Chapter 61: Chinese Restaurant

Chapter 61: The Chinese Restaurant

“I learned how to set candles today, and my arms are aching from all the practice.” Yun Fan flexed his wrists for the camera. “I really admire Uncle Cheng—being a butler for a wealthy family is no easy feat.”

Wen Haochen chuckled gleefully on screen: “See? School is tough, isn’t it? Now you understand.”

Yun Fan rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that it was hardly the same. Young Master Wen, however, didn’t seem to notice Yun Fan’s exasperation; he even found the eye-rolling utterly charming.

“Has Mr. Zhaofu been busy lately?” Yun Fan tapped his desk idly, feigning casualness. “We haven’t been in touch much.”

“I heard he has,” Wen Zhaofu pouted. “Dad says my older brother has been working overtime a lot, leaving early and coming home late.”

“Aww…” Yun Fan pouted, a mix of delight and concern stirring within him. Wen Zhaofu was clearly rushing his work just to see him sooner.

After just over a week apart, Yun Fan realized he had learned what it meant to miss someone. He could no longer evade the truth—he had to admit, he truly missed Wen Zhaofu.

It was the frustration of gazing at the moon at night, realizing he and Wen Zhaofu weren’t in the same time zone, unable to share the moment. It was the pent-up sigh of eating bland, dry meals with no one to complain to. Or the quiet disappointment of sleeping alone, without hearing that familiar “goodnight” before bed.

In short, Yun Fan had experienced a whirlwind of emotions, making the short training feel endlessly long.

Coupled with the barely edible food, Yun Fan was rapidly losing weight, startling his classmates.

The butler training class drew students from all five continents and four oceans. Yun Fan had to spread out a map just to locate all his classmates’ home countries.

Some truly harbored dreams of becoming butlers, hoping this training would lead to a perfect position. Yun Fan offered no judgment, acknowledging that everyone’s circumstances differed, and they had the right to choose their careers. He merely wondered if the training, which seemed to produce countless individuals in the mold of old-school butlers, was truly suitable for modern families. This, he felt, remained to be explored.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yu and Liu Erxing remained unperturbed. They hadn’t pursued Yun Fan abroad because they knew Wen Zhaofu was currently entangled in business troubles, his hands tied.

Yun Fan was in class, and they dared not disturb him. Otherwise, given the little butler’s temperament, he might have given them a stern talking-to.

According to Liu Erxing’s intelligence, even after Yun Fan completed his training, Wen Zhaofu might still be bogged down with work.

Cheng Yu was even less concerned, as Wen Zhaofu’s birthday was approaching. Following tradition, Wen Qichang would undoubtedly throw a grand celebration, making it impossible for Wen Zhaofu to simply walk away.

However, Wen Zhaofu, who considered them rivals, had naturally anticipated their thoughts and employed a clever ruse, deliberately creating the illusion of being overwhelmingly busy.

Of course, to clear his schedule for vacation, Wen Zhaofu was indeed busy, but not to the point of being flustered.

When Wen Zhaofu boarded the flight to see Yun Fan, Cheng Yu, Liu Erxing, and Wen Haochen were utterly dumbfounded.

“Xiao Er, weren’t you keeping an eye on him every day? Didn’t you say he was practically sleeping at the office?” Liu Erxing fumed, interrogating Wen Haochen.

Wen Haochen was bewildered: “I checked Big Brother’s work reports every day. His schedule was completely full for the past month.”

…

After a long silence, Cheng Yu said coldly, “He played us.”

*

Yun Fan successfully received his graduation certificate and even earned the Outstanding Student award, but he couldn't care less. All he wanted was to eat Uncle Man’s cooking again.

He returned to his residence, inserted the key into the lock, and immediately sensed something was amiss. He had double-locked the door when he left.

A thief! Yun Fan’s senses sharpened.

Tiptoeing inside, he prepared to catch the intruder red-handed. As he rounded the corner, he raised his small backpack, ready to strike.

Just as Yun Fan was about to swing, Wen Zhaofu’s voice rang out first: “Xiao Yun, it’s me.”

Huh??? Wen Zhaofu was here???

Yun Fan rubbed his eyes vigorously, staring at Wen Zhaofu as he approached. Was he dreaming? Hadn’t everyone said Wen Zhaofu was too busy to be seen?

What, had his Mr. Wen mastered the art of cloning?

“Xiao Yun…” Wen Zhaofu paused, watching Yun Fan’s dazed expression.

Yun Fan sniffled, dropped his backpack, and looked at Wen Zhaofu with a pitiful expression. “Mr. Wen, what took you so long?”

Instantly, Wen Zhaofu’s breath hitched, his heart trembled, and he stiffened as he stared at Yun Fan. Then, unexpectedly, Yun Fan hurried over, practically throwing himself into Wen Zhaofu’s arms.

Fortunately, Wen Zhaofu reacted quickly, dropping his cane and spreading his arms to catch Yun Fan firmly. They held each other tightly on that gloomy evening.

“Mr. Wen, why did it take you so long?” Yun Fan’s voice was muffled. “I’m almost starving to death.”

Hearing this whiny complaint, Wen Zhaofu chuckled softly before rubbing Yun Fan’s back and nuzzling his head.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Yun, I’m sorry I’m late,” Wen Zhaofu said, tightening his embrace and pulling Yun Fan closer.

“You’d better be,” Yun Fan didn’t argue this time. He sniffled again, burying his face in Wen Zhaofu’s neck.

Wen Zhaofu cupped Yun Fan’s face, wiping his cheeks with his thumb as he studied him carefully. Wen Zhaofu thought, *He’s really lost weight. I need to take him for a good meal first.*

Just as Yun Fan thought Wen Zhaofu was about to kiss him, Wen Zhaofu wrapped him in another hug.

“My Xiao Yun…” Wen Zhaofu murmured.

With Wen Zhaofu’s arrival, Yun Fan’s spirits lifted instantly, as if all his previous worries had vanished. Just seeing Wen Zhaofu was enough.

Yun Fan was staying at one of Wen Zhaofu’s properties, which was usually empty. Wen Zhaofu himself rarely stayed there, preferring hotels during business trips, so he wasn’t very familiar with the place either.

Now, Yun Fan was the one playing host, acting like the master of the house.

With no one else around, both of them felt a sense of security.

“The house around the corner is under major construction,” Yun Fan clicked his tongue. “They said they couldn’t build upward, so they dug downward. But they dug so much that the ground sank, and the neighbors are furious—they’re suing.”

Wen Zhaofu laughed. “I heard about that. They were planning to build a swimming pool to practice water polo.”

“What, are they training for the Olympics?” Yun Fan made Wen Zhaofu a cup of oatmeal.

Wen Zhaofu took the cup and set it on a small table nearby. “What do you want for dinner? My treat.”

Yun Fan raised an eyebrow, smiling. “You're acting awfully generous. If I said I wanted to fly back to Hong Kong to eat, would you take me right away?”

“Of course. As long as my Xiao Yun isn’t hungry, anything is fine,” Wen Zhaofu replied without hesitation. “But I’d rather take you around here. It’s a rare opportunity.”

Yun Fan grinned. “Sure, but tonight I really want Chinese food.”

*

Without calling a driver, Wen Zhaofu once again rode in Yun Fan’s car. Before leaving, they stopped to check out the house that had sparked the lawsuit.

Wen Zhaofu craned his neck, joining Yun Fan as curious onlookers. He’d never done this before, but gossiping about the neighbors with Yun Fan felt perfectly natural.

With no one else around, Wen Zhaofu took the passenger seat, pulling up the navigation. “It’s a bit far, but this restaurant is excellent. I used to eat there often when I was in school.”

“No problem. Good food is worth the trip,” Yun Fan said, unhurried. “Besides, I’m happy to go on a drive with you, Mr. Wen.”

“Me too,” Wen Zhaofu smiled sincerely. Perhaps he cherished this rare, relaxed moment even more than Yun Fan did.

Sure enough, as soon as Wen Zhaofu and Yun Fan entered the restaurant, the proprietress came out to greet them: "Zhaofu, long time no see. And who's this?"

Her curious gaze turned to Yun Fan, and for a moment, he really didn’t know how to explain his relationship with Wen Zhaofu.

Just as Yun Fan hesitated, Wen Zhaofu raised his hand and took Yun Fan’s hand in his. The proprietress’s eyes instantly lit up, and she said, smiling, "How wonderful."

Yun Fan blushed but didn’t pull his hand away, smiling too. Wen Zhaofu squeezed his hand: "Come, let's see what looks good."

It was the weekend, and though the restaurant was located in a small town, it was pretty crowded. With several schools nearby, there were lots of young people.

As soon as they sat down, Yun Fan noticed a foreign couple at the next table teaching each other how to use chopsticks. He did a double take, then wondered—was this some new kind of couple thing?

Wen Zhaofu, a wheelchair user, was given a table with plenty of room by the proprietress. Noticing Yun Fan’s attention had drifted to others, Wen Zhaofu gently tapped the table.

Yun Fan came back to himself and instinctively picked up the water pitcher to pour some for Wen Zhaofu, but Wen Zhaofu pressed the back of his hand to stop him.

"I've got it," Wen Zhaofu said, tilting his chin slightly.

"Huh?" Yun Fan didn’t catch on.

Wen Zhaofu steadily poured two glasses of water, smiling faintly: "Xiao Yun, I can look after you as well."

Surprised by Wen Zhaofu’s serious expression, Yun Fan also sobered up and said earnestly, "Sir, I understand. We can take care of each other."

"Good," Wen Zhaofu replied, a smile on his face. He felt it was already enough that Yun Fan didn’t say he didn’t need his care.

As long as Yun Fan didn’t push him away anymore, everything was fine.

They chatted as they ate, and the meal lasted quite a while. It seemed that just looking at Wen Zhaofu helped Yun Fan’s appetite—he ended up eating much more than he realized.

Wen Zhaofu handed him a napkin and asked, "Feeling a bit better now?"

"Much better!" Yun Fan’s mood had clearly shifted. "Well-fed and content, no worries in the world."

Hearing this, Wen Zhaofu finally smiled in relief, and the anxiety he’d been carrying eased. He realized that his feelings for Yun Fan were simple—he just wanted Yun Fan to eat well and be happy, because that would make him happy too.

The meal was satisfying. Yun Fan got to taste dishes he hadn't had in ages, like Mapo Tofu, fish-fragrant shredded pork, and a roujiamo. It was clear Wen Zhaofu had picked a winner—the flavors were exceptional.

After the meal, they didn’t rush back but took a stroll around the small town. They talked only about the present, avoiding any mention of anyone from Wen Yanlan’s residence.

Far from Hong Kong, their thoughts drifted even farther. Wen Zhaofu admitted to himself that he was being selfish—he didn’t want Yun Fan to think of anyone else in this moment, only to enjoy the present with him. Yun Fan, for his part, didn't feel like bringing up other matters. Finally having eaten his fill, he didn’t want anything else to ruin the mood.

"How many days can we hang out?" Yun Fan asked, tilting his head.

Wen Zhaofu replied with extreme gentleness, explaining slowly, "I’d like to take you to one of my estates. There are some events happening nearby recently that are pretty cool. After that, I’ll take you to a tennis match—they invited me, and I got an extra ticket."

"Great, I’ve never experienced any of that. It all sounds wonderful," Yun Fan said cheerfully.

Wen Zhaofu raised an eyebrow: "Is that all?"

In the gentle breeze, Yun Fan crouched down. He took hold of Wen Zhaofu’s wrist resting on the wheelchair armrest and softly spoke his mind: "I’m so happy to be spending time with you."

Wen Zhaofu looked quietly at Yun Fan with his usual deep gaze. But now, that gaze wasn’t as calm as before—it rippled slightly. Because Yun Fan was stirring waves in his heart.

"Xiao Yun," Wen Zhaofu sighed softly. "I can't hold back much longer."