ACMS 20

Chapter 20: It’s so heartwarming!

Once everyone was seated, Wu Huilan, worried Qiao Le might feel restrained, gently said, “Lele, there aren’t many rules in our house. Just treat it like your own home and eat as much as you like.”

“Alright, thank you, Auntie.” Qiao Le picked up his soup and took a sip.

The kitchen had prepared a traditional Cantonese slow-simmered soup, since they’d heard Qiao Le liked Cantonese cuisine.

The premium red mushrooms were rich and fragrant, paired with tender, firm old hen meat, and simmered over low heat for hours. The result was a fresh and flavorful broth, delicious without being heavy.

It tasted amazing!

Qiao Le couldn’t help but take another sip.

This soup was better than any he’d ever had, far surpassing that “Cantonese Soup House” near the entrance of his residential complex.

“Don’t just drink the soup,” the old man chuckled. “Have some dishes too. Look how skinny you are—young folks should put on more meat.”

Qiao Le felt a little shy under the elder’s concern and set down his soup bowl. “I’m not that skinny—I work out.”

Hearing this, Shen Hechuan glanced at his waist.

He could testify—Qiao Le was definitely too thin.

He should eat more.

Using the shared chopsticks, Shen Hechuan placed a piece of steamed spotted garoupa on Qiao Le’s plate. “Try this.”

Seeing that, Wu Huilan chimed in, “Yes, yes, eat more. This fish turned out great.”

Qiao Le obediently took a bite. The fish was tender and fresh, with no trace of fishiness. His eyes lit up. “It’s delicious!”

Seeing that he liked it, Wu Huilan was pleased. She casually asked, “Lele, how old are you this year?”

“Nineteen,” Qiao Le answered.

Nineteen?

That was three years younger than Cheng Jiarong!

Wu Huilan glanced at Shen Hechuan, only to see him calmly shelling a crab, as if he wasn’t the one who once said Cheng Jiarong was too young.

Still, nineteen wasn’t that young. Under the new marriage law, he was eligible to register a marriage.

Wu Huilan was reassured. But the old man added, “That’s quite a bit younger than Hechuan. There’s no generation gap, is there?”

Shen Hechuan’s hand paused mid-shell.

“No, not at all,” Qiao Le replied. “We get along very well.”

Shen Hechuan’s motions resumed smoothly.

Hearing that there was no generation gap, the elders were all satisfied. That’s what people feared most between couples, especially with an age difference like theirs—thirteen years.

Shen Hechuan placed the shelled crab meat in front of Qiao Le. “Try it.”

Usually, Qiao Le was the one helping his younger brother peel seafood. It was the first time someone peeled crab for him, and it even came with perfectly intact crab legs.

He was surprised at first, then a little embarrassed.

After all, with Shen Hechuan’s parents watching, even if they were pretending, this kind of attention felt too much.

“I can do it myself,” he whispered, nudging Shen Hechuan’s leg under the table with his knee.

Before Shen Hechuan could respond, Wu Huilan spoke up, “It’s fine—let him peel it. These crabs are tricky. You might hurt your hands. I never peel them myself.”

Sitting beside her, Shen Zhenghe nodded and placed some freshly peeled crab meat in front of her.

Oh—so it was a family tradition.

Qiao Le understood now. To return the favor, he picked up a piece of sliced pork knuckle and placed it in Shen Hechuan’s bowl.

Shen Hechuan picked it up and ate it.

The elders exchanged looks, smiles in their eyes, clearly pleased with the interaction.

The meal went smoothly. Though young, Qiao Le was great at conversation—he even slipped in a few jokes here and there, earning bursts of laughter. He was full of charm.

As expected, the elders eventually asked how the two had met.

Following the backstory they’d agreed on, Qiao Le said he’d met Shen Hechuan while working at a café over summer break, and over time, they got to know each other.

The café he mentioned was the one called “Seer,” conveniently located near Shen Hechuan’s company, so no one doubted the story.

Upon hearing that he’d worked during summer break, Wu Huilan was moved. “If you want to earn experience next time, just come work at our family company. Standing all day in a café is too tiring.”

“Yes, let Hechuan arrange it for you.”

Qiao Le had no idea which company Shen Hechuan worked at, nor what he did. But since they were playing along, he nodded and thanked them for their kindness.

Talking about work naturally led to questions about school. Wu Huilan asked where he studied and what he majored in.

Qiao Le answered every question: “Yunjing University, Aerospace Engineering.”

He wasn’t lying. Before taking a leave of absence, that had indeed been his major.

Though he had only attended classes for less than a month.

“Yunjing University, that’s a great school!” The old man’s opinion of him rose even higher. Yunjing University was a top-tier institution—many people would give anything to get in.

A good-looking kid was likable—but a good-looking kid who was also smart was even more so.

“Come to think of it, Hechuan graduated from Yunjing too,” Shen Zhenghe added with a smile. “You two are even schoolmates—what a coincidence.”

Shen Hechuan also went to Yunjing University?

Qiao Le hadn’t known that. But he reacted quickly and followed up, “Yes, it’s because of that connection that we gradually got close.”

Then he turned to look at Shen Hechuan. “Right, Senior?”

That one word—Senior—was far more intimate than “Mr. Shen” or even “Hechuan.”

It instantly closed the distance between them.

He really was quick on his feet.

Shen Hechuan pressed his lips together. “Mm.”

After learning about Qiao Le’s major, the elders started discussing his future career plans. In the end, the old man declared that if Qiao Le wanted to work after graduation, that was fine—but if he didn’t, it didn’t matter either. The family didn’t need his salary.

It’s so nice to have doting elders.

Qiao Le sighed inwardly once again.

He almost nodded in agreement—but no, better eat some chili to snap himself out of it.

The dining table had an electric rotating tray. Qiao Le reached out with his chopsticks to pick up the duo-colored chopped chili fish head that had just rotated in front of him. But before his chopsticks could touch it, the tray suddenly sped up, spinning the dish away from him.

“?”

Qiao Le turned to look at Shen Hechuan, who had clearly been the one to press the rotation button.

The instigator calmly pressed down on the tray to stop it, leaving a plate of sliced pork in front of Qiao Le. He said, “Eat less chili. You already had quite a bit.”

Qiao Le: “I can eat spicy—”

“You can’t eat too much right now.” Shen Hechuan’s tone firmed slightly. “Be good.”

Qiao Le understood the hint and fell silent. “…”

Shen Zhenghe, unaware of the situation, asked, “What’s wrong? Was it too spicy?”

“His throat’s been a bit off these past couple of days,” Shen Hechuan replied smoothly. “The doctor advised against sour or spicy food.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Avoid sour and spicy—it was listed on the ointment Shen Hechuan had bought. Though it wasn’t a doctor who said it, the point still stood.

It was just that the Shen family’s chef cooked so well he couldn’t resist.

“You know, Lele’s voice does sound a little hoarse,” Wu Huilan noted. “Did you catch a cold?”

Qiao Le: “…A little.”

Not a cold. According to Fang Jiaxu, it was because of the night he slept with Shen Hechuan—and all the calling out he did.

Truly embarrassing when you thought about it.

Qiao Le quietly focused on eating the sliced pork.

After dinner, the old man received a call from a friend inviting him out to play chess. Apparently, two new players had shown up at the chess club with impressive skill.

Playing chess with friends was his favorite way to pass time, and normally, if new players appeared, he’d rush over immediately for a match or two.

But today was Qiao Le’s first visit. That was far more important than chess. He cheerfully declined, “No, no, something’s going on at home… What is it? A good thing!”

After the call, Qiao Le thought for a moment and asked what kind of chess the old man liked.

“Chinese chess,” the old man replied. “Why? You play too, Lele?”

Qiao Le said modestly, “A little. If you don’t mind, I could play a couple rounds with you?”

The old man hadn’t expected this, and his interest was piqued. “Alright!”

While Qiao Le played with him, Shen Hechuan kept them company nearby.

Among his chess friends, the old man was considered top-tier, but he hadn’t expected Qiao Le to be such a strong player—every move well-matched, every round evenly contested.

So much for “a little”—he was being far too modest.

The more he watched, the more the old man liked him. He even said he’d bring Qiao Le along next time to play with his friends.

Qiao Le had trained his skills playing with the old grandpas in his neighborhood growing up. In high school, he’d even won second place in the city’s youth Chinese chess competition.

The old man saying he’d bring him along was practically a promise for a next meeting.

Qiao Le reached behind him and scratched lightly at Shen Hechuan’s back.

It was summer, and the clothing was thin. Shen Hechuan’s nerves tingled at the touch of those fingertips.

He had heard the old man too—and he understood what Qiao Le meant.

He reached behind him and grabbed Qiao Le’s hand, holding it quietly behind his back, without saying a word to change the topic.

“??”

Qiao Le looked at him.

Shen Hechuan’s palm was dry and warm. Qiao Le tried to pull his hand back—he couldn’t.

Qiao Le kept looking at him: “??”

Shen Hechuan didn’t budge.

Across the table, the old man’s focus was fully on the chessboard and he didn’t notice anything. But Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe sitting behind them saw everything.

The couple exchanged a look: This is solid.

Earlier, Qiao Le had told Shen Hechuan he couldn’t stay too long. Shen Hechuan also knew he still had a younger brother to look after, so at nine o’clock, he used the excuse that Qiao Le had class the next day to take him home.

Before they left, Wu Huilan handed Qiao Le the gift she had prepared for their first meeting.

Qiao Le instinctively stepped back. “Auntie, I can’t accept this.”

“You have to,” Wu Huilan said, stepping forward and pressing the bag into his hands. She patted the back of his hand. “Originally, each of us wanted to prepare something for you, but we were afraid it’d make you feel pressured. So just think of this as a little token from your elders.”

Her eyes were soft. Her tone was gentle. It was the kind of warmth that easily melted away defenses.

It had been years since Qiao Le had seen his own mother. When Qiao Man was less than two years old, she had said she was going to work in Shen City with a friend. She never came back—not even when their father had his accident.

His phone still had a number saved under “Mom,” but it had long since been disconnected.

Faced with Wu Huilan’s kindness, the most fragile part of Qiao Le’s heart was struck without warning. He felt both touched and a little sore. His eyes warmed.

“But…”

“Be good,” Wu Huilan cut him off with a stern face. Then her tone softened again. “You’re a good child. Don’t let Auntie’s good intentions go to waste. Take it, okay?”

That phrase—Be good—

It sounded just like how his mother used to scold him.

Even that final coaxing “be good,” so much like one used to soothe a child, was nearly identical—

It almost made him unable to hold back the wave of tears welling up.

He clutched the bag that now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and looked helplessly toward Shen Hechuan.

“I…”

Shen Hechuan didn’t understand why he was showing such a hurt expression, and there was no time to figure out what had caused that pain—

He only felt that those eyes, which had always brimmed with laughter and life, should never look like that.

He should be happy, full of energy, always radiant.

In that moment when their eyes met, Shen Hechuan’s heart thudded violently.

A sudden urge rose in him to pull Qiao Le into his arms.

And then, just like that, a realization struck him.

Shen Hechuan, you’re screwed.