Yun Fan looked at Wen Zhaofu, who turned around with a look of surprise on his face.
Behind Liu Erxing, Cheng Yu strolled in with his hands in his pockets, while Wen Haochen walked in rubbing his hair.
“Having a private feast without inviting us?” Liu Erxing pulled over a stool, swung his long leg over it, and sat down.
Wen Zhaofu furrowed his brow, looking quite stern. Yun Fan keenly sensed that his boss was angry, though restrained by his usual decorum, he wouldn’t lose his temper.
Yun Fan thought, exactly no matter how delicious the food was, you shouldn’t just barge in and snatch it.
Cheng Yu wasn’t as blunt as Liu Erxing; he preferred a more roundabout approach, speaking up: “I heard that Steward Yun has been in low spirits lately. He’s gone to great lengths for everyone these days, so we thought we ought to come check on him.”
Hearing this, Wen Zhaofu let out a light chuckle. When he looked up again, his sharp gaze landed on Wen Haochen: “And you? Why aren’t you at school?”
“No classes this morning, I’ll go in the afternoon.” Wen Haochen looked at Wen Zhaofu, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
At this point, Wen Zhaofu waved his hand and gestured for everyone to sit down. The boss hurriedly added bowls, chopsticks, and extra dishes, quietly observing these handsome, extraordinary young men.
At first, when he heard Wen Zhaofu was coming to reserve the whole restaurant, it had startled the boss. The person who came to arrange things didn’t say much, only insisting that mapo tofu must be made. Wen Zhaofu’s price was too high for the boss to refuse.
When Wen Zhaofu arrived with his party, the boss was even more puzzled. Based on the tabloids, he’d expected to witness juicy gossip about the heir of a wealthy family firsthand, but Wen Zhaofu had brought a young man, and the two showed no intimate gestures at all.
Still, the boss noticed that Wen Zhaofu seemed quite fond of watching this handsome young man, especially when he ate with relish, Wen Zhaofu’s eyes would overflow with tenderness.
Now three more people had arrived, whom the boss hadn’t seen in the papers. They ordered a few more dishes, and the boss hurried off to get busy.
“Good, huh?” Liu Erxing propped his chin on his hand, asking Yun Fan, “Your mouth’s all greasy.”
With that, Liu Erxing reached out, his thumb heading straight for the corner of Yun Fan’s mouth. Startled, Yun Fan quickly dodged and grabbed a napkin.
Apart from Wen Haochen, who was fixated on the food on the table, the scene just now had caught the eyes of both Wen Zhaofu and Cheng Yu.
Wen Zhaofu calmly averted his gaze, rubbing his fingers together. He leaned slightly forward, looking at Yun Fan, and said, “When you get back, inform Uncle Cheng and the others. After dinner, wait for me, I’ll hand out red envelopes to everyone.”
“Ah!” At the mention of money, Yun Fan perked up instantly.
“Oho, Boss Wen is indeed generous,” Liu Erxing raised an eyebrow. “Clear rewards and punishments.”
“Naturally.” Wen Zhaofu smiled. “Those who work at Langyun Terrace shouldn’t have so many worries weighing on them.”
Liu Erxing shrugged and glanced at Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu didn’t appreciate Liu Erxing’s approach he would never speak with such biting sarcasm. Yet he had to admit that against someone as goal-oriented as Wen Zhaofu, perhaps only such words could provoke a reaction.
Every dish on the table was glistening with red oil, smelling fragrant, but Cheng Yu didn’t like it. Sitting there, looking at the less-than-stellar restaurant environment, he felt quite out of place.
Wen Zhaofu raised his left hand and checked the time: “I have a meeting at two, so I’ll head out first. Cheng Yu, would you mind taking Xiao Yun back to Langyun Terrace?”
“Don’t worry.” Cheng Yu smiled.
The afternoon meeting involved the most critical negotiations for the project, so Wen Zhaofu had to be present. Compared to Liu Erxing, he felt a bit more at ease with Cheng Yu.
Fortunately, Yun Fan didn’t seem to fall for Liu Erxing’s charms had it been anyone else, they might have been swept away by Young Master Liu’s dashing and flirtatious demeanor.
Wen Haochen ate until sweat beaded on his forehead. Only after seeing his eldest brother leave did he whisper, “Don’t you guys think Big Brother has been, a little strange lately?”
The moment he spoke, Liu Erxing and Cheng Yu both turned to Wen Haochen with cold sneers. Yun Fan was baffled and muttered, “Why is everyone being so cryptic?”
That evening, the Mapo Tofu seasonings and other ingredients Liu Erxing had someone purchase were delivered to Langyun Terrace. Yun Fan stared at the several large crates of goods, astonished. “My god, is this happening or not? Are we only eating Sichuan food from now on?”
Wen Zhaofu asked the old steward to fetch Liu Erxing, only to be told that Young Master Liu had gone out to sea and wouldn’t be returning to Harbor City anytime soon.
“Chief Liu always does things so unexpectedly.” Wen Zhaofu’s tone was somewhat flat, making Yun Fan wonder if he was still upset.
After a brief moment of thought, Yun Fan made a decision. “Tomorrow I’ll send some to every residence and let everyone have a taste. If I ate all of this myself, it’d salt me to death.”
Wen Zhaofu’s lips curved slightly. He looked up and had the old steward summon everyone at Langyun Terrace. From a large envelope, he pulled out a stack of red envelopes and handed them to the steward with a smile.
“Everyone worked hard for this afternoon tea event. I’m truly grateful for your efforts. I wasn’t able to help much, and I feel ashamed.” Wen Zhaofu spoke at a measured pace, then turned to look at Yun Fan. “We must especially thank Xiao Yun it was your creativity that won everyone over.”
“I don’t deserve such praise, I don’t deserve it.” Yun Fan quickly waved his hands. “If it weren’t for everyone’s support and help, this would have just been me messing around.”
“Even your messing around has its own method to it.” The old steward reached out and handed the red envelope to Yun Fan.
Wen Zhaofu continued, “These red envelopes are only part of the reward. The rest will be delivered along with your salaries.”
“Thank you, boss!” Uncle Man was overjoyed.
Yun Fan couldn’t wait to open the red envelope, and immediately his eyes were blinded by a flash of gold. Inside lay a genuine gold bar!
In all his years, this was the first time Yun Fan had seen such a tangible performance bonus.
What kind of boss just hands out gold bars directly?
No empty promises, no delayed gratification just a shiny, hefty chunk of gold!
Yun Fan looked at the gold bar in his hand, then raised his head to look at Wen Zhaofu, his eyes brimming with adoration for wealth.
“Thank you, sir!” Yun Fan let out an “ah!” and hopped in excitement, only to be met with a “tsk” from the old steward.
Wen Zhaofu laughed, watching his joyful demeanor and waving a hand. “No matter. As long as you’re happy.”
Still having work to attend to, Wen Zhaofu returned to his room first. Uncle Man patted Yun Fan, looking at him with a kindly expression. “Steward Yun, you’re our lucky star!”
“Indeed. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the young master smile like that,” the old steward remarked with emotion. “I suppose I really am getting old turns out breaking the rules can lead to good things too.”
The young gardener, carefully tucking away his gold bar, looked up in confusion. “Steward Cheng, didn’t you get a gold bar? Why do you sound so sour?”
Yun Fan suppressed a laugh and exchanged a glance with Uncle Man, who was also on the verge of cracking up. This young gardener, who spent his days working outdoors, didn’t know much about what went on inside the house and often said things that caught people off guard.
Having eaten a hearty dinner, Yun Fan wandered out into the courtyard and chatted with the young gardener about flowers and plants.
“Xiao Shan, I’ve noticed that when it comes to other things, you can’t string two sentences together, but the moment you talk about plants, you’re full of wisdom.” Yun Fan gave his shoulder an approving pat.
The young gardener, Shi An, had long since become immune to the name “Xiao Shan,” because thanks to Yun Fan’s efforts, quite a few people at Langyun Terrace had been roped into calling him that too.
“As long as you water and tend to them with care, they’ll bloom and grow strong. I think that’s something beautiful.” The young gardener gave a shy smile.
Yun Fan broke into a big grin. “Hey, if you ever decide you don’t want to work for the Wen family anymore, you can come farm with me. I really need talent like yours!”
“Huh? I have no intention of resigning. What, is the young master dissatisfied with me?!” The young gardener’s eyes went wide.
Yun Fan quickly reassured him, saying that Wen Zhaofu absolutely meant no such thing. He gave an awkward laugh, how had he let his inner thoughts slip out in a moment of excitement?
In the bedroom, Wen Zhaofu, who was reviewing the day’s group briefing, glanced out the window and saw Yun Fan and the young gardener chatting merrily together.
It wasn’t that he objected to Yun Fan making friends more social interaction was good for the body and mind.
But not the blatant kind like Liu Erxing, or the sneaky kind like Cheng Yu.
Wen Zhaofu took a breath and let out two cold laughs. He picked up the call from his assistant, listened for a moment, then replied, “It’s fine. No need to respond.”
The media, who had waited for Wen Zhaofu for far too long, had finally caught something worth writing about. They’d photographed Wen Zhaofu bringing a rather handsome young man to a Sichuan restaurant.
The photo was taken from behind. Yun Fan stood at Wen Zhaofu’s side, head lowered as he spoke to him. Both were shown in profile, yet both had equally smooth, refined features. They were looking at each other, utterly absorbed.
Though one was taller and one shorter, Wen Zhaofu’s straight-backed posture kept his silhouette broad and commanding. He looked at Yun Fan, a smile at the corner of his lips.
The tabloid wrote: “Has the iron tree finally bloomed after all these years? Can Wen’s Zhaofu truly stand up?! The mysterious man’s identity is a complete blank unfathomable!”