Lin Chen left the teahouse, feeling the air outside was exceptionally fresh.

He returned to the car. As soon as he sat in the passenger seat, a head leaned over from the side, bringing a faint scent of tuberose with it. Immediately after, Cheng Huanzhen’s arm reached across him to help fasten his seatbelt.

Cheng Huanzhen asked, “Uncle, did work go smoothly? By the way, Uncle, I just selected a few decent housekeepers. You can take a look later and see what type you like?”

Lin Chen said, “No use looking now. I’m going to work very soon and won’t be living at home. Never mind that, why are you suddenly wearing perfume? And it’s tuberose scented?”

Cheng Huanzhen retracted his head and looked away: “It’s your birthday after all, should be a bit formal… I only found this bottle of perfume in the car.”

Lin Chen said patiently, “I told you to buy things you like, not things I like.”

Cheng Huanzhen: “But Uncle, what you like is what I like.”

Lin Chen said flatly, “No good. Zero points.”

Cheng Huanzhen lowered his eyes in disappointment, then heard Lin Chen’s tone change: “Where are you taking me next?”

Cheng Huanzhen immediately pulled out a palm-sized spiral notebook from his pocket, filled with a whole page of candidate locations and directions.

Cheng Huanzhen said seriously, “I don’t know your true preferences, so, Uncle, you pick.”

Lin Chen didn’t look, saying, “You pick.”

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t need to look at the notebook. He had already prepared an itinerary: “A fully immersive oceanarium opened in the east of the city. I heard it’s very interesting. It just so happens that the Uinnn Symphony Orchestra is holding a concert nearby at 3 PM.”

Lin Chen smiled: “Then full marks for this item. Averaging it out, you still haven’t passed. Still need to work hard.”

Cheng Huanzhen blinked slowly: “Oh, it’s full marks—”

His tone changed: “So Uncle, you haven’t hidden your preferences from me.”

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: “Living one day less each day. If I still have to hide my own preferences, how unhappy would life be?”

Cheng Huanzhen looked at Lin Chen seriously, just feeling that Uncle looked so good saying this right now, his whole person seemingly glowing.

Just like the Little Uncle back then… He was simply a dazzling person.

…Curious. Curious, curious, curious.

Curious about Uncle’s work, curious about Uncle’s identity, curious about everything about Uncle, curious why Uncle shines so brightly.

Even more curious.

…

Oceanarium.

Concert.

Then the strawberry cake shop.

Lin Chen was not surprised that Cheng Huanzhen brought him to a cake shop at dinnertime.

But when he actually arrived at the entrance of the cake shop, he was still astounded by its appearance.

A strawberry-shaped store sign.

“Celebrating March Strawberry Festival!” written largely on the billboard.

Giant strawberry plushies lined up on both sides of the entrance.

Inside the store, dozens of strawberry-patterned table and chair sets, and various strawberry-themed decorations…

This was clearly a strawberry-themed cake shop!

Lin Chen was greatly shocked!

Turning to see a staff member run to Cheng Huanzhen and whisper something, he immediately knew what was going on.

Cheng Huanzhen had originally brought Lin Chen to the store with the idea of giving his uncle a strawberry surprise.

But before he could figure out how to tell his uncle, his uncle was already clutching his stomach laughing and asking him: “You… is this store yours?”

Cheng Huanzhen: “…It’s my store, Uncle. I bought it under the company’s investment name last March, and bought it again with my own money this year. Now it’s under my name.”

Cheng Huanzhen paused.

He asked somewhat uncertainly: “Uncle, do you not like it?”

Lin Chen even laughed tears out. He asked: “How did you think of making such a strawberry-themed cake shop?”

Cheng Huanzhen pursed his lips: “Don’t you like strawberries very much, Uncle? So I thought I’d prepare more strawberries for you.”

He asked again: “Uncle, do you like it?”

Lin Chen still didn’t answer his question.

Lin Chen turned around and started touring the shop with great novelty.

The store was closed to the public today. It was clean, without any outsiders.

Lin Chen casually pressed the strawberry-shaped bumps on the chair back, looked at the strawberry-shell menu board on the table, pinched the strawberry plushie at the front desk, and ate a bite of the fresh strawberry prepared in the store.

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and said to the staff: “You can serve the strawberry cake now.”

Then he picked a table in the very center to sit down, pulled out the chair next to him, and signaled Cheng Huanzhen to share the cake with him.

Lin Chen commented seriously: “This is my first time in such a… place with childlike innocence. Very interesting.”

Cheng Huanzhen hesitated and deliberated: “So, Uncle, you still like this gift, right?”

Lin Chen propped his head up and said gently: “It’s just that the overall design doesn’t look like it was done by professionals… Did you design it yourself?”

Cheng Huanzhen asked uncertainly: “Is it… very ugly?”

Lin Chen laughed until tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes: “Very straightforward, very unique style.”

The system couldn’t help it: “Oh my, how can he not see such an obvious thing? Host, you are clearly very happy!”

Lin Chen to System: “No cake for you this year.”

The system was bewildered, incredulous, wailing loudly: “Host, I am a system that has diligently worked with you for four years!”

Cheng Huanzhen felt Uncle should be happy.

Uncle was by his side, every strand of hair seemingly carrying an aura of joy.

But since Uncle didn’t answer his question, Cheng Huanzhen’s heart remained suspended halfway, unable to settle down.

Cheng Huanzhen’s heart remained suspended until evening.

When they returned to the villa and Lin Chen dug out a spare key from the house to hand to him, he finally said: “I had a very happy birthday today, thank you Huanzhen. I’m sorry I couldn’t spend your birthday with you this year. Next year for your birthday, I’ll find a way to make time.”

“This is the house key. I’m going to work tomorrow and might not come back for a long time. If you have time, help me come back to water the flowers.”

During the time Cheng Huanzhen stayed, pots of plants were added one after another to the living room, rooms, and balcony of Lin Chen’s home.

Three pots of caladiums were added to Lin Chen’s room. Right at the living room entrance was a tall and lush money tree. As for the balcony, there were even more plants. After he expressed his acceptance of vines, vines of various colors began to climb the balcony railings.

Having bought the house for a year, it rarely looked so full of life.

Lin Chen smiled faintly and said, “Otherwise, I’d have to tidy up the house all over again later.”

Cheng Huanzhen gripped the key tightly.

Uncle was happy. His heart finally settled down quietly.

But…

“Won’t you come back on weekends either? Uncle?”

Lin Chen shook his head and said, “Not sure when I’ll be back. Might not come back at all, or might come back a few times occasionally. Depends on the work situation.”

He paused and said, “I don’t mean to let you live here. Just find someone to water when you have time is enough.”

Cheng Huanzhen said, “…I won’t let the plants at home wither, Uncle.”

Cheng Huanzhen still wanted to ask so much more. He wanted to ask where Lin Chen worked, if Lin Chen lived at the other person’s home, if he could follow and buy a house nearby.

But he thought about it and worried that if he asked, Lin Chen wouldn’t let him go.

The Wen family. The Wen family.

Cheng Huanzhen lay in bed thinking about this, suddenly turned over, and pulled up the photo he took of his uncle this evening from his phone.

In the photo, Lin Chen was biting a spoon, with fresh cream still on the corner of his lips, but when the camera swept over, he curled up the corners of his lips slightly at him.

Cheng Huanzhen’s finger unconsciously slid across the screen, gently brushing past the cream.

The despair and confusion of not being able to send blessings for a whole month last year, and the torment and sadness from day to night for this whole year, were finally satisfied with a temporary respite along with his uncle’s birthday.

“…Happy birthday, Uncle.” At night, Cheng Huanzhen looked at the young man in the photo and suddenly whispered.

But saying this once didn’t seem enough. He lowered his volume again, saying over and over: “Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday…”

Cheng Huanzhen himself didn’t know how many times he said it, until drowsiness enveloped the night, finally hiding this stubborn and quiet blessing into the moon.

…

Wen Shaozhuo didn’t like the hospital.

Hospitals were always accompanied by death, and he didn’t like death.

But staying in the hospital was better than staying at home. The hospital was quiet after all, and those staring at him were just the gazes of strange nurses.

“…Go home with me after eating later. The doctor said your hand has healed pretty much, but you still can’t overuse it for a short time. We’ll invite professors to the house to give you lessons these days, saving you from thinking this and that with nothing to do all day…”

Beside his ears, intermittent voices were speaking.

Wen Shaozhuo lowered his head staring at the pebbles under his feet. There were a few bread crumbs left beside the pebbles.

Ants gathered in groups around the bread crumbs, trying hard to move them all back to their nest.

“…Wen Shaozhuo? Wen Shaozhuo! Talking to you, Wen Shaozhuo!”

The man in front didn’t get a response and stopped impatiently. With a turn of his toe, the tip of his shiny leather shoe mercilessly crushed toward a team of ants.

Wen Shaozhuo’s eyes widened: “…Don’t…”

His voice was hoarse, trembling low, so low even he couldn’t hear clearly, let alone the man in front of him.

The leather shoe tip landed on the ground without pause. The ants covered by the shadow never crawled out from under the shoe again, while the ants on the side scattered in chaos.

“…Wen Shaozhuo!”

The prolonged silence and ignoring angered the man in front. The angry low roar scared Wen Shaozhuo into trembling shoulders.

Suffocating air pressed hard on his chest.

He tried hard to inhale, expending great effort, before whispering a response: “Yes, Dad.”

The man called “Dad” was very dissatisfied with his reaction. After taking him into the car, he lectured him all the way like an instructor.

Wen Shaozhuo sat in the back seat of the car. The narrow space left his ears, eyes, and attention with nowhere to escape.

The air was stagnant; his chest was pressed breathless.

Sharp noise sawed constantly beside his ears.

Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Want to escape.

Wen Shaozhuo tried hard to distract himself. He didn’t want to listen anymore, nor did he want to keep his attention in this suffocating air.

His left arm was bandaged very tightly.

So he tried hard to pick with his nails, wanting to stick his nails into the gaps of the bandage.

But the nails couldn’t get in. He could only pick and pinch hard with force. Dull pain, followed by a trace of stinging pain, stimulating from his skin to his brain together.

This pain finally pulled him slightly out of the suffocating air.

The air seemed less oppressive.

He panted lightly, forcefully inhaling a bit of oxygen from the oppressive air.

But his movement was discovered.

“Slap!” The man turned around, slapping his right hand away in shock and anger. “Wen Shaozhuo, what are you doing? Your left hand finally stopped bleeding and healed; do you want to break it open again?!”

Wen Shaozhuo’s right hand was numb from the hit.

His gaze trembled slightly, head lowered deeply, voice trembling: “S-Sorry, Dad.”

His apology failed to extinguish any anger; instead, it made the anger flourish more.

Flourishing so much it instantly burned the air in the entire car to be unbearably painful.

“…Don’t you everyday… go home later… Siheng…”

Wen Shaozhuo didn’t hear clearly what exactly the man was saying, nor did he notice that strange name appearing in these words.

He just silently bore all the words, then got off the car quietly, following back into the house.

“Creeeak—”

The main door opened.

“…Wen Siheng! Don’t run around in the house!…”

“…Oh my, Mom, such a big house, wouldn’t it be a pity not to run…”

An annoyed female voice sounded together with strange and careless laughter. A whirlwind-like figure rushed in front of Wen Shaozhuo without warning.

Wen Shaozhuo was startled.

The other person was also startled, braking urgently at a distance of half a meter!

But braking was too late now.

Wen Shaozhuo closed his eyes tightly, and his front was bumped full force!

“Bang!” “Ouch!”

Both fell to the ground together, the other person emitting a sound of pain.

Annoyed footsteps inside the house then approached downstairs finely and quickly: “…If seen by guests, it’s our whole family’s face being lost!…”

However, Wen Shaozhuo didn’t hear it.

He looked in astonishment at this extremely familiar-looking person in front of him—the other person looked exactly the same as that disgusting appearance he saw in the mirror every day!

The other person froze for a moment, expression instantly horrified: “Y-You, why do you look the same as me?!”