Chapter 082 – This Miserable Stepfather – “It’s time to start supporting the family.” (05/08)
“It’s snowing outside.”
Xie Chenyang heard Gu Shiyu’s voice and turned toward the window. He pulled Gu Shiyu closer into his embrace. “Want to watch the snow?”
Gu Shiyu: “No.”
Xie Chenyang withdrew his gaze and wiped away the fine sweat on his forehead. “Did I upset you? Why do you look so unhappy?”
Gu Shiyu closed his eyes and murmured, “It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.”
“Then should we go back to the room and sleep?” The sofa was a bit narrow.
Seeing that Gu Shiyu had no intention to move himself, Xie Chenyang picked him up and carried him toward the bedroom.
Gu Shiyu wrapped his arms around Xie Chenyang’s neck, burying his face in the crook of his neck, his emotions tangled.
After two years of living side by side, he’d never imagined their relationship would turn out like this. In his memories, though he outwardly disliked Song Yang, deep down he’d always regarded him as an elder. He’d even thought that once he graduated, it would be his turn to support Song Yang.
…Fuck being an elder!
But when his mother passed away and his own father fled, if not for Song Yang supporting him, he doubted he could’ve studied properly or even gotten into university.
He kept this deeply in mind, never daring to forget.
Xie Chenyang placed him on the bed. Seeing Gu Shiyu’s closed eyes, as if asleep, he tucked the blanket around him before turning to leave.
Xie Chenyang sat back on the sofa, lighting a cigarette: [Finished off that scumbag so quickly. Feels like I didn’t even get a sense of accomplishment.]
You Huang was speechless. It wasn’t as if he’d ever really tried to deal with the scumbags. “That’s because you’re good at it.”
Xie Chenyang chuckled at the remark, his shoulders shaking as he held the cigarette between his lips. [Not at all,] he said modestly. [All Dad’s doing.]
You Huang: “It’s us working together.”
[Hahaha, Dad, I think I love you more now.]
You Huang: “…” Hmph, still a dog.
After Xie Chenyang left, Gu Shiyu opened his eyes. He hadn’t truly intended to sleep. He quietly cracked the door open and peered out at Xie Chenyang in the shadows.
Seeing him light a cigarette, his shoulders trembling with each drag, Gu Shiyu’s brow furrowed deeply. In his memory, Xie Chenyang hadn’t been much of a smoker. It seemed like the habit developed recently…
Sure enough, despite his carefree facade, Gu Wenyi… must’ve dealt him a blow.
It was understandable. Xie Chenyang loved him so deeply, only to suddenly discover his true nature. How could he remain truly unaffected?
Gu Shiyu’s hand tightened around the doorframe.
Xie Chenyang, of course, sensed his gaze: [And he said he wanted to sleep! Sneaking peeks at me like this. Such a clingy little treasure.]
You Huang: “…He’s still feeling complicated. Want your Dad to personally dissect his inner thoughts for you?”
[Guess he does mind that I killed his real dad, huh?] Xie Chenyang stubbed out his cigarette, looking resigned: [Fine, I’ll go comfort him.]
Gu Shiyu saw him get up and immediately shut the door, scurrying back to bed.
As soon as Xie Chenyang opened the door, he saw a lump on the bed. He walked over and pulled back the covers. Gu Shiyu’s eyes were tightly shut, his breathing calm.
Xie Chenyang pinched his cheek. “Stop pretending. You forgot to take off your slippers. Get up and get dressed. I’m taking you to see the snow.”
Gu Shiyu really wanted to say it was freezing outside and there was no need. But he still got up and put on a thin down jacket.
Xie Chenyang wasn’t entirely satisfied. “Put on something thicker. It’s snowing outside.”
Gu Shiyu zipped up his jacket. “This is warm enough.”
Xie Chenyang: “Fine, let’s go then.”
You Huang: “So you meant taking him to see the snow when you said you’d coax him?”
[Yeah, he noticed the snow earlier, right? He should like it.]
You Huang: “…” No, I think he just said it offhand.
Gu Shiyu really had said it offhand.
When they stepped outside, the cold air hit them. Gu Shiyu glanced at Xie Chenyang and saw that he seemed unaffected. He slipped his hands into his pockets without showing it and kept pace with Xie Chenyang.
Xie Chenyang truly wasn’t cold. He was bundled up in layers—scarf, hat, gloves—fully dressed. Compared to him, Gu Shiyu’s thin down jacket seemed inadequate.
Below the apartment building was a small garden, usually reserved for residents’ leisure. Xie Chenyang led Gu Shiyu to a small fountain and marked off a spot. “Let’s build two snowmen here.”
Gu Shiyu: “…” How childish.
“Want to?”
“Sure.”
Xie Chenyang chuckled softly, crouching down. “I’ll make one of you, and you make one of me.”
Gu Shiyu’s eyes softened at his words. He pulled his warm hands from his pockets and crouched beside him.
Watching Xie Chenyang enthusiastically shape his snowman’s torso, You Huang couldn’t bear to look and muttered, “Your wife’s hands are going to freeze solid.”
Xie Chenyang paused. He turned his head slightly and saw Gu Shiyu, his face cold, building his snowman barehanded. A pang of guilt washed over him.
[I told him to wear more, but he still dressed so lightly. I thought he was cold-resistant.]
You Huang: “…” No words. Who gave birth to this dim-witted son?
Xie Chenyang swiftly removed his own gloves and grabbed Gu Shiyu’s hands. They were frighteningly cold.
Gu Shiyu: “I…”
Xie Chenyang rubbed his hands over Gu Shiyu’s, then sternly pulled his gloves onto them. “Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?”
Gu Shiyu gave a faint smile. “It wasn’t that cold.”
Xie Chenyang flicked his forehead. “Not cold? Your hands are frozen solid. Forget it, let’s go home.”
“Finish it first. You don’t leave a snowman half-built,” Gu Shiyu mumbled, head down as he continued shaping the snow. “You’re not wearing gloves. Just watch me build it.”
Xie Chenyang pulled a pair of gloves his dad had just given him from his pocket and put them on triumphantly. “I have another pair. The snow’s coming down too hard. Let’s finish this quickly and head home.”
After saying that, he brushed the snow off Gu Shiyu’s head and pulled the hood of his coat over his ears. Gu Shiyu’s gaze immediately shifted. If he had an extra pair of gloves, why hadn’t he offered them earlier?
Meanwhile, on a fifth-floor balcony of the apartment building, a girl was livestreaming with a selfie stick. “Yep, we got a huge snowfall here today—seriously massive. Just a few hours and the ground’s already covered… What? Snowmen?” She turned her head to look down. “There really are two guys building snowmen! Probably residents of our building too. So childish, haha.”
【Streamer, pan the camera over to them! I wanna see the guys building snowmen!】
【The pixel quality is amazing! What phone are you using, streamer?】
【Looks like they’re almost done, but it’s hard to see. What do the snowmen look like?】
Xie Chenyang stood up, walked over, plucked a few leaves, and stuck them onto his snowman to serve as eyes and a mouth.
Gu Shiyu: “…” A few splashes of green against pure white—quite eye-catching, to say the least.
He declined the leaves Xie Chenyang offered, instead pulling off one glove. Leaning on the edge, he scooped several pebbles from the fountain.
Xie Chenyang quickly grabbed his hand, snatched the pebbles away, zipped his jacket open, and stuffed them inside, fuming: “If you wanted stones, just ask me! I’d have fetched them for you. This water’s freezing!”
Gu Shiyu hadn’t expected such a strong reaction and froze, stammering, “I didn’t mean…”
Xie Chenyang was furious.
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then grabbed Gu Shiyu’s chin and pressed a punishing kiss onto his lips.
Snowflakes drifted down as the two snowmen watched the kiss unfold before them. If asked how they felt…
Gu Shiyu: Thanks for asking. Like fire and ice.
When Xie Chenyang finally released him, Gu Shiyu, his ears slightly flushed, bent down to pick up the fallen pebbles and stuffed them into the featureless face of his snowman.
Gu Shiyu pulled out his phone. “Brother Yang, let’s take a picture.”
Given their current relationship, calling him by name alone felt insufficiently intimate. Without overthinking it, he addressed him as “Brother.”
Xie Chenyang grumbled about what there was to photograph but complied, crouching beside the snowmen. The two snowmen and two people were thus captured by the camera.
Xie Chenyang helped him slip on his gloves, then took his hand. “Alright, let’s head back.”
Gu Shiyu tucked his phone into his pocket and walked with him toward the apartment building.
[Dad, I gotta admit, I don’t know why, but every time he calls me ‘brother,’ it gives me this inexplicable thrill.]
You Huang: “…Little pervert.”
[Then you’re an old pervert.]
You Huang: “…” Craving to enforce family discipline.
Neither of them knew that a girl on the fifth floor had accidentally captured them during her livestream. The screen was filled with excited squeals.
The streamer was Song Zhui, a BL artist.
After seeing the snowfall today, she’d brought her phone to the balcony during her live painting session to show fans the snowy view. Little did she know she’d accidentally capture two young men building snowmen.
Then they actually… kissed.
【Waaah!】
【Both guys are clearly top-tier looks.】
【They live in your building, Zhui! Do you know them?】
【Who knew there were real-life couples right under our noses?】
【The one holding the pebbles in his hands is definitely the shou. Is he testing the waters? Look how heartbroken the gong looks, pulling him straight into his arms. That’s true love for sure.】
【The comment above made me dizzy.】
Not only were the fans shocked, but Song Zhui was stunned too.
Though she drew BL, she didn’t have any real-life inspiration. Even with so many handsome guys at school, she never shipped randomly—only the couples in her own stories.
Who knew she’d encounter a real couple today?
She flicked her hair with a smile. “I don’t know them, so let’s not talk about it. Back to my new drawing~”
——– ——- ——-
After the New Year, Gu Shiyu began seriously preparing for his transfer exams.
Xie Chenyang wasn’t idle either, constantly discussing with You Huang how he could support his future wife: [Why not try stock trading? That’s a quick way to make money.]
You Huang: “Do you even know how?”
[I don’t, but Dad definitely does.]
You Huang: “That won’t work. Song Yang graduated high school with average grades, failed the college entrance exam, and has no background in finance. It wouldn’t make sense if you suddenly knew how to trade stocks”
[What if I was self-taught?]
You Huang: “Gu Shiyu is from your village. It’s so small that everyone knows everyone.”
True. In his memories, Song Yang knew that Gu’s mother had always struggled to support Gu Shiyu. The boy had been a model student and studied relentlessly. His grades consistently ranked first, occasionally slipping but never falling below third place.
[So what does Dad think I should do? Something with flexible hours—I want to spend more time with Shiyu.]
You Huang: “Write web novels?”
You Huang: “You’ve experienced so many worlds. Just pick one to write about, or take an interesting person you’ve met as the protagonist. Tweak it a bit, and you’ve got a story.”
Xie Chenyang fell deep in thought.
“This won’t require leaving home. You can write daily while staying with your wife. Just work a little faster. One or two hours a day should suffice.”
[Will it make money?]
“I’ll edit your drafts. If you sell the rights, the earnings won’t be small.”
[I remember you helped me write a novel before, Dad. Maybe you could…]
You Huang scoffed coldly: “What? Want me to support your wife for you?”
[Just kidding, haha. I’ll write it myself.] Xie Chenyang gave a dry chuckle, then felt a pang of melancholy. [Dad, I feel like you spoil me too much.]
He was practically being spoiled rotten. Look at him now, so dependent on his father.
You Huang: “Fair enough. Forget the editing. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
From then on, no matter how much he pleaded, it was useless.
You Huang had decided to let him fend for himself in this world.
Xie Chenyang spent both Gu Shiyu’s money and his own on buying a house and furniture, leaving very little left.
Xie Chenyang: “…” Great. The pressure of supporting a family was upon him.
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
