Chapter 2
The adults present suddenly fell silent, and all of them instinctively turned to look at Li Huan.
Ever since He Zhen’s father had left, the He family no longer had a real head of the household, yet no one in the family dared go against the young master’s wishes. On top of that, Old Master He and He Zhen’s grandfather, Old Master Zhao, both doted on him. In the He family, He Zhen had absolute authority.
The He family had always treated their servants well. They had even specially built a family housing block for the servants in Baiwei Manor. But if He Zhen ever said he disliked someone, that person’s chances of staying were next to none.
Of course, He Zhen had never cared about other people, much less whether he liked or disliked anyone.
Seeing this, Li Huan quickly explained in a low voice, “This boy is Yu Youshan’s son. He was just brought over today. Yu Youshan works as a winemaker at the vineyard in the back.”
It was obvious He Zhen had no interest in who Yu Youshan was. Winters in the north were bitterly cold, and because he hated going to kindergarten, he had run out in a fit of anger even though he was already catching a cold. At the moment, his whole body seemed to radiate chill.
Afraid his condition would worsen, Li Huan bent slightly and said, “Young Master, it’s too cold outside. Will you come back with me?”
To be fair, Li Huan had been taking care of He Zhen for two years now, and once in a while, He Zhen would still listen to him a little.
The He family had two housekeepers, and the two of them took turns personally looking after He Zhen. Today was Li Huan’s shift. If not for what had happened with Yu Chen, he should have been by He Zhen’s side the whole time.
Yu Chen had no idea what was going on. After withdrawing his friendly smile, he stared anxiously at Li Huan and He Zhen.
His little head wrestled with it for quite a while. Then, frowning his tiny brows, he called out in a soft baby voice, “Brother, it’s cold. You’ll get sick. Do you want to come inside as a guest?”
As he spoke, he even lifted his chubby little arm and made a welcoming gesture.
He Zhen had almost forgotten Yu Chen existed. But when he heard those words, he lifted his head in disbelief. When that small, round figure came into his sight again, something subtle changed in his expression, and the resistance around him eased a little.
In his eyes, this gap-toothed boy looked only two or three years old. Even though he was small, he looked solid all through, a proper little chubball.
The surprise in He Zhen’s eyes lasted only an instant. Soon, his usual cold expression returned, and he snapped fiercely, “I don’t have a little brother!”
With that, he shoved aside the people around him and left behind only a cool, aloof silhouette.
Li Huan looked after him worriedly, then quickly reminded Yu Chen before leaving, “Chenchen, stop leaning against the window. It’s dangerous!”
Even though the window was locked and had bars installed, Li Huan still hurried upstairs to warn Yu Chen face to face.
Yu Chen, who had made uncle worry, felt a little guilty. Tilting up his soft little face, he answered obediently, “Okay-oh.” Then he sat back down on the sofa, picked up a cookie, and began struggling with the wrapper.
Li Huan rubbed Yu Chen’s soft hair and told him to behave, then hurried downstairs to chase after He Zhen.
With a cookie in his mouth, Yu Chen’s cheeks puffed out.
He thought to himself, That little villain is really fierce!
…
By the time Li Huan came back, an hour had already passed.
When he saw that Yu Chen had eaten only one cookie after all that time, he was instantly filled with regret.
“My fault. I forgot your teeth are bad. You must be hungry, right? Shall we go to the cafeteria for lunch?”
He Zhen was still sulking, locked inside his huge bedroom, refusing to see anyone.
Li Huan was already used to it. He Zhen had always been irregular about kindergarten, going one day and skipping two. Every time he went for even a single day, he came back in a bad temper. On top of that, there had been a He family gathering last night, and after seeing that all the children from their relatives’ families were accompanied by their parents, He Zhen had returned home without saying a word and spent the whole night curled up in a corner, not sleeping.
Yu Chen’s side was urgent too. Li Huan had no choice but to switch shifts at the last minute so he could come back and stay with him.
“Kay!” The moment he heard they were going to eat, Yu Chen’s grape-like eyes lit up, and his little carved-jade face immediately bloomed into an eager smile.
He refused Li Huan’s help with his shoes, climbed down from the sofa, sat on a small stool, and tried to put them on by himself.
As he picked at the buckle, he muttered, “I can do it.”
Squatting in front of him, Li Huan reached out and patted the fluffy little head before him, feeling terrible inside.
By rights, Yu Chen should have been in the younger or middle kindergarten class at his age. The kids in Old Zhao’s family were already in the senior class, and every day their parents still dressed them and put on their shoes. Yu Chen was this young and already so sensible. It was impossible not to feel heartache for him.
The He family had a staff cafeteria of their own. The manor was simply too large. Between the horse farm, vineyard, flower house, crop fields, the main buildings, and the auxiliary buildings, even an hour wasn’t enough to walk through the whole place. Altogether, the He family employed nearly two hundred servants, workers, and cooks.
The food from the kitchen was good, with dishes from all kinds of regional cuisines. There was a free section and a paid section, and compared to the soaring prices outside, it was already extremely cheap and affordable here.
The sudden appearance of a beautiful little child in the manor had spread almost everywhere within a single morning. Combined with Li Huan’s status there, when he carried Yu Chen into the cafeteria dressed in his small floral-padded jacket, everyone stared at them.
When it was time to order, Yu Chen was like a curious baby, hugging the large menu and choosing very seriously. He still didn’t understand numbers above five, so he couldn’t quite make out the prices of some dishes.
In the end, he picked the cheapest plain rice and handed the menu to Li Huan with a cheerful grin.
Li Huan patted his head and smiled indulgently. “Looks like Chenchen doesn’t know how to order. Shall uncle help you?”
Yu Chen answered innocently, “I already ordered.”
Li Huan only smiled without saying anything. He ordered all sorts of nutritious side dishes for Yu Chen: potato beef, steamed sea bass, and some boiled shrimp.
It was Yu Chen’s first time eating so many delicious dishes. Sitting in his seat, he was obviously too small in stature, and after a lot of effort, he finally managed to pick up a boiled shrimp and place it into Li Huan’s bowl.
His eyes shining, he smiled and said, “Unca, you eat!”
They had spent only half a day together, yet Yu Chen’s good manners and thoughtfulness kept making Li Huan’s heart ache. Holding back the sting in his eyes, he lowered his gaze and peeled several large shrimp for Yu Chen, placing them into his bowl.
Yu Chen still didn’t know how to use chopsticks, so Li Huan simply picked out some soft, tender beef and mixed it with the rice, making it easier for him to eat.
“Thank you, unca.”
Yu Chen hugged his little bowl and ate extremely fast. He was clearly starving. But his table manners were excellent, and not a single grain of rice fell. The child from Aunt Wang’s family at the next table was famous for scattering rice everywhere. Seeing Yu Chen eat so neatly, they said enviously, “Don’t let his age fool you. He’s really good at taking care of himself.”
Li Huan smiled proudly. “His father taught him well.”
Yu Chen had never tasted beef this fragrant before. His little hands held the bowl tightly as he puffed out his cheeks and quietly listened to the adults talking. Because he was eating so happily, his whole little face was flushed red from the steam.
If rice dropped onto the table, it would be wasted. He absolutely couldn’t let that happen.
Just then, a mocking voice sounded from not far away.
“Brother Li, you actually dared take in Yu Youshan’s son? Aren’t you afraid that gambling addict won’t come back?”
Li Huan was very taboo about talking like this in front of a child. His face darkened as he warned, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
The speaker wore a yellow jacket and looked like a worker from the botanical garden. He sneered as his gaze swept over the food in front of Yu Chen. “Even if you feed him this well, Yu Youshan won’t thank you.”
Li Huan frowned and was just about to stand up and argue with him when Yu Chen suddenly wiped his oily little mouth, grinned, and said, “Uncle, when Chenchen grows up and earns money, I’ll spend it on you.”
Yu Chen’s smile was especially sincere. Though he was young, those words somehow carried a strange sense of credibility.
Li Huan’s face instantly brightened, and he simply couldn’t be bothered to argue with the man anymore. He focused on peeling shrimp for Yu Chen instead.
He had lived alone for more than forty years and had never once known the companionship and love of family. No one had ever said such words to him before, words like the ones Yu Chen had just spoken.
He really clicked with Yu Chen and liked this child immensely.
Yu Chen had eaten a lot today, so on the way home, Li Huan deliberately didn’t carry him. Instead, he let him walk by himself to help his digestion and keep him from getting a fever. He had even packed a serving of lotus seed and hawthorn porridge, planning to feed it to Yu Chen in the afternoon.
With his round little belly sticking out, Yu Chen bounced as he walked. The small floral-padded jacket was warmed by the blazing sun, making him look especially cozy.
“Unca, why did the young master run out just now?”
Hearing Yu Chen’s form of address, Li Huan pressed his lips together. “Chenchen, although that boy this morning is my and your father’s employer, he is not yours, so you don’t need to call him young master.”
Yu Chen tilted his little head. “Then what should I call him? He doesn’t like it when I call him brother.”
Li Huan smiled. “His name is He Zhen.”
Yu Chen nodded to show he understood.
“Young Master He doesn’t like going to kindergarten. Last night he had an argument with the relatives’ children, so he’s in a bad mood.”
Yu Chen took quick little steps, playing hide-and-seek with his shadow as he answered, “Ohhh. I heard kindergarten is very fun.”
Li Huan’s heart softened. Thinking of how the child was already four and still hadn’t gone to kindergarten, he couldn’t help feeling worried. But for now, he was only helping Yu Youshan take care of Yu Chen temporarily. He had no right to arrange kindergarten for him.
“Chenchen, Young Master He likes quiet. If you want to come out and play, stay in our yard. You absolutely mustn’t run outside, okay? This place is very big. You’ll get lost.”
“Is it really big?”
Yu Chen very much wanted to tour this beautiful manor, but he was worried about causing trouble for Li Huan. So after thinking hard with his little brain, he copied the actors from television and awkwardly raised one small hand in a salute. “Yesh!”
The gesture made Li Huan laugh. In one swift move, he scooped Yu Chen up and lifted him high into the air. “Uncle is off the day after tomorrow. Shall I take you to the mall to buy clothes?”
At the mention of going to the mall, Yu Chen was delighted. Smiling wide enough to show his missing tooth, he said, “Chenchen already has a padded jacket. No need to buy.”
Li Huan only smiled and did not answer. One big and one small, they headed back to rest under the afternoon sun.
That night, to Li Huan’s surprise, Yu Chen did not cry or fuss for his father. On the contrary, he slept very well. He wasn’t picky about where he slept. Having gotten used to following Yu Youshan around while hiding from debt collectors, he could sometimes even fall asleep on Yu Youshan’s lap on public benches by the roadside. It was only half a year ago that Yu Youshan found work with the He family and settled him at the house of a distant aunt, finally giving him some stability.
After his bath, Yu Chen wore the little bear pajamas Aunt Liu from the room across the hall had given him, stroking them again and again, unable to put them down. The pajamas had a hood on the back, and when he put it on, he looked just like a little bear with round ears. Lying on the soft big bed, he happily closed his eyes and slept soundly.
During the night, Li Huan woke up from time to time to tuck the blanket more tightly around him, afraid the child would catch cold. He had heard from Yu Youshan that Yu Chen’s heart disease was very unusual, not like ordinary congenital heart disease, which was why surgery still could not be done. Years of illness had left Yu Chen with very poor immunity, and he especially could not exercise strenuously. Even an ordinary fever or cold would take a whole month to heal.
The night passed.
Early the next morning, Li Huan bought shredded chicken and mushroom porridge and eggs for Yu Chen, then hurried off to the main house to take care of He Zhen.
Yu Chen was very obedient. Though clingy, he was sensible enough to remind Li Huan to be careful. Before leaving, Li Huan asked Aunt Liu next door, who was resting that day, to keep an eye on Yu Chen from time to time. He was already thinking he should hurry and buy a security camera to install in the room tomorrow, just in case something happened to him.
After finishing the fragrant meat porridge, Yu Chen rolled up his little sleeves and, trembling slightly, carried the used bowl and spoon toward the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, he wasn’t tall enough. He could only drag over a small stool to stand on and barely manage to put them in. But he was too far from the faucet, so washing them clean was impossible.
Just as Yu Chen climbed onto the sofa, about to watch television, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the tree across the way through the bright window.
Today, He Zhen was wearing a white riding outfit. Who knew how he had climbed up there, but he was half reclining against a thick branch, reading.
Yu Chen pressed his plump lips together, his eyes sneaking toward the door lock. An idea sprang into his heart.
Ten minutes later, the door clicked open.
Standing on the small stool, Yu Chen pressed his lips into a smile. Even the dimples on his face rippled with a bit of pride.
A little dumpling went pattering down the quiet, empty corridor. Yu Chen was very anxious, afraid He Zhen would no longer be in the tree by the time he got there.
Suddenly—
From a room five or six meters away, a little boy with a schoolbag burst out.
“Whose child are you?”
The little boy was tall and sturdy, more than a head taller than Yu Chen, and still had a drumstick in his right hand.
Yu Chen hurriedly stopped in his tracks, tucked his little hands together, and stared at him timidly. “Hullo, my name is Yu Chen.”
The boy looked Yu Chen up and down from head to toe. After a while, his gaze landed on the worn cloth shoes on Yu Chen’s feet.
He smacked his lips. “Your clothes are ugly.”
“They are not ugly.” Yu Chen pouted in protest. His small floral-padded jacket had been sewn by his mother stitch by stitch with her own hands. It was especially warm. Though he had transmigrated into a book, his mother had raised him painstakingly from infancy. She was the mother he loved most. He would not allow anyone to say the little padded jacket she made was ugly.
“Yours are ugly.”
Yu Chen glared at him with baby-sized fierceness, and his bright watery eyes instantly brimmed with grievance.
Worried that He Zhen would leave, he did not want to keep arguing with the boy. He raised his little hands to tidy his floral scarf, then carefully took one step at a time down the stairs.
The boy stared at Yu Chen’s back, his face full of disdain. Listening to his parents nagging inside the room, he threw away the drumstick and followed Yu Chen downstairs.
Although he had been delayed for a while, He Zhen had still not left.
Yu Chen had met He Zhen yesterday, but the distance had been too great. This was the first time he had seen him from so close up.
The white children’s riding clothes on He Zhen did not look the slightest bit out of place. With black boots on his feet, he lazily swung his legs. His childish face was focused and serious, looking perfectly at ease.
Sunlight fell over the side of his face. Though his features were not yet as deep-set as an adult’s, they were still striking and refined. At a glance, he looked as noble and beautiful as a prince from a fairy tale.
Yu Chen stood properly and straightened his little scarf with both hands.
Then, a soft milky voice rang out through the empty yard:
“Little Prince, why are you here?”
Last time He Zhen had not allowed him to call him brother, so calling him Little Prince couldn’t be wrong, right?
Hearing the commotion below the tree, He Zhen frowned and immediately leaned out to look.
As expected, it was that white and chubby child from yesterday.
Other than this little chubball, none of the children in the manor had ever spoken to him. Whenever they saw him, they stayed far away.
“What a strange way to address someone.” He Zhen put on a cold, cool expression, though a trace of conflict was hidden in his eyes.
A gust of cold wind brushed past.
Yu Chen tucked his little hands into his sleeves and held them together. Lifting his little head, he asked, “Then how old are you?”
He Zhen frowned slightly. “None of your business!”
Yu Chen said nothing more. He secretly observed He Zhen for a long while before introducing himself. “Hullo, my name is Chenchen. I’m four.”
Because of his missing tooth, Yu Chen’s speech was not very clear, and even the two syllables of “Chenchen” came out muddled.
He Zhen continued reading without lifting his eyes. “You’re disturbing me, little fatty.”
This was the first time in Yu Chen’s life anyone had called him fat. His mother had said this wasn’t called fat. It was called cute.
Although he very much wanted to argue back, Yu Chen knew he really was disturbing someone, so he obediently shut his mouth.
Two minutes later, he clasped his little hands behind his back, sat down at the small stone table by the roots of the tree, and stared intently upward.
The noise below had completely disappeared, and He Zhen found it strange. He cast Yu Chen a glance from the corner of his eye and raised a brow. “Why do you keep looking at me?”
Pouting, Yu Chen said, “I’m looking at the sun, not at you.”
That sentence made He Zhen choke on his words, and soon a faint blush crept across the side of his face.
He quickly adjusted his expression and went back to acting cool, pressing his lips together without a word as he flipped through the pages with manic force, as though fighting a war with the book itself.
Yu Chen stared blankly at the suddenly irritable He Zhen, propping up his round little face as his brows knitted together.
Then he noticed that in He Zhen’s pocket was a beautifully wrapped piece of candy.
After finishing his silent battle with the book, He Zhen lowered his head and glared at Yu Chen. With a sharp snap, he closed the book and, with his face stiff like a tiny adult, jumped down from the ladder by the tree.
When he passed by Yu Chen, he deliberately let out a cold snort, lifting his chin proudly and refusing to spare Yu Chen even half a glance.
Suddenly—
Yu Chen called out, “Little Prince, can I talk now?”
Yu Chen’s big eyes were bright and glistening. Curled up on the little stool, he looked like a tiny sparrow waiting for its parents to feed it, yawning under the warm sunlight.
He Zhen stopped in his tracks. Just as he was about to correct Yu Chen’s way of addressing him, he suddenly caught sight of the tall, sturdy boy standing at the doorway.
That little boy had originally come to trouble Yu Chen, but the moment he saw He Zhen, he reacted like a mouse seeing a cat and fled in a flash.
He Zhen stared in that direction with a mocking look, a layer of gloom settling in his eyes.
Yu Chen turned his head in confusion. “What are you looking at?”
Holding the book in his arms, He Zhen replied coldly, “That boy from your floor.”
Yu Chen was completely out of the loop. He blinked his wide eyes and looked for quite a while. “I didn’t see him.”
He Zhen spoke as if this were nothing new. “He left. They all avoid me when they see me.”
After saying that, he lowered his brown eyes. His long lashes trembled lightly, and the corners of his mouth pressed tightly together.
Sensing that He Zhen was unhappy, Yu Chen thought for a while, then pulled his hands out of his sleeves and pattered over to stand in front of him. “Brother, do you… want a friend?”
Something stirred in He Zhen’s eyes. But the moment he saw Yu Chen’s round little chubby face so close to him, he quickly stepped back two paces and raised his brows coldly. “As if I care!”
Yu Chen was startled by He Zhen’s bad temper and wobbled backward like a little penguin.
He Zhen’s expression froze. He immediately turned his head away, his childish face holding a trace of stubbornness.
Sure enough. This was always the look people gave him.
The children in kindergarten, the children from their relatives’ families—everyone was like this.
Before Yu Chen could say anything, He Zhen tightened his little face and prepared to leave.
“Let’s be friends!” Yu Chen shouted brightly, afraid he had not heard clearly.
He Zhen looked as if he had just heard something unbelievable. Straightening his back, he slowly turned around. “I don’t want to be friends with you.”
Yu Chen let out a sigh, his tiny figure carrying a complicated kind of sadness.
This little villain is really hard to deal with.
He stared at the pretty chocolate in He Zhen’s pocket, and suddenly an idea struck him.
“If you become friends with me, I’ll perform magic for you!”
He Zhen was obviously unconvinced. His childish face was filled with suspicion. “What magic?”
Yu Chen said, “Nobody else can do it. Only me!”
“Really! I’m not lying to you!”
He Zhen suddenly wavered.
The earnest, expectant look in the little chubball’s eyes did not seem fake.
His expression flickered awkwardly. The book clutched tightly to his chest slowly loosened, and he began walking toward the little figure in front of him.
But halfway there, he suddenly stopped. Stubbornly raising his brows, he said, “Boring.”
This time, he did not wait for Yu Chen to explain. In less than two seconds, he disappeared from Yu Chen’s sight.
Yu Chen let out a breath of relief. His glass-like eyes lowered silently. Then, under the dawn-like light spilling through the clouds, he stuck out his little bottom and climbed the steps one by one.
Night fell.
After taking care of He Zhen’s dinner and finishing the handover with the other housekeeper, Li Huan went home to look after Yu Chen. Tomorrow was his day off, and he planned to take Yu Chen to an amusement park and buy him some clothes on the way.
The main house where He Zhen lived was enormous. When he was born, his mother had specially renovated it for him. His mother had been a designer, romantic and gentle, and so the design of the white castle naturally carried a quiet beauty. Every spring, the outside of the main house would be covered in thick vines and roses. Whenever He Zhen was unhappy, he would sit in the rose garden and stare blankly into space.
Time passed bit by bit, and the main house was frighteningly quiet.
Of course, ever since his father left, every night had been like this for He Zhen—facing that loneliness all by himself.
Under the covers, He Zhen tossed and turned.
All day, the words of that little chubball had kept echoing through his mind.
What kind of magic could that little chubball do that nobody else could?
And he had sworn he wasn’t lying to him?
Five-and-a-half-year-old He Zhen wracked his brains and still could not come up with an answer.
If it was magic performed only for him alone, it might not be so bad.
At last, the giant European-style wooden doors of the second-floor bedroom burst open with a bang, and the bodyguards and housekeeper waiting outside hurried over.
“Young Master! You—”
Wrapped in a black coat, He Zhen stepped out coolly in leather boots, his face stiff and serious like a little grown-up. “I’m going to Uncle Li’s room right now to find the little fatty.”
Butler Liu and the bodyguard exchanged curious glances, then bent slightly and asked carefully, “May we ask why you are looking for him?”
He Zhen did not explain. He simply ran off toward the back. His side of the building connected directly to the servants’ family quarters, so it was very quick to get to Li Huan’s bedroom.
On the other side, Li Huan was playing with Yu Chen. Today, the uncle and aunt next door had brought over many toys their own child no longer played with. Yu Chen especially loved the little yellow rubber duck and hugged it in his arms, utterly unwilling to put it down.
Just then, there came three knocks at the bedroom door.
At this hour, there could usually be only one reason for someone to come looking for him: He Zhen was throwing another tantrum, and the other housekeeper could not handle him.
Li Huan quickly slipped on his slippers and opened the door. The moment he saw the small figure standing there, his eyes widened in shock.
“Young Master, why are you here?”
Arms folded, He Zhen stood at the doorway staring at Yu Chen, who was playing with the little duck. After struggling with himself for a long while, he finally frowned and asked, “Hey, little fatty. Didn’t you say you were going to perform magic for me? Go on then. Show me.”
The moment he heard He Zhen’s voice, Yu Chen sat bolt upright on the bed. Two pairs of beautiful, watery eyes stared at each other for a long time. Then Yu Chen puffed out his cheeks, lay back down again, and even deliberately left his round little bottom facing He Zhen.
Left hanging at the side, He Zhen’s face immediately flushed red. Anxiously, he said, “Hey, do you actually not know any magic at all?”
Hidden in the shadows, Yu Chen’s eyes narrowed with mischief. Then he comfortably lifted his chubby little feet and said in a leisurely voice, “But during the day, you didn’t want to watch.”
