Bai Shuijin lay in the middle of the bed, torn between two options, and spoke the standard answer.
“I like them both.”
Sensen, being young, didn’t press the issue. Hearing that Bai Shuijin liked him was enough. He lifted his short legs that were like lotus roots and happily began playing with his feet.
Children’s happiness comes so easily. Bai Shuijin breathed a sigh of relief internally. Such a small problem couldn’t stump him. But just then, a voice interrupted his ease.
“You have to choose one.”
A cold man with cold words.
Bai Shuijin turned to look at Wang Huanxiu.
“…”
‘At your age, what are you making a fuss about?’
Feeling speechless inside, his attitude changed as soon as he saw Wang Huanxiu’s handsome face. He leaned close to Wang Huanxiu’s ear and said, “Of course, I like you the most.”
After not seeing him for a few days, Bai Shuijin caught the familiar scent of his cologne.
Wang Huanxiu has not been around these past few days and he was not used to sleeping with Sensen. Although he could still fall asleep, he didn’t sleep as deeply as usual.
The corner of Wang Huanxiu’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. He lowered his head, intending to kiss Bai Shuijin’s cheek, but was interrupted by a small foot wedged between them. A child’s hand strength should not be underestimated…Sensen directly pushed the two faces that were about to get close to each other and squeezed himself in between.
“Sister-in-law, tell Uncle that we can’t talk during bedtime.”
This messy family relationship…Bai Shuijin felt as if he were caught in an illicit affair and felt a little embarrassed.
Sensen called Wang Huanxiu “Jiùjiu (Uncle)”. So, as his “Sister-in-law,” what should he call Wang Huanxiu?
Bai Shuijin: “Shushu(Uncle)…”
With Sensen lying between them, Wang Huanxiu closed his eyes helplessly. “You can just call me Jiùjiu (Uncle) too.”
**Okay, so Sensen calls Wang Huanxiu “Jiùjiu”( which means maternal uncle), so to be different, Bai Shuijin blurted out “Shushu”(which means paternal uncle).
Bai Shuijin: Ohhh.
Sorting out the family hierarchies really makes a difference.
He hovered over Sensen and leaned closer to Wang Huanxiu, saying, “Laogong-ge, you’re so good at sorting.”
“…”
With Sensen around, Wang Huanxiu couldn’t sleep well. Or perhaps it could be said that he hadn’t planned on sleeping tonight since returning home.
In the darkness, he lay awake, staring at the ceiling several meters high. Moving quietly, he got up and went to the bathroom. After taking a cold shower, he returned to bed.
The next morning, he had to go to work, Bai Shuijin had dance class, and Sensen went to kindergarten.
Everyone had things to do during the day, so they hardly saw each other.
Chen Ji arrived at work and saw Wang Huanxiu sitting in his office, working as if venting his frustrations.
As expected, the person who outworked even him was his boss.
‘You are wealthy and powerful, yet you still grind this hard…no wonder you’re the capitalist.’
Wang Huanxiu was in a bad mood, and was cold-faced like the King of Hell. Everyone on the eighteenth floor was perceptive, so no one dared to provoke him.
It wasn’t until noon, when Wang Huanxiu received a WeChat message, that his mood slightly improved.
Bai Shuijin: [Is Uncle picking me up today?]
Bai Shuijin: [I had vegetable noodles for lunch today. [Photo]]
Bai Shuijin appeared in the photo with the vegetable noodles.
Bai Shuijin: [What did Uncle have for lunch today?]
Wang Huanxiu’s lunch was prepared by Aunt Li early every morning, and he brought it to the company. Now it was lunch time, and Wang Huanxiu remembered the lunchbox in the thermos bag.
He intended to take it out and take a picture to send to Bai Shuijin.
Chen Ji entered with some documents Wang Huanxiu had requested that morning. He had spent the entire morning organizing them.
“President Wang, here are the documents.”
Wang Huanxiu walked toward the sofa in the center of the office, holding the lunchbox. “Put them on the table.”
Chen Ji placed the stack of documents, which were so thick they could knock someone into the ICU, on the table. He then remembered that Wang Huanxiu had a business engagement in the afternoon. “President Wang, this afternoon’s meeting with President Jiang…”
“Wait, let me reply to my shengfu (nephew’s husband) first.”
**Okay, I’ll try to understand the logic here. Wang Huanxiu is referring to Bai Shuijin as his nephew’s husband, because Sensen calls him “Jiùjiu”(Uncle), and he also told Bai Shuijin to call him the same, which by extension, makes Bai Shuijin seem like he’s married to someone in Sensen’s generation. So in this twisted logic, he is essentially Sensen’s husband.
Wang Huanxiu looked serious as he aimed his camera at the lunchbox, took a photo, and sent it to Bai Shuijin.
Chen Ji: “…”
What kind of game have these two started now?
After taking the photo, Wang Huanxiu carried the lunchbox back to his desk. He had only borrowed the sofa for the background. He wouldn’t be able to appear at the company in the coming period, so some matters had to be prepared for and handled early.
“Continue.”
Chen Ji: … No, I’m afraid I might disturb your family’s forbidden love.
After dance class ended in the afternoon, Bai Shuijin became a released white dove, flying into the elevator, his heart yearning for home.
Who doesn’t love the end of the school day? Even though it happens every day, it’s still addictive.
Bai Shuijin spotted Wang Huanxiu’s car from afar, though it looked different from the one he usually drove. Most days, Wang Huanxiu drove a Rolls-Royce, but today he had switched to a different model.
He walked over with his backpack, which contained his dance costume. His courses were nearing their end, and the materials needed for his school application had been submitted. He will receive the results in December.
The leaves on the trees along the road had turned yellow. The ginkgo leaves were the most beautiful, though their smell wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Wang Huanxiu saw him approaching and opened the car door for him.
“Just got out of class?”
Today’s session ended an hour later than usual.
Bai Shuijin felt a bit embarrassed. “I was held back by the teacher today.”
He and Chen Yuan had both relaxed after submitting their application materials and lost their usual tension. The teacher scolded them and made them stay an hour longer.
Not just today, they would be held back for the next month as well.
Dancing is not something that can be learned overnight, and only by practicing every day can you keep the basics.
Bai Shuijin and Chen Yuan took the lesson to heart and felt deeply ashamed. They bowed their heads and promised the teacher they would always give their best when dancing.
Wang Huanxiu’s eyes held a meaningful glint. “What does your family say about your grades?”
“The family has no objections, Uncle.” His grades were excellent, and the teacher praised him every day.
Bai Shuijin hugged his backpack to his chest and got into the car, fastening his seatbelt. Wang Huanxiu also took his seat in the driver’s side.
Bai Shuijin fiddled with the straps of his backpack. “I’ll have to stay an hour later every day from now on.”
“Did you make the teacher angry?”
Bai Shuijin nodded. “But I’ve already corrected it. Uncle, can you not tell the family?”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “What should I say if your family asks?”
“Who would ask?”
Wang Huanxiu’s tone turned colder. “Who else? Your husband.”
He sounded as if he greatly disapproved of his nephew’s husband’s spouse.
Bai Shuijin shook his head. “My laogong-ge is busy. He’s on a business trip recently and doesn’t have time to ask about these things.”
Then, Bai Shuijin added flatteringly, “Uncle, thank you for letting my laogong-ge join the company and giving him a job.”
“Without you, my laogong-ge would probably still be staying at home, unemployed.”
Wang Huanxiu snorted. “Your gratitude is too cheap, you just say it with your mouth.”
Bai Shuijin puckered his lips and kissed him, his soft, pink lips pressing against Wang Huanxiu’s lower lip.
Wang Huanxiu looked down at him, his eyelashes lowering with the movement of his eyes.
Bai Shuijin kissed his lips a few times. “Kissing with my mouth.”
Wang Huanxiu’s fingers tightened. The traffic light turned green, and he continued driving.
Bai Shuijin: “Uncle, can this get my laogong-ge a promotion at the company?”
“No.” Wang Huanxiu: “He can only stay in that position. I’ll find time to give him a raise.”
“Then how can he get promoted? He came back home and said nobody at the company values him.”
“Ask yourself what you should do to make me value him.”
Bai Shuijin turned his head toward the car window, feeling shy.
Fortunately, despite the playfulness, both of them remained restrained while driving.
Safety first was the most important thing.
When they arrived home, Wang Huanxiu pulled Bai Shuijin into the entrance hall. But as soon as they stepped into the living room, they heard a loud cry.
“Sister-in-law, you’re back!”
Seeing Sensen’s small figure running toward them, Wang Huanxiu’s tall frame froze. Why was he still here?
He thought Sensen was only staying for a day. Who would have thought that even after returning home today, Sensen would still be here? How long was Sensen planning to stay?
It wasn’t that he disliked the little guy, but his timing was inconvenient…he had appeared precisely during the days he and Bai Shuijin were apart.
Wang Muguang looked as if all the energy had been sucked out of him. Seeing Bai Shuijin and Wang Huanxiu return, he stumbled over. “Big Brother, I have postpartum depression.”
“…”
Sensen’s kindergarten had a water outage today. After messages were sent to the parents, they gradually came to pick up their children.
Wang Muguang, who had received the message, also went.
He spent the entire afternoon taking care of Sensen without hearing a single word of praise.
When he asked who was the most handsome person in the world, Sensen actually mentioned some little brat named Tiantian.
He had not even lost his baby teeth yet, what did he know about handsomeness?
He, Wang Muguang, had actually not yet unified the aesthetic standards of the toddler world.
Sensen, however, was quite studious. Wang Muguang spent the afternoon reading with him; storybooks, books of proverbs, fables, and the like.
‘He must have learned a lot.’ Bai Shuijin picked Sensen up and asked, “What did you learn today, Sensen?”
Sensen wrapped his arms around Bai Shuijin’s neck, pressing his chubby cheek against Bai Shuijin’s. “I learned a lot. Uncle showed me many books.”
Wang Huanxiu’s gaze fell on Wang Muguang. Uncle? (Jiùjiu/maternal uncle)
The family hierarchy was getting more and more chaotic.
Wang Huanxiu suddenly became curious. “What do you call Zhenzhu?”
Sensen tilted his little head up. “I call her Auntie (Gugu).”
**Gugu means paternal aunt. (As we’ve all guessed the culprit for all the wrong addresses is Bai Shuijin 😅)
As expected, not a single person had the correct form of address.
Sensen wanted all of Bai Shuijin’s attention on him. “Sister-in-law, I learned many idioms and sentences today.”
Bai Shuijin played along. “What idioms did you learn?”
“Kong Rong Rang Li.”
**The idiom means, “Kong Rong Giving Up the Larger Pears”.
Bai Shuijin clapped for him. “Very good.”
He hadn’t expected Wang Muguang to do such a good job watching Sensen…he actually learned something.
“What does ‘Kong Rong Rang Li’ mean?”
“‘Kong Long(dinosaur) .” Sensen pointed at himself. His nickname was Little Dinosaur.
“Rang Li (Get Divorced).” Sensen then pointed at Bai Shuijin and Wang Huanxiu.
“Dinosaur wants you two to get divorced.”
**Sensen breaks down the words phonetically and reinterprets them based on his own perspective. He hears the name, 孔融 (Kong Rong), as 恐龙 (Konglong), which means “dinosaur”.
Then he interprets 让梨 (Rang Li/Giving Up the Larger Pears) as 让离 (Rang Li), which sounds the same and means “to let/ask someone to divorce.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
Wang Muguang: “…”
Wang Muguang’s scalp tingled. After spending the whole afternoon with this little ancestor, he was now repaying kindness with enmity and trying to get him killed.
“Big Brother, listen to me, I really didn’t teach him that.”
Wang Muguang was on the verge of tears, experiencing what it felt like to be stabbed in the back for the first time.
Sensen had previously asked if Bai Shuijin could go home and live with him after his parents returned, but the answer was no.
The little guy was quite impacted by this. When he asked why, he was told that Bai Shuijin was already married to Uncle and would live with Uncle from now on.
First come, first served…Since he had not seized the opportunity, he found a chance to ask them to divorce today and didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.
If you like something, you should take it.
The Wang family, from the old to the young, were all cut out to be villains.
Sensen stayed at home for five days. During these five days, Wang Huanxiu had no time alone with Bai Shuijin.
During the day, one had to work and the other had classes. By the time Bai Shuijin finished school, Sensen seemed to know that Bai Shuijin would be coming home at this time and would occupy the time Wang Huanxiu and Bai Shuijin could have spent together almost entirely.
As a result, Wang Huanxiu became more and more irritable. After dinner, he sat on the sofa watching Sensen and Bai Shuijin play, his eyes glued to Bai Shuijin.
Wang Zhenzhu has been relatively relaxed lately. Like Bai Shuijin, she was waiting for the final results. She could relax for about a month and even find some inspiration in her free time.
She nudged Wang Muguang beside her. “Don’t you think Big Brother has lost the light in his eyes these past few days?”
“If it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s not like we can put a lightbulb into Big Brother’s eyes.” Wang Muguang was watching a video his fans had edited for him.
Wang Zhenzhu: “…”
She reached out and turned off Wang Muguang’s phone.
Wang Muguang: “What are you doing? This is important.”
“Can’t you just look in the mirror every day? Why do you have to search online?”
Wang Zhenzhu leaned on his shoulder and said, “I think Big Brother hasn’t had alone time with Shuijin Danzi for a long time. Should we help them?”
Wang Muguang was puzzled. “How?”
In this family, Sensen was closest to Bai Shuijin, who wasn’t related by blood.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
The next evening, Wang Zhenzhu and Wang Muguang put their plan into action. After dinner, they started hovering around Sensen, making the little guy feel their enthusiasm.
Sensen sat on the carpet playing with playing cards, placing them all around the living room.
It was Wang Zhenzhu’s idea; have Sensen hide the playing cards, then they would find them, like a treasure hunt or hide-and-seek.
This way, Sensen’s attention would be entirely on them and the cards.
Sure enough, while they were searching for the cards, the little guy followed them intently, afraid they would find where he had hidden them.
Bai Shuijin lounged on the sofa, eating fruit. Although Sensen’s clinginess made him feel happy, after a full day of classes, he clearly didn’t have the boundless energy of a child like Sensen by the evening.
Just then, Wang Zhenzhu pretended to search for cards near Bai Shuijin and whispered, “Shuijin Danzi, why don’t you and my brother go out for some alone time?”
Bai Shuijin’s mouth was full of orange, his cheeks puffed out. His eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.
Unexpectedly, Wang Zhenzhu gave him a determined look; they had things covered at home.
Wang Muguang was over there pretending to search for the cards. “Ah, this is too hard. Where did he hide them?”
“I can’t find them anywhere.”
He delivered a classic performance while Sensen circled around his legs.
Sensen slept with him every night, and he really hadn’t spent proper time with his laogong-ge for a while.
Bai Shuijin’s heart raced. This was a good opportunity.
He didn’t want to alert the enemy, so he sent Wang Huanxiu a message on his phone.
[Laogong-ge, do you want to go to a hotel tonight?]
[Zhenzhu said Sensen will sleep with her tonight.]
To ensure nothing went wrong, staying at a hotel was safer. If Sensen remembered them later and came to disturb them in their room, Bai Shuijin wouldn’t have the heart to turn him away.
After all, Sensen was cute and had recently learned how to act spoiled, making it impossible to refuse.
After sending the message, Bai Shuijin sat on the sofa staring at his phone screen, waiting for Wang Huanxiu’s reply.
But even after five minutes, there was no response.
Maybe he was working and hadn’t looked at his phone.
Wang Huanxiu was always focused when working, so it was normal for him not to check his phone.
Just as Bai Shuijin was about to get up and go find him, Wang Huanxiu walked downstairs, fully dressed.
Bai Shuijin: “…”
He remembered that after dinner, Wang Huanxiu had taken a shower and gone to the study in his bathrobe.
He thought Wang Huanxiu had not seen the message, but it turned out he had not only seen it but also changed clothes in five minutes.
Every second of those five minutes must have been lived to the fullest.
Wang Huanxiu picked up his jacket from the sofa, which he had casually placed there when he got home.
He walked through the entrance hall without speaking to anyone and without attracting Sensen’s attention.
Bai Shuijin also sneaked out to meet him in the underground parking garage.
As soon as he got into the car, Wang Huanxiu started the engine.
Bai Shuijin fastened his seatbelt and asked, “Laogong-ge, are we going to that hotel you always book?”
The presidential suite near the company.
“No.”
That was too far, it was about a thirty-minute drive, and Wang Huanxiu couldn’t wait that long.
“Did you bring your ID?”
Bai Shuijin nodded. “Yes.”
He fished it out of his bag. How could he go to a hotel without his ID?
He was fully prepared.
“Laogong-ge, what about you?”
“I brought mine too.”
“I put it in my jacket pocket this morning and never took it out.”
Wang Huanxiu used the GPS to lock onto the nearest hotel.
The hotel environment and location were both quite good.
When they reached the front desk, Wang Huanxiu went to check in, while Bai Shuijin followed shyly behind him.
Checking into a hotel late at night…would the hotel staff think they had some improper relationship?
The front desk attendant said, “Sir, please show your identification.”
Bai Shuijin handed his ID over. Wang Huanxiu reached into his pocket, but as soon as his long fingers touched the contents, they stiffened.
It was square, rectangular, and thin, but the texture felt different.
A bad premonition rose in Wang Huanxiu’s heart. He pulled the card out of his pocket, and a bright Joker card made its appearance.
Joker.
“…”
“…”
In the end, the two still drove for half an hour to the presidential suite near the company that Wang Huanxiu usually booked.
The female front desk staff’s eyes lit up when she saw Bai Shuijin. “Welcome, both of you.”
Remembering the embarrassing incident last time when they had to ask for larger-sized condoms, to prevent such an event from happening again this time, they directly asked for condoms at the front desk.
“I wish you both a wonderful night.”
Bai Shuijin blushed. ‘Well, you are quite good at making wishes.’
In the elevator, Bai Shuijin recalled what had happened at the other hotel earlier.
Bai Shuijin pressed his lips together in the elevator. Even now, thinking about Wang Huanxiu’s stunned expression when he pulled out the Joker card made him want to laugh.
Wang Huanxiu rarely found himself in awkward situations, but that had been a true social death moment.
Wang Huanxiu watched through the reflection in the elevator door as Bai Shuijin stood in the corner, trembling with suppressed laughter.
“Is it that funny?”
Bai Shuijin pursed his lips. “Not at all.”
He looked at him with curved eyes.
‘Hehe.’
The two made their way to the room Wang Huanxiu had booked. The last time they came here was during their first time together, and it was quite wild. Bai Shuijin’s ears grew hot, and he raised a hand to touch his neck awkwardly.
Usually, it was fun when they were at home with others around, but now, being alone with Wang Huanxiu, he couldn’t help but feel shy.
Wang Huanxiu had taken a shower after dinner and then gone to work, while Bai Shuijin had stayed on the first floor.
“Have you showered yet?”
Bai Shuijin shook his head. “Not yet.”
Wang Huanxiu took off his jacket and said, “Then go in.”
Bai Shuijin took a clean bathrobe and walked in. Just as he was about to close the bathroom door, Wang Huanxiu followed him in.
Bai Shuijin blinked. “Haven’t you already showered?”
Wang Huanxiu rolled up his shirt sleeves to his forearms and said, “I’ll serve you.”
Bai Shuijin swallowed.
Wang Huanxiu didn’t look at Bai Shuijin’s flushed face but walked over to the bathtub to run the water. There were no bath bombs with the scent Bai Shuijin liked here, so Wang Huanxiu opened one with a fresher, fruitier fragrance.
Once the hot water was ready, steam filled the bathroom. Bai Shuijin took off his clothes and slowly walked over. Seeing that Wang Huanxiu’s hands were in the bathtub, he didn’t test the water temperature and directly stepped in. His body was enveloped by the hot water, and he squinted his eyes comfortably.
As Bai Shuijin soaked, Wang Huanxiu took the showerhead and washed his hair. His movements weren’t very skilled as he had never washed anyone else’s hair before, and he held back his strength, treating Bai Shuijin very gently.
The book “Make Your Husband Unable to Resist You” mentioned that bathing your significant other helps foster emotional bonds.
Even though he was hard down below, he endured it, determined to finish washing Bai Shuijin first.
Bai Shuijin sat in the bathtub, watching as Wang Huanxiu applied shampoo and then rubbed body wash on him.
Clumsy and stiff.
Seeing Bai Shuijin looking at him, Wang Huanxiu paused. “Did I hurt you?”
Bai Shuijin shook his head. “No.”
He submerged his chin and lips in the water. He just felt very happy like this.
Meeting Wang Huanxiu was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him in this world.
“Laogong-ge, let’s be together forever.”
After showering and drying his hair, Bai Shuijin followed Wang Huanxiu to the large bed in the master bedroom.
He was particularly proactive tonight, and he didn’t even need much coaxing from Wang Huanxiu before pressing himself against him.
Bai Shuijin’s face was flushed, and he was barely able to catch his breath, but he still stared infatuatedly at Wang Huanxiu moving above him.
He insisted on seeing his face, and even changing positions wasn’t allowed.
When it reached the critical point, Bai Shuijin grabbed his arms, stimulated to the point of trembling all over.
“Laogong-ge, laogong-ge…”
His voice was full of affection. Wang Huanxiu leaned down, and Bai Shuijin wrapped his arms around his neck tightly.
Wang Huanxiu looked at his flushed face and asked, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Bai Shuijin shook his head and whispered weakly in his ear, “Laogong-ge, I love you.”
Wang Huanxiu was hit hard in the heart and he kissed Bai Shuijin’s lips.
“I love you too.”
Bai Shuijin repeated what he had said in the bathroom. “Laogong-ge, let’s be together forever.”
It was past 3 a.m. when they finally finished. Bai Shuijin was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. After cleaning up, he lay on the bed, his fingers hooked with Wang Huanxiu’s.
Wang Huanxiu lay on his side watching him, his expression unusually heavy.
For his upcoming plan…he couldn’t have the best of both worlds. Everything had to be thoroughly dismantled, roots and all. Before that, he had to use the most assured method to lure the snake out of its hole.
And for what came next, only if those closest to him believed something had happened to him would Wang Wang and the uncle’s family believe it.
Wang Huanxiu looked at Bai Shuijin’s face.
The more Bai Shuijin said he loved him, the more he felt his plan was cruel to him.
He wasn’t someone who would be bound by love. Even now, he didn’t want to change the plan.
If he didn’t take the risk and completely eliminate the threat led by Wang Wang, more unforeseen accidents would only happen in the future.
Leaving a way out for the enemy was giving them a chance to kill you.
So his plan would not change.
In the hazy night, he brushed aside the strands of hair on Bai Shuijin’s forehead and placed a kiss between his brows.
“Bai Shuijin, I love you.”
