Chapter 48 Daytime Indulgence

Chapter 48: Public Display of Affection

"Let your husband feed you."

Zhou Yu pinched Lin Yunshu's face, much like a primary school student playing with slime—unable to let go, yet handling it with utmost care for fear of damaging it.

Lin Yunshu sighed inwardly and gently pushed his hand away.

He had regained some strength and wasn't so weak that he needed to be spoon-fed.

"No need," he said. "I can manage on my own."

"Can't I feed you?"

"Why?"

Lin Yunshu didn't understand, but he suspected Zhou Yu must have loved playing house as a child, especially enjoying the role of the mother.

However, Lin Yunshu was an adult, and Zhou Yu's frequency of feeding him lately was excessive. If this continued, he'd become utterly helpless.

Zhou Yu, though, seemed oblivious: "I'm feeding you."

Lin Yunshu: "?"

Lin Yunshu: "..."

He chose to remain silent, too weary to argue with someone whose thought process was so peculiar.

This time, he firmly refused Zhou Yu's offer. Faced with two bowls of soup, he randomly selected one to taste first.

A soft sigh reached his ears: "Slow down."

Zhou Yu conceded: "I won't insist on feeding you anymore. Just eat slowly, or your stomach won't be able to handle it."

Lin Yunshu paused for a moment but ultimately, and obediently, slowed his pace.

Zhou Yu hugged him from behind, his hands cradling Lin Yunshu's stomach, gently rubbing his chest and abdomen with each spoonful.

This meal was relatively comfortable for Lin Yunshu. By the end, he only felt a slight fullness, with no return of pain.

The caregiver collected the dishes, and Zhou Yu draped an arm around Lin Yunshu's shoulder, drawing him into his embrace, his palm circling and massaging Lin Yunshu's stomach.

"Feeling okay?" he asked.

Lin Yunshu nodded: "Quite good, not uncomfortable."

His lips were still somewhat pale, and Zhou Yu dared not let his guard down. He held and comforted Lin Yunshu for a long time until Lin Yunshu finally chuckled in resignation.

"That's enough," he said, looking up at Zhou Yu.

From this angle, his eyes appeared remarkably large—glistening and clear—with a faint, spreading smile. Each eyelash was distinct.

His skin was also remarkably fine. Even when ill, it didn't appear rough or dull, merely lacking a little color, becoming delicate and almost translucent.

Zhou Yu unconsciously stared, captivated.

"You're truly beautiful," he said, stroking the corner of Lin Yunshu's eye.

The thin skin still bore faint red marks, which easily reddened under the slightly rough tip of Zhou Yu's finger.

He couldn't resist kissing that small, reddened area.

Immediately afterward, Lin Yunshu's entire face flushed crimson.

He pushed away the alpha clinging to him like an octopus, turned over, and lay down on the bed, pulling the covers over his ears.

"I'm sleepy," he said in his most natural tone. "I need to sleep for a while."

His arms suddenly empty, Zhou Yu froze for a moment before a smile spread across his face.

He patted the lump under the blanket, and the covers gave a sensitive little tremble.

Lin Yunshu frowned: "I really am sleepy."

Zhou Yu thought this expression was a form of coy affection and wanted to tease him, but he swallowed the words at the last moment.

Lin Yunshu would absolutely never admit to being coy.

Reason told him that if he teased Lin Yunshu now, this stubborn man would definitely never be coy with him again.

Sacrificing long-term happiness for a fleeting moment of amusement wasn't worth it.

Zhou Yu held back. After all, only he had witnessed such an adorable expression—whether the person in question admitted it or not was irrelevant.

If Zhou Yu said he was being coy, then he was being coy.

He admired the sight with satisfaction for a while before patting the covers again.

"I won't bother you," he said. "Turn over. Stretch out your hand—you're still on an IV. It might back up with blood."

Lin Yunshu's expression shifted slightly, his brow finally relaxing. After a couple of seconds, he obediently lay flat.

Perhaps his pain tolerance had increased recently—he'd forgotten there was a needle in his hand and felt nothing at all.

Only when Zhou Yu reminded him did he remember, and a belated fear set in.

He stretched out his hand and glanced nervously—the clear fluid was slowly seeping into his blood vessel. No blood.

"Whew..."

He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Zhou Yu held his palm and released some pheromones to soothe him.

"Sleep," he said. "I'll stay with you. I'll leave after you fall asleep."

The alpha's pheromones were subtle, not overwhelming, but for Lin Yunshu, they were more effective than any tranquilizer.

He closed his eyes, feeling his entire body floating weightlessly, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

·

Lin Yunshu stayed in the hospital for one more day.

It wasn't until the inflammation in his stomach had completely subsided and his low fever didn't return that the doctor allowed him to go home to recover.

On the day of his discharge, it was drizzling. The sky outside was gloomy, leaves shaking in the wind, pelted by raindrops.

The room was comfortably warm. Lin Yunshu got dressed quickly, eager to return home.

"Don't rush," Zhou Yu walked in and handed him a thick coat. "Put this on; it's cold outside."

Lin Yunshu froze, staring at the coat that was fancy enough for New Year's, lost in thought.

"It's still only autumn," he said.

"Late autumn," Zhou Yu emphasized. "Winter's practically here."

His thoughts suddenly veered off course. "Speaking of which, our wedding is next week. It shouldn't be too cold yet, so we should get it over with before winter sets in."

Lin Yunshu: "..."

"You're so quick-witted," he tried to avoid putting on the coat while scooting toward the door, praising, "No wonder you're a big boss."

"Being a boss is nowhere near as hard as being your husband."

Zhou Yu grabbed his arm and pulled him back, bundling the coat tightly around him.

"That's more like it," he nodded in satisfaction.

Lin Yunshu: "..."

He was not satisfied; he didn’t want to experience the life of a polar bear prematurely.

"You can’t get sick again," Zhou Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and the two walked out of the hospital room together. "The wedding is next week, and we’ll be busy these days. If you catch a cold again, it’ll be miserable. The wedding comes first."

Using both reason and emotion, it sounded very logical. Lin Yunshu was gradually persuaded.

Indeed, the most important thing this month was their wedding.

Although Lin Yunshu had never been married before, he had heard about the toll a wedding could take.

It was said that even the strongest person would be worn out by it. He couldn’t let his health become a burden.

"Got it."

Lin Yunshu grumbled, ultimately not refusing to dress like a bear.

It was raining outside, and Zhou Yu didn’t want Lin Yunshu to be exposed to the wind. Instead of taking him out the main hospital entrance, he led him to the underground parking garage, finally stopping in the parking lot of Lin Yunshu’s building.

Lin Yunshu never once felt the outdoor air from start to finish.

After getting out of the car, the two entered the elevator. Lin Yunshu couldn’t help but feel that his outfit had defeated its purpose.

He glanced at Zhou Yu several times, hesitating to speak.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhou Yu was in good spirits.

He was very satisfied with the protective measures he had taken for Lin Yunshu, even thinking that Lin Yunshu looked cuter bundled up than usual.

Lin Yunshu: "..."

He hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn’t have the heart to ruin Zhou Yu’s mood, taking it all in stride.

·

Ding!

The elevator door opened.

Lin Yunshu hurried out, unlocking the door, entering, and washing his hands without breaking stride.

"Yu Shu, Yu Shu?" he called out the kitten’s name.

After three days in the hospital, Lin Yunshu had missed him terribly.

A few seconds later, Yu Shu came scampering out of the room and launched himself into Lin Yunshu’s arms.

Lin Yunshu picked up the kitten, giving him a good sniff from head to tail, finally feeling like himself again.

"Did Yu Shu miss Daddy?" he gently stroked the kitten’s head, his voice softening without thinking.

The kitten meowed, nuzzling against his chest, using actions to show how much he had missed Daddy too.

Zhou Yu: "..."

Zhou Yu could only watch from the side, green with envy.

Neither the person nor the cat in front of him acted that way toward him.

"How nice," he said. "You two are a family. You two can live together."

He said sulkily as he walked into the kitchen.

Lin Yunshu froze, holding the kitten awkwardly for a moment.

He finally realized that he had indeed been a bit unfair to the kitten and Zhou Yu.

But the kitten was, after all, a cat. How could Zhou Yu compare? He couldn’t exactly lift Zhou Yu up and ask, "Did you miss Daddy?"

How bizarre!

Just imagining the scene made Lin Yunshu feel totally creeped out.

He hesitated about whether to put down the kitten and go comfort Zhou Yu. When he looked down, Yu Shu was staring at him with big, round eyes, making biscuits on his chest.

"Zhou Yu?" he called out tentatively.

Zhou Yu leaned against the edge of the counter without speaking, leaving him with a brooding back.

Lin Yunshu: "..."

"Zhou Yu," he called again, and the man finally shot him a haughty look.

Lin Yunshu almost laughed but bit back a laugh with effort.

"Yu Shu hasn’t seen me in ages, so it’s normal for him to be clingy," he explained as best he could. "He’s only four months old, still just a baby."

And you, dear boss, are 351 months old.

The 351-month-old boss strolled over, hands in pockets, scrutinizing the pair before clicking his tongue:

"Isn’t your throat dry? You’re getting a mouthful of fur."

Lin Yunshu: "..."

He wiped his mouth and indeed wiped away a handful of fur.

He chuckled awkwardly and ruffled Yu Shu’s head, “Have you been shedding lately, Yu Shu?”

Yu Shu: “?”

The kitten didn’t understand.

The kitten nuzzled deeper into its dad’s arms.

Dad was bundled up so thickly today, soft and different from usual, and the kitten was loving every second of nuzzling.

Lin Yunshu was also laughing happily, totally indulgent of the kitten’s mischief on him, unwilling to scold it even a little.

Zhou Yu regretted it—regretted encouraging Lin Yunshu to get a cat just to please him back then.

Now it had come back to bite him. Lin Yunshu had a cat and didn’t care about anything else; he had completely fallen out of favor.

And this cat was a little dummy too, only knowing how to eat, sleep, and act spoiled all day.

Did it ever stop to think what Zhou Yu brought it home for? Was it just to laze around and live the good life?!

Zhou Yu scooped up the cat, grabbed it, and put it back in its own bedroom.

“You need to remember your mission!”

Beside the cat bed, Zhou Yu threatened with ten cat treats: “You came to this family to bring your parents closer!”

“I give you the good life—is it so you can steal my spotlight?”

“If you dare curl up in your mom’s arms again, taking my spot… Heh!” He clenched the cat treats fiercely. “Forget about getting any of these!”

Yu Shu struggled: “Mrow!!”

“Zhou Yu!”

Lin Yunshu hurriedly chased after them but was blocked by Zhou Yu before he could even enter the room.

Zhou Yu used both carrot and stick, threatening the kitten before opening a can of food for it, then turned around to block Lin Yunshu.

“Stop looking at the cat, look at me instead.”

As he spoke, he cupped Lin Yunshu’s face, lowered his head, and kissed Lin Yunshu’s soft lips.

Lin Yunshu went quiet, immediately losing all will to struggle.

After a long kiss, Lin Yunshu’s eyes were wet, his ear tips turning pink, and he was breathing heavily as Zhou Yu held him in his arms.

Zhou Yu smacked his lips, not quite satisfied, then suddenly frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Yunshu asked, puzzled.

“It’s nothing…” Zhou Yu savored the moment a couple more times, then wiped his lips.

He wiped off a wad of cat hair.

His brow twitched violently, and he burst out laughing despite himself:

“You really got a big mouthful, huh, baby? Were you nibbling on Yu Shu’s head or something?”

Lin Yunshu’s face instantly turned bright red.

He hadn’t noticed either—had he really gone at him too hard? Was Yu Shu shedding because he’d been nibbling on it?

Guiltily, Lin Yunshu lowered his head, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

“I’m going to brush my teeth,” he said, covering his mouth.

“Don’t,” Zhou Yu quickly pulled him back and kissed him several more times. “It’s fine, it’s pretty cute. You have to get used to this stuff when you have a cat.”

Suddenly, he picked Lin Yunshu up, lifting him high into the air.

Lin Yunshu was startled and instinctively threw his arms around Zhou Yu’s neck. “What are you doing?!”

Zhou Yu gave him a little bounce and made a beeline for the bedroom.

“What else?” he said proudly. “A little afternoon delight!”