SFBF CH60

At the touch on his lips, forget President Gu’s eyes shooting wide open—even Shen Qing’s eyes subconsciously widened in shock.

Hmm… Gu Huaiyu’s lips were a bit dry and still cool to the touch, but they were actually softer than he’d imagined.

…The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Shen Qing hurriedly forced himself to sit up straight.

As he breathed, the other man’s warm breath still lingered around his nose.

The air was faintly laced with the woody scent radiating from Gu Huaiyu.

Shen Qing: “…?”

So, OMG, how exactly did they… bump into there of all places?!

Clearly, there was someone else harboring the exact same question.

Shen Qing forcibly straightened his back, pulling himself away from Gu Huaiyu, completely not daring to look in his direction.

Yet Gu Huaiyu’s gaze pursued him. Even without looking, Shen Qing could feel it was full of scrutiny and sharpness.

Shen Qing’s eyes darted everywhere.

“What are you trying to do?”

Finally, after examining him who knew how many times, Gu Huaiyu broke the silence.

Shen Qing: “…I wasn’t trying to do anything.”

He felt that even though it was just a misunderstanding, an accidental injury, it was still pretty bad that he had bumped into the big boss’s… there.

But since they had bumped, no amount of explanation would help. Shen Qing just felt guilty right now and didn’t dare to look at him, so all he could say was, “…Sorry.”

Gu Huaiyu scrutinized him for an even longer time.

Then, catching him completely off guard, he asked: “Did you want to kiss me?”

Shen Qing: “?! …Of course not.”

“So you wanted to secretly kiss me.”

“What’s the difference… Anyway, neither of those is true!”

Shen Qing kept his voice as low as possible to explain: “The car suddenly made a sharp turn…!”

Gu Huaiyu merely blinked once, indicating he didn’t believe him.

Perhaps he was truly amused out of anger, but Shen Qing actually saw the corners of his lips quirk up slightly, as if he were laughing from exasperation.

Gu Huaiyu: “So what you’re saying is, the sharp turn not only threw you onto me, but it also managed to throw you over… to take a bite out of me.”

He nodded as he spoke. His voice was still slow and deliberate, his tone pregnant with meaning.

Shen Qing: …

“It really wasn’t like that!”

His voice accidentally pitched up, prompting the two cubs in the front to turn around, both wearing strange expressions.

Noticing this, Shen Qing immediately flashed them a reassuring smile to signal everything was fine. Only then did he turn his head back, desperately lowering his voice as he gritted his teeth at Gu Huaiyu:

“…Besides, it wasn’t a ‘bite.’ I just pressed against the corner of your lip!”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

President Gu fell silent. Shen Qing, on the other hand, felt increasingly justified the more he thought about it. Right, it was just the corner of the lip, a pure accident, it’s not like I did it on purpose.

So he… looked at Gu Huaiyu with even greater self-righteousness, and even raised a hand to gesture in the air around that area, emphasizing that it truly was just the corner.

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

After a momentary silence, President Gu said, “So you’re saying you actually feel quite regretful.”

Shen Qing: ?

How did he sense that I felt regretful??

Gu Huaiyu had already leaned slightly toward him. “Then do you want to press against this side too?”

Shen Qing: “…No thanks.”

Seeing that the big boss was just teasing him and wasn’t angry or embarrassed because of the little incident, Shen Qing relaxed.

His tone lightened as he explained, “You might not believe me, but I was actually trying to touch your forehead.”

Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu continued to wear a deeply profound expression: “So you still wanted to kiss me.”

“…No!”

It just so happened that the temperature of his own hands had normalized somewhat, so Shen Qing simply used his palm to touch Gu Huaiyu’s forehead again. “I wanted to check your temperature.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…?”

Shen Qing looked at him with grave seriousness. “Do you have a fever?”

Gu Huaiyu: “….”

With Shen Qing’s fingers resting on President Gu’s forehead, he could see Gu Huaiyu staring intently at him through the gaps between his fingers.

His gaze was burning and persistent.

It brought out Shen Qing’s rebellious streak.

Resigning himself to the situation, he began muttering softly, “Besides, so what if I touched you? What’s the relationship between us? What’s there to be shy about… Don’t be embarrassed. Boss, you can’t hide your illness for fear of the doctor.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Shen Qing switched from using his fingertips to the back of his hand against the forehead, his tone turning increasingly serious: “Your forehead really feels a bit hot. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“It’s nothing.”

Gu Huaiyu’s reply was concise.

As he spoke, he raised a hand to remove Shen Qing’s hand from his forehead.

Shen Qing: “…”

Scrutinizing the big boss’s pale cheeks, Shen Qing had no choice but to lean in again. “Then should I call a doctor to the house in advance for you?”

He had never experienced this kind of situation before, and the assistants weren’t in this car, so he felt it was necessary to ask the big boss clearly.

“No need. It’s an old problem.”

Gu Huaiyu said, “Just a bit tired.”

After saying that, he closed his eyes again.

Shen Qing: “Oh, oh… Then you lean back and sleep for a bit. We’ll be home soon.”

Perhaps from spending so much time with Duo-duo and Aozai, Shen Qing himself felt his voice sounded a lot like coaxing a child.

But Gu Huaiyu didn’t speak again, merely resting in silence with his eyes closed.

His long eyelashes, almost identical to Aozai’s, drooped gently. This was the first time Shen Qing noticed that President Gu’s eyelashes were actually this long.

And slightly curled up.

…Then it was likely Gu Huaiyu looked very much like Aozai when he was little, since their eyes were practically identical.

Thinking about how this person, who currently had gaunt cheeks, a tall, slender figure, and a cold, sinister gaze when his eyes were open, was actually a little milk dumpling with chubby baby fat and big round eyes when he was a child…

He suddenly felt this person was actually quite cute.

Shen Qing’s hand was still being held by Gu Huaiyu, and he didn’t pull it away.

At that moment, the car took a turn in the other direction, and Gu Huaiyu’s head tilted slightly toward Shen Qing.

In that fraction of a second, Shen Qing seemed to catch Gu Huaiyu furrowing his brows slightly before quickly righting his posture.

Shen Qing thought for a moment, then simply used his free hand to gently support the big boss’s shoulder, guiding him to lean fully onto his own shoulder.

Sensing the shift, Gu Huaiyu lightly lifted his eyelids.

Looking down, Shen Qing saw those long eyelashes sweep up. Knowing he probably couldn’t fall asleep in the car anyway, he spoke in an even lower voice, “Lean for a bit. It’ll be more comfortable this way.”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t say anything, merely blinking once.

Then, those eyes closed completely.

When they arrived home, Li Hong, Tian Yi, and the others, who had traveled in a separate car and arrived earlier, were already waiting in the garage.

When the door to Shen Qing and Gu Huaiyu’s car opened, the first thing the people outside saw was Aozai, slumped haphazardly in his child seat, fast asleep with a trail of drool.

The second thing they saw was their President Gu’s pale but handsome face, slowly and gradually pulling away from a spot very close to their Madam.

Tian Yi, who had originally just planned to carry the sleeping little young master: “???”

…This feels a bit abnormal.

However, after straightening up, Gu Huaiyu’s face was as expressionless as always, as if nothing had happened.

After everyone got out of the car, Tian Yi first picked up Young Master Aozai—who, as per usual, always fell asleep after a play outing—and carried him back to his room. Naturally, Gu Duo followed Aozai and returned to the room with his Uncle Tian.

On the way, Tian Yi recalled the scene in the car earlier and casually asked Gu Duo, “Did anything happen between President Gu and Madam in the car just now?”

He felt that President Gu’s complexion seemed even paler than before…

As President Gu’s assistant, Tian Yi was naturally very concerned about his health.

Hearing the question, Gu Duo thought seriously for a moment, but then said, “I don’t think anything happened. It’s just that Little Dad wanted to secretly kiss Big Dad.”

Tian Yi: ?

Gu Duo: “But it seemed like he didn’t really kiss him, only kissed him a tiny bit.”

Tian Yi: ??

Regarding this, Gu Duo was also quite troubled. The two dads had kept whispering in the back, and he hadn’t heard them very clearly.

He couldn’t help but fold his arms as he recalled, “Later Little Dad touched Big Dad, and then they leaned together. Um, Big Dad pressed down on Little Dad.”

Tian Yi: ???

Is this something I should be listening to?!

No wait, President Gu, Madam, couldn’t the two of you… have considered the impact of your actions a little?!

…
Young Master Duo-duo is still just a child!

Thank goodness Young Master Aozai was already asleep!

Back in the bedroom, Gu Huaiyu insisted that there was no need to call a doctor, stating his discomfort was just an old ailment and that he would be fine after resting.

Seeing that Assistant Li didn’t seem too worried either, Shen Qing followed suit and relaxed.

He was just a bit curious about what President Gu’s “old ailment” was.

“It couldn’t be motion sickness, could it?” Shen Qing recalled that President Gu had only started feeling unwell after getting into the car.

“Of course not.”

Li Hong smiled and subconsciously replied, “The doctor said it’s psychological. President Gu feels unwell whenever he leaves the house or goes to crowded places. Usually, after coming back and resting…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly caught a sharp glare from President Gu.

…

Only then did Li Hong remember that his boss was right beside him.

But he hadn’t been speaking very fast, and when he first started telling the Madam this, President Gu hadn’t reacted. That clearly meant he didn’t mind the Madam knowing.

So Li Hong didn’t panic too much.

At the moment, President Gu was merely resting his elbow on the wheelchair armrest, tilting his head and propping it up with his hand, as he said in a languid tone, “Assistant Li, you can go back and rest now.”

Li Hong: “Understood, President Gu!”

…As a senior special assistant taking home a base salary of two hundred thousand a month, Assistant Li’s working hours were generally irregular.

When President Gu said he could go rest, it meant it was time for him to clock out for the day.

Having received his orders, Li Hong retreated with lightning speed, not lingering for even a second.

As his figure vanished, Gu Huaiyu, his eyes half-closed, heard a soft chuckle from the young man beside him and couldn’t help opening his eyes again.

Shen Qing was looking in the direction Assistant Li had departed.

Gu Huaiyu: “Hm?”

Hearing his voice, the young man turned his head. His clear eyes carried a hint of inquiry.

Gu Huaiyu asked him, “What are you laughing at?”

Shen Qing: “…Nothing, just thinking that Assistant Li is a very professional… assistant.”

What Shen Qing truly wanted to say was that Assistant Li felt like a very professional corporate wage earner.

From his rapidly vanishing figure just now, Shen Qing seemed to see a reflection of his past self—it was a feeling only those who had been professional wage earners could understand: when the boss says you can get off work, you absolutely do not linger for another second.

For a moment, he felt a sense of mutual appreciation for Assistant Li.

Which was why he had subconsciously laughed out loud.

But President Gu, who had only ever been a boss, obviously wouldn’t understand this.

Gu Huaiyu scrutinized him for several seconds, utterly failing to grasp the young man’s punchline.

This made him frown in slight discomfort.

Shen Qing immediately asked, very nervously, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Gu Huaiyu’s tight frown eased slightly. He asked the young man, “Are you very worried about me?”

“No.”

Shen Qing said, “I care about you.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Once again, he subconsciously raised an eyebrow.

Gu Huaiyu clutched his chest and coughed a couple of times, prompting the young man to hurriedly come over and pat his back.

A moment later, Gu Huaiyu thought it over and said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Shen Qing said, “Mm, that’s good then.”

As he spoke, he touched the big boss’s forehead again. Feeling that the temperature was still abnormally high, Shen Qing grew curious: Did the big boss always feel unwell when going out to crowded places in the past, or did this happen later on?

What exactly was this psychological factor?

It was way too ruthless, actually capable of making someone run a fever directly.

…And if it was like this, could the big boss ever go out in the future?

Shen Qing couldn’t help feeling a bit worried again and suggested, “Do you want to get into bed and rest for a bit?”

He checked the time. Because of the little interlude during dinner, they were running later than planned, and it was already past eight o’clock.

It was time for the cubs to wash up and go to sleep.

And it was perfectly normal for an adult to get ready for dreamland around this time too.

Gu Huaiyu blinked and said, “Alright, I’ll go take a shower first.”

Shen Qing nodded. “Do you want me to help you?”

“…”

The eyes that had just blinked suddenly shot open. Gu Huaiyu: “No need. You…”

“Then I’ll go check on Duo-duo and Aozai first.”

Shen Qing said, “I need to wake Aozai up to brush his teeth before sleeping… And that little cub Duo-duo is probably seizing the time to study again.”

Shen Qing had unconsciously started rambling again.

Gu Huaiyu’s lips curled up, and he said, “Alright, then I’ll go with you.”

Shen Qing: “…Maybe you shouldn’t, you…”

Shen Qing wanted to say you need rest more than the cubs do, but then he remembered, “By the way, what exactly did you tell Duo-duo and Aozai in the play area? When I was arguing with Lu Xinghao and the bespectacled guy next to him.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…Your curiosity is quite strong.”

Shen Qing shrugged, looking as if to say That’s true, but what can you do about it? tacitly admitting it.

Gu Huaiyu couldn’t help but let the corners of his lips rise again. Going along with it, he said, “It was nothing much, just taught them my twenty-six stratagems.”

“What twenty-six stratagems?” Shen Qing asked. “Isn’t it normally thirty-six?”

Gu Huaiyu: “I created them myself.”

“…”

“The things they experience, I also frequently experienced when I was a child.”

“…?”

Shen Qing opened his mouth but couldn’t get a word out.

He truly didn’t know much about the big boss’s childhood, though the discord in the Gu family was a known fact.

What shocked him, though, was that he had never imagined Gu Huaiyu was the one being bullied when he was young… Was it because his health was weak?

But that didn’t make sense. He was over 1.9 meters tall and a top student…

As he spoke, Gu Huaiyu’s voice was faint, devoid of emotion, as if he were telling a joke. “In any family with many children, there’s always one who gets bullied. …But there are exceptions. I like Duo-duo and Aozai because their relationship with each other is very harmonious; they consider each other.”

“That’s definitely true.”

Shen Qing nodded, seeming to understand.

Sometimes you get bullied not because you aren’t excellent enough, but rather because you are too excellent.

But if it was disharmony among biological brothers… Shen Qing still biasedly believed that it was either because the parents couldn’t keep a level playing field, or there was a problem with the family’s education, raising the children in a competitive environment without instilling the concept of mutual help.

Or it could be a problem with the child themselves… That was hard to say.

Shen Qing couldn’t help but lean in closer, asking curiously, “So what are these twenty-six stratagems? How did you handle it when you were bullied?”

“…”

The young man had suddenly drawn close again. Faced with the sudden proximity of that delicate, handsome face, the fingers Gu Huaiyu had resting on his wheelchair unconsciously lifted slightly.

He suddenly said, “I have a sinister personality, an eccentric temper, and a terrible reputation.”

Shen Qing: “?…”

Gu Huaiyu asked, “How do you think all of that came about?”

Meeting his gaze, Shen Qing guessed, “They slandered you?”

“…No.”

At this mere breath of a distance, Gu Huaiyu focused intently on the clear, handsome face before him. His entire body seemed perfectly still as he spoke slowly, his voice like a trickling stream: “It was deliberate. I wanted them to think that way.”

Shen Qing: “…Was this because you were constantly bullied, so you had to put up a front that you shouldn’t be messed with?…”

Shen Qing could understand that feeling.

In fact, he was like that when he was little too.

Because he was too weak and fragile, he craved power.

Even if it meant being feared, he had to turn himself into someone others wouldn’t dare provoke.

It was just that after his grandparents adopted him, he was the only child in the house.

And perhaps because he had been lovable since childhood, Shen Qing always had good popularity. Countless kids liked playing with him, and later on, he was rarely ever bullied.

But Gu Huaiyu… couldn’t escape it.

Even now, the Gu family was eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey, let alone when he was just a human cub…

In that instant, having experienced something similar, Shen Qing felt a profound sense of empathy.

A trace of heartache flashed across his eyes.

Which was captured by Gu Huaiyu, who was looking right at him.

As if scalded by something, Gu Huaiyu turned his head, breaking eye contact, and his body leaned back slightly.

A moment later, he offered, “Of course, that’s not what I told Gu Duo and Gu Ao.”

Shen Qing: “Oh?”

Weren’t we just talking about the twenty-six stratagems?

Shen Qing was starting to get lost.

Gu Huaiyu’s voice was deep: “They are different from me… They have you protecting them, so they don’t need it.”

“…What do you mean?”

Shen Qing’s focus went completely off track.

Did the big boss really have no one to protect him when he was a kid?

He had always been very curious about this.

He felt that if President Gu looked anything like Aozai when he was little, he would have easily charmed all the aunties and uncles who saw him. Just puffing his cheeks and acting cute would get him candy. Plus, he was a legitimate young master of the Gu family…

Although the old President Gu had three wives in total, each new relationship only began after the previous one had ended. Each one was a formal, legitimate marriage, and Gu Huaiyu was a rightful young master of the Gu family.

Even though President Gu was the sixth child—a position somewhat stuck in the middle—his mother had been married to old President Gu and stayed with him for over ten years, making her his longest-standing wife.

It was said that during their time together, they were perfectly in tune and deeply in love.

Although it was unknown why they eventually separated… Shen Qing guessed it might have been because old President Gu found someone else outside. After all, the last time old President Gu came to visit, he had overheard President Gu seemingly mocking his father: No matter how earth-shatteringly passionate the love is, you can just swap people out the moment you decide to.

But since they had been in love, and only divorced when President Gu was around seven or eight, then President Gu was the product of love.

It shouldn’t be that his father didn’t care and his mother didn’t love him, leaving him with absolutely no one to protect him, right?…

If you argued that the Gu family was just cold when it came to familial bonds, then that should apply to all the siblings—none of them would be protected.

So why was Gu Huaiyu the only one singled out as a ‘lone star of doom,’ ostracized by the whole family?

Even if no one else protected him, surely President Gu’s mother wouldn’t…

Shen Qing felt his head filling with question marks.

Hearing the doubts Shen Qing expressed so tactfully, Gu Huaiyu’s pale, sharp lips curved downward slightly, revealing a mocking smile. “My mother hasn’t held me once since the day I was born.”

Shen Qing: “…???”

“…Oh, she did hold me once.”

Gu Huaiyu spoke slowly, his voice very faint. His pitch-black pupils stared at a single point in the void. After that, his thin lips closed, and he said no more.

He clearly didn’t want to elaborate.

Shen Qing didn’t dare to ask any further.

He simply said, “I’m sorry.”

Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu turned his head slightly, looking back at the young man’s handsome, radiant face. He shook his head, looking a bit frail. “I told you. After some time, if I am still alive, I will tell you everything.”

“…”

Shen Qing’s breathing hitched slightly, and he stressed, “What you said was, after the surgery is successful in a while, you will tell me.”

…The success of a surgery and merely being alive are two different things, right?

Gu Huaiyu: “?”

He didn’t see any difference, but he nodded anyway. “En.”

Shen Qing: “Okay, then I can wait.”

Seeing the big boss staring intently at him again, Shen Qing subconsciously cosplayed as Mingbao and pouted his lips. “What are you looking at? I’m very curious.”

Seeing him like this, the corners of Gu Huaiyu’s lips curved upward once more. “En.”

“Alright.”

Shen Qing didn’t press him on why he had to wait for the surgery to be successful before telling him, or why he couldn’t do it now.

He highly respected the patient’s feelings. He just nodded, and feeling the topic had gotten too heavy, he asked again, “By the way, so what did you tell Duo-cub and Aozai?”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t keep him in suspense this time, answering directly: “I told them, if anything happens, they should come back and tell you, and you will back them up.”

Shen Qing: “…Ah.”

He understood a little better now.

—Although the big boss’s twenty-six stratagems could protect oneself from being bullied, the results showed that children who grew up that way were not happy.

Gu Huaiyu himself was an example.

…He wasn’t even going to live long.calmclinic+1

Using fear and alienation to protect oneself was ultimately just an act of helplessness. It was fine not to talk about it.

Regardless, he would indeed protect Duo-duo and Aozai.

But…

“First of all, thank you very much for your approval, Boss. Secondly, you weren’t wrong to tell them that. But…”

Shen Qing blinked and said, “But if they get bullied, they can’t just tell me alone. What about you?”

Shen Qing felt that Gu Huaiyu probably knew his days were numbered, which was why he hadn’t mentioned himself when telling Duo-duo and Aozai they had someone to back them up.

But the big boss was still here, right? Shen Qing really disliked this way Gu Huaiyu spoke, as if he were leaving his last words.

So he pressed, “I’m in charge of backing up Duo-duo and Aozai. What about you?”

In reality, the big boss was the one putting in the most effort.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, it was a fact.

Even if President Gu was no longer around in the future, the money they spent would be from his inheritance! So President Gu contributed the most, and a share of backing them up belonged to him.

Shen Qing hoped Gu Huaiyu could feel a sense of participation.

In the matter of raising the cubs.

But to his surprise, Gu Huaiyu looked into his eyes for a moment, then suddenly blinked and said, “I’ll be in charge of backing you up.”

Shen Qing: “…”

…There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the big boss saying that.

But who could have known that when the other man let his thin eyelids droop and said those words, he would look so insanely handsome and domineering?

Sure enough, a serious, responsible man is the most handsome!

“…Alright, you said it. We’ll divide the work like this then.”

Although he said that, Shen Qing straightened his back, suddenly feeling a surge of emotion: If only the big boss could stay alive and back me up forever.

.

After checking on Duo-cub and Aozai and getting the two cubs to sleep, Shen Qing returned to the bedroom on the third floor.

Because there was still the biggest cub upstairs… Well, President Gu was sick, wasn’t he? Seeing how listless he looked, Shen Qing didn’t feel at ease, so he didn’t go play games and instead returned to the bedroom early.

When he went back, Gu Huaiyu had just finished showering. Just like before, Shen Qing helped dry the hair of the big boss, who never paid attention to these things.

Then Gu Huaiyu went to bed to rest, and Shen Qing went to shower himself.

When he came back out, only two small lamps were left on in the bedroom.

The curtains hadn’t been drawn, and the myriad lights from the distant city shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, keeping the room fairly bright.

Shen Qing touched Gu Huaiyu’s forehead again; he still seemed to have a slight fever.consensus+1

…This reaction is way too intense.

“So what exactly is this psychological interference that makes you run a fever as soon as you go out? Can you ever go out in the future?”

Knowing Gu Huaiyu wasn’t asleep yet, Shen Qing simply climbed into bed to chat with him.

Lying properly flat on his back, Gu Huaiyu slowly opened his eyes.

“It might be because I’m a germaphobe.”

Shen Qing: ?

The big boss’s voice was faint; it was impossible to tell if he was joking or serious: “If I happen to run into someone I dislike, I feel unwell.”

Shen Qing: “…The person you dislike is Lu Jing? I don’t believe that.”

“?”

Gu Huaiyu couldn’t help looking at him, a trace of curiosity entering his eyes. “Why don’t you believe it?”

“Lu Jing’s level is too low. Whether he appears or not shouldn’t affect you at all, right?” Shen Qing analyzed objectively.

He might truly dislike him, but not to the point where seeing him would cause him such disgust that he fell ill.

Shen Qing had always felt that Gu Huaiyu possessed immense inner strength.

“Why would a powerful giant care whether an ant passes by?”

As he analyzed this, Gu Huaiyu kept his eyes on him.

In the dim darkness of the night, he stared intently, as if watching a crucial scene in a movie, unwilling to miss a single frame.

When he finished, Gu Huaiyu evaluated with a slow cadence, “You are absolutely right.”

After saying that, he couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.

His refusal to go out wasn’t to avoid running into one specific person.

It was a refusal to see anyone.

Or rather, a refusal of everything related to this world.

Previously, he had long since prepared himself to leave this place.

The kind of leaving that required no goodbyes.

“Cough, cough, cough.” Gu Huaiyu coughed a few more times, and Shen Qing instinctively reached out to pat his back.

It was only when his hand reached over that he realized the big boss was lying flat…

So he could only change it to gently patting his chest instead.

But Gu Huaiyu simply raised his hand and grasped the young man’s wrist. His thin eyelids lifting slightly, he looked sideways at the young man and suddenly asked, “Do you want me to live?”

“Ah?”

Shen Qing: Why this question again?

Doesn’t the big boss have a photographic memory? How many times has he asked me this?!

“Of course.” But Shen Qing still answered without hesitation, “I want you to live a long, long life.”

“…”

The hand gripping the young man’s wrist gently let go. Gu Huaiyu slowly closed his eyes and said, “Go to sleep.”

“…Okay.”

Although he wasn’t sleepy yet, Shen Qing was also a bit tired, and lying down for a while felt very comfortable.

He pulled his side of the blanket open and tucked himself in, imitating Gu Huaiyu’s perfectly straight, flat sleeping posture.

A short while later, in the quiet night, Shen Qing unknowingly drifted off into dreamland.

In the middle of the night, Shen Qing was awakened by a sound… it was the sound of the person beside him tossing and turning restlessly.

“Boss?”

Groggy, he asked aloud.

Gu Huaiyu didn’t answer.

Shen Qing had no choice but to feel his way over under the covers.

He was probably just blindly reaching a hand and foot out toward the other side at first.

But the moment he touched the other man’s arm, Shen Qing was dragged over entirely by him.

“?”

Being suddenly entangled by someone’s long limbs snapped Shen Qing awake instantly.

But before he even opened his eyes, he heard a very low, hoarse voice right by his ear. He could faintly hear Gu Huaiyu seemingly saying: “Cold.”

Shen Qing: “…”

He felt that the hand wrapped around him really was a bit cold, and Shen Qing was dumbfounded—Is Gu Huaiyu made of ice or something?

But in his daze, for some reason, he recalled what Gu Huaiyu had said earlier that evening: that his mother had only held him once in his entire life.

…Shen Qing used to hear people say that children with no one to love them always have cold hands and feet.

His mind automatically inserted the pitiful, unloved little Aozai and little Duo-duo…

And this was a version without even a sibling.

They couldn’t even huddle together for warmth.

Shen Qing’s breath caught, and he stopped struggling, allowing himself to be held by the other man.

“Wu…”

…But I have to remember clearly: tonight, Gu Huaiyu took the initiative to hug me. It definitely wasn’t me rolling over and entangling President Gu on my own.

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