Cub's Dad Chapter 27

 Chapter 27

Xie Yishu: "?"

Xie Yishu thought for a moment. "But I want to take a bath."

Although he had bathed before going out, he wanted to wash up again after the trip.

Gu Yanzhi's gaze was intense as he stared at him. "Let's bathe together."

Xie Yishu's ears turned a shade of pink.

"Then I won't bathe," Xie Yishu turned his head away. "I already bathed tonight anyway. You, Gu Yanzhi, can just stay smelly."

Gu Yanzhi's gaze dimmed, looking inexplicably a bit aggrieved, like a large dog being scolded by its owner.

Xie Yishu's heart softened immediately. "I'm not disgusted by you... Alright, we won't bathe. Our Gu Baobao smells the best."

He pulled Gu Yanzhi towards the bedroom. "I'll heat the water again in the morning. You can bathe after you wake up."

In the bedroom, the little chubby cub had been waiting for a long time.

He had passed his usual bedtime and wasn't sleepy at all, lying on his stomach with his little chubby butt sticking up, his small feet swinging back and forth.

Xie Yishu went over and touched his little chubby feet. Thankfully, they weren't cold. He covered him with the blanket and asked, "Why aren't you lying under the covers?"

The little chubby cub misunderstood his meaning, showing a worried expression on his chubby face. "With two sponges on my butt, lying down feels a bit strange."

So he couldn't lie down to sleep and could only sleep on his stomach.

Xie Yishu chuckled and patted his chubby butt through the blanket. "Then just make do and sleep on your stomach for one night."

Bo Zai nodded and sneaked a glance at Gu Yanzhi. Seeing that Dad was looking at Mom, just like in the bathroom earlier, and not paying any attention to the sponges on his butt, he felt completely at ease. He patted the bed and invited, "Dad, Little Dad, come to bed!"

Xie Yishu pushed Gu Yanzhi onto the bed. "Sleep."

Gu Yanzhi sat on the edge of the bed, calmly looking at him. After a while, his eyelashes trembled, and he whispered, "Don't leave."

Xie Yishu felt a pang of heartache. "I won't leave."

Gu Yanzhi, as if he hadn't heard, repeated softly, "Don't leave."

"I really won't leave." Xie Yishu raised his wrist and shook it, showing the tether ring on his wrist. "I'm locked by you; I can't leave."

Gu Yanzhi's gaze fell on the "little pink pig" on his wrist, lingering for a long time before returning to Xie Yishu's face.

Xie Yishu reassured him once more, "I absolutely won't leave."

He helped Gu Yanzhi lie down and covered him with a blanket. Seeing that Gu Yanzhi was still staring at him without blinking, he reached out to cover Gu Yanzhi's eyes. "You sleep, I'll be right here. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll see me again."

Bo Zai blinked his eyes.

He didn't know what had happened between Dad and Mom, but he still squirmed around like a little caterpillar, pressing his chubby little body against Gu Yanzhi's, rubbing his fat little face against Gu Yanzhi's arm, and expressing his love for Dad through his actions. "Dad, Bo Zai won't leave either."

Gu Yanzhi tightly grasped Xie Yishu's wrist.

His eyelashes were long, and Xie Yishu could feel them lightly sweeping across his palm.

Because of the alcohol, Gu Yanzhi fell asleep shortly after lying down, and he slept more deeply than usual.

Xie Yishu gently pried open his hand.

"Little Dad!" Bo Zai wiggled his little wrist at Xie Yishu, excitedly hinting, "It's Bo Zai's turn!"

Xie Yishu smiled. "Alright, let me find the key."

He reached into Gu Yanzhi's pants pocket and felt around.

Nothing.

Bo Zai saw Xie Yishu stop and tilted his little head. "Little Dad?"

Xie Yishu felt around Gu Yanzhi's other hand, which was still clenched.

Nothing.

With no other choice, Xie Yishu removed Gu Yanzhi's handcuff and adjusted the size to fit Bo Zai's wrist. "Alright."

The key would have to wait until tomorrow.

Bo Zai twisted his little wrist, admiring the "little pink pig" from different angles, feeling delighted in his heart.

Now he was connected to Mom too, and could stay connected for the whole night!

Bo Zai asked Xie Yishu, "Little Dad, sleep?"

"Sleep." Xie Yishu sat on the bed, took out his light brain, and sent messages to Principal Lu, Teacher Ge, and Wang Ziqiao. After receiving their replies, he placed the light brain on the bedside table, turned off the light, and tucked Bo Zai in. "Good night, Bo Zai."

He had taken a half-day leave for himself and Bo Zai, planning to stay home in the morning and go to the kindergarten in the afternoon.

Bo Zai snuggled into Xie Yishu's arms like a little piglet and closed his eyes. "Good night, Little Dad."

The next morning, Xie Yishu was woken up by the weight of the little chubby cub.

Bo Zai, like a little koala, had his arms around Xie Yishu's neck, with half of his small body pressing down on him. Xie Yishu almost couldn't breathe.

He gently pushed the little chubby cub off himself. Bo Zai lay sprawled out for a while before turning over and moving to bother his dad.

Xie Yishu chuckled, carefully removed the handcuff from Bo Zai's wrist, picked up the light brain from the bedside table, and quietly left the bedroom.

It was now 7:30 in the morning.

Empty wine bottles from the previous night were scattered on the coffee table in the living room. Xie Yishu quickly tidied up, packed the empty bottles, and placed them outside the door. He then searched the living room, bathroom, and kitchen for a while before finally finding the poor little key lying at the bottom of the trash can in the kitchen.

Fortunately, the trash can only contained the key and the packaging from the sobering soup from the previous day.

Xie Yishu picked up the key, rinsed it with water, and unlocked himself.

Gu Yanzhi had drunk alcohol yesterday, so Xie Yishu wanted to make a bowl of millet porridge in the morning to soothe his stomach. Following the recipe he remembered, he rinsed the rice, added water, and pressed the "cook porridge" button.

While the porridge was cooking, he went to the bathroom to take a shower and changed into an old set of clothes.

Gu Yanzhi and Bo Zai were still asleep.

Seeing Bo Zai's chubby little arm sticking out from under the blanket, Xie Yishu had an idea. He went to the living room, fetched a child safety harness, and put it on both Gu Yanzhi and Bo Zai.

Then he used his light brain to take a photo.

Five years ago, when he was selecting an engagement ring at the mall, he was already imagining the home he and Gu Yanzhi would have.

He would propose to Gu Yanzhi on a candlelit night, and they would set their wedding on a sunny day. Once their jobs and residence were stable, they would participate in the "Incubation Pod Program." If they were lucky, they might be selected and have a mischievous son or a well-behaved little daughter.

Every morning when he opened his eyes, he would see the sleeping faces of the little one and Gu Yanzhi in the morning light.

Although the transmigration five years ago had thrown their lives into disarray, fortunately, everything was slowly getting back on track now.

Xie Yishu looked at the photo on his light brain, saved it, and set it as his screensaver.

When Gu Yanzhi woke up, the little chubby cub had already kicked off the blanket. He had rotated ninety degrees, with his chubby face resting on Gu Yanzhi.

Gu Yanzhi moved the little chubby cub to the side, making sure he was properly resting on his small pillow. Seeing the tether ring on his wrist, Gu Yanzhi rubbed his temples.

He had drunk too much last night. He only remembered fixing the water pipe, then going to the small restaurant he and Xie Yishu used to frequent during their university days, and asking the owner for a case of wine.

One bottle after another, he drank so much that he saw Xie Yishu again.

As for why Bo Zai was here...

Gu Yanzhi pinched the bridge of his nose, guessing that the little chubby cub must have been clamoring to see him, so he had the driver bring Bo Zai over. Bo Zai must have brought the tether strap from who knows where and insisted on wearing it, so he put it on him.

Gu Yanzhi found the key on the bedside table, unlocked and removed the tether ring, and picked up the light brain to check the time. It was a quarter past nine, and the little chubby cub was late.

But for some reason, the kindergarten teacher hadn't called to ask why Bo Zai hadn't arrived yet. Gu Yanzhi opened the messaging app, found Bo Zai's kindergarten teacher, and requested a leave of absence for the little chubby cub. Then he put down the light brain, took a set of clothes from the wardrobe, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

When he came out, the little chubby cub was still asleep, smiling at whatever he was dreaming about.

Gu Yanzhi walked over and gently nudged him. "Bo Zai, time to get up."

Bo Zai, disturbed from his sleep, kicked his little legs in protest, turned over, and continued sleeping.

Gu Yanzhi patted the little chubby cub's plump buttocks, just about to speak, when his action paused. He sensed that the feeling of his hand was not quite the same as usual.

He lifted up the T-shirt on Bo Zai's body, and the two sponges that were not fully covered by the little underwear entered his line of sight.

Gu Yanzhi: "……"

He didn't know for a moment whether the two sponges were put there by Bo Zai himself or if he had done it while drunk.

Gu Yanzhi reached out to pull them off, and as he did, the sleeping Bo Zai suddenly inhaled a breath of cool air.

His eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes with a "ba" sound.

"Dad?" Bo Zai had just woken up and was still a bit groggy. His chubby hand rubbed his slightly sore little butt, and he greeted Gu Yanzhi in a daze, "Good morning, Dad."

Gu Yanzhi: "…Good morning."

He hadn't expected those two sponges to be stuck to his son's butt.

Usually, glue stuck to the skin would naturally come off by the next day, so Gu Yanzhi didn't try to pull them off forcefully. He picked up the little chubby cub and took him to wash up.

As Bo Zai brushed his teeth, he gradually became more awake. Thinking of his mom, his eyes lit up, and he said to Gu Yanzhi, "Dad…"

Gu Yanzhi glanced at him and reminded, "What did Uncle Doctor tell you? When brushing your teeth, you need to hold the toothbrush properly and not talk."

Bo Zai obediently complied.

He knew that protecting his teeth was important and that he needed to brush them carefully.

It was just that he was too excited today and had forgotten the dentist's advice.

Seeing that the little chubby cub had almost finished brushing, Gu Yanzhi turned on the water for him to rinse his mouth and said, "I'll go make breakfast for you. Wash your face and come out when you're done."

Bo Zai held the rinse water in his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and nodded.

Gu Yanzhi walked out of the bathroom, opened the bedroom door, and saw the familiar figure in the kitchen with his back to him.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Xie Yishu heard the noise, turned his head to look, and upon seeing that it was Gu Yanzhi, turned back to check the porridge in the rice cooker.

"I made you a bowl of millet porridge. But..."

Xie Yishu stirred the porridge with a ladle, looking at the consistency with some embarrassment. "I forgot which water level to add to, so it seems a bit thin."

Gu Yanzhi stared intently at the young man's back, unable to speak.

He didn't know if this was a dream or reality.

But if it was a dream, he hoped never to wake up.

Gu Yanzhi gripped the door handle tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, as he stared at Xie Yishu's back, unable to speak through the pain.

Every breath he took was accompanied by a sharp pain in his heart.

If this wasn't real, he wouldn't be able to bear it.

But what if this was reality?

Gu Yanzhi closed his eyes and forced out a trembling voice, "Xiao Shu..."

Just as he uttered two syllables, a chubby little body beside him rushed past like a whirlwind, dispersing his voice.

Bo Zai, with his short legs, dashed into the kitchen, hugged Xie Yishu's leg, and looked up with his chubby face to greet him, "Little Dad, good morning!"

His little nostrils flared as he sniffed the aroma of the porridge in the kitchen, and he praised enthusiastically, "Little Dad's millet porridge smells so good, so good!"

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