Chapter 56: The Disguise Falls Off
Xu Huazhang’s tone was gentle, but there was a sharp edge in his eyes, “Lantu is the partner I’ve chosen. I hope you’ll all take good care of him. Accordingly, your salaries will be going up.”
This was the first time Xu Huazhang had brought someone home. He didn’t even need to say it; the staff could already see how much he cared about Mu Lantu and wouldn’t dare treat him carelessly. Xu Huazhang had privileges—if he was dissatisfied, he could replace them with someone better at any time. But if they got replaced, finding such a good job again wouldn’t be easy.
“Yes, Boss!”
Mu Lantu gave a light nod. “Please take care of me.”
He didn’t have much to say—if he wasn’t comfortable living here, he’d leave. Whether he took Xu Huazhang with him would depend on how Xu performed.
[Little Five, starting today, closely monitor everyone’s movements inside and around the villa. Report anything suspicious to me immediately.]
[Understood, Host.]
Butler Su was around forty-five, a tall and sturdy man with a surprisingly approachable demeanor.
“Huazhang, don’t worry. I’ve got things handled. Dinner’s ready. Shall we eat now? I know Lantu likes spicy food, so Aunt Wang made Tai’an fish, spicy rabbit stew, couple’s lung slices, and twice-cooked pork. Spicy food can hurt the stomach though, so aside from rice, we also made lily and coix seed porridge. Lantu, see if it suits your taste. If not, just say the word.”
Mu Lantu had a suspicion Butler Su was teasing him when he mentioned couple’s lung slices. His face flushed slightly.
“Thanks, Uncle Su. Let’s eat.”
Xu Huazhang gave Lantu’s hand a squeeze and led him to the dining room.
“Uncle Su is the son of our family’s old butler—he’s basically family. If you need anything, just go to him. I want you to be happy living here. If you’re not happy, I won’t be happy either.”
“Got it. Are you being this naggy because you’re getting old?” Mu Lantu asked seriously.
“You heartless brat.” Xu Huazhang squeezed his hand a little harder in mock punishment.
Mu Lantu mentally noted that down to settle the score later that night.
Dinner was served quickly. In addition to what Butler Su mentioned, there were baked lobster in superior broth, Dongjiang stuffed tofu, honey barbecued pork, and seasonal vegetables.
Mu Lantu glanced at the rice bowl in front of him, then at Xu Huazhang’s identical one, and felt complicated.
This bowl… was bigger than the ones normal people used.
He used bowls this size back at Huabanli’s house too, but still… why did it feel kind of embarrassing?
Trying to sound casual, he asked, “New bowls?”
Xu Huazhang was clearly pleased. “I had Uncle Su pick them out—couple’s set.”
Mu Lantu replied, “I could’ve used a smaller one.”
Xu Huazhang caught on and chuckled. “Baby, don’t worry about what other people think. As long as you’re comfortable.”
Mu Lantu gave a small huff but didn’t argue.
“Let’s eat!”
“Okay.”
Aunt Wang’s cooking was excellent, and Mu Lantu ate with great satisfaction. The portions were just right—only a bit of twice-cooked pork and honey BBQ pork remained.
Someone else would clean up. The two of them went for a short walk to digest, then returned to their room early.
No one knew exactly what they did after going upstairs so early, but the next morning both of them slept in. One looked radiant and refreshed like he’d taken a tonic, while the other looked like a delicate flower battered by wind and rain—tired, yes, but with rosy cheeks and moist eyes.
Seeing them finally come downstairs, Aunt Wang silently brought breakfast to the dining room and left.
Xu Huazhang carried Mu Lantu in his arms before he could protest, walked to the dining room in a few steps, and placed him on the only chair with a cushion.
Mu Lantu jumped up and pointed at the cushion angrily. “You sit.”
“Baby…” Xu Huazhang glanced worriedly at his backside.
“Are you sitting or not?” Mu Lantu stood stiffly, clearly annoyed.
Xu Huazhang felt both guilty and amused. “You sit first, I’ll go get something.”
Mu Lantu stubbornly stood his ground.
Xu Huazhang returned with a matching cushion. Mu Lantu’s frustration vanished.
“Forget it.”
He, Mu Lantu, was not one to shy away from consequences!
He tossed the cushion Xu Huazhang brought onto another chair and calmly sat on the original cushioned one.
Xu Huazhang ladled soup for him, “Baby, have some soup. Aunt Wang’s soup is good too.”
Mu Lantu nodded. He was starving.
Xu Huazhang asked, “Want to go back and nap afterward?”
“My body’s just fine!” Mu Lantu declared.
“Oh.” Xu Huazhang mused. Then tonight we can go a couple more rounds.
Mu Lantu sipped his soup with a cold sneer. Dream on. Not unless I’m on top next time.
His mood dipped again. It wasn’t like he didn’t fight back last night—he had the strength of a bull thanks to his abilities—but he hadn’t expected Xu Huazhang to be that strong too. What had this guy been eating? And he definitely did his homework ahead of time… he knew exactly how to wear him down until resistance was futile.
Thinking back to last night’s entanglement, Mu Lantu’s face turned red. Worried Xu Huazhang would notice, he lowered his head even more.
Xu Huazhang noticed his flushed ears and guessed the reason. Afraid of angering him, he smiled quietly and changed the topic, asking what Mu Lantu planned to do today.
A flash of cold light passed through Mu Lantu’s eyes. Some matters needed settling.
“I’m meeting a friend for dinner. We’ve got something to talk about. You’ve met him—the guy from the BBQ last time.”
Xu Huazhang remembered. “Need my help?”
“Not for now.” Mu Lantu preferred to handle it himself.
“Alright. Just let me know anytime if you need anything.”
Mu Lantu sent Gu Jincheng a message, asking if he was free that evening.
Gu Jincheng replied yes.
Mu Lantu told Xu Huazhang, then asked if he could livestream from the house.
“You can. Anywhere indoors.” Xu Huazhang asked, “Baby, are you planning to stream long-term?”
Mu Lantu shook his head. “I rented a shop in Dream Home Estate. I’m opening a large supermarket. Once it opens, I’ll stop streaming. I’ll focus on LEGO competitions and the supermarket. I also rented three apartments there. We can go stay sometime.”
Xu Huazhang was surprised. “What a coincidence—I rented a villa there too. Let’s go check it out together.”
Mu Lantu hadn’t known that. He left the rental site to 005. With such a smart AI assistant, why not use it?
He asked 005, who confirmed it.
“When’s the supermarket opening?” Xu Huazhang asked.
Mu Lantu replied, “There’s a lot to prepare, and I have no experience. It’s not urgent—we’ll take it slow.”
Xu Huazhang offered, “Want me to borrow some staff from my brother? He’s got tons of capable people. Take however many you want.”
Far away in his office, Xu Huafeng, buried in paperwork, suddenly sneezed.
Mu Lantu, sipping soup, found it delicious and took another sip before answering, “Not for now. Maybe later.”
He still hadn’t finalized the location of the teleportation hub.
His original intent for placing it in the Capital’s center was to make it convenient for Dream Home Estate tenants, but he’d overlooked the transportation issue—especially for freight. Constant truck deliveries into the city center would worsen traffic congestion.
What he needed most now was to build a second teleportation hub elsewhere in the city.
But setting one up cost 100 million. He didn’t have that much cash at the moment. He’d have to wait for 005 to generate more capital via the stock market.
Also, the supermarket wasn’t just a moneymaking project—it had other purposes too, which made it unsuitable for outsiders to get involved right now.
Neither of them left the house that afternoon.
Mu Lantu had taken enough time off and had to livestream again. Xu Huazhang accompanied him, sitting at the desk behind him.
Before Xu could go wild tipping gifts again, Mu Lantu stopped him.
“That viewer named ‘HZ’, if you keep wasting money, I’ll kick you out.”
Xu Huazhang looked up to see his lover glaring at him dangerously.
He calmly put down his phone and picked up the half-finished LEGO yacht, continuing to build.
After the stream ended, he offered two kisses to calm Mu Lantu down.
“Baby, how did you know HZ was me?”
“The name of the villa.”
Xu Huazhang realized the LEGO prizes from the giveaway had been sent to this address and understood.
Mu Lantu asked, “Did you tell someone to use your account?”
Xu Huazhang pulled him into his arms. Since Mu Lantu was heading out soon, they had time to cuddle a bit.
“Ge Tao and Zhou Ye. Baby, have I ever told you it was love at first sight?”
Mu Lantu’s lips threatened to curl, “Lust at first sight.”
Xu Huazhang denied it. “You might not believe this, but I was already drawn to your silhouette before I even saw your face the first time.”
Mu Lantu said nothing. Even if it was lust at first sight, he didn’t mind—he felt the same about Xu Huazhang.
Xu Huazhang had finally brought his beloved into his den and didn’t want any misunderstandings between them. “I was just afraid someone would swoop in while I was away, so I had Ge Tao and Zhou Ye…”
Mu Lantu linked his fingers behind Xu’s neck. “I’m not blaming you. But don’t waste money again. The platform takes 50%—it’s not worth it.”
Xu Huazhang obediently said, “I’ll listen to you.”
His garage had over ten luxury cars. According to him, only two were his purchases—the rest were gifts from his brother and sister.
Mu Lantu picked one at random and headed out.
After seeing him off, Xu Huazhang leisurely returned inside, pulling out his phone to message his brother.
[Xu Huazhang]: You’re actually right about some things sometimes.
[Xu Huafeng]: All younger brothers are ingrates! You got back to the capital yesterday and only messaged me today?
[Xu Huafeng]: What do you mean “sometimes right”? I’m always right.
[Xu Huafeng]: Fine. Which part?
[Xu Huazhang]: When someone starts caring about your money, it means they’ve started to truly care about you.
[Xu Huafeng]: So he didn’t care about you before? Unrequited love is so sad!
Expressionless, Xu Huazhang smoothly blocked him.
Xu Huafeng stared at his phone, waited, got no reply, and shook his head.
“That brat blocked me again.”
