38 DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Upon leaving the Chen Mansion, Xue Guangxi did not go straight to his flat. There was one more agenda remaining from his to-do list that evening.

That pending item in his to-do list was to fetch his dog, Lala, from its foster owners for the past weekend. 

Prior to the twins' events, the question of where he would temporarily drop off his fluffy white Labrador retriever urgently bugged him the whole Friday. He thought he had to leave the dog with his brother Xue Minhe, which, by the way, lived in the Xue Mansion. To note, he had not visited the Xue Family yet since his return to the country from France. If he was left with that only option, then he would have no choice but to put airs and brazenly and with no shame whatsoever marched onto the Xue Mansion's front door just to handle his dog's leash to their most trusted butler, Butler Lee, or one of the maids. 

Or perhaps he could meet Butler Lee outside and hand him his dog for the weekends.

Or better yet, he could drop the dog in Xue Shipping, perhaps with one of the security personnel there. Surely they would have been briefed of who he is – the prestigious Xue Family's Second Young Master. Maybe they couldn't say no to him, right?

Still, he did not want help coming from the Xue Family even if it was as trivial as taking care of his dog for a couple of days. His enormous manly pride would simply not allow him to bend on the knees.

Last Friday, he did consider asking for his friends' help. By friends, he meant his two business partners and co-owner, Yang Haoran and Yu Hua.

He did ask Yang Haoran. "Hey, buddy, can you take Lala home this weekend?" Xue Guangxi casually vomited the question in the open before the start of a staff meeting.

All the other participants looked at each other in dying curiosity and intrigue. "Who's Lala? Dang, is she some girl? The boss is asking our second boss to take her home. Dang!"

"They shouldn't be talking this casually in front of their employees." One guy employee – a senior marketing supervisor – muttered under his breath.

"Seriously, is this appropriate? I'm feeling somewhat hot in the face!" 

"Ooops. That's awkward."

The room was filled with white noise. The two bosses totally ignored them. Xue Guangxi was busy reviewing the notes of his team's performance for that week while waiting for Yang Haoran's commitment.

"I can't. I won't be home this weekend. Prior engagement." Yang Haoran responded in a monotonous, almost bored, let's-get-it-done-with voice.

"Oh, okay! No problem." Xue Guangxi retorted in dismissal. In his head, he shifted his target to Yu Hua.

Unfortunately, somehow he had forgotten to ask Yu Hua about Lala's matter the rest of the day since they were too occupied with much more important things. They were busy meticulously preparing for Mr. Lim's final proposal and contract signing the following week. He's a new client Yu Hua had been wooing into XG Corp. even before Xue Guangxi's permanent return to the company.

Last Friday, all his work commitments ended quite late. At around midnight, only one person came to mind.

Good thing, some Good Samaritan came to the rescue – or rather, was forced to, and that person wasn't a Xue. 

His man was Mo Wenbin. 

He pulled his car to a stop along the road in front of the familiar house in front of him in the northern part of Beijing.

This house was known as the Chen Family's ancestral house. Before Chen Lingfang and Jiang Biyu tied the knot again, Chen Lingfang spent his old age living in this house with his younger sister, Chen Lhingyu, a widow. They kept each other company.

Now that Chen Lingfang had married and was living harmoniously with his lawful wife and foster daughter at his son's house together with his grandchildren, the house was maintained by his sister, Chen Lhingyu.

Being alone in a big house with only the maids to keep her sane, her filial son, Mo Wenbin, and his wife, Hwang Meilin lived with them.

Xue Guangxi left the care of his fluffy white, dog, Lala with Mo Wenbin. He was truly grateful to the thirty-ish old man when he had reluctantly offered a helping hand to the whining, ranting grown-up Xue Guangxi who could still throw tantrums like an eighteen-year-old boy.

He rang the doorbell again and fidgeted by the doorway as he waited in anticipation to be with his loyal white friend.

*Ding* *Ding*

 *Ding*

It was already around eight in the evening. The lights inside the house were still on so he presumed that the inhabitants were home and were still up at that hour. After all, it was still early for bedtime.

The door creaked when it opened. It revealed a tall man in his thirties.

"Come in." Was his curt greeting. He did not linger by the doorway. He led his guest into a labyrinth of ways until they exited at one of the doors at the side of the house into the open terrain, apparently still inside the estate.

Mo Wenbin led the way to the gazeboes at the father corner of the property. They occupied one of the gazeboes then called out a maid in waiting at just enough distance to give them privacy. He gave her a wave of his hand as a signal. When she approached, he requested some food and refreshment.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked his guest after the maid left. The sequence of events seemed off.

"Actually, not yet. I'm starving. Haha. I left the Chen house early. Sola seems to be difficult again." The young man shook his head in humor as he observed the chronology of the events.

"So, how's the trip? Next time, I'd vie for the position of guardianship." He teased.

"You should." Xue Guangxi urged with encouraging nods of his head. "It was so much fun. I hadn't played and enjoyed anything so much for a while. It's a bit odd that I'm the adult now who needs to be in charge of the younger ones."

"Hmm." The man grunted in concurrence. "Years ago, you used to be the kid whom everyone tried to protect. You and our Sola." He hummed and muttered as he looked up above. "How time flies."