Chapter 4: The Fragile Steps Toward Healing

Hearing the noise, Wei Nianxi turned his head to look back.

A Ge’er’s frame was naturally slender, and with facial features that were striking even among other Ge’ers, Gu Qingnan could not help but be stunned for a moment.

However, that was only for a fleeting instant.

Having held a position of high authority for years, Wei Nianxi carried an aura of superiority that made one’s scalp tingle just meeting his eyes.

Gu Qingnan had also felt somewhat intimidated when he first arrived, but as time passed, he had grown more or less accustomed to it.

Gu Qingnan entered the room and sat down across from Wei Nianxi, more than a meter away from him.

“Daddy is back.”

Wei Yeban remained focused on his rabbit.

Gu Qingnan looked toward Wei Nianxi.

“Not busy lately?”

Wei Nianxi managed numerous companies, and it was commonplace not to see him for ten days to half a month at a time; yet lately, he had returned home before dark for several days in a row.

“Mm.”

Wei Nianxi’s voice was clear and cool, his attention remaining entirely on Wei Yeban as he spoke.

“It’s the anniversary of my mother’s passing in a couple of days, and I want to take Pan’er to visit her.”

Wei Nianxi raised his eyes to look at Gu Qingnan.

Ever since the incident, Wei Yeban had vehemently resisted strangers, let alone going outdoors.

“I’ll drive myself, and Shen Qing will come along as well.”

“There are rarely many people up on the mountain anyway.”

Gu Qingnan paused briefly before adding, “Besides, he ought to go outside more.”

While Wei Yeban’s reluctance to communicate and aversion to touch had not changed significantly, his overall mental state was much more stable than it had been in the beginning.

Gu Qingnan felt it was time to proceed to the next step.

Shen Qing had already discussed this issue with him previously.

Wei Nianxi gave it a moment of thought.

“Fine.”

“Are you coming?” Gu Qingnan asked.

Wei Nianxi’s hand paused for a second as he straightened Wei Yeban’s clothes.

“I have plans, a launch event for a new product.”

Gu Qingnan was not surprised.

Ever since they married, he had returned every year on the memorial day, yet Wei Nianxi had never attended even once.

Still, Wei Nianxi was not against him taking Wei Yeban along.

Speaking of Wei Yeban, Gu Qingnan recalled another matter, his expression turning noticeably more serious.

“I heard you plan to dismiss Shen Qing?”

“Mm,” Wei Nianxi answered nonchalantly.

Gu Qingnan’s brows knitted tightly.

“Shen Qing has been doing very well.”

“She graduated from a prestigious university and boasts over fifteen years of professional experience, placing her among the very best in the country.”

“I don’t think you should fire her.”

“She has already been here for half a year,” Wei Nianxi stated.

“Pan’er’s condition was never something that could produce results in just a few days; the key is having patience,” Gu Qingnan insisted.

There were medications available for post-traumatic stress disorder, but Wei Yeban was still far too young, and many of those drugs placed a heavy burden on the body, with severe cases even risking permanent harm; thus, they had unanimously decided on conservative treatment back then.

Wei Nianxi did not speak.

“He has only just gotten used to Shen Qing, and replacing her now means starting all over again,” Gu Qingnan added.

Wei Yeban could not tolerate physical contact from outsiders, and his acceptance of occasional caresses and brief embraces from him and Wei Nianxi was something that had only developed over the last two months.

At most, Shen Qing was allowed to touch the dolls in his hands or feed him using a spoon.

Wei Nianxi said nothing, seemingly in thought.

Gu Qingnan wanted to say a few more words, but he swallowed them back down.

He had already said everything that needed to be said.

Wei Nianxi did care about Wei Yeban after all, and he believed Wei Nianxi possessed the discernment to make the right call.

Once both of them fell silent, only the sounds of Wei Yeban fiddling with his dolls remained in the room.

At half past five, the door opened, and Shen Qing entered carrying the freshly prepared porridge.

Wei Nianxi took it from her.

He rarely had such free time.

Gu Qingnan did not compete with him, merely watching from the side.

Unlike Gu Qingnan, who had endless things to say while feeding, Wei Nianxi kept the entire process remarkably quiet.

Wei Yeban ate absentmindedly, sometimes waiting quite a while before being willing to take a bite, but Wei Nianxi was extraordinarily patient.

After finishing more than half a bowl, Wei Yeban refused to eat any more, so Gu Qingnan stood up after Wei Nianxi set down the bowl.

“Is he sleeping with you tonight, then?”

Wei Yeban genuinely liked his other father, and before the incident, he would cling to Wei Nianxi whenever the latter was free.

“Mm.”

Gu Qingnan carried the bowl out of the room.

***

Downstairs, dinner was already prepared.

After setting down Wei Yeban’s bowl, Gu Qingnan sat down and began to eat.

Wei Nianxi did not care for him much and was always busy, so they rarely shared meals together.

After Wei Yeban’s trauma, someone had to watch over the boy at all times, making the chances for them to eat together even scarcer.

Gu Qingnan was used to it.

After eating, Gu Qingnan went upstairs to take over for Wei Nianxi, using the spare moments to continue telling Wei Yeban a story about the little plush beast and its bell.

When Wei Nianxi returned upstairs, Gu Qingnan’s story happened to reach its conclusion.

The little beast beat the bad guys back once again, protecting its little bell, Wei Yeban, and the little rabbit tucked in Wei Yeban’s arms.

“Then Daddy will leave you to it.”

Exiting the room, Gu Qingnan lingered in the hallway for a while before returning to his own bedroom.

With rare idle time on his hands, he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

After thinking about it, he simply took a shower, lay down on the bed, and started browsing on his phone.

He belonged to several company group chats, yet none were places where he could chat idly, and as for other people’s gossip, he had zero interest.

His college classmates were people he had long lost touch with, as he had been too busy working part-time jobs during his school days to forge deep bonds…

Just as Gu Qingnan was pondering whether to find a movie to watch, a message popped up.

The message was from Gu Shenghai, asking: [Did you manage to get the invitations?]

Gu Qingnan instantly lost all his mood.

He simply put away his phone, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

***

When Gu Qingnan woke up the next morning, Wei Nianxi had already left, and Shen Qing was changing Wei Yeban’s clothes.

Gu Qingnan stepped over to lend a hand.

Right as the change of clothes was finished, Wei Yeban fully awakened.

A little later, Gu Qingnan told Shen Qing about taking Wei Yeban out in a couple of days, discussing what items they would need to bring along.

The destination was not too far away, leaving plenty of time to go and return on the same day, but thorough preparations were still essential for Wei Yeban.

Aside from lunch and sun protection, the most crucial items were the plush dolls used to soothe his emotions.

If he had a breakdown on the road, things would become extremely problematic.

Children at this age could faint if they cried for too long.

In the afternoon, Gu Qingnan made his routine trip to the company.

After being reprimanded, Fu Lichun and her circle had behaved much better.

Gu Qingnan wrapped up his work in under an hour.

On the way back, Gu Shenghai called again, but Gu Qingnan muted it and did not answer.

Because he spent so little time at the company, Gu Qingnan arrived home quite early, bright sunshine streaming in outside the windows.

“Do you want to take a walk outside?” Gu Qingnan asked softly.

Wei Yeban did not react.

“Let’s go for a walk outside…”

Gu Qingnan made a move, attempting to lift Wei Yeban up from the rug.

Disturbed, Wei Yeban immediately furrowed his brow; however, he did not cry or throw a fit, persistently reaching for the plush doll in front of him instead.

Gu Qingnan waited patiently.

After hugging the little rabbit, Wei Yeban reached over to hug the little plush beast as well.

Gu Qingnan’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

The only plush doll Wei Yeban genuinely clung to was the little rabbit he carried at all times—something he had possessed since he was an infant, his special security blanket.

‘Did Wei Yeban actually take what I said to heart?’

The plush beast was three times the size of the little rabbit, and with Wei Yeban’s short arms, he failed to lift it with one hand after two attempts.

“Daddy will help…”

Gu Qingnan was just about to help when he saw Wei Yeban give up on carrying the beast in his arms, switching instead to grabbing one of its feet and dragging it along.

Fighting back the surge of excitement in his heart, Gu Qingnan took Wei Yeban by the arm and led him toward the door.

The Wei residence was massive, requiring a fairly long walk just to get downstairs, and Gu Qingnan worried the entire time that Wei Yeban’s patience would run out.

Following the incident, Wei Yeban spent almost all his time indoors, only being carried outside to bask in the sun for a short while on rare occasions when he was in a good mood.

Walking outside on his own two feet was an unprecedented first.

This caused Gu Qingnan’s heart to race relentlessly, and for a fleeting moment, his eyes even grew warm with tears.

His efforts were meaningful; Wei Yeban was truly getting better.

Even upon entering the garden, Wei Yeban merely kept his brows knit.

Under the sunlight, having been deprived of sunshine for so long, Wei Yeban’s skin appeared translucent and pale, like a fragile glass doll that might shatter or vanish at any second.

“What do you want to play with, the sand or the swing over there—”

Gu Qingnan crouched in front of him, keeping his tone as tender as possible, but before he could finish his question, the helper rushed over in a hurry.

“Mr. Gu, there are guests.”

Gu Qingnan was somewhat surprised.

“Looking for Wei Nianxi?”

Back when they had just married, some people had tried targeting him to extract benefits from Wei Nianxi, but such schemers had given up after Wei Yeban was born.

Just how strained his relationship with Wei Nianxi was remained plain for everyone to see.

“No, they’re here for you.”

The helper paused, adding with undisguised distaste, “It’s your aunt’s family.”

Gu Shenghai’s mother was named Dong Jiao.

Back when Gu Qingnan and Wei Nianxi first married, she visited frequently; however, her intention was never to see Gu Qingnan, but rather to look for opportunities to curry favor with Wei Nianxi.

Yet Wei Nianxi was someone who spared nobody’s feelings, driving people out the door the moment he grew irritated.

After being tossed out several times, she visited much less often.

Gu Qingnan had been more than happy to see that happen.

“What did she come here for?” Gu Qingnan’s brow furrowed.

“Who knows…” the helper muttered, her gaze toward Gu Qingnan tinged with discontent as well.

“Should we let them in then?”

“Just say that neither of us—”

Before Gu Qingnan could finish his sentence, he saw Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai walking toward them, carrying a large bag.

The instant he saw that large bag, Gu Qingnan’s face turned livid, and he immediately turned around to scoop up the child.

“Waaa—”

The moment Gu Qingnan pulled Wei Yeban into his arms, the boy’s terrified screams erupted abruptly, accompanied by violent flailing and struggling.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Daddy is here…”

Gu Qingnan hurriedly carried him toward the house.

Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai were both taken aback by the sudden outburst.

“What happened…”

Shen Qing, who was organizing toys inside, poked her head out the window.

Spotting the bright red bag in Dong Jiao’s hand and hearing Wei Yeban’s wails, she dropped what she was holding and dashed toward the corridor.

“Don’t be afraid, Daddy is right here…”

When Gu Qingnan rushed up to the second floor carrying Wei Yeban, Shen Qing happened to be exiting the boy’s room.

She quickly stepped aside to clear the doorway.

Entering the room, Gu Qingnan placed Wei Yeban onto the rug.

The second he let go, Wei Yeban began thrashing, twisting, and flailing in a state of utter madness.

“Wei Yeban…”

Gu Qingnan tried to do something, but physical touch at this moment would only intensify Wei Yeban’s terror; all he could do was kneel beside him at a complete loss.

“Don’t be afraid…”

“The rabbit!” Shen Qing rushed out the door.

Moments later, she returned carrying the dropped rabbit and the plush beast.

Gu Qingnan quickly offered them to Wei Yeban.

Wei Yeban had already spiraled into chaotic panic; the instant the rabbit touched him, he smacked it away.

Gu Qingnan scrambled to pick it up again.

This time he dared not push it directly into his hands, holding up the rabbit for Wei Yeban to see instead.

“It’s the little rabbit, your little rabbit…”

“Look, it’s the little beast! The little beast is super strong, and any villains who come will be chased away…”

“Daddy is right here, see? Daddy has already driven the villains away…”

Gu Qingnan repeated the words over and over again.

After an unknown length of time, when Gu Qingnan’s throat felt completely parched, Wei Yeban’s frantic thrashing finally began to subside.

He curled into a ball on the rug, weeping softly.

His body was tiny to begin with, and curled tightly like that, he seemed impossibly small.

Gu Qingnan hurriedly handed him the little rabbit.

Weeping, Wei Yeban took it and clutched it to his chest.

Gu Qingnan breathed a sigh of relief, quickly placing the little plush beast beside him as well, tentatively patting his back to soothe his breath.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s okay…”

Wei Yeban did not resist.

Gu Qingnan promptly lay down on his side beside him, gently stroking his back stroke by stroke to steady his breathing.

Likely exhausted from crying, Wei Yeban soon fell asleep.

Gu Qingnan lay there for a little while longer, stopping his movements only once he was sure the boy was sound asleep.

Fearing they might wake him, Shen Qing dared not move him, bringing a blanket over instead.

Gu Qingnan wrung out a damp towel and wiped Wei Yeban’s face, which was covered in tear tracks.

“Just now…”

Shen Qing’s question trailed off abruptly because Gu Qingnan’s expression was hideously dark.

“Have they left?”

Gu Qingnan glanced at the time; Wei Yeban had cried for over an hour.

“No…”

Gu Qingnan set down the towel and strode briskly downstairs.

“Gu…”

Shen Qing tried to stop him, but Wei Yeban could not be left unattended.

***

In the living room, Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai were sipping tea while looking around.

Seeing Gu Qingnan come downstairs, Dong Jiao beamed instantly.

“Xiao Nan—”

“What did you come here for?”

Gu Qingnan’s tone was icy.

“Don’t you know he’s terrified of red right now?”

Confronted like this, Dong Jiao’s eyes flickered with guilt before her brow furrowed.

“What kind of talk is that? Would we have come like this if we knew?”

“Besides, I had good intentions.”

“I heard he likes dolls, so I went out of my way to buy one at a department counter, costing over a thousand yuan…”

As she spoke, Dong Jiao reached out to grab that doll again.

“Get out,” Gu Qingnan cut her off.

Dong Jiao froze.

Gu Shenghai scowled.

“How dare you speak to my mother like that?”

“I told you to get—”

Before Gu Qingnan could finish, two figures stepped through the door.

Wei Nianxi and Ji Wen.

“Mr. Wei, it’s them,” the helper immediately rushed forward to greet him.

“The child has been crying for so long…”

After casting a frigid glance at Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai, Wei Nianxi headed swiftly upstairs.

“Throw them out.”

The helper had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Right away.”

Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai’s faces drained of color instantly.

“Mr. Wei, please listen to our explanation, it’s not what you think…”

Wei Nianxi’s strides were swift, not looking back once.

Ji Wen followed him upstairs.

As he brushed past Gu Qingnan, Ji Wen threw him a glance.

‘What fine relatives Gu Qingnan has.’

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