Chapter 33
After resting for another week, Yu Chen was taken by Li Huan to the hospital for a follow-up checkup. After reviewing all the test results, the doctor said Yu Chen had recovered extremely well, which finally allowed Li Huan to let go of the worry that had been hanging over his heart.
However, Yu Chen’s hemoglobin level still had not returned to normal. He was still a little anemic and needed to keep building up his nutrition.
After returning home, Li Huan began helping Yu Chen pack his schoolbag. Having been away from school for two whole months, Yu Chen missed his classmates terribly. During that time, his homeroom teacher had brought several class committee members to visit him, bringing him many gifts and encouraging letters. Yu Chen was deeply touched as he read the letters, and after discussing it with Li Huan, he decided to make handmade chocolates himself as return gifts for every classmate.
When He Zhen heard that Yu Chen wanted to give everyone chocolates, he rushed home right after school to help.
In the kitchen, Yu Chen—wearing a little floral apron—busied himself stirring chocolate sauce. Li Huan helped him put on a chef’s hat, tucking the stray bangs at his forehead inside and revealing his fair, full forehead.
The little golden shaded cat was very well-behaved. Sitting quietly on the kitchen island, it kept Yu Chen company and meowed from time to time.
Since Yu Chen was not tall enough, he could only move about by standing on a stool. The He family’s pastry kitchen had many beautiful molds, and he picked out the little heart-shaped ones, the little airplane ones, the little monster ones, and the little dinosaur ones, following the step-by-step pictures on the tablet as he worked.
The sunlight was especially strong today. After running into the kitchen, He Zhen stopped at the doorway and silently watched the small figure across from him.
The air was filled with the rich fragrance of chocolate.
Light poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, landing squarely on Yu Chen’s softly fluttering eyelashes. His bright, lively eyes held a smile, and the two little white tiger teeth he showed were sweet enough to melt a person’s heart.
He Zhen walked over softly, and just then Yu Chen looked up. His plump little lips immediately curved upward. “Boss!”
He Zhen put down his schoolbag. “How much have you finished?”
“Still missing… one, two, three…” Yu Chen lowered his eyes and counted hazily on his fingers. His black-and-white eyes held a trace of seriousness, making him look like a soft little white rabbit.
“Nine boxes!”
Making thirty boxes was a massive task. He Zhen washed his hands clean. “I’ll help you.”
Yu Chen broke into a smile and rubbed against He Zhen with his little shoulders swaying. “Boss~ you’re so nice~”
He Zhen rolled up his sleeves, his gaze falling on the heart-shaped mold. “Yu Chenchen, you even made heart chocolates?”
Yu Chen lifted his lips proudly. “That’s right.”
He Zhen asked casually, “Which classmate are those for?”
Yu Chen showed off his accomplishment. “Everyone gets one heart chocolate.”
“Oh.” He Zhen answered quietly, then asked, “What about my chocolate?”
“Yours?” Looking confused, Yu Chen dug one piece out of a mold that had already solidified and handed it to He Zhen. “Here, for you.”
He Zhen frowned slightly. “I’m not eating that.”
Yu Chen showed no courtesy at all and popped it back into his own mouth, chewing as he asked, “Boss, do you want wrapped chocolates?”
There were still five days left before Christmas. On Li Huan’s phone, Yu Chen had picked out many chocolate gift boxes with Christmas designs. They were delicate and pretty, and elementary school kids would definitely love them.
He Zhen silently carried the kettle and said, “No.”
Yu Chen pouted. “Alright then. I knew you don’t like sweets.”
Yu Chen was right—He Zhen really did not like sweets. But hearing it put that way, under these circumstances, stung Young Master He’s heart, which was even more fragile than chocolate.
He said nothing and continued helping Yu Chen work. His technique was better than Yu Chen’s. When pouring the liquid chocolate into the molds, his hand was very steady, and not a bit was wasted.
Yu Chen immediately clapped in admiration. “As expected of my Boss!”
He Zhen gave no response. Taking advantage of the moment when Yu Chen was folding gift boxes, he quietly picked up the heart-shaped mold and hid it behind his back.
“There are only six trays left, and then we’ll be done!” Holding a bowl of chocolate batter, Yu Chen said to He Zhen, “Boss, give me the heart mold.”
He Zhen’s heart tightened. “Hm?”
Yu Chen pointed at his hand and curved his eyes. “I saw it.”
He Zhen pressed his lips together unwillingly. After handing the mold to Yu Chen, he turned around, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and left.
Yu Chen’s soft round little face was full of worry.
His dear Boss seemed to have been emotionally unstable lately.
Then his puzzled gaze suddenly landed on the heart-shaped mold.
Yu Chen patted his clever little head and seemed to understand something.
The next day, Yu Chen went to school in high spirits with a brand-new schoolbag on his back. Li Huan carried the chocolates and walked them all the way to the school gate. Just as he was worrying about how to negotiate with the guard and get permission to bring the gifts inside, He Zhen held out a hand to Li Huan. “Uncle, let me carry them.”
Li Huan smiled. “Can Xiao Zhen manage?”
“Mm, I can.” He Zhen took the big bag of chocolates and walked ahead by himself. Li Huan rubbed Yu Chen’s head. “Why aren’t you hurrying after your brother?”
Yu Chen kissed his palm, quickly blew Li Huan a flying kiss, and scampered after He Zhen like a little tail. “Boss, wait for me.”
Yu Chen’s schoolbag was heavier than usual today, and carrying it was a bit difficult. He walked slowly. He Zhen lifted it with one hand and frowned slightly. “What did you put in your bag?”
Yu Chen muttered, “All my books.”
He Zhen stopped walking and took the bag off him. “I’ll carry it.”
Yu Chen pouted. “Boss, what if carrying all that bends you over?”
“It won’t bend me. I’m not a little tree.” He Zhen carried the things and walked quickly ahead. “Catch up. Morning self-study is about to start.”
“Okay.” Freed from the burden of the schoolbag, Yu Chen hummed a little tune, his steps light and cheerful. Once he entered the classroom, he waved enthusiastically and greeted his classmates.
Because they had not seen Yu Chen in so long, the classmates closest to him crowded around him at once, chattering nonstop, asking all kinds of questions and showing real concern for his health.
Li Ye came forward and specifically asked, “Chenchen, does your wound still hurt?”
Yu Chen shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m all better.”
Li Ye nodded, his gaze falling on He Zhen, who was carrying a huge bag of things. Taking the opportunity, Yu Chen announced, “My Boss and I prepared handmade Christmas chocolates for every classmate yesterday. Thank you, everyone, for caring about me during this time!”
The classmates burst into cheers and eagerly leaned forward to look at the chocolates in the bag—but not a single one of them dared go up to He Zhen and take one themselves.
Yu Chen puffed out his little chest and began handing out chocolates to everyone.
Hearing one “Thank you, classmate Yu Chen” after another, his mouth stretched into a huge grin, and he suddenly remembered when he had handed out water at summer camp.
Time really had passed so quickly. They had already been classmates for three years.
After returning to his seat, Yu Chen winked at the members of his little gang. “I still have some leftover chocolates at home. If you like them, I can bring them for you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Chenchen!” Fang Jingrao held the chocolate Yu Chen had made himself and treasured it so much he simply could not bear to eat it.
He Zhi’an ripped open all his chocolates in one go and stuffed them eagerly into his mouth. “There are little dinosaur ones, little monster ones… and little airplane ones…”
“Chenchen, did you make three kinds of chocolate shapes in total?”
Yu Chen nodded. “Yes.”
He Zhen, who had been doing Olympiad math the whole time, raised his head slightly.
That wasn’t right. Hadn’t Yu Chen prepared four shapes of chocolates?
Xiao Yu had sharp eyes and noticed there was still one more box inside Yu Chen’s schoolbag. “Yu Chen, who is that one for?”
Yu Chen took the box out of his bag and held it to his chest like a treasure. “This one is for my Boss.”
He Zhen looked over in surprise and noticed that the chocolates Yu Chen was holding were packaged differently from everyone else’s. The box was slightly bigger.
“This is Chenchen’s heart chocolate! It’s for Boss!”
That special box of chocolates instantly sparked everyone’s curiosity. Not only Fang Jingrao and Xiao Yu, but even the classmates nearby all crowded over, eagerly waiting for He Zhen to open it.
Acting as though he did not care much at all, He Zhen opened the box. But the moment he saw the chocolates inside, he froze completely, his heart pounding rapidly.
“Wow, they’re actually little heart-shaped chocolates.”
“They’re all heart chocolates!”
“Ahhh! I’m so jealous! Only He Zhen got heart chocolates.”
Yu Chen proudly lifted his watery eyes and propped up his round face in his hands. “My heart can only be given to my Boss.”
He Zhi’an held the chocolate in his hand and felt visibly sour. Not only had that recitation poem not been for him, now even the heart chocolates belonged only to He Zhen. He made no attempt to hide his envy and rolled his eyes inside.
Under the gaze of all his classmates, He Zhen looked at the slight upward curve of Yu Chen’s lips, then slowly took out a small piece of chocolate and placed it into his mouth.
Yu Chen tilted his little head. “Is it tasty?”
He Zhen’s expression was a bit stiff with embarrassment, and the redness in his earlobes became even more obvious. He even deliberately cleared his throat. “Mm.”
After saying that, he packed the chocolates away carefully and neatly and put them into his schoolbag.
Yu Chen looked rather smug. Resting the side of his face in one hand, he looked like some dashing little young master, teasing He Zhen as he asked, “Are you happy?”
He Zhen’s face instantly flushed red. He put on a stern face and glared at him. “Yu Chenchen, what kind of expression is that?”
Yu Chen pouted. “Just tell me whether you’re happy or not!”
The corners of He Zhen’s lips lifted slightly. “It’s alright.”
Yu Chen wore a look that clearly said I knew it. Then he reached straight toward the chocolates inside He Zhen’s schoolbag, only to have He Zhen block him. Lifting a brow, He Zhen said, “What are you doing? These are mine.”
Since his attempt to steal a bite had failed, Yu Chen complained, “Boss is such a stingy ghost.” In order to make He Zhen happy, he had packed every single heart chocolate for him, and didn’t even leave one for himself.
Seeing Yu Chen’s puffed-up, angry little face, He Zhen deliberately turned his head away. Backlit by the sunlight, the corners of his mouth lifted quietly.
The classmates gathered around them suddenly felt the whole thing had become rather dull.
Why did these two brothers somehow give off the strange illusion of a little couple flirting?
…
On the car ride home, Li Huan sensed the subtle atmosphere between the brothers. He had always known they were close, but today He Zhen kept holding Yu Chen’s soft little hand the whole time, and hugged his schoolbag in his arms as if there were some precious treasure inside it, refusing to let go no matter what.
In the end, it was Yu Chen who told Li Huan that He Zhen’s schoolbag contained the heart chocolates he had given him. Li Huan instantly understood. He looked at the two children gently, deeply moved by the beautiful friendship between them.
Before bed, Yu Chen twisted his little bottom as he climbed onto the bed. The pajamas he was wearing were the white satin robe He Zhen had worn in first grade. With Yu Chen’s current height and build, He Zhen’s old clothes fit him perfectly. The fabric of the pajamas felt wonderfully comfortable, and once Yu Chen put them on, he was unwilling to take them off at all.
He Zhen was sitting against the headboard reading. His eyes fell on those familiar pajamas, and after pausing briefly, he asked, “Yu Chenchen, where did you get those pajamas?”
Yu Chen touched the fabric. “Sister Ah Hui was sorting through your clothes today and was going to throw these away.”
He Zhen froze. “Then you…”
A sweet little smile appeared on Yu Chen’s lips. “I can wear the clothes you can’t anymore. Throwing them away would be such a waste.”
He Zhen frowned lightly, seeming unable to accept that logic. In his impression, only children from poor families wore other people’s old clothes.
A vague, indescribable ache rose in his heart.
He Zhen put down his book and deliberately straightened his face. “Yu Chenchen, if you like this kind of pajama, I can give you some. Don’t wear my old clothes.”
“Why?” Yu Chen rubbed his hair with a towel, all soft and milky like a little tangyuan. “I think they’re pretty good.”
He Zhen continued arguing with him. “Most kids like wearing new clothes. Why do you want to wear old ones?”
“Because these are Boss’s old clothes.” Yu Chen pouted, his eyes sincere and pure. “I wouldn’t wear anyone else’s old clothes. But you’re my Boss, so I don’t mind wearing your old clothes.”
As he said that, two little dimples appeared at the corners of Yu Chen’s smile. “Yu Chenchen and Boss are the very best in the whole world!”
Hidden under the blanket, He Zhen’s fingers lightly twisted together. After quite a while, he silently pressed his lips together and smiled.
“Boss, I want to ask you something!” Yu Chen burrowed into He Zhen’s blanket, his lively eyes full of cunning mischief. “Are you especially afraid that I…”
“Afraid that I won’t love you anymore?”
“What?” He Zhen hurriedly denied it, his hands crossing awkwardly on his lap. “You’re just talking nonsense again.”
Looking straight at the uneasy, cramped He Zhen, Yu Chen revealed a mysterious smile. “Boss, you must be worried that if I go play with other people, I won’t pay attention to you anymore.”
He Zhen had never expected that Yu Chen had long since seen through his little thoughts. He quickly turned his head away and frowned, pretending not to care. “I’m not!”
After knowing He Zhen for so long, how could Yu Chen not know that his Boss always said one thing while meaning another? He draped one little arm over He Zhen’s shoulder, like the sworn brothers from the Peach Garden oath, and boldly declared, “Boss, I promise you this: on Earth, the people I will always love most are you and Dad!”
He Zhen’s heart beat wildly. He moved his shoulder with a hint of disgust. “Hey, don’t put your arm there.”
The moment Yu Chen withdrew his little arm, He Zhen immediately looked at him and said awkwardly, “But… you can rest your head there.”
Smiling from ear to ear, Yu Chen leaned over, his short little leg thrown over He Zhen’s stomach as he murmured, “Boss, you’re really important to me. You’re not the same as the classmates in class. You’re like my little dad!”
The smile that had just appeared on He Zhen’s face slowly faded. Unable to help himself, he argued, “Why dad? Why not brother?”
“Brother is fine too.” Broad-minded little Yu Chen did not care much about titles. “Because you always take care of me and protect me, and you dote on me just like my dad does. Boss, I really, really like you.”
Yu Chen spoke with complete sincerity. Nestling his little head in He Zhen’s arms, he rubbed against him softly, as though he were hugging the most precious treasure in the world.
“If the Earth gets destroyed, Chenchen will only take two things. One is Dad, and the other is Boss!”
Immersed in this endless stream of confession, He Zhen lightly pinched Yu Chen’s fleshy arm and asked, “Not taking snacks?”
A trace of hesitation flashed across Yu Chen’s soft little face. “Oh… snacks?”
He Zhen: “Mm?”
Yu Chen immediately became serious. “No! If there’s no Boss, then what snacks would I even eat? I might as well starve to death!”
He Zhen laughed softly and wrapped his arm more tightly around Yu Chen. “Yu Chenchen.”
Yu Chen raised a hand. “Present!”
He Zhen rested his chin on Yu Chen’s little head and rubbed gently against his hair. “Me too. I like you so, so much.”
The two little cubs on the bed were drowning in tender sweetness.
Just as Yu Chen’s face turned red with shyness, the little golden shaded cat, feeling far too lonely, jumped in between them and rubbed its fluffy head against Yu Chen.
He Zhen suddenly asked, “Yu Chenchen, does the cat have a name yet?”
Yu Chen said, “Not yet. Boss, you name it.”
He Zhen looked it over briefly. “Let’s call it Chocolate. What do you think?”
“Chocolate?” Yu Chen repeated under his breath, then asked excitedly, “Boss! Do you especially like the chocolates I gave you?”
“You’re asking something you already know.” Holding the kitten in his arms, He Zhen turned over awkwardly and faced away from Yu Chen.
Yu Chen grabbed onto He Zhen’s shoulder and tried hard to swing his short little leg over He Zhen’s waist. “Boss! Let’s call it Chocolate!”
He Zhen gave a satisfied little hum. But after spacing out for just two seconds, Yu Chen had already climbed onto his back. Frowning in disdain, he complained, “Yu Chenchen, you’re so heavy.”
Yu Chen acted as if he had heard nothing of He Zhen’s accusation. Lying on top of him and swinging his legs happily, he played to his heart’s content.
He Zhen put the little golden shaded cat down, and a dangerous look slowly appeared between his brows.
A moment later, with a speed Yu Chen could not dodge, He Zhen flipped over in an instant!
“Boss! You bully people!” Yu Chen’s babyish little voice was full of grievance. “You’re just relying on your long legs!”
He Zhen’s crisp laughter rang through the room.
Ever since Yu Chen got sick, he had practically oppressed He Zhen without restraint.
This time, he could finally vent a little.
Time flowed on.
Because Yu Chen was still in the post-surgery recovery stage, both the homeroom teacher and the classmates took great care of him. Whether it was cleaning duty or ordinary physical labor, he was forbidden from participating in all of it.
Yu Chen’s days at school were incredibly comfortable.
During PE, while the other students jogged around the field, Yu Chen became the teacher’s little pair of eyes, responsible for catching students who cut corners and writing their names down in a little notebook.
Sometimes Yu Chen actually hoped that He Zhen would cut corners too. That way, he could use his position to make He Zhen beg him.
But his Boss was a good student who always followed the rules and did things by the book.
Spring passed into autumn, cold faded into heat.
As the seasons turned, every season brought new stories.
As the weather grew warmer, Yu Chen’s illness was completely cured.
Now that there was no need to worry about Yu Chen being unable to exercise strenuously, He Zhen led him around to play wildly to his heart’s content.
In spring, they walked together by the lakeside. Yu Chen secretly picked mulberries in the estate to make wine for Li Huan, and He Zhen was in charge of covering for him.
In summer, they climbed trees together to catch cicadas. Yu Chen was clumsy, and sometimes slipped from the tree and landed sitting right on He Zhen, who served as his personal human cushion.
In autumn, they went fishing by the stream together. Because Yu Chen was greedy, he tried to dig out honey and attracted hornets instead. He Zhen shielded Yu Chen with his clothes, and ended up with a swollen bump on his own forehead from a sting.
In winter, they went skiing together at a private ski resort. Yu Chen was a beginner and still awkward, so he accidentally crashed into He Zhen. The two of them clung to each other and rolled several times before finally stopping.
That sudden burst of physical activity seemed to switch on something inside Yu Chen. Even though he still ate plenty of snacks every day, during this crucial stage of puberty, he kept shooting upward more and more.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Chen changed from a round, milk-soft little elementary schooler into a slender, handsome young boy.
Only, handsome young Yu Chenchen still had plenty of troubles that belonged to adolescence.
[Two and a half years later]
This September, the lingering heat of early autumn was especially fierce. The noon sun was blazing like midsummer. Standing outside for just a little while was enough to soak an entire short-sleeved shirt through.
White Rose Garden looked exactly the same as ever.
In the flower beds, myrtles, white-headed old men flowers, and many other blooms competed to blossom, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Li Huan was busy in the living room carrying in freshly chilled mung bean soup.
Today was registration day for the first-year middle school students. The two boys would be home early, and a bowl of iced brown sugar mochi mung bean soup would be just the thing to cool them down and ease their fatigue.
The sound of a car engine came from the yard.
Sure enough, people really should not think too much about things.
It was only four in the afternoon, and the two children were already back from collecting their textbooks.
Li Huan greeted them with a smile, but before he could clearly see who had gotten out, the right-side car door flew open and a small whirlwind with a schoolbag on his back rushed right past him, eyes red, and ran upstairs.
Li Huan became somewhat anxious and immediately looked toward He Zhen.
“Xiao Zhen, what’s wrong with Chenchen? Was he bullied at school?”
By rights, half the students at Hongwen Middle School came from Hongwen No. 1 Primary, so most of the classmates in the class were practically Yu Chen’s good friends. And with He Zhen always guarding Yu Chen by his side, who would dare make Yu Chen suffer any grievance?
“Uncle, I’ll tell you later.”
The boy standing by the car was tall, straight, and long-limbed. Sunlight fell across his clean white school uniform, casting a bright and striking figure.
Li Huan still felt worried and asked again, “He really wasn’t bullied, right?”
He Zhen walked up to him. “No. Don’t worry.”
Because of puberty, He Zhen’s voice had changed a great deal. It was now clear and mellow, completely different from the way it had sounded in elementary school.
Looking at the child before him who was now almost as tall as himself, Li Huan laughed softly at his own thoughts, feeling that he was not even as calm as a teenager.
He murmured, “Alright. I’ll go get the mung bean soup ready first.”
He Zhen’s gaze fell lightly on the soup pot in the living room, and his voice was cool and clean. “In the future, you can leave this kind of thing to someone else. Chenchen said your back hurts. You should rest more.”
Li Huan nodded gently. “Alright.”
Carrying his schoolbag on one shoulder, He Zhen stepped up the stairs. His back was straight and vigorous, his long arms hanging naturally, every step carrying a stable sense of strength.
In just two and a half short years, He Zhen had developed even better than a ninth grader. His height had already shot past 178 cm, changing every single month.
Li Huan could not help sighing. He Zhen truly had inherited his looks from his father, He Jingyue. As he matured, his features had only grown more and more handsome, and even those cold, proud eyes were exactly like He Jingyue’s, always giving others a faint sense of distance.
Inside He Zhen’s bedroom, Yu Chen had pulled a pillow over his head.
Even though the two of them were already in middle school, they still had not started sleeping separately. Old Master He had brought it up several times at first, but whenever He Zhen was separated from Yu Chen, he suffered from insomnia and nightmares. And whenever Yu Chen was apart from He Zhen, he rolled around so much at night that no one tucked the blankets over him, and within two days he got sick.
After seeing that, Old Master He stopped interfering.
His original reason for wanting them to sleep apart had been to keep them from disturbing one another and improve their sleep quality. He had never imagined it would have the exact opposite effect.
After entering the room, He Zhen tossed down his schoolbag. At that moment, his deep and bright eyes became gentle.
“Yu Chenchen.” His voice rose slightly at the end, carrying a trace of tenderness that was hard to detect. “Isn’t it just that you’re a little shorter? You haven’t reached your growth spurt yet. That’s perfectly normal.”
Today, Yu Chen had suffered a serious blow at registration.
In class, his height ranked second from the bottom.
The shortest one was the desk and chair.
He simply could not understand it. They all ate the same food, yet in just two and a half years, He Zhen had shot up to 178, while his own height had crawled along so slowly that it had only just reached 163.
Today Xiao Yu had even mocked him, saying the only reason he wouldn’t grow taller was because he had too many schemes in his head weighing him down.
Yu Chen was furious. In class, he was basically a little potato, not at all like a middle school student.
If only He Zhen had gone through voice change and growth spurts in their little group, that would have been one thing. But recently even Fang Jingrao and He Zhi’an had started their voice changes too.
When they all talked normally, if one did not listen carefully, it could almost sound like boys and girls secretly dating early!
His own voice had not changed one bit until now. It was exactly the same as in elementary school!
In He Zhi’an’s words, it was simply as sweet and clear as silver bells!
Yu Chen felt terribly wronged. He was so afraid his height would end up ranking last in the whole grade.
Even more, he was afraid he would stay 163 forever and always be a little potato!
Because he had cried so hard, his face—which had not yet fully lost its baby fat—was tinged light pink. His soft, fine hair was slightly disheveled, and his thick, curled lashes still clung to traces of tears. The whole of him looked pitiful beyond words.
Watching the slender body before him trembling softly, He Zhen knew Yu Chen felt wronged. He slowly opened his strong arms toward him.
“Yu Chenchen.”
Moisture surged in Yu Chen’s dark pupils.
The next second, he threw himself at He Zhen in grievance, sat on He Zhen’s lap, and began to sniffle softly.
