Heartbreaking Answer

In the morning, He Zhiwen arrived at the office, which had become quieter recently. He felt refreshed coming to work these days because he always stopped by Jiang Yi’s house first to see Su Ran, which left him in a great mood all day.

He had just sat down at his desk when he sent a WeChat message to Su Ran, “Did Mingzhe have a good breakfast?”

Soon after, Su Ran replied with a video of him feeding Zhao Mingzhe. Although Su Ran wasn’t visible in the video, his fair hand and gentle voice could be seen and heard, “Mingzhe baby is so good, eating so well.”

The sound of soothing a child made He Zhiwen’s heart melt and ripple; he yearned to hold that person tightly in his arms, to knead and bury his face in his neck, inhaling his scent.

Just then, there was a knock at the office door, and He Zhiwen tucked his phone away, “Come in.”

Jiang Yi entered and approached the desk, “President He, did you want to see me?”

He Zhiwen gestured for him to sit and swiveled his chair before starting with a smile, “Did you find it headache-inducing the last time you were in my office? With that little guy crying and fussing.”

“Little friend Mingzhe is quite adorable, but indeed, it can be a bit overwhelming when he cries,” said Jiang Yi.

“You see, I bet others can’t handle his crying either,” He Zhiwen remarked, “Bringing Su Ran over really helped me out a lot. He usually gets along with kids, doesn’t he?”

Jiang Yi was unsure what He Zhiwen was getting at as he had mentioned Su Ran more than once. It was clear that Su Ran was a great help, almost as if He Zhiwen owed him a favor.

But calling him to the office just to say thanks again?

“Su Ran does have a way with kids; they tend to warm up to him easily,” Jiang Yi replied.

“He looks like a good person,” praised He Zhiwen, continuing, “It seems a waste to just have him as a nanny. Could you ask him if he’s interested in other work? I could arrange something.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yi was taken aback; this was blatantly a request for personnel. Just because he had helped with the child for a few days, was it necessary to go this far?

Jiang Yi suppressed his discomfort, responding to He Zhiwen energetically, “Actually, President He, Su Ran isn’t just a nanny at my place. I funded a dessert shop which he manages fully. He loves making desserts, so I think he wouldn’t be interested in other jobs.”

“Oh…” He Zhiwen pondered, his brow furrowing, as he hadn’t heard about the dessert shop before. “Doesn’t Su Ran need to go to the shop? I hope Zhao Mingzhe isn’t causing him to neglect his work.”

At this, Jiang Yi felt a headache coming on. Who would have thought He Zhiwen would value Su Ran so much, even suggesting that being good with a child qualifies him for other jobs. What kind of logic was that?

“It’s all right, President He, the shop isn’t busy right now, and Zhao Mingzhe behaves well with him. Even if Su Ran goes to the shop, bringing him along won’t be a problem.”

Seeing his plan to bring Su Ran closer to him thwarted, He Zhiwen was somewhat disappointed. Yet, it was also strange that Jiang Yi was managing both the shop and nanny duties, unwilling to let go.

Was he only in the city to bully people because of Su Ran?

•

Su Ran was at home, warming milk for Zhao Mingzhe, when his WeChat pinged. It was Lu Jin.

The message said he wanted to talk, which made Su Ran a bit puzzled. What would they have to talk about? Shouldn’t he be seeking Jiang Yi if he needed to discuss something?

Sending cakes made sense, but then again… Su Ran had a realization, considering Lu Jin’s storyline. There was clearly some unspoken emotional line between him and Jiang Yi.

So coming to talk to him, Jiang Yi’s spouse, seemed reasonable after all.

After thinking for a moment, Su Ran replied that he was currently home watching the child, so Lu Jin should come over.

There was no reply, but about half an hour later, there was a knock at the door.

Standing at the door was Lu Jin, his eyes bloodshot and his face showing signs of poor rest, but more prominently, he exuded an aura of deep resentment.

Since that dinner, Su Ran had not initiated contact, neither delivering pastries nor personally making them, no calls, no messages, nothing after that hug.

So, he had come for answers.

Right now, Lu Jin wasn’t thinking much; things had been off between them for a while. Living separately, Jiang Yi not treating him well, giving him such a small room, and messing around, so Su Ran seducing him seemed somewhat justified.

He was here now, wanting an answer; he couldn’t just continue ambiguously with someone who was married. That was his bottom line.

At that moment, his hands were trembling. He always thought he was a man of morals, but maybe not.

Finally, movement came from inside, and the next second, Su Ran opened the door, the warm colors inside spilling out, along with a faint scent that filled his nostrils.

For some reason, Lu Jin felt a sudden rush to his nose, somewhat reproachfully saying, “Why did it take so long to open the door?”

Su Ran was surprised for a moment when he saw Lu Jin; it felt like he had become much more haggard in just a few days, with dark circles under his eyes.

“Just checking on the child,” said Su Ran, then bent down to get Lu Jin some slippers.

Lu Jin’s gaze followed him persistently, almost clinging to Su Ran, “The child? Whose child?”

When he saw the WeChat earlier, he thought it might be a child Jiang Yi had outside, brought back for Su Ran to raise, which wasn’t uncommon in their circle. But after snapping back to reality, he dismissed the idea.

However, Su Ran was so easygoing, it was easy to think that, and even so, this honest man had actively tried to attract him. Was he using him as a lifeline, or did he like him so much he couldn’t care less?

“It’s President He’s nephew, there’s no one to take care of him, so I’m helping out for a while,” Su Ran explained.

“President He’s nephew? Why would you help?” Lu Jin asked, his face cold, though inside he was cursing Jiang Yi for his incompetence.

“The kid’s a bit hard to soothe…” Su Ran said quietly, just as his thigh was hugged by Zhao Mingzhe.

“Hug…” Zhao Mingzhe had just eaten a cookie, and there were some crumbs mixed with saliva at the corners of his mouth.

Su Ran wiped his mouth with a napkin before picking him up. Lu Jin’s icy gaze swept over the child in his arms, easily guessing how the child ended up with Su Ran.

Jiang Yi, to curry favor with his boss, didn’t even care about his own face, just like the times he declined his invitations and sent Su Ran instead.

Thinking this, Lu Jin suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

Lu Jin walked in, noticing the pastries and tea prepared on the coffee table, clearly for him, and his expression softened a bit under Su Ran’s guidance as he sat down on the sofa.

“How old is Jiang Yi’s boss? Is he married?” Lu Jin asked.

Su Ran, sitting on a floor mat with Zhao Mingzhe clinging to him, was a bit surprised by the question. Lu Jin didn’t usually seem so gossipy…

But then he immediately realized, if Lu Jin was interested in Jiang Yi, it made sense.

“Not married, probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine,” Su Ran answered truthfully.

Lu Jin set his tea cup down on the coffee table, losing the mood to drink, “What’s he like? If the kid gets hurt, he won’t blame you, right?”

Su Ran didn’t know why he had the time to ask about such trivial matters today, “No, he’s a good person, ambitious and young, and he doesn’t put on airs.”

Lu Jin was very unsatisfied with this answer, “Ambitious and young? Does he make over a billion a year? He’s almost thirty, men at that age are the most pragmatic, all show no go.”

Jiang Yi was a prime example.

Su Ran was puzzled; why did Lu Jin have such hostility towards Jiang Yi’s boss? Badmouthing a romantic rival?

After triggering He Zhiwen’s storyline, he indeed noticed a pattern similar to Lu Jin’s, so his reaction seemed quite logical now…

At that moment, Zhao Mingzhe started fussing, turning his body away from Lu Jin and clinging to Su Ran, “Don’t like this uncle, don’t like this uncle!”

Su Ran glanced at Lu Jin’s displeased face, feeling a bit awkward, but for now, he just soothed Zhao Mingzhe, who was usually easy to comfort when with him.

Zhao Mingzhe calmed down, climbing up and down Su Ran’s legs, clearly enjoying himself, and then started kissing Su Ran, on his neck and cheeks.

Lu Jin, sitting on the sofa, watched, his eyelids twitching at the saliva marks, visibly annoyed as his attention focused on them, almost compulsively wanting to wipe them away.

Thinking this, Lu Jin did just that; he pulled out a few tissues from the coffee table, leaning over to wipe Su Ran’s cheek.

Su Ran was taken aback, surprised by Lu Jin’s actions, “It’s fine…”

Lu Jin ignored him, wiping both his face and neck. Su Ran, wearing a casual home outfit, had his collar tugged by the child, exposing his collarbone.

When Lu Jin came to his senses, he realized what he was doing. His hand holding the tissue slowed as his gaze trailed upward, eventually meeting Su Ran’s soft eyes.

Lu Jin’s breathing became erratic, his heartbeat quickening. Su Ran’s bangs fell across his eyes, giving Lu Jin an urge to brush them aside.

“Su Ran…” Lu Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “Will you leave Jiang Yi?”

He asked the question that had been burning inside him, wanting an answer.

Su Ran was almost shocked; he stared blankly at Lu Jin. Was the plot advancing too quickly? Was this Lu Jin testing him?

At the same time, he pushed Lu Jin’s hand away and frowned for the first time, “Of course not.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Lu Jin froze before sitting stiffly back on the sofa. His mind went blank; he hadn’t expected Su Ran to so decisively declare he wouldn’t leave Jiang Yi.

“Why?” Lu Jin muttered, his voice faint.

“There’s no why. I just won’t. Jiang Yi and I won’t divorce,” Su Ran stated firmly, looking at Lu Jin with a hint of offended annoyance.

Lu Jin’s eyes reddened almost instantly. For the first time in his life, he experienced the feeling of his pride being utterly crushed, unable to say another word.

He understood now.

Su Ran wasn’t using him as a lifeline, nor did he like him so much that he’d ignore everything else. He was toying with him, luring him into an illicit affair.

Did he think Lu Jin was a joke? A third party?

Lu Jin abruptly stood up and strode towards the door. Su Ran watched him, puzzled, and after a moment, called out, “I just made some pastries. Would you like to take some?”

According to the plot, the blind and clueless spouse had no idea of Lu Jin’s intentions and was simply offended. Yet, considering his husband’s connection with him, he still wanted to please him.

Unexpectedly, Lu Jin, the one trying to steal someone else’s partner, was the one who got upset first, even sounding furious, “Don’t bother! I won’t agree to this!”

To be someone’s secret lover? What a joke!

Su Ran, “?”

What was that about? So strange.