Chapter 31
It was close to five in the morning.
Hurried footsteps shattered the silence of the entire inpatient ward.
He Zhen pushed open the hospital room door in a rush, an icy cola clutched in his hand.
His light brown eyes dropped slightly, and he saw Yu Chen on the bed, wearing an oxygen mask and throwing a tantrum.
The doctor was patiently reasoning with him. “Chenchen, you can’t drink water right after surgery, much less iced cola. How about I feed you a spoonful of warm water first?”
Truthfully, this was not Yu Chen being unreasonable. The long period of fasting before surgery, together with the heavy blood loss during the operation, could cause electrolyte imbalance in the body and leave a person unbearably thirsty.
“Wuu… I want iced cola.” Yu Chen struggled to lift his hand, wanting to pull off the uncomfortable oxygen mask. The doctor quickly stopped him. “Chenchen, absolutely do not move around. It will affect your wound recovery.”
Yu Chen was in a lot of pain right now. His soft, round cheeks were flushed red with fever, and he could not even drink iced cola for a bit of emotional comfort. The whole little person looked terribly wronged. His mouth drooped, and a few hot tears clung to his upturned lashes.
He Zhen stepped forward and bent down. “Yu Chenchen.”
The moment Yu Chen saw He Zhen, his half-closed eyes visibly brightened. But in their place came an even deeper pout. His eyes were red at the corners as he whimpered pleadingly, “Boss… cola…”
He Zhen’s fingertips tightened around the bottle until they turned faintly white. He deliberately hid the worry between his brows and revealed a rare, gentle smile. “Yu Chenchen! I promise! Once you bravely make it through today, I’ll feed you this bottle of cola tomorrow, alright?”
Yu Chen pouted, his moist eyes brimming with tears. In the end, he held back the stinging sourness in his nose and gave a tiny, unwilling nod in agreement.
At that instant, Yu Chen’s tears seemed to break through layer after layer of resistance and crash straight into the softest place in He Zhen’s heart, making it ache with both tenderness and pain.
He Zhen pressed his lips together tightly and coaxed him softly. “Yu Chenchen, don’t you like Royal Sun Planet chocolate the most? I bought lots of boxes for you, every color there is. There are also Kishu dried persimmons and rose maple cakes… they’re all in the cabinet waiting for you to eat tomorrow. Can you bear with the pain just for today?” Those snacks were delicious, but they were high in sugar. Under normal circumstances, he would never allow Yu Chen to eat them often.
At the sound of those snack names, the grievance and sadness mingling on Yu Chen’s face finally faded a little. He lifted a hand weakly and beckoned He Zhen closer. He Zhen leaned in, and Yu Chen rasped hoarsely, “Don’t forget… also… Swiss handmade chocolate.”
He Zhen nodded lightly. “I’ll go buy it.”
Yu Chen moved his fingers desperately, signaling for He Zhen to keep listening. When he spoke, his eyes held a bit of timidity and embarrassment. “And also… Shimizu white peach jelly.”
The doctor standing to one side could not help laughing. Children really did have simple thoughts. All that occupied their hearts was snacks.
He Zhen’s eyes stayed fixed on Yu Chen. Yu Chen immediately looked away and hummed twice with a pout.
“Alright. Whatever you normally like, I’ll buy it all for you.”
Hearing He Zhen’s promise, Yu Chen finally closed his eyes in satisfaction. A faint little dimple appeared on his fever-flushed cheeks, as if he had already sunk into a beautiful fantasy.
At that moment, the doctor asked, “Young Master He, should we wake Chenchen’s father so the two of you can switch shifts and you can get some rest?”
He Zhen gave a soft “mm,” looked once more at Yu Chen’s quiet sleeping face, then turned and left.
Watching He Zhen’s back, the doctor kept feeling that this child was extraordinarily bright, and that both his speech and manners far exceeded his age. But then, when he remembered that He Zhen was Old Master He’s grandson, everything made sense again. A friend of his also had a child who was only in junior high, yet was already going to his father’s company to guide employees in design and modeling. Truly a gifted youth.
After He Zhen woke Li Huan, Li Huan hurried to the hospital room. Seeing Yu Chen’s pale lips, he asked worriedly, “Should he get a blood transfusion?”
Patients undergoing cardiac surgery usually lost a great deal of blood, and he was worried Yu Chen might become anemic and fail to recover properly.
“At the moment, the child’s hemoglobin is 76 g/L. Whether he needs a transfusion will depend on his later condition. But in the near future, his nutrition absolutely must keep up, or else it will easily lead to malnutrition.”
Even as the doctor said that, he himself felt that Yu Chen would absolutely never end up in that state. The He family attached immense importance to Yu Chen. Setting aside the fact that this medical team had been brought in from abroad by Old Master He, just considering how treasured Yu Chen was by He Zhen, it would already be a blessing if they did not overfeed him into being overweight.
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.” Li Huan sat down, his broad palm holding Yu Chen’s feverish little foot. “Doctor, he has a fever.”
“That’s a normal post-surgery reaction. Please don’t worry.” The doctor was about to get off work himself, but before leaving, he specifically reminded Li Huan, “Our hospital director is returning from abroad this afternoon and wants to come see your child.”
Li Huan nodded. “The director’s work is already so busy. I’m grateful that he still keeps Chenchen in mind. After such a tiring journey, he should focus on getting proper rest.”
“You’re too polite.” The doctor left with very light steps, and when he passed the room next door, he accidentally caught sight of He Zhen doing homework at the desk.
He frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he knocked and reminded He Zhen to get some rest. He Zhen had barely slept at all. If this went on, it would be very harmful to his health.
He Zhen thanked him and lowered his eyes, replying lightly that he would sleep after finishing the last problem.
Before the doctor left, he glanced once more and realized that He Zhen was doing ninth-grade math.
He was filled with emotion and silently recalled the little rumor a colleague had once told him. It was said that the preselected future heir of Hefeng Group was He Zhen. And this private hospital was partly owned by Hefeng as well, so rounding it off, He Zhen was practically his little boss.
The doctor shook his head. As expected, rich young masters were not like the ones written about in novels, who only knew how to eat, drink, and play around. When it came to studying, they were still quite competitive.
Back in the room, a new doctor on shift arrived and helped Li Huan look after Yu Chen.
Even with someone assisting, if there was something Li Huan could do himself, he would never trouble others. He handled everything personally.
Sometimes Yu Chen would get fussy with him because his head hurt too much, and Li Huan would gently coax his little temper and tell him the stories he had loved hearing the most when he was younger.
When Yu Chen tired himself out and fell asleep, Li Huan would simply continue staying up beside him, not daring to close his eyes for even a moment.
Watching the way Li Huan doted on Yu Chen, the doctor smiled and asked, “Did you have this child rather late in life?”
Usually, parents who doted on their child like this were older and had only gotten the baby after many difficulties.
Li Huan smiled. “Mm. I was already almost forty when I had this child.”
The doctor said, “No wonder. You’re really very patient.”
Li Huan carefully cupped Yu Chen’s right wrist, the one with the IV needle in it, and covered it with his hand so the fluid would not feel too cold.
At noon, Yu Chen woke up once.
When he saw that the person by his side was Li Huan, he rubbed his head against Li Huan’s palm and called timidly, his wet eyes shining, “Dad.”
It was the first time he had ever called Li Huan “Dad” to his face.
It was not that he had never thought about calling him that before. He had just always been too embarrassed to say it.
Not long ago, Li Huan should have received his confession letter by now, right?
Actually… he had already called him Dad once.
Li Huan’s eyes instantly grew wet. Holding back tears, he smiled and answered, “Yes! Dad is right here.”
Yu Chen’s lashes trembled uneasily as he said with difficulty, “Dad, when I was in surgery, I dreamed about you.”
Li Huan asked softly, “What did you dream about Dad doing?”
Yu Chen murmured, “I dreamed about when you had just found me, and you were feeding me.”
In the end, Li Huan could not hold it back any longer. A few tears fell into Yu Chen’s palm. “Is Chenchen hungry?”
Yu Chen lifted his lips, his dark eyes still moist. “Mm-hmm!”
Li Huan stroked his head. “Dad will go prepare something for you right now.”
The doctor standing nearby suddenly felt a wave of embarrassed guilt.
So this child was actually adopted by Li Huan.
What he had said earlier now seemed somewhat offensive.
“Okay, but it would be best if there could be hamburgers and fries.”
Li Huan laughed. “Hamburgers are not possible. Porridge is.”
Yu Chen pouted and drifted back to sleep indignantly.
When He Zhen woke up, it was already six in the evening. He hurriedly put on his shoes and quickly ran to Yu Chen’s hospital room. There were many people inside. The hospital director and several members of the hospital administration had brought Yu Chen a great many snacks and toys, filling the entire sofa.
Yu Chen had only just woken up, and his clear eyes flickered with eager anticipation, as if asking what gifts were there. If he had been able to move freely, he probably would have already jumped down from the bed to tear them open.
On his way out, the hospital director ran into He Zhen. After greeting him, he kindly patted his head and reminded him to take care of his health. He Zhen thanked him politely, then took three steps in two and quickly went to stay by Yu Chen’s side.
Yu Chen looked much more energetic than he had in the morning. Although he still cried out that it hurt, he could now raise his arm a little and tug at He Zhen’s clothes while whining and acting spoiled.
After seeing the director off, Li Huan bent his sleep-reddened eyes in a smile. “Xiao Zhen, did you sleep enough? You have school tomorrow. How about you go home tonight and stay there?”
“I don’t want to.” Resting his chin on one hand, He Zhen kept his elbow on the bedside cabinet and quietly looked at Yu Chen.
Time passed slowly.
He Zhen said nothing, simply keeping Yu Chen company like that.
“Boss.” When Yu Chen breathed, there was a rasping sound in his throat, and his voice had become rough as well.
He Zhen leaned closer. “Mm?”
Yu Chen said, “Will you go home?”
He Zhen lowered his eyes and deliberately asked, though he already knew the answer, “Why do you want me to go home?”
Yu Chen said with difficulty, “You’ve got dark circles already.”
“What?” He Zhen immediately grabbed a mirror to look. When he realized Yu Chen was talking nonsense, he turned on him accusingly. “You lied to me.”
Yu Chen pouted and called out softly again, “Boss~”
He Zhen drew the sound out. “Mm?”
Yu Chen’s voice trembled slightly. “Doctor said… if you stay up all night, people can die. I don’t want Boss to die…”
Li Huan nearly laughed out loud when he heard that. The words were clearly meant to express concern, but somehow they still sounded a little strange.
He Zhen folded his arms. It seemed he had already predicted Yu Chen’s next line. “If I die, then there won’t be anyone left to buy you snacks, right?”
Yu Chen’s eyes slowly reddened, and he shook his head gloomily.
A patch of softness suddenly spread through He Zhen’s heart, and just as he was about to speak, Yu Chen interrupted him. “And no one will buy me toys and clothes either.”
A buzzing filled He Zhen’s ears.
Struggling to suppress the urge to beat Yu Chen up, he stood stiffly. “Uncle, I’m leaving. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
Yu Chen pouted pitifully. “Bye-bye, Boss.”
He Zhen held his breath and waved perfunctorily with one small hand.
In the blink of an eye, four more days passed. Yu Chen finally came out of ICU monitoring and was downgraded to ordinary care.
The environment in this private hospital was extremely good. The autumn scenery outside the windows was pleasant and refreshing, and every random glance looked like a perfect work of art. Li Huan worried that Yu Chen would feel stifled if he stayed in the room too long, so he deliberately bundled him up like a little silkworm and pushed him outside in a wheelchair to get some fresh air.
Yu Chen was someone who simply could not sit still. After discovering that there were stray cats and dogs around the hospital, he began thinking about feeding them sausage every day.
Gradually, the little cats all came to recognize this beautiful boy, often rubbing against his wheelchair when they came over.
Yu Chen was delighted, and softly asked Li Huan whether he could keep a cat. Though Li Huan was willing to satisfy Yu Chen as much as possible, he still told him with some concern that if he wanted to raise a cat, he would first have to get He Zhen’s permission. After all, they were technically living in He Zhen’s home.
Yu Chen was not disappointed at all. He nodded cheerfully to show that he understood.
At Hongwen No. 1 Primary School, students were not allowed to leave campus at noon. He Zhen had no time to visit Yu Chen and could only video-call him to check on his condition. Every time Yu Chen spoke to He Zhen on the phone, he would cling like a little sticky rice cake, endlessly talking about how much he missed him.
Sometimes he would tell He Zhen that he missed him so much he had no appetite. Other times he would say he was so lonely he secretly cried all the time, as if he were about to waste away from lovesickness.
Li Huan stood to one side tending to the potted plants in the hospital room, feeling thoroughly baffled.
Didn’t these two kids see each other every single night?
Why were they acting as if it were life-and-death separation?
Li Huan held it in for a long time, and one noon, after Yu Chen finished his video call with He Zhen, he finally asked his question. “Chenchen, do you really miss Xiao Zhen that much?”
Yu Chen shook his little head. “No no no. Every time I say things like that, Boss gets especially happy. I only say it to make him happy.”
Li Huan fell silent. Recalling the pitiful, teary-eyed look Yu Chen had just had during the call, he asked, “Then when you said on video that you missed him so much you couldn’t eat, that was fake too?”
Yu Chen lowered his eyes guiltily and pouted, using all the language arts he had learned in class to defend himself. “It was true! I just used an exaggerated rhetorical device.”
Li Huan gave him a meaningful look. “Chenchen.”
Yu Chen: “Mm?”
Li Huan: “In the future, don’t become a food scientist.”
Yu Chen tilted his head. “What do you mean, Dad?”
Li Huan laughed. “Go become an actor instead. Our Chenchen would definitely win an Oscar.”
Yu Chen voiced a soul-searching question. “What’s an Oscar? Is it related to Oreo?”
Unable to hold back his laughter, Li Huan pulled Yu Chen into his arms and kissed him hard. “You really are a little glutton.”
Yu Chen giggled and began seriously pondering which company made tastier cookies, Oscar or Oreo.
At noon, a taxi stopped outside the hospital.
After hurriedly paying the fare, He Zhen stepped lightly out of the car and ran from the hospital’s main entrance toward the inpatient building. The autumn sunlight was warm and strong. After running only a short while, the collar of his white shirt was slightly damp, and his whole body was wrapped in heat.
When Yu Chen had video-called him just now, it had looked as though he were about to cry.
He Zhen guessed that Yu Chen must surely have missed him terribly.
For four days in a row, he had been unable to visit Yu Chen at noon. Yu Chen must have had no appetite and surely had grown thinner again.
Today he had asked the homeroom teacher for leave, wanting to give Yu Chen a surprise.
He Zhen pressed his lips together happily. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, he ran straight up to the fifth floor.
Quite a few doctors in the corridor recognized him and greeted him.
He Zhen actually showed a rare smile. As he pushed open Yu Chen’s hospital room door, he imagined all kinds of possible expressions Yu Chen might make.
His chubby Chenchen loved to cry so much—would he start crying again?
But right after surgery, maybe he should not cry?
So He Zhen decided to first observe from the window and see what Yu Chen was doing.
Inside the room, the air conditioner was blowing a comfortable cool breeze, gently stirring the curtains. Yu Chen leaned against a pillow, with a folding table set before him that was covered in delicious food. An iPad at his side was playing cartoons.
Although there was an IV needle taped to the back of Yu Chen’s hand, it did not affect his eating progress one bit. In his left hand he held a stewed old hen drumstick, and in his right a bowl of meatball soup. His lips were glistening with oil, and he looked to be in an excellent mood.
Then suddenly—
Yu Chen burst into giggles. Judging from the way he looked, the cartoon must have reached its most exciting part.
He gulped down a large mouthful of meatball soup, then set it down and picked up a piece of steamed minced pork and mushroom egg custard. It was so fragrant that he looked positively dazed with happiness, closing his eyes in enjoyment.
He Zhen curled one hand slowly into a fist and expressionlessly pushed open the door.
Yu Chen had just been devouring a lotus root and minced pork patty when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed those familiar sneakers. At once, his oily little mouth drooped.
“Boss… my Boss…”
His bulging cheeks quivered as he spoke in broken bursts. “For the sake of my Boss, I have to eat more!”
“Stop pretending.” He Zhen mercilessly exposed Yu Chen’s overdone performance. Standing by the hospital bed, he remained expressionless. “Looks like you’re eating pretty well?”
Yu Chen kept acting. “Ah? My cool, handsome, gentle top-student Boss has actually appeared!”
He Zhen still looked at him sidelong. “Yu Chenchen, your appetite seems very good.”
“Well, even if I miss you, I still have to eat.” Yu Chen put down the chicken leg and opened his arms toward He Zhen. “Boss, I really missed you so much.”
He Zhen looked faintly disgusted. “Yu Chenchen, your hands are covered in oil.”
Yu Chen awkwardly withdrew his little hands and tried to tempt He Zhen instead. “Boss, do you want to eat with me?”
He Zhen was indeed hungry. In order to rush over and see Yu Chen, he had not eaten lunch.
“Alright.” He Zhen lifted a brow slightly and, without the slightest politeness, pulled Yu Chen’s favorite chicken leg in front of himself. Half maddened with anger, he did not even bother washing his hands. He picked up the chicken leg and swallowed it in a few quick bites, both cheeks bulging full, his steamed-red little face brimming with fury.
Yu Chen swallowed hard, licked the chicken flavor from his fingers, and waved one small hand as though being very generous. “Eat, eat.”
He Zhen stared at him and, without saying a single word, wiped out every single meat dish on the table.
Yu Chen secretly lowered his head and sent Li Huan a message asking for help.
[Dad, can you come over for a second? Boss ate all the meat dishes, and I’m afraid the next course is going to be me.]
Li Huan was in the middle of discussing Yu Chen’s condition with the doctor. When he saw the message, his brows twitched. In his heart, he had already guessed most of the story.
He Zhen showing up at the hospital at this hour…
Yu Chen was probably in trouble.
Seeing Li Huan leave in a hurry, the doctor thought something had happened to Yu Chen and immediately called all the doctors to follow him over.
Li Huan pushed open the door in haste, only to find that the scene before him did not seem quite like what he had imagined.
On the sofa, He Zhen sat with one leg crossed over the other, calmly staring at Yu Chen.
Yu Chen sat cross-legged on the bed, obedient as a little quail, holding a crumpled letter in his hands, his eyes full of embarrassment.
“Read it.” He Zhen lifted a brow, and there was a trace of malicious amusement in his gaze.
“Oh.” Yu Chen slowly turned back, glanced at the doctors who had just rushed in, then cleared his throat.
“Boss! My dearest Boss! This—is the first love letter I’ve ever written to you.”
The doctors, who had hurried there full of urgency, stood frozen in place, utterly baffled.
The more Yu Chen read, the more stirred up he became. “You are like the Yellow River, my mother, giving me warmth and care.”
“You are the child I love most in this life.”
“You are my eternal support and longing.”
“You are the guiding light for this little boat of mine as it sails across the sea!”
Li Huan secretly fought to keep from laughing and awkwardly turned his head away.
One of the doctors mouthed silently to Li Huan, “Your child’s Chinese is quite good.”
Yu Chen’s expression grew even more spirited. He simply stood up on the hospital bed, feet together in a neat recitation posture, just like when he participated in poetry recitation contests at school. Since there was no music, he hummed his own little tune, gently swaying his body.
Seeing that his movements were small, the doctors did not stop him.
“He Zhen is my Boss. His name is forever engraved in my heart, never to be forgotten.”
He Zhen curled his fingers slightly. A streak of shy heat spread all the way to the back of his ears and neck. The pride he had been holding onto a moment earlier faded, and he slowly lowered his eyes.
“Oh, my Boss! Without you, how could I ever grow up!”
“Oh, my Boss! Without you, I would lose my smile!”
“Oh, my Boss! Without you, I would be like a little bird with broken wings, forever unable to soar through the sky!”
Yu Chen slowly raised one arm, his childish voice trembling faintly. “Boss! My eternal Boss! In this life, I will forever be your little follower! I will serve you! Protect you! I love you!”
A burst of perfectly synchronized applause rang out, and the doctors all praised him enthusiastically. “Wonderful! That was wonderfully recited!”
Yu Chen bowed left and right. “Thank you, everyone.”
He Zhen had been listening far too intently just now and had not even noticed the doctors come in midway. Faced with so many people at once, he quickly adjusted his expression. Only the tips of his burning ears still retained a faint pink color.
“I’m going back to school.”
His expression taut to the extreme, He Zhen buried half his face into the collar of his shirt. He almost forgot to take his phone with him as he hurriedly left.
After finishing his performance, Yu Chen felt refreshed all over. At first he had been rather embarrassed, but later on the more he spoke, the more energetic he became. Turning back, he quietly stared at the empty plates in front of him and pouted at Li Huan. “Dad, I’m hungry.”
Li Huan was struggling so hard not to laugh that it hurt. He immediately nodded. “I’ll go get you food right now.”
Yu Chen nodded and began wondering whether his Boss had been successfully coaxed into feeling better.
That confession poem of his had been truly stirring and magnificent. He had searched through his entire Chinese textbook to create it.
If it were him, he would definitely have cried from being so moved.
Meanwhile, He Zhen sat alone in the taxi, his mood unable to settle for a very long time. The tips of his ears were flushed, and satisfaction lingered between his brows. He fully believed that Yu Chen’s love letter had come straight from the heart.
His chubby baby could be a bit sweet-tongued at times.
But Yu Chen really did love him too.
Having figured everything out, Classmate He Zhen returned to school in an exceptionally good mood. He treated Fang Jingrao and the others with unusual friendliness, and when helping Fang Jingrao with math problems, he rare showed no cold expression at all, letting Fang Jingrao experience something like the warmth of spring.
Xiao Yu found this very hard to understand as well. He subtly prodded He Zhi’an for gossip, but still could not figure anything out. Xiao Yu quietly complained, “Don’t you think He Zhen’s expression looks like someone who just received a love letter?”
He Zhi’an suppressed a gossipy smile. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Xiao Yu looked utterly confident. “Who sent it? You’ll probably know very soon.”
A week later, Yu Chen had his stitches removed and was discharged home to continue resting.
To welcome Yu Chen home, Old Master He specially had many beautiful Siberian lilies arranged in two rows by the entrance, making up for the guilt he felt at not being able to ride in a car to visit Yu Chen because of his illness.
When Yu Chen got out of the car, Li Huan had him wrapped up tightly in a fluffy coat. He walked with surprising vigor, and surrounded by everyone, he looked like a little emperor returning in splendor, proudly lifting his chin.
He Zhen held Yu Chen’s hand the whole time, yet seemed absent-minded.
Li Huan could tell that He Zhen had something on his mind, though he had no idea what exactly it was.
The servants from the neighboring family quarters saw the scene and began whispering among themselves. Some were envious, and some sour.
“Yu Youshan’s son really was born under a lucky star. He lives an even better life than the children of rich families.”
“With this kind of fanfare, anyone who didn’t know better would think the He family’s second young master had returned.”
Back home to recuperate, Yu Chen enjoyed special treatment under Old Master He’s care. Every day, the chef made him different kinds of nutritious, well-balanced meals for recovering patients. Even the fruit and dairy snacks between meals were specially selected by the purchasing staff to suit someone recuperating.
He Zhen was even more attentive to Yu Chen. Since the two of them were used to sleeping together, every night He Zhen slept only lightly, so that if Yu Chen got thirsty and called for him in the middle of the night, he could go pour him water right away.
Even though there was already a direct-drinking water dispenser beside Yu Chen’s bed.
At first Li Huan had worried that this would affect He Zhen’s rest and wanted to take Yu Chen away. Old Master He, understanding the situation, had specially prepared a suite for father and son on the second floor of the main building, since Li Huan’s previous room had been rather small. But He Zhen refused, and his attitude was extremely firm. No one could persuade him, so in the end they let him have his way.
And so Li Huan officially moved into the main building. On moving day, he heard quite a few unpleasant rumors around him. But he did not care. After all, adolescent boys grew quickly, and staying in that little room of his really would have been unfair to Yu Chen.
Another week passed, and the Beginning of Winter was approaching.
Under everyone’s careful care, Yu Chen’s body got better and better. During his recovery, he had even grown two centimeters taller. However, he had lost about two jin during the surgery period, and after being discharged he was a little anemic. Even though his nutrition had caught up, he had still lost a few pounds of flesh.
That day, while sitting with his little feet up and watching television, Yu Chen suddenly received good news from He Zhen.
He Zhen had invited their classmates over to visit him.
Yu Chen was delighted and asked in a soft, sticky voice, “Boss, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Then I could have put on your prettiest outfit.”
By now, Yu Chen was growing more and more lawless around He Zhen. He often raided He Zhen’s walk-in closet for pretty clothes, and whenever he took a liking to something, he would put it on and start acting spoiled. He Zhen could neither hit him nor scold him, and in the end could only let it go.
“You still have time to change now. I just bought two really handsome leather jackets and coats. If you like them, just wear them.” A trace of eagerness and anticipation glowed in He Zhen’s light brown eyes, almost as though something major was about to happen.
Yu Chen pursed his lips in satisfaction and did not forget to flatter him. “Boss, you’re so good.”
He Zhen lightly arched a brow, his smile full of hidden meaning.
When Xiao Yu and the others arrived in the living room, He Zhen and Yu Chen only came down slowly a moment later. The dark brown leather jacket on Yu Chen, paired with a pair of little black boots, immediately caught Xiao Yu and the others’ attention. The handsome and adorable boy looked striking at once.
Smiling faintly to himself, He Zhen slowly guided Yu Chen down to sit.
Yu Chen greeted them. “Hello! Did you miss me?”
Fang Jingrao nodded blankly. “Yes!”
He Zhi’an looked Yu Chen up and down and sincerely praised him. “Chenchen, this outfit is really handsome!”
Yu Chen lovingly stroked the leather jacket, his face full of pride. “This is my Boss’s clothing.”
“He Zhen’s clothes?” Xiao Yu questioned. “If they’re He Zhen’s clothes, why do they fit you so well?”
“Oh? That’s true.” Yu Chen also felt they fit him very perfectly.
“Ahem.” He Zhen suddenly cleared his throat and casually picked up an ugly tangerine. “So boring. I recently heard a really nice poem. Do you all want to hear it?”
Without understanding anything, He Zhi’an and Fang Jingrao chimed in, “Yes!”
Xiao Yu looked unconcerned. “What poem?”
He Zhen nodded in satisfaction and lifted his chin toward Yu Chen, his expression overflowing with pleasure. “Yu Chenchen, since they want to hear it, then perform for everyone that poem you gave me.”
Holding the ugly tangerine, Yu Chen’s soft, round little face froze, and his toes instantly began curling in embarrassment.
