BTMDY Extra 2

Lu Chengxuan was busy in the kitchen, and the sudden commotion naturally caught his attention. He turned at the doorway.

He was wearing an apron with a Powerpuff Girls design, and for the first time in forever, his normally calm, unflappable face showed a flicker of confusion. Clearly, he hadn’t quite processed what Lin Wangye had just called him.

Lin Wangye, fresh off effortlessly scoring an entire apartment, was riding high on excitement.

Spotting Lu Chengxuan, he didn’t hesitate for a second and barreled forward with the same bear hug he had just used on Lin Shen.

Lu Chengxuan was still rolling out dough, his hands covered in flour and oil.

Hit by the full weight of a grown man, he barely took a half-step back. Worried about smearing the dough or oil on Lin Wangye, he didn’t push back at all. His thoughts were clearly shaken by the explosive “Mom!” that had just rung out, and he froze in place.

With no one holding him up, Lin Wangye started slipping the moment he clung to Lu Chengxuan.

He didn’t overreact, though. Naturally following the fall, he steadied himself, tiptoed past Lu Chengxuan, and peeked into the kitchen, eyes lighting up: “You’re really making roujiamo for me!”

Roujiamo might seem simple, but it’s actually tricky to get right.

Lin Wangye didn’t want just plain meat stuffed into a bun. He wanted the specialty from out of town: pork with a perfect mix of fat and lean, soaked in fragrant braising sauce. The bread had to be crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with each bite offering a satisfying layering of textures.

On a street lined with snack stalls, it’s nothing special—you can grab one in minutes.

But making it at home? That’s a whole different story, with multiple steps and plenty of waiting. When Lin Wangye arrived, the braised meat was still simmering, and the dough was still being kneaded. Clearly, he’d have to wait, maybe for quite a while, before tasting anything.

Standing at the doorway, Lin Shen had already struggled to contain the curve of his lips the moment he heard Lin Wangye’s choice of words.

After calling Shi Yuan to bring in the suitcase, he closed the door with a casual hand and walked back to the living room, grinning from ear to ear, eyes glued to Lu Chengxuan’s reaction.

The two of them met each other’s gaze, but the colors in their eyes couldn’t have been more different.

Lin Shen looked triumphant, like he’d scored a win in some unspoken arena. Lu Chengxuan, on the other hand, seemed confused and dazed, unsure whether he should even acknowledge that title.

As for Lin Wangye himself, it had all been on a whim. He hadn’t thought it through at all. Lin Shen was his dad, so naturally the corresponding word that popped into his head was ‘Mom.’

He and Shi Yuan had already registered their marriage at Sigwell.

Receiving a house out of nowhere, plus the word ‘dowry,’ had subconsciously triggered all those hearsay customs he’d picked up, and without warning, the word had leapt from his mouth.

After saying it, he completely forgot about it. Lin Shen, however, wasn’t ready to let it slide. He had to ask Lin Wangye about it, right there in front of Lu Chengxuan.

“What did you just call me?”

Lin Wangye, bent over the counter poking at the dough, quickly scrambled to remember what he’d said. A chill ran through him, and he straightened up, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Lu… Brother Lu! I—I just slipped!”

“Hey, no, no, no!”

Seeing how quickly he was apologizing and correcting himself, Lin Shen immediately started waving his hands like crazy. He walked over, speaking earnestly, mixing logic with heartfelt persuasion, laying out a long, serious speech as if teaching a lesson.

“Son, look, here’s the deal. Even though you’re not my biological kid, we’re father and son in every way that counts. That’s not up for debate, right?”

Xiao Lin froze for a moment, completely taken in, and nodded vigorously.

“You’re right!”

“Exactly,” Lin Shen said, putting on that proud, teachable look. He lifted his arm and rested a hand on his shoulder. “So, I’m your dad. Whoever marries your dad, that person is your mom. Right? What you just said wasn’t wrong at all. You should call them mom. Calling him brother or uncle? Totally wrong. All these years, you’ve been calling wrong.”

Hearing this, Lin Wangye scratched his head, feeling like something wasn’t quite right. But after thinking it through from start to finish, he couldn’t find a single flaw in the logic.

Seeing that his dazed son hadn’t caught on, Lin Shen pressed the advantage.

He looked completely satisfied, first locking eyes with Lin Wangye, then glancing at Lu Chengxuan. Taking a deep breath as if holding back a rush of excitement, his face was full of anticipation.

“Lu Chengxuan, I told you, sooner or later, the kid would recognize everything you’ve done for this family. After all this time, the day has finally come!”

Without giving anyone a moment to react, Lin Shen clapped Lin Wangye hard on the shoulders and forced him to face Lu Chengxuan. Pulling out his phone, he aimed the camera at the two of them. “Son, call her mom. Let me witness this historic moment.”

Lin Wangye was just a little slow to react—not an idiot, after all.

He knew his dad was up to his usual antics, using him and Lu Chengxuan as pawns for fun. Still, he didn’t mind playing along. After all, it wasn’t every day he got to see Lu Chengxuan flustered and awkward.

Thinking this, Lin Wangye looked up at Lu Chengxuan, holding the apartment keys in his hands. His clear, bright eyes shone with sincerity, and with a strong, steady voice, he said:

“Mom!”

The words hung in the air. Lu Chengxuan’s dark eyes flickered noticeably. Lin Shen zoomed in with the camera for a close-up, satisfied as he saved the video.

From start to finish, Lu Chengxuan knew exactly what Lin Shen was up to. Seeing the pure joy on Lin Shen’s face, he quietly returned to the kitchen. Passing Lin Wangye, he gave a faint “hmm” and bent back over the dough.

The aroma of the simmering meat gradually filled the air.

Lin Wangye hadn’t been very hungry after the airplane meal, but the smell made his mouth water. He hurried over, lifted the lid, and asked anxiously, “When will it be ready? I want to eat!”

“Still a little while,” Lu Chengxuan said, nodding toward another direction. “There’s food in the fridge and snacks in the living room. If you’re hungry, ask Lin Shen to get you something to tide you over.”

Seeing such a big kitchen and only Lu Chengxuan working, Lin Wangye’s energy kicked in immediately. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped over to help.

“Can I help? Let me try!”

“Go, go, go, don’t mess around,” Lin Shen said cheerfully, grabbing his hat and pulling him out of the kitchen. He turned toward the living room. “Kids shouldn’t play with flour—it’ll make them wet the bed tonight.”

“What kind of superstitious nonsense is that? I don’t care, I want to play!”

“Stop it, there’s nothing fun about it. Let him go, we’ll play games instead.”

“Fine, alright then.”

After all the commotion, Shi Yuan quietly finished putting away his suitcase, washed his hands, and went to the kitchen to lend a hand.

The Lin father-and-son duo were basically the kind of people whose ten fingers had never touched a drop of water in the kitchen.

Lin Wangye was slightly better—he could cook simple meals and wouldn’t starve himself. Lin Shen, on the other hand, was basically a 100% couch potato. He had never done a single household chore in his life. Going into the kitchen was only ever to grab something to eat, and he didn’t even know how to light the stove.

Normally, after work, he’d flop straight onto the sofa or bed, without fail.

If Lu Chengxuan didn’t bother to slice some fruit, make a dessert, and prepare meals on time, Lin Shen would rather starve than lift a finger.

As Lin Shen himself admitted:

Born lazy, he already used all his energy running his company. With a sharp tongue to boot, he was just not cut out for daily life and could easily drive anyone insane.

That’s why Lu Chengxuan took care of everything so willingly, without complaint.

With Lu Chengxuan and Shi Yuan busy at home, Lin Shen led Lin Wangye to the apartment across the street to check it out.

Both Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan owned plenty of property, but they chose this location because it was ideal: close to Lin Hong and Sheng Tian Company, with full nearby facilities, wide roads without too many one-way streets, and little traffic.

Lin Wangye had considered buying an apartment here before.

But at the time, he hesitated because of the price and the fact that people still lived across the street. He only bought apartments for his grandparents and Xu Sui. Soon after, he went abroad with Shi Yuan.

The previous owner of the apartment across the street didn’t live here either—it had been an investment. Later, needing funds due to a failed business venture, they decided to sell, and Lu Chengxuan bought it.

The top floor had two units per elevator, offering plenty of space.

Lin Wangye opened the door to a five-room, two-living-room layout, with south-north ventilation. The water and electricity were set up, the floor heating installed, but the rest was basically a blank canvas, making all the space immediately visible.

“The property certificate is in my name now. We can handle the transfer later,” Lin Shen said, looping his arm around Lin Wangye’s shoulder as he led him on a casual tour. “We barely touched anything, so you two can decorate however you like. Take your time designing it. I can help supervise the renovations, and when you come back from abroad, you can move right in.”

“Great!”

Lin Wangye looked around the new home, excitement written all over his face. His eyes sparkled with joy and anticipation.

“I don’t have much opinion myself, but Shi Yuan has good taste. I’ll have him ask his friends who study interior design for advice. Once it’s done, we’ll send it straight to you!”

“Perfect.” Lin Shen smiled and asked casually, “Living abroad going well? No troubles or anything?”

“Yeah, of course not.”

Lin Wangye answered without hesitation, then tilted his head, confused, looking at his dad. “He’s always been good to me. How could he ever make me feel wronged? You’re not still holding a grudge, are you?”

Lin Shen chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“Not at all. It’s just that Sigwell is so far away, and it’s basically his turf. I just worried you two might argue, and you’d be all alone with no one to back you up.”

Lin Wangye quickly explained, “No way! We never argue!”

“Ah,” Lin Shen said, slightly surprised, “never, not even once?”

Lin Wangye shook his head like a little rattle. “Nope. He doesn’t even raise his voice at me. How could we possibly argue?”

Hearing this, Lin Shen fell silent, clearly failing to judge by his own experience.

Observing his dad’s expression, Lin Wangye suddenly realized something and tilted his head. “Wait, you and my mom, Brother Lu, argue a lot, right?”

“Not really…”

This time, Lin Shen didn’t try to deny it. He and Lu Chengxuan had genuinely never argued in nearly twenty years since they met.

Of course, arguments take two hands to clap. Over the years, it had always been him alone doing all the ‘output’; Lu Chengxuan never fired back.

But he’d read online that a proper relationship needed a little quarrel now and then.

Life had been just too dull.

He’d even stirred up fake fights and threatened divorce just to feel the thrill of arguing at night and making up by morning—but Lu Chengxuan, ever the calm one, never played along.

“To be honest,” Lin Shen admitted openly in front of his son, “I’ve always fantasized about arguing with him, having a huge fight, packing my things, and running off to Sigwell to find you. Meanwhile, he’d have to work overtime back home, and then—after chasing me a thousand miles, pouring out his heart—he’d tell me he couldn’t live without me, that life was colorless without me. And then he’d be forced to drag me back, and we’d…”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Lin Wangye didn’t even wait for him to finish, speaking sincerely and summarizing.

“If you really go through all that and divorce, I’d definitely side with my mom.”

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ<๑)