“Dad.”This word, Qiao Shu finally heard it from Gu Chenyan’s mouth as he wished, but the process was somewhat exciting.
The excitement made him cry.
His legs also went weak.
“Little dad.”
Gu Chenyan climbed up from the middle of the bed, one arm propped beside Qiao Shu’s ear, muscles bulging with a beautiful curve. He leaned down, warm lips against Qiao Shu’s earlobe, his low, hoarse voice echoing in Qiao Shu’s ear.
Qiao Shu, still immersed in the aftermath, suddenly widened his eyes. He first curved his lips, then raised his hand to press down on the corners of his mouth that were slightly upturned. Finally, he successfully flattened his mouth, reaching out to hold Gu Chenyan’s neck, his watery and beautiful eyes accusingly complaining, “Mr. Gu, you’re too much.”
Qiao Shu: “To actually bully Little Mr. Qiao.”
Qiao Shu: “Little Mr. Qiao is just too pitiful.”
A light laugh escaped Gu Chenyan’s throat, leaving Qiao Shu’s spine tingling. He pinched Qiao Shu’s nose, “Little Mr. Qiao, so unreasonable.”
Qiao Shu glared at him, “How could Little Mr. Qiao possibly be unreasonable?”
Gu Chenyan asked him, “Then who started it just now?”
Just now, for the sake of being called dad, Qiao Shu, who had set fire without any hesitation: “…”
Reasonable!
But even though he was in the wrong, he was still resolute and quite strong. He pouted, “Clearly, it’s because Mr. Gu’s self-control is too poor. So it’s not Little Mr. Qiao’s fault. And besides,” Qiao Shu looked at Gu Chenyan, “you’re being cheeky.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu: “Hmph!”
Qiao Shu became even more indignant, “You even added the word ‘little’. Unacceptable! It doesn’t count!”
Qiao Shu: “You have to say it again.”
Qiao Shu: “Mr. Gu, a promise is worth a thousand in gold. You can’t break your word. Otherwise, you’ll end up eating your words and getting fat!”
Qiao Shu: “Become chubby!”
Gu Chenyan couldn’t help but lower his head to Qiao Shu’s shoulder, laughing softly. His shaking chest pounded against Qiao Shu’s body.
Qiao Shu glared at him, “You’re still laughing!”
Gu Chenyan suppressed his laughter, turning his head with a smile, “Little Mr. Qiao.”
Qiao Shu: “Hmph, say it quickly!”
Gu Chenyan: “Eating one’s words and getting fat isn’t what that means.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “You’re truly naughty!”
Qiao Shu: “You actually look down on me for my poor Chinese? I used to score a hundred in math!”
Qiao Shu: “A hundred points!”
Gu Chenyan: “…”
He couldn’t figure out how getting a hundred in math was related to his Chinese proficiency.
Qiao Shu urged him, “You have to say it again.”
“Mr. Gu~”
“Mr. Gu~”
Continuously acting coquettish.
Gu Chenyan chuckled and ruffled Qiao Shu’s hair, gently wiping away the fine sweat still lingering on Qiao Shu’s forehead with his fingertips, then leaned close to Qiao Shu’s ear again.
“Listen carefully this time, Little Mr. Qiao.”
Qiao Shu tensed up.
He grabbed Gu Chenyan’s arm with all five fingers.
Gu Chenyan: “Dad.”
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
Ah!
Exciting!
His toes curled up with excitement!
A few seconds later.
Qiao Shu still felt a bit unsatisfied. He blinked his innocent, watery, beautiful eyes greedily and said, “Mr. Gu, can Little Mr. Qiao listen one more time?”
His anticipation was palpable.
Gu Chenyan: “Is it really that good?”
Qiao Shu nodded vigorously.
Gu Chenyan pinched his nose, “Little Mr. Qiao is truly a little greedy ghost.”
Qiao Shu: “Dad~”
Gu Chenyan paused, “Be good. It’s very late. I’ll go brush my teeth.” He lifted the blanket off Qiao Shu and got off him. He turned on the bedside lamp, stepped down from the bed, slipped on his slippers, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Qiao Shu watched the man’s sturdy back while pouting. He silently pulled up the blanket to cover his face.
Slowly, very slowly.
His brows curved up, and under the light, his eyes seemed to be filled with millions of twinkling stars.
After a while.
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but roll around in bed while hugging the blanket.
Ah!
So exciting!
“Be careful not to catch a cold,” the man’s voice sounded.
Qiao Shu rolled over with the blanket wrapped around him, facing toward the direction of the bathroom, “Are you done?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
He came over, reached out, and pulled the quilt, wrapping Qiao Shu completely in it. He then turned around and walked towards the position of the suitcase.
Qiao Shu blinked and asked, “Are you going to take something?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
He rummaged in the suitcase for a while, then came back with a box of ointment. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he opened the lid of the ointment and lifted the lower half of Qiao Shu’s quilt with his hand.
Qiao Shu’s legs curled up slightly.
The cold ointment was meticulously applied on the thighs by the warm fingertips, bit by bit.
Qiao Shu’s toes curled, blushing and sweetly saying with a hint of reluctance, “It’s okay not to apply.”
Gu Chenyan: “The inside is a bit red.”
Qiao Shu blushed, his gaze flickering, shyly accusing, “It’s all because Mr. Gu applied too much force.” The skin there was so tender, it would be strange if it didn’t turn red.
It looked like a ripe fruit ready to be peeled.
Gu Chenyan looked at him.
Qiao Shu innocently covered his mouth.
After applying the ointment, Gu Chenyan went to wash his hands again and then lay back on the bed.
Qiao Shu, being affectionate, immediately nestled into Gu Chenyan’s arms. He raised his head and kissed Gu Chenyan’s lips, his voice soft and tired, “Goodnight.”
Qiao Shu: “Remember to dream of Little Mister.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Gu Chenyan: “Goodnight.”
He kissed Qiao Shu’s lips.
“Snn…zzz.” In just a few seconds, Qiao Shu started to emit tiny snores.
Gu Chenyan chuckled lightly.
It seemed he had tired Qiao Shu out just now.
The next morning, everyone was abruptly awakened by the director’s set loudspeaker alarm.
Qiao Shu’s sleepy eyes couldn’t even open.
He hung onto Gu Chenyan, half-carried out of the door by him, all soft and sleepy, with one yawn following another.
Jiang Jiayu woke up and went to prepare breakfast. The eight of them were taking the bullet train from Haicheng to the ancient city today. The tickets were booked last night during the discussion, scheduled for 9 o’clock.
Originally, they didn’t need to get up so early at seven o’clock. After all, the place they were staying was very close to the bullet train station. It only took ten minutes by bus to get there. But they still needed time to get dressed up.
To save time, Jiang Jiayu made seaweed rice balls for breakfast. The rice was cooked in the electric rice cooker last night. To make the rice balls even more delicious, Jiang Jiayu added shredded meat inside. Paired with the freshly cooked soy milk, it was exquisite.
Everyone sat in the courtyard, listening to the director’s instructions while eating rice balls.
Qiao Shu leaned against Gu Chenyan’s chest, closing his eyes. He let Gu Chenyan feed him rice balls and soy milk, chewing slowly with a languid demeanor.
Feeling extremely lethargic, Jiang Jiayu looked a bit worried.
He pulled the chair towards Qiao Shu, glanced at him, and then gathered the courage to quietly ask Gu Chenyan, “President Gu, is Qiao Qiao okay?”
Gu Chenyan patiently fed Qiao Shu another bite of rice ball, then looked up, his voice very soft, “He’s fine.”
Gu Chenyan: “He slept late last night.”
Jiang Jiayu: “Oh.”
Since President Gu said it was fine, then it shouldn’t be a health issue for Qiao Qiao. Besides, Jiang Jiayu remembered that President Gu seemed to have brought two doctors along.
Jiang Jiayu breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he silently sat back in his original position, picked up a rice ball, and continued eating. When he looked up, he saw Chu Chisheng staring at him.
Jiang Jiayu: “…”
He blushed a little.
Then he lowered his head, pretending to eat the rice ball seriously.
Feeling too tired after eating a few bites of the rice ball, Qiao Shu pouted and buried his head in Gu Chenyan’s arms. He does not want to continue eating and wants to sleep instead. Gu Chenyan indulged him.
He turned to ask Zhou Yanqing to bring over the thermos. He put Qiao Shu’s portion of rice balls into the thermos, planning to feed him when he woke up.
Director: “In conclusion, during these few days of the trip, you all need to work hard to earn money and save money. At the end of the trip, the group with the most money left will receive a mysterious grand prize from the production team!”
Half of the people became excited.
They had heard about this grand prize early on. Besides wanting exposure, one of the main purposes of joining this program was for this grand prize.
But now, everyone pretended not to know.
Xiao Bai asked excitedly, “Director, what is the grand prize? Can you tell us?”
The director smiled mysteriously, “I can’t.”
Director: “This is the highlight, it wouldn’t be meaningful if I said it. Anyway, everyone please work hard.”
Lu Jian asked, “How do we earn money during the journey? It’s quite difficult, isn’t it? Earn money while traveling?”
The director replied, “You’ll have to figure it out yourselves. Of course, if you really can’t find a way, the production team will provide temporary jobs for you to earn money.”
Director: “Alright, it’s getting late.”
Director: “Next, let’s draw lots.”
It was still identity drawing.
To enhance the fun, the production team would have them draw lots for their roles every day, engaging in role-playing.
Qiao Shu was completely dazed throughout. Dazed during the drawing, dazed during makeup, and eventually fell asleep. When he was awakened, his makeup was already done. Just like yesterday, there were small freckles dotted under his eyes, brimming with youthfulness.
He yawned.
Gu Chenyan rubbed his head, “You can sleep in the car later. We’re about to leave for the station now.”
Qiao Shu nodded sleepily, “Hmm.”
He leaned against Gu Chenyan’s arm, half-opened his eyes, and lightly followed Gu Chenyan outside. Gu Chenyan reached out and wrapped his arm around Qiao Shu’s waist.
“Haha.” In the courtyard, Zhou Yanqing swaggered with the luggage.
Qiao Shu curiously opened his eyes for a moment, then looked up and asked Gu Chenyan, “What’s up with Yanqing?” He was clearly withdrawn during breakfast this morning.
Now, he seemed as if he had won a grand prize.
Gu Chenyan replied, “He drew the father-son role.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
At this moment, Zhou Yanqing couldn’t be happier. To put it correctly, he had been excited and showing off since he drew the father-son lot. Finally, he didn’t have to listen to Xiao Bai’s clingy and awkward “brother” voice anymore, and he could even be a dad!
Being a dad was great!
Today was his lucky day!
On the other hand, Xiao Bai had a gloomy expression and looked somewhat resentful towards Zhou Yanqing.
But Zhou Yanqing completely ignored it.
Today, he was a dad!
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but laugh.
At the same time, he became a bit more spirited. He blinked and asked, “What roles did Yu Yu and Chu Chisheng others draw?”
Gu Chenyan replied, “They drew the role of brothers.”
Qiao Shu asked again, “And what about the sisters?”
Gu Chenyan answered, “They drew the roles of husband and wife.”
Finally, Qiao Shu asked, “And what about us?”
Gu Chenyan looked down at Qiao Shu and said, “We’re uncle and nephew. I’m the uncle, and you’re the nephew.”
Oh wow!
The production team hit the nail on the head!
Qiao Shu looked up, revealing a bright smile. “Hello, Uncle.”
After calling yesterday’s role “dad”, calling today’s role “uncle” was really child’s play.
Gu Chenyan pinched his nose.
Qiao Shu laughed, revealing a row of small white teeth.
Before leaving, the director handed each group a letter. He instructed them to open it when they arrived in the ancient city.
Everyone accepted the letters.
Then they went to the bus station with their luggage to wait for the bus. Before departure, Qiao Shu retrieved the beef jerky confiscated by the director yesterday, claiming it was necessary to bring some local specialties or snacks when traveling. Even laborers had their own romanticism.
Upon receiving the beef jerky, Qiao Shu divided it into four pieces and shared it equally among the other groups.
When they got on the bus, everyone noticed a young man in front holding equipment and filming them. The young man made a gesture to them.
Everyone understood and pretended not to see the young man.
The bus was lively.
Jiang Jiayu and Chu Chisheng chatted casually, while Qiao Shu lazily leaned against Gu Chenyan’s chest, occasionally saying a word or two.
Qiao Shu took a piece of beef jerky and handed it to Gu Chenyan’s mouth. “Uncle, have some more.”
Gu Chenyan helplessly took a bite, then held Qiao Shu’s hand and turned it, feeding the remaining beef jerky to Qiao Shu.
Gu Chenyan: “Nephew, have some more.”
Qiao Shu: “Hehe.”
Qiao Shu: “I want uncle to feed me.”
Gu Chenyan: “Alright.”
Ten minutes later, the bus arrived at the bullet train station. Gu Chenyan carried the luggage and held Qiao Shu’s hand to go through the ticket inspection.
As the ticket inspector looked at their IDs with confusion and shock, someone nearby leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear. The ticket inspector widened his eyes, then hurriedly let them pass.
An hour-long journey.
Qiao Shu ate rice balls and drank soy milk from the thermos on the bullet train, feeling somewhat full. He tilted his head and leaned on Gu Chenyan’s chest.
Gu Chenyan rubbed his head. “Go to sleep.”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm.”
He yawned, then tried to fall asleep, making use of the time on the train to catch up on sleep.
By the time they arrived at the bullet train station in the ancient city, Qiao Shu had finally regained his energy.
The eight of them stood in a relatively quiet area outside the station and opened the envelopes given to them by the director.
“Recently, there has been a check-in event in the ancient city. Teams that complete the check-in will receive prize money. The rules state that the check-in at five locations in the ancient city must be completed before 6 p.m. The first place will receive 500, the second place 300, the third place 200. Teams that complete the task but don’t place in the top three will receive encouragement money of 100, while those who fail to complete the task on time will receive no prize money.”
“Your four families have all signed up for this activity in order to save expenses. Please be sure to complete the task, unleash your competitive spirit, and win the highest prize money to enrich your funds…”
In addition to the envelopes, there was also a map of the ancient city inside, with five red dots marked on it. Beside each red dot was a textual explanation, requiring them to take photos and check in at the specified locations with the required poses.
However, there were slight differences in the locations and poses for check-ins among the four groups.
After reading the letter, they planned to first go to their designated hotel to drop off their luggage before splitting up to take action.
The hotel wasn’t far, and when they came out after dropping off their luggage, the landlady suddenly called them over and gave each group a Polaroid camera and a brochure.
The brochure advertised temporary job openings in this ancient city.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Jiang Jiayu looked incredulously at the brochure in his hand. “The production team wouldn’t make us work while participating in the check-in activity, would they?”
Lu Yiyi: “Surely not!”
The landlady suddenly turned to them with a smile. “Someone asked me to pass on a message to you all.”
Everyone: “???”
The landlady said with a smile, “Workers have a noble spirit; workers are superior beings.” She made a cheering gesture and said, “Come on, all you workers!”
Everyone: “…”
Oh, come on!
Damn production team!
Everyone walked out of the hotel in indignation, then split up to start their actions.
Walking on the road, Qiao Shu held Gu Chenyan’s hand. “Which place should we check in first?”
Gu Chenyan pulled Qiao Shu to a shady spot and looked at the map.
After looking at it for a while, he said, “The place to submit the task is the clock tower in the center of the ancient city. Let’s go to the nearest Broken Bridge first and take a photo with the stone monument. The other four places are scattered further apart.”
Qiao Shu: “Okay.”
Qiao Shu: “Should we take the bus there?”
Gu Chenyan checked the bus schedule on his phone and then looked around.
Gu Chenyan: “We’ll ride shared bicycles there. There are fewer buses to Broken Bridge from here, and the next one is in 20 minutes.”
Gu Chenyan: “Riding shared bicycles will take us there in 20 minutes.”
By now, the sun was already out, and the mid-May sun was starting to feel hot. Gu Chenyan removed the backpack from his shoulder and took out a baseball cap to put on Qiao Shu.
He pressed down on the brim of the cap. “Do you want to put on sunscreen?”
Qiao Shu: “Did you bring some?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Qiao Shu smiled. “Not necessary right now. I’m still wearing a jacket.”
Gu Chenyan: “Okay.”
He held Qiao Shu’s hand and walked towards the shared bicycles. After a brief search, they found a pedal bike with a rear seat.
Gu Chenyan: “Let’s ride this one.”
Qiao Shu was puzzled. “Why not an electric bike?”
Gu Chenyan: “Electric bikes don’t have rear seats.”
Qiao Shu paused for a moment, then smiled sweetly.
Gu Chenyan scanned the QR code to unlock the bike, and Qiao Shu obediently got on.
Gu Chenyan turned his head. “Hold on tight to me.”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm.”
Qiao Shu: “Don’t worry, Uncle.”
He hugged Gu Chenyan’s waist, gently rubbing his cheek against Gu Chenyan’s back.
Gu Chenyan couldn’t help but smile. “Are you seated?”
Qiao Shu: “Yeah.”
He smiled brightly and exclaimed, “Let’s go!”
Gu Chenyan reached back and pinched Qiao Shu’s cheek. He released his hand amidst Qiao Shu’s laughter and then pressed down on the pedals.
Gu Chenyan’s bike rode steadily.
Qiao Shu sat behind, feeling the wind against his face. He couldn’t help but playfully say, “Uncle, since you’re working so hard carrying Qiao Qiao, how about Qiao Qiao sing you a song?”
Gu Chenyan: “What song?”
Qiao Shu cleared his throat. “I have a little pony, I never ride it~”
“Lalalalalalalalala—” Qiao Shu, forgetting the lyrics, ended up just singing “lalala” at the end.
Qiao Shu: “Uncle, did Qiao Qiao sing well?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Gu Chenyan: “Very well.”
Qiao Shu: “Qiao Qiao knows Qiao Qiao is the best. Uncle, what else would you like to hear? Qiao Qiao will sing for you.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm—”
Qiao Shu: “Qiao Qiao knows everything.”
Qiao Shu: “Uncle, Qiao Qiao is really talented.”
Gu Chenyan: “Confession.”
Qiao Shu: “Ah?”
Qiao Shu was momentarily stunned.
Gu Chenyan: “Can you sing ‘Confession’ again?”
Qiao Shu flashed a sweet smile. “Of course. It’s Uncle’s request.”
“Qiao Qiao loves Uncle the most, and will definitely sing for Uncle.” Qiao Shu tilted his head, looking up at the man riding the bike with seriousness. “Uncle, after Qiao Qiao finishes singing this song, can Uncle give Qiao Qiao a reward?”
Gu Chenyan: “What reward do you want?”
Qiao Shu: “I haven’t thought about it yet. Can I let you know after I decide?”
Gu Chenyan: “Okay.”
Qiao Shu smiled happily.
Then, he cleared his throat. Unlike singing something casual like ‘I Have a Little Pony’, when he sang “Confession”, his attitude was serious. He kept his gaze fixed on the man riding ahead, his eyes gentle and affectionate, filled with the figure of a man.
As the song gradually faded away, dispersed into the wind, Qiao Shu asked, “Was it good, Uncle?”
Gu Chenyan: “Very good.”
Qiao Shu smiled, his eyes seemingly filled with stars.
Gu Chenyan’s estimated time was spot on. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the nearest broken bridge.
The bike came to a halt.
Qiao Shu dismounted and walked over to Gu Chenyan’s side, feeling sorry for him. He directly used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off Gu Chenyan’s forehead. “Are you tired?”
“There’s a convenience store over there. Let’s go buy a bottle of water. I’ll push the bike,” Qiao Shu suggested.
Gu Chenyan replied, “Not tired.”
He avoided Qiao Shu’s attempt to take over the bike and pushed it towards the convenience store. “Let’s buy some water, and while we’re at it, ask the owner where the stone monument we’re looking for on the map is.”
Qiao Shu nodded.
In the convenience store, Qiao Shu picked the most expensive bottle of water for Gu Chenyan. Then, he pointed at the stone monument drawn on the map and asked the owner, “Boss, do you know where this stone monument is?”
The owner looked at the drawing carefully and thought for a moment before pointing in a direction. “If I’m not mistaken, it should be over there.”
“Thank you,” Qiao Shu said.
After Gu Chenyan drank the water, he handed it to Qiao Shu and then asked him to sit back on the bike. They rode in the direction indicated by the owner.
Along the way, they asked several people for directions. Finally, they found the stone monument depicted on the map hidden in a thicket near a small grove.
Qiao Shu exclaimed, “Are the staff from the program a genius?”
They hid it so discreetly!
Qiao Shu asked, “What photo are we supposed to take?”
Gu Chenyan handed the map to Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu: “…”
The requirement was for one person to carry another, with the person being carried sitting on the other’s arm.
The program team… has some interesting ideas.
Cough
Qiao Shu pressed his slightly hot cheeks and said, “Should we find someone to help us take the photo now?”
Gu Chenyan nodded.
There were many enthusiastic people around, and the two of them quickly found a pretty young lady willing to help them take the photo.
For some reason, the young lady seemed very excited. She eagerly nodded, pulling her boyfriend along, and followed Qiao Shu and Gu Chenyan to the stone monument.
When she saw Gu Chenyan bending down to lift Qiao Shu, the young lady grabbed her boyfriend’s arm excitedly and couldn’t help but let out a scream.
Although she quickly covered her mouth, Qiao Shu still heard it.
Qiao Shu: “…”
His face grew even hotter.
Being so intimately embraced in front of strangers…
Ah!
The program team is really something!
Gu Chenyan had strong arms. He held Qiao Shu securely on his arm, with no tremble at all. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll hold you steady.”
Qiao Shu smiled. “Okay.”
Qiao Shu: “I’m not afraid at all.”
Qiao Shu: “Don’t underestimate me, Uncle.”
Gu Chenyan chuckled softly.
They both looked at the camera together.
The young lady, watching their pose, was excited with eyes sparkling. She had a smile on her face that seemed like it would reach her ears. Fortunately, although she was excited, she didn’t mess up the photo.
The photo was quickly taken, capturing the two of them.
Gu Chenyan let go of Qiao Shu.
The young lady, still eager, handed the Polaroid to them. She completely forgot about her boyfriend beside her. With sparkling eyes, she asked eagerly, “Are you still taking more pictures? I can continue to help you. I’m from the Photography Association, so I’m good at taking photos.”
“Let’s do it!” Qiao Shu felt excited.
