“Look after me?”
Yan Hui pointed at himself in amused disbelief. “I eat well, I dress warmly, and I have raised my son this big. Do I need you to look after me?”
Yu Xiang paused for a moment, glancing around the living and dining space that was less than fifteen square meters. “You call this good?”
Strictly speaking, Yan Hui’s home was actually decorated very well, showing no trace of an old, broken, and shabby place. The log-cabin style was extremely cozy, kept clean and tidy, possessing a small-yet-exquisite aesthetic.
However, Jinyang Homeland was built thirty years ago as an old-style brick-concrete structure. Almost all the walls were load-bearing walls and could not be removed, leading to many unreasonable aspects in the layout. No matter how well it was decorated, it inevitably felt cramped.
For example, the dining area was too small and could only occupy the entryway hallway, meaning that if the chair on one side was pulled out, the pathway into the house would be blocked.
The kitchen space was insufficient, so the refrigerator had to be placed in the dining area. The moment the refrigerator door was opened, it would block the dining pathway.
The bathroom was next to the kitchen, separated from the two bedrooms by the dining area. Not only was it far to walk to use the restroom, but one could also easily trip over the chairs, requiring constant attention to tucking in the dining chairs.
The most terrifying thing was that a two-bedroom apartment only had a single bathroom!
When he bought the opposite apartment and heard that a family of three originally lived there, Yu Xiang could not even begin to imagine what people were supposed to do if someone was occupying the bathroom and someone else had an urgent need!
Yan Hui had no idea what kind of scenarios the unworldly Second Young Master Yu was imagining in his head, and he tilted his head in confusion.
“What is not good about it? It can shelter us from wind and rain, its small size makes it easy to clean, and it is close to Shengshang’s school, taking only ten minutes by car. There is a wet market and a hospital nearby. With life so convenient, what more could you want?”
“It is too small,” Yu Xiang said in a low voice with a dark expression. “No heating, no elevator. You clearly could have lived much better.”
“Stop right there,” Yan Hui’s face fell. “Do not drag up the past, Yu Xiang. I am living very well right now, so stop always looking at my present through the lens of the past.”
Yu Xiang clenched his back molars, turning his gaze toward Yan Sheng, who was hard at work devouring his sandwich.
“Even if not for yourself, you have to think about Shengshang, right? In such a harsh environment, how can you bear to let the child suffer?”
Hearing his name, Yan Sheng raised his head in a daze, milk mustache still lingering on the corners of his lips from the milk he had just drunk.
Yan Hui raised his hand to wipe away the milk stain and soothed, “Never mind you. Keep eating. If it is not enough, Dad will make you more.”
The little foodie let out an “mm” and continued immersing himself in his meal. Yan Hui retorted to Yu Xiang, “Which eye of yours saw Shengshang suffering?”
Yu Xiang widened his eyes. “Living in a place like this, and you call that not suffering?”
Yan Hui massaged his forehead.
How was he supposed to convince a conglomerate’s third-generation scion who grew up living in a manor, traveling by luxury cars, yachts, and private jets, and keeping long-term suites in luxury hotels, high-end clubs, and top-tier restaurants that this old, shabby place was genuinely good?
Their standards were entirely different; it was simply impossible.
Rubbing his face, Yan Hui said helplessly, “Since this apartment fails to catch your eye in every possible way, why did you buy it?”
“Because you live here.”
A ripple stirred in Yan Hui’s heart. He stared intently at Yu Xiang, only to hear him say, “Of course, if you are willing, I can immediately swap you and Shengshang for a large flat-screen apartment or even a villa.”
“I am not willing.” Yan Hui instantly reined in his emotions and rolled his eyes. “I have made myself very clear. What happened back then had nothing to do with you. You do not need to feel guilty, and you certainly do not need to think about compensating me. Why are you still pulling this stunt?”
Hearing those words, Yu Xiang felt a sharp pang of pain in his chest.
Although numerous proofs had long shown that his standing in Yan Hui’s heart was no longer what it used to be, having it confirmed time and again still inevitably filled him with regret.
Taking a deep, untraceable breath, Yu Xiang slowly said:
“I said before, I needed a long-term residence, and you are the only friend I know in Jindou. Living closer means we can look out for each other.”
Pausing for a moment, he gave an example: “Take Shengshang’s schooling for instance. You cannot wake up early, and you mentioned Shengshang always takes an errand-runner service. In the future, this matter can completely be handed over to me. I have to wake up early for work anyway, and you can also save on an expense. Is that not good?”
Then I would rather spend the money. An errand runner is not Shengshang’s biological father, and they will not summon the ultimate boss that is Old Master Yu.
Yan Hui irritably scratched his head, wanting to refuse yet unable to come up with a suitable excuse.
After all, the apartment was already bought, and the person had already moved in. Legs were attached to other people; what was the point of him refusing?
Instead, it was better to figure out a way to patch things up.
Pondering for a moment, Yan Hui adopted a devil-may-care attitude and said, “Fine, but I have two conditions.”
“Name them.”
“Keep a low profile. The fact that you bought a house for six million has already gotten out. Find a way to smooth it over. I do not want people paying excessive attention to me because of you, especially the side in Yunjing.”
Yu Xiang’s brow twitched slightly, but he did not ask why. He nodded in agreement: “Alright.”
Not expecting him to agree so readily, Yan Hui glanced at him before continuing, “You can drop Shengshang off at school, but it must only be by taxi, and I will reimburse the fare.”
This was the part Yu Xiang did not quite understand. “There is no need for reimbursement, but why only by taxi? I am currently preparing to buy a car.”
This was precisely what he feared.
If a car was registered under an individual’s name, license plate numbers could be tracked via an ID card. Where it went and where it stayed could be checked with absolute precision.
Taxis were different. Even if you hailed the same vehicle, the driver might not be the owner, making the itinerary untraceable, which to a certain extent helped conceal Yan Sheng’s existence.
Of course Yan Hui was not going to explain. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair, and stated with a firm attitude:
“That is how the errand runner used to take Shengshang. It is best if you do not buy a car either; I already said we need to keep a low profile. Those are the conditions. Do you agree or not? If not, forget the whole thing.”
“Fine, how could I not? You call the shots,” Yu Xiang immediately compromised. Anyway, he worked remotely, so whether he had a car or not did not matter.
“Good,” Yan Hui nodded, stood up, walked around him to the entryway, and opened the front door. “Then that is settled. You just moved over so you must be very busy. I will not take up any more of your time.”
Yu Xiang knew that going too far was as bad as not going far enough. Seeing Yan Hui’s full expression of impatience, he followed his cue, stood up, and took his leave. “I indeed still have things to deal with, so I will head out first. Goodbye, Shengshang.”
“Goodbye, Uncle!” Yan Sheng hurriedly put down his cup, sporting a freshly minted milk mustache, and waved at Yu Xiang.
Ever since he learned that Yan Sheng was Yan Hui’s son, Yu Xiang found him more and more endearing the more he looked at him. He unconsciously broke into a smile, completely devoid of someone who had just been given the cold shoulder and shown the door.
“Goodbye.”
Before the sentence finished, he was pulled out by Yan Hui, and the front door slammed shut, sending a gust of air rushing directly toward his face.
In the warm air, one could smell the fragrance of food and wood, mixed with a faint, familiar body odor, a scent belonging exclusively to Yan Hui.
Looking at it this way, the small apartment was not bad at all.
Yu Xiang let out a low chuckle, turned around, and walked into the opposite apartment. Glancing at the place that could only be described as completely devoid of furniture, he pulled out his phone and dialed Yang Kexin.
“Kexin, help me contact a renovation company. Additionally, go drop a word to the community property management.”
Inside the apartment, Yan Hui leaned against the front door and let out a long breath of turbid air.
Yan Sheng walked up to the entryway and asked curiously, “Dad, is Uncle Yu going to live next door from now on?”
“Yes,” Yan Hui stepped forward and ruffled his son’s hair. “Are you happy?”
“I am happy! Uncle Yu let me play games and treated me to a big feast!” Most importantly, he would even sign autographs for him!
Yan Hui snorted softly and wiped away the milk mustache from the corner of his lips. “You really know how to enjoy yourself, kid. Are you still eating your sandwich?”
“Eating!”
Yan Sheng turned around, sat back down, dragged the sandwich plate over, and after taking just two bites, suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly swallowed his food and asked, “Then, starting next week, will Uncle Yu be the one taking me to school?”
At the mention of this, Yan Hui could not help but sigh. “I suppose so.”
Seeing his son reveal an expression of overwhelming joy, Yan Hui frowned and pulled out the chair next to him, sitting down.
“You two have only met once, right? Why do you like him so much?”
Father-son instinct? DNA? Or the mysterious call of blood ties?
Panic flashed through Yan Sheng’s heart, and he hurriedly buried his head to bite into his sandwich. “Because he is handsome!”
Alright, that reason was completely unassailable.
Yan Hui stared somewhat absentmindedly at the dining table, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the surface.
“Shengshang, do you want to move back to live at Jiangting?”
“I do not want to,” Yan Sheng replied instantly.
Yan Hui’s fingers paused. “Why? The apartment at Jiangting is big, has an elevator and floor heating, and even an indoor constant-temperature pool. Do you not like it?”
“We can go play there for two days during holidays, but I do not want to move over to live,” Yan Sheng finished the sandwich in his hand and picked up a new one. “That place is too empty.”
Yan Hui immediately laughed, stood up holding his cup, and said, “Fair enough. Dad will go heat up another glass of milk for you.”
That was right! His son was living here comfortably and had plenty of playmates close to him in age; this was the advantage of a school district home! What villas or large flat-screen apartments could compare to this kind of peer resource?
He actually allowed himself to be influenced by Yu Xiang’s crooked logic and genuinely started pondering weird questions like whether the current environment would wrong Yan Sheng.
A life piled high with jade and gold did not equate to happiness; he had clearly experienced that firsthand.
Walking back with a cup of hot milk and sitting across from Yan Sheng, Yan Hui pushed the cup toward him.
“Shengshang, since Uncle Yu is going to start taking you to school next week, there is something Dad needs to make clear to you in advance.”
Seeing Yan Sheng look up, he put on a serious expression and said, “You cannot mention your mother to Uncle Yu. If he asks about her, just say you do not know, and that Dad has never told you anything about your mother. Understand?”
Hearing this, Yan Sheng was dumbfounded. The sandwich in his hand was so startled it dropped, landing onto the plate with a plop.
“Why?”
“The reasons behind this are very complicated,” Yan Hui tidied up the disheveled sandwich and handed it back to Yan Sheng. “Dad will tell you in the future, but for now, just do as Dad says, okay?”
But he had already said it.
Guiltily, Yan Sheng lowered his head to gnaw on his sandwich, remaining silent for a good while before finally letting out an “mm.”
Yan Hui assumed Yan Sheng’s reaction was due to shock and disappointment since his request was so abrupt, and his son had always taken pride in his all-in-one mom.
Seeing Yan Sheng keep his head down and mechanically bite into his sandwich, a trace of guilt flashed in Yan Hui’s eyes, and he forced a smile to coax the child.
“Shengshang, how about Dad makes you cola chicken wings for lunch?”
Yan Sheng looked up at Yan Hui and, seeing that his smile was gentle and did not look angry at all, instantly felt his heart lighten.
“Okay!”
It did not matter; he just would not say anything from now on! That was not considered lying because Dad really did not know!