Chapter 77
“So you just wanted to see him, right?”
Su Yunzhe didn’t realize how sour his tone sounded. He obediently took out his phone and called home, asking them to bring the little one over.
Shen Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, recalling how, back when they were at home, whenever his attention was on the little one, Su Yunzhe would get jealous. He was so childish, needing Shen Yan to comfort him.
But today… Shen Yan changed his mind and decided not to comfort him.
“I’ll pick the place. You’ve just returned to the country, so you’re not familiar, right? I know a restaurant that makes food especially suited for children’s tastes. Hang Hang will definitely like it. I loved it when I was little.”
Su Yunzhe hung up the phone and heard Shen Yan say this.
“Alright.”
Now, he was completely reduced to accompanying them.
Just like last night, once Su Zihang appeared, Shen Yan’s attention was entirely on the little one.
Su Yunzhe couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sourness. After all, even though he picked the place, he was considering whether Su Zihang would like it, but hearing Shen Yan say it, it felt so sour.
He felt ignored compared to his son, and it was frustrating!
Shen Yan saw that Su Yunzhe had pretended to agree and couldn’t help but smile inside, finding it amusing to see him in such a submissive state.
In the past, when Su Yunzhe was jealous, Shen Yan couldn’t afford to joke like this. That guy would carry him to the bed, and things would go on and on, not stopping. Su Yunzhe would make sure he had no energy to care about anyone else!
Now, that guy could only stew in his own frustration, right?
It was rare for Shen Yan to see Su Yunzhe’s rarely seen side, and it lifted his spirits.
Before long, Su Yunzhe’s driver brought Su Zihang over. As soon as the little one saw Shen Yan, he immediately ran to him, calling out sweetly, “Brother, Hang Hang missed you so much!”
Shen Yan’s heart melted, and he hugged the little one, kissing him. “Brother missed Hang Hang too. Let’s go eat something delicious, okay?”
“Okay!” The little one nodded seriously, then suddenly remembered something, hugging Shen Yan’s neck and looking at Su Yunzhe with a smile, calling sweetly, “Daddy, Hang Hang missed you too!”
Su Yunzhe, who had been ignored for so long, felt all his irritation vanish in an instant, and he pinched his son’s cheek. “At least you remembered me today. Progress!”
Yesterday, the little one had only had eyes for Shen Yan, and Su Yunzhe felt like an outsider.
But at least today the little one remembered his dad. As for the other person… as soon as the little one appeared, he had no role at all. He was just a designated driver.
Shen Yan took them to a famous children’s restaurant in H City. The food there was not only suitable for children’s tastes but also very creative and attractive to little ones. Shen Yan had loved going there when he was a child.
Now, many years later, the restaurant had changed a lot, but it was still a favorite among children. Su Zihang immediately fell in love with the entertainment area in the middle of the restaurant, climbing up and down, quickly making friends with other children.
Shen Yan wasn’t fond of playing in those areas before. The facilities were all designed for children’s sizes, and adults couldn’t really play there comfortably, so it was usually Su Yunzhe who accompanied him. But now, after being apart from the little one for half a month, Shen Yan cherished every second with him and didn’t want to leave his side.
Su Yunzhe sat at the table, watching them, no, more accurately, watching Shen Yan. His gaze was fixed on Shen Yan, initially filled with an unspoken resentment, but gradually, a smile of joy appeared on his lips. Watching the two of them have so much fun together, it was as if he was witnessing happiness.
Shen Yan, being less physically fit than the little one, was soon out of breath after playing for a while. He had to carry Su Zihang out, and Su Yunzhe immediately went up to take the little one, handing Shen Yan a napkin. “Wipe yourself off.”
Shen Yan noticed the lingering gentleness in Su Yunzhe’s eyes, and if the situation had been different, he would have wanted Su Yunzhe to help him wipe off the sweat.
But now, he just thanked him and wiped himself.
The little one was happy with the food and kept chatting excitedly.
“Brother, let me tell you, Aunt Lin was supposed to come with me, but…” His mouth was full of food, so his words were unclear and interrupted. “I don’t like going with her. I just want… to be with Brother and… Daddy, the three of us together is the most fun, right?”
Shen Yan glanced at Su Yunzhe across from him, only to see Su Yunzhe awkwardly drinking water, deliberately avoiding Shen Yan’s gaze.
Shen Yan was a bit upset. He asked the little one, “Who is Aunt Lin?”
Su Zihang, who had just returned to the country, was a bit confused about the people suddenly appearing. He blinked his big eyes and looked at Shen Yan, “She’s… Aunt Lin, I don’t know who she is. I saw her at Grandma’s house yesterday and today. She might be Grandma’s friend.”
“Isn’t she Dad’s friend?” Shen Yan deliberately asked.
From Su Yunzhe’s reaction, Shen Yan could infer that the “Aunt Lin” Su Yunzhe had mentioned yesterday was probably his girlfriend.
The little one, Su Zihang, was busy eating, his cheeks puffed up, tilting his head as if thinking. After a while, he shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen Daddy with her, so it probably isn’t her.”
Su Yunzhe silently let out a breath of relief, though he couldn’t understand why he felt so guilty. After all, Shen Yan wasn’t really anything to him. Yesterday, he had carelessly mentioned having a girlfriend, and now, he was suddenly worried that Shen Yan might be upset with him because of it.
Su Yunzhe felt like he had changed too quickly in just a couple of days.
And the little one’s innocent and serious answer not only relieved Su Yunzhe but also made Shen Yan feel at ease.
Although Su Yunzhe seemed to have some interest in him, if Su Yunzhe really had a girlfriend, even though he could probably win Su Yunzhe back (which now seemed easy enough), he would still feel uncomfortable, like he was the third party ruining someone else’s relationship.
But now, it seemed that Su Yunzhe’s “girlfriend” wasn’t quite what he had thought it was.
This was the best outcome.
Shen Yan was in a good mood and coaxed the little one into eating a little more. By now, it was almost nine o’clock, and the little one needed to go home to sleep.
Shen Yan’s reluctance surfaced again, and he had to fight to suppress it. He returned the little one to Su Yunzhe, gazing at him eagerly. “Can we have dinner together tomorrow night?”
Su Yunzhe was amused by the pitiful look on his face and teased, “You just want to see Su Zihang, don’t you?”
Teasing aside, there was a little sourness in Su Yunzhe’s heart.
The little one, who didn’t understand anything, grinned widely. “I want to see Brother too!”
Shen Yan leaned over and kissed the little one’s cheek. “Then see you tomorrow night?” He took the opportunity to whisper in Su Yunzhe’s ear, “Actually, I want to see you too.”
Before Su Yunzhe could react, Shen Yan waved his hand. “I’ll take the subway and leave first. You two drive safely.” He left the restaurant ahead of them.
It was still a bit far from his home, but there was a subway station right next to the restaurant, so it was convenient.
However, at this time of night, the subway station was crowded, and as Shen Yan stood at the entrance, looking at the endless flow of people, he suddenly felt a sense of hesitation. He was about to find a place to sit and wait, but when he turned around, he met a pair of smiling eyes. He froze for a moment, his lips involuntarily curling up. “Why isn’t Mr. Su going home?”
It was Su Yunzhe, standing not far behind him. The little one was already gone, clearly sent home by Su Yunzhe’s people.
“I wasn’t full, so I thought I’d get you to introduce me to a restaurant you like,” Su Yunzhe said.
“A restaurant I like?” Shen Yan looked around and noticed that this area was very close to his old university. The east gate of the school had a food street, which was always lively at this hour. Shen Yan had often gone there for late-night snacks with his roommates when he was still in school.
This would be a perfect opportunity for Su Yunzhe to see the place where he used to study.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to eat something good.” Shen Yan casually took Su Yunzhe’s hand and led him across the street, then let go, “There’s a lot of traffic, so be careful.”
But Su Yunzhe grabbed his hand firmly and held on. “It’s crowded, and I’m afraid we’ll get separated.”
Shen Yan lowered his head to look at their hands clasped together. He was clearly happy, but he purposely teased, “Aren’t you afraid Miss Lin will get mad?”
Su Yunzhe looked innocent. “Who knows? We’re not very familiar yet.”
“Your girlfriend isn’t familiar with you? Then who are you familiar with, Mr. Su?” Shen Yan suppressed a laugh.
Su Yunzhe was about to explain but suddenly changed his mind, raising an eyebrow and smiling meaningfully. “Guess.” Then he quickly pulled Shen Yan along.
He had purposely sent Su Zihang home first, mainly because of Shen Yan. But he was also a bit hungry. The food at the restaurant was all child-friendly, so he hadn’t eaten much.
Shen Yan rolled his eyes in silence, muttering to himself, What a guess, you just want to talk about me, huh? Acting all proud…
But, he liked Su Yunzhe acting proud!
So, he kindly took Su Yunzhe to A University’s most famous barbecue restaurant.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been long since Shen Yan graduated, and the owner still recognized him as a regular. He let him skip the line, though they couldn’t skip waiting for a seat.
Shen Yan asked the owner to pack the food since Su Yunzhe was driving, and he didn’t buy any beer, adding a few cans of cola instead. Then he led Su Yunzhe through the east gate of the school.
Back then, Shen Yan used to leave school through this gate every night, and the security guard here knew him very well. When he saw Shen Yan, he came out of the guard booth with enthusiasm.
Shen Yan took out the cola and a box of lamb skewers and handed them to the guard. After all, there were times when they had stayed out late, and the guard had kindly let them in.
“Did you go to university here?” Su Yunzhe noticed how familiar Shen Yan was not only with the security guard but with every road inside the school.
Shen Yan nodded. “Yeah, I graduated here…” A long time ago.
He subconsciously spoke out, then realized and quickly corrected himself. “Almost two months ago.”
Though his face was calm, looking at the old red buildings by the roadside, he felt a bit emotional. In fact, it had been six years since he had last come back here.
When he graduated, everyone in the dorm went their separate ways. Only he, with no job and being from the local area, stayed behind. They had agreed to meet up every year, and since he was the only one who didn’t have to work, he ended up being the one to organize it. His usual tendency to avoid trouble made him agree, but after returning home, he regretted it, thinking it should have been the dorm leader’s job. However, not long after, things changed, and he didn’t even get a chance to organize anything.