The President’s Man - Chapter 131

Han Ye was taken aback by how serious Xiao Zhihao was. He then patted the boy’s shoulder and said, “Zhihao, I was only joking with you. Sure, your mother continues to exceed my expectations, in all aspect actually, but this amount of money is nothing to me. Don’t worry about it. Since I promised your mother this meal, I won’t be so petty over the money.”

Xiao Zhihao seemed uncomfortable with Han Ye being so kind to him and his mother. Instead of running around in circles, like teenagers his age, he preferred to ask directly, “Mr. Han, what do you want from my mother?”

Han Ye was stunned by that question. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Do you think that everyone wants something from her?”

“My dad told me before, that I need to be careful with a.d.u.l.ts. The most generous humans might end up to be the scariest.” Xiao Zhihao stared at Han Ye, and at that moment, Han Ye felt as if he were talking to an a.d.u.l.t instead of a young teenager.

With a sigh, Han Ye admitted the truth, “Well… I didn’t plan to ask for anything, but since you asked… Actually, I do need something from you.”

“What?” Xiao Zhihao asked as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man.

“I just want to know if you know anything about your mother’s childhood?”

Xiao Zhihao raised a brow as he stared at Han Ye. He then looked at his mother, who had stopped outside a candy shop. When she signaled at him to tell him that she would be going in for a while, Xiao Zhihao nodded and waved his hand at her to let her know he was fine with it.

After Xiao Lei, Lu Ziyan, and Tian Le went into the shop, without looking at Han Ye, Xiao Zhihao asked curtly, “My mum’s childhood… Why do you want to know, Mr. Han?”

“To be honest, your mum seems to be kind of jumpy… and since Guangying and Callum asked me for help. Oh, they are the ones who are hiring her to be their surrogate, in case you didn’t know. Anyway, since they asked me to look after her, I just want to know more so that I know how to protect her. The more she hides from me, the harder it is for me to protect her.”

Han Ye knew that it was not right of him to use a young boy like Xiao Zhihao for information, but he had no other choice.

Xiao Zhihao thought for a moment before he said, “I don’t know.”

He then looked up at Han Ye and shrugged. “My mum and my dad. They don’t want to talk about their pasts. When I asked, there would be sadness and fear in their eyes. So… I stopped asking after a while. I don’t care about their pasts anyway. They are good parents to me, and that’s all that matters.”

Han Ye nodded. “It’s fine if you don’t know anything. I’m just asking anyway… Let’s go. I think your mother is about to buy the entire candy shop.”

They walked to the candy shop. However, before they reached the door, Xiao Zhihao suddenly pulled Han Ye’s sleeve.

“Oh, there’s one thing,” Xiao Zhihao said. He recalled something that his mother used to say, which he always thought to be a joke. With a smile, he looked up at Han Ye and chuckled. “When I was younger, Mum used to say that I looked like her father, and when I asked, she would always point it to the actor Fan Lei.”

….

On the way back, Xiao Zhihao and Tian Le became good friends. They chatted all the way until Xiao Zhihao eventually lost the battle with sleep. The younger teenager fell asleep halfway through his speech.

“Should I carry him later?” Han Ye asked in a hushed tone when he turned into the parking zone of their apartment building.

Xiao Lei shook her head as she gently caressed her son’s head. Xiao Zhihao was sitting in the middle between her and Lu Ziyan, and the young teenager had his head rested on his mother’s shoulder.

With a smile, she said with a hushed tone. “It’s fine. I’ll wake him up later. He was probably up late studying again last night.”

After he parked the car, Xiao Lei gently woke Xiao Zhihao up.

“Mum…” Xiao Zhihao grumbled as he scratched his sleepy eyes. “I dreamed about Dad…”

When he opened his eyes and saw Han Ye, Lu Ziyan, and Tian Le staring at him, Xiao Zhihao’s face immediately turned red from embarrassment.

“Stop staring at my son!” Xiao Lei growled before she burst out in laughter. When Xiao Zhihao looked at her with a frown, Xiao Lei chuckled. “Ok, ok. I won’t laugh. Let’s go. We’ve arrived.”

When Xiao Zhihao stepped out of the car and looked at the cars that were parked around, which included Bentleys, Porsches, and even one Rolls-Royce, his mouth fell agape. “What the…”

Tian Le laughed and placed an arm around the younger teen as he said, “I know what you’re feeling right now. When we first moved here, I was as shocked as you are now.”

“What is this place?” Xiao Zhihao asked as they walked to the lift.

Tian Le smirked. “The best apartment in Imperial City. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get used to it soon.”

Once they got to their floor, Tian Le yawned and waved goodbye to Xiao Lei and Xiao Zhihao. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow?” Xiao Zhihao looked at his mother and asked, “Why did he say tomorrow instead of ‘soon’? Are we doing anything for tomorrow?”

“I am, but you’re not?” Xiao Lei was unsure, so she looked at Han Ye.

Han Ye scratched the back of his head as he murmured, “Oh, did I forget to tell you? Zhihao is invited too, but he’s coming as a guest.”

“A guest?” Xiao Zhihao and Xiao Lei exchanged glances before the latter asked, “Where is this party again?”

“Du Mansion,” Han Ye said nonchalantly as he glanced at Xiao Lei. When Xiao Lei looked at him with her mouth slightly open, he shrugged and explained, “Since Madam President Du is bored out of her mind since she was placed under ‘house arrest’, President Du decided to throw a small party so that she can socialize a little.”

“But why am I invited?” Xiao Zhihao asked as he pointed to himself.

“Young Master Lyle invited you.”

“Young Master Lyle?” Xiao Zhihao frowned. “I barely know him. Wait. I don’t even know him at all. I’ve only met him once.”

“It’s fine. You’ll get to know him. There’ll be a lot of kids there as well.” Han Ye smiled and looked at Xiao Zhihao as he said, “As you know, your mother will be carrying the child of Mr. Shenlong and Mr. Luo. Right?”

Xiao Zhihao nodded.

Han Ye then continued, “Mr. Shenlong is President Du’s sworn brother. So in the future, your younger sibling would be President Du’s niece and nephew. You’ll be invited to a lot of these kinds of parties, so it’ll be good if you start hanging out with them.”

Xiao Lei looked at Xiao Zhihao, who seemed to be conflicted about something. She then looked at Han Ye and said, “My son doesn’t really like crowded place.”

“I’m fine, Mum.” Xiao Zhihao smiled as he looked at her. He then looked at Han Ye and said, “If my mum is going, then I’ll be going as well.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, there are plenty of things for you to play. This party is meant for a.d.u.l.ts, but a lot of people in President Du’s circle are parents. So, he invited their children as well and based on precedent, he will prepare an area for the kids to play in. I’m sure you will find something to do. Tian Le would be there as well. That kid can often be found in the gaming section.”

“But…” Xiao Lei was worried. Xiao Zhihao rarely got invited to parties, and now, he got invited to the party organized by the most prestigious family in Imperial City.

“Xiao Lei, Zhihao is a teenager now. It’s good for him to socialize a little,” Han Ye said. He then looked at Xiao Zhihao and said, “If you’re really uncomfortable, you can look for your mother or me. I’ll find someone to send you back then.”

Xiao Zhihao nodded. “I’m fine with it… But…”

He looked at his mother and asked, “I don’t have anything suitable to wear.”

“Oh. I don’t have anything to wear either. I thought we are going to a normal party, so I set aside a set of work clothes.” She looked at Han Ye wryly and said, “This is not a party for normal working clothes right?”

“Nope,” Han Ye with an evil smirk. “Better get something to wear tomorrow then. I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep soon. See you guys tomorrow.”

…