Chapter 71: The Vicious Fake Young Master of a Wealthy Family · 71

Zhou Jun thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what Zhou Xu would go to Wenyu’s room for. In the end, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Back in the kitchen, Tao Li was stir-frying vegetables. Zhou Jun picked a few cucumbers from the vegetable basket, washed them clean, and used the back of a cleaver to smash them loudly on the chopping block. Finally, he mixed them with the secret sauce that every customer at their shop raved about. The cold cucumber salad was done.

After he carried the cucumbers out, Zhou Jun came back to the kitchen. Seeing there was only one last dish left, he didn’t let his wife work. He proactively scrubbed the wok clean, heated it, added oil, and stir-fried a dish of scallion-fried mutton.

With nothing else to do, Tao Li leaned against the refrigerator nearby, watching him cook and chatting a bit.

“What do you think? How are Xu and Wenyu getting along?” Tao Li asked.

Zhou Jun tossed the wok, the aroma of the scallion-fried mutton immediately filling the kitchen. He thought for a moment and said, “Probably just like Xu said, pretty well. Just now, I saw Xu was in Wenyu’s room.”

Tao Li was a bit surprised. “What was he doing in Wenyu’s room?”

How would Zhou Jun know? He casually said, “Maybe he was worried about his fever, went in to check on him?”

“Oh.” Tao Li thought it was possible. It was a minor thing; she didn’t take it to heart.

Compared to this, Tao Li cared more about something else.

She peered out through the kitchen’s glass door. Seeing that neither of the kids had come out yet, she leaned closer to Zhou Jun and lowered her voice. “So, what do you think of Wenyu’s attitude toward us now?”

Zhou Jun thought of that “Dad” from Wenyu, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a small smile.

Tao Li smacked him. “I asked you a question, and you just smile. What does that mean?”

Zhou Jun dished the stir-fried mutton onto a plate and said quietly, “Compared to the first time we met, the change is pretty big. Not sure if someone at the Su family said something to him, or because he gets along well with Zhou Xu, or maybe both.”

One thing was certain: Su Wenyu’s attitude toward them had indeed improved greatly. That “Mom” and “Dad” alone was enough to make them happy.

“You think so too? That’s good. Then we’ll be real good to him these next two days. Hope he’ll have time to visit us more often in the future.” As Tao Li spoke, her nose stung, and tears fell.

It wasn’t that the Su family couldn’t bear to let Su Wenyu come back. If not for the better future prospects for the child, Tao Li also couldn’t bear to let go of Zhou Xu, whom she had raised for twenty years—even if not biologically hers. All those twenty years, she had raised him as her own son.

Not to mention, now both sons were temporarily living with the Su family. She could only resent that she and her husband were failures, unable to give the two children the best material conditions and future resources. The best they could do was not hold the kids back and manage their own lives well first.

Seeing his wife like this, Zhou Jun’s heart ached too. He quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.

“Today’s a happy day. Don’t cry. The kids came back today, and they’ll come back in the future too. It’s all good things.” Zhou Jun’s own eyes grew hot, but he held it back.

Otherwise, trying to comfort his wife not to cry while crying himself—how embarrassing would that be.

Thankfully, Tao Li’s tears were just a momentary surge of emotion. After wiping them away, she recovered her calm.

“Alright, take all the dishes out, and call the two kids to come eat,” Tao Li said.

Zhou Jun obediently carried the dishes out, then raised his voice to call for his two sons.

Su Wenyu had already been woken by Zhou Xu. But after the nap, his body still felt a bit weak. He sat on the edge of the bed, letting Zhou Xu fuss over him while he changed clothes.

The heating in the house was too strong. Sleeping in his long underwear, Su Wenyu had sweated through them.

But sweating after a fever was good, as long as it was wiped off promptly to avoid catching another chill.

Su Wenyu hadn’t brought any short-sleeved shirts, but there were Zhou Xu’s old clothes at home. So Zhou Xu picked one of his own short-sleeved shirts for Su Wenyu to change into.

While changing, Su Wenyu told him not to peek.

Zhou Xu verbally agreed nicely, saying he definitely wouldn’t peek. But the moment Su Wenyu pulled the shirt over his head, he stared at Su Wenyu’s torso for a good while.

When it came to changing pants, though, Zhou Xu had no chance to sneak a look.

When Dad’s voice rang out calling them to wash up and eat, Zhou Xu saw Su Wenyu was already fully dressed in shirt and pants. He said, “I’ll go dish out the rice first. The bathroom is next door. Go wash your face and wake yourself up.”

Su Wenyu nodded, then felt nodding made him dizzy. He just waved his hand to show he understood.

After Zhou Xu left, Su Wenyu yawned, rallied his spirits, put on his slippers, and went to the bathroom next door to thoroughly wash his face with warm water. But he didn’t know which towel was his, so he just haphazardly dried off with a tissue.

The house was three bedrooms and one living room, only one living area. But near the kitchen door, there was a table that could seat four people, which could barely be considered a dining area.

When Su Wenyu came out, the square table was already laden with dishes—from beef, lamb, and pork, to seafood and vegetables, everything imaginable.

It had the air of not knowing what Su Wenyu liked, so they’d simply made a bit of everything.

Seeing him, Tao Li immediately beckoned him to sit. “Come, come. Not sure if it suits your taste. I just threw a few things together.”

Su Wenyu quickly said, “It’s already so much! We can’t possibly finish this tonight.”

Zhou Xu dished out the rice and brought it over, setting a bowl in front of everyone.

The square table had four sides, one person per side. Zhou Xu sat on one side of Su Wenyu, Tao Li on the other. Zhou Jun sat opposite Su Wenyu.

A family of four, gathered together for the first time. Looking at this scene, Tao Li felt like crying again, but she held it in.

“Come on, try it. See if these dishes suit your taste.” Tao Li gestured for Su Wenyu to eat, and Zhou Xu too, telling him to just help himself.

Zhou Xu had grown up eating Tao Li and Zhou Jun’s cooking. He knew his parents were great cooks. Picking up his rice bowl, he unceremoniously dug in with large bites.

The more heartily he ate, the happier the couple looked.

Su Wenyu didn’t stand on ceremony either. The afternoon’s fever hadn’t affected his appetite at all. He tasted a bit of every dish.

Everything was delicious. The spiced beef was good. The scallion mutton was good. The chili shrimp was good. The cold cucumber salad was good too… The food Tao Li and Zhou Jun made wasn’t as meticulously presented as the Su family chef’s, nor were the ingredients as expensive. But this home-style taste was something Su Wenyu had never experienced before.

Unknowingly, one bowl of rice was gone. Su Wenyu wanted a second helping.

Zhou Xu knew his appetite but ultimately only gave him half a bowl. “Eat less rice at night. Can eat more of the dishes.”

Su Wenyu obediently did just that, eating more of the side dishes.

Seeing the child enjoy their cooking, Tao Li and Zhou Jun were even more delighted.

After the meal, Zhou Xu got up to clear the bowls. Su Wenyu, seeing this, followed suit. He’d just picked up a bowl when Tao Li snatched it away.

“Alright, you two are done eating, go back and rest. Your father and I will handle this.” Tao Li shot a glance at Zhou Xu, telling him to take Su Wenyu away.

Let her husband do the dishwashing. Both kids should go rest.

Zhou Xu caught the look, reached out, and grasped Su Wenyu’s arm. “Alright, you just got over your fever. Go back to your room and lie down.”

Su Wenyu: “…Ate too much. Can’t sleep.”

“Can’t sleep, then lie down and play on your phone. Or want me to keep you company?” Zhou Xu asked.

Su Wenyu didn’t dare be alone with Zhou Xu right now. Who knew what he might do? Hastily, he shook off Zhou Xu’s hand, shuffled to his room in his slippers, fleeing as he ran.

He refused as he ran: “No need, no need! I’ll just play on my phone myself.”

The house wasn’t big. In just a few steps, Su Wenyu darted back into his room, reaching back to lock the door with a ‘click’.

Zhou Xu raised an eyebrow at the locking sound but said nothing in the end.

He hadn’t actually planned on doing anything to Su Wenyu. It was Su Wenyu who, timid as he was, let his thoughts stray to the gutter.

Zhou Xu glanced at Su Wenyu’s door, then turned and went into the kitchen, nudging his parents out, telling them to rest early. He would wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen.

Neither Tao Li nor Zhou Jun could shoo him away. In the end, the couple had no choice but to wash up one after another in the bathroom and then return to their room to rest.

Su Wenyu listened to the occasional footsteps outside the door, thinking about his mom and dad in this world with faces identical to the real world. He couldn’t help but ask 520 inwardly: [Why are the parents in this world exactly the same as in the real world?]

Back in the hospital, 520 had already picked up on Su Wenyu’s thought and knew about this. So it wasn’t surprised he asked.

But regarding this, 520 truly wasn’t quite sure.

[I haven’t encountered this situation before, so I don’t really know. But I’ve already reported this to the Main System. I’ll tell you once it replies.] 520 said.

Su Wenyu just said [Oh]. He was also a bit curious about this Main System 520 mentioned. [The Main System, what kind of existence is it? Is it the boss of all Villain Systems?]

520 said, voice full of reverence: [Not just Villain Systems. All systems are governed by the Main System.]

Su Wenyu was surprised. [Besides Villain Systems, what else is there?]

520 thought for a moment. [Substitute Systems, Abuse-the-Protagonist Systems, etc. Lots of kinds. But basically, they’re all similar to Villain Systems—you have to complete various tasks the system assigns.]

Su Wenyu had read quite a few novels lately and could roughly understand what 520 was talking about.

But he was curious again: [Then why am I a Villain System, and not something else?]

520, hearing this, immediately sounded aggrieved: [Are you looking down on me?]

Before Su Wenyu could explain, 520 said pitifully: [I know that systems like us Villain Systems aren’t exactly liked. The tasks we issue are all things bad guys do. But I’ve already worked really hard to issue tasks right at the system’s limit—they’re already very gentle, very mild tasks!]

[If it were another Villain System, they’d force you to hit Zhou Xu with a car, hire people to beat up Zhou Xu, all kinds of bullying Zhou Xu. I only made you tear a notebook and splash some water. I’m already the best Villain System there is!]

Su Wenyu shuddered at the thought of hitting Zhou Xu with a car, completely unaware tasks could even be that ruthless.

Compared to those, the tasks 520 arranged for him were indeed child’s play.

But listening to this, an even deeper doubt stirred in Su Wenyu’s heart: [Then why are you different from other systems? Why are you so good to me?]

520, hearing this, was about to answer, but the data running in its backend seemed to glitch, like a missing piece, causing it to freeze for a moment.

Right, why was it different from other Villain Systems? Why was it so good to Su Wenyu?

520 tried to think, somewhat at a loss, but it couldn’t remember.

Finally, it could only say, voice bewildered: [I don’t remember.]

It seemed to have forgotten something.