"Boss, you..." Chen Youzhi fixed his gaze on He Juan’s face, a hint of concern flashing in his eyes. It seemed like there were a lot of things he wanted to address, but in the end what he said was only, "You have gotten thinner."

On the other hand, Mu Yuze was staring at the splint on He Juan’s arm as if it was the first time he had ever seen something like that. His lips parted as though wanting to ask, but no words came out after a while.

"Ah, am I?" He Juan pretended to be oblivious. Of course, after the bombing accident, he had caught a high fever and all he could stomach was soup and porridge. Not only that, he had also lost his appetite since he discovered the inhumane experiment. How was he supposed to put on weight this way? He Juan had not bothered about it all this while, but the way Chen Youzhi and Mu Yuze stared at him was starting to make him feel a tad self-conscious. "Do I look that horrible?"

"Of course not," Chen Youzhi hurried to deny. "You still look the same, Boss. Just... a little thinner."

"Okay, then let’s order a lot of dishes today," He Juan chuckled. Next, he turned to Mu Yuze and finally addressed him for the first time. "I haven’t seen you for a few days, why have you gotten so silent?" The boy was still as skinny as ever, and it gave He Juan the urge to stuff him with many delicious foods so that he could grow some meat on his body. The bruises on his face and body had not subsided yet. They bloomed in a horrendous purple hue, looking so stark against his fair milky skin.

He Juan reminded himself to drop by Doctor Jia’s clinic later and asked for ointment that could heal the bruises. He did not want to see any scar on the adorable and handsome boy’s face.

Mu Yuze murmured something unintelligible under his breath, then he deadpanned, "I thought that you’re not going to come back anymore."

"Why?" He Juan couldn’t contain the grin on his face. "Do you miss me?"

Mu Yuze shot him a dark glare, prompting a peal of deep laughter from He Juan’s throat. A surge of warmth permeated his chest and somehow, he felt like he could breathe a little easier after being smothered by the terrifying darkness hidden beneath human’s greed. How could the boy make him feel better just by his mere presence? Perhaps it was his pure and limpid eyes, perhaps it was his frank gesture that hid no malice, or perhaps... there was another reason he had not figured out yet. Whatever it was, Mu Yuze was truly a wonder.

"What do you want to eat?" He Juan asked after his laughter subsided.

Mu Yuze gave him the same answer when they ate at the family restaurant. "I will have the same thing as you."

"Really?" He Juan handed him the menu and urged him to look through it. "Found nothing you like?"

Mu Yuze did not even glance at the menu as he shook his head.

"Hmm..." He Juan really had no idea where this habit came from, but he was resolved to break it. He did not want the boy to follow along with another person’s wish. Instead, he hoped that Mu Yuze would be able to confidently say what he wanted without being obstructed by his pride and self-esteem.

He could not wait for that day to come.

For now though, he could only be patient. An idea popped up in He Juan’s head. "How does tonkotsu ramen sound?" He asked the boy, lips twitching into a hint of smile.

Mu Yuze shrugged casually. "Fine."

"Pfft..." Holding back his laughter, he reached out to flick Mu Yuze gently on the forehead. "Do you even know what it is, you silly child?"

Realizing that he had just been teased, Mu Yuze bristled and snapped his teeth toward He Juan’s finger, acting as if he was going to bite it off. It caused He Juan to laugh even harder, his silver eyes crinkling in mirth and delight. How could this boy be so fun to tease?

He Juan cleared his throat to suppress his laughter, "Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. It’s a pork bone broth ramen. You’re not allergic to it, right?"

Mu Yuze averted his gaze with an angry huff. "No."

He Juan gave an eye signal to Chen Youzhi. The man stood up immediately and made his way to the counter to enter their order.

He Juan propped his chin on his uninjured hand and observed the boy in front of him with not so little amusement. He watched as Mu Yuze snuck a glance at Chen Youzhi, then after making sure that the man still needed to line up a bit, he peered at He Juan and asked tentatively, "Your arm... what happened to it?"

Finally. He Juan almost thought that Mu Yuze was not going to ask him at all. "Just a small accident," he replied vaguely with a chuckle. "But why do you have to wait until Chen’er leaves before you ask? Did he bully you when I’m gone? Hmm?" He asked, despite already knowing the answer. Chen Youzhi was not the kind of person who would bully a child no matter how problematic their identity was; he was too much of a softie for that. It was mainly the reason why He Juan was rest assured in leaving Mu Yuze in the man’s care.

And sure enough, Mu Yuze shook his head. "He just... said something to me."

"Oh?" He Juan raised a brow. Now, this was news. "What did he say?"

This time, Mu Yuze hesitated for a while longer. He snuck another glance at Chen Youzhi and pursed his lips tight. He Juan could almost hear a whole debate playing inside his head.

As much as he wanted to press the answer out from Mu Yuze’s mouth, he couldn’t bear to pressure the boy so much. "It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me," he said gently, earning him a surprised look from Mu Yuze. "But let me ask one thing. Has his words inconvenienced you in any way? Does it make you feel disturbed, unsafe or threatened?"

Mu Yuze thought for a while, then shook his head. "Just a little... confused."

He Juan could finally breathe in relief when he heard that. He trusted Chen Youzhi when it came to taking care of someone, but he also knew that the man could be a bit too blunt sometimes. He was afraid that the man might have said something he shouldn’t. It turned out that his worry was for naught.

"Good." He Juan smiled and reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. "If he bullies you, tell me. I will bully him back."

His bold declaration earned him a snort from Mu Yuze. He could even see a subtle twitch on the corner of the boy’s lips. He Juan perked up in an instant, silver eyes twinkling in delight. "Ha! You’re smiling again!"

Once again, the sheer magnitude of glee and happiness that flooded He Juan’s heart at the sight of that tiny smile utterly caught him off guard. For God’s sake, he felt even more excited than when he won a lottery for the first time! He had no idea either why the idea of putting a smile on Mu Yuze’s face gave him such a great sense of accomplishment. Was it because the boy always put on a grumpy look?

Mu Yuze immediately schooled his expression and said flatly, "Am not."

"You can’t fool me this time!" He Juan exclaimed gleefully, almost breathless in joy. "I saw it clearly!"

Mu Yuze deadpanned, "Then something must be wrong with your eyes."

The two of them fell back into the old routine, one teasing while the other evading. He Juan was having the time of his life pulling all sorts of reactions from Mu Yuze, until Chen Youzhi returned with the mouth-watering food and they became distracted with the growling in their stomachs.