Chapter 4
Ten minutes later, the two children—one tall, one short—walked slowly through the corridor, one in front of the other, beneath the sunlight spilling all over the hallway.
The smaller one walked in a very strange way. The cotton pants behind his bottom were soaked through, and he was already dressed thickly to begin with. Now he was deliberately keeping his little legs spread apart, making him look even more like a clumsy little penguin.
As for the bigger one, his face was stern the whole way through, full of disgust.
He Zhen simply could not understand it. How could a four-year-old still wet his pants?
Of course, words once spoken were like water already thrown out. Since he had become Yu Chen’s boss now, abandoning a child who had wet his pants and walking off by himself would be somewhat against the code of honor.
Yu Chen did not dare raise his head the entire way. The wet, sticky feeling inside his pants was extremely uncomfortable. But what made him feel worst of all was that, because he had been too busy playing, he had dirtied the brand-new cotton pants Uncle Li Huan had bought for him.
His misty eyes brimmed with hot tears. Pouting his lips, he followed He Zhen into the room.
…
Sweeping his eyes around, He Zhen saw that the small suite had been tidied spotlessly clean. There were many toys on the sofa—a little rubber duck, a toy gun, a full set of fairy tale books, and some cartoon dolls. At a glance, it was obvious Yu Chen played with them often.
“Where are the cotton pants?”
“Over there.” Yu Chen’s soft baby voice was very weak now, and he was clearly much more deflated than before.
Looking at the child’s dejected appearance, He Zhen deliberately mocked him. “You’re already four and you still wet your pants.”
Hearing that made Yu Chen even more embarrassed. He sniffled with his reddened nose, and big fat tears immediately began pattering down.
He Zhen’s expression changed slightly. He wanted to say something, but he could not bring himself to lower his pride. In the end, he only clicked his tongue and walked over honestly to help Yu Chen find the cotton pants.
“Boss, can I wear the old cotton pants?”
Yu Chen’s bottom was wet, so he did not dare sit on the sofa. After using all his strength to drag over a little stool, he sat down on it miserably.
With one glance, He Zhen spotted the small floral cotton pants. He stood on tiptoe and gently pulled them out. After examining them for two seconds, he frowned. “The cuffs are worn through.”
Yu Chen lowered his little head and answered in a trembling voice, “Mm.”
He Zhen had been pampered from birth, raised like a little prince of gold and jade, so naturally he could not understand Yu Chen’s thinking. He asked back, “Then why not wear the new ones?”
Yu Chen replied unclearly, “I’m scared I’ll wet them again. Then they’ll get dirty.”
“If they get dirty, can’t they just be washed?” He Zhen handed the small floral cotton pants to Yu Chen and said with disdain, “Hurry up and put them on!”
Yu Chen made two muffled little whimpers. His small hands gripped the waistband, but no matter what, he could not pull the wet pants down.
“Heave-ho!”
Yu Chen’s face turned red as he asked He Zhen for help in a milky little voice. “Boss, I can’t take them off.”
He Zhen’s brows drew together, and he muttered under his breath, “So stupid.”
Even though he said that, he still bent down and helped Yu Chen pull off the urine-soaked pants. “Stick your legs out!”
Yu Chen sat back on the little stool and obediently did as told.
When He Zhen pulled off Yu Chen’s cotton pants, he saw two plump little legs, round and smooth like lotus roots.
Yu Chen blinked his beautiful big eyes. “Boss, you’re amazing!”
Naturally, being praised put He Zhen in a good mood. A trace of pride appeared on his childish, delicate face, and he took the chance to complain about Yu Chen too. “You really are fat.”
Yu Chen had a very good temper and bent his brows into a smile in cooperation.
Freed from the restraints of the thick cotton pants, Yu Chen lifted his little feet and prepared to change his own underwear. His underwear had also been newly bought by Li Huan, with little lambs printed on the back. When the underwear tightened into place, Yu Chen’s little bottom gave a tiny tremble. From behind, it looked round and bouncy, like a soft little jelly.
“I’m leaving.”
“You were such a pain today.”
When He Zhen had come out today, he had not told anyone. At this hour, those people were probably searching everywhere again, trying to find him and make him take his medicine.
After helping Yu Chen change back into clean cotton pants, he planned to leave. But just as he reached the door, a soft baby voice suddenly called out behind him:
“Boss~”
He Zhen turned back impatiently. “What now?”
Yu Chen pointed at the urine-soaked cotton pants. “Can you… put them in the basin?”
He Zhen instantly looked like an enraged little pufferfish. “Yu Chenchen, are you asking me to wash your clothes?”
Young Master He, whose hands had never touched housework, had never washed clothes in his life. Forget laundry—even when he drank water, someone had to pour it for him at just the right temperature and hand it over.
Yu Chen sweetly called again, “Boss!”
He Zhen was beyond speechless. “What!”
Yu Chen asked, “Do you know how to use the washing machine?”
Half of He Zhen’s proud aura instantly died away. Looking off to the side, he answered unwillingly, “No.”
Yu Chen waved his little hands, imitating the movements his mother used when washing clothes for him. “Then we can only… scrub.”
He Zhen refused stiffly. “I’m not washing them.”
Yu Chen obediently tried to negotiate with him. “If you turn on the water, I can wash them, okay?”
The sink was too high. Yu Chen simply could not reach it.
He Zhen glanced at the sink in the bathroom and muttered, “Can’t Butler Li wash them?”
Yu Chen slowly shook his head. “Uncle works very hard.”
Today he had been wearing his new cotton pants, and he had wet them not long after putting them on. Yu Chen was very afraid Uncle would think he was not a good boy. If he washed the pants clean in advance, then Uncle probably would not scold him too much.
Seeing that He Zhen still had no intention of helping him, Yu Chen’s mist-filled eyes trembled slightly, and the tip of his nose turned red.
“Thank you, Boss, for helping me change.”
Carrying the cotton pants, Yu Chen walked into the bathroom, planning to try by himself.
Although He Zhen had long been spoiled rotten, when he saw Yu Chen trembling as he moved the little stool over, he still could not bear to harden his heart. More importantly, Yu Chen counted as the only little companion in the entire manor who was willing to play with him.
Once before, he had met a child in the flower garden and exchanged a sentence or two—nothing enough to count as friendship. But for some reason, that child had moved away with his parents the very next day.
“You’re really stupid.”
He Zhen unwillingly rolled up his sleeves. Although he was tall, reaching an adult washbasin was still difficult for him, so he could only stand on tiptoe.
“Move aside, little fatty!”
His face was dark, and he looked very hard to approach.
Hearing that, Yu Chen obediently shuffled his little feet to one side. Tilting his little head, he secretly watched He Zhen from nearby.
Even though He Zhen had never washed clothes before, he had seen the nursery teacher wash towels at kindergarten. Copying the teacher’s movements, he followed the steps one by one—pouring detergent and scrubbing seriously. When he changed the water, two chubby soft little arms suddenly wrapped around his waist.
Yu Chen pressed his round little face against He Zhen’s chest and said with a cheerful grin, “You are the best boss in the whole world! In the future, I’ll wash clothes for you too!”
“Tch.” He Zhen’s expression was full of disdain, but as he scrubbed and scrubbed, he could not help repeating the words the whole world silently in his heart.
“You’d better remember those words.”
“Don’t hug me!”
After washing the cotton pants, He Zhen climbed laboriously onto a chair and helped Yu Chen hang them out to dry on the balcony.
Next door, Aunt Liu was sunning herself. When she saw the child’s face on the neighboring balcony clearly, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Th-this was the young master?
In the living room, wanting to show his thanks, Yu Chen generously shared all his tasty snacks with He Zhen. He Zhen was not interested in snacks. What occupied his mind was something else much more important.
“Hey, Yu Chenchen.”
Sitting on the sofa, He Zhen cast him a serious glance. “That magic trick you mentioned last time—what exactly is it?”
Yu Chen’s mouth was stuffed full of cheese, making his cheeks bulge out. Hearing this, he scooted over beside He Zhen, his glass-like big eyes darting over He Zhen from left to right.
“Why are you looking at me?” He Zhen shifted uncomfortably to the other side.
Yu Chen stared at his pocket. “Boss, is your chocolate still there?”
“What chocolate?” He Zhen asked in confusion.
Yu Chen gestured. “Red, blue, green chocolate.”
After thinking carefully, He Zhen realized Yu Chen was probably talking about the Christmas candy his aunt had brought back from France. That day, he had skipped a meal and casually stuffed one piece into his pocket.
“What do you need that for?”
“To do magic.”
Seeing how absolutely certain Yu Chen sounded, He Zhen stood up as if making up his mind. “Wait for me.”
After saying that, he ran out of the family housing block like a gust of wind.
At this hour, many of the He family’s servants were changing shifts and taking breaks. When they saw the young master appear in the servants’ family quarters, they all widened their eyes and started discussing it in little groups.
Half an hour later, He Zhen returned to the family housing block on the family’s private sightseeing car.
The chubby boy who lived on Yu Chen’s floor was playing in the yard. When he saw He Zhen coming at full speed, he was so frightened he looked like a mouse seeing a cat, clutching his little ball as he hurried out of the way.
He Zhen flicked him a glance and no longer cared about the reactions of these children.
In the past, when they avoided him, it had made him very unhappy.
“Yu Chenchen.” By the time he ran to Li Huan’s door, He Zhen was panting. “Is this the chocolate you meant?”
Yu Chen’s eyes instantly lit up. “Yes!”
He Zhen handed the chocolate to him. His little chest rose and fell rapidly, and he urged impatiently, “Hurry up and do it.”
This kind of chocolate was sold in bars, and each bar was as large as an adult’s palm. It was studded with rich hazelnuts. The moment the foil was peeled back, the fragrance of chocolate mixed with crushed nuts drifted straight into the noses of both children.
“Okay!”
Seeing Yu Chen agree so readily, He Zhen looked slightly pleased, though he tried his best not to show it. He quietly edged closer to Yu Chen, his light brown eyes shining faintly with anticipation.
Yu Chen took the chocolate in both hands and snapped it apart with force. Then he opened his mouth as wide—wider—widest as he could.
He Zhen watched him with growing suspicion.
What kind of magic was this?
In barely a dozen seconds, Yu Chen had stuffed the entire bar of chocolate into his mouth. Since his front tooth had been knocked out, he could only chew it bit by bit with the teeth on the sides.
Yu Chen looked like a little squirrel storing food, full of satisfaction and happiness.
After swallowing all the chocolate, he raised a triumphant pair of little scissors fingers at He Zhen.
“The chocolate is gone!”
He Zhen’s expression froze for a moment, and his face slowly stiffened.
The breathing he had not yet evened out suddenly quickened a little.
