Chapter 163: 163 – Getting To Know The Family
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Ren frowned slightly. If all of them had recognised Fang, why had no one come forward to claim him until now? At one level, he understood that they were afraid that Fang would be in danger if his identity was revealed, but at least for Fang himself, they could have tried to reach out and get to know him, right?
But then, the Dragon Queen had actually done that in a subtle manner, hadn't she? A lot of the benefits that they had received in the Dragon Nation – now that Ren thought back on it – those could be attributed to the indulgence of a loving aunt towards her favourite nephew.
So Ren decided not to bring up these issues with Princess Una. Looking at Fang's glowing face, Ren could see that he was utterly thrilled to meet his Big Sister – and Ren had absolutely no desire to ruin things for his little darling. Prince charming or not – in Ren's mind, Fang would always remain his little darling, after all, and someone he would protect with everything he had until he drew his last breath.
"Dinner is ready," Ren said to Fang. "Chef Jules had done almost everything already. I'll properly cook for my future in laws some other day, all right?"
Fang flushed and shook his head. "This is good enough," he said, taking Ren's hand and bringing it to his lips. He pressed a reverent kiss on the back of Ren's hand. "Thank you, love."
Ren sighed and caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers.
Princess Una watched their interactions with great interest. She had heard from the Dragon Queen about how Chairman Ren doted on Fang like he was the treasure of the world, and she could clearly see the helpless indulgence and sheer affection on Chairman Ren's handsome face. These were quite a harmonious couple, she decided, and she would support them. At this moment, Princess Una didn't know that Prince Uno had already tested Ren's mettle and approved of him. When she would find out about it later, Prince Uno would get a smack on the head for his troubles!
Princess Una cleared her throat delicately, and both Ren and Fang flushed – they seem to have forgotten that they had a spectator just now. Princess Una refrained from rolling her eyes with great effort.
"Sorry," Ren murmured. "Shall we go now?"
Fang nodded obediently, and the couple led Princess Una back to the living room, where the others were seated.
Zeus sprang from his seat when he saw his fiancée coming over with the two men.
"Una, look!" he cried excitedly. "Your little cousin brother's daughter Sylvia looks exactly like a miniature version of you! She's so adorable!" He pointed at Sylvia, who was sitting in the Dragon Queen's lap at the moment.
Princess Una blinked in surprise when she caught sight of Sylvia. "Heavens, she really is a mini me!" she said, her lips curling up in delight. She walked over to the Dragon Queen and Sylvia and sat down next to them.
"Hello, little Sylvia," she said softly, holding out a finger for Sylvia to take. "I am your Auntie Una."
Sylvia took her finger with her small, chubby hand and flashed her an adorable baby grin.
Princess Una practically melted into a puddle, and so did Zeus. In fact, Zeus was already imagining the future when he and Una would be married and they would have a cute little girl of their own who would look just like Una and be as cute as little Sylvia and he would dote on her…
"Daddy!" Sylvia cried happily, holding out her hands.
Zeus was stunned for a moment, thinking that his future fantasy had come to life right now, but then realised that Sylvia was talking to Ren, who was standing behind Zeus.
"Ah, Chairman Ren," Zeus said, a light flush of embarrassment staining his cheeks. He moved to the side, making space for Ren to go through to his daughter.
"Hello, Secret CEO Zeus," Ren said with a smile at Zeus, as he picked up Sylvia with the practiced movement of someone who had done it hundreds of times already, and patted her hair affectionately in an absent minded manner.
Zeus's eyes widened in shock, and he stared at Ren. Then he shook his head wryly. "You are really well informed, Chairman Ren," he muttered.
"I have to be if I want to earn enough to keep my Fang and my children happy, don't I?" Ren replied with a light smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "At least until Fang grows up and takes over."
Fang stuck out his tongue at Ren in response.
That made everyone laugh.
"Dinner is served," Ren said. "Shall we proceed?"
No one had any objections to that.
The meal was delicious, as always, even though Ren confessed that he had very little to do with it since Chef Jules had done over ninety five percent of the work before they got home. It was a good thing, of course, otherwise they would have had to wait for a long time for dinner – so no one complained.
Besides, the food was absolutely lip smackingly delicious. Other than the people who had tasted Ren's cooking before, Chef Jules's cooking was definitely the best that they had ever tasted!
"Heavens! Do you eat like this every day?" Prince Uno asked, piling up his plate with second helpings with no regard to his royal status.
Pax smiled slightly. "More or less, yes," he said. "Chef Jules is a treasure."
"We're always finding excuses to come and eat here," Wolf confessed, not the least bit embarrassed.
"The only person who can make food even more delicious than Chef Jules is Ren," Fang declared, with a proud smile on his face.
"Daddy best!" Sylvia agreed immediately.
"How do you guys stay so fit when faced with such amazing food every day?!" Prince Uno complained. "And look at Chairman Ren, he's so slim! At least Cousin Fang seems to have developed some muscles!"
Ren rolled his eyes. Fang and Steward Paul and the others gave him enough grief about his slim figure these days – and, to be honest, even Ren didn't know why he had gotten so thin. Dr. Gordon, too, had checked him over and found nothing wrong. At the moment, Ren was all right, but if his weight fell any further, he would really be in the underweight category, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how much Fang would nag him then. Fang was already making him way more than Ren would normally eat these days – not that it was making Ren any fatter.
"Aren't those half starved models that you work with far thinner than Chairman Ren?" Princess Una challenged, glaring at Prince Uno. "I doubt you complain about their low weight!"
Prince Uno shrugged. "It's their job to be skinny," he murmured. "And they really have to work hard to remain that way, you know. If they see the food here and eat like this every day, they would all become as round as a football!"
Then he narrowed his eyes at Ren. "You are not thinking of switching our career to become a model, are you?" he demanded. "I'll admit that you are slim enough and handsome enough to walk the ramp for me, but let me tell you, the modelling world can get very dirty in the background and I wouldn't want Cousin Fang's significant other to wade those murky waters!"
Ren chuckled. "Why would I want to be a model?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
"You have modelled before, haven't you?" Prince Uno retorted.
"That was because of Fang," Ren said. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything of the sort with anyone else."
"Cousin Fang has the physique of a perfect male specimen, actually," Prince Uno said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Cousin Fang, if you like modelling, I can launch a new line of imperial clothing inspired by you and Chairman Ren, and the two of you can be the show stoppers for that. I'll give you a cut of the profits!"
Fang opened his mouth to refuse, but Pax cut in.
"We will have to think about it," Pax said. "Could you draw up a proposal and send it across, please?"
Prince Uno narrowed his eyes at Pax. "Are you the keeper of these two?" he asked in a mocking tone.
Pax gave him a humourless and cold smile. "I suppose you could say that," he replied.
"Pax is our big brother. Pax and Wolf, both," Ren said firmly.
"Yes," Fang agreed. "We may not be related by blood, but Pax and Wolf are the true big brothers for Ren and me. They have looked after us and saved us so many times and in so many ways that we can't even begin to count."
Pax and Wolf had a pleased flush on their faces at these words from Ren and Fang, delivered firmly and without the slightest hint of hesitation.
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Ren frowned slightly. If all of them had recognised Fang, why had no one come forward to claim him until now? At one level, he understood that they were afraid that Fang would be in danger if his identity was revealed, but at least for Fang himself, they could have tried to reach out and get to know him, right?
But then, the Dragon Queen had actually done that in a subtle manner, hadn't she? A lot of the benefits that they had received in the Dragon Nation – now that Ren thought back on it – those could be attributed to the indulgence of a loving aunt towards her favourite nephew.
So Ren decided not to bring up these issues with Princess Una. Looking at Fang's glowing face, Ren could see that he was utterly thrilled to meet his Big Sister – and Ren had absolutely no desire to ruin things for his little darling. Prince charming or not – in Ren's mind, Fang would always remain his little darling, after all, and someone he would protect with everything he had until he drew his last breath.
"Dinner is ready," Ren said to Fang. "Chef Jules had done almost everything already. I'll properly cook for my future in laws some other day, all right?"
Fang flushed and shook his head. "This is good enough," he said, taking Ren's hand and bringing it to his lips. He pressed a reverent kiss on the back of Ren's hand. "Thank you, love."
Ren sighed and caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers.
Princess Una watched their interactions with great interest. She had heard from the Dragon Queen about how Chairman Ren doted on Fang like he was the treasure of the world, and she could clearly see the helpless indulgence and sheer affection on Chairman Ren's handsome face. These were quite a harmonious couple, she decided, and she would support them. At this moment, Princess Una didn't know that Prince Uno had already tested Ren's mettle and approved of him. When she would find out about it later, Prince Uno would get a smack on the head for his troubles!
Princess Una cleared her throat delicately, and both Ren and Fang flushed – they seem to have forgotten that they had a spectator just now. Princess Una refrained from rolling her eyes with great effort.
"Sorry," Ren murmured. "Shall we go now?"
Fang nodded obediently, and the couple led Princess Una back to the living room, where the others were seated.
Zeus sprang from his seat when he saw his fiancée coming over with the two men.
"Una, look!" he cried excitedly. "Your little cousin brother's daughter Sylvia looks exactly like a miniature version of you! She's so adorable!" He pointed at Sylvia, who was sitting in the Dragon Queen's lap at the moment.
Princess Una blinked in surprise when she caught sight of Sylvia. "Heavens, she really is a mini me!" she said, her lips curling up in delight. She walked over to the Dragon Queen and Sylvia and sat down next to them.
"Hello, little Sylvia," she said softly, holding out a finger for Sylvia to take. "I am your Auntie Una."
Sylvia took her finger with her small, chubby hand and flashed her an adorable baby grin.
Princess Una practically melted into a puddle, and so did Zeus. In fact, Zeus was already imagining the future when he and Una would be married and they would have a cute little girl of their own who would look just like Una and be as cute as little Sylvia and he would dote on her…
"Daddy!" Sylvia cried happily, holding out her hands.
Zeus was stunned for a moment, thinking that his future fantasy had come to life right now, but then realised that Sylvia was talking to Ren, who was standing behind Zeus.
"Ah, Chairman Ren," Zeus said, a light flush of embarrassment staining his cheeks. He moved to the side, making space for Ren to go through to his daughter.
"Hello, Secret CEO Zeus," Ren said with a smile at Zeus, as he picked up Sylvia with the practiced movement of someone who had done it hundreds of times already, and patted her hair affectionately in an absent minded manner.
Zeus's eyes widened in shock, and he stared at Ren. Then he shook his head wryly. "You are really well informed, Chairman Ren," he muttered.
"I have to be if I want to earn enough to keep my Fang and my children happy, don't I?" Ren replied with a light smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "At least until Fang grows up and takes over."
Fang stuck out his tongue at Ren in response.
That made everyone laugh.
"Dinner is served," Ren said. "Shall we proceed?"
No one had any objections to that.
The meal was delicious, as always, even though Ren confessed that he had very little to do with it since Chef Jules had done over ninety five percent of the work before they got home. It was a good thing, of course, otherwise they would have had to wait for a long time for dinner – so no one complained.
Besides, the food was absolutely lip smackingly delicious. Other than the people who had tasted Ren's cooking before, Chef Jules's cooking was definitely the best that they had ever tasted!
"Heavens! Do you eat like this every day?" Prince Uno asked, piling up his plate with second helpings with no regard to his royal status.
Pax smiled slightly. "More or less, yes," he said. "Chef Jules is a treasure."
"We're always finding excuses to come and eat here," Wolf confessed, not the least bit embarrassed.
"The only person who can make food even more delicious than Chef Jules is Ren," Fang declared, with a proud smile on his face.
"Daddy best!" Sylvia agreed immediately.
"How do you guys stay so fit when faced with such amazing food every day?!" Prince Uno complained. "And look at Chairman Ren, he's so slim! At least Cousin Fang seems to have developed some muscles!"
Ren rolled his eyes. Fang and Steward Paul and the others gave him enough grief about his slim figure these days – and, to be honest, even Ren didn't know why he had gotten so thin. Dr. Gordon, too, had checked him over and found nothing wrong. At the moment, Ren was all right, but if his weight fell any further, he would really be in the underweight category, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how much Fang would nag him then. Fang was already making him way more than Ren would normally eat these days – not that it was making Ren any fatter.
"Aren't those half starved models that you work with far thinner than Chairman Ren?" Princess Una challenged, glaring at Prince Uno. "I doubt you complain about their low weight!"
Prince Uno shrugged. "It's their job to be skinny," he murmured. "And they really have to work hard to remain that way, you know. If they see the food here and eat like this every day, they would all become as round as a football!"
Then he narrowed his eyes at Ren. "You are not thinking of switching our career to become a model, are you?" he demanded. "I'll admit that you are slim enough and handsome enough to walk the ramp for me, but let me tell you, the modelling world can get very dirty in the background and I wouldn't want Cousin Fang's significant other to wade those murky waters!"
Ren chuckled. "Why would I want to be a model?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
"You have modelled before, haven't you?" Prince Uno retorted.
"That was because of Fang," Ren said. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything of the sort with anyone else."
"Cousin Fang has the physique of a perfect male specimen, actually," Prince Uno said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Cousin Fang, if you like modelling, I can launch a new line of imperial clothing inspired by you and Chairman Ren, and the two of you can be the show stoppers for that. I'll give you a cut of the profits!"
Fang opened his mouth to refuse, but Pax cut in.
"We will have to think about it," Pax said. "Could you draw up a proposal and send it across, please?"
Prince Uno narrowed his eyes at Pax. "Are you the keeper of these two?" he asked in a mocking tone.
Pax gave him a humourless and cold smile. "I suppose you could say that," he replied.
"Pax is our big brother. Pax and Wolf, both," Ren said firmly.
"Yes," Fang agreed. "We may not be related by blood, but Pax and Wolf are the true big brothers for Ren and me. They have looked after us and saved us so many times and in so many ways that we can't even begin to count."
Pax and Wolf had a pleased flush on their faces at these words from Ren and Fang, delivered firmly and without the slightest hint of hesitation.
Ren frowned slightly. If all of them had recognised Fang, why had no one come forward to claim him until now? At one level, he understood that they were afraid that Fang would be in danger if his identity was revealed, but at least for Fang himself, they could have tried to reach out and get to know him, right?But then, the Dragon Queen had actually done that in a subtle manner, hadn't she? A lot of the benefits that they had received in the Dragon Nation now that Ren thought back on it those could be attributed to the indulgence of a loving aunt towards her favourite nephew.So Ren decided not to bring up these issues with Princess Una. Looking at Fang's glowing face, Ren could see that he was utterly thrilled to meet his Big Sister and Ren had absolutely no desire to ruin things for his little darling. Prince charming or not in Ren's mind, Fang would always remain his little darling, after all, and someone he would protect with everything he had until he drew his last breath."Dinner is ready," Ren said to Fang. "Chef Jules had done almost everything already. I'll properly cook for my future in laws some other day, all right?"Fang flushed and shook his head. "This is good enough," he said, taking Ren's hand and bringing it to his lips. He pressed a reverent kiss on the back of Ren's hand. "Thank you, love."Ren sighed and caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers.Princess Una watched their interactions with great interest. She had heard from the Dragon Queen about how Chairman Ren doted on Fang like he was the treasure of the world, and she could clearly see the helpless indulgence and sheer affection on Chairman Ren's handsome face. These were quite a harmonious couple, she decided, and she would support them. At this moment, Princess Una didn't know that Prince Uno had already tested Ren's mettle and approved of him. When she would find out about it later, Prince Uno would get a smack on the head for his troubles!Princess Una cleared her throat delicately, and both Ren and Fang flushed they seem to have forgotten that they had a spectator just now. Princess Una refrained from rolling her eyes with great effort."Sorry," Ren murmured. "Shall we go now?"Fang nodded obediently, and the couple led Princess Una back to the living room, where the others were seated.Zeus sprang from his seat when he saw his fiance coming over with the two men."Una, look!" he cried excitedly. "Your little cousin brother's daughter Sylvia looks exactly like a miniature version of you! She's so adorable!" He pointed at Sylvia, who was sitting in the Dragon Queen's lap at the moment.Princess Una blinked in surprise when she caught sight of Sylvia. "Heavens, she really is a mini me!" she said, her lips curling up in delight. She walked over to the Dragon Queen and Sylvia and sat down next to them."Hello, little Sylvia," she said softly, holding out a finger for Sylvia to take. "I am your Auntie Una."Sylvia took her finger with her small, chubby hand and flashed her an adorable baby grin.Princess Una practically melted into a puddle, and so did Zeus. In fact, Zeus was already imagining the future when he and Una would be married and they would have a cute little girl of their own who would look just like Una and be as cute as little Sylvia and he would dote on her"Daddy!" Sylvia cried happily, holding out her hands.Zeus was stunned for a moment, thinking that his future fantasy had come to life right now, but then realised that Sylvia was talking to Ren, who was standing behind Zeus."Ah, Chairman Ren," Zeus said, a light flush of embarrassment staining his cheeks. He moved to the side, making space for Ren to go through to his daughter."Hello, Secret CEO Zeus," Ren said with a smile at Zeus, as he picked up Sylvia with the practiced movement of someone who had done it hundreds of times already, and patted her hair affectionately in an absent minded manner.Zeus's eyes widened in shock, and he stared at Ren. Then he shook his head wryly. "You are really well informed, Chairman Ren," he muttered."I have to be if I want to earn enough to keep my Fang and my children happy, don't I?" Ren replied with a light smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "At least until Fang grows up and takes over."Fang stuck out his tongue at Ren in response.That made everyone laugh."Dinner is served," Ren said. "Shall we proceed?"No one had any objections to that.The meal was delicious, as always, even though Ren confessed that he had very little to do with it since Chef Jules had done over ninety five percent of the work before they got home. It was a good thing, of course, otherwise they would have had to wait for a long time for dinner so no one complained.Besides, the food was absolutely lip smackingly delicious. Other than the people who had tasted Ren's cooking before, Chef Jules's cooking was definitely the best that they had ever tasted!"Heavens! Do you eat like this every day?" Prince Uno asked, piling up his plate with second helpings with no regard to his royal status.Pax smiled slightly. "More or less, yes," he said. "Chef Jules is a treasure.""We're always finding excuses to come and eat here," Wolf confessed, not the least bit embarrassed."The only person who can make food even more delicious than Chef Jules is Ren," Fang declared, with a proud smile on his face."Daddy best!" Sylvia agreed immediately."How do you guys stay so fit when faced with such amazing food every day?!" Prince Uno complained. "And look at Chairman Ren, he's so slim! At least Cousin Fang seems to have developed some muscles!"Ren rolled his eyes. Fang and Steward Paul and the others gave him enough grief about his slim figure these days and, to be honest, even Ren didn't know why he had gotten so thin. Dr. Gordon, too, had checked him over and found nothing wrong. At the moment, Ren was all right, but if his weight fell any further, he would really be in the underweight category, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how much Fang would nag him then. Fang was already making him way more than Ren would normally eat these days not that it was making Ren any fatter."Aren't those half starved models that you work with far thinner than Chairman Ren?" Princess Una challenged, glaring at Prince Uno. "I doubt you complain about their low weight!"Prince Uno shrugged. "It's their job to be skinny," he murmured. "And they really have to work hard to remain that way, you know. If they see the food here and eat like this every day, they would all become as round as a football!"Then he narrowed his eyes at Ren. "You are not thinking of switching our career to become a model, are you?" he demanded. "I'll admit that you are slim enough and handsome enough to walk the ramp for me, but let me tell you, the modelling world can get very dirty in the background and I wouldn't want Cousin Fang's significant other to wade those murky waters!"Ren chuckled. "Why would I want to be a model?" he asked, his eyebrows raised."You have modelled before, haven't you?" Prince Uno retorted."That was because of Fang," Ren said. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything of the sort with anyone else.""Cousin Fang has the physique of a perfect male specimen, actually," Prince Uno said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Cousin Fang, if you like modelling, I can launch a new line of imperial clothing inspired by you and Chairman Ren, and the two of you can be the show stoppers for that. I'll give you a cut of the profits!"Fang opened his mouth to refuse, but Pax cut in."We will have to think about it," Pax said. "Could you draw up a proposal and send it across, please?"Prince Uno narrowed his eyes at Pax. "Are you the keeper of these two?" he asked in a mocking tone.Pax gave him a humourless and cold smile. "I suppose you could say that," he replied."Pax is our big brother. Pax and Wolf, both," Ren said firmly."Yes," Fang agreed. "We may not be related by blood, but Pax and Wolf are the true big brothers for Ren and me. They have looked after us and saved us so many times and in so many ways that we can't even begin to count."Pax and Wolf had a pleased flush on their faces at these words from Ren and Fang, delivered firmly and without the slightest hint of hesitation.
