The rain was drizzling down.
The wind was blowing hard.
Dressed in a black suit, Gu Chenyan held a large black umbrella. His arm was wrapped around Qiao Shu’s waist to shield him from the wind and rain. His polished black leather shoes stepped through the puddles, splashing droplets of water.
“Angle the umbrella more towards you.” Qiao Shu, also in a black suit, glanced at Gu Chenyan’s shoulder, which was getting wet from the rain. He grasped Gu Chenyan’s hand to push the umbrella toward the other side.
Gu Chenyan: “Don’t move.”
Gu Chenyan’s wrist remained steady. “We’re almost there.”
Qiao Shu frowned. “Your shoulder is getting soaked.”
Gu Chenyan replied, “Hmm.”
Gu Chenyan: “It’s already wet anyway.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “You’re so stubborn!”
Qiao Shu: “When we get back, you’ll drink two bowls of ginger tea with lots of vinegar, courtesy of Aunt Lan.”
Around them, others dressed similarly in black suits with large black umbrellas were heading in the same direction. Among these people were business elites, masters from the calligraphy world, and some young students.
They soon passed through an ancient courtyard and arrived at the main hall.
White wreaths, a heavy atmosphere, and faint sounds of crying.
Today, Qiao Shu and Gu Chenyan came to pay their respects to Master Lin, a prominent figure in the calligraphy world.
The Gu family patriarch had been a close friend of Master Lin. Now that Master Lin had passed away, Gu Chenyan, as his grandson, naturally came to bid him farewell one last time.
Entering the hall, Gu Chenyan closed the umbrella and handed it to an assistant, then held Qiao Shu’s hand as they walked inside.
Qiao Shu saw Madam Lin.
Her half-gray hair was tied up, and her slender figure stood beside Master Lin’s ice coffin, gazing down at her “sleeping” husband, with tears gently falling.
Next to her, a young girl half-embraced Madam Lin, softly comforting her.
Qiao Shu glanced at them, silently pursing his lips, then followed Gu Chenyan to pay their respects to Master Lin.
Afterward, Master Lin’s son, Mr. Lin, led them to a side hall.
Just two steps away, a cry of alarm sounded from behind. Qiao Shu instinctively turned to see Madam Lin collapsing softly into the arms of the young girl.
“Mom!” Mr. Lin shouted, and chaos ensued.
Soon, a doctor quickly pushed through the crowd.
“Madam Lin is twenty years younger than Master Lin,” Gu Chenyan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke with a heavy tone after Madam Lin was taken back to her room.
Qiao Shu looked up.
Gu Chenyan withdrew his gaze from Madam Lin and lowered his head to meet Qiao Shu’s eyes.
Gu Chenyan: “Let’s go.”
He rubbed Qiao Shu’s head.
Qiao Shu affectionately nuzzled into Gu Chenyan’s palm, then wrapped his arms around the man’s arm.
The rain grew heavier.
Over a month had passed since Master Lin’s funeral, and Qiao Shu gradually buried the events of that day in the back of his mind.
Since that day, Qiao Shu noticed some changes in Gu Chenyan, or perhaps it was just his imagination.
Change one: Gu Chenyan would go to bed promptly at ten o’clock every night, regardless of whether his work was finished. (Of course, sometimes it would be delayed because Qiao Shu was too irresistible.)
Change two: The dining table often featured medicinal dishes promoting health.
Change three: One day, Qiao Shu got up unusually early and saw Gu Chenyan and Uncle Zhou slowly practicing Tai Chi in the courtyard.
…
There were also other subtle changes in their daily lives that were easy to overlook.
One day, after balancing the accounts for the dessert shop and the bookstore, Qiao Shu saw that it was still early, so he decided to visit Gu Chenyan’s company to give him a surprise.
Recently, Qiao Shu had been indulging in games and was glued to home, so it had been a while since he visited the company.
Before leaving, Qiao Shu sneakily took a rose from the bookstore’s front desk.
Upon entering the company, Qiao Shu was greeted by enthusiastic greetings from the employees. Some bolder girls even asked why he hadn’t come to the company for so long.
Qiao Shu smiled and answered each one.
The atmosphere in the CEO’s office remained serious yet slightly relaxed. After confirming with the assistant that there was no one else in the office, Qiao Shu smiled and knocked on the office door.
“Come in.”
The man’s cold voice came through the intercom.
Qiao Shu opened the door. The man was currently looking down at a document and didn’t lift his head to see who had entered.
Qiao Shu chuckled quietly.
He softly closed the office door, isolating the sound from outside, and then walked over to the man.
“Mr. Gu.”
Qiao Shu used a skill he had honed over the past six months—voice modulation—to mimic Chen Wenyuan’s voice.
Gu Chenyan: “What is it?”
The man still didn’t look up.
This only fueled Qiao Shu’s mischievous intentions. He silently cleared his throat, then placed the bright red rose he had taken from the bookstore onto the document Gu Chenyan was reading.
“I like you.”
This time, Qiao Shu mimicked a random woman’s voice, coquettish and teasing, with a lilting, seductive tone often referred to online as a “straight-man killer” voice.
As the words hung in the air, Gu Chenyan finally looked up. His expression was frighteningly cold, and his gaze seemed to freeze anyone in its path, sending chills down the spine.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Activate the Yama mode!
However, this terrifying coldness melted away instantly upon seeing Qiao Shu, turning into the gentle breeze of March, tenderly accelerating one’s heartbeat.
“Naughty.”
Gu Chenyan chuckled. He stood and picked up the rose Qiao Shu had brought. He walked around the desk to stand in front of Qiao Shu. “Did the driver bring you here?”
Qiao Shu nodded obediently.
He hugged the man’s waist playfully, teasing, “Just now, Mr. Gu’s expression was really frightening.”
Gu Chenyan chuckled.
He embraced Qiao Shu, then turned around and seriously placed the rose in his hand into the small vase on the desk. This vase had the privilege of sitting on the desk because Qiao Shu occasionally brought a rose over.
After arranging the rose, Gu Chenyan brought Qiao Shu to the desk and let him sit in his chair. He brought over another chair from the side, then handed a tablet to Qiao Shu. “Wait for me.”
Qiao Shu glanced at the stack of documents on the desk, nodded, and leaned in to kiss the man’s lips. “You’re busy. I’ll entertain myself.”
Gu Chenyan returned the kiss.
Qiao Shu held the tablet for a while, watching Gu Chenyan work diligently, then admired the handsome side profile of the man before happily familiarizing himself with the snacks the man had prepared. After bringing them over, he opened the tablet, crossed his legs, and started playing Plants vs. Zombies.
After playing for a while, he suddenly stopped.
He looked up at the desk and finally noticed something different.
Today, there was no coffee on the desk.
Did the assistant forget to prepare it?
Qiao Shu glanced at the man who was working diligently, then closed the tablet with a light movement, got up, and walked out.
Gu Chenyan glanced up briefly, then lowered his head to continue reading the documents, not too worried since they were in the office.
Qiao Shu went to the pantry, then found Gu Chenyan’s favorite Blue Mountain coffee beans from his exclusive locker and started grinding them.
After a while.
With the coffee brewed, Qiao Shu nodded satisfactorily as he smelled the rich aroma. Then, he opened the nearby refrigerator and took out a piece of Oreo cake.
Although Qiao Shu didn’t come to the office every day, the refrigerator in the president’s office was stocked with fresh cakes and desserts every day, just in case Qiao Shu came over suddenly and had nothing to eat.
This was ordered by President Gu.
Taking the cake, Qiao Shu also grabbed a bottle of yogurt. While taking the yogurt, Qiao Shu noticed an extra jar of wolfberries in the freshness area.
“Weird.”
Qiao Shu muttered, but he didn’t dwell on it. He quickly closed the refrigerator door and returned to the office with the plate.
Qiao Shu placed the coffee by Gu Chenyan’s hand, and Gu Chenyan lifted his head as he smelled the fragrance of the coffee.
Qiao Shu: “I made it for you.”
Qiao Shu smiled, seeking praise, “It’s been a while since I brewed one. See if my skills have deteriorated.”
Gu Chenyan nodded.
He reached out to unscrew the lid of the yogurt for Qiao Shu, then ruffled Qiao Shu’s soft hair before taking the coffee and sipping it gently.
“How is it?”
Qiao Shu asked.
Gu Chenyan replied, “Not bad, you haven’t lost your touch.”
Gu Chenyan: “It’s very tasty.”
Qiao Shu instantly felt proud. “I am indeed the best.” With that, he lightly tapped his yogurt bottle against Gu Chenyan’s coffee cup. “Cheers!”
Then he happily took a sip of yogurt.
Gu Chenyan’s gaze softened.
The office quieted down again. Qiao Shu played on the tablet while indulging in yogurt and cake. Gu Chenyan resumed his focus on the documents, occasionally reaching for his coffee to take a sip.
After finishing the cake and yogurt, Qiao Shu went to the restroom in the lounge to wash his hands. When he came out, he saw Gu Chenyan holding a thermos and drinking from it.
“Huh?”
Qiao Shu blinked. He closed the door of the lounge and approached Gu Chenyan curiously, looking at the thermos, “What are you drinking?”
Gu Chenyan paused for a moment.
Then he handed the thermos to the curious Qiao Shu. “Wolfberry tea.”
“Huh?”
Qiao Shu looked puzzled as he glanced into the thermos and saw a few wolfberries inside.
It really was wolfberry tea.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Wasn’t this a standard drink for elders? When did his Mr. Gu also join the ranks of drinking wolfberry tea?
Thinking so, he asked.
Gu Chenyan fell silent for a moment.
Then he reached out and pulled Qiao Shu, who was still curiously examining the wolfberry tea, into his arms.
Qiao Shu teasingly joked with Gu Chenyan while being held in the man’s arms, and curiously tasted the flavor of the wolfberry tea.
Not very tasty.
Milk tea was still better.
As Gu Chenyan looked at the innocent and joyful Qiao Shu, he thought of the funeral of Master Lin a month ago.
Master Lin and Madam Lin were an elderly husband and a younger wife, with a twenty-year age gap. Master Lin struggled to live to the age of ninety but eventually couldn’t outlast Madam Lin.
That day, seeing Madam Lin faint from excessive grief, Gu Chenyan thought of himself and Qiao Shu.
Though not as drastic as the twenty-year age gap between Master Lin and Madam Lin, there was still a ten-year difference between him and his Little Qiao.
A ten-year age gap…
It meant that there was a significant, very significant chance that he would depart from this world before his Little Mr. Qiao.
Death was nothing to fear for Gu Chenyan; he didn’t fear death, as everyone would eventually face it, an unalterable rule since the beginning of time.
But—
Gu Chenyan gazed at the carefree, clingy Qiao Shu, his eyes tender like water.
Yet, there was a hint of worry.
The image of Madam Lin’s overwhelming grief surfaced once again.
He couldn’t bear the thought of his Little Mr. Qiao experiencing such sorrow one day, couldn’t bear the thought of his Little Mr. Qiao enduring the pain of separation by death, couldn’t bear the thought of his Little Mr. Qiao shedding a single tear…
He couldn’t bear it…
He couldn’t bear it…
He had cherished his Little Mr. Qiao for so long, wanting to pamper him until the end of his life, without parting, without saying goodbye.
He wanted his Little Mr. Qiao to always be happy and carefree.
So, he must take care of his health.
It would be best if he could depart from this world after his Little Mr. Qiao, protecting him until the end of their lives.
After returning from the funeral, Gu Chenyan realized this issue. So, he started sleeping on time, and after morning exercises, he added extra sessions of health-preserving Tai Chi.
Coffee and other beverages disappeared from his office, replaced by health-preserving wolfberry tea, and he started using a thermos.
There were also health-preserving tonics on the dining table.
He wanted to take care of himself.
“Mr. Gu, what are you thinking about?” Qiao Shu looked at the absent-minded Gu Chenyan in confusion.
Gu Chenyan snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and said, “I’m thinking about your question.”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm?”
Gu Chenyan: “Why I started drinking wolfberry tea.”
Qiao Shu: “Why?”
Gu Chenyan: “Because, recently, it’s become a trend in the executive circle to drink wolfberry tea for health.”
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but laugh.
“So, in the future, will Mr. Gu become an old cadre?”
Gu Chenyan indulgently pinched Qiao Shu’s cheek. “You.”
Qiao Shu giggled and took another sip of the strange-tasting wolfberry tea for him, then kissed Gu Chenyan. “Old cadre Gu, I’m your Little Cadre Qiao.”
