An Wuyu received the acknowledgment from the other person and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re really young.”
Since he was the father of her younger brother’s classmate, he was considered an elder, and she unconsciously used a respectful address.
“Well then, let’s go have a meal together?” An Wuyu quickly suggested, “Speaking of which, you treated me to this meal, and I’m truly grateful.”
“No need to be polite,” Huo Yunchuan said, “Let’s skip the meal; I have some urgent matters to attend to tonight.”
Being a businessman, he naturally had a busy schedule with numerous tasks.
An Wuyu didn’t dare to insist, not even asking for a business card or phone number. “Alright, you go ahead. If there’s a chance next time, we can have a meal together.”
Huo Yunchuan said, “Take good care, Wuyang is a very important person to my family.”
Thinking she understood, An Wuyu showed a knowing smile. “Mr. Huo is joking. He’s my younger brother, so I will certainly take good care of him.”
“That’s good,” Huo Yunchuan said.
“Goodbye, Mr. Huo.” An Wuyang couldn’t wait and waved, not wanting to see them continue their conversation.
“Hmm.” Huo Yunchuan deeply glanced at his little angel and then turned to get into his car.
“Goodbye!” An Wuyu kept watching the luxurious car leave and then withdrew her admiring gaze, sighing, “Ah, rich people are really different.”
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The noble temperament on Mr. Huo was something ordinary people like them could never learn in their entire lives.
“Mom and Dad have been waiting for a long time; let’s go over,” An Wuyang didn’t comment on his sister’s words, just gently reminding.
An Wuyu stared at her brother and said, “Didn’t you tell me last time that he has nothing to do?”
Clearly, he’s a wealthy big boss.
“Signing a few documents, attending a few meetings can be considered having something to do,” An Wuyang said, arms crossed. He wore a comfortable pair of casual shoes, the only new outfit bought by Huo Yunchuan, if you don’t count the underwear.
An Wuyu’s eyes, like torches, caught up with her brother. “He’s the father of the girl who pursued you, right? But didn’t you say he only has a son? Could it be there are two children?”
Her sister’s enthusiasm seemed excessive; it was clear she was very interested in Mr. Huo.
“No, there’s nothing going on. He only has one child,” An Wuyang thought in his heart, patting his own stomach.
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Then they arrived at the hotel lobby and joined their family.
“Dad, Mom, little brother,” An Wuyang said.
“Call her Sister Ye,” An Wuyu introduced, “Jiaojiao, this is my elder brother, called An Wuyang.”
“Hello,” Ye Jiaojiao extended her hand to An Wuyang, looking friendly and with a sunny disposition.
“Sister Ye, hello,” An Wuyang shook hands with her generously.
“Indeed, very handsome,” Ye Jiaojiao looked him up and down, then praised, “No wonder An Wuyu said a girl went all out to pursue her younger brother.”
It’s not surprising if he looks like this.
“Thank you,” An Wuyang smiled faintly, completely unaffected by Mr. Huo’s praise, and for some reason.
On the other side, An Wuyu quickly pulled Ding Wei and said, “Mom, I just saw Wuyang’s classmate’s dad. He drove a sports car to pick up Wuyang, looks incredibly young and handsome.”
Ding Wei exclaimed, “Really? Why didn’t you invite him to join us for a meal?”
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An Wuyu said, “I did, but he said he had urgent matters and left.”
Ding Wei frowned disapprovingly at her second son. “Why didn’t you say he was coming earlier? You let him come over to drop you off and leave. That’s quite impolite.”
An Wuyang lied to his mother, “He just gave me a ride; he didn’t specifically come to drop me off.”
An Wuyu intervened, “Mr. Huo is really busy. He indeed couldn’t join us for dinner tonight. Let’s talk about it next time and have my younger brother make arrangements.”
Ding Wei’s expression eased after this explanation. She said to everyone, “Let’s go upstairs and continue our conversation. Jiaojiao, let’s go.”
An Wuyang walked slowly, and when his father passed by, he tousled his head, jokingly saying, “Tell me, how did you meet such a wealthy classmate?”
He was smiling, with a teasing expression all over his face.
In fact, the longer An Cheng stayed in the capital, the more he realized that the place was full of wealthy people.
Throwing a few thousand yuan casually was just a small gesture. To others, it wasn’t even worth mentioning. Perhaps they were just happy at the moment, and the money meant the same to anyone.
An Wuyang felt embarrassed, pressed his lips, and didn’t speak. He just called out, “Dad.”
“Brother,” his younger brother pulled his sleeve, “Sister has started school. When are you coming home?”
Since his brother left, he had been sleeping alone, feeling quite lonely.
An Wuyang said, “I’m afraid I won’t be coming back. I’ll go directly to the school.”
The conversation continued as they followed the waiter to their private room.
Ding Wei brought up Mr. Huo again and asked her second son, “Wuyang, what does your classmate’s dad do?”
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An Wuyang replied, “He runs a company.”
Ding Wei further inquired, “What kind of business is it?”
An Wuyang shook his head, “I don’t know; I haven’t deliberately looked into it.”
Ding Wei suddenly felt disappointed. If her daughter were in the role of her second son, she wouldn’t be as carefree. At 18, she wouldn’t act like she hadn’t grown up.
“Well, forget it,” she changed the subject back to the school opening, “Your school is also starting soon. You said you’re going directly to school?”
“Yeah,” An Wuyang said, “I’m going directly to school.”
Ding Wei said, “Before you go to school, let me know, and I’ll give you the tuition and living expenses.”
An Wuyang shook his head, “I don’t need living expenses. Just give me the tuition.”
The An family was not surprised; after all, the second son started working part-time in high school, and he might have saved some money on his own.
“Then I won’t give you any. The family’s finances have been tight lately,” Ding Wei paused, feeling a bit guilty, “I’ll definitely buy you the computer I promised. I’ll buy you an Apple laptop. Nowadays, all students use that.”
An Wuyang was surprised; he didn’t expect his mom to buy him an Apple laptop, which cost tens of thousands of yuan. “No need; let’s see how things go later.”
In his mind, if he bought the computer, would his mom become even more demanding of him? Constantly nagging?
If that were the case, the Apple laptop might not be a good idea.
From childhood to adulthood, as long as he got things cheaper at home, he could feel at ease.
If it was a bit more expensive, he would start to feel uneasy. That’s why he worked hard to earn money.
“Alright, let’s talk about it later,” Ding Wei nodded.
She was a strong person and also cared about her face.
Even though she knew her second son had made friends with wealthy people, she wouldn’t interrogate him thoroughly, nor did she have any intention of getting close.
Since the other party kindly invited her family to dinner, she would silently accept it.
After all, the dominant ones were never from the struggling and survival-seeking class.
“Do you really not need Dad to accompany you on the first day of school?” An Cheng, sitting on An Wuyang’s left side, whispered.
An Wuyang shook his head, “If it’s a workday, you can’t take a day off to accompany me, right? That would cost several hundred yuan.”
An Cheng chuckled good-naturedly, “You little money-minded person, only you would consider these things.”
His daughter had never considered it.
Recently, he gave his daughter a large sum of money, but his second son only asked for tuition, not even living expenses.
As a father, An Cheng occasionally felt a bit off, but it was just occasional.
In the grand scheme of things, he felt that cultivating children with potential was not a wrong choice.
Back in the day, the An family also had two siblings, and the parents allocated financial resources to the child with good grades.
After An Cheng entered society, regardless of whether he was rich or not, he brought money home every year.
So, when it came to this matter, he had a deep understanding.
Living until the age of 40, he had long understood that in this world, no matter what, one had to rely on their own efforts to strive for it.
Indulging children was not as good as letting them understand this truth early on; that was the correct way of education.
An Wuyang’s mind was focused on dinner; he wanted to see what Mr. Huo had ordered.
He thought that if he couldn’t eat, he would find an excuse to leave early.
As it turned out, he discovered that there were a few dishes he could still eat.
However, since he had promised Mr. Huo, he would control his appetite even if the food was delicious.
Eat less.
Seeing his younger brother picking and choosing, and finally picking a piece of green vegetable to put in his bowl, An Wuyang felt puzzled, “With such delicious dishes, why are you being so picky?”
It made people wonder if his brother was eating such delicious food at his classmate’s house every day.
No wonder you’re having so much fun and don’t want to go home.
“The meat is a bit greasy; I’ll stick to vegetables,” An Wuyang honestly said.
This made An Wuyu purse his lips, feeling a bit displeased because An Wuyang made them, who were focused on eating, seem hungry.
As a rich second-generation from Beijing, Ye Jiaojiao had tried everything she should eat. However, after taking a bite of the shark’s fin tonight, she showed a pleasantly surprised expression. “Wow, Yuyu, the texture of this bird’s nest is excellent. You can tell it’s a top-quality product with just one bite.”
It shouldn’t be cheap.
Hearing this, everyone in the An family immediately put down their chopsticks and tasted the bird’s nest, including An Wuyang. Adhering to his principle of just taking one bite, he tasted it and then put down his spoon without eating more.
Seeing this, An Wuyu couldn’t be bothered to criticize his little wealthy-like brother.
Really, he didn’t even appreciate shark’s fin; what does he want to eat?
In this way, An Wuyang sat there slowly accompanying his family to finish a dinner.
When it was time to settle the bill, the waiter came over with the bill, smiling as he said to An Wuyang, “Mr. An, please sign here.”
Although the room was booked by Huo Yunchuan, someone had to sign after the meal.
“Sure.” An Wuyang was very calm, took the bill, and signed his name. The handwriting was probably as neat as when he filled out his college entrance examination papers, one stroke at a time.
It took An Wuyu a long time to recall this scene, realizing that it was probably the earliest sign that something was different about his brother.
But when she woke up to this realization, the distance between them had already widened due to various reasons, and they couldn’t get close anymore.
“You can go back now, be careful on the way,” An Wuyang said with a smiling expression. “As for me, Mr. Huo will come to pick me up as soon as he finishes his business.”
“Where do you live?” Ding Wei asked.
An Wuyang answered, “I live on the side of Jiangwan.”
Everyone fell silent, with an unspoken understanding.
Suddenly, An Wuyang’s phone rang, and it was Huo Yunchuan calling him.
In front of his parents, he answered the call, “Hello, Mr. Huo? Yes, we’re done eating. Where are you? At the intersection ahead? Oh, okay, I’ll come over right away.”
An Wuyang hung up and immediately said to his parents, “Mr. Huo is on his way. I’m going to find him now, and you can go back.”
He flashed a small smile and waved.
He took two steps forward but immediately remembered Mr. Huo’s instructions: no running, walk slowly.
It must be said that Huo Yunchuan’s stern face was quite intimidating to An Wuyang.
So, he had to walk slowly, from the hotel entrance all the way to where Mr. Huo’s car was parked.
He couldn’t help but be curious, was Mr. Huo waiting here the whole time?
Huo Yunchuan had long since gotten out of the car and was waiting for An Wuyang. When he saw the slender figure approaching from afar, he immediately tossed the cigarette butt in his hand and walked briskly towards him.
“Mr. Huo?” An Wuyang shouted towards him, a happy smile on his face.
Because he was so happy, he forgot about the agreement not to run and actually started running.
Huo Yunchuan saw the little angel bouncing around, and his heart raced.
“…” His stern expression, 1001-grade, was momentarily confused, then he quickly covered the distance in three strides, scooping the little angel into his arms.
“Ah, sorry,” An Wuyang apologized, realizing he might have startled Mr. Huo with his enthusiasm. “I just saw you and got too excited.”
Suddenly, he found that meeting Mr. Huo was more relaxed than having dinner with his family, and there was no pressure at all.
A sincere compliment without any ulterior motive had the power to pull Huo Yunchuan’s mood from the edge of hell back to heaven, more effective than anything else.
“…Don’t scare me like this next time,” Huo Yunchuan said. “I’m not young anymore.”
An Wuyang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, blossoming like a flower, without a trace of the composure he had at the dinner table.
Huo’s father secretly admired with a subtle look, “Yes, this is his little angel himself.”
“Have you eaten enough for dinner?” Huo Yunchuan gathered his thoughts, carried the little angel to the car.
“Not fully satisfied,” An Wuyang said, “but the dishes tonight were delicious, and everyone was very pleased.”
His sister and her friend praised the food endlessly. Although his parents didn’t say much, they should have enjoyed it too.
Huo Yunchuan nodded, supporting himself against the car roof behind the little angel, enjoying the gentle evening breeze together. “I haven’t had dinner.”
An Wuyang immediately brightened, “I haven’t eaten enough either. Shall we go eat?”
Huo’s father sighed quietly; no matter how ambiguous the scene and atmosphere, the two of them could always chat like old friends.
“Get in the car,” he said, opening the car door for An Wuyang.
As An Wuyang sat in, he pulled out his phone and suggested, “How about we go to Ju Xiang Ge and have the couple’s set meal? They have a promotion lately, the second person is half price.”
Really cost-effective!
“…”
Dad needed a moment to calm down before answering his son’s question.
“I don’t want to go,” Huo Yunchuan thought for a moment, giving a firm refusal.
An Wuyang was puzzled, “Why? Ju Xiang Ge is delicious, and we’ve been there before.”
“No reason.” Huo Yunchuan’s face remained stern.
It was his first time having a couple’s meal; how could he contribute it just for the absurd reason of ‘second person half price’?
After being rejected, An Wuyang was a bit confused; this side of Mr. Huo seemed uncommon. He was usually easygoing and understanding, so if the other party wasn’t in a good mood, he wouldn’t insist.
“Then where do you want to eat?” the little angel asked softly.
“I’ll take you to a new place,” Huo Yunchuan said, then drove towards their destination.
“My sister brought a friend today, very beautiful,” An Wuyang felt the car was too quiet and casually mentioned.
“Does she know baking?” Huo Yunchuan asked indifferently.
“Huh? I don’t know,” An Wuyang was immediately distracted by the word “baking.” “By the way, I made a list of tools. Can you ask Chen Ge to buy them for me?”
Huo Yunchuan asked again, “What tools are on the list?”
An Wuyang pulled out his memo, diving into the ocean of baking, completely forgetting what his sister’s friend looked like.
By the time they reached the restaurant, the atmosphere between them had already returned to its usual pleasant state.
An Wuyang finally finished talking about the baking matters, took a satisfied sip of warm water, and said, “Mr. Huo, why were you in a bad mood just now?”
Huo Yunchuan replied, “There’s a tricky matter.”
An Wuyang blinked in surprise, “Oh, is it something related to work?”
He thought, Mr. Huo, being such a capable person, encountering a tricky matter?
“Not exactly,” Huo Yunchuan looked at him and said, “It’s about the baby. Do you know you need a birth permit to have a baby?”
An Wuyang nodded, “I’ve heard about it.”
“Babies born without a birth permit are called unregistered, unable to be listed on the household register, and cannot obtain an ID card.”
Huo Yunchuan stated the facts straightforwardly, continuing, “Obtaining a birth permit requires a marriage certificate. Otherwise, not only will the baby be unregistered, but also considered illegitimate. I don’t want him to carry the stigma of being illegitimate.”
An Wuyang immediately said, “Of course, I don’t want that either.”
Like Huo Yunchuan, he loved this child. The longer he carried it, the deeper his feelings became, and he wanted to provide the best for the baby.
Huo Yunchuan lightly tapped his fingertips on the tabletop and said calmly, “So, I’d like to discuss with you. At the very least, we should ensure that the baby is born into a normal marital family. Everything else can be postponed. What do you think?”
He looked at the slightly green-faced little angel with a calm demeanor.
“…” The little angel showed a thoughtful expression, drinking water while fidgeting with the decorative holes on the table.
Facing this special negotiating partner, Huo Yunchuan felt restless inside, no longer as calm as before. He shifted his posture and said, “If you’re worried about parents finding out, we can handle the procedures secretly. Only the Civil Affairs Bureau will know besides you and me.”
An Wuyang furrowed his brow and said, “But the household register is not in my hands. It’s locked in my mom’s drawer, and it’s always locked.”
Huo Yunchuan quietly swallowed and said, “I can open that kind of small lock.”
At this point, he had to learn, even if he didn’t know.
An Wuyu received the acknowledgment from the other person and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re really young.”
Since he was the father of her younger brother’s classmate, he was considered an elder, and she unconsciously used a respectful address.
“Well then, let’s go have a meal together?” An Wuyu quickly suggested, “Speaking of which, you treated me to this meal, and I’m truly grateful.”
“No need to be polite,” Huo Yunchuan said, “Let’s skip the meal; I have some urgent matters to attend to tonight.”
Being a businessman, he naturally had a busy schedule with numerous tasks.
An Wuyu didn’t dare to insist, not even asking for a business card or phone number. “Alright, you go ahead. If there’s a chance next time, we can have a meal together.”
Huo Yunchuan said, “Take good care, Wuyang is a very important person to my family.”
Thinking she understood, An Wuyu showed a knowing smile. “Mr. Huo is joking. He’s my younger brother, so I will certainly take good care of him.”
“That’s good,” Huo Yunchuan said.
“Goodbye, Mr. Huo.” An Wuyang couldn’t wait and waved, not wanting to see them continue their conversation.
“Hmm.” Huo Yunchuan deeply glanced at his little angel and then turned to get into his car.
“Goodbye!” An Wuyu kept watching the luxurious car leave and then withdrew her admiring gaze, sighing, “Ah, rich people are really different.”
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The noble temperament on Mr. Huo was something ordinary people like them could never learn in their entire lives.
“Mom and Dad have been waiting for a long time; let’s go over,” An Wuyang didn’t comment on his sister’s words, just gently reminding.
An Wuyu stared at her brother and said, “Didn’t you tell me last time that he has nothing to do?”
Clearly, he’s a wealthy big boss.
“Signing a few documents, attending a few meetings can be considered having something to do,” An Wuyang said, arms crossed. He wore a comfortable pair of casual shoes, the only new outfit bought by Huo Yunchuan, if you don’t count the underwear.
An Wuyu’s eyes, like torches, caught up with her brother. “He’s the father of the girl who pursued you, right? But didn’t you say he only has a son? Could it be there are two children?”
Her sister’s enthusiasm seemed excessive; it was clear she was very interested in Mr. Huo.
“No, there’s nothing going on. He only has one child,” An Wuyang thought in his heart, patting his own stomach.
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Then they arrived at the hotel lobby and joined their family.
“Dad, Mom, little brother,” An Wuyang said.
“Call her Sister Ye,” An Wuyu introduced, “Jiaojiao, this is my elder brother, called An Wuyang.”
“Hello,” Ye Jiaojiao extended her hand to An Wuyang, looking friendly and with a sunny disposition.
“Sister Ye, hello,” An Wuyang shook hands with her generously.
“Indeed, very handsome,” Ye Jiaojiao looked him up and down, then praised, “No wonder An Wuyu said a girl went all out to pursue her younger brother.”
It’s not surprising if he looks like this.
“Thank you,” An Wuyang smiled faintly, completely unaffected by Mr. Huo’s praise, and for some reason.
On the other side, An Wuyu quickly pulled Ding Wei and said, “Mom, I just saw Wuyang’s classmate’s dad. He drove a sports car to pick up Wuyang, looks incredibly young and handsome.”
Ding Wei exclaimed, “Really? Why didn’t you invite him to join us for a meal?”
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An Wuyu said, “I did, but he said he had urgent matters and left.”
Ding Wei frowned disapprovingly at her second son. “Why didn’t you say he was coming earlier? You let him come over to drop you off and leave. That’s quite impolite.”
An Wuyang lied to his mother, “He just gave me a ride; he didn’t specifically come to drop me off.”
An Wuyu intervened, “Mr. Huo is really busy. He indeed couldn’t join us for dinner tonight. Let’s talk about it next time and have my younger brother make arrangements.”
Ding Wei’s expression eased after this explanation. She said to everyone, “Let’s go upstairs and continue our conversation. Jiaojiao, let’s go.”
An Wuyang walked slowly, and when his father passed by, he tousled his head, jokingly saying, “Tell me, how did you meet such a wealthy classmate?”
He was smiling, with a teasing expression all over his face.
In fact, the longer An Cheng stayed in the capital, the more he realized that the place was full of wealthy people.
Throwing a few thousand yuan casually was just a small gesture. To others, it wasn’t even worth mentioning. Perhaps they were just happy at the moment, and the money meant the same to anyone.
An Wuyang felt embarrassed, pressed his lips, and didn’t speak. He just called out, “Dad.”
“Brother,” his younger brother pulled his sleeve, “Sister has started school. When are you coming home?”
Since his brother left, he had been sleeping alone, feeling quite lonely.
An Wuyang said, “I’m afraid I won’t be coming back. I’ll go directly to the school.”
The conversation continued as they followed the waiter to their private room.
Ding Wei brought up Mr. Huo again and asked her second son, “Wuyang, what does your classmate’s dad do?”
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An Wuyang replied, “He runs a company.”
Ding Wei further inquired, “What kind of business is it?”
An Wuyang shook his head, “I don’t know; I haven’t deliberately looked into it.”
Ding Wei suddenly felt disappointed. If her daughter were in the role of her second son, she wouldn’t be as carefree. At 18, she wouldn’t act like she hadn’t grown up.
“Well, forget it,” she changed the subject back to the school opening, “Your school is also starting soon. You said you’re going directly to school?”
“Yeah,” An Wuyang said, “I’m going directly to school.”
Ding Wei said, “Before you go to school, let me know, and I’ll give you the tuition and living expenses.”
An Wuyang shook his head, “I don’t need living expenses. Just give me the tuition.”
The An family was not surprised; after all, the second son started working part-time in high school, and he might have saved some money on his own.
“Then I won’t give you any. The family’s finances have been tight lately,” Ding Wei paused, feeling a bit guilty, “I’ll definitely buy you the computer I promised. I’ll buy you an Apple laptop. Nowadays, all students use that.”
An Wuyang was surprised; he didn’t expect his mom to buy him an Apple laptop, which cost tens of thousands of yuan. “No need; let’s see how things go later.”
In his mind, if he bought the computer, would his mom become even more demanding of him? Constantly nagging?
If that were the case, the Apple laptop might not be a good idea.
From childhood to adulthood, as long as he got things cheaper at home, he could feel at ease.
If it was a bit more expensive, he would start to feel uneasy. That’s why he worked hard to earn money.
“Alright, let’s talk about it later,” Ding Wei nodded.
She was a strong person and also cared about her face.
Even though she knew her second son had made friends with wealthy people, she wouldn’t interrogate him thoroughly, nor did she have any intention of getting close.
Since the other party kindly invited her family to dinner, she would silently accept it.
After all, the dominant ones were never from the struggling and survival-seeking class.
“Do you really not need Dad to accompany you on the first day of school?” An Cheng, sitting on An Wuyang’s left side, whispered.
An Wuyang shook his head, “If it’s a workday, you can’t take a day off to accompany me, right? That would cost several hundred yuan.”
An Cheng chuckled good-naturedly, “You little money-minded person, only you would consider these things.”
His daughter had never considered it.
Recently, he gave his daughter a large sum of money, but his second son only asked for tuition, not even living expenses.
As a father, An Cheng occasionally felt a bit off, but it was just occasional.
In the grand scheme of things, he felt that cultivating children with potential was not a wrong choice.
Back in the day, the An family also had two siblings, and the parents allocated financial resources to the child with good grades.
After An Cheng entered society, regardless of whether he was rich or not, he brought money home every year.
So, when it came to this matter, he had a deep understanding.
Living until the age of 40, he had long understood that in this world, no matter what, one had to rely on their own efforts to strive for it.
Indulging children was not as good as letting them understand this truth early on; that was the correct way of education.
An Wuyang’s mind was focused on dinner; he wanted to see what Mr. Huo had ordered.
He thought that if he couldn’t eat, he would find an excuse to leave early.
As it turned out, he discovered that there were a few dishes he could still eat.
However, since he had promised Mr. Huo, he would control his appetite even if the food was delicious.
Eat less.
Seeing his younger brother picking and choosing, and finally picking a piece of green vegetable to put in his bowl, An Wuyang felt puzzled, “With such delicious dishes, why are you being so picky?”
It made people wonder if his brother was eating such delicious food at his classmate’s house every day.
No wonder you’re having so much fun and don’t want to go home.
“The meat is a bit greasy; I’ll stick to vegetables,” An Wuyang honestly said.
This made An Wuyu purse his lips, feeling a bit displeased because An Wuyang made them, who were focused on eating, seem hungry.
As a rich second-generation from Beijing, Ye Jiaojiao had tried everything she should eat. However, after taking a bite of the shark’s fin tonight, she showed a pleasantly surprised expression. “Wow, Yuyu, the texture of this bird’s nest is excellent. You can tell it’s a top-quality product with just one bite.”
It shouldn’t be cheap.
Hearing this, everyone in the An family immediately put down their chopsticks and tasted the bird’s nest, including An Wuyang. Adhering to his principle of just taking one bite, he tasted it and then put down his spoon without eating more.
Seeing this, An Wuyu couldn’t be bothered to criticize his little wealthy-like brother.
Really, he didn’t even appreciate shark’s fin; what does he want to eat?
In this way, An Wuyang sat there slowly accompanying his family to finish a dinner.
When it was time to settle the bill, the waiter came over with the bill, smiling as he said to An Wuyang, “Mr. An, please sign here.”
Although the room was booked by Huo Yunchuan, someone had to sign after the meal.
“Sure.” An Wuyang was very calm, took the bill, and signed his name. The handwriting was probably as neat as when he filled out his college entrance examination papers, one stroke at a time.
It took An Wuyu a long time to recall this scene, realizing that it was probably the earliest sign that something was different about his brother.
But when she woke up to this realization, the distance between them had already widened due to various reasons, and they couldn’t get close anymore.
“You can go back now, be careful on the way,” An Wuyang said with a smiling expression. “As for me, Mr. Huo will come to pick me up as soon as he finishes his business.”
“Where do you live?” Ding Wei asked.
An Wuyang answered, “I live on the side of Jiangwan.”
Everyone fell silent, with an unspoken understanding.
Suddenly, An Wuyang’s phone rang, and it was Huo Yunchuan calling him.
In front of his parents, he answered the call, “Hello, Mr. Huo? Yes, we’re done eating. Where are you? At the intersection ahead? Oh, okay, I’ll come over right away.”
An Wuyang hung up and immediately said to his parents, “Mr. Huo is on his way. I’m going to find him now, and you can go back.”
He flashed a small smile and waved.
He took two steps forward but immediately remembered Mr. Huo’s instructions: no running, walk slowly.
It must be said that Huo Yunchuan’s stern face was quite intimidating to An Wuyang.
So, he had to walk slowly, from the hotel entrance all the way to where Mr. Huo’s car was parked.
He couldn’t help but be curious, was Mr. Huo waiting here the whole time?
Huo Yunchuan had long since gotten out of the car and was waiting for An Wuyang. When he saw the slender figure approaching from afar, he immediately tossed the cigarette butt in his hand and walked briskly towards him.
“Mr. Huo?” An Wuyang shouted towards him, a happy smile on his face.
Because he was so happy, he forgot about the agreement not to run and actually started running.
Huo Yunchuan saw the little angel bouncing around, and his heart raced.
“…” His stern expression, 1001-grade, was momentarily confused, then he quickly covered the distance in three strides, scooping the little angel into his arms.
“Ah, sorry,” An Wuyang apologized, realizing he might have startled Mr. Huo with his enthusiasm. “I just saw you and got too excited.”
Suddenly, he found that meeting Mr. Huo was more relaxed than having dinner with his family, and there was no pressure at all.
A sincere compliment without any ulterior motive had the power to pull Huo Yunchuan’s mood from the edge of hell back to heaven, more effective than anything else.
“…Don’t scare me like this next time,” Huo Yunchuan said. “I’m not young anymore.”
An Wuyang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, blossoming like a flower, without a trace of the composure he had at the dinner table.
Huo’s father secretly admired with a subtle look, “Yes, this is his little angel himself.”
“Have you eaten enough for dinner?” Huo Yunchuan gathered his thoughts, carried the little angel to the car.
“Not fully satisfied,” An Wuyang said, “but the dishes tonight were delicious, and everyone was very pleased.”
His sister and her friend praised the food endlessly. Although his parents didn’t say much, they should have enjoyed it too.
Huo Yunchuan nodded, supporting himself against the car roof behind the little angel, enjoying the gentle evening breeze together. “I haven’t had dinner.”
An Wuyang immediately brightened, “I haven’t eaten enough either. Shall we go eat?”
Huo’s father sighed quietly; no matter how ambiguous the scene and atmosphere, the two of them could always chat like old friends.
“Get in the car,” he said, opening the car door for An Wuyang.
As An Wuyang sat in, he pulled out his phone and suggested, “How about we go to Ju Xiang Ge and have the couple’s set meal? They have a promotion lately, the second person is half price.”
Really cost-effective!
“…”
Dad needed a moment to calm down before answering his son’s question.
“I don’t want to go,” Huo Yunchuan thought for a moment, giving a firm refusal.
An Wuyang was puzzled, “Why? Ju Xiang Ge is delicious, and we’ve been there before.”
“No reason.” Huo Yunchuan’s face remained stern.
It was his first time having a couple’s meal; how could he contribute it just for the absurd reason of ‘second person half price’?
After being rejected, An Wuyang was a bit confused; this side of Mr. Huo seemed uncommon. He was usually easygoing and understanding, so if the other party wasn’t in a good mood, he wouldn’t insist.
“Then where do you want to eat?” the little angel asked softly.
“I’ll take you to a new place,” Huo Yunchuan said, then drove towards their destination.
“My sister brought a friend today, very beautiful,” An Wuyang felt the car was too quiet and casually mentioned.
“Does she know baking?” Huo Yunchuan asked indifferently.
“Huh? I don’t know,” An Wuyang was immediately distracted by the word “baking.” “By the way, I made a list of tools. Can you ask Chen Ge to buy them for me?”
Huo Yunchuan asked again, “What tools are on the list?”
An Wuyang pulled out his memo, diving into the ocean of baking, completely forgetting what his sister’s friend looked like.
By the time they reached the restaurant, the atmosphere between them had already returned to its usual pleasant state.
An Wuyang finally finished talking about the baking matters, took a satisfied sip of warm water, and said, “Mr. Huo, why were you in a bad mood just now?”
Huo Yunchuan replied, “There’s a tricky matter.”
An Wuyang blinked in surprise, “Oh, is it something related to work?”
He thought, Mr. Huo, being such a capable person, encountering a tricky matter?
“Not exactly,” Huo Yunchuan looked at him and said, “It’s about the baby. Do you know you need a birth permit to have a baby?”
An Wuyang nodded, “I’ve heard about it.”
“Babies born without a birth permit are called unregistered, unable to be listed on the household register, and cannot obtain an ID card.”
Huo Yunchuan stated the facts straightforwardly, continuing, “Obtaining a birth permit requires a marriage certificate. Otherwise, not only will the baby be unregistered, but also considered illegitimate. I don’t want him to carry the stigma of being illegitimate.”
An Wuyang immediately said, “Of course, I don’t want that either.”
Like Huo Yunchuan, he loved this child. The longer he carried it, the deeper his feelings became, and he wanted to provide the best for the baby.
Huo Yunchuan lightly tapped his fingertips on the tabletop and said calmly, “So, I’d like to discuss with you. At the very least, we should ensure that the baby is born into a normal marital family. Everything else can be postponed. What do you think?”
He looked at the slightly green-faced little angel with a calm demeanor.
“…” The little angel showed a thoughtful expression, drinking water while fidgeting with the decorative holes on the table.
Facing this special negotiating partner, Huo Yunchuan felt restless inside, no longer as calm as before. He shifted his posture and said, “If you’re worried about parents finding out, we can handle the procedures secretly. Only the Civil Affairs Bureau will know besides you and me.”
An Wuyang furrowed his brow and said, “But the household register is not in my hands. It’s locked in my mom’s drawer, and it’s always locked.”
Huo Yunchuan quietly swallowed and said, “I can open that kind of small lock.”
At this point, he had to learn, even if he didn’t know.
