Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Bian Han's appearance was completely out of the blue. Standing at 172 centimeters, she had an oval face, long black straight hair, and captivating phoenix eyes. A lambskin waist cincher accentuated her slender waist beneath an apricot-colored off-shoulder dress, while her legs were long and well-proportioned.

Because of where they were standing—

The first person she saw was Fu Yuze.

Clearly, she wasn't prepared enough for this sight. The man in chef's attire didn't look like a cook; instead, he resembled a cosplayer of a breakout anime character—the kind who would draw crowds lining up for photos if he stepped outside.

But her own child was still the best.

"Sweetie!"

Bian Han tossed her bag aside.

She hugged Jiang Jining, giving him a good squeeze and a rub.

Feeling his clothes, she realized something extraordinary—he was dressed entirely in mulberry silk. A short jacket with a silver-white base and pale golden hibiscus patterns on the lapel was fastened at the collar with perfectly round pearl buttons that gleamed softly, making his skin appear as fair as snow, with a delicate pink undertone.

Bian Han couldn't tear her eyes away for a moment.

She gave Fu Yuze a deeply grateful look. "I've put you to a lot of trouble these past days."

Glancing at the gold watch on her wrist, she asked, "Am I too late? How about I treat everyone to a meal?"

Fu Yuze and Bian Han weren't close friends, but they weren't strangers either. They had met a few times on various occasions, and he knew Bian Han was straightforward—her likes and dislikes were always written on her face. So he relaxed a little. "Are you in a hurry? I was just about to prepare dinner."

"It must be a rare treat to have you cook personally, right?"

Bian Han, a native of Jingzhou and an avid internet surfer, had naturally heard of the newly nominated dark horse restaurant in the city. "Even regular seats at Shishu require reservations a week in advance now."

"It's just a simple meal."

Fu Yuze immediately contacted Shishu's manager for online authorization and gifted Bian Han a platinum membership card offering one-time full-amount benefits, exempt from reservations except on weekends. The latter raised an eyebrow slightly—it seemed she owed him another favor.

But Jiang Jining spoke up: "Shishu is delicious."

Bian Han silently marveled at his innocence and cuteness, graciously accepting the kindness.

Fu Yuze glanced at Jiang Jining, who had been quiet since Bian Han's arrival. He simply allowed his hand to be held, squeezed, and touched, gentle and obedient—nothing like the aloofness he displayed the day Bian Jiacheng took him away.

Fu Yuze and the butler left the study.

Bian Han leaned down and began pinching Jiang Jining's exceptionally handsome face again. "You've gained a little weight, haven't you?"

Jiang Jining nodded. "Five pounds."

"Really?" Bian Han saw it with her own eyes and smiled. "I really must ask Fu Yuze for tips on raising a child later…"

Jiang Jining opened up like a floodgate, sharing with her: "He has a nephew who's very adorable and very close to him. His sister-in-law is also a talented beauty—she made my clothes. Their whole family is wonderful."

Bian Han was genuinely surprised. "You've already met them?"

"We ran into them while out."

Jiang Jining held nothing back from her.

He recounted everything about the farm in detail.

Bian Han sighed with emotion. "Thank goodness Bian Jiacheng entrusted you to Fu Yuze. A twist of fate… and it turned out quite well."

Jiang Jining shared many more things.

Without exception, he avoided mentioning those unintentional physical contacts.

He was leaving soon, and Fu Yuze's merits far outweighed any minor faults. He didn't want Bian Han to misunderstand him over trivial matters.

When it came to their first meeting, Bian Han pieced together the clues and asked, "A chance encounter? So you went to the lake alone that night? Bian Jiacheng was nowhere to be found, and Fu Yuze picked you up?"

Jiang Jining saw no issue with that and nodded.

It was the truth.

Bian Han felt like slapping Bian Jiacheng…

She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to lose composure in front of Jiang Jining. She'd settle a big score with him later.

This favor ran even deeper.

As she played with Jiang Jining, Bian Han thought about learning more about Fu Yuze's social circle and preferences, making it easier to repay the favor with gifts.

Jiang Jining suddenly asked her, "Are we leaving right after dinner?"

"Of course!" Bian Han said she'd already had the new place set up and moved into. "Come on, let's pack your luggage. Which room do you sleep in?"

Jiang Jining stood up and led her to his bedroom.

Naturally.

This dinner was exceptionally lavish.

Even though Jiang Jining ate different ingredients every day, he could feel Fu Yuze's emphasis on hospitality.

"Care for a drink?" Fu Yuze gestured to the bottle of Massandra in the butler's hand. Bian Han liked it very much, and he said, "I'll pour."

Bian Han naturally became the guest of honor.

However, the Fu Yuze she remembered had always been this courteous and refined in demeanor. Coupled with a face that was simply too handsome, as the fine wine slid down her throat, a strange thought crossed her mind.

Why did it feel like she was being buttered up?

Jiang Jining slowly took a seat beside her.

Bian Han took another sip of wine. The gold watch on her wrist reflected a faint, rainbow-like glow under the light, with two strikingly handsome faces—each a masterpiece in their own right—framed on either side of the shimmer.

"Ahem…"

Bian Han decided she shouldn't think further.

The Fu family didn't have such traditions. Fu Huaisheng was married with children and had a happy marriage, and she had never heard that Fu Yuze was gay.

A gentle pat landed on her back.

"Did you choke?" Jiang Jining asked with concern in his eyes.

Bian Han's heart softened instantly, making up for her naughty thoughts. "It's nothing, sweetie. Mom just choked a little. You eat well."

After that, her taste buds were quickly conquered by the delicious food, and she showered Fu Yuze with effusive praise. Fu Yuze, however, grew thoughtful at one of the names she used and said, "Ningning doesn't seem like he's already nineteen."

"Ning Zai looks younger than his age."

Bian Han and Fu Yuze were chatting, "You don't think he's still underage, do you?"

"He doesn't remember the way home, his thinking is straightforward, and his reactions are relatively slow." Fu Yuze said what he wanted to say: "He rarely goes out with you all, so I'm not very familiar with him. The first time I saw him lost, I even thought about taking him to the police station to file a report."

Bian Han smiled, "You want to know if Ningning and I are legally old enough to have a child or adopt one, right?"

Jiang Jining also looked up.

He looked over at the two who had suddenly changed the topic... Why were they suddenly talking about his identity?

Legally, an unmarried adopter must be at least forty years older than an adopted child of the opposite sex.

Fu Yuze said frankly, "Jiacheng never told me about his relationship with Ningning, so I was completely in the dark."

It must have been tough for him to handle such a hot potato. Bian Han, being reasonable, clarified for him: "Ningning is the child of my late friend. His parents were older than me, having spent half their lives in ancient text research and calligraphy. He has an older brother and an older sister; he's the youngest in the family."

"But..." Bian Han didn't elaborate further. "It happened half a year ago. Up until now, I'm his only appointed guardian."

His family was gone.

Fu Yuze finally got the definitive answer.

Jiang Jining sensed from the corner of his eye that Fu Yuze was looking at him, so he innocently looked back.

Afraid the pity in his eyes might hurt him, Fu Yuze averted his gaze. In front of Bian Han, he said, "The butler and housekeeper at Xie Ting really like Ningning. Let him come over to play anytime in the future."

Uncle Lu and Aunt Tao both liked having him over...

For some reason, Jiang Jining always felt the answer he wanted wasn't this one.

What was it?

This preoccupation lingered until he left.

Bian Han had driven over alone, without a driver, precisely so Jiang Jining could freely say whatever he wanted. This aligned perfectly with Fu Yuze's usual approach.

"Thanks for having us."

Bian Han bid farewell to Fu Yuze, who had personally come to see them off.

It was the same scene, the second time for Jiang Jining. This time, he couldn't leave as briskly as before. He pressed against the car window, gazing at the outer courtyard scenery of Xie Ting for quite a while.

"Drive safely."

Fu Yuze appeared at his side, "If you want to go to Shishu, just call me in advance. You still have plenty left on your card."

Jiang Jining was puzzled, "My money isn't used up yet?"

He had stayed for over a week.

And hadn't he bought new clothes too...

"There's still a lot left." Fu Yuze tried his best to restrain the impulse to touch Jiang Jining's beautiful hair. Looking down at his thick eyelashes, he felt a surge of affection. He took half a step back to say goodbye, "See you next time."

A moment later, Jiang Jining watched his tall, slender figure in the rearview mirror.

He disappeared from sight as soon as they turned the corner from the black gate.

Just two hours ago, he had been playing with the little chef's hat headband with Fu Yuze.

Bian Han's newly moved home was a three-story Western-style house.

*

They were on the first floor, with a large yard. The original owner had finished the renovation less than three years ago but hadn't moved in yet, as the family was preparing to immigrate and settle in Australia. The house was put up for sale, with top-notch decoration quality and excellent lighting—truly impressive.

The owner wasn't willing to sell at a low price.

Bian Han, completely disregarding cost-effectiveness, had signed the contract and acquired it before her business trip. She left it to Bian Jiacheng to replace some furniture and had a professional formaldehyde removal team work diligently for over a month.

The interior was about five hundred square meters.

Five bedrooms and two living rooms, plus—custom-made giant cat trees and cartoon glass houses everywhere.

Bian Han was a cat lover.

She had seven cats in total, a mix of rescues and purchases.

When Jiang Jining met his "younger brothers and sisters" for the first time, each one groomed to a glossy sheen, and saw an entire wall of premium canned food, he understood why Bian Han had taken him in.

Considering Jiang Jining might feel uncomfortable with strangers at home, Bian Han only hired a non-live-in housekeeper.

Bian Han owned her own media publishing house, highly reputable in the industry. She was both the boss and a senior editor, occasionally needing to go to the office for meetings and manuscript reviews, but she never forgot to take care of Jiang Jining.

However, after observing for three or four days since she returned from work, her Ning Zai seemed to have something on his mind...

Otherwise, why would he be holding a book and spacing out all day?

"Ding dong—"

Bian Han came home early from work again today, kicked off her suede high heels, handed the two large bags of ingredients from the doorway to the housekeeper, and walked toward the living room. She saw Jiang Jining curled up in the recliner... two cats lying belly-up at his feet, and a fluffy, snow-white long-haired cat in his lap, its two meaty paws resting on either side of the book.

Even the cat seemed more focused on the book than Jiang Jining.

"Are you really reading or just pretending?"

Bian Han picked up a kitten and squatted down to ask him.

Jiang Jining closed the book sheepishly, watching the housekeeper sorting ingredients on the dining table, "Are we going to eat this much?"

His appetite had been average these past few days.

The new housekeeper's cooking was good, and Bian Han also cooked personally from time to time.

Jiang Jining didn't want to waste her efforts, so he maintained his previous eating habits more or less.

"Let's make something interesting today." Bian Han casually tied her hair into a bun, swapped her contact lenses for glasses, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to eat hawthorn candy and chestnut powder cake?"

Jiang Jining thought for a moment, "Did I say that?"

These two were indeed snacks he had loved since childhood.

"I've always remembered." Bian Han was ready to show off her skills, "I went to great lengths to find the right shop. It's definitely authentic, using ancient methods."

Jiang Jining missed the taste of home and felt a bit excited. Then he added, "Oh, there's one more thing..."

Bian Han asked again, "What is it?"

It was already the 20th.

Jiang Jining was bothered by his lack of appetite.

Remembering he hadn't yet explained about his condition, he was about to speak when he felt a familiar vibration on the back of his hand... then two more, then three.

"About some things concerning me," Jiang Jining thought for a moment and looked up, "I'll tell you after the aunt leaves."

Bian Han couldn't wait to hear his little secret.

She was already starting to look forward to it, but trying not to seem too curious, she said calmly, "Sure."

Bian Han went off to make the pastries.

Jiang Jining put down the book and the kitten back on his lap, then raised his hand. His watch screen showed three message notifications.

Chef: "Ningning."

Chef: "Image"

Chef: "Doesn't it look like the kitten that reads with you?"

In the picture, a small white kitten was wrapped in a well-tailored handmade suit, lying on a large black office desk, peeking out a small, fluffy, round head. It looked a bit dirty, obviously a stray.

In the lower right corner were documents and a man's hand with prominent knuckles.

Jiang Jining immediately frowned. Fu Yuze had never picked up cats before... What was he doing, copying Bian Han by rescuing a kitten now?

His cheeks puffed up slightly.

For no reason, he felt uncomfortable inside.

The kitten wasn't something they had rescued together, and he didn't know what had happened, so he didn't want to reply.

Otherwise, Fu Yuze would call him again soon.

They'd already been on the phone for days.