Thinking Too Small

Since he was bringing children along, Shen Can thought lunch would be more suitable, so he set off for the Huo Household with Shen Zhuo a little after ten.

Although he knew Huo Xi had moved nearby, this was Shen Can's first time visiting his home.

They had not walked far before reaching Huo Xi's house. Huo Xi had given instructions beforehand, so Shen Can and Shen Zhuo were quickly let inside.

Huo Huan had been waiting in the living room for a long time. The moment he heard Shen Can and Shen Zhuo talking, he immediately rushed out.

He happened to run into Shen Can and Shen Zhuo just as they reached the entrance. Shen Can smiled and greeted him. "Good morning, Xiao Huan. Is Huo Xi busy with work?"

Huo Huan nodded. This was the first time anyone had called him Xiao Huan. His mother never called him that, and neither did the neighbors around them.

"Since Huo Xi is still busy, I'll wait in the living room for a while. You can take Xiao Zhuo and go play."

After hearing Shen Can, Huo Huan did not leave right away. Instead, he asked Shen Can whether he wanted to watch TV. If he did, Huo Huan would turn it on for him.

Shen Can smiled and said there was no need since he had his phone. Then, remembering that he had not brought any spare clothes for Shen Zhuo, he reminded him, "Don't get your clothes dirty while you play, okay? Your little uncle forgot to bring you a change of clothes."

"Okay, Little Uncle. Xiao Zhuo won't get dirty," Shen Zhuo obediently answered.

Shen Can sat on the sofa and played on his phone while Huo Huan took Shen Zhuo into his room to play with building blocks.

"Wow, your room is so big," Shen Zhuo exclaimed as soon as he entered Huo Huan's room.

Huo Huan glanced around his room before saying, "The small rooms are all used to store things as utility rooms, so all the remaining rooms are big."

"Even if there were small rooms, Uncle Huo probably wouldn't have let you choose one. Oh, right, I remembered—you have another apartment of your own. It'll be even bigger when you live there by yourself."

But after Shen Zhuo spoke, Huo Huan did not answer. Shen Zhuo leaned closer and asked, "You don't want to move?"

He calculated that school would be starting again soon, and he himself would have to go back to kindergarten.

Huo Huan was silent for a long time before finally nodding. What was the point of living alone? Huo Xi did not pay much attention to him here either, but at least there were two people living together, so he had someone to keep him company.

And it was close to Shen Zhuo's home, too. Shen Zhuo was his first friend.

"Then don't move. Just tell Uncle Huo that you don't want to move away," Shen Zhuo said as he pulled Huo Huan down to sit.

Huo Huan shook his head and said nothing more. He and Huo Xi did not really have any relationship beyond a thin tie of blood. How could he have the nerve to keep living in Huo Xi's house?

Seeing that Huo Huan was not speaking, Shen Zhuo still wanted to say something. But when Huo Huan said, "Let's play with the blocks," Shen Zhuo fell silent.

Shen Can was watching funny videos on his phone and laughing so hard he was about to slap the table when Huo Xi suddenly appeared in front of him.

Shen Can was so startled that he choked on his laughter. Huo Xi hurried over and patted his back, helping him recover as quickly as possible.

Once he had caught his breath, Shen Can looked at Huo Xi standing so close to him. His gaze fell on the faintly visible chest muscles beneath Huo Xi's wide-open collar, and he thought, Is this an early-morning hormonal overload? Is he giving me a little treat?

Yes, Huo Xi was wearing pajamas. He had been working in his study, and after finishing up, he had planned to go downstairs and tell Huo Huan to get ready to change clothes.

But from the stairs, he saw that Shen Can had already arrived and was sitting there giggling away.

Huo Xi had forgotten that he had undone two buttons earlier because he felt hot in the study. Only after hearing Shen Can's thoughts did he remember, and he naturally fastened them back up.

That's so stingy, Huo Xi! I only got two looks. I knew something had been missing from my life—handsome men!

Even though I, Can Can, say that my career is my one true love, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate handsome men's muscles.

My perspective was too narrow. Tomorrow night, I'm going to a bar and ordering a few muscular hotties to look at.

He liked looking at muscles? Huo Xi would give him the chance to look this afternoon. As for anyone else's, there was no need for that.

They had only met today, yet tomorrow Shen Can wanted to look at other men. Then what was the point of Huo Xi putting so much thought into joining Shen Can and Huo Huan for lunch?

If there was something Huo Xi wanted, he would definitely make a move. He never hesitated. Shen Can did not seem to have any feelings for him yet, but he was in no rush. He had plenty of patience.

"Why did you come so early? You didn't even send me a message," Huo Xi asked as he sat beside Shen Can.

"I was afraid of disturbing you. What if you were in some important video meeting?"

After saying that, Shen Can thought, I'm not admitting that I was thinking of some novel plot.

You know, when the boss suddenly gets a message during a meeting. He's usually so cold and distant, but the instant he looks at his phone, he actually smiles faintly!

All the subordinates in front of their screens are shocked, but they understand that whoever sent the message must be important to the CEO. Otherwise, why would their CEO be smiling?

But of course Huo Xi wouldn't smile at my messages. What was I even thinking before?

After hearing Shen Can's thoughts, Huo Xi thought, Who said that? Maybe he really would smile. He simply had no interest in displaying his private affairs in front of a computer screen.

The moment he received the message, he would probably pause the meeting, turn off his camera and microphone, and only then read it.

"Has Huo Huan already changed?" Huo Xi asked. If he had, Huo Xi would not go into his room and interrupt the two children playing.

Shen Can gave an affirmative hum. "He had already changed when we arrived, and he looked like he'd been waiting for quite a while."

Maybe this is the first time an elder has taken him out for a meal, so he might be a little excited.

After hearing Shen Can's thoughts, Huo Xi stood up. "Since he's already been waiting a while, I won't delay any longer. I'll go change."

After Huo Xi changed and came downstairs, Shen Can called the two children out.

When they went outside, the driver was already waiting at the entrance. He had specifically brought an extended car so they could all sit in the back.

As soon as Shen Can got in, he gave the driver the address. He had chosen a private home-style restaurant.

Since Huo Xi had previously said that he had never taken Huo Huan out for a meal, Shen Can thought it would be best for Huo Huan's first outing to be somewhere serving home-style dishes.

There were not as many rules as with Western food, so Huo Huan would probably feel more comfortable. And the flavors were not as unusual as T-country cuisine or Japanese food, which he might not be able to get used to.

Huo Huan tried hard to remain calm, but he was still a child. From little reactions unlike his usual behavior, it was clear that he was very happy.

As soon as they entered the private room, Shen Can asked the two children what they liked to eat, saying the restaurant had all kinds of home-style dishes. Shen Zhuo immediately named two dishes, and only after seeing Shen Zhuo do so did Huo Huan name two as well.

After Shen Can checked off their choices and ordered what he liked, he passed the menu to Huo Xi to let him order. As Huo Xi marked selections with his pen, he thought that Shen Can really was quite thoughtful.

He had not let the two children see the menu because he was afraid Huo Huan would see the prices. Private home-style restaurants were indeed more expensive, and Shen Can had deliberately chosen a very good one, making the prices even less ordinary.

Huo Huan had only recently returned to the Huo Household, and he had always been independent and mature for his age. If he saw the prices, he might feel burdened while eating, thinking Shen Can had spent too much on him.

After all, when Huo Xi told Huo Huan yesterday that Shen Can wanted to treat him to a meal, Huo Huan had immediately said there was no need. He had only said one sentence; there was no need for this.

Only after Huo Xi persuaded him that he could invite Shen Can to eat at his home another day—he just needed to tell the cooks which day he wanted to host, and they would prepare the food—did Huo Huan agree to go out for a meal today.

The more Huo Xi got to know Shen Can, the more he felt that Shen Can was truly a good person.