Wen Haochen was dumbfounded: His brother only listens to Xiaoyun…
“During spring break, my friends and I want to go to Fiji. Big brother, can you arrange a private jet charter for us?” Wen Haochen scratched the table with his index finger, speaking cautiously.
Wen Zhaofu’s smile faded as he stared straight at Wen Haochen.
Whenever Wen Zhaofu put on that kind of dark expression, Wen Haochen really did feel intimidated. He trembled slightly, but for the sake of his dear friends, he had to endure it.
“Is there no commercial flight available?” Wen Zhaofu was still holding back his emotions.
Wen Haochen gave an awkward laugh: “There is, but a charter would be more convenient, wouldn’t it?”
“Xiaoyun, can you calculate how much they’d save if they didn’t charter a plane?” Wen Zhaofu said in a deep voice.
The old butler turned to fetch pen and paper for Yun Fan, but saw Yun Fan wave his hand. He merely furrowed his brow slightly, muttered something under his breath, and lightly counted on his fingers.
“Oh my, young master, if you take a commercial flight, you could go snorkeling ten or eight more times, skydiving five or six more times, and even chase dolphins three or four times. You could also eat and drink freely having one Australian rock lobster per person wouldn’t be out of the question.”
Wen Haochen swallowed hard: “How did you calculate that so fast?”
“I’m stingy,” Yun Fan patted his chest. “Of course I have to budget carefully.”
Seeing that Wen Haochen had been persuaded, Wen Zhaofu finally spoke up: “Other families are trying every way to cut expenses we can’t leave the public with an impression of extravagance.”
“Which of your friends couldn’t have their own parents arrange a charter? Why did it have to be you asking?”
Wen Haochen stared blankly with wide eyes, looking at Wen Zhaofu in disbelief, then turning his head to look at Yun Fan. Yun Fan nodded with a face full of sympathy, thinking to himself, young master, you’ve been fooled again.
“Ah! I’m not going! They’re bullying me!” Wen Haochen pressed his head in frustration.
Wen Zhaofu tapped the table lightly: “You should still go building bonds with friends is important too. Listen to Xiaoyun, spend money where it’s worth spending.”
Huh? Didn’t this household listen to the big brother? How did it become listening to Xiaoyun?
Wen Haochen looked up. This new Yun Fan he wasn’t a butler, he was a brother-manager!
The next day, the old butler officially assigned the afternoon tea task. The Grand Madam had specifically instructed that she wanted to see what Yun Fan could come up with. The old butler had no choice but to let Yun Fan take charge of the matter.
The old butler had already seen more than enough of Yun Fan’s unpredictability. He hoped Yun Fan would just follow the requirements properly and complete the task without any mistakes.
Yun Fan hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, still stuck in the stage of marveling at how many rituals the wealthy had. Of course, he could guess what Grandma meant, this was technically his first time appearing before the Wen family, and Grandma wanted him to establish a firm footing.
The old butler took Yun Fan and Uncle Man, contacting one of the Wen family’s major restaurants to go learn how to make afternoon tea together.
This was something every household did, and the old butler had to go through the same process.
As long as he got to leave the house, Yun Fan was excited. While he stood in the courtyard waiting for Uncle Man, Wen Haochen came running over. Yun Fan blinked and asked him: “Don’t you have school?”
“I need to go sign a contract in person, this is more important.” Wen Haochen said with great enthusiasm. “This is my first time independently completing a project. It’s a big deal.”
Yun Fan nodded, thinking that perhaps wealthy families just had a different way of raising their children. He widened his eyes and asked Wen Haochen what was the matter, only to see Wen Haochen pull a book out from his chest.
“I found a Michelin supermarket guide, how about we go check it out together?” Wen Haochen said excitedly. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it myself, I won’t touch the family funds.”
Yun Fan shook his head. “Sorry, I have work.”
“Shopping with me is work too.” Wen Haochen patted him. “I’ll go talk to Uncle Cheng.”
Yun Fan shook his head again. “To be honest with you, even though I’ve been slacking off, I can’t embarrass Mr. Zhaofu this time.”
Wen Haochen paused mid-step, looking at Yun Fan with some surprise. “That doesn’t sound like you. You dared to use the bell to summon my eldest brother would you really care about his reputation?”
“And you’re you, using a Michelin guide to go grocery shopping.” Yun Fan looked at him, shaking his head with a smile.
Watching Yun Fan get into the old butler’s car, Wen Haochen pouted. He had just gotten his hair trimmed, radiating a clean, sunny vibe.
While sitting in the stylist’s chair, he’d thought of the feeling of sun-dried blankets and asked for a haircut that captured the same sensation.
Previously, Wen Haochen had thought Yun Fan was a rebellious one, unruly at heart after all, he kept breaking the butler’s rules one after another. But now, he was actually sitting obediently in the car to learn the trade for the sake of Wen Zhaofu’s reputation. That caught him completely off guard.
Considering Uncle Man’s size, Yun Fan voluntarily sat in the back seat of the sports car. It was the car Wen Zhaofu had gifted the old butler last year slightly better than Wen Haochen’s, with a roof.
“Ah, the eldest young master has always been generous, so you all need to do well.” The old butler said as he drove. “Especially you, Yun Fan you need to turn over a new leaf.”
Yun Fan almost laughed out loud. Uncle Man turned to look at him and found that he showed not the slightest displeasure. Yun Fan replied, “Got it. I’ll be so righteous it’s crooked.”
“Steward Yun is great, you know. Ever since he came, I’ve finally found someone who understands me.” Uncle Man said with unusual conviction.
Yun Fan patted Uncle Man on the back, stopping him from continuing. Uncle Man had been under too much pressure before, and Yun Fan had advised him plenty. But he didn’t want Uncle Man to argue with the old butler on his behalf, so he cut him off in time.
“Work isn’t about making friends did you all hear what I said?” The old butler shook his head helplessly.
Seeing that Uncle Man was about to argue again, Yun Fan quickly interjected, “Uncle Man, since we’re out, let’s think about how to fill up the fridge!”
“Heh heh, good idea.” Uncle Man responded. “What did you say the eldest young master likes to eat earlier? Let me stock up on more of that.”
“Pudding the master likes pudding.” Yun Fan replied. “He really liked the mango pudding you made. If it hadn’t been a bit late that day, he would’ve wanted another one.”
The old butler looked puzzled. “Is that so? I didn’t know about that.”
“Brother Cheng, these are things that require a pair of observant eyes, not rigid rules and regulations.” Uncle Man said with an inscrutable air.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward, since the old butler prided himself on being the one who knew Wen Zhaofu best.
The car fell silent for a moment before the old butler proactively changed the subject: “Oh, Yun Fan, are you feeling stuffy? Should I open the sunroof?”
“Oh, thanks, no need ” Before Yun Fan could finish, the old butler had already pressed the button.
The dark cloud drifting across the sky seemed to have chosen this exact moment to dump a torrent of rain. Yun Fan was caught off guard by the sudden downpour, crying out as he wiped the water from his face.
“Uncle Cheng! Do you have some grudge against me?” Yun Fan was stunned.
This unexpected turn of events truly caught the old steward off guard. He pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at Yun Fan with immense apology.
Because they were going to meet the chef of a major hotel today, Yun Fan had deliberately dressed in formal attire. Now, both his jacket and the shirt underneath were thoroughly soaked.
They were already halfway through their journey. Turning back to Wen Yan Lan Di to change clothes would mean missing their scheduled appointment.
“Is the Wen Group building nearby?” Uncle Man glanced around. They were parked on a mountain road near the harbor.
“That tall one over there,” Yun Fan pointed. “I’ll ask Mr. Zhao Fu if I can go there to change.”
This decision made the old steward panic could such a trivial matter really warrant disturbing Wen Zhao Fu? But since it was his fault Yun Fan had gotten drenched, he really couldn’t object.
“Yes, you should wash up. The air conditioning is strong you’ll catch a cold,” Uncle Man added.
Yun Fan quickly sent a message to Wen Zhao Fu. To his surprise, Wen Zhao Fu replied immediately, telling them to come straight to the group’s headquarters.
When they arrived at the towering skyscraper, Wen Zhao Fu’s assistant was waiting at the entrance. Seeing Yun Fan, he immediately produced a large towel and wrapped it around him.
“President Wen is in a meeting and asked me to receive you,” the assistant said, then turned to the old steward and Uncle Man. “You two can rest in the tea room for a while.”
Wen Zhao Fu’s assistant was efficient and capable. Though his manner wasn’t forceful, everything was already arranged, leaving no room for anyone to interject.
He led Yun Fan into the elevator, ascending floor by floor. Yun Fan watched the buildings on the ground gradually shrink until they were the size of matchboxes.
The vastness of the sea unfolded before him, and the higher the elevator rose, the closer the sky seemed.
“Achoo!” As soon as the elevator doors opened, colder air rushed in. Yun Fan couldn’t hold back and let out a full-bodied sneeze.
His wet clothes clinging to him were truly uncomfortable. The assistant walked briskly, leading him deeper into the floor until they reached a door near the back, where he knocked.
“Come in.” It was Wen Zhao Fu’s voice.
The door opened. Wen Zhao Fu, who had just returned to his office and was still seated in his wheelchair, saw the drenched Yun Fan.
Having already removed his jacket, Yun Fan was tightly wrapped in his white shirt. The water had soaked through, revealing the contours of his body. He looked at Wen Zhao Fu with watery eyes, his bangs plastered to his forehead.
Wen Zhao Fu’s throat tightened, and his hands unconsciously clenched. He had never seen Yun Fan like this, and he felt somewhat fortunate that he had received Yun Fan’s plea for help.
He’s so obedient, Wen Zhao Fu thought.