“Shen Leyuan! Shen Leyuan? Shen Leyuan!”
Who’s calling me?
“It’s hungry…”
Shen Leyuan dazedly opened his eyes. The teacher’s crying voice from his dream overlapped with reality. Little Deer sprawled at the bedside, clutching his arm and whimpering, “Teacher, wake up. It’s time for class, Teacher. You’re late again…”
I fainted and haven’t even woken up properly, and you’re already fixated on class?
Shen Leyuan thought despairingly: These days are unbearable. I should quit.
Seeing the teacher awake, Little Deer blinked back tears and smiled at him. “Teacher, I thought you’d died.”
How does this silly kid talk like that?
Shen Leyuan patted his head, deciding not to argue with a fool. “What time is it? Did Teacher faint from low blood sugar?”
“Mm…” Little Deer nodded, gazing at him eagerly. “It’s time for class, Teacher.”
His head spun a little, and his body felt weak.
But this little fool from the Flower Market wasn’t demanding kisses or hugs—instead, he was unusually enthusiastic about studying hard every day. Which teacher wouldn’t be moved?
Shen Leyuan threw off the covers. “Alright, let’s go to class!”
Little Deer’s eyes lit up. “There’ll be a reward, right?”
Shen Leyuan lay back down.
He remembered how he’d fainted.
The alluring sight before passing out had been dizzyingly beautiful, but now, sober, it only made his conscience ache faintly. Shen Leyuan muttered guiltily, “No reward… We can’t… That’s not allowed…”
Though he’d preserved his first kiss at the last moment, Shen Leyuan couldn’t fool himself.
He… had reacted.
The thing that shouldn’t have stirred, did.
Little Deer’s mood shattered even more than his. Shocked and aggrieved, he demanded, “No reward? Why!”
“No, you misheard.” Shen Leyuan swiftly covered his mouth, flashing a gentle smile. “Teacher was just thinking about what reward to give Little Deer next. Can you stay quiet for a bit?”
Little Deer blinked, then nodded eagerly, eyes full of delight.
He’d coaxed him—for now—but it wasn’t enough.
He needed to take control, limit the “rewards” to what he could handle. Otherwise, yesterday’s incident would repeat, and with his self-control, next time it might not stop at just…
Thinking of yesterday made Shen Leyuan restless. He raised his hand under the covers and quietly slapped himself.
Reacting like that to a little fool? Have I no shame?
Little Deer noticed the movement under the blanket, tilted his head thoughtfully, then sneakily measured in the air with two index fingers: This long, or that long?
Whoa~
Shen Leyuan didn’t understand what he was doing. He wanted to ask but feared stimulating him, so he coaxed softly, “Teacher’s preparing a reward for Little Deer. Why don’t you go back to your room and wait?”
Little Deer obediently left, but returned four times, clinging to the doorframe with innocently clear eyes. “Teacher, are you done? What are you preparing, Teacher? Can I sneak a peek?”
Shen Leyuan said, “Teacher likes kids who wait quietly.”
His ears were finally clear.
The new reward was handmade again: a blue paper fan. Pull the rubber band string, and the blades spun wildly for dozens of circles—kid catnip. Whoever had one in kindergarten would be the star of the class.
Little Deer’s mental age was five at most. Easy win, right?
But things didn’t go as planned.
The boy hung his head listlessly, tucked the little fan into a drawer, sat on the chair with his back to Shen Leyuan, and said nothing.
By the time Shen Leyuan noticed something wrong and circled to the front, the kid had nearly soaked his collar with tears.
“What’s wrong?”
Usually all shouts and wails, but this time he was eerily quiet. It made Shen Leyuan’s chest tighten; his voice softened more than usual. “Don’t you like the gift? Want something else?”
Little Deer shook his head, then nodded, biting his lip in silence.
Shen Leyuan crouched to meet his eyes. “You need to tell Teacher where it hurts, or how can I help?”
Little Deer finally burst into tears with a wail, hugging him tightly. “Teacher doesn’t like me anymore!”
Shen Leyuan jolted, instinctively wanting to push him away.
How could that be?
The little figurine from last time was a quick sketch; this fan took half an hour to fold. If anything, the latter was more effort. How’d he reach that conclusion?
Lin Shilu couldn’t explain it himself, but the gifts felt different.
Like a drowning child clutching a lifeline, he sobbed, “I want one like last time. Teacher will always like Little Deer, right? Only like Little Deer?”
Fine, fine, whatever. Just stop crying.
Shen Leyuan coaxed the child with a headache.
Meanwhile.
On the basement screens, certain footage looped.
Folding paper, drawing a stick figure, and now this. The videos reflected in Lin Yuan’s pupils.
He pondered, then wrote two words in his notebook.
—Emotion.
Little Deer seems sensitive to people’s feelings. He noticed I wanted some distance.
Shen Leyuan thought worriedly: Sigh, my fault.
I’m the problem. I lack resolve against temptation. The big boss raised Little Deer for years without laying a hand, but I almost… And now I’m deliberately distancing him because of my own weird reaction.
But acting like before—patting his head now and then, hugging him affectionately—he couldn’t do it.
He had trauma now, afraid he’d lose control.
“How about this…” After thinking, he said suddenly, “If you study well today, Teacher will pat you. Okay?”
Use that as the reward, and they could keep distance otherwise.
Shen Leyuan felt like a genius.
Little Deer loved the idea, asking expectantly, “Really, Teacher? You’ll pat me? What about hugs next time?”
The kid looks so sweet and innocent.
Shen Leyuan restrained his twitching hand and smiled. “Of course. Teacher never lies.”
Little Deer’s study enthusiasm soared to new heights.
Like last time, they started with cases tied to real life, plus social common sense. Maybe because Little Deer was serious this time, Shen Leyuan was delighted to find he had a great memory—reciting tricky legal articles effortlessly.
After a full day’s lesson, the boy performed well, eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Teacher, time for Little Deer’s reward?”
Shen Leyuan’s heart melted. “Of course~”
The next moment, his pupils quaked.
Wait… why are you undoing your belt? Where do you want me to pat?!
Before the boy could voice his demand, Shen Leyuan swiftly patted his head, forcing a stiff smile. “Little Deer’s so cute. Your hair’s so soft.”
Lin Shilu froze.
This isn’t right. Teacher said pat, but not where. He doesn’t keep his word—he’s brushing me off!
The boy’s expression twisted, darkening ominously.
Before he could speak, Shen Leyuan rapid-fired praise: “Little Deer’s the smartest kid Teacher’s ever seen. You learn so fast—way better than Teacher at your age. You’re Tsinghua material, and you’ll make Teacher proud someday!”
He avoided words like “well-behaved,” since Little Deer already was.
He skipped “pretty” or “charming”—Little Deer’s looks were too tempting; he didn’t want him thinking beauty was leverage.
The simple praise wasn’t just distraction; it held a teacher’s genuine care for his student.
Little Deer stared dazedly, a faint blush creeping over his pale cheeks.
“It’s not that great…” the boy said shyly.
Shen Leyuan smiled knowingly, raising a hand to pat his head—but paused just before contact, withdrawing casually. “Alright, class dismissed. Go play.”
Little Deer wouldn’t leave, fidgeting. “Can I…”
Can you what?!
Dark memories flooded back; Shen Leyuan nearly reflexively refused. He forced encouragement, praying inwardly: Please don’t be anything lewd!
“Can I watch cartoons in Teacher’s room?”
Little Deer gazed hopefully, making an innocent little request.
Heaven knew—when “Teacher’s room” came out, Shen Leyuan’s mind auto-filled “jerking off.” But it was… cartoons?
He felt ashamed enough to slap himself.
How could I think that of Little Deer? He’s from the Flower Market, sure, but the pure, naive type.
I’m awful.
The next few days, after class, Little Deer stayed in his room. Study fervor high, no more demands for kisses or hugs—just sneaky glances during cartoon breaks.
Days passed peacefully. Too bad there was still the big boss upstairs.
That evening, a servant reminded them to come down for dinner. Shen Leyuan’s good mood plummeted.
—If servants didn’t ask what or when they wanted to eat, but just ordered them down, it meant the boss would be at the table, menu his call.
The boss loved vegetarian food and followed Buddhism.
Unmentioned in the text.
Shen Leyuan’s gaze flicked from the faint prayer beads on the boss’s wrist, hiding words he wanted to say. But no talking at meals—the table was funeral-quiet, even Little Deer silent. He didn’t dare speak.
When Lin Yuan set down his knife and fork, Shen Leyuan followed with his chopsticks—but Little Deer beat him to it.
Little Deer showed off his new knowledge smugly: “Daddy, Daddy, did you know? Locking people up arbitrarily violates personal freedom. It’s three to five years in prison.”
Lin Yuan looked up, catching the pride in his eyes and brows.
Very pretty. Very tempting.
Little Deer lifted his chin, flashing kittenish fangs as he spoke. “So you can’t lock me up anymore. It’s illegal. I’ll call the cops!”
Shen Leyuan “pfft”—spewing the tea he’d just sipped.
A newborn calf fears no tiger. This newly law-studying Little Deer just causes me trouble—you’re pushing Teacher to his doom!
But… “Can’t lock me up anymore”? What’s that mean?
He shot a suspicious glance at the boss, then quickly looked away. In his panic, he could hear his heart thundering.
