SFBF CH100

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After the kids fell asleep, Shen Qing stepped out quietly. Gu Huaiyu was leaning against the headboard, reviewing documents on his laptop.

Shen Qing: “…”

First, there was Ao-zai racing against time to do his homework, and now there was the big boss burning the midnight oil handling official business.

His family was truly intense.

It was genuinely hard work, and Shen Qing felt quite embarrassed—originally, the big boss had only gone to pick him up from work, but Shen Qing had whisked him off to the mountain and forced him to stay on this tiny bed handling urgent business…

Although he was recovering well, President Gu’s complexion still looked paler than that of an average person, and his lips were even more bloodless. He had a large frame, but because he was thin, the posture of him leaning there made him look all the more bony.

“Mm, thank you for your hard work, Big Boss,” Shen Qing said, feeling a little self-conscious as he automatically walked over, intending to give the big boss a shoulder massage.

Hearing his voice, Gu Huaiyu moved his gaze away from the laptop screen and said, “The one who worked hard is you.”

The inner and outer rooms of the suite were separated by only a single door, and Shen Qing hadn’t closed it just now. Gu Huaiyu could hear everything he had said to the babies inside.

He reached out his hand toward the young man, and Shen Qing let himself be pulled along, sitting down beside him naturally.

To avoid waking the kids, the two spoke in very low voices.

And to hear each other clearly, they drew very close together.

So close that Shen Qing’s shoulder pressed against Gu Huaiyu’s, head touching head. Against the backdrop of chirping birds and buzzing cicadas, the atmosphere grew extremely tranquil and lovely.

Gu Huaiyu held Shen Qing’s hand and said, “Fortunately, you are here.”

Shen Qing blinked: “Why do you say that?”

Cool fingertips wrapped around Shen Qing’s wrist. Gu Huaiyu lowered his gaze to look at him, his voice low and raspy yet carrying a hint of laughter: “Without you here, I wouldn’t know how to communicate with Duoduo and Ao-zai.”

“Ah, that.” Shen Qing indicated it was really nothing. He didn’t have any special tricks for communicating with human cubs either; his main approach was just sincerity, followed by talking nonsense with a straight face.

Shen Qing said earnestly, “You don’t lack sincerity, but rather the skill I use afterward. You’re just bad at expressing yourself! You’ll get better with more practice.”

Gu Huaiyu: “Mm.”

He clearly agreed with his statement.

“How about I practice right now,” he added.

Shen Qing: “…How do you want to practice?”

He suddenly had a bad feeling!

Gu Huaiyu let out a low laugh, in no rush to speak.

His fingertips left the young man’s wrist, winding upward, slowly tracing a path across the center of his palm.

Afterward, he was blocked by the person beside him.

A finger was held up in front of Gu Huaiyu’s lips, and Shen Qing said, “Stop.”

…President Gu was bad at expressing himself in front of others.

But in front of Shen Qing, he dared to say anything!

Having blushes so fiercely in the past, Shen Qing felt that at this moment, with bodyguards pulling night duty outside and two cubs sleeping peacefully inside, it was truly unsuitable for him to listen to those… practice words from Gu Huaiyu!

“Don’t say another word,” Shen Qing said.

“Alright.”

Having been called to a stop by his lover and forbidden to speak, President Gu showed no temper at all, agreeing very amiably instead.

He reached out to hold the finger Shen Qing had extended, his palm slightly cool. Gu Huaiyu smiled faintly: “I haven’t said anything yet, though. Why is your face blushing?”

“…Who is blushing??”

Shen Qing was shocked.

If he hadn’t been afraid of making too much noise, he would have practically shouted it out.

Gu Huaiyu, however, switched to gripping his wrist, pulling him a step closer into his arms with a slight exertion of force. Right after, the big boss simply snapped his laptop shut and tossed it aside.

In a split second, the world seemed to spin. Shen Qing didn’t even know how the other man did it, but it turned into him lying on the bed with Gu Huaiyu leaning over directly above him.

“It really is red,” Gu Huaiyu said.

His voice was calm and light.

Shen Qing: “…”

He raised a hand to touch his own face.

Being pulled close and then pinned down like this could count as strenuous exercise.

It would be a miracle if his face wasn’t red!

“…Your injuries are all healed, aren’t they?”

Unexpectedly, the big boss actually nodded: “More or less.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Alright, truth be told, the big boss had indeed recovered very well during this period.

And because both of them were busy—their different levels and times of busyness overlapping—it resulted in them being able to meet often, eat together, and chat playfully, but the nights they actually lay together were few…

In short, he and President Gu still had a relationship in name only.

…

Sometimes when Shen Qing thought about it himself, he found it quite strange.

If he told people outside, no one would believe it.

But what could be done? They used to be Platonic before!

Shen Qing’s mindset had always been that he needed to let President Gu recover properly from his injuries.

Of course, his main thought tonight was: “…Hurry up and get up, it won’t be good if someone sees us!”

Shen Qing growled in a low voice.

“Who would see?” Gu Huaiyu asked.

His silhouette, however, remained completely motionless.

Shen Qing: “…What if the cubs suddenly come out? There are bodyguards outside too!”

Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu had no choice but to slowly sit back up.

Having probably been “busted” by the babies twice before, the young man really developed a psychological shadow; Gu Huaiyu could clearly sense his tension and nervousness.

Besides, the layout of this suite was indeed special, so it was completely normal for the young man to feel uncomfortable.

He was originally just teasing him, so Gu Huaiyu wouldn’t make things difficult for him.

He straightened his posture and sat back against the headboard.

Yet the young man who had been lying on the bed suddenly scrambled up and planted a kiss on his face.

“…”

Gu Huaiyu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The young man’s face was right in front of him, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him, his smile exceptionally brilliant.

Gu Huaiyu: “…Aren’t you afraid of being seen now?”

“Not afraid. Mine is agile. If the cubs push the door open right now, I can just duck back like this, and they won’t see a thing.”

As he spoke, Shen Qing even demonstrated by actually ducking backward.

He performed the movement for him right on the spot.

Gu Huaiyu couldn’t help but laugh as he watched, nodding earnestly: “Your footwork is very nimble.”

Shen Qing: “Of course. Have I been practicing for nothing recently?”

He really was very flexible!

Gu Huaiyu looked at him again, then pulled his laptop back over to open it, getting down to business: “I still have a few documents to process. I’ll go to sleep after finishing them.”

Shen Qing said, “Alright, then I’ll keep you company.”

With that, he sat up straight, sitting cross-legged beside Gu Huaiyu, pulled out his phone, and began scrolling through short videos.

The moment he tapped into the app, a handsome face—his own—came into view.

…

Shen Qing used to scroll through video platforms before as well.

However, he mostly watched gaming-related content and stress-relief videos.

Lately, though, he had blown up in popularity, so the platform was filled with content about him, all created by fans. The experience of opening an app to see himself and tapping into videos only to hear people praising him relentlessly felt quite novel to Shen Qing, so over the past two days, whenever he had nothing to do, he would click into videos about himself to take a look.

Of course, he would occasionally run across videos that slandered him.

However, Shen Qing had a very good mindset; he never felt that he was obligated to be liked by everyone.

It was normal to be liked by some and disliked by others, so whenever he encountered those, he simply ignored them.

Gu Huaiyu roughly knew what he was watching. His hands paused again as he turned to him and suddenly said, “Right now, people online are guessing who your husband is.”

“They aren’t,”

Shen Qing said: “People have been guessing that all along.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Shen Qing raised his head again as realization struck: “Ah, then should we clarify it? After all, a lot of people online right now think you’re an old man…”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Letting out a low, light huff, President Gu flashed a smile once more.

Except it was out of annoyance.

The reason he brought this up was to remind the young man that it was time to announce who his husband was.

It wasn’t to clarify that he wasn’t an old man.

Mainly…

“Find an opportunity to make it public. People online are already randomly shipping you with others.” Gu Huaiyu lowered his eyelids. Unsure if it was because sitting up in bed to work was uncomfortable, the big boss’s voice sounded significantly darker and gloomy.

Shen Qing: “Big Boss, you actually know the term ‘shipping’? …Wait, alright, I get it. Let’s make it public then.”

The further he spoke, the lower Shen Qing’s voice became.

Because he had also scrolled past videos of people randomly shipping him with others!

The video Shen Qing had scrolled past wasn’t even proper shipping; it was more like cracking wild crack-ships.

And because rumor had it that his husband was an old man, the creator had paired him with several older actors or directors.

Although the video didn’t explicitly state who Shen Qing’s husband was, it was highly misleading.

After all, typical fan-edited compilations usually shipped characters. But that video was edited based on real-life people.

Moreover, because the video received high views, some people were already convinced that one of the men in the video was Shen Qing’s husband.

This had an extremely negative impact on several parties involved, no longer remaining just Shen Qing’s issue.

That video was taken down very quickly.

On Shen Qing’s side, Assistant Li had also hired professionals to write a statement and post it online.

However, the fact that someone edited it and it gained such high views and attention proved that people were already immensely curious and invested in who Shen Qing’s other half was.

So this was indeed a major matter.

And even if the video was taken down in time, it couldn’t be ruled out that the big boss already knew—or had even watched that video himself!

?!

Shen Qing carefully observed Gu Huaiyu’s expression and look, wanting to catch some clues from it.

“I watched the video.”

Then, without even needing him to ask, President Gu took the initiative to answer.

Shen Qing: “…Then, should I explain myself right now?”

“What are you explaining?”

“…Just going by the usual process, if one partner in a marriage gets wrapped up in a ‘scandal’, shouldn’t the other half be very angry, requiring me to explain myself?”

Shen Qing blinked innocently, as if engaging in an objective discussion.

“…”

Knowing the young man was joking, the color on Gu Huaiyu’s expressionless face actually turned a bit rosier.

It was from being annoyed, as well as being amused.

Right after, Gu Huaiyu directly caught the gaze Shen Qing threw over and returned to the main topic: “I’m not that petty.”

His phoenix eyes were sharp, the depths of his gaze dark and deep.

He added: “For now.”

Shen Qing stopped joking and hurriedly said, “…Public, publicize it, make it public right away!”

For a young, high-traffic celebrity whose publicity was very positive, making it public that he was married would cause a loss of many fans and popularity, which was an unwise move.

However, due to various reasons, the fact that Shen Qing was married had never been a secret; everyone had known about it long ago, so it didn’t matter.

Shen Qing: “But how should we make it public?”

Not paying attention to the entertainment industry, Shen Qing truly lacked experience in this.

Gu Huaiyu said, “It’s simple. Hand it over to Li Hong to handle.”

Having said that, his hands paused once more.

“However, not right now.”

Shen Qing: “Not right now? What do you mean? Why?”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t explain why. His gaze remained on the laptop screen as he simply said, “Wait a bit longer. …Until the time is ripe.”

“…It’s still not ripe right now?” Shen Qing was even more confused.

In the past, Shen Qing had never thought about making it public. First, Shen Qing was obscure and heavily slandered back then, and he had originally intended to fade out of the public eye anyway, so he naturally wouldn’t go out of his way to expose his privacy.

Second, it was because he and President Gu didn’t have… such a deep relationship like they did now!

It was just an arranged marriage without feelings, so what was there to make public? Was he going to let the big boss sacrifice his reputation to hype up a couple persona with him?

Now, the feelings were in place, and he had gradually turned his reputation around from negative to positive.

…

Was the time still not ripe enough?

Besides, wasn’t making it public something President Gu had just taken the initiative to bring up…

Shen Qing blinked. In a split second, he inevitably thought of many possibilities.

For instance, could it be that his sudden surge in popularity during this phase had made him get ahead of himself? In reality, he had merely turned things around relying on a single live fan-meeting event. He still didn’t have any notable works, word-of-mouth reputation, or iconic roles, so he couldn’t be considered a truly established artist.

A version of himself like this was indeed far too distant from Gu Huaiyu in the eyes of outsiders.

Or for instance, behind President Gu was the Gu family, while behind himself was the Shen family.

Right now, neither the Gu family nor the Shen family knew the exact details of how he and Gu Huaiyu had developed, which was why both sides remained so quiet.

If it were made public, it probably couldn’t be kept under wraps anymore, and a mountain of trouble would follow…

He just didn’t know why President Gu felt the time was still not ripe enough.

However, analysis was just analysis. Shen Qing still refrained from letting his thoughts spiral or engaging in self-draining self-judgment.

He chose to speak his mind directly, asking the person involved.

Hearing his thoughts and guesses, Gu Huaiyu’s hands paused once again. In the next moment, he closed the laptop in his hands and set it aside.

Right after, he reached out and pulled the young man, who was sitting cross-legged obediently beside him, into his arms once more.

—Caught off guard, and without holding back any strength.

“Hey, hey!” His body slanting sideways, Shen Qing, who had fallen against a sturdy chest, almost failed to control his volume: “Your injury!~”

At any rate, still remembering the cubs sleeping in the inner room, Shen Qing lowered his voice as much as possible and raised his head with a face full of dissatisfaction.

He collided straight into Gu Huaiyu’s dark, deep eyes, listening as the other man spoke in a suppressed, serious voice: “First, there’s no need to worry about the Gu family and the Shen family; I will handle it. Second, the timing not being ripe isn’t because you aren’t famous enough, but rather…”

Gu Huaiyu looked down at his own legs, “At least wait until I can fully stand up.”

Shen Qing: “What does this have to do with whether you can stand or not…?”

“It matters,” Gu Huaiyu said.

His already dark eyes dimmed further. Leaning there, Gu Huaiyu looked pale, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, a rare hint of struggle appearing in his expression.

It was as if he was organizing his words.

Afterward, he said slowly, “Making our relationship public should bring you some benefits.”

“Rather than having you pointed at and gossiped about because of me.”

“…”

Shen Qing stared at him blankly, holding a different view: “How could anyone point fingers and gossip!”

Gu Huaiyu: “Aren’t you afraid of people saying you married a cripple?”

“I’m not afraid.”

Shen Qing said without any hesitation.

He even felt it was bizarre. Clearly, after making it public, the most likely things he would be accused of were marrying a wealthy man, clinging to someone influential, and being vain.

What did it have to do with whether President Gu was a cripple or not…

“But I will be afraid,” Gu Huaiyu said.

Shen Qing: “…” Afraid?

Gu Huaiyu could be afraid? …

Hearing this, Shen Qing couldn’t help looking at him.

However, the moment he raised his eyes, his vision was suddenly covered by someone’s hand.

…

Gu Huaiyu had broad palms, long fingers, and cool skin that carried a subtle, understated woody scent.

Shen Qing subconsciously blinked, attempting to shake off the obstruction in front of his eyes to see the other man again, but failed.

In the darkness, he tried asking, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Huaiyu suddenly said, “If I had known earlier that I would meet you, I probably would have pulled myself together sooner. Then I wouldn’t have had to wait until today.”

Shen Qing: ?

“I wasted two years, Shen Qing. …And you are so wonderful.”

Shen Qing: “…”

The pitch-black darkness before his eyes amplified everything around him, including the crisp, cool fragrance on Gu Huaiyu and his deep, raspy voice.

Shen Qing’s first reaction: “Isn’t it just being disheartened for two years…”

“Wait, that’s not right. President Gu, what you did can’t be called being disheartened either. In these two years, you did more work than others do in ten. You really didn’t delay anything… Are you sure you’re not just setting your standards for yourself too high?”

He actually understood what the big boss meant. The big boss was merely talking about being in a wheelchair; if he had gone for medical treatment earlier, he would have fully recovered long ago, and then they could make it public however they pleased.

However, in Shen Qing’s eyes, this was just the big boss holding himself to overly high standards.

—Overly perfectionist people were just like this!

It was clearly nothing major, yet in their hearts, it became an obstacle. Back when he didn’t want to stand and sat in a wheelchair so rightfully, he had never seen the big boss feel inferior!

Now, for such a minor matter, he was actually feeling emo…

Wait, no way.

Could it be that the big boss was feeling regretful and insecure???

…

All along, the impression Gu Huaiyu gave to others could be cold and sinister, aloof and unattainable, or sharp and confident.

That he would feel regretful over a matter was already out of the ordinary.

And listening to the big boss’s tone, he was actually feeling insecure???

Shen Qing instinctively tried to pry Gu Huaiyu’s hand away.

He wanted so badly to see what state President Gu was in right now!

However, it was obvious that President Gu, who was currently feeling insecure precisely because of his partner, would not allow his partner to see his current appearance—

Gu Huaiyu’s voice came from an uncertain direction, his tone low and raspy: “Isn’t it normal? I can also be afraid that I’m not good enough, Shen Qing.”

His voice was soft, carrying a faint trace of a sigh between the lines.

Shen Qing: “…”

For Gu Huaiyu to admit he was not good enough—Shen Qing had never imagined in his life that such a thing could happen.

“No.”

This time, he pulled the other man’s hand away with great force, regaining his sight once more, and met the slightly pale, handsome face before him. Shen Qing carefully examined the big boss’s expression.

However, the big boss currently still had no expression.

Or rather, he might have had an insecure expression just now, but it had already passed.

Gu Huaiyu lowered his eyes, gazing at him calmly, his expression carrying a slight hint of gloominess.

Shen Qing: “…”

No, is it really that hard to just let me take one look at what you look like when you’re feeling insecure?

Shen Qing still comforted him: “What does it matter? Even if you can’t stand up, after people find out you’re my husband, those who want to fabricate rumors about me will still do so to mock me. At most, they’ll just add another line: ‘Shen Qing married a cripple just to get famous’…”

“Mm,” Gu Huaiyu said. “So I want them to know that it’s not because you aren’t good enough that you had to ‘sacrifice yourself to marry a cripple just to get famous.’ Rather, it’s because you are exceptionally good yourself that you can be with me.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Roughly, finally understood.

Compared to marrying a “wealthy billionaire sitting in a wheelchair,” marrying a wealthy, flaw-free person would indeed bring two entirely different feelings to the media and the audience/netizens.

For the onlookers who didn’t know the truth and didn’t understand Gu Huaiyu, the former carried a sense that Shen Qing was compromising himself for money and fame.

However, the latter wouldn’t make people feel that way.

After making it public, people’s thoughts could only be that Shen Qing was compatible with and deeply in love with a young, healthy, and successful person, proving that Shen Qing himself was a very outstanding person.

…

Even so, to put it another way, didn’t this just mean the big boss felt that in his current state of still needing a wheelchair, he wasn’t worthy of him?

Once realization dawned, Shen Qing was rendered both amused and exasperated…

So just how high were the big boss’s standards for himself!

“Do you know that ever since ‘Shen Qing’ registered his marriage with you, his WeChat contacts—despite him previously having zero popularity—suddenly surged, and people have been coming every day to ‘pay their respects,’ continuing all the way until now?”

Looking closely at President Gu’s handsome, indifferent face, Shen Qing put his silver tongue to work: “And do you know that just because the original owner registered his marriage with you, his work and job offers suddenly increased dramatically? Including the variety show I previously turned down—the other party wanted to film at our home not because they took a fancy to our big villa, but simply because it was a house that could be connected to you?”

Gu Huaiyu listened in silence, merely indicating that he knew about certain matters, such as the ones related to that variety show.

Shen Qing: “…You knew, and yet you still belittle yourself?”

“They don’t conflict.”

Gu Huaiyu looked at him and said slowly, “I don’t care about the opinions of people in the circle, but I don’t want the people who should have liked you to develop any prejudice against you because of me. After all, not everyone knows who I am.”

Shen Qing: “…”

That was indeed true.

Those who flattered the original owner or him were more or less involved in the entertainment industry or belong to Huacheng’s high society.

They knew Gu Huaiyu’s status and wealth, which was why they acted that way.

However, the vast majority of netizens didn’t know. They might search for him online, but Gu Huaiyu had kept a low profile over the years, practically living in seclusion behind the scenes. Especially in the past two years, he had never appeared on any news media pages, and search engine sites didn’t even dare to write much about his affairs…

It seemed ordinary netizens genuinely found it hard to learn who Gu Huaiyu actually was.

Under these circumstances, if Gu Huaiyu were also a cripple, and his only other label was “wealthy,” it would easily leave people with the impression that “Shen Qing married a cripple solely for money.”

…But it had to be said, this kind of perception was quite an insult to their feelings for each other!

Although Shen Qing didn’t care about how others viewed him, gossip was a fearful thing, and repeated lies could become accepted truths. As a public figure, he indeed had to pay attention to his own and his family’s image… He still had two cubs at home.

Shen Qing didn’t want his own babies to be pointed at one day by people saying how calculating their Little Dad was in climbing the social ladder.

Thinking about it this way, President Gu’s concerns were indeed reasonable.

Then, Shen Qing also understood—Gu Huaiyu’s sudden insecurity wasn’t because of the matter of sitting in a wheelchair itself.

Rather, it was because if he sat in a wheelchair, he might not be able to put up the strongest front to back him up.

…

Understanding this point, Shen Qing blinked, trying hard to control his surging emotions so they wouldn’t spill directly onto his face.

However, it seemed he failed.

It was completely uncontrollable.

In this still unfamiliar new world, there was someone considering things so deeply for him.

…

Realizing this, Shen Qing didn’t even know what to say.

“Alright then,” he said.

Lightly biting his lip, Shen Qing used his hand to grasp the big boss’s slender fingers again: “Big Boss, you’re really thoughtful.”

In response to the young man’s praise, Gu Huaiyu answered by hooking his long finger back around Shen Qing’s finger.

He said, “Just wait a little longer.”

It was clearly just their index fingers hooking together.

Yet Shen Qing felt as though they had pinky-promised and agreed on something.

Suddenly, Shen Qing curled his lips and flashed a brilliant smile, his voice bright and clear:

“Sure.”

Since the big boss had thought it through, salted fish Shen Qing simply lay back down: “Then I won’t worry about it. You handle it as you see fit.”

Then Shen Qing really lay flat.

Lying right beside Gu Huaiyu.

Considering that President Gu still had official business to handle, Shen Qing automatically lay on the inner side of the bed, intending to continue scrolling on his phone while waiting for him.

Gu Huaiyu, however, looked at the young man lying flat like a salted fish, his thin lips twitching slightly: “It ends just like this?”

“Hmm? What? Oh!”

Noticing that their index fingers were still hooked together, Shen Qing instinctively tried to pull his finger out.

Then he failed.

The knuckles on the back of Gu Huaiyu’s pale hand stood out as he held on tightly to his.

It forced Shen Qing to move the phone he had raised in front of his face away, his bright eyes gazing toward Gu Huaiyu.

“Hmm?”

Gu Huaiyu drooped his eyelids, his gaze falling onto his face: “We have to wait a while longer before everyone can know that you are my wife.”

“…”

Seeming to catch a subtle hint of suppression and dissatisfaction in the big boss’s tone, Shen Qing felt even more bewildered: “…Then I also have to wait a while longer before people can know that you are my husband?”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

“But right now, many people like you.”

Gu Huaiyu’s voice didn’t change, yet his tone sounded significantly darker and gloomy.

Shen Qing: “…”

Shen Qing scrambled back up slowly.

“Then what do you want to do?”

Only now did he realize that the person who suggested making it public was the big boss, the person who suggested not making it public was also the big boss, and now the person dissatisfied because it wasn’t public was still the big boss…

Just as Shen Qing was feeling confused, he saw the big boss suddenly raise a finger and point to the corner of his own lips.

Shen Qing: !

“So it was this!”

…After saying so much, the big boss just wanted a kiss!

Scrambling up, Shen Qing hurriedly leaned over and kissed the other man’s lips without much hesitation—

Mwah.

Gu Huaiyu took advantage of the momentum to encircle the young man who had pounced over.

Saying so much was ultimately just an excuse to talk a bit more.

Nothing more than trying to assert his presence.

Gu Huaiyu also knew he had become very strange.

However, locking the young man who exuded a fresh strawberry scent in his arms, biting back against the other man’s vivid lips, listening to him hum in dissatisfaction yet suddenly remembering to suppress his voice—thereby humming even more discontentedly.

Gu Huaiyu couldn’t help but laugh.

—However, he loved everything as it was right now.

Loved it very much.

.

The next day, the parents got up early to see Gu Duo off to school.

Last night, Tian Yi had taken Auntie Zhang back, and brought back some food Auntie Zhang usually prepared for the young masters on the way. Therefore, before going out this morning, Duoduo still got to eat a warm and exquisite breakfast, and today he even slept until six-thirty.

Gu Duo, having become much more energetic, still had a deep expression between his brows, but his spirit was clear and bright, his eyes looking even more spirited.

As for Ao-zai, who always ate well and slept well, he also fully recharged after a night’s sleep, turning back into a cub bursting with energy.

Except for chewing a bit slowly during breakfast, he was exceptionally swift and lively when doing anything else. Even when sending his brother off to school at the door, he bounced along playfully.

“No bouncing right after eating,” Shen Qing said from behind.

Duoduo pulled his younger brother, and Ao-zai immediately behaved. Turning back, he shot a sly, adorable look at his Little Dad. Though he stopped bouncing, his posture while walking remained very lively, looking left and right like a clean, cute chubby bunny exploring outside its nest for the first time.

When they arrived here yesterday, it was already night. Seeing this courtyard in the daytime was indeed different from the night.

At night, this place consisted of houses and trees outlined by lamplight, lively with the chirping of insects, the pond water edged in gold, quiet yet magnificent.

Once daylight broke, the birdsong grew louder, making it easier to see the full view of the courtyard—flying eaves, vaulted pavilions, dignified and imposing, simple and elegant.

Very suitable for retirement.

Also very suitable for painting.

…Suddenly, he felt like learning to paint ink-wash paintings again.

Shen Qing hadn’t expected that a courtyard they bought casually would suit his taste so well.

Of course, in reality, for most people, this couldn’t be called “casually buying a courtyard.”

It cost several hundred million; even the wealthy would have to weigh the decision carefully… unless it was Gu Huaiyu.

Thinking of this, Shen Qing hooked his arm into the big boss’s arm beside him again.

Sending Gu Duo to school, Gu Huaiyu still chose not to use a wheelchair.

A few minutes’ walk was treated as practicing walking.

Right now, seeing Shen Qing suddenly press close and hook into his arm, Gu Huaiyu drooped his eyelids to look down at the young man, saying, “I can still stand.”

Shen Qing: “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just clinging to an influential thigh.”

“?”

Gu Huaiyu: “Then you’ve grabbed the wrong place. This is an arm.”

Shen Qing: “Before humans evolved, they also walked on four legs, so arms are also legs—front legs.”

Shen Qing said as he refused to let go.

Gu Huaiyu: …laughed.

“But I’d prefer if you hugged my hind legs.”

Shen Qing didn’t know why the big boss was so obsessed with distinguishing which leg was which, but to be honest, he had hugged his hind legs before!

In the past, when President Gu sat in a wheelchair, hadn’t he hugged them often!

Wasn’t it just that the current posture didn’t allow it? He couldn’t very well squat down to hug his thigh while being dragged along by the big boss as he walked…

Gu Huaiyu, however, added: “I meant the third leg.”

Shen Qing: “??”

“Or according to your calculation, should it be the fifth?”

“…”

No, Big Boss, how did your brain get filled with trashy filth first thing in the morning!

Behind them, the two dads were squabbling in low voices. It was hard to hear clearly what they were saying, but it felt like they were discussing biology.

Something about legs or whatever.

Gu Duo didn’t listen closely either.

Beside him, Ao-zai clearly liked this courtyard very much as well. When passing by the arched bridge, a chubby little bird landed on the wooden pillar of the handrail. The little bird was often fed by nearby people and tourists, so it wasn’t afraid of humans at all. Right now, Ao-zai was sticking his little bottom out, staring eye-to-eye with it. That little bird even symbolically took two steps, its little belly round and even cuter.

Ao-zai: “Geg ege!”

At this moment, three other students who had also gotten up to go to the training camp appeared in the courtyard.

Qian Jing froze upon seeing Gu Duo, after which he focused his gaze on the dads walking behind Gu Duo, greeting them in a low voice: “Good morning, Gu Duo. Good morning, Uncles.”

After returning last night, Qian Jing had already made a detailed inquiry to his father via a long-distance overseas call regarding the situation of Gu Duo’s family.

And his family’s housekeeper had also reported something to his father.

In short, current Qian Jing was immensely relieved that he had been quite polite in the past.

He hadn’t offended Gu Duo.

He Qi, who stood beside him, was somewhat fearful, drooping his head and not daring to look at Gu Duo opposite him.

Qian Jing’s reaction yesterday had been unusual, and anyone who could buy this courtyard in one go wasn’t ordinary either. He Qi couldn’t keep things to himself, so when he went back, he called his parents to tell them about it.

Those doing business in Huacheng placed great importance on cultivating and establishing relationships. Upon hearing that he had met such a classmate at the training camp, He Qi’s parents immediately attached great importance to it.

It took using extensive connections and pulling many strings to barely uncover that Gu Duo’s background.

—Of course, the main reason was still because his surname was Gu.

Then He Qi’s parents became nervous and excited. Nervous because their son actually had the honor of interacting with people of that tier.

Excited because since they had made contact, it meant there was a possibility for both sets of parents to draw closer and develop cooperation.

For example, that was how they had established their friendship with the Qian family.

However, all hopes and excitement shattered when they learned that He Qi had formed cliques to create division at the training camp—and most importantly, had been on bad terms with Gu Duo.

The He parents panicked and immediately wanted to rush over overnight to apologize to Gu Duo’s dads in the morning.

Of course, it was also to take the opportunity to meet them. Apologizing was real, but perhaps they could conveniently draw closer to them?

However, this idea was also quickly doused in cold water.

—He Qi’s mother was fairly close with Qian Jing’s mother. Before setting off, she shared her and her husband’s plan with Mrs. Qian.

Hearing this, Mrs. Qian immediately scolded the couple severely. The highly cultured Mrs. Qian actually called them foolish to their faces—

“What kind of temper and methods does that Mr. Gu have? He has always lived in seclusion and rarely met outsiders, yet you’re going out of your way to knock on his door to block him for an apology?! Who can’t see what intentions you have? I advise you to behave yourselves! Don’t do unnecessary things, and find time to discipline your own child properly instead!”

Originally, Qian’s mother didn’t want to interfere in her son’s friendships. Since the last training camp ended, He Qi often sought Qian Jing out to play, and Qian’s mother hadn’t objected.

However, learning that He Qi had actually relied on the fact that it was his second time participating to pick fights with the child of the Gu family—despite the other students generally being younger than him—she didn’t even need to guess whose influence he was banking on.

Now hearing the He couple’s plan, Qian’s mother only felt that this family was completely unfit to associate with any longer, wishing she could tell He Qi to stay far away from her son.

In short, under Mrs. Qian’s fierce opposition, the He couple didn’t dare to run over to assert their presence in front of President Gu anymore.

However, because of this incident, they even lost their friendship with the Qian family. The He couple directly scolded their son over the phone for half the night.

He Qi almost directly withdrew from the training camp. If he hadn’t felt that withdrawing halfway was too embarrassing and that he wouldn’t have the face to see his classmates again in the future, pleading desperately with his parents not to make him withdraw, the scene right now would have been the He couple arriving to take him home.

And because of this matter, He Qi had cried for most of the night, so his eyes were naturally swollen, making him unable to lift his head.

Last night was a nightmare for the He family of three.

However, across the pond in the main courtyard, Gu Duo, who had slept very well, had no idea what had happened.

He didn’t understand, and mainly didn’t want to understand either.

Even after discovering the tear tracks and swollen eyes on He Qi’s face, there was no ripple in his heart.

After being dropped off at the classroom by his dads, Gu Duo took out his books as usual, reviewing the text he had memorized yesterday and practicing his spoken language on the side.

The classmates who had been drawn to his serious and focused studying over the past few days all gathered over, reading books together with Gu Duo.

Everything went on as usual.

The only thing that bothered Gu Duo was that after a single morning, the rumor that “the guesthouse next door is owned by Gu Duo’s family” had spread rapidly through the training camp.

Originally, people who could stay in that guesthouse were already the most impressive people in the kids’ eyes.

But it turned out that the guesthouse was owned by Gu Duo’s family… Didn’t that make it twice as impressive?!

Besides feeling envious, everyone was even more envious.

Those who had previously attempted to unite to isolate Gu Duo felt quite lost because He Qi had suddenly acted like a coward in the training camp and no longer put on the airs of a senior, leaving them to watch helplessly from the side as Gu Duo was surrounded by many people.

Someone asked Gu Duo: “Since that guesthouse belongs to your family, why don’t you stay in it?”

Gu Duo was tired of explaining and didn’t want to explain anymore, so he answered perfunctorily: “Because I feel like it.”

“Gu Duo, can I rent a room from your family? My mom said she’s willing to pay twelve thousand a day…”

“No.”

Gu Duo said.

All three suites had been booked out, and no one had canceled, so they couldn’t breach the contract.

As for the main courtyard, Little Dad liked it and said he would retire there in the future, so Gu Duo didn’t want outsiders staying there either.

Speaking of making money, Gu Duo wasn’t that short-sighted. He knew Big Dad and Little Dad were not short of this little bit of money.

However, considering that Little Dad would rely on running a guesthouse to increase his financial income in the future, despite being too lazy to talk, Gu Duo still acted like a dutiful little manager, earnestly explaining to the “potential client” why it wasn’t possible.

His posture and phrasing were even quite professional.

“In short, if you come to attend the training camp next time and want to stay there, remember to book early.”

“Even when you aren’t attending the training camp, you can come to the mountain to play. My Little Dad will give you a discount.”