Waking in a haze, Su Pu felt an itch along his back.
Li Jichuan’s lips fell on his shoulders and back like a fine, relentless rain.
“Did you sleep well, Xiao Pu?”
Li Jichuan’s voice was lazy and hoarse, wrapped in an unmistakable desire.
Su Pu instantly felt like he was burning all over again…
“I dreamed about you last night… My Xiao Pu is beautiful no matter when.”
…
Morning slipped away just like that.
All Su Pu remembered was how sore he felt all over, being carried into the bathroom by Li Jichuan.
Apparently, a disability didn’t stop him from doing anything else.
If anything, he took full advantage of it—milking sympathy until Su Pu had no choice but to give in,
agreeing to all kinds of inexplicable requests.
Now his hands hurt, his mouth hurt a little too.
The skin on his legs burned hot.
Full of grievance—and unable to speak it out.
Even the ever-good-tempered little mute was getting a bit angry!
Thankfully, Li Jichuan’s “service attitude” was still decent. Not only did he help wash him, afterward he carried him back and clung to him, rambling on about what came next.
“The board election is coming up. Who knows what tricks my aunt will pull this time…”
“Xiao Pu, if she bothers you in any way, you have to tell me. I’ll protect you!”
Su Pu nodded, then looked at Li Jichuan with concern.
You need to be careful too!
Reading the message in his eyes, Li Jichuan smiled calmly, full of confidence.
“Don’t worry. I’ll fight a beautiful battle—and show Grandpa up there in the sky.”
By ten in the morning, Li Jichuan’s phone was vibrating nonstop. He had to leave.
He bent down and kissed Su Pu on the forehead.
“Sleep a bit longer, Xiao Pu. Leave after you’ve rested enough.”
Su Pu really was exhausted. He loosened his grip on his phone, held Li Jichuan’s hand, and kissed his fingertips.
“Don’t tempt me,” Li Jichuan laughed helplessly. “I really have to go…”
His gaze shifted—and landed on Su Pu’s phone screen.
“What’s this?”
The screen showed a Moments post. Ouyang had shared a picture of a Christmas-limited teddy bear from a British department store—chubby, adorable, ridiculously cute.
As a husband, Li Jichuan instantly understood.
“You like this?”
Su Pu nodded blankly. Who didn’t like cute things?
“Got it. You’ll have one too.”
Li Jichuan reached out and lightly hooked his nose.
“Anything my Xiao Pu likes—he’ll have it…”
…
That afternoon, after getting dressed properly, Su Pu slowly made his way home.
Uncle Wang was waiting at the door to greet him. He’d barely started to ask where they’d spent the night before abruptly stopping himself.
Su Pu, puzzled by Uncle Wang’s smile, went back to his room.
He was exhausted and only wanted to catch up on sleep.
While changing into pajamas, he glanced at the mirror by accident—and finally noticed the scattered marks all over his body.
Nearly every inch of skin reflected there bore some kind of mark.
Was Li Jichuan a dog or what?
No wonder Uncle Wang had looked at him like that…
Su Pu pulled on his pajamas, ruffled his hair, climbed into bed, and went back to sleep.
This sleep felt unusually long. He dreamed of his mother.
It was winter in the dream, yet she wore a thin white dress, sitting by the window, drinking and crying.
Her skin was snow-pale. Even in such a disheveled state, she was beautiful—like a white magnolia in full bloom.
But her expression was twisted with pain. As she cried, she spoke incoherently to him.
“Xiao Pu, Mommy’s sorry…”
“No—no, it’s you who owe me. You and Su Fengxian together ruined my life…”
“If it weren’t for you, I’d be living a life ten thousand times better than this. Back then, so many people wanted me. I was blind to choose your father…”
“If there were no Su Fengxian, if there were no you… if there were no you, if there were no you… Su Pu, were you born just to torture me?”
In the dream, his mother cried, and Su Pu cried too.
Dream-Su Pu watched as she suddenly stood up, spread open a suitcase, stuffed in all the beautiful dresses from the closet, snapped it shut, and waved goodbye with effortless grace.
“Xiao Pu, Mommy’s leaving!”
He had been so small back then. He didn’t understand any of it. He didn’t even manage to get both slippers on—one foot in a slipper, the other bare—as he toddled after her.
He opened his arms, wanting a hug.
Zhao Qing suddenly turned serious and gave him one final test.
“If you call me ‘Mom,’ just once, Mommy will stay with you. Okay?”
When he woke up, Su Pu’s lips were still pressed together, hoarsely forming a single sound:
“Ma.”
But did that moment really exist? Had he really called out?
Holding his head, he couldn’t remember—no matter how hard he tried.
Only a restless, suffocating feeling lingered, like he was about to lose his entire world. He shook his head hard, trying to chase it away.
“Did I wake you up?”
Li Jichuan’s voice came from the other side of the room. Soon, he rolled over in his wheelchair and stopped by the bed.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to—it just came up very suddenly…”
Su Pu reached for his phone.
【What happened?】
“I need to go to London. There’s a problem with the branch there. It’s pretty serious—I have to handle it myself.”
Li Jichuan held Su Pu’s hand and asked gently, “Another nightmare?”
Su Pu nodded.
He couldn’t tell whether it had been a nightmare—or an unbearable part of his past.
“I really don’t want to go…”
Li Jichuan clasped their hands together and pressed them to his forehead.
“If I leave, my Xiao Pu won’t sleep well again…”
Huh?
Su Pu blinked, then understood the tenderness behind his words.
He smiled, ran his fingers through Li Jichuan’s hair, and comforted him.
【I don’t have a UK visa this time, so I can’t go see you. Take good care of yourself.】
【Don’t get sick.】
Li Jichuan kissed him softly, his words coming in fragments.
“I know. We’ll video call every day. I’ll update you on everything…”
“When I come back, Xiao Pu… give yourself to me, okay?”
After two seconds of processing, Su Pu’s cheeks burned.
Li Jichuan was just as flushed, confessing with urgency and sincerity.
“I really… can’t wait anymore.”