Chapter 249 – Report to the CEO: Madam Has Run Away Again – Not a Little Kitten, But a Little Squirrel (13)
Having set aside his work to focus on searching for someone, Gu Yan had no idea that his own grandfather had tricked him. He was still scouring the entire city.
Sha Yao watched as Gu Yan grew thinner by the day. A dignified business tycoon living such a miserable life—she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
Jiang Hongzhe felt deeply guilty for his friend losing his wife. If only he had kept his mouth shut, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.
Outside the office door, Sha Yao overheard Jiang Hongzhe and Gu Yan talking. She pushed the door open and stormed in, furious.
“So it was you stirring up trouble!”
No wonder Tang Tkang had been acting so out of character. If it hadn’t been for Jiang Hongzhe, she wouldn’t have left.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Hongzhe said guiltily.
“‘Sorry’ is useless! Can you bring Tang Tang back?” Sha Yao snapped, still fuming.
On the other side of things, Xiao A had been monitoring the male lead’s every move. He sighed quietly—this scapegoat the male lead had to carry was pitifully heavy. He knew that even though the host never said anything out loud, they still muttered the male lead’s name in their sleep from time to time. Clearly, he was still on their mind.
Ever since Bai Tang moved in, Grandpa Gu hardly even had time to go play chess with others anymore. The companionship of young people was different from that of the elderly—Grandpa Gu truly felt the joy of family life.
After hearing from Assistant Jin about the “love-hate entanglement” between Bai Tang and Gu Yan, Grandpa Gu felt that Gu Yan was being too heartless. How could he cast aside such a good child so easily?
People are naturally biased. Even though his grandson had wronged Bai Tang before, Grandpa Gu still wanted to help Gu Yan gain some favor. How wonderful it would be if Bai Tang could become his granddaughter-in-law. Such a good kid belonged in the family.
“Tang Tang, you’re living alone—have you thought about finding a partner? Grandpa Gu knows lots of people. Just tell me what kind of person you like, and I’ll introduce someone.”
Bai Tang still had feelings for Gu Yan and wasn’t interested in anyone else. He politely declined, “No need. I’m doing fine on my own.”
“Don’t be shy. Growing up and settling down is totally normal. Meeting someone now—if it doesn’t work out, you just break up. It’s not like you’re wasting your youth.” Grandpa Gu persisted, trying to gauge Bai Tang’s preferences.
“Tang Tang, what kind of girl do you like?”
“I—I really don’t need it. Girls just aren’t right for me. Don’t let them waste their time on someone like me…”
Grandpa Gu looked at Bai Tang’s face and cautiously probed, “So, that means you like boys? Actually, that’s fine too. Grandpa Gu doesn’t discriminate—love has nothing to do with gender. What matters most is the connection between two people.”
As Bai Tang listened to Grandpa Gu’s words, his expression dimmed. He thought back to the countless moments he had shared with his beloved across different worlds.
Sadly, those gentle memories would no longer belong to him.
“Grandpa Gu has a grandson—not to brag, but my grandson is tall, handsome, mature, dependable, and incredibly considerate. I think he’d be a perfect match for you. Let Grandpa set up a meeting between you two…”
As he spoke, Grandpa Gu pulled out his phone, ready to make a call.
“N-no need…” Bai Tang hurriedly waved his hands. “Grandpa Gu, really, there’s no need…”
But it was too late. Grandpa Gu had already dialed Gu Yan’s number—and even thoughtfully put it on speaker.
“Grandpa Gu, seriously, it’s not necessary—”
The soft, sweet voice of the young man came through the speaker.
Gu Yan shot up from his swivel chair.
“Tang Tang, Tang Tang—is that you?”
The familiar voice stunned Bai Tang. His first instinct was to run.
Gu Yan’s voice came again from the phone: “Grandpa, please stop Tang Tang for me—I’m begging you…”
His grandson never begged for anything lightly. Having heard this, there was no way Grandpa Gu wouldn’t help stop Bai Tang.
Bai Tang abruptly stood up.
“I need to go—”
“Aiyo~” Grandpa Gu clutched his chest and collapsed onto the sofa.
Bai Tang rushed to help him. “Grandpa Gu, what’s wrong?!”
“M-my medicine…” Grandpa Gu ‘weakly’ pointed at the cabinet in front of him.
Bai Tang hurried to get the medicine for him, completely forgetting he had healing powers.
When he brought the medicine over, Grandpa Gu suddenly rolled his eyes and collapsed, pretending to pass out.
“Grandpa Gu! Grandpa Gu—!”
Bai Tang shook his hand urgently, but when he checked his pulse, his panic slowly turned into confusion.
Grandpa Gu’s pulse was completely normal—nothing like someone suffering from a sudden heart attack. Bai Tang glanced at the medicine in his hand; it wasn’t heart medication at all, but pills for lowering blood pressure.
To be safe, Bai Tang still gave Grandpa Gu a full-body examination. His healing power flowed gently through Grandpa Gu’s body, nourishing his blood vessels. The pretending-to-be-unconscious Grandpa Gu let out a comfortable groan.
“Grandpa Gu, you’re awake?!” Bai Tang looked at him in surprise and delight.
Grandpa Gu (thinking): Oh no, I’ve been exposed.
“How are you feeling?”
Faced with Bai Tang’s concern, Grandpa Gu—though unsure of what exactly Bai Tang had done—pretended to have just regained consciousness.
“I feel much better now. What did you do just now, Tang Tang?”
Xiao A (in Bai Tang’s mind): “Just say it was traditional Chinese acupressure.”
“I read some traditional Chinese medicine books. The human body has a lot of acupuncture points—I memorized a few that are good for improving health…”
Grandpa Gu nodded. “Ah, I see.” He did recall Bai Tang pressing on a few spots on his body.
Bai Tang breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he wouldn’t be able to fool someone as sharp as Grandpa Gu, but unexpectedly, the old man believed it so easily.
“Tang Tang, I’d like some water. There’s none left in the house. Can you boil a bit for me?” Grandpa Gu glanced subtly at the clock on the wall. That brat still isn’t here. My granddaughter-in-law is about to slip away!
“Sure~” Bai Tang picked up the kettle and went to the kitchen to fill it with water.
While Bai Tang’s back was turned, Grandpa Gu quickly dialed Gu Yan’s number again.
“Hurry up, brat—I can’t stall him much longer!”
Before Gu Yan could reply, Grandpa Gu hung up and went back to lying weakly on the sofa, feigning frailty.
“Grandpa Gu, are you feeling unwell again?” Bai Tang sat beside him, full of concern.
“It’s just an old problem. Sometimes it feels like my heart is blocked, but when I get it checked, they never find anything wrong,” Grandpa Gu said between labored breaths.
That would explain why Bai Tang hadn’t detected any issues during the earlier scan.
Bai Tang wasn’t a professional doctor—he could identify common minor issues, but serious problems were beyond his ability.
“Xiao A, even the hospital couldn’t find anything. Why don’t you check Grandpa Gu yourself?” Bai Tang communicated with Little A through his consciousness.
Xiao A grumbled internally, “Only the host is this naive. How can he not see through Grandpa Gu’s lousy acting?”
“Alright, host, just a moment.” Despite his complaints, Xiao A followed Bai Tang’s instructions and performed a full-body scan on Grandpa Gu.
A few minutes later, the results came in.
“Host, aside from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Grandpa Gu is perfectly fine.”
Even Xiao A couldn’t detect anything wrong—now that was strange.
Click.
The kettle in the kitchen switched off—boiling complete.
Bai Tang came over with a mug and the kettle.
“Grandpa Gu, the water’s a bit hot. Let it cool for a while first.”
Just then, the sound of a key turning came from the front door. Bai Tang turned around and locked eyes with Gu Yan as he walked in.
Still feigning illness, Grandpa Gu quietly cracked one eye open. Seeing Gu Yan frozen in the doorway, he grew anxious.
Why are you just standing there? Say something already, you idiot. You’re killing me here!
The sudden sight of Gu Yan made Bai Tang’s nose tingle, and his eyes gradually turned red.
Gu Yan stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. Only with Bai Tang in his arms did he finally feel at ease.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault for not explaining clearly and letting you misunderstand. From beginning to end, the only one I’ve ever cared about is you. Not Sha Yao, not anyone else—just you.”
Gu Yan’s heartfelt confession left Bai Tang at a loss. Was he being lied to again?
But the man’s gaunt, haggard appearance wasn’t something that could be faked. Bai Tang slowly wrapped his arms around Gu Yan’s waist.
Ah Yan… he had lost so much weight.
Xiao A chose the perfect moment to chime in: “The male lead is telling the truth. It was Jiang Hongzhe who saw the female lead getting out of Gu Yan’s car. Since he had a crush on her, he assumed everyone else did too and jumped to conclusions. These past days, the male lead has been searching for you non-stop.”
“Ah Yan…”
The young man’s tears began to fall, soaking the fabric of Gu Yan’s shirt.
He buried his head in Gu Yan’s chest.
“I… I’m sorry…”—for misunderstanding you.
Gu Yan kissed the top of his head.
“I’m the one who should apologize. It was my fault. I wasn’t good enough, so you couldn’t trust me completely.”
“Let’s start over—together.”
Just as things were heating up and about to turn inappropriate for Grandpa Gu’s eyes, the old man, half-reclined on the sofa, let out a loud “Aiyo—”, successfully drawing their attention back.
“Grandpa Gu, are you still not feeling well? Let me take you to the hospital,” Bai Tang said with a voice still thick with emotion, the edges trembling as he fought back sobs.
Grandpa Gu quite enjoyed Bai Tang’s concern, but he really couldn’t stand the smell of hospital disinfectant.
“No, no, no need. I’ll just go lie down in my room for a bit. You two carry on.”
Young people these days… so passionate and impulsive. Not the least bit considerate of us elders.
Grandpa Gu quickly slipped away, like oil on the soles of his feet, leaving the two young people in the living room, red-eyed and facing each other.
“You’ve lost weight,” Gu Yan said, gently cupping Bai Tang’s face. “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
Bai Tang shook his head. He felt that in their relationship, it couldn’t just be Gu Yan giving all the time.
“I-I’m not hungry. You’re the one who hasn’t been eating properly. You’ve gotten so thin…”
The concern in Bai Tang’s eyes filled Gu Yan with joy.
“Sitting in an office all day—losing a bit of weight is just like dieting,” he joked lightly.
That was just like him. Every time something happened because of Bai Tang, his beloved would take all the blame upon himself, never once holding Bai Tang accountable, not even a little.
Thinking of that, Bai Tang’s quiet sobs turned into full-on crying.
“You never blame me… even though I’ve done things wrong too…”
Gu Yan gently wiped away the youth’s tears with his thumb.
“Because Tang Tang didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t cry. You look like a little kitten.”
“I-I’m not a l-little kitten… I’m a l-little squirrel…”
Bai Tang never forgot who he truly was. Every time the male lead got it wrong, he’d correct him immediately.
“Okay, okay~ Little squirrel it is. Little squirrel, be good—don’t cry anymore. Want some nuts? I brought some tasty ones—they’re in the car.”
Gu Yan didn’t know why, but when he saw Bai Tang hiccupping through his tears, eyes lighting up at the mention of “nuts,” he found him especially adorable—just like a real squirrel.
“Yes!” Bai Tang responded brightly.
“Then come downstairs with me to get them, little squirrel.”
Gu Yan held tightly to Bai Tang’s hand, unwilling to let go.
He could’ve easily let Bai Tang stay upstairs while he went down to get the snacks himself.
But he was scared—scared that if he turned around, Bai Tang might disappear again.
He never realized how fragile his emotional resilience was, until the near-suffocating panic he felt the last time Bai Tang went missing. He never wanted to experience that a third time.
Author’s Note:
Bai Tang: I’m not a little kitten, I’m a little squirrel~
Gu Yan: Okay, okay. Little squirrels are the best. I can tuck you in my pocket and take you wherever I go.