Chapter 36: Chapter 36 I Do Want to Believe.

Chapter 36

"I'd like to believe that too."

"That's scary—my brother asked if I wanted to go to the company with him to 'play' at working."

Dressed in a small straw hat and carrying a small fishing rod on his back, Lu Zhishi held a little bucket in his hand as he walked along the path with Zhao Xiaoxing.

Zhao Xiaoxing was dressed the same way too. "That's scary. Luckily, my brother didn’t ask me, or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight."

Zhao Xiaoyun had also gone to work at the company with Zhao Mingzhu. As family heirs, they had to learn the ropes at the company so they could take over the family business after graduating from university.

"Dad and brother work so hard—I want to catch a few big fish to make soup for them."

Lu Zhishi set down his fishing rod and bucket, walked skillfully over to a clump of bushes, and dug out two small stools from inside.

One for himself and one for Zhao Xiaoxing. After finding a good spot, they sat down, cast their lines, and waited quietly.

After sitting for a while, Zhao Xiaoxing couldn’t stay quiet.

He whipped out two apples from somewhere, handed one to Lu Zhishi, and started crunching into his own.

Lu Zhishi glanced at him.

Hesitating for a moment, he imitated Zhao Xiaoxing, wiped the apple on his shirt, and took a big crunchy bite.

Zhao Xiaoxing’s cheeks were full, having already eaten more than half of his apple. He mumbled: "After the midterm exams next week, the class president asked us to come to her birthday party."

He handed him a tissue to wipe his mouth, and Lu Zhishi held onto his fishing rod.

The sun was beating down, and the light was glaring. Lu Zhishi tugged on his hat and took another bite of the crisp apple.

"I’m not going. I want to stay home and keep Dad company."

Lu Tingan had an old ankle injury. A couple of days ago, after taking a shower, he might have been tired from work and wasn’t watching his step, accidentally slipping and twisting his ankle.

Song Qinian was both furious and worried. He immediately added a non-slip mat to the bathroom floor and even went to fetch the skilled old traditional doctor in the middle of the night to provide acupuncture treatment and relieve the pain.

Lu Zhishi had been keeping his dad company these past few days.

The little one looked worried, shadowing Lu Tingan, serving him tea and water, taking care of everything he needed.

Seeing his worried frown, and since the weather was nice that day, Lu Tingan suggested he go fishing with Xiao Xing, saying he wanted some fish soup.

Lu Zhishi tried really hard. He grabbed his fishing rod and bucket and came straight here, sitting and fishing all morning—only managing to catch two small fish.

Looking at the tiny fish swimming around in the bucket, Lu Zhishi frowned, clearly dissatisfied.

"Should we just buy a few to take back?"

Zhao Xiaoxing, crouching beside him, suggested. He had been too busy eating and playing, constantly fidgeting with his fishing rod, so no fish dared to bite his bait.

Lu Zhishi pursed his lips and called in backup.

"Let’s see if we can catch some first. If not, we’ll go back and get a net to net a few."

The fish sold outside didn’t compare to the ones raised here. The fish here were nutritious, pretty and delicious, specially raised for the elderly in the villa area for fun.

The retired old leaders loved coming here to fish for fun.

Besides, his little dad had specifically said he wanted fish from here.

Whatever his little dad said was absolute truth! Lu Zhishi was determined to catch fish to make soup for his dad!

Uncle Wu, Lu Zhishi’s bodyguard, sat on a small stool, re-baiting the small fishing rod.

Knowing the two young masters were fishing today and aware of their inconsistent fishing skills, he had brought along bait made by his own father. He attached it to the hook, cast the line, and waited quietly.

If they couldn’t manage on their own, they’d just use a little help.

Uncle Wu was quite skilled. His bait was strangely fragrant, and the plump fish rushed to bite the hook, one after another, as Uncle Wu reeled them in.

Uncle Wu asked, "Young master, how many do you want?"

Lu Zhishi thought for a moment, counting on his fingers.

Since they were already here, he might as well catch a few more for his grandparents and uncles. Lu Zhishi said, "Uncle Wu, I want eight."

"Alright." Uncle Wu, a man of few words, diligently caught eight big fish for him.

—No small fish. Even if they bit the hook, they were released. Only big fish were kept.

The small bucket wasn’t enough to hold them, so Uncle Wu silently pulled two large bags from his pocket to pack the fish.

Lu Zhishi took four, Zhao Xiaoxing took three, and the remaining one, Lu Zhishi gave to Uncle Wu.

Uncle Wu quickly refused. His job was to protect and take care of the young master—he couldn’t accept such a gift.

"Take it, Uncle Wu. It’s for Auntie to nourish her health."

A third of the fish in the pond had been bought and released by Song Qinian. He bought them every year, all because Lu’s father loved fishing here and always caught several at a time.

Even if Lu Zhishi gave them away, no one would say anything.

Besides, the grandparents in the villa area were not stingy people.

Uncle Wu had protected him since he was little, so their bond was naturally deeper than with other bodyguards. Uncle Wu’s wife had just given birth to a baby last month, and this fish would be perfect for nourishing her health.

Lu Zhishi shoved it into his hands, not giving him a chance to refuse, and ran off excitedly with Zhao Xiaoxing toward home.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

Lu Zhishi returned alone. Zhao Xiaoxing had gone back to his grandparents’ place to deliver the fish.

"You’re finally back. If you’d been any later, Grandma would’ve gone looking for you."

Grandma Song smiled gently, taking the bag and bucket from him and subtly glancing at the fish inside.

There were four, which meant the child hadn’t delivered the fish to the Lu family yet. He’d probably go there later.

"Rest first and have some water." Grandma Song took his hand and led him to the living room, wiping his sweat with a tissue.

"Your grandpa went to pick flowers. He’ll be back soon, and we’ll have lunch together."

Lu Zhishi gulped down a large glass of water before stopping. "Grandma, I’m going to deliver the fish to Grandma Lu soon. After that, I’ll head home."

Hearing that Grandpa Song had gone to pick flowers, Lu Zhishi felt inspired. He also wanted to pick some flowers to take back for his dad.

The little one, full of energy, finished his water, scooped up the fish, and hurried off to the Lu family with the bag. Grandma Song chased him to the door, only to see the back of him as he dashed into the Lu family’s house.

Grandma Song: "..."

This child, when he was little, had short legs and would waddle when he walked, like a little penguin, moving slowly. When Grandma Song watched him go, she watched him take forever just to get to the Lu family's house.

Now that he's grown up, he takes big strides when walking, and as soon as he steps out, he disappears in a flash.

She thought so, and so did Grandma Lu.

Her little grandson had just put down the fish and ran off without even drinking water, carrying his bag and saying he was going home.

Grandma Lu chased after him and only saw his back: "..."

She sighed, turned around, and saw Grandma Song also standing at the door watching.

They looked at each other, both quite helpless.

When they reached the corner, Zhao Xiaoxing also came huffing and puffing out.

On the way, Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Grandpa and grandma wanted me to stay for a meal, but I didn’t agree."

"Me too," Lu Zhishi nodded. He asked, "I’m going to the garden to pick some flowers. Do you want to come?"

"Yes!"

Whether he picked flowers or not didn’t matter; he just wanted to be with Lu Zhishi.

On the way to the garden, Lu Zhishi and the others ran into Grandpa Song.

Grandpa Song hadn’t expected them to leave so soon. "Good boy, why not stay for lunch?"

"Grandpa, next time. I need to go home," Lu Zhishi said excitedly, showing him the fish he caught. "Grandma is at home, and she’ll probably make fish soup for lunch."

After chatting for a bit, Lu Zhishi left again. It was getting late, and he still had to pick flowers.

Grandpa Song sighed helplessly, watching them walk away, then headed home with a bouquet of flowers.

He said to his wife, "The little one was in such a hurry, he dashed off in a flash. I wanted to call him back for lunch."

Grandma Song was trimming flower branches in the living room and replied, "He’s grown up and runs fast now."

"He had a cup of tea and then left. He didn’t stay long at the Lu family’s house—just delivered the fish and ran off again with his bag."

Grandma Song couldn’t help but laugh at this: "At least the little one had a cup of tea at our place. At the Lu family’s, he ran off before Wan Niang could even pour him tea."

Lu's mother’s full name is Qin Zhaowan, and her nickname is Wan Niang.

Grandpa Song laughed too.

"We’ll go see them when we have time," Grandma Song said.

The old couple had visited the children before, but Song Qinian and Lu Tingan were always busy with work. Lu Zhiyu was either in class or at work, and Lu Zhishi was also in class. Often, when they visited on weekdays, no one was home.

On weekends, they didn’t need to go, as the family of four would either come to the Lu family’s for a meal or to the Song family’s.

It was an unspoken rule, and they didn’t want to break it, as it would be hard to explain to the Lu family.

Lu Zhishi walked quickly, and carrying the fish didn’t slow him down, though the fish kept thrashing and hitting his back.

When he reached the garden, Lu Zhishi put the bag down and stooped to pick flowers.

He picked a little of everything, planning to let his little dad trim and arrange them before putting them in a vase.

"Chubby Xing, do you want some?"

After bundling his own flowers, Lu Zhishi asked Zhao Xiaoxing.

Zhao Xiaoxing shook his head: "No, my mom said she doesn’t like flowers."

Lu Zhishi raised an eyebrow, skeptical of this statement.

How could anyone not like flowers? Especially Aunt Zhao, who was so pretty—she should like flowers.

Besides, the last time he went to the Zhao family for a meal, he saw Uncle Lin bring back a bouquet of tulips, and Aunt Zhao was thrilled.

"Last time, Mom had a one-sided argument with Dad and said she didn’t like flowers at all, telling Dad to take his flowers and sleep in the guest room."

Zhao Xiaoxing rubbed his chin, his expression serious and certain.

Lu Zhishi: "..." Wasn’t that just something said in the heat of a lovers' quarrel?

"Pick some anyway. Maybe if Aunt Zhao's in a good mood, she’ll buy you some snacks."

Zhao Xiaoxing loved snacks. He’d eat so many he wouldn’t have room for proper meals, and he’d failed several physicals because of it, earning him a scolding from the doctor.

When Zhao Mingzhu found out, she started restricting his snacks. Only when he went to Lu Zhishi’s house could he sneak a little.

Zhao Xiaoxing’s eyes lit up. "Good idea! I’ll listen to you!"

Sure enough, listening to Six Cheese was always right. After Zhao Xiaoxing brought the flowers home, Zhao Mingzhu was so happy she not only let him have a few snacks but also gave him a little soda.

"This is the life!" Zhao Xiaoxing curled up on the sofa, chips in one hand and cola in the other, humming a tune, completely relaxed.

Zhao Xiaoyun, who had worked hard at the company and come home for lunch: "..."

Patting the comfortable little stinker, Zhao Xiaoyun said with a forced smile, "Hurry up and grow up. Big brother is waiting for you."

Zhao Xiaoxing looked confused. Waiting for what?

Meanwhile, at the Lu family’s house.

Lu Zhishi carried the fish and the flowers, calling out before he even entered the door:

"Dad, look what I brought back for you!"

Hearing his voice before seeing him, Lu Tingan looked toward the door and said helplessly, "Fat Cheese, slow down. Don’t fall."

The little one rushed in like a cannonball, first placing the flowers on the coffee table, then putting the fish down.

"Dad, it’s such a big fish! Half can be used for soup, and the other half can be steamed."

Seeing his messy clothes, Lu Tingan pulled him closer by the arm and dusted him off.

"Okay, thank you, Fat Cheese." Lu Tingan reached out and touched his face. "Go take a bath and change clothes first. Come down for lunch after you’re done."

Lu Zhishi knew he was dirty, so he took the fish to the kitchen and put it in the sink.

The fish still needed to be prepared by Song Qinian. Lu Zhishi didn’t know how, and Lu Tingan’s foot was acting up.

Besides, Lu Tingan was a clean freak, and Song Qinian absolutely wouldn’t let him lift a finger—he basically didn’t even allow him into the kitchen.

After releasing the fish, Lu Zhishi didn’t rush upstairs.

He picked out some fruits, washed and cut them, arranged them on a plate, and brought them over to Lu Tingan. Then he poured a cup of warm milk, placed a pillow behind Lu Tingan’s back for support, and finally switched the TV to the movie channel.

Normally, these tasks were done by Song Qinian. Since he wasn’t back yet, Lu Zhishi copied him and made sure to take care of his beloved Dad before heading upstairs.

Before leaving, he also sneaked off with the script next to Lu Tingan.

—If you're recuperating, then recuperate, why read scripts? After reading, you’ll want to go back to filming, and your foot isn’t fully healed yet.

So no reading scripts.

Lu Tingan laughed in amusement. This little rascal was just like his dad.

Perhaps because he had been carrying fish, he was a bit smelly, so Lu Zhishi took a long time washing up and kept sniffing at himself afterward.

By the time he came downstairs, Song Qinian and Lu Zhiyu had already returned.

Song Qinian was busy cooking in the kitchen, while Lu Zhiyu was sprawled on the sofa, looking half-dead, mechanically chewing on a piece of apple.

Lu Zhishi went over and massaged his shoulders and legs, saying sweetly, "You’ve had a long day, brother."

Lu Zhiyu still seemed listless: "Fat Cheese, brother will be waiting for you..."

Waiting for me to do what? Lu Zhishi widened his eyes.

He was only in high school and had just started learning about the company, but he hadn’t even graduated from elementary school yet.

"Brother, hang in there a little longer. It’ll get better once you’re in university," Lu Zhishi whispered secretly into his ear.

Lu Zhiyu glanced at him and whispered back, "Even in university, you’ll have to process documents—approve and send them back online."

Lu Zhishi was stunned. The university was so far from the company, and he’d still have to work?

The little one was stunned. Lu Zhiyu added, "And our family has many subsidiaries and branch companies in other cities..."

If there happened to be a subsidiary or branch in the city where they attended university, they’d have to go to the office and work there too.

Lu Zhishi, coming back to his senses, patted his brother’s shoulder solemnly: "Brother, hang in there, I've got faith in you."

Lu Zhiyu: "..."

He also slung an arm around his stinky little brother’s shoulder. "Fat Cheese, I’m waiting for you..."

Before he could finish, Lu Zhishi quickly covered his mouth: "Alright, brother, that’s enough. Stop talking."

Lu Zhiyu: "?" Damn Stinky Cheese!

The two brothers were roughhousing, but Lu Tingan pretended not to hear or see, leaning back on the sofa to watch the movie.

Song Qinian, who was cooking in the kitchen, popped his head out: "Fat Cheese, isn’t the other fish for your Uncle Chi?"

"It’s for Uncle Chi. Dad, don’t use it all up." If he hadn’t mentioned it, Lu Zhishi would have forgotten—both fish were still in the sink.

"Alright, I’ll save it. We’ll take it over after they get off work."

Chi Yuehang usually didn’t come back at noon, and Chi Chen, who went to the company with him, hadn’t returned either. Bai Yansheng was also busy, so no one was home at the Chi household.

Half of the big fish was made into fish soup, the other half steamed. After lunch, Song Qinian just bent and picked up Lu Tingan upstairs.

"The kids are watching... I can walk on my own," Lu Tingan instinctively glanced to the side, meeting two pairs of beautiful peach-blossom eyes.

Song Qinian didn’t care: "Going upstairs is exhausting. If you hobble around a few more times, your foot will start hurting again."

The couple was being all lovey-dovey as usual, and Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhishi were used to it. They followed upstairs behind them—they needed their afternoon nap too.

After their nap, Song Qinian and Lu Zhiyu had to go back to work. The post-nap grumpiness was worse than a ghost's.

Lu Zhishi slept deeply until the afternoon. Groggily, the first thing he did after waking up was see how his little father was doing.

Song Qinian had specifically texted him, telling him to keep an eye on his little dad and make sure he didn’t move around too much. He also told Lu Tingan to boss Stinky Cheese around if he needed anything and not to do things himself.

The curtains were half-drawn, leaving the room half-dark and half-bright. Lu Tingan was still asleep, a big bundle under the duvet.

Lu Zhishi tiptoed over, felt his forehead to check his temperature—no fever.

Seeing his brows slightly furrowed, he carefully took out the medicinal liquor, applied it to his ankle, and reapplied the medicated patch over the sore spot, just like how Song Qinian did it.

Through all that, Lu Tingan didn’t wake up. His temperature was normal—he probably was just tired from work recently.

After closing the door and going downstairs, Lu Zhishi checked the time. It was still early, only 4 o’clock. He decided to aerate the soil, fertilize, and water his little vegetable garden first.

Over the years, the vegetable garden had gotten a bit bigger. Lu Zhishi had taken over half of the nearby small garden to grow cucumbers and tomatoes, and almost got a scolding for it.

He had taken over part of Lu Tingan’s garden—the one Song Qinian used to grow flowers for him. But this little rascal had taken half of it to grow vegetables.

When Song Qinian was about to lecture him, Lu Zhishi was quite defiant, raising his head and arguing with his dad fiercely.

"Stinky Dad, the flowers you plant never bloomed. You might as well grow more vegetables for my little dad to eat.

Crisp, fresh veggies—my little dad can pick one, wash it, and munch on it right away. Can flowers do that?"

Saying they "never bloomed" was being polite. In reality, the flowers Song Qinian planted always wilted halfway through. No one knew why.

"But you can’t just take over the entire garden, can you?"

Song Qinian was both angry and amused. "That’s a piece of land we started when your little dad and I got married. It’s one of our tokens of love, specifically for growing flowers."

Oh...

Lu Zhishi scratched his head guiltily. He hadn’t known that—he only knew Song Qinian loved that garden, but not the reason behind it.

The plot of land was often bare, with flowers occasionally sprouting, but sometimes it was just empty.

When Lu Tingan returned that day, he overheard them arguing and listened quietly to the whole story, finally understanding what had happened.

Later, he had Song Qinian set up a floral conservatory on the third floor of the villa, equipped with a temperature controller. If skill wasn’t enough, tech could compensate. The flower room had flowers year-round.

It didn’t take up space in the yard, didn't ruin the original design of the garden, and looked beautiful on the third floor.

Song Qinian finally had to admit that his flower-growing skills might be the problem.

After tidying up his little vegetable garden, Lu Zhishi went into the floral conservatory to check on things. On his way out, he picked a bunch of jasmine flowers, sneaked into the master bedroom to see his little dad, and placed the bouquet in the vase on the table.

The busy Lu Zhishi finally took a break, slouched on the couch and glancing at the wall clock. It was almost time to get off work.

After vegging out for two minutes, he got up again, went to the kitchen, washed the vegetables, cut them, and arranged them on plates, waiting for Song Qinian to come back and cook.

After all, his own cooking was just average—they still relied on Chef Song.

"Stinky Cheese, is your Dad upstairs?"

Speak of the devil, the sound of a car came from the door. Song Qinian walked in holding a bouquet of tulips and immediately asked about Lu Tingan.

Lu Zhishi nodded: "In the room, still sleeping. Dad took a really long nap today."

Song Qinian frowned. "I'll go check on him."

Watching him head upstairs, Lu Zhishi went to find his stinky older brother and took his briefcase from him.

"Brother, you're back a bit late today."

"The meeting ran late, and there was traffic on the road, so it took a while."

Lu Zhiyu rubbed his face, took off his suit jacket, handed his wristwatch to Lu Zhishi, rolled up his sleeves, and headed to the kitchen.

Just as he was about to wash his hands and start prepping and cooking, he saw that everything was already done. Lu Zhiyu laughed: "Today, we have a hardworking Cheese."

Hardworking Cheese puffed out his chest proudly and giggled: "Of course! Certified by Dad Tingan!"

"Alright, hardworking Cheese, let me show you my cooking skills." Lu Zhiyu put on an apron, ready to cook.

Lu Zhiyu giggled.

Lu Zhishi did not giggle.

His smile vanished as he hurried over and wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist, stopping him from cooking.

"No, no, I don’t want you to cook!"

"Why not? My cooking is great—even Dad says it’s delicious."

"That’s just Dad being polite, stinky brother!"

Upstairs, Song Qinian was helping Lu Tingan down when they heard the two arguing from the staircase.

"What are they arguing about now?" Song Qinian deliberately lightened his steps and pricked up his ears to listen.

Song the gossip.

Lu Tingan glanced at him, listened quietly for a moment, and said: "Fat Fish wants to cook, Stinky Cheese won’t let him."

Song Qinian heard it too, but he didn’t say it himself—he let Lu Tingan say it. He just loved hearing him talk; it sounded nice.

He lowered his head to kiss his lover’s lips, then his cheek. Song Qinian wanted to sneak in a couple more kisses but was gently swatted away.

Lu Tingan half-narrowed his beautiful, slender phoenix eyes and watched him quietly. Seeing Song Qinian about to lean in again, he raised his right hand.

Song Qinian’s peach blossom eyes could look deeply affectionate even at a dog, but now they were half-lowered, looking rather wronged. He carried Lu Tingan downstairs and set him down on the sofa.

Just before letting go and standing up, he suddenly pecked Lu Tingan’s lips and darted away before Lu Tingan could react.

"......"

Lu Tingan put his hand down, straightened his clothes, and murmured softly: "So childish..."

The two brothers were still bickering—one wanted to cook, the other wouldn’t allow it. Song Qinian stepped in to separate them.

"I’ll cook. Fat Fish can be my assistant, alright?"

Lu Zhishi raised both hands and feet in agreement: "I approve!"

Lu Zhiyu sulked alone. "None of you trust my cooking."

"I’d like to trust you." Song Qinian laughed, and Lu Zhishi giggled along.

Lu Zhiyu: "......"

Lu Zhiyu could handle simple dishes, but anything more complicated was beyond him. Before, when they had hotpot, he only prepped the ingredients—he didn’t actually cook.

Even Chi Chen’s cooking was slightly better than his.

Lu Zhiyu put the fish in a small bucket and handed it to the giggling Stinky Cheese to take to Uncle Chi: "Stinky Cheese, hurry up and go."

"Stinky brother." Lu Zhishi grabbed the bucket and ran off, not giving him a chance to scold him.

When he arrived at the Chi family’s house, the door was open. Lu Zhishi pushed it and went inside.

"Uncle Chi! Brother Xiao Chen!"

Chi Yuehang had also just returned. The father and son were sitting on the sofa resting and having a drink of water.

"Stinky Cheese is here." Chi Yuehang stood up and invited him to sit, surprised to see the bucket of fish in his hand: "So big?"

"Yep! I asked Uncle Wu to catch them at noon. You work hard—time to nourish yourself."

Lu Zhishi handed over the bucket. Chi Yuehang took it and passed it to Chi Chen, then asked Lu Zhishi: "Is your family making dinner?"

"Yup, Dad is cooking, and brother is assisting."

"Let your Brother Xiao Chen come over to your place for a meal. Uncle will go buy dinner and bring it to Bai Yansheng." Chi Yuehang said without hesitation, then grabbed his keys and prepared to head out.

Bai Yansheng had a full schedule of surgeries today and probably hadn’t had time to eat yet. Chi Yuehang was in a hurry to bring him food.

"Chen Bao, Fat Chen, go eat at Uncle Song’s place today. Dad will cook tomorrow."

"When you go, remember to bring the ointment your dad brought back and give it to Lu Tingan."

Chi Yuehang was in a rush to leave. He changed his shoes, hurried out, and drove off, not paying attention to what he’d just said.

Chen Bao? Fat Chen?

Lu Zhishi sneakily glanced at Brother Xiao Chen over there.

Sure enough, his Brother Xiao Chen—dressed in a sharp suit with cool, stern features—was blushing, though it was unclear whether from anger or embarrassment.

No wonder he’d never heard Uncle Chi use any other nicknames for Brother Xiao Chen before. Both he and Lu Zhiyu had nicknames, but Chi Chen didn’t—he’d thought Chi Chen’s nickname was just "Xiao Chen."

So it’s Chen Bao, huh? And Fat Chen—how cute.