SFBF CH83

Gu Duo pulled Mingbao back with a serious expression. Mingbao, who had almost fallen onto him, pouted and glared at Gu Duo, questioning whose side he was on—wasn’t the deal that he (Mingbao) would be responsible for acting cute, and Gu Duo would handle the talking?!

Gu Duo remained cold and blinked: “No need for hugs to act cute.”

Mingbao: …continued to pout and glare. It was just “milky-fierce”!

Shen Qing, who had been watching from the side, was amused. He had just been pretending to be sad because the cubs didn’t trust him, but he completely forgot about it now and almost laughed out loud.

In truth, he understood the cubs; it wasn’t that they didn’t trust him, it was just Duoduo’s habit to solve problems himself and only bother others if it was absolutely necessary. Shen Qing had that personality once when he was a child, so he understood. Even though he often told Duoduo that the cub had a dad now and didn’t need to shoulder things alone, and Duoduo had expressed trust in him, that deep-rooted pattern would take a long time to change. There was no need to rush.

Because of this, Shen Qing wasn’t angry at all and was willing to go see the puppies with them. Seeing the cubs amuse themselves, he almost laughed until he was shaking. Suddenly, Shen Qing felt something, looked up, and saw Gu Huaiyu staring at him. The gaze was direct and intense.

Shen Qing immediately felt self-conscious, retracted his smile, and subconsciously touched his face: “…What are you looking at? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Gu Huaiyu said in a deep voice, completely serious: “I just feel like we should be here.”

Shen Qing: …

He noticed the driver in front had slowed to a crawl. The driver didn’t know exactly which back gate Young Master Duo was talking about, so he had been driving at a snail’s pace, waiting for the young masters to call a stop.

Gu Duo was smart, but he was still a child, and his attention was easily distracted. He had been so busy stopping Xu Weiming from pouncing on his small dad that he’d forgotten to look for the spot. Hearing his big dad’s voice, he immediately looked out the window and hurriedly said: “It’s here.”

The car stopped.

Shen Qing got out with them to check, and couldn’t help but sigh at how talented the two cubs were. The puppies were hiding in a small hole under a wall directly opposite the school’s back gate—a literal “dog hole.” The school was in a quiet area with large grounds, and few people ever came to this back gate. On the other side of the wall, there was a university, which had an even larger campus, and it was estimated that few people ever came this way either.

The dog hole was overgrown with weeds; from the outside, you couldn’t tell it was a hole at all. No wonder the cubs said it was hidden. It really was.

Shen Qing was curious: “So how did you discover this place?”

Mingbao said: “I was accompanying Gu Duo to recite books here and saw it by accident.”

The truth was that Duoduo had skipped PE class again to come to the back gate to recite books. Mingbao had skipped with him, but he couldn’t memorize anything and got bored, so he wandered around. Then, through the school’s back gate, he saw the little puppy crawling out of the wall. It was fluffy and dazed, and it instantly captured Mingbao’s heart! After that, Mingbao was hooked and dragged Gu Duo to see them after school.

“The way the puppy poked its head out was so cute!” Mingbao said.

“Shh,” Gu Duo told him to keep his voice down so as not to scare the puppies inside.

“Oh, oh.” Mingbao realized he was being loud and covered his mouth.

The two cubs went forward to clear the grass, and Shen Qing and the others waited behind, mainly to avoid disturbing the puppies. When the cubs saw the puppies, Mingbao looked back at Shen Qing with a pout, looking aggrieved. Gu Duo also turned back and shook his head at his small dad, meaning the mother dog hadn’t returned.

After thinking about it, Shen Qing said: “Since that’s the case, we’ll take them back and raise them… These two puppies are too small to be left here.”

“Yay, Uncle Shen, you agreed!” Mingbao waved his little arms and jumped up.

Gu Duo considered it from another angle and asked Shen Qing: “If we take the puppies away, what if the mother dog comes back and can’t find her cubs?”

Shen Qing was stunned. For a moment, he didn’t know how to answer. He had encountered stray dogs when he was a child and knew that some cautious mother dogs would move their puppies the moment they were discovered by humans. But some stray mother dogs would actively bring their puppies to humans to be raised—this usually happened because the mother dog no longer had the strength to raise them.

In this situation, it was most likely that the mother dog felt she could trust Duoduo and Mingbao, so she left her puppies behind, hoping they could raise them. As for why she left alone, it was probably because… she knew she couldn’t raise them anymore. Based on Duoduo’s description, it sounded like an elderly, experienced mother dog.

So… perhaps the mother dog would never come back.

But Shen Qing looked down and saw Duoduo and Mingbao looking up at him, their eyes full of doubt and worry. He swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said: “Then we’ll come back here often to check. If we find that the mother dog has returned, we’ll bring her home to raise her too, how about that?”

Gu Duo thought about it and felt his small dad’s plan was feasible, and there didn’t seem to be any other way, so he nodded. With Gu Duo nodding, Mingbao had even less to object to and jumped up again, cheering “Yay.”

Gu Huaiyu, who had gotten out of the car, glanced at Shen Qing again.

Afterwards, Duoduo and Mingbao each picked up a puppy from the hole. The puppies were very alert, but they were already familiar with the scent of the two cubs and didn’t resist. The cubs reached out, and the puppies crawled to their fingertips to sniff, then nuzzled their palms. Mingbao laughed crisply when nudged, not caring that the stray dogs were dirty, and wanted to bury his face in them to sniff. It was only when Shen Qing said they had to have a check-up, a bath, and vaccinations before they could be petted that Mingbao stopped.

Fortunately, there were many people with them, so they took the puppies to a nearby pet hospital, left two bodyguards there to wait for the results, and Shen Qing and Boss Gu took the cubs to eat pizza.

After they finished eating, the puppies had been fed, examined, vaccinated, and given professional spa treatments. The puppies, who had been huddled in the hole, had been dirty and messy, but now they were clean and smelled like milk. Their fur was fluffy, making them look chubby and adorable!

The puppies had learned to walk, but because of the new environment, they curled up together, barely moving or making a sound. It was only when Gu Duo and Mingbao approached that they relaxed slightly. One of them stood up on its four short legs, didn’t bark, and nudged its nose toward Duoduo and Mingbao. Then, when Duoduo reached out, it rubbed its face against the little human cub’s palm, making a “whoo-whoo” sound, which sounded a bit aggrieved. Mingbao stroked the puppy’s chubby back, and the puppy felt it, turned its head to chase Mingbao’s hand, making Mingbao giggle again.

At the same time, the other puppy slowly stood up, perked up its little ears, and began to look around. Looking closely, this puppy even had double eyelids. It looked around with confused eyes, not as lively as the other one. Its double-lidded eyes looked cautious, as if it were ready to curl back up at the slightest sign of trouble. Gu Duo saw this and patted its head. Sensing it was the human cub who had always been kind to them, the puppy didn’t curl up, but let out a soft “bark,” then stayed still.

The scene was warm and touching, once again solidifying Shen Qing’s resolve to raise the puppies. He had considered raising small animals before, and the first thing he thought of was dogs. After all, it was said that dogs are human’s best friends, and children who grow up with dogs are more soft-hearted, kind, and have a greater sense of responsibility. But he had only considered it.

…If Duoduo and Ao Zai were difficult to get along with and impossible to get close to, or if they had already shown signs of becoming future villains, he would have had to raise a pet first in hopes of breaking down their psychological defenses. But his own cubs were too well-behaved and kind! It wasn’t like that at all! Besides, Duoduo and Ao Zai already had enough responsibility; if he made them raise something else, wouldn’t they be exhausted? So Shen Qing forgot about it.

…Well, not forgot, just procrastinated until now.

He didn’t expect that the pets he should raise, he would raise. He also didn’t expect that Gu Duo, who had already begun to show a cold, hard side, would like small animals so much… He originally thought even if he had to raise them, Ao Zai would like them more…

Wait, where was Ao Zai? Where was his little Ao Zai’s chubby, short figure?

He suddenly realized that Ao Zai, who usually rushed into everything, wasn’t there. Come to think of it, ever since he saw the puppies, Ao Zai hadn’t come forward.

Thinking of this, Shen Qing scanned his surroundings and saw Ao Zai hiding by his big dad’s side, his eyes wide, staring at the puppies on the table. He couldn’t look away, but he didn’t dare to get close. His little hands were nervously clasped in front of him, and he looked all twisted up.

Shen Qing: “…?”

Shen Qing looked at Gu Huaiyu. The Boss in the wheelchair tapped Ao Zai’s little shoulder with his long finger and comforted him in a low voice: “Go ahead, go take a look.”

The vet on the side was also a bit confused: “Is the child afraid of the dogs?”

Shen Qing had the same question. …Ao Zai usually giggled whenever he saw small animals; he played very well with little penguins and cranes before. Why was he suddenly afraid of little puppies? Besides, how could the “Long Aotian” have any creature he was afraid of?

“No, Ao Zai should be…”

Gu Huaiyu thought for a moment, and actually couldn’t find an adjective to describe it, eventually saying only two words: “Shy.”

Vet: “…”

Shen Qing: “…?”

Come to think of it, although Ao Zai liked small animals, he had never really been in close contact with puppies. …So it was shy. But why shy? He looked at Gu Huaiyu again.

Gu Huaiyu was silent for a moment before his thin, pale lips opened again, summarizing: “Besides being shy, he also feels the other party is too fragile, too young, and he likes them too much, so he doesn’t dare to touch them.”

Shen Qing: “…”

He remembered that when he took the cubs out to play and met big dogs, Ao Zai dared to rush up and forcefully pet them. But when he met smaller ones, Ao Zai wouldn’t act… Shen Qing seemed to understand. Although Ao Zai was a “Long Aotian,” aloof and arrogant, that didn’t mean he didn’t like cute, soft things. In fact, his Ao Zai liked them very much! Should say, liked them the most! That’s why he was shy.

…It was just because he was a “Long Aotian,” knew his own nobility, was born to look down on the world, and knew he had great strength. Therefore, the more he encountered things he liked, the less he dared to come forward, for fear of hurting them.

Was this… the legendary iron-blooded tenderness?

Having analyzed it clearly, Shen Qing looked at Gu Huaiyu again, wanting to ask how the big boss knew so much. But on second thought, Ao Zai’s fear of his big dad came from the “Long Aotian” bloodline suppression. They were basically the same type of person. It was just that Gu Huaiyu was more suppressed, so he didn’t feel like a “Long Aotian.” But when he was young, the Boss must have been quite lonely and arrogant!

…In other words, the Boss didn’t dare to touch or couldn’t bear to touch puppies when he was little?

Blinking in surprise, looking at Ao Zai’s awkward little demeanor, Shen Qing decided to solve his problem first. He walked over, took the cub’s little hand, and walked directly to the table where the puppies were. Ao Zai was too short; even on his tiptoes, he might not be able to see the dogs on top. Shen Qing bent down, picked up the baby, and placed him directly on the table where the puppies were.

The chubby human cub suddenly sat beside the milky puppies, his two little arms crossed over his chest. For a moment, Ao Zai looked at Shen Qing with shock and confusion, then at the puppy with double eyelids beside him, even more at a loss!

Shen Qing: “…You can try petting it.”

Ao Zai still kept his arms crossed, looking even more innocent than the two puppies that had huddled together out of fear earlier.

“The puppy is helpless now, it wants you to hug it,” Shen Qing guided again.

Ao Zai: “Ao Zai, Ao Zai…”

Ao Zai didn’t know what he was afraid of either. But he just didn’t dare to reach out his little hand. He was worried he would break the puppy!

Finally, it was Duoduo who held his brother’s hand and gently let his little finger stroke the puppy’s back. One stroke after another. Because he was so nervous, Ao Zai didn’t feel much at first. It was only when the puppy, having been stroked many times, comfortably exposed its soft belly and took the initiative to be close to him that Ao Zai finally realized he wouldn’t hurt it like this.

The bun-like human cub blinked, his black grape-like eyes full of novelty. This time, Ao Zai finally took the initiative to pet the puppy. The puppy, which had been very scared just now, very cooperatively started a comfortable little purr and took the opportunity to enthusiastically hug Ao Zai’s hand.

Ao Zai: “Ah!”

He giggled and laughed, forgetting himself as he petted the dog.

On this side, the three cubs were curiously surrounding the clean and beautiful puppies. Shen Qing felt that the next step was time to name the puppies. The cubs hadn’t thought of naming the dogs, but Shen Qing had, so the three little ones all looked up at him: “What names should we give them?”

Mingbao said: “Uncle Shen and Uncle Gu agreed to raise them, so the uncles should name them!”

Gu Duo and Gu Ao had no opinion on this. Gu Huaiyu stated directly that he wouldn’t name them, telling the Small Dad to do it.

Shen Qing: “…”

But he was also terrible at naming!

Looking up at the sky for a moment of thought, Shen Qing: “Then let’s call them ‘Ergou’ (Second Dog) and ‘Goudan’ (Dog Egg).”

Puppies & Cubs: “?”

Is it that sloppy?

Shen Qing nodded expressionlessly: “Lowly names are easier to raise.”

“…”

“Um…”

Facing the cubs’ blank stares, Shen Qing became a little more serious. He felt that to name the dogs, he had to know their breed. These two puppies, one white-furred and one yellow-furred, weren’t even as long as his forearm. Their little faces were pointed, their ears were pointed and perked, and their little tails were thin and not very long, looking a bit like Chihuahuas, but definitely not, since they were puppies and would grow up.

He hadn’t raised dogs systematically and didn’t know the breed, so Shen Qing confirmed with the vet: “So, what kind of dogs are these?”

Vet: “Clearly, these are two Chinese rural dogs.”

Shen Qing nodded with an “Oh,” and inspiration struck—

“Then let’s call them ‘Tian Tian’ (Field) and ‘Yuan Yuan’ (Garden)!”

Vet: “…”

In the end, the livelier one was called Tian Tian, nickname Goudan’er. The shyer double-lidded dog was called Yuan Yuan, nickname Ergou.

Shen Qing: …He was basically satisfied with his naming skills.

The point was, the cubs didn’t care much about the puppies’ names, as long as they had a proper name, so the matter was settled.

It was getting dark. Shen Qing figured they shouldn’t go back too late. After confirming some dog-raising details with the vet, spending a large amount of money to get a VIP service card, and arranging for a truckload of dog food to be transported home, he called the cubs to take the dogs and retreat home.

Because Mingbao’s mother didn’t allow him to stay overnight at Uncle Shen’s house and bother him, he still had to go back at night. Taken by the driver uncle who came to pick him up, Mingbao, with wide eyes, was about to cry, but finally agreed after Gu Duo promised to video call him at night to show him the puppies.

When Shen Qing and his party returned home, he had already notified the housekeeper to prepare a dog bed when he sent the dogs to be washed white. He wanted to place the dogs in the living room on the first floor temporarily. But by now, Ao Zai couldn’t put the puppies down. Hearing that the cloth house that appeared in the first-floor hall was the puppies’ nest, Ao Zai put the puppies in and then crawled in himself.

Shen Qing: “…”

He hurriedly checked the dog cage prepared to prevent the dogs from running around at night.

…Good thing the housekeeper didn’t say that was the dogs’ nest earlier.

While crawling into the doghouse, Ao Zai babbled to the puppies; it was unclear what language he was speaking, just like he was playing house. The magical thing was that the puppies cooperated, occasionally making a milky little sound.

Shen Qing: “…”

Looking at the brand-new, house-shaped dog bed, with little Ao Zai lying inside, his little butt exposed because he couldn’t crawl in completely, Shen Qing almost bent over laughing. It was so funny that he even took out his phone and recorded a video.

Duoduo stood on the side for a while, then said he had to go upstairs to do his homework first.

Shen Qing stopped him: “…Not going to play a little longer?”

Gu Duo: …looked at the direction of the doghouse, paused for a moment, then shook his head, his expression resolute.

Shen Qing: …

Subconsciously patted the cub’s head.

…What kind of super self-control is this, Young Master Duo!

In the end, because Ao Zai both wanted to go upstairs to study with his brother and couldn’t let go of the puppies, Shen Qing had no choice but to have people move the dog bed upstairs, placing it in the cubs’ children’s room. That way, as long as Ao Zai didn’t enter the dog bed, the two cubs could pet the dogs while studying—the best of both worlds. Anyway, the connected children’s room was equivalent to a four-room suite, and vacating one room for the puppies wouldn’t affect anything. The point was, if he didn’t do this, Shen Qing felt that in the middle of the night, Ao Zai would likely run out to find the puppies downstairs.

…Iron-blooded tenderness, after all!

So there was no more fuss. The puppies were full and sleepy at this time. It just happened that there was one lying beside each cub, curled into fluffy balls, motionless and not noisy. And because the puppies were beside them, the cubs felt at ease. Besides that, their backs were straighter, and they didn’t delay their studies because of petting the dogs. Shen Qing watched from the side for a while and felt that even Ao Zai was more serious than before.

During this period, Shen Qing didn’t need to urge the cubs to sleep. Gu Duo promised him he would sleep early, and he would. So, after observing for a while and settling the cubs, Shen Qing went back to his room to take a shower.

When he came out, it was nearly nine o’clock in the evening. Seeing the Boss was still busy with work, he turned on the computer in the study outside the bedroom and played games for a while. His game room had actually been renovated long ago, probably on the eve of Gu Huaiyu’s hospitalization, and it had been converted into an e-sports room, equipped with the highest-end computer desks and gaming chairs on the market. But he didn’t know why, perhaps it was just the habit of playing games in the study, but Shen Qing rarely went to the e-sports room to play; he mostly played casually in the study and then went to sleep after playing. That was the pattern before.

But now that the Boss was back, he couldn’t even get into playing games. Logging into his high-paying max-level account to hang up, Shen Qing picked up a book to read until after ten o’clock, when the Boss finished work and returned to the room.

Gu Huaiyu: “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Shen Qing: “Why is your face so pale?”

Thinking it must be because the Boss had been working too hard today, Shen Qing felt sorry for him and quickly put down the book to greet him.

Gu Huaiyu pressed his chest, wearing a pale expression, and said: “Nothing, just a little tired.”

Shen Qing: “Then take a rest early.”

“Okay,” Gu Huaiyu said: “I’m going to wash up.”

Shen Qing: “Okay, I’ll help you.”

Saying that, he was about to push the Boss’s wheelchair.

Gu Huaiyu: “…?”

He looked up subconsciously.

The Boss’s sharp gaze swept over, and Shen Qing was also startled, blinking and explaining: “It’s not like I haven’t helped you before.”

Gu Huaiyu also blinked: “…Help with what?”

Shen Qing: “Wipe your body, your wounds aren’t healed yet, so you can’t take a bath.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…Cough.”

Pressing his chest a step further, the Boss indicated: “No need.”

Shen Qing: “?…”

Previously, when the Boss was in the hospital, he had professional nurses to take care of him, but occasionally when Shen Qing stayed there, he would help the Boss wipe his body. Gu Huaiyu didn’t want too many outsiders in the house to disturb the cubs, so now there were no nurses in their home. Shen Qing felt he could totally step in. Being rejected was something he hadn’t expected.

But Gu Huaiyu had already turned his eyes away and operated the wheelchair toward the inner room: “I can do it myself.” He didn’t intend to explain.

Shen Qing: “…Don’t be so polite with me.”

Shen Qing chased after him, really not understanding what their relationship was now; why was the Boss still being so formal: “It’s not like I haven’t wiped you before, aren’t you my husband! It’s very normal for me to help you.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Glancing at the young man wearing only a tank top and shorts, he was followed into the bathroom anyway. Shen Qing didn’t like to turn on the air conditioning in the summer, mainly because the room was large and well-ventilated. A tank top and shorts were just right, so there was no need to turn on the air conditioner. His pajamas during this period were a tank top and shorts.

Wearing a white vest, with the waistline outlined, Shen Qing didn’t feel hot at all outside, but the bathroom was poorly ventilated and felt a little stuffy. But of course, his husband was more important; at least the Boss worked so hard for their home. Shen Qing directly ignored the stuffiness and went to undo the Boss’s shirt buttons.

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

After the clothes were removed, Shen Qing had already picked up a towel dampened with warm water and, with practiced movements, wiped the Boss’s back.

Gu Huaiyu’s back was tense, motionless. It wasn’t suitable to wash with body wash in his situation, having just changed bandages, so the bathroom was filled with the scent of fresh strawberries—it was unclear if it was the scent on Shen Qing, or the scent left behind when the young man showered earlier.

Shen Qing’s movements were unexpectedly nimble, quickly wiping his back and then coming around to wipe his front. Looking at the young man’s profile up close, Gu Huaiyu tapped his fingertips on the armrest of the wheelchair twice.

“You said before that you were very good at taking care of people because you had been taking care of people for a long time… So it wasn’t taking care of Shen Yuan.”

Shen Qing, who had already come clean to the Boss that he was an outsider: “Of course, I didn’t know Shen Yuan at all before…”

Speaking of this, Shen Qing suddenly looked up at the Boss and blinked: “So you were jealous of Shen Yuan back then!?”

Shen Qing didn’t remember when that was, only that it was when he had just moved to the upstairs room… Come to think of it, Duoduo assisted him that time. In short, Duoduo had accepted him by then, and the insecure cub hoped he could live with Gu Huaiyu, not live apart. Then Shen Qing moved upstairs. And the first time he entered this bathroom was to help Gu Huaiyu dry his hair. At that time, the Boss commented that he was good at taking care of people, and Shen Qing bluffed, replying that he was used to taking care of people in the Shen family. Then the topic was dragged by the big Boss onto Shen Yuan…

After all this, it turned out that Gu Huaiyu thought he was taking care of Shen Yuan! And the Boss was jealous!

Regarding this discovery by Shen Qing, Gu Huaiyu didn’t comment, as if it wasn’t important. He just asked in a serious and suddenly lowered voice: “So the person you took care of was from your original world. Who was it?”

Shen Qing: “It was… my grandfather and grandmother.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

The Boss’s brow froze, and the previously fierce expression disappeared… The Gu family’s family ties were thin, and this answer seemed to be something he hadn’t expected.

Shen Qing didn’t find it strange. While wiping the Boss’s body, he said: “I was raised by my grandmother since I was a child. When I was in middle school, my grandfather fell ill and passed away. I had taken care of him before that. Later, it was my grandmother… I also took care of her in the later stages.”

“…”

Beyond the shock, there was also some guilt in his expression. Gu Huaiyu’s throat moved, and he said: “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Shen Qing said: “My grandmother died of old age, and besides, I hadn’t mentioned it to you before.”

Gu Huaiyu was slightly silent. Then he suddenly touched the young man’s face.

Felt by cold fingertips stroking his cheek, Shen Qing looked up in surprise. Gu Huaiyu asked him: “Your grandfather and grandmother were very important to you.”

Shen Qing: “Yeah, I was raised by them. My background is actually a bit like Duoduo’s.”

“…” Gu Huaiyu was silent, just watching him for a long time. The hand brushing his cheek moved very lightly, like a comfort.

Shen Qing felt a little itchy and smiled: “But it’s nothing, it’s all in the past.”

Gu Huaiyu mused: “When Duoduo was worried about the mother dog coming back, you said we could go check more often later, and if the mother dog came back looking for them, we would bring her back too. Was that intentional? …You already knew the mother dog wouldn’t come back.”

By the end, the Boss had basically used a declarative tone.

Shen Qing: “…Hey, can’t be too sure, what if the mother dog just got lost.”

After speaking, he was silent, and Gu Huaiyu was silent too. They both knew that getting lost was impossible. Shen Qing said again: “Maybe the mother dog felt that Duoduo and the others could be trusted, so she left her cubs and went out to roam… Sigh, in short, why be so serious about it.”

Gu Huaiyu responded: “Hmm.”

Shen Qing said: “I just feel that Duoduo and the others are too young. Since they didn’t realize the mother dog might be gone, there’s no need to let them know too much… er, things that won’t help even if they know.”

Moreover, the pity in Gu Duo’s eyes was too obvious. Shen Qing always felt that the two little puppies were like the former Duoduo and Ao Zai, without a mother, bewildered, having no concept of the world, and could only huddle together for warmth. So, having already experienced the feeling of losing a mother, there was no need for Duoduo to know the cruelty of life again.

What’s more… Shen Qing looked down again at the bandage on the Boss’s waist, subconsciously bit his lip, and then continued: “In short, why think so much.”

After speaking, Shen Qing stood up again. Having wiped the upper body, he returned to a relaxed tone: “Big Boss, you can take off your pants.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Gu Huaiyu stood up, didn’t do as Shen Qing said, but stretched his long arms, trapping the young man by the sink.

“You are very emotional,” Gu Huaiyu said suddenly.

“Huh?” Shen Qing didn’t understand.

But Gu Huaiyu didn’t say anything more. He carefully examined the young man. The more contact he had, the more he knew that the young man’s mind was delicate, not as careless as he usually appeared. It was just that perhaps he didn’t want to cling to the past, nor did he want to calculate the future, so he smiled brilliantly and was unblemished.

…Emotional. Delicate. And he always had a way to keep himself moving forward. Bright, and also warming others. Shen Qing.

“You are named Shen Qing.” Suddenly, he opened his thin lips, and with a pale, handsome face, Gu Huaiyu asked.

Shen Qing: “Ah?”

He was completely stunned by the Boss’s gaze, but thinking that the other party was asking what his original name was, Shen Qing nodded: “Yeah, my name is Shen Qing too.”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t speak again, just touched his face.

“Nothing, just think you are very cute.” His voice was faint, and his speech was very slow. Even when saying the word “cute,” it was no exception. It felt like the Boss was serious. Honestly felt he was cute.

Shen Qing: “…That’s called handsome.”

He couldn’t help but argue a bit. Then Gu Huaiyu laughed. The voice was hoarse and full of texture, intoxicating. His face also appeared a bit more ruddy and vivid than when he had just returned to the room.

Shen Qing: …It must be because it was hot in the bathroom. Otherwise, why was his tailbone tingling again!

Suppressing the urge to wiggle, he pushed Gu Huaiyu, deliberately adding impatience to his tone: “So Big Boss, what are you doing? Hurry up and take off your pants, we need to go to sleep early when we’re done!”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

The hand touching his face paused. He kept staring at him. His gaze moved slowly, and his breathing seemed to deepen. Blown by the warm air from his nose, and with not much room to move left, Shen Qing, having nowhere to hide, also subconsciously inhaled deeply.

Breathing intertwined, Gu Huaiyu gently rubbed the young man’s lips with his thumb, but Shen Qing “ah”ed, appearing to have a sudden realization—

“Are you shy too?”

Gu Huaiyu: “…Shy?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The Boss just mentioned the puppies, so Shen Qing naturally remembered that at the pet hospital, the Boss described Ao Zai not daring to rush up to pet the puppies because he was shy. But the iron-blooded, tender Boss had it too! And as someone who could suppress Ao Zai’s bloodline, the Boss would only be more serious than Ao Zai! …Ao Zai would express unprecedented shyness because he loved soft, small animals too much.

The Boss might be too.

Although he wasn’t a soft little animal.

But wasn’t it the case that the Boss liked him!

Thinking about it, the other party delayed letting him wipe his body, it must be because he was shy. Maybe it was just because he liked him and was embarrassed to get close to him. Or perhaps out of arrogance, meaning he didn’t want to show his fragile side in front of his beloved?

Shen Qing, who was currently the Boss’s beloved, said: “You should have told me earlier, you can probably handle your legs yourself, so you do it yourself.”

Saying that, he really felt hot and wanted to go out and cool off. …In the summer, some places still need air conditioning!

But Shen Qing didn’t succeed in leaving.

—The hands imprisoning him on both sides were still there.

Shen Qing looked at Gu Huaiyu in surprise again.

Meeting his gaze, Gu Huaiyu took another deep breath and said: “I’m afraid of being seen by you, but it’s not out of shyness. It’s because I’m afraid of scaring you.”

Shen Qing: ?

He thought about the other reason the Boss said Ao Zai didn’t dare to pet the puppies—because he knew he was powerful, so he didn’t dare to step forward in front of small animals, for fear of hurting them.

Could it be that in front of the Boss, he was really a “small, weak animal”?

Shen Qing asked: “What can you have that would scare me?”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t answer. He pursed his lips and just said: “You go out first, I’ll do it myself.”

Saying that, he raised one hand, then turned his body, leaning on the washbasin, letting Shen Qing go.

Shen Qing: …

How was there a feeling of only saying half of the words… So what on earth is it!!

Shen Qing couldn’t help but look back at Gu Huaiyu; the person leaning on the washbasin had a thin yet slender figure. The Boss had rarely stood up in the past few months, not because he didn’t want to, but because his body was weak during the recovery period. At this moment, he was slightly hunched over, and his legs weren’t straightened, but his figure was tall and slender. Seen from the side, his facial features were more distinct and hard, and the expression of slightly lowering his eyes to look at the ground was a bit melancholic, especially matched with the pale complexion.

Shen Qing… certainly couldn’t just go out like this.

“Okay, no matter what you have on your legs, I won’t be afraid! Don’t stand, hurry up and take them off, you can’t stand for this long!”

Saying that, he turned back, wanting to help Gu Huaiyu back to the wheelchair.

Gu Huaiyu: “…Cough.”

He coughed uncontrollably again.

Shen Qing was most afraid of him coughing now; once he coughed, the incision might burst, so he couldn’t help but take another step forward, hooking the Boss’s waist, trying to carry Gu Huaiyu back to the wheelchair with his own strength…

But maybe it was because he was too close. Shen Qing’s movements paused. Gu Huaiyu’s coughing sound also paused.

Shen Qing: “…Uh, uh, uh.”

His eyeballs turned, and he looked at the mirror on the washbasin, the posture between him and the Boss…

Gu Huaiyu had long legs and high hips; to lean on the washbasin that was low for him, his two long legs naturally had to be bent and slightly separated to maintain even force and balance. And he, having been anxious to support him just now, had unconsciously stepped between the Boss’s long legs. At some moment, the coughing Gu Huaiyu also leaned forward.

…

Shen Qing: “…”

Blinking wildly at the mirror.

…Seems like they are stuck quite close! …

Gu Huaiyu, who was also stunned to the point of forgetting to cough, heard a low, hoarse voice whisper slowly in his ear: “…Now do you know what can make you afraid?”

Shen Qing: …

?

!!!

“…No, Big Boss, aren’t you supposed to be incapable?!” Shen Qing asked the question of his soul.