Mr. Gu had been having more and more dreams recently, and they were becoming more and more realistic, more and more intact. Sometimes, he dimly felt that these dreams were more real than his current reality.
He watched as he desperately rushed back home, watched as he accidentally bought a ticket for an earlier flight, watched as he arrived at the hospital just in time to stop those people and rescue his little boy.
Mr. Gu basically severed all contact with them at that moment. Mrs. Gu was also perfectly well, and their family lived happily together.
His child grew up happily and quickly became a beautiful boy. He was exceptionally talented in music, just like his mother.
His child grew into a very good kid. His eyes only saw the beauty in the world, and he was willing to treat everyone and everything with kindness. If he saw an old lady, he would go over to say hello and offer her his arm, never mind the fact that he was just a small child himself. If he saw an injured cat on the side of the road, he would feel upset on its behalf. He would cry and tell his dad that the cat was in so much pain. He’d then pull out his own pocket money and beg the adults to take it to a veterinarian.
His child liked to laugh. His child liked to act cute. His child was afraid of pain. His child loved to play the piano …
Mr. Gu found himself smiling after thinking about it.
However, reality was as cruel as the dreams were beautiful.
Mr. Gu instinctively felt that these dreams weren’t figments of his imagination but rather another possibility made known to him for some unknown reason.
He felt that, if he’d bought a ticket for an earlier flight, things would have been entirely different, and that made him even more uncomfortable.
Other than making him uncomfortable, those dreams gave his feelings of fatherly love a place to go. He no longer felt at a loss.
Mr. Gu’s feelings towards Gu Qingchi had always been complicated. He naturally had a paternal love for his children as a father. Once he learned what his child had gone through, his desire to protect him reached their peak.
He made a conscious effort to pamper this child that had been separated from him a bit more.
However, Gu Qingchi had already grown up by the time he returned to him.
Confronting him was different from confronting Gu Xie.
It couldn’t be said that Mr. Gu didn’t love Gu Qingchi. He loved his children very much. He was willing to give up everything for his child, even if that was his own life.
However, he was still cautious when facing Gu Qingchi. It was as if he was facing a respected guest, always with a sense of unfamiliarity.
Gu Xie was also in the same situation. He was at a loss as to what to do with this younger brother of his.
Mrs. Gu was the only one to treat Gu Qingchi as a child raised by her from the very beginning. She pampered him unconditionally, even after her condition improved, even after her mind was no longer muddled.
Gu Qingchi was also aware of this subtle difference. It couldn’t really be seen on the surface. However, Gu Qingchi would only let loose and act spoiled around Mrs. Gu. In front of Mr. Gu and Gu Xie, he was much more cautious.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
No amount of love could make up for the estrangement and unfamiliarity brought about by lost time.
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He would pet Gu Qingchi’s hair. He would steal Gu Qingchi’s snacks. He would tease the kid in this way, snagging a chip or two from the kid’s bag. Gu Qingchi would then look up at him and enthusiastically recommend other snacks to him.
Mr. Gu would hand his glass over to Gu Qingchi whenever he got up to get water. Inexplicably, he felt that this would make the child feel useful and give him a sense of accomplishment. He may even ask for some ice cream as a reward.
Once his glass was empty, Mr. Gu very naturally skipped over Gu Xie and handed his glass to Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi very naturally took it from him. He spoke, somewhat coquettishly.
“I want to eat cake then.”
Gu Qingchi and Mr. Gu were both caught off guard by this request. Mr. Gu’s hand twitched. He tried to act as naturally as possible.
“You can only eat half.”
Gu Qingchi then left, but Mr. Gu was still a little dazed. He hadn’t known how to get closer to his child before. However, he now found that all he needed to do was take the initiative and show some goodwill for the child to come bounding over all on his own.
It turned out to be that simple.
Mr. Gu was, strangely enough, a little depressed. His child should have all the good things in the world. He shouldn’t be won over so easily.
Gu Qingchi’s footsteps were much more cheerful when he returned. He brought with him half of a cake. He’d eaten the other half yesterday. He was used to eating by halves. It wasn’t that he couldn’t finish the cake. It was just a habit of his.
The cake was delivered from a specialty shop. Mrs. Gu liked them, so they kept getting their pastries from that shop. Their small round cakes were very popular with children. They were beautiful and delicious, came in many flavors, and weren’t too rich either.
Mr. Gu really did want to spoil his child, but he was afraid that eating too much cake would give him a stomachache. Hence, they would always compromise in this way, by cutting the cake in half.
Gu Qingchi hadn’t cared about these things when he was younger. He would hold onto the entire box of cake and refuse to let go. Mr. Gu worried that he wouldn’t be able to eat his meals, so he’d ask for a bite. Gu Qingchi was reluctant, but he would still hand over the spoon. Mr. Gu would then stab the spoon into the middle of the cake, scoop away half of it, and swallow it all in one bite. Gu Qingchi watched, dumbstruck, as an entire half of his cake disappeared before promptly bursting into tears.
Gu Qingchi was an adult now. He was entirely capable of finishing an entire cake on his own, but he still preferred to eat them by halves.
⁂
Gu Qingchi ran to the front door with a pair of shoes. He then sat down to put the shoes on, placing a hat and a pair of sunglasses on the cabinet next to him.
“Are you going out? Where to? I’ll send you.”
Gu Xie put down the cup in his hand and was just about to stand up.
Mrs. Gu glanced at Gu Xie and declined on Gu Qingchi’s behalf.
“No need. Xiao Xie is here to pick him up.”
Gu Qingchi had been going out much more frequently recently.
Mrs. Gu had been feeling conflicted lately. She was happy that her good boy was willing to go out and play, but she was still a little worried about Xie Luyu.
Mrs. Gu could overlook her good boy’s relationship with Xie Luyu. Mrs. Gu could also overlook everything that had happened between them in the past. However, Gu Qingchi was clearly falling deeper and deeper. Mrs. Gu was afraid that he’d go through yet another romantic setback.
She held her darling little boy in the palm of her hands like a porcelain doll. She wanted nothing more than for the entire world to be enveloped in soft cushions, for every sharp object to be wrapped in soft cloth.
Xie Luyu hadn’t cared about her little boy at all during those entire two years. He behaved well now of course. He seemed considerate and he knew what to say. Still, Mrs. Gu couldn’t bring herself to be entirely at ease.
Gu Qingchi eventually finished putting on his shoes and was ready to head out. He promised to bring back some of the milk tea that they had last time and said his goodbyes.
“Mom. Ge. I’m leaving.”
Mrs. Gu just worriedly watched him go.
Gu Qingchi had just walked out the door when his mood suddenly sank. His footsteps even slowed down a bit.
He’d recently changed his prescription, so he was in somewhat of a transition period. His moods were all over the place. He did not want his family to see him like that, so he had been going out more lately.
Gu Qingchi always told his family members that he was fine, and he also wanted to be fine. The doctor said that he was getting better. The doctor said that, if he kept taking his medicine, he would continue to get better. Sometimes, though, he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t control it.
However, at the very least, he could prevent that side of him from being seen by them.
His last episode had already put his mother on edge. Gu Qingchi had caught her anxiously staring at him several times. If she realized that he was watching, she would plaster a smile back on her face.
He couldn’t rely on the doctors as they were in communication with his family.
Ultimately, it seemed that the only person he could rely on was Xie Luyu.
Xie Luyu had told him that he could call him. Gu Qingchi took his word for it. Once he called him the first time, he started calling him more and more frequently, seemingly unable to get enough.
Now, Gu Qingchi would shoot him a message as soon as he felt even a little bit off, and he always got a response.
Xie Luyu was right at the door. He ran over as soon as he saw Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi spoke first, almost as if he were asking for compliments.
“My doctor told me that I was doing much better and that I was in very good condition.”
Xie Luyu was also very happy. He immediately began showering him with the compliments he was looking for.
Gu Qingchi’s restlessness instantly simmered down. They played outside for a while, and, very soon, evening began to fall. The two of them were in a plaza. The fountain next to them would spout water every now and then. The water was cool and refreshing.
Xie Luyu kept an eye on his watch the entire time, muttering to himself about the nine o’clock curfew.
Gu Qingchi still remembered the promise he’d made with his mom before heading out.
“I promised to bring some milk tea back for my mom.”
Xie Luyu looked around for a bit. He then began leading them towards a shopping mall.
“Let’s go check out that shopping mall. I think they have some on the third floor.”
In the milk tea shop, there were already quite a few customers. Xie Luyu went to get in line. He found a small table in the corner for Gu Qingchi.
Since they’d stayed by the fountain for a bit too long just now, Gu Qingchi’s hair was still a little wet. It was currently summertime. He felt a little uncomfortable wearing a hat, so he took it off.
Moments later, he took off his sunglasses too for some reason.
He was at a corner table, but there were lots of people coming and going. Someone had already noticed Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi hadn’t seemed to realize. He turned his head to look for Xie Luyu. He couldn’t find him. It was a relatively trivial matter, but Gu Qingchi sat there and tears suddenly began to roll. He didn’t seem to really understand himself either.
Xie Luyu soon came out of nowhere. He squatted down in front of him and talked him down, not caring about the people around them.
Gu Qingchi then began to quiet down, and the two of them left.
Later that evening, a video began circulating on the internet.
Translator’s Note:
Just letting y’all know that CG is hosting a fanart contest since the Discord has hit 100k members! Be sure to check it out! 🥳
Poor baby 🥺
Hug hug hug
I’m feeling slightly sad because this novel is going to end in a few more chapters.
Also, ChiChi my boy, you’re doing great. All that matters is that you’re doing the best you possibly can (T ^ T)
Say what!? I didn’t even realize! 😭
It’s saddening that every action the celebrities does, there were always cameras following them. I hope that this recorded video isn’t malicious. My Chichi had it enough already. ChiChi fighting!
Thanks for the update🥰.
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thank you for the update!
Chichi you’re doing great, sweetie! Luyu do your best to cheer your sweetheart up!
Thank You for the new chapter -ω(´•ω•｀)♡
Sending all the love to Gu QingChi! 🫶 💖
And here we go again with some idiots who can’t leave a person alone and have to post everything online =_____=°
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶
They don’t have privacy do they fck