When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 244: Father and Son

After three days, Pei Donghan couldn’t get his mind off his son and, unprecedentedly, didn’t go to the company even once.

Assistant Jiang delivered important documents to the villa every day, organizing those that required the chairman’s signature for verification.

The chairman was too tired; ever since Zhizhen went public, he had hardly taken any time off.

The death of his wife was heartbreaking, and Mr. Pei’s current state worried him further as a father. That’s why he was finally willing to let go of business matters and spend these three full days of leisure with his son.

When Jiang Shuyao helped Pei Yan downstairs, Pei Donghan was already seated at the dining table.

Seeing his son finally step out of his grief, his mood lifted, and he rarely showed a gentle and relieved smile.

The meal was quiet; all the dishes on the table were Pei Yan’s favorites.

Pei Donghan picked up the serving chopsticks, selected a few scallops, picked out the minced meat, and carefully placed it in his son’s bowl.

"Eat it, see how it tastes."

Pei Yan stared at the mushy lump for a long time and ate it expressionlessly.

Then, he furrowed his brows deeply.

"It’s time to change the chef," he said.

Jiang Shuyao watched curiously. Was it that bad?

She reached out to try some but was aggressively blocked by Pei Yan’s chopsticks, "Don’t eat, it’s not cooked."

"..."

Pei Donghan coughed uncomfortably and quickly said, "Yaoyao, eat something else, leave the scallops for now."

Oh.

It seemed that the previous chef’s skills were indeed better.

The only downside was that the old man was too superstitious.

Whenever Jiang Shuyao thought of Aunt Fu, she couldn’t help but shiver.

The scallops were undercooked. Though it wasn’t the cook’s fault, this was probably the most harmonious scene between the chairman and Mr. Pei that the servants had seen.

Today was the last day of the holiday. They would eat lunch and then head straight to school in the afternoon.

Pei Yan said there was no rush, suggesting a walk in the backyard first.

Good, she had some questions she wanted to ask him.

But before she could speak, Pei Yan brought up that night’s events himself.

"It was a gang of traffickers. The one who kidnapped you has been caught. Let’s leave the rest to the police."

Is that it?

Jiang Shuyao was speechless.

"Why would human traffickers target me?"

Was she to be sold to Africa as a laborer, or to Myanmar as a child bride?

Forgive her limited imagination, it just seemed far-fetched.

Pei Yan stopped walking, turned to face her with a half-smile, and said, "You’re too beautiful, it’s hard not to target you."

Jiang Shuyao was not so easily fooled and pressed, "How did you find me? In just a few hours, you not only rescued me but also caught the criminal. Impressive! Do you think I believe that?"

Of course not.

The girl’s eyes were piercing, as if they could bore holes through him.

Actually, Pei Yan wasn’t lying.

The person who kidnapped Jiang Shuyao had indeed been caught that night, but he denied being instructed by anyone, claiming it was a crime of passion.

Since someone was going through great lengths to target him, they naturally wouldn’t leave any trace.

Taking money to take the blame is an old story, they always think a few years in prison and everything’s settled, but this guy didn’t know who he was messing with.

Jiang Shuyao faintly guessed that Pei Yan was hiding something from her. She wasn’t dumb; Pei Yan had just left when she was kidnapped, which was too much of a coincidence.

In the end, she came back unscathed, but her godmother had an accident.

Whether there was a link between the two incidents, whether it was coincidental or deliberate.

"The forensic results came back as suicide."

Pei Yan’s calm voice echoed in her ears.

Jiang Shuyao stared blankly as she raised her head, meeting his chilling gaze.

Her heart suddenly ached.

So, had he also suspected?

She asked softly, "That night you went to see godmother, did you notice anything unusual about her?"

Subconsciously, Jiang Shuyao thought Pei Yan had visited her after meeting Lin Zhen.

But that was not the case.

That night, Lin Zhen had said on the phone that he wanted to meet Pei Yan, as he had something very important to tell him.

On his way to the hotel where Lin Zhen was staying, Pei Yan received a strange text message... 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Between her and her mother, Pei Yan ultimately chose her.

If Pei Yan had managed to meet Lin Zhen that night, there might have been a different outcome.

However, the reasons behind this, Jiang Shuyao would never have the chance to know.

Because Pei Yan wouldn’t allow it.

After a moment of silent eye contact, Jiang Shuyao was the first to look away.

His godmother was a sore spot for him; she couldn’t push too hard.

If he wanted to keep it a secret, let him. The truth can’t be hidden forever; the day will come when everything comes to light.

On the way back to school, she asked Pei Yan what was with the scallops at lunch.

Someone said they were undercooked, but actually ate five in one go.

She and Uncle Pei couldn’t stop him.

Thinking about it, Pei Yan couldn’t help but curl his lips.

"There’s something you probably don’t know."

"What?"

As the girl looked on intently, he said casually, "Old Pei once took up cooking for a year to please my mom."

Jiang Shuyao’s eyes widened.

She was clever, and quickly realized the scallops couldn’t be blamed on any chef’s lack of skill.

It was clearly Uncle Pei personally cooking, making a loving lunch for his son.

My goodness, Uncle Pei actually cooking in the kitchen.

She had always heard Old Jiang making fun of men who couldn’t cook, saying they wouldn’t be able to keep a wife.

It turned out... he had really hit Uncle Pei’s weak spot.

From that dish of scallops, it was clear Uncle Pei inherently lacked culinary skills, even after a year of learning, he still couldn’t master the timing.

But regardless, a father cooking to make his son happy was truly touching.

"Uncle Pei is so good to you, don’t make him angry anymore, okay?" Jiang Shuyao turned his face with her hand, "I’m serious, if you don’t treat him well in the future, I won’t let you off."

Oh my.

The bride lecturing sternly seemed quite fierce.

Pei Yan asked neatly, "What kind of not letting me off? Is not letting me out of bed for three days and nights okay?"

Jiang Shuyao welcomed him with a slap.

The beast reverts to its true nature, it seems he was alright.

Speaking of three days and nights, Jiang Shuyao couldn’t help but feel a little heartache.

She moved her lips slightly, saying softly, "Also, no matter what happens in the future, don’t be harsh on your own body. If you don’t eat, the whole family suffers."

"Mm." Pei Yan responded ambiguously, his gaze drifting towards the slowly receding mountains.

During the years Lin Zhen was abroad, everyone thought Mr. Pei would be the one who couldn’t handle it.

But in reality, it was Pei Donghan.

A man who immerses himself in work 24 hours a day, choosing exhaustion to numb his nerves, enduring until Zhizhen was launched, witnessing his son tormented by psychological issues, was the moment as a father, Pei Donghan truly sobered up.

Lin Zhen’s death was undoubtedly a greater blow to him than their divorce had been.

Pei Yan knew that the only thing that could distract that man was his son.