When Xu Zhihan woke up the next day, it was almost noon.
For once, the sky outside was clear.
The Xu household was quiet.
A little too quiet.
Zhou Man hadn't come looking for him, and Xu Mingji hadn't cried outside his door. Xu Chengyuan was probably still planning his next move; there had been no new developments for now.
Xu Zhihan sat up and first glanced at the medicine by his bed.
Lu Wenchuan had left it last night.
Along with a bag of candy.
Xu Zhihan stared at the candy for two seconds, then pushed it away.
Childish.
His phone chimed.
Lu Wenchuan had sent a message.
[Awake?]
Xu Zhihan replied.
[Need something?]
[Yes.]
[Spit it out.]
[Let me buy you a meal.]
Xu Zhihan frowned at the message.
[Not going.]
As though he'd already expected that answer, Lu Wenchuan quickly sent another message.
[The Special Investigation Bureau's medical team says you need more nutrients.]
[Let the medical team eat them.]
[They say you're refusing to cooperate with treatment.]
[They're noisy.]
Lu Wenchuan called him outright.
Xu Zhihan stared at the caller ID in silence for a few seconds, then answered anyway.
The moment the call connected, Lu Wenchuan's voice came through. "Young Master Xu, you can't live on IV drips forever."
Xu Zhihan leaned against the headboard. "I'm not particularly interested in living."
The other end went quiet for two seconds.
Lu Wenchuan laughed. "All right. Hard to argue with that."
Xu Zhihan said, "If that's all, I'm hanging up."
"It's not," Lu Wenchuan said. "The basement is sealed off for now. Xu Chengyuan won't touch you today. Staying in the Xu household will only let them keep wearing you down. Come out for a meal, and we can talk about Xu An while we're at it."
Xu Zhihan's hand stopped just as he was about to hang up.
"Xu An?"
"There's a new lead."
Xu Zhihan fell silent for a moment. "Address."
Lu Wenchuan named a place.
A peculiar look crossed Xu Zhihan's face when he heard it.
"A hot pot restaurant?"
Lu Wenchuan sounded perfectly matter-of-fact. "Yes."
"We're discussing a case at a hot pot restaurant?"
"Food comes first."
Xu Zhihan remained expressionless. "You sound very unreliable."
Lu Wenchuan laughed. "I only look it."
Xu Zhihan didn't answer.
In the end, he went downstairs anyway.
Zhou Man and Xu Mingji were both in the living room. Seeing him dressed and heading out, Zhou Man immediately stood up.
"Zhihan, where are you going?"
Xu Zhihan's tone was cold. "To eat."
Zhou Man froze.
She apparently hadn't expected that answer.
Xu Mingji said softly, "You're not well, brother. It's not safe outside."
Xu Zhihan looked at him. "Safer than here."
Xu Mingji's face went pale.
Zhou Man forced a smile. "If there's something you want to eat, we can have the kitchen make it. You've only just left the hospital. Don't go running around."
Xu Zhihan ignored her and headed straight for the door.
Zhou Man grew anxious. "Zhihan, your father isn't home. At least wait until he comes back..."
Before she finished, the doorbell rang.
A servant opened the door.
Lu Wenchuan stood outside in a black jacket, car keys in his hand.
He smiled and waved when he saw Xu Zhihan.
"Let's go, Young Master Xu."
Zhou Man's expression darkened.
"Captain Lu, what are you doing here again?"
Lu Wenchuan smiled. "Picking him up for a meal."
Zhou Man struggled to hold her ground. "Zhihan is unwell. He can't just go out."
Lu Wenchuan nodded. "Exactly. That's why I'm picking him up."
Xu Mingji looked at Lu Wenchuan, then at Xu Zhihan, his expression complicated.
He had never seen anyone like this around Xu Zhihan before.
Xu Zhihan had always been alone.
Alone when he was sick, alone when he ate, and alone when he returned to his room after their father scolded him.
But now, Lu Wenchuan came to pick him up.
He didn't seem particularly serious, yet no one dared stop him.
A bitter pang of jealousy twisted in Xu Mingji's chest.
Xu Zhihan walked straight out without looking at him.
When they reached the car, Lu Wenchuan opened the passenger door for him.
Xu Zhihan glanced at him.
Lu Wenchuan immediately said, "I was right here."
Xu Zhihan got in.
Only when the car passed through the Xu residence's gates did Xu Zhihan ask, "The lead on Xu An?"
Lu Wenchuan held the steering wheel. "After we eat."
Xu Zhihan gave him a cold stare.
Lu Wenchuan kept his eyes on the road. "That look won't work. I promised the medical team I'd get you to eat something normal today."
Xu Zhihan said, "Since when do you listen to doctors?"
Lu Wenchuan considered it. "Depends on who it's for."
Xu Zhihan frowned. "Are you always this annoying?"
"Pretty much."
"No one's punched you?"
"They can't beat me."
Xu Zhihan went quiet for two seconds, then looked away.
He really is asking for a beating.
The hot pot restaurant was on a relatively quiet street. Lu Wenchuan had booked a private room.
Xu Zhihan frowned as soon as he entered.
Too hot.
Too fragrant.
And too noisy.
He hadn't seen a place like this in years. More precisely, his original self had never seen one. In his previous life, his world had consisted of nothing but temples, judgment platforms, desolate stairways, and kneeling people.
This place was different.
People laughed and chatted, called for their orders, or dropped their chopsticks and hurried to pick them up.
Chaotic.
Ordinary.
Xu Zhihan should have found it irritating.
Yet his steps faltered for a moment at the entrance.
Lu Wenchuan turned back. "What's wrong?"
Xu Zhihan looked away. "Noisy."
Lu Wenchuan smiled. "I booked a private room. It's quieter inside."
Once they entered the private room, Lu Wenchuan handed him the menu.
Xu Zhihan didn't take it.
"You order."
Lu Wenchuan raised an eyebrow. "No preferences?"
Xu Zhihan said, "Too much trouble."
"You really keep life simple."
Even as he said it, Lu Wenchuan was already marking his choices.
Clear broth.
Tender beef.
Shrimp paste.
Tofu.
Greens.
He also ordered a serving of crispy fried pork.
Seeing the clear broth, Xu Zhihan suddenly asked, "You eat this lightly?"
Lu Wenchuan looked up. "I ordered it for you."
Xu Zhihan frowned. "I didn't say I wanted it."
"You didn't say you wouldn't eat clear broth, either."
Xu Zhihan didn't feel like arguing with him.
The hot pot arrived soon afterward.
Xu Zhihan watched the bubbling broth with a somewhat indifferent expression. Lu Wenchuan deftly cooked a few slices of meat for him, put them in a small bowl to cool, then pushed it over.
"Eat."
Xu Zhihan looked at him. "You've done this a lot?"
Lu Wenchuan paused as he picked up some food. "Eaten hot pot?"
"Looked after sick people."
Lu Wenchuan's smile faded a little, then quickly returned.
"I have before."
Xu Zhihan didn't press him.
He picked up his chopsticks and tasted a slice of meat.
It was hot.
The flavor wasn't unpleasant, either.
Lu Wenchuan watched him. "How is it?"
Xu Zhihan was silent for a moment. "Edible."
Lu Wenchuan laughed. "Your compliments sound almost like insults."
Xu Zhihan slowly took a second bite.
He hadn't had much of an appetite, but after swallowing some hot broth, the chill in his chest actually eased a little.
It felt unfamiliar.
Not intense.
But not uncomfortable.
Lu Wenchuan neither hurried him nor talked constantly, only occasionally putting something suitable in his bowl. Xu Zhihan disliked people touching his bowl, but this time he didn't refuse.
Perhaps he simply couldn't be bothered to move.
Or perhaps this man was reasonably good at choosing what to give him.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Wenchuan suddenly placed a bowl of sweet soup in front of him.
Xu Zhihan looked at the bowl. "What's this now?"
"Bingfen."
"I can see that."
"Then why ask?"
Xu Zhihan looked at him.
Lu Wenchuan immediately smiled. "All right, my mistake."
Xu Zhihan took a bite.
It was sweet.
But not cloying.
He took another bite.
Lu Wenchuan noticed, and the amusement in his eyes deepened.
Xu Zhihan looked up. "What are you smiling at?"
Lu Wenchuan said with a perfectly straight face, "You finally acting like a twenty-one-year-old."
Xu Zhihan put down his spoon.
Lu Wenchuan hurried to salvage things. "I mean, it's nice."
Xu Zhihan said coldly, "If you don't know what to say, you can keep quiet."
Lu Wenchuan nodded. "Noted."
The private room fell quiet for a few minutes.
The laughter and chatter outside filtered through the door, muted.
Xu Zhihan looked down at the hot soup in his bowl and suddenly felt that this sort of noise might not be so hard to bear after all.
At least it was better than the voices at the Xu Family home.
He didn't eat much, but he ate more than usual.
Lu Wenchuan noticed but said nothing.
Only after Xu Zhihan put down his chopsticks did Lu Wenchuan slide a file over to him.
"A lead on Xu An."
Xu Zhihan looked up.
Lu Wenchuan's smile faded, and his voice lowered. "Back then, Lin Wan had a child with her. His name wasn't Xu An."
Xu Zhihan opened the file.
Lu Wenchuan continued, "His original name was Lin An. He was from your mother's side of the family. Later, he entered the Xu Family, and his name was changed to Xu An."
Xu Zhihan's fingertips stilled.
"Why change his surname to Xu?"
Lu Wenchuan looked at him.
"Because back then, the Xu Family needed a child to take something in your place."