I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 33

Chapter 33: Qingbao Falls into a Pit

“Ngh…”

This kiss came too suddenly. Chu Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He kept his lips tightly sealed, his nostrils filled with the man’s restrained cologne.

Crazy… this person is crazy.

Chu Qing’s hands clutched Huo Li’s back, trying to push him away.

Huo Li reached out and gently pinched his waist. Chu Qing couldn’t help but gasp, and Huo Li took the opportunity to slip his tongue in, thoroughly teasing his sensitive teeth and soft tongue, taking full advantage.

“Huo…” Chu Qing’s face was completely red.

After the long kiss finally ended, he felt his whole body go soft, completely drained of strength.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hold back,” Huo Li said, pinching his ear. “It’s your fault for being too tempting.”

“…” Chu Qing panted lightly, his lips red and swollen, leaning against Huo Li, feeling hot all over.

Ngh…

He took a deep breath and stood up, a little angry.

“Qingbao,” Huo Li said, taking his wrist pitifully. “Sponsor Daddy, I was wrong. Please don’t abandon this canary of yours.”

Seeing no reaction from him, Huo Li said aggrievedly, “If you don’t want me, I’ll have to sleep in the open and rummage through trash cans for food.”

“…”

“And we still have to go running later,” Huo Li added.

“…”

Huo Li was aggrieved, and Chu Qing was even more aggrieved.

But no matter how aggrieved he was, he was still dragged to run by Huo Li.

On the way, he kept thinking, Who is the canary here? Me or him?

Is there a canary who bullies their master like this?

But after running for a while, he couldn’t think anymore. The only thing in his mind was—tired.

He couldn’t think of anything and could only stare at the road in front of him, running forward numbly. For a moment, his world was reduced to that road and his own ragged breathing.

“Go, Qingbao!”

Huo Li kept pace with him, staying by his side and moving forward with him.

“We’re almost there. Look at the pavilion ahead. We’ll rest there.”

Phew… phew…

Now, his entire set of clothes was soaked with sweat. This was the first time he had engaged in such a continuous and intense activity, and also the first time he had sweated so much.

“We’re here!”

After arriving at the pavilion, he collapsed onto a seat, exhausted, and gasped for breath.

He stared blankly at Huo Li.

Really… it’s different.

He felt energized all over, even very comfortable, and his arms and legs no longer hurt.

It was rare for him to feel his thoughts so clearly and his mind so alert. His world, which had been a bit dull before, now felt vibrant.

It was a hard feeling to describe, but what he saw was clear and vivid, his mind was working clearly, and his whole body felt light, as if he had endless energy.

Right now, he suddenly really wanted to take a shower, splash himself with cold water, and then eat something delicious.

Huo Li noticed that he was much more energetic and squatted down with a grin. “I didn’t lie to you, did I?”

“Mmm…”

“Come on, get up,” Huo Li said, pulling him up to sit on the pavilion bench and pinching his cheek. “There’s a snack stall nearby. I’ll go buy you some water and snacks. You wait here for me.”

“Okay,” he nodded obediently.

The snack stall was a short distance away. After Huo Li left, it was quiet all around. He hugged his knees and sat there, waiting blankly.

He looked at the trees in front of him, then at the ants at his feet, and felt a sense of novelty.

He was rarely so energetic, without having to worry about suddenly losing control, and he didn’t feel like he was dragging a heavy body around, doing terrible things.

He didn’t know how long this state would last, but he was still very happy.

As he was in a daze, he suddenly felt something move beside him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the briefcase Huo Li had left next to him seemed to have shifted.

He was startled and turned his head sharply, only to see a… monkey pulling at Huo Li’s bag.

“…!”

It wasn’t strange to see monkeys in the deep mountains and old forests, but for this monkey to come up to him and steal a bag… it was probably because Huo Li’s briefcase was full of snacks and candy prepared for him.

“Give it back…!” he quickly leaned over, trying to snatch it back.

However, the monkey was very nimble and agile and immediately jumped onto a tree and ran away.

…taking Huo Li’s briefcase with it.

“…!!”

He had no choice but to get up and chase after it, forced to push his limits in exercise once again.

The monkey ran in the trees, and he tried his best to chase it on the ground, having to run forward while keeping an eye on where the little thing in the trees was going.

“Come back…!”

He was both anxious and tired, stumbling along with his head raised.

Whoosh—

Just as he was about to catch up, he felt the ground give way beneath his feet, and then his whole body fell downward.

Because he had been looking up, he hadn’t noticed that he had actually chased it to a very steep slope, and so he rolled straight down.

“Ngh…”

After he landed, he was still a bit dazed.

Fortunately, there was nothing on the slope but grass, so he only had some pain in his knees and elbows and was not injured.

He looked up blankly. The monkey was nowhere to be seen, and as for himself…

His eyes widened.

At the bottom of the slope was a river. He was sitting by the river at this moment. If he had rolled a little harder, he would have fallen into the river. But that wasn’t the point. The point was… the slope was really steep, and he couldn’t climb back up.

…What do I do now.

He paused, tried to climb up on his own, but after a few steps, he successfully fell down again.

“Ngh…”

He leaned against a rock and sat there, gently pinching the hem of his clothes.

I don’t have a phone. Will Huo Li not be able to find me? Will I be trapped here?

“Qingbao…!”

He was stunned.

He followed the voice and looked up, only to see Huo Li standing at the edge of the slope, frowning. “How did you get down there…?”

Huo Li had been startled when he returned to the pavilion and found him gone. He had immediately observed and followed the footprints to find this place.

When he reached the edge of the slope, what he saw was Chu Qing sitting at the bottom, looking as if he were doubting his life.

“I…”

He hadn’t expected Huo Li to find him so quickly and stared at him blankly. “How did you know I was here…”

Huo Li helplessly slid down the slope to join him.

“It’s okay. I’ll call the production team and have them bring climbing equipment to get us.”

After he made the call, Chu Qing finally asked falteringly, “Um… how do we get up?”

“We can’t,” Huo Li said, shaking his head. “It’s so steep. We can only go down, not up.”

Chu Qing: “………”

Chu Qing: “Then why did you come down??”

“To keep you company. The production team will definitely come anyway,” Huo Li said, pinching his wrist with a matter-of-fact look. “Am I supposed to leave you down here alone?”

He was stunned.

Huo Li opened the plastic bag and took out the water and food he had just bought. “Perfect. Let’s have a picnic by the river. You…”

Now it was Huo Li’s turn to be stunned.

Chu Qing had his head bowed, his cheeks flushed red, and he was laughing softly, a gentle and beautiful laugh.

Especially, especially beautiful.

Huo Li asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head.

Huo Li leaned in close to him and pinched his cheek with a smile. “What’s wrong, Qingbao? Tell me?”

He kept shaking his head.

He just felt that this was the first time someone had been so good to him.

He said a few words in a low voice, not knowing what he was saying. Huo Li could only hear the words “Mr. Huo.”

“I’m here, silly Qingbao,” Huo Li said, not caring about anything else, and hugged him. “Silly, this is nothing. I’m your bodyguard.”

“Mmm…”

“Come on, drink some water first,” Huo Li said, handing him the things he had bought one by one for him to eat.

After the two sat by the river for a while, the production team called.

But as he listened, Huo Li’s frown deepened.

“What’s wrong…?”

“Ah… this,” Huo Li frowned. “The production team has arrived, but it’s raining at the foot of the mountain, and the car can’t get through the muddy road. We have to wait for the rain to stop and the road to dry.”

He lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Huo Li said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “You haven’t told me yet. How did you end up here?”

“…I was chasing a monkey,” he said, stammering as he told him what had happened.

“…”

Alright then.

Huo Li pinched his ear. “Silly child. There was nothing valuable in that briefcase. You don’t have to worry about it next time.”

“Oh…”

It was already close to evening when he fell, and the two of them waited until the middle of the night.

The production team was also very anxious and kept in contact with Huo Li to ensure their safety, saying that if it really came to it, they could call an emergency rescue helicopter, because the mountain road below was still impassable for cars.

“Qingbao, don’t be afraid.”

It got colder at night. Huo Li took off his jacket and put it on him, his arm around his shoulders, letting him lean against him.

He had been exercising all day and was very tired now. And… his medicine was in Huo Li’s briefcase, so he had no medicine now and was very sleepy. The energy he had in the afternoon was gone.

“I’m sorry…” he said, leaning against Huo Li. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm?”

“I shouldn’t have fallen.”

Huo Li raised an eyebrow. “Then should I apologize too? I jumped down myself.”

His mood swings were faster than the weather, and Huo Li was used to it.

“I shouldn’t have…” he paused, then said dejectedly, “I can’t get better.”

He pinched his own fingers, a little defeated.

He had been fine in the afternoon, and very energetic. The unprecedented energy had given him a glimmer of hope, making him feel that he was not so bad.

But after just missing one dose of medicine, that hope had been completely shattered in one night.

If even this doesn’t work, then what else can?

“How can you not get better? You’ll be fine after you take your medicine when we get back,” Huo Li said, gently rubbing the top of his head. “You’ll get better.”

Even if he took his medicine now, he would still have an episode if he was going to have one. How could the brief clarity after exercising support him in being in a good mental state for so long? Even an ordinary person couldn’t.

“I was… I was fine in the afternoon,” he said, getting up and looking at him. “I was fine in the afternoon.”

“Mmm, I know.”

“I…” As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned red.

“Qingbao,” Huo Li hugged him and gently patted his back. “We’ll exercise every day from now on. You’ll have more and more time when you’re energetic. This kind of thing takes time. Everything takes time, doesn’t it?”

“I was fine in the afternoon,” he said, sniffling and clutching his sleeve, his voice choked. “I was so energetic then.”

“I know.”

“I was… in the afternoon…”

“Qingbao,” Huo Li raised his voice and took his hand. “The afternoon was the afternoon. Now is now. You’re not exercising now.”

He stared blankly at him.

Huo Li used his sleeve to wipe his face. “If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. You’re not performing now, are you? Why do you have to be so energetic with me?”

He paused and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you want to do something energetic with me here?”

“…” he looked at him with a dazed expression, confused by him.

“I… don’t.”

“I… in the future…”

“In the future, as long as you take your medicine and exercise, and live well with me, you’ll have good energy. It’s not like you’ll never have it again,” Huo Li said, pinching the baby fat on his cheeks. “You little crybaby, are you stupid? If exercise could cure it, then doctors would be out of a job.”

“Mmm…”

He was still held affectionately in Huo Li’s arms, and he still couldn’t help but cry, not because of what happened in the afternoon, but just because he was sad. He didn’t know what he was sad about, he just felt sad, his mind a mess of thoughts.

Huo Li accompanied him in silence.

He rested his head on his shoulder, his arms around his back, sobbing softly.

Huo Li took a milk candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to his mouth. “Open your mouth.”

At this moment, he also felt a little guilty. He shouldn’t have put his medicine in the bag. He should have put it in his pocket with the milk candy. It was his mistake.

He subconsciously did as he was told, and then felt a hint of sweetness in his mouth, which had been bitter and salty.

Fragrant.

He held the candy in his mouth, and the familiar taste of milk immediately invaded his brain.

“Is it good?” Huo Li gently stroked his back. “I have more.”

He said blankly, “It’s good…”

His hoarse voice was thick with a nasal tone. Huo Li, both helpless and heartbroken, said, “Open your mouth.”

Then he fed him a second candy, and the taste of milk became even richer.

“Qingbao, go to sleep,” Huo Li said, pressing his head against his chest. “It’s very late.”

“I…”

Huo Li gently covered his eyes with his hand. “I’ll watch over you.”

He sniffled, and while his shoulders were still heaving, he obediently closed his eyes. Maybe he himself didn’t know what he was doing.

He had been very active these past few days, and now, after crying for a while, he quickly fell asleep.

“Good night…”

Huo Li gently moved his hand away and held him, watching the stars.

…

The next day, after a night, the muddy road had dried, and the production team immediately drove the car up at full speed.

After all, they were outdoors, and he hadn’t slept very deeply. He opened his eyes when he felt the light.

“Good morning, Qingbao. Look.”

Huo Li pointed to the sky.

He groggily turned his head in the direction he was pointing and was stunned.

They were on a mountain at this moment, and what he saw was the sun slowly rising in the sky.

The originally deep blue sky was gradually replaced by a golden light, slowly brightening.

The golden light was so dazzling that it was almost impossible to open one’s eyes. Full of life and vitality, it not only lit up the sky but also awakened everything on the ground.

He looked down and saw that his body was enveloped in that light, very warm.

He said blankly, “The, the sunrise… is beautiful.”

“Mmm,” he said, not blinking as he looked at the sunrise, while Huo Li’s gaze was always on him.

Standing under the sunrise, he was much more beautiful than the sunrise itself.

“Beautiful.”

He had cried himself to sleep last night, but his mood was good again when he woke up in the morning. Huo Li was used to his constant changes and just took his hand. “The production team just called me. They’ll be here in a while.”

“Mmm,” he nodded and lowered his gaze with a smile. “It’s the first time I’ve spent the night outside, and I even saw the sunrise…”

At this moment, he was very satisfied.

Mr. Huo is so good to me…

He couldn’t help but think with a little malice, It would be great if he stayed bankrupt and had no money.

Then he felt that he was too vicious and immediately dismissed the thought.

A moment later, the production team’s car finally arrived.

The staff were full of apologies, almost kneeling down to apologize to him.

“It’s really okay…” he said with a smile. “This experience was very interesting.”

The staff glanced at Huo Li, who had spent the night alone with him. “???”

Alright then?

In short, after spending the night in the open, he and Huo Li were finally pulled up and returned to the homestay in a comfortable car.

After this experience was spread, his fans and Starry Sky were naturally dissatisfied, thinking that the production team’s efficiency was so poor. But he immediately posted on Weibo, sharing a photo of the sunrise, his tone full of joy, and the matter was finally put to rest.

And after he returned, there was only one afternoon left before the competition that night.

After showering and eating, he only had four hours to prepare, but he had nothing. No score, no lyrics, nothing.

But instead of preparing in a hurry, he stretched, turned around, and went back to his room to catch up on sleep.

This operation shocked the entire livestream audience and all the contestants. An Yize and Wang Shiwei didn’t even dare to persuade him. They thought he was letting himself go and directly giving up on the competition, and couldn’t help but admire him, thinking that a musician was indeed a musician, with a stubborn temper.

In fact…

“Give up on the competition…?”

He sat on the comfortable bed, pulling up the blanket as he listened to Huo Li, and said, puzzled, “I’m not?”

I’m here to participate in the show and the competition. Why would I give up on the competition?

Huo Li reminded him, “You haven’t prepared anything.”

“I have,” he retorted. “I’ve already thought about it in the car on the way back… I already know what I’m going to sing in my head.”

Huo Li: “…”

Forgive him, a rough man, for not understanding the thought process of an artist.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, “So you mean, you’ve already prepared in your head?”

“Mmm,” he nodded. “Didn’t the host say that this competition tests improvisation…”

…

That’s not the kind of improvisation you’re talking about.

Forget it.

Huo Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In any case, he could do whatever he wanted. Even if something happened, he and Starry Sky could take care of it afterward. As long as he was happy and at ease.

“Alright, then you go to sleep,” he said, pulling up the blanket for him with a smile. “Sweet dreams.”

He looked at Huo Li’s eyes and said blankly, “Sweet dreams…”

Just as he was about to turn off the light, he paused.

He looked down and saw him tugging on his sleeve.

“What’s wrong?”

He said in a small voice, “I’ll exercise every day.”

Huo Li smiled. “Good.”

“I, I want to get better,” he said, clutching his sleeve tightly. “I’ll be okay. Mr. Huo doesn’t have to worry about me.”

“Good.”

“In the future, I’ll definitely work hard and live well, whether Mr. Huo is here or not. I won’t run away.”

Huo Li frowned slightly.

But after he finished speaking, all his courage was used up, and he quickly turned around and went to sleep with his back to him.

Huo Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Oh well. Anyway… he’s much better than when I first came back.

He lightly and quietly turned off the light, then left the room.