I Am Your Natural Enemy

"But now, I really do like Xiao Wu. There are too many evil spirits in the world. When one starts to be tainted, that's when you appreciate someone like Xiao Wu even more. Besides, I accepted a gift from Xiao Wu. A gift that no amount of money can buy—that's enough for me."

Wen Yan lifted the doodle Xiao Wu had given him, speaking very seriously and sincerely. "This is the world's first painting with a Soul, created by a Soul Painter—a profession that has never existed before. And, as of now, it's the only one of its kind in the entire world. This truly is something no amount of money can buy."

Wu Tingsheng looked into Wen Yan's eyes, deeply moved. His heart surged with emotion; he believed every word Wen Yan said was true. He felt happy for his son. Wen Yan didn't look down on Xiao Wu, nor did he pity him; Wen Yan genuinely thought Xiao Wu was special. Wu Tingsheng felt that if his eyes weren't deceiving him, he definitely hadn't misjudged Wen Yan. It wasn't mere politeness—his ears weren't deceiving him; he couldn't have misheard.

"Don't call me Boss Wu anymore, it's too distant. If you respect me and are willing to do me this honor, just call me Uncle Wu."

"Uncle Wu, you're being too kind," Wen Yan replied. Of course, he had to grant him this courtesy; after all, when someone spoke like that, what else could he do?

"Ah, good, very good." Wu Tingsheng's emotions surged; it had been a long time since he'd felt this way. He insisted on drinking with Wen Yan, bringing out a box of very expensive-looking wine from his basement and having someone prepare a table full of dishes.

During the meal, Xiao Wu also ate his food cheerfully and obediently. Although his intelligence was a bit low at the moment, he didn't need to be fed. He knew what he liked and disliked, and his whole demeanor became more lively.

After eating his fill, Xiao Wu went back to watching cartoons, then looked at art books, and finally went to his studio to practice painting.

Wu Tingsheng himself, however, got drunk, eventually losing consciousness. Wen Yan and the others carried Wu Tingsheng to his bedroom. They made sure the live-in aunt was taking good care of him before they felt reassured enough to leave.

When they were leaving, the maid pushed out a serving cart. She explained it was something Wu Tingsheng had arranged in advance for Wen Yan to take with him. It contained freshly made dishes, all kept warm inside. There were also several different bottles of wine, selections from Wu Tingsheng's personal collection, for Wen Yan to take back and try, to see which ones suited his palate.

After leaving Wu Tingsheng's courtyard, Feng Yao remarked, a hint of envy in his voice, "I must have eaten at least three months of my salary and bonus today."

Zhang Laoxi smacked his belly, grinning teasingly. "Not satisfied?"

"That's not it. It's just too satisfying!" Feng Yao looked up at the sky and sighed. "Those sugar-coated bullets are truly potent. He's just too generous and incredibly thoughtful. Never mind Wen Yan; even I'm almost swayed."

"To be fair, Uncle Wu really knows how to treat people," Wen Yan said. "He knew that if we stayed for dinner, our families would have to sort out their own meals, so he prepared all this food for us to take back. He probably worried I'd decline, so he didn't mention it at first. With all this food, even after we've eaten our fill here, Sparrow Cat alone at home definitely can't finish it. He certainly considered Pei Tugou's family as well. He's such a prominent boss, yet he attends to such fine details. No wonder he's so successful."

Wen Yan also sighed with admiration. Wu Tingsheng isn't among the most prominent capitalists, perhaps because he's a man of sentiment, not heartless or cold enough, he thought. Otherwise, over these many years, it would have been quite normal for him to have dozens of sons and expand the business to ten times its current size.

He pushed the serving cart full of delicious food to Pei Tugou's place. It was just dinnertime, so he told them to eat while it was hot, saying it was a housewarming gift from the owner of this estate.

Pei Tugou, an honest man, truly believed this and wanted to thank the host face-to-face immediately. However, Wen Yan explained that Boss Wu was already very drunk, so Pei Tugou relented.

Wen Yan took one more look at the little rascal. The baby was sleeping soundly on the bed, his mouth making sucking motions and his little nose wrinkling slightly, as if dreaming.

Wen Yan smiled. Just as he was about to leave, the little rascal opened his eyes. The baby struggled to crane his head, staring at the painting Wen Yan held. His little mouth smacked incessantly, saliva drooling down his cheek.

Wen Yan was startled and quickly reached out to turn the little rascal's head away.

"You little fella, eating really seems to boost your intelligence! You can even detect this thing in your sleep.

"You are not allowed to eat this, nor are you allowed to just eat anything you find.

"Remember, you are also not allowed to eat the paintings with a Soul that Xiao Wu will create in the future.

"You need to have some foresight. Xiao Wu finally has a chance to mend his Soul.

"If you eat all the Soul from his paintings, how will he mend it?

"If he doesn't mend it, how will he create more paintings with a Soul?

"You're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, do you understand that!"

Unfortunately, the little rascal didn't understand a single thing. He just sensed something tasty and wanted to eat it, but Wen Yan wouldn't let him.

Then, his instinct told him what to do. He opened his mouth wide and began to cry, "WAH! WAH! WAH!"

Hearing the crying, Jia Jinfeng quickly came upstairs and checked on the baby.

"He wet himself. It's nothing serious; you don't need to worry."

"Then, Sister-in-law, you can handle it," Wen Yan said. "I've had a bit to drink and probably reek of alcohol, so I'll head back first."

"Go on, then. Get some rest early."

As Wen Yan was leaving, he still felt a little uneasy and muttered under his breath, "I'm Your Dad! You're not allowed to eat just anything. Today, Your Dad is going to teach you a lesson: crying won't help. You can't get everything you want just by crying."