Chapter 49

Xiao Gao’s full name is  Gao Ran. He had been with Ye Chen for more than half a year. Although he was young, he was not impulsive. He was a senior in being deaf and blind. When necessary, he could also be mute. He was a Buddha-like youth, deeply aware that being too talkative in the entertainment industry was a taboo, which would only harm others and oneself. Therefore, even if he had many doubts in his mind, he would only whisper to the toilet in the dead of night, as if he were the barber in a fairy tale who had peeked into the king of the donkey’s secret…

“Chen Ge has a vegetable fetish and raises chickens at home!”

“Chen Ge earns tens of thousands of yuan for each episode of a TV series but still leeches off my Wi-Fi hotspot!”

“Chen Ge opened an online store selling health pillows under the company’s name and used my phone’s Taobao account to place orders!”

“Chen Ge gave me a health pillow for a family of three, it’s mysteriously effective!”

“…”

“Damn it, when did Chen Ge and Shen Ge get together?! Ahhhh, so awkward!”

Internally passionate but outwardly composed, Xiao Gao turned around and greeted the two without even lifting his eyelids, as calm as if Shen Mofeng should appear here.

Shen Mofeng raised an eyebrow, “Your assistant is not bad.”

Ye Chen covered his face, “…Yeah.”

Xiao Gao was indeed sensible. He never asked about things that didn’t concern him. Otherwise, Ye Chen wouldn’t dare to use his name to open an online store, and he would be cautious not to reveal anything suspicious in front of him.

Xiao Gao didn’t ask any more questions and went to the dining room expressionlessly to wait for dinner.

For the whole day, Ye Chen was busy with endorsement shooting, while Shen Mofeng had nothing to do, so he took over Xiao Gao’s duties, watched the shooting offstage, and served Ye Chen during breaks. He held a cigarette in one hand, hugged Ye Chen’s thick coat in his arms, ready to put it on him during breaks, held a half-drunk glass of water in the other hand, and kept Ye Chen’s phone in his pocket, while Xiao Gao stood by with empty hands, lost in thought.

Ye Chen was embarrassed to the extreme and didn’t dare to look outside while taking photos.

This endorsement job was already easy, and with Ye Chen’s exceptional cooperation today, his enthusiasm for work was high. He didn’t even play with his phone and seemed eager to work every minute without taking a break… As a result, the shooting ended perfectly in the evening.

This meant that for the next four days, Ye Chen would have to spend time with Shen Mofeng doing nothing.

Fortunately, when there were outsiders around, Shen Mofeng restrained himself quite a bit, as if he were just coincidentally vacationing in Italy and happened to meet Ye Chen, so he naturally celebrated the New Year together with him. His words and deeds were like those of a true gentleman, gentlemanly to the point of amnesia. If it weren’t for the occasional ambiguous glances exchanged between them, Ye Chen would almost suspect that the person who had kissed and nibbled on him all night long, and spouted dirty talk at the slightest touch, was not Shen Mofeng’s alter ego…

When the three of them returned to their residence in the evening, the people in China had already celebrated the New Year. Shen Mofeng connected the TV to the Wi-Fi and searched for the replay of the Spring Festival Gala on the video website. Ye Chen silently washed and chopped vegetables, while Xiao Gao worked silently beside him. These past few days, they had been arranged to eat local food by the brand, such as pasta, pizza, steaks, and fancy croissants. After the shooting ended today, they also had dinner at a specialty restaurant. However, making dumplings on New Year’s Eve was a tradition, and besides, Ye Chen missed Chinese food after eating Western cuisine for so long.

After the Spring Festival Gala replay started, Teacher Shen also came over and helped out properly.

“Ye Chen,” Shen Mofeng innocently called out Ye Chen’s full name, holding a large bowl of beaten eggs, “Is the egg beaten like this okay?”

Ye Chen’s eyelids fluttered quickly, saying, “Okay.”

Xiao Gao watched coldly, “…”

Truly worthy of an actor, his tone, his expression, he pretended to be like a respectable person…

On New Year’s Eve, Ye Chen couldn’t find an excuse to be alone, let alone separate the two of them. After all, this was Shen Mofeng’s home, so the seven divine beast cubs were left unattended. Zhou Buchu and various vegetables, fruits, and eggs were all packed into a tricycle and taken back to his own home, celebrating the Lunar New Year with Lao Yinglong. In addition to the divine beasts’ food and Zhou Buchu’s deserved labor reward, Ye Chen also gave him two Ranyi fish and two fat chickens as a thank-you gift for helping take care of the divine beast cubs during the Spring Festival.

Ye Chen grew up with his grandparents, who always attached great importance to the New Year. Dumplings were a necessity for the Spring Festival. Ye Chen was proficient in rolling out dough and wrapping dumplings since he was six years old, and now, making dumpling filling was a piece of cake for him.

With someone assisting, Ye Chen skillfully mixed two kinds of common dumpling fillings in a large basin: one was pork and cabbage filling, with fatty and lean pork finely ground and mixed with vibrant green cabbage, creating a colorful mixture of red and white. The other was chive and egg filling, with finely chopped vibrant chives and fluffy and tender egg flowers, accompanied by a plate of ready-to-use large shrimp. When wrapping dumplings, Ye Chen would first scoop a spoonful of chive and egg filling onto the center of the dumpling wrapper, then place a crystal-clear shrimp in the filling to ensure that each dumpling contained shrimp.

Shen Mofeng, who was not accustomed to such tasks, struggled for a while, but when he picked up a twisted and distorted dumpling and placed it on the cutting board, just as the dumpling was about to land, the overstretched dough suddenly split open, and all the filling leaked out. Compared to Ye Chen’s neatly folded crescent-shaped dumplings, Shen Mofeng’s dumplings looked particularly miserable…

Shen Mofeng self-deprecatingly chuckled, “The dumplings I make are like…”

After all, Ye Chen still had the temperament of a young man, and he was also influenced by the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival. He temporarily forgot to be at odds with Shen Mofeng and joked, “Your dumplings are simply zombies in the dumpling world.”

Shen Mofeng: “…”

Ye Chen: “…”

“Okay, Ye Chen,” Shen Mofeng’s heart fluttered, and he bit his lip with a smile, “Are you making fun of me?”

Although Ye Chen’s obedient and gentle appearance could stir his heartstrings and tempt him to bully him, he actually preferred Ye Chen’s lively and playful demeanor, treating him like a peer. However, Ye Chen was quite restrained in front of him, and it might take some time to change that.

“No, no!” Ye Chen realized his slip of the tongue and mentally scolded himself. He quickly resumed his respectful demeanor and said, “Why don’t you go rest? I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Beside them, Xiao Gao seemed oblivious, just concentrating on wrapping dumplings. His dumplings were not particularly good-looking, but they were still passable.

“No, I don’t believe it,” Shen Mofeng rolled up his sleeves, revealing his firm and toned forearm, muttering to himself, “I refuse to believe it… Teach me properly.”

“Okay.” Ye Chen stood about a meter away and reached out his hand slowly. With slow movements, he demonstrated how to wrap dumplings, and for every move he made, Shen Mofeng faithfully replicated it. Half a minute later, a standard crescent-shaped dumpling and a misshapen one were born side by side…

Shen Mofeng’s handsome face turned slightly red, feeling a bit embarrassed. He muttered, “This is too simple, just a few steps…”

“When I first learned to wrap dumplings, it was like this too,” Ye Chen comforted him, “As long as the filling doesn’t leak out, it’s considered passable. Appearance doesn’t matter that much anyway…” Ye Chen recalled his childhood, when he shouted to his grandparents to let him wrap dumplings, but his skills were not much better than Shen Mofeng’s. He smiled, “Our family rule is that whoever wraps them, eats them.”

The ugly dumplings he wrapped would end up in his own belly anyway!

Shen Mofeng heard the implied meaning in Ye Chen’s words and felt a surge of emotions. He smiled and said, “Then I’ll follow your family’s rule.”

After all, sooner or later, he would be a member of the Ye family.

Ye Chen heard the hidden meaning in his words and coughed lightly, burying himself in wrapping dumplings.

Beside them, Xiao Gao remained as calm as an old monk in meditation: “…”

I suspect they went behind the company’s back to Europe to secretly get a marriage certificate!

Halfway through the Spring Festival Gala replay, batches of steaming dumplings were served: the chive, egg, and shrimp dumplings were boiled, with thin skins that revealed the shrimp inside. They had a refreshing and juicy texture, and dipping them in dumpling vinegar made them even more delicious. On the other hand, the pork and cabbage dumplings were steamed, with thick and chewy skins. Although the outer skin of these pork dumplings was slightly dry, as soon as you bit into them, the small amount of oil and fat from the fatty pork inside would burst out, giving them a spicy kick on the tongue. This hint of greasiness was completely balanced by the sweetness of the cabbage, making it irresistible. 

“I’ll be damned, Chen Ge, you’re such a good cook! It’s so delicious!” After maintaining a serious face all day, Gao Ran’s expression finally broke, and he couldn’t care less about burning his mouth. He blew on each dumpling and ate them with relish, his mouth full of oil.

“Delicious.” Shen Mofeng strictly followed the Ye family rule, picking at his own peculiar-looking dumplings. At first, he was reluctant to eat the pork filling, fearing it would melt away his abs, but seeing the other two enjoying themselves, he couldn’t resist joining in.

The Spring Festival Gala continued to play lively music, conversations, chewing sounds, clinking of bowls and chopsticks… all of it finely fragmented, floating in the air.

Ye Chen listened attentively, bowing his head to eat dumplings. He remembered the lonely New Year’s Eve two years ago when he was a lonely empty-nester in a rented room. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift slightly, but he felt uncomfortable and rubbed his nose to conceal his contentment and satisfaction.

After the three of them ate and drank their fill, Xiao Gao washed all the pots, bowls, and utensils and soaked them in warm water for Housekeeper to deal with tomorrow. After doing all this, he reported the itinerary to Ye Chen with insight, saying, “If you need anything, call me. I’ll video call my parents for a while, and then I’ll go straight to bed.”

“…Oh.” Ye Chen tried to keep him back with his eyes, but Xiao Gao didn’t catch the hint and slipped upstairs.

Hearing the sound of the guest room door locking upstairs, Shen Mofeng chuckled softly.

“I’ll go to bed too,” Ye Chen said cautiously, getting up, “You should rest early.”

“Come back.” Shen Mofeng reached out and grabbed Ye Chen’s wrist, guiding him back to the sofa. He said leisurely, “I’ve been holding back all day.”

Ye Chen stumbled back onto the sofa, keeping a distance from Shen Mofeng. He said cautiously, “How have you been holding back?”

“I didn’t want you to feel nervous in front of outsiders, and I pretended to be a good person…” Shen Mofeng said, turning to the side and lightly pinching Ye Chen’s other wrist with his left hand before releasing it. He asked, “Why aren’t you wearing the watch I gave you?”

Ye Chen choked up, “It’s too expensive, I’m afraid I’ll damage it.”

“If it’s damaged, I’ll get you a new one.” Shen Mofeng scrutinized him for a moment, then understood, “Are you still waiting to return it intact?”

Ye Chen, the honest baby, nodded, “Yeah.”

“No, you’re not allowed,” Shen Mofeng’s tone was firm, “Wear it tomorrow.”

“Let’s forget about it,” Ye Chen said weakly.

Shen Mofeng’s face darkened, “I’m angry.”

“…” Ye Chen looked at him pitifully, knowing that Shen Mofeng wasn’t really angry, it was all an act, but he could only pretend to appease him, “Then I’ll wear it, don’t be angry.”

“That’s better.” Shen Mofeng smiled lazily, sinking back into the sofa.

Meanwhile, the Spring Festival Gala host began the New Year’s Eve countdown. To ease the awkwardness and fill the silence, Ye Chen said, “Do you want to video call your uncles and aunts for a while? You used to spend the Spring Festival at home, right?”

“I already video called them during the day, and right now…” Shen Mofeng calculated the time difference, “They can’t be awake. Fortunately, I was thoughtful enough to tell them I was coming here for work, not to find them a daughter-in-law,” Shen Mofeng glanced at Ye Chen mysteriously, “Otherwise, I would have lost face today.”

“By the way,” Ye Chen awkwardly changed the subject, “Did you study abroad here?”

During the daytime shoot, he heard Shen Mofeng speaking Italian to the foreign representatives of the brand. Ye Chen couldn’t understand it, but he knew it sounded very pleasant. Shen Mofeng’s magnetic voice and lazy tone seemed oddly suited to Italian.

“Not really,” Shen Mofeng joked, “My dad… he’s obsessed with buying houses.”

Ye, the little poor guy, suffered another wealth shock. “…”

“Just kidding,” Shen Mofeng said with a smile, “It’s all for vacation and recuperation. My dad’s health isn’t too good. He spends about half the year in places with good environments for recuperation, in various countries and cities… I learned several foreign languages through immersion in those places and practicing daily conversations.” Pausing for a moment, Shen Mofeng added voluntarily, “My dad doesn’t have any serious illness, it’s just a matter of constitution.”

Ye Chen nodded and asked a few more detailed questions, thinking that perhaps there were some spiritual plants that could specifically improve Shen Mofeng’s father’s health condition. However, Shen Mofeng evaded the topic, seeming unwilling to discuss the details. Ye Chen thought perhaps Shen Mofeng considered it private, so he didn’t press further.

Now it was Shen Mofeng’s turn to change the subject. “I’ll be back in four days. Is there anything you want to do? I’ll accompany you.”

“Not really,” Ye Chen declined, “You don’t have to bother.”

He hadn’t even checked Italy’s travel guide. There were so many trees waiting to be planted in the field, and the development of Chen Chen Wellness also urgently needed new products. He didn’t have much interest in sightseeing.

“Name one place you want to go, at least one,” Shen Mofeng wasn’t easily fooled, counting off several famous Italian cities, “Rome? Venice? Milan? Turin?”

“No need,” Ye Chen shook his head, “It’s too embarrassing.”

“In that case, what about you…” Shen Mofeng chuckled, pretending to be ambiguous as he carefully examined Ye Chen, threatening him in a soft voice, “You’re not going anywhere in these four days? Just staying at home with me? Two lonely men, face to face all day long, I’ll be delighted, but I’m worried about you… Going out, at least there are more people around, and if you feel embarrassed, you won’t think about it when there’s something to play with.”

Ye Chen imagined himself spending four whole days with Shen Mofeng at home, plus the unpredictable appearance of Gao Ran, who not only couldn’t be relied upon but might also sneak up to eavesdrop on their conversation. He felt that he might die of embarrassment in these four days.

“In that case, let’s go out.” Ye Chen pinched the hem of his clothes and quickly said.

Shen Mofeng whistled cheerfully. “Alright, darling, where do you want to go?”

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, following the principle of “everything under the sun is fair game” learned from Zhou Buchu. He tentatively asked, “Can we go to the beach?”

He did have plans to go to the seaside. Considering that Hundun Cub could already operate four  Chaos Marks simultaneously, he wanted to take Hundun to secretly place one Hundun imprint in the sea in Italy…

That way, he could fish from the comfort of his own home!

This idea had crossed his mind long ago. The reason it hadn’t been implemented was that the Ranyi fish in the Mountain and Sea Realm could already satisfy their need for fish consumption, and any additional seafood caught from the sea wasn’t as tasty as the Ranyi fish. It could only be sold at the market. Unlike vegetables and fruits, seafood had to be delivered to customers alive to maintain its freshness, and if they died, the price would drop. Raising them required some expertise, and Ye Chen couldn’t engage in large-scale fishing. The unstable income from small catches wasn’t worth the effort of setting up a seafood stall. Therefore, he hadn’t implemented it, treating this bizarre idea as just a joke. But now…

Ye Chen remembered the fear that had gripped him a few days ago—a fear dominated by despair. In the space of the eastern wing room, the bubble storing the essence of the Taotie Cubs was growing larger and larger.

Taotie Cubs needed to consume food fifty times their weight every day. Although the concept of “food” for Taoties, as beings capable of devouring anything, was quite broad and didn’t necessarily have to be normal food in the human sense, they could survive by gnawing on bark and chewing stones, Ye Chen didn’t want to starve them. Although he couldn’t afford spiritual plants, he still wanted to provide something he felt could be eaten at least…

…

“The beach?” Shen Mofeng eagerly agreed. “No problem.”

There might be fewer activities to do at the beach in winter, but since Beijing is an inland city, Ye Chen probably didn’t have many opportunities to go to the beach for vacation, so Shen Mofeng didn’t doubt him. He just asked, “Anything else?”

“No, one request is enough,” Ye Chen said, feeling embarrassed to ask for more.

“Okay, I’ll plan the rest of the itinerary,” Shen Mofeng said happily, like a little boy about to go on a spring outing, jumping up. “I’ll go check the tickets and stuff. You go rest.”

“Thank you, Shen Ge, for your trouble.” Ye Chen got up. “Good night.”

Seeing his obedient appearance, Shen Mofeng got excited again. “…Wait.”