Duan Linzhou had noticed that the child he brought home clung to him unusually tightly, as if he’d chosen him as his person. Like a little tail, the boy followed wherever he went. Whenever Duan Linzhou hesitated even a little, the child would quietly lift his gaze to meet his, silently conveying a look that somehow made Duan Linzhou feel like a heartless villain condemned by everyone.
It was downright bizarre.
Muttering to himself about how strange it all was, Duan Linzhou leaned over and asked the child, ‘Hey, who’s your mother? Don’t tell me… you’re really mine?’
Mu Peixuan, who had been calmly drinking a bowl of soup, choked at those words. He burst into a fit of coughing, staring at Duan Linzhou in disbelief, utterly speechless.
Duan Linzhou had only meant it as a joke, never expecting such a dramatic reaction. Seeing the child cough until his eyes turned red, he quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his face and patted his back. “I was just teasing. What’s got you so scared?”
It took Mu Peixuan a while to recover, then he looked at him strangely and asked, “How am I suddenly your son?”
Duan Linzhou replied, “If you’re not my son, why are you clinging to me like this?”
“If I didn’t wrong your mother somehow, would you be looking at me like I’ve ruined your life?”
He sounded completely self-assured.
Mu Peixuan fell silent for a moment, then met Duan Linzhou’s gaze and said quietly, “Do you believe in fate?”
Duan Linzhou: “Hmm?”
The next moment, he heard the child in front of him say something astonishing: “Duan Linzhou, I am your husband.”
Duan Linzhou: “……”
He burst out laughing, unable to contain himself, his shoulders shaking the more he thought about it. Mu Peixuan looked at him, annoyed by how amused he was, and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Duan Linzhou asked as he was still laughing, “You? My husband?”
Mu Peixuan caught the disdain in his tone and felt a bit aggrieved. You were the one who wanted to marry me, he thought, though he showed nothing on his face. With all seriousness, he said, “You and I are a match made in heaven. We’re destined to marry, to be together for a hundred years, until our hair turns white…”
Duan Linzhou burst out laughing and asked, “I’m marrying you?”
Mu Peixuan nodded.
Even Liu Guang, standing off to the side, couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Duan Linzhou laughed so hard his stomach hurt. He slumped against the chair like he had no bones, rubbing his belly, and said, “Then I must be absolutely loathed by all, human and ghost alike.”
Mu Peixuan: “……”
Duan Linzhou said, “If I weren’t so hated and couldn’t find anyone else to marry, how else could I end up marrying a child?”
Mu Peixuan looked at the carefree smile on his face, pressed his lips together, and said, “I’m still young now. Just wait a few years, and then you’ll like me.”
He thought to himself, And you’ll be head over heels, too!
Duan Linzhou laughed again. “I like you?”
He looked the child up and down, then said with a straight face, “Little Brother, Gege knows you admire me, but you’re still young. Now’s the time to study hard at the academy, don’t waste your prime years.”
Mu Peixuan: “…I’m serious.”
Duan Linzhou said, “En, en, I believe you.”
Mu Peixuan: “…You don’t believe me.”
Duan Linzhou sighed and said, “Ah, being this likable really is such a burden.”
Mu Peixuan: “……”
Mu Peixuan went quiet.
He maintained a solemn expression, sulking quietly. In the past, Duan Linzhou would have immediately tried to soothe him, but now the young Duan Linzhou simply observed him with amusement. Mu Peixuan struggled to find words, growing even more upset.
Though he didn’t know who he was mad at. He even thought, if Duan Linzhou hadn’t been poisoned, teetering on the edge of life and death, perhaps — he truly would have never married him.
Reason told him he shouldn’t think like that, they’d been together for so many years, but Mu Peixuan couldn’t stop that thought from creeping into his mind.
After laughing his fill, Duan Linzhou looked over at the child and saw him furrowing his brows, dazed and downcast like a neglected little puppy. The boy was already strikingly beautiful, and with that touch of sorrow added, even the coldest heart would melt.
He couldn’t help himself and reached out to pinch Mu Peixuan’s cheek. Mu Peixuan shot him a glance and turned his head away. Duan Linzhou hooked his finger under his chin and turned his face back, saying, “Why are you such a fussy little thing? You’re already upset? Let me tell you, kids with this kind of fiery temper are the least likable under the heavens.”
Mu Peixuan replied stiffly, “What’s it to you? Didn’t you say you didn’t believe me?”
Duan Linzhou hadn’t expected him to still be hung up on that. Finding him too adorable, he simply coaxed, “I believe you, I believe you, I believe you. If I didn’t, would I have brought you back?”
Mu Peixuan unflinchingly exposed the truth: “I followed you, and you only brought me back because you had no choice.”
Boss Duan was momentarily at a loss for words, then said, “If I really didn’t want you, I’d have had someone throw you out long ago. What could a kid like you even do?”
Mu Peixuan lifted his head, eyes fixed on Duan Linzhou. “Really?”
Duan Linzhou replied, “Really.”
“When I was sailing, I met a foreign missionary. He took one look at me and said I’d be blossoming with peach blossoms bud on my return, sure to bring back a little husband-to-be.”
Mu Peixuan could tell from his expression that Duan Linzhou was spouting nonsense again, but his heart still warmed at the words. Still, he asked, “What peach blossom bud? How does that make me a peach blossom bud?”
Duan Linzhou mischievously gestured to Mu Peixuan’s height and said, “Isn’t that exactly a flower bud?”
Mu Peixuan gave a soft snort. “I’m not your child bride.”
He looked Duan Linzhou straight in the eyes and said, “We’re a properly wedded couple, with matchmakers and betrothal gifts, all according to tradition.”
Seeing such a half-grown child speak so earnestly about them being married, Duan Linzhou couldn’t hold back a laugh. As soon as he laughed, Mu Peixuan’s brows knitted. Duan Linzhou quickly stifled his smile and nodded. “En, en, en.”
He said, “If I, Duan Linzhou, were to marry, whether as groom or bride, it’d be a grand affair, with the whole city buzzing and everyone knowing.”
Mu Peixuan listened to Duan Linzhou’s words, watching the lighthearted smile on his face. He couldn’t help but think back to their grand wedding, a celebration of their union that had once been so full of life. For a moment, his mind wandered, but a sharp pain suddenly pricked at his heart, as though something was tearing at it.
Mu Peixuan softly murmured, “…Duan Linzhou.”
Duan Linzhou responded casually, “Hmm?”
In the next instant, Mu Peixuan leaned in and hugged him, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. Duan Linzhou blinked in surprise and looked over at Liu Guang. Liu Guang froze for a moment, locking eyes with him.
Duan Linzhou thought that the child suddenly missed his parents, so he grabbed Mu Peixuan’s butt and carried him up.
Mu Peixuan: “……”
“?!”
Mu Peixuan was caught off guard, his feet suddenly leaving the ground. It was such an unexpected and ridiculous situation that his eyes went wide in shock.
Duan Linzhou, still holding him, gave a little shake, muttering, “Good thing I’ve carried my little sister before, or I wouldn’t know how to hold a child.”
Mu Peixuan: “……”
Duan Linzhou’s tone became unexpectedly soft as he said, “You miss home, don’t you? Stop throwing a tantrum, tell Gege which family you belong to, and I’ll ask your parents to come pick you up right away.”
Duan Linzhou even kindly added, “If they’re angry with you for running away and want to spank you, I’ll stop them. How about that?”
“Duan Linzhou,” Mu Peixuan felt both embarrassed and furious, “…put me down!”
Obrigada pelos capítulo💞😘