Chapter 77 Xiao Lin Likes You

Chapter 77: Xiao Lin Likes You

But tonight, the streetlight by the osmanthus tree was out. The moon, a pale crescent, cast a dim, melancholic glow on this side, as if veiled by a layer of autumn frost from the drizzling rain. In stark contrast, the area beyond the osmanthus was brightly lit, creating an almost too-clear divide between desolation and warmth.

After a while, the rain began to intensify. Fortunately, they had an umbrella. Shu Yangkuo held it with one hand, while with the other, he tucked the little one snugly into his open coat, whispering, "Baby, are you cold?" Wang Wang shook his head. Dressed in a small sweater and nestled against Daddy’s chest, he felt quite warm. He stretched out a tiny hand, giggling as the cool raindrops touched his skin, and tried to reach further out to catch the rain. Looking up, he exclaimed, "Daddy, it’s Papa!" Shu Yangkuo had already noticed, responding with a soft "Mm." When he asked if they should go over, Wang Wang happily nodded, "Yes!"

"It’s just rain under the moonlight, no need to worry. It’ll stop soon," Shi Zai said, brushing off the jacket Xiao Lin had tried to offer him. What’s the big deal about a grown man getting a little wet?

Looking ahead, he chuckled—he had guessed right. Shi Zai turned back and called out, "My husband and son are here to pick me up. See you tomorrow!" before quickly hurrying toward the man holding the child. He looked incredibly handsome, exuding the dignified and elegant aura often seen in historical dramas—tall and striking under the moonlight beside the flowers, appearing somewhat solitary in the thin mist and dim light, yet radiating a captivating presence. With the little one in his arms and his calm gaze fixed on Shi Zai, he seemed even more tender. Oh, come on, it’s just a slight delay returning home—no need to look so worried.

Shi Zai was thrilled. Who wouldn’t love being picked up by their husband and child on a rainy night like this? Before even reaching them, he shouted, "Brother—Wang Wang—don’t come any further, I’m coming over!"

After rattling off his words, Shi Zai noticed the unusual silence from the two—even the little one wasn’t wriggling excitedly.

"Brother, what’s wrong?"

"...Let’s go home. The rain’s getting heavier."

"Oh... Huh? I feel like it’s about to stop."

With that, Shi Zai opened the car door, letting them sit in the back before taking the driver’s seat. Thankfully, he hadn’t ridden his motorcycle tonight.

In the back seat, Wang Wang whispered, "Papa has no candy." Shu Yangkuo wrapped the little one entirely in his arms, buttoning up his coat and gently touching foreheads with him. "Papa is driving. We’ll get some when we’re home." Wang Wang said, "Okay," then suddenly giggled—Daddy had wrapped him up like a little rice dumpling! He tilted his head slightly and called out, "Papa—dumpling!" Shi Zai glanced in the rearview mirror and laughed heartily, asking, "Do you want to eat dumplings?" Wang Wang shook his head and was about to say "candy" when he felt a slight weight on his small shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Daddy—why was Daddy leaning on him like a little kid?

He patted Daddy’s head, and Daddy lifted his face, but soon pressed Wang Wang against his chest again. Wang Wang giggled, "Daddy, thump-thump!" Daddy’s heartbeat was so loud but comforting. Wang Wang stayed still, becoming Daddy’s little warming buddy, chuckling softly.

They soon arrived home. Once inside, even Shi Zai, as oblivious as he could be, sensed something was off and didn’t pretend otherwise.

"Brother, don’t tell me ‘it’s nothing.’"

"...Okay, I’ll put Wang Wang to sleep first."

"Then why did you bring him out?! Just put him to bed!"

"...It’s Wang— Okay, we’ll talk later."

After changing Wang Wang’s clothes in the living room, Shu Yangkuo noticed Shi Zai still standing there and paused before saying, "Wife, go take a shower first." Shi Zai plopped onto the sofa. "I didn’t drink." After a moment of silence, Shu Yangkuo added, "You got wet in the rain. Don’t let the chill settle in."

Shi Zai took a deep breath and went to shower—he needed to cool down. It suddenly struck him that the scene earlier was just like when he came home drunk for the first time, and Shu Yangkuo and Yang Yun had waited for him. Xiao Lin—it’s just Xiao Lin, a junior apprentice!

In the living room, Wang Wang sat on the floor, refusing to get up and shaking his head. "Daddy, no sleep." Shu Yangkuo didn’t force him. "You have to sleep. Be good, and tomorrow Daddy will buy you a new toy car." But no matter how he coaxed, the little one clung tightly to the living room rug, unwilling to go to bed. Soon, the sound of the shower stopped, and Shu Yangkuo sighed softly.

Shi Zai stepped out, annoyed. Wasn’t he supposed to be putting the child to sleep? What was this?! He called out, "Yun Bao," asking Yang Yun to watch Wang Wang for a while so he could talk to that stubborn man first before putting Wang Wang to bed together. There wasn’t much to say—since hiring Xiao Lin in September, Shu Yangkuo had seen him several times, but just sharing a meal tonight had set him off again.

Entering the bedroom and closing the door, Shi Zai pushed Shu Yangkuo to sit on the bed while he leaned against the wardrobe, arms crossed. Without beating around the bush, he recounted the night’s conversation and their daily interactions at the studio—though the latter was unnecessary since Shu Yangkuo had seen it all himself. After finishing, he noticed the man lowering his head, fiddling with his fingers—looking all pitiful.

"Brother, what else are you worried about?"

"...He likes you."

"????!!!!"

Shi Zai felt like exploding, running a hand through his still-damp hair.

"Brother, if you’re uncomfortable, just say it. Don’t make baseless accusations."

"He put his jacket over you and watched you from behind for a long time."

"?? He put his jacket on me, and I pushed it off…"

"Brother said he likes you, not that I suspect you."

Hearing this, Shi Zai was at a loss for words. "Suspect"?! He leaned heavily against the wardrobe.

"Watching me?! I told him before leaving that my husband and son were picking me up. He was probably just curious… Why not say he was watching you?! Yes, he was watching you! Hmph!"

"Fine, I’ll fire him tomorrow."

"...Are you insane, Shu Yangkuo!!!"

Shu Yangkuo turned to look out the window—the rain had truly stopped. That brief shower seemed almost arranged for the two of them... Yes, he was insane—one moving forward, the other lingering behind with reluctance... Shu Yangkuo raised a hand to rub his temples.

The atmosphere grew tense. After a few deep breaths, Shu Yangkuo met Shi Zai’s gaze again and asked, "Wife, what will you do?"

"...Do about what?"

"He likes you."

"...Will you stop talking nonsense!"

"Suppose he has a slight crush on you now—outsiders see things clearer."

Shi Zai fell into thought. When Xiao Lin had put the jacket over him, he had felt something odd.

"Even if... even if... he knows I have a family and hasn’t shown any inappropriate behavior. He’s had a hard time, improved a lot in two months, and wants to open his own studio someday... Besides, I think he’s engaged... Oh, Brother, it’s impossible. He just thinks I’m kind, older by three or four years, and his mentor, so he feels close... How can I accuse him of something that doesn’t exist? Don’t worry, Brother, it’s definitely not what you think. There won’t be any more jacket incidents."

"He brought you food."

"...Is that so unusual? I’ve bought him food too. Brother, don’t be like this. It’s purely a mentor-apprentice relationship. I don’t even call him by his full name to avoid making you overthink. He calls me ‘Brother Shi’—nothing strange. How about this: I’ll keep more distance from now on, have him call me ‘Boss Shi,’ and treat it as a boss-employee relationship. How’s that?"

Shu Yangkuo nodded slightly and stood to get his change of clothes. He had no right to demand anything further. The matter had been laid out clearly, and his wife’s solution was straightforward. There was nothing more he could say.

Shi Zai felt a surge of frustration. If everything was clear, why was he still acting this way?! He strode over, snatched the clothes from Shu Yangkuo’s hands, slammed the wardrobe door shut, and pushed him back onto the bed, fuming.

"What else do you want me to do?!"

"...He likes you. Xiao Song from my shop mentioned it—everyone can see it."

"Innocent until proven guilty!"

"...Okay, I understand."

"Understand my ass!"

Cursing, Shi Zai’s chest heaved with anger, his eyes reddening.

"Shu Yangkuo, you’re going too far! You keep saying you support my career and dreams, but what do you do? Before, I couldn’t even make friends in class, and now I can’t take on an apprentice?! No one succeeds alone in any field! Do you want me to just run a small shop, barely making ends meet, or better yet, do nothing at all?!"

"...I was wrong, I’m sorry. Tomorrow, I’ll fire those two gossipers."

"Shu Yangkuo!!!"

Bang—Shi Zai kicked the wardrobe hard, and still unsatisfied, landed two more furious kicks.

Why?! Why?! Why does this person always think I'm involved with someone else?! He—he just now spoke without thinking. Shu Yangkuo never restricted his career, always supported him—what an asshole I am! Through tear-blurred eyes, the man crouched down to massage his feet… Shi Zai wiped his tears harshly—what was he supposed to do?! There was clearly nothing going on, so why was he being wronged like this?! It’s so frustrating!

He hated himself. Why couldn’t he just keep it bottled up forever? Let Xiao Song and the others say whatever they wanted—why did he have to make his husband cry like this again? Shu Yangkuo hugged Shi Zai’s legs, pressing his face against his pajama pants, nuzzling them, and repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry.”

Plop—tears fell on the man’s hair. Shi Zai listened to the intermittent, suppressed sobs, took a deep breath, and said:

“Ge, I don’t understand. I love you so much, I’ve promised you countless times, and there’s never been anything going on—why don’t you believe me?”

“…Ge does believe you.”

“Then what is this if not disbelief?!”

After waiting a long time with no response, Shi Zai got angry again, shouted “Say something!”, pulled his foot back, and kicked the wardrobe again.

In the living room, Yang Yun suppressed the urge to rush in and scold both his older and younger brothers, his eyes red with suppressed anger, his heart aching unbearably. The little boy in his arms trembled slightly, staring expressionlessly at the toy in his hands, as if he hadn’t heard the arguing from the bedroom. Yang Yun tried talking to Wang Wang, but the little one barely responded, only occasionally lifting his eyes to glance at him. But that small gaze… neither crying nor fussing, just quietly still—it almost instantly reminded Yang Yun of the way his younger brother had described himself as a child, too afraid to even cry or show any emotion.

His little face was tense, his whole body rigid, his breathing deliberately light, as if trying to minimize his presence… Yang Yun couldn’t hold back his tears.

But soon, he wiped them away and stood up to check on them, only to be stopped by Qin Xihan.

Qin Xihan rubbed his eyes, took Wang Wang into his arms, and said:

“Wang Wang, if you want to cry, just cry. Daddy and Papa aren’t angry—we’re just playing around.”

“…”

“Baby—Wang Wang, you can cry. Go ahead and cry…”

A few seconds later, a heart-wrenching “Waaah—” shattered the already tense night.