Chapter 080 – This Miserable Stepfather – “Just give it a try” (03/08)
In a good mood, Xie Chenyang went to the bathroom to wash up, then headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Gu Shiyu agonized for a long time, but when he came out and saw Xie Chenyang’s calm expression, he felt he’d overthought it.
“I made dumplings. Eat up.”
Gu Shiyu: “Mm.”
Just as he swallowed a dumpling, Gu Shiyu looked up at Xie Chenyang.
Xie Chenyang: “What is it?”
“Nothing.” It was just that the sauce he’d prepared this time was different from before, yet surprisingly suited his taste.
“Which university do you want to transfer to, Shiyu?”
“B University.”
“Alright. It’ll be tough to get in. Are you prepared?”
“I’ve been preparing all along.”
“Then you should look into the transfer process and exams for B University. I’ll handle the rest.”
Their conversation was serious.
Yet every night after Xie Chenyang fell asleep, he would hold Gu Shiyu close. Upon waking, he acted as if nothing had happened, leaving Gu Shiyu somewhat conflicted.
Not only did he not reject Xie Chenyang’s embrace and intimacy, but he even also responded to them…
This particular morning, Gu Shiyu woke up and, as usual, felt a presence behind him. This time, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he rolled over to face Xie Chenyang.
Their bodies collided head-to-head.
Xie Chenyang’s eyes twitched when he opened them. “What’s wrong?”
Gu Shiyu lowered his head slightly, his voice soft. “Song Yang, tell me… do you think being gay… is hereditary?”
Xie Chenyang: “No.”
Gu Shiyu’s expression tightened. “But I just feel like… I might be gay…”
Xie Chenyang chuckled. “What do you mean ‘feel’? Just try it and you’ll know.” “
Xie Chenyang lifted his chin and kissed him. Gu Shiyu’s eyes widened slightly.
Xie Chenyang held his waist with one hand while pinching his chin with the other, conquering territory. Gu Shiyu closed his eyes.
It was an intoxicating kiss.
Even when they sat together in the living room eating breakfast, Gu Shiyu was still a bit out of it.
Seeing his flustered state, Xie Chenyang found it amusing. “Aren’t you eating?”
Gu Shiyu tapped his bowl, his brow slightly furrowed. “You… That man…” He never referred to Gu Wenyi as ‘Dad’.
Xie Chenyang wiped his mouth. “Nothing ever happened. Me and him? There’s been nothing at all~”
Gu Shiyu buried his head in his food.
So what if nothing happened? You still love him.
You let him swindle you out of 200,000 yuan, yet you still foolishly trust him. You refuse to report it, and you’re even raising his son.
Gu Shiyu’s expression remained cold as he cleared his bowl and headed into the kitchen.
[What’s he angry about?]
You Huang: “He’s angry at himself for kissing his Little Dad.”
[What Little Dad?]
“You are Little Dad. You almost married his father, and you’ve been raising him these past two years precisely because he was Gu Wenyi’s son.”
[It wasn’t me, that was Song Yang.]
Xie Chenyang rested his hands on the table and murmured softly, “Why Little Dad? I want him to call me Dad directly.”
Gu Shiyu finished washing the dishes and was about to return to his room when a knock sounded at the door.
[Is Gu Wenyi finally here? ]
You Huang: “Mhm. Proceed as planned.”
Seeing Xie Chenyang hadn’t moved, Gu Shiyu went to open the door. They never had visitors here. He wondered if it was the landlord collecting rent? But it wasn’t due yet.
When he saw the face outside the door, his reflex was to slam it shut.
Gu Wenyi pushed the door open with a refined smile. “Haven’t seen you in two years, Xiao Yu. Don’t recognize Daddy anymore?”
Gu Shiyu replied coldly, “You’re not welcome here.”
Gu Wenyi remained composed, as if observing a rebellious child. He stepped around him and entered. “Are you upset Daddy didn’t look for you these past two years? There’s a reason for that.”
Gu Shiyu’s grip on the doorknob tightened.
Gu Wenyi then noticed Xie Chenyang sitting on the sofa and smiled gently: “Ah-Yang, I’m back.”
Xie Chenyang suppressed the urge to lash out, responding with a lukewarm, “Mhm.”
Gu Wenyi didn’t choose to sit beside him but instead took a seat across the room. He began to explain in a low voice, “Two years ago, I was in a car accident. When I woke up, I had amnesia—couldn’t remember anything. You paid 200,000 for me. This is to repay you. There’s 200,000 in this card. The password is your birthday.”
Xie Chenyang took the card and said softly, “Two years. No interest?”
Gu Wenyi thought he was upset and deliberately making things difficult. He smiled lightly and took out his phone. “Give me the card number, and I’ll transfer another 100,000 to you as interest.“
Xie Chenyang turned his head. “Shiyu, come here.”
Gu Shiyu took a deep breath and walked over to sit beside Xie Chenyang with a cold expression.
Xie Chenyang looked at Gu Wenyi with a faint, ambiguous smile. “These past two years, I’ve been supporting Shiyu. The expenses weren’t huge, but they weren’t small either. You’ll reimburse me, right?”
Gu Shiyu clenched his hands.
Gu Wenyi: “Of course. I’ll give it to you.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Chenyang promptly recited his card number.
After Gu Wenyi transferred the funds, he continued, “Back then, my phone got wrecked in the accident. After turning it off, I couldn’t charge it at all. The screen was broken too. When I woke up, I tossed it in the trash…”
Xie Chenyang picked up the orange on the table and began peeling it absentmindedly.
Gu Wenyi: “By the time I remembered I hadn’t removed the SIM card, the phone was already gone. So I just got a new one…”
Xie Chenyang: “Why didn’t you report it lost and get a replacement? Did you lose your memory and your brain along with it?”
Gu Wenyi: “…”
Xie Chenyang split the orange in half. Just as Gu Wenyi reached out, he saw Xie Chenyang hand one half to Gu Shiyu and ate the other half himself.
Gu Wenyi nonchalantly withdrew his hand. “True, I didn’t think of that back then. I was being foolish. Seeing only my name on the household register and ID, I assumed I had no family, so I just carried on living like that…”
Gu Shiyu’s household registration was listed under his mother’s.
Xie Chenyang nodded upon hearing this. “It’s fine. It’s not too late to remember now.”
Gu Shiyu felt the sweetness of the orange fade in his mouth, leaving only a bitter aftertaste.
What do you mean, “not too late”? To return and find him wasn’t too late, so mending a broken relationship was still possible, was it?
Gu Wenyi clearly interpreted his words that way too, falling silent for a long moment. “These past two years, I had no memory of the past. I didn’t know… there was someone waiting for me to marry…” Gu Wenyi looked guilty. “I met someone else and married them. Ah-yang, I’m sorry… If only I’d remembered sooner.”
Xie Chenyang sneered. “Now that your memory’s back, are you going to divorce them?”
Gu Shiyu lifted his gaze, his eyes cold as he stared at Gu Wenyi.
Gu Wenyi said bitterly, “We’ve been intimate these past two years. I’ve grown feelings for them… Ah-Yang, they know nothing. I can’t betray this marriage. We… should part ways.”
Xie Chenyang shifted slightly, leaning against Gu Shiyu. The murderous intent in his heart subsided somewhat as their bodies touched.
To Gu Wenyi and Gu Shiyu, this appeared as a defeated, powerless posture.
Right in front of Gu Wenyi, Gu Shiyu wrapped his arms around Xie Chenyang, pulling him close.
Xie Chenyang silently gave him an approving look.
[Shiyu’s the smartest and most sensible—hold me tight! Or I might kick that scumbag to death in a fit of rage!]
Gu Wenyi sighed softly. “I know I’ve wronged you. If only we’d gotten married first, then you’d be on my household register. Even if I lost my memory, I’d still know…”
“Enough.” Xie Chenyang lifted his head from Gu Shiyu’s embrace. “So, you came back to repay the debt and end things. Is there any other reason?”
Gu Wenyi: “…” There actually was.
Gu Shiyu’s voice turned cold. “The debt’s been repaid. We’re done. Now leave.”
Gu Wenyi’s brow furrowed slightly. This kid had never been close to him, but now he seemed even more distant? Had Song Yang raising him for two years made him take sides?
“Since we’re breaking up, there’s no reason for you to keep supporting Xiaoyu. I’m here to take him.”
Before Gu Shiyu could speak, Xie Chenyang seized his hand. “Shiyu, who do you choose? Him or me?”
Veins bulged on Gu Shiyu’s forehead. Why did this feel like a divorced parents forcing him to choose sides? It was infuriating.
Gu Shiyu clasped his hand back, squeezing hard. “Of course I’m following you.”
Gu Wenyi objected, “Xiao Yu, I know I wasn’t a good father before. But Ah-Yang is still young. Raising you these past two years must’ve been tough for him. You can’t keep troubling him. Come with Dad. I’ll take good care of you from now on.”
Gu Shiyu retorted, “Since we’re separated, drop the affectionate nicknames. ‘Ah-Yang’ isn’t yours to use.”
Gu Wenyi frowned. “Does that really matter right now?”
Xie Chenyang patted Gu Shiyu’s hand and stood up. “Let’s not argue about this now. Give Shiyu time to think. You must be exhausted from the trip. Rest a bit while I take Shiyu grocery shopping.”
Gu Wenyi hurriedly stood up too. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need. It’s not proper to send guests grocery shopping. Shiyu, let’s go.”
Watching them walk out together, Gu Wenyi’s expression darkened.
No need to guess—Song Yang was clearly trying to win Gu Shiyu over while they were alone, to prevent him from following.
Seems these past two years had deepened their bond considerably. He needed to figure something out.
Gu Shiyu followed Xie Chenyang out the door. “I won’t go with him.”
“Mhm.” Xie Chenyang chuckled softly. “We already agreed to go to City B together. You definitely can’t go with him.”
Gu Shiyu felt a bit puzzled. For the past two years, he’d been constantly thinking about Gu Wenyi. Now that he was back and breaking up with him, why didn’t he seem terribly upset?
Watching Xie Chenyang load up on groceries and several cases of liquor, Gu Shiyu felt a sinking sensation. “What’s with all the alcohol?”
Xie Chenyang: “A welcome-back feast.”
Xie Chenyang bought so much liquor that he negotiated with the shop to deliver it. Seeing the short distance, the shop agreed.
Gu Wenyi watched them carry the alcohol inside. “This is…”
Xie Chenyang explained, “You rarely come back, and today marks our breakup. Let’s have a proper meal and drinks at noon—parting amicably. Oh, and as you mentioned, you haven’t fulfilled your duties as a father these years. You should cook lunch today. Shi Yu probably hasn’t tasted your cooking yet. Is that alright?”
“…Fine.”
Gu Wenyi entered the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and shivered while washing vegetables.
He reached for the hot water tap only to discover it had no heating function?
He considered calling Song Yang for help, but upon stepping out and seeing him slumped on the sofa, immovable as a rock, his lips twitched. He stormed back into the kitchen and started cooking himself.
Just bear with it.
It’s just cooking. Can’t let Song Yang use this as an excuse—he won’t even cook for his own son. Gu Shiyu watched Xie Chenyang slumped on the sofa, utterly devoid of will to live, his gaze darkening.
In reality, Xie Chenyang was communicating with You Huang.
[I absolutely don’t want to eat his cooking.]
You Huang: “Then drink.”
[Just drinking is bad for my stomach.]
You Huang: “Then cook it yourself.”
[I don’t want to cook for him.]
You Huang: “…I’ll swap out a few dishes later. Eat those.”
[Dad, I love you!]
You Huang: “Say it again.”
[Daddy, love you.]
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
