The next day, Yu Yan punched in for his field duty but didn’t go to work. It was close to noon when he finally brought two lunchboxes to the company.

Although Jiang Moxi had mentioned that she was making nourishing soup for Shen Yuming, she had actually prepared several other dishes as well.

Yu Yan was already a regular visitor in Shen Yuming’s office. After entering, he asked the assistant to prepare a cup of milk tea for him, then sat down on the sofa, placed the lunchboxes, checked Shen Yuming’s injury, and applied some more medicine.

Shen Yuming’s hand had completely reduced in swelling, but the injury marks were still visible.

Shen Yuming looked at the dishes on the table with slight surprise. “So much?”

“My mom thought it wasn’t enough and made a few vegetarian dishes as well,” Yu Yan said, handing over the soup.

Shen Yuming’s gaze scanned the table, which had black-bone chicken and ginkgo soup, sweet and sour ribs, oil-braised prawns, roasted goose, and steamed bass.

“Where are the vegetarian dishes?”

“Oh, I didn’t bring them. I could only carry so much with two hands,” Yu Yan said, handing over the soup.

Shen Yuming paused for a moment, then obediently started drinking the soup. “Auntie’s cooking is really good.”

Yu Yan beamed with pride. “Of course, my mom specially made this for you.”

He peeled a few oranges, removing the veins and arranging them in a small flower shape on a plate. “Fruit for after the meal, all set!”

Shen Yuming ate a few slices of the orange.

“Sweet, right?”

“Sweet, did the orchard send them?”

“No, they were from Cao Yuanye. They’re a specialty from his hometown. If you like them, I’ll buy two boxes from him later,” Yu Yan said, skillfully peeling the shrimp head.

He didn’t like peeling shrimp, so when eating shrimp, he preferred to bite off the head and then peel off the shell with his teeth.

Although his eating habits weren’t very refined, they were convenient and practical.

Shen Yuming’s smile faded a little, and he placed the remaining two slices of orange back on the plate.

“Aren’t you eating?” Yu Yan spit out the shrimp tail.

Shen Yuming simply said, “Sour.”

Yu Yan was puzzled. “Isn’t that the same orange we just ate? Maybe the two slices you had earlier were exposed to the sun, so they’re sweeter, and the ones that weren’t are more sour?”

“Maybe,” Shen Yuming said, pulling the plate of shrimp in front of himself.

Yu Yan put down his chopsticks. “Brother, do you want shrimp? I’ll peel them for you.”

“No need.” Shen Yuming stopped him.

Yu Yan insisted, “But your hand is still injured. You shouldn’t be doing this kind of work.”

Jiang Moxi had already said to peel the shrimp and pack them before he left, but he had declined, thinking it would be too close to lunchtime.

“No need, it’s not like my fingers are injured,” Shen Yuming quickly peeled a shrimp and placed it in Yu Yan’s bowl.

“For me?” Yu Yan asked, pretending not to know, blinking twice.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Yu Yan chuckled twice. “Brother Chen, you’re like my mom.”

In that moment, a dozen adjectives flashed through Shen Yuming’s mind. For the first time, he couldn’t find the words to say, though his hands didn’t stop moving.

His hands were fair, slender, and had distinct joints. Even the way he peeled the shrimp was pleasant to watch.

“Like what?”

“Only my mom would be so nice to me and peel shrimp for me.”

After saying that, Yu Yan quickly added, “My dad and older brother are also very good to me, but in a different way.”

Shen Yuming finished peeling a whole plate of shrimp and placed the plate in front of Yu Yan. “The eldest brother is like a mother?”

“The eldest brother is like a father… I guess?” Yu Yan’s eyelid twitched. “Forget it, no need to use such adjectives. An eldest brother is just an eldest brother.”

Life had really gotten better. He remembered when Shen Yuming wouldn’t even drink the wine he offered, and now he could even eat shrimp peeled by Shen Yuming.

During this time, Yu Chen called Shen Yuming. Yu Yan didn’t understand the specifics of the conversation, but he guessed it had something to do with the Qi family.

Shen Yuming briefly said a few words, then hung up the phone. “The Qi family is going bankrupt.”

“Is this the downfall of the Qi family? Learned something new today,” Yu Yan said in surprise, relieved that he wasn’t the one being ruined.

Shen Yuming shot him a sideways glance. “The Qi family already had problems, dealing with them isn’t hard. But Qi Ke isn’t an easy one to handle, you…”

“Brother Chen, don’t worry, I’ll be extra careful, I won’t let him succeed,” Yu Yan said passionately.

Shen Yuming didn’t say much more, not wanting to add pressure. “Just be cautious when you go out.”

“No problem, no problem! In a few days, I’ll take Song Yunqing to Rongcheng to film a documentary. My mom will go too, she’s going for an interview. I’ll bring you some souvenirs when we return,” Yu Yan said, smoothly reporting his schedule.

“Okay.”

However, since Shen Yuming couldn’t eat spicy food, there were many local delicacies he couldn’t bring back, and Yu Yan expressed his regret about that.

In the afternoon, with nothing to do, Yu Yan took the opportunity to run an errand for Shen Yuming while he was at work, delivering a document.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Shen Yuming received a phone call. His expression turned sour, and it seemed like the person on the other end wasn’t someone good.

Yu Yan became alert, put down the game controller, and cautiously leaned in.

On the phone, Shen Yuming’s father’s voice could be heard. “I heard you were injured? How’s it going?”

“I’ve already applied the medicine.” Shen Yuming glanced at Yu Yan’s actions and purposely switched the phone to his right hand to make it easier for Yu Yan to hear.

“Good to hear. Your younger brother’s new company is doing well. If there’s a suitable project, you might want to consider him.”

Shen Yuming hummed in acknowledgment. “Got it.”

“He’s working with several overseas companies, but the proposal seems a bit off. I’ll have him come to the company to see you so you can give him some advice.”

Shen Yuming paused for a moment, then casually pulled the person who was leaning on the armrest of the chair upright. “Let’s do it another day. Zhao Chi took the day off, so it’s inconvenient.”

“Just have a quick look at it, it’s not like I’m asking you to invest.”

“Let him contact me in advance next time.”

After a few brief, awkward pleasantries, the phone call was quickly ended.

“Was that your uncle?”

“Yeah,” Shen Yuming nodded.

“By the way, why did Assistant Zhao take the day off today?” Yu Yan sighed.

Shen Yuming casually joked, “He went on a date.”

Yu Yan exaggerated with a loud “Wow!” “Assistant Zhao is dating?! When’s the wedding? I’ll prepare a red envelope for him.”

“I don’t know.”

“Brother, how are you going to handle dinner? How about I go to your place and cook for you? Although it might not be that tasty, I can definitely make sure it’s cooked,” Yu Yan said casually, turning off the tablet and stuffing his phone into his pocket, ready to leave work.

Shen Yuming’s suggestion of “ordering takeout” turned around on his tongue but was ultimately suppressed.

To make sure the patient was satisfied, Yu Yan specially asked Jiang Mo for advice. The two of them discussed for a while and finally decided to make tomato and lean pork porridge.

It was simple; you just needed hands to do it.

When they arrived at the small apartment, Yu Yan firmly kicked Shen Yuming, who was trying to help, out of the kitchen. He followed the steps from the video, meticulously doing everything with perfect timing, down to the second.

Twenty minutes later, the fragrant and colorful tomato and lean pork porridge was ready.

“Brother Chen, try my cooking.”

Shen Yuming was slightly surprised. “It tastes good.”

A few voice messages popped up in the “Family Safety and Health” group, but Yu Yan didn’t pay attention and directly clicked play.

“Yu Yan, I heard you went to take care of the patient? Did you even cook for him yourself?”

— This was Yu Chen’s voice, with heavy emphasis on “cooked yourself,” dripping with sarcasm, almost as if he was about to accuse Yu Yan of being a nanny.

“How does the porridge taste? I wonder if Dad will get a chance to try it?”

In the second voice message, Jiang Mo’s scolding voice could be heard. “You two, really! Ah Chen is a patient, why are you so picky about it?”

Yu Yan replied with a voice message, “Dad, Mom, Brother, don’t worry, it tastes good. I’ll cook for you when I go home in a couple of days.”

Jiang Mo laughed. “Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Yan.”

After finishing the meal, Yu Yan started tidying up, preparing to head home.

Shen Yuming subconsciously asked, “How about staying the night?”

“I’d rather not. My brother would have an issue with it,” Yu Yan pouted.

“Curfew?”

“No,” Yu Yan thought for a moment, “I just feel like my brother might be a little jealous.”

“Jealous?” Shen Yuming raised his voice, not understanding what kind of jealousy Yu Chen could possibly have.

Yu Yan nodded vigorously. “Yeah, you and he are both my brothers, but he seems to think I’m nicer to you than to him, so it’s making him uncomfortable.”

He scratched his chin. “I don’t get his thought process.”

Shen Yuming’s eyelid twitched. Yu Chen had been sending him strange, mysterious messages lately, and his suspicion was right.

Time was of the essence, so Shen Yuming had to act faster.

He picked up the car keys. “I’ll drive you.”

“Thanks, Brother Shen.” Yu Yan didn’t refuse.

After returning home, it was still early. Yu Lin and Jiang Mo were watching TV on the sofa, while Yu Chen was in his room chatting on the phone with Xi Yuan.

On the weekend, Yu Yan and Jiang Mo went shopping and picked out many items to donate for charity.

Jiang Mo was very experienced in this area and taught Yu Yan a lot, such as how clothes for donation can have labels saying “XX Donation” to prevent those who don’t need them from taking advantage, and how to negotiate with companies behind the scenes to lower prices so that more items can be bought under the same circumstances. Usually, companies wouldn’t refuse such a good promotional opportunity.

Charity events involved ribbon-cutting, photos, interviews, and more. As the largest donor, Jiang Mo would attend all these activities.

“Baby, I hope you can go for the ribbon-cutting, take photos, and accept media interviews,” Jiang Mo suggested.

Yu Yan was really startled and stammered, “W-why?”

“From the moment we took you from Rongcheng Hospital, your father and I established a foundation in your name,” Jiang Mo linked arms with him. “All donations in Rongcheng are made in your name, so I hope you can participate in the interview.”

“No… I can’t. I’ve never attended this kind of event,” Yu Yan refused without hesitation.

The original owner had attended an event for a ribbon-cutting at the Xiangxing branch, but that was when Yu Lin and Yu Chen accompanied him.

He had never attended such an event alone, let alone with media interviews involved.

Jiang Mo was patient. “Are you worried that you’ll mess up because of your mistakes?”

“Mm-hmm.” Yu Yan nodded vigorously.

“It’s fine, it’s not a live broadcast. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have them redo it,” Jiang Mo reassured him.

“But… I’m not prepared.”

“You don’t need to prepare anything. I’ll have someone help write the speech, and the reporters will communicate the questions with us beforehand,” Jiang Mo insisted.

Having already said so much, Yu Yan thought for a long time and finally voiced his concerns. “I’m afraid of embarrassing you.”

Jiang Mo sighed lightly. “What’s there to be embarrassed about within a family? As long as you don’t break the law, your father and I will always have your back. Don’t worry and go for it.”

For more than half a year, Yu Yan had always believed he had hidden everything well, never revealing anything. But he didn’t expect that his little secret was known not only by Shen Yuming but also by Jiang Mo, and perhaps even Yu Lin and Yu Chen.

He didn’t have the courage or strength to take on responsibility, which was why he kept avoiding things and only did what he was most confident in, the things that he knew would definitely succeed.

That’s why he didn’t dare to drive, didn’t dare to manage an artist with even a little progress, and didn’t even dare to go on stage alone to give a speech.

He had forgotten that his once precarious and lonely life now had people who would always have his back. This time, he had countless opportunities to make mistakes.

Yu Yan didn’t want to disappoint them. After swallowing twice, he finally took that step. “Alright, Mom, I’ll go.”