Not long after, Zhou Chiyu ran into the room, bouncing along with his little schoolbag on his back.
Upon hearing that Gu Yuan had finally woken up, he didn’t even have time to socialize with the neighbor boy. Like a small whirlwind carried by the gentle spring breeze, he rushed inside.
“Brother?”
He dashed to the bedside and held up the new toy he had bought today, a Little Frog Toy that could sing and jump. “Shall we go play with toys in the yard together?”
The tightly covered blanket quietly revealed a small gap.
Gu Yuan glanced at him, his voice muffled. “I don’t want to play.”
He really hated Zhou Chiyu.
The other boy acted like he wanted to be his good friend, yet he still went off to play with other kids.
He didn’t understand. He really didn’t understand.
“He’s so much fun,” Zhou Chiyu said as he kicked off his shoes and nimbly climbed onto Gu Yuan’s bed. The doctor was just about to advise against it when Bai Wenran stopped him with a gesture. Although Gu Yuan required a relatively sterile environment, the experts had suggested that she let him have moderate exposure to normal settings to stimulate his immune cells.
Gu Yuan lifted the blanket and eyed the beaming Zhou Chiyu. “Who told you to get on my bed?”
Zhou Chiyu was a pro at playing cute. His little head flopped down with a “thud” right next to Gu Yuan’s pillow, and he kicked up his chubby little legs while fiddling with the Little Frog Toy in his hands. “Do you believe it can dance?”
Gu Yuan narrowed his eyes and snapped awkwardly, “So what if it can dance?”
“But it can also call your name,” Zhou Chiyu said as he waved the Little Frog Toy around, flashing a mysterious smile.
This time, Gu Yuan was a bit surprised.
Half an hour later, dressed in a woolen coat with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he sat in his wheelchair silently watching the performance of the one big and one small figure in front of him.
“Ribbit ribbit ribbit, Gu Yuan~”
“Ribbit ribbit ribbit, little friend Gu Yuan~”
The frog had a hidden speaker on its back, from which Zhou Chiyu’s pre-recorded voice emerged—complete with a childish milky tone that he deliberately coarsened to match the frog’s comical jumping motions. It was hilariously entertaining.
The two servants standing behind the wheelchair quietly observed Gu Yuan’s expression, exchanged a glance, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Gu Yuan kept his little face stern and issued a command to the wheelchair. “Go home.”
The wheelchair turned around and began rolling backward.
Zhou Chiyu panicked and chased after it frantically. “What’s wrong? You don’t think it’s fun?”
Gu Yuan narrowed his eyes. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Zhou Chiyu’s sweaty little round face. “Boring.”
He pressed the deceleration button, and the wheels slowed down imperceptibly.
Zhou Chiyu kept following, hands on his hips, clearly very angry.
Gu Yuan didn’t like such a fun frog toy?
What a picky kid.
“Gu Yuan! It doesn’t just call your name—it calls mine too.”
Gu Yuan scoffed. “Whatever you recorded, that’s what it says.”
“You’re so smart!” Zhou Chiyu gave him a thumbs-up in admiration. “Brother, you’re second to last in eating, but your brain is super smart—the second smartest in the world!”
“Second?” Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re first.”
Zhou Chiyu’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re really amazing.”
“Boring.” Gu Yuan curled his lip and sped up the wheelchair a bit. Zhou Chiyu couldn’t keep up and had to pump his short little legs desperately. As he ran, with a “thud,” he tripped over a raised marble edge by the path, his chubby leg scraping hard against the solid ground.
Before Gu Yuan could react, Zhou Chiyu burst into loud wails.
The servants chasing behind hurried over in a flurry. Butler Chen was heartbroken and quickly scooped Zhou Chiyu into his arms to comfort him.
“It hurts so much.”
“Bad brother.”
“Your wheelchair was too fast.”
Zhou Chiyu pouted, crying harder and feeling more aggrieved by the second. Golden teardrops kept sliding down into Butler Uncle’s palm.
“Let me check if your skin is broken.”
Butler Chen squatted down and had Zhou Chiyu sit on his knee. He carefully rolled up the boy’s pant leg.
That’s when he noticed someone leaning in close.
Gu Yuan stood there with his hands behind his back, his pale face looking awful—stubborn, tense, but mostly that cold detachment that kept everyone at arm’s length.
“Little Young Master, you should sit in the wheelchair.”
Gu Yuan ignored the servant’s reminder and kept staring fixedly at Zhou Chiyu. The boy was crying fiercely, his chubby face a mess of tears. No matter how the adults coaxed him, he stayed puffed up and sulky.
Gu Yuan breathed shallowly, his fingernails digging tightly into his palms.
In the living room, Gu Lao and Gu Cheng gathered around Zhou Chiyu to check his leg injury. The family doctor had just treated the wound—it was only a minor scrape, no damage to the bone.
“See, being a bit chubby has its advantages.”
Not far away, Gu Yuan stood with his back to everyone, his eyelids heavy as if he could barely lift them, his profile an unnatural ashen white.
“Little Young Master, it’s time for your medicine.”
A frail, powerless cough echoed as he dumped the pills into his mouth all at once. His sunken eyes held no spark.
“Little Yuan, come quick and see your little brother. He’s stopped crying.”
At Gu Cheng’s call, Gu Yuan didn’t move. Instead, he went upstairs alone.
Gu Cheng opened his mouth but was suddenly filled with a pouncing Little Dumpling.
Zhou Chiyu threw a tantrum, hugging Gu Cheng’s arm and whining. “Uncle, I got hurt today, so tomorrow I want to go to the amusement park.”
Gu Cheng smiled and hugged him tight. “No problem.”
There were only a few days left until the New Year. Zhou Chiyu missed his good friends terribly. Since he was temporarily staying at the Gu Family, he couldn’t invite everyone over like usual, and he felt a bit down.
“Grandpa, I miss my good friends.” Zhou Chiyu wasn’t shy by nature and always spoke his mind. “After we go to the amusement park tomorrow, can we bring them here to play? Your lake has such white and fat swans—they’d be so happy to see them.”
Gu Lao agreed readily. “Of course. Tell Grandpa tomorrow what you all want to eat, and he’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”
“Grandpa Gu is the second-best grandpa in the world!” Zhou Chiyu was thrilled. After leaving Gu Cheng’s arms, he climbed onto Gu Lao’s lap and sang a nursery rhyme he’d learned at kindergarten. “I have two good grandpas, good grandpas~”
Gu Lao’s slightly hunched back shook with laughter. “Our Little Fish really is such a cute kid.”
Gu Cheng nodded in agreement and pinched the soft little cheek.
…
