“Whose is it?”
“Mine.”
Huang Qingchuan climbed off Chen Mengrou and reached for her phone, but Chen Mengrou had already snatched it up, swiftly unlocking the screen.
“Your son.”
“And your son too~”
As they spoke, both women turned their gazes to the message sent by Ji Yuenian-a group photo featuring two young men.
One was bright and cheerful, domineering and bold, exuding an air of ambition and vigor.
The other was reserved and steady, taciturn, his depths unfathomable.
“Xiao Rou, why couldn’t my Yueyue have been a girl? The temple priest even said the second child would be a daughter, but in the end, it was still a boy.”
Huang Qingchuan cupped her cheeks in her hands.
“One son, Tongtong, is enough. I really wanted a daughter-to watch her grow up, to take her shopping for all kinds of lingerie, to add a little snuggle bug for my Honghong. Most importantly, I wanted to see her charm your precious son~ Hehehe~~”
“Dream on,” Chen Mengrou rolled her eyes.
“Why couldn’t my Achi have been a girl, so she could charm your precious second son instead?”
“If Achi were a girl, Tongtong would definitely have chased her down. Those two workaholics in my family would’ve been desperate for me to have a daughter just to arrange a marriage between our families.”
Chen Mengrou nodded in agreement, thinking of her own husband, whose hairline had been receding rapidly these past few months as he pushed into the financial sector.
“Whatever, let the men handle their own affairs.”
Pinching the soft flesh at Huang Qingchuan’s waist, Chen Mengrou grinned mischievously.
“As for our sons…”
The two women exchanged a glance—one with blue eyes, the other with black—and smiled in unison, declaring in perfect sync:
“Let the younger generation forge their own paths. They’ll figure it out~~”
* * *
That night, at a barbecue joint.
The two “younger generation” members remained blissfully unaware that their mothers had already indulged in delirious discussions about “what if their precious sons were daughters and how they’d charm each other’s sons.”
“Lamb leg’s here~~”
With a cheerful shout, the owner brought out a sizzling roasted lamb leg-crispy on the outside, tender inside.
The smoky aroma of charcoal-grilled meat filled the air, flecked with red chili powder and tiny white sesame seeds.
The glistening, golden-brown meat crackled under the lights, juices dripping enticingly onto the plate.
Following the principle of rewarding merit and punishing faults, after paying respects to the lonely elderly and taking the bus back to school, Ji Yuenian dragged Jiang Chi out for a meal.
Though he couldn’t stand the other’s effeminate demeanor, considering the collaboration between Jiang Chi’s family and his own conglomerate-plus the fact that Jiang Chi had helped him out with the plumbing crisis earlier-it was best not to let relations sour too much.
“Come on, Jiang Chi, you’ve gotta try this roasted lamb leg. It’s freaking amazing!!”
With that, Ji Yuenian sliced off a piece, not bothering with gloves, and shoved the steaming meat into his mouth.
The charcoal-grilled lamb was incredibly succulent.
The chili powder and meat juices danced on his tongue-the texture was perfectly chewy, the fat-to-lean ratio just right.
He then took a big swig of strong liquor, the fiery burn rushing down his throat and spreading a comforting warmth through his stomach.
“Damn, that hits the spot!”
Ji Yuenian’s neck flushed red as he exhaled in satisfaction.
He sliced off another piece of mutton and pushed it toward the other person.
“Here, try it! To be honest, even though I don’t like you, I’m someone who keeps grudges and favors separate! One thing at a time!”
“The title of school heartthrob-I’m definitely taking it! And next year, I won’t go easy on you either!!”
The person seated across from him didn’t move his chopsticks.
His deep blue eyes flickered with confusion as they landed on the distinctly knuckled, golden-skinned hand holding the meat.
That hand… it looked familiar…
“Don’t just sit there, kid. Have some grilled mutton—I’m telling you, it’s amazing!”
The sudden male voice snapped the youth out of his thoughts.
When he saw the greasy, heavily spiced piece of meat clutched in that large hand, an instinctive flicker of resistance flashed through his eyes.
Jiang Chi frowned slightly and shook his head.
“Sorry, I don’t like spicy or overly greasy food.”
Ji Yuenian paused, then slid a glass of strong liquor toward him.
“Then have a drink.”
“I don’t like alcohol either.”
“What can you drink, then? Beer? Hard liquor? Or soda?”
The boy pressed his lips together, a complicated glint passing through his blue eyes.
Ji Yuenian only heard a quiet murmur escape his mouth.
“Cold boiled water.”
“…..”
“Sorry.”
Seeing Ji Yuenian fall silent, Jiang Chi lowered his gaze.
It wasn’t that he disliked those things he simply couldn’t tolerate them.
Just the thought of grease and spice made his stomach twist involuntarily.
“No problem!”
Ji Yuenian acted completely unfazed.
He called out to the shopkeeper, “Boss, a bowl of cold boiled water!”
“Coming right up!”
A cheerful voice answered from inside the shop, followed by the owner bringing out two bowls of plain water.
Jiang Chi picked up a slice of mutton, rinsed it briefly in the water, then placed it in his mouth to chew carefully before swallowing.
Ji Yuenian, sitting across from him, didn’t understand but was thoroughly impressed.
After several shots of strong liquor, Ji Yuenian’s face turned red, showing slight signs of tipsiness.
Under the dim yellow light, he picked up a few pieces of broccoli with his chopsticks, scowling as he grumbled, “Grilled mutton with broccoli-what kind of combo is this?”
“Boss, didn’t I say no broccoli?”
“Sorry about that, Junior Ji. My memory’s slipping—I’ll knock off the change for you later.”
The barbecue shop was hazy with smoke, the glow of charcoal mingling with the lively chatter of customers as the owner’s hearty voice rang out.
The owner was also an alumnus of Wanqing Yongxing School, an upperclassman of Ji Yuenian’s.
Rumor had it he’d studied new energy, but the industry was tough, so now he specialized in new-energy-style roasted whole lamb.
Thanks to his skills, business was decent.
Ji Yuenian came by every few days for a meal, and over time, they became familiar.
“No need, just remember next time.”
With that, Ji Yuenian downed another bottle of ice-cold beer in one go.
The chill rushed down his throat, clashing with the fiery mutton in his stomach-the sensation was absolutely exhilarating!
As the drinks flowed and dishes were cleared, time slipped away unnoticed.
By the time the roasted lamb leg was completely devoured, Ji Yuenian only remembered downing three bottles of strong liquor and half a case of ice-cold beer.
He was pleasantly buzzed, his mind slightly hazy.
Jiang Chi kept his head down, continuing to eat.
What was in his bowl wasn’t mutton, but bright green broccoli rinsed with water.
Clearly, he seemed quite fond of broccoli.
“Jiang Chi,” Ji Yuenian called out, his voice carrying a hint of drunkenness.
Jiang Chi raised his head to look at Ji Yuenian, his eyes showing a trace of puzzlement.
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