Cub's Dad Chapter 39

 Chapter 39

Xie Yishu had just finished his livestream and was planning to take a shower.

When he opened the wardrobe, he saw the shirt he had altered before.

Usually, this shirt was hung in a corner, and he didn't pay much attention to it. But today, with Gu Yanzhi packing the suitcase and taking out a few clothes, the wardrobe looked a bit empty, and the shirt was exposed.

Xie Yishu took out the shirt.

Previously, not knowing that Bo Zai's father was Gu Yanzhi, Xie Yishu had asked the little chubby boy about "Mr. Gu's" waist size and altered the shirt to be larger.

But now, looking at it, the original size should fit Gu Yanzhi perfectly.

Yet if it fit perfectly, why had all the buttons fallen off? And after he had altered it, the little chubby boy had said, "Daddy wears it just right."

Xie Yishu was puzzled.

As he pondered, his fingers subconsciously rubbed the shirt, and he realized that the fabric was quite good.

When the little chubby boy had handed it to him for alteration, the shirt had been crumpled into a ball, wrinkled, and a bit dirty. He had been focused on resizing it and hadn't paid attention to the material.

Now, the shirt was clean and seemed to have been ironed, looking very refined.

Xie Yishu touched it again.

The linen texture felt very delicate to the touch.

It was completely different from the other shirts in the wardrobe, which felt much rougher.

It felt quite similar to the high-end brand shirts sold in department stores.

However, considering that Gu Yanzhi had to repay loans and support Bo Zai, he probably couldn't afford such branded shirts from the mall.

It might be from some relatively inexpensive small brand.

As Xie Yishu speculated, he flipped the collar to check the brand, intending to remember the name and look it up on StarNet later.

If it had a good price-to-quality ratio, he could wait for a sale and buy a few more for himself and Gu Yanzhi during a big promotion.

However, he didn't find any label on the collar.

No brand label, no size tag, not even the usual care label on the side of the shirt.

Xie Yishu was momentarily stunned.

……Have small workshops that don't use labels started using such high-quality fabric now?

When he was in college, he had bought a few cheap shirts. Not only was the fabric poor, but they were also full of loose threads.

Xie Yishu hadn't yet processed his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching.

He looked up and saw Gu Yanzhi standing at the door. Without hesitation, he asked, "Gu Yan, where did you buy this shirt?"

Gu Yanzhi's gaze fell on the shirt in Xie Yishu's hand, a piece handcrafted by a renowned designer. He adjusted the little chubby boy in his arms and calmly replied, "Bought it on StarNet."

Unlike the unexpected "split-sole slippers" and "counterfeit mixed with genuine nutritional liquids," Gu Yanzhi had already prepared an explanation for this shirt.

"It's second-hand. I heard it was a knockoff of a certain high-end brand. The original owner realized the imitation was too obvious after buying it. They cut off the label and removed the branded buttons but still felt uncomfortable, so they put it up for sale on StarNet."

Gu Yanzhi briefly explained the backstory and then remarked, "I guess I got a bargain. The seller only asked for 49 interstellar credits."

This explanation had been carefully thought out by Gu Yanzhi and should be flawless.

"Only 49 interstellar credits?"

Gu Yanzhi affirmed, "Only 49."

"That's really a bargain." Xie Yishu touched the fabric again, feeling a bit pleased. "A shirt like this would probably sell for several hundred in a department store."

Seeing that Xie Yishu believed his explanation, Gu Yanzhi felt a sense of relief.

Wanting to make his little lover even happier, he added, "I heard the original owner bought it for 499. Later, because the label and buttons were cut off, they sold it for 49."

Xie Yishu's hand paused on the fabric, and he looked at Gu Yanzhi with some hesitation, "Original price 499?"

Original price 499, and just because the label and buttons were cut off, it was reduced to 49?

Was the original owner foolish?

Gu Yanzhi, who tends to become foolish in front of his lover, felt a twitch in his brow.

Realizing his mistake, he slowly corrected himself, "I remembered wrong, it was 199."

Xie Yishu still felt something was off, "199?"

Gu Yanzhi was silent for a moment, then lowered the price again, "I think it was 129."

Xie Yishu frowned, "How much was it exactly?"

Gu Yanzhi didn't know what price to say anymore. He fluttered his eyelashes and lowered his head, "…Xiao Shu, I don't remember."

Gu Yanzhi slowly said, "I just remember that the original price was quite high, and I got it for 49, so I was very happy that day."

Bo Zai looked at his dad, then at his mom. His little brain had a flash of inspiration, realizing it was his moment to help. He quickly nodded his chubby face to support his dad's words: "Bo Zai remembers that day. Daddy was very happy, like it was a holiday, and he even bought Bo Zai a bag of gummy bears."

He used his chubby hand to gesture a "one," reminiscing about the taste of the gummy bears, "They were so delicious."

Xie Yishu took a deep breath.

Looking at the two people in front of him—his lover, who "can't afford clothes from the mall and gets happy for a whole day over a 49-credit second-hand shirt," and his son, who "feels like it's a holiday just for getting gummy bears"—Xie Yishu felt a surge of heartache. How could he care about the original price of the shirt?

Xie Yishu tossed the shirt onto the bed, stepped forward, and hugged the big one and the small one, first kissing his son's chubby cheek, "Tomorrow, Daddy will buy you some candy."

Then he looked at Gu Yanzhi, feeling more and more heartbroken. He slightly tilted his head and kissed the corner of Gu Yanzhi's lips, "When I get my salary, I'll take you to the big mall to buy clothes. From now on, we won't wear supermarket clothes or second-hand ones."

Forget 49-credit clothes, even 499 or 1499-credit clothes, he would buy them for his Gu Yan.

Gu Yanzhi, who hadn't worn clothes from a mall in a long time, responded, "Mm."

Looking at Xie Yishu, who was determined to give him the best of everything, Gu Yanzhi's eyes darkened slightly. If only the little light bulb* in his arms wasn't there... Gu Yanzhi sighed inwardly and kissed Xie Yishu's smooth forehead.

*or little third wheel

If only the little light bulb in his arms wasn't there.

It wouldn't just be a simple kiss.

On Thursday, Gu Yanzhi, as usual, dropped off Xie Yishu and Bo Zai at the station.

After the bus left, he returned the same way, first going home to get his suitcase, then opening the door across the street, changing his clothes, and switching suitcases.

The driver and assistant were waiting in front of another unit. When they saw Gu Yanzhi walking over with his suitcase, the driver quickly got out of the car to take the luggage.

The assistant followed suit, opening the car door for Gu Yanzhi with utmost respect, "Mr. Gu."

Gu Yanzhi nodded and got into the car, with the assistant following closely behind.

The low-key black Maybach drove out of the community.

The assistant knew that Mr. Gu preferred silence, so he usually remained quiet.

But today, he couldn't hold back. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke up just before the car reached the airport, "Mr. Gu, this morning's flight is at eight o'clock. As per your instructions, I booked two tickets, one in first class and one in economy."

Gu Yanzhi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes slightly and glanced at the assistant, "Mm."

The assistant cautiously repeated, "One in first class, one in economy."

Gu Yanzhi asked calmly, "Is there a problem?"

Of course, there's a problem!

The assistant couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

If the first-class ticket was for Mr. Gu and the economy ticket was for him, he would only lament the loss of his previous first-class travel perks and have no other issues.

But the problem now was that the roles were reversed.

"Mr. Gu, are you really going to sit in economy class?"

"Mm."

Receiving a definite answer, the assistant didn't dare to ask any more questions.

But he couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into Mr. Gu lately. Leaving a perfectly good duplex to buy a place in an old neighborhood. Not flying first class on business trips anymore, opting for economy class instead... Could it be that he was tired of being wealthy and wanted to experience the life of an ordinary person?

Gu Yanzhi was aware of his assistant's confusion but didn't want to explain further.

After getting out of the car and passing through security, he carried his suitcase to the economy class waiting area.

Facing the economy class waiting area, which was worlds apart from the first-class waiting area and didn't even have an empty seat, Gu Yanzhi put down his suitcase, raised his light brain, and took a photo to send to his lover who was working at the kindergarten.

【Gu Yanzhi: [Photo]】

【Gu Yanzhi: Xiao Shu, I've arrived at the airport.】

It was still early, and not many children had arrived at the kindergarten yet, so he quickly received a reply from his lover.

【Xie Yishu: So many people. Is there any seat available?】

【Gu Yanzhi: No seats left. I'll stand for a while; it's almost time to board.】 

The "typing" indicator in the top left corner blinked for a moment, and Gu Yanzhi received Xie Yishu's reply.

【Xie Yishu: You've worked hard. Rest well once you're on the plane.】

【Xie Yishu: Bo Zai also says, 'Daddy, you've worked hard. Mua.'】

Gu Yanzhi looked at the message, clearly using the little chubby boy as an excuse to kiss him, and a barely noticeable smile flashed in his eyes.

He tapped the screen with his fingers and replied, 【Okay.】

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