SFBF CH90

Shen Qing: “…”

He was entirely dazed by what he just heard.

Damn, so after all this time, the reason the Big Boss initially didn’t want to live was simply because he found it boring? This… truly lived up to the legendary Mary Sue novel standards! If Gu Huaiyu’s goal had been to destroy the world along with himself, he would have been the ultimate world-ending supervillain!

…And what else did the Big Boss just say?

Shen Qing did his best to keep his expression steady, trying his hardest to control the color of his face so it wouldn’t be completely flushed by the sudden rush of heat to his cheeks.

“…So the reason you later chose to stand up and undergo the surgery was all because of… me?” Shen Qing asked, forcing his eyes to stay wide and clear.

“Yes.” Gu Huaiyu was thoroughly candid. “Because I wanted to see you, and I wanted to protect you. I couldn’t bear to die.”

Using his cool, aloof voice, he spoke unhurriedly yet with immense weight behind every word: “I never expected that ‘interesting’ could be so simple. As long as I can see you every day, it is enough.”

Shen Qing: …Boom!

He immediately clutched his burning cheeks—Wait a minute, I didn’t even ask for that much detail! Ever since the Big Boss confirmed he could fully recover, he truly ceased to be a man of few words…

Seeing the youth in his arms completely dumbfounded, Gu Huaiyu glanced at the youth’s flushed cheeks and added, “Of course, the mere thought that you might remarry after I died made me want to live even more.”

“Wait, wait, wait.”

Having just been bombarded by love confessions, he was already on the verge of being overwhelmed. Hearing Gu Huaiyu bring up remarriage, the playful, irreverent genes in Shen Qing’s DNA acted up again: “What do you mean remarry? Even if it happens, it would be me marrying again to find a stepmother for Duoduo and the others… No, I’m just kidding!!”

Before he could even finish the sentence about finding a stepmother, his final words were dragged out into a long whine.

—Shen Qing had been attacked.

After all, his legs were currently draped right over the armrest of the wheelchair, and his back and waist were entirely relying on the strength of the other man’s arm for support; he was effectively sitting solidly on Gu Huaiyu’s lap. Being tickled out of nowhere in such a posture was no pleasant sensation.

The crucial part was that he couldn’t even yell. He was terrified of drawing anyone else over. Otherwise, Shen Qing truly wanted to lose himself in a fit of hysterical laughter.

“…Ah, no, I was clearly joking! I won’t find anyone, I absolutely won’t… Hahaha, don’t look so serious!” Shen Qing said, intentionally suppressing his voice while laughing until tears almost came to his eyes.

Gu Huaiyu maintained his pale countenance, his eyelids slightly lifted. “Do you know your mistake? Will you stop talking nonsense?”

“I’ll stop! No more nonsense!” Shen Qing said, thoroughly succumbing to a salted fish slump.

He felt he was genuinely wronged. He had absolutely no intention of finding a stepmother or stepfather for the cubs, but because of his loose tongue, a single witty comeback had earned him a thorough lesson from the Big Boss.

With a face full of deep regret, Shen Qing declared, “I will never talk nonsense again.”

Gu Huaiyu’s pale lips curved up slightly as he remarked, “That’s more like it.” He paused, then asked, “But… what exactly does a ‘pink youth’ mean?”

Shen Qing suddenly remembered how the Big Boss had described him earlier and finally reacted. “Am I a turkey? Besides, I’ve told you repeatedly that I don’t like pink!”

“Alright.” Fearing that the youth might slip off due to overexcitement, Gu Huaiyu tightened his arm around him while simultaneously changing his words. “You aren’t a turkey, and you don’t like pink. You are simply a strawberry.”

Shen Qing: “A strawberry??”

Gu Huaiyu: “Mm. A fresh one that instantly stirs up one’s appetite upon seeing it…”

Before the Big Boss could even finish his sentence, Shen Qing suddenly curled himself inward.

With his slender, long legs raised and his waist and abdominal muscles fully engaged, despite lying flat on his back a moment ago, he now desperately wished he could ball himself up right then and there.

“…What are you doing?” Gu Huaiyu asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

Shen Qing: “…”

Shen Qing had suddenly realized… since the Big Boss’s body was going to gradually recover, he wouldn’t die. And furthermore, he was highly capable.

…

Then wouldn’t that mean… once he was fully healed, the two of them… would no longer be in a Platonic relationship???

The crucial thing was that when Gu Huaiyu mentioned “appetite” just now, the vibe he gave off truly wasn’t that kind of appetite. It was far closer to carnal desire! Shen Qing’s instinctive recoil was entirely a self-preservation mechanism triggered by realizing the gravity of the situation!

But meeting Gu Huaiyu’s eyes, he felt he had overreacted. Still curled like a ball, he stretched his body out once more.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Qing said, returning to his salted fish demeanor.

—He was simply mourning the death of his Platonic love!

Gu Huaiyu: “?”

Right then, a sudden noise echoed from upstairs, prompting the two on the ground floor to raise their heads in unison.

They saw a little head topped with lamb-like curls peering down from the upper floor, his big head tilted slightly to the side as if he were observing and contemplating at the same time.

“…Mingbao?”

The moment he called out the name, “Salted Fish” Qing no longer dared to remain slumped, rolling right off the Big Boss’s lap.

Mingbao greeted the uncles downstairs with exceptional politeness, even waving his little arm to show his enthusiasm. “Uncle Shen, Uncle Gu!” After greeting them, he didn’t forget to ask in bewilderment, “What are you two doing?”

“We’re… we are…” Shen Qing looked upstairs, then looked at Gu Huaiyu, completely failing to come up with an explanation for what they were doing.

At this moment, Duoduo, dressed in a little tank top and shorts, emerged alongside Ao-zai. Seeing Xu Weiming peering over the railing and talking to his Little Dad, Gu Duo’s face almost turned entirely black.

In contrast, Ao-zai trotted over, sticking his little bottom out as he peered downward through the gaps.

Shen Qing had previously hired workers to heighten and reinforce all the railings in the house. Mingbao could barely manage to rest his chin on the railing by standing on his tiptoes to look down. However, a cub of Ao-zai’s height could only resort to kneeling and crawling, peering down through the balusters.

The moment he spotted the Big Dad and Little Dad downstairs, Ao-zai let out a tiny murmur that sounded like “as expected” and “nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Brother Ming, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill!” Having finished his ‘reconnaissance,’ little Ao-zai stood up, looking thoroughly knowledgeable. “The Dads are just kissing.”

Shen Qing: “…What nonsense are you spouting? What nonsense are you spouting?”

He absolutely couldn’t let the little Dragon Aotian talk wild this time. The crucial part was… they clearly hadn’t even kissed yet!

Unable to bear this injustice, Shen Qing abandoned his lazy posture entirely. Charging upstairs with full power, he ran up to catch them. “You little cubs, what time do you think it is? Why aren’t you in bed yet?”

He approached aggressively, causing the little cubs about to be captured to giggle hysterically as they scattered in all directions. The once-quiet villa was instantly filled with the children’s joyful laughter.

Gu Huaiyu remained downstairs, his long fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair. His back was perfectly straight, yet his posture possessed a touch of laziness and ease. With the deep depths of his eyes shining brilliantly, he gazed upstairs. Suddenly, the corners of his lips curved up in an amused smile.

The next day, a knock sounded on Gu Huaiyu’s office door. Judging by the force of the knock, the person outside was inevitably…

The corners of his lips lifted ahead of time. Gu Huaiyu set down the documents in his hand, raised his head, and called out to the door, “Come in.”

A moment later, the office door was pushed open, and a handsome youth poked his head inside. “Big Boss, are you busy?”

Gu Huaiyu asked with a smile, “What is it?”

Shen Qing simply walked inside. With both hands tucked behind his back, his footsteps were light and his manner thoroughly suspicious.

“Oh?” Gu Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “Are you giving me another present?”

Shen Qing: “! Big Boss, you truly are sharp!”

Having been found out, Shen Qing stopped hiding it, directly producing the box he had concealed behind his back. It was a mobile phone.

Gazing at the smartphone packaging set on the desk, and then at the phone Shen Qing had already extracted, Gu Huaiyu raised his eyes in confusion toward the youth.

Shen Qing explained, “I figured since you’re on your way to a full recovery, shouldn’t you switch back to using a mobile phone?” He glanced down at the children’s smartwatch on the Big Boss’s desk.

…Previously, he felt that since the Big Boss didn’t have much time left, there was no need to equip him with a phone; occasionally using a children’s smartwatch sufficed for himself or the babies to reach him. But since the Big Boss wasn’t going to die, and he would gradually stand up—with a high probability of attending more public events in the future—continuing to wear a smartwatch would be… far too undignified!!

“Besides, the smartwatch’s features are incomplete after all.” Shen Qing leaned in close to Gu Huaiyu. Handing the powered-on phone to the Big Boss, he tapped the screen to demonstrate the various functions. “Look, this is the photo album. Saving pictures and things is incredibly convenient!”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

“And this is WeChat. It’ll make it much easier for us to chat in the future… though we’ll highly likely still talk face-to-face. But once you register a WeChat account, I can pull you into the parent group chat established by Duoduo’s teacher. After that, any school matters can be handled by you, hehe. …Oh right, there’s more.”

After an involuntary chuckle, the youth immediately returned to a serious tone. “I also downloaded some essential lifestyle apps for you. For instance, a big boss occasionally needs to listen to music to unwind, right? A phone can do all of that!”

“…” Gu Huaiyu listened in silence. Lowering his thin eyelids, he politely watched the entire demonstration before murmuring thoughtfully, “Is there a possibility… that I have used a mobile phone before?”

Shen Qing: “…”

Gu Huaiyu: “In other words, I actually know all of these functions you mentioned?”

Shen Qing: “…Oh, right.”

Dazed for a moment, Shen Qing finally realized that the Big Boss had only stopped using a phone two years ago when he began refusing to communicate or interact with the outside world. He wasn’t a caveman!

…Why did he constantly worry that the man wouldn’t know how to use it…

In truth, he was mostly worried that Gu Huaiyu wouldn’t want to use a phone. After all, Gu Huaiyu was truly the most unique boss Shen Qing had ever encountered! Ceasing to use a phone had been one of the primary indicators of him locking away his heart.

But it was the same old philosophy: Shen Qing felt that since he wasn’t going to die and had begun to embrace life, he needed to look forward. A phone wasn’t solely for socializing; it could fulfill many functions and be a source of entertainment. While playing too much wasn’t good, it occasionally provided a form of amusement. Even Gu Huaiyu ought to properly expose himself to some useless entertainment and absorb some unnecessary yet indispensable mental junk food. Only then would a person truly feel vibrant and alive. Everything was a double-edged sword!

“Properly absorb some mental junk food?” Seeming to hear such a philosophy for the very first time, Gu Huaiyu raised his brows in novelty.

He subsequently took the phone. Enclosing Shen Qing’s hand along with it within his palm, he lowered his eyes, scrolling through the interface twice using the youth’s hand before slightly lifting his gaze. “You saved all the pictures inside?”

The pictures Gu Huaiyu referred to were the ones Shen Qing had taken inside and outside the house over the past few months. The vast majority featured the babies, alongside a few group photos involving the adults. Shen Qing himself didn’t care for selfies.

Shen Qing had printed these photos out to place in specially prepared albums. Gu Huaiyu had previously requested these digital files from Shen Qing, storing them on his computer’s hard drive. But it had to be said that viewing these photos on a phone was far more convenient. It truly felt different.

“Yes,” Shen Qing agreed. “This makes it much more convenient for you to look through the photos. This is exactly the benefit of a smartphone!” He blinked at Gu Huaiyu at the end, looking very much like a door-to-door salesman pitching a product.

“Do you wish for me to use this phone that badly?” Gu Huaiyu smiled at him.

“Mm-hmm,” Shen Qing nodded. “I specifically ordered it last night, and it was delivered directly to our door today with free shipping! …This is the latest model. A big boss using this device will absolutely showcase your identity and status!”

“…” Gu Huaiyu lowered his eyes slightly, tightening his grip on the youth’s hand to pull him a bit closer to himself. “Alright,” he said. “Thank you.”

Shen Qing directly picked up the children’s smartwatch Gu Huaiyu had left on the desk, extracted the SIM card from inside, and smilingly slipped it into the Big Boss’s new phone. Gu Huaiyu watched his movements, observing the youth use his phone number to register a WeChat account.

As the final step, Shen Qing added each other as friends. “This way, it’ll be much easier for us to contact each other in the future.” His smile remained bright.

Gazing at the chat window on the screen and the youth’s profile picture, Gu Huaiyu couldn’t help but raise his brows. Shen Qing’s avatar was a cartoon fox he had switched to a few days ago, its pointed nose tilted upward and its eyes curved into lines with laughter, looking thoroughly comical and arrogant. Gu Huaiyu had frequently seen the youth’s phone and his chat interfaces with others lately, making him intimately familiar with this avatar. But today, when this familiar avatar appeared within his own phone’s dialog box, the feeling was…

Utterly unable to suppress the curve of his lips, Gu Huaiyu nodded with extreme approval. “Mm. It’s quite nice.”

Seeing the Big Boss’s reaction, Shen Qing couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit smug. Before bringing this phone over, he felt certain that Gu Huaiyu wouldn’t refuse a gift he presented—even if the man was reluctant to use a phone, he would still accept it simply because it came from him. Yet even with such confidence, when the recipient genuinely appeared satisfied, the gift-giver couldn’t avoid feeling a bit proud.

Jokes aside, this was a phone he spent twenty thousand yuan to order after all! …Even though it was nothing to a big boss. And even though he used the Big Boss’s money to buy it. But the thought was what counted! Looking around, it seemed that aside from himself, no one would ever think to get President Gu a smartphone…

“President Gu, President Lian and President Qin have arrived. There are also several documents here that require your review.”

At this moment, Li Hong entered carrying a few folders, followed by Lian Jin and several senior company executives. The group received permission to enter President Gu’s office. Seeing Shen Qing present, they all politely greeted the spouse.

Afterward, seeing President Gu holding a foldable phone, someone mentally noted that President Gu and his spouse truly shared an excellent relationship, with the spouse even letting President Gu look at his phone. In contrast, someone like Lian Jin, who frequently maintained contact with Shen Qing, knew that wasn’t the spouse’s phone. Lian Jin even wondered why the spouse had switched phones again when he had just changed to a new one a while ago…

But everyone quickly noticed something amiss. The spouse’s phone was still grasped in his own hand. Meanwhile, the children’s smartwatch President Gu carried year-round was currently lying completely flat on the desk, its SIM card removed, looking pitifully as though it had lost its soul…

So, the device in President Gu’s hand belonged to President Gu himself?? …Aside from switching phones, who would dare to touch President Gu’s children’s smartwatch!?

“Oh, then you all go ahead and get busy. I’ll take my leave first.” Knowing Gu Huaiyu had work to attend to, Shen Qing didn’t want to cause a distraction. He had already slipped his hand from President Gu’s palm a moment ago, standing up straight.

Gu Huaiyu didn’t say much, offering a brief, “Mm.” He lowered his eyelids slightly, adding another sentence: “I’ll call you once I’m done.”

“Alright.” Hearing this, Shen Qing shook his phone in a spot hidden from everyone else’s view, gesturing for the Big Boss to use the phone to call him when the time came. His handsome face bore a radiant smile, his brows arching as his eyes conveyed a deep, lingering affection. His movements were light and slow. With bright eyes and white teeth, he intentionally struck a subtly alluring pose. The only thing missing was extending a single finger to trace the back of the Big Boss’s hand to hint at a phone call. The flirtatious intent was thoroughly palpable.

Shen Qing did this entirely on purpose, purely as a joke. Not wanting to delay everyone’s time further, he quickly turned to leave, failing to notice Gu Huaiyu’s gaze darken as his prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“Come over.” After Shen Qing left and before his subordinates approached, Gu Huaiyu closed the foldable phone and set it naturally on his desk.

The subordinates: “…”

Stepping up to President Gu’s desk to place the folders before him, Assistant Li attempted to ask seamlessly, “Um… President Gu, are you planning to return to using a mobile phone?” Although he tried to sound casual, the highly pitched final syllable betrayed the immense shock in Li Hong’s heart.

…It wasn’t that they couldn’t think of equipping the nearly recovered President Gu with a phone. Rather, who would dare to bring up the matter of President Gu using a phone? Oh, the last person who insisted on President Gu using a mobile phone was the elder President Gu, his father. The result was that President Gu gave him zero face whatsoever. His cold, resolute attitude had predictably infuriated the elder president.

After that, no one dared to bring it up again. But President Gu was a ruthless man; he truly could function entirely without a mobile phone! Because he possessed several highly capable assistants like himself and a flawless administrative workflow, President Gu genuinely had no need for a phone. But for a workaholic like Lian Jin, who also relied on assistants to manage work and life, she still found time to browse videos online to relieve stress. President Gu was the youngest person present, yet he literally engaged in zero entertainment!

Everyone had consistently found such a situation incomprehensible. But now…

“Haha, there’s no need to ask. It must be a gift from the spouse,” Lian Jin laughed, directly exposing the truth.

Gu Huaiyu picked up a file with one hand, using his other hand to place the phone in a highly prominent spot right by his hand. His long fingers traced the edges of the phone inadvertently, rubbing the metallic casing that still retained a hint of warmth. Lowering his eyes, he commanded, “Begin the meeting.”

—Regarding Ms. Lian’s speculation, President Gu neither confirmed nor denied it.

The meeting, which persisted for over two hours, finally concluded, and the other executives filed out of the office. Left alone in the room, Gu Huaiyu’s gaze once more drifted over the phone on his desk. This time, he picked it up decisively, opened the foldable screen, and directly typed a message into the WeChat chat box that had never been closed, addressing the youth with the arrogant fox avatar.

Gu Huaiyu: [What are you doing?]

Afterward, Gu Huaiyu closed the phone screen, set it aside, and began wrapping up the remainder of his immediate tasks. He operated with extreme efficiency whenever reviewing documents, always maintaining an incredibly swift and focused demeanor. But this time, he was slightly distracted.

…Three minutes passed. A man capable of reading lines at a glance had already finished reviewing an entire file. Yet the phone remained completely silent.

“…” Signing his name at the very end of the file to indicate his approval of the proposal, Gu Huaiyu set the document aside and pulled forward a thick folder.

However, four minutes passed. He once more signed his name at the back of the new document, his handwriting grand and sweeping. The phone still remained silent.

…

Upon signing the final document, Gu Huaiyu tossed all the complex paperwork to the side. Clasping the phone on the desk with his long fingers, he maneuvered his wheelchair out the door. The youth’s location was incredibly easy to determine. The moment Gu Huaiyu exited his office, he heard the furious clatter of a keyboard.

—It turned out he was playing a game. Furthermore, he was sitting right in the study outside their bedroom. The youth hadn’t even closed the door tightly.

…Knowing that the youth was likely running a dungeon and found it inconvenient to check his phone mid-battle, it was entirely normal that he hadn’t replied. A look akin to a sigh of relief rarely surfaced on Gu Huaiyu’s detached, expressionless face. He subsequently couldn’t help but let out an amused smile. …It had merely been a dozen or so minutes.

Just as he intended to maneuver his wheelchair back to the office, Gu Huaiyu heard an unfamiliar male voice ring out from the speakers: “Brother Zijin, you are far too handsome! I want to bear your monkeys!”

…^([1])? Gu Huaiyu’s wheelchair came to a sudden halt.

“Zijin” was Shen Qing’s nickname in the game. Gu Huaiyu didn’t comprehend what bearing monkeys meant, but it felt highly similar to the pronunciation for bearing children.

…？

Finishing a dungeon run, Shen Qing raised his eyes and tilted his head, instantly spotting Gu Huaiyu standing at the doorway. The Big Boss’s aura was simply too powerful; in fact, when the battle was at its peak a moment ago, he already felt a gaze scrutinizing him. It was a glaringly cold and sharp look. Who else could it be but Gu Huaiyu?!

But given his excellent relationship with the Big Boss… Shen Qing didn’t think for a second that the sharp gaze was directed at him. He had also taken a brief moment amidst his frantic clicking to look at Gu Huaiyu. However, because this dungeon was far too difficult and he was the guild’s sole tank with heavy responsibilities, he couldn’t afford to be distracted, offering only a single glance.

The current Shen Qing: “Big Boss?” Simultaneously, he lifted a finger, clicking to mute himself on the voice chat software shared with his teammates.

“Mm,” Gu Huaiyu responded, slowly steering his wheelchair inside.

At this moment, another sound emerged from Shen Qing’s computer. It was the male voice that had called him brother a moment ago, calling out to him: “Brother Zijin, come pick up the equipment quickly! Why aren’t you moving?”

…Having spent a large fortune to equip himself with two high-end computers, Shen Qing naturally hadn’t been stingy about purchasing headphones and microphones. But ultimately, he discovered that unless he was appreciating music, going without headphones was the most comfortable option. Therefore, Shen Qing’s computer audio had always been played through the speakers.

Right now, his teammates were all calling out to him, mostly urging him to loot the items or praising his incredible gameplay. It wasn’t solely male voices; it was interspersed with quite a few female voices, sounding exceptionally lively. The only unifying factor was that everyone called him “Brother Zijin.” Furthermore, someone specifically called Shen Qing out. The content was muffled because many people were talking at once, but the final sentence was crystal clear, asking, “Call Sister-in-law to join us!”

Gu Huaiyu listened in silence. Hearing this point, he finally couldn’t restrain his brows from arching. He knew Shen Qing played games. He also knew that the game Shen Qing played allowed characters to get married inside. So others were calling out to Shen Qing, even telling him to ‘call Sister-in-law over’…

Shen Qing hastily muted the entire application. It wasn’t out of a guilty conscience, but simply because it was too noisy. Then, reacting a beat late, he explained, “No, don’t misunderstand! The Sister-in-law they’re talking about was only my sister-in-law in the past!”

“…” The atmospheric pressure surrounding Gu Huaiyu suddenly plummeted further. “…In the past?”

“Because Big Brother quit the game, so it’s in the past!” Shen Qing spoke with absolute righteousness.

But this failed to provide any valid explanation or conviction. Gu Huaiyu took a deep breath. “So you…”

Shen Qing: “No! I just happen to look out for… that player a bit more. We have no relationship whatsoever! After all, I am the guild master now…”

Gu Huaiyu: “.” The youth’s explanation appeared plausible. Gu Huaiyu’s long fingers tapped on the armrest, falling silent.

“Ah, right, did you send me a message?” Reacting a beat late once more, Shen Qing immediately snatched the phone from the desk. When he presented the phone to the Big Boss this morning, to encourage him to use it, he told Gu Huaiyu to message him once he finished work. Shen Qing had also been waiting for a message. It was just that after waiting for roughly an hour, he grew utterly bored, resulting in him being summoned online by his guild members to run a dungeon. And Shen Qing was the type of person who became incredibly earnest once he committed to a task—even though he rarely did chores normally.

But acting as both the guild master and the team’s sole tank, the heavily burdened Shen Qing didn’t dare to divide his focus. He seemed to have heard his phone chime earlier, but he hadn’t found the time to check it. Furthermore, it had only chimed once. He assumed that once the Big Boss finished work, he would directly make a video call or say a few more words… so he simply believed that single chime was a random advertisement or a spam notification, ignoring it entirely.

Pulling out his phone, he discovered that the Big Boss had indeed messaged him! Looking at the timestamp, it was twenty minutes ago.

…Shen Qing hastily explained his train of thought.

“So it seems I was too subtle,” Gu Huaiyu’s voice was cool. “I should have directly placed a video call to you. Brother Zijin.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Although Gu Huaiyu would occasionally sit beside him to accompany him while he gamed, whenever the President was around, Shen Qing generally didn’t voice chat with his guild members. On the rare occasions he absolutely had to, he would put on headphones to avoid disturbing the Big Boss’s work. So it seemed this was truly the first time President Gu had overheard the dialogue between him and his guild mates…

Shen Qing explained once more, “They only use that title as a joke. I call them brothers and sisters too.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…” It was glaringly obvious that Shen Qing’s explanation failed to satisfy the Big Boss. Instead, it made him feel more frustrated.

The President asked coldly, “Whom exactly do you call brother and sister?” Although it was a question, the President seemingly had no intention of listening to the youth’s answer.

Following that, the President—whose lips were incredibly pale but whose face was visibly flushed, seemingly out of sheer irritation—first extracted his new mobile phone and dialed a call to Shen Qing.

Being called by the Big Boss right to his face, Shen Qing: …? He still answered the call: “Hello?”

“Mm. Hanging up,” Gu Huaiyu stated, ruthlessly ending the call.

Shen Qing: ???

Immediately after, Gu Huaiyu dialed Assistant Li, instructing him to immediately deliver a computer capable of running games. Assistant Li was entirely bewildered, but he always strained to fulfill President Gu’s directives.

A short while later, a laptop specifically designed for gaming was placed right beside Shen Qing’s computer. Following that, Gu Huaiyu issued a second command, instructing Assistant Li to help download the game his spouse was currently playing.

Shen Qing: “…”

While they were executing the game download over there, Shen Qing gazed at President Gu’s aloof, calm, and breathtakingly handsome profile, reacting for the third time—the reason President Gu had placed that phone call to him just now was highly likely because he wanted his very first call on his new phone to be to himself, before he was forced to call anyone else. Perhaps Gu Huaiyu’s rule dictated that the first call log on his new phone must be a conversation with his spouse.

…The internet connection in the bedroom was excellent, and the game finished downloading very quickly.

Gu Huaiyu told Li Hong, “I will borrow the computer for a short while and return it once I am done. I promise not to touch anything else.”

“Ah, no, no, President Gu, please feel free,” Assistant Li hastily replied.

President Gu demanded a gaming laptop out of nowhere; where was Li Hong supposed to conjure a brand-new gaming laptop on such short notice? There were plenty of business laptops used for administration. Assistant Li had no choice but to produce his own prized possession—a gaming laptop he purchased two years ago—delivering it to President Gu. He had spent less than twenty thousand yuan on this gaming laptop; it wasn’t the absolute highest configuration within the brand, but even after two years, its specifications vastly outperformed other budget laptops, fully capable of running every game on the market. Being able to have President Gu use his device made Assistant Li feel highly honored. After all, that was President Gu!…

Sure enough, President Gu’s next sentence was: “Prepare two new ones, the latest models with the absolute highest specifications. Keep one for yourself.”

Li Hong: !

See, he knew it!!! President Gu would never borrow a subordinate’s item without compensation. If President Gu borrowed something, the “interest” would always be unimaginably high. President Gu had always been exceptionally generous. Who could have guessed that a gaming laptop he used for two years would suddenly catch a stroke of fortune, directly paving the way for a brand-new replacement? Furthermore, it was the latest model with the highest specifications!

When all was said and done… his deepest gratitude went to President Gu! And his gratitude also went to President Gu’s sudden, whimsical desire to play a game… Wait, the key point was, President Gu actually wanted to play a game???

For a moment, Assistant Li wasn’t certain whether President Gu intended to play the game himself, planned to pivot the company into game development, or intended to directly acquire the gaming corporation… President Gu didn’t mention it, and Li Hong didn’t dare to ask.

Simultaneously, Gu Huaiyu had already steered his wheelchair to sit directly in front of the desk, facing the laptop to begin registering an account. Sharing Li Hong’s shock was Shen Qing. Because it was a well-known fact that the President didn’t even touch mobile games. …A man who hadn’t even played a basic matching game suddenly wanted to dive into a massive online multiplayer game??

“Which server are you on?” Gu Huaiyu paused his long fingers over the laptop keyboard as he registered the account, his voice sounding cold yet thoroughly earnest.

Shen Qing: …He hastily leaned over, coordinating with the Big Boss to register an account. “Big Boss, are you truly going to play the game?” After the account registration concluded, Shen Qing still found it a bit hard to believe. …This morning he was still worried the President wouldn’t use a smartphone, yet now the man was diving straight into an online PC game…!

“Mm.” Gu Huaiyu turned to look at him, his thin lips pursed as he said with absolute seriousness, “Brother Zijin, carry me to victory.” ^([2])

His voice was very low, so it completely lacked the coquettish air of his other guild members. Instead, because his tone was far too calm and devoid of fluctuation, it sent a wave of goosebumps down one’s spine.

Realizing the reality might be entirely different from what he envisioned, Assistant Li no longer dared to stay and listen further. …There was no pivot into gaming nor any corporate acquisition; why was he still standing here! He quickly sneaked away silently to execute the new task President Gu had issued earlier—purchasing two new computers.

Keeping one for himself. 🙂