17: Chapter 17 The First "Cloud" Gathering

The hustle and bustle of the night market gradually faded, leaving only a few scattered drunks still playing drinking games.

Chen Fan untied the grease-stained apron and tossed it aside. He glanced at Su Wanqing, who was tidying up the dishes; her rough hands moved in and out of the dish soap bubbles, making his heart ache.

"Stop cleaning." Chen Fan walked over and pressed down on Su Wanqing's hand. "Accompany me for a meal."

Su Wanqing shook the water off her hands and gave him a sharp look. "Eat what? There are leftovers at home; we can just heat them up. A bowl of noodles here costs over ten yuan. Do you have money to burn?"

Although Chen Fan had just splurged a million to buy the stall, in Su Wanqing's subconscious, he was still the man who caused her endless worry, the one who had to pinch every penny.

"Throw out the leftovers." Chen Fan took out his phone and gave a calm instruction to the screen, "zero, bring the things over."

As soon as he finished speaking, two blinding headlights lit up the entrance of the night market street.

Two black business vans slowly drove in and stopped in front of the barbecue stall. The doors slid open, and four men wearing white chef uniforms and tall hats stepped out. They carried constant-temperature food boxes and even brought down a huge ultra-clear mobile display screen.

Su Wanqing took a step back in fright, the rag in her hand dropping to the ground.

"This... what is this for?"

"Serving the meal."

Chen Fan pulled over a scratched-up folding table. The chefs immediately stepped forward, spreading a snow-white tablecloth, laying out silver cutlery, and even lighting a scented candle.

The originally greasy barbecue stall was forcibly transformed into something with the distinct vibe of a high-end Western restaurant.

Then, the food boxes were opened.

Boston Lobster, A5 Wagyu Beef, Black Truffle Foie Gras... exquisite dishes, like works of art, were served one by one. The domineering aroma wafted into their nostrils, instantly masking the surrounding smell of cooking fumes.

Su Wanqing looked at everything before her, feeling like her brain couldn't process it.

"Chen Fan, what on earth are you up to?" She lowered her voice, terrified of being seen. "Eating this at a night market? Have you gone mad?"

"A family meal—where we eat isn't important. What matters is that everyone is together."

Chen Fan snapped his fingers.

The massive display screen lit up.

On the screen was the living room of a presidential suite at the Peninsula Hotel. Su Nianyao and Su Muyang were sitting at a dining table, with the exact same dishes laid out before them.

The two children were clearly startled by the spectacle, staring wide-eyed at their parents on the other side of the screen.

"Dad... Mom?" Su Nianyao called out tentatively. Her voice came through the top-tier speakers, as clear as if she were right next to them. "These... these dishes were sent by you?"

Su Wanqing was stunned.

She looked at her children on the screen. Su Nianyao was wearing a hotel bathrobe, her hair damp, the previous terror and exhaustion gone from her face. Although Su Muyang kept a stiff face, his eyes couldn't help but dart toward the Australian Lobster on the table.

At this moment, space seemed to have folded.

Chen Fan pulled out a plastic stool, pressed Su Wanqing into her seat, and sat down opposite her.

"Let's eat." Chen Fan picked up his knife and fork, his movements as elegant as an old-school aristocrat, showing no trace of the man who was just grilling mutton skewers. "Muyang, Nianyao, eat up. Especially Muyang—you're at an age where you're growing, don't just eat steamed buns and pickles all the time."

On the other side of the screen, Su Muyang's hand tightened around his cutlery. He wanted to stubbornly refuse to eat, but his stomach betrayed him with a growl.

It had been nineteen years.

The "reunion dinners" in his memory were always a pot of noodles cooked by Su Wanqing, with only a few greens, and the only poached egg would always be given to him and his sister.

For the four of them to sit face-to-face like this, even across a screen, was a first.

"Eat." Su Wanqing looked at the children on the screen, her eyes suddenly reddening, her voice a bit choked. "Don't let it go to waste. This... this is quite expensive."

With her mother's word, Su Nianyao was no longer restrained. She picked up a piece of foie gras and put it in her mouth, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"It's delicious! Mom, you try some too!"

Chen Fan cut a piece of the best steak into small bites and swapped it with the plate in front of Su Wanqing.

"Try it. It's medium-well; you should find it palatable."

Su Wanqing looked at the meat on her plate, then at Chen Fan.

Under the dim yellow streetlights, the lines of the man's profile were hard, but the way he looked at her was as soft as water. That long-lost feeling of being cared for was like a warm current, slowly melting the hard layer of ice in her heart.

"Look at you."

Su Wanqing cursed softly but didn't refuse, forking a piece of beef into her mouth.

It was truly delicious.

Is this what the life of the rich is like?

The meal was eaten quietly, yet it was exceptionally heartwarming.

Chen Fan didn't say much. Most of the time, he was serving Su Wanqing food or listening to Su Nianyao chatter about school things on the other side of the screen.

Su Muyang kept his head down and ate, occasionally glancing at his parents on the screen, the hostility in his eyes dissipating significantly.

Toward the end of the meal, Su Wanqing put down her cutlery and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

She looked at her daughter on the screen, whose mouth was covered in grease, and then at her son nearby, who was still trying to act cool but was clearly stuffed. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, revealing a very, very faint smile.

This smile was like a withered tree encountering spring.

Chen Fan was a bit dazed by the sight. After nineteen years, he finally saw her smile again.

"Host, the atmosphere has been built perfectly," zero's voice came through the earpiece. "However, I've detected that Su Muyang's phone received a high-frequency vibration message. Based on micro-expression analysis, his heart rate instantly spiked to 120."

Chen Fan's gaze sharpened, and he looked at the screen nonchalantly.

He saw Su Muyang, who had been drinking soup, as the phone by his side suddenly lit up.

He picked it up, took a look, and his expression changed drastically.

That face, which had already softened, instantly turned deathly pale, then flushed bright red. The spoon in his hand clattered against the edge of the bowl, making a crisp sound.

"Bro, what's wrong?" Su Nianyao noticed something was off.

"No... it's nothing." Su Muyang frantically turned his phone face down on the table, his breathing ragged. "I'm full. I'm going back to my room now."

After saying that, he didn't even dare to look at Chen Fan on this side of the screen, rushing out of the camera's range as if escaping.

Su Wanqing was a bit worried. "What's wrong with the boy? Did he eat something bad?"

"It's fine. He's probably just tired."

Chen Fan raised his wine glass and took a sip of red wine, concealing the flash of cold light in his eyes.

He had seen it clearly.

The moment Su Muyang's phone screen lit up, the sender's name was—Qian Li.

The message was very short, only one line, but it hooked that silly boy's soul like a barb.

Chen Fan set down his glass and looked at the dark night sky.

"It seems some people are in quite a hurry to be reincarnated."

He took out his phone and tapped the screen twice, sending a command to zero.

[Don't stop him. Let him go. If he doesn't end up battered and bruised, he'll never know how treacherous the human heart can be.]