Chapter 5
The little one had just finished eating sweet chocolate and had not yet realized danger was approaching. Just as he was baring his row of little white teeth—with two missing in front—his legs suddenly left the ground, and the next second, he was being lifted high into the air by He Zhen.
He Zhen’s little face looked fierce. “Yu Chenchen!”
“I’m here!” Yu Chen was still all smiles, though he had no idea why He Zhen had suddenly become so fierce.
Since Yu Chen was a little on the heavy side, He Zhen had to strain with all his strength to hold him up. But out of pride, he refused to put him down right away, so he could only stiffen his neck and accuse him, “This is your magic trick?”
“Yes.” Yu Chen licked the chocolate at the corner of his mouth and replied in a soft, sweet voice, “That’s how it is in picture books.”
Half of He Zhen’s anger instantly disappeared. Pursing his lips, he set Yu Chen back down.
Still not understanding what was going on, Yu Chen very cooperatively started showering him with praise. “Boss is super strong!”
He Zhen lowered his eyes and glanced at him, then folded his arms. “What kind of weird books are you reading? Don’t read them anymore.”
Though Yu Chen very much wanted to ask why, he remembered his duties as a little underling, so he obediently puckered his lips and said, “Okay.”
After all the commotion that morning, He Zhen was thoroughly exhausted.
When he had run back earlier to get the chocolate, he had run into Housekeeper Xu, and now that whole group of people was waiting outside the servants’ quarters.
He Zhen sat on the sofa planning to rest for a while, but just then a soft, milky little child suddenly came over. Waving his tiny fists, the child thoughtfully started pounding his shoulders for him.
He Zhen muttered, “What are you doing?”
Yu Chen replied sweetly, “Boss, I like being your little underling!”
A trace of surprise flashed across He Zhen’s face, and his childish little features turned red at once. “That’s cheesy.”
Yu Chen gave a soft little hum and swung his tiny fists even more energetically.
The noon sunlight was warm and strong, falling over the two little ones. Yu Chen gradually grew tired as he pounded away, and like a marshmallow on the verge of melting, he slowly slumped against He Zhen’s shoulder, his round little face carrying a trace of sleepiness.
He Zhen had already learned how to tell time. He looked up at the clock. “Hey, Yu Chenchen.”
“Hm?” the child replied in a sticky, sleepy voice.
He Zhen said, “Housekeeper Li isn’t here today. What are you going to eat for lunch?”
Yu Chen’s mind worked slowly. In a drowsy little baby voice, he stammered, “The auntie next door… brings food.”
After thinking for a moment, He Zhen ordered, “You’re my underling, so I’m giving you a task.”
Only then did Yu Chen lift his little head and repeat He Zhen’s words, “A task?”
He Zhen nodded. “Your task is to play with me this afternoon.” After saying that, he nervously sized Yu Chen up, afraid that Yu Chen might refuse. To make it more likely that Yu Chen would agree, he added, “I have tons of snacks, and lots of desserts too.”
Under the temptation of snacks, Yu Chen happily agreed. But before leaving, he asked worriedly, “Boss.”
He Zhen: “Hm?”
Yu Chen replied in a soft little voice, “When Uncle comes back, he won’t be able to find me.”
He Zhen answered quickly, “You can just call him.”
Yu Chen lifted his little head. “I don’t know Uncle’s phone number.”
He Zhen looked around and realized there was no landline in the bedroom. So he said, “I’ll call him for you.”
“Okay.” Yu Chen ran to the door with little tap-tap-tap footsteps and obediently waited for He Zhen to open it. He Zhen was much taller than him, so with He Zhen around, he would not need to move a little stool over anymore.
This corridor led directly to He Zhen’s bedroom. He Zhen had only just remembered that himself. It would probably take a quarter of an hour to walk there.
But as they walked, Yu Chen’s steps grew softer and softer, and he gradually fell behind, pouting his lips.
He Zhen strode ahead impatiently, then turned his head and urged, “Hurry up.”
Yu Chen puffed his lips out pitifully. “Boss.”
He Zhen: “What now?”
The chubby little child started acting spoiled. “I can’t walk anymore.”
Before coming to the He family, Yu Chen had often followed Yu Youshan around from place to place, but he rarely had to walk much by himself. Added to that was his heart condition, so he usually exercised even less. After all the excitement that morning, Yu Chen was truly exhausted.
They were not even halfway there yet. He Zhen only assumed Yu Chen was being lazy, and with his hands behind his back, he said, “Hey, if you don’t keep up, I’m leaving by myself.”
The moment Yu Chen heard that, he hurriedly tottered after him. But he was genuinely too tired. After running two steps, he could not hold it in anymore and began sniffling softly, as if he had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.
It was the first time He Zhen had ever seen Yu Chen cry so hard. He looked even more aggrieved than the little kids in kindergarten crying for their mothers. Flustered, He Zhen hurried over in a panic and knitted his brows. “Stop crying, Yu Chenchen.”
Yu Chen’s big wet eyes brimmed with tears as he sniffled miserably.
“Fine.”
He Zhen pressed his lips together helplessly. Since he could not really leave Yu Chen here, he unwillingly held out his arms. “Come here.”
Yu Chen was still hiccuping from crying. “Huh?”
He Zhen let out a cold snort. “I’ll carry you.”
Yu Chen took a moment to process it. The tip of his small nose was tinged a faint pink. A moment later, his whole body lifted into the air, and He Zhen picked him up face-to-face in his arms.
It was He Zhen’s first time carrying a child, so he did not really know how. He wrapped both arms around Yu Chen’s back, and walking like that was very tiring.
“Don’t get your snot on me. That’s disgusting,” He Zhen warned the sticky little rice cake in his arms, speaking with utmost seriousness.
“Okay!” Yu Chen rested his chin on He Zhen’s shoulder. His little short legs swung lazily along with He Zhen’s steps. Gradually, He Zhen figured out how to hold a child, shifting both hands to support Yu Chen’s little bottom. Yu Chen cooperatively adjusted himself a little, and his whole tiny body settled against He Zhen’s chest, squinting contentedly.
It was the first time the two of them had ever been this close.
Near his nose, He Zhen caught a faintly sweet milky scent.
“Yu Chenchen?”
Yu Chen answered blankly, “Mm!”
He Zhen muttered, “Do you drink milk every day?”
Yu Chen thought about it for a long time, then slowly shook his head. Before coming to the He family, he had always stayed at his aunt’s house and had never had milk. His older cousin there, however, drank it every day. Once, his cousin tossed him some leftover milk, but before he could drink it, his aunt snatched it away. It was only after Uncle Li Huan started taking care of him that he got to drink milk.
“No,” Yu Chen replied.
He Zhen said, “Then why do you smell like milk?”
“The smell is really strong.”
Quietly, He Zhen leaned closer to Yu Chen’s little padded jacket and sniffed again.
Sure enough, it was sweet—and actually smelled pretty nice.
What should have been a fifteen-minute walk ended up taking the two little ones nearly half an hour. When they entered He Zhen’s bedroom again, Yu Chen no longer felt as nervous as last time. Politely, he said that he was disturbing him, then innocently asked He Zhen, “Can I look around here?”
He Zhen replied, “Look all you want.”
With permission granted, Yu Chen, now completely unleashed, started running around the beautiful and luxurious bedroom with cheerful little tap-tap-tap footsteps.
“The palace is so pwetty.”
He pronounced those words very unclearly, making He Zhen secretly laugh.
It was just about lunchtime, and the kitchen was in the middle of preparing He Zhen’s meal. Normally, his three meals a day were all selected three days in advance. But today, with Yu Chen coming over as a guest, several extra dishes needed to be added. That was part of the standard etiquette He Zhen had learned in class for hosting visitors.
“Little fatty, come pick what you want to eat.”
He Zhen opened the tablet and called out to Yu Chen, who was busy fluttering about like a tiny butterfly.
Yu Chen was admiring the beautiful art pieces displayed in He Zhen’s bedroom. Hearing He Zhen call him, he reluctantly turned his head. “Rice.”
He Zhen frowned. “And?”
Yu Chen suddenly ran out of words. After thinking for ages, he blankly replied with two words: “Meat too.”
He Zhen did not bother pressing him further. He casually added a few dishes, then impatiently went off to play with Yu Chen.
Based on Yu Chen’s very limited gaming experience, the game he was best at was hide-and-seek. He Zhen’s bedroom was so huge that it was a perfect place for hide-and-seek.
Naturally, He Zhen had no interest in such a childish game. But seeing Yu Chen amusing himself so happily by playing hide-and-seek alone, he curled his lips and boredly fiddled with a Lego set.
Yu Chen’s laughter was simply too infectious. His bedroom had never been this lively before.
Just then, Yu Chen stopped in front of He Zhen’s display cabinet of collectible figures. Inside were many delicate and expensive figurines. Yu Chen lifted his little head and counted them on his fingers.
“One… two… three…”
“Do you like them? I hardly ever play with these figures.” He Zhen appeared behind him and said very generously, “If you behave well, I can give one to you.”
“Really?” Yu Chen’s grape-like eyes lit up brightly, overflowing with excitement and anticipation.
“Of course.” For the first time, He Zhen experienced being looked at with such admiration. Hugging his little arms, he became quite smug. “I can give you one today.”
Yu Chen happily clapped his hands. Looking left and right with his little head, he finally pointed to the top row of figures. “Boss! The one with the little tail!”
He Zhen: “The last one?”
Yu Chen nodded with satisfaction. “Yes.”
He Zhen was the kind of child who kept his word. Without any hesitation, he dragged over a stool and took down the little deer figure Yu Chen had chosen.
When he handed it over, Yu Chen lovingly rubbed it with his chubby little hands, then bowed sweetly to He Zhen. “Thank you.”
He Zhen’s expression suddenly turned a little unnatural. Folding his arms again, he said, “If you’re my underling, you get gifts. Got it?”
Yu Chen stuffed the figure into the pocket of his little padded jacket and nodded repeatedly. “Got it!”
He Zhen was very satisfied with Yu Chen’s reaction. After taking him on a little more of a tour through the bedroom, he prepared to take him to eat.
At the same time, in a surveillance room filled with machines, a man who had come for a routine inspection solemnly dialed a number.
“Secretary Chen, the monitor in He Zhen’s room has gone black.”
“Mm. It’s hidden inside one of his figurines.”
“It probably won’t be discovered. There are hundreds of figurines, and he hardly ever touches any of them.”
On the other side, just as He Zhen was leading Yu Chen toward the dining room, he suddenly ran into two familiar figures in the corridor.
One was a beautiful and elegant lady, and behind her trailed a little tail.
The moment He Zhen saw that little tail, dislike flashed across his face, and he unwillingly pressed his lips together. Only when the lady walked up to him did he lower his eyes and greet her reluctantly, “Aunt.”
The little boy behind He Zhen’s aunt was very afraid of He Zhen. Although he was half a head taller than He Zhen, his behavior was extremely timid.
The boy’s attention was entirely on Yu Chen. He was very curious—after just two months, how had such a cute and pretty little boy suddenly appeared in He Zhen’s home?
The boy had bright eyes and white teeth. The way he tilted his head to peek looked warm and sweet, as if there were stars in his eyes. Chubby and adorable, he looked just like a lucky little child from a New Year painting.
He Zhen was very sensitive and naturally noticed the interest in his cousin’s gaze too.
He immediately moved to block Yu Chen behind him and shot his cousin a fierce glare.
