Even Papa Wang had not expected dinner to be so lavish. Chu Yifeng had visited once before, but Mama Wang had been much more reserved then. At the time, she had even warned Wang Cheng not to get too close to his boss. Things were different now. Mama Wang did not say much, but her actions were more efficient than anyone’s. She had even bought five crabs she normally would have been reluctant to spend money on, showing that her gratitude toward Chu Yifeng was no less than Papa Wang’s.
Wang Cheng could not tell them the truth, so he could only go along with the misunderstanding. If Mama Wang found out, he would definitely be in for it. He therefore decided the truth could rot in his stomach forever.
Eating crab was particularly fussy. In two words: troublesome. In four words: extremely troublesome. That did not stop food lovers from adoring it, and because crab was expensive, plenty of people still enjoyed it despite knowing what a hassle it was. The taste really was excellent, especially the roe, which was rich, smooth, and delicious.
There were five crabs. Wang Cheng ate two, while Papa Wang, Mama Wang, and Chu Yifeng each had one of the remaining three. Mama Wang had not bought five because that quantity was cheaper. She had intended for Chu Yifeng to eat two. When Wang Cheng reached for the last crab, Mama Wang slapped his hand away. In the end, Chu Yifeng gave it to him.
Wang Cheng clearly saw his parents looking at him with an expression that practically screamed disappointment when he picked up the fifth crab.
After the harmonious dinner, Wang Cheng helped Mama Wang clear the table while Chu Yifeng and Papa Wang went to the living room to watch television and chat. Wang Cheng had barely glanced over twice before Mama Wang grabbed him by the ear and dragged him into the kitchen. His face scrunched up from the pain. He had no idea what she was angry about. She used to twist his ears all the time when he was little, and the sensation remained vividly etched in his memory.
“Mom, why are you twisting my ear?”
“What did you do at the dinner table just now? And you still have the nerve to ask why I’m twisting your ear?” Seeing that he showed no sign of repentance only made Mama Wang angrier. He had completely embarrassed her.
Wang Cheng felt a pang of misery. Mama Wang really was still hung up on the fact that he had eaten two crabs. Chu Yifeng had given it to him, and yet his own mother was upset that her son had eaten too much. That crab should have been his in the first place. Unfortunately, he could not explain any of that. “Fine, fine, I know I was wrong. I swear to the organization there absolutely won’t be a next time.”
“Really?”
“I stake my character on it!”
Mama Wang had almost believed him. The moment she heard that, however, suspicion returned. “Son, do you even have character to stake?”
Wang Cheng: “…”
Winter seemed to make time pass faster. Usually, the sky was already mostly dark before six in the evening, and the sun had disappeared. At around six thirty, while Wang Cheng was washing dishes, white snowflakes suddenly drifted past the open window in front of him. He froze for a moment before realizing it really was snow.
Shanhai City did not often get snow, though it happened occasionally. This year it had arrived about half a month earlier than the year before. It was Shanhai City’s first snowfall of the year.
“Mom, look. It’s snowing outside,” Wang Cheng said to Mama Wang, whose back was turned to him.
Mama Wang came over and looked. “It really is snowing. It’ll probably be colder tonight. I’ll add another quilt to your bed later.”
“No need, Mom. This temperature’s actually fine. I’m not afraid of the cold.” Wang Cheng shook his head. He used to live on the mountaintop, where it was much colder than here. Even when it snowed, he had only ever used one quilt. He genuinely was not particularly sensitive to cold.
“All right. If you get cold, get another one from the cabinet yourself. There are several quilts in there that were aired out recently.” Since he said so, Mama Wang did not insist. Her son was grown now and knew his own limits.
When the two finished the chores and left the kitchen, Papa Wang and Chu Yifeng were still chatting in the living room.
Mama Wang walked over. Papa Wang was still talking, but after a while she could no longer stand it and interrupted him. “How much longer are you planning to talk? Do you know what time it is? It’s already snowing outside. If you keep going and delay Mr. Chu, how is he supposed to get home?”
“It’s snowing?” Papa Wang looked outside. Sure enough, snow was falling, a white blur visible beneath the lights. “So what? If Mr. Chu doesn’t mind, he can stay the night. Don’t we still have a spare room? He can leave tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid I’d inconvenience you,” Chu Yifeng said.
“No, no. You’re our Chengcheng’s benefactor. What inconvenience are you talking about? We’d all be happy if you stayed, me, Chengcheng, and his mother. Isn’t that right, dear?” Papa Wang said enthusiastically, looking to Mama Wang for support.
Mama Wang had never once thought of asking him to stay overnight. But now that the children’s father had already said this much, could she really say it was inappropriate? The man had only just helped her son that morning. Refusing now would make them look ungrateful.
Wang Cheng had not expected that in the span of only a few minutes, Chu Yifeng would successfully obtain his parents’ permission to stay the night. By the time he thought to object, it was already too late.
Once Papa Wang became enthusiastic, even his own family could not withstand him.
Because Chu Yifeng had not brought any spare clothes, Papa Wang took out one of his eldest son’s pajama sets for him. They belonged to Wang Ning’an, who had brought them along on a previous visit with Wang Cheng. He wore them once and realized they were too large, so they had remained stored away ever since. Now they happened to fit Chu Yifeng.
“Boss Chu, what exactly are you plotting by deliberately staying here?” While his parents were in their room, Wang Cheng went to his big brother’s room to interrogate him. If Chu Yifeng truly did not want to stay, no matter how much Papa Wang talked, it would not have mattered.
“You’re working so hard to help me win your family’s approval. Naturally, I should contribute too.” Chu Yifeng sat on the edge of the bed, Wang Ning’an’s pajamas beside him. He had noticed everything Wang Cheng had done today. If he still did nothing after that, would he not be wasting his lover’s effort?
“Keep your voice down.” Wang Cheng lunged over and covered his mouth. He dared say something like that inside their house? Their soundproofing was not particularly good. If his parents overheard, they would be finished.
Chu Yifeng laughed. When they heard a door open, Wang Cheng immediately released him and put on an innocent act, leading him toward the bathroom. Their bathroom could not compare with the polished one in the apartment, but it was very clean. When the house had been built, they had specifically considered size. The bathroom in their old house had been tiny, so this time they made a larger one, even big enough for a bath.
Seeing that his son was not neglecting the guest, Papa Wang was satisfied. After giving a few instructions, he returned to his room.
The moment he left, Wang Cheng immediately dropped the act. “Boss Chu, you’d better behave yourself tonight. If you still want us to have a future, that is.”
After issuing the warning, he returned to his own room.
Chu Yifeng showered fairly quickly. In weather this cold, it was not good to stay in the bathroom too long. By the time he came out, Wang Cheng was already lying in bed preparing to sleep.
Wang Cheng glanced at him but did not get up. “Your room is next door. Let me make this clear first. That room belongs to my big brother, so don’t touch his things. My brother’s a bit of a clean freak. He doesn’t like anyone moving his belongings, not even family.”
Chu Yifeng closed the door and walked over.
Wang Cheng immediately sprang up, though he had to keep his voice low. “Don’t even think about sleeping here tonight. My parents might get up to use the bathroom. If they notice you’re not in my brother’s room, they’ll definitely get suspicious.”
“The room’s a little dirty,” Chu Yifeng said, as though he had not noticed Wang Cheng’s reaction.
“Dirty?” Wang Cheng looked skeptical. He remembered Mama Wang occasionally cleaning his big brother’s room. And since she had agreed to let Chu Yifeng stay there for the night, it should not be dirty.
“I’m a clean freak too,” Chu Yifeng said.
“How come I never knew you had a cleanliness obsession?” Wang Cheng did not believe him.
“Auntie Liu cleans the apartment promptly, so it’s always spotless. Naturally, you wouldn’t know.”
The explanation was perfectly reasonable. Wang Cheng got out of bed. “I’ll go take a look.”
Perhaps he made a little too much noise. The moment Wang Cheng stepped out, he ran into Papa Wang coming from his room. Seeing the two of them standing in the doorway, Papa Wang looked surprised. “Why are you both standing here? Did something happen?”
Papa Wang wore an expression that plainly asked whether Wang Cheng had neglected his guest. It was impossible to ignore, so Wang Cheng had to explain. “Dad, Boss Chu is a bit of a clean freak. I was just going to check whether Big Brother’s room is clean enough.”
“A clean freak? Your big brother is one too. That does make things difficult. Your mom’s been busy lately. I think the room was cleaned yesterday morning. It’s late now, and cleaning again would be troublesome. You’ve already showered too. Why don’t you let Mr. Chu make do in your room for one night? Mr. Chu, you don’t mind, do you?” A day really was nothing, but to someone with an extreme fixation on cleanliness, it could feel unbearable.
“I don’t mind,” Chu Yifeng answered immediately.
Was this man really his biological father? He pushed his own son into the fire pit with incredible speed. His coordination with Chu Yifeng was so perfect that Wang Cheng wanted to cry. He could already imagine how much Papa Wang would regret this night when he eventually learned the truth.
Perhaps worried his son would object, Papa Wang stood there as though determined to watch Chu Yifeng enter Wang Cheng’s room before he would leave. Only then did he return to his own room satisfied.
Wang Cheng locked the door, turned around, and rolled up his sleeves.