Chapter 37
“Yu Chenchen, it’s your turn to shower.” Xiao Yu came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. With He Zhen around, he never dared call him “Yu Chenchen.” Now that He Zhen, that clingy tail of his, was not here, he was definitely going to make up for it and call him that to his heart’s content.
Yu Chen was squatting on the balcony in a daze, his face full of gloom, looking like someone had just put him a million in debt.
“You got melancholy from looking at the stars?” Xiao Yu walked up to him. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you failed an exam.”
“I made Boss angry.” Yu Chen let out a dejected sigh and told Xiao Yu everything that had happened tonight.
After listening, Xiao Yu comforted him. “It’s not entirely your fault. He Zhen has way too many things to worry about, always keeping tabs on you like your dad does. If it were me, I’d feel a lot of pressure too.”
“It is my fault. I got too caught up having fun and missed his call.” Yu Chen sniffed with his reddened nose. “My Boss loves me so much. Since he couldn’t get through today, he must have been really anxious, afraid something had happened to me.”
Xiao Yu shook his messy wet hair and exaggeratedly shuddered his shoulders. “You two are seriously too mushy. You might as well just get married.”
“Two boys can’t get married.” Yu Chen drooped his head. After pulling off his pants, he walked toward the bathroom with two bare, gleaming legs. “If we could, I’d marry my Boss.”
“Holy shit, are you serious?” Forgetting all about drying his hair, Xiao Yu blocked the bathroom door. “Do you like He Zhen? I mean that kind of… special feeling!”
Xiao Yu had always claimed to be the class encyclopedia and loved collecting all kinds of trendy knowledge. Not long ago, he had seen in the news that it seemed two boys could get married now too.
What did they call people like that again?
Gay?
“Yu Chenchen, don’t tell me you’re…” Xiao Yu’s eyes widened. He pointed at him in shock. “No way! No way!”
“Of course I like him. I like you too.” Rubbing his fair little face, Yu Chen deliberately acted cute. “Little Fishy, thank you for bringing me to Croatia.”
“Uh…” Looking at Yu Chen’s pure, innocent eyes, Xiao Yu suddenly felt he might have overcomplicated things.
Pretending to think deeply, he tested him. “Then why do you want to marry He Zhen? I can’t stand that iceberg face of his.”
“You’re not allowed to say that about him.” Yu Chen was fiercely protective when it came to outsiders. “He treats me well. He’s doted on me since I was little. I wouldn’t get tired of being his little follower for my whole life.”
Xiao Yu turned sour. “Alright, alright. He treats you well, so you’ll marry him. I wish you get your heart’s desire!”
Yu Chen ducked his head shyly. “Thank you. My Boss is so handsome and dashing. There must be a whole line of people wanting to marry him.”
Xiao Yu deliberately gagged and waved him off in disgust. “Yu Chenchen, that’s enough already! Hurry up and go shower.”
Yu Chen intentionally wiggled his butt and darted into the bathroom clutching his towel.
Listening to the soft splashing of water inside, Xiao Yu rubbed his chin. The more he thought about it, the more it felt off.
Even between good brothers, marriage was still a bit much, wasn’t it?
Marry He Zhen?
That was terrifying.
Meanwhile, He Zhen sat alone on the sofa. The pile of snacks in front of him made his eyes ache, and his chest felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on it. To vent his gloom, he went downstairs to the swimming pool, planning to swim a few laps and clear his head.
The servant in charge of the pool saw him and hurriedly reminded him, “Young master, it’s almost late autumn. Steward Li said we’d be closing the outdoor pool in a few days. The weather is chilly tonight. Are you sure you still want to swim?”
“It’s fine.” He Zhen put on his goggles and dove straight into the pool.
Old Master He was resting on the third-floor terrace. Hearing the noise from the pool below, he looked over curiously.
Li Huan leaned out and, after noticing it was He Zhen, said with a smile, “It’s the young master swimming.”
“It’s so cool at night. Why did he suddenly go swimming?” Old Master He’s wrinkled face showed concern. “Li Huan, do you think Xiao Zhen has something on his mind? His appetite has been so poor lately. I saw he barely ate anything today. Or is it simply because he doesn’t want to see He Nan and He Ling?”
Li Huan thought for a moment. “I’ll pay attention to it and ask Chenchen while I’m at it. The two of them are close. If the young master has anything on his mind, he tells Chenchen.”
“Alright, ask him.” Old Master He suddenly leaned forward for a better look and saw that He Zhen seemed to have run into some matter so urgent that he had not even put on a robe, just barefoot and dripping as he hurried back inside. “That boy… don’t tell me he’s in love?”
Li Huan guessed, “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“Look at how rushed he is. Doesn’t he look like he’s in a hurry to reply to some little girl’s message?”
Li Huan considered it carefully. “Now that you mention it, he really does.”
In the corridor, water droplets still clinging to him, He Zhen ran quickly. Panting, he shoved open his bedroom door, his eyes fixed immediately on the phone on the table.
He had forgotten to bring it with him just now. If Yu Chen had called to coax him, he definitely would not have been able to answer.
But when he unlocked the phone full of expectation, the message bar was empty. There was not even a single new WeChat message.
He Zhen pressed his lips together tightly, threw the phone onto the sofa, and went to shower with a blank expression.
Yu Chen probably had not taken this matter to heart at all.
For all he knew, Yu Chen was busy eating foreign delicacies right now and had already tossed him completely out of his mind.
Even after showering, He Zhen still felt restless. Every five minutes he checked his phone once. Even his advanced math lesson that day had gone badly—he was distracted the whole time. The teacher kept asking whether he needed to pause the lesson and rest for a day first.
Li Huan received a report about He Zhen’s performance in class before anyone else. At bedtime, he specifically boiled a cup of calming milk and brought it over.
There were no lights on in He Zhen’s bedroom. Only by the faint moonlight could one make out the outlines of the furniture.
A dim glow filtered through the bed curtains. He Zhen was not asleep.
“Xiao Zhen, get up and drink some milk.”
Li Huan came closer, his eyes carefully assessing that cluster of faint light. “I heard from your teacher that you’re not feeling well. Do you need Uncle to call a doctor for you?”
“Uncle, go rest. I’m fine.” He Zhen’s voice was unusually hoarse, sounding as though he had caught a cold.
Thinking back to the fact that He Zhen had gone swimming earlier, Li Huan still fetched the medicine box and took out a thermometer. “Xiao Zhen, let me take your temperature.”
He Zhen really did feel somewhat unwell, so he cooperated. After Li Huan checked his temperature, He Zhen closed his tired eyes, his nose aching faintly.
“37.4 degrees.” Li Huan then pressed his palm to He Zhen’s forehead. “You don’t have a real fever yet, but if you’re already feeling this bad, you’ll definitely be running one tomorrow.”
He Zhen said nothing. He just opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
“Come on, drink some milk first.” Li Huan helped He Zhen sit up. As he handed him the milk, he studied him closely for a while before finally asking in a gentle voice, “Xiao Zhen, have you been unhappy lately? Over the past two days, you’ve been eating very little. At dinner today, I didn’t even see you touch the coconut curry chicken.”
Holding the glass, He Zhen shook his head lightly. “I’m not unhappy.”
Ever since entering middle school, He Zhen had become less and less talkative. He was even less willing to confide his worries to adults. Usually, though, with Yu Chen around, no matter what upset He Zhen encountered, Yu Chen would always be the one responsible for cheering him up. Old Master He felt very reassured leaving He Zhen in Yu Chen’s care.
But with Yu Chen not here today, it seemed there would be no prying anything out of him.
Li Huan joked, “That’s alright. If you are unhappy, remember to talk to Chenchen. I’ll remind him to stay online 24 hours a day and answer your calls.”
At the mention of Yu Chen, He Zhen’s fingers tightened slightly around the glass.
“Uncle, I want to sleep.” He Zhen suddenly set the half-finished milk down on the bedside table and slipped back under the covers, closing his eyes.
At that moment, Li Huan suddenly pieced together a clue.
Had he and Yu Chen had an argument?
Without disturbing He Zhen further, Li Huan made an appointment with the family doctor, then went back to his own room and video-called Yu Chen.
Yu Chen was delighted to receive Li Huan’s call. “Dad! Are you done with your work? Did you miss me? Chenchen misses you so much I can’t even eat.”
Looking at the sauce still not wiped from the corner of Yu Chen’s mouth, Li Huan smiled indulgently. “Chenchen, Dad misses you too.”
Excitedly, Yu Chen lifted his phone and ran out to the balcony, showing Li Huan the beautiful scenery of Croatia. “Dad! When I become a scientist, I’m going to buy you a house here. After you retire, I’ll even hire you a nanny so you can live in total comfort.”
Li Huan smiled softly. He did not care about the scenery at all. His heart and eyes were focused only on the lively, dutiful son before him.
“Alright, then Dad will wait for Chenchen to buy it for me.” Li Huan also took the chance to check on Yu Chen’s living arrangements and the safety of the area around him. Then, after a brief pause, he asked tentatively, “Chenchen, did you and Xiao Zhen have a fight?”
At the mention of this matter, Yu Chen lowered his lashes guiltily and told Li Huan everything that had happened today from beginning to end. After listening, Li Huan saw it was nothing serious and comforted him. “Your brother is only overly concerned about you. It’s normal for brothers to argue.”
“We didn’t argue.” Yu Chen pouted in grievance. “It’s Boss being angry all by himself.”
Li Huan laughed. “Fine, then I’ll leave the rest for you two to handle. I won’t interfere.”
Children’s matters had their own childlike solutions.
There was no need for him, an adult, to step in.
“Okay. I’ll call Boss and prove my loyalty.” Yu Chen then stuck close to Li Huan and chatted a bit more about Croatian food before reluctantly hanging up.
Yu Chen was not wearing earphones, so everything said in the call had been overheard by Xiao Yu nearby. Raising a brow, he said with relish, “Chubby Chenchen, did your Boss complain about you to your dad?”
“Huh? No?” Yu Chen looked completely confused.
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes. “Then how did your dad know about you two arguing?”
“Oh, right.” Yu Chen quickly sent Li Huan a WeChat message to ask what exactly had happened.
Li Huan was still looking at his phone and replied right away: “Look at my memory. Xiao Zhen has been gloomy these past two days, and tonight he caught a chill from swimming, so he’s feeling a little unwell. I was thinking he should talk things out with you, and that’s how I slowly guessed it.”
“Boss got sick?”
Seeing Yu Chen start to panic a little, Li Huan quickly reassured him that it was nothing serious and told him to call He Zhen tomorrow to ask after him. He Zhen was already uncomfortable, and Li Huan worried Yu Chen would wake him if he called now.
After hanging up, Yu Chen drooped his head. “Great. I made Boss so mad he got sick.”
“It might not even have anything to do with you,” Xiao Yu muttered. “Didn’t he only catch cold because he went swimming?”
Yu Chen lay on the bed like some stone wife waiting for her husband, staring pitifully at his phone. “Boss must have been so angry because of me that he fell ill from bottling it all up.”
In the end, Yu Chen wriggled around like a little worm, endlessly revising a letter of apology that he planned to send to He Zhen the next day.
Xiao Yu felt that over something so small, a mere sentence or two would have been enough. There was no need to write an actual apology letter. He tried persuading him. “Do you really have to make this so formal?”
“Yes, I do!” Clutching his phone, Yu Chen continued composing. One moment he was on the verge of tears, the next he seemed too choked up to go on, utterly conquered by the power of his own writing.
Xiao Yu twitched his mouth. Before going to sleep, he curiously peeked at the apology letter Yu Chen had nearly died writing.
“Yu Chenchen…”
Xiao Yu felt his worldview wobble a little.
Could this thing even be called an apology letter?
It was just page after page of shamelessly praising He Zhen, and the compliments were so awkward they made one’s scalp tingle.
Things like You are the little prince I love most.
And I understand your pride.
Was this really not the writing level of a first grader?
“Yu Chenchen, if you lived in ancient times, you’d definitely be a high-ranking official.”
“Why?”
“With your level of bootlicking, it’d be a pity if you didn’t become a corrupt court favorite.”
Yu Chen did not think he was buttering anyone up at all. Clutching the 800-word apology letter, he read it through again carefully. After Xiao Yu fell asleep, he went alone to the balcony, propped his phone up on the table, and prepared to film an apology video.
Right before recording, Yu Chen secretly dabbed a little tap water onto his face to create a pitiful, helpless image.
The moonlight was gradually covered by clouds.
After five failed takes, Yu Chen finally filmed an apology video he was satisfied with.
He planned to send it to He Zhen first thing in the morning.
That way, He Zhen’s illness would probably get better very quickly.
The next day, Yu Chen followed Xiao Yu and his aunt to Zagreb Cathedral in the Croatian capital, beginning a new day of sightseeing.
To his surprise, he ran into someone familiar—Xiao Sui.
“Brother, why are you here?” Xiao Yu also looked completely baffled. His aunt explained for Xiao Sui, “Asui originally had other plans, but the person canceled on him at the last minute, so he flew in last night.”
Xiao Sui was clearly not interested in his own younger cousin. Wearing a black baseball cap, he bent down in front of Yu Chen. “Baby Chenchen, we meet again.”
His aunt smiled and asked, “You know each other?”
Xiao Sui replied, “Mm, we’ve played games together.”
His aunt said, “Then I’m relieved. I was worried Chenchen might feel awkward meeting strangers.”
Xiao Sui raised a brow and smiled with a roguish ease as he slung an arm around Yu Chen’s shoulders. “Come on, big brother’s taking you out for something tasty.”
“I’m staying with Auntie.” Yu Chen wriggled out of Xiao Sui’s arm and hid behind the aunt, taking her bag for her. “Auntie, you must be tired. I’ll carry your bag.”
The aunt reached up and pinched his cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Xiao Sui curved his lips in amusement, his grin full of bad-boy swagger. “Chenchen, why are you hiding from me? No matter what, I did teach you my secret move. You stood me up, and I still haven’t even settled accounts with you.”
“How did I stand you up? Didn’t we already agree you had to line up behind three whole lifetimes?” Yu Chen shot him a smug grin behind the aunt’s back. Like a sticky rice cake, he trailed after the aunt wherever she went, acting exactly like a little bodyguard.
Xiao Sui and Xiao Yu walked behind them.
“Why didn’t you tell me Yu Chen was coming?”
“What would I tell you for?” Xiao Yu’s wording was devastatingly accurate. “The look on your face is a little too much like a hooligan’s.”
“Is that any way to talk to your own cousin?” Xiao Sui pressed a hand on Xiao Yu’s shoulder, his tone lilting upward. “I asked you for his WeChat, and you refused to give it to me forever. What’s that about?”
“I’m not giving it to you.” Xiao Yu stuck out his tongue at him, then ran after Yu Chen, not forgetting to glance back and throw Xiao Sui a provocative look.
With his hands in his pockets, Xiao Sui strolled leisurely behind the three of them. His attention was never on the scenery for very long before it drifted back to Yu Chen again.
Elsewhere, He Zhen sat with a bowl of medicine in his hand, yet his gaze remained glued to the person on the screen who was acting spoiled, playing pitiful, and scattering rainbow farts everywhere, without looking away for even a moment.
He coughed lightly. The smile hidden at his lips made this cup of bitter medicine seem sweet rather than bitter.
“You are my bravest Boss!”
“You are my kindest Boss!”
“And foolish me went and hurt your heart!”
At this point in the video, it suddenly lagged for a moment.
When it resumed, the corners of Yu Chen’s eyes were visibly glistening with tears.
He Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, paused the video, took a screenshot, and zoomed in.
He discovered that the “tear” looked suspiciously like water.
After all, what kind of tears spread out in a whole patch?
Or rather, it was water.
He Zhen laughed in spite of himself, irritated and amused, and his gaze settled once more on Yu Chen’s pitiful little face, unable to resist staring for a few extra moments.
“I heard you’re sick, and I’ve been unable to eat or sleep.”
“Boss, I know you’re thin-skinned.”
“If you forgive me, press 1.”
“If you don’t forgive me, press 2. Then keep letting me be this miserable, crying my eyes out every day!”
The smile in He Zhen’s eyes deepened. His finger lightly tapped the number “1,” then he sent it and immediately withdrew it.
Yu Chen was probably busy and should not notice it.
Sure enough, just as He Zhen expected, Yu Chen did not reply until noon.
[Yu Chen: Boss! You finally forgave me!]
[He Zhen: You saw it?]
[Yu Chen: Of course. You sent “1” and then withdrew it.]
He Zhen did not quite believe it and deliberately tried to trick him.
[He Zhen: I sent 2.]
[Yu Chen: Then choose again and send 1.]
[He Zhen: 2.]
[Yu Chen: Boss, do you believe I’ll jump off this building right now?]
The corner of He Zhen’s lips lifted slightly. But then, almost immediately, a trace of seriousness gathered in his brows.
He quickly started a voice call to Yu Chen. The screen lit up, and Yu Chen’s smug, proud expression appeared before him.
He Zhen let out a quiet breath of relief and raised a brow. “Go on, jump. I’m watching.”
Yu Chen muttered shamelessly, “I’m not jumping. If I do, you’ll be heartbroken.”
Watching Yu Chen’s fluttering eyelashes, He Zhen praised him, “Your complexion looks pretty good.”
“Don’t think I didn’t hear the sarcasm in that.” Puffing out his cheeks, Yu Chen’s soft, delicate voice was full of grievance. “Boss, I nearly thought you didn’t love me anymore.”
Yu Chen and the others were resting at the time.
Sitting across from him, Xiao Sui slowly raised his head when he heard that and watched Yu Chen with great interest.
“In your eyes, I’m not even as important as snacks.” Although He Zhen had long understood this truth very thoroughly, when he said it aloud, there was still a trace of bitterness and resentment in his tone.
Yu Chen pestered him sweetly. “That’s because you misunderstood me. In my heart, you’re as important as my dad.”
Yu Chen was wearing earphones, so his aunt did not know who he was talking to. Curious, she silently asked Xiao Yu with her lips.
Xiao Yu mouthed back, “His childhood friend-brother, He Zhen.”
The aunt smiled and whispered, “I thought Chenchen had fallen in love.”
Xiao Yu complained, “They’ve been like this ever since they were little. We’re all used to it.”
Xiao Sui stared thoughtfully at the pretty dimples on Yu Chen’s cheek as he held his glass.
“I’m not talking to you anymore. We’re going to keep sightseeing. Wait for me to bring you a gift.” Yu Chen coaxingly kissed his palm and blew He Zhen a flying kiss through the screen.
He Zhen raised a brow. “So mushy.”
After hanging up, the aunt asked with interest, “That’s your childhood-friend big brother?”
“Yeah.” At the mention of He Zhen, the corners of Yu Chen’s lips rose slightly.
“Then why do you call him ‘Boss’?”
“Because when he was five, he accepted me as his little follower.”
The aunt seemed very interested and said enviously, “You two really are close.”
“Mm-hmm. Other than my dad, he’s the person in the whole world I’m closest to.”
Now that he had been forgiven, Yu Chen was in a wonderful mood. At lunch he accidentally devoured three bowls of rice, leaving his stomach bulging, and Xiao Yu mocked him several times in a row for being hopeless.
Time in Croatia passed very quickly.
In the blink of an eye, four days had gone by.
Yu Chen and Xiao Yu had already visited nearly all the popular scenic spots and bought a great many souvenirs.
Yu Chen was thoughtful. Through careful observation, he realized that the aunt liked collecting all kinds of beautiful scarves, so he specially bought her a fine scarf as a gift.
The same went for Xiao Yu and Xiao Sui. Although Yu Chen did not like Xiao Sui all that much—over the past two days, Xiao Sui had stuck to him nonstop, calling him “little brother”—he was still part of the Xiao family. Remembering Li Huan’s teachings, Yu Chen treated everyone equally and bought gifts for all of them.
Over the past few days, he and He Zhen had been checking in with each other every day. Whenever Yu Chen came across a beautiful view, he would immediately share it with He Zhen and Li Huan. To that end, he had even specially created a group chat called: Your Excellent Son and Excellent Little Follower Photo Sharing Group.
That day, while attending a banquet with Old Master He, He Zhen received a selfie from Yu Chen standing before ancient Roman ruins.
In the picture, Yu Chen’s pure black eyes were curved like crescents, his skin smooth and fair. Holding up a peace sign, the boy looked as if he had not a single care in the world. Against the magnificent, imposing ancient city behind him, he looked lively and full of charm.
People came and went throughout the banquet, but He Zhen made no effort to hide the softness in his eyes. He took a photo of where he was as well and sent it back to Yu Chen.
Today was the celebration banquet for Hefeng Group. Not long ago, the multinational project Hefeng Group had led together with major enterprises across Hai City had achieved extremely impressive results.
As the heir personally designated by Old Master He, He Zhen was also attending such a formal occasion for the first time. Old Master He’s friends all brought children around He Zhen’s age from their own families, hoping they could build good relations with him now and support each other in business in the future, forming long-term cooperative ties.
But He Zhen was not interested at all. Faced with the somewhat fawning compliments of those elders, he found the whole feeling distasteful.
Still, as the heir, he had to shoulder the responsibilities that came with the title.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored white suit, He Zhen cooperated very well with Old Master He, politely greeting chairmen from other companies and listening in on their discussions of business matters.
One of Old Master He’s friends was surnamed Cheng.
Chairman Cheng said to He Zhen, “My little granddaughter came too. If you find listening to us adults talk too boring, you can go play with her. She’s over in the lounge chatting with her friends.”
He Zhen nodded. “Then you grandfathers keep talking.”
After stepping away from the group, he did not go to the lounge. Instead, he went out into the corridor alone and chatted with Yu Chen.
[He Zhen: I’m here at a celebration banquet with Grandpa.]
Yu Chen enlarged the photo, and the very first thing he noticed was the exquisitely made pastries and sweets on the table. Worried that He Zhen might get mad again like last time, he obediently said, “Boss, those pastries there look really delicious. Could you please help me taste a little extra?”
He Zhen opened the photo again, and only then noticed that he had accidentally captured the dessert buffet section.
He curved his lips. “Mm. I’ll eat more in your place.”
[Yu Chen: Okay, I’m going to keep playing now.]
After ending the chat, He Zhen wandered over to the dessert section and looked around. He found that the pastries really were not the usual northern-style sweets. Every single one had been handmade. Not only were they delicious, they were beautiful too.
Among them was a Su-style pastry shaped like a round little panda. The pastry chef had made the panda so lifelike that its plump little image looked exactly like Yu Chen when he was little.
With a faint smile at his lips, He Zhen carefully placed one piece on a plate, took a photo, and sent it to Yu Chen. “Does it look like you, chubby baby?”
[Yu Chen: When was I ever that fat as a kid!]
Smiling faintly, He Zhen went alone to find the lobby manager.
Seeing that it was the young master of the He family, the manager immediately became very respectful. “Young master, what can I help you with?”
He Zhen said, “I want the pastry chef’s contact information. I’d like him to make some pastries for me.”
“Did you enjoy the chef’s work that much?” The manager looked a little troubled. “The chefs were specially invited from Nanjing, and they were just picked up this morning by a boss from Beijing as soon as they finished today’s pastries.”
“I see. Thank you, then.” He Zhen hesitated a bit before asking, “My younger brother likes them, but he’s abroad right now. I was hoping—”
“I understand! I’ll help you pack some up!” The manager brightened instantly. “Su-style pastries aren’t like Western pastries. Generally, finishing them within three days is no problem at all.”
“Alright, thank you.” He Zhen deliberately reminded him, “Please make sure to pack one panda pastry for me.”
“No problem.”
After arranging everything, He Zhen returned to Old Master He’s side and listened to the elders chat. Before leaving the banquet hall, he specifically collected the packaged pastries and thanked the lobby manager, then waited for Yu Chen’s flight to arrive the afternoon after next.
The next afternoon, the airport arrivals hall was packed with relatives waiting to pick people up. Li Huan was at home busy making dumplings for Yu Chen, so He Zhen had come by himself.
Not long ago, Yu Chen had been clamoring on the phone that he wanted beef dumplings hand-wrapped by Li Huan. Li Huan had started bustling around early in the morning, as though he were preparing a full imperial feast.
He Zhen had arrived an hour early. After waiting for quite a while, he finally caught sight of the person he had been longing for day and night.
Pushing a luggage cart, Yu Chen walked with light steps, seemingly still immersed in the excitement of this foreign trip. He chatted nonstop with Xiao Yu, and even after they reached the exit, his mouth still had not stopped moving.
In early autumn, He Zhen wore a black trench coat, looking brilliant and spirited. Through the heavy glass windows, broken light scattered across the ends of his soft hair, making the high-spirited young man standing outside the airport especially striking.
Yu Chen spotted He Zhen at first glance.
“Boss, I’m here!”
Pulling his suitcase, Yu Chen rushed straight toward He Zhen.
Only then did He Zhen notice Xiao Sui behind him.
But after only two seconds, his attention returned entirely to Yu Chen again.
Like a child, Yu Chen threw himself into He Zhen’s arms. “Boss, I missed you so, so much.” If he had not already been in middle school, he definitely would have wrapped his legs around He Zhen’s waist like he used to and made He Zhen carry him home.
Holding him, He Zhen deliberately hid the tenderness in his eyes, yet the smile at his lips slowly spread anyway.
He rested his forehead lightly against Yu Chen’s head. Looking up, he nodded at Xiao Yu in the distance as a form of greeting.
Xiao Yu had always hated how mushy the two of them were. With a look of disgust, he smacked Yu Chen—who was acting spoiled in He Zhen’s arms—once on the back. “See ya. I’m going with my brother to hang out at Uncle’s place. You go home too with your future marriage partner.”
The light brown eyes of He Zhen froze for a moment, and he lowered his head to look at Yu Chen.
