UNCLTRD chapter 33

Heavy curtains blocked out any trace of light, leaving the room in complete darkness, making it impossible to tell what time it was.

Yang Shao buried his head in the pillow, letting out a faint groan. His temples throbbed, his head felt as if it would explode, and he felt both starved and nauseated.

Outside, hurried footsteps echoed down the hall. Yang Shao propped himself up weakly and glanced at the door, which had been left open.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a small figure peeked in, holding onto the doorknob but not stepping inside.

“Daddy? Are you still sleeping in?” It was Yang Tao.

Swallowing hard, Yang Shao managed to soothe his dry throat before responding hoarsely, “I’m awake.”

Hearing his father’s voice, Yang Tao bounced excitedly into the room, even turning on the bedside lamp for him.

The gentle light instinctively made Yang Shao shut his eyes. It took him a while to adjust before he noticed Yang Tao dressed in riding gear.

Before he could ask, Yang Tao proudly explained, “Daddy, Uncle Chen and Grandpa took me to the ranch this morning! I saw my ponies and even played with them for a while.”

He hadn’t learned to ride yet, but his riding outfit was already fully equipped. The snug outfit revealed the slight roundness of his belly.

Unable to contain his excitement, Yang Tao climbed onto the bed and snuggled next to his dad. “Daddy, check your phone! I asked Grandpa to take pictures and send them to you!”

Why was it Grandpa who sent it?

Yang Shao was a bit confused but didn’t ask further. He glanced at WeChat, and there were a bunch of photos from the ranch that day. The little pony was about the same height as Yang Tao. Yang Tao was standing beside it, looking very serious, which made him look quite funny.

“Look at you, if you get any fatter, the pony won’t be able to carry you.”

That’s not true, Grandma and Great-grandma both said he wasn’t fat and that kids should look like him.

Yang Tao knew his dad was teasing him, so he pretended to be unhappy. “Daddy, your gift is late.”

It used to be just Yang Shao giving Yang Tao birthday gifts, and the sense of ceremony had to be on time. But now with so many good things, one more gift didn’t matter, and Yang Shao didn’t feel guilty at all.

“Oh no, what should I do? My gift can’t compare to what your Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Chen gave you.”

Kids don’t care about whether something is expensive or not. As long as someone gives it to them, they’re happy, especially when it’s from Dad.

“Hmph, Uncle Chen gave it to me. I already put it in the most prominent spot in the display cabinet.”

Because Yang Tao had so many model guns, Great-grandma had someone get him a display cabinet to satisfy his desire to show off. Putting it in the most noticeable position was his way of showing how much he liked the birthday gift from his dad.

While they were talking, someone appeared at the door. Yang Shao looked up and saw Chen Qiusu. As soon as he saw him, he forgot what he was going to say. Chen Qiusu immediately turned his head, walked into the room awkwardly.

Just now… did Chen Qiusu avoid looking at him?

“Last night, I wanted to wait for you to come back. I asked Grandpa and Grandma to make sure they woke me up.”

But Yang Tao waited and waited, until his eyelids were heavy and still didn’t see his dad and Uncle Chen come back. After Grandpa and Grandma promised to wake him again, he went to sleep. Probably thinking about his dad’s gift, he couldn’t sleep well. As soon as Uncle Chen and his dad came home, he woke up immediately.

Yang Tao snuggled further into Yang Shao’s arms. “Daddy, you’re shy. Last night, Uncle Chen carried you back.”

With a “clang,” the glass cup in Chen Qiusu’s hand fell to the ground, spilling water everywhere and shattering into pieces.

“Be careful, Uncle Chen!” Yang Tao hurriedly jumped off the bed, pulling Chen Qiusu aside and acting like a little adult. He also called Auntie to help clean up.

Yang Tao and Auntie were moving in and out of the room, and Yang Shao was stunned. He looked at Chen Qiusu, who was also standing there in a daze.

Chen Qiusu carried him back?

No, wait! What happened? Why did Chen Qiusu carry him back?

Yang Shao stared blankly in Chen Qiusu’s direction. Yesterday, they had gone out together to get Yang Tao’s birthday gift, then after that… Chen Qiusu said he wanted to take him somewhere, and they went to the shop in the shopping center. Right! Chen Qiusu had decorated that shop.

And then?

Yang Shao felt like he had blacked out. What did he do? Did he drink too much and act crazy? Or did he fall asleep? How else could Chen Qiusu have carried him back?

The intense gaze from Chen Qiusu made it hard for Yang Shao to ignore. Chen Quisu couldn’t help but turn to look at him, and when their eyes met, he immediately turned and walked over to Yang Tao.

Twice now, he avoided looking at him. Yang Shao felt it wasn’t just his imagination. Was Chen Qiusu avoiding him? It didn’t seem very obvious though.

Auntie finished cleaning up the glass shards and noticed Yang Shao had woken up, so she said, “Mr. Yang, it’s time to eat something. We made noodles for breakfast. Shall I cook a bowl for you?”

This diversion made Yang Shao forget how hungry he was. He quickly got up to wash his face.

At the Chen house, breakfast often consisted of milk and bread, sometimes with porridge, which was too bland for Yang Shao. He preferred noodles, so he asked Auntie to cook extra for him.

Luckily, no one in the Chen family had set any rules for him, and no one complained even if he slept until noon. To confirm whether Chen Qiusu was avoiding him, he ate his noodles while nonchalantly talking to him.

“Don’t you have to work today?”

Chen Qiusu didn’t seem to avoid him, answering his question calmly, “Hmm, today I took Yang Tao to the ranch.”

Being the boss is great. For trivial matters, you can take a day off without anyone deducting your pay. Damn capitalists.

Seems pretty normal.

“Then yesterday…”

Before Yang Shao could finish his sentence, Chen Qiusu suddenly stood up, a blush spreading across his face. He held his breath and stared directly at Yang Shao. The suddenness of it made Yang Shao forget what he was going to say.

The sound of Yang Tao’s footsteps broke the awkward atmosphere. He came in holding a box. “Uncle Chen, the driver just delivered this.”

Yang Shao looked carefully and saw an unopened phone box. He casually asked, “Did your phone break? How did it break?”

“It fell,” Yang Tao answered. “The camera broke, and it couldn’t take pictures this morning.”

Fell?

Something flashed through Yang Shao’s mind. It seemed familiar, like something had been dropped. How did it break?

Before he could ask, Chen Qiusu babbled, “I… you… wait, I have something to do…”

Seeing Chen Qiusu rush away in panic, Yang Shao became more certain that he was avoiding him. What the heck? He still wanted to ask what happened last night.

Yang Shao was confused.

Yang Tao innocently shook his head and sat down next to his dad, pressing his finger against his dad’s lower lip. “Daddy, what happened to your lip?”

Yang Shao touched the spot where Yang Tao pointed, feeling a cut. He didn’t know exactly how it happened but went to the bathroom to check.

He wasn’t that vain, so he didn’t bother looking in the mirror while washing up. But after Yang Tao reminded him, he realized that his lower lip was cut, and it hurt slightly when he touched the wound.

How did this happen? How did he get hurt there?

Yang Shao leaned closer to the mirror, carefully inspecting the cut on his lip. He unconsciously licked his lips.

Suddenly, the bathroom light was turned off, and the dimness around him felt strangely familiar, as if he had experienced it before.

Last night, he had gone to the shop with Chen Qiusu. Yes, that shop was also dark, and Chen Qiusu had used his phone as a flashlight. At that time, Chen Qiusu’s phone was still working. When had the phone broken?

Yang Shao pondered, slowly lowering his hand. He recalled he had questioned Chen Qiusu about why he did all this, asking if Chen Qiusu could give him a rainbow. How did Chen Qiusu respond?

“I’ll try…”

He said he’d try? And then?

Yang Shao’s breath caught, and he bit his lower lip. That familiar, sharp pain suddenly surged, and the images flashing through his mind began to connect. It seemed like he and Chen Qiusu had kissed.

Yang Shao staggered, his hand scrambling to grasp the edge of the sink. He couldn’t remember who had initiated it; it seemed like it was Chen Qiusu, but he hadn’t pushed him away. It felt like he had responded.

Wait! Wait! Where had things gone wrong?

How could this happen? What was Chen Qiusu thinking? Was Chen Qiusu drunk too? Why would he let something like this happen?

Last night’s atmosphere, Chen Qiusu had shown some tenderness, and had he fallen too deep because of it?

Yang Shao raised his chin slightly, and there were several faint, thin red marks between his chin and Adam’s apple.

It didn’t hurt, but how did that happen?

At that moment, Yang Tao shouted from outside the bathroom, “Daddy, you said we can’t have all these lights on, it’s too wasteful.”

…..

Chen Qiusu had left in a hurry. Seeing Yang Shao’s reaction today, it was obvious that he had forgotten what had happened last night.

The kiss in the dark had completely thrown Chen Qiusu off balance. When Yang Shao had approached him, he had admitted that his heart had skipped a beat. Yang Shao only wanted a rainbow. Even if it meant going to the ends of the earth, at that moment, he wanted to boastfully agree.

If it had just been the kiss at the shop with nothing more, he wouldn’t feel so guilty when seeing Yang Shao today.

It had been late when they got home last night. Yang Tao had known they were back and had specifically come out to greet them. After receiving his gift, he had been reassured enough to go to sleep.

The house was quiet, and when Chen Qiusu laid Yang Shao on the bed and was about to get up, Yang Shao had grabbed his wrist.

“Chen Qiusu?” Yang Shao, clearly drunk, was still able to clearly say his name.

When he held Yang Shao’s chin, Yang Shao obediently tilted his head up, as if tacitly allowing whatever Chen Qiusu wanted to do.

Chen Qiusu had lost his mind at the moment. He was taking advantage of the situation, he knew that, but it was as though he was possessed—he wanted to kiss Yang Shao, touch him, and hold him.