Chapter 56: Baby

After listening to Yu Xi recount the entire sequence of events, Qi Qingyun’s heart churned with a fury that was difficult to suppress.

She gripped her teacup tightly, her hands trembling from overexertion. The tea swirled violently inside, splashing over and scalding the back of her hand.

Yu Xi hastily pried the teacup out of Qi Qingyun’s hands to set it aside. He then wiped away the water droplets from her hand, checking for any burns.

Before he could get a close look, his hand was seized in return.

“If you were being bullied, why didn’t you tell Mommy right away?” Qi Qingyun’s rims were crimson, filled to the brim with heartache and self-reproach. “Keeping it from Mommy and bearing it all by yourself… what would have happened if something truly went wrong?”

It had been a very long time since Yu Xi had seen his mother cry.

His mother was the same; over all these years, she never told him whenever she endured hardships or grievances, biting her own teeth to swallow it into her stomach, always maintaining nothing but a strong front before him.

The last time had been when he injured Yu Xuelin.

But that time, Qi Qingyun’s tears weren’t for Yu Xuelin; rather, she was terrified that he would commit an irreversible mistake because of it, destroying a perfectly bright future.

“What did I tell you before? A piece of trash is completely unworthy of you risking your life for. Your future and your everything are far, far more important than him. Why does a child like you love to put on a brave face so much!”

Listening to his mother’s scolding, Yu Xi couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips instead. Resting his head entirely against Qi Qingyun’s embrace, he said in a soft voice, “Am I not perfectly fine now, Mommy? With Brother Chuanzhou helping me, nothing will happen to me.”

Being hugged like this, Qi Qingyun couldn’t bear to say another harsh word. Calming her emotions slightly, she looked toward Gu Chuanzhou across the tea table, offering her sincere gratitude once more: “Thank you, Xiao Gu.”

Gu Chuanzhou shook his head: “Doing these things for Xixi is entirely of my own volition. You can rest assured; the Gu Corporation’s legal team has already connected with the victims related to Yu Xuelin. With all the evidence compiled together, it is enough for a severe sentence.”

Yu Xi lifted his head and said, “Mommy, he will handle all of these things properly, so you don’t need to worry. In the future, just focus on your own affairs. You no longer need to worry about whether he will come to disturb our lives again.”

Hearing this, Qi Qingyun looked at Yu Xi, then turned her head to look at Gu Chuanzhou: “Alright, Mommy understands.”

Now that the matter regarding Yu Xuelin had been discussed, the atmosphere in the private room returned to the initial ease and warmth.

Yu Xi shared a great deal with his mother about his life in the capital—the school, his classmates, his friends… every single topic was enough for him to share for a long time. His dark eyes shimmered with light, and his tone was entirely lighthearted, revealing a rare lively side to him.

After finishing his own matters, he also curiously asked about his mother’s affairs. Even though his mother’s research field was foreign and difficult for him to comprehend, he listened with rapt relish. Furthermore, upon hearing that his mother had already achieved some results, he turned to Gu Chuanzhou with a fair amount of small pride: “Brother Chuanzhou, my mommy is very amazing, right?”

Gu Chuanzhou let out a low laugh: “Yes, Xixi has a very amazing mommy.”

Pleasant times always flew by very quickly. After leaving the teahouse, they dined together at a nearby place, and then it was time to part ways.

Yu Xi and Gu Chuanzhou accompanied Qi Qingyun back to the entrance of the research institute.

Seeing Yu Xi looking dispirited, Qi Qingyun smiled helplessly. She reached out her hands to cradle his face, rubbing it with her hands: “Don’t look so mournful. In another half a month, Mommy will go to the capital to spend the New Year with you and your Auntie Pei.”

Yu Xi nodded: “Okay.”

At the very end, Qi Qingyun said, “Baby, take care of yourself.”

…

After separating from his mother, Yu Xi’s heart felt empty, leaving him somewhat out of sorts.

Gu Chuanzhou asked him if he wanted to stroll around this city a bit more. He thought for a moment and shook his head: “We can play if there’s an opportunity in the future. Let’s return to the hotel first; you must still have a lot of work to handle.”

Gu Chuanzhou laughed: “Work is nowhere near as important as you. It’s just a day or two; the company won’t go bankrupt.”

Yu Xi blanked out: “But there will definitely be losses.”

He insisted vehemently on returning to the hotel, leaving Gu Chuanzhou with no choice.

They were staying in a presidential suite, which featured a full array of room amenities, and the bedrooms were separate.

The living room was very large. Gu Chuanzhou first put on a movie with a lighthearted tone for Yu Xi, and then placed the desserts delivered by the hotel along with a constant-temperature teapot on the marble coffee table. He also took out the blanket and small pillow specific to Yu Xi from the suitcase to arrange them neatly on the sofa. Only after setting everything up properly did he open his laptop to start processing emails nearby.

Yu Xi nestled comfortably into the sofa. Midway through watching the movie, he would glance every now and then at Gu Chuanzhou, who was working earnestly.

Halfway through the movie, he received a phone call from his mother.

“Mm, I didn’t stroll around outside, I’m already in the hotel… I’m watching a movie, I’ll plan to sleep in a little while, it’s still a bit early right now.”

As he spoke, Yu Xi’s sitting posture shifted to a prone position, pressing the small sheep throw pillow Gu Chuanzhou had bought him beneath his chest, his two legs lifted up as they swung idly.

When he spoke with his mother, his tone was entirely soft, carrying a tiny trailing ending. A trace of a happy smile would unconsciously spill onto his small face, his dimples appearing faintly.

Gu Chuanzhou had already stopped his work at some point, quietly contemplating Yu Xi, watching him for a very long time.

Not until Yu Xi suddenly pushed his body up to turn around, lifting his phone to draw closer, did he realize.

He turned on the speakerphone, and Qi Qingyun’s voice traveled out: “Xiao Gu, thank you for your hard work today, even making a special trip to accompany Xiao Xi down here. When we meet next time, Auntie will treat you to a meal.”

As Gu Chuanzhou replied to Qi Qingyun, his gaze was fixed on Yu Xi.

Yu Xi tilted his face up to meet his gaze, blinking his eyes.

This phone call wasn’t very long. At the end, Qi Qingyun said to Yu Xi: “Mommy still needs to work overtime and must get busy. Goodbye, baby.”

Yu Xi obediently said goodbye. After hanging up the phone, he naturally snuggled on this side of the sofa, noticing that his phone had several messages.

Zhang Xingkuo asked him why he wasn’t at home.

Yu Xi: [I went to visit my mom.] [Did you go to the Pei residence to look for me?]

After typing the words, Yu Xi heard Gu Chuanzhou beside him say, “Xixi is a bit different in front of his mother.”

Yu Xi pressed the send button, tilting his head: “Mm? Where am I different?”

The phone vibrated once more. Just as he was about to lower his head to look, he was interrupted by Gu Chuanzhou’s subsequent words.

“You become more well-behaved, smile more sweetly, and act spoiled just like a baby.”

The word “baby”—whether it was intentional or something else—was pronounced very strangely by Gu Chuanzhou. His speech rate slowed down, carrying a trace of tender attachment between his lips and teeth.

Yu Xi’s ears turned red inch by inch. Giving Gu Chuanzhou a tiny glare as if complaining, unable to tell whether the man was teasing him or not, he chose not to speak, looking at Zhang Xingkuo’s reply instead.

Zhang Xingkuo: [It would have been so good if you told me in advance so I could accompany you.]

Yu Xi touched his nose: [I’m coming back tomorrow.]

At this moment, a sweet scent drifted into his nostrils. A small spoon bearing a piece of mousse cake approached, lightly tapping against his philtrum, staining it with dairy cream.

Yu Xi licked it out of reflex, not expecting that the moment he opened his mouth, that spoon would naturally feed straight into his mouth.

The mousse cake melted the moment it entered his mouth, and he swallowed it blankly.

“Is Xixi frequently called that by his mother?” Gu Chuanzhou asked, naturally withdrawing the spoon to scoop up another piece.

“Not really… occasionally.” Yu Xi turned his head to dodge the cake Gu Chuanzhou fed over once more, taking hold of the spoon handle. His eyes darted flusteredly, and he said in a small voice, “I can eat by myself, don’t feed me.”

For some unknown reason, wanting to conceal his unnaturalness, he bit the spoon and lowered his head to look at his phone.

Zhang Xingkuo: [I worry about you being alone, having just recovered from an illness; there ought to be someone taking care of you.] [I want to come find you right now.] [Anxious_Gas_Tank_Shiba_Inu_Stamping_Feet_In_Place.jpg]

Terrified that the hot-tempered Zhang Xingkuo would buy a ticket on an impulse, Yu Xi typed rapidly: [Don’t come!]

He sent it in a rush without paying attention to the tone, and Zhang Xingkuo immediately replied with an emoji of tears streaming into a river.

Zhang Xingkuo: [Why?] [Do you dislike me? I’m heartbroken.]

Yu Xi bit his lip, agonizing over how to coax him, when his ear detected a hint of warm breath.

Turning his head, he only just discovered that Gu Chuanzhou had drawn incredibly close at some point. His lowered head was nearly pressed against his shoulder, looking at his phone screen with a half-smile.

“If he or the others knew that I am currently together with you, what would happen?”

Yu Xi heard this tone of his that wished for nothing but chaos: “Don’t cause trouble, they can’t know, it has to be kept a secret.”

Gu Chuanzhou nodded: “Mm, keep it a secret.”

Seeing that he had only said it casually, Yu Xi let out a sigh of relief, continuing to find an excuse to coax Zhang Xingkuo.

As he was typing, Gu Chuanzhou’s words suddenly rang out by his ear out of the blue: “Xixi, the two of us right now are just like having an affair.”

Yu Xi’s hand shook, sending out the words he had only typed halfway.

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