Lin Zhuo did not rush to grab the plush toys. As if trying to verify something, he said, “Try grabbing another one.”
Fu Baizhou inserted a game token, dropped the claw, and successfully fished out a prize on the second try as well.
Lin Zhuo could basically confirm that Fu Baizhou had secretly manipulated the claw machine so that every attempt would use maximum gripping force.
He crouched down to retrieve the toys, placed them in the basket, and asked Fu Baizhou, “Do you still want to play?”
Fu Baizhou leaned in closer and answered the question with a question: “Which one does my wife like?”
There were quite a few people near the claw machines. Lin Zhuo looked at the four hundred or so tokens left in his hand; if Fu Baizhou kept playing like this, it would be very easy for others to notice they were cheating.
After grabbing a few more toys, Lin Zhuo decisively pulled Fu Baizhou toward another section.
Next, they played a few rounds of basketball shooting, whack-a-mole, simulation games, and more.
Before long, it was ten o’clock in the evening, and they still had about three hundred tokens left in their hands.
It was getting late, and sleepiness washed over Lin Zhuo. “Let us head back.”
Fu Baizhou used his thumb to wipe away the physiological tears welling up in the corners of Lin Zhuo’s eyes. “Are you very tired?”
Lin Zhuo nodded. Normally he could stay up until one or two in the morning, but perhaps because he had developed an early-to-bed routine lately, he was exhausted now.
There were far fewer people inside the shopping mall. The two of them stepped out of the elevator, but because it was their first time here, the exit they found was the furthest one from the residential complex gate.
Upon returning home, Lin Zhuo turned and headed straight into the bathroom.
Fu Baizhou sat on the sofa waiting for Lin Zhuo, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the living room before finally locking directly onto the bathroom door.
His deep, peach-blossom eyes resembled a bottomless pool of cold water, carrying a gaze like that of some canine predator, cold and full of aggressive intent.
The moment Lin Zhuo stepped out of the bathroom, Fu Baizhou’s expression immediately shifted.
Fu Baizhou smiled and asked, “Wife, are you going to take a bath?”
“I am certainly not bathing with you.” Usually, when Fu Baizhou asked like this, he wanted to join him; Lin Zhuo had already figured out this routine.
Lin Zhuo refused very decisively, and Fu Baizhou slumped like a frost-bitten eggplant, looking thoroughly dejected. “Alright.”
Fu Baizhou’s most habitual tactics were moderate firmness combined with moderate acting spoiled and pitiful. After a week of living together, Lin Zhuo had caught onto his patterns.
Lin Zhuo picked up his change of clothes and turned back into the bathroom.
Truth be told, being at home was a thousand times more comfortable than being in the hospital.
He showered, dried his hair, and entered the bedroom.
Lying on the bed, he opened a short video application.
As he scrolled through the feed, his eyes drifted shut, and he drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning.
Lin Zhuo woke up hungry.
As soon as he opened his bedroom door, the aroma of food wafted to his nose. Before his brain even fully processed it, his feet had already carried him to the kitchen doorway.
Seeing Fu Baizhou preparing breakfast, Lin Zhuo’s mind completely stalled.
He was immensely shocked that Fu Baizhou possessed this skill.
Good-looking and able to cook, he was simply the ideal domestic man who could entertain guests in the living room and handle the kitchen with ease.
“You are making breakfast?” Lin Zhuo rubbed his eyes as he walked up to Fu Baizhou, watching the fried eggs sizzling in the pan, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, causing him to involuntarily swallow his saliva.
Fu Baizhou nodded slightly. “Good morning, wife. It will be ready to eat in about ten minutes.”
Lin Zhuo turned to go wash up, and by the time he came out, Fu Baizhou had even finished plating the food.
After breakfast, Lin Zhuo changed his clothes and prepared to go out.
Yesterday when An Wan left, she told him to visit the company today, saying she would take him to check out the school after lunch and finalize the private tutor and tutoring schedule.
Lin Zhuo had been out of school for over a year, and combined with his already lackluster academic performance, he naturally had to find a way to close the gap.
When he learned he had to take tutoring lessons, he only wanted to say that television dramas did not work like this.
His aunt was clearly so wealthy she could casually donate a building, letting him just coast through school days.
Looking at Fu Baizhou’s long hair, Lin Zhuo tied it up for him and decided to take him to get a haircut next time.
The residential complex was six kilometers away from An Wan’s company.
His aunt had originally wanted to provide Lin Zhuo with a car, but since he had not obtained a driver’s license, that matter had to be dropped.
However, his aunt had mentioned before leaving yesterday that he could contact her driver if he ever had an emergency.
Lin Zhuo did not stand on ceremony and contacted An Wan’s exclusive driver.
An hour later, they arrived downstairs at the company, and the driver led the two of them straight up to the nineteenth floor.
This floor housed the executive offices, and the massive office area had only a few people around.
Seeing them arrive, An Wan’s secretary walked over.
She naturally recognized the driver, but she had never seen the two people beside him.
“This is President An’s nephew, and this is his friend. They are here to wait for President An,” the driver spoke up first to introduce their identities.
Upon hearing this, the secretary immediately said, “Please follow me to the lounge to wait.”
Lin Zhuo and Fu Baizhou followed the secretary to the lounge, where she poured them tea and brought out pastries. “You can call me if you need anything. I am going back to work first.”
“Alright, thank you,” Lin Zhuo said with a smile.
After the secretary left the lounge, only Lin Zhuo and Fu Baizhou remained inside.
The lounge was not large, featuring a coffee table and a few pearwood chairs.
After waiting for about an hour, An Wan pushed open the door and entered the lounge. Lin Zhuo called out “Aunt,” and Fu Baizhou followed suit, calling her “Aunt” as well.
An Wan walked closer and said, “You must have waited a long time.”
“Not at all.” Lin Zhuo was actually quite good at waiting, and sitting in a warmly heated room with tea and snacks, he could easily endure a few more hours without issue.
An Wan took Lin Zhuo’s hand and smiled. “Then let us go eat first. I had my assistant reserve a restaurant.”
The group left the lounge and headed down to the basement parking lot together.
The driver was waiting for them at the elevator exit.
They got into the car, and the driver started the engine, pulling away from the basement.
The weather today was not very good; thick cloud cover blanketed nearly the entire sky, leaving not a trace of sunlight in sight.
The restaurant An Wan’s assistant booked was a Chinese restaurant with an elegant, classical ambiance. The first floor featured open seating, and looking across it, every single table was occupied.
Their private dining room was on the second floor. Lin Zhuo pushed open the door, and fortunately, the experience he had gained following An Wan over the past few days kept him from being overly startled.
A pot of spider plants stood near the entrance, the coat rack was crafted from peach tree branches, and behind the host’s seat was a waterfall-like mountain stream feature, giving it an exceptionally refined style.
An Wan handed the menu to Lin Zhuo. “Take a look at what else you want to eat.”
Lin Zhuo’s tastes were largely similar to An Wan’s, so he only glanced at the menu before handing it back to her. “That is everything.”
Fu Baizhou was treated like an invisible person on the side, but he said nothing, simply watching Lin Zhuo and An Wan converse.
He seemed to love smiling, and An Wan was caught up in his cheerful mood, a smile lingering on her face as well.
Yet even though he smiled so much, he rarely smiled at him.
Dishes were served one by one, all of them looking, smelling, and tasting exquisite.
Lin Zhuo was already hungry. After exchanging a polite remark with his aunt, he eagerly picked up a piece of spare rib.
The sweet and sour spare ribs tasted exceptionally good, made from prime pork ribs that fell right off the bone at the first bite.
During the meal, An Wan took two phone calls regarding company matters that required her attention.
Originally, An Wan planned to take Lin Zhuo to school after lunch and find him a tutor, but now that she was tied up with official business, it became somewhat tricky to manage.
Sensing his aunt’s dilemma, Lin Zhuo took the initiative to say, “Aunt, Fu Baizhou and I can just go together later. You should go handle the company matters first since you are busy.”