Chapter 36 I am Li Mai's older brother

Zhou Songyan had just sat down when he heard someone knocking on the door.

He was puzzled.

Did Li Mai forget her keys?

When I opened the door, I saw a strange man standing there.

His eyebrows furrowed instantly.

Zheng Anze thought he had gone to the wrong place.

How come there's a man in my sister's house?

He looked up and glanced at the house number.

That's right.

He looked again at the handsome, refined man opposite him.

Could it be that my sister found a boyfriend?

As Zheng Anze sized up Zhou Songyan, Zhou Songyan also sized him up.

After a long pause, Zheng Anze spoke up: "Hello, I am Li Mai's older brother."

Big brother?

The coldness on Zhou Songyan's face vanished instantly.

He thought that Li Mai had also been involved with other men, and that they had even come to his house.

Zhou Songyan changed his previous cold attitude and stepped aside, saying, "Brother, please come in."

This phrase, "Big brother," further solidified Zheng Anze's belief in his relationship with his younger sister.

Zheng Anze sat down on the sofa: "You... live here?"

Zhou Songyan: "No."

Zheng Anze breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought the two were already living together.

"Are you Mai Mai's boyfriend?"

Zhou Songyan paused for a moment: "Not yet, we're still pursuing it."

This time it was Zheng Anze's turn to be surprised.

This man is clearly an exceptional individual, exuding a powerful and intimidating aura.

Moreover, it's clear that he's toned it down a bit.

This is the kind of man who is pursuing his sister.

It must be tough for Li Mai to raise a child alone; it's time for her to find someone.

Speaking of children.

He glanced around: "Where's Chengcheng?"

Zhou Songyan: "In the bathroom."

The kid opened the door for him and then ran to the toilet to squat.

Then, the two grown men looked at each other in silence, and the living room became eerily quiet.

Zheng Anze took the initiative to start the conversation: "My name is Zheng Anze, what's your surname?"

Zhou Songyan was stunned.

"Zhou Songyan".

Why is your surname Zheng?

Zheng Anze knew what he meant and explained, "Li Mai and I are half-siblings, sharing the same mother but different fathers."

Why didn't Chengcheng take your surname?

He knew Chengcheng's name, Li Chengyi.

Zheng Anze is confused.

However, he didn't rush to answer, but instead thought about it in his mind for a while.

He asked why Chengcheng didn't take his surname.

Why ask that?

Why does Chengcheng take his surname?

Did Li Mai not tell Chengcheng his identity?

Li Mai told the man that Chengcheng was his older brother's child?

That must be the case, otherwise Zhou Songyan wouldn't have asked that question.

Li Mai probably likes this man too, but doesn't want Zhou Songyan to know she has a son, fearing it will affect their relationship.

That should be the case.

Although he didn't agree with his sister's actions, he still planned to keep it a secret for Li Mai for the time being.

He smiled and explained, "My mother's surname is Li. Chengcheng was raised by her since he was a child, and my mother insisted that Chengcheng take her surname."

Zhou Songyan frowned.

Zheng Anze knew this explanation was a bit far-fetched, but he couldn't think of a better one for the time being.

Zhou Songyan, however, thought of Li Mai's matter.

So, Li Mai takes her mother's surname.

Five years ago, when they were together, Li Mai mentioned that she had a mother and an older brother at home, but she never mentioned her father.

Li Mai rarely calls her family; at least, he has never seen or heard her family members call her.

During the time they were together, Li Mai never went home and spent holidays in her rented apartment.

That year's Mid-Autumn Festival.

He went back to Beijing for two days, only to find out that Li Mai was living alone in a rented room.

He thought Li Mai would come home for the holiday.

He was heartbroken at the time and regretted not staying to keep Li Mai company.

He guessed that Li Mai had a bad relationship with her family, but Li Mai didn't say anything, so he didn't pry.

At the time, he kept his identity a secret from Li Mai.

She was also afraid that if she asked, Li Mai would inquire about his family situation.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened.

Chengcheng came out.

He paused for a moment when he saw Zheng Anze.

He didn't know this was his uncle, and walked over to stand next to Zhou Songyan.

Zheng Anze smiled and waved to him: "Chengcheng, come here."

Chengcheng didn't move.

Zheng Anze knew that Chengcheng did not recognize his uncle.

But with Zhou Songyan around, he couldn't very well say that he was the child's uncle.

Zhou Songyan rubbed Chengcheng's head and asked, "Are you stupid? Don't you even recognize your own father?"

Chengcheng suddenly looked up at him.

Then he turned to look at Zheng Anze.

dad?

Is this his uncle?

I almost got caught.

Zheng Anze smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we last met. This kid seems distant towards me."

He beckoned to Chengcheng again: "Come over here."

Now, my uncle is my father.

Chengcheng had no choice but to walk over to Zheng Anze.

Zheng Anze pulled him into his arms.

He saw Chengcheng once shortly after he was born; he was very small then.

Later, when he got married, Li Mai took Chengcheng back with her.

Chengcheng was a little over one year old at that time, and had just learned to walk.

In the blink of an eye, they've grown so much.

Zheng Anze felt a pang of emotion, but he didn't voice it.

Chengcheng was unfamiliar with this uncle, and his body stiffened in his arms.

Zhou Songyan frowned as he noticed the father and son seemed quite distant from each other.

“His aunt is busy with work and lives alone, so she can’t take care of him. Chengcheng should live with his parents.”

"Did you come here to take him back?"

Zheng Anze: "..."

Cheng Cheng: "..."

Zhou Songyan didn't dislike Chengcheng because he was a burden.

Instead, they simply felt that children should live with their parents.

Although Zheng Anze is Li Mai's older brother, he feels that Li Mai's older brother and sister-in-law are too irresponsible.

How can you leave your child with your aunt by yourself?

They haven't come to visit for several months.

He didn't even notice that Zheng Anze and his wife had called Chengcheng.

Are these parents really qualified?

Zheng Anze became a father out of nowhere and was also inexplicably lectured, leaving him feeling both amused and exasperated.

But for Li Mai's sake, he still forced himself to say, "I'm afraid that won't work. My situation is complicated, and I'll have to trouble Li Mai to look after me for a while."

Just then, the sound of a door lock turning came from the doorway.

Li Mai entered the house and saw Zhou Songyan.

I was dumbfounded.

A bag of groceries I just bought fell to the floor with a thud.

What are you doing here?

Zhou Songyan walked over, picked up the vegetables from the floor, and took them to the kitchen, glancing at Zheng Anze.

"I'm leaving now."

Li Mai's older brother is here, so he should leave first.

Li Mai was stunned for a moment.

Zhou Songyan's expression...

Looks like they haven't given themselves away yet.

If Zhou Songyan knew, he definitely wouldn't have such a calm expression.

She breathed a sigh of relief and saw Zhou Songyan out the door.

He turned to look at Zheng Anze.

"Big brother..."

Zheng Anze put Chengcheng down.

Disapprovingly, she said, "How could you lie to people and say that Chengcheng is my child? You didn't even tell me beforehand. I was so embarrassed just now, I almost couldn't catch it."

"Luckily, I reacted quickly and managed to smooth things over."

Li Mai, embarrassed and guilty, said, "Big brother, I'm sorry."

Zheng Anze sighed: "You can't hide this kind of thing. He'll find out sooner or later. If you want to be with someone, you have to be honest first."

"If he can't accept that Chengcheng is your child, then there's no need to keep him around."

Li Mai: "..."

The older brother didn't know that Zhou Songyan was her ex-boyfriend, nor did he know that Chengcheng was Zhou Songyan's child.

But she wasn't going to explain.

Anyway, she rarely contacts this older brother.

"Brother, I know what I'm doing, don't worry. I'll find time to talk to him and make things clear."