Chapter 137 IF Line: Raised in the Palm 4

Chapter 137 What-If Line: Raised in the Palm of His Hand 4

The bruises on Du Yang's back and legs had improved since the morning, but the injuries on his face and hands made bathing inadvisable.

Fu Yan sighed, somewhat regretting letting Du Yang take a bath.

He still had a lot to learn about caring for a child.

"Yangyang, let big brother help you wash up." Fu Yan changed his shoes, rolled up his sleeves, and entered the shower room.

Du Yang stared dazedly at the handsome brother. The brother's movements were so gentle.

This must be a long dream—only in a dream could something this wonderful happen.

Fu Yan moved very lightly, afraid of touching the bruises and hurting Du Yang, but the child, from the moment he came in, seemed spellbound, his beautiful eyes fixed on him the whole time.

Afraid the wounds would get infected if they got wet, Fu Yan washed quickly, grabbed a big bath towel to wrap the child in, then used another towel to dry his hair.

"Yangyang, why do you keep staring at big brother?" Fu Yan couldn't help but ask softly.

"Everything's too wonderful, like a dream." The child pursed his lips, a flicker of worry in his eyes. "I'm so scared that when I wake up, big brother will be gone."

Fu Yan's hand drying the hair paused, heartache surging like a flood, his throat tightening.

Wasn't he also afraid this was a dream—a dream of being reborn ten years earlier, a dream to make up for what he'd never gotten to fulfill?

Fu Yan's Adam's apple bobbed. He pushed the thoughts aside and gently pinched Du Yang's little cheek. "Yangyang, it's not a dream. It's real. Big brother won't disappear."

"Will big brother stay by Yangyang's side forever, okay?"

The child's lips trembled, tears welling up in his big round eyes, but he quickly blinked it back, pressed his lips together tightly, and nodded firmly.

A promise is a promise, Yangyang.

Staying by your side forever means never being apart—so don't go back to the Lu family, okay?

Fu Yan picked up the hairdryer, quickly dried the child's hair, set him on the hospital bed, dressed him in a clean hospital gown, and tucked him into the blanket.

"Big brother, aren't you cold? Your pants are wet." The child lying in bed pointed at Fu Yan's soaked pant legs.

Fu Yan ruffled the child's soft, short hair. "Big brother's not cold. Yangyang, lie here quietly. Big brother's going to go take a shower."

Du Yang hesitated, not wanting to be away from the handsome brother even for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.

He couldn't let big brother catch a cold.

Fu Yan remembered what the child had said earlier in the bathroom. "Big brother will leave the bathroom door open a crack, so Yangyang knows big brother's inside, okay?"

Hearing this suggestion, the child instantly lit up, his round eyes curving into little crescents.

"I'll wait here quietly for big brother."

-

Du Debao had lost money gambling the night before. In a drunken rage, he'd beaten Du Yang, locked him out, and passed out.

He slept until the sun was high. Seeing his mother sunbathing on the balcony and no sign of Du Yang, he asked offhandedly.

"Where's that little brat?"

The old hag didn't care at all. "Who knows. Didn't see him this morning. He won't run—he's so small, he'd die out there anyway. He's not stupid."

He's not stupid, that's true, but he could still die. Though drunk, Du Debao vaguely remembered beating him hard the night before, only stopping when the kid was too weak to dodge.

Du Debao pushed open the door, searched the hallway and downstairs, found no one, and went back inside to wash up and eat lunch.

By evening, Du Yang still hadn't come back. Du Debao grew anxious, went downstairs, and searched the whole neighborhood without finding him.

He wanted to report it to the police, but he couldn't bring himself to. He knew better than anyone how this child had come to be.

If things blew up and the Lu family found out, what happened four years ago would come to light. His son was still living the good life with the Lu family—he couldn't let it get exposed.

Wait one more night. If the little brat doesn't come back, then figure something out.

Du Debao stormed home, grabbed a bottle of liquor from the table, and started drinking.

The old woman looked displeased. "Has that little brat still not come back? The dishes in the pot are waiting for him to wash, the floor hasn't been swept, and there's a mountain of work waiting. When he gets back, I'll beat him within an inch of his life."

Du Debao looked annoyed. "Just do the work yourself. The little brat will come back when he's done playing."

"This family can't function without that little brat." The old woman urged. "Go out and find him. Bring him back to me. Beat him half to death and see if he dares go out and play again."

Du Debao was irritated to death. "Alright, alright, I know, I know. Go away."

Of course he knew this family couldn't function without Du Yang—he was still counting on the kid to squeeze money out of Qin Yue.

Four years ago, she managed to land a rich man like Lu Ting only because he played along, giving that refined scholar a chance to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.

The scheme wasn't the biggest leverage over Qin Yue, but Du Yang definitely was.

Du Debao was restless and agitated. He pocketed the five thousand yuan and went out to gamble again.

-

Fu Yan finished his shower in just fifteen minutes, emerging in a dark silk robe, still damp.

The moment he came out, he met a pair of big, blinking eyes—the child had probably been staring at the bathroom door the whole time.

"Yangyang, are you sleepy?"

A hint of a doting smile in his eyes, Fu Yan came to the bedside, braced one hand on the edge of the bed and leaned down to press his forehead against the child's to check for a fever.

Same as his own—cool.

"If you don't get a fever tonight, you can be discharged tomorrow afternoon."

Du Yang's eyes were wide, staring unblinkingly at the handsome brother.

The handsome brother suddenly leaned in, a pleasant scent wafting over, then quickly pulled back.

The handsome brother smells so nice. I really like it.

Fu Yan loved the way the child looked at him with that dazed, adorable expression—it made his heart melt.

Du Yang had been this cute and adorable as a child.

In his previous life, during middle school, Lu Jin'an rarely mentioned having a younger brother and never brought him out.

Later, there was a period when he often talked about his younger brother, and shortly after, the brother got lost and burned to death.

For more than a decade afterward, Lu Jin'an would periodically sink into grief over losing his brother, and every year on his brother's birthday, he'd drag Fu Yan out for drinks.

His brother's birthday was also the anniversary of Lu Jin'an's mother's death.

If Lu Jin'an saw nine-year-old Du Yang now, would he even recognize him?

Fu Yan carefully applied the ointment to the child's skin, turned off the overhead light, leaving just the small bedside lamp on, then pulled back the covers and climbed in.

The hospital bed wasn't wide; Fu Yan lay flat, leaving a fist-width gap between them.

Why wasn't there a visitor's bed in the room? Because Fu Yan had refused to have one added.

The bed was plenty big enough for an adult and a kid.

"Yangyang, go to sleep early, it's getting late." Fu Yan booped the child's nose and closed his eyes first.

Du Yang slowly turned over, lying on his side, his dark eyes locked onto the person beside him.

This big brother was still gorgeous even with his eyes closed, better than any brother he'd ever seen.

And the brother had a nice smell on him.

Du Yang waited for a while, seeing that the handsome brother seemed to be asleep, he gently touched Fu Yan's arm with his little hand.

He tested the waters carefully, and seeing that the handsome brother didn't wake up, he quietly reached out a small hand, slipped it under the arm, and slowly hugged Fu Yan's arm.

Using his small body, he inched closer to Fu Yan, very gently, until his nose was pressed against Fu Yan's shoulder.

Du Yang took a deep breath, inhaling the nice scent from the handsome brother.

He took a few breaths, hugged the handsome brother's arm, and soon fell asleep, his breathing becoming light and even.

Once the child was asleep, Fu Yan, who had been lying still with his eyes shut, opened them, turned his head, and looked down, his eyes landing on the child's long eyelashes.

The boy slept soundly, with Fu Yan's arm hugged to his chest, serving as a makeshift stuffed animal.

Little Du Yang. The two of them, sharing a bed. Fu Yan's sense of disbelief slowly melted into quiet contentment, and he closed his eyes too.

Outside the ward, Butler Qi sneaked a peek through the glass panel in the door to see what was happening inside.

As a qualified butler, how could he leave the young master alone in the hospital?

The young master was besotted; he had to keep a level head.

The top floor was the exclusive ward for the boss, with good privacy. Without any need, the nurses wouldn't come to disturb. Fu Yan hadn't pulled the curtains shut.

Butler Qi took a chance, held up his phone, and snapped a photo through the glass—just a blurry outline.

Butler Qi returned to the adjacent ward, took out his phone, and reported to Fu Xing.

"Sir, the young master slept in the same bed as the child he brought back tonight."

"The young master plans to bring the child he took in home tomorrow. Do you want to stop him?"

Fu Xing, far across the ocean, sat in the leather chair behind his desk, looking at the information the butler had just sent, frowned, and mulled it over.

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