Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Silence dominated the journey.

It was only upon reaching the hotel that Fan Zhongchuan finally spoke, breaking the long silence, “We’re here.”

Is it a trait of the rich to be so sparing with words?

Ning Yuyi grumbled internally.

“Oh, alright,” Opening the car door, Ning Yuyi stepped out. After a few paces, she turned back, murmuring, “Thank you.”

Watching the young man who seemed to change his usual demeanor walk away only to return and offer thanks, Fan Zhongchuan chuckled. Approaching Ning Yuyi, he did something his heart had been urging him to.

Fan Zhongchuan gently tousled Ning Yuyi’s hair, which felt as soft as the long-haired cat his mother kept at home.

Obedient, occasionally a tad mischievous.

“Sleep early tonight and drink more milk,” Fan Zhongchuan echoed Xie Yiezhou's advice, causing a pause in Ning Yuyi's expression.

Ning Yuyi: ???

Milk again, always with the milk!!!

Back in his hotel room after freshening up, Ning Yuyi lay on his bed for a while. Eventually, he knocked on the adjoining door, earnestly asking Zhou Erhe, “Am I really that short?”

Zhou Erhe, fresh from a video conference, was taken aback by Ning Yuyi’s unexpected question. He gave Ning Yuyi a puzzled look, “You’re fine. We’re the same height, aren’t we?”

Oh, right, they were of the same height.

Ning Yuyi nodded, took a careful look at Zhou Erhe, and came to the saddening realization that he found Zhou Erhe a bit on the shorter side.

“What's with that look?” catching the change in Ning Yuyi’s expression, Zhou Erhe quickly guessed his thoughts, “170cm is the average height for men in our country. We're both 179cm, already 9 centimeters above the national average!”

“If I sleep early and drink milk every day, could I gain that last centimeter?” Ning Yuyi pondered for a moment, asking very seriously.

"..." Zhou Erhe remarked, "I've heard that women might grow a centimeter after giving birth. Perhaps you should try it."

"...Bugger off."

"You should get some sleep. Sleeping early might not make you taller, but it'll keep you healthy," Zhou Erhe said, tugging lightly on Ning Yuyi's slender arm, "You could stand to gain some weight. You're quite skinny now."

"If I put on any more, you'll just tell me to lose it," Ning Yuyi retorted. He knew these agents all too well - calling you skinny one moment and yelling about dieting the next.

Tsk, the minds of agents are as inscrutable as needles in the seabed.

"Sheesh, Ning Yuyi, getting a bit cheeky, aren't we?" Zhou Erhe said, hands on his hips, clearly wanting to toss this impudent lad out the door.

"I wouldn't dare! Well, Brother Zhou, I'm off," Ning Yuyi lamented as he retreated to his room, only to start googling whether one could still grow taller at 22.

After browsing for a while, Ning Yuyi transitioned to a forum app and earnestly posted a question.

Title: Can a 22-year-old male still grow taller?

Detailed Question: I mean 22 years old, currently 179cm, hoping to grow another centimeter.

Shortly after, the first response came in, albeit an unusual one.

Anonymous Answer 1: hahahaha... I laughed so hard my whole building shook. Are you sure you're 22, not 12? LOL!

Anonymous Answer 2: 22 years old... Pardon my words, but there's not much difference between 179cm and 180cm. Just accept it.

Anonymous Answer 3: 22 and still hoping to grow? You might want to consider surgery. Natural growth is nearly impossible now.

After skimming through a few responses, most of which seemed to mock him, Ning Yuyi sorrowfully exited the app. Alone in his room, he fell into such a despondency... that he grew hungry.

Unable to sleep due to hunger, Ning Yuyi decided to order some late-night snacks. It wasn't long before the delivery person dropped off the food at the hotel. Knowing the clientele were primarily celebrities, the delivery person simply left the food outside the door with a knock as a heads-up.

Upon hearing the doorbell, Ning Yuyi went to collect his order. As he was about to close his door, Zhou Erhe hurriedly emerged from the adjacent room, confronting Ning Yuyi. The unexpected sight of his young artist sneaking in fried snacks left Zhou Erhe startled, his face a mixture of concern and astonishment.

After what felt like an eternity, Ning Yuyi finally heard the familiar roar.

"Ning Yuyi, how could you eat such greasy food in the middle of the night?!"

Ning Yuyi responded with an innocent look, "Didn't you say I was skinny and should eat more?"

"I said eat more during regular meals, not late-night snacks!"

"I've already ordered it, fried chicken. Care to join?"

Zhou Erhe paused for a moment, enticed by the delicious aroma. Eventually, he relented, "Fine... let’s eat."

Ten minutes later, Ning Yuyi and Zhou Erhe were comfortably settled on the sofa, sipping sodas and indulging in fried chicken and drumsticks.

"I just got a message from Yao Yao. She mentioned you encountered some relentless paparazzi tonight. Is that true?"

"Yes," Ning Yuyi replied, tearing into a drumstick. "It wasn't a big deal. Later, I ran into Xie's elder brother and Mr. Fan. Mr. Fan helped me leave the scene. Xie directly confronted the paparazzi by returning to the parking lot right under their noses."

Bringing along his own brother for added impact.

"Let me check if there's any buzz among the entertainment reporters," Zhou Erhe said, opening up Weibo. "Wow, they’re the top trend. The influence of the nation's idol and nation's sweetheart is undeniable."

"Top trend?" Ning Yuyi leaned over to look. Unable to see clearly, he took off one of his disposable gloves and checked Weibo himself.

The hot topic was unmistakably #XieYiezhouXieYinan.

[OMG, how did both my crushes end up trending together?]

[Their visuals! The Xie family is blessed. But credit also goes to Mr. and Mrs. Xie's superior genes to produce such amazing sons.]

[The previous comments are so drunk on love! Step aside; let me sober them up!]

[Those with diabetes, beware! They shouldn't be allowed such sweetness. As for me, I'll bravely go ahead.]

[Every time I see Xie Yinan and Xie Yiezhou together, I'm reminded of their family's deceased young heir.]

[I thought he didn't die young but was kidnapped by rivals. The police later reported he had been killed, but his remains were never found.]

[It's tragic. Had the young heir grown up, he'd surely have been extraordinary.]

[The Xie family is still grieving, I believe. I recall seeing photos of Mrs. Xie tearing up upon seeing children.]

[Yes, not just Mrs. Xie. Yiezhou, even with his busy schedule, always commemorates his young brother's birthday.]

[Because they never found the remains, the Xie family hasn't erected a tombstone, holding on to the hope he might still be alive.]

[Let's not go off-topic and bring up such sad stories. Just admire their looks!]

[Admiring looks +1. Yiezhou remains so cool, though I personally prefer Yinan's gentler type.]

……

"Look at these comments; it's a frenzy," Zhou Erhe scrolled through, adding, "But, both brothers are truly outstanding. If I were a woman, I'd be smitten too."

Ning Yuyi: "Huh?"

"If I were truly a woman, I'd probably prefer someone like Mr. Fan," Zhou Erhe continued, "He seems like the ideal man. Yinan, on the other hand, strikes me as a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"Wolf in sheep's clothing, really?" Ning Yuyi pondered about the Yinan he met earlier that night. "He seemed very kind and gentle to me."

"Gentle? Building his own empire in the entertainment industry without any family support hardly sounds like the work of a gentle person," Zhou Erhe, being an agent at Fenghua Entertainment, knew many details about Yinan's achievements.

"The same goes for Fan Zhongchuan. At such a young age, he's leading the Fan Corporation. He must be even more formidable," Ning Yuyi replied, discarding the bone and grabbing another wing. "Besides, Yinan is your boss. Should you be talking about him like this?"

"It's not like he'll ever know," Zhou Erhe glanced down, noticing that both drumsticks from the roasted chicken were gone. "Ning Yuyi, where's the other drumstick?"

"In my stomach," Ning Yuyi patted his belly with his clean hand, "Delicious."

"Damn, that other wing was mine! Hey, don't snatch it!"

Half a minute later, Zhou Erhe contentedly nibbled on the large chicken wing, while Ning Yuyi, failing to snatch it away, begrudgingly settled for a fried chicken leg.

After their satisfying meal, both of them sprawled on the sofa, with neither wanting to clean up.

However, Zhou Erhe had to leave abruptly due to an urgent call from home, leaving Ning Yuyi to tidy up the coffee table alone.

After disposing of the garbage, Ning Yuyi yawned deeply, her eyelids heavy, ready to doze off at any moment.

Meanwhile, at the Xie family mansion.

Xie Yezhou decided to join Xie Yinan on a trip home. Coincidentally, the Xie parents, rarely home due to travel, were present, and the family enjoyed dinner followed by dessert together.

Given Mr. Xie's philosophy that "the wife is true love, children are accidents," the table was adorned with an assortment of desserts Mrs. Xie cherished.

Xie Yinan wasn't fond of sweets, having only a few bites at the beginning and leaving the rest untouched.

Xie Yezhou, who was in the middle of filming a movie and needed to maintain his figure, didn't dare take even a bite and settled for sipping tea.

Mr. Xie, glancing at the time, handed his wife a cup of water, saying, "Here, have some water."

"Mm," Lin Yiyue accepted the cup and took a sip to cleanse her palate, asking, "Aren't you eating, Zhou?"

"I'm filming, so I can't indulge." In reality, even without filming, Xie Yezhou lacked the appetite for overly sweet things.

"Such a pity." Lin Yiyue wiped her mouth with a napkin, her expression nonchalant as she mischievously remarked.

Xie Yezhou: "..."

Well, she's his mother, so he must be patient.

Mr. Xie, nodding in agreement with his wife, suggested after she finished her dessert, "Perhaps you'd like to rest upstairs for a bit?"

"There's no rush. It's rare for us to be together like this," Lin Yiyue's gaze softened, her thoughts drifting to their youngest son.

"Mom, I saw Yezhou with a young friend at a restaurant today," Xie Yinan observed Lin Yiyue's emotions and promptly redirected her attention.

"Oh? A young friend?" Lin Yiyue's interest was piqued. "How old?"

"He looked about eighteen," Xie Yinan speculated.

"I'm already twenty-two," Xie Yezhou shot a glance at his brother, his brow furrowing.

"See? You know the details so well, there must be something going on," Xie Yinan teased, setting a trap for his brother and gleefully watching as he squirmed.

"I just see him as a younger brother," the moment Xie Yezhou uttered those words, he sensed trouble.

As expected, Lin Yiyue, who was momentarily distracted, was plunged back into sadness.

"If, if Xiaomumu had grown up, he'd be twenty-two as well."

……

Author's Note: Since Lady Lin's surname is [Lin], which can mean 'wood', her little one's nickname is Xiaomumu~