SFBF CH98

For advanced chapters, visit my Patreon page.
__

The guesthouse was run by an elderly couple who had originally planned to sell the place, finding it too difficult to manage in their old age.

However, because of its proximity to the training camp, they could charge exorbitant lodging fees while classes were in session. This inflated the overall sale price of the entire guesthouse, leaving it without a buyer for a long time.

Just a moment ago, after searching the nearby area and finding no available rooms, Tian Yi came across this transfer listing and showed it to President Gu.

President Gu immediately decided to purchase it at a 20% markup, on the condition that they could check in and stay there tonight.

The elderly couple already lived in their ancestral home up in the mountain village. Since the house was sold, they handed over the master suite directly and sent people over to sweep and clean up. The whole process took less than two hours.

And all of this was simply because Shen Qing had casually mentioned on the way here: How about we just stay nearby on the mountain tonight?

……

Gu Duo: “…”

Shen Qing patted his eldest pup’s little shoulder again: “…Come on, let’s go check out the territory your Big Dad conquered for us.”

Gu Duo: “…………”

Even though Little Dad spoke in a breezy tone and Big Dad maintained a calm expression—both acting as though it were entirely natural—Gu Duo still felt terribly embarrassed.

…Attending the training camp had been his own request, and he had raised it at the last minute, making the timing extremely tight.

In Gu Duo’s eyes, he was causing unnecessary trouble for his dads. His dads had already arranged a driver to pick him up and drop him off every morning and evening, for which he was immensely grateful.

Therefore, no matter how tired he was, he would never complain out loud.

Although some of his classmates lived up on the mountain, which indeed saved a lot of time and energy, and his family certainly had the means to afford it, Gu Duo had never brought it up. He wouldn’t even show a single trace of exhaustion in front of his dads.

It wasn’t as if it were unbearable.

Gu Duo didn’t want to come across as dramatic or fragile.

Yet he hadn’t expected…

He had still brought even more trouble to his dads.

“How could this possibly be trouble?” Night had fallen, but the area around the guesthouse was strung with light strips, keeping it from being dark at all.

Shen Qing spoke in a lighthearted tone, slinging an arm around Gu Duo’s small shoulder as they walked inside, pointing out the beautiful scenery within the guesthouse along the way.

Pushing open the main entrance, the lights inside the courtyard proved even brighter.

Right before their eyes stood a tiny arched bridge, beneath which lay an elegant, classical-style pond.

The water wasn’t deep, allowing them to easily see right to the bottom.

Beside the pond sat a few potted green plants and succulents—clearly an ornamental pond created intentionally.

Yet from this single detail, one could tell that the original owners not only possessed good taste, but were also quite sentimental.

“With such a prime location, they could have easily built a few more independent rooms to run the business, yet they still preserved such a large courtyard.”

Shen Qing said to Gu Duo: “At least I really like this layout. Besides, three guest rooms are just the right amount for one or two people to manage and maintain. The overhead is so low, and it’s easy to take care of.”

“?”

Not understanding why Little Dad was suddenly talking about costs, Gu Duo looked up at him.

Pinching the child’s cheek, which still retained a bit of baby fat, Shen Qing said: “Because we’re going to run a guesthouse here in the future, of course! So how could you be bringing us trouble? For such a great project, I even ought to thank Duo Duo.”

Gu Duo: “…Run a guesthouse? A great project?”

“That’s right.”

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes, smiling like a fox that had managed to steal some meat: “Think about it, running it for a day brings in 30,000 yuan in revenue. After a month, that’s… almost a million! Pure profit, not exhausting, and we don’t even need to put much effort into managing it—isn’t this a fantastic project?”

Gu Duo: “…”

Though he put it that way… rumors said it was only this profitable when the training camp was in session.

Gu Duo didn’t believe his Little Dad hadn’t thought of this.

Besides, the acquisition cost for this guesthouse had to be at least several hundred million, right…?

Gu Duo didn’t know what a concept “several hundred million” was.

But he knew how many zeroes came after a few hundred million.

He began calculating how many years it would take to earn back the investment cost.

Yet, as if reading his thoughts, Little Dad added: “Oh, we don’t need to consider the cost. This property was a gift from Big Dad. Your Big Dad is rich.”

Gu Duo: “…”

As father and son chatted, both turned back together to look at Gu Huaiyu following behind them.

When out in public, President Gu still sat in a wheelchair, but in front of the pups, he always tried his best to walk.

At this moment, the group had reached the top of the small arched bridge. Ao Zai was leaning against the wooden railing, looking at the fish in the pond below. Afraid he might fall in, Gu Huaiyu kept holding onto his tiny arm from the side.

Sensing Shen Qing and Duo Duo looking at him, Gu Huaiyu turned slightly and looked back at them as well.

Shen Qing gave the tall, broad-shouldered President Gu a bright, open smile, then turned back to continue his beaming dialogue with Duo-zai: “So you see, Little Dad won’t starve to death in the future; in fact, life will be quite comfortable, with an annual income of at least a few million. As for your Big Dad, again, he’s rich.”

Gu Duo: “…”

Shen Qing patted the back of the pup’s head, then squatted down to meet his gaze, his tone suddenly turning very serious.

He said: “What Dad wants to say is, your Big Dad and I can live very well no matter what, so Duo Duo and Ao Zai need to live your own lives, too! Don’t always keep worrying about us.

“The future is only known when it arrives! What you need to do right now is just be a happy baby. All that stuff about studying hard now to work hard in the future—if Duo Duo is doing it for our sake, then don’t do it. Your dads don’t need you to do that; we only want you and Ao Zai to be happy.”

Gu Duo: “…”

Gu Duo understood. After saying so much, Little Dad still hoped he wouldn’t force himself to work too hard.

In fact, Little Dad frequently taught him not to put pressure on himself.

But this time, the reason he brought up was somewhat different from before.

How did he know that he was doing it for…

Right now, Gu Duo was working harder than before, and it was indeed to improve himself so he could help his dads in the future.

He wanted to do this not merely because he felt embarrassed as a tiny human pup for causing so much trouble for his dads.

It was also because Gu Duo could clearly sense that Little Dad and Big Dad were simply too good to them.

And he wanted to treat them just as well in return.

…

He wanted to give something back to his dads.

Yet it seemed this could only be achieved by working hard to improve himself.

It really wasn’t hard work, though.

At least, every time he thought of this, Gu Duo felt very happy.

Gu Duo looked up at Little Dad again, unsure of how to express his thoughts.

Mainly because in his heart, the things he wanted to do didn’t need to be said out loud.

They were better off done directly.

And the moment Gu Duo raised his head, he met his Little Dad’s gaze directly.

Little Dad was wearing a baseball cap pulled slightly low, yet Gu Duo could clearly see his eyes.

Those bright, sparkling eyes always bore a lazy yet deeply caring smile. He heard Little Dad say: “I understand how you feel. You only want to do something because you care about us.”

As Shen Qing spoke up to this point, he still showed a touch of the small, proud satisfaction of watching his pup grow up.

Meanwhile, Gu Duo, whose inner thoughts had been exposed, felt a bit bashful, alongside a wave of emotion that Little Dad actually understood his heart.

Gu Duo lowered his eyes slightly, remaining silent.

Knowing the pup was embarrassed, Shen Qing’s tone became even more considerate and relaxed: “Our Duo Duo really is such a good baby—dutiful and caring.”

Gu Duo: “…”

Being praised like this out of nowhere, Gu Duo ought to have felt so awkward he’d cringe, even less sure of what to say.

However, Little Dad’s exaggerated tone made it clear he was teasing and joking with him. It felt genuinely fun, making Gu Duo want to laugh for a split second.

…

Gu Duo had no choice but to avert his gaze slightly.

Just as he was about to bow his head again to avoid Little Dad’s eyes, someone ruffled his head once more.

Shen Qing had slender fingers. Lately, he quite enjoyed ruffling the pups’ heads, using the exact same technique he used when petting the dog at home.

While ruffling the pup’s head, he spoke in a serious tone: “But only when Duo Duo and Ao Zai are happy will Big Dad and I be happy. If Duo Duo forces himself for our sake—whether it’s to protect us or because you don’t want to trouble us—Big Dad and I will feel pained, so we won’t be happy either. Just like… just like how you felt a while back when you thought it was hard on me to hang from wire harnesses.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Duo’s pupils contracted slightly. He clearly still remembered his thoughts and feelings back then when he saw Little Dad hanging in midair, practicing over and over again, and he couldn’t help but softy reply: “…Mm.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard in anything. Going to extremes backfires. Got it?”

Gu Duo blinked. His eyes were indeed a bit sore from pushing himself too hard recently, and with that blink, the area around his eyes grew moist, welling up with faint tears.

Stunned, Gu Duo widened his eyes again and nodded once more: “Mm.”

“Also, whenever you’re tired, you have to tell your dads.”

Shen Qing stared intently into the pup’s eyes, watching the fleeting trace of exhaustion pass over his face, his tone suddenly turning extremely stern.

Gu Duo caught it. Rarely sensing his Little Dad’s strictness, he felt at a loss, having no choice but to continue softly responding: “Mm.”

Shen Qing was rendered speechless by the pup’s obedient and restrained demeanor, though mostly he felt heartbroken.

Sometimes he felt he was being naggy, but he couldn’t help himself, nor did he know how else to nag him.

Looking at Duo Duo’s still skinny frame, Shen Qing was amused into laughter by the pup’s relentless harshness toward himself: “You’re a seven-year-old baby! Worrying about one extra problem right now is a desecration to your age!”

“…”

Gu Duo kept his head bowed, saying quite submissively: “I understand.”

Shen Qing resumed his beaming smile: “Then Duo Duo, tell me—what’s our slogan?”

Gu Duo: “…”

His lips twitched. Hesitating for two seconds, he still opened his mouth to recite the slogan Little Dad had been teaching him for months: “…If you can’t handle it, lie flat.”

“That’s it!”

Gu Duo’s voice was very low, whereas Shen Qing’s voice sounded much crispier in comparison, making it impossible to tell for a moment who was the adult and who was the child.

Yet Shen Qing didn’t mind. He gave the pup’s head one last ruffle, completely messing up Duo Duo’s neat hair.

Gu Duo: “…”

“Gu Duo?”

Perhaps because they had lingered here for too long, the main gate of the guesthouse opened again, and three boys taller than Gu Duo walked in.

Behind the boys followed men—some tall and thin, others short and stout—carrying the boys’ backpacks, looking like housekeepers or buttlers.

These were Gu Duo’s classmates from the training camp, and precisely the three students staying at this guesthouse during the training period.

Qian Jing was nine years old this year, attending this training camp for the second time.

Having experience, his housekeeper had reserved this guesthouse for him right from the start of registration, and he had been staying here since the first day of training.

The situation for the other two classmates was similar to Qian Jing’s—both were here for their second training stint. They had booked the guesthouse together back then so they could look out for one another, putting their parents’ minds at ease.

So seeing Gu Duo unexpectedly appear inside this guesthouse, Qian Jing and the other two classmates naturally had heads full of question marks: “Why are you here? Are you moving in here to stay, too?”

Gu Duo said: “No, I’m only staying for one day.”

Logically speaking, under the current circumstances, Gu Duo could indeed stay here until the training ended.

However, this was the suburbs, after all. Gu Duo knew his dads had work to do, and staying here was inconvenient and unsuited for them to stay long-term to accompany him. It was better to return home to live.

And Gu Duo had no intention of living here alone.

Commuting back and forth was nothing; he’d rather go home to sleep.

Thus, he answered like that.

However, Gu Duo was used to being distant, and no matter how many thoughts filled his mind, he wouldn’t explain much. So he simply offered that cool, detached sentence, lacking context entirely.

His casual answer failed to satisfy the curiosity of Qian Jing and the others.

After all, they were already nine- and ten-year-old older kids. Qian Jing quickly analyzed: “Even if you’re only staying for one day… there are only three guest rooms here, so where are you going to sleep?”

As he spoke, he also looked at the tall, slender man beside Gu Duo, as well as the even taller man and the younger child standing not far away, somewhat curious about who they were.

Originally, as the youngest student in the training camp, Gu Duo was the most hard-working and serious among them… seemingly the only one who actually came to train, which already made him stick out.

However, Qian Jing’s father had once instructed him never to provoke this boy named Gu Duo. Qian Jing didn’t know the reason, but he had never interacted with him much either.

Yet the less they interacted, the more curious he became.

Especially since several days had passed, and Gu Duo remained as diligent as on the first day… acting completely indifferent even when people talked behind his back, which made Qian Jing and his group even more intrigued!

Some said Gu Duo worked so hard in his studies and training only because his family background was average, and he had managed to enroll in this training class with great difficulty.

This guess sounded plausible at first glance, considering Gu Duo was one of the few students in class who commuted back and forth.

The other students lived at the foot of the mountain at the very least, accompanied by parents or guardians, whereas Gu Duo was dropped off and picked up by a car every day.

However, this guess was soon debunked… after all, they had all seen that the cars picking up Gu Duo were luxury vehicles.

Although they wore uniform school attire at the training camp, Gu Duo wore different shoes every day, and every pair seemed outrageously expensive…

Any single pair of those shoes could pay for a day or two of renting a guesthouse on the mountain, so there was really no need for him to commute back and forth just for that.

Thus, in his classmates’ eyes, Gu Duo became even more mysterious.

Now, Gu Duo had suddenly shown up here…

Qian Jing was far too curious and couldn’t help pressing: “Where are you staying?”

A companion beside him with a rather sharp tongue chimed in: “Don’t tell me you came here to sleep on the floor, haha!”

“We are staying over there!”

Before Gu Duo could speak, a fair, plump little child who had run over to them without anyone noticing suddenly spoke up.

Right now, the child tilted his big head up to look at them, his large eyes blinking as he articulated clearly: “We’re staying over there. Are you my big brother’s classmates?”

“Who are you?” Qian Jing and the others asked.

The answer was already self-evident. Gu Duo, who was usually cold and kept to himself, suddenly walked over and took the child’s hand.

The two children stood together—one short and plump, the other tall and lean; one with an adorable, clueless expression, the other with a cool, distant face. The contrast was stark, yet the picture was harmonious.

That chubby, extremely cute child didn’t forget to answer the question: “I am Ao Zai!”

“This is my younger brother.” Gu Duo’s voice was deep, speaking up rarely.

His sudden opening of his mouth to explain caught Qian Jing and the others off guard.

It felt as though a distant person they were curious about—someone who seemed to belong in a painting—had suddenly walked into their real lives.

Several of them chimed in with varying tones: “Oh, oh, oh, so you have a younger brother.”

“Ah, this is actually your younger brother?”

“Your brother is pretty cute!”

Yet Qian Jing quickly reacted—Gu Duo wasn’t explaining to them at all; he was introducing his younger brother!

In other words, only at a time like this would he speak “extra, unnecessary words” to their group…

“By the way, your brother said you’re staying over there—where is that? Are there still vacant rooms over there?” Qian Jing pressed again.

Gu Duo replied: “Mm, there should still be a room over there.”

“For real? How come I didn’t know about it…” He Qi, the boy with the sharp tongue who was with Qian Jing, couldn’t help muttering.

Didn’t this guesthouse only have three rooms? Before this, the three of them staying here had always been envied by the other classmates!

Because of this, He Qi had always felt a notch above the other students. Even though his family’s small business was too trivial to mention compared to the other students’ family estates, the fact that he was “attending the training for the second time and had experienced enough to book the closest guesthouse in advance” allowed him to walk with his head held high, swaggering through the camp as a “senior.”

Of course, not everyone treated him like a senior.

This Gu Duo gave him no face whatsoever.

Back when he first attended the training, He Qi learned that coming to this kind of training camp was merely to add prestige and conversation topics for the parents; no one actually came here to learn anything.

This was what the “seniors” from his previous training session had taught him.

He Qi had passed down the seniors’ mindset very well. Whenever he studied foreign languages, he got a headache, so he told the other classmates there was no need to study.

The other classmates didn’t like studying foreign languages either, and they had private tutors at home who monitored them strictly. Coming to a fully closed environment where teachers wouldn’t easily call parents, why wouldn’t they cut loose and let themselves go!

Everyone hit it off immediately, slacking off recklessly in class. In the end, Gu Duo was the only one in the entire class still studying seriously and practicing listening and speaking skills.

By the afternoon, He Qi felt there was no need to learn sentiment-cultivating subjects like basic racing, golf, horseback riding, or piano and drawing. His family wasn’t real nobility; although they had money, his parents were just nouveau riche who still didn’t fit into high society. Outside of this place, if he talked to people about horseback riding or golf, his family wouldn’t understand either.

So He Qi told the other students that these didn’t need to be learned either.

The other students agreed as well. Some had golf courses at home, some had equestrian ranches, and some kids had long learned these skills, having taken plenty of sentiment-cultivating classes under pressure. Thus, they continued to cut loose.

The only anomaly remained Gu Duo.

Gu Duo was serious no matter what he learned, completely ignoring whatever He Qi said, which made He Qi, who led the slacking, feel somewhat slapped in the face.

Furthermore, under Gu Duo’s influence, people had started joining him in studying over the past two days!

…Not only were people willing to practice foreign language dialogue that He Qi couldn’t understand with Gu Duo, but someone was even willing to teach Gu Duo how to ride a horse, since he was taking longer to get the hang of it due to his small stature!

Today was even more outrageous: someone publicly stated that Gu Duo was right, that Gu Duo was so cool, and that he wanted to learn from Gu Duo…!

Several times, He Qi wanted to teach this Gu Duo a lesson, but Qian Jing stopped him every time.

He Qi didn’t understand why, but Qian Jing said he didn’t know why either—only that Gu Duo couldn’t be touched.

He Qi knew Qian Jing’s family was rich—super rich, living in a luxurious grand villa.

So He Qi always took Qian Jing’s lead, basically doing whatever Qian Jing said. If Qian Jing said Gu Duo couldn’t be touched, then he couldn’t be touched.

Yet He Qi still felt deeply annoyed.

And he felt that Qian Jing sometimes seemed to think highly of Gu Duo, too.

Now, learning that Gu Duo was actually staying in the same courtyard as them… if this turned out to be true and the other classmates found out tomorrow, wouldn’t more and more people rally behind Gu Duo?!

The more he thought about it, the harder it was to accept. He Qi said: “How come I didn’t know there were other vacant rooms in this courtyard? There are clearly only three guest rooms, so how could you possibly have a place to stay…”

“It’s true!”

A crisp little voice sounded. It was Gu Duo’s younger brother, who said: “We are staying in the master suite!”

He Qi: ???

What did this kid just say?…

The M-Master suite?!!

Why could they stay in the master suite?!!

Right after, Gu Duo’s younger brother added: “Older brother, you are so strange. If we had nowhere to stay, why would we come all the way here so late? Besides, why would we lie to you? Why do you always look like you don’t believe it and keep asking questions?”

The child’s voice was milky and soft, yet his speech wasn’t slow at all.

It was clearly a rhetorical question… he used a rhetorical question, right? He Qi, the academic slacker, was a bit unsure… Why did it feel less like a rhetorical question and more like pure mockery for being overly suspicious and asking too many questions?!

“Gu Duo, you… you’re staying in the master suite?”

Just then, Qian Jing spoke up to ask again: “…I remember the owners here never opened their room for others to stay in. They clearly never came here to stay themselves either, preferring to leave the master suite empty rather than rent it out… Could it be that this guesthouse belonged to your family all along??”

After all, having been specially cautioned by his father, Gu Duo was someone extraordinary in Qian Jing’s eyes, so it was easy for him to assume this guesthouse belonged to Gu Duo’s family.

And his guess caused his two companions beside him to gawk or shut their mouths, all staring at Gu Duo, feeling that this turn of events was far too bizarre!

After all, this guesthouse was a place so many classmates squeezed their brains out trying to stay in!

Just from how the three of them staying here had been envied all along, it was enough to prove the point!

And such a popular lodging spot was actually run by the taciturn Gu Duo’s family… how could that not be bizarre!

But that wasn’t right. If it had been Gu Duo’s family guesthouse from the beginning, why did he bother commuting back and forth every day…

He Qi suddenly thought of a possibility: Could it be that Gu Duo’s family just ran a guesthouse, and he felt embarrassed by it, so even though he lived down the mountain, he never spoke about what his family did?

…If they just ran a guesthouse, that did seem a bit ordinary.

In an instant, He Qi felt that staying in this guesthouse was nothing special anymore, losing its appeal entirely.

Even though this guesthouse was no ordinary guesthouse. He had once jokingly said to his dad that since this guesthouse was so popular, why didn’t they just take it over and make money themselves.

Then his father had answered regretfully that this guesthouse was indeed for sale, but it was worth several hundred million. Selling off their entire family business wouldn’t raise enough to cover those several hundred million…

But so what! Qian Jing’s family had far more than several hundred million!

…Perhaps Qian Jing’s father didn’t allow Qian Jing to provoke Gu Duo because he was the son of the guesthouse owner, and Qian Jing’s dad didn’t want them getting into a conflict with the owner?

No matter how good this guesthouse was, it was still on the mountain. His dad said that those living on the mountain were all farmers! So Gu Duo was a farmer!

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it made sense. He Qi already planned to spread the word throughout the training camp tomorrow, telling the whole class that Gu Duo’s family just ran a guesthouse! …

However, Gu Duo suddenly said: “This place didn’t belong to us before. It only belongs to us starting today.”

He Qi, who had already planned what to say in front of his classmates: …?!

Seemingly annoyed by the questioning, Gu Duo simply explained it all at once: “My dads acquired this place today. From now on, it indeed belongs to our family.”

“Acquired today?” Qian Jing asked suddenly.

Although young, Qian Jing came from a family with a massive business and was quite experienced. He keenly felt that Gu Duo’s phrasing was a bit strange… It sounded as though Gu Duo’s dads had acquired this place in a single day…

But how could it be that fast?

This guesthouse was worth at least one or two hundred million. From deciding to acquire it to signing the contract and moving in, how could it possibly be done in one day!

Qian Jing thought he was overthinking things.

And Qian Jing’s question left Gu Duo somewhat confused, not understanding what was wrong with acquiring it today.

So he looked toward him. Before he could speak, Ao Zai beside him said: “Yeah, it was just acquired!”

Qian Jing: “…Just acquired?!”

“Yeah,” Ao Zai said. “Just now, my Little Dad wanted my big brother to not have to commute home so tiredly tonight, so my Big Dad bought this place.”

Qian Jing: “…………”

Qian Jing no longer knew what to say. Feeling that perhaps he was too young and lacked experience, he couldn’t help looking back at the housekeeper behind him.

As a result, the Qian family housekeeper—who had intentionally set aside a mountain of work at home to accompany the young master here—was also staring in utter shock.

His gaze landed directly on an excessively tall figure by the distant arched bridge. Looking even less worldly than Qian Jing, he froze on the spot!

Qian Jing: …

This wouldn’t do; he needed to call his father right away to ask!

Opposite them, Gu Duo said: “The acquisition was a bit rushed, but only the boss behind the scenes has changed.”

Gu Duo didn’t care how his classmates viewed him, but knowing his Little Dad was going to start managing this place, he felt he ought to conscientiously maintain its image.

Thus, breaking from his usual habit, Gu Duo spoke several more sentences: “You are guests here, and staying here won’t be affected in any way. Room service and everything else will remain as usual… Isn’t that right, Little Dad?”

By the end, Gu Duo looked up to ask the tall, slender man standing not far away.

The man walked slowly toward him, wearing a baseball cap that hid his full face, yet one could feel that Gu Duo’s dad had a sharp, handsome chin and a pleasant voice.

He said: “That’s right, nothing will be affected at all.”

“Our Duo Duo really lives up to being the little master of this place—considering everything so thoroughly!”

Without the slightest hesitation, the man praised Gu Duo, offering a smile as comforting as a spring breeze.

Qian Jing, seeing Gu Duo’s dad for the first time: …

He felt Gu Duo’s dad was the warm, gentle, and easygoing type!

So why had his father given him the reason that Gu Duo’s dad was terrifying and their family couldn’t afford to mess with them?

…

Saying Gu Duo’s family was too rich for them to mess with would be far more accurate!

As for He Qi, his mind was currently filled with only one thought: Acquiring a place worth hundreds of millions just like that… Holy crap, insane.