Please come to my house for dinner.

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Su Ran checked the plot progress; the progress bar for the new character had already started to rise.

He Zhiwen was Jiang Yi’s direct superior, the son of the CEO of the headquarters company. The headquarters was located in the ultra-first-tier city of H, and he had come here to explore the Beijing market, essentially a business inspection trip.

At this point, no one fully understood He Zhiwen’s background. Jiang Yi’s instincts were sharp; unable to grasp He Zhiwen’s true nature, he chose not to engage in office politics but instead decided to support his superior.

That was why he sent Su Ran, the lubricant of the office, over. Now that Su Ran was helping He Zhiwen solve the child-related issue, it could be considered as easing one of He’s headaches.

Hearing footsteps, Su Ran looked up and saw the tall man beside Jiang Yi. The man was dressed in a suit that exuded quality, with sharply defined features, deep-set eyes, and a mature yet refined aura.

“Su Ran, this is President He,” Jiang Yi introduced.

Su Ran felt a bit nervous for no particular reason. Seeing a leader like this, even though He Zhiwen appeared approachable, he still carried an imposing presence.

Just as Su Ran was about to stand, He Zhiwen stopped him. “No need, just stay seated. Mingzhe is letting others get close to him for the first time, even letting you hold him. Su Ran, right? You really attract children.”

“Mingzhe is a very well-behaved child,” Su Ran said softly, looking at the little boy in his arms, who blushed and covered his face shyly.

Su Ran’s gentle demeanor made He Zhiwen take a deep breath, his heart beating faster. The more he looked at Su Ran, the more he liked him.

“He really likes you,” He Zhiwen said as he sat down beside Su Ran.

Su Ran felt the seat beside him sink slightly and turned to see He Zhiwen gazing at him. His eyes were bright and sincere, smiling warmly, putting one at ease.

He Zhiwen noticed Su Ran’s smile and caught a faint, pleasant fragrance emanating from him—a fresh, sweet scent even more enchanting than he had imagined.

To avoid losing his composure, He Zhiwen averted his gaze and cleared his throat softly. He poured tea for Su Ran. Though he was never nervous fighting for multi-billion projects in the marketplace, facing the fragrant Su Ran now made him uneasy.

“You might have to trouble yourself with Mingzhe for a while,” He Zhiwen said, his voice magnetic and deliberately slowed to sound gentle. “If you need anything, just tell me. Don’t hesitate.”

“Alright,” Su Ran replied.

He Zhiwen wanted to say more, but just then the secretary approached. “President He, it’s time for the meeting.”

He Zhiwen didn’t respond immediately but looked at Su Ran instead. Su Ran’s attention was on Mingzhe, and hearing the secretary, he put the child down and stood. “Then, President He, I’ll take Mingzhe home first. You can pick him up tonight.”

He Zhiwen stood as well. “Don’t call me President He. Call me… Zhiwen. I should be older than you, so ‘Brother He’ is fine too.”

Su Ran hesitated but, since he was Jiang Yi’s direct superior, finally said, “Brother He.”

“Then Mingzhe is in your hands. Let’s exchange numbers. Call me if anything comes up,” He Zhiwen said.

By now, Su Ran felt completely at ease in front of this CEO, who had no airs at all. They exchanged WeChat contacts and phone numbers.

As Su Ran led Mingzhe away, He Zhiwen’s eyes followed his back until he disappeared from view.

Jiang Yi followed his gaze, thinking he was just worried about his little nephew. He Zhiwen began praising Su Ran again. “Su Ran’s really a good guy. Having him help out makes me feel very assured.”

Jiang Yi sensed He Zhiwen’s pleasure and felt happy as well, though he found He Zhiwen’s attitude towards Su Ran somewhat unusual. Normally easygoing but serious at work, He Zhiwen rarely displayed such approachable warmth.

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After some thought, Jiang Yi attributed this to the fact that Su Ran had just solved a very troublesome problem for He Zhiwen, so the different attitude was understandable. This move was definitely the right one, and there was no need to overthink.

* * *

Su Ran took Mingzhe straight home. The boy had a small backpack with his toys, which Su Ran brought along.

At home, Su Ran laid out several mats on the floor for Mingzhe to play on.

“Mingzhe’s so good, such a well-behaved little darling,” Su Ran praised gently.

Mingzhe behaved even better, playing with his toys without needing any attention. Su Ran kissed his chubby cheeks and leaned back on the sofa to play with his phone.

Ye Qiao sent many photos from their trip, each one showing his smiling face. They had been in a southern city where it was still hot. Ye Qiao wore light clothing, with many swimming photos showing water droplets sliding down his sculpted muscles—a truly pleasing sight.

Ah, another day of envying someone else’s muscles.

Ye Qiao had also sent a voice message last night, maybe drunk, with an irresistibly magnetic voice: “Brother Ranran, I miss you so much.”

Su Ran had only just seen it and replied, “Have fun. I’ll make you a good meal when you get back.”

Spending the whole day at home wasn’t boring with Mingzhe around. The child was well-behaved, no crying or fussing, and easily fell asleep at night.

While preparing dinner in the kitchen, Jiang Yi returned and unlocked the door, followed by He Zhiwen.

He Zhiwen stood at the entrance, looking inside and spotting Su Ran’s silhouette in the kitchen. The sunlight gave him a pure, gentle outline, and the apron tied at the waist emphasized his slender figure.

He had once dreamed of coming home from work to see such a scene—his wife preparing dinner, waiting for him.

“President He, why don’t you stay for dinner?” Jiang Yi offered.

He Zhiwen had originally planned to leave after picking up the child. Meeting Su Ran for the first time, and knowing his job as a nanny, he didn’t want to create a client-like distance.

But Jiang Yi’s invitation was hard to refuse. Su Ran noticed the movement at the door, still holding vegetables, and lowered his voice, “Mingzhe’s asleep inside. Brother He, come in and eat before you go.”

“Alright, I won’t be rude then,” He Zhiwen responded happily.

After changing into slippers, Jiang Yi intended to prepare some tea in the living room to chat with He Zhiwen but saw the latter head straight to the kitchen.

He Zhiwen pointed at the greens in the sink. “Are these to be washed?”

“No need, I’ll wash them,” Su Ran said promptly.

“It’s fine, I do this often at home,” He Zhiwen said.

Su Ran glanced at the tall man standing there. A CEO of such a large company, still in a formal suit, helping wash vegetables—it was almost surreal.

Moreover...

Su Ran looked at the greens He Zhiwen handed over, nearly all ruined. Was this what he meant by “often doing this”?

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From start to finish, He Zhiwen stayed in the kitchen, “helping” but mostly making things harder. Fortunately, Su Ran wasn’t truly affected, and the meal was soon ready.

At the table, the conversation was casual and sporadic. He Zhiwen subtly steered the topic towards Su Ran.

“This meal is really delicious. Your future partner is lucky,” he said, pausing briefly, “By the way, do you have a partner?”

Su Ran instinctively glanced at Jiang Yi, who avoided his gaze. He lowered his head with a hint of sadness. “Not yet.”

Hearing this, He Zhiwen’s smile deepened. “No rush. You’ll find someone great.”

Su Ran remained quiet, and He Zhiwen didn’t feel awkward. His gaze lingered on Su Ran as he cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m single too. Finding the right person isn’t easy. I’m twenty-nine this year, but I’ve focused all my energy on my career and never dated. I’ve kept myself pure, no bad habits, 189 cm tall, regularly work out, own multiple properties…”

Jiang Yi frowned more with every word. This sounded like a personal ad. Or had He Zhiwen really opened up about his frustration over being single? As he thought about it, his eyes drifted downward, and he clicked his tongue, realizing He Zhiwen was still a virgin—no wonder he was troubled.

Listening, Su Ran grew envious, muttering, “You have such great conditions…”

“Su Ran,” He Zhiwen looked at him, his eyes sincere and tinged with gentle light, “why is it so hard to find someone you truly like?”

Su Ran’s heart tightened at being called by name. His voice was low and magnetic, especially soothing when softened. He met He Zhiwen’s deep gaze, which seemed to hold many unsaid things, instinctively looking away.

If even He Zhiwen found it hard to find a partner, then it really was difficult.

After dinner, Su Ran took He Zhiwen to his room. Mingzhe was still asleep, showing no sign of waking.

He Zhiwen scanned the modest but cozy room. There were several beautiful green plants on the windowsill. The room smelled fragrant, suggesting Mingzhe’s bed was equally sweet-smelling.

Su Ran fetched a thin blanket and gently lifted Mingzhe. As he did, Mingzhe half-opened his eyes drowsily and clung to Su Ran’s neck, mumbling, “Mama… Mama…”

He Zhiwen’s heart stirred at the child’s call of “Mama.” He looked at the man holding the child—the woman of his dreams. For some reason, despite Su Ran being a man, He Zhiwen felt as if he could bear children.

“Mingzhe, wake up. It’s time to go home,” Su Ran coaxed.

The child hugged him tighter, eyes still closed, murmuring, “Mama…”

He Zhiwen opened his arms to Mingzhe, “Come, Daddy will carry you home…”

Halfway through, sensing the awkwardness and catching Su Ran’s surprised look, he immediately corrected himself, “Sorry, I slipped. Mingzhe, let’s go home with Uncle.”

If he couldn’t be your Mama, then being your Uncle was just as good.