xiao Lei. "I want to do something for you guys. As your friend."

Xiao Lei did not say anything. She merely nodded before looking away. She then looked at Callum and asked, "About Yunjie's remains..." 

"My brother told me to tell you this," Callum said before she finished her question. He knew what she was thinking about. "He felt that since Xiao Yunjie's grave at the Du Family's burial ground would always be taken care of and it would be cleaned regularly even during off-seasons, it would be better for things to remain as it is. However, my brother also said that he would respect every decision that you make, be it leaving everything as it is now, or to exhume and bury Xiao Yunjie at a place that you want. One word from you, and he would get everything done immediately. What he wanted the most was for you and your son to feel better."

Xiao Lei thought about it for a moment before saying, "I think... for now, it would be better to leave Yunjie there. He has already been buried, and we can always come back when we want to see him. I don't want to disturb his rest. However, I'd like to have a proper ceremony so that we can send him off." 

Callum nodded. "I'll relay that to my brother. We will find an auspicious day for the ceremony."