Mr. Lu, Mr. Su is being coquettish again!

"Come back, Xiao Fang. We finally found you, but we were only reunited for a few years before Lu Yuan had an accident and you left again."

Wang Yilan spoke slowly, almost as if she were trying to soothe Lu Fang's emotions, "We have never blamed you for Xiao Yuan's matter. We are giving you time, and you also need to think about us. You have already lost one son, and the other son is making a fuss about cutting ties..."

Lu Fang hung his head, feeling a pang of sadness. When he spoke again, his voice was choked with sobs: "I... I'm not worthy to be your son..."

"Slap!" Before Lu Fang could react, he received a solid slap on the face.

Lu Chengze frowned and glared angrily: "Damn it! If you have the guts, face the problem head-on! How long are you going to keep running away, huh?!"

Lu Chengze had a strong grip, and Lu Fang's wheat-colored cheek quickly swelled up when he looked up, and he subconsciously reached out to cover it.

When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with tears.

For the first time in over twenty years, Lu Fang looked at them with a sense of helplessness.

For some reason, Wang Yilan actually sensed a hint of grievance in Lu Fang's usually strong and unyielding expression.

She felt a pang of sympathy. "Husband..."

"Never mind that, I'm going to wake this disloyal and unrighteous son up with a slap today." Lu Chengze raised his hand, ready to strike again.

Lu Fang didn't dodge, his head hanging down, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, a "plop" was heard, and Lu Fang knelt down straight in front of them.

"I was wrong... Dad... hit me if you want." This was one of the few times that Lu Fang, a free-spirited and unruly person, admitted his mistake and softened his stance.

Perhaps because she had almost never cried, her head was bowed very low, and she was too hoarse to utter a few words.

I was wrong... Dad...

Lu Chengze's hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then he closed his eyes briefly before slowly lowering it. This was the first time Lu Fang had called him "Dad" since that incident.

"Xiao Fang, the ground is cold, get up first and talk slowly." Wang Yilan is the most protective of her children.

Lu Fang hung his head and refused to get up.

"Let him kneel if he wants to," Lu Chengze said coldly. It's no wonder they're father and son; even their sharp tongues are exactly the same.

"Xiao Fang, there's something I didn't really need to tell you, but if saying it will make you feel better," Wang Yilan sighed. "Then we'll tell you: you've always been our only biological son."

Lu Fang didn't understand what they meant, or rather, he didn't want to understand, and looked at them with some confusion.

"When you were born, your mother had a difficult childbirth, which left her with health problems, and she has been unable to have children since then." Lu Chengze sighed and took Wang Yilan's hand.

"But just two days after you were born, you were taken away by human traffickers, possibly the person you later called 'godfather,' or maybe someone else."

Lu Fang clenched his fist at his side. Those days, that childhood, were not easy.

It wasn't until later, when Lu Chengze led a large group of people to that shantytown alley, that he learned the reason behind his "godfather's" terrible attitude towards him all along.

He was already ten years old at that time.

"Although your mother didn't say it, I know she was always having a hard time. So, five years after you disappeared, we adopted your younger brother, Lu Yuan, with heavy hearts. I think you already know what happened after that." Lu Chengze seemed unwilling to recall the past.

"Why, why... why didn't you say so sooner..." Tears streamed down Lu Fang's face as he clenched his fists at his sides.

He thought he had indirectly caused his younger brother's death and owed his parents, who had found them, a debt they had raised since childhood.

He was just a wild child with a bad temper who was accidentally lost and then found again.

"Plop!" The spacious hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was Lu Fang's tears falling.

Lu Fang doesn't cry easily. He didn't cry when he was abused by his adoptive father as a child, nor did he cry when he was called a wild child without a mother or manners.

Ten years later, when his parents found him again, he didn't cry. But today, Lu Fang knelt in the quiet hall and silently shed tears.

He had always felt guilty towards his parents, but now he thought about it.

For so many years, they have distanced themselves from their parents by escaping from them. The parents, who lost their son ten years ago, have lost two more sons. How can a simple word like "guilt" explain all of this?

Lu Fang lowered his head. He thought he probably understood. It wasn't that Lu Yuan wasn't important; losing Lu Yuan would be painful for anyone.

What Lu Chengze and Wang Yilan wanted him to understand was that the dead are gone, and only the living are important.

"I was wrong..." Lu Fang clenched his fists at his sides. The mistake of not being able to be by his parents' side all these years, causing them to suffer the pain of not being able to acknowledge their son, could not be explained away with just an apology.

"But why didn't you say so sooner? Why..." Lu Fang seemed lost in thought, muttering unconsciously, "Ah... Mom and Dad..."

"It's good that you're willing to come back..." Wang Yilan couldn't hold back anymore, sliding off the sofa to kneel on the floor and hugging the person who was crying her eyes out.

Like comforting a child, they gently patted Lu Fang's back: "It's good that you're willing to come back. Your parents have never blamed you... Whether it's you or Lu Yuan, in the end, your parents are the ones who have failed you. We didn't take good care of you... We couldn't watch you grow up healthy and strong..."

Wang Yilan almost choked up as she finished speaking; no one could understand the feeling of losing something and then getting it back better than her.

"No...it's my fault...it's all my fault. If you hadn't recognized me, Lu Yuan wouldn't have been dragged into that group and lost his life because of their retaliation and provocation..."

Lu Fang still couldn't let go. He still remembered Lu Yuan lying in his arms, struggling to say, "I avenged you... Brother, no one can bully you, insult you... or say you're an illegitimate child, the son of a lover..."

Wang Yilan and the others only learned later that Lu Fang had been ostracized by his classmates ever since he was brought back to school.

Because of his unruly nature and his street-smart demeanor that clashed with the elite school, and more likely because of the overly expensive outfits that Wang Yilan and the others had dressed him in in an attempt to make up for what they owed him.

That's how the world is: if you're different, they're curious; if you're arrogant, they band together to cause trouble; if you're superior, they're jealous.

In fact, when Lu Yuan got into trouble, Lu Fang was already able to handle these provocations and slanders with ease.

But Lu Yuan couldn't hold back. Teenagers are just as impulsive as he was back then, and the price of impulsiveness is paying with one's life.

"It's not your fault, baby, it's our fault. It's our fault... We failed to be good parents, we couldn't keep an eye on you when you were young... We couldn't protect you and Xiaoyuan when you were young because of our negligence..." Wang Yilan sobbed uncontrollably.

Lu Chengze also turned his back.

"No, Mom, you're all so good to me and Lu Yuan. But you know I'm Lu Fang, I grew up wild, no one can really bully me..." Lu Fang said casually, comforting Wang Yilan instead.

Wang Yilan sat up slightly, looking at Lu Fang, feeling even more distressed. If he had known earlier that Lu Fang had suffered so much injustice in his old circle at school, he would never have let those people off so easily.

And nothing like what happened to Lu Yuan will happen.

Six months later, Su Nanqin opened the cooking app again.

Lu Fang said he was coming back, and he probably will.

Thinking that Lu Fang had never eaten his cooking before, the CEO, who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, decided to give Lu Fang a surprise today—to cook for Lu Fang himself!

Su Nanqin started preparing in the afternoon, buying ingredients one by one according to Lin Yi's instructions.

After fiddling with the tablet all night, Su Nanqin was aware of his own skill level and decided to make only ten simple dishes.

The first dish is the simplest braised pork ribs, cooked according to the recipe.

Su Nanqin picked up the plate and examined it carefully for a moment. It was black, was that right?

Su Nanqin tilted his head, unsure.

I made a few more dishes, heated the oil in a wok, and with a sizzle, the oil went into the wok, followed by a burst of blazing flames.

Even the composed Su Nanqin was startled by the roaring flames in the pot and took a step back. Flustered and unsure what to do, he then remembered he should use the pot lid.

In a panic, I grabbed a pot lid and clumsily tried to put it on, but the pot wasn't placed steadily, and the hot edge of the pot quickly scorched my porcelain-white hand, turning it bright red.

At least the fire was out, but a burning sensation came from the back of my hand.

Su Nanqin glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost ten o'clock. A piercing heat emanated from the back of his hand, making Su Nanqin feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Whether from pain or grievance, he couldn't be sure if Lu Fang would come back.

On his birthday, the familiar feelings of loneliness and desolation washed over him. Su Nanqin didn't want to cook; he just wanted to make Lu Fang happy, or perhaps he wanted to find something to do to keep himself from overthinking.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain. Su Nanqin awkwardly put his hand to his mouth and blew on it, then rinsed it underwater in a daze.

He's just not smart enough; he can't learn these things.

After relieving the pain for a moment, Su Nanqin looked at the mess he had made on the floor and the dishes that were either burnt or looked unappetizing, and felt somewhat frustrated.

Finally, feeling a little disappointed, I took out some frozen dumpling wrappers and minced meat from the freezer, and, enduring the burning pain, tried to wrap them up like in the video.

Burns are no small matter; they're extremely painful. No matter how many bandages Su Nanqin applied, he was already drenched in sweat and couldn't bear it any longer.

He looked at the various shapes of dumplings and counted them; there should be enough for Lu Fang to eat.

Lu Fang came in right before or after Su Nanqin finished cooking the dumplings. He seemed to be in a daze, but at least he remembered to wipe the tears from his face when he reached the door.

Hearing a noise from the entrance, Su Nanqin excitedly ran over to greet him, "Lu Fang, you're back!"

Before she even saw him, Lu Fang pulled her into his arms like a wolf with its tail between its legs.

Lu Fang put his arm around Su Nanqin's lower back, rested his head on Su Nanqin's chest, and almost all of his body weight was on Su Nanqin.

It is a dependent posture.

"Don't move, let me lean on Nan Nan for a little while." Lu Fang's voice was hoarse and muffled, coming from his chest.

They sounded extremely tired.

Lu Fang had never said anything like this that suggested weakness before, but today...