Song Mianfeng no longer cared about the irrelevant excitement. These days, he had been secretly learning to make noodles with Meng Ze. He didn’t pet the cat or play with the fish anymore. In his spare time, he locked himself in the kitchen to learn how to knead and pull noodles.

Fortunately, although Lu Yin Zhen was recuperating at home, his assistant delivered documents to his home every day. He had a lot of work to do, and most of his time was spent working in the study, so he didn’t notice anything unusual for a while.

One afternoon, Song Mianfeng was busy in the kitchen as usual, with Meng Ze also in the kitchen. The two of them each occupied a side of the countertop, one kneading dough and the other preparing ingredients for soup. Occasionally, they exchanged a few words, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After kneading the dough, which needed to rest for half an hour, Song Mianfeng started peeling lotus seeds.

Meng Ze poured blanched pork ribs, diced lotus root, and coreless lotus seeds into a clay pot and stewed them over high heat. Song Mianfeng, staring at the remaining fresh lotus seeds, asked, “Can I peel these for Yin Zhen?”

Meng Ze was in charge of Lu Yin Zhen’s diet at home, and he was very strict about his dietary restrictions. Song Mianfeng didn’t dare to give him anything to eat casually.

“Lotus seeds calm the mind, clear heat, invigorate the spleen, and stop diarrhea,” Meng Ze glanced at him, smiling with some profound meaning, “You can, but don’t indulge too much, just a little.”

The words “invigorate the spleen, stop diarrhea” made Song Mianfeng pause in his action of peeling lotus seeds, awkwardly nodding, “Um.”

After the soup boiled, the aroma filled the air. Meng Ze lowered the heat and simmered it gently, while Song Mianfeng continued to peel lotus seeds. The kitchen door was pushed open, and a man rushed in with an eager expression, sniffing the scent of the soup as he asked, “Uncle Ze, has Grandfather gone out to listen to opera again? What delicious food are you cooking? Ah, this aroma, is it pork rib soup? Can I have some?”

Song Mianfeng looked up to see a stranger barging in, smelling of alcohol, and speaking familiarly to Meng Ze, “We discussed the contract at noon, and I drank a lot of wine but didn’t eat anything. When will Changming be back at the company? With his capacity for alcohol, why does he need me to play hardball when discussing contracts?”

“Second Young Master,” Meng Ze’s tone was helpless, as if he were used to this behavior, but had no way to deal with it, “Mr. and Mrs. went to the San Die Lou opera house together. The soup has just been stewed and can’t be drunk yet. There are some leftovers from lunch. Do you want me to reheat them for you or cook a bowl of noodles?”

“Just reheat a couple of dishes for me.” The man called Second Young Master finally noticed Song Mianfeng, his eyes blurry with intoxication, and asked in a daze, “Who is this? When did we hire a new servant?”

“He’s Mr. Song.” Meng Ze smiled apologetically at Song Mianfeng, “This is Meng Shuangling, the second young master.”

“Surname Song…” Meng Shuangling realized and smiled at Song Mianfeng, “Sorry, I’m still a bit drunk. It’s all family here, just call me Brother.”

Song Mianfeng nodded, “Brother.”

Meng Shuangling rubbed his hands, speaking in a familiar tone, “Um, Changming in the study? Mianfeng, can you take the contracts and documents up for me? I’m hungry and waiting for a hot meal.”

Song Mianfeng nodded and followed Meng Shuangling out of the kitchen. It happened that he needed to bring the lotus seeds up anyway, so he just went along with it.

Meng Shuangling was brought to the Meng family by his assistant. He went straight to the kitchen upon arrival and completely forgot about his assistant in the living room until now.

Taking a stack of documents from his assistant’s hand, Meng Shuangling waved his hand, “You can go back first. Tell my brother that I got drunk and passed out, so I can’t return to the company.”

Meng Shuangling lied with his eyes open, but his assistant nodded indifferently, seeming accustomed to handling such matters. After listening to the arrangement, he left. Only Song Mianfeng’s train of thought shifted from “Isn’t this lie making it difficult for the assistant?” to “It seems that this Second Brother from the Meng family often skips work using the excuse of being drunk,” while also gaining a rough understanding of Meng Shuangling’s character.

After sending away his assistant, Meng Shuangling turned around and handed a stack of documents to Song Mianfeng, clasping his hands together, “Thank you, Mianfeng. With this smell of alcohol on me, I definitely can’t go into Changming’s study.”

Amused by his exaggerated tone, Song Mianfeng chuckled, “Sure, I’ll take them up.”

Lu Yin Zhen had just finished his call with Meng Huai in the study.

Meng Huai had returned to S City from the first day. The company in S City had always been managed by Meng Huai. Except for monthly reports to Lu Yin Zhen in B City, the two usually communicated remotely.

Song Mianfeng knocked on the door of the study and placed a stack of documents in front of Lu Yin Zhen, “From Second Brother Meng.” Then he placed a plate of lotus seeds on the table, “I peeled these.”

The peeled lotus seeds were a pale yellow-white color, placed in a sky-blue dish, with the green core removed. The colors looked exceptionally pleasing together.

Lu Yin Zhen picked up a lotus seed and fed it to him, “Why didn’t he bring them up himself?”

“He’s drunk.” Song Mianfeng bit into a lotus seed and replied, “He’s downstairs waiting for dinner.”

Lu Yin Zhen wasn’t surprised either. He ate a lotus seed, and the mild sweetness spread in his mouth, “Second Brother has a more sociable personality. He handles most of the company’s contracts, but he always finds excuses to skip work when he’s drunk, and Big Brother never interferes with him.”

“Speaking of drinking.” Song Mianfeng sat down beside him, eating lotus seeds while asking, “Why are you such a good drinker?”

Lu Yin Zhen gave him a look and said, “Second Brother’s capacity for alcohol is better than mine.”

Surprised, Song Mianfeng asked, “But I clearly saw him somewhat drunk…”

“He might be pretending, or…” Lu Yin Zhen paused, “It means he really drank a lot, a lot.”

Song Mianfeng: “…”

“Does Big Brother also have a good tolerance for alcohol?”

“Not really.” Lu Yin Zhen answered truthfully, “At most, one bottle.”

Song Mianfeng: “White wine?”

“Beer,” Lu Yin Zhen said, “So he never drinks at social gatherings.”

The contrast between the two Meng brothers was too great, which made Song Mianfeng even more interested in this topic, “What about his personality?”

“Big Brother is nine years older than me, steady in temperament, capable, but not firm enough in his methods, and tends to be soft-hearted. Especially towards Second Brother.” Lu Yin Zhen thought of something and smiled suddenly, “Second Brother’s name is Meng Shuangling, do you know what Big Brother’s name is?”

“I don’t know.” Song Mianfeng hesitated, “It wouldn’t be Meng Yiling, would it?”

“He’s called Meng Yihe.”

“Yihe, Shuangling.” Song Mianfeng chuckled softly, “Your uncle really has an interesting way of naming.”

“My mother’s name is Yaoguang, can you guess what my uncle’s name is?”

Song Mianfeng thought for a moment and asked, “Is it the Big Dipper? Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, or Kaiyang?”

“You know a lot.” Lu Yin Zhen fed him another lotus seed, “My uncle’s name is Meng Kaiyang.”

“In a few days, my uncle and aunt will come to visit us, so I’m giving you a heads up.” Lu Yin Zhen said, “My aunt and uncle have known each other since they were young and have a very good relationship, so they have a young mentality. Occasionally, she indulges in acting like a spoiled child with my uncle. My older brother’s son just started junior high school, named Meng Heguang. He’s young and playful. My sister-in-law worries about a lot of things on weekdays, so her temper might not be great sometimes, but her temper comes and goes quickly, and my brother can soothe her with just a few words.”

“Second Brother… Second Brother is three years older than me, he has a versatile personality, smooth sailing in his career, but his love life is very bumpy. After his divorce, he didn’t remarry or have children.”

Lu Yin Zhen’s explanation was much more detailed than Meng Huai’s, and Song Mianfeng listened attentively, earnestly memorizing everything he said.

After Lu Yin Zhen finished speaking, he felt that he had explained all the relevant family relationships clearly, without any omissions, so he opened the file bag and prepared to continue working.

However, the file he was about to open was pressed down on the table. Lu Yin Zhen looked up and saw a pair of bright eyes filled with a clear smile.

“Lu San Ge (Third Brother), you can’t continue working now.” Song Mianfeng said each word slowly, “Your boyfriend wants to spend some time with you.”

Lu Yin Zhen was taken aback by the sudden “Lu San Ge,” but then smiled, “Tell me.”

There were no extra chairs in the study, nor any place to sit beside the desk. Song Mianfeng had been leaning against the desk while chatting with Lu Yin Zhen. When Lu Yin Zhen looked up at him, he felt as if he owned everything about Lu Yin Zhen.

In Lu Yin Zhen’s eyes, there was only him.

All the frankness and sharing were exclusively for him.

“I’m really happy that you’re telling me all this.” Song Mianfeng’s tone was filled with a light and happy smile, “In S City, whether it was when we first met or later when our relationship developed, I always felt that you were very distant.”

“At first, this distance attracted me, but later it made me very sad—especially when I went on a business trip to M Country and suddenly found that I couldn’t contact you.”

Song Mianfeng slowed down his speech, lowered his eyes, and played with the lotus seeds on the plate, “I realized that I knew too little about you… Apart from your phone, I had no other way to contact you. I didn’t know where your home was, I hadn’t met your relatives, and I didn’t know your friends. Our relationship seemed so fragile that if you turn off your phone, I might never find you again.”

Song Mianfeng twiddled his fingertips, recalling the feelings of those days, feeling a tightness in his chest, “I even dare not sleep, afraid that when I wake up, someone will tell me that you were just a dream like a reflection in the water or a flower in the mirror.”

A warm palm covered his hand back, then held his hand, fingers intertwined.

Lu Yin Zhen didn’t say anything, just listened quietly to his confession, but in his own way, he gently comforted him.

Song Mianfeng looked at him, his brows relaxed and his eyes curved, “But now that you’re telling me all this, I’m really happy.”

“Lu San Ge.” Song Mianfeng called him like this again, as if he had discovered another affectionate and novel way to address him after, so he couldn’t help but say it more, “I want to live a good life with you. I want to know all your relatives and friends, and I want to be able to know that you’re safe no matter when or where.”

Lu Yin Zhen held his hand, their fingers tightly intertwined, intimate and close, “Except for my grandparents, there’s only my uncle’s family among my relatives. I’ll introduce you to them when they come. As for friends, I haven’t had many friends since I was young because of my poor health, so they didn’t play with me much. I know quite a few people in the business world and have some good relationships with them. In the future, if there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Song Mianfeng’s eyes were a bit sore. He blinked and lowered his head, dropping a kiss on him.

“Okay.”