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As Gu Yilan headed downstairs, he sent a WeChat message to the butler, asking him to come down after he finished what he was doing.
In the spacious dining room, the boy sat at the far end of the table, slowly chewing on his favorite sweet-and-sour ribs. His pale cheeks were puffed out adorably.
When he saw Gu Yilan coming down, his eyes lit up.
Gu Yilan walked over and sat down beside Su Zesui. He subtly watched the boy’s expression, and only after making sure he hadn’t been secretly crying did he shift his attention to the food in front of him.
“I want…” Su Zesui said softly, “ice cream.”
“There’s plenty in the freezer,” Gu Yilan replied.
“I want it in the future too.”
Gu Yilan thought for a moment and said, “If you go out with me from now on, you’ll have plenty of chances to eat it again.”
Su Zesui nodded.
He was scared of going outside—but if he followed Mr. Gu, it wasn’t so bad.
Suddenly, he thought of something important. But it was too long to say out loud. Now that the intense emotion from earlier had faded, he didn’t have the words anymore.
So he pulled out his phone and began typing.
“Eat properly,” Gu Yilan said, knocking his knuckles lightly on the table.
Su Zesui immediately put his phone down and pretended to focus, scooping two spoonfuls of plain rice into his mouth while stealing glances at Gu Yilan.
Once his cheeks were puffed up like a little hamster again, he reached out and pointed at Gu Yilan’s phone.
In truth, just before putting his phone down, he had already hit send.
Gu Yilan unlocked the screen and checked WeChat—
[(o^^o): Mr. Gu, you said after we get married we’ll sleep in the same bed—is that true?]
When Gu Yilan looked up again, he met a pair of eyes that seemed to glow with light.
The boy’s eyes were still slightly swollen, with faint tear marks on his cheeks. Not long ago, he had just asked, “Mr. Gu, were they lying to me? Am I not actually cute?”
In this situation, how could Gu Yilan possibly say no?
“Yeah.” Gu Yilan lowered his gaze. “After we get the marriage certificate, you can move in.”
Su Zesui had been sitting very still, waiting for his reply. Only after getting confirmation did he finally start chewing again.
“Why…” Su Zesui mumbled through his rice, “get married?”
Gu Yilan knew what he really meant: Why had he changed his mind so suddenly?
But truthfully, he didn’t have a clear answer.
When the boy had been crying, telling those simple yet heartbreaking stories from his past, the only word that came to Gu Yilan’s mind was: Forget it.
When Su Zesui mumbled that he and those two boys from the afternoon were the only good people he’d ever met, Gu Yilan—who knew the truth—couldn’t keep his emotions from stirring.
Forget it.
Su Zesui was just too easy to hurt. What he needed was someone to protect him.
After all, from beginning to end, what the boy had always said was “I want to get married,” and the reason he gave was “because you’re a good person.”
He had never once said, “I like you.”
This innocent, naive boy didn’t understand love. He was simply following instinct—drawn to people who made him feel safe.
If Gu Yilan remembered correctly, out in the world, Su Zesui had a reputation as bad as his own.
His own was ruined on purpose.
But Su Zesui? Someone who always behaved and never stirred up trouble—how had his reputation fallen?
Those disgusting rumors from the two boys this afternoon might be just the tip of the iceberg.
Forget it.
He’d protect him a little longer. He’d teach him how to interact with people, how to protect himself—and one day, help him understand his own heart, so he could pursue someone he truly liked.
After all, in A City, getting married—and getting divorced—was a simple matter.
“Mr. Gu?” Su Zesui waved his hand in front of his face.
The boy was a quick learner. When he first came, he was stiff and silent like a little puppet. Now, not only was he more talkative, but he had even picked up a few of the little habits Gu Yilan and the butler had.
“Don’t call me ‘Mr.’ anymore,” Gu Yilan said, tipping his chin slightly. “Call me ‘Brother.’”
His words were a clear signal—completely stripping any romantic or physical implications from this marriage, and instead placing it firmly in the realm of family-like affection.
If the boy didn’t understand, then he probably didn’t understand what marriage really meant anyway—and there’d be no point explaining further.
Hearing that, Su Zesui lowered his head and began thinking seriously.
Considering the boy had already shed so many tears tonight, Gu Yilan stood up and picked up the glass of water nearby.
“Brother,” Su Zesui suddenly said.
Gu Yilan’s hand froze mid-pour. The arc of water that had been flowing smoothly wobbled and broke.
He set down the teapot and lowered his gaze to the boy beside him.
Su Zesui fiddled with his fingers and said even more softly, “Brother… hello.”
Gu Yilan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He set a glass of water in front of the boy, his voice slightly hoarse. “Mm.”
The boy’s voice was soft and tender. Since he had just finished crying, it was misty and sticky-sweet, like a feather brushing lightly against the heart.
No wonder Su Mingyu doted on his little brother so indulgently.
“Shrimp,” Su Zesui said, showing his messy little hands. After a moment, he seemed to realize something was missing and added obediently, “Brother.”
The butler, who had just finished his tasks and arrived late, walked in on this exact scene.
——…What on earth was this? Some kind of… roleplay?
“Get a warm towel,” Gu Yilan said calmly, showing no unusual expression as he gave the order to the suddenly appearing butler.
“Y-Yes, Young Master Gu!”
The butler, still thinking about those soft and obedient ‘big brother’s just now, lost his sense of tact and ended up just bringing back a hot towel with a pair of tongs.
It wasn’t until he met his boss’s cold stare that he suddenly broke into a cold sweat—
The boy’s tear-streaked face needed one towel, and his sauce-covered hands needed another.
One plus one equals two.
He should’ve brought two warm towels.
Gu Yilan took the towel and gave a slight nod of his chin. The flustered butler quickly stepped aside, lowered his gaze, and silently helped the boy peel shrimp, pretending to be invisible.
“Look up,” Gu Yilan said.
Su Zesui glanced at the towel in his hand and obediently closed his eyes, tilting up his small face.
Gu Yilan stood up, gently dabbing the boy’s fair and delicate cheeks—skin like smooth, warm jade.
As he looked at the clumped, damp eyelashes from crying, he moved the towel slightly upward.
Su Zesui’s long lashes fluttered. “Brother… that tickles.”
The butler’s hand trembled, and the shrimp meat plopped into the bowl with a splash, scattering a few drops of broth. He froze, staring at the two in stunned silence.
“Almost done,” Gu Yilan replied without changing expression. He even had the composure to ask, “Did you used to cry often?”
Su Zesui shook his head instinctively, then realized the man was helping him wipe his face. He corrected himself softly, “No.”
“Good boy.” Gu Yilan checked his red and swollen eyes, then tossed the towel aside.
The first thing Su Zesui did after opening his eyes was wave his hand. “Later… they didn’t bully me anymore.”
Later, a philanthropist sponsored his education and donated money for his brother’s treatment. His family’s situation improved, and his classmates stopped making fun of him.
Gu Yilan gave a slight nod.
With how much Su Mingyu doted on his brother, Gu Yilan imagined that if Su Zesui had suffered such humiliation, Su Mingyu would have stormed into the school, grabbed the bully by the collar, and demanded an explanation.
“Why did you already pack your bags?” Gu Yilan asked as he sat back down.
The freshly peeled shrimp meat the butler had just picked up fell right back into the soup with a plop. He quickly retrieved it and placed it in the little master’s bowl.
Gu Yilan shot him a cool glance but said nothing.
“I was afraid…” Su Zesui murmured, “That you’ll hate me, Brother.”
Gu Yilan’s gaze paused. For the first time, he felt a twinge of regret.
He shouldn’t have let the boy call him “Brother.”
Because of Su Mingyu, Su Zesui was used to saying “Brother” so naturally—it fit into every tone and situation with ease.
But Gu Yilan had never had such a pure, simple little brother before. No one like Su Zesui had ever called him that.
. . . . .
Seeing his boss at a loss for words, the butler quickly tried to redeem himself. Awkwardly, he said, “Little Master, you’re so good-looking—how could anyone dislike you? Young Master Gu would never hate you.”
Su Zesui looked up at the butler with bright eyes that seemed to ask, Really?
There was so much visible hope in the boy’s eyes that it was almost overwhelming. The butler straightened up, patted his chest, and solemnly declared, “Really. I swear.”
Gu Yilan: …
After dinner, Su Zesui wiped his hands with a towel. Under Gu Yilan’s watchful eye, he downed a large cup of hot water before being allowed to happily skip over to the fridge and grab his favorite ice cream.
Gu Yilan stood up too. The moment he glanced in Su Zesui’s direction, he noticed a small box of chocolate shards behind the boy’s slender figure.
Seeing the chocolate that carried memories from the past, the boy seemed to freeze. He reached out and lightly poked the little box.
Gu Yilan stepped forward, walking up behind him. He didn’t bring up the topic. Instead, he simply asked, “Do you need a hug?”
Su Zesui turned around in surprise.
He wasn’t that sad or heartbroken.
His body had a self-protection mechanism—he could mentally break unpleasant experiences into tiny soul fragments, isolating them from the rest of him.
When he got lost in those fragments, he couldn’t help but cry.
But normally, he didn’t feel their presence at all. Even if he saw something that triggered a memory, he would only quietly think: Oh. That seems like something I went through once.
Sometimes, even when he was crying, it felt like his soul would float out of his body to look at himself and wonder: Why are you even crying?
It was a strange sense of detachment.
But he really loved hugs—especially Mr. Gu’s hugs. They made his whole body feel warm.
Looking at the man in front of him with his arms slightly open, Su Zesui took a small step forward, reached out, and slowly hugged Gu Yilan, burying his face in the man’s chest.
Through the thin fabric, he could feel the heat of the man’s body, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and his firm, tense abs. It gave him a comforting sense of security, like being wrapped up in the whole world.
Su Zesui slowly closed his eyes.
This time, the hug wasn’t like the one at the side room door—brief and fleeting.
After being hugged, Gu Yilan didn’t move at all. He just let the boy cling to him, as if they could stay like that forever.
Su Zesui held on for another two minutes before letting go and softly saying, “Thank you.”
Before he even finished speaking, he felt a hand fall gently on his head, ruffling his dark hair.
Gu Yilan lightly patted the boy’s fluffy head and said, “Next time you want a hug, just tell me.”
A few stray tufts of hair popped up from the top of Su Zesui’s head. He parted his soft lips, looking both surprised and touched, then let out a quiet, “Mm.”
“Little Master is so adorable,” the ever-present butler chimed in at just the right moment.
Blushing slightly, Su Zesui took two steps back, leaving Gu Yilan’s embrace. After saying goodbye to both his “brother” and “uncle,” he dashed upstairs, cradling his favorite ice cream in his hands.