From Ji Shang's angle, that plump little bottom was right in front of him.
Round, full, and springy, it made him want to give it a squeeze.
His gaze moved down and settled on An Yubei's waist.
Because of his position, the hem of his white short-sleeved shirt had slipped down, exposing his fair, delicate waist.
An Yubei's waist was slender, without a trace of excess fat, and had distinct lower-back dimples.
Ji Shang's eyes darkened as he lowered his head and kissed one of An Yubei's lower-back dimples.
The burning heat of his lips seared his skin, and An Yubei couldn't help stiffening.
He blinked, his mind completely blank.
[Why did he kiss my waist?]
[It tickles so much.]
[Is this the sweet treat before the punishment?]
[Does that mean he's about to get serious?]
[I'm really scared of pain. What do I do?]
[You have to be gentle, or my bottom will hurt!]
An Yubei squirmed his little bottom uneasily, then turned his head to look at Ji Shang.
An Yubei's entire face was red, and even his earlobes were flushed, as though they had been dyed.
"Brother Shang, are you still going to spank me?" After waiting so long without anything happening, An Yubei wasn't sure what Ji Shang was thinking.
Ji Shang chuckled and gently rested his palm on An Yubei's bottom, supporting him as he turned him around.
"How could I bear to? I won't spank you, Xiao Bei."
Leaning against Ji Shang's chest, An Yubei giggled. "That's wonderful. I love you, Brother Shang."
Ji Shang's heart skipped a beat. "Do you really love me?"
An Yubei grinned and wrapped his arms around Ji Shang's neck. "Of course I do."
An Yubei's eyes were as clear and pure as a pool of spring water, without a single impurity.
Ji Shang gave a self-mocking smile. His Xiao Bei was so innocent. How could he understand?
"Mm, I love you too."
With the misunderstanding between him and Ji Shang cleared up, the blockage in An Yubei's heart had eased as well.
People got hungry when they were in a good mood. He had only eaten a little hot pot at noon and hadn't eaten anything all evening.
Now his stomach was rumbling, as though protesting to its owner.
"Brother Shang, I'm hungry." An Yubei nestled in Ji Shang's arms like a starving kitten.
Ji Shang scooped An Yubei up around the waist. "Let's go downstairs and see what there is to eat."
Nestled in Ji Shang's arms, An Yubei didn't really want to move, so he made a token remark. "Put me down. I can walk by myself."
An Yubei felt a little bad about constantly tiring Ji Shang out, but he didn't want to walk himself either.
An Yubei prayed inwardly, [Please don't put me down. I'm so tired. I don't want to walk.]
[I want to be a little good-for-nothing.]
Ji Shang heard all of An Yubei's thoughts. His lips curved in a small smile as he said, "I'm not tired. You're very light, Xiao Bei."
"You're not wearing shoes. Let me carry you."
An Yubei nuzzled happily against Ji Shang's chest. "Thank you, Brother Shang."
An Yubei thought blissfully, [It feels so good to be doted on. I can be a little good-for-nothing without a care!]
Ji Shang carried An Yubei downstairs to the open kitchen and set him on the counter.
Worried it would be cold, Ji Shang fetched a small cushion and slipped it under An Yubei's bottom.
And so An Yubei swung his little feet, happily watching Ji Shang rummage through the refrigerator.
There were plenty of ingredients in the refrigerator, but none were things Ji Shang was good at cooking. He only knew how to boil dumplings or noodles, foods that required no skill.
Looking at the frozen dumplings Lao Wang had made, Ji Shang turned to ask An Yubei, "Would you like some dumplings?"
An Yubei nodded obediently. "I'll eat whatever you make."
The director, whom he called Mom, had said he should eat whatever he was given and not be picky.
So Ji Shang began cooking dumplings, pouring water into a pot and turning on the gas.
While waiting for the water to heat, Ji Shang came over to An Yubei and braced both hands against the counter, just enclosing An Yubei in his arms.
"Xiao Bei, you shouldn't have said you'd eat whatever I make."
An Yubei blinked, tilting his head up slightly to look at Ji Shang. "Then what should I have said?"
Ji Shang's lips curved in a smile, and he leaned closer to An Yubei. "You can choose for yourself. I'll make whatever you want to eat. You can't get the order backward."
An Yubei gave a quiet "Oh," then said inwardly, [But Brother Shang doesn't seem to know how to make much anyway.]
Ji Shang: "...!"
It seemed he needed to work on his cooking skills, or Xiao Bei wouldn't have anything to choose from.
The water boiled over, and Ji Shang hurriedly turned to lift the lid before adding the dumplings to the pot.
After finishing his flustered scrambling, Ji Shang heard An Yubei's bright laughter.
"Even someone as capable as Brother Shang has things he can't handle."
An Yubei hopped off the counter and stood barefoot on the floor. "Brother Shang, let me."
Ji Shang strode over to An Yubei and scooped the restless little baby into his arms.
"The floor is cold."
Ji Shang asked, "You know how to cook?"
An Yubei wrapped his arms around Ji Shang's neck and smiled. "A little."
An Yubei felt his cooking skills were definitely better than Ji Shang's.
"Then you give the instructions, Xiao Bei, and I'll do the work."
"Okay!"
Once the dumplings were cooked, the two sat facing each other, with steaming dumplings on the dining table.
"Are they good?" Ji Shang asked.
Eating a dumpling, An Yubei mumbled through puffed cheeks, "They're good."
Smiling, Ji Shang wiped the soy sauce from the corner of An Yubei's mouth.
"School starts soon. Do you have any plans, Xiao Bei? Would you like to go somewhere for a little trip?"
Although university coursework wasn't heavy, he would still have to stay at school every Monday through Friday, without much freedom.
An Yubei took a bite of his dumpling and thought for a moment. "Can I ask for something?"
"Yes."
An Yubei blinked and smiled. "Then could you go to an amusement park with me?"
He had wanted to go to an amusement park for a long time. In his previous life, An Yubei had been too poor to afford it, and he hadn't had any friends either. Going alone would have been no fun.
In this life, he had family and friends, so he wanted to experience the joy of being a child.
An Yubei couldn't help worrying. [Ji Shang is mature and steady. He doesn't like lively places and prefers quiet. He'd probably hate going to an amusement park!]
[But I really want to go to an amusement park with Ji Shang, and Ji Dongsheng too, all of us having fun together as a family.]
When Ji Shang said nothing, An Yubei asked tentatively, "Can we?"
Ji Shang lifted his eyelids slightly and smiled. "Yes!"
An Yubei said excitedly, "Then can I invite Lu Jinsheng?"
There was anticipation and happiness in An Yubei's eyes, and despite his reluctance, Ji Shang agreed.
"Yes!"
What could he do? This was his little baby. If he didn't spoil him, who would?
"You can do whatever you want, Xiao Bei."
That single sentence was filled with favoritism. An Yubei felt he was the happiest person in the world.
Ji Shang really spoiled him so much.
An Yubei happily got up and walked barefoot across the floor to Ji Shang.
He plopped down on Ji Shang's lap and wheedled, "Then say, 'Just give me a smile, and my life is yours.'"
This was something domineering CEOs often said in novels, commonly known as "giving-you-my-life literature."
An Yubei had always found the way domineering CEOs spoke entertaining, so he kept wanting Ji Shang, a big-shot CEO himself, to give it a try.
Last time, it had been "The weather's turned cold. Let the Wang family go bankrupt," and the Wang family really had gone bankrupt afterward.
This time, An Yubei wanted to try "giving-you-my-life literature."
Ji Shang: "...!"
So chuuni!
An Yubei nuzzled against Ji Shang's chest. "Say it. I want to hear it."
There was no helping it. Xiao Bei liked it.
"Just give me a smile, Xiao Bei, and my life is yours."
[Wow, my heart skipped a beat.]
[That line might sound chuuni, but it still packs quite a punch. Who wouldn't love hearing it?]
And so An Yubei rocked back and forth with laughter in Ji Shang's arms, his cheerful laughter filling the entire living room.
Looking at An Yubei in his arms, Ji Shang thought that making his little baby happy wasn't all that difficult.
He seemed to have gotten the hang of it.