To My Dear Mr. Huo

Chapter 670: Outburst

Shi Mengwan, who had a good sleep yesterday, was in good spirits when she woke up in the morning. She decided to visit Xiang Caiping today.

She had been with Zhan Haoze for the past few days and had never left the house.

When she woke up in the morning, breakfast had already been placed on the dining table. Zhan Haoze had been in charge of Shi Mengwan’s meals for the past few days.

She knew that he only bought it, but she felt the same way in her heart.

The rebellious teenager from that year only knew to wait for her to finish cooking breakfast and wake him up to eat.

Zhan Haoze was outside the balcony and seemed to be answering a phone call. She couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, so she wanted to go over and ask, but Zhan Haoze had already hung up.

Shi Mengwan looked at the way he was dressed in a suit and tie. This set of clothes didn’t seem to have been left with her before.

She knew that he woke up very early every day. Did someone bring it to him?

“Are you going out today?”

“To work.”

Zhan Haoze sat down at the dining table. Those two words could be considered an explanation.

Shi Mengwan sat down opposite him. She looked at his expression and thought of something.

“Then, are you coming back tonight?”

Zhan Haoze’s hand that was picking up the chopsticks paused for a moment. He glanced at her and then nodded. “Yes.”

Shi Mengwan herself didn’t notice that her eyes were shining because of Zhan Haoze’s reply.

“Then make it early. I have nothing to do today anyway. I’ll go buy ingredients in the afternoon to make dumplings.”

After eating, Zhan Haoze went to work. Shi Mengwan looked at the empty room and for the first time, a genuine smile appeared on her face.

For now, they would just leave it at that. That was good too.

She cleaned up the dishes and intending to wash them, she went to the bathroom to get Zhan Haoze’s clothes.

However, when she really saw his clothes, she realized that Zhan Haoze’s clothes needed to be dry-cleaned.

She washed her own clothes and tidied up the room. Shi Mengwan carried Zhan Haoze’s clothes downstairs and went to a nearby dry-cleaning shop to wash the two sets of clothes Zhan Haoze left there.

Then, she went to the hospital to accompany Xiang Caiping for a while. After the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Su Qingsang had already started working.

The hospital she stayed in was the largest hospital in Lin City, so Su Qingsang was very busy.

Shi Mengwan didn’t expect that Xiang Caiping actually wanted to introduce her to a good doctor in the hospital.

Speaking of which, Shi Mengwan had seen that person before. He had pursued Su Qingsang in the past. Although Su Qingsang didn’t know anything about it or even noticed it, as a bystander, how could Shi Mengwan not know that the person Zuo Hongchen liked was Su Qingsang?

She was frightened by Xiang Caiping. She even refused to have lunch with Xiang Caiping.

She was afraid that if she stayed, Xiang Caiping would ask Su Qingsang to bring her over. That would be really awkward for her.

After leaving the hospital, she received a call from Su Qingsang. Su Qingsang laughed hysterically.

“Don’t worry, my mom was just saying it casually. It was too boring for her to stay in the hospital.”

“I know, but your mom is really too enthusiastic. I can’t take it anymore.”

It was also very stressful for her to be so concerned about her personal problems.

“It’s better if you can’t take it anymore.”Su Qingsang said half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Maybe you’ll really meet your true love?”

“Qingsang.”

“Okay, I won’t tease you anymore.” Su Qingsang had always known about the sore spot in her heart. “But I really don’t think that you should wait for your Dear Brother anymore. It’s been so long, so it’s too unreliable.”

“Qingsang.” Shi Mengwan wanted to say that it wouldn’t be unreliable at all. She had already met him, and they were very close.

But if that was the case, Su Qingsang wouldn’t believe it, and she was too embarrassed to say it.

“Alright, I’m just saying so. If it’s really like that, it’s still up to you.”

Su Qingsang had tried to persuade her many times, but she had stopped long ago. It was just a casual mention.

After hanging up the phone, Shi Mengwan stood there with her phone in her hand and was a little lost in thought.

Was he not reliable? If she thought about it carefully, he really was unreliable.

Zhan Haoze hadn’t said that he wanted to marry her, and he hadn’t acknowledged her identity. Now that they were like this, it felt a little shameful to talk about it.

After all, Zhan Haoze seemed to be unwilling to acknowledge her identity now. She really looked like she was throwing herself at him.

What she said before she fell asleep yesterday was true. Two years. She would give Zhan Haoze two years, and she would give herself two years.

Two years. If she couldn’t convince Zhan Haoze to marry her, then she would give up.

But before that, she always wanted to give herself a chance. She had waited for more than ten years, searched for more than ten years, and when she thought that there was no hope, she found it and met it.

No matter what her final path with Zhan Haoze was, whether it was fate or disaster, she accepted it.

At least, she didn’t want to regret her youth.

She looked at the blue sky above her head. The weather was really good, and she was actually in a good mood. No matter what, she had waited for her Dear Brother. This result was already very good for her.

There were some things that as long as she worked hard, she wouldn’t regret.

..

Chen Feifei sat in Zhan Haoze’s office. Looking at Zhan Haoze’s seat, her eyes were full of hostility.

She had waited for Zhan Haoze for half an hour. Half an hour had passed, but Zhan Haoze still hadn’t appeared.

She stood up and walked outside, then looked at Le Xin, who was sitting outside.

“Where did Zhan Haoze go? Don’t tell me you don’t know.”

“Miss Chen, I really don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Chen Feifei sneered. “If you don’t know, then how did you become a Secretary?”

Bending down while taking Chen Feifei’s anger, Le Xin stood there.

That attitude made Chen Feifei even angrier. She stood up and pointed at Le Xin. “Tell me. Where did Zhan Haoze go?”

Le Xin had seen Chen Feifei in front of Zhan Haoze before. She was a completely different person now.

He lowered his waist and looked very respectful. “Miss Chen, although Mr. Zhan is my boss, he doesn’t need to report anything to me, so it’s normal that I don’t know where he is.”

Chen Feifei stood up and stomped her feet angrily. She turned around and went to Chen Yongchang’s office.

Chen Yongchang had just returned from a meeting. The moment he entered the office, he saw his beloved daughter looking unhappy.

“What happened? Who made my baby angry?”

“Who else?” Chen Feifei stood up. “Who else besides Zhan Haoze? He hasn’t been home for a few days.”

As she spoke, Chen Feifei went forward and hooked her arm around his hand. “Dad, what kind of work did you give brother Hao? Look, New Year’s isn’t even over yet, but he’s already so busy.”

Chen Yongchang looked at Chen Feifei with an ambivalent expression. “Don’t be too willful. You know that I’ve arranged work for Brother Hao. When he’s done, he’ll naturally come back.”

“Dad, I just want him to stay with me. You’re not allowed to arrange work for him anymore.”

“Look at you. I’ve really spoiled you too much.”

After Chen Yongchang said that, he patted her hand. “Don’t forget that Hao Ze is not only in charge of our company’s business, but also his own company’s business.”

“Speaking of which, I’m even angrier.” Chen Feifei pouted. “Isn’t our family’s company big? Yet Brother Hao still wants to open a company outside. You shouldn’t have agreed to brother Hao opening a company outside in the first place.”

Chen Yongchang glared at Chen Feifei. “Zhan Haoze is a talent. Even if I didn’t agree, with his ability, do you think he wouldn’t open a company outside?”

Back then, when Zhan Haoze had just graduated from high school, he had borrowed money from him to invest in a fund. At first, he wasn’t willing, but he didn’t expect himself to be wrong.

Zhan Haoze actually had that kind of ability. During summer vacation, he earned his first one million. Later, his wealth had increased exponentially over the past few years.

If it wasn’t for the Chen family’s kindness towards Zhan Haoze, he would have thought that Zhan Haoze might really leave the Chen family.

“Dad...”

“Besides, Dad did it for you.” A hint of calculation flashed in Chen Yongchang’s eyes, but it appeared too quickly, so Chen Feifei didn’t see it. “Do you know how much the technology company under Zhan Haoze is worth? Do you know how much the website he invested in is worth now? These will all be yours in the future.”

Chen Feifei bit her lip and looked at Chen Yongchang worriedly. “Dad, I don’t want any company. I just want brother Hao to accompany me.”

“Nonsense.” Chen Yongchang glared at his daughter. He realized that his attitude was too harsh, so he softened his tone in the end. “Feifei, let me tell you. Zhan Haoze is a person with deep thoughts. I’m just afraid that you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“Then why don’t you ask brother Hao to marry me as soon as possible?”

“Seems like it’s indeed true that daughters can’t be kept. Do you really want to get married as soon as possible? Don’t you want to accompany dad for a few more years?”

“Dad, if I marry brother Hao, he will still live at home in the future. Not only can I accompany you, but you will also have a son.”

“You.” Chen Yongchang smiled. “Alright, you can go. Leave this matter to dad. Don’t worry, I will definitely let your brother Hao marry you.”

“Dad, you’re the best.” Chen Feifei kissed Chen Yongchang’s face before turning around and leaving.

After she left, Chen Yongchang called his secretary, Little Wang. “Secretary Wang, please check where Zhan Haoze had been these few days.”

“Yes.”

Secretary Wang left. Chen Yongchang thought about his plan and picked up the phone to dial another number.

..

Shi Mengwan really went to buy ingredients to make dumplings before she bought them home. When she went home, Zhan Haoze was still not back yet.

She went into the kitchen to put everything away and tidy up. The dumplings were sold ready-made. She just needed to mix the stuffing well. It wasn’t too difficult for her.

After washing the vegetables and chopping the stuffing, she couldn’t help but think of her Dear Brother again.

That year, they spent the new year’s together. That was their first year together.

Winter in Lin City was especially cold, but it didn’t snow. There was a couple from the north near the bungalow where Shi Mengwan and the others lived. The two of them couldn’t go home for the New Year, so they started to prepare for the new year early.

Shi Mengwan occasionally passed by and saw them, so she felt that she should go and prepare.

“Dear Brother, can we also make dumplings for the New Year?”

“Make dumplings?”

The youth who had returned home took off his coat. When he heard this, he frowned. “You know how to?”

“A little.” Shi Mengwan nodded. “I saw that my mom had done it before and helped out. However, she didn’t do it herself.”

“It’s too troublesome. Don’t do it.”

“It’s the New Year. Everyone else eats dumplings. Eating dumplings is more festive.”

“Let’s go. How about we go and buy the ingredients?”

The youth couldn’t dissuade Shi Mengwan, so he followed her to pick the ingredients. When Shi Mengwan was really about to do it, she realized that it wasn’t as easy as she had thought.

Usually, her mother made it look very easy, but now that she had bought the ingredients, she realized that it was very difficult.

The filling was still okay, but she could learn to mix it a little. Salty or bland was fine.

However, the dumpling skin made Shi Mengwan a little embarrassed. In the past, it was Shi Mengwan’s mother who helped to mix it at home, but it was her first time rolling the dough skin herself.

When she really rolled the dough wrappers into a ball, she realized that rolling the dough wrappers into thin slices was very difficult.

She tried several dumpling wrappers, but all of them failed. They were either too thin or too thick.

The youth crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched her movements. He sneered, “Are you sure you know how to do it?”

“I...” The girl was very embarrassed. She had never been so embarrassed before. “I’ll try again. I’ll definitely be able to do it.”

The boy looked at her mockingly. “Forget it. If you don’t know how, we’ll eat something else today.”

“No. I definitely will.”

Shi Mengwan was very stubborn. Today was New Year’s Eve. Wasn’t New Year’s Eve supposed to be about eating dumplings?

However, Shi Mengwan tried again, but the result was actually too thin. It actually fell apart. Her face was now red.

“I don’t believe that I won’t succeed.” She was a very stubborn person. She stubbornly decided to continue until she succeeded.

She picked up another ball of dough and tried again. This time, for some unknown reason, she actually pressed her hand down.

The youth saw her actions and reached out to grab the rolling pin in her hand. “Let me do it.”

Shi Mengwan looked at the youth. She couldn’t believe that he could actually roll the skin of a dumpling. “You’re joking, right? I’ll do it. I’ll just try a few more times.”

The young man didn’t even lift his head. He picked up the small dough and pressed it with his palm. Then, he copied Shi Mengwan’s actions and rolled it.

The first piece was thicker. He failed.

The second piece was thinner. He failed again.

Shi Mengwan bit her lip. While she was still thinking about how to not hurt the young man, the young man’s third piece of dumpling skin was ready.

“Here.”

Shi Mengwan looked at the dumpling skin. For a moment, she thought there was something wrong with her eyes.

“Dear Brother.” She picked up the small dumpling wrapper. “Have you rolled it before?”

“No.” The teenager’s hands didn’t stop moving. He had mastered the trick, so his movements were swift and efficient. Shi Mengwan was speechless.

The teenager felt her gaze and raised his head slightly. “Why? Aren’t you going to wrap it?”

“Yes, I’ll wrap it.”

Shi Mengwan felt that this was simply unfair. She picked up the very uniform dumpling wrapper and looked at the teenager’s movements. “How do you know how to do it?”

“I only knew it because I saw you do it.”

Shi Mengwan’s pretty face was filled with dissatisfaction. “I, I also saw my mom do a lot of it.”

The youngster glanced at her. “You’re short.”

Because she was short, she couldn’t use great strength, or it wasn’t easy to use great strength.

Shi Mengwan almost choked on her own saliva. “I, how am I short?”

Although she was thirteen years old, she was already more than 1.5 meters tall now. She wasn’t considered short among her peers, alright?

Her gaze fell on the young man, and she lowered her head somewhat dejectedly.

Well, compared to Qiao Ze, she was indeed short. After a new year, Qiao Ze had grown a lot taller. Now, it looked like he was about one and a half meters tall.

She was very depressed, but she didn’t stop making dumplings with her hands. She didn’t know how to roll the dough, but she still knew how to make dumplings. After all, she had helped a lot at home.

Just like that, one person rolled the dough while the other wrapped it. Surprisingly, their movements were very fast.

It was getting late. In this small house that had nothing left. The two teenagers, a man and a woman, wrapped the dumplings together.

Halfway through the wrapping, Shi Mengwan glanced at Qiao Ze. Dear Brother, do you have any coins?”

“What do you need coins for?”

“Wrap them in the dumplings. Whoever eats them later will be very lucky next year.”

The teenager glanced at her with a hint of mockery in his eyes. “Superstition.”

“How is it superstition? Aren’t they all like this?” Shi Mengwan bit her lip and thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, no, no. Coins are very dirty. Use peanuts.”

They had bought some snacks before, and one of them was a bag of peanuts.

Shi Mengwan ran to peel two peanuts, took out the peanuts inside, and wrapped them in two dumplings. She raised her head to look at Qiao Ze. “Big Brother, I’ll wrap two. There are two peanuts inside each. This is called pairing. When the time comes, each of us will have a pair of peanuts. That way, our luck will be very good in the coming year.”

The youth didn’t think much of it. His eyes were filled with disdain.

Shi Mengwan was in high spirits. After wrapping them, she placed the two in the middle of the dumplings. “I’ll put them in randomly. When the time comes, it’ll really depend on luck.”

She spoke excitedly, as if it would definitely be as she had imagined, one for each person. After wrapping the dumplings, Shi Mengwan took the dumplings and went towards the pot.

“Dear Brother, wait for a while. There will be dumplings to eat soon.”

While cooking the dumplings, Shi Mengwan didn’t forget to stir-fry two dishes. Normally, she wouldn’t be so extravagant with their meal. However, today was New Year’s Eve, so she should at least have some new year’s atmosphere, right?

The dumplings were ready, and the dishes were served on the table. The steaming hot dumplings made their mood much better.

“Dear Brother, eat the dumplings.”

Shi Mengwan’s dumplings were quite good. Although they weren’t as exquisite as the ones sold in restaurants, they were all very full and well-proportioned.

Qiao Ze glanced at her, picked up a dumpling, and took a bite.

“How is it, Dear Brother? How does it taste?”

The youth glanced at her, nodded his head to express his affirmation, then ate it quietly.

Shi Mengwan tasted one and also felt that it wasn’t bad. She laughed. “Dear Brother, my craftsmanship isn’t bad, isn’t it? I think we can open a dumpling shop. I’ll be responsible for making the dumpling, and you’ll be responsible for rolling the dumpling skin. How about it?”

The teenager stopped eating the dumplings and looked up at her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be a fashion designer?”

Shi Mengwan’s expression turned awkward for a moment. Then she said matter-of-factly, “Then we can open a dumpling restaurant first. I can learn fashion design after we earn some money.”

The teenager didn’t say anything and just ate the dumplings quietly.

“Big Brother, there’s more inside. Eat more. It’s New Year’s today.”

Halfway through eating, the teenager picked up a dumpling. He seemed to have bitten on something hard, and his movements froze.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Mengwan suddenly became excited. “You ate peanuts? That’s great, Dear Brother. You’ll be very lucky in the future.”

Qiao Ze didn’t believe this at all, but very quickly, he ate a second peanut.

“Dear Brother. You ate another peanut? You’re so lucky.”

Shi Mengwan’s eyes were pure congratulatory and without any reluctance. Qiao Ze froze for a moment, but then he picked up the remaining peanut and placed it into Shi Mengwan’s bowl.

“Here.”

“Dear Brother?”

“Didn’t you say that my luck would be good? I’ll share my good luck with you.”

Shi Mengwan’s eyes immediately turned red. “Dear Brother. –”

“Eat.” The youth had always been quiet.

Shi Mengwan lowered her head to eat, but tears fell without warning.

Big drops of tears fell into the bowl, and the youth was stunned.

“You...”

Unable to speak, Shi Mengwan bit her lip.

In this half a year’s time, she could force herself not to think about home or family.

But today was New Year’s Eve, and at this time, she couldn’t help it.

No matter how unreasonable Grandma was, no matter how bad it was, she still had her mother, her father, and her younger sister who had just given birth a few months ago.

She had been away from home for a few months, and she didn’t know how her younger sister was doing. She also didn’t know if her parents would still want to send her younger sister away after she left.

She missed her mother even more. When she left home, her mother had just given birth not long ago. She could still help her mother with the work at home, but if she wasn’t at home, who would help her mother with the housework?

The more she thought about it, the sadder she was. The more she thought about it, the more she missed her family. Tears fell profusely.

The teenager rarely saw Shi Mengwan cry. The two of them had known each other until now, and most of the time, Shi Mengwan was cheerful. It was rare to see her like this.

He looked at her and suddenly got up to get the bag of peanuts. He took out two peanuts and placed them in Shi Mengwan’s bowl.

“What do you mean by good luck or bad luck? I think it’s the same.”

Shi Mengwan was still sad just a moment ago, but when she saw the youth’s actions, she burst out laughing.

“Dear Brother.”

She didn’t mean that. She just —

“I, don’t want to eat lucky dumplings.”

She sniffed and didn’t dare to face the young man’s gaze. “I just miss home.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked at Zhan Haoze. “I miss my father, mother, and my little sister.”

“...” His eyes flashing, the young man looked at her. His brows were tightly knitted together, as if he had thought of something. “If you really miss home, then go back.”

Shi Mengwan looked at him and suddenly shook her head. “No, I’m not going back.”

She missed home very much, but she couldn’t go back. She was very afraid that if she went back, her parents would send her little sister away again.

“Dear Brother.” Shi Mengwan wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Zhan Haoze. “What about you? Today is the New Year. Don’t you miss your parents?”

The youth who had a gentle expression a moment ago suddenly had a dark expression on his face. His eyes were filled with malice.

“My parents aren’t around anymore.”

This was the first time Shi Mengwan heard Zhan Haoze mention his parents after being together for so long.

She was stunned as she looked at the indifference in the youth’s eyes. Her heart ached.

She suddenly reached out and hugged the young man.

“It’s alright, Dear Brother. From now on, I’ll be your family.”

The young man didn’t speak. This was the first time Shi Mengwan had taken the initiative to hug him. He lowered his head to look at her.

The young woman had just come out of the kitchen and there was still the smell of grease on her body. However, he really felt like he was family.

He reached out to hug the young woman, but he didn’t speak. Family? This feeling was pretty good.

..

The sound of the door opening made Shi Mengwan snap out of her memories and realize that Zhan Haoze had returned.