The night breeze was cool, and as they left the club, Fu Shen’s alcohol-induced breath faded.
The cool night air helped Tang Zhou to sober up a bit, struggling to get off and on the ground.
The friction between them flared up again.
Fu Shen had no choice but to put him down, holding his arm. “Do you want to call a chauffeur or take a taxi?”
“What?” Tang Zhou, still slightly drunk, mumbled.
Fu Shen stopped asking him and reached out to stop a cab. He was about to help Tang Zhou get in, but Tang Zhou pushed him away.
“No ride, no taxi.”
Saying this, he turned around and walked away.
Fu Shen couldn’t forcefully drag him into the car, so he apologized to the taxi driver and silently followed behind him.
Tang Zhou staggered, taking one unsteady step after another, shaking off Fu Shen’s reaching hand. He glared at Fu Shen and said, “I can walk.”
His eyes had deep sockets and were quite big. When he glared at him, they appeared even rounder. It shattered his cold and aloof demeanor, making him look like a spoiled, fluffy cat. The streetlight reflected in his pupils, casting a bright glow into his eyes.
Fu Shen couldn’t get angry at him. When he saw Tang Zhou turn a corner, he followed him and quickly caught up, but still kept a discreet distance. He kept his gaze fixed on Tang Zhou all the time, ready to step in if needed.
A single drink wasn’t much, and Tang Zhou was indeed drunk, but not very drunk.
He had a vague sense of familiarity with the area and a strong inner voice in his heart urging him to walk down the street.
Stumbling and swaying like a young child, he rushed towards the place he had longed for.
This place was in a bustling downtown area, with numerous shops and crowds.
Fu Shen was worried that Tang Zhou might get pushed around, so he quickly caught up and grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”
Tang Zhou looked at him in a daze, somewhat recognizing him, and didn’t shake him off. He extended his other hand and pointed to the front.
A child was playing too excitedly and forgot to look at the road where he was going. And suddenly, crashed into Tang Zhou. The people around quickly scattered, but Tang Zhou, who had been drinking, felt as if his feet were rooted to the ground and didn’t react in time.
Like a little human cannonball, the child crashed into his legs, causing Tang Zhou to fall backwards. The sudden loss of balance sent a palpable shock through him, and his eyes widened.
Fortunately, he didn’t end up falling with his back kissing the ground, but instead fell into a wide and flexible chest. Through a few layers of thin fabric, he seemed to have felt a few moments of warmth as well as a slightly faster heartbeat.
The child bumped into someone and knew he had done something wrong, so he apologized, his soft voice saying that he was sorry.
His parents also rushed over and apologized to Tang Zhou, gently hitting the child’s back a few times as a punishment.
The child’s face turned red as he buried himself in his father’s arms, pouting that he wants to be carried in his back.
The dad helplessly crouched in front of him, his back facing him, his eyes doting on him.
The child climbed onto his father’s broad back and happily exclaimed, “Giddyup~Giddyup~”
Tang Zhou watched helplessly as the family of three walked away, the corners of his lips suddenly drooped down and his eyes filled with water. He looked at Fu Shen for a moment.
Fu Shen raised an eyebrow.
“No one has ever carried me.”
He spoke unbelievable childish words in a pitiful tone, yet it didn’t make people feel annoyed.
Fu Shen thought to himself: Was a ghost the one who carried you just now?
He casually replied, “No one has ever carried me either.”
Tang Zhou’s eyes widened, as if to say, “We are both wanderers in this world.” Then he turned his back to Fu Shen, bent over, and said, “I’ll carry you!”
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.
Vfflcu Me Vtfc rajcvlcu ralii, Kjcu Itbe aeuufv ja tlr tjcv. “Jbwf bc, ufa bc!”
“……”
Pr atlr ralii atf ifufcvjgs mbiv yfjeas?
Me Vtfc rlutfv vffqis jcv qeiifv tlw eq. “Glvc’a sbe pera kjca ab ub rbwfktfgf gluta cbk?”
“Yt, gluta!” Kjcu Itbe abbx tlr tjcv jcv delmxis kjixfv obgkjgv. “Pa’r pera jtfjv. P gfwfwyfg!”
Passing through the zebra crossing, several parallel rows of claw machines came into view. Fu Shen’s heart skipped a beat. He watched as Tang Zhou quickly pounced on them, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
Never in a million years did he expect to know that Tang Shen actually liked cloth dolls.
He stood there with complex emotions, watching Tang Zhou tug at the joystick. However, the joystick refused to move. He was so anxious that the corners of his mouth drooped again, and only then did Fu Shen step forward to remind him, “You need to insert coins.”
Tang Zhou froze for a moment, and looked at him expectantly.
Fu Shen said, “I don’t have any coins.”
Tang Zhou’s eyes immediately turned red, looking very pitiful.
Fu Shen: “…Wait for me here, and please don’t wander off.” Drunken Tang Zhou was even more troublesome than sober Tang Zhou.
Tang Zhou obediently nodded.
In a little while, Fu Shen returned with a pocket full of coins. Tang Zhou was still staring blankly in the direction he had left, and when he saw him appear, a sudden surprise washed over his eyes. His well-behaved and obedient demeanor softened something in Fu Shen’s heart that he hadn’t realized was there.
Fu Shen couldn’t resist it, he spread out the coins in his palm and whispered, “Do you want to play? If you want to play, call me ‘ge’.”
Tang Zhou was a little confused at the moment, so what if he called him ‘ge’? He could even call him ‘dad’ if he wanted to.
Without any hesitation, he said, “Ge.”
It was as if something had struck Fu Shen’s heart, and he instantly softened entirely.
Fu Shen pressed his fist against his lips, but he couldn’t stop his smile.
Tang Zhou grew impatient and patted his arm, saying, “Hurry up and insert the coins.”
Even if he was in a hurry, he wouldn’t snatch the coins from Fu Shen’s hand.
Fu Shen smiled, he really was a good boy. He obediently inserted a coin, and Tang Zhou quickly manipulated the lever, aiming for an ugly-looking doll and launching a surprise attack.
He was undoubtedly defeated.
Before Tang Zhou could get too disheartened, Fu Shen inserted another coin and reminded him, “Move quickly.”
Tang Zhou composed himself and fought more and more.
After losing several times in a row, and as he was on the brink of tears, Fu Shen took out his last coin and whispered in his ear, “Would you let me try once?”
Tang Zhou glanced at the doll inside the machine and then at Fu Shen, who looked fairly reliable, so he nodded in agreement.
The two of them switched positions, and Fu Shen inserted the coin deftly. He fixed his eyes on the little blue whale lying quietly in the display case, manipulated the claw, and in one fell swoop, he catched it.
Tang Zhou leaned over the display case, clenched his fists, and stared intensely at the little whale, afraid it would fall just like its companions before it. He hardly even dared to breathe.
It wasn’t until the doll finally fell into the hole that Tang Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Fu Shen with eyes full of admiration. “You’re really amazing!”
Fu Shen, the amazing Gege, bent down to pick up the little whale and handed it to Tang Zhou.
Tang Zhou looked at him in disbelief.
Fu Shen said, “For you.”
“But you caught it.”
“I’m giving it to you.”
The young man’s eyes were as bright as the morning star, and he gladly took it, “Really?”
Fu Shen nodded.
Tang Zhou was extremely happy, cupping the little whale in his hands and touching the rough, low-quality fabric.
“We should head home,” Fu Shen spoke at an inopportune moment.
Tang Zhou pushed his luck. “But I’m tired of walking.”
“Take a taxi.”
“I don’t want to sit.”
“…Shall I carry you?”
“Okay!”
Fu Shen gave him an angry laugh. “Do you remember your name?”
“It’s Tang Zhou.”
“So who am I?”
Tang Zhou looked at him in a daze for a while, then suddenly whispered, “You’re my Gege.”
His Gege who gave him the doll.
The evening breeze whistled through the gaps between tall buildings, whistling and blowing the young man’s soft hair.
He was quite pale, and his eyes were bright. Holding the little whale doll in his hands, his somewhat silly appearance clashed with the hurried pedestrians around him. Like an otherworldly elf who had accidentally ventured into the human realm in a story, stained with a bit of the essence of the city, and who’s so cute it was shocking.
Fu Shen slowly exhaled and bent over, his back facing him. “Come up.”
Tang Zhou smiled and climbed onto his back, wrapped his arms around Fu Shen’s neck, still clutching the little whale doll tightly with both hands. Once Fu Shen lifted him up, half of Tang Zhou’s face was pressed against the back of the man’s neck, slightly squinting his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
He looked thin, but he wasn’t light to carry.
Fu Shen had to adjust his balance by taking a few steps and bumping the man up, which jolted away all of Tang Zhou’s drowsiness. Perched on Fu Shen’s back, he happily caressed the little whale.
“Do you really like dolls?” Fu Shen asked.
Tang Zhou now answers every question, “I like them.”
“Why do you like them?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you like them, you can buy a lot.”
“Can’t buy.”
“Why?”
“Because…”, The slow, steady breaths overlapped with the car horns from the street and fell clearly into his ears.
The two hands on his chest suddenly loosened, and miraculously, the little whale remained firmly gripped in his right hand, showing no signs of falling.
Fu Shen stopped and waved at a cab.
Gently placing Tang Zhou in the back seat, he hadn’t woken up during the entire process. Fu Shen sighed with relief and followed closely, getting into the car.
After giving the driver the address, the car started moving.
The young man’s entire upper body leaned and crooked in Fu Shen’s arms. Fu Shen’s right hand held his cheek and placed him on his thigh. From this angle, he could clearly see the young man’s long, thick eyelashes, the delicate and high bridge of his nose, and his rosy lips.
Tonight, Tang Zhou completely overturned the former picture he had of him. The strong contrast and impact made people even more curious about what kind of temperament was hidden beneath this reserved and indifferent mask.
Finally, they arrived at Tang Zhou’s place. Fu Shen was about to open the door when Tang Zhou woke up.
He opened his eyes in confusion, glanced at the small whale in his hand, and quickly broke free from Fu Shen, shoving the little whale into his arms.
Fu Shen’s gaze darkened slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Tang Zhou leaned in closer, whispering. “I can’t take it home. It’ll end up broken.”
“Why’d it break?”
Tang Zhou looked aggrieved. “They won’t let me play with it. They’ll break it.”
Fu Shen: “……”
A sudden feeling of discomfort welled up in his heart.
“It won’t happen. I gave it to you, and they won’t dare to ruin it.”
“Really?”
“I won’t lie to you.”
Tang Zhou hesitated, his gaze fixed on the little whale, torn between wanting to take it and fearing to do so.
“Don’t be afraid,” Fu Shen reassured him as he returned the little whale to his hands. “I’ll be with you.”
“Even if it breaks, I can get you another one.”
Tang Zhou was swayed by his “sugar-coated” words, and held the little whale tightly, then he opened the door.
The house was very quiet, not a single person inside.
Tang Zhou hid in the hallway, sneaking glances around, and then hurried to the bedroom.
Curious, Fu Shen followed him and saw Tang Zhou open the closet, panickedly hiding the little whale deep in the deepest part of the closet and covering it up with other clothes.
He pursed his lips, walked over, and took it out directly. And in front of Tang Zhou’s accusatory eyes, said seriously, “If you leave it all alone inside the closet, it must feel very lonely.”
Tang Zhou hesitated, “What should I do?”
Fu Shen simply tucked the little whale under the blanket and said, “Hide it here; you can sleep with it at night.”
Tang Zhou’s eyes lit up. He took off his shoes, climbed into bed, and hugged the little whale. He closed his eyes and declared to Fu Shen, “I’m going to sleep!”
After that, no further sounds were heard.
Fu Shen: “……”
Who knows what Tang Zhou’s reaction will be when he wakes up tomorrow morning and sees the little whale in his arms.
Let’s cross fingers he won’t be too shocked.
The translator has something to say…
I sincerely hope we get to know more details about Tang Zhou’s childhood, my heart aches for his little self. I hope he gets to buy all the dolls he wants in the future 
As a fervent lover of plushies it also broke my heatt
+1
The story says that Tang Zhou is only slightly drunk but I’m not buying it.
I bet the only one who actually believes Tang Zhou is “slightly drunk” is Tang Zhou himself (≧▽≦)
Aaah, that’s so cute and funny >w< ‘It will be lonely’ haha~
Thank You for the new chapter (∩˃w˂∩)♡
‘You’re my gege’ isn’t he the most precious thing everrrr 🥺🥺🥺♥️♥️♥️
That description was spot on; so cute it’s shocking. Still, atashi no kokoro 😭…he had been deprived of all the warmth in his childhood 🥺
This chapter right her was just too cute. Tang Zhou, you are too cute with your little whale plush. Awe.
omg this made my heart ache in a good way. TZ is way too adorable
He was undeniably cute but, I felt as his IQ dropped somehow? Wasn’t he cunning? Why is he acting like a child? Or is it normal drunk behavior??