Got it, brat. Healed up? You’re next 🙂
Little Deer hated Teacher mentioning others, especially brother. He whined: “Anyway, Little Deer just likes Teacher. Really likes—more real than brother likes Little Deer!”
Is that so?
Shen Leyuan smiled suddenly, voice gentle: “So, Little Deer doesn’t like people who lust after your body?”
Little Deer sensed something off, but not quite. He nodded hard: “Mm!”
Shen Leyuan smiled wider, dizzying the boy in that seductive warmth. Softly: “Funny—we’re on the same page there.”
Little Deer grinned dopily.
Shen Leyuan: “I don’t like people who lust after my body either.”
Little Deer: …
He stopped smiling.
Shen Leyuan, thoughtful: “Little Deer isn’t lusting after Teacher’s body, right?”
Little Deer held his breath, shaking his head stiffly.
Kid’s not so bad—once you get the knack, easy to handle.
Shen Leyuan ruffled his hair in reward: “Good. Teacher likes kids like that. You’re great, Little Deer.”
For the first time, praise from Teacher left Little Deer unhappy.
“Alright, topic change.” Shen Leyuan didn’t press. Back to start: “You were so different today, Little Deer. Because of the confinement?”
Like reminded, Little Deer stiffened.
“Because…”
Shen Leyuan cut in: “No saying ‘because Teacher likes good kids.'”
Little Deer sneaked a guilty peek, expression screaming evasion: “No other reason.”
“Teacher never said he likes good kids, did he?” Shen Leyuan frowned.
He’d always avoided praising obedience with Little Deer—shouldn’t have slipped.
Little Deer’s eyes lit up: “Teacher doesn’t like good kids?”
Shen Leyuan chilled, shaking head firmly: “Obedience depends on context. Not every good kid gets liked, not every naughty one hated. Case by case.”
Little Deer lowered his gaze, suddenly angry.
Why won’t Teacher say what he likes? Then Little Deer could try. Now he only knows Teacher likes normal good kids.
But Little Deer’s not normal.
Was Little Deer’s current mindset abnormal too?
He didn’t know.
He would go out later to observe A Si some more, then find Brother and Dad, look for similarities on them, and figure out what “normal” really was.
The boy fell silent, pinching his notebook as he zoned out.
Seeing that he wouldn’t get anything more out of him today, Shen Leyuan waved him off to rest.
The moment the door closed, he immediately called the big boss. “Mr. Lin, Little Deer wasn’t quite himself today. Could you keep an eye on him?”
Lin Yuan: “Mm.”
Shen Leyuan: “Also about Lin Yao—I originally thought pairing him with Little Deer for study sessions could help build Little Deer’s social skills, but at this stage, he might not be suitable, and he doesn’t seem willing either, so let’s scrap that.”
Lin Yuan: “Mm.”
Shen Leyuan: “And about what I mentioned last time—my family elders are pressing me. I want to head back the day after tomorrow. Could I bring Little Deer…?”
He paused, then reconsidered. “Never mind, not bringing Little Deer for now.”
Lin Yuan: “I’ll arrange for someone to drive you.”
Shen Leyuan: “No need, no need. I’ve settled the accounts back home, and the monthly payments are stable now. No issues for the time being. I can go in the morning and be back by afternoon.”
He didn’t know the way and had to feel it out himself—bodyguards tagging along would expose his “amnesia.”
Lin Yuan: “Mm.”
Rejected again.
His mood soured badly. Irritated, listless.
There were plenty of reasons to be annoyed. Like the check he’d offered that the young man wouldn’t take, the simple sketch he’d bought back that got returned, a phone call full of nonsense without even a goodnight, and today’s special patient meal that didn’t include him.
It was normal not to give him any—he wasn’t sick, didn’t need the qi and blood tonic.
But they’d given it to Little Deer.
Even to the bodyguard bros who’d deliberately passed by to mooch a meal.
Suppressing the urge to send the bodyguards on an extended vacation, he pulled a notebook from the bottom drawer and jotted down his mood and state.
—I’m not normal.
—I’m jealous, jealous of irrelevant things.
—Emotions differ from desires—they grow steadily like the slow boil of a frog in warm water.
—I need restraint.
He snapped the notebook shut, turned off the surveillance feed, and closed his eyes to rest.
The next day’s class.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yao slouched there with his legs casually crossed, plopped right next to Little Deer.
Shen Leyuan peered out the window in surprise to check the sun.
It wasn’t rising in the west today either—why had this young master shown up?
Lin Yao felt zero guilt.
For the fox spirit to tell his dad “never mind” and not want him studying with Little Deer? No way—he’d make the fox spirit learn what it meant to invite a god but find it hard to send one away.
Don’t ask how he knew; he’d overheard while passing by, okay?
Anyway, he was taking this class, period!
Little Deer kept his pretty little face taut, mimicking A Si’s aloof vibe. He thought it over, then crossed his legs to copy Brother’s posture.
Shen Leyuan rapped the table. “Little Deer, don’t copy everything your brother does.”
Then to Lin Yao: “Sit properly during class time. You’re Little Deer’s role model—you should lead by example.”
Lin Yao kept his face cold, refusing to look at him. “And if I don’t? What’re you gonna do?”
Nothing much—Shen Leyuan turned mildly to Little Deer and A Si. “See that? That’s what we call a negative textbook example.”
I fucking—
Lin Yao shot him a dark glare, on the verge of exploding.
But when his gaze landed on Shen Leyuan’s face, the rage abruptly jammed in his chest, fizzling out like a dud firecracker.
He sheepishly uncrossed his legs, then quickly recrossed them, bluffing with bluster: “Don’t try to rile me up here. I’ve been in lockups abroad—you’re the type I could punch three of and make ’em cry!”
Shen Leyuan: Tsk tsk.
This was the least threatening rebellious teen he’d ever seen—actually kinda cute.
In his eyes, Lin Yao came off as tsundere but not a bad guy. He’d saved him their first meeting, and his heroic rescue of Little Deer the other day had been impressive too. Sure, a bit dumb and pervy, but overall a good kid.
During break, Shen Leyuan stepped out and returned with a cushion for Lin Yao.
Cat-paw shaped, super soft—one he’d bought as a potential reward for Little Deer but hadn’t used yet.
Poor kid—his butt wounds probably weren’t fully healed.
Lin Yao chucked the cushion aside, face black as he tuned out the class, his brain looping idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot.
Not at the fox spirit—he was cursing himself.
What an idiot for coming to class, listening to this garbage.
“Be honest in communication,” “look people in the eye when you talk”—one sentence, two, three, all jabs at him. He was insane to sit here!
Yet he didn’t bail midway.
After class, Shen Leyuan asked the students for a favor: “I’ve got to head home tomorrow. Self-study, and hit me up in the group chat if you have questions.”
Lin Yao gawked at the fox spirit in disbelief. Once he was gone, he whipped around to glare at A Si.
“You’ve got a group behind my back?!”
A Si ignored him.
Lin Yao turned to Little Deer: “Add me to the group.”
Little Deer was happily stuffing the cushion into his bag. He acted like he hadn’t heard.
“Group number.”
Now saddled with an annoying big brother right in front of him, his good mood plummeted. Tone fierce: “Teacher didn’t say to add you. You’re not getting in!”
Lin Yao scoffed: “And you’re telling me this?”
His wife was heartless!
Little Deer nodded, refusing even to chat with him as he shouldered the new backpack from Teacher and walked off.
Teacher had said not to copy Brother.
From now on, whatever Brother did, he wouldn’t—Brother was his negative textbook example!
He hadn’t gone two steps before Lin Yao hooked his backpack strap and yanked him back. In three shakes of a lamb’s tail, he unzipped the bag, fished out the cushion, and waved it teasingly: “You think it’s yours just ’cause he gave it?”
Little Deer’s eyes rimmed red with fury: “You threw it away first!”
“I want it now.”
“Brother!”
“Calling me Daddy wouldn’t work either.”
Seeing his resolve, Little Deer softened, hugging his arm and wheedling: “Brother, Brother~ Little Deer was wrong, Little Deer won’t snap at you anymore. Give it to Little Deer, okay?”
“You remember to call me Brother now?” Lin Yao patted his little face.
Little Deer nodded all soft and obedient: “Brother’s the best, Little Deer likes Brother. Promise Little Deer, Brother~”
Lin Yao smiled: “My wife’s mouth is so sweet. Call me hubby—let’s hear it?”
Little Deer blinked: “If I do, you give it?”
Lin Yao: “Yeah.”
Little Deer eyed the plush cat paw longingly.
This wasn’t like a reward—no need to do anything, no need to be super good or obedient. Even right after arguing with Teacher, he could still get it.
It was a gift.
Something Little Deer didn’t have.
He opened his mouth to shout, hesitation a second an insult to the gift.
A Si suddenly spoke up: “He’s tricking you.”
Little Deer’s eyes widened, pitifully trying to sweet-talk: “Brother, you’re not tricking Little Deer, right? You’ll give it?”
The smile on Lin Yao’s lips twisted to a sneer, his pinch on the little face tightening: “Why should I? You call for me when you need something, curse me out when you don’t. I’ve done so much for you and can’t get a ‘hubby,’ but some junk from someone else does it?”
He cursed: “Lin Shilu, you’ve got no heart.”
Little Deer tuned out everything but one thing: Brother wouldn’t give it.
Face flushing, eyes teary with rage, he stretched on tiptoe to grab it, scratching, even biting—but he couldn’t snag it.
Brother was so tall, Little Deer so short.
Brother was so strong, Little Deer so weak…
![After Backstabbing the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/quick.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Backstabbing the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration]")
