Afraid he would be found out if the family doctor came, Su Huaiming quickly sat up and said, "There's no need. It's just a minor problem. I get these symptoms every so often, and they'll go away in a little while."
The butler was afraid Su Huaiming didn't have the strength to sit up, so he hurriedly urged him to lie back down. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor?" he asked hesitantly.
"No." Su Huaiming lay in bed with the blanket covering the lower half of his face, leaving only his round eyes and fluffy hair exposed.
Fu Xiaoxiao was still going "pfft, pfft, pfft," tears nearly coming to his eyes. Feeling terribly aggrieved, he was just about to turn and throw a tantrum at his bad stepfather when he saw Su Huaiming lying pitifully in bed, his eyes full of grievance.
Fu Xiaoxiao's anger instantly fizzled out. He moved a little closer and asked with a cold expression, "What's wrong with you?"
"I..." Su Huaiming coughed twice before continuing, "I'm sick."
Fu Xiaoxiao knitted his little brows.
His stepfather really was useless. He got sick so easily.
Fu Xiaoxiao was as sturdy as a little calf. He folded his arms and let out a deeply solemn sigh. "Why are you so weak?"
For once, Su Huaiming didn't argue with Fu Xiaoxiao. He coughed twice more.
"Then, then when will you get better?" Fu Xiaoxiao continued, "You still have to take me to play with Youyou and Xuanxuan."
I'll get better as soon as you leave, Su Huaiming thought, but he put on an act and said, "If I get a good rest, I'll be better tomorrow."
Only then was Fu Xiaoxiao reassured. He instructed him very seriously, "Then hurry up and rest. You're not allowed to be sick tomorrow!"
To help Su Huaiming get better quickly, Fu Xiaoxiao ran off of his own accord to pour him a glass of warm water. He pattered back, set the glass on the table, and imitated the nanny. "You have to drink lots of water and take your medicine properly to get healthy again."
Then Fu Xiaoxiao remembered how childish and delicate his stepfather was and said sternly, "You can't refuse to take your medicine just because it's bitter."
Afraid Fu Xiaoxiao would bring him medicine, Su Huaiming hurriedly said, "I'll rest a little longer. If I'm still not better, I'll take some medicine."
Fu Xiaoxiao wanted to say more, but Su Huaiming began coughing violently.
Startled, Fu Xiaoxiao promptly fell silent and hurried out with the butler leading the way.
Only when Su Huaiming saw that the room was empty did he breathe a sigh of relief.
You little brat, how dare you compete with me? Your daddy here has 800 tricks up his sleeve!
Su Huaiming rolled over comfortably and rubbed his face against the pillow, sinking deep into the soft bedding. As he turned, his lower legs slipped out from under it.
When the butler and the others had come in earlier, they had drawn the curtains halfway open. Clear morning light streamed through the window, falling gently on Su Huaiming's exposed skin.
Su Huaiming didn't like exercise. His calves were soft, with not an ounce of excess flesh, their contours graceful and lovely. His skin was luminous and fair, with the texture of porcelain in the light.
His ankle bones stood out, delicate and pretty. Blue veins were faintly visible on the tops of his feet, and his rounded toes had a pale pink tint.
Happy to be able to go back to sleep, Su Huaiming wanted to roll around in bed. He turned back over and murmured to himself, "Finally, I can sleep a little longer..."
He wrapped himself tightly in his blanket and was just about to sink into a deep sleep when he suddenly felt a little cold all over.
??? He was clearly under the blanket?!
Su Huaiming opened his eyes in confusion and found himself staring straight into Fu Jingfan's eyes.
Fu Jingfan was dressed in a casual outfit. Tall and straight, he leaned against the doorframe, and there was no telling how long he had been standing there.
Su Huaiming: !!!!
He thought about what he had just said and done. At once, his breathing caught and everything went black before his eyes.
Help, help me!
Fu Jingfan showed no intention of leaving. Arms folded, he watched him with a heavy gaze.
After a full half minute of stalemate, Su Huaiming hunched his shoulders and pressed his lips into a straight line. Clutching the blanket, he inched downward until he was completely buried beneath it, vividly illustrating what it meant to want to see no one.
Curled up under the blanket, Su Huaiming wailed silently, unwilling to show even a single strand of hair.
Through the blanket, Su Huaiming heard muffled footsteps stop beside his bed.
Fu Jingfan looked down at the small lump under the blanket and raised an eyebrow. His voice was calm, but carried a trace of something hard to describe. "You're sick?"
Su Huaiming pulled a crying face and said reluctantly, "Yes, I'm sick."
Hearing the despair in Su Huaiming's voice, Fu Jingfan chose not to let him off. "What illness do you have?" he asked.
Now Su Huaiming was absolutely certain that Fu Jingfan had seen everything and was deliberately questioning him.
He didn't answer, hoping to beg Fu Jingfan for mercy through silence.
Fu Jingfan seemed not to notice and asked again, "What illness do you have?"
Seeing no way out, Su Huaiming squeezed his eyes shut. His voice was thoroughly meek, but what he said was remarkably bold. "I have 'I think going for a run at five thirty in the morning is pretty perverse, and I couldn't find an excuse to get out of it, so I could only pretend to be sick, and I'm really sorry' disease."
Fu Jingfan: "..."
The word "perverse" echoed in his ears, and he found it absurd.
That was supposed to be an apology? He was clearly insulting him by a roundabout route!
Chapter 23: 023
After the words were out, Su Huaiming suddenly felt it didn't matter anymore.
A married couple living together couldn't possibly be completely in sync and free of friction. Even if they loved each other deeply, they couldn't accommodate everything about each other.
The more Su Huaiming thought about it, the more sense it made.
It was only natural that he wouldn't go on morning runs with Fu Jingfan. He had even chosen to pretend to be sick for Fu Jingfan's sake. He had already done more than enough!
Su Huaiming pulled the blanket down, revealing his fluffy hair.
The air had been stuffy and hot while he was curled up under the blanket, turning the tip of his nose and the corners of his eyes red. Once his head was out, his mouth fell slightly open as he instinctively breathed in the fresh air.
Su Huaiming sat up in bed and said, "I can't get up at five thirty, and I don't want to go running in the morning. But Xiao Xiao was acting so... What else could I do? I could only pretend to be sick."
Hearing this, Fu Jingfan found it funny.
Apparently, he was the one who had been wronged.
Fu Jingfan analyzed the situation very rationally. "You didn't need to pretend to be sick in front of Xiao Xiao."
Su Huaiming sighed, feeling that Fu Jingfan had never raised a little terror and had no idea what he was going through. "If I hadn't pretended, Xiao Xiao definitely wouldn't have let it go. He may be perfectly well-behaved in front of you, but in front of me..."
At that point, Su Huaiming suddenly remembered that he seemed to have said he would help Fu Xiaoxiao keep it secret. He abruptly faltered, his open-mouthed expression looking rather silly.
"What about in front of you?" Fu Jingfan stood beside the bed, looking down at Su Huaiming.
Fu Xiaoxiao should be disciplined by Fu Jingfan, his biological father; that would be the most effective approach too. But somehow he had been out of his mind and agreed to consider Fu Xiaoxiao's request. If he spoke ill of him to Fu Jingfan now, it felt a little disloyal, and it would be even harder to discipline Fu Xiaoxiao afterward.
Su Huaiming was deeply torn, unsure whether to say anything.
"You said you would help me take good care of Xiao Xiao and teach him properly," Fu Jingfan said. "You've done well."
Su Huaiming came back to his senses and replied instinctively, "It's what I should do."
"Then I'll leave Xiao Xiao to you." Fu Jingfan looked down at Su Huaiming, his gaze deep and sharp, as though it could pierce through appearances and see into his heart.
With things having come to this, Su Huaiming could only brace himself and nod. "Okay."
"Then will you pretend to be sick again?" Fu Jingfan abruptly brought the conversation back around.
Su Huaiming stared at him, feeling that Fu Jingfan was holding his weakness over him. A hint of dissatisfaction showed in his eyes, but he still answered honestly, "Maybe."
Seeing how honest Su Huaiming was, Fu Jingfan couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Su Huaiming was clever and cunning, with a quick mind and 800 tricks up his sleeve, but he never put them to proper use.
Without giving Fu Jingfan another chance to speak, Su Huaiming yawned, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, and looked up at him.
Although Su Huaiming said nothing, Fu Jingfan could clearly sense that he wanted him to leave.
Fu Jingfan paused, then said, "Get some rest. I'll leave you to it."
Su Huaiming hadn't forgotten his role as someone deeply in love with Fu Jingfan. He sighed and said with great regret, "I know you're very busy and don't have much time to spend with me. Don't worry, I'll be understanding."
Despite his words, joy shone on Su Huaiming's face. He was happy that he could go back to sleep soon.
Fu Jingfan took a long look at the little fox whose words didn't match his thoughts. Without exposing him, he nodded slightly, turned, and left.
After the door closed, Fu Jingfan didn't leave.
He was now absolutely certain that Su Huaiming was pretending to love him.
What was more, Su Huaiming thought very highly of his own performance and wasn't at all afraid of being exposed.
He was like a little white rabbit insisting on disguising himself as a fox, convinced he was cunning and clever, unmatched under heaven, and that no one could see through his disguise.
Or perhaps he didn't care about that, and cared even less about the person watching his performance, thinking it would be no big deal even if he were exposed.
Without even realizing it himself, Fu Jingfan's lips curved in an almost imperceptible smile.
Before this, Su Huaiming had been nothing more than a blurry shadow in his mind.
He couldn't remember what he looked like, and his presence was practically nonexistent. Their only connection was a few unread emails lying in Fu Jingfan's inbox.
But now, Su Huaiming was gradually coming into focus, and he was quite interesting too.
Like someone who had discovered a little pet to tease and play with, Fu Jingfan instinctively paid a little more attention to Su Huaiming and took a little more interest in him. He wanted to see more of Su Huaiming's clumsy, halfhearted acting.
But this was only a diversion, and Fu Jingfan didn't devote too much thought to Su Huaiming.
Fu Jingfan was busy working 007 every day, while Su Huaiming's days were extremely leisurely.
The brand moved quickly. A few days later, it announced that Su Huaiming would be working with them and teased a livestream three days later.
This was Su Huaiming's first official work appearance since the contract termination controversy, and a great many netizens flocked to the comments.
[Now that he's escaped his unscrupulous agency, is Su Huaiming going to focus on his career?]
[I'll definitely be waiting in the livestream on time. It's only been a few days, but I kind of miss him.]
[Will Su Huaiming address the contract termination during the livestream? I really want to eat that melon.]
[Congratulations to Su Huaiming on getting an endorsement!]
After this comment was posted, many people were puzzled and replied with question marks. The netizen who posted it soon responded.
[The brand has a habit of building hype before an official announcement, mostly through livestreams. And it's just about time for them to change spokespersons. Judging by this Weibo post, it's almost certain Su Huaiming is the new spokesperson.]
[Awesome. I've been eating this chocolate since I was little. It's one of the top chocolate brands in the country, right?]
[As expected of a man who married into a wealthy family, he got an endorsement so quickly.]