Chapter 75

Su Yunzhe didn’t respond immediately, his deep gaze landing on Shen Yan’s face, faint and impassive, making it impossible to read his emotions.

But Shen Yan knew—he was being observed.

After a brief moment of excitement, Shen Yan quickly realized that his actions were suspicious.

For Su Yunzhe, everything he had done since his appearance had been odd, but Su Yunzhe had never suspected he had any ulterior motives. On the contrary, even though Su Yunzhe didn’t remember him, his attitude toward Shen Yan was surprisingly… tolerant and even obedient.

Maybe that’s why Shen Yan had overlooked the fact that, to Su Yunzhe, they were still strangers. Yet, he had jumped straight into asking about his son.

Clearly, Su Yunzhe had become wary, and while his expression remained neutral, Shen Yan could tell that he was internally questioning his intentions.

“Sorry!”

He quickly apologized, gazing up at Su Yunzhe with a pitiful look. His voice, thick with alcohol, was soft and plaintive, resembling a cat who had made a mistake.

Still holding onto Su Yunzhe’s hand, he unconsciously gave it a little shake. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just… want to see him.”

Really, he just wanted to see him.

In this world, Su Yunzhe’s son was definitely his son.

He missed his little boy so much.

Since the day his child was born, they had never been apart for this long.

Before, when they were in two separate worlds, he couldn’t see him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Now that he knew they were in the same world, he couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to see him immediately.

He wasn’t upset with Su Yunzhe for being cautious—after all, they had no real relationship yet. Su Yunzhe was simply protecting his son, and Shen Yan understood that his request was unreasonable, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Su Yunzhe felt like he was losing his mind. Just moments ago, he had been questioning Shen Yan’s motives, but now, as he looked into those aggrieved eyes, he found himself softening and giving in.

“Su Zihang, I’ll ask him if he wants to come out.”

With that, Su Yunzhe dialed his home phone.

Shen Yan couldn’t take his eyes off the man talking on the phone. A smile couldn’t help but spread across his face.

He was thrilled that Su Yunzhe’s son was indeed his little treasure because his son’s name was Su Zihang, and that was a name he recognized. It couldn’t be wrong.

He was about to see his little guy!

He was also happy that, even though Su Yunzhe didn’t remember him, he was still treating him differently.

Su Yunzhe hung up the phone and looked up, meeting Shen Yan’s bright gaze. In those eyes, there was clear joy, anticipation, and even a hint of happiness. It was a very beautiful expression.

As Su Yunzhe had been dialing the phone, he had cursed himself in his mind. Why was he calling his son out just because of someone he had just met? But now, looking at Shen Yan, he suddenly felt it wasn’t such a big deal.

“Someone will bring him over shortly.”

Su Yunzhe forced himself to look away from Shen Yan’s face, taking a sip of wine.

Hmm… calling his son over wasn’t a big deal, but why couldn’t he stop staring at Shen Yan’s face?

Su Yunzhe tried to distract himself by talking, even as his thoughts continued to stray.

“Really?” Shen Yan’s eyes shone with excitement, and he immediately called the waiter to order some specialty snacks—his son’s favorites.

“How do you know he likes these?” Su Yunzhe couldn’t help asking.

He’s my son, how could I not know his tastes?

Of course, Shen Yan couldn’t say that.

So, he just smiled and replied, “I thought kids all like similar things. By the way, you said you just returned to the country. Were you living abroad before?”

With that, he skillfully steered the conversation away from his son.

Su Yunzhe’s eyes grew darker, but he didn’t press the issue further and followed along with Shen Yan’s topic.

However, Shen Yan’s attention was clearly elsewhere, as his eyes kept darting toward the entrance.

“You haven’t met him, have you?” Su Yunzhe asked, genuinely curious.

Even though Shen Yan had rushed over to embrace him the first time they met and even called his name, and even suggested they date earlier, Su Yunzhe still thought Shen Yan must have confused him with someone else or perhaps had seen him somewhere before.

But Su Zihang was only four years old, and Su Yunzhe hadn’t taken him to many crowded places. Even his own parents had rarely seen the little guy, so it didn’t make sense for Shen Yan to have met him. Still, after hearing about his son, why had all of Shen Yan’s attention shifted to him?

“Uh…”

Shen Yan was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to answer, just in time to notice a small, pink-cheeked child being led into the room by someone. The child’s big eyes were darting around, searching for someone.

His body acted before his mind—Shen Yan exclaimed, “Baby!” and rushed over, scooping the little one up and planting a kiss on the chubby cheek.

Su Yunzhe: “…”

He was completely confused. He stood up and walked over, intending to take his son back, worried the strange “big brother” might scare him.

However, the little one wasn’t scared at all. He blinked at Shen Yan for a moment, then suddenly smiled with his eyes crinkling, threw his arms around Shen Yan’s neck, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. In the softest voice, he said, “Brother, you’re so handsome! I’m Su Zihang, I’m four years old. What’s your name?”

“Brother?”

Both Shen Yan and Su Yunzhe were stunned.

Su Yunzhe was taken aback by how affectionate his son was. He’d never seen him so friendly with a stranger. Just a few days ago, when his grandparents had held him, he hadn’t been this happy. He had been reluctant to even greet them, let alone someone he’d just met.

But now, not only was he not rejecting Shen Yan, he was hugging him and kissing him on his own initiative, even chatting away.

Shen Yan, after a brief moment of shock, quickly accepted reality—his son didn’t remember him.

Sigh.

It felt a little off to be called “Brother” by his own son, but the little guy still liked him, so it wasn’t all bad.

Moreover, just before today, he had truly believed he would never see Su Yunzhe and his little one again. Now, they were both here in front of him, and his precious son was even kissing him. He should be content!

“Brother’s name is Shen Yan. Did you eat, Zihang? How about we have dinner together?” Shen Yan couldn’t help but plant another kiss on the little one’s face. If it weren’t for the fear that Su Yunzhe might think he was a pervert, he would have hugged and kissed the little guy to his heart’s content.

The little boy, tickled by the kiss, giggled and nodded. “Okay.”

His response was so quick and enthusiastic that Su Yunzhe’s head started to hurt.

Was his son this easy to please?

Since Shen Yan had picked him up, the boy hadn’t even glanced at Su Yunzhe, and yet he happily agreed to Shen Yan’s request.

Su Yunzhe couldn’t shake the feeling that Shen Yan was trying to steal his son, and he was sure that if Shen Yan wanted, he’d have his son wrapped around his finger in no time.

During dinner, Su Yunzhe couldn’t help but start doubting if Su Zihang was even his own child.

Since Shen Yan had first seen the boy, he couldn’t bear to put him down. He kept the little one sitting on his lap, feeding him, and completely neglected his own food.

Getting Su Zihang to eat was no easy task. Su Yunzhe never had the time to fuss over it, and the household staff had spoiled him so much that he had become quite picky. They often had to coax him for ages just to get him to eat a few bites.

But now, as he sat on Shen Yan’s lap, he was eating happily, occasionally feeding Shen Yan as well, whispering sweet little things into his ear.

This couldn’t be their first meeting! Su Yunzhe was starting to suspect that these two had been spending time together every day without his knowing.

The most surprising thing was that, instead of feeling upset about his son being so close to someone else, or worrying that Shen Yan might have ulterior motives, Su Yunzhe felt a strange sense of joy. Watching his son and Shen Yan so close, a kind of inexplicable happiness bloomed inside him, a feeling that spread from his heart to his eyes, and a smile he couldn’t suppress.

Shen Yan, lost in playing with the little one, didn’t notice that Su Yunzhe was smiling foolishly as he watched them.

By the end of the meal, Shen Yan had been so focused on feeding the child that he hadn’t eaten a bite himself. Su Yunzhe, too, had been too absorbed in watching them to touch his food.

Even Su Zihang, who normally struggled to finish his meals, was completely satisfied. Afterward, he rubbed his round little belly and shook his head. “I’m full, I can’t eat anymore.”

Shen Yan suddenly realized that he had been so focused on feeding him that he hadn’t noticed his son couldn’t eat too much, especially at night.

Quickly, he scooped the little one up and gently rubbed his stomach. “Are you full? Don’t overeat, little one. It’s my fault.”

The little boy hugged his neck, laughing with his eyes crinkled. “I’m full, I’m not stuffed. You’re so nice, why blame yourself?” He leaned in and kissed Shen Yan on the cheek, leaving a little crumb from his dessert behind.

Shen Yan’s heart melted as he held the little one close, squeezing him lovingly. He almost wanted to take him home with him.

The little one, ticklish from the hugs, giggled uncontrollably in his arms, making it all the more difficult for Shen Yan to let go.

Meanwhile, Su Yunzhe, sitting across from them, couldn’t take his eyes off Shen Yan’s face.

The crumbs, likely from chocolate, were stuck to his cheek, shining black and glossy against Shen Yan’s fair skin, making his complexion appear even more delicate and smooth.

“Hmm?”

Shen Yan finally noticed the gaze from across the table. He looked up and met Su Yunzhe’s eyes, which were soft yet focused.

He felt a flutter in his chest, almost wanting to lean in and kiss the man, but he restrained himself, instead looking at Su Yunzhe with a feigned confusion.

Su Yunzhe snapped back to attention and casually grabbed a napkin, tossing it toward Shen Yan. “There’s something on your face. Wipe it off.”

Shen Yan didn’t take it, but instead, leaning forward slightly with the child still in his arms, he focused on Su Yunzhe’s eyes and asked, “Where?”

The table wasn’t big, so when he leaned in closer, his face was right in front of Su Yunzhe’s. The message was clear.
That thought was clear in Su Yunzhe’s mind, but his hand moved honestly, gently touching Shen Yan’s left cheek. “Here.”

Shen Yan smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Su Yunzhe, for some reason, felt a bit awkward. “It’s nothing, it’s all from Su Zihang.” He stood up, adding, “Su Zihang shouldn’t stay up too late. I’ll take you back, and I need to take him home to sleep as well.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed that the smile in Shen Yan’s eyes dimmed, replaced by a hint of reluctance.

He instinctively opened his mouth to say something, but saw Shen Yan sigh softly. He gently pinched the little one’s cheek and said, “Zihang, let’s go home with Daddy. Little ones need to sleep early, right? How about I take you to the amusement park this weekend?”

The little one, upon hearing they would part ways with Shen Yan, pouted, clearly unhappy. However, when he heard about the amusement park, his face lit up, and he nodded eagerly. “Yes, I want to ride the little train!”

“Alright, I’ll go with you,” Shen Yan replied, “Now, be a good boy and go home with Daddy and go to bed, okay?” He then handed the little one back to Su Yunzhe. “You go ahead, don’t bother seeing me off. I’ll have someone come pick me up. It’s getting late for Zihang to sleep, and now is a good time to head home.”

Su Yunzhe, no longer surprised at how Shen Yan knew that Su Zihang went to bed at 9 PM every night, still felt uneasy about leaving Shen Yan alone. “I’ll give you a ride.”

Shen Yan, while still feeling a little down about parting with them, found himself somewhat reassured by Su Yunzhe’s insistence on seeing him home. Smiling at him, he said, “It’s fine. Do you think someone my age can’t find their way home? Let me just call my driver to pick me up, alright?”

Shen Yan had initially wanted to take a walk along the beach, but to avoid making Su Yunzhe worry, he dialed his driver right away.

After hanging up, he shook his phone and said, “All set. You can go ahead, my place is nearby, I’ll only be ten minutes more.”

Su Yunzhe realized he might have been overthinking it. Seeing Shen Yan’s much better mood than when they first met, he didn’t press the issue. He had Su Zihang say goodbye to Shen Yan, then left with the little one.

In the car on the way back, Su Yunzhe couldn’t help but ask, “Have you met Shen Yan before?”

The little one, sitting in the backseat, shook his head. “No.”

So he really hadn’t met him before!

“Then why did you get so friendly with him the first time you saw him?”

The little boy tilted his head, looking at Su Yunzhe with wide, innocent eyes. “Is Daddy jealous?”

Su Yunzhe chuckled. “Yes, Daddy’s jealous, what should I do?”

The little one blinked mischievously and then smiled brightly. “Daddy’s lying, I can see that Daddy likes Shen Yan, too. I saw it. You were smiling so happily when you looked at him. Shen Yan is really handsome, right?”

Su Yunzhe was momentarily speechless, awkwardly rubbing his nose. Did he really show it that clearly? The little one had noticed, so Shen Yan must have noticed as well.

He had indeed spent most of the evening looking at Shen Yan, but whether he smiled so happily was unclear. As for liking Shen Yan…

That was unlikely, right? Surely he couldn’t have fallen for a strange kid at first sight.

The little one didn’t know what was going through Su Yunzhe’s mind, and continued cheerfully, “Actually, I don’t know why I like him, I just do. Maybe it’s because he’s so handsome. He likes me, too. I can tell.”

Was it really so easy to see? After meeting you, he couldn’t focus on anything else!

Su Yunzhe unconsciously grumbled to himself. After the complaint, he suddenly realized how ridiculous it was—was he really jealous of his own son?

Meanwhile, after returning home, Shen Yan was immediately cornered by Shen Fei and Shen Yue, who stood like door guards, interrogating him about his relationship with Su Yunzhe.

What should he tell them? How could he explain? Should he say that Su Yunzhe was his husband, married for five years, and their child was already in kindergarten?

If he said that, the Shen family would certainly be in chaos, and they’d probably send him to the psychiatric hospital.

“I mistook him for someone else, but I like him. I’m planning to pursue him,” he said casually.

Shen Fei and Shen Yue exchanged a look, their faces showing the kind of disbelief one might have after hearing a ghost story. Shen Yan, actually planning to pursue someone? Especially Su Yunzhe?

 

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