In the bathroom, faint mist permeated the air as Gu Yuan sat in the bathtub, leisurely closing his eyes to soak.
An electronic screen hung on the wall, displaying a countdown in numbers.
His body was frail, so he couldn’t soak for too long.
At that moment, the bathroom door was gently pushed open.
He assumed Auntie had come to bring him warm salt water, so he didn’t open his eyes.
“My lotion seems to have been forgotten.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the bathroom door was pushed open again. Soon after, a box of lotion wrapped in packaging paper was stuffed into his arms.
He found it strange and furrowed his brow as he opened his eyes. What entered his view was a figure with a bare little bottom, sneaking around in front of the gift box.
“Zhou Chiyu.”
The sudden voice made the little “thief” in front of him tremble all over. Zhou Chiyu’s round little bottom quivered as he turned back with a fawning smile. “Brother.”
Gu Yuan draped a bath towel over himself and stepped out of the tub, deliberately asking, “What are you doing?”
Zhou Chiyu knew he was in the wrong and fiddled with his belly with his little hands. “I’m worried the cakes will melt in the bathroom. I wanted to take them back to the fridge.”
“So that’s it.” Gu Yuan slyly raised an eyebrow and walked over to him. “Why did you take your clothes off?”
“I wanted to take a bath with you.” Zhou Chiyu mumbled, “I’m your little brother. What’s wrong with bathing together?”
Gu Yuan was speechless. Zhou Chiyu seemed to have a point. But he was smart enough to see through the scheme and naturally wasn’t buying the sugar-coated excuses.
“Fine.” Gu Yuan eyed Zhou Chiyu’s naked form and lightly snorted. “You do need to lose some weight.”
“What’s wrong with being fat? Fat means I have strength.” Zhou Chiyu crossed his arms, twisted his little bottom, and waddled under the showerhead. “I’m taking a bath now.”
There was only one showerhead in the bathroom. With Zhou Chiyu occupying it, Gu Yuan sat on a chair and watched him.
Zhou Chiyu usually didn’t bathe himself—Auntie always helped him. Now that he was alone, he had to mimic the steps from cartoons where babies bathed: wetting himself down first, then lathering up with body wash.
He washed very seriously, but his round eyes kept sneaking glances at Gu Yuan. It was obvious he was plotting something.
Gu Yuan observed him, waiting for his next move.
“Oh dear, my head feels so dizzy.”
Zhou Chiyu remembered how Miao Miao from their class acted when she had one of her episodes.
“Brother, I think I have low blood sugar.”
He pursed his lips and gazed pitifully at Gu Yuan. “This illness needs lots and lots of sugar to get better.”
Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow and quietly walked over to him. “I’ll go find some sugar for you. Wait here.”
“I can’t wait!” Zhou Chiyu shook his body. His chubby little feet seemed to move uncontrollably toward where the gift box was temporarily placed. “I remember, isn’t there a sugar figure inside?”
He fiddled with the box, his chubby face scrunching up like a bun. “There seem to be little cakes too.”
“So?” Gu Yuan looked down at him imperiously as he put on his performance.
“So, I’ll just eat them directly.” With the speed of lightning, Zhou Chiyu’s chubby little hand darted into the box and precisely pulled out a box of little cakes. “Brother, will you save my life?”
He pitifully pouted, hugging the box weakly and murmuring, “Low blood sugar can kill you.”
“If I die, you won’t have a little brother anymore.”
“It’s hypoglycemia, right?”
Gu Yuan knew about the condition and knew Zhou Chiyu was faking it, but he still softened. “Then eat it.”
Having succeeded, Zhou Chiyu forgot about bathing. He draped a small bath towel over himself, sat to the side, and started munching on the cakes.
As the temperature in the bathroom rose higher, the mist and steam gathered in the air, forming white clouds.
Zhou Chiyu was so focused on eating that he didn’t even notice when his bath towel fell off.
Through the hazy vapor, Gu Yuan’s gaze fell on Zhou Chiyu’s bare body. He thought the chubby Zhou Chiyu was super cute.
If food could really make Zhou Chiyu forget his pain, then Gu Yuan was willing to spend all his New Year’s money buying treats for him.
The New Year’s countdown began.
After bathing, the two little ones leaned against the bed watching cartoons. Auntie from the kitchen prepared Cheese Yogurt Fruit Salad for them. Zhou Chiyu held his little bowl contentedly, propping up his feet. He felt Gu Yuan’s bed was much softer than his own—like sleeping on clouds, very comfortable.
In fact, Gu Yuan’s bed had been specially customized by Bai Wenran. Since Gu Yuan’s bones were weak and often ached, a soft bed made it a bit more comfortable.
At this time, Gu Yuan needed to wear the Vibration Vest to clear his phlegm. He looked at Zhou Chiyu, his little brows tightly furrowed as he pondered a serious issue.
Although Zhou Chiyu had become his little brother, he could still be snatched away easily. He needed to ask his Companion Robot how to solve this problem.
At two in the morning, the sleeping Zhou Chiyu was carried away by Butler Chen. Gu Yuan chatted with the robot for a very, very long time.
The robot told him that if Zhou Chiyu was added to the same Household Registration Booklet as him, they would never be separated.
