Chapter 413 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Missing a Night (20)
When Qi’s mother pulled her husband away and led Bai Tang out of the restaurant, it was already very dark.
Qi’s mother glanced at the time and asked, “The dorm curfew at school has already passed, right?” Although Qi Yuanxu didn’t really need anyone to worry about him, as a mother she still cared a lot about her child, so she was very familiar with Z University’s schedule.
Bai Tang nodded and awkwardly tried to pull his hand free from Qi’s mother’s grip. Well… being such a grown person yet still being held by an elder like a child was a bit embarrassing.
Qi’s mother looked at the boy’s fair and clean profile, and the more she looked, the more she liked him. Her son had inherited her taste—his standards when choosing someone were high.
Wanting to repair the relationship between mother and son, Qi’s mother sincerely invited Bai Tang to stay at the Qi residence. “Tang Tang, since you can’t go back to school now and tomorrow is the weekend with no classes, why not come home with Auntie and stay the night?”
She had already made a plan: once Bai Tang arrived at the house, she would push the young couple into a room together and shut the door. Whatever awkwardness they had would be resolved. After all, husbands might quarrel at the head of the bed but make up at the foot of it.
Bai Tang, who had never been good at refusing elders, nodded helplessly. Yet he also felt a little happy inside. He had misunderstood Ah Xu, and he really wanted to see him.
Qi’s mother was overjoyed. Turning to Qi’s father, who was carrying the bags behind them, she said, “Go start the car.”
Compared to the gentle tone she used when speaking to Bai Tang, her attitude toward Qi’s father could practically be described as fierce.
As a devoted husband, Qi’s father had no objections. He took the car keys out of his pocket and headed toward the parking lot.
Qi’s mother then turned to Bai Tang with a smile. “Tang Tang, you see? Men need to be disciplined. If you don’t keep them in line for three days, they’ll start climbing onto the roof. In the future, you don’t need to be polite with Ah Xu. If he treats you badly, come tell Mom, and I’ll deal with him for you.”
Bai Tang blinked after hearing this. The words sounded a little familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before.
Qiu’er said, “In the past, the mothers of the male leads who liked Tang Tang basically all said something like that.”
Xiao A said, “So… does that mean the male lead’s mom also traveled across worlds together with Tang Tang?”
Bai Tang lowered his head shyly. Seeing this, Qi’s mother secretly felt delighted—her son was truly blessed.
When they arrived home, Qi’s mother led Bai Tang around the Qi house. “This is Ah Xu’s room. Ever since he went to college, he rarely comes back to stay. The house has been much quieter.”
What parent wouldn’t want their child close by? Qi’s mother was no exception. Perhaps with Tang Tang around, the house would feel more lively again.
Qi’s mother called Qi Yuanxu several times, but he was still angry and didn’t pick up. After the phone rang a few times, she stopped trying.
That brat won’t answer my calls? Fine—then your wife is mine tonight.
No one knew a son better than his mother, and Qi’s mother understood Qi Yuanxu’s temperament perfectly.
She said to Bai Tang, who was looking at her expectantly, “Ah Xu didn’t answer my call. He’s probably busy with company matters. They secured that project last time, and these past few days they’ve been starting the preliminary work.”
Bai Tang was not completely unfamiliar with the Qi Group. Every time Qi Yuanxu worked overtime, he would explain the reason to him. Over time, Bai Tang had gained a general idea of the company’s recent developments.
Bai Tang nodded obediently and didn’t think about calling Qi Yuanxu himself. It was better not to disturb Ah Xu.
Qi’s mother happily pulled Bai Tang along to have a late-night snack. “Tang Tang, you’re too thin. The housekeeper made this ginseng chicken soup at home. It tastes quite good—give it a try…”
Bai Tang couldn’t refuse the elder’s kindness and ended up being force-fed a stomach full of meat. Only when Qi’s father shot a disapproving look did Qi’s mother finally stop and let Bai Tang go rest.
The room Qi’s mother arranged for Bai Tang was not a guest room, but Qi Yuanxu’s bedroom.
Although there were many guest rooms in the house, how could they compare to the master bedroom? Bai Tang would be part of the family in the future, so why should he stay in a guest room?
So this is where Ah Xu grew up…
Bai Tang gently touched the furniture in the room. In his mind, he could almost see scenes of Qi Yuanxu sitting on the chair reading, or pulling open the curtains to bask in the sunlight.
He threw himself onto the bed, but the pure white sheets were not as soft as they looked. Bai Tang couldn’t help letting out a hiss as he held his waist where it had bumped against the bed. He rubbed it with his healing ability, and once the pain was gone, he lifted the sheet—only to discover it was a hard wooden bed.
Bai Tang: “……”
Did Ah Xu grow up like this? Even sleeping wasn’t comfortable. That’s so hard…
Seeing Bai Tang’s distressed expression, Xiao A quietly said to Qiu’er, “The host seems to have imagined a whole ‘tragic little cabbage’ story.”
Qiu’er: “……”
He had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have let Tang Tang read so many tragic novels. The master who entered the world was the chosen child of fate—how could he possibly have had such a miserable life?
But in order to make things a little easier for the foolish master who was still waiting downstairs at the school dormitory, Qiu’er still spoke up for Qi Yuanxu against his conscience.
“Tang Tang, you don’t know this, but the male lead had it really hard when he was young. Mr. and Mrs. Qi wanted to train his independence, so they made him sleep on a hard wooden bed from a very young age. He also had to run every day carrying weights, take five foreign language classes, attend hobby classes…”
Xiao A flipped through the records of the male lead’s childhood life. He looked at Bai Tang, whose face was full of sorrow and sympathy, then at Qiu’er, who was becoming more and more enthusiastic as he talked, and couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.
He finally understood where the host’s overactive imagination came from—Qiu’er had corrupted him.
“Ah Xu had it so hard. He didn’t even have a happy childhood…” Bai Tang strengthened his resolve to give Qi Yuanxu happiness.
Qiu’er wore a pleased expression as if thinking, This child can be taught, which made Xiao A’s teeth ache. He didn’t know whether the male lead had suffered before, but with Qiu’er around, constantly leading the host further and further astray, the male lead would definitely experience some “suffering” in the future.
Qi Yuanxu waited downstairs at the dormitory building all night. When morning came, students gradually came downstairs and headed out. Seeing Qi Yuanxu there, many of them were quite surprised.
They thought to themselves that Senior Qi was truly devoted. Yesterday, quite a few people had seen him knocking on the dormitory door in the corridor, asking for it to be opened. Anyone with eyes could tell the young couple had argued. Qi Yuanxu was usually such a proud person, yet he had lowered himself and was now waiting downstairs early in the morning.
As the sun rose, the air began to grow hot.
Qi Yuanxu had not slept all night. With so many things weighing on his mind, he looked somewhat worn and haggard.
He called Bai Tang’s phone. The ringtone kept ringing, but no one answered, until it automatically hung up.
It wasn’t that Qi Yuanxu didn’t want to go upstairs to look for him. But judging by Tang Tang’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t open the door for him. If things escalated, it would only give people at the school something to laugh about. Qi Yuanxu didn’t care about being laughed at, but Tang Tang hadn’t graduated yet, and he hated being pointed at and gossiped about. Qi Yuanxu couldn’t let others look down on him.
Time passed second by second.
What Qi Yuanxu didn’t know was that the boy he longed for so much was currently at his house, sleeping soundly in his bed.
The night before, Bai Tang had been fed so much by Qi’s mother that he was too full. He stayed up until four in the morning trying to digest the food before finally falling asleep. At this moment, he was still very sleepy.
When Qi Yuanxu later learned that Bai Tang hadn’t returned to the dormitory all night, negative emotions flooded his mind and he was on the verge of exploding. Just then, a servant at home, following Qi’s father’s instructions, “secretly” called him and informed him that Bai Tang was at the house.
Qi Yuanxu immediately got into the car and, for the first time, rushed home with such anxious urgency.
This was the first good sleep Bai Tang had had in half a month without Qi Yuanxu beside him. But this was Qi Yuanxu’s room—there were traces of him everywhere, and his scent lingered in the air. Bai Tang felt unusually at ease and slept soundly.
Finally, the boy had slept enough. He groggily opened his eyes, only to be startled by a figure sitting at the bedside.
“Ah Xu~”
His just-awakened voice was slightly hoarse, yet full of dependence.
Qi Yuanxu pulled Bai Tang into his arms. The sense of fulfillment in his soul made him let out a deep sigh.
“You scared me to death. Don’t ever do this again, okay? If something happens where you think I’ve wronged you, I’d rather you confront me directly—even hit me if you want—than see you torture yourself like this.”
Qi Yuanxu could feel how thin the boy had become. The weight he had finally managed to gain was gone again.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you…” Bai Tang felt extremely embarrassed and annoyed with himself. They had already been together for so long—how could he still fail to trust him?
But when he saw the elder of the other person’s family holding someone else’s hand and calling them “daughter-in-law,” Bai Tang’s rationality snapped. In his mind, marriage had always required the blessing of one’s parents, whether in ancient times or in modern times. That was why he had overthought everything…
“It’s fine as long as you’re okay. Just don’t ignore me again in the future…” Qi Yuanxu was still shaken. Only by holding the boy tightly did he feel a slight sense of security.
“I won’t do that again. I promise.”
Looking at the tired expression on Qi Yuanxu’s face, Bai Tang suddenly remembered what Qiu’er had told him last night about Ah Xu’s childhood. His heart suddenly tightened.
“Why don’t you take better care of yourself? If one day I’m not around…”
What Bai Tang originally meant was that in future worlds, if he hadn’t yet arrived to begin his mission, Qi Yuanxu shouldn’t neglect his own life. But the words “I’m not around” sounded to Qi Yuanxu like “when I leave in the future.”
Qi Yuanxu held him even tighter. “I’m not good at taking care of people. Tang Tang, take pity on me and keep an eye on me from now on, okay? If I ever have Tang Tang and then lose Tang Tang… I wouldn’t be able to go on living.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Bai Tang’s unfinished words faded away under Qi Yuanxu’s tender, affectionate gaze. He pulled Qi Yuanxu down to lie beside him and wrapped his arms around his waist.
“I can’t sleep well when Ah Xu isn’t here. Ah Xu, sleep with me~”
Of course, Bai Tang didn’t actually want to sleep himself—he wanted Qi Yuanxu to sleep.
His man had unshaven stubble and dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t slept all night. No one was made of iron—how could someone endure staying up all night without catching up on sleep afterward?
Qi Yuanxu didn’t really want to sleep. He kept his eyes open, looking at the boy in his arms. No matter how long he looked, he couldn’t get enough of him.
How wonderful. His Tang Tang had come back.
“Go to sleep already~” Bai Tang glared slightly and closed the other man’s eyes with his hand. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. When you wake up, I’ll still be here. I promise.”
Qi Yuanxu caught the unique scent of pine nuts and milk that belonged to the boy. His emotions gradually relaxed, and combined with his physical exhaustion, he soon fell asleep.
Bai Tang had already slept too much earlier, so he wasn’t sleepy at all now.
Qi Yuanxu was holding him tightly, and Bai Tang had no intention of getting up. Qi Yuanxu was at a moment when he lacked a sense of security. If he woke up and didn’t see Bai Tang immediately, he might spiral into dark thoughts again. It was better to stay quietly where he was.
It had been a long time since he had gone online. Bai Tang picked up his phone and started scrolling through the comments under his Weibo posts.
When one’s state of mind changed, the way one viewed things changed as well. Right now, Bai Tang especially liked reading the comments from people who envied and blessed him and Qi Yuanxu. He blocked the ones who cursed at them and replied to the ones offering blessings.
Before he knew it, Bai Tang became completely absorbed in it. Even when Qi Yuanxu woke up several times during his sleep, Bai Tang didn’t notice. Seeing the boy obediently staying in his arms while playing on his phone, Qi Yuanxu smiled slightly before closing his eyes again and continuing to catch up on sleep.
Author’s Note :
Qi’s mother: Serves you right for not answering my call. Go feed the mosquitoes.
Bai Tang (worried): Where did the mosquitoes bite you? Let me see.
Qi Yuanxu (raising his arm): Here, here, here—and here too.
Qi’s mother: ……