AMBTMS Chapter 95

Late autumn and cold winter have passed. After the bright spring, there will be another round of bitter summer. Just as Li Shu himself had said, after that winter, his body slowly began to recover. Zheng Heshuang put aside matters abroad and returned directly to China, living near Li Shu’s house and ready for any sudden emergencies.

The rumors at the company became more and more intense. Li Shu never once went to the office. He always worked remotely from home, seemingly confirming the fact that he was seriously ill.

Li Shu was at home, and the happiest person was Li Heyuan. Compared to the time when Li Shu was at the office every day, this period at home seemed precious.

In addition to the essential knowledge he needed to learn, Li Heyuan found the aunt who cooked for them and learned to cook from her.

The aunt was initially at a loss, fearing that she was not doing well enough, and that the master was dissatisfied. She taught Li Heyuan for a while with trepidation, only feeling relieved when she realized she wasn’t in danger of losing her job.

Li Heyuan seemed to have a natural talent for cooking. After only a few days of learning, the things he made looked quite decent. After several improvements, he dared to present what he made to Li Shu.

During that time, Li Shu’s appetite had deteriorated significantly, and his spirits were very low. He often fell into a shallow state of unconsciousness while sitting on the sofa. It happened to be summer vacation, and Li Heyuan almost watched him like a hawk, afraid that something might happen to this man when he wasn’t looking.

Watching the boy spinning around him like a little puppy all day, Li Shu felt somewhat helpless: “I’m not made of glass. I won’t break suddenly.”

He knew that Li Heyuan was worried about him from the bottom of his heart. That kid, apart from sleeping, wanted to stick to him twenty-four hours a day, never moving his gaze away for a moment.

Li Heyuan didn’t respond to him. He was determined on this matter. No matter what Li Shu said, he refused to leave. Li Shu spoke, but he would still do as he pleased, not changing his actions despite listening to Li Shu’s words.

Li Shu couldn’t do anything about him, so he just let him be.

Because of his illness, he didn’t return to the old house for the Lunar New Year this time. In his current state, it would be easy for those people to notice something if he went back. He was not in good spirits now, and he was too lazy to deal with those people, so he decided to spend a warm holiday with the male protagonist.

A few days before the Spring Festival, Li Heyuan saw that Li Shu showed no intention of returning to the old house and came to ask him.

At that time, Li Shu was leaning on the sofa, holding a cushion in his arms and dozing off. He had been like this for a while now. Li Heyuan had gone from initial worry to now being used to it. It’s not that he wasn’t worried anymore, but after consulting with the doctor, he knew that this state was considered a kind of bodily protection mechanism. Unlike before, he didn’t have so many random thoughts.

“Sir, are we going to the old house this year?”

“Why are you suddenly asking this? Does Xiao Yuan want to go back to the old house for the New Year?” Li Shu asked lazily. He yawned, and mist formed in the corners of his eyes.

“It was Brother Ziyue who asked me when we were going back.” Li Heyuan walked to the edge of the sofa and sat down. He placed his hand on Li Shu’s temples familiarly, massaging them to relieve the stress.

During this time, he specifically found an old Chinese doctor to learn massage techniques. Li Shu didn’t like to move during this period. In the short term, it was okay, but in the long run, it was not good for his body. More massage would help alleviate this disadvantage.

Li Shu closed his eyes, enjoying it. Li Heyuan’s technique was skilled, and the strength was just right. “So, Xiao Yuan wants to go back?”

Naturally, he didn’t want to. But Li Heyuan could only keep such a thought in his heart and wouldn’t say it out loud. “I’ll listen to you, sir.”

“Then let’s go back.” Li Shu said nonchalantly.

The fingers pressing on his temples paused slightly and Li Shu smiled inwardly. This kid obviously didn’t want him to go back. It was like this every time. He never took the initiative to ask for what he wanted. Everything revolved around him (Li Shu), as if as long as he was happy, the other party would be happy too. Truly…

It was very distressing.

Li Heyuan thought that he could spend the New Year alone with Li Shu this time, and he couldn’t deny the sense of loss that arose in his heart when he heard that answer. He couldn’t say he liked that mansion symbolizing status and power. Compared to that place, he preferred where they lived now.

Here, he felt very close to sir. The gap between them was infinitely narrowed. In this place, they shed the identities and positions imposed on them by the outside world. They were just two ordinary people. With Li Shu, he didn’t need to consider any external factors.

Only this place could give him the feeling of home.

“If we go to the old house, sir, what do you need to bring? I’ll go pack later.” However, no matter how unwilling he was, he wouldn’t go against sir’s wishes.

“Silly Xiao Yuan, I was just teasing you,” Li Shu held the boy’s hand and made him sit beside him. He leaned over, resting on the boy’s gradually broadening shoulders, “In my current state, going back to the old house would be asking for trouble, wouldn’t it?”

None of the Li family members living in the old house were fuel-efficient lamps.

When it came to educating Li Heyuan, Li Shu didn’t romanticize the dirtiness in the world. As a child of destiny in this world, he could shelter him for a while, but not forever. Sooner or later, he would have to face it alone. When he returned to his original family, what he would face would be even darker than anything in the past.

A child of destiny could never be sheltered like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Firstly, the world consciousness would not allow it. The child of destiny and the world consciousness were closely connected. Only when the child of destiny truly became strong could the world consciousness gain more from it.

Therefore, from the beginning, Li Shu didn’t intend to create a beautiful world for Li Heyuan. He simply held his hand and led him through the darkness, revealing the filth and scheming hidden beneath the surface glamor. Li Shu believed that Li Heyuan could accept such a world.

As expected, Li Heyuan accepted everything well. Perhaps in his eyes, this kind of world was the real one. He had seen enough calculations and schemes between people since he was young.

He felt that this world was only dark until he met Li Shu. He was like a dazzling light shining into the abyss, allowing the child who grew up in darkness to feel the light for the first time.

From then on, he held onto this light and never wanted to let go. If anyone tried to take this light away from him, they should be prepared to be torn apart by him.

Li Heyuan had suffered and grown up in loneliness since he was young. In his heart, he had already believed that meeting Li Shu was the only kindness from heaven.

The weight on his shoulders made Li Heyuan’s lips curl up slightly. This person gave him the only warmth, even the god of Death couldn’t take him away.

He would never allow it!!!

Li Shu didn’t know what kind of position he held in the male protagonist’s heart. If he knew, he wouldn’t have chosen such a hasty way to leave, as it directly led to the failure of the mission.

On New Year’s Day, Li Shu gave all the servants in the house a day off. With three people in the house, it didn’t feel deserted at all. Li Shu originally wanted to give Klaus a day off too, but Klaus voluntarily chose to stay. Except for some necessary times, he had always been by Li Shu’s side, taking care of his daily affairs. He had long regarded being by Li Shu’s side as his true home.

Seeing his insistence, Li Shu simply agreed.

Although there was one more person than Li Heyuan had initially thought, Klaus had always been with them. Li Heyuan had already gotten used to his presence. It was much better to spend the New Year with just the three of them than go to the old house.

The three of them didn’t order takeout. Klaus had specifically learned cooking, and Li Heyuan’s recent study had paid off. He suggested letting Li Shu taste his cooking.

Li Shu was very surprised about this: “When did Xiao Yuan learn how to cook?”

Li Heyuan had already put on an apron. The apron was pink and with his good looks, the normal apron gave him a different feeling. Li Shu leaned against the door, watched the two busy men in the kitchen, and smiled softly.

“I learned from Aunt Wang some time ago, I don’t know if I learned it well.” Li Heyuan lowered his head to deal with the ingredients in his hands. He looked at the man by the door out of the corner of his eye and felt a faint sense of satisfaction in his heart.

No wonder he often saw Li Heyuan hanging out with Aunt Wang during this period. It turned out he wanted to learn cooking from her. “Is Xiao Yuan learning to cook to make food for the person he likes in the future?”

Distant memories were stirred up, and Li Shu remembered that there was once a man who clumsily learned how to cook for him. He shook his head and reburied this memory back into the depths of his mind.

Li Heyuan was momentarily stunned by Li Shu’s question. ‘Did he want to make food for the person he liked?’ He didn’t think so much when he learned to cook. He just felt uncomfortable seeing Li Shu having a poor appetite and not being able to eat much, so he wanted to make something for him with his own hands.

His silence lasted a bit long, and Li Shu took it as confirmation. He suddenly lost interest and was about to return to the sofa to continue lounging when he heard the boy’s clear voice from behind.

“I didn’t think about it that much. I just thought, it would be great if Sir could like the dishes I make and eat more.” He really thought so. Seeing Li Shu eating less day by day and getting thinner, it felt like Li Heyuan’s heart was being squeezed by a pair of big hands, aching in waves.

Li Shu paused. He looked at the boy who was busy non-stop, his eyes uncertain. After a while, he said softly, “I am very happy that you have such intentions.”

The voice was low and tingling, and Li Heyuan’s ears quietly turned red.

Although only three people were eating, the dishes were very abundant. When they were placed on the table, the fragrance filled the air, easily arousing people’s appetites.

Perhaps because of the good atmosphere, Li Shu, who hadn’t had much appetite lately, rarely had a big appetite now. He ate half a bowl of rice more than usual and ate much more vegetables than usual.

Li Heyuan’s cooking skills were still quite inexperienced, and he didn’t know many dishes. However, each dish he knew how to make was one that Li Shu liked to eat. Moreover, these few dishes always gave him a very familiar feeling. Li Shu couldn’t help but take a few more bites.

Seeing that Sir liked the dishes he made, Li Heyuan’s eyes couldn’t hide his smile.

Li Heyuan had always been worried about Li Shu’s health. Fortunately, the new medicine developed in the lab had worked. Li Shu’s body was getting better day by day. After the beginning of spring, those unpleasant symptoms gradually disappeared. Except for being a bit thin, it seemed like he had returned to his healthy state before.

He had thought that Sir would return to the company, and Li Heyuan felt a bit depressed for a while. Unexpectedly, a few days passed, and Sir still had no intention of going to the company. On one hand, he felt secretly surprised, and on the other hand, he felt that his thoughts were not right. But he couldn’t deceive himself. He did indeed like the feeling of coming home and finding Sir waiting for him.

In the new year, Li Shu still hadn’t shown up at the company. Some people couldn’t suppress the little tricks in their hearts. Their previous obedience was only because they had no choice under Li Shu’s pressure. Now that the mountain pressing on their heads was gone, all sorts of monsters came out.

The internal struggle of factions in the company was more intense than ever before. Every member of the Li family was making their own calculations. Some restless ones couldn’t wait to make a big fuss at this time.

The Li family was mainly involved in the “Linshe” company, and members of the Li family held shares in it to varying degrees. These people might not have much ability, but just because they were born into the Li family, their starting point was higher than those who needed to work hard. They thought highly of themselves, were accustomed to being flattered, and truly believed that they had exceptional abilities. At this time, the waves they stirred up were bigger than anyone else’s.

Smart people watched coldly from the sidelines. Beneath the restlessness, a huge storm was brewing. No one could imagine what Li Shu’s true purpose was.

Rumors spread more and more fiercely. After the beginning of spring, not only people within “Linshe” but also the outside world heard the news. As the news spread, it gradually spread to the school where Li Heyuan attended.

This school was originally an aristocratic school. Those who could come here were either admitted because of their excellent grades or because they came from wealthy and influential families. If there was any news in the circle, they could always get the news as soon as possible.

The grand birthday banquet had elevated Li Heyuan’s status at school. With the support of the head of the Li family, even if one didn’t like him, they wouldn’t show anything under such circumstances. If someone conflicted with him at this time, they were probably afraid that they weren’t cooling off fast enough.

Now, rumors outside said that the head of the Li family was on his last legs and many people were secretly happy about this. Without the big support of Li Shu, did they still need to endure Li Heyuan?

Some people gloated, while others genuinely worried about him. After school, Gu Yi waited specifically for a while until most people had left before pulling him aside and asking, “Brother Li, is the news from outside true?”

“No,” Li Heyuan’s eyes were cold, “Sir is fine now, not at all like what those people said.”

Thinking of those rumors, a burst of fury surged in Li Heyuan’s heart. ‘Sir was clearly fine, so how dare those people, how dare they say such things?!’

“I don’t doubt your words, but now it’s spreading like this outside. What does your Sir think?” Those words were as harsh as they could be. Gu Yi couldn’t understand. If Li Shu was really okay, why didn’t he come out to clarify?

Perhaps others also thought so, so they made up exaggerated stories. If no one in the Li family refuted them, then this matter was probably true.

The two walked out of the campus together. By this time, there were already many students at the school gate. Gu Yi and Li Heyuan had come out together several times, so Gu Yi recognized the car that came to pick Li Heyuan up.

Li Heyuan: “Sir naturally has his reasons for doing this.”

“Yes, yes,” Gu Yi knew that his friend admired the head of the Li family, “Your Sir has his own reasons, which I can’t understand.”

Suddenly, Gu Yi widened his eyes and looked ahead, murmuring, “Am I seeing things, or is that…”

—It was Li Shu, who according to rumors, was already too sick to get out of bed and dying!