UNCLTRD chapter 25

After receiving the marriage certificates, their relationship was sealed. Yang Shao was too lazy to dwell on it or think much about it.

The results from the arm check-up showed no major issues, but the private hospital’s doctor was cautious. The doctor recommended that Yang Shao rest for a while. But Yang Shao couldn’t stay idle. If he continued idling, he might just stop making money altogether.

In the past, he dreaded Yang Tao’s school holidays because he couldn’t leave the child home alone for long. He had no choice but to bring him along on sales trips, which meant the poor kid endured days of hardship alongside him. But things were better now. Even during winter break, there were plenty of people to look after Yang Tao, giving Yang Shao the opportunity to earn more money while he could.

Chen Qiusu had given him plenty of money, but Yang Shao believed a person shouldn’t rely too much on handouts. Relying solely on others could lead to complacency. The money from Chen Qiusu was one thing, but earning his own income was another.

Besides, Yang Tao’s birthday was coming up. How could he use Chen Qiusu’s money to buy a gift for his son? That would be too pathetic.

The Chen family elders didn’t stop Yang Shao but merely reminded him to stay safe. Chen’s mother even suggested buying him a new truck for his business, but Yang Shao refused. He felt it was unreasonable to spend money before making any. As long as his current truck worked, there was no need to waste money on unnecessary expenses.

Meanwhile, Chen Qiusu had requested an increased dosage of his medication, even resorting to dependency-inducing inhibitors. His body couldn’t take it anymore, forcing his doctors to halt treatment.

Without medication, his heat would arrive unpredictably, and no amount of medical intervention would help. He would need a mate.

Chen Qiusu had long accepted this reality. He knew he was just borrowing time, fixing one problem while creating another. But there had been no better options, and now he could only take things one step at a time.

…

By the time they got home, it was already dark. Chen Qiusu had no appetite, claiming he’d already eaten, and quickly went upstairs. Entering his bedroom, he saw Yang Tao enthusiastically giving Yang Shao a back massage on the bed.

“Daddy, where have you been getting your supplies recently?”

Ever since his school break started, his dad had been busier than ever, leaving early and returning late, even less available than when he was in school.

Lying comfortably on the bed, Yang Shao scrolled through videos on his phone. “You’ve been there before—it’s the village with the pomelo grove.”

“Is it Yanwa Village?” Yang Tao had a good memory and remembered the place from one visit. “Daddy, take me with you tomorrow. I want to go too.”

Finally able to work in peace, Yang Shao wasn’t about to bring along extra trouble. “Isn’t playing at home with your grandparents enough? I’m going there to work, not to play.”

“I’ll help you make money. Please, take me!”

But no amount of pleading worked on Yang Shao. After raising him for five years, Yang Shao’s heart was as tough as stone, immune to Yang Tao’s tactics.

“No.”

Yang Tao was furious. Why did his adorable charms have no effect on his dad? Just as he was about to throw a tantrum, he heard the door lock turn. He looked back and saw that Chen Qiusu had returned.

“Uncle Chen!”

Lately, Chen Qiusu had also been coming home late. Yang Tao adored them both equally, so he immediately abandoned his dad, jumping off the bed to greet Uncle Chen. He even tried to enlist his help in persuading his dad.

“Uncle Chen, do you want to go with my dad tomorrow?”

Yang Shao was genuinely worried that the ever-accommodating Chen Qiusu might agree. He tossed his phone aside and sat up, ready to intercept. But when he saw the exhaustion on Chen Qiusu’s face, he swallowed his words.

He didn’t care about Chen Qiusu’s private life. Really, he didn’t care about his health or his treatments. Really, he didn’t…

“What’s wrong?” Yang Shao asked, using concern as an excuse. He didn’t want Chen Qiusu collapsing in front of him.

Yang Tao tilted his head, examining Uncle Chen’s face. “Uncle Chen, are you really tired from work? You should rest well.”

“Alright, go play outside. Let Uncle Chen rest,” Yang Shao said, quickly finding an excuse to send Yang Tao away. Glancing at the time, he guessed that Chen Qiusu had probably been to the hospital again. Most people left the hospital looking refreshed, but not Chen Qiusu, who always looked like he’d been drained of all energy.

Chen Qiusu briefly considered explaining his condition to Yang Shao but decided against it. Knowing wouldn’t help and might even scare him.

“It’s nothing. Work’s just been busy lately.” He removed his jacket and headed for the bathroom with a change of clothes, intending to take a bath and go to bed early.

…

Recently, Yang Shao had thought that things with Chen Qiusu had returned to normal. But now, it seemed like the same old problems were resurfacing. Sharing a room with him meant that Chen Qiusu had to sleep on the couch. Sometimes, when Yang Shao got up at night, he saw Chen Qiusu’s tall frame curled up awkwardly, barely fitting on the sofa. It was a pitiful sight.

Feeling a rare surge of sympathy, Yang Shao tossed his pillow and blanket onto the couch, offering to switch places with him.

….

The shower was running. Water overflowed from the tub, spilling onto the floor. Gasping for breath, Chen Qiusu stared at the distorted reflection beneath the water’s surface. His throat felt parched, unable to produce a sound. Feeling a bit self-destructive, his hand tightened around his member. The pain in his most vulnerable spots was intensified a thousand times, and after a low groan, he finally loosened his grip.

The brief pain didn’t extinguish the burning desire inside him. Instead, he became more accustomed to the sensation, and it grew even wilder.

Chen Qiusu let out a long sigh, leaning against the cold bathtub wall. The hot air surrounded him, and he couldn’t tell if it was due to the steam from the water or if his body temperature was just too high.

An absurd thought crossed his mind: Did he really need to find an omega to get through his heat?

Chen Qiusu’s inner self resisted.

If only everyone could be like beta, unaffected by heat and pheromones, controlled only by their most genuine thoughts, like Yang Shao.

Chen Qiusu stayed in the bathroom for a while, and when his emotions finally settled down, he came out. The bed was empty, and Yang Shao was lying on the sofa with his back to the bathroom, facing away.

Yang Shao hadn’t fallen asleep yet. There was still a faint light from the corner of the sofa, where he was still looking at his phone.

Chen Qiusu understood Yang Shao’s intention—the bed was for him.

“One day each, it’s not good for you to always be crammed on the couch.”

Even without turning around, Yang Shao knew Chen Qiusu had come out of the bathroom. One day each, no one owed anyone anything. He didn’t want to owe Chen Qiusu anything, not even for a night’s sleep.

Chen Qiusu mumbled a simple “thank you.”

At that moment, the weather forecast for the next day popped up on Yang Shao’s phone, predicting heavy rain. He didn’t respond but swiped the notification away, thinking to himself: What the hell, this is Chen Qiusu’s room, his bed, why should he be thanking him?

….

The next morning, it started drizzling. It was common for it to rain continuously in the winter, though heavy rain wasn’t as frequent. Yang Shao saw that the rain wasn’t heavy and didn’t bother with an umbrella since he would be in the car anyway.

Perhaps because of the rain, when Yang Shao left the house, only Chen Shiliang was up, tending to the flowers and plants in the yard. As usual, Yang Shao greeted him, “Uncle, I’m heading out.”

“Drive slowly in the rain.”

Yang Shao nodded and got into the car. He still couldn’t call Chen’s parents “mom” and “dad,” but Chen Shiliang and Chen’s mother didn’t mind, never urging him to change it. Chen’s mother even told him to take it slow and let it happen naturally. Yang Shao knew that it was thanks to Chen Qiusu’s influence.

The reason he could live so easily in Chen’s home was all because of Chen Qiusu. He truly made every effort to make things easier for him.

Through the windshield, Yang Shao looked up at the sky. It was overcast and definitely looked like the rain would get heavier.

He stepped on the gas and sped up, trying to collect the pomelos before the rain got worse.

“Uncle Chen, let’s secretly go find Daddy.” Children were like that—if you told them not to do something, they would obsess over it. It was a rare Saturday, and since Chen Qiusu was home, he would surely agree.

The rain got heavier, and Chen’s mother picked up on the conversation. “If I had known it was going to rain this much, I would have told Yang Shao not to go. I wonder if he took an umbrella.”

“I ran into Yang Shao when I got up this morning. It seems like he didn’t take an umbrella. Qiusu, maybe you should go pick him up?” Chen Shiliang said.

…..

The dark clouds couldn’t keep up with Yang Shao’s speed. After finishing picking the pomelos, the heavy rain hadn’t started yet. Just when he thought he was lucky, his small truck suddenly stopped in the middle of the road.

Yang Shao got out of the car, wondering what had happened. He tapped the hood of the car in the rain but couldn’t find any issue. He had no choice but to return to the car.

He tried starting the car again, but it wouldn’t respond. Just when he was wondering if he should call a tow truck, he received a call from Chen Qiusu.

“Hello? Where are you? Yang Tao and I are coming to pick you up.”

Yang Shao’s selling locations were mobile, and without calling, no one could find him.

At this point, Yang Shao didn’t even care about Yang Tao trying to sneak out to play. He was a bit annoyed. “The truck broke down on the road. I’m still in the village. I was about to call for a tow truck.”

If it weren’t for the cargo, Yang Shao didn’t want to bother with the old car. He had wasted the whole day without earning any money and now had to pay for the tow truck.

After calling for the tow truck, Yang Shao leaned his head on the steering wheel, lost in thought. The rain continued to fall, and the area he had parked in wasn’t even on a paved road. With so much water, the ground was full of potholes. The village road was narrow, a one-way street. Luckily, there were no other cars around, or there would’ve been a traffic jam.

The rain lasted for quite a while, and a fog began to rise around him. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard a horn, and the bright headlights flashed. Chen Qiusu’s car arrived before the tow truck.

The car didn’t come closer but stopped at the intersection. Then, Chen Qiusu stepped out with an umbrella, followed by Yang Tao from the passenger seat.

Yang Tao excitedly waved at Yang Shao, “Daddy!”

Yang Shao felt both amused and exasperated. This kid really couldn’t stand being left behind. His previously irritated mood completely lifted at the sight of Chen Qiusu and Yang Tao.