Both of them fell silent.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Chen Xi was too clever; she immediately saw through the secret the man had hidden for who knows how many years, and directly asked, "You like her, don't you?"

"I..."

Exposed, Yan Feng felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, stammering without a clear response.

"What is your relationship with my mom?" Chen Xi pressed on.

This question left him unsure of how to answer. They hadn't seen each other in years, and even phone calls were rare. They couldn't really be considered friends.

He thought for a moment and said, "We just... knew each other well, good neighbors. I called her sister, and she called me Little Feng."

"Really just neighbors?" Chen Xi continued to probe.

Yan Feng was speechless. Being questioned by a girl much younger than him about his secret felt strange, but her face was one he couldn't refuse. To ease Chen Xi's guard, he sighed and admitted, "I... I used to live with her for a while."

Chen Xi frowned. "Lived together? As in cohabiting? When?"

"Just eating together. She had just started working then."

"But isn't my mom more than ten years older than you?"

"That's why I was only seven at the time."

"So you liked her even then?" Chen Xi sharply caught the key point.

"I..."

Yan Feng felt uncomfortable. After just a few hours of knowing each other, his secrets were being laid bare. He even had the illusion that her lifeless eyes could see through everything about him.

At this moment, Chen Xi didn't press further, only saying calmly, "Sorry, I asked so much just to confirm my own safety."

A trace of disgust flashed in the young girl's eyes as she explained, "Before... when I was staying at my mom's colleague's house, I met her husband. I stayed less than half a day, and he kept staring at me. That look... was disgusting."

So that's how it was.

Yan Feng immediately understood, smiling bitterly as he said, "It's okay, I understand. A young girl like you should be cautious around strangers..."

Chen Xi nodded and then asked, "So... what should I call you now? Big brother? Little Uncle? Or just 'Uncle'?"

Yan Feng shrugged. "Whatever you like, it's all fine."

"Then 'Uncle' it is," the young girl said casually, deliberately ignoring the twitch at the corner of his mouth, and handed over her empty bowl. "Uncle, could I have another bowl of beef noodles?"

***

"Is this your home?"

He opened the door, entered, and turned on the lights.

Yan Feng squeezed through the door first, busy tidying up the scattered items inside. Living alone, he was often busy with work and rarely had time to clean.

He hurriedly tidied up, holding clothes in one hand while smiling and saying, "Um... there's a sofa over there, you can sit for a while. There's a spare room, you can stay in my room tonight."

Afraid she might misunderstand, Yan Feng added, "I'll sleep on the sofa tonight, you can lock the door if you want, it's fine."

Chen Xi found it amusing, watching the man flustered by her presence, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you divorced?"

This precise strike pierced the fragile heart of a single man.

Divorced? Nonsense! Damn it, he didn't even have a girlfriend, where would he get a divorce from!?

Hearing this, Yan Feng could only smile bitterly and shake his head. "I'm usually very busy, no time for dating."

Chen Xi walked to the sofa, frowning as she moved the clothes hanging there aside, and slowly sat down, starting to examine the entire room.

It wasn't particularly dirty, just a bit cluttered with clothes, not the kind of place where trash was everywhere.

The young girl put down Yan Feng's clothes, instinctively sniffing her fingers, and a hint of disgust crossed her brow.

Single men... don't pay much attention to personal hygiene, do they...

Yan Feng caught this scene and quickly stepped forward to take his clothes, awkwardly explaining, "Well, these are worn, I was planning to wash them today..."

Chen Xi wasn't fooled by his poor acting but knew better than to expose his embarrassment.

Sitting on the sofa, she continued to survey the room.

Suddenly, a splash of green caught her eye. She had noticed the cactus near the balcony when she first entered. It was thriving, almost taller than her.

Ignoring the awkward smile on his face, Chen Xi walked over.

The room was a bit messy, but the cactus was impeccably clean, with fine soil and not a speck of dust on the pot. The plant climbed upward from its thick base, segment by segment, clearly well cared for.

Curious, the young girl reached out.

"Don't touch that plant!"

The sudden voice startled her. When Chen Xi came to her senses, the man was already in front of her, using his body to shield the cactus, as if protecting his territory.

Realizing his tone had been harsh and might have scared her, Yan Feng regretted it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he explained, "This plant has thorns, it's dangerous, don't get pricked."

The young girl nodded, still a bit shaken.

"I... I'll show you the other rooms..." Yan Feng said, leading her to see the rest of the house, finally returning to his bedroom.

"You can stay here tonight," he said, pulling a new set of bedding from the closet and placing it on the bed, patting it as he said, "The company gave these as a year-end bonus, I haven't used them yet, you can sleep here."

After settling Chen Xi, Yan Feng quietly left his bedroom with his bedding.

It was already midnight. Lying on the sofa, he took out his phone and saw six missed calls, four from his boss, Gu Qing, and one from a colleague, likely asking why he left in a hurry.

After quickly editing a message to explain, he turned his attention to the last number.

It was a stranger. He considered calling back but decided against it since it was almost midnight and didn't want to disturb anyone.

But just then, his phone rang. It was that unknown number, and he quickly answered.

"Hello? Is this Little Feng?"

The voice on the other end was a middle-aged woman, unfamiliar to Yan Feng, but since she knew his name, he had a good idea who it was.

"I'm Little Xi's aunt. Ah, the child has arrived at your place, right?"

"Yes," Yan Feng replied, his tone somewhat stiff.

But she didn't mind, instead starting to complain, "Little Feng, you don't know, since last year, my husband lost his job, and we can't make ends meet. Raising a child is hard enough, with school fees, tutoring fees..."

Yan Feng sneered, already guessing what she was getting at, and interrupted, "I know, so I plan to adopt the child."

He glanced at the closed bedroom door. "Consider it repaying my sister."

The woman was momentarily stunned, not expecting him to agree so easily, and immediately showered him with praise, using every compliment in the book, as if determined to put a crown on his head.

"Is there anything else?" he asked coldly, unwilling to hear another word from someone who mistreated his sister's child. "If not, I'll hang up."

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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan