SFBF CH112.1

Back in the bedroom, Gu Huaiyu had some matters from today to handle, so Shen Qing returned first to remove his makeup and shower.

After his shower, he sprawled out on the bed, scrutinizing the “Jewel in the Palm” closely.

By habit, Shen Qing could never bear to pack away newly acquired jewelry right away; he couldn’t resist wearing it to sleep for a night. It was simply too gorgeous. Who wouldn’t love something so clean, translucent, dazzling yet understated, and most importantly, priceless?

Turning it over and over in his hands, he snapped a selfie with it. Soon after, Shen Qing noticed that his WeChat entertainment groups had completely blown up, filled with discussions about this pendant. Needless to say, it was because the pendant’s current owner was now Shen Qing.

Shen Qing, frantically tagged in group chats: …Feeling that flaunting wealth wasn’t great, he automatically lurked, pretending he didn’t have time to check his phone.

He only replied when Xu Yujie messaged him, even showing Young Master Xu the photo. Well, Young Master Xu wasn’t in showbiz, and he was Mingbao’s fourth uncle. Since they saw each other often, he naturally had to share it with him.

Besides, Young Master Xu was his senior in painting. Anyone engaged in artistic professions would find this historically significant pendant fascinating. Shen Qing wasn’t stingy either, sharing close-up details directly. What followed on WeChat was a stream of excited voice notes from Young Master Xu gasping, “Woah!”

Perhaps feeling that in this regard, Young Master Xu resembled his little nephew Mingbao in certain ways, Shen Qing automatically mapped Mingbao’s exaggerated expressions onto those excited voice notes, chuckling to himself as he lay on the bed.

“So happy?” A quiet voice sounded as Gu Huaiyu returned to the room after finishing his tasks.

Shen Qing explained what he was laughing about, and seeing that Gu Huaiyu had walked in, hurriedly asked, “Why are you still walking around? Hurry up and sit down to rest.”

There was still a small wound on Gu Huaiyu’s side from his last minor surgery that hadn’t completely healed. Even though it didn’t require gauze anymore, Shen Qing generally knew what his husband’s body looked like. Feeling that President Gu had stood for an entire evening, he truly needed to rest now. He scrambled off the bed to help Gu Huaiyu.

Gu Huaiyu said, “I’ll take a shower first.”

“Alright,” Shen Qing replied, ready to flop back onto the bed.

Gu Huaiyu caught hold of him again, his dark eyes sweeping over his still-damp black hair before locking onto his gaze. Gu Huaiyu asked, “Why don’t you help me wash?”

“Huh?” Shen Qing happened to let out a yawn. Socializing and banquets were genuinely exhausting, and he was rather sleepy. When sleepy, his brain tended to slow down. Yawning, Shen Qing blinked curiously, thinking that President Gu had never asked him to help him bathe before. It had always been his own initiative, and only back when Gu Huaiyu was newly discharged from the hospital, giving him a brief sponge bath. Could it be what President Gu meant earlier by “going home”?!

Truth be told, Shen Qing’s passion had already cooled down by now. He was too sleepy, and doing that supposedly consumed massive amounts of energy and took a long time. Besides, once tomorrow’s news about tonight broke, who knew how things would escalate? Sleeping in until late seemed like it might get in the way of handling things.

So how about saving it for tomorrow night?

Shen Qing studied Gu Huaiyu’s expression, finding him as impassive as ever. Composed, handsome, upright, and solemn. So he really just wanted help. Could standing for so long tonight have caused discomfort after all? Shen Qing tossed his phone aside at once and followed Gu Huaiyu into the bathroom.

The faint rustle of fabric sounded as Gu Huaiyu undressed. Having taken off his suit jacket long ago, he was slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Seeing that he couldn’t help with this step and would only get in the way, Shen Qing stood aside and zoned out.

The bathroom was filled with the woody fragrance that usually lingered around the man. Familiar and pleasant, it made the dozing youth nod off again, until he heard Gu Huaiyu call out, “Wife, come help me.”

Conditioned to respond, Shen Qing jerked his head up and stepped forward, only to find that Gu Huaiyu had already smoothly stripped off his shirt. Damn it, he was definitely cheating. Otherwise, why did the man have abs every single time he saw him?! He didn’t even work out! Teacher Shen, who had to work out diligently just to maintain good form, felt a wave of injustice.

Yet the moment he stepped forward, Gu Huaiyu caught him by the waist.

“Does your waist still hurt?”

Unsure if it was because the bathroom was enclosed and quiet, Shen Qing found Gu Huaiyu’s voice exceptionally husky and magnetic.

“It’s… fine…” he answered instinctively, then blinked as he realized, “Wait, my waist is totally fine.”

Remembering that the big boss hadn’t caught his drift at all and actually thought his back ached, Shen Qing quickly explained like giving a lecture, “I pretended my waist was sore out there so people would think you’re very potent!”

“Oh?” Gu Huaiyu gazed deeply at him, long fingers tapping lightly against his slender waist as he asked slowly, “To make others think I’m potent, why pretend your waist is sore?”

Shen Qing: “Well, just to keep people from thinking you’re inadequate.”

Shen Qing believed that no matter how humble a man was, none would want people thinking he couldn’t perform! He was defending President Gu’s dignity!

Gu Huaiyu chuckled, his gaze darkening further. “I’m asking you, why pretend?”

Shen Qing: …?

With that, Gu Huaiyu leaned straight in. The moment their lips met, Shen Qing realized the focus of their discussion had completely derailed. From start to finish, Gu Huaiyu had never cared about saving face! He had been played.

Pulled into the shower stall, Shen Qing no longer felt his earlier fatigue, but without the heat of the moment, his brain booted back up. He kept feeling the bathroom lights were too bright, fretting over how this was going to work. Shivering slightly, Shen Qing voiced his original plan: “…How about we wait until tomorrow?”

“No,” Gu Huaiyu stated resolutely.

Shen Qing: “…”

He rarely took such an uncompromising stance before him. Gu Huaiyu lowered his voice, yet it remained tender: “Tonight, Shen Qing.”

Trapping him within long arms, Gu Huaiyu looked down at him. The depths of his dark eyes were pitch-black yet intensely luminous. Paired with his pale, handsome face, he was gentle yet thoroughly commanding, leaving zero room for refusal.

Shen Qing: …A sudden rush of heat surged through him.

“Then let’s do it,” Shen Qing declared boldly. What else could he do? He had already said that if the man took the initiative, he wouldn’t refuse. In truth, refusing seemed impossible anyway.

Gu Huaiyu responded by turning on the shower. Water poured from above, drenching Shen Qing’s pajamas. But the showerhead at home was magical, offering multiple flow settings. The mode Gu Huaiyu selected was designed for ambiance: only the outermost ring sprayed water, enveloping them in misty steam while keeping their faces dry, so water wouldn’t blur their vision or hinder their movements.

Shen Qing instinctively gripped the grab bar on the wall out of nerves. To be completely honest, he had secretly watched educational material beforehand, but shut it off after a glance. First, he couldn’t stomach it and found it hard to accept; second, just watching made him tense up, feeling it was utterly impossible! Especially Gu Huaiyu’s… Word had it that such things scaled with height.

“…D-do you really know how?”

It wasn’t that he doubted the man; he was simply curious whether this big shot was truly good at everything.

This question was answered when the showered boss carried Shen Qing back into the bedroom over his shoulder. By then, Shen Qing’s limbs were completely limp. After all that teasing, it felt as though Gu Huaiyu had cast a spell over him. President Gu was undoubtedly a marvel: he looked thin and pale, yet possessed startling stamina. Shen Qing chalked it up to him being a named first-generation titan in the novel. If his stamina weren’t top-notch, how could he have built an empire working 777 every week? It had to be a natural gift.

Outside, tree shadows swayed, the air grew damp, and the sultry heat that had brewed all evening finally broke into a rustling downpour. The pendant hanging around Shen Qing’s neck chimed softly through the night.

The next day, Shen Qing woke to bright sunlight. Opening his sleepy eyes, it came as no surprise that it was already noon.

“Ah… hiss.”

Well then, today his waist was genuinely sore!

“Uncomfortable?”

As soon as Shen Qing sat up, a pair of large hands quickly supported his lower back.

Collapsing straight back into his embrace, Shen Qing asked, “You’re not sore?”

Looking at Gu Huaiyu, he discovered the man appeared surprisingly refreshed.

“Not bad,” Gu Huaiyu nodded slightly.

Shen Qing: …Bullshit. What do you mean ‘not bad’?!

After tossing and turning all night, the man’s surgical wound had popped open in the end, bleeding. Even though Gu Huaiyu had used some peculiar items to keep him from getting hurt, blood had been drawn in the end, alarming the family doctor. Thinking back to this made Shen Qing fume. He asked testily, “How is your wound?”

Gu Huaiyu: “It’s fine. It was just a superficial injury to begin with.”

“…” Looking at the pale man, Shen Qing yawned. “Until your ‘superficial wound’ heals, you’re staying in a wheelchair.”

The on-duty family doctor had said that while President Gu’s wound was superficial, the hot weather meant reckless movement could risk infection, so he advised waiting until full recovery before engaging in vigorous exercise. When delivering that reminder, the young doctor had kept his head bowed, not daring to look at anything, stammering with a face flushed bright red.

Shen Qing: …So Shen Qing decided that until he made a full recovery, the boss should honestly remain in a wheelchair. At least in a wheelchair, he might behave himself!

Unexpectedly, when told to sit in a wheelchair, Gu Huaiyu simply nodded and said, “So my wife likes doing it in a wheelchair.”

“Huh?” Shen Qing snapped his head up. “What…”

Gu Huaiyu arched a brow, drawing out his words slowly: “I can accommodate your preference. Though in that case, you’d have to do the moving.”

Shen Qing: “What?! …Mmph…”

He was pinned down for another round of affectionate nuzzling.

Shen Qing’s real grievance was why they had to go until dawn. The boss was supposed to be the master of knowing that there was plenty of time ahead! Yet Gu Huaiyu’s explanation was that passion overwhelmed him and he simply couldn’t stop.

As for Shen Qing’s bafflement over how the man seemed inherently skilled without any prior instruction, Gu Huaiyu’s answer was simply: the moment he saw him, he lost control. He had endured for long enough, merely suppressing it so deeply that not even those around him noticed.

After that night, Shen Qing noticed Gu Huaiyu’s eyes had grown much deeper, but carried light within. They were brighter, more spirited, and even more striking. It was as if he had found his light. Just looking into those eyes filled Shen Qing’s heart with joy; his complaints were only playful grumbling.

Supporting his waist, he sat up again, tested his legs, and announced, “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll have them bring food up.”

“No need.” Shen Qing took Gu Huaiyu’s hand. “Let’s eat downstairs. Duoduo and the others have probably finished lunch, right?”

“They have. They’re studying downstairs.”

Shen Qing: …Ever since learning that Duoduo studied so hard just to provide for himself in the future, and after Shen Qing talked it through with him, the cubs no longer cooped themselves up in their rooms to study. They frequently studied in the ground-floor living hall, claiming it was to experience more of childhood. Shen Qing felt deeply gratified by this.

Still, he wondered if coming down to eat at this hour would earn him teasing from the kids. Then again, the cubs often visited their bedroom; Ao-zai might have stopped by this morning and simply didn’t enter, so they would already know he slept in. Let them laugh; it wasn’t his first time waking up so late anyway.

To his surprise, once Shen Qing washed up and sauntered downstairs, the cubs bent over the study desk didn’t find it odd at all. They merely turned their heads in unison, greeting him obediently: “Good morning, Little Dad.”

This left Shen Qing completely at a loss: “…Uh, morning.” Pausing for a second, he resumed his walk downstairs.

Duoduo was still on summer vacation, while Ao-zai was preparing to join the film crew soon but had flexible hours, currently studying alongside his brother. In addition, a private tutor Shen Qing had previously hired for Ao-zai was also present. During the holidays, Duoduo could watch Ao-zai on his own, so only one tutor came in on weekdays to teach and watch the cubs. Shen Qing had arranged this to ease Aunt Zhang’s workload and give her occasional days off; otherwise, Duoduo insisted he didn’t need a tutor at all.

The one on duty today happened to be the only male tutor among the private teachers, Fang Jiaqi. Fang Jiaqi felt it had been quite a while since he saw Mr. Shen wake up so late. Was it because he was too busy with work? He couldn’t help glancing over a few times.

Yet barely had his gaze landed on Mr. Shen, before he could even look properly, a frigid aura enveloped him in an instant. Fang Jiaqi shuddered instinctively and snapped his eyes back, not daring to look again.

Beside Mr. Shen coming down the stairs walked the taller Mr. Gu, the babies’ other father. President Gu had recovered remarkably well lately, no longer needing a wheelchair. Fang Jiaqi had been itching to share this news with colleagues working in other affluent households. But because Mr. Shen had previously negotiated with them, stating they shouldn’t disclose anything inside the villa and having them sign non-disclosure agreements, Fang Jiaqi couldn’t gossip about his employers with outsiders.

In his view, however, President Gu’s recovery speed was astonishing. And ever since he could stand, Fang Jiaqi found the man’s presence far more imposing, especially whenever he tried to look at Mr. Shen.

Regretting that he hadn’t taken the elevator, Shen Qing endured the ache down to the ground floor. He ruffled each little tot’s hair, told them to keep studying, greeted Fang Jiaqi, and finally headed to another dining table with Gu Huaiyu. Aunt Zhang had the day off today, and the butler had already ordered the food set before Madam. Everything proceeded in perfect order.

At the table, Shen Qing asked Gu Huaiyu, “What happened with yesterday’s affairs afterward?”

He meant the matters between President Gu and the Gu family, the Gu family and Xiao Hangying, as well as between himself and President Gu.

The fallout between President Gu and the Gu family had triggered the swiftest reaction. Everyone present yesterday belonged to high society, and word traveled fast among them. Once news spread that Gu Huaiyu intended to break ties with the Gu family, major shareholders of the Gu Group pulled out their investments today, while retail investors rushed to sell off shares, sending the Gu Group’s stock plunging off a cliff.

“…They were merely using your name to keep things afloat all along. It can only be said that the Gu family lived too comfortably before,” Shen Qing remarked upon hearing this.

Gu Huaiyu offered neither approval nor denial, reacting impassively. Watching him, Shen Qing suddenly felt that the reason so many called President Gu cold was probably that toward matters he didn’t care about, the man wouldn’t spare a single word, opinion, or even a glance. From that perspective, the boss was truly someone free of inner turmoil. Unlike himself, who still loved enjoying gossip. Then again, following gossip brought him joy, and as long as it made him happy, it didn’t count as internal friction.

Shen Qing asked Gu Huaiyu again, “Then from last night until now, the Gu family must have been searching everywhere for you, right? If they can’t find you, isn’t Assistant Li doomed…”

“I told Li Hong to turn off his phone,” Gu Huaiyu stated calmly. “I gave him the day off today.”

Shen Qing: ! What kind of peerless boss was this? No wonder Assistant Li was devoted to President Gu with all his heart! If this big shot weren’t his husband, he would have wanted to work for him himself!

Gu Huaiyu remained deadpan, adding objectively, “So the one truly suffering is Tian Yi.”

Shen Qing: “…”

That was true. Unable to reach President Gu by phone, the Gu family would definitely come looking at their home. The neighborhood security guards probably couldn’t stop them, leaving Assistant Tian to handle it.

“Then let’s give him a raise,” Shen Qing said empathetically, taking a sip of oat milk from his glass.

“Alright.” The habitually aloof Gu Huaiyu suddenly smiled. “A raise it is.” He picked up a napkin and wiped away the faint milk mustache from the corner of his wife’s mouth.

Shen Qing: “…Mmph!”

Over on the other side, having finished his schoolwork for the day, it was time for Ao-zai to drive his excavator. Because it was still too hot and sunny outside, Shen Qing forbade him from playing outdoors to prevent heatstroke, so Ao-zai had to drive it inside the spacious living hall. In fact, the indoor hall was just as roomy as outside, not hindering Young Master Ao’s maneuvers in the least.

Before climbing onto his excavator, however, Ao-zai scampered over to check on Big Dad and Little Dad. Bringing his little feet together, he looked up at them with a sweet, innocent grin, not saying a word.

Lately, Ao-zai had been very clingy with his dads, especially Little Dad. Probably because he hadn’t seen him all morning, he had deliberately trotted over. Touched, Shen Qing smiled back at Ao-zai, then caught him, lifted him onto a chair, and handed him some milk.

Ao-zai: “Daah?!”

Shen Qing: “It’s one-thirty, time for milk.”

Ao-zai: “…”

Shen Qing smiled and waved toward the distance: “Duoduo, are you done? Come over too.”

Gu Duo looked up, signaling he would wait a moment. Shen Qing didn’t rush him, sitting side by side with Ao-zai drinking milk while listening to President Gu continue the briefing.

“Xiao Hangying has returned to Country M,” Gu Huaiyu summarized briefly. “Barring any accidents, he shouldn’t be able to return.”

There was quite a difference between ‘unable to return’ and ‘choosing not to return.’ Shen Qing didn’t probe further, caring more about: “What about Xiao Miao? Film Emperor Xiao took him back too?”

Having cubs of his own made him pay closer attention to issues concerning children. Shen Qing still remembered how that sarcastic, bizarre housekeeper beside Xiao Miao had gaslighted and intimidated the boy when competing with Ao-zai for the role. Xiao Miao had certainly turned out twisted, as seen from his attempt to harm Ao-zai yesterday. Yet at the end of the day, he was still just a five-year-old child.

Some said certain children were born with malice, while others argued that how a child turned out depended mostly on the adults raising them. Shen Qing thought both claims held truth and neither was absolute. He didn’t know Xiao Miao’s exact situation; he just felt that while the boy was malicious, the reason he had such a toxic fixation on winning and resorted to bad deeds was inextricably tied to his guardians’ utilitarian pressure and coercion. Thus, watching him was rather pitiful.

Gu Huaiyu said, “Xiao Miao went back with him. His citizenship is in Country M.”

“Little Dad, are you and Daddy going to raise that older brother?” Ao-zai, sipping milk beside them, couldn’t help chiming in.

Shen Qing looked at him in surprise: “Who said we were going to raise him?”

He noticed that when this question came up, Duoduo, busy with something at the distant table, also lifted his head toward them.

“Mmh.” Ao-zai fiddled with his baby bottle.

Although Ao-zai didn’t understand a great deal, he had an uncanny knack for catching the key points. Yesterday, when that Uncle Xiao brought Xiao Miao forward and demanded Big Dad adopt Xiao Miao as well, Ao-zai had actually heard everything. Even if he hadn’t fully tracked the adults’ conversation and sensed that Big Dad had refused on the spot, that uncle really had suggested leaving Xiao Miao in their home!

“We won’t be adopting Xiao Miao,” Shen Qing told the cub firmly.

Sympathetic as he felt toward Xiao Miao, there were countless pitiful children in the world; could they adopt them all? Shen Qing felt a bit of pity for Xiao Miao, yet Xiao Miao was still far better off than ordinary children without resources or abundant material wealth.

Looking at it another way, facing the same situation, if Duoduo and Ao-zai were pushed to act and audition, both would likely feel grateful. Even if pushed and failing an audition, with his cubs’ temperaments, they would never choose retaliation. They would likely examine their own shortcomings instead, just like Ao-zai had once lectured Xiao Miao: don’t always look at others, focus on yourself.

Shen Qing pitied Xiao Miao only because no adult had taught him these things and no one offered proper guidance. But that was a far cry from bringing him home to adopt. On that point, Shen Qing remained completely clear-headed.

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