“I’ll help you, but the Meng family must remain subordinate to the Yan family during your term in power,” and if necessary, even at the expense of family interests, Meng Qi must listen to Yan Sui.
Meng Qi’s eyes flickered; he couldn’t immediately respond to Yan Sui’s words.
“If you feel you need time to think about it, I can give it to you. But the bottom line of the agreement will not change.”
Yan Sui’s words couldn’t have been clearer, and at the same time, he was also sure that Meng Qi couldn’t refuse. Originally, he did not even have 30% certainty of inheriting the Meng family, but with his help, it would at least rise to 70%. Unless he was truly ruined inside and out, it would be impossible for him to refuse.
“I agree.”
Meng Qi agreed. His earlier hesitation was because he couldn’t understand why Yan Sui was willing to help him. As for relying on the Yan family, it was actually a good thing for the overall development of the Meng family. Moreover, any gain always comes with a corresponding cost, and Meng Qi understood this principle.
Yan Sui nodded, and then he naturally instructed Meng Qi to get to work, “…… that’s all, find out the details for me as soon as possible.”
Meng Qi nodded, “I remember.”
He responded with a slightly stiff expression, still struggling to adjust to the role change. Just a moment ago, Yan Sui was his brother-in-law, and now he had directly become the boss who could give him orders.
Yan Sui and Meng Qi chatted for a while longer, and seeing that it was almost five o’clock, he stood up and didn’t continue. Usually, around five-thirty, Meng Ting would come to the door to pick him up with Dahuang and Maoqiu, and he didn’t want to make Meng Ting wait too long.
After Yan Sui left, Meng Qi stayed in the tea room for over half an hour before getting up to return to his own residence. But unlike before, from this point on, his heart was at peace. The Meng family was his; it was always meant to be his.
Li Yifei is skilled at understanding people’s hearts, but Yan Sui is not to be underestimated either. His rationality is enough to instill fear in others. Merely sending Li Yifei to prison is not enough; whatever she cherishes the most, Yan Sui will also destroy.
She once tried to destroy Meng Ting mentally, and now Yan Sui is merely returning the favor in kind.
***
Yan Sui arrived at the Yan residence two minutes earlier than usual. Meng Ting saw him from a distance, he quickened his pace, and eventually broke into a run.
Yan Sui extended his hand, and Meng Ting ran straight into his arms before stopping.
“You came earlier than usual today,” Meng Ting said, rubbing his face against Yan Sui’s, then wrapping his arms around him tightly. “But I still picked you up.”
Yan Sui raised an eyebrow; clearly, he was the one who pick up the person who had rushed over. He thought for a moment and then kissed Meng Ting on the cheek, saying, “I bought you two boxes of snacks. Try them and see if you like them.”
These pastries were handmade by the master of that tea house. He had already left the tea house but turned back to bring two boxes back for Meng Ting.
“Alright,” Meng Ting nodded, glancing left and right, then slightly lifting his chin. His lips pressed against Yan Sui’s, they kissed softly, then he licked them. His heels returned to the ground, he pressed his lips together, “Did you drink tea?”
“Mm,” Yan Sui stared at Meng Ting’s lips for a while before responding. Then he wrapped his arms around the person and led him inside. The front gate wasn’t really a suitable place for them to be intimate. However, it was not just Meng Ting, he himself sometimes couldn’t help but act on his desire to be close to the person either.
“I’ve arranged to have tea with Meng Qi,” Yan Sui briefly mentioned as he walked inside.
When Meng Ting heard Meng Qi’s name, let out a soft hum, but didn’t report it to Yan Sui.
Zhen Han’s words in the morning roughly indicated that he would be returning to live in the old house in the future. When it was almost time for dinner, Meng Ting, under Yan Manjia’s expectant gaze, called Zhen Han.
“It’s almost time for dinner, auntie asked me to call you.”
Yan Manjia’s eyes suddenly shifted away; she didn’t expect Meng Ting to sell her out with his first words.
Meng Ting hung up the phone and looked at Yan Manjia, “Cousin said he’s on his way back.”
“Oh,” Yan Manjia replied, then she leaned slightly towards Meng Ting, “Baby, when is your birthday? Auntie still doesn’t know!”
“In January, but I don’t know which day,” Meng Ting had never celebrated a birthday, and there was a hint of confusion in his expression, but he didn’t feel it was much of a pity. He looked at Yan Manjia, who had a slight frown, and his eyes curved slightly, probably understanding why Yan Manjia had asked him this question.
“If Auntie wants to give me a gift, any day in January is fine.”
“Mm,” Yan Manjia replied, but still worried about Meng Ting’s birthday. Generally speaking, even if Meng Ting didn’t know his own birthday, Yan Sui would find out for him. Could it be that Yan Sui didn’t find out either?
***
They sat together on the sofa watching TV. More than ten minutes later, Zhen Han also came back, and Yan Sui came out of the study. The four of them had dinner together. The dishes were very sumptuous, and with Meng Ting’s good appetite leading the way, it was impossible not to have a good appetite.
After returning from their walk, they each went their separate ways to do their own things. However, this refers to Yan Manjia and Zhen Han; Yan Sui brought Meng Ting back to the study room, placing him under his watchful eye, and only then did he start handling his tasks.
Meng Ting was still smelling the flowers and then recording data. He was very serious, but Yan Sui always found himself staring at him absentmindedly. He gently shook his head, feeling quite helpless about himself.
Around ten o’clock, Yan Sui closed the computer, walked behind Meng Ting, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek a few times, and finally pulled Meng Ting’s attention away from his intense focus.
“How much longer do you need?” Yan Sui asked softly.
Meng Ting’s index finger brushed against the petals of the red rose before he turned back to answer Yan Sui’s question, “It will still… take a little longer.”
He doesn’t have much of a sense of time and can’t say how long would be, but Yan Sui can tell that he doesn’t really want to go to sleep.
“Then in another hour, whether you’re done or not, you’re coming to bed with me.” Yan Sui said, lifting Meng Ting’s hand that was holding the flower, kissing it lightly by his lips before putting it back down. Then he got up, picked a book from the shelf, and sat down on the sofa to read.
Meng Ting waited for the tingling sensation on the back of his hand to completely subside before continuing with his own tasks. As he slightly raised his gaze, he saw Yan Sui. In his focused expression, there was a hint of joy—the reason for which was unknown, but it was a clear and unmistakable joy.
About forty minutes later, Meng Ting closed the notebook, still holding the flower, and walked towards Yan Sui.
He sat down next to Yan Sui, then wrapped his arm around him, completely blocking his view of the book.
He didn’t say anything either, just holding the person close, with a smile unconsciously playing at the corners of his eyes and brows.
“All done?” Yan Sui set the book aside and hugged Meng Ting back, his hand stroking along his back, then he leaned in to sniff the side of his neck again. The faint floral scent was quite pleasant.
“Mm,” Meng Ting replied lazily, continuing to snuggle in Yan Sui’s arms, “I want to hold you for a while longer.”
Considering that they haven’t really hugged much today, and now that he and Yan Sui are both free, he naturally wants to hug a bit more to make up for it.
Yan Sui’s hand that was gently stroking Meng Ting’s back paused, then moved to his hair, ruffling it slightly, and softly replied, “Okay.”
They hugged for nearly twenty minutes before Meng Ting reluctantly let go.
Yan Sui led Meng Ting back to their room. They took a shower, and Meng Ting was ready to sleep again. Yan Sui patted him to sleep in no time. They embraced each other as they slept, both of them sleeping very well.
The report in the Haicheng Morning Post had little impact on Meng Ting and Yan Sui. If it did have any effect, it was just that Yan Sui found Meng Ting even more adorable. Their trust and loyalty towards each other were probably exceeded many people’s imaginations.
***
Zhen Han’s birthday is this Friday in the new week. Yan Manjia and Uncle Xiao discussed it and decided to throw a party for him at home. They won’t invite the wives and daughters from various families, just those friends who have a good relationship with Zhen Han. More people will also make it livelier.
When Zhen Han woke up early in the morning, he first ate the longevity noodles[mfn]長壽面 (cháng shòu miàn): Longevity Noodles. 
[/mfn] cooked by Yan Manjia and Nanny Wang, and then received gifts from Yan Manjia and Meng Ting.
What Yan Manjia gave to Zhen Han was an oil painting. She chose an old photo of Zhen Han and painted it for him. The painting showed Yan Manjia and Old Lady Yan holding three or four-year-old Zhen Han’s hand and walking. The details of the characters are not painted very intricately, but one can still tell at a glance that she painted them.
Zhen Han took the painting, surprisingly not complaining about anything.
Meng Ting gave Zhen Han an inkstone[mfn]硯臺 (yàn tái): inkstone; ink slab. An inkstone is traditional Chinese stationery. It is a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. In addition to stone, inkstones are also manufactured from clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. 
[/mfn]. This was Yan Sui’s idea for Meng Ting, and then he went to buy it.
Aside from being skilled in medicine, Zhen Han is also quite good at calligraphy. He learned it from their grandfather, and he hasn’t neglected it over the years.
“I don’t know how to choose, so I just picked the one that smelled the best. Cousin, if you like it, use it; if you don’t, don’t force yourself.”
Zhen Han already knew that Meng Ting had an extraordinary sense of smell. He picked up the inkstone and took a sniff. It wasn’t too intense, but it was definitely pleasant. He nodded and said, “Thank you, Sister-in-law. I really like it.”
Meng Ting nodded, “That’s good.”
Yan Manjia was staying at home, and Meng Ting’s relationship with her was getting better and better. Seeing Yan Manjia’s slightly disappointed expression from not receiving any praise, he couldn’t help but add, “Cousin, you haven’t said whether you like the gift from auntie yet.”
Upon hearing this, Zhen Han glanced at Yan Manjia. He did not respond, but nodded.
Meng Ting turned around and translated for Yan Manjia as well, “Cousin likes it.”
“Mm,” Yan Manjia replied, the corners of her mouth lifting, then she took a big gulp of congee, immediately covered her mouth, and ran towards the bathroom.
“There’s no one fighting over it, why are you drinking so urgently?” Zhen Han also walked towards the bathroom with disgust.
Meng Ting watched with some concern, hesitating whether to go and take a look, but was held back by Yan Sui, who said, “Zhen Han knows how to handle it. It’ll be fine.”
“Mm,” Meng Ting nodded, “Cousin really knows better than I do.”
Yan Sui continued to pull Meng Ting to sit at the dining table. He served congee for Meng Ting, carefully blew on it, and then placed it in front of Meng Ting.
“Some people will come to the house tonight. If you like, stay with me a bit longer. If you don’t, you can go back to our room first. Don’t force yourself.”
Holding a banquet at the Yan residence means only inviting friends that he and Zhen Han know, but the guests are still quite diverse.
Meng Ting nodded upon hearing this, swallowed the congee in his mouth, and then replied, “I didn’t force myself. I like being with you, it doesn’t matter where we are.”
He thought for a moment and then said again, “Besides, starting next week, I have to go to the lab too. I’ll be busy as well, so while I still have some free time, I want to keep you company.”
“Okay,” Yan Sui replied. Since Meng Ting said this, he couldn’t say anything else, so all he could say was ‘okay’.
Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.
