Please come to my house for dinner.

That evening, when He Zhiwen came to pick up the child, he found a stranger sitting on the living room sofa—a young man he had never seen before.

The young man looked up at him, their eyes meeting in a silent, probing exchange that immediately put He Zhiwen on alert.

At that moment, Jiang Yi suddenly spoke up. “Ye Qiao, you’re back.” Then he began the introductions: “This is General Manager He, He Zhiwen. General Manager He, this is my younger brother, Ye Qiao.”

The two nodded to each other in greeting. Jiang Yi then said, “General Manager He, come in and have some water.”

He Zhiwen waved him off. He had just finished entertaining guests with Jiang Yi and it was already quite late. “No, it’s fine. Let Zhao Mingzhe come out. Take him home directly.”

Just then, Su Ran appeared carrying Zhao Mingzhe. He had heard some noise from the bedroom earlier. Zhao Mingzhe was already asleep, wrapped in a blanket, as Su Ran quietly came out.

Speaking softly, Su Ran said, “He’s asleep.”

Su Ran wore soft cotton pajamas and looked gentle, as if he were truly a mother cradling a child. He Zhiwen’s gaze softened involuntarily as it lingered on him, but when his eyes swept to the collar of Su Ran’s shirt, he noticed it seemed unusually loose.

Then, his eyes instinctively scanned over Jiang Yi and the young man on the sofa beside them, and a sudden unease crept over him.

He Zhiwen took the child from Su Ran’s arms. “Thank you for your trouble.”

Su Ran replied casually, “It’s nothing.”

By now, Zhao Mingzhe had fully woken up. Su Ran whispered urgently, “Don’t let him see me or he’ll cry. Be careful on the way.”

Reluctantly, He Zhiwen turned to leave. Jiang Yi accompanied him as they waited for the elevator. Suddenly, He Zhiwen asked, “Is there anyone living next door?”

Jiang Yi paused, puzzled by the question. “Yes, why?”

“No reason. It would just be more convenient if we were neighbors. I wouldn’t have to keep coming back and forth like this,” He Zhiwen answered.

“That would be true,” Jiang Yi smiled, but inwardly he found it odd. He Zhiwen had a personal driver and it shouldn’t be difficult to have someone else help pick up the child. Or did he simply not trust others?

The elevator descended as He Zhiwen entered. Zhao Mingzhe was fully awake now. “Uncle…” he called out.

He Zhiwen ruffled his hair. Outside the unit, the wind was strong. He first adjusted the child seat in the passenger side, then carefully settled Zhao Mingzhe inside.

The car glided steadily along the road, neon lights casting colorful reflections on the windows. Yet He Zhiwen felt an inexplicable melancholy. “Zhe Zhe, don’t you think your uncle should find a wife soon?”

Zhao Mingzhe bit his finger and mumbled, “Ran Ran… Ran Ran.”

He Zhiwen smiled. “You think she’d be a good wife for your uncle, right?”

“Ran Ran is Mommy,” Zhao Mingzhe said firmly.

“Well, then I’m Daddy. Zhao Mingzhe, say ‘Daddy’,” He Zhiwen coaxed.

“No way!” the boy huffed.

He Zhiwen pressed on, “Then Ran Ran can only be your aunt.”

At that, Zhao Mingzhe was about to cry, but He Zhiwen quickly changed the subject. “Did you have fun today? I heard a little uncle came to Ran Ran’s house. Did you play with him?”

“Hmph, I don’t like that uncle.” Zhao Mingzhe said. “He’s bad. He touched Ran Ran.”

He Zhiwen slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to the side. “What did you say? That uncle touched Ran Ran?”

“Yeah… I don’t like him touching Ran Ran,” Zhao Mingzhe said.

He Zhiwen took a deep breath, his face turning ashen. His intuition had been right—he felt uneasy the moment he saw that young man.

“What did he do? Where did he touch her?” He Zhiwen asked sharply.

“Just like this,” Zhao Mingzhe gestured over his own body.

Veins bulging at his temple, He Zhiwen wished he could turn back immediately to take the child away. Su Ran was so honest and naive—he didn’t even realize he was being taken advantage of!

“From now on, don’t let that uncle get near Ran Ran, okay? You have to watch out. This is a mission from your uncle. Otherwise, you won’t have an aunt,” He Zhiwen warned firmly.

Zhao Mingzhe grumbled, “I want Ran Ran to be Mommy.”

“Well then I’ll be Daddy. Your real dad likes women and can’t do it. Be good and listen to your new daddy,” He Zhiwen said.

“Hmph!” the child snorted.

* * *

Su Ran embarked on a new task—finally, the main romantic storyline.

Sigh, “The wife gets drunk at the table, the husband flirts with his brother.”

Su Ran was speechless.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise.

His job was to organize the drinking and get them drunk, creating an opportunity for the two to develop feelings. This was the beginning of the entanglement between the two.

Su Ran stood by the liquor shelf, looking at the bottles. Just then, Jiang Yi, freshly showered, came over. “What’s up? Feeling like a drink?”

“Mm,” Su Ran answered, then looked at Jiang Yi. “Should we invite Ye Qiao to drink with us?”

Jiang Yi’s expression faltered. His gaze lingered on Su Ran’s face, finding no difference from usual, yet his eyes traced from Su Ran’s eyes to his nose and dry lips—everything was as before.

Jiang Yi had already drunk some wine at the banquet tonight and was a bit tired, but he didn’t refuse. He thought Su Ran had helped him a lot lately and it was rare to see him so enthusiastic.

“Alright, just a little then,” Jiang Yi agreed.

Su Ran smiled and chose a bottle with a higher alcohol content. He then went to Ye Qiao’s room and knocked on the door. “Come out for some drinks before bed.”

Ye Qiao had a sketchpad on his lap. He carefully lifted the unfinished drawing and put it in a dark drawer.

“Give me ten minutes,” Ye Qiao said.

Su Ran went to prepare some snacks and arrange the table, setting a cozy atmosphere.

He had invested far too much effort in this troublesome task...

Once everything was ready, Ye Qiao came out. Su Ran sat opposite Jiang Yi, waiting for Ye Qiao to join, which would make it easier for them to interact. Unexpectedly, Ye Qiao sat right beside Su Ran.

He didn’t mind. As long as they were at the table, once he “got drunk” later, the mission would be accomplished.

Things progressed smoothly. Su Ran frequently encouraged drinking and had a few drinks himself.

“Ran Ran, anything good happen today?” Ye Qiao asked.

Jiang Yi glanced at him, curious. He rarely saw Su Ran in such high spirits.

Su Ran paused, then said, “I’m happy because you’re back. We haven’t drunk together before, so I thought we’d have some.”

“Ran Ran, you miss me that much?” Ye Qiao smiled, his hand boldly reaching under the table to touch Su Ran’s hand.

Su Ran looked at Ye Qiao in surprise and tried to brush his hand away, only to have Ye Qiao grasp it in return.

What trick was this? Wasn’t Ye Qiao supposed to flirt with Jiang Yi? Why hold his hand now?

“You’ve been away so long. I thought you’d be back in about a week,” Su Ran said, signaling Ye Qiao to release his hand.

Ye Qiao’s smile deepened as he let go. “Ran Ran, you’re so kind to miss me.”

* * *

Jiang Yi, who had been listening from across the table, frowned in confusion. He looked at Su Ran and said, “Drink less. You have to take care of the child tomorrow.”

Su Ran mumbled, “I’m happy.”

Apart from the earlier odd moment, everything was under control. Soon, Su Ran pretended to be drunk, staggering and finally collapsing onto the table.

The cold surface pressed against his face, making it sore, but having chosen this position, he had to stay still.

He felt drowsy and slightly dizzy—not fully drunk but affected by the alcohol.

Jiang Yi, who had had a bit too much to drink, got up unsteadily. Glancing at Su Ran slumped on the table, he sighed and told Ye Qiao, “Take him back to his room.”

Ye Qiao gave an “OK” hand sign, watching Jiang Yi leave before turning his gaze to Su Ran. Only half of Su Ran’s face was visible, cheeks flushed from the pressure, ears still fair and smooth.

Ye Qiao’s hand gently stroked his cheek, then he stood, slipping his arms under Su Ran’s armpits and knees. Su Ran suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground.

Initially dazed, Su Ran was now fully awake. Why was Ye Qiao carrying him? Wasn’t he supposed to be flirting with Jiang Yi? How did it end so soon—and so considerately with Ye Qiao taking him back to his room?

This wasn’t how he imagined the storyline…

Ye Qiao carried him steadily into the room and gently laid him on the bed.

A soft yellow nightlight was on—dim but enough to see clearly.

Su Ran lay on the soft bed, eyes closed but aware that Ye Qiao was standing by the bedside, watching him. This heightened his senses, eyelashes trembling, yet he still pretended to sleep.

After a moment, the bed beside him sank as Ye Qiao sat down, eyes deep and intense. His fingers traced the air above Su Ran’s contours—so cute, though Su Ran couldn’t understand why he had to pretend to sleep.

Ye Qiao leaned close to Su Ran’s cheek and whispered, “Ran Ran, I want to appreciate the artwork.”

Though he said that, he had already begun. Su Ran’s heart pounded wildly, beating faster and faster.

His muscles tensed, unsure where those warm hands would touch next…

Hadn’t he already appreciated this “artwork” during the day? Why was it necessary again? Did Ye Qiao really like him that much?

For a moment, Su Ran felt trapped, awkward to wake now.

Meanwhile, the area Ye Qiao called “art” was fully exposed before his eyes.

Su Ran’s skin met the air, goosebumps rising, feeling every breath of wind, his nerves stretched taut.

His stomach alternately tightened and relaxed, then tightened again.

Ye Qiao became more intrigued, wanting to see how long Su Ran could endure.

Pretending to sleep while on edge was unbearable; Su Ran was about to give up.

He feigned waking, half-opening his eyes drowsily, tugging Ye Qiao’s hair and muttering, “Sleep…”

Ye Qiao looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears, red at the corners, both dazed and pitiful.

Ye Qiao stopped, but his breath grew heavier.