Lu Family Villa

By now, the sky had darkened. Lu Jin was lying on his bed, bored, scrolling through his phone. The lights were off in the room, and the soft orange glow from outside the window cast shadows on his side profile, making him appear cold yet still somewhat glamorous.

His mind was blank. His finger absently tapped into Su Ran’s chat window, then quickly exited, and then tapped back in again. He repeated this back and forth a dozen times. Once he realized what he was doing, he thought it was ridiculous.

In truth, he regretted it a little. He shouldn’t have agreed to that invitation the other day. Now, after going, he had come back with some thoughts that weren’t supposed to be there.

He wasn’t like his sister. His sister had been raised by his parents and went abroad for school when she was young. He, on the other hand, had grown up with his grandfather—a strict, traditional man who had given him a much stricter education from an early age.

Everything he did had a line he couldn’t cross. It was both a warning and a restriction. But now, that line was being tugged at by Su Ran.

He remembered Su Ran touching his neck, blushing in front of him, his wet clothes clinging to his body, his form vaguely visible in front of him. He remembered the disordered breathing, the hasty, brief embrace in the room, the scent he’d smelled, and the warmth radiating from his body. The memory replayed in his mind like a film.

He grabbed his phone again, and when he looked at it, he nearly threw it out the window. He didn’t know when he had “patted” Su Ran’s photo…

This damn WeChat!

The next second, Su Ran sent him a cute cat emoji and said, “Craving dessert? I’ll deliver it to you.”

Lu Jin took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he replied, “Okay.”

An hour later, the internal line from the housekeeper, rang in his bedroom, saying that the pastries had arrived.

Lu Jin immediately got out of bed. As he walked out of his room, he slowed his pace to appear indifferent.

He took the elevator down and walked past a large decorative vase. He saw Uncle Zhang, the housekeeper, with someone in a dessert shop uniform, but it wasn’t Su Ran.

For a moment, his normally expressionless face turned even colder. The staff member, noticing Lu Jin, immediately smiled, “Hello, Mr. Lu. Our store manager sent me to deliver the pastries. I hope you like them.”

Lu Jin replied calmly, and the staff member left after completing the task. Uncle Zhang, still holding the box of pastries, smiled and said, “Mr. Su really is thoughtful.”

Lu Jin took a pastry from the box, opened the packaging, and sniffed it. He remembered the smell when Su Ran had made them himself, but this wasn’t quite the same. He could tell the difference. This wasn’t made by Su Ran.

“Forget it.” Lu Jin said, putting the pastry back in the box. Without a word, he turned and went upstairs.

Uncle Zhang, holding the box, looked puzzled, “?”

The next morning, after breakfast, Su Ran left with Jiang Yi. He wore a beige hoodie and jeans, looking casual and approachable.

There were a lot of children in the neighborhood where they lived. Every time the kindergarten let out, the sound of children chattering filled the air. Whenever he encountered them, the kids liked to approach him.

Sometimes, when he saw a crying child, a few playful words would get the kid to stop crying. Some little girls would even shyly hide behind their mothers. It wasn’t just children—even the neighborhood cats and dogs liked him, often following him around and letting him pet or hold them.

Of course, Su Ran liked children and animals too. He couldn’t resist anything cute.

The car quickly arrived at the company. Jiang Yi led him in, and along the way, many people greeted him. Su Ran felt uncomfortable being stared at by them.

He wondered what Jiang Yi would say if they asked who he was. He soon found out when he saw Zhou Luo walking toward them as they exited the elevator.

With his signature professional smile, Zhou Luo greeted, “Mr. Jiang,” before turning his attention to Su Ran, “Hey, little babysitter.”

No matter how good-natured Su Ran was, he chose to ignore him.

“Has President He arrived?” Jiang Yi asked.

“Not yet. There’s a meeting this morning, but he should be here soon,” Zhou Luo replied.

Jiang Yi turned to Su Ran and said, “Let’s go to his office and wait.”

Su Ran nodded. This was his first time entering such a high-end office building. The clean tiles on the floor reflected slightly, and the simple, cold lines of the surroundings made him feel even more nervous. Everyone was dressed in professional attire, walking with purpose, and the atmosphere was a bit too serious for him.

When they reached the office door, the secretary ushered them in. The office was large and still followed the minimalist design—black, white, and gray tones, making it look both formal and cold.

Jiang Yi seemed to notice Su Ran’s nervousness and comforted him, “It’s fine, don’t worry. President He is very easygoing. Just sit on the couch and wait.”

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a black leather couch. Su Ran obediently sat down, and the secretary thoughtfully brought in a pot of tea and some cups. As he drank the warm tea, his nerves started to ease.

After all, he wasn’t here to work, so why was he nervous? It was just the professional and serious atmosphere he didn’t like.

At that moment, he heard footsteps and the sound of a child crying, high-pitched and sharp, “I don’t like my uncle! I want my mom! I want my mom, waahhh!”

Su Ran looked toward the door. The next second, a child, his face covered in tears and snot, pushed open the door and walked in.

When the little one saw people in the office, he stood frozen for a moment, forgetting to cry, and stared at Su Ran.

Jiang Yi crouched down and greeted him, “Good morning, Zhao Mingzhe.”

It seemed Zhao Mingzhe didn’t hear him, but he walked over to Su Ran. When he reached the sofa, he shyly hid behind it, peeking at Su Ran.

Su Ran smiled at the chubby little boy, finding him incredibly cute. His white, smooth skin, large dark eyes, and round cheeks made Su Ran’s heart soften.

Su Ran leaned slightly over the sofa and spoke gently, “Mingzhe, would you like me to wipe your nose?”

Zhao Mingzhe shyly hid behind the sofa, and it wasn’t until Su Ran crouched down beside him, ready to wipe his nose, that Zhao Mingzhe finally looked up at him and obediently allowed him to wipe it.

Afterwards, Su Ran picked him up and placed him on his lap when he sat back down on the sofa. The child didn’t resist the contact and even gazed at him eagerly.

“Did you have breakfast, Mingzhe?” Su Ran asked.

Zhao Mingzhe shook his head. Su Ran took out two round little bread rolls from his bag. He had brought them along to distract the child.

Zhao Mingzhe grabbed one and started eating it obediently, not needing any encouragement. He must have been really hungry.

Jiang Yi watched in amazement. He knew how difficult Zhao Mingzhe could be—refusing to let anyone touch him, crying whenever things didn’t go his way. People who didn’t know him would think the CEO’s office was haunted.

Jiang Yi glanced toward the door, wondering why President He hadn’t arrived yet. As he stepped out of the office, he saw President He hanging up the phone, his expression not looking too good.

President He had just called his cousin and scolded her for being irresponsible. Back when they were in the middle of a divorce, his cousin had threatened to commit suicide. It had even gone to court. He’d helped a lot with that, and eventually, the custody of Zhao Mingzhe was granted to her. But now, she had left the child and gone abroad.

Zhao Mingzhe’s sensitivity was undoubtedly linked to his unreliable parents. A child who had been well cared for was now insecure and vulnerable.

“President He,” Jiang Yi greeted with a smile, “Now you can rest easy.”

President He sighed, looking at Jiang Yi with a puzzled expression. “Rest easy about what?”

Jiang Yi pushed the office door open, and as President He walked in, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Zhao Mingzhe, calm and quiet, snuggled in Su Ran’s arms.

The morning sunlight made the scene feel like a movie moment—warm and comforting. Su Ran’s every move was gentle, and President He found himself lost in thought as he stared at him.

He had never believed in love at first sight, but right now, it felt like the ideal partner had taken form in front of him. How could someone make his heart race like this after just one meeting?

It was an inexplicable feeling, with no logic to it.

It was clear that Zhao Mingzhe liked him. The scene looked so harmonious. No wonder there was such a thing as “male moms”—Su Ran even seemed to have that “milk-scent” about him.

“President He, look how well Mingzhe is behaving now,” Jiang Yi chuckled.

“Truly amazing,” President He’s gaze stayed on Su Ran, and the smile on his face grew wider. “But honestly, I think any child would like him.”

“What’s his name?” President He asked. “Where did you find him?”

“Su Ran,” Jiang Yi replied, pausing for a moment. “He’s our family’s babysitter.”

President He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “A babysitter so young? Is he living with you guys now?”

“Yes… He’s from the same town as us. He just came to the city and didn’t know anyone, so he’s staying with me for now,” Jiang Yi explained.

President He frowned slightly, a strange feeling flashing through his mind. He patted Jiang Yi’s shoulder and smiled, “Jiang Yi, you really helped me a lot by finding someone this good.”

“Of course, President He. No need to mention it,” Jiang Yi said.