Became a vicious male mother

195

The sound of the phone cracking was too loud.

Hearing the noise, Zhang Jinhao upstairs quickly came out of his room, only to see Li Hetai downstairs. He immediately hid behind a stair pillar.

Belatedly realizing what was happening, he stealthily looked over again and saw that the child downstairs was also looking at him, which frightened Zhang Jinhao so much that he didn't move.

downstairs.

Gu Xinglan picked up the phone with a pained expression.

The screen was broken in half, and it wouldn't even turn on. He said to the person on the stairs, "Do you have a spare phone at home?"

"Yes, I do have one." Zhang Jinhao took a useless one from the attic.

“Me too.” Li Hetai’s gaze followed her intently.

The two phones aren't old; they're models from two years ago.

The company is about to launch a new round of financing. The three people returned to the company to continue the meeting. Fewer and fewer shareholders were present in person. The meeting went on until dark, and some people had already made excuses to leave.

After signing the document, Zhang Jinhao made an excuse and left in a hurry.

In winter, the days are long and the nights are short. Before 5:30 p.m., it was already completely dark in Wushui. Looking out the window, all you could see was a dark mass. The moon was not out, the stars were nowhere to be seen, and there were clouds everywhere, not a single ray of light.

After finishing all her work, Gu Xinglan rested on the table and slept until almost seven o'clock.

When I woke up, my mouth was still a little wet, and my neck was sore and achy.

Gu Xinglan, still half asleep, returned to the Zhang family's villa with her briefcase at midnight.

With a "click," the inside instantly brightened up.

The room was empty; the heating wasn't even on.

The house has been left uncleaned, and the floor is covered with a layer of dust.

He hurriedly turned on the heater with the remote control. A buzzing sound suddenly appeared, then gradually returned to calm, and the warmth gradually increased.

Even the air inside the room began to circulate. Gu Xinglan closed the window, and the fragrance in the air gradually became more pronounced.

It smells like rice...

How can there be a smell of food when there's no one in the house?

Following the aroma, Gu Xinglan walked to the kitchen and saw a person wrapped up like a rice dumpling, stirring the bottom of the pot with chopsticks.

Upon seeing the stranger, Gu Xinglan quickly touched the mask on her face before walking back.

The other person was so startled that they slipped and fell to the ground.

"Sorry, let me help you up." Gu Xinglan said apologetically as she lifted the person off the ground.

But the people on the ground looked at him in horror.

"Thief!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man pushed him away, making him stumble and almost hit his butt on the corner of the table.

Who is the thief here...?

Seeing the genuine look of fear on the other person's face, and the way they curled up, Gu Xinglan said directly, "I know Zhang Jinhao, I'm Zhang Jinhao's... colleague."

On the surface, Zhang Jinhao's recognition of him as his son is a smokescreen to mislead the outside world. He can call Fang "Uncle," but it is absolutely impossible for him to call him "Dad."

As for now, Gu Xinglan reached out her hand to the person who was still not getting up on the ground, "Little brother, get up first, the ground is cold."

Underfloor heating usually takes at least an hour to fully heat up, but now, in less than ten minutes, the floor temperature is almost the same as the outside temperature.

The boy was skeptical and didn't reach out his hand; instead, he got up from the ground on his own.

"I...I only cooked for five people."

“Let’s do it together.” Gu Xinglan walked past the boy, turned the stove to a low flame, and the boiling water in the pot instantly subsided.

The boy was getting anxious. He glanced at the doorway, then at the stranger, only to see that the stranger had picked up a cleaver and was about to chop vegetables.

"Leave it alone, I'll do it myself."

"No need, you go and rest." His skill card's vacation is almost over, and if he doesn't do something soon, it might become useless.

But the boy didn't want him to handle it, so he came up and snatched the knife from him.

"Guest, please give it to me. You don't know what dish to make."

“Then tell me. If you can tell me, I can make it for you,” Gu Xinglan said firmly.

"..."

The kitchen staff wore scarves and were not only skilled with knives, but also had exceptional control over the heat, and could even toss the wok.

The aroma filled the air as soon as the dishes were served.

Zhang Cheng stood blankly by the table, constantly sniffing the aroma of the food in the air, his stomach growling with hunger.

When his two half-siblings were on holiday for the Spring Festival, he was sent to his grandmother's house. His grandmother's house was in the countryside, far away from here. He was ordered around by his uncle and made to do all kinds of housework.

It seems he started working when he was sent to his father's house at the age of five, and he's gotten used to it.

This is the first time I've seen someone else help him with his work.

"Are you Zhang Jinhao's youngest son?" Gu Xinglan asked the boy in front of her as she brought out the last dish, wiped her hands with a handkerchief.

The boy nodded timidly.

"Uncle, have you seen anyone else in the house?"

He got stuck in traffic on his way here, so he rushed home, wanting to cook a hot meal so that his father and the others could have something to eat when they got back.

Now that mealtimes have passed, there's still no one at home.

"Your mother and your two older brothers and sisters went to your maternal grandmother's house, and only your father was at home."

After the chopsticks and bowls were placed on the table, Gu Xinglan was about to invite the boy to eat first.

But the other person looked dejected, as if they were frustrated.

Noticing the boy's fluctuating emotions, Gu Xinglan suddenly became as perceptive as a dog finding a bone.

He walked over to the boy and said, "Nothing is more important than eating. Hot food tastes best. Sit down and eat first."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng raised his head and hesitated before sitting down.

The dishes on the table were delicious and appealing.

Gu Xinglan picked up the serving chopsticks, placed a piece of beef in the boy's bowl, and said with a smile, "Try it, how does it taste?"

The boy looked down at the food in his bowl, obediently picked some up and put it in his mouth. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it became, and every bite was full of juice. His eyes lit up slightly, and he said in a suppressed voice, "It's delicious!"

The other party's response was so positive that Gu Xinglan immediately beamed and continued, "Eat more if you like it. You'll have the energy to study when you're full."

"Study?" The boy, shoveling rice into his mouth, chuckled and said, "I stopped going to school a few years ago."

Hearing this, Gu Xinglan lowered her brows and unconsciously scooped rice from her bowl with a spoon. "Really... do you usually cook for yourself?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, I do all the housework."

These people are actually using teenagers as free child laborers.

"You're very capable; you can do so much at such a young age," Gu Xinglan said casually. "But have you ever thought that sometimes you could ask others to help you with some of the work?"

Zhang Cheng paused for a moment, looked up at Gu Xinglan, and a few traces of confusion flashed in his eyes.

This sounds strange. He's already used to it, so why would he need someone else to take responsibility for him?

"They are all very busy, and I don't want to bother them."

Gu Xinglan gently shook her head. "You are also a member of this family. It is only natural for family members to take care of each other. True family members will not put all the burden on one person. You care about them, and they care about you. That is the meaning of family."

The boy lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously stirring the food in his bowl. "I always feel like if I don't do these things, I don't belong here. They all have their own things to do, but I... feel like I'm superfluous."

Hearing this, he felt a pang of anxiety and retorted, "You are not superfluous. Everyone has their own value, and you are no exception."

The boy looked up, a hint of expectation in his eyes: "Really?"

Gu Xinglan nodded. "Of course it's true."

The room grew increasingly hot. Zhang Cheng remained silent for a while, then took off his coat and hat, his face flushed as he ate with a spoon, his face almost buried in the bowl.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You're welcome," Gu Xinglan smiled.