Shen Hechuan had taken safety precautions last night; he was always conscious about such matters.
However, he hadn’t undergone a recent health check-up.
His company arranged an annual physical examination, scheduled for next month.
Shen Hechuan knew his body well.
He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink excessively, and had no other unhealthy habits.
His physical condition was excellent.
Even after being busy all night, he didn’t feel tired.
Still, Qiao Le’s concern was understandable.
Getting a check-up was a responsible move for both of them.
He replied to Qiao Le’s message.
[Shen: I took safety measures, don’t worry.]
[Shen: I’ll go for a check-up tomorrow and share the results with you.]
He then messaged Judy to schedule the check-up for the next morning.
Judy replied instantly.
[Judy: Got it.]
Shen Hechuan exited the chat with Judy and noticed Qiao Le had sent him a sticker of a kitten tilting its head with the words “Waiting obediently” on it.
He stared at it for a couple of seconds, then long-pressed to save it.
The conversation with Qiao Le ended there.
Shen Hechuan noticed several @ mentions in the family group chat.
His mother had just criticized him last night, so he didn’t need to look to know what the topic was.
Ignoring them, he muted the group notifications, set his phone aside, and got back to work.
On the other side, Qiao Le felt a bit relieved after receiving Shen Hechuan’s reply.
Fang Jiaxu, who was beside him, suggested, “Should you apply some ointment?”
Qiao Le agreed it would help and took the ointment to the bathroom.
When he came out, Fang Jiaxu had already cleaned up the table.
“You’ve been exhausted these past few days, right? Why don’t you get some sleep?” Fang Jiaxu proposed.
“Alright,” Qiao Le nodded.
He had indeed been pushing himself too hard and was feeling drowsy.
Fang Jiaxu had spare pajamas for him.
After informing Qiao Man, Qiao Le changed and went to the guest room to catch up on sleep.
When he woke up, it was already noon.
Qiao Man was drawing at the small desk by his bed, colorful markers spread across half the table.
After the nap, Qiao Le felt much more energized.
He stretched lazily in bed.
Hearing the movement, Qiao Man turned around, put down her pen, and rushed over.
“Brother, you’re awake!”
“Yeah,” Qiao Le reached for his phone.
There was a message from Fang Jiaxu saying he had gone out to take care of something and that Qiao Le could make himself at home.
Qiao Le got up, picked up Qiao Man, and said, “Come on, let’s go get some pizza.”
Qiao Man’s eyes lit up.
“Yay!”
Qiao Le washed his face, changed his clothes, and took Qiao Man out.
His electric scooter was still at Mate Bar, where he had been working part-time these past few days.
Fang Jiaxu had advised him to wait for updates from the bar regarding last night’s incident, so he wasn’t in a hurry to retrieve it.
Instead, he took Qiao Man on the subway to Liwan New District.
The pizza place was even busier on weekends, but luckily, a table freed up just as they arrived.
Qiao Le ordered a signature Italian meat pizza, two fruit teas, and some fries.
When the pizza arrived, Qiao Man’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, it smells amazing!”
“Sweetie, look at the camera,” Qiao Le took out his phone to snap a photo.
The little one eagerly gave a peace sign, though his short arms made it look more like “pew pew.”
After taking his picture, Qiao Le switched to the front camera and snapped a selfie with him.
He then casually posted it on his WeChat Moments.
“Brother, eat up!” Qiao Man picked the largest slice of pizza for Qiao Le, using both chopsticks and a fork to place it on Qiao Le’s plate.
The thoughtful gesture from his younger brother warmed Qiao Le’s heart.
He set his phone aside, put on a pair of disposable gloves for his brother, and then grabbed a slice of pizza for him before finally picking up his own slice to eat.
Qiao Le squinted contentedly, recalling that the last time he had this pizza was at Shen Hechuan’s place.
The rich meat sauce tasted just as delicious as before.
Thinking of Shen Hechuan, Qiao Le wondered if he should have invited him to stay for breakfast that morning, especially since Shen had helped him so much.
Should he ask?
After a moment of hesitation, Qiao Le finished his slice of pizza and sent a message to Shen Hechuan.
Once the message was sent, he felt a sense of relief.
Whether Shen Hechuan had eaten or not, his concern, though late, had been expressed.
Shen Hechuan had just stepped out of a meeting when he received the message.
He glanced down at his phone.
[Qiao Le: Shen Hechuan, have you had lunch yet?]
[Qiao Le: I’m at the pizza place you ordered from last time. If you haven’t eaten, should I bring you a slice?]
The pizza place from last time?
Shen Hechuan paused in his tracks.
His first thought was: Is Qiao Le delivering food again?
And he wants to bring me a slice?
Doesn’t he care about his own health?
Or was I really that unimpressive last night?
At this thought, Shen Hechuan’s expression turned slightly complicated.
Qiao Le’s firm declaration from the morning, “I wasn’t that tired,” echoed in his ears.
Shen Hechuan: “…”
Judy, who was following behind him, noticed his sudden stop.
His expression wasn’t exactly happy or unhappy, but rather puzzled.
Thinking it might be related to the meeting, she quickly stepped forward and asked, “Mr. Shen, is there anything else you need?”
Shen Hechuan collected his thoughts.
“No, go ahead and have your lunch.”
“Should I have someone bring something up for you?” Judy asked considerately.
The company had a dedicated staff cafeteria, with lunch served from 12 to 2 PM.
Even after that, noodles or snacks could be ordered, and afternoon tea was also provided.
Sometimes, when Shen Hechuan was too busy to go to the cafeteria, Judy would arrange for someone to bring food to him.
Shen Hechuan: “No need.”
“Understood.”
After Judy left, Shen Hechuan replied to Qiao Le.
[Shen: Are you delivering food? Are you okay?]
The message was sent, and Qiao Le replied almost immediately.
[Qiao Le: No, I’m off today.]
[Qiao Le: I brought Xiao Man here for pizza.]
[Qiao Le: [[Photo]]
Qiao Le sent a photo of the pizza to Shen Hechuan, unaware that this act of sharing was a sign of their growing closeness.
Shen Hechuan opened the photo.
Besides the pizza, the photo also captured Qiao Man’s hand holding a fork, reminding Shen Hechuan of how Qiao Man had proudly held up five fingers that morning to show he was five years old.
Realizing that Qiao Le wasn’t delivering food, Shen Hechuan’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his mood inexplicably improved.
Whether it was relief that Qiao Le wasn’t overworking himself or a bit of his own hidden pride, or perhaps a mix of both, he wasn’t entirely sure.
[Shen: That’s good. You should rest properly.]
[Qiao Le: Got it, you too ^.^#.]
Me too?
Shen Hechuan’s lips curled slightly at the corners as he thought to himself that he didn’t need any rest at all.
Not only was he not tired, but he even felt that the irritation from being pressured to get married these past few days had eased considerably.
Thinking about the marriage pressure, Shen Hechuan realized he had forgotten something.
He had told Qiao Le that he would eat at the company and not to send him any pizza.
Then, he opened the family group chat he had muted that morning.
There were only four people in the group: his grandfather, his parents, and himself.
In just one short morning, while Shen Hechuan had been ignoring them, the three of them had flooded the group with hundreds of messages.
His grandfather, who was over eighty years old, was typing so fast that he could probably snatch a bus seat with ease.
It really goes to show that no matter how old you are, you should still have a job to keep you busy.
Otherwise, you’d just spend all day glued to your phone.
Shen Hechuan sighed, feeling that he had taken over the family business too early, giving them all the time and freedom to pester him about marriage.
As soon as he opened the chat, he saw several links.
“[Shocking] What happens to those who never marry? A deep dive into the startling realities…”
“[Loneliness] After years of hard work, is there even a single light in this city that shines for you…”
“[Silence] While others enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren, you’re left alone in an empty house…”
All of the above links were shared by his mother, Ms. Wu Huilan.
Shen Hechuan had neither the patience nor the energy to scroll through their chat history.
He didn’t need to read it to know what they were talking about.
He typed two words and sent them.
[Shen: Noted.]
[Grandfather: …]
[Mom:…]
[Dad: …]
Less than half a minute after sending the message, Wu Huilan called, demanding that he return to the old house that afternoon.
The family was going to hold a special seminar to address his concealment of his relationship status.
A special seminar?
More like a special criticism session.
Shen Hechuan pressed the elevator button, trying to come up with an excuse to refuse.
“Tonight—”
“Oh no, Dad! What’s wrong? Don’t faint!” Wu Huilan’s panicked voice suddenly came through the phone, followed by his grandfather’s voice, “I’m dizzy, so dizzy.”
“Nanny Liu, Nanny Liu, call the doctor!” Wu Huilan said.
“Look at you, you’ve made your grandfather faint! If you have any conscience left, come back immediately!”
Shen Hechuan: “…”
The elevator doors opened, and Shen Hechuan stepped inside, changing his tone.
“I have a meeting this afternoon. I’ll come back tonight. Save the rest of the drama for when I get back.”
Wu Huilan: “Oh… Dad, get up now.”
Grandfather: “Oh.”
Shen Hechuan hung up the phone with a headache.
You can run, but you can’t hide.
If you can’t avoid the storm, you might as well stand in the eye of it.
As the elevator descended, he opened his social media to distract himself and happened to see a post Qiao Le had just shared.
Qiao Le had posted two photos: one of Qiao Man alone and one of him and Qiao Man together.
In the photos, both of them were smiling brightly, each giving a “V” sign, looking very happy.
Shen Hechuan tapped the like button.
The elevator stopped at the cafeteria floor.
He went to the staff dining hall and ordered a set meal.
Before picking up his chopsticks, he remembered the photo Qiao Le had sent him earlier.
Following the principle of reciprocity in social interactions, he thought he should also show Qiao Le his lunch.
So he picked up his phone, took a photo of his meal, and sent it to Qiao Le.
Just as he sent the message, a new notification popped up on his screen, and he casually clicked on it.
[Judy: Holy crap! I just saw President Shen taking a photo of his lunch!]
[Judy: I wonder who he sent that to. Could he be in a relationship?!]
Shen Hechuan: ?
[Judy has retracted a message]
[Judy has retracted a message]
Shen Hechuan: “…”
Well, now I know what my subordinates like to chat about.
Gossiping about their boss.