Su Fengxian’s call came quickly.
“It’s been ages—why ask now?”
The cold wind blew as Su Hui hunched his shoulders, turning into the Li Corporation building.
“Just curious. Suddenly remembered… that was my first time meeting Su Pu, right? Why was he hospitalized too? Was he crazy as well?”
Zhao Qing had always been a somewhat terrifying figure to Su Hui—a “madwoman,” obsessed with marrying his father.
When his biological mother passed, Su Hui had nightmares for several nights, dreaming of the madwoman moving in with a kid and forcing him to call her “Mom.”
Gradually, this fear extended to Su Pu.
Su Hui worried that one day Zhao Qing would strangle him, forcing him to call the mute boy “brother.”
On the other end, Su Fengxian recalled for a long moment.
“I forgot why exactly, but the hospital notified me to come—they said both Su Pu and his mom fainted and needed a family member present…”
Zhao Qing fainting was understandable; two years later she was diagnosed with a terminal illness—
“But why did Su Pu faint?” Su Hui asked, noting his dirty, frostbitten feet.
“Who took them to the hospital that day?”
Time had passed; even Su Fengxian wasn’t sure.
“Seems like a kind stranger saw Su Pu running alone on the street and brought him in…”
After speaking, he puzzled over it himself. “But how did his mother get to the hospital?”
…
Old memories rippled like a stone thrown into a lake, a soft splash sending waves across the surface.
The entire afternoon, the three Su family members tried their best to recall that period of the past.
That day, Su Pu worked the late shift, responsible for closing the café.
By the time he changed out of his uniform, he was the only one left in the shop. Outside, the sky was already pitch black.
He locked the door and looked up.
Sure enough, the CEO’s office was still brightly lit—Li Jichuan was surely still working.
Su Pu let out a sigh. Lately, Li Jichuan had been coming home later and later, and whenever he did, he was completely exhausted.
He would shower quickly and go straight to bed, leaving barely enough time to exchange a few words.
Hadn’t he promised to give Su Pu a chance?
Hadn’t he said he was chasing him?
But with Li Jichuan so busy, how could Su Pu possibly accept him?
Dragging his feet, Su Pu walked toward the bus stop and boarded the bus home.
Li Jichuan had once wanted to assign him a driver, but the little mute had refused, finding it too much trouble.
There was a bus that ran directly from near the apartment to the café, making commuting convenient.
Su Pu put on his headphones and heard a song playing:
“How can I capture your gentleness, drawing closer, yet never touching.”
He sighed softly, a tinge of melancholy in his heart.
What if his husband became so engrossed in work that he forgot the very thing of liking Su Pu?
Just as he was lost in thought, his phone vibrated—a message from his husband.
[Su Pu, come pick me up, I’ve had too much to drink…]
The next message was a location—a restaurant inside a nearby hotel.
Su Pu snapped upright, and the moment the bus stopped, he jumped off.
Thinking a taxi too slow, he sprinted the wrong way, clutching his backpack strap.
The night wind whistled past his ears, yet he felt exhilarated.
He felt like a knight rushing forward to rescue a princess trapped in a castle.
Finally, he was of some use.
…
The restaurant was on the hotel’s middle floor, soundproofed well to protect diners’ privacy.
Walking down the quiet hallway, Su Pu found the private room number Li Jichuan had given him.
Through the slightly ajar door, he immediately saw Li Jichuan slumped in his wheelchair… and sitting on either side, two boys…
Su Pu: !!!
As he rushed in, the two boys were still trying their hardest to make him drink.
Su Pu dashed forward, grabbed Li Jichuan’s wheelchair, and positioned it behind himself.
“Hey, where did you come from?”
The man opposite, with a coarse voice, was the boss who had hosted the meal. He shouted, “What are you doing?”
The two boys, recovering from their shock, reached out to push Su Pu.
“Is anyone managing this restaurant?”
Su Pu held up his left hand, showing the ring on his ring finger—then grabbed Li Jichuan’s left hand and put them together. The pair of rings shone between them.
Earlier, when they had wanted his grandfather to witness their marriage, many decisions were rushed—but not these rings.
All afternoon, Li Jichuan had held Su Pu’s hand, going from one choice to another, until they found a style they both liked.
Once they had worn them, they never took them off.
Su Pu looked at the limp, drunken Li Jichuan, cheeks flushed.
Even so drunk, he gently squeezed Su Pu’s hand, pressing twice.
“Ah, I’ve heard Little Li is married but never met you.”
Upon realizing his identity, the man instantly changed his expression, waving away the two boys who had been urging drinking.
“Little Li isn’t great with alcohol, so I opened a room for him on the top floor and brought two kids I know to help him up.”
The explanation was flimsy—Li Jichuan was in a wheelchair, not difficult to move.
Moreover, the hotel had staff; why summon two boys? The intention was obvious.
That was why Li Jichuan immediately called Su Pu when he sensed danger.
Still, as Li Jichuan’s business partner, Su Pu didn’t want to offend the man, nodding and preparing to take Li Jichuan away.
“Hey, kid,” the man suddenly blocked him. “I’ve seen Little Li grow up. Seeing him married makes me happy…”
“Let me offer a drink to wish you a long and happy life together!”
Before he could react, a glass was pressed into Su Pu’s hand.
“I’ll go first.” The man downed it, cutting off Su Pu’s retreat.
Su Pu hesitated briefly. A glass of liquor shouldn’t bring him down, so he swallowed it as well.
“Ah, straightforward! I like kids like you!”
Seeing this, the man grabbed the flask, refilled his own glass, then realized it was empty and fetched the cup Li Jichuan hadn’t drunk, handing it to Su Pu.
“Now that Li old master is gone, Little Li carries a heavy burden. As your uncle, I’ll help whenever I can, as long as you ask…”
At this point, Su Pu had no choice but to drink. He downed the second cup as well.
But this second drink tasted strange.
It was different from the first.
Stepping back, he felt the ground tilt and grow slippery—he couldn’t stand…
The man’s voice fluctuated, distant and near. In a daze, Su Pu saw the two boys who had forced Li Jichuan to drink reappear.
“Don’t come near him—”
Su Pu struggled to stay conscious, lunging for Li Jichuan’s wheelchair.
But his arm was caught by the hand extending from the wheelchair.
The world spun. When he came to, he was safely seated on Li Jichuan’s lap.
“That’s enough, Xu?”
Su Pu blinked, assessing the situation.
Wow, his husband was amazing!
Drunk as he was, his speech was clear, no different from normal.
Su Pu rolled his eyes, feeling sleepy.
Li Jichuan’s embrace was warm, like sitting by a stove.
Strange.
Li Jichuan had said something else—his voice so pleasant.
Su Pu frowned, unable to make out the words clearly, catching only fragments:
“…my people…drugged…keycard…”
What did that mean?
Moments later, he felt himself moving.
So unlucky—every time he got drunk, Li Jichuan caught him, making a fool of him.
He shook his head, trying to maintain composure.
But why had they stopped moving?
Li Jichuan wasn’t going forward…
Tired?
Or was there danger?
Su Pu, determined, tried to stand—no one would harm his little Li princess!
A sudden warmth pressed against his ear.
“Good baby, behave…”
“If you move again, I won’t be able to hold you down.”