Yan Sui carried Meng Ting directly to their room, while the Xiao brothers remained in the living room, where they were received by Yan Manjia and Uncle Xiao.
“These are all for… Ting Ting to nourish his body,” Xiao Zi’ang said as he put the items down, addressing Yan Manjia. Meng Ting hadn’t yet been officially recognized by the Xiao family, so calling him ‘Zinuo’ or ‘Nuo Nuo’ wasn’t appropriate. Moreover, they had promised Yan Sui before coming that they wouldn’t say too much.
Yan Manjia glanced at the gifts they had brought and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but our Ting Ting can’t eat these.”
Even the medicine Meng Ting had to take was a struggle for him, let alone these supplements. Even if his reaction to medication gradually faded in the future, these items would still be a source of trauma for him.
“Next time you bring gifts, please don’t bring this kind…”
It wouldn’t be appropriate to throw them away, and finding suitable recipients to pass them on to would be difficult.
“Why?” Xiao Zimo immediately asked. He and Xiao Zi’ang still had only a fragmented understanding of Meng Ting’s past. Or rather, they were limited to written records, and hadn’t been able to fully grasp the depth of his experiences.
Seeing Xiao Zimo appear at the Yan residence, Yan Manjia knew that Meng Ting’s family had come looking for him. She felt they should know what Meng Ting had been through, but without Yan Sui’s approval, she couldn’t tell them.
Yan Manjia’s gaze shifted, and she noticed Yan Sui appearing at the top of the stairs. Yan Manjia understood the unspoken message.
She turned back and sat down, carefully considering her words before speaking.
“Ting Ting didn’t have a good childhood. He was so hungry at one point that he could only eat the medicine at home. Later, he fell ill and was hospitalized, leaving him with some lingering trauma. He can’t take medicine now, not even injections or IVs.”
This was the answer Yan Manjia had finally gotten after pressing Yan Sui several times. She had been deeply saddened at the time, and even now, recounting it still brought her pain.
Children from families like theirs had basically never experienced what it felt like to be hungry, let alone the kind of desperation that would drive someone to eat medicine as food that Meng Ting had experienced. It was something they had never imagined.
“Ting Ting is doing well. He’s already trying to overcome these obstacles.” Though the process remained incredibly difficult.
After Yan Manjia finished speaking, Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo were silent for a long time. Yan Manjia didn’t dare to imagine that they felt the same way.
“These things aren’t hard to find out. If you want to know more, look into it yourselves.”
Yan Sui walked over and sat down, breaking the silence.
“You came at an inconvenient time; Meng Ting is asleep.” But even if Meng Ting were awake, Yan Sui didn’t intend to let them interact much. Xiao Zimo was straightforward and sincere, while Xiao Zi’ang clearly had the demeanor of a young master from a prominent family. Meng Ting might not have liked them much anyway.
“I’ll wait for him to wake up,” Xiao Zimo replied, his heart beating a little faster, worried that Yan Sui might kick him out. He glanced at Yan Manjia and quickly came up with an idea, “Can I take a look at your paintings?”
It was obvious he was using Yan Manjia as a stepping stone to linger in the Yan household for as long as possible.
After speaking, he turned to Xiao Zi’ang and said, “You still have other matters to attend to, so you should leave.”
He was well aware that Xiao Zi’ang had offended Yan Sui earlier that morning, but that was just Xiao Zi’ang’s usual approach at the negotiation table. He hadn’t intended to use it with his own younger brother and brother-in-law.
Xiao Zi’ang gave Xiao Zimo a few subtle looks, then stood up to bid farewell to Yan Sui. He indeed had other things to do, one of which was to investigate Meng Ting’s past more thoroughly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even have the right to speak with Yan Sui here, let alone anything else.
***
Meng Ting slept from two o’clock until almost four before getting up. While Yan Sui was in and out of the room, Dahuang and Maoqiu had sneaked in.
After waking up, he played with them for a while before heading downstairs with both pets in tow.
“I smell chocolate cake…” Meng Ting said, his nose twitching slightly. Clearly, his sweet tooth was acting up again.
Sleeping after eating, sleeping after eating, forgetting his worries—Meng Ting’s carefree state of mind was something others could only envy.
“Come quickly, Han Han brought it back, and we saved it for you.”
Yan Manjia, who had heard the commotion, emerged from the art studio with Xiao Zimo. She hurried over to the sofa and beckoned to Meng Ting.
Meng Ting nodded, still holding Maoqiu as he walked over. After a few more steps, he finally noticed Xiao Zimo standing next to Yan Manjia. He politely nodded to him and then continued to walk over and sit down.
“Maoqiu, be good. You can’t have this. I’ll give you some fish later.”
Stopping Maoqiu from causing trouble while trying to enjoy his cake was a bit of a juggling act for Meng Ting, but he still managed to enjoy himself, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable despite the additional person in the living room.
He had already eaten a small portion of the cake when he noticed the overly focused gaze. He glanced up at Xiao Zimo, then down at the cake on his plate.
“Do you want some too?”
Meng Ting asked, though he had no intention of giving it up. “But I’ve already eaten from it, so I can’t give it to you.”
“No, it’s not that…” Xiao Zimo found his throat tightening, and his eyes felt equally sour.
With his keen observation, how could Xiao Zimo not notice the peculiarities in Meng Ting? However, his little brother, Nuo Nuo, had been perfectly healthy at birth. The deficiencies in Meng Ting’s condition must have been a result of that incident[mfn]T/N: I look it up and found that neurodivergence can be acquired through various means, including trauma, illness, injury, or other neurological events. This is often referred to as “acquired neurodivergence” and can involve changes in cognitive, sensory, or emotional functioning. Examples include acquired brain injury, post-stroke difficulties, and certain mental health conditions. More information: Link.[/mfn].
Meng Ting found Xiao Zimo’s gaze somewhat strange, but since he was Yan Manjia’s guest, he couldn’t outright tell Xiao Zimo to stop looking at him or his cake.
His eyes swept around the room, and when he saw Yan Sui entering with Zhen Han, his eyes instantly lit up with a radiant glow. He let go of Maoqiu and leaned sideways on the couch, waving at Yan Sui. “I’m over here…”
Yan Sui didn’t respond verbally, but his steps immediately turned in that direction. Zhen Han followed a couple of steps behind but also approached.
As soon as Yan Sui sat down, Meng Ting moved into his arms. “I’m eating the cake cousin brought. It’s very sweet and delicious. Do you want some?”
Yan Manjia turned her head away, suppressing a faint smile. Just a minute or two ago, Meng Ting had told Xiao Zimo that he couldn’t share the cake because he’d already eaten from it. Now, he was offering it to Yan Sui without hesitation.
For Meng Ting, Yan Sui’s treatment was always distinct from others—no, distinct from anyone. It was utterly unique.
As he asked, Meng Ting scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Yan Sui’s lips, his eyes slightly narrowed, completely willing. There was none of the wariness he had shown toward Xiao Zimo.
Yan Sui opened his mouth to taste it, then took the spoon from Meng Ting’s hand and naturally began feeding Meng Ting the cake.
Yan Manjia, Zhen Han, and even the household staff were all accustomed to this mutual dynamic between Yan Sui and Meng Ting, their expressions unperturbed. Xiao Zimo, however, was left somewhat dumbfounded. It seemed his little brother was completely under Yan Sui’s spell.
Being doted on like this, how could his heart not lean toward Yan Sui?
“Ahem,” Zhen Han coughed lightly, as if to remind Xiao Zimo of the inappropriateness of staring at Meng Ting like this. After coughing, he glanced at Yan Manjia.
Yan Manjia felt a bit wronged but then reconsidered. After all, she was the one who had initially brought Xiao Zimo here.
“His name is Amos, a young and talented painter.”
Yan Manjia spoke up, introducing Xiao Zimo to Meng Ting. However, she didn’t know much about Xiao Zimo’s family background, only his artistic signature. Although she had been in a relationship with Xiao Zi for many years, it had been limited to Xiao Zi himself. She had never even stepped foot into the Xiao family home.
The only family member of Xiao Zi’s she had ever met was his aunt, who had passed away years ago in Country D. Let alone Xiao Zimo and Xiao Zi’ang, even their parents, Yan Manjia might not be able to recognize them at first glance.
Hearing this, Meng Ting turned to glance at Xiao Zimo a few more times. Seeing that he was still staring at him, he frowned slightly. “Do you still want to buy that painting from Auntie?”
Meng Ting thought Xiao Zimo was looking at him like that because he wanted to persuade Yan Manjia to give in through him.
“The person in the painting is me. It was a gift my aunt wanted to give me, and I really like it. I don’t want to give it to you.”
Besides, since the person in the painting was him, he didn’t want it to be hung in the house of someone he didn’t know.
Meng Ting thought for a moment and added, “Even if you stare at me, it won’t help.” He wasn’t someone who could be easily swayed.
Moreover, Meng Ting never considered himself particularly kind or virtuous. According to Yan Shuya, he was a person without compassion or kindness, and he always felt that description was quite fitting.
“No, no, I’m not buying the painting anymore.” His younger brother was so straightforward that it was almost embarrassing, but at the same time, he was so adorable that it made him want to ruffle his hair. However, it was clear that Meng Ting, who had explicitly refused to give him the painting, wouldn’t let him ruffle his hair either.
Hearing this, Meng Ting nodded, then turned his gaze back to Yan Sui, glanced at the spoon again, and said, “There’s still a little left, I want to eat more.”
Yan Sui continued to bring the spoon to Meng Ting’s lips, letting him lick it clean, then took a tissue to wipe his mouth. Only then did he free his hands to embrace Meng Ting. Out of habit, he asked, “Does the wound still hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Meng Ting replied softly, leaning against Yan Sui. Xiao Zimo, who had just exchanged a few words with Zhen Han, fell silent again, pricking up his ears to listen carefully. Meanwhile, Yan Manjia received several puzzled glances from Zhen Han, who was still unaware of the truth.
“I’m already better, really,” Meng Ting responded, tilting his head to look up at Yan Sui, then nuzzling against him, his voice even softer and gentler. “I’m not lying to you. I promised I wouldn’t lie to you anymore.”
Yan Sui lowered his gaze to meet Meng Ting’s eyes, his expression softening involuntarily. His hand moved up to ruffle Meng Ting’s hair again.
“Come with me to the study. I have something to tell you.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting nodded, wrapping his arms around Yan Sui’s neck. Then he remembered there were outsiders in the house and hesitated about whether to let go, but Yan Sui had already picked him up.
“They’re very close. During this time when he was injured, Yan Sui has been carrying him up and down the stairs. Just now, it was probably out of habit,” Yan Manjia explained, though what she said was also true. Even when Meng Ting wasn’t injured, they often hugged each other around, being incredibly sweet and affectionate.
Xiao Zimo nodded, then stood up to take his leave, not staying at the Yan residence any longer.
Yan Sui allowing him to linger this long and even letting him speak with Meng Ting was already quite rare. If he stayed any longer, he would truly start to annoy people.
Meng Ting leaned against Yan Sui’s chest, and as they neared the top of the stairs, he finally spoke in a low voice to Yan Sui, “That person was so strange, always staring at my cake.”
Meng Ting didn’t think there was anything about him worth staring at, except perhaps the chocolate cake he had already eaten.
This logic made perfect sense to Meng Ting. As he pondered the person’s odd behavior, he glanced up at Yan Sui again. “Is cousin’s cake really that special? Can’t you buy it outside?”
“It’s not the cake, it’s you…” Yan Sui replied. He had said he had something to tell Meng Ting, and it wasn’t just an excuse.
Meng Ting would eventually learn about his origins, but Yan Sui didn’t want him to find out from someone else. Meng Ting deserved to know, and it should be from someone he trusts.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 073.3″]
心領神會 (xīn lǐng shén huì): understand without need for a full explanation; to understand tacitly (idiom); to know intuitively; to understand thoroughly; readily take a hint; even without the other party saying it explicitly, you already understand it in your heart.急中生智 (jí zhōng shēng zhì): to suddenly come up with a solution in an emergency; quick witted in an emergency; able to react resourcefully; resourceful in a crisis; rise to the occasion; think on one’s feet; come up with a solution in a pinch; to come up with a solution suddenly when the situation is urgent.
不動聲色 (bù dòng shēng sè): not a word or movement (idiom); to maintain one’s composure; to stay calm and collected; to not turn a hair; to not bat an eyelid; to not show or betray one’s feelings or intentions; betray no emotion.
手忙腳亂 (shǒu máng jiǎo luàn): to act in an disorderly and flustered manner; to act with confusion; to be in a flurry; to be flustered; be in a rush/flurry; be thrown into confusion; be in a frantic rush; be in a great bustle/hurry; describes being in a panic and not knowing what to do.
樂在其中 (lè zài qí zhōng): to take pleasure in something; to find joy in something; to revel in something; enjoy it; be happy in it; relish it; delight in it; to enjoy doing something and have fun in it. From the Analects, Book 7 (《論語·述而》): 子曰：「飯疏食飲水，曲肱而枕之，樂亦在其中矣。不義而富且貴，於我如浮雲。」, he Master said, “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow; I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness, are to me as a floating cloud.”
絕無僅有 (jué wú jǐn yǒu): only one of its kind; unique; one and only (idiom); rarely seen; peerless; there is only one, no other. It is used to describe something that is extremely rare.
見怪不怪 (jiàn guài bù guài): to keep one’s calm in the face of the unexpected; not to wonder at strange sights; not be surprised by anything unusual; become inured to the unusual; be used to uncommon goings-on.
下不來臺 (xià bù lái tá): means to be put on the spot; to find oneself in an awkward situation.
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