In the study, Bo Yizhou shut his computer, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.
He picked up his phone and opened the messages Lu Keran had sent.
"Lu Keran: You're not at the office?"
"Lu Keran: ? Dead?"
He checked the time. They had been sent at two thirty, and it was already six thirty.
Bo Yizhou: ...
"Bo Yizhou: Not dead."
Less than a second after he sent it, messages immediately came bombarding him from the other end.
"Lu Keran: Oh, you're alive."
"Lu Keran: How very kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule to brush me off."
"Lu Keran: 666."
"Lu Keran: You cold, heartless man."
Bo Yizhou was left speechless.
"Bo Yizhou: ..."
"Bo Yizhou: Need something?"
It was not that he was a man of few words. Lu Keran was simply the sort who would bloom with the slightest bit of sunshine. Everyone found it incredible that he had a friend like this. After all, to outsiders, he was serious and unsmiling, so his friends ought to be the same type, or something close.
"Lu Keran: That's it?"
"Lu Keran: Two words?"
In a villa in Imperial View Garden, Lu Keran stared at those two precious words in disbelief. Come on, he's the one asking me for a favor. Would it kill him to say a couple more words?
"Bo Yizhou: ...Are you going to tell me or not?"
"Lu Keran: Yes, yes, yes."
"Lu Keran: That little celebrity is my perverted youngest uncle's new favorite."
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Bo Yizhou turned off his phone and walked out of the room.
Someone who was waiting for his reply stared at the phone that had remained silent for ages, laughed in exasperation, and silently flipped it the middle finger.
Unaware that someone was expressing his contempt for him, he went downstairs but did not see the person he wanted to see.
Butler Chen perceptively stepped forward. "Mr. Gu and the young master are in the back garden. Would you like me to call them back?"
Hearing this, he shook his head slightly. "No need. I'll go."
Watching him walk away, Butler Chen had tears in his eyes and a gratified smile on his face. All he lacked was a handkerchief to wave him off with.
Mr. Gu and his employer truly were a match made in heaven. Madam and Master would never again have to worry that their son would spend his entire life alone.
Completely unaware of Butler Chen's strange thoughts, Bo Yizhou headed toward the back garden.
At that moment, the two people he was looking for were playing rock-paper-scissors.
"Rock."
"Scissors."
"Hahaha, you lost again!" Gu Wancheng's cocky laughter reached his ears.
As he approached, he saw Gu Wancheng smugly waving his fist in front of Chaochao's eyes. Chaochao ignored his showing off and stared dejectedly at his own hand, wanting to cry but unable to.
"You lost! You looost!"
Chaochao's silence only fueled Gu Wancheng's arrogance, and he kept repeating those words.
In the end, Chaochao finally cracked and glared fiercely at him. "Will you stop? You're so annoying."
"Ow."
Confirmed: neither of these two was over three years old. Bo Yizhou gave a light cough.
Both turned their heads and saw the person standing behind them.
Chaochao's dejection vanished. "Father!"
Gu Wancheng immediately sat up straight. "Hubby."
Bo Yizhou nodded expressionlessly and swept his gaze over them, making them inexplicably nervous. He watched as the two edged closer and closer together.
He said, "Get ready for dinner."
"Okay."
"Okay."
The two followed behind him without a word the whole way.
When they reached the dining table, Chaochao cheered at the lavish spread.
He eagerly climbed onto his chair and looked at them with shining eyes.
Gu Wancheng chuckled at the sight and sat on his right, while Bo Yizhou sat opposite, where Gu Wancheng was bound to see him whenever he raised his head.
Gu Wancheng wanted to speak but stopped. "..."
He was certain he would feel uncomfortable during dinner tonight. After all, he had grown up without a husband, so suddenly having one was still a little awkward.
So he chose to bury his head and dig in. He put a piece of red-braised fish in his mouth, and his eyes lit up.
It's delicious! The rich sauce goes so well with rice.
He tried another dish, sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple. The sweet, tangy sauce had absorbed the pineapple's fruity fragrance and coated the pork tenderloin, crisp outside and tender inside. One bite was incredibly satisfying.
His eyes curved with happiness. It was so good he could not stop eating.
He instantly forgot the very meaning of awkwardness and became completely absorbed in one delicious dish after another.
Beside him, Chaochao ate without lifting his head either. The two looked as if they had been starving for three days. Sitting directly opposite Gu Wancheng, Bo Yizhou watched his cheeks puff up as he ate, an adorably incongruous sight paired with his cool, aloof face.
Seemingly influenced by them, he, who had not been particularly hungry, ate more than usual for once.
After finishing, Bo Yizhou did not leave but sat quietly watching them.
Chaochao had a small mouth and ate slowly. As for the other person, after observing him, Bo Yizhou concluded that he simply ate a lot. Fortunately, he could afford to feed him.
After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Wancheng finally looked up, only to be startled by the person sitting there. "Why are you still here?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Oh no, my mouth slipped. How could I speak to my sugar daddy like that?
Fortunately, his sugar daddy did not react much to the remark. "Are you full?"
Huh? What does he mean?
Gu Wancheng thought for a moment, then said, "I'm full."
"Then go to bed."
Ah! So soon? I'm not ready yet! Gu Wancheng's face grew hot as his imagination ran wild.
"What are you thinking about?"
Bo Yizhou suddenly interrupted his thoughts. When he looked over and saw the other man watching him strangely, he realized he had misunderstood. In that instant, he practically wanted to die of embarrassment, his entire body burning.
The head he had raised finally drooped.
Unfortunately, he just missed the smile on the other man's face.
Unable to understand the two adults' strange behavior, Chaochao tugged at his hem. "Daddy, it's bedtime. Let's sleep together."
Chaochao's words gave the embarrassed Gu Wancheng a way out. He took a deep breath and abruptly stood up, startling Chaochao beside him.
Under the child's puzzled gaze, he reached out, scooped him up firmly, and turned to leave without once looking at a certain someone.
That certain someone: He really is shy.
Suddenly lifted into the air, Chaochao wrapped his arms around Daddy's neck. Facing Father, he blinked and waved goodbye.
Bo Yizhou was in quite a good mood and waved back. Chaochao's eyes widened, then curved as he smiled happily.
Gu Wancheng, who did not dare turn around, naturally knew nothing of their silent exchange.
Back in the room, he set Chaochao down and stretched his arms. He had to admit the boy had some weight to him. He was one solid little cub.
"Are you going to bathe yourself, or should I help you?"
"I can do it myself."
Gu Wancheng thought for a moment. In the original owner's memories, Chaochao did indeed bathe himself, so he was reassured. "Then go take your bath. I'll get your pajamas."
"Okay~" Chaochao's obedient manner made him temporarily forget what had just happened. He rubbed the boy's head and went to get his pajamas.
Chaochao's room was not far away, and he returned with them in two minutes. When he came back, water was running in the bathroom. Chaochao had already gone in to bathe.
He knocked on the door, and the water stopped. With the sound of the handle turning, the door opened a crack, and Chaochao poked his head out. Gu Wancheng handed him the clothes and received a well-mannered thank-you.
Gu Wancheng smiled and nodded. Once the door closed again, he lay on the sofa, picked up a book, and began reading.
As he read, the sleepiness that had been interrupted earlier came over him again. His awareness gradually blurred, and the book slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.
A carpet covered the floor, so the book made no sound when it fell.
Nor did he hear that someone had just come in.