Chapter 52 – Tough Guy Sheds Tears

The Haidilao delivery guy had the most surreal order of his career—never before had he seen anyone eating hotpot in a love hotel!

Like secret agents making a rendezvous, the delivery guy and Chu Yin, who was wearing sunglasses and a mask, completed the handoff with furtive glances.

Inside the room was a wooden round table with a leather handcuff dangling from one corner. The delivery guy’s ears turned red as he lowered his eyes, spread a plastic sheet over the table, set up the induction cooker, and began preparing the broth.

Chu Yin whispered, “Go easy on the chili.”

From the bathroom came a deep, hoarse male voice: “What did you say?”

Chu Yin: “…”

Haidilao delivery guy: “…”

A… a man?!?!

The delivery guy’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the broth base into the water.

Soon after, Wei Lai emerged from the bathroom after his shower. Wrapped in a robe, he sat down on the swing and suddenly realized—after all these years, the moment had finally come for Wei Lai, the oppressed serf, to rise and sing. Madam Wei swayed on the swing and declared with dignified elegance, “Little Crybaby, serve the beef slices to Consort Wei first.”

Chu Yin pulled the dark red gauze curtains shut, took off his sunglasses, and obediently served the beef slices to Madam Wei.

Wei Lai added, “Don’t go overboard with the dipping sauce. Three slices of ginger, two spoonfuls of chili, half a bowl of vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.”

Chu Yin meticulously followed Wei Lai’s instructions, prepared the dipping sauce, and picked up a slice of beef to dip. Having spent years riding roughshod over Wei Lai with his Crybaby antics, Chu Yin was clearly inexperienced in the art of servitude. Holding the beef slice, he stared at Wei Lai, unsure what to do next.

Wei Lai chuckled and opened his mouth. Chu Yin hurriedly fed him the beef. Wei Lai chewed, finally tasting the meat, and nodded in satisfaction.

Sometimes, when Chu Yin demanded to be fed by Wei Lai, the point wasn’t the food itself but the act of being pampered. Yet after being fed just once, Wei Lai felt oddly empty and refused further assistance, opting instead to scoop up a generous portion himself and dig in.

Happiness! Satisfaction! This was the original reason he had come to Chengdu!

Seeing that he was no longer needed, Chu Yin set down his chopsticks and silently wrapped his arms around Wei Lai’s thigh.

Chu Yin: “I was wrong.”

Wei Lai teased, “Oh? How could the great star Chu Yin ever be wrong? Chu Yin’s logic is never wrong—it’s the world that’s wrong.”

“I… was scared.” Chu Yin nuzzled Wei Lai’s thigh, crossing his arms around it, and whimpered, “Wei Lai, are you tired of me…?”

Wei Lai: “…No.”

Chu Yin: “You’re lying.”

As the saying goes, Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one willingly hits, the other willingly takes it. If it were anyone else dealing with Chu Yin, this clingy, world-class drama queen, they might have gone mad after the novelty wore off over six or seven years. But Wei Lai just happened to eat it up.

Wei Lai reflected that his inability to extricate himself from Chu Yin ultimately traced back to his parents. His family was wealthy, yes, and he hadn’t been reduced to having only a single toy like Chu Yin’s furball in childhood. But from an early age, he lived in constant fear of being abandoned by his parents.

Every time they fought, they would discuss splitting up. His mother threatened to find another man, and his father claimed he had no shortage of young, beautiful women. Once, Wei Lai asked, “What about me?” They both turned to look at him, as if only then realizing they had a son.

Chu Yin needed him, constantly acting as if he couldn’t live without him. That made Wei Lai feel indispensable—like he was Madam Wei in Chu Yin’s world.

He had lived like a drifting balloon, but Chu Yin was a hefty orange cat master, relentlessly tugging at his string, meowing for food, for kisses and cuddles, throwing tantrums if not properly attended to.

Sure, the pressure could be overwhelming at times.

But only when Chu Yin was by his side did Wei Lai feel grounded in reality.

Love, after all, was like raising a cat. You got to rub its soft belly and nuzzle its furry little head—but you also had to clean its litter box, endure its unpredictable moods, and forgive it with a smile after it trashed the house.

So Wei Lai forgave with a smile. Madam Wei automatically downgraded to Madam Wei again, deftly feeding Chu Yin a fish ball.

“I wanted to say this earlier, but my mouth was full.” Wei Lai ruffled Chu Yin’s hair. “I love you too, Chu Yin.”

Chu Yin rested his head on Wei Lai’s thigh, looking up at him with teary eyes, his nose twitching slightly.

“Only my Crybaby Chu Yin.” Wei Lai patted his belly. “I do enjoy a good yandere roleplay. But next time, don’t steal my food.”

Chu Yin hummed in agreement, burying his face in Wei Lai’s stomach. Muffled, he asked, “What did your stepmom want? Was she trying to set you up?”

Wei Lai: “No idea. I’m 38 now. At my age, no one can boss me around anymore.”

Chu Yin speculated, “Could it be your dad… you know… given his age…?”

Wei Lai said sagely, “We’ll see. If something major happens, the relatives will call me. Don’t worry.”

Chu Yin’s ruffled feathers had been smoothed by Wei Lai’s reassurance. While Wei Lai focused on devouring the hotpot, Chu Yin clung to his calf, nuzzling his thigh, pressing against his belly, and tugging at his leg hair when he wanted food—prompting Wei Lai to feed him without a word.

Outside the red curtains, the delivery guy gaped in astonishment at the sight of the two nestled together. He silently gave a thumbs-up to the Kingdom of Heaven’s BL—this sunglass-wearing twink was too damn good at his job, bringing a grown man to tears!

Once Wei Lai was full and Chu Yin content, the two took a nap in bed before leisurely driving home.

Hand in hand as they stepped out of the garage, Wei Lai asked, “Want to take a walk in the garden?”

Chu Yin nodded. “Let’s go home and bring Big Orange out first.”

Wei Lai: “She’ll give up after a few steps, and I’ll end up carrying her anyway.”

Chu Yin: “I’ll carry her this time.”

Wei Lai looked skeptical. “Oh yeah? Last time you made me carry you. At this rate, I can’t count on you for my retirement.”

Chu Yin: “…”

Just as Chu Yin was about to huffily defend himself, a woman’s voice called out from behind them.

“Wei Lai—”

Chu Yin turned to see the woman from that morning, holding the little boy’s hand, waving at Wei Lai from the convenience store entrance.

Instinctively, Chu Yin let go of Wei Lai’s hand. Wei Lai groped for it and squeezed it tight, whispering, “It’s fine. I came out to them ages ago.”

Chu Yin’s pupils shrank—Wei Lai had come out to his family long ago? When? Before or after they got together?

But before Chu Yin could ask, the woman hurried over in her high heels.

“Oh my god, Wei Lai! I don’t have your number, so I thought I’d missed you. But then I just popped out to buy some bread and ran into you right here!”

The woman was stunningly beautiful—chestnut curls cascading down her back, a floral dress with a plunging neckline that showcased her ample cleavage, pale as snow and deep as an abyss.

Wei Lai naturally remembered her. Her name was Yan Xueni. She had been their family’s housekeeper but, thanks to her uniquely seductive charm, had outshone all competitors and married his father, becoming Wei Lai’s stepmother.

Stepmother or not, Yan Xueni was five years younger than Wei Lai—she could’ve passed for his little sister. It was all very awkward.

So awkward that Wei Lai couldn’t even bring himself to be rude to her. He coughed dryly and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Yan Xueni said, “I brought Wei Gui to see you.”

Wei Lai: “…Oh. Where is he?”

“Back at the hotel with the nanny! He was whining for bread, driving me up the wall.” Yan Xueni lifted the bag of snacks in her hand and smiled at Chu Yin. “I’m Wei Lai’s stepmom. You can call me Mom or Auntie.”

Chu Yin: “…”

Chu Yin was so nervous he could only manage a stiff nod, his expression deadly serious—as if he might punch Yan Xueni at any moment.

Wei Lai tugged Chu Yin slightly behind him and sighed. “Just tell me, why are you really here? Is my dad dying, or did you two have a fight?”

Chu Yin thought to himself—or maybe it’s about dividing the family assets, with the stepmother coming to persecute the eldest son first. That’s how it always goes in novels!

Yan Xueni hesitated before saying, “Wei Lai, your dad told me you were a top student? Like, super study god level?”

Wei Lai: “…”

Chu Yin nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

Yan Xueni sighed. “I thought since you’re so smart, your dad’s genes must be decent. But your brother—Wei Gui—well… Did you know he failed both Chinese and math this semester?”

Wei Lai: “…”

Chu Yin was stunned. What happened to the genius child prodigy trope?!

Yan Xueni rubbed her temples. “Summer break just started, and your dad has to tie his own hands before tutoring Wei Gui—just to stop himself from smacking the kid’s head off in frustration.”

Wei Lai: “…You don’t expect me to tutor him through summer homework, do you?”

Yan Xueni waved her hands. “Of course not, we’ll just sign him up for tutoring. But I was thinking… maybe you could spend some time with him, set a good example. They say children shouldn’t lose at the starting line, but honestly? I think Wei Gui might be running backwards from it.”