Jiang Mianmian waved, and Huo Jingnan ran over eagerly.

"I have to go take care of my daughter!" Jiang Mianmian said with a smile. "Then... could you help me take care of Niannian for a while?"

Huo Jingnan could not have gotten what he wanted.

He was embarrassed to come up earlier because Qin Yu and Jiang Mianmian were both there. One was his brother, and the other was his best friend. It would have been a bit strange for him to rush over so abruptly.

But now he straightened his back and was about to put his hand on Pei Nian's shoulder when he felt a force grab his wrist...

"What are you doing?" Huo Jingnan was taken aback.

"What are you doing?" Qin Yu narrowed his eyes. "You dare to lay a hand on my sister in front of me!"

"..."

Huo Jingnan was dumbfounded.

It seems the two of them didn't get along from their first meeting, and couldn't stand each other. At that time, Huo Jingnan didn't know that Qin Yu was Pei Nian's brother, and even regarded him as a rival.

And now... it seems even more unpleasant to look at.

"Alright, alright, stop getting in the way!" Qin Yu stepped between the two, glancing at Huo Jingnan. "My sister and I still have a lot to talk about!"

"What else is there to say?"

"For example... her future position at the Qin family!"

"That's right!" Huo Jingnan slapped his forehead, remembering, "You just said it yourself, the Huo family and the Qin family have a project to cooperate on, and to show your sincerity, your Qin family wants to form a marriage alliance with our Huo family, marrying Niannian to..."

"Really?" Qin Yu feigned ignorance, "What did I just say? I've forgotten."

"The one surnamed Qin!"

Amidst the bickering of the two men, Pei Nian quietly slipped away.

She looked at them and smiled. It seemed that she had never dared to hope for such a happy moment before.

*

The gloomy sky finally cleared up, and the city of Yangcheng welcomed the most beautiful season of the year.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, Huo Junyu entertained guests at Yuyuan Garden, and the old housekeepers were all busy with their tasks.

Huo Junyang sat leisurely in front of the barbecue grill, drawing while smelling the aroma of grilled squid. He looked up and saw Aunt Zhou, and called out to her with a smile, "Aunt Zhou, take a break! You've been running back and forth so many times!"

Aunt Zhou smiled at him and said reproachfully, "How can I rest? Today, all of you are your most important friends!"

“But…” Aunt Zhou frowned again, “You two brothers are both grown up, why do you still like to barbecue in the yard? There are so many hotel chefs in the house, isn’t that enough for you to keep up with?”

"Of course not!" Huo Junyang gulped down his drink. "My brother's determined to show off his skills today!"

However, Huo Junyu's situation was truly appalling.

He inherited all of Huo Zhixing's excellent genes, as well as his father's habit of turning the kitchen into a battlefield of World War II.

Even when he does an open-air barbecue, he manages to make a complete mess.

Fortunately, Jiang Mianmian was there to help him, otherwise he would have burned the entire courtyard down!

"Sister-in-law Zhou, look at those two!" Huo Junyang raised an eyebrow and smiled meaningfully. "I always felt that my brother couldn't be that stupid. Even if he's not good at cooking, he's definitely not an idiot! I think he's doing this to get my sister-in-law's attention at all times! Having Xiaoyouzi around him gives him a huge sense of accomplishment!"

Aunt Zhou didn't understand these tricks of the young people, but they seemed to make a lot of sense.

Huo Junyang brushed several skewers of chicken wings with honey, placed them on the charcoal fire, and soon they emitted a fragrant aroma and sizzled with oil.

He was very good at controlling the heat, picking up the chicken wings at just the right moment, placing them on a plate, and then sprinkling them with white sesame seeds.

Even Zhou Sao, a master chef, couldn't help but exclaim, "Look at you, your brother is no match for you in this respect!"

"What?"

Aunt Zhou laughed and said, "You know more about life than he does!"

Huo Junyang beamed and rushed over to give Aunt Zhou a big hug: "Oh my, Aunt Zhou, you really are worthy of raising us since we were little! You were right!"

Aunt Zhou patted him on the shoulder and said, "But there's one thing you're not as good as your brother!"

"ah?"

Huo Junyang followed Zhou Sao's gaze and saw little Yuan Yuan taking her first unsteady steps.

She was wearing a fluffy princess dress and a small crown studded with diamonds on her head. Her big, bright eyes blinked, and she was incredibly cute.

Little Yuan Yuan was the center of attention, drawing everyone's gaze.

Huo Junyang scratched his head helplessly and smiled sheepishly.

"Second Young Master, you'd better hurry!" Aunt Zhou said anxiously, "So that your parents can rest assured!"

"Aunt Zhou, please have mercy on me!" Huo Junyang begged, clasping his hands in a gesture of apology. "My mom has been nagging me non-stop these past few days! No, no, I need to pack my things and get back to the studio right now..."

"Where do you think you're going?" Huo Junyu appeared out of nowhere, his deep voice tinged with amusement. "I think you went back to the art studio not to hide from your mother, but for someone else, right?"

Aunt Zhou smiled, leaving the two brothers alone, and went off to do other things.

Huo Junyang also curled his lips, but his smile was somewhat heavy.

Huo Junyu sat down next to him, picked up a skewer of grilled chicken wings, and ate them with relish.

"Zhijin is here too, why don't you go find her?"

Huo Junyang did not answer.

Huo Junyu could tell from his expression that he hadn't gotten over it yet, so he paused and said, "You...you haven't gotten over it yet, have you?"

Huo Junyang froze, then looked up abruptly, a hint of surprise and panic flashing in his eyes.

He remained silent for a long time, then opened the can next to him, and white beer foam poured out like snow.

Huo Junyu frowned; he knew his younger brother almost never drank alcohol.

"Yangyang, you..."

“Brother, I admit you’re right.” Huo Junyang lowered his head and said in a low voice, “I really can’t get over Ranran’s shadow… or rather, I can’t forget her at all.”

Huo Junyu was at a loss for words.

From childhood to adulthood, his younger brother has always been a loyal and affectionate person. Unlike his cold, robot-like personality, Huo Junyang is a little sun that can shine on the whole world.

But when he finally found Lu Ran, it left him with a lifelong shadow.

“I know Zhijin is a good girl, and she won’t treat me like Ranran did,” Huo Junyang said sullenly. “But I just don’t dare to take that step again. I… I’m a little scared, and I don’t want to get involved in matters of the heart again.”

"Brother, what should I do?"