SFBF CH73

Gu Huaiyu asked Shen Qing if he was happy and if anyone had bullied him.

Shen Qing immediately placed his hands on his hips. “Who could possibly bully me?”
His pointed chin tilted up, revealing a clear jawline and a slender neck.
The young man’s posture was proud and confident, like a beautiful white swan.

Gu Huaiyu’s eyes curved slightly as he watched.
He said, “That’s good.”

Then he asked, “Are you about to leave?”
Shen Qing said, “Yes.”

Gu Huaiyu lifted a finger. “Let’s go then.”
His other long fingers, which were still holding Shen Qing’s hand, tightened slightly. The group completely ignored Tang Ziyao and the others on the other side of the corridor and returned to the elevator.

The elevator went up towards the private suite on the top floor. During the ride, Shen Qing gave the big shot a rough overview of what happened at tonight’s dinner.
He actually hadn’t spoken much during the meal tonight.
But now his words flowed again, making even the two cubs feel amazed.

Ao Zai shook his big head left and right, looking here and there, and subconsciously raised his little hand to gnaw on it.
Duo Duo didn’t allow his younger brother to eat his hand, so he grabbed Ao Zai’s little meaty paw and pulled it down. The two brothers exchanged a glance and then stood obediently to the side, listening to their little dad chattering away all by himself.

“Anyway, that’s what happened.”
The elevator arrived at the top-floor suite. Shen Qing said, “As long as Shen Yi settles down and studies hard, getting over 500 on the college entrance exam won’t be a problem. When the time comes, even if he can’t get into a Tier 1 university, he can still attend a Tier 2 university with a good major. I think that’s better than him wasting his life away right now.”

Gu Huaiyu listened in silence, then suddenly said, “You seem quite familiar with the college entrance exam.”
“I…”
Shen Qing was temporarily speechless. He blinked several times in front of the big shot before spouting nonsense, “Of course. Although my education level is low, I’ve researched it thoroughly…”

Gu Huaiyu suddenly asked him, “Do you want to study?”
Shen Qing: “…”
His subconscious reaction was to say no.
—Encouraging others to study hard was different from studying himself. Even though he still remembered some knowledge points, he felt it was impossible for a salted fish like him to take the college entrance exam again.

However, on second thought, if he was simply going to university again… it should be quite interesting.
When he was in college, he was always studying and never properly experienced college life. Ignoring finals and graduation theses, if he simply enjoyed the time being a student, university was actually quite suitable.

So, when the words reached his lips, Shen Qing said, “Hmm, I could consider this in the future.”
…In the future, when the big shot was gone and the cubs had grown up, he would probably choose to study again when he had nothing else to do…

As soon as this thought popped up, for a moment, Shen Qing felt like a lonely, dying old man in his twilight years.
Shen Qing: ?
…
No, he couldn’t be depressing.
Even more so, he couldn’t take out an advance on depression before anything had even happened!

Instantly perking up, Shen Qing continued to hold Gu Huaiyu’s hand tightly to warm it for the big shot. With smiling eyes and curling lips, he said radiantly, “Your hands are doing okay today, they aren’t freezing anymore.”

Gu Huaiyu nodded, then suddenly pulled out a hand warmer from behind him like a magic trick. A pink one.
“After all, I have this.”

Shen Qing: “…”
So that was it.
This was the hand warmer he had given the big shot!
Because President Gu hadn’t been getting IV drips much lately, it seemed he didn’t really need this thing to warm his hands, so Shen Qing hadn’t seen him use it much.

…Shen Qing himself had almost forgotten this thing existed.
He didn’t expect Gu Huaiyu to still remember it and even use it!

“…Good job.” The radiant Shen Qing’s eyes shone brightly as he praised without any stinginess.

Returning to the suite to freshen up briefly, Shen Qing had originally planned to pack up and go straight home. But Gu Huaiyu had come, his condition was pretty good, and he wasn’t in a hurry to go back.
Shen Qing changed his strategy, deciding to just take a walk near the hotel with the big shot and the cubs.

Being a five-star hot spring hotel, the scenery inside and around the courtyard was not something ordinary scenery could compare to.
The hotel was situated by the river. Even though the weather was still very cold and there were no fresh flowers or green plants to complement it, the riverside scenery was still breathtakingly beautiful.
The lights from the roadside and the streets on both banks reflected in the river, sparkling and brilliant.

Opposite the hotel was a gorgeous and aesthetic Chinese-themed restaurant. The big red lanterns also reflected in the water; as the water rippled, it stretched out a streak of deep red, still maintaining the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
But today wasn’t very cold anymore, it would soon be March.

Shen Qing suddenly remembered that his Young Master Duo should be starting school soon… He couldn’t help but look toward the two little beans running ahead of them.

The family was slowly moving along the riverbank. Duo Duo and Ao Zai had both put on thick padded jackets.
Even though they had both grown quite a bit taller, Grandma Zhang was afraid they would catch a cold outside and dressed them in very thick padded jackets. The two cubs, who now looked much rounder, didn’t show any tallness or skinniness, but instead looked like two colorful lumps of risen dough.
Duo Duo was light yellow, and Ao Zai was bright green.

The two little dough balls ran ahead of him and Gu Huaiyu, talking, laughing, and playing around.
Or rather, it was mainly Young Master Ao laughing “ga ga ga“.

By the river, there were animals—whether they were ducklings or something else, he didn’t know—that weren’t afraid of the cold, could swim, and were flapping their wings to bathe themselves.
Ao Zai, who had always loved small animals, loved watching this, so he kept laughing at them and even imitated their posture by swaying his chubby little body.
Duo Duo stayed by his younger brother’s side, holding his hand, afraid that Ao Zai might get excited and jump into the river himself.

Of course, by the river, Tian Yi and Auntie Zhang couldn’t let the young masters move around alone either, keeping a very close tail behind them.

This way, combined with Gu Huaiyu’s bodyguards following near and far, their whole family had a huge presence. When other people walking by the river passed them, they couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
At first, they were all curious about what they were doing and why there were so many people.
Later, seeing that there were two children and a person in a wheelchair in this family…
It wasn’t surprising anymore.
Having so many people was because they needed people to take care of them.

However, a family that could bring so many people on an outing was no ordinary family.
Those who could come to stay at a five-star hotel must have some financial resources and have seen a bit of the world.
Just by looking at the personnel configuration here, one could tell there was a big shot among them.

The one who looked most like a big shot was, of course, the person in the wheelchair wearing a thick cashmere coat. Even though he didn’t look very old, his entire body exuded a terrifying aura, and his expressionless demeanor was full of authority.
Secondly, the young man walking beside him didn’t look like an ordinary person either.
Even though he was wearing a hat and mask, completely obscuring his face.
But the young man was exceedingly tall, wearing an extra-long down jacket with a hem that reached down to his ankles.
…Wearing such a hard-to-pull-off coat, he still looked slim and slender, enough to show how perfect and coordinated the young man’s proportions and physique would be if he took off the down jacket.

Moreover, the others kept a significant distance from the person in the wheelchair, only following from a moderate distance.
Only this young man walked right beside that person the entire way, talking and laughing…
Occasionally, the people observing them from the side could also hear his clear, bright laughter.

The two dads, who had been slowly moving behind the cubs, now came to the cubs’ side and joined Ao Zai in watching the ducklings bathe.
Although Shen Qing firmly believed they were not ducks.

“Ga ga?” Ao Zai didn’t believe it. He quacked wildly at the ones bathing in the river, trying to match their secret code.
The ‘ducklings’ heard it and stretched their necks to look toward the shore, but they didn’t make any sound in response.
Even so, Ao Zai still believed they were little duckies.

To find out the truth and give the cubs the facts, Tian Yi even made a special trip to ask the nearby hotel staff.
He learned that they weren’t ducklings either, but a type of crane. They were wild animals that migrated here every winter to spend the winter in this river.
Because the environment near the hotel was the best protected, they had even applied to participate in a wildlife conservation program. The relevant organizations had simply established a conservation base here. Professionals would regularly come to check on the little cranes, and there would be people specially responsible for feeding them.

“You don’t know if you don’t ask, but once you do, you realize it’s all knowledge.”
Shen Qing couldn’t help sighing and asked Gu Huaiyu, “Applying for the wildlife conservation program here and stuff, did you know about this?”
This hotel was, after all, one of the big shot’s properties…

But Gu Huaiyu shook his head straightforwardly: “I didn’t know.”
Shen Qing: “…Ah, it’s quite normal not to know. After all, you’re so busy managing myriad affairs every day…”

But just as Shen Qing was trying to save face for his husband, Gu Huaiyu added, “However, applying to participate in wildlife or cultural relic conservation programs has always been centrally managed and executed by a specialized department within the group.”

The cool breeze blew gently. Gu Huaiyu’s voice was hoarse, but sounded somewhat gentle: “If you want to know more, I’ll have them organize the materials for you.”

Shen Qing: “…”
Alright, although the big shot didn’t know about it.
The big shot actually knew very well!
He even established a department for it…

Shen Qing: “I do want to know, but I don’t need to read materials… What I want to know is, you actually set up a department for this?”
This was what he wanted to know most right now!

Gu Huaiyu: “It’s not really a department, just that there have always been dedicated personnel handling these kinds of things.”
“Then… have you done a lot of ‘these kinds of things’? Just to protect wildlife or cultural relics? This is public welfare, right…” Shen Qing asked again.

Gu Huaiyu gave him a slightly strange look, feeling that the young man’s tone in asking questions was very much like those reporters who used to want to interview him.
But reporters had never successfully interviewed him.
It was even difficult to obtain any information about him.

But facing the young man, Gu Huaiyu curled his lips and said directly, “You could say that.”
“We’ve probably only done a few dozen projects like this. Wherever hotels or resorts are developed, we conveniently apply for some along the way, though we also act within our means.”

Shen Qing: “…”
He nodded in a daze.
Even though he was still a bit bewildered.
—A few dozen was already way too much, okay!

Over there, once Ao Zai knew these weren’t little duckies but little cranes, he started clapping his small hands and shouting, “He he he” (cranes).
And then the bathing little cranes were scared away by him.
…Shen Qing wanted to say, you couldn’t blame them for tucking their wings and running away; your calls, cub, truly… sounded like the evil laugh of a great demon king.
It even sounded like it had a sense of predestined fate, okay!
How could the little cranes not run away?

Those little cranes didn’t go too far, but the sky was too dark, and without lights in the middle of the river, it was very hard to spot their little figures. Ao Zai couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
Shen Qing comforted the cub, saying: “It’s okay, you can come see them often in the future.”
“Weally?!” Ao Zai tilted up his big head, his eyes shining, full of hope.
Shen Qing: “Of course!”

He had just felt that President Gu’s protection of wildlife was extraordinary, and now he suddenly understood its significance.
—It was so that they would always be there.

He lifted the hem of his long down jacket, crouched down, and said very seriously to Ao Zai: “Because this is already the home of the little cranes. At the very least, they will come here to live every winter. And they will reproduce and multiply endlessly. So if you want to see them, you can see them as long as you come.”
Looking at his little dad right in front of him, Ao Zai didn’t quite understand “reproduce” and “multiply endlessly,” but knowing this was the home of the little cranes put his mind at ease.
“Then Ao Zai will often come to be a guest at the cwanes’ house!”
“Okay.”

Shen Qing smiled at him and added: “Also, when Ao Zai grows up, he has to protect the cranes too, just like big dad.”
“Okay!” Ao Zai directly and crisply responded, spinning in a happy little circle on the spot.

Shen Qing couldn’t help but raise his hand to touch the little watermelon-style knitted hat Ao Zai was wearing.
The color was that of a small watermelon rind, and a watermelon stem was deliberately sewn on top. When Ao Zai wore it on his round head, he looked even more like a big watermelon.
This hat was also bought during Shen Qing’s crazy online shopping spree.
Ao Zai’s was a dark green watermelon, while Duo Duo’s was an orange… orange.

Because of this, he had even made Auntie Zhang laugh so hard she couldn’t stand up straight, jokingly blaming the madam for putting a green-colored hat on Young Master Ao! (Note: In Chinese culture, a green hat implies being cuckolded).
But Shen Qing felt that for a three-and-a-half-year-old cub, what did it matter? Let alone wearing a green hat, even having a green glow on top of his head wouldn’t be an issue.
Not to mention, this was a future little Long Aotian, radiating charm. It would be good enough if he didn’t make other men wear green hats.

And facts proved that Shen Qing’s aesthetic sense had indeed improved.
Wasn’t it so? Ao Zai in his little watermelon hat and Duo Duo in his little orange hat were both vibrant and adorable!

After rubbing Ao Zai, he touched Duo Zai’s head, and then Shen Qing casually asked Duo Duo about school starting soon.
Gu Duo nodded with an indifferent expression: “Yes, school starts next Monday.”
Shen Qing: “…Isn’t that the day after tomorrow?!”

Shen Qing directly cried out, but Gu Duo didn’t think it was a big deal.
In his view, going to school and going to tutoring classes had no difference, except the time spent at school was a bit longer. In the past, he would have been worried about leaving Ao Zai at home alone.
But recently, he no longer felt this was a worry—even if he went to school, Grandma Zhang would take care of Ao Zai and give him delicious food, and little dad would also take Ao Zai to play…
So there were no worries left.

Wearing his light yellow padded jacket and brightly colored hat, Gu Duo craned his neck hard to look at Shen Qing’s face. He asked, “Is there a problem?”
Shen Qing: “…Nothing, it’s just that average children usually go through a process of desperate struggle and wailing for their parents before school starts… But I forgot, our Duo Duo isn’t an average child.”

Hearing this, Gu Duo frowned, muttered something, and still asked, “I’m not an average child…?” (Note: In Chinese, “average child” sounds like “Class 1 child”).
Shen Qing: “No, you’re in Class 2.”
Gu Duo: “…”
That makes sense.
He is indeed in Grade 1, Class 2 right now.

Since little dad brought up this topic, Gu Duo added, “We have a parent-teacher meeting on Wednesday.”
Shen Qing: “No problem, I’ll go.”
Gu Duo: “…”

He hadn’t expected little dad to not have a single bit of hesitation. In that instant, Gu Duo’s eyes widened: “Really?”
“Of course.” Shen Qing’s tone was casual but without any hesitation. “I am your dad, if I don’t go, who will?”

Gu Duo’s peach-blossom-like eyes completely widened to their maximum, his face full of an expression as if a lifetime had passed.
…Last semester, he was the only student in their grade who didn’t have a parent come to the parent-teacher meeting.
The teacher seemed very dissatisfied with this, and Gu Duo didn’t know who to ask to attend for him.
He hadn’t expected that this semester, even this problem had been solved.

“But.”
His deep eyes involuntarily shone brighter, but Gu Duo still expressed his concern—
“…Will this interfere with you playing games?”
Shen Qing: “Cough, cough, cough!“

Help, exactly how much did he love playing games in the cubs’ eyes!
Shen Qing said, “It won’t. A parent-teacher meeting usually takes at most an afternoon, it won’t delay anything for me.”
“That’s good.” Gu Duo nodded deeply again.
And strictly informed Shen Qing of the meeting time in advance: “It starts at 3 PM.”

Shen Qing said, “That’s not bad… But no matter what, I’ll go. Duo Zai doesn’t need to worry, just tell us directly next time.”
Saying that, he pinched Gu Duo’s slightly chubby cheek: “You only need to be responsible for conveying the school’s requests to us. As for how to satisfy those requests, that’s something us parents should consider. You just need to do what a student is supposed to do. Are you worrying blindly again, cub?”

Gu Duo: “…”
This… was an angle he had never considered before.
Little dad was right, he had indeed been worrying about this matter.
But previously, he had never thought that this wasn’t something he should worry about…
Is this what it feels like to have a dad?

Gu Duo blinked, letting Shen Qing pinch his cheek without reacting. Only his small palms hanging by his sides secretly balled into fists. Gu Duo felt his heart pounding thump thump thump.

After lightly rubbing the cub’s face, Shen Qing stood back up.
Just thinking about attending a parent-teacher meeting made Shen Qing quite excited, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
It was probably because he had never experienced attending a parent-teacher meeting as a parent before. Thinking that this time he could finally “sit as equals” with the teacher made him a bit thrilled.

Unable to see the little cranes and with Ao Zai getting tired of walking later, the two cubs simply went back to the suite to rest first.
Originally, Shen Qing planned to follow them back, but President Gu, who had always been a homebody, unprecedentedly wanted to continue walking. Shen Qing wasn’t tired either, so he kept him company, taking it as a chance to exercise and digest his food.

Auntie Zhang and Assistant Tian took the cubs back. Aside from the bodyguards in the distance, only Shen Qing and Gu Huaiyu were left by the river.
Shen Qing watched the direction the cubs left in and said in a tone bordering on roasting, “Duo Duo has definitely gone back to study again.”

…He wasn’t “wronging” Young Master Duo. He had actually discovered that Gu Duo had even brought his textbooks today!
And in the afternoon, after his nap and right before going downstairs to eat, this cub was actually racing against the clock to memorize vocabulary words…
It made Shen Qing want to directly add a house rule: Those who bring textbooks without permission when coming out to play with little dad are forbidden to memorize vocabulary words next week!

But this ‘punishment’ itself was controversial—the original house rule was that Gu Duo needed to set aside half a day every week to play, not allowed to bring textbooks.
And Young Master Duo believed he had already set aside that half day in the morning.
So theoretically, his afternoon holiday was over, and he could continue studying.

Shen Qing: …
It left him not knowing what to say.
He only hated himself for being soft-hearted back then, stipulating in the house rules that Duo Duo only had to rest for half a day a week.
…Normally, he should have to rest one day, or two days a week!
But when he was setting the house rules, Duo Zai was sick. Worried that Duo Duo wouldn’t be able to accept it, he changed his wording and made it half a day…

Sure enough, as a parent, sometimes you need to harden your heart to educate children well.
Strict teachers produce outstanding students, after all.
Shen Qing reached out his hand and made a fist: “If a person isn’t ruthless, they can’t stand firm. Tomorrow I’ll revise the house rules and change the rest day to one day a week!”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”
Listening to his series of seemingly plausible systematic analyses, he suddenly wanted to laugh.
And then he really did laugh. He said, “Duo Duo knows his limits, no need to worry too much about him.”

Hearing this, Shen Qing looked at President Gu, feeling that the “limits” standard of his workaholic husband might be quite different from his own standard…
So your limits aren’t the limits I want, hey!

In response to this, Gu Huaiyu, knowing Shen Qing’s thoughts, smiled again, and then suddenly stood up.
Seeing this, Shen Qing hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
“Want to walk a bit?” Shen Qing asked.
Gu Huaiyu: “En.”

President Gu’s wheelchair could actually be equipped with a cane, but he didn’t have one attached.
Having continuously practiced walking these past few days, plus receiving a lot of rich nutrition, Gu Huaiyu’s leg strength could basically support him walking a long distance now… with Shen Qing’s support.

The two of them walked forward for a while.
Gu Huaiyu suddenly asked the young man beside him, “Do you like it here?”
“I do.”
Shen Qing told the truth, “The scenery here is good, it’s quiet and peaceful, of course I like it.”

Gu Huaiyu: “I’m asking if you like this hotel.”
Shen Qing: “Of course I like it too! …Especially the top-floor suite!”

It had a hot spring swimming pool where you could swim while overlooking the entire Hua City. You could see the fading lights of the bustling city, as well as the endless green mountains and clear waters of the suburbs.
You could also soak in the hot spring while enjoying a floating afternoon tea. Any photo taken would be beautiful, feeling much more impressive than typical internet-famous photo spots.

Shen Qing seriously suspected that his room hadn’t become an internet-famous photo spot simply because the room price itself was too expensive. Booking a room solely for taking photos at the high-altitude pool would seem to have low cost-effectiveness.
But staying without having to worry about the room rate like him was truly awesome!

Gu Huaiyu smiled slightly again and said, “If you like it, it’s yours.”
Shen Qing: “…You’re leaving that suite for me to stay in long-term?”

He knew that some big shots would book a fixed guest room in star-rated hotels in cities they frequently visited for business trips, making it convenient to stay and rest.
It was equivalent to a year-round rental.
But Shen Qing felt it was unnecessary; it wasn’t like he didn’t have a place to live in Hua City.
…Kidding. He was now someone who held several properties in his hands!

Shen Qing shook his head immediately: “No need. It’s not like I don’t have a place to live.”
Gu Huaiyu, however, said, “Of course I’m not leaving that suite for you.”
“?”
Shen Qing asked blankly, “…Then what are you giving me?”
Gu Huaiyu said, “This hotel.”
Shen Qing: “?!”

Gu Huaiyu: “I hold 55% of the shares here. I’m transferring them all to you.”
Shen Qing: “…?!…”

In the night breeze, Gu Huaiyu’s voice was hoarse. As if knowing what the young man wanted to say, he spoke slowly, “Although you’ll be the largest shareholder here, you won’t need to participate in management. You just need to take the dividends at the end of the year, and make sure not to transfer the equity out, and that’s it.”
Shen Qing: “…”
Gu Huaiyu: “Of course, cough cough… if you want to sell the shares in the future, it’s not impossible. It’s yours now. You can make your own decisions.”

Shen Qing: “……”
He completely didn’t know what to say.
Once again, poverty had limited his imagination. He hadn’t expected Gu Huaiyu to leave him shares, wow!
Wow!!!

Doesn’t that mean that as long as he wanted to participate in management, he, as the largest shareholder, would have a lot of say and his words would be the final ruling?
Wouldn’t that make him… the C-Chairman?

Saying nothing else, Shen Qing’s first reaction was excitement.
Second reaction…
Still excitement!

It’s just that upon aftertasting the words, hearing Gu Huaiyu say that it was his, and whether to sell or not was up to him…
Why did it feel like President Gu was arranging his posthumous affairs again???
Don’t!!!

Shen Qing subconsciously hugged the big shot’s arm even tighter.
Tighter, and the distance was even closer.
To the point where Gu Huaiyu had to turn his head to look at him.

His pale lips parted slightly, Gu Huaiyu: “What’s wrong?”
Shen Qing: “…How are your test results from the past few days?”
He scrutinized Gu Huaiyu’s complexion: “And why did you come back so early today??”

Gu Huaiyu opened his mouth and replied, “Pretty good.”
“…”
Shen Qing still looked up at him from a close distance. Taking advantage of the darkness around them and the fact that there was no one around at the moment, he even took off his mask.
He needed to take a deep breath!
He was always worried that the test results were bad and the big shot had given up, which was why he was arranging his affairs with him here!

“Where has your mind wandered to.”
Gu Huaiyu spoke up to comfort him: “The current results are all very good, don’t worry.”
Shen Qing snapped back to reality: “Hmm… Then I’ll begrudgingly believe you.”

Staring closely at the young man’s fully exposed fair and elegant face, Gu Huaiyu unconsciously curled his lips: “You’re worrying about me, aren’t you?”
“Of course.” Shen Qing patted his own chest.

At this time, he heard Gu Huaiyu call him again: “Shen Qing.”
“En?”
“You drank alcohol?”
Shen Qing blinked: “…I just drank two glasses of red wine.”
When they were eating together, someone at the table offered a toast, so he had to drink a little, but this was absolutely nothing for him.

At an extremely close distance, Shen Qing looked up at Gu Huaiyu.
He immediately realized that Gu Huaiyu was looking down at him.
…At some unknown point, the two of them had even adjusted their angles.
—Gu Huaiyu’s back was leaning against the railing by the riverbank, facing him straight on, his long legs slightly bent.
And Shen Qing was still holding the big shot’s arm, just as always.

Even though this posture made his action look more like he was hooking his arm around Gu Huaiyu’s.
Just like a couple.
…Wasn’t this one of the 100 little things couples must do: holding hands and taking a walk together??

Suddenly realizing the current situation, Shen Qing subconsciously widened his eyes, feeling both surprised and delighted in his heart.
Who could have imagined that one day he would be hooking his arm around the big shot’s like this, taking a walk with him…

And the next moment, Shen Qing realized that due to this posture, plus the fact that the big shot’s long legs weren’t standing straight, it caused their faces to be extremely close to each other.
—Probably because Gu Huaiyu was deliberately trying to smell if there was alcohol on him.
Their breaths were almost intertwining at this moment.

Shen Qing: !
The cold air seemed to explode. Looking at Gu Huaiyu’s upright and handsome face from a close distance, smelling the woody scent on the other person, Shen Qing’s brain seemed to crash.

With great difficulty, he managed to ask: “…W-What is it?”
Gu Huaiyu continued to scrutinize him.
From an extremely close distance.
So close that Shen Qing saw his eyelids twitch slightly.
…
It was quite sexy.

After that, Shen Qing felt his neck being held by someone.
Even through his collar, he could feel the other person’s distinct, long fingers.
He felt Gu Huaiyu’s fingertips exerting a slight pressure.
…
Shen Qing was forced, subconsciously, to tilt his head up…
His pointed chin was forced up.

The distance seemed to get even closer.
!
Shen Qing: I can’t breathe!
…Because his husband’s current action and posture were so swoon-worthy, it made him suddenly unable to breathe!
“…”

Perhaps noticing his momentary awkwardness and nervousness, Gu Huaiyu’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly let go—
“It’s nothing.”
His pale thin lips closed and then parted again. Gu Huaiyu curled his lips once more, his voice hoarse: “I was just checking if you kiss people when you drink.”

Shen Qing: ???
What the hell, am I some kind of kissing maniac??

Pressing his pounding heart again due to the situation just now, Shen Qing subconsciously adjusted his clothes to save face.
…Damn, what kind of pure-love warrior was he, failing just because someone held his neck!
Shen Qing seriously felt that he couldn’t keep going on like this.
But he still lowered his head with a bright red face.
He started pondering whether he should put his mask back on.

“Um…”
Shen Qing chose to return to the main topic:
“Then if the hotel really has some management problems and needs me to make the final call, what should I do?”
While supporting the big shot and continuing to walk forward along the riverbank railing with him, Shen Qing asked.

Gu Huaiyu’s voice returned to its usual flatness, but in this open outdoor space, it sounded clear and pleasant like a gentle breeze: “Then make the call.”
Shen Qing: “…”
Although you have numerous assets to your name, President Gu, and this mere five-star hot spring hotel might not mean much.
But are you really not considering saving an industry you built with your own hands?

Gu Huaiyu said, however, “I believe in you.”
Shen Qing: “?”

In an area by the railing where the light wasn’t very bright, Gu Huaiyu deeply scrutinized his features and said slowly, “Sometimes I feel like you’re a classic case of ‘a wise person appearing foolish,’ as if you’re not the person I learned about from the files at all.”
Shen Qing: ?
“What files?”
“Marriage files.”
Shen Qing: “…Alright… Wait, what ‘wise person appearing foolish’, who’s foolish??”

As the young man screeched, Gu Huaiyu gently curled his lips again.
Shen Qing: “I clearly radiate the light of wisdom from the inside out, alright!”
“Alright.”
Gu Huaiyu continued to smile.
Shen Qing: “…”

He gave the big shot a sidelong glance again.
He didn’t know if this wave of joking around had successfully glossed over the matter.
…Although for a split second, he also really wanted to tell Gu Huaiyu that he truly wasn’t the original Shen Qing.
…

Walking forward with the big shot for a few more steps, Shen Qing thought, “By the way, since you want to practice walking, why didn’t you stand up just now when the cubs were here?”
“En?” Gu Huaiyu looked back at him: “Why?”
“…Nothing, it’s just that Duo Duo and the others really care about you too,” Shen Qing said.

Although the fact that big dad often didn’t eat with them recently hadn’t aroused the two cubs’ suspicions, even if the cubs didn’t say it, Shen Qing knew they had always been very concerned about big dad’s health.
Children don’t understand much, but they also know that big dad sits in a wheelchair because he isn’t in good health.

“So since you can stand up and walk for a bit like this, why not let the cubs see…”
“That should be based on the premise that I can stay alive, right,” Gu Huaiyu said suddenly.
“?!”
Taking a deep breath, Shen Qing said, “What are you talking about… why would you say that.”

“It’s nothing. I just feel…”
Gu Huaiyu’s voice was flat: “If I can’t maintain a standing image permanently, I shouldn’t give them any hope. So as to avoid them being disappointed.”
“…How could that be,” Shen Qing said subconsciously.

Suddenly, he refuted the big shot with a firm tone: “I don’t think you should think that way.”
“…En?”
Having stopped walking forward again, Gu Huaiyu looked back at him, and the two were once again standing face-to-face.

Gu Huaiyu: “Tell me then, how should I think.”
Shen Qing: “…I feel that for the cubs… even if they might be disappointed in the future, they would still prefer to see the times when big dad can stand up, that image of you.”

Knowing that Gu Huaiyu’s so-called ‘whether he can permanently maintain a standing image’ was actually a metaphor for whether he could stay alive, Shen Qing pretended not to understand and just expressed his own view: “You can’t not tell them that big dad can stand up just because you’re unsure if you’ll be able to walk normally in the future! Are you going to wait until you’re certain you can always stand before telling them?”

He vaguely knew that Gu Huaiyu didn’t dare to get close to the cubs because he knew he didn’t have long to live.
He didn’t want the cubs to once again experience the pain of losing a loved one.
But Shen Qing felt that this kind of thought itself was wrong.

Shen Qing said, “Compared to a cold big dad who rarely gets close to them aside from tutoring them, it’s obvious that what the cubs need more is a big dad who clearly and unmistakably expresses his care and love.”
Even if this person will eventually leave.
But so what?
At least, that care and love had existed; it was always better than leaving nothing behind at all.

Shen Qing: “Moreover, life is already full of accidents. Let alone you, nobody can guarantee that they will definitely see tomorrow’s sun. Since that’s the case, letting them see big dad’s standing image—even if you can’t later on—at least they will have seen what you look like when you’re healthy. I believe Duo Duo and Ao Zai would only choose this option! They really aren’t that fragile, so big shot, you shouldn’t have so many worries. You should enjoy the present!…”

“And what about you,” gazing at him with deep eyes, Gu Huaiyu suddenly spoke.
“Me?”
Caught off guard by this sudden question, Shen Qing blinked non-stop: “Me what?”
Gu Huaiyu: “Is your choice the same as well?”
“…”

In the darkness, Shen Qing’s neck was held once again.
The other person’s slender fingers exerted a slight pressure, making him involuntarily lean a bit closer.
It became that kind of closeness again… cheeks almost touching, breaths intertwining.
…

Bang, a sound exploded in the depths of his heart once again.
Shen Qing couldn’t help but hold his breath again.
He only heard Gu Huaiyu, using his hoarse voice, asking him in a low whisper, like the night breeze gently caressing his cheek: “…Do you want a ‘me’ who clearly and unmistakably expresses care and love?”