Anyone hearing that someone was making a dish called “red-braised moon” would surely think they’d lost their mind, wouldn’t they?
But if it were wife cakes or husband-and-wife lung slices, it somehow seemed perfectly normal?
So Chu Xin didn’t dwell on it for long before deciding how to make it. It was only a childlike little wish from the little dumpling, and that wasn’t hard to fulfill.
Chu Xin still wore that smiling expression, while the little dumpling’s tiny brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He was the one competing with Big Papa, so why make things hard for Little Papa?
But if he took back what he’d said earlier, then it would feel like he’d lost to Big Papa.
The little dumpling was very conflicted. Chu Xin, though, reached out and rubbed his head. “Xiaoyu, go wait in the living room for a bit, okay?”
“Okay!” To maintain the image of a four-year-old, Zhou Xingyu replied in a soft, childish voice.
Then he trotted back to the sofa on his short little legs and sat in his original spot.
Chu Xin’s heart was pounding. His hands clenched unconsciously as he struggled to rein in the urge to scoop the little dumpling into his arms and rub him against his chest.
Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Xingyu thought for a while and decided that no matter what Little Papa made later, he absolutely would not mention the word “moon.”
Maybe because he was too hungry, before long he was drawn in by the smell drifting out from the kitchen, a faint sweetness with a fresh hint of orange.
Zhou Xingyu swallowed unconsciously and wanted to go see what was happening in the kitchen.
Just then, an idea flashed through his mind, and he sensed something was off.
Chu Xin very rarely cooked personally. Nanny Wu always made the meals at home.
Even when Nanny Wu took leave, Zhou Huaijin would have people send food over.
He somehow felt that Little Papa was a little off today.
Before he could think it through, Chu Xin called out to him, “Xiaoyu, come eat.”
The little dumpling cheered and hopped down from the sofa, trying hard to act like a normal four-year-old.
Chu Xin moved the little dumpling’s child-sized dining chair over, then put the food on his special seat.
Zhou Xingyu: …
Chu Xin was definitely acting strange!
“Papa, Xiaoyu is four now.”
Chu Xin didn’t immediately understand why the little dumpling had suddenly announced his age.
“I stopped using it when I was two!” Zhou Xingyu held out his soft little hand and raised his index and middle fingers.
Chu Xin froze for a moment, then touched his ear. “Right, Daddy forgot. Xiaoyu’s a big kid now, so he doesn’t need a baby chair.”
Touching his ear was Chu Xin’s little habit whenever he felt awkward, and Zhou Xingyu knew that.
Zhou Xingyu couldn’t quite figure Chu Xin out. He didn’t know what was going on with him.
Chu Xin was slightly surprised inwardly. Luckily, he was facing the little dumpling right now. If it were Zhou Huaijin, would he have already been exposed?
He carried the little dumpling’s plate to the dining table, and the little dumpling climbed up into the chair by himself and sat properly.
Obedient and adorable.
The sweet smell was making Zhou Xingyu eager to look at the plate. The moment his eyes fell on it, though, he froze.
Inside was omurice, round and golden. The surface of the egg was not smooth, but had been shaped into a tree and a tiny rabbit, then coated with a layer of tomato sauce. It really did look like a red-braised moon.
When Chu Xin saw him staring at the plate, he was a little puzzled. “What’s wrong? Xiaoyu doesn’t like it?”
The little dumpling shook his head with his little spoon in hand and grinned, showing his tiny baby teeth. “Xiaoyu likes it a lot. It really is a moon! And a little bunny too.”
Seeing that he was happy, Chu Xin relaxed.
What he didn’t know was that Zhou Xingyu didn’t like tomato sauce, and Zhou Xingyu didn’t say so either.
So by the time Zhou Xingyu finished the tomato sauce on the surface, he had already drunk all the orange juice Chu Xin had prepared.
“Xiaoyu, drink slowly. If you like it, Daddy can go make another cup.”
Zhou Xingyu shook his head and said obediently, “Thank you, Papa.”
Seeing him finish every last bite, Chu Xin felt very satisfied.
However, he still had some things he wanted to ask the little dumpling about, and he definitely didn’t dare ask Zhou Huaijin directly.
That man was like an abyss, impossible to read. To avoid revealing himself in front of him, Chu Xin decided to gather intelligence from the little dumpling instead. After all, the little dumpling was only a child.
After thinking for a moment, Chu Xin didn’t know where to begin, so he started with the bandage wrapped around the little dumpling’s arm. “Xiaoyu, how did your arm get like this?”
Zhou Xingyu, head down as he ate, heard that, and his round eyes darkened slightly.
His arm had been injured, and Chu Xin was the one who’d sent him to the hospital. Chu Xin really was acting strange.
“Papa, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting so strange today.” Zhou Xingyu didn’t answer him directly. Instead, he blinked up at him with wide eyes.
If it had been before, Chu Xin would have been completely softened by how cute he was, but now he felt a little flustered, as if those eyes could see straight through him.
Chu Xin didn’t dare keep asking. Even if the villain was only a little dumpling now, he was still an astute little dumpling.
Maybe he should go to the original owner’s parents’ house. Perhaps he could learn more about the original owner there.
Just as Chu Xin was thinking that to himself, the kids’ phone watch on the little dumpling’s wrist suddenly rang.
The little dumpling answered it with practiced ease. “Big Papa.”
It was Zhou Huaijin!
Chu Xin couldn’t help perking up his ears to listen.
“Is Little Papa beside you?” The man’s low voice came through the phone.
The little dumpling looked up at Chu Xin. Feeling a little awkward, Chu Xin steeled himself and said, “I-I’m here.”
He still couldn’t get used to speaking with Zhou Huaijin. The other man always gave him the oppressive feeling of someone in a high position who held power.
“Mm, I’ll be home in a bit. What do you want to eat?”
Chu Xin froze. Zhou Huaijin was coming back?
Didn’t he bring a lunchbox to the company?
Of course Chu Xin wouldn’t be stupid enough to ask that directly. He only nodded, then remembered the other end couldn’t see him and answered, “O-okay, I understand.”
Then the call ended.
The little dumpling kept eating the omurice, his cheeks puffed out as he said, “I gotta eated quick!”
Chu Xin had been a little nervous when he heard that Zhou Huaijin was coming home, but seeing the little dumpling working hard to stuff food into his mouth made him laugh despite himself. “Xiaoyu, eat slowly. Talk after you finish.”
The little dumpling finished the remaining rice in just a few bites, then took a big gulp from the orange juice in Chu Xin’s cup. After giving a tiny, sweet orange-scented milk burp, he let out a long breath before saying, “If I don’t hurry, Big Papa will steal it.”
Chu Xin wiped the grains of rice from the corner of his mouth with a tissue. “How could Big Papa steal Xiaoyu’s food?”
“He does. Big Papa hardly ever lets Papa cook, so whenever Papa does cook, Big Papa always fights Xiaoyu for it.”
The little dumpling’s words fell into Chu Xin’s ears like a thunderclap. The original owner rarely cooked for this father and son?
Chu Xin had only just come back from the hospital yesterday, and already he’d made two meals. Had he already exposed himself?
It was still noon. Could Zhou Huaijin’s sudden return be because he’d sensed something?
The more Chu Xin thought about it, the more anxious he became.
Was there still time to run now?
If Zhou Huaijin found out he wasn’t Chu Xin, what would he do?
Would he send him to a psychiatric hospital, or some weird research institute?
Chu Xin was both nervous and anxious. By the time he came to himself, he realized the little dumpling, who had eaten and drunk his fill, had fallen asleep on the sofa.
After carrying the little dumpling to his own small room, Chu Xin waited all afternoon, but Zhou Huaijin still never showed up, even though he’d said at noon that he was coming back.
Looking at the little dumpling’s gentle little face, he seemed to catch the sleepiness too and slowly closed his eyes.
But this sleep was anything but peaceful. He felt as if he were floating in midair, while his legs were bound by vines and he couldn’t move at all.
Suddenly, a voice seemed to sound by his ear. “Don’t move…”
Chu Xin groggily opened his eyes and saw a handsome face, a sharply carved jawline, and narrow, piercing eyes carrying a trace of chill.
He jolted awake at once. If not for the arms locked around his shoulders and legs with enough force to hold him up, he would probably have fallen straight to the floor.
“Y-you, why are you back?” Chu Xin was so startled he couldn’t even speak properly.
The other man only glanced at him and said nothing.
Chu Xin remembered that the other man had called earlier and mentioned coming home. He’d been half-asleep and out of it.
He shrank in Zhou Huaijin’s arms, not knowing where to put his hands or feet, utterly uncomfortable.
“Y-you, put me down. I can walk by myself…” Chu Xin’s voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke, and he didn’t dare look up at him.
To Zhou Huaijin, “I” was his legal husband.
But in Chu Xin’s eyes, Zhou Huaijin was just a stranger he’d only seen a few times!
Zhou Huaijin ignored him and carried him straight back to the room where he had slept the night before.
Just as Chu Xin was nervously and awkwardly clutching the bedsheet, he heard the man’s cold voice. “You gave Xiaoyu tomato sauce?”
Chu Xin froze. “Y-yes.”
“Xiaoyu doesn’t like tomato sauce.”
Chu Xin’s heart seemed to miss a beat at those words. His face went white in an instant, and his hands and feet tensed. “I-I didn’t know.”
Zhou Huaijin bent down slightly, caught his chin, and looked straight into his light brown eyes. “Xinxin, are you hiding something from me?”
“No, I’m really not!” Chu Xin denied it reflexively.
Zhou Huaijin’s eyes lingered on his face for a moment, then he lightly touched the bump on his forehead. “Does it still hurt here?”
Chu Xin: …
Was this man a chameleon?
One second he was questioning him coldly, and the next he was asking gently whether it hurt?
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Even though he was frantically complaining inwardly, Chu Xin still did his best to keep his expression calm on the outside.
At that, Zhou Huaijin let him go, then reached up with his right hand to catch his tie. His fingers, with their clearly defined knuckles, gave it a light tug, and the tie loosened.
Then he removed his dark gray suit jacket. Just as Chu Xin saw his fingertips press against the collar button of his shirt, he finally couldn’t hold back. “W-what are you doing?”
Zhou Huaijin paused in the middle of unbuttoning. Chu Xin couldn’t see it himself, but Zhou Huaijin could clearly see the guardedness in his eyes.
Xinxin was guarding against him?
That realization made him irritated.
Before, seeing the distance in Chu Xin’s eyes had only made his expression slightly colder, but now that he saw caution in them, Zhou Huaijin felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.
“Taking a shower.”
After saying that, Zhou Huaijin turned and walked straight toward the bathroom. He was afraid he might not be able to stop himself from pressing Chu Xin to tell him exactly what was wrong.
When Chu Xin saw him leave, he let out a sigh of relief. A layer of sweat had broken out at his temples, and the bedsheet in his hands was creased as badly as a crumpled tissue.
He leaned back slightly, wondering how the original owner got along with Zhou Huaijin.
Those cold eyes resting on him made him feel like prey locked in a beast’s gaze, not daring to move a muscle.
Maybe he should just get a divorce? After all, the original owner and Zhou Huaijin hadn’t married because they loved each other in the first place.
It was just that after a divorce, he wouldn’t be able to see the little dumpling anymore.
Chu Xin knew he had the problem of not being able to move when he saw something cute, but the little dumpling wasn’t a fluffy toy or a soft little pet. He was a lively, adorable child.
Thinking of the little dumpling, Chu Xin became a little troubled again. Would Zhou Huaijin find him another stepfather?
But he could barely take care of himself right now.
In the bathroom, Zhou Huaijin only turned on the water and didn’t actually shower. Instead, he dialed Chu Xin’s attending physician.
Author’s Note:
Xinxin is the original owner!!