Chapter 58 This strangely likable result... Zhu Yanhe is not...

Zhu Yanhe wasn't surprised by this result. Looking at Ning Buyi's furrowed brows, he silently crossed out the second rule of his wife-chasing manual: a candlelight dinner. He figured he might as well take Ning Xiaozhu out for something more substantial.

Ning Buyi chewed the meat in his mouth for more than a dozen times before swallowing it. His lips were smeared with the squeezed-out sauce. He frowned, feeling that the meat was undercooked and strangely chewy.

Zhu Yanhe asked, "Is it not tasty?"

Ning Buyi shook his head: "It's delicious, but a little tough to chew."

The plate in front of him was now only a little bit dark brown. The meat that had just entered his stomach had gone down his throat without him feeling anything. Zhu Yanhe hummed in agreement, holding a knife and fork, and cut the food on the porcelain plate into a pile of small pieces. The man forked a piece and held it to his mouth.

The boy leaned forward naturally, his long eyelashes lowered as he stared intently. First, his rosy tongue darted out, then he scooped up a piece of meat from the silver fork and chewed it, his eyes flashing with certainty: "This is delicious."

Zhu Yanhe watched intently, a slight smile playing on her lips, and handed him the plate she was holding: "Are you free this weekend?"

"I don't know, I need to go back and ask my brother." Ning Buyi raised his eyes and shifted his gaze. He didn't have anything to do this weekend, but his brother had mentioned his birthday a few days ago, so maybe he had a surprise for him.

Zhu Yanhe remained noncommittal, replying, "If you're free that day, I'll take you to see the aurora."

Previously, many people in the company had mentioned wanting to go to Northern Europe to see the Northern Lights, and Zhu Yanhe had agreed to the company-funded team building application, but he did not go.

Later, he glanced at his subordinate's marriage proposal on WeChat Moments, accompanied by cheesy comments like "the aurora is a romantic love letter." Zhu Yanhe didn't really want to go through any so-called rituals; he just wanted to take Ning Buyi to see it.

"aurora!"

The boy looked delighted, his dark pupils trembling slightly. He had only ever seen the aurora borealis on his geography teacher's slides; the strange beams of light seemed to have an innate attraction that drew him in.

A burgeoning desire welled up within him, overflowing little by little and flowing into Zhu Yanhe's eyes.

"I'll think about it."

"I disagree!" Li Chang slammed his hand on the table. No wonder this kid had asked him earlier if he had prepared a surprise for his birthday; it turned out he was going to run off with Zhu Yanhe. Running around nearby was one thing, but this time he wanted to go somewhere he couldn't reach on his electric scooter. Who knew what he was up to?

What if Zhu Yanhe sells people out? What if it's a scam? Yin Qin has been waiting for this day to withdraw his money for so many days.

Li Chang said earnestly, "Don't you think about how dangerous it is? What if he's trying to kidnap you? You're in a completely unfamiliar place abroad."

Ning Buyi sat cross-legged in the chair, his face contorted with worry as he listened. Zhu Yanhe had been so good to him, he would never sell him. The boy retorted, "But I'm worthless, and he doesn't lack money."

Li Chang snapped his fingers together, looking at him with a knowing look: "How do you know he's rich? People like that have to pretend to be rich to lure people in."

The boy didn't seem to care. The hinge under the swivel chair spun him around, and Ning Buyi said, "But he really is rich. He took me to an auction today and I bought a necklace."

Ning Buyi had looked through the entire catalogue of items and found no one more expensive than it. Moreover, it had reached the maximum price at the auction. Ning Buyi felt that he wasn't worth even a fraction of that amount, and that he wouldn't be worth anything even if he were broken up into pieces.

Li Chang still didn't believe it. He grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him, as if trying to shake out the bewitching potion. He couldn't understand why someone so rich would take a liking to Ning Buyi and call him his good brother every day. Could he be a nice guy like him? He immediately dismissed the thought. Businessmen are the most shrewd.

Seeing that his brother still didn't believe him, he moved his stool a little closer to Li Chang and told him that he had actually been working at Zhu Yanhe's company all this time. If he was afraid that his brother still wouldn't believe him, he even showed Li Chang the company's interface.

Li Chang was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth. He recognized the company name; it was actually Zhu Yanhe's company? He didn't usually watch financial channels, so he didn't recognize the man's face. But everyone knew the Zhu Group—a top company in S City. No wonder he could casually say he'd take Ning Buyi to see the aurora borealis.

Li Chang tucked his chin in and said solemnly, "Although he is very rich, I am still not at ease."

He suddenly had a flash of inspiration: he suggested that Ning Buyi invite Zhu Yanhe over for a meal, so he could cook for her himself. As for whether it would taste good or not, wouldn't that be a perfect test of Zhu Yanhe's sincerity? Gray Wolf only proved his sincerity after eating Red Wolf's fried rice.

A win-win situation!

“But brother, the food you make…” Ning Buyi swallowed hard, not out of greed but out of fear. He didn’t want to try his brother’s cooking, which was hard to tell if it was raw or cooked.

Li Chang had cooked before, but it was because he came back too late and the nearby food delivery services were closed. When Li Chang said he was going to show off his skills, Ning Buyi was full of trust. Even when the pot caught fire, Ning Buyi still trusted him. He had seen that chefs would act like that.

When a plate of dark purple scrambled eggs with onions was served, Ning Buyi took a bite and felt as if his brother had poured salt into his mouth.

At that time, Ning Buyi secretly thought that if his brother used his cooking skills to threaten him in the future, he would definitely behave.

“I’ve been learning to cook every day these past few days. Leave it to me. If he can’t even accept this, I don’t trust him.” Li Chang shook his head, pursing his lips, his index finger waving in front of his eyes. He had no more options for the two of them.

Ning Buyi blinked, frozen in his chair as if struck by lightning. He didn't know if Zhu Yanhe was willing to agree, but he didn't want to! Ning Buyi still wanted to try, like offering to let Zhu Yanhe eat Li Chang's cooking instead of his takeout.

Li Chang held veto power; it was a surprise he had prepared for Ning Buyi, so it didn't matter if it was a day early.

Ning Buyi clasped his hands together and said to the person next to him who was signing, "Zhu Yanhe, my brother said it's okay, but..."

He had a hard time explaining it; only someone who had tasted it could have such an expression.

Upon hearing this, the man glanced at him and gestured for the boy to continue.

Ning Buyi continued, "But you have to eat the food he cooks first."

Zhu Yanhe raised an eyebrow slightly, casually signed the document under his hand, handed it to his assistant, and asked, "Why?"

The assistant, who was standing ramrod straight to the side, secretly glanced at the two of them. This request sounded like a trap.

“My brother is worried about you taking me out. He said you might be a scammer.” He scratched the back of his head and summarized Li Chang’s words from yesterday, giving them to Zhu Yanhe.

The man in the suit chuckled, clicked the cap off his pen, and asked, "What kind of conman would take a pig out for a fancy meal every day?"

Ning Buyi exclaimed "Ah!" What little pig? He didn't bring a pig when he ate with him, that's not right!

"You're the pig..." The boy bit the man's bulging veins on the side of his hand with practiced ease.

Zhu Yanhe raised the corners of her lips. Ning Buyi was indeed not a pig; in fact, he was a puppy that hadn't even grown any sharp teeth yet.

The spacious office was slightly heated. The assistant stood to one side, waiting for instructions on the next steps. The warm environment made his ears turn slightly red. He lowered his eyes, not daring to look around, but his mind was racing.

Are the CEO and his wife really this sweet together? No one has ever been this close to CEO Zhu before. Most people would have been deterred by his sharp tongue within three steps. The assistant thought about it carefully and realized that since their CEO isn't so sharp-tongued with his wife, he's also not so sharp-tongued with his subordinates. Good news!

I wish Mr. Zhu would become the perfect man now.

"When?" Zhu Yanhe grabbed his wrist and, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, took a light bite on his fair wrist bone.

Now, if Ning Buyi bites Zhu Yanhe, Zhu Yanhe will return the bite, sometimes to his face, sometimes to his hand, depending on where Ning Buyi bites.

"tomorrow."

"Okay, the flight is for tomorrow night."

Zhu Yanhe took all his annual leave in the afternoon. He almost never takes annual leave, so taking it all at once really shocked HR. The workaholic boss suddenly gave himself a vacation and even took his wife's annual leave as well.

The HR person sighed deeply, "People really do change a lot when they fall in love."

Ever since that black car stopped in front of a small internet cafe, Zhu Yanhe has changed drastically. Gusts of autumn wind whipped at his clothes, and he had walked here countless times, stepping on the leaves that fell randomly at the entrance.

The boy pulled Zhu Yanhe through the door, and Xinzi made a tinkling sound as it bumped against the glass. Li Chang busied himself setting up a small table in the rest room on the side.

Zhu Yanhe rarely visits other people's homes under the guise of being a friend; this is the first time.

Three wooden chairs were placed on the round wooden table, and bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged on the small table. Ning Buyi sat down and called out to the kitchen, "Brother, are you done?"

Zhu Yanhe sat down next to him. A layer of oil film covered the yellow wooden table. He frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly. Ning Buyi reached out and took a few sheets of paper, wiping the entire table.

He smiled and winked, "Zhu Yanhe, don't mind, although this table isn't as big as yours at home or your office."

A smile met his eyes. Zhu Yanhe didn't speak, but simply reached out and ruffled the boy's fluffy head. Both had two eyes and a mouth, so why was Ning Buyi so likable?

"It's been ready for a while now, just waiting for you guys." Li Chang grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth that gleamed under the incandescent light. He could finally show off his improved culinary skills.

The person came out of the kitchen carrying several dishes, arranged in triangles on the table. Ning glanced at them without moving his eyes: stir-fried pork with black pepper, braised pork belly, crispy potato slices, and steamed hairy crab. When he saw the fourth dish, his furrowed brows relaxed. His brother was still a good person after all.

Li Chang rubbed his hands together expectantly: "Ta-da! How's it going?"

Ning Buyi picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the potato on top. Despite his multitasking, he praised it without reservation: "It's good, it's good!"

"I knew it! Let's eat! Mr. Zhu, please don't be shy." Li Chang choked for a moment, then suddenly couldn't bring himself to call out Zhu Yanhe's name when he remembered the man's status and position. Damn it.

Zhu Yanhe nodded politely, his eyes sweeping over the dishes on the table. Finally, he picked up the shredded pork from the stir-fried pork with green peppers, chewed a few times, and swallowed it out of courtesy. It seemed that Li Chang was indeed very unhappy that he wanted to take Ning Buyi away.

Ning Buyi and Li Chang both watched his reaction. Seeing Zhu Yanhe eat it without changing his expression, Li Chang's face broke into two more wrinkles from smiling.

The boy's expression froze for a moment, then turned curious. With the fantasy that his brother's cooking skills had improved, he also picked up a piece of stir-fried green peppers and pork and stuffed it into his mouth.

He had only taken two bites when his whole body contorted in shock. What a strange taste! He looked at Zhu Yanhe with nothing but admiration.

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Author's Note: I'll be changing the cover in a couple of days! It'll probably be on my son's birthday~ It should look great~ It's a double cover~ It feels perfect for my son and Mr. Zhu~ A sweet and loving couple, right? I originally wanted to do a giveaway for my son's birthday, but I used up my chance when I was adding it to the magazine this month, so I'll make up for it next month [pity].

Thank you so much to all the readers who have been following this story! This is the first time I've written something like this in my writing, and I know some of you might not like it, so I won't be posting more. Thank you all for liking Jianjian and Zhu Zong! And lastly, to be a bit cliché, you all like couples, and I like you guys too! [Let me see...]