Chapter 50

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The meal at Jian Yan’s place was very cheerful. After crossing this mother-in-law mountain, He Xiu’s heart was finally free from anxiety—even when he went to visit He Chen, his attitude was also not as loathsome as it was in the past.

He Chen’s recovery went well after he woke up. He Jing Long and Zhao Ying Fang took turns to stay with him at the hospital. As his fiancée, Xu Ying definitely had to be at the hospital to demonstrate her affections for him, regardless of her willingness.

“My mother had the auntie at home simmer soup. You should drink it later.” She placed the container of soup on the table and glanced at the half-reclined He Chen on the hospital bed.

He Chen smiled shallowly as he sneered, “Don’t you see the plaster cast on my broken arm? How can I drink soup?”

Xu Ying knitted her brows. “Don’t tell me you want me to feed you?”

“This suggestion is not bad.”

“You…” Xu Ying pursed her lips and swallowed all the words she wanted to say. She turned away and somewhat angrily opened the container of soup. Holding the container in one hand, she walked up to sit beside He Chen.

“Drink.” Ladling a spoonful, she brought the soup up to He Chen’s mouth.

He Chen stared at her and commented, “How can I drink such scalding hot soup? Help me blow it.”

Xu Ying furiously placed the spoon back in the container. “He Chen, don’t win an inch and want a foot!”

He Chen snorted as he said, “Do you think I want you to feed me! Look at your clumsiness; I’m afraid you’ll spray soup all over me.”

“Ah, then fine! Wait for your mother to come and make her feed you!”

Xu Ying picked up her jacket, intending to leave once she spoke her mind. Just as she was about to walk through the door, He Xiu entered.

——He didn’t come alone either. Jian Yan followed in behind him.

Xu Ying’s complexion shifted upon catching sight of them. She turned around and walked back to the ward, sitting back down.

He Chen seemed to mock her, “Didn’t you want to leave? Why aren’t you going?”

Xu Ying pursed her lips and remained silent. Jian Yan and He Xiu didn’t seem to be aware of the tension between the two of them, their expressions blank as they entered. Catching sight of the container of soup on the table, He Xiu said with a slightly happy tone, “I told you someone would definitely bring him soup. You should give the soup you brought to me instead.”

He Chen subconsciously glanced at Jian Yan’s hands and saw that she was actually carrying a container of soup as well. He immediately said, “Who said? She brought this for a patient to drink; you even want to steal a patient’s meal?”

He Xiu remarked, “You wouldn’t be able to finish this much soup anyway; why should food be wasted?”

“If I don’t finish drinking it in the afternoon, I can finish it in the evening. Why should I let you have it cheaply?”

Jian Yan resolved the dispute straightaway. “Don’t listen to his drivel. This soup was originally simmered specially for you. I’ll set it here, and you can drink it in the evening.” She glared at He Xiu as she said this before putting down the container of soup. She looked at He Chen again and asked, “How are you feeling today?”

Before He Chen could respond, He Xiu said, “Look at how much he resembles a lively dragon and an animated tiger when fighting with me over the soup—it’s obvious he is definitely recovering well. The so-called ‘evil stays for a thousand years’ saying is so true.”

He Chen wrinkled his brows and stared at him. “He Xiu, did you even come to visit a sick person?”

“I am. I specifically came to see your current sorry figure.” He Xiu’s gaze intentionally swept over the plaster cast around his neck and right arm as he said this.

He Chen: “…”

If it were not for his current immobility, he really would jump up and beat him up as he wished to do.

He slowly breathed in and quirked his lips into a smile, saying, “I heard that during my operation, you even donated blood. I couldn’t tell that you were so concerned for me.”

He Xiu refuted, “Don’t misunderstand; I donated to the blood bank, not you. I donate blood every year.”

“Hehe.”

Jian Yan’s brows jumped up as she stepped in again. “This pork bone soup I made is an ancestral recipe that my mom handed down to me. I simmered it for a whole night; how about you give it a try?”

A rich aroma of bone broth surged out as soon as she opened the container of soup—an absolutely enticing fragrance. He Chen’s gluttony was truly hooked. Jian Yan carried the container over to him, but she didn’t know how he would drink it. His arm and neck were currently wrapped in plaster; it was really inconvenient for him to eat it by himself, but this Miss High and Mighty Xu sitting to the side resembled a giant Buddha with her mannerisms—not having the slightest desire to undertake the task. It’s not like she (JY) could feed him, right?

He Xiu, who had been standing to the side, suddenly laughed. “Look at you now, having soup but unable to drink it. Do you need me to come over and feed you?”

Xu Ying seemed to have woken up from a dream as she took the container Jian Yan held in her hands, saying to her, “I’ll do it.”

This time, unlike the last, she brought up the spoon to He Chen’s mouth after intentionally blowing on it for a moment. He Chen silently opened his mouth and drank the soup.

Just after he drank it, his eyes lit up and fluttered slightly. “This soup really is very tasty. Who knew that Lady Jian’s cooking skills are this amazing?”

Jian Yan laughed. “Countless people don’t know.”

He Xiu commented, “Giving it to you to drink is truly wasteful.” He took out his own spoon and spooned some for himself after he said that, lowering his head to blow on it before taking a taste. “Mn, very delicious.”

He Chen became angry with him. “That is my soup!”

He Xiu smirked and said, “You want to fight over Starlight General Merchandise, yet you also want to fight over a bowl of soup?”

“……”

“…”

He Chen still wasn’t able to put together a sentence by the time He Xiu spoke up again. “This was made by my girlfriend, so why can’t I drink it? I donated 400 milliliters of blood; I also need to recover.”

“…”

Jian Yan was anxious that this afternoon He Chen would become so incensed by He Xiu that he would vomit blood, so she hurriedly pulled him away.

After the two of them left, the heavy atmosphere in the ward returned in strength. He Chen looked at Xu Ying’s preoccupied appearance and said, “You can place the soup there. I’ll drink it again later.”

With him saying so, Xu Ying naturally wouldn’t continue feeding him. Once she set down the container, she thought for a moment before asking, “Do you feel He Xiu had more words to say today than usual? Before, he simply didn’t feel like paying attention to you, so why did he speak so much to you?”

He Chen stared at her blankly before chuckling. “You really do pay very close attention to He Xiu.”

“You!” Xu Ying wrinkled her brows and got up to leave again. “I’m leaving first. I’ll come back and see you some other day.”

When she left, He Chen was by himself. He gazed out the window, lost in thought. He didn’t notice the smile gracing his face.

In the car, Jian Yan was in the middle of lecturing He Xiu. “What is going on with you; why are you being rude to He Chen like you are with Tang Zheng?”

He Xiu chuckled and didn’t respond. Jian Yan continued, “He Chen and Tang Zheng are different. You have teased Tang Zheng for so many years that it has become a habit. He Chen has been pampered as a child, and now he is injured. Oh, I heard that when people fall ill, their heart and spirit are at their weakest. If you provoke him to the point something unfortunate happens, your blood would have been donated in vain.”

He Xiu finally couldn’t stifle his laughter anymore. Jian Yan stared at him and thought to herself, He has already opened his heart a crack to He Chen. As for whether this brotherly relationship can be restored, it looks like it’s He Chen’s choice.

Not long after they left the hospital, Zhao Ying Fang came and saw the additional container of soup on the table. She asked He Chen, “Who brought this?”

He Chen stated, “He Xiu and Jian Yan just visited.”

Hearing these two names caused Zhao Ying Fang’s brows to furrow. “They brought it? Ah, they didn’t drug it, did they?”

He Chen said, “I already drank it.”

“How could you dare to drink something they brought?” Zhao Ying Fang was worried yet vexed, nearly calling the doctor.

He Chen stared at her and said, “It’s actually quite tasty. How about you try it?”

Zhao Ying Fang looked at him before walking up to his side to say meaningful and heartfelt words. “Chen’er ah, don’t be deceived by He Xiu. This is his strategy. He thinks that because he donated several hundred milliliters of blood, we will become soft to him? Stop dreaming. I have already told you…”

“He is not my elder brother.” He Xiu laid back in the hospital bed, his expression serene as he gazed at her. “You have told me this since I was five years old.”

Zhao Ying Fang pursed her lips. For some unknown reason, her throat was somewhat dry at this moment.

?

During Chinese New Year celebrations, Starlight General Merchandise only closed for three days. On the fourth day, it opened for regular business again. He Xiu also worked for several days. Apart from all kinds of business reports, those silk scarf promotion plans also required several follow-ups. He and Jian Yan might have to fly out to France several more times.

Jian Yan finally had free time now, so she began to wholeheartedly prepare for her new project. She had already drafted out the plot outline and modified the main character’s design several times before finalizing it. She could start drawing the first chapter’s draft at long last.

Although the two of them were very busy with work, He Xiu still persisted in seeing her every day. He also forbade her from staying up late to work. Jian Yan felt that if this trend continued to develop, her position in the family was in imminent danger after marriage.1

Jian Yan was drawing the storyboard when QQ messages suddenly began to pop up. Di—di—di— She clicked it open to glance at it. The 《 Satisfactory 》 radio drama group had exploded.

Jiang Jiang: 「Guys, check Weibo! Someone revealed that Mr. Perfect Nan Si’s real personal is Eldest Master He!!」

Jiang Jiang: 「Oh mah gawd this world is too fantastical!」

Sesame Paste: 「(⊙v⊙) Is the Eldest Master He you mentioned that Eldest Master He from Starlight General Merchandise?」

Jiang Jiang: 「Yes! My Mr. Perfect, he…how can his voice be so pleasant to hear and still be so handsome and so wealthy! 」

Glutinous Rice Ball: 「 What??? 『Is the news feed reliable?』」

Jiang Jiang: 「『absolutely reliable』」

Sesame Paste: 「…」

Wang Si: 「……Nowadays, even the tyrannical director-general wants to run around and fight over our rice bowl?」

Sesame Paste: 「I remember, before, it seemed like, vaguely, that someone had a scoop about…Teacher Tang Zhi and Eldest Master He?」

Jiang Jiang: 「@Tang Zhi @Tang Zhi @Tang Zhi」

Jian Yan: “…”

Worried, Jian Yan hurriedly clicked open Weibo.

The news first began with an explosive marketing ad that was followed by several big VIP reblogs. The 2D circle was originally small. Even if Nan Si was popular, was he worth so many VIPs reblogging one after another?

She had previously seen this treatment only in entertainment circles when currently popular stars appeared.

She recalled, however, that Eldest Master He previously had many entertainment circle small stars spreading ‘sex scandals.’ She felt that this attitude was not too unfair. After all, Eldest Master He had always fully experienced the paparazzi’s love.

But since the paparazzi exposed her and He Xiu last time, they had been quiet for a long time. This time, this matter, it didn’t seem like their style.

As she pondered, she read through Nan Si’s Weibo. His last Weibo update was half a month ago. Not only that, it was an insignificant line. 「Good morning!」But this Weibo post already had several tens of thousands of comments by now.

「Heavens! Hubby is that you?! I accidentally became Mrs. Director-General!」

「Aaaahhh I am going crazy! I have always been Eldest Master He’s fan! Eldest Master He’s face plus Great God Nan Si’s voice!! Come on, I can bear it!」

「Bleak entertainment circle once again wants my Eldest Master He’s support for a whole day『smile-cry』」

「So Nan Si really is Eldest Master He? He’s so wealthy; why does he need to sing?」

「Because love :)」

「Nan Si started his career in university, thinking about it, there’s no problem! No wonder hubby is normally so busy! Ying ying ying, hubby, do you need me to help you manage the business?」

「I realized that Great God Nan Si’s Weibo has interacted with Teacher Tang Zhi several times. So what the paparazzi reported before might actually be true?」

「No, hubby is mine. I refuse to accept 『smile』」

……

With these countless internet users pushing the wave and adding to the billows, Tang Zhi and Eldest Master He’s past CP once again climbed up to be Weibo’s trending search.

Jian Yan pursed her lips and sent He Xiu a message.

「Chang Jiang, Chang Jiang, I am Huang He. Your mask fell.」 2

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Author’s Note:

Aaahhh today updated late! Everyone, happy lunar year!

《 Previous Chapter? MWFRL? Next Chapter 》

Notes:

1. Aka she won’t be the ‘wife’ of the relationship—that’ll be HX and his mother hen tendencies. ?

2. Chang Jiang and Huang He are major rivers that run through China. It’s the typical Secret Mission-Agent speak with walkie talkies x3 ?