Chapter 270 – The Runaway Little Sweetheart of the Top Actor – The Care and Affection from the Elders (14)
By evening, the entire Pu family had gathered.
Led by Pu Hexu, Bai Tang was introduced to everyone. One after another, he greeted them politely with “Uncle Pu,” “Second Uncle Pu,” “Second Aunt Pu,” “Third Uncle Pu”… His well-mannered and sweet demeanor quickly won over the hearts of the elders.
As the eldest among the younger generation, Pu Hexu had always been a worry-free child. Because of this, the elders often told the younger cousins to learn from him. As a result, all the boys grew up to be sensible and independent. While it was good that they weren’t troublemakers, over time the family began to feel a quiet sense of disappointment—something akin to defeat. Whenever problems arose, the boys rarely turned to their parents for help, and instead went straight to Pu Hexu for advice.
Now, more than a decade later, the children had all grown up. They were adults, and the elders’ hope that the kids would act cute and affectionate toward them seemed increasingly out of reach.
So when Bai Tang appeared—soft-spoken, adorably sweet, and clearly a well-behaved child—they were instantly overjoyed. And when their eldest sister-in-law, Pu Hexu’s mother, mentioned that Bai Tang was Pu Hexu’s future spouse, the family immediately considered him one of their own. How wonderful!
As was customary, the elders asked a few questions: “Are you getting used to living here?” “Do you have any hobbies?” “How long have you been with Hexu?”
Seeing her sweet future daughter-in-law surrounded by her sisters-in-law and unsure which question to answer first, Pu Hexu’s mother quickly stepped in to ease the pressure: “There’s plenty of time to get to know each other. Tang Tang was injured not long ago and still hasn’t fully recovered.”
In just an hour, the elders’ affection for Bai Tang skyrocketed. They had vaguely heard about Hexu’s rumored romantic interest—Bai Tang—getting injured on set, but since Pu Hexu himself wasn’t the one hurt, they hadn’t paid much attention. Now that they’d met Bai Tang in person and accepted him as one of their own, it felt entirely different. An outsider had hurt one of their own? Absolutely unacceptable. They had to do something about it.
After dinner, Bai Tang was examined by the Pu family’s private doctor, who confirmed that his injuries were healing well. Only then did the elders feel reassured and sit down to chat with him again.
Before they knew it, it was already nine o’clock. Most of the Pu family had returned, and Bai Tang had managed to familiarize himself with at least some of their faces. With so many people in the family, he couldn’t remember everyone right away.
Since it was the first time meeting him, it was only natural that they would give him a welcome gift.
The elegant ladies of the family knew their belongings weren’t suitable for a young man like Bai Tang, so they promised to give him proper gifts later. For now, each of them handed him a thick red envelope.
Bai Tang waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no, really, that’s too generous~”
The Pu family, being seasoned veterans of the business world, all had sharp eyes and could instantly tell whether someone was being sincere or not.
Bai Tang truly didn’t want to accept their red envelopes. It was his first visit to the Pu household, and not bringing any gifts already felt impolite—how could he possibly accept gifts on top of that?
To the uncles and aunts, Bai Tang’s refusal only made him seem even more genuine and unmaterialistic, further improving their impression of him.
Pu Hexu smoothed things over with a smile. “It’s fine, just take it.” He leaned in close to Bai Tang’s ear and whispered, “Once you accept the family’s red envelopes, that means you’re mine.”
The words “you’re mine” carried a slightly ambiguous meaning. And given Pu Hexu’s tendency to take advantage of Bai Tang whenever he had the chance—holding hands, stealing kisses, and sometimes even more—Bai Tang couldn’t help but blush, his cheeks tinged a soft pink.
In front of the elders, Bai Tang didn’t dare show how close he actually was with Pu Hexu.
The Pu family’s aunts all had amused expressions, wearing a knowing look that said, “We get it.” Bai Tang was so embarrassed he couldn’t even lift his head.
“Alright, alright, stop teasing Tang Tang,” Second Aunt laughed. “Careful he runs off—then Hexu’ll come after you to get him back.”
“You just said not to tease him, and now you’re at it again. If you keep going, Tang Tang really will run off,” Third Aunt added with a chuckle.
After saying goodnight to the uncles and aunts, Bai Tang followed Pu Hexu upstairs, practically skipping steps to keep up. Even as the bedroom door closed behind them, the sound of laughter and conversation from downstairs still faintly lingered.
Bai Tang poured himself a glass of cold water and began drinking in big gulps. After just two sips, Pu Hexu reached over, took the glass, and poured it out.
He handed Bai Tang a fresh glass of warm water. “The weather’s starting to cool down. Cold water will give you a chill.”
Bai Tang sat on the bed, both hands wrapped around the cup, as if he had something on his mind.
Pu Hexu sat down beside him and gave his soft, pale cheek a gentle kiss.
“What’s wrong, Tang Tang? You look like something’s bothering you.”
Bai Tang turned to look at him, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “Ah Xu~”
“I’m here.”
Encouraged by Pu Hexu’s warm gaze, Bai Tang finally spoke his heart.
“I miss my mom and dad.”
The original owner’s parents had treated him very well. Though they were poor, they’d done everything they could to give him the best.
Tonight, surrounded by the Pu family’s kindness, Bai Tang was reminded of the warmth and love from his own father and mother. Memories of Dad Bai and Mom Bai rose to the surface.
Those two had worked hard their whole lives, and now, since he was using their son’s body, he felt he should repay them with proper filial piety on the original owner’s behalf.
Pu Hexu smiled. “I’ll have someone bring them over tomorrow.”
Although he’d never met Bai Tang’s parents, Pu Hexu was genuinely grateful to them. If not for their love and care in raising Bai Tang, he would never have met the person who meant the most to him.
“You’re the best, Ah Xu~” Bai Tang beamed, his smile radiant. His dear husband was always like this—doing whatever he could for him, without hesitation. He couldn’t help but feel that he hadn’t done enough in return.
Pu Hexu looked at him with soft eyes and said, “It’s only right—I’m here to take care of my little squirrel.”
Bai Tang loved squirrels—their habits and preferences closely mirrored his own—so “Little Squirrel” had naturally become Pu Hexu’s nickname for him.
After a long afternoon nap, Bai Tang couldn’t fall asleep that night.
Pu Hexu set up a reclining chair on the balcony and even prepared some snacks—ones that Bai Tang liked and were currently allowed given his condition.
“Ah Xu, I want to hear a story~”
The night breeze was cool and gentle. Pu Hexu draped a small blanket over their waists, and the two of them lay snuggled together on the rocking chair, stargazing.
“What kind of story does Tangtang want to hear?” Pu Hexu wrapped an arm around Bai Tang’s waist, letting the boy rest his head on his shoulder.
“Can you tell me a squirrel story?” Bai Tang asked in a soft, childish voice. It had been a long time since he’d last heard his beloved tell him a bedtime story.
Luckily, Pu Hexu had come prepared. Because Bai Tang loved squirrels so much, he had thoroughly researched everything about them.
He kissed the top of Bai Tang’s head and began his first squirrel tale.
“Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived a squirrel spirit who was training to become immortal…”
Pu Hexu told the story vividly, weaving in elements of mythology. Bai Tang listened, completely absorbed and fascinated.
“And then? What happened next? What happened to the squirrel spirit after he got hurt?” Bai Tang asked anxiously, eager to know the fate of the squirrel spirit who was injured while helping humans.
Pu Hexu gently patted the back of Bai Tang’s hand in a calming rhythm. “Later, because the squirrel spirit had done so many good deeds, he transformed into human form. He was rescued by a kind young man who happened to pass by. The young man fell in love with him at first sight and swore to take care of him for the rest of his life…”
As the night deepened, Bai Tang fell asleep, nestled against Pu Hexu’s chest.
Pu Hexu carefully wrapped the blanket around the boy, then picked him up in his arms and carried him back to the bedroom.
With quiet, gentle movements, he laid Bai Tang down on the bed. Bai Tang turned over in his sleep and hugged a squirrel plushie to his chest.
Pu Hexu kissed his forehead, then turned to close the balcony doors and drew the curtains. Finally, he lay down beside Bai Tang, pulled him into his arms, and closed his eyes.
The clock ticked softly in the background.
Far away, in the Wen household, Wen Anni suddenly sat up in bed with a scream.
From the room next door, Father Wen and Mother Wen yelled angrily, “You d*mn girl! What are you screaming about in the middle of the night? It’s bad enough you’re not bringing home any money, just freeloading here—and now you won’t even let us sleep…”
Wen Anni was still caught up in the nightmare she had just woken from and didn’t register a single word her parents had shouted.
After a while, when they didn’t hear her arguing back, Father and Mother Wen lost interest and went back to sleep.
Breathing heavily, Wen Anni got out of bed and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
She had just dreamed that Bai Tang had died in the hospital after failed emergency treatment. In the dream, his ghost came back to confront her—asking why she didn’t try to save him, why she had tricked him into going to the prop room.
The cold water helped calm her racing heart.
“I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow,” she muttered to herself.
Since the day Bai Tang was taken to the hospital, the crew had forced her to go home and told her not to go out for the time being.
After all, she was Zhou Mengsi’s temporary assistant. Now that Zhou Mengsi had gotten into an accident, Wen Anni was bound to become a target for reporters. If she said anything wrong, it wouldn’t just affect the film crew’s reputation—it would damage the public image of Zhou Mengsi, Bai Tang, and the others too.
She’d had no professional training, having taken the job halfway through filming. Judging by her performance on set, it was clear she didn’t know a thing.
Not only did the production crew warn her, but Ouka Entertainment also told her to keep quiet and stay home.
Internally, rumors were flying that Wen Anni was jinxed or possessed by bad luck. Whether it was true or not, no one wanted her involved any further.
Ten days had passed, and Wen Anni had been holed up at home the entire time. She felt guilty about Zhou Mengsi. If she hadn’t damaged Zhou Mengsi’s wire harness, they wouldn’t have ended up using the faulty one. And as for Bai Tang—if she hadn’t swapped the harness, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the prop room either.
Thinking more about it, Wen Anni realized that Zhou Mengsi and Bai Tang had very different personalities. A sudden thought struck her: if she hadn’t lured Bai Tang to the prop room, then he would’ve been the one using the wire harness. In a way, Zhou Mengsi had taken the fall for Bai Tang.
Falling from mid-air versus being hit by a prop box—clearly the former was more serious.
So hadn’t she, in a roundabout way, saved Bai Tang’s life?
Wen Anni searched the trending news but only found updates saying Zhou Mengsi was still in a coma. There wasn’t much mention of Bai Tang.
If something had gone wrong during Bai Tang’s treatment—especially considering his public association with Pu Hexu—it would’ve made the headlines already.
But there was no such news, so it likely meant he was fine.
“I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow. Everything will be okay.”
After reassuring herself, Wen Anni finally calmed down. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes to sleep. Before drifting off, she was still thinking about how she could disguise herself to sneak out tomorrow—just in case reporters recognized her as Zhou Mengsi’s assistant. If they cornered her for an interview, what would she say?
As she kept turning these thoughts over in her mind, Wen Anni gradually started to form some answers to her own questions—and slowly drifted off to sleep.