Accompany

After dropping An Chi off at his apartment, Su Yao remained glued to her computer, editing the documents in her hands, when she heard the emotionless question, "Are you coming back this weekend?"

She slowed her movements, turned her head to look at the person outside the car, half-bent over, with reddened ear tips. "Why are you so eager to see me?"

She chuckled, "When you come back, remember to make your tomato and egg noodles, little fairy."

He didn't dare listen to what was going to happen next, so he interrupted, "Stop joking with me, Sister Su."

After saying that, he turned and left.

This time, Su wanted to keep her promise, so she made a point of setting aside Saturday to go back and see Su Anchi.

"Will you be free on Saturdays from now on, Ms. Su?" Tang Pai sat beside her, operating the schedule on his tablet.

"Okay, make sure everything is free. If you have anything important to do on Saturday, let me know in advance and we'll see how to arrange it." Su Yao turned her head to look out the window. She had thought that Su Wenxie could also go and see the child on her behalf, but she didn't expect that she would leave the child with a big problem. Raising a child is something that she has to do herself.

The sky was turning a pale white, a sign of good weather, but it was still hot, showing no signs of autumn. The songs that used to be hidden among the green leaves were gone, and cars lined the road one after another, with many pedestrians hurrying by.

Wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and a white short skirt, the 28-year-old claimed to be 18, and some people believed her. Su was in a great mood because she didn't have a job. Nobody likes working, including her.

She entered the password and saw Su Anchi and Aunt Hong setting out the dishes, both wearing aprons. "Little fairy, Aunt Hong, I'm back!" she exclaimed, opening her arms in a hugging gesture. Aunt Hong greeted her with a smile, handing her slippers. She hugged Su Anchi, and then Su Anchi. He didn't go forward; seeing that embrace, he felt more inclined to back down. "I'll go see if the food is ready."

Aunt Hong spoke up for Su Yao, saying, "Young Master has been busy since early this morning, saying that you're coming back today and he won't let me move, hahaha."

Su Yao didn't mind. She wasn't against her child throwing a tantrum. She put her arms around him and followed An Chi to the kitchen. "Do you have tomato and egg noodles today?"

"If you're still hungry after you finish eating, I'll make you some noodles."

"Huh? They're out of noodles today." Su Yao secretly took a bite of the golden crispy pork on the table behind Aunt Hong and An Chi's back, only to find Su An Chi staring at him when he looked up.

She pointed at Aunt Hong and mouthed: Don't say it.

Just as he was about to speak, he changed his mind and nodded. An Chi glanced at him and felt a real sense of "family". An Lan usually liked to sneak some snacks without telling his mother, just like Su Yao just now.

Lost in thoughts of his younger sister, An Chi forgot what he was about to say and didn't even notice that the countdown to the rice cooker had ended. His hand was resting on top of the rice cooker when he suddenly felt a tap on his hand. "What are you thinking about?"

Su gently tapped his hand that was covering the lid.

"I miss my sister." He lowered his head, opened the rice cooker, and ladled out bowls of rice.

Su Yao hadn't expected this answer, so she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "How about I take you to meet your sister after dinner?"

"No need, Anlan is probably still angry, it's not good for her condition."

When An Chi came, only An Lan opposed his decision. She said she was unwilling to trade her brother's health for her own, and she never spoke a word to him after he left. But the two still parted ways.

Since the person involved has refused, Su will not try to change others with her good intentions, so she is prepared to try a different approach.

She stepped out of the kitchen, walked to the balcony, and made a phone call: "How's business at that small amusement park in the south of the city today?"

"Today is Saturday, it should be good." Tang Pai said 24 hours a day.

"Then please put in a good word for me and get in touch." She wasn't stupid enough to turn down money and clear the place just to appease an adopted son.

"Is this Young Master Su? I'll go contact him." Tang Pai had never seen Su Yao go to an amusement park like this before; Su Wenxie only ever asked Su Yao for favors when he was dating.

"No, it was me and An Chi."

"OK."

An Chi not only served him and Su the food they wanted, but also served Aunt Hong a portion, saying they should eat together.

As Su walked to the dining table, she happened to witness the two pushing and shoving each other. One said they should eat together, while the other said it wasn't appropriate.

The real owner arrived and said, "Aunt Hong, come along. You've worked hard these past few days."

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work." Aunt Hong waved her hand and obediently sat down in the corner of the dining table.

Su looked over without saying much, but An Chi hesitated to speak.

With Aunt Hong present, the two couldn't talk too much. Aunt Hong wasn't feeling well either, so she left after eating very little.

After everyone left, Su spoke first, "If Aunt Hong doesn't want to eat at the table, don't force her. She's raised me since I was little and rarely eats with us. The difference between master and servant isn't just about me looking down on her, as you might think; it's about her own unwillingness. Would you want to eat at the same table as your teacher? I certainly don't want to eat with those old fogies on the board."

“Okay.” An Chi looked at her seriously.

"After we finish eating, how about I take you out to play?"

"Um."

Su noticed that An Chi had become less talkative, and she assumed it was still because of his sister's situation that he was upset. She figured the one who tied the knot needed to untie it, so she needed to contact An Lan.

As he pondered the matter, he also had to consider the tone of his voice and the topics of conversation with An Lan. Feeling troubled, he could only shake his head and think to himself that he would discuss it again later.

Su Anchi didn't think that much about it. He was usually a man of few words, but a while ago, he wanted to at least find out whether Su Ru liked him or disliked him.

He watched Su Yao's movements and a sly smile crept onto his lips.

After finishing her meal, Su wiped her mouth contentedly.

"Are you still hungry?" Su Anchi gently placed his chopsticks on the rice bowl.

Waving her hand, Su Yao rested her face on one hand and looked at the person opposite her, "I'm not hungry anymore. I don't eat much anyway, and you cooked so many dishes today, how could I still be hungry? You should eat."

They rarely ate together. Sometimes An Chi would finish eating first, and sometimes Su Yao would finish eating first, but Su Yao rarely finished eating first. She always liked to pick and choose what she liked to eat, and her nutrition was not balanced at all. But perhaps because she had a habit of exercising, Su Yao was neither fat nor thin, and was in a healthy position, unlike Su An Chi, who looked unnaturally thin.

It wasn't easy to figure out Su Yao's eating habits, so Su Anchi silently noted down which dishes he had picked up more of today, and which dishes he had only tasted once before giving up.

Su Yao stared at Su Anchi eating with his head down, and he felt uneasy being watched. "You... don't watch me eat."

"Oh, I just thought you looked quite good while you were eating, so I watched you for a while." Su Yao was used to her teasing skills, and her words were watertight. Then, she got up and left the table.

Even though she knew Su Anchi was someone who could joke around easily, Su Anchi still secretly blushed and bit her chopsticks a few times.

Actually, Su Yao wasn't joking this time. Sometimes she would add a bit of truth to her jokes, but she just didn't want others to notice. Just now, she really thought that the child ate very politely, with a gentle and mild feeling, and was quite good-looking. It was just a pity that he was too dull when he spoke.

If it were her, she would never say anything like "I miss my sister" or "Don't look at me" to the host family. It's a good thing she doesn't care about such trivial things. If it were another family, they would probably think he was an ungrateful wretch.

She scoffed and said, "Never mind, things only teach you once. Two years of relationship can just end like that."

Once on the balcony, Su wanted to look at the buildings in the distance.

She didn't choose the location or floor of this downtown apartment herself; someone else did. Now it's too late to regret it. The location was good, and the floor was good too—forty floors in total, and she lived on the thirty-second floor. She was twenty-three that year, and everything seemed to foreshadow a prosperous life, but the person who chose the apartment was a "bad seed."

A snort of laughter came from the balcony. Su Anchi behind him stopped in his tracks. He looked at her back and felt not loneliness, but rather a stronger sense that she shouldn't have anyone by her side, including himself.

Looking back on what happened, wasn't Su herself a "bad seed" too? She did something too ruthless, and when they met again, she didn't even know how to greet him.

Su Anchi followed her gaze into the distance, his brows furrowed, looking rather distressed.

When Su turned around, seeing his expression, she went to his side and smoothed his brows. "Don't think too much, kid. It's not good to be so mature for your age." This was also true. She thought that even if Su Anchi became a spoiled brat like Su Wenxie, it would be better than a gloomy old man all day. Just as she was about to leave, she still thought Anchi was loyal and righteous, and worriedly told him, "I'll try to see Anlan. Don't take your sister's angry words too seriously. That's how family is. Pack your things, let's go out and have some fun." She even patted Anchi's back. The feeling was neither light nor heavy, hard to describe. Anyway, the person touched looked away, and the corner of his clothes was twisted out of shape. It was an unpleasant feeling, just like when she saw the news of her return.

But his words were still stuck in his throat. "Sister Su!" he called out to her, turning to look at her radiant smile. "It's not that I'm not going to make you tomato and egg noodles today. You've moved, and you haven't been home for a long time, so you don't need to invite the house god. If..." He saw that Su Yao didn't intend to interrupt him, "If you come back from your business trip next time and have time, you can come here, and I'll make it for you again."

"If you don't go on business trips, then you won't get away with it?" Su Yao looked at the boy whose eyes kept darting around and who wouldn't look at her, and took two steps closer. "Then it seems I'll have to travel for business often."

“No,” she suddenly looked up in alarm, “you can tell me if you want to eat it normally.”

"Is there any difference between this Atak ramen and regular ramen?" Su hummed twice, knowing that it was easy to get information out of the young boy.

An Chi shook his head, and then said, "Then next time, please add a fully cooked whole egg to this Anzai noodle dish, not the kind with chopped tomatoes and eggs."

His eyes suddenly lit up as he stared at her, and he replied, "Okay!"

The smile in her eyes went deep, and Su had to admit that maternal love was something that could be felt much faster than romantic love. "Go and get ready."