Chapter 83
The little one, unaware of the complexities, widened his eyes and nodded. “Oh, I see. Well, then Hang Hang will sleep with Big Brother.”
“Alright.” Shen Yan agreed cheerfully, even deliberately turning back to flash a provocative smile at Su Yunzhe before carrying the little one out of the elevator.
Su Yunzhe, walking behind them, rubbed his forehead and chuckled softly. Shen Yan was quite mischievous.
The house at Qing Shui Bay was exactly like the one from the world in the book. The moment Shen Yan walked in, he couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental. But then he let go of the feeling. After all, no matter which world they were in, or which house they lived in, as long as Su Yunzhe and his son were there, what difference did it make?
Moreover, there was an unexpected joy in it.
It was the little one’s first time here, and everything was new to him. He ran up and down the stairs, exploring every corner.
Shen Yan, worried that the little one might get lost since it was his first time here and he wasn’t familiar with the place, kept close to him.
“Big Brother, can you guess what’s in this room?” the little one asked, stopping in front of a room on the third floor near the master bedroom. He stood still for a moment, then turned around, grinning as he looked at Shen Yan.
The expression on his face wasn’t so much asking Shen Yan as it was showing off, as if he already knew what was inside.
Shen Yan, of course, knew that it was the little one’s room, with a blue bed, a desk, and some toys. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he pretended to be troubled, thought for a long time, and shook his head. “I can’t guess. Do you know, Hang Hang?”
The little one, pleased with himself, smiled proudly. “Hang Hang knows! It’s definitely Hang Hang’s room, and there’s a blue bed inside.”
He happily pushed open the door, peered inside, and his eyes widened in surprise. He turned back, pulling Shen Yan in. “Big Brother, look! I was right! It really is a blue bed. Hang Hang loves blue!”
Shen Yan was also surprised, as the little one had clearly started to remember things from the past.
He was only four, so he couldn’t distinguish between memories and guesses, but in this familiar place, the things that had happened before were slowly coming back to him.
Shen Yan crouched down and kissed the little one’s cheek. “Hang Hang is amazing!”
He thought to himself: You’re much better than your dad!
Look at your dad—he’s eaten so much more salt than you and still can’t remember anything.
Meanwhile, Su Yunzhe was unaware of the “criticism” he was receiving as he dealt with his mother.
Mrs. Su had been waiting at home for a long time for her precious grandson to return, and when the phone rang again, she learned that Su Yunzhe wouldn’t be coming back from Qing Shui Bay. She was furious and launched into another endless rant.
Su Yunzhe, accustomed to this, placed his phone on speaker and let the words go in one ear and out the other, doing whatever he needed to do and waiting for her to finish.
However, today Mrs. Su changed her approach. After a lengthy scolding, she suddenly shifted the topic. “What exactly is your relationship with that kid, Shen Yan? Have you been with him every day since you came back? We won’t interfere with your choice of friends, but do you remember what you promised me before you came back? To get married soon. Hang Hang is already four, and in a few years, if you don’t get him a stepmother, he might not want one anymore. He’ll be complaining about everyone. So you’re not getting married? Look at Lin Xia—she’s beautiful, has a great temperament, and she really likes Hang Hang. The best part is, she doesn’t mind that you’re over thirty and already have a child. Didn’t you promise me that you’d have dinner with her when you came back? It’s been days, and she hasn’t even seen you!”
“She doesn’t mind that I’m over thirty and have a child. And Hang Hang really likes him.” Su Yunzhe replied absentmindedly as he looked inside the fridge, planning dinner for the evening.
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and suddenly the voice shot up by an octave. “What do you mean? Shen Yan is a boy, right?”
“Yes, he’s a very handsome boy. Anyway, I’ll explain it to you when I get home. Bye!” Su Yunzhe said quickly and ended the call before his mother could say more.
He could already guess that Mrs. Su was still in shock and, once she calmed down, would call him again—probably with a barrage of questions (he’d turned off his phone). If she couldn’t get through, she would scold him at home in all sorts of ways.
It wasn’t that Mrs. Su was too conservative to accept such a situation. It was just that Su Yunzhe already had a child, and now his sexual orientation had shifted. She wasn’t prepared for that.
So, Su Yunzhe decided to give her some time to process, and for now, he’d focus on preparing dinner.
Since Shen Yan couldn’t cook, he sat at the bar with the little one, eating fruit and chatting with Su Yunzhe, just like when they were at home before.
Soon, Su Yunzhe finished preparing dinner for the three of them. They had only eaten a small meal at the amusement park, and the food hadn’t been great, so they were all famished by dinner. The three of them quickly devoured the entire table of food.
The little one, full of energy, had run around upstairs before dinner, and after the meal, he dragged Shen Yan to the rooftop to look at the stars.
“Can you see stars from here?” Su Yunzhe asked, instinctively following them.
“Yes! Big Brother said we can see stars from the rooftop after dark. Hmm… Hang Hang hasn’t seen the stars in days,” the little one said in his babyish voice, even counting on his fingers.
Su Yunzhe looked at Shen Yan but didn’t say anything.
Why did Shen Yan know that there were stars visible from here?
In fact, from the moment he entered, Su Yunzhe realized that Shen Yan seemed to be more familiar with the place than he, the owner, was. When the little one needed to go to the bathroom, Shen Yan just carried him straight to the washroom, while Su Yunzhe was still trying to recall where the bathroom on the first floor was. After all, he’d only been here once and was still not entirely familiar with the layout.
But Shen Yan seemed to be at home here.
Shen Yan knew what Su Yunzhe was wondering, but he didn’t explain. There was no way to explain it clearly, so it was better to wait until Su Yunzhe figured it out himself.
So Shen Yan just pretended not to know, carrying the little one to the rooftop to look at the stars.
The 50th floor wasn’t particularly high in H City, but since it was by the sea, there were no buildings blocking the view. There were no higher floors around either, and the environment was great, making it a rare spot to see stars.
The little one, seeing the long-missed stars, happily bounced around on the rooftop. After a while, he started to feel sleepy, and since it was almost his bedtime, he remembered that Shen Yan had promised to sleep with him tonight. He grabbed Shen Yan’s hand and pulled him downstairs. “Big Brother, Hang Hang is tired. Let’s sleep together.”
Su Yunzhe, lost in thought, leaned against the railing and looked up at the night sky.
Shen Yan didn’t disturb him. He carried the little one downstairs, gave him a bath, tucked him into bed, and gently coaxed him to sleep. Only then did he go into the bathroom to take a shower himself.
Since he didn’t have any change of clothes, he just put on the bathrobe provided in the guest bathroom.
Su Yunzhe had no idea when he had come downstairs, but he was sitting by the bed, gently stroking the little one’s face. When he heard the sound, he looked up and saw Shen Yan, just out of the shower, surrounded by mist. His hair was still wet and dripping, and he looked… so soft.
Su Yunzhe’s Adam’s apple moved involuntarily. He stood up, walked over, took the towel from Shen Yan’s hand, and began drying his hair. “How old are you, and you still can’t dry your hair?”
The towel covered Shen Yan’s face, so Su Yunzhe didn’t see the smile on his lips.
It was just like Su Yunzhe—always the same. They had been married for many years, and whenever Shen Yan came out of the shower with wet hair, Su Yunzhe would always dry it for him, while grumbling.
It had become such a routine that Shen Yan had gotten used to it.
Now, in this new world, with Su Yunzhe having no memory of him, Shen Yan had the chance to experience again what it felt like to have this small, everyday act of kindness. And it made him realize how happy he had been in the past, when Su Yunzhe helped him with these little things.
Unable to hold it back, Shen Yan smiled, truly happy. He looked up at Su Yunzhe, his voice betraying his joyful mood. “I suddenly feel like this isn’t so bad.”
He was referring to the inexplicable return to this world, which allowed him to experience the panic of possibly losing something, making him cherish the man in front of him even more.
His words were vague, and Su Yunzhe didn’t understand. No, in fact, he wasn’t really listening.
Shen Yan stood soft and delicate in front of him, the scent of his body wash lingering in the air. The bathrobe hung loosely around him, revealing his fair, delicate collarbone, so close that it almost made Su Yunzhe dry-mouthed. How could he focus on listening to Shen Yan when he was so distracted?
At that moment, Shen Yan looked up at him, smiling softly. His lips looked so sweet and inviting, and Su Yunzhe lowered his head and kissed him, tasting the softness and sweetness that he couldn’t resist.
Shen Yan froze for a moment, a sweet sensation flooding his heart. He intentionally pushed Su Yunzhe away, looking at him with a smile that was neither here nor there. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Kissing my boyfriend!” Su Yunzhe, still on a high from last night, couldn’t stop himself, and after saying that, he kissed him again.
Shen Yan pushed against his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriend? When did I become your boyfriend?”
Su Yunzhe finally understood. This little one was deliberately trying to go against him!
He held back his impatience, looking at Shen Yan with a slow, teasing tone. “I’m a conservative person. A kiss means we’re together.”
“Is that so? What about girlfriends? You don’t care anymore? Does this make you a scumbag, Mr. Su?” Shen Yan’s heart was secretly happy, sweet and sticky, but he played along with Su Yunzhe, pretending to tease him.
Su Yunzhe looked innocent. “Even the best man can’t stop someone from trying to steal him. Don’t you agree?”
Shen Yan wrapped his arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to get closer. “Mr. Su, are you already crying foul? I haven’t even started stealing yet.”
Su Yunzhe responded by pulling him into his arms, his voice low and husky. “If the foundation is weak, it will collapse on its own.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, he couldn’t hold back anymore and kissed him again.
This time, Shen Yan didn’t push him away. He obediently opened his mouth to let him in.
Su Yunzhe’s movements were a little rushed. Shen Yan’s lips seemed to have a kind of magic, and no matter what he did, he always felt like it wasn’t enough.
“Mm…”
Shen Yan’s breath became unsteady from the kiss. A soft protest escaped from his throat, and Su Yunzhe felt his heart itch, almost as if he couldn’t get enough.
Finally, reluctantly, he pulled away from Shen Yan’s lips, trailing his kisses down to his fair neck.
The bathrobe, already loose, became even more disheveled, revealing Shen Yan’s smooth, delicate shoulders.
Su Yunzhe’s breathing grew heavier as he pulled Shen Yan into his arms, planning to carry him to the next room…
Shen Yan, who had been obedient and, no, rather cooperative until now, suddenly pushed Su Yunzhe away with force, a look of embarrassment on his face as he gestured for him to turn around.
It turned out that the little one, Su Zihang, who was usually a heavy sleeper, had miraculously woken up. He was now lying on the bed, resting his chin on his hands, blinking his big eyes and looking at them innocently.
This…
Although Shen Yan knew the little one didn’t understand anything, it was still somewhat embarrassing.
Shen Yan quickly put on his clothes and hurried over to comfort him. “Hang Hang, be good. Big Brother will sleep with you, okay?”
The little one tilted his head and looked at him, then suddenly grinned, his eyes curving into little crescents. He pounced on Shen Yan and hugged him tightly. “Big Brother, will you help me have a little sister? Please, help me have a little sister!”
Shen Yan froze for a moment, his body stiffening.
This topic had once been something the little one was particularly fixated on.
There was one time when Su Yunzhe, in an attempt to get the little one to leave Shen Yan’s side and return to his own room, shamelessly told him that they were going to have a little brother for him, so he couldn’t be disturbed.
The little one, with great seriousness, had looked at them and said, “I don’t want a little brother, I want a little sister!”
From that day onward, whenever the little one thought about it, he would cling to Shen Yan and ask him to have a little sister for him.
Of course, Shen Yan would never agree to that!
Although the little one had grown to be very fond of everyone around him, the thought of a grown man being asked to have a child was preposterous! Dream on!
So every time, Shen Yan would just laugh it off and change the subject.
But today, when he heard the little one’s innocent voice asking for a sister, he almost blurted out an answer, as though he was about to agree.
But he quickly swallowed it back. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible now.
In their world, men didn’t have the ability to have children.
So, once again, Shen Yan had to laugh it off and change the topic.
The little one, still half-asleep, was easily distracted and calmed down quickly.
Before long, his eyelids began to droop.
Shen Yan climbed into bed, pulled the covers up, and cuddled the little one while waving at Su Yunzhe. “Goodnight, boyfriend!”
Su Yunzhe, lost in thought, was suddenly snapped back to reality by Shen Yan’s words. It dawned on him that the ending was the same as last night.
No, it wasn’t the same!
Last night, they weren’t boyfriends yet. But tonight, they were.
So, without hesitation, he walked over to the bed and scooped both his “boyfriend” and son into his arms. “I don’t want to sleep alone. Let’s sleep together!”
Then, he turned and carried them both to the master bedroom, tossing them onto the bed.
