Looking at the still tightly closed door in front of him, and at his now completely empty hands, the driver finally came to his senses: aside from Student Nian, Young Master Huo didn’t welcome anyone else inside.
“Student Nian, I’m leaving!” the driver called out in farewell. Whether or not the people inside heard him, he turned and jogged off.
After being pulled into the villa, Nian Le saw Huo Weiran staring out the window like a guardian defending his territory. Only after he watched the driver leave did his gaze finally shift away from the floor-to-ceiling window.
Taking the bags from Nian Le’s hands, Huo Weiran opened one with a single hand, took out the various fruits inside, and neatly sorted them into the refrigerator.
He had come back a bit late today. Nian Le washed his hands and started preparing lunch. The two chicken breasts hadn’t fully thawed yet when a voice came from behind him.
“Don’t get too close to him.”
“Who?” Nian Le turned around and saw Huo Weiran with a serious expression, peeling an orange one-handed.
“The driver.”
Nian Le focused on his younger brother and realized his expression didn’t look like he was joking.
“Whether it’s the servants or the driver, don’t get too close to them. I’ve been in Australia for too long—I don’t know their backgrounds,” Huo Weiran said. Holding the peeled orange, he stepped forward and firmly stuffed it into Nian Le’s hand.
Holding the orange, Nian Le suddenly felt indebted. He lifted his head and met his younger brother’s resolute gaze. Thinking of the obsessive fan who had once disguised herself as a cleaner, Nian Le nodded seriously.
Being cautious really was the right approach.
The microwave beeped as the defrosting finished. Nian Le took out the chicken breasts, but the next moment the plate was taken away by Huo Weiran. Nian Le quietly watched as he set down the cutting board for raw meat with one hand, picked up a knife, and sized up the chicken breast.
“How big should I cut it?”
“We’re making pan-seared chicken breast. Slice it open from the middle first,” Nian Le replied. Seeing his brother’s eagerness, he placed his fingers on the chicken breast to hold it steady, making it easier for Huo Weiran to cut.
Huo Weiran fell silent for a moment, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over his numb, insensate right hand before lowering to look at the young man beside him.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll cut you?”
“If I feel pain, I’ll pull my hand away,” Nian Le replied calmly.
Hearing this, Huo Weiran tightened his grip on the knife, bent forward, and extremely carefully sliced the chicken breast horizontally down the middle.
The fingers pressing on the meat applied even pressure. As the blade moved beneath the flesh, those fingers never loosened their hold in the slightest, an expression of absolute trust in the person holding the knife.
Once both chicken breasts had been safely split, and seeing that his younger brother had no intention of handing over the knife, Nian Le continued to instruct him.
“Use the back of the knife to gently pound the meat. That way it absorbs flavor better and won’t turn out dry.”
His younger brother diligently pounded the meat with the back of the knife, clearly developing an interest in cooking. Nian Le never discouraged someone’s enthusiasm, so he turned to prepare another dish, keeping an eye on the pan-seared chicken at the same time.
“After pounding it, add a spoon of salt, pepper, cooking wine, and dark soy sauce,” Nian Le said, taking oyster sauce from the fridge, shaking the bottle once, and pouring half a spoon into the bowl with the chicken.
There had originally been a bottle of pure, 100% oyster extract sauce in the fridge, but Nian Le wasn’t used to its taste. He’d had the driver buy a cheaper one instead, which was easier to pour.
“And then…” Nian Le remembered that his brother didn’t eat scallions, ginger, or garlic, swallowed the words “ginger powder,” and smiled as he pointed to the starch on the side.
“One spoon.”
“Mix the seasonings well and let it marinate for a while,” Nian Le said as he deftly pulled a pair of disposable gloves from the cabinet. He watched Huo Weiran rinse his one usable hand quickly under the tap, then reach out. Nian Le cooperated by taking out a glove.
With his hand still wet, the glove was hard to put on, and the fingers didn’t fit properly. Rather than tugging each finger into place one by one, Nian Le reached out and swiftly clasped his fingers, fitting them snugly into the glove in one smooth motion.
Their fingers interlocked suddenly then separated just as quickly.
Huo Weiran felt his heart thump heavily twice.
Even through the thin disposable glove, he could still sense the warmth of the other man’s palm.
Was this… some small tactic to get closer to him?
If he saw someone else do this, Huo Weiran would think they had ulterior motives—calculating, overly “green-tea” sweet, a cheap and obvious attempt at seduction not even worth noticing.
But what the person in front of him had done was clearly not enough. He should have held on a bit longer for his intentions to really show.
Huo Weiran showed no sign of concern on his face. He lowered his eyes and grabbed the chicken breast in front of him. Nian Le watched quietly, feeling as though his younger brother had some kind of grudge against the chicken—one squeeze, and it seemed like he wanted to wring all the moisture out of it.
Nian Le even took a moment to quickly reflect on whether he’d done anything earlier that might have upset him.
While the chicken was marinating, Nian Le finished cooking the other two dishes. The soup was simmering on the stove. Huo Weiran took out the marinated chicken, followed Nian Le’s instructions, and placed it into a pan with oil at the bottom. He pan-seared it slowly over low heat until both sides turned golden brown.
Seeing that the meat was nearly done, Nian Le poured in half a cup of water along the edge of the pan, covered it with a lid, and let it steam for two minutes so the chicken could finish cooking gently.
Although the dish was called pan-seared chicken breast, steaming it at the end gave it a better texture.
Three dishes and a soup were set on the table. The pan-seared chicken breast had been cut into strips of moderate width. Nian Le picked up a piece and placed it into Huo Weiran’s bowl, urging him to taste the food he’d made himself.
Huo Weiran lowered his head and took a bite. After a moment, he looked up, the surprise in his eyes unmistakable.
Chicken breast that was usually dry and tough had somehow been cooked to the texture of a steak!
“You did really well—it’s delicious,” Nian Le said, also taking a piece for himself. He spoke warmly, encouraging his younger brother. “You’ll definitely make it even better in the future.”
Huo Weiran looked at the fiancé sitting across from him. From his words, he could vaguely picture a future where the two of them cooked together in their small home.
Just like now—except by then, he would be the main one cooking. And if they were both tired, they could hire a cook.
“I don’t have a house in Huaguo right now,” Huo Weiran suddenly said. Nian Le looked up and swallowed the rice in his mouth.
Why bring this up?
“Neither do I,” Nian Le said, trying to comfort him. “Housing prices in Huaguo are high. It’s normal for young people not to own a place. We can work toward it slowly.”
“After I turned eighteen, I received a portion of shares from my grandfather,” Huo Weiran continued, starting to assess his current financial situation.
“I’ve also saved some money from competitions. It’s not enough to buy a villa in Jiangzhou outright, but by the end of this year I’ll receive my first dividend. Based on previous years, it should be eight figures.”
Nian Le held his chopsticks and fell silent, his thoughts abruptly cut short by this sudden display of wealth.
Some people get eight figures at eighteen; others, in their mid-twenties, hesitate to buy a 28-yuan cream puff and wish they could pay in installments.
Nian Le looked at his younger brother, maintaining a polite smile.
Did he really have to show off like this?
“Taking out a loan is troublesome, so at the earliest, I won’t be able to buy a place until next year,” Huo Weiran said, looking straight at his fiancé as he laid out his plan.
Nian Le stayed quiet. Huo Weiran also remained silent. The two of them looked at each other calmly, trying to read each other’s thoughts.
Huo Weiran had heard that Huaguo and Australia were different, without a house or a car, it was hard to start a family. He had several cars, but he hadn’t yet purchased property in Huaguo.
Young people also couldn’t always live with the old-fashioned elders of the previous generation; that was bound to cause friction.
He was already disabled, he couldn’t let the other person suffer grievances elsewhere as well.
Nian Le looked at his younger brother. There was something otherworldly about him. What he’d said didn’t sound like bragging so much as an equal sharing of his situation. The look in his eyes now seemed to be asking about Nian Le’s plans for the future.
“I’m still in university,” Nian Le said evenly. “After I graduate, depending on my job, I’ll rent a place first. Once my work is stable, I’ll think about other things.”
“Renting?” Huo Weiran pondered for a moment, realizing this wasn’t a bad solution.
“If you rent, won’t you feel a bit less secure?” Huo Weiran asked seriously, a part of him hoping Nian Le wouldn’t lower his standards just to accommodate him.
“No,” Nian Le replied calmly. He picked up a piece of chicken breast and placed it into Huo Weiran’s bowl, hoping to shut him up and end the topic as quickly as possible.
Huo Weiran looked at the meat in his bowl, then at the fiancé sitting across from him. An inexplicable heaviness settled in his chest.
If he had known this day would come, he shouldn’t have rejected the Huo family’s earlier tests and gestures of goodwill. He should have accepted those external, material things then he wouldn’t be making him suffer alongside him.
Huo Weiran tightened his grip on the cutlery, his gaze fixed straight on Nian Le.
For the future of their small family, even if it meant no longer keeping his distance from the Huo family, even if it meant enduring cold sarcasm from the Yuan clan, it wouldn’t matter.
Seeing the sudden, inexplicably resolute look in his younger brother’s eyes, as if he had firmly set his mind on walking a path toward wealth, Nian Le kept his expression unchanged and lowered his head to continue eating. He had just finished his meal and hadn’t even had time to react when Huo Weiran had already cleared away the empty plates and put them into the dishwasher.
Nian Le moved from the dining room to the living room, opened the Go stone box, and began reviewing the game he had played earlier with Chi Mianmian. After finishing up in the dining area, Huo Weiran picked up his Kindle as well and quietly sat on the sofa beside Nian Le to read.
For a time, the only sound in the room was the dishwasher running. After finishing his review, Nian Le went on to solve life-and-death problems to train his tactical instincts. By the time he came back to himself, night had already fallen outside. At some point, Huo Weiran had turned on the living-room lights without making a sound.
Dinner had been late, but fortunately his younger brother didn’t voice any complaints. He was even more proactive about helping in the kitchen. After finishing his practice, Nian Le headed back to the guest room. Behind him, Huo Weiran followed at a brisk pace. The shadow of his large frame loomed over him, sending an inexplicable chill down Nian Le’s back.
Nian Le turned around to look at his younger brother. Huo Weiran stopped in his tracks. At close range, he met Nian Le’s amber-colored eyes. The gray light in his own gaze shifted subtly—an obstinacy there, tempered by a sense of confidence that felt rightful and justified.
