Wen Yongwang smiled, feeling as happy as if he had eaten honey every day since he had this youngest son. The couple left home happily.
What can you do when your parents aren't home?
There are many more capable people out there!
For example, fried chicken cola.
"Aunt Li, you don't need to cook dinner tonight!"
"You want to go eat dirt?" a sinister voice sounded from behind.
Damn it, I got so excited I forgot about the tough nut to crack!
Wen Cheng turned around cautiously. Qi Ge had allowed him to stock up on food in the car today, so what about this? Wen Cheng asked tentatively, "Qi Ge, I want some fried chicken cola~"
Wen Qi revealed an unusually kind smile, "Wen Cheng, what would you like to eat?"
Wen Cheng felt his legs starting to tremble, but his desire told him he couldn't give up. He hadn't eaten anything here since he came!
"I want to eat fried chicken, but I don't need cola..."
Wen Qi smiled with his usual unusually kind expression. "What do you think?"
Wen Cheng met Wen Qi's gaze with a pitiful expression. Although his reaction wasn't very quick, after following Brother Qi for so long, he felt that he could still pinpoint Wen Qi's weaknesses and launch a series of attacks.
"I'm craving fried chicken. I haven't had it in ages. I always see my colleagues eating it, so I thought I'd have some just this once. Fried chicken~"
Wen Qi's brow twitched; Wen Cheng had actually come up with this trick this time.
The atmosphere between the two gradually became tense.
Finally, Aunt Li, who heard the commotion, came out. "Oh, Chengcheng, do you want fried chicken? Auntie will make it for you. My son also likes to eat this, but I was worried about the safety of the ones sold outside, so I specially learned how to make it myself. The taste is not much different from the ones sold outside. It's okay to eat fried food once in a while. It's normal for a child to have cravings."
Wen Cheng's eyes lit up instantly, and then she looked in the direction of the question with Aunt Li.
Wen Qi:......
Wencheng participated in the whole process of making fried chicken, just in case she didn't have enough. When Aunt Li took out ten chicken drumsticks to defrost, Wencheng secretly put five more in when she wasn't looking.
"Aunt Li, do you have any chicken wings? I'd like some!"
"Yes, yes," Aunt Li was preparing the batter and was a little busy. Although Wen Qi allowed it, he still chose steak for himself, not wanting to go along with his silly younger brother. "It's in the second freezer. Chengcheng, take a few out and put three chicken legs in. Don't eat too much." Aunt Li was considering the amount for Wen Cheng alone.
Wen Cheng outwardly agreed, but secretly added two more chicken drumsticks and six chicken wings to her plate.
He whistled and worked without batting an eye.
Aunt Li didn't find out what Wen Cheng had done until the explosion happened.
"Chengcheng," Aunt Li sighed. Wen Cheng used her cuteness to get Aunt Li to agree in the end.
So when it was time to eat, Wen Qi looked at the mountain of fried chicken piled up in front of Wen Cheng and fell into deep thought.
"Is this a serving size for a person?"
Despite the humiliation, Wen Cheng shyly agreed.
Wen Qi suddenly felt a slight itch in his palm and wanted to slap him.
"If your stomach hurts at night,"
"Then it must be because I'm hungry!" Wen Cheng eagerly answered.
......
If Wen Qi hadn't witnessed Wen Cheng's enormous appetite, he would have definitely taught this guy a lesson!
At the dining table, Wen Qi was elegantly cutting his steak on one side, while Wen Cheng was munching on a fried chicken leg on the other, and very selflessly handed one to Wen Qi.
"Brother Qi, I bet you've never tried this before. Come on, have a taste!" Wen Cheng said generously, wanting Wen Qi to loosen up his muscles.
"How do you know I've never eaten it before?" Wen Qi rolled his eyes at Wen Cheng. His roommate had tried it in college, and it wasn't to his liking. "Move your face closer." Wen Qi's voice was deep, and surprisingly, Wen Cheng didn't resist. He thought Qi-ge was going to tell him his story about fried chicken.
As Wen Cheng's face was halfway close, Wen Qi's face suddenly came close as well. Startled by the suddenness, Wen Cheng's pupils constricted. Just as she tried to pull back, Wen Qi grabbed the strap of her hoodie.
Great, now your upper body is stuck in mid-air.
Wen Qi's aura instantly enveloped Wen Cheng, and Wen Cheng could now seemingly count the eyelashes on Wen Qi's eyes.
The next second, Wen Qi pulled out a tissue and held it to Wen Cheng's lips. His soft fingertips touched Wen Cheng's lower lip through the tissue. Wen Qi instinctively blinked, hiding his momentary panic.
"You saw it as soon as you took the first bite, didn't you notice?"
Wen Qi tossed the scraps he had wiped off into the trash can with a thud.
Wen Cheng sat back down in her seat; she had been so nervous that her heart rate had become a little irregular.
Author's Note:
Thank you everyone for your support, muah~
Chapter 51 Treating Everyone Fairly
The late summer twilight still held a trace of warmth; a gentle evening breeze swept across the river, ripples reflecting the setting sun, creating a shimmering expanse.
Wen Yongwang and his wife Wen Yin strolled along the deserted old riverbank. Twenty years ago, this place was bustling with activity, full of life. An old man selling tofu pudding would call out his wares with his grandson by the river, and a family would bring their elementary school-aged child out to play beanbag toss...
Now, these people and events can only be used as memories.
Wen Yongwang stopped by a riverbank, his smiling face showing none of the usual decisive and efficient airs of the CEO.
Wen Yin stood quietly beside her husband, looking at the familiar scenery. In fact, they came here almost every year to reminisce about the past and appreciate the present, so as not to forget where their roots were.
"Ah Yin, do you remember when we came here twenty-four years ago?" Wen Yongwang suddenly brought it up.
Wen Yin paused for a moment, the answer almost instantly becoming clear in her mind. As a mother, how could she not remember? "It was when I was just pregnant with Chengcheng," she thought.
Wen Yongwang sighed and repeated, "Yes, Chengcheng, we owe that child so much."
Wen Yin lowered her head. How could she not know? Even while she was pregnant with her own child, their careers were slowly improving. She had vowed then to give her child the best life, but what happened? They encountered a nurse with antisocial personality disorder who switched the baby with another baby while the infant was being placed in the incubator.
Wen Yunyi's mother died in childbirth. Later investigations revealed that she was an orphan who grew up with her husband in an orphanage. Her husband died in a car accident while she was pregnant.
Despite having no blood relation to anyone, Wen Cheng, who was switched at birth, was eventually sent back to the orphanage.
It wasn't until last year, when the nurse's case was uncovered and caused a huge social uproar, that the couple noticed this. Over the past twenty-odd years, that nurse had destroyed more than a dozen families in the same way. By the time they found out and confirmed it, Chengcheng was already twenty-four. During the twenty-four years when they needed them the most, Chengcheng grew up in the most difficult environment.
"When Chengcheng came back, our idea was to try our best to satisfy him. At that time, Chengcheng was rebellious and always targeted Yiyi. As parents, we only saw this side of him, so we gradually became disappointed in him and forgot our original intentions. Now, Chengcheng is gradually getting better, and I have started to reflect on myself at the beginning. Why didn't I show more patience to Chengcheng? There must be a reason why he is so rebellious. He resents us. Maybe at first he wanted to express it in this way, but he failed, so he went back to being the most polite person. He is polite and cares about everyone's expression. So when he sees that you are unhappy or miss Yiyi, he will try to coax you. But Ayin, Chengcheng is also our child. Shouldn't we try to understand him and be more understanding of him?"
Wen Yongwang said a lot, which was also his reflection over the past few days.
“We’ve watched Yi Yi grow up since he was little, so we might have some biases deep down. But Ayin, you can’t forget that we are parents, not some other position. Children are not objects; we are responsible for them for their entire lives. The biggest taboo is not treating them equally.”
Wen Yongwang's words struck Wen Yin like a blow to the head. She wanted to explain, but remembering her actions that afternoon, she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
“You may see that we love both of our children normally, but at this crucial moment, your choice can easily affect them. Do you want Chengcheng to never truly consider you her mother for the rest of her life?”
Wen Yin pursed her lips, thinking of how well-behaved Chengcheng was now, "Doesn't Chengcheng always call me Mom?"
"Has she ever told you the truth? Has she ever complained to you about anything wrong with Yi Yi? Not before, but even now, has she said a single word?"
Wen Yongwang's questioning left Wen Yin speechless.
"Sigh, that's what I'm worried about. I know Yi Yi doesn't like Cheng Cheng. I can tell from his words that he's targeting Cheng Cheng to some extent. That's why I didn't say anything when Qi Qi took action this time. He's sincere towards Cheng Cheng, at least more sincere than we are. Ah Yin, I don't want to blame you today. I just want to say that while it's not too late, be a good mother to all three of you. Don't always focus on whether Yi Yi is being wronged, don't just superficially ask Cheng Cheng if she's happy every day, and don't think that because your eldest son is reliable, he doesn't need equal care. Parents should be able to tell directly."
Wen Yongwang didn't continue speaking for the moment, because Wen Yin was already in tears.
He cried, which proves that his wife truly listened to what he said.
Wen Yongwang reached out and embraced his wife.
"How come I can't see any of this? Today, I even mentioned Yiyi in front of Chengcheng. Sigh, that child still endured her discomfort to make me milk tea. What kind of mother am I?"
Wen Yongwang immediately handed his wife a tissue.
"Go back and visit Chengcheng more often. Don't worry about Yiyi. He needs to think things through. I know he's upset, but I haven't shortchanged him in any way. Even if he was switched at birth, I truly treat him like my own child. What he needs to do now is understand his brother's suffering, sincerely apologize to Chengcheng, and let's make sure our family lives well together from now on."
Wen Yin wiped away her tears and nodded. Her mind was filled with the smile Wen Cheng had shown at home.
Meanwhile, Wen Cheng, who had been praised to the skies by Wen Yongwang, was rolling around on the bed like a glutinous rice ball being dipped in bean flour.
He was completely devastated. The root of his devastation was that his heart rate had actually increased in front of his older brother today. This shouldn't be happening! This isn't how brothers should behave!
Feeling extremely conflicted, Wen Cheng was completely baffled and could only turn to her three-person group chat for help in order to find the truth!
[Wen Cheng]: Question: Have you ever experienced a sudden increase in heart rate? Not including during exercise.
As soon as Wen Cheng sent the message, the reply came incredibly fast, making Wen Cheng wonder if those two people lived online.
[Yao Xingwei]: Not including exercise? Not even a little exercise? Then I don't have any!
【Warm Orange】: ? ? ?
I understand, but I don't fully understand.
[He Haobo]: Go away, don't lead Chengcheng astray. I want Wencheng to be the purest flower in our circle!
[Wen Cheng]: ......
Wen Cheng suddenly questioned why she had asked these two people in the first place.
[He Haobo]: Let me tell you, it's definitely more reliable than that guy above!
【Wen Cheng】: Oh~ [clapping.jpg]
[Yao Xingwei]: Hey, how am I unreliable? When my adrenaline surges, my heart rate definitely accelerates.
......
【Wen Cheng】: @He Haobo, please give your answer.
[Yao Xingwei]: [Crying loudly!]
[He Haobo]: Ha, you drama queen! Ahem, let me tell you, the one that left a deep impression on me was my 18th birthday banquet, the moment my brother and I made eye contact.
......
[Yao Xingwei]: Holy crap! ...
[Wen Cheng]: !!! Keep talking, don't stop!
[He Haobo]: [With a wicked smile] I looked at my brother, and he seriously said to me, "You're so handsome." My heart rate immediately accelerated. I also remember that my brother had styled his hair in a slicked-back style for the first time that day, the same hairstyle as me. I thought I had to say something back, so I also said to him, "You're so handsome." Damn, I could feel my brother's heartbeat suddenly accelerate. That was the closest we two brothers had ever been to each other!
[Yao Xingwei]: ...I've already prepared the popcorn and you're telling me this?