Morning came, and Su Pu lay sprawled across the bed.
Li Jichuan wasn’t by his side.
The room was quiet… until, out of nowhere, a cold laugh echoed.
“Heh.”
“Su Pu, what’s with the pitiful act?”
Su Pu’s hair stood on end, goosebumps prickling his skin.
Whose voice was that…?
So familiar… like… his mother?
But… didn’t she die?
Everyone had told him so.
Still dazed, Su Pu sat for a moment, then threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, running from the room.
Something felt off about this place.
Li Jichuan was doing his morning rehabilitation. After a period of intense therapy, his leg nerves had improved significantly.
He could stand unsupported for nearly a minute, and his independent walking distance had grown from a few steps to an impressive ten meters… though he still often fell hard at the end.
The therapist recommended focusing on upper body and thigh strength for the time being, preparing to eventually leave the wheelchair behind.
Li Jichuan was doing pull-ups, arms fully extended, when a shadow flickered past the doorway.
The little mute shot into the room like a rocket, froze for a second at the doorway, locked onto his target, and then launched himself—
Su Pu caught him tightly.
Li Jichuan’s hands were still gripping the bar, feet off the ground, his entire body suspended.
Su Pu pressed his soft cheek against Li Jichuan’s lower abdomen, wrapping his arms around his waist.
Hiss—
Li Jichuan couldn’t catch his breath in time and nearly fell onto Su Pu.
“Xiao Pu…”
He steadied his breathing, quietly letting him hold onto him.
His arms gradually filled with blood, muscles bulging, the blue veins snaking across his biceps becoming more pronounced.
They stayed like that for a while, until Su Pu was certain the strange noise in his head had vanished, before he slowly loosened his grip.
Li Jichuan’s arms were numb, and he gestured to the stunned therapists behind him.
“Lend a hand, hurry…”
“Oh! Oh!”
The two therapists helped him safely down, letting him return to his wheelchair.
Only then did they notice Li Jichuan’s face was flushed crimson from the effort.
What kind of stamina was that—if he had held on a bit longer, he might have lost his arms entirely.
Su Pu felt embarrassed too—he had suddenly lunged to hug him and made him so uncomfortable.
He squatted by Li Jichuan, watching until his expression returned to normal.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Jichuan pretended nothing had happened, as if the one who almost got suffocated wasn’t himself.
Su Pu poked at the slightly trembling, well-filled muscles of his arm with his finger, fascinated.
He really was quite something—his husband, after all!
…
Having learned his lesson, Su Pu grew more cautious, reluctant to sleep in the master bedroom.
That night, after Li Jichuan finished work and returned to the guest room, he found Su Pu asleep on his bed, clutching the little bear.
The blanket covering him had been carried over from the master bedroom. Most likely, Li Jichuan’s own blanket lay quietly in the master bedroom at that moment.
Li Jichuan stared at the little mute’s sleeping face and suddenly let out a laugh.
So, this little guy was getting bolder?
And he seemed less afraid of him every day.
Though the guest bed wasn’t as spacious as the master, it was still a standard double, and Su Pu lay right in the center.
Li Jichuan wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. His wheelchair glided quietly forward, straight into the room.
…
Su Pu had only just fallen asleep, waking at the slightest movement.
Li Jichuan lay down beside him, leaning close to whisper in his ear:
“Su Pu… you’ve slept on my usual side…”
“Either scoot over, or lie in my arms. I know you’re awake.”
Su Pu was startled. Already feeling guilty for taking over the spot, he didn’t know what to do.
Seeing him unmoving for a while, Li Jichuan sighed.
“All right, if you don’t like either option, I can just carry you back… anyway, I’m sleeping here tonight.”
At the mention of being carried back, Su Pu could no longer pretend.
A spark of inspiration struck—he kissed his husband.
After one kiss, he checked Li Jichuan’s expression—frozen.
One kiss wasn’t enough. Su Pu leaned in again, pecking repeatedly, finally settling down.
All right, he had said goodnight to the little bear several times already.
He couldn’t kick him out again.
The little bear wouldn’t be that mean.
Su Pu rested his head on his husband’s strong arm, running his fingers over the muscles, satisfied as he closed his eyes.
Only once the little mute’s breathing became slow, steady, and even did Li Jichuan finally exhale.
Had his little mute truly fallen asleep? When would he realize… that they were married and could be together in every way?
Li Jichuan felt a flush rising, but remained still, unable to fully calm himself.
Looks like a cold shower is unavoidable.
He glared at the sleeping figure in his arms, muttering,
“Xiao Pu, I’ll let you off this time.
There’s plenty of time ahead!”