Zhu Heqing said he wanted to learn how to cook braised prawns in oil from Zhang Ya, and it wasn’t just an excuse.
After buying the ingredients from the market and returning home, Zhu Heqing politely declined Zhang Ya’s offer to help prepare the shrimp.
“Auntie, I cook at home quite often, so I’m not inexperienced. Removing the shrimp vein is quick for me. You’ve had a tiring drive—please go rest first. Once I’ve finished preparing the shrimp, I’ll still need to trouble you to teach me how to cook it.”
His reasoning was sound, so Zhang Ya didn’t insist further. She carried a plate of washed fruit to the living room.
On the way back, they had also picked up a package. Yu Hezhang was now squatting by the entryway, opening the parcel.
Zhang Ya set down the fruit, walked over to him, and picked up another package to open.
“This Little Zhu is quite diligent,” Zhang Ya said in a lowered voice. “I watched how he handled the shrimp veins—very skillful. You can tell he’s spent plenty of time in the kitchen.”
“Someone used to riding in luxury cars didn’t show the slightest disdain when sitting on that small electric scooter today. Fufu didn’t even want to walk in the market, but Little Zhu, wearing leather shoes, was perfectly willing to carry her on his back. His manners are impeccable.”
Yu Hezhang was more than happy to see this. In his eyes, even if Fufu were paired with a celestial being, she would still be worthy of it.
“Fufu has a picky palate. If you want to take good care of her, it definitely takes effort. No matter how skilled outside chefs are, they won’t understand her taste as well as family. It’s a good thing for Little Zhu to learn more.”
“Besides, if Little Zhu is dating Fufu and doesn’t treat her well, then why date her at all?”
When Zhang Ya thought about it, that made sense.
Although she and Yu Hezhang weren’t particularly capable people, they had raised their daughter with great care since she was young.
Whatever Yu Huan wanted, they would do their utmost to buy it for her.
They had cherished their daughter like a precious treasure while raising her, all so she could live a comfortable and happy life.
Even before Yu Huan went to college, Zhang Ya and Yu Hezhang had already saved up enough money for her future.
With the current economic environment not being great, and knowing their daughter wasn’t the type to endure hardship, they weren’t very keen on letting Yu Huan suffer through the struggles of working life.
After all, they hadn’t brought Yu Huan into this world just to follow their old path—spending a lifetime working without any joy.
Zhang Ya hoped more than anything that Yu Huan could simply be herself. Whatever she chose to do was fine. Even if she worked, it should be because she wanted the experience, not because she needed to survive.
For this, the couple had long been prepared.
From the moment Yu Huan was born, they had opened a bank account for her and deposited money into it every month, all to support whatever decisions she might make in the future.
Now that Yu Huan was dating Little Zhu, even though he was the president of Zhu Corporation, if he didn’t treat Yu Huan well, Zhang Ya would never allow him to step into the Yu family’s home.
“Then I’ll teach Little Zhu a few more dishes later. That way, whenever Fufu wants something to eat, he can make it for her anytime.”
The two chatted by the door for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Yu Huan picked through the fruit, chose a plum, and strolled leisurely into the kitchen.
The Yu family’s kitchen wasn’t very big, but it had large windows and excellent lighting.
Zhang Ya and Yu Hezhang were both diligent people. Even though the kitchen was used daily and filled with cooking fumes, the windows and range hood were spotless.
Zhu Heqing was wearing a Doraemon apron. His hands moved deftly—he pinched the shrimp tail, twisted and pulled, and a complete shrimp vein slid out cleanly.
He tossed the vein into the wall-mounted trash bin and spoke gently, “Are you bored? I still need a bit more time. Baby, can you keep me company for a while?”
Yu Huan popped the plum into her mouth and chewed a few bites. It was a bit sour, and her face immediately scrunched up.
Since she had chosen it herself, no matter how bad it tasted, she had to finish it.
She chewed a few more hurried bites and swallowed it with some effort.
“Mm…” She pretended to think for a few seconds before agreeing to Zhu Heqing’s request. “Alright then. Who told me I’m kind?”
Then Yu Huan quickly added, “Having a girlfriend as thoughtful and understanding as me is really a blessing you cultivated in your past life.”
As she said this, her expression clearly read: You really got lucky, kid.
Thinking of Chen Jiahao and the seemingly unfolding plot, she didn’t forget to add a warning.
“If you ever yell at me because of another woman, then don’t even think about having me as your girlfriend anymore.”
Zhu Heqing had always known his girlfriend had quite an imaginative mind, and he couldn’t help but feel a little helpless at this moment.
Over the years, among the young women he was familiar with, aside from his younger sister Xu Yunshu, the rest were classmates from the same private international school since childhood.
Most of those women were already married and settled, while the remaining few were scattered across different countries, living their own lives. They were hardly in contact anymore.
Zhu Heqing thought that perhaps there was something he hadn’t done well in his daily life, causing Yu Huan to lack a sense of security and worry that he might scold her for another woman.
He quickly went through his recent actions in his mind, and sure enough, he found a small flaw.
As a classic case of a late bloomer in love, from the very first moment he saw Yu Huan, Zhu Heqing had pursued her with marriage in mind.
At that time, it happened to be the 80th anniversary of Qing University. As one of Beijing’s well-known key universities, the celebration was grand, inviting a series of distinguished and successful figures from society—Zhu Heqing among them.
After finishing his speech, Zhu Heqing had to leave early due to other matters. Just as he reached the school gate, he happened to run into Yu Huan, who was returning from a meal.
At that time, Yu Huan had her back to him. He hadn’t even seen her face clearly—only her silhouette.
But with just that one glance, Zhu Heqing, who was always composed and in control, felt his heartbeat suddenly falter. All his attention was captured by that figure.
Later, after making inquiries through various channels, he learned that she was a freshman in the art department who had just enrolled that semester. Her surname was Yu, and she had just turned eighteen.
Zhu Heqing: “…”
He had remained silent for a long time. His upbringing prevented him from doing something like pursuing a young girl, yet he couldn’t help wanting to run into her by chance.
In the end, Zhu Heqing gave up on resisting himself. Carrying the self-imposed label of “You’re basically a pervert,” he shamelessly began his pursuit.
His methods were rather old-fashioned, but fortunately, he never resorted to dramatic public displays or using bystanders to pressure her into accepting him. Instead, he quietly sent her things, delivering them to the downstairs of her dormitory.
The anonymous takeout deliveries were expensive and extravagant, which frightened Yu Huan so much that she didn’t dare order takeout for several days, thinking she had been targeted by some kind of pervert.
At one point, Yu Huan had even directly posted on the confession wall, telling that “damn pervert” to stop harassing her, declaring that she would never give in.
She hadn’t posted anonymously, and with her strikingly beautiful appearance, the matter quickly gained attention. Even He Zhiheng heard about it.
He Zhiheng learned of it because his cousin showed him screenshots while complaining, and he casually shared the gossip in a group chat with his friends.
Coincidentally, Zhu Heqing was in that group.
Seeing Yu Huan’s accusations in the screenshots, Zhu Heqing—already mentally exhausted from thinking of himself as a pervert—fell into even deeper silence.
“…”
He had only thought Yu Huan looked too thin and wanted her to eat more healthy food.
He had never intended to force her to submit.