Chapter 40: Forget the Fake Brother When You Have a Wife; Do You Know This Is Very…
Le Can turned around, looking up along the arm resting on his shoulder, and met a pair of surprised and curious puppy eyes.
Sure enough, it’s you, Yuan Big Cheng!
If Yuan Cheng is here, then the person who also hasn’t been home these past few days…
Le Can’s gaze shifted slightly, looking into the distance. Soon, inside the packed restaurant, he pinpointed Xi Yun, who was looking down at the table with half-lowered eyes.
Out today, Xi Yun wasn’t wearing his ultra-formal three-piece suit… naturally, overly business-like attire would be out of place in a flower, bird, and antique market.
However, due to the limited types of clothes in Xi Yun’s wardrobe, his casual wear, unsurprisingly to Le Can, was a pure black shirt and casual trousers.
Even such a minimalist combination, placed on Xi Yun’s clothes-hanger figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, paired with that handsome face favored by the Creator, made the small “fly restaurant” (hole-in-the-wall) seem much brighter and high-end, despite being extremely down-to-earth.
Perhaps driven by the relaxed surrounding atmosphere, or maybe due to the exhaustion of running around for days.
The cuffs of Xi Yun’s shirt were rolled up, revealing forearms with smooth, powerful lines. The top two buttons of his shirt, usually buttoned up all year round, were surprisingly undone, revealing a small patch of collarbone below his neck.
The perennial cold and ascetic man thus carried a trace of indescribable sex appeal.
Male beauty is enchanting, plus his stomach was sour with hunger. Le Can extended the tip of his tongue and lightly licked his lower lip—Hungry.
Driven by the appreciation and pursuit of beauty, the eyes of people queuing, eating, and passing by uncontrollably fell on Xi Yun.
With his marriage partner being watched by the crowd, Le Can, the only one holding legal status, didn’t feel angry about his territory being coveted. Instead, he subconsciously thought:
…What great taste.
Whether regarding the shop or the person.
Whether regarding his taste or everyone else’s, it suited Le Can’s heart perfectly.
Disregarding whether some people in the long line in front of the shop had “ulterior motives not involving alcohol” (were there for the eye candy), Le Can decided to eat noodles at this place.
For no other reason than to make himself happy.
Since he decided, eating food and “eating” something else didn’t need to be rushed.
Le Can withdrew his gaze without lingering and turned around.
He ignored Yuan Cheng’s greeting, acting as if the other party had mistaken him for someone else. He turned to study the large red menu posted on the wall, pondering what kind of noodles to order later.
The noodle shop’s menu was simple, mainly divided into two categories: soup noodles and dry mixed noodles. Dry mixed noodles needed no explanation, while soup noodles could be subdivided into gravy noodles (Da Lu Mian) and bone broth clear noodles.
Despite the few categories, there were over a dozen toppings available to add. Adding different toppings mixed with the soup created a different flavor.
“Hey, hey, Brother-in-law, why are you ignoring me?”
Le Can’s shoulder received another pat.
Clearly, you can’t expect a person who isn’t sensitive to understand the subtext of subtle behaviors.
The young man turned his face sideways, shooting him a “Shut up” look.
Yuan Cheng thought this was Le Can acknowledging him. Not only did he not shut up, but he also pointed in Xi Yun’s direction: “Brother-in-law, you don’t need to queue, come over with me.”
“Our table isn’t full; there’s an empty seat!”
Actually, Le Can had seen that empty seat without Yuan Cheng saying anything.
The table Xi Yun’s group chose was a standard four-person table. Yuan Cheng and a strange young man sat opposite Xi Yun, while Xi Yun sat alone on one side.
That meant the empty seat Yuan Cheng pointed to was right next to Xi Yun.
—The only empty seat in the entire noodle shop.
It was also the place ranked second in attention, right after Xi Yun’s seat.
Was Le Can so full he needed to put himself on the fire to roast?
He resolutely refused: “No, with so many people queuing in front, I’ll just wait a bit longer.”
“It’s fine!” Yuan Cheng’s enthusiasm didn’t diminish. “It just so happens we ordered a few extra bowls of noodles earlier.”
Who asked them to be big guys with big appetites? A normal bowl per person wasn’t enough to fill them up. Since there were so many people eating here, they simply ordered extra bowls when ordering.
“I just didn’t expect the noodles here to be cheap and huge. We couldn’t finish them originally, but now adding Brother-in-law, it won’t go to waste, hehe!”
Le Can’s peach-blossom eyes lifted, glancing at the silly child beaming with joy who felt no anomaly at all, and sighed lightly in his heart.
“Waste is always bad. Then I’ll help share the burden.”
The silly child Yuan Cheng was so moved his puppy eyes shone brighter, nodding repeatedly: “Mhm, mhm, mhm, thank you, Brother-in-law!”
Le Can instantly felt a sense of guilt for bullying an honest person. Amitabha.JPG
Don’t worry, brother will ensure your limbs stay intact.
Two or three steps away, the black-clothed, black-haired man cast a light glance that retracted as soon as it touched.
With no other choice, bearing immense pressure and a gaze difficult to ignore, Le Can sat calmly and composedly beside Xi Yun.
Space in the noodle shop was limited. Even for a four-person table, the movable space was small.
The moment Le Can sat down, his shoulder lightly bumped into the shoulder beside him. He paused, subconsciously looking down at the stool he was sitting on.
This kind of round stool attached to the table had a small surface. Its position was fixed, making it impossible to move.
But a second after looking, Le Can suddenly realized something was wrong.
On one hand, he and Xi Yun were legal and legitimate; on the other hand, he was determined to sleep with the guy and then dump him. Why hide? Why avoid?
Reviewing the “painful” past Xi Yun had brought him in his mind, Le Can’s heart hardened, and his back straightened.
He propped his chin on one hand, turning sideways to face the man beside him. “Can you give me the gravy noodle in front of you? The one with extra ribs and greens.”
Those beautiful silver-gray double pupils didn’t look over as Le Can expected. As he sighed with regret in his heart, a steaming bowl of soup noodles was pushed in front of him.
Le Can stared quietly at the bowl of noodles for two seconds.
Soft, bone-falling ribs, dripping green baby bok choy, crisp bamboo shoots, tender pink shrimp… aside from the requested toppings, there were many extras.
They were piled high, and apart from seeing a bit of brown sauce, he couldn’t see any white—that is, the chewy handmade noodles underneath.
After a second of silence, he looked at Xi Yun’s bowl.
After retracting his hand, the man picked up his chopsticks and started eating. That bowl only had a few scalded greens piled in the corner; it looked like the most plain, basic set in the shop.
The lively, beautiful peach-blossom eyes rolled, and Le Can’s eyes curved into a smile: “Thank you, Husband!”
Le Can truly didn’t know the reason Xi Yun did this, but having lived again, he didn’t want to be someone who internalized stress.
Since Xi Yun chose to do this, Le Can chose to accept it.
He even politely said thank you and provided emotional value; no one lost out, no one owed anyone.
“Thank you” said, the bright and beautiful young man naturally took out a pair of new chopsticks and began enjoying his lavish lunch.
Bamboo chopsticks picked up snow-white noodles, wrapped in delicious sauce and toppings of different textures, sending them into his mouth. The stomach, shrunken from hunger, instantly relaxed, and every cell in his body screamed with satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
The news Xiong Anguo dug up was reliable; Jian Minglang was also a wonderful person who knew how to eat. The noodles at this place were really delicious!
Le Can used his chopsticks faster.
Because he was too focused on eating, he directly ignored the reactions of those around him.
Thus, Le Can remained oblivious to the fact that after Xi Yun shared his noodles and his call of “Husband,” almost everyone around wore expressions of melancholy and “as expected.”
Looking at the outside world from his own perspective, Le Can thought the crowd was secretly or openly watching Xi Yun.
But in reality, the young man whose frowns and smiles were more dazzling than brocade flowers, standing there like a natural luminous body—how could he not be the focal point of the crowd?
When they saw the cold, mature man sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him, praise like “A match made in heaven,” “Talented man and beautiful appearance,” and “Harmony of phoenixes” involuntarily appeared in everyone’s hearts. Certain thoughts that had just arisen were scattered.
Some people who tried to go up and ask if they could share the table mocked themselves and silently gave up on the idea destined for failure…
Le Can knew nothing, not even noticing the reactions of the two people closest to him across the table.
Yuan Cheng looked down at Le Can’s bowl full of ingredients, then looked at the pork chop noodle he was preparing to push over.
In comparison, that not-small pork chop seemed too monotonous, and seriously unbalanced in meat and vegetables!
He silently retracted his hand and cast a resentful, sneaky glance at his Brother Yun.
It wasn’t that he blamed him for not letting him pass the noodles to thank Le Can, but… he had followed Xi Yun for over twenty years and never enjoyed such treatment!
They say having a wife makes you forget your original family. Yuan Cheng thought Xi Yun would be the exception, but his brother was just that!
No! Yuan Cheng felt this matter had to be shared with Xie Jun and everyone at the villa. So, he stopped slurping noodles, lowered his head, and typed furiously!
Le Can and Xi Yun didn’t know they were about to welcome another wave of even fiercer rumors… and the guy lighting the fire and fanning the flames was the big-eyed, thick-browed one opposite them.
Beside him, Liang Yusheng, seeing Le Can for the first time, was truly shocked.
Liang Yusheng’s whole family worked for Xi Yun.
His father’s surname was Zhao; he managed the villa’s garden and greenery daily, occasionally acting as a driver. His mother’s surname was Liang; she worked in the kitchen daily.
After graduating, Liang Yusheng applied and entered Weiyuanjing, working directly under Xi Yun. He took his mother’s surname, and his relationship with his family was very good.
Usually, when he went home after work, Liang Yusheng often heard his parents talk about the new master of the villa—his boss Xi Yun’s partner.
Whether it was three people making a tiger (rumors becoming truth), or the old couple describing the boss and his husband as deeply in love and inseparable, Liang Yusheng always felt a strong sense of dissonance.
It wasn’t that he had a dark mind, but facing Xi Yun’s face—which was of few words and struck straight to the point when giving orders—Liang Yusheng just couldn’t imagine the things people said…
But just now, his young, heavily imposing boss had so considerately handed a bowl of noodles to his partner! And gave all the toppings in his bowl to the other! The key was, he hadn’t even switched chopsticks!
Liang Yusheng instantly looked at Le Can with sincere admiration and bowed his head slightly to him: “Hello, Madam.”
Le Can, mouth stuffed full: “…”
Young man, do you know this really affects one’s appetite?
Author’s Note: Le Can: Thank Q (Thank you), met two young fellows with similar approaches today. The Male Lead’s subordinates are truly “talented”…
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