"But... But we won’t be able to finish it!" Mu Yuze hissed under his breath.

He snuck a glance at the waiter as though wishing to cancel the order but had no idea where to start. That constipated look of his was so adorable that He Juan laughed even harder until his stomach cramped. Goodness, he had forgotten the last time he had laughed so freely like this. At first, he had only taken Mu Yuze as a collateral damage he had to take care of, but now... he could not find an ounce of regret within him for making a trip down to the police station instead of going straight home to sleep. Otherwise he would have missed out on this adorable yet prickly child.

He Juan nodded at the waiter and waved him away, earning him another furious glower from Mu Yuze. He painstakingly suppressed his laughter, wiped the corner of his damp eyes and gazed at the boy softly. "It’s okay, you don’t have to finish them all."

Mu Yuze clearly begged to differ, judging from how his little bruised face instantly scrunched up in disapproval.

"You must think that it will be such a waste," He Juan added. "But do you know one good thing about family restaurants?"

"...What?" Mu Yuze shot him a suspicious look.

"They allow you to pack up any leftovers." Unable to resist, He Juan once again stretched out his paw to ruffle the boy’s head, smiling. "You only need to heat it up in the microwave, and you can already enjoy a warm and sumptuous breakfast tomorrow."

"Tsk!" Mu Yuze slapped his hand away with an irritated look. "Speak properly and don’t touch me as you please!"

He Juan broke out into a fit of hearty laughter. "Yes, yes, esteemed Mr. Mu."

"And stop calling me that!"

"What?" He Juan could feel a cheeky grin stretching across his face as he teased, "So am I finally allowed to call you ’Xiao Ze’?" He could guess what Mu Yuze was going to say before the boy could even open his mouth and he tutted, "And nope... there will only be two choices; either esteemed Mr. Mu or Xiao Ze. Which one will you choose?"

His grin became wider when Mu Yuze huffed and puffed, then grumbled under his breath with an expression as if he had nothing left to live for. "...The second one."

"Hmm?" He Juan tilted his head sideways and cupped his ear – again, because he was a mean adult who teased poor and helpless teenagers in his free time. "What did you just say?"

"I say...!" Mu Yuze’s hackles were raised, but he immediately clamped his mouth shut when his loud voice ended up attracting multiple gazes around the restaurant. Seeing this, He Juan instantly doubled over in laughter as he clutched his stomach, his broad shoulders shaking. Presumably realizing that he would not be able to stand a chance against He Juan, the boy deflated in his seat and gritted out, "Xiao Ze, then!" After saying that, he grimaced in disgust as if saying those words had peeled a layer of skin off his body.

Alright, no more teasing the poor boy. Otherwise He Juan was certain that Mu Yuze would bolt out of this place in a fit of rage and humiliation.

He Juan considered himself an easy-going person who could hold his conversation just fine. However, Mu Yuze was proven to be a challenge because no matter from which angle he broached the topic, he was unable to pull any more information from the boy’s mouth. Mu Yuze stubbornly kept mum when He Juan asked about his life in general, the progress of his study, his relationship with his classmates and so on. He did not even dare to ask about the bruises for fear that he would bring up some unpleasant memories.

A hint of helplessness flashed in He Juan’s eyes. He wished that he could care more about Mu Yuze, to show him that the world was not as bad as he thought it was. But as expected, Mu Yuze was still too defensive against him and would not accept his help so easily. Asking him to come to this restaurant was already testing his limits and He Juan was careful not to do anything that could trigger the boy further. Fortunately, they were spared from the awkwardness when the waiter returned in time to deliver the food.

In a flash, the table for two was spread with piping hot dishes.

"This..." Mu Yuze’s eyes flickered in surprise as he scanned the table. For fear that it would upset the boy’s stomach, He Juan had deliberately ordered porridge for him as well as some side dishes that were both light and flavorful. Apparently, Mu Yuze had noticed at a glance that He Juan was trying to take care of his stomach.

"What?" He Juan pretended to be oblivious as he rolled up his sleeves. "Don’t like it?"

Mu Yuze pursed his lips, measured him for two full seconds before shaking his head.

A tiny smile appeared on the corner of He Juan’s lips. He picked up his chopsticks and started to pile some vegetables and meat on Mu Yuze’s plate. "Eat to your heart’s content, but don’t be greedy or else you will get diarrhea in the middle of the night later."

The corner of Mu Yuze’s lips twitched and He Juan keenly sensed that the boy was tempted to retort him, but in the end, he merely dropped his gaze to the food in front of him and slowly picked up his spoon and chopsticks. "...Thank you," he murmured in a quiet voice.

"Silly child," He Juan showed a fond and exasperated look. "What’s there to thank me for?"

This time, Mu Yuze did not bristle at being taken as a child. He also did not ask why He Juan merely drank a cup of coffee with four bags of sugar – even though he gave He Juan a dirty look when He Juan still complained at how bitter the coffee was after that. And in exchange, He Juan pretended not to notice when the corner of the boy’s eyes reddened despite there being no spice in the food at all.

As expected, Mu Yuze could not finish everything, but at least He Juan successfully coaxed the boy to drink half of his porridge. After making sure that the boy was full, he called the waiter and requested for the leftovers to be packed up.

When they exited the restaurant, the sky outside had already turned pitch black.

He Juan was holding onto the plastic bag as he stretched his body and yawned. A particularly chilly breeze blew by, sending shivers across his body, and he rubbed his arms in search of a little warmth.

Mu Yuze was startled when he saw this and he scrambled to take off the suit jacket that had wrapped snugly around him all this time, "Oh! Your jacket—"

"No need." He Juan patted his head before he could take it off. He gestured at the parking area a few meters away with his chin. "My car is nearby. Let’s go."

"Go... where?" Mu Yuze gaped at him.

He Juan’s eyes crinkled in mirth. Why was this boy so silly? "Of course, your house," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Let’s go, I will send you home."