The little mute had originally come just to bring warmth, but somehow ended up being pulled into the office again.
The transparent glass immediately switched back to opaque…
This time, Li Jichuan didn’t even make it back to his desk—he caught Su Pu at the door and pulled him onto his lap.
“Did you come on purpose to rescue my reputation?”
His heart melted at once; Li Jichuan’s eyes overflowed with tenderness.
“My Xiao Pu… so bold after all?”
Su Pu pointed at his watch, indicating he had limited time and needed to return to work.
But as soon as he moved, Li Jichuan’s hold only tightened.
The little mute opened his mouth in a startled, wordless gasp.
Li Jichuan cherished the sight, cupping Su Pu’s face, kneading here and there, as if he wanted to devour him like a soft mochi ball.
Have you ever experienced those moments when a parent brings snacks for the whole class?
After an outdoor activity, a radiant mother and a sharply dressed father suddenly appear at the edge of the field, holding packed treats to hand out to all the children.
It’s always a sunny day, always at the moment when everyone is starving.
The suddenly appearing parents feel like angels, radiating light, and even their child’s smile seems to shine brighter.
Li Jichuan showed no expression outwardly, but his heart ached with envy.
It was the second year after his parents had passed. He had mentioned to his grandfather that he wished he could see them at the end of the green field, handing out drinks and burgers to his classmates.
His grandfather had nodded, acknowledged it, and then, after taking a couple more bites of steak, had been called away by a phone call. Li Jichuan never saw him again that evening.
From that point on, Li Jichuan’s meals were delivered on time to activities, the staff in bright uniforms handing out expensive bento boxes to each student.
His grandfather didn’t appear. Li Jichuan didn’t smile. Many classmates didn’t smile either.
It had been a sunny day…
So today, with Su Pu here, Li Jichuan felt a strange yet familiar sense of fulfillment.
His vanity swelled, and he felt like running circles around everyone right then and there.
But his body wouldn’t allow it.
Even so, the joy and warmth Su Pu brought him filled him for a long time afterward, leaving his heart light and elated.
Even though he still couldn’t walk freely, just thinking of this, thinking of Su Pu, made him repeatedly swept away by this clumsy, simple kindness.
His happiness lifted him so high it felt like his soul was drifting up to the clouds.
By mid-spring, the mornings grew earlier, and Su Pu’s sleep had become somewhat unstable.
Sometimes he would wake in the middle of the night, find Li Jichuan absent, and, pouting, would roll around in bed a bit before falling asleep again.
But this night was different. He awoke at midnight with a fatigue as if freeing himself from a long nightmare, a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall any fragments.
And yet, Li Jichuan was still not by his side.
Su Pu climbed out of bed and glanced at the time.
2:30 a.m. Li Jichuan had only finished work at 11:30 p.m.—had he already gone for rehab so early?
Slipping into his slippers, he walked out. A faint line of light glimmered at the end of the corridor, but it wasn’t from the rehab room.
The footsteps led him past the reception area, stopping at the edge of the dining room.
Only one light burned in the dining room. Su Pu stood just outside its glow, silently watching Li Jichuan drinking alone.
The light fell from above, bathing Li Jichuan’s head, the strands of his hair, even his eyelashes, in a dim orange glow.
The man sitting in the light swirled a wide tumbler with one hand; the ice cubes clinked coldly against the glass.
Li Jichuan’s face was expressionless, his gaze distant, lost in thought.
From the darkness, Su Pu contemplated silently—this man looked so lonely…
As if someone had left him here, waiting for a long, long time.
How could anyone not want Li Jichuan?
How could anyone abandon him?
Li Jichuan was not a heavy drinker.
Only in college had he drunk heavily—once to celebrate his brief escape from his grandfather’s constant supervision, and also to indulge his fleeting freedom.
Because such freedom could end abruptly at any moment.
Recently, he had begun drinking again. It wasn’t because of Su Pu.
It came more from himself.
Balancing career, dreams, rehab, and family had already severely drained Li Jichuan’s physical strength and left him mentally fatigued.
Yet he never allowed himself to slack off. Especially lately, he didn’t even know how to advance.
Due to several serious mistakes, Li Shuwen’s influence had sharply declined; her support within the group had fallen to sixth place.
After learning the results, Li Shuwen stormed into his office, flinging her precious handbag at his face.
“Congratulations! Are you satisfied now?”
Li Shuwen had always been fiercely competitive. Whenever in public, she was impeccably styled.
That day, her hair was messy, dark streaks of tears on her cheeks, scolding him unabashedly.
“Everyone says I’m heartless, but do they know the environment I grew up in? The situations I faced daily—who cares? Having such a father, always favoring my brother, then favoring you… did he ever think about my hardships?”
Li Jichuan sat in place, briefly stunned.
Perhaps the fairness and justice he believed in were always seen only from his own perspective.
He couldn’t serve the whole world; he didn’t even know, or care to know, why his aunt wanted to destroy him, why she hated this family so fiercely.
Perhaps he also understood that as a beneficiary, abandoning the title of Li Group heir, did his abilities really suffice to run an entire conglomerate?
Without the support of a privileged family background, could he have sailed smoothly through school, graduated, and become general manager, lashing out at colleagues so easily?
If he had been an ordinary high school student, growing into a mediocre office worker, would he have ever met Su Pu, let alone married him?
The answer was no.
Chance and circumstance had aligned perfectly. One wrong step, and everything he had would collapse. So he could only grit his teeth and keep moving forward.
Li Shuwen’s piercing questions still echoed in his ears, but Li Jichuan could not listen; he had to cover his ears and press on.
Grandfather, was it always this difficult when you founded the Li Group?
The night shrouded all emotions. Li Jichuan sighed and drained the glass in one gulp.
The ice touched his lips, sending a tingling chill.
When he looked back again, the little mute was standing in the light.
So thin, so pale, beautiful as if he were a dream.
The dream drew near him.
The dream embraced him.