SL Chapter 5

Min Yang was lost in thought, not noticing that the little stammerer had already walked into the kitchen.

With the butler and Tutu out for a walk, the villa was left with just Min Yang and Tang Zhe.

The house was quiet, but somehow it felt even more uncomfortable. Min Yang held a ladle in one hand, intending to taste the soup. Although he was quite good at cooking, he hadn’t done it much in a long time, especially after his stepmother came into the picture.

He had no interest in the family his stepmother and father had formed, and she was more than happy to have this “outsider” never come home.

So for Min Yang, there weren’t many people worth sharing a meal with, let alone cooking three meals a day for.

Min Yang hadn’t realised when exactly it happened, but he had already started considering the little stammerer as “one of his own.”

The soup pot bubbled away, steam curling around the Alpha’s fingertips before rising gently.

It took a moment for Min Yang to register the heat, and when he pulled his hand back, he accidentally brushed against the edge of the pot, feeling the burn immediately.

The Alpha lowered his gaze to his finger.

The edge of the soup pot was quite hot, and after just a few seconds, the skin near the knuckle of his index finger had already turned red.

Min Yang clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t pay it much attention.

However, the little stammerer had just arrived at the kitchen door and witnessed the entire incident.

His pace quickened, and his voice, filled with worry, caused his stammer to become even more pronounced: “Mr… Mr… Min…!”

Min Yang turned his head, looking displeased. “Why are you so jumpy?”

The Alpha’s brow was habitually furrowed, and because of the scar, his left eyebrow was split in two, making him look even more unapproachable.

His tone was equally uninviting, harshly saying, “You’re a mess!”

If it weren’t for the fact that Min Yang had instinctively reached out to steady the little stammerer and pulled him into an embrace the moment he stumbled into the kitchen, his words might have been more convincing.

Of course, the Alpha told himself that this hug was purely out of necessity.

After all, the kitchen was a dangerous place, filled with sharp objects, and the stove was still on. If the little stammerer were to bump into something, it could cause a lot of trouble. So he had no choice but to hold the clumsy Omega.

Yes, it was absolutely necessary. Min Yang reassured himself as he looked down at the Omega in his arms.

But before he could think any further, he felt a soft touch on the back of his hand.

—It was the little stammerer’s hand.

The little stammerer looked up at the Alpha with eyes full of concern.

Following Tang Zhe’s gaze, Min Yang noticed that the spot where he had been burned earlier had now developed a small blister, about the size of a pinky nail, with the surrounding skin turning an even deeper red.

Feeling uncomfortable under the little stammerer’s gaze, Min Yang turned his head away, trying to pull his hand back instinctively.

But before he could, Tang Zhe held his hand a little tighter and turned on the faucet.

The little stammerer tested the water with his own hand first, making sure the temperature and pressure were right before guiding Min Yang’s hand under the stream.

Tang Zhe had experienced being bullied himself. As a stammerer, especially when he was younger, other children didn’t want to play with him. Not only that, but they also took pleasure in teasing him.

His childhood experiences had made Tang Zhe particularly sensitive to the malice of others. Even though he hadn’t spent much time with the Alpha or gotten to know Min Yang’s family well, Tang Zhe could still sense the hostility the Min family directed at Min Yang.

Thinking of this, the little stammerer’s heart ached even more. He softened his movements, assuming that the Alpha, like himself, had been bullied and was pretending to be strong. After all, he had a blister but still insisted he wasn’t in pain.

So, when Min Yang finally came to his senses, he found himself staring into a pair of slightly teary, worry-filled eyes brimming with tenderness.

Min Yang: ???

Min Yang: “I’m fine.”

Tang Zhe: “I… I know… Mr… Mr. Min.”

Min Yang: “I really am fine.”

Tang Zhe, treating the Alpha like a proud but stubborn porcelain doll, gently reassured him, “… Yes… I… I really… know that.”

Tang Zhe fished around in his jacket pocket for a moment before pulling out a piece of fruit candy. “Mr… Mr. Min… you’re… really… amazing!”

Min Yang: …

The Alpha grew irritated. What did the little stammerer mean by this? Was he trying to soothe him with candy? Did he think he was a five-year-old child? No sense of boundaries at all!

Was he the type to enjoy candy? Ha!

Min Yang: “Take—”

Take your candy away!

Before Min Yang could finish speaking, the little stammerer, realising that Min Yang’s hand was still under the water and it would be inconvenient for him to unwrap the candy, thoughtfully unwrapped it for him.

Just as Min Yang opened his mouth to speak, Tang Zhe lifted his hand, and the piece of fruit candy landed right on Min Yang’s tongue. The sweet, tangy flavour of grapefruit blossomed in his mouth, and the words he’d meant to say were swallowed back down.

Tang Zhe: “Mr… Mr. Min… be good.”

A moment later, Tang Zhe remembered that Min Yang seemed to have been about to say something earlier. He turned to the Alpha and asked, “Mr… Mr. Min… were you… trying to say… something earlier?”

For a moment, it seemed like the Alpha’s gaze was avoiding his.

Just when Tang Zhe thought Min Yang wouldn’t respond, he heard the Alpha mumble quietly, “Well… the candy—cough cough,”

Maybe the words were too awkward to say, but Min Yang, for once, stammered a bit. After clearing his throat, he continued, “The fruit candy isn’t bad.”

Min Yang emphasised, “Just a little bit good.”

After all, he… didn’t actually like fruit candy.

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