Chapter 138 – Similarities
Wei Chen noticed that Wei Hua didn’t seem to care about Little Biscuit’s presence, so he didn’t say anything. After all, if the person involved didn’t mind, Wei Chen wouldn’t intervene. It was Wei Hua’s life, and others had no right to decide for him. After offering some reasonable advice, Wei Chen didn’t insist further. He felt he had fulfilled his brotherly duty.
Of course, Wei Chen had no complaints about Cookie and didn’t consider Little Biscuit a burden. However, when two people were together, they had to take everything into consideration. Judging from Wei Hua’s current demeanor, Wei Chen could tell that Wei Hua had already thought things through carefully.
Wei Hua might look a bit offbeat, but he was actually quite meticulous and had some stubbornness in him. However, his stubbornness was well-hidden, as he didn’t care much about many things, so there wasn’t much for him to be stubborn about.
Wei Chen understood Wei Hua. In his past life, when trying to save the declining Wei family, he knew that his own efforts alone couldn’t reverse the situation. However, Wei Hua stubbornly forged ahead, determined to keep pushing forward, even if it meant running into a dead end.
Wei Chen had experienced Wei Hua’s stubbornness in his past life.
Now, Wei Chen could sense how much Wei Hua valued Cookie. This kind of concern touched the deepest part of Wei Hua’s heart and triggered Wei Hua’s hidden determination.
This determination was Wei Hua’s deepest expression of love. When Wei Hua made a decision like this, even if there were countless difficulties ahead, even if he knew there might be no result, he would charge forward without hesitation.
“Achen, don’t change the subject. I’m asking you, is my future father-in-law easy to get along with?” Wei Hua asked again.
“What difference does it make if he’s easy or difficult?” Wei Chen asked in return.
Wei Hua felt a bit hurt by Wei Chen’s question. Yes, what difference did it make at this stage? He hadn’t even held hands with Cookie yet, let alone met his family. Asking about his future father-in-law’s temperament at this point was too early.
Wei Hua rubbed the back of his head and said, “Although there’s no difference now, it’s good to know in advance so I can be mentally prepared!”
Wei Chen ignored him and turned to talk to Chen Li.
Whatever Wei Chen said to Chen Li, it made Chen Li’s eyebrows and eyes curve slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face. There was an air of happiness between the two.
Wei Hua sighed to himself, feeling that single dogs like him had no rights. He didn’t know when he could be as affectionate with Cookie as Wei Chen and Chen Li were. Just the thought of it excited him.
After a bit of bantering, Wei Hua got down to business and discussed the situation of the Wei family’s company in the capital with Wei Chen.
Wei Chen listened carefully and didn’t express any opinions. He just said, “Since he managed to secure such a large project, just work together and do well. After all, it’s a government project.”
“I know it’s an opportunity, but for some reason, I feel that something is amiss,” Wei Hua shared his concerns. Ever since he took on this project through the Chen family, everything had gone too smoothly, making him feel uneasy.
Wei Chen fell silent.
In his past life, the downfall of the Wei family had been too sudden, catching him off guard.
But the Wei family, a huge entity deeply rooted in Shanghai for so many years, how could it have collapsed overnight? What could have caused it?
Thinking about this question, Wei Chen felt a chill run down his spine.
For the mighty Wei family to fall overnight, it must have been due to the intervention of an even mightier family. Could it be the Chen family? Not just the Chen family in Shanghai, but also the Chen family in Beijing?
This possibility made Wei Chen fall into self-doubt. The Wei family had always been straightforward in their business dealings and never hindered the development of the Chen family. So, why would the Chen family want to put the Wei family in such a predicament?
Unable to figure it out, Wei Chen decided not to dwell on it for now. He looked at Wei Hua with an unprecedented seriousness and said, “Ahua, no matter what happens, take care of yourself.”
Wei Hua looked at Wei Chen in bewilderment, not understanding why Wei Chen said that. But he swallowed the question that was on the tip of his tongue, simply replying with “Okay.”
Wei Chen didn’t explain anything to Wei Hua. Firstly, everything was based on his memories from his past life and mere speculations without any basis. Secondly, if his speculations were true, it meant the Chen family in the capital was too powerful for Wei Hua to confront blindly, which wouldn’t be fair to Wei Hua.
Wei Hua trusted Wei Chen. Since Wei Chen said so, there must be a reason. He didn’t ask why, but kept Wei Chen’s words in his heart.
“I just asked Uncle Zhang. You haven’t had dinner yet, aren’t you hungry?” Wei Hua showed concern.
“We’ll go down in a while,” Wei Chen replied.
“Then I’ll head back first. Remember to have dinner. If you don’t want to go down, I’ll have the servants bring it up to you.” With that, Wei Hua walked towards the door, closing it behind him.
Chen Li looked at the closed door in a daze, and Wei Chen asked, “What’s wrong, Li Li?”
“Little Biscuit and Wei Hua, they look alike,” Chen Li said.
Chen Li’s mind was pure, and he wouldn’t overthink things. He naturally noticed what others might have missed.
When Chen Li mentioned it, Wei Chen also realized that Little Biscuit looked very much like Wei Hua. Now, when he thought about their faces together, he noticed that Little Biscuit’s features were like a miniature version of Wei Hua!
Wei Chen tried to dismiss the idea that Biscuit was related to Wei Hua in any way. After all, people can look alike without having any blood ties.
He put his jumbled thoughts aside and took Chen Li’s hand, asking, “Are you hungry?”
Chen Li nodded. Although they had food on the plane, it didn’t taste very good, so he hadn’t eaten much and was now feeling hungry.
“Let’s go eat,” Wei Chen said, leading Chen Li out of the room.
Perhaps because it was getting late, the dining hall was empty, except for the busy servants. They brought out the reserved dinner and placed it on the table before retreating.
The meal went smoothly without any disturbances, and Chen Li ate contentedly, inadvertently eating too much.
Wei Chen rubbed Chen Li’s belly and asked with a smile, “Full?”
Chen Li nodded, saying, “Full.”
Wei Chen stood up and pulled Chen Li to his feet. “Let’s go for a walk outside.”
“Okay,” Chen Li agreed.
The main residence of the Wei family was quite spacious. The direct descendants lived in the main courtyard, a three-story villa with a separate courtyard and a swimming pool.
Wei Chen didn’t take Chen Li too far, just leading him to the courtyard and walking on the uneven cobblestones.
Chen Li was wearing cotton slippers with thin soles, and he felt the cobblestones were a bit uncomfortable under his feet. After walking a few steps, he wanted to head towards the grassy area.
Wei Chen allowed Chen Li to do as he wished but still took the opportunity to adjust Chen Li’s collar. The winter night breeze was icy, as if it could cut through the skin. Worried about Chen Li catching a cold, Wei Chen regretted coming outside. He had intended to lead Chen Li back inside, but Chen Li refused, insisting on taking a walk outside. Naturally, Wei Chen didn’t refuse him.
The moonlight tonight wasn’t very bright, almost reaching the first day of the lunar month, with only a small crescent hanging in the sky. Even the surrounding stars lost their bright colors, and their radiance dimmed.
Nevertheless, this didn’t diminish the contentment in Wei Chen and Chen Li’s hearts at this moment. Despite facing troublesome things and people the next day, at least for now, there were only the two of them, as if the whole world belonged to them.
They embraced and kissed beside the swimming pool. Although the night wind was cold, the warmth from each other’s bodies during the embrace could drive away any chill.
From his study, Old Master Wei looked down and could see the swimming pool. He was now standing by the window, watching the two people embracing by the pool, his gaze obscure and indistinct.
Housekeeper Zhang knocked on the door and entered with a cup of hot tea. Although it wasn’t suitable to drink strong tea so late at night, Old Master Wei had already gotten used to it. Not having a cup would make him unable to sleep.
“Sir,” Housekeeper Zhang placed the hot tea on the desk and gently called.
Old Master Wei retracted his gaze, walked to the desk, picked up the hot tea, and took a light sniff. “Old Zhang, I regret it.”
Housekeeper Zhang’s movements paused slightly, and his pupils dilated slightly. He was surprised that Old Master Wei would actually say the word “regret.” Over the years, Old Master Wei had always been decisive and unwavering in his decisions, never expressing any regrets. But this time, he actually said… “regret.”
“Sir, you…” Housekeeper Zhang opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say at this moment.
Old Master Wei waved him off. “You may leave.” After the words, he rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit swollen.
“Please rest early, sir,” Housekeeper Zhang knew that Old Master Wei wanted some quiet time alone and respectfully left, but he didn’t go far and waited at the door to be readily available if needed.
In the study, Old Master Wei continued rubbing his forehead, feeling some relief after a while. He then picked up the cup of lukewarm tea and sipped it gently, his other hand lightly tapping on the tabletop.
Tap tap tap tap.
This was the sound of Old Master Wei pondering.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the tea in the cup was almost finished, and Old Master Wei’s brows tightened even more. He walked back to the window again and looked down. Wei Chen and Chen Li had already left, and the poolside was empty.
It’s time.