Chapter 82 – The Nanny Crybaby

Wei Lai said, “Isn’t it normal for people to look at you?”

Chu Yin replied, “…But I can’t find who’s looking at me.”

Chu Yin always felt like someone was watching him for a long time—not the kind of gaze that came from finding him handsome or recognizing him, but more like a furtive, observing stare.

“Maybe it’s paparazzi,” Wei Lai said carelessly, waving his hand as he walked ahead. “It’s fine, no matter what kind of monsters or demons show up, we can handle them.”

Though Wei Lai said that, he was clearly more alert now, deliberately positioning himself to shield Chu Yin.

Chu Yin, following behind Wei Lai, noticed this subtle shift and stared at Wei Lai’s back, feeling a sense of security. But that feeling didn’t last long—his gaze drifted downward, landing on Wei Lai’s butt.

The loose pants hid the Slut Queen’s alluring curves, but when Wei Lai took a step, there was still a faint hint of bounce, looking incredibly springy, as if accompanied by a ‘duang duang’ sound effect.

He wondered if it really was that bouncy when poked.

He hadn’t even poked it before.

Chu Yin stared intently, curiosity overtaking him as he raised his crutch and poked Wei Lai’s butt.

Wei Lai, walking ahead, jolted at the unexpected touch and turned his head, staring at Chu Yin in shock.

Chu Yin said, “…I admire your confidence.”

Wei Lai: “…Admiration is one thing, but why poke my butt?!”

Chu Yin thought for a moment. “I don’t know why, but your butt looks especially confident, like a rooster’s tail.”

Wei Lai: “…Thanks, I guess.”

By the time Wei Lai finished his IV drip, his fever had mostly subsided. Chu Yin asked, “Where’s Yao Chaowu?”

Wei Lai: “…What are you planning to do?”

Chu Yin: “I’m going to poke your butt in front of him.”

“???” Wei Lai felt both suffocated and strangely sweetened by the absurdity. After hesitating, he finally said with reason, “Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Why not just fuck me in front of him instead?”

Chu Yin suddenly remembered his foolish idea of “converting into a top for love” on Wei Lai’s birthday. He adjusted his collar angrily and huffed, “You already missed your chance, hmph!”

Wei Lai: “…What did I miss?”

Chu Yin: “Man, you’ll never know what you missed.”

Wei Lai: “Hey… Just tell me, and I’ll know. Chu Yin? Top-tier male celebrity? Pouty baby? The best crybaby in the world? What did I miss? Tell me!”

But Chu Yin refused to speak, his face stern as he hopped forward on one foot. Wei Lai, observing his expression, guessed that the big-shot celebrity’s catty temper had flared up again.

“Alright, alright, poke it if you want!” When the crybaby was upset, he had to be coaxed. Wei Lai held Chu Yin’s arm. “Go on, just one poke. Make it count.”

Chu Yin didn’t shake him off, leaning against Wei Lai as they walked forward. After a few steps, he added, “I want to poke deep into the flesh. Really deep.”

Wei Lai’s face instantly turned as red as a steamed crab, steaming with heat. He suspected Chu Yin was making a dirty joke, but Chu Yin’s face was naturally pure, cold, and restrained—his serious expression gave no indication of any innuendo.

Wei Lai thought, Whatever, maybe he’s just saying it casually.

Chu Yin tilted his head slightly, his thin lips curling up as he thought, Good, I’ll write about Wei Lai’s butt in my story later. I’ll poke it several times in the story. Then, a surge of possessiveness hit him—No, I won’t let anyone else read it. Only I get to see it!

---

Yao Chaowu lay flat on the hospital bed, texting Chen Meixian.

—Yao Chaowu: “Can’t separate them. Can’t control it. Chu Yin has Wei Lai completely wrapped around his finger now. Fuck, what do we do?”

—Chen Meixian: “Nothing. Just let me know when Chu Yin is alone.”

—Yao Chaowu: “Um… I’m a little worried. What exactly are you planning to do to Chu Yin? I do want him gone, but he’s a public figure. If he disappears, the police will investigate hard. What if they trace it back to me? You go to jail alone if you have to—don’t drag me down.”

—Chen Meixian: “…”

—Yao Chaowu: “I’m serious. It’s too hard. Besides, I can barely even see Chu Yin now. The moment I met him, my ribs got cracked.”

—Chen Meixian: “Endure it. Based on what I know of Chu Yin, he’ll take care of you until you’re discharged.”

—Yao Chaowu: “…Don’t scare me.”

—Chen Meixian: “If you didn’t strike first, and Chu Yin kicked you into the hospital, he’ll definitely feel guilty. No matter how much he hates you, he’ll hold his nose and compensate you. I know him too well.”

—Yao Chaowu: “Oh? I don’t believe it. Show me proof.” (munching melon emoji)

—Chen Meixian: “…”

—Yao Chaowu: “How much is guilt worth, anyway?”

This was all based on Chen Meixian’s years of experience. He couldn’t remember which affair it was, but Chu Yin had once been determined to terminate their contract. Chen Meixian had resorted to every trick—pleading, threatening, even faking a suicide attempt. Chu Yin, pushed to the edge, had fought with him and accidentally fractured Chen Meixian’s bones. Chen Meixian milked the situation, playing the victim, and Chu Yin, out of guilt, took care of him for two whole months, dropping the contract termination talk for a long time.

—Chen Meixian: “You don’t need to worry. Just trust me.”

Yao Chaowu was increasingly convinced that Chen Meixian had serious issues and was terrified of being implicated. He quickly distanced himself: “I just pitied you and helped you out, but only if it’s not illegal. Promise me first. I don’t have any deep hatred for Chu Yin—he kicked me like this because I barged into his place first. That’s on me. I want him to be fine.”

—Chen Meixian: “…I promise.”

—Chen Meixian: “You’re really good at putting on a front, no wonder Wei Lai was fooled by you for so many years.”

Yao Chaowu didn’t reply. He forwarded their chat history to his alternate account and immediately deleted the conversation.

Not long after, Yao Chaowu heard someone enter and turned his head, spotting Wei Lai first.

“Wei.” Yao Chaowu’s face brightened with concern. “I didn’t get to ask earlier. What’s wrong? Did you have a fever again… Come here, let me feel your forehead…”

“No.” A crutch tapped forward as Chu Yin strode into the room with imposing energy. “Don’t touch him.”

Fuck me. Yao Chaowu felt like he’d seen a ghost. The moment he laid eyes on Chu Yin, his chest throbbed with pain again. Chen Meixian had actually been right!

Yao Chaowu stayed silent. So did Chu Yin. The two locked eyes, each seeing something in the other’s gaze.

“Are you feeling better?” Wei Lai mechanically raised the head of Yao Chaowu’s bed and said stiffly, “Your complexion looks good.”

Yao Chaowu: “…Why are you here?”

Wei Lai put on a solemn expression, placed a hand on his hip, and struck a perfect pointed pose. “Look at my butt.”

Yao Chaowu: “????????”

Chu Yin: “…”

Before Yao Chaowu could lower his gaze, Chu Yin darted in front of Wei Lai, blocking most of his figure.

Chu Yin looked down at Yao Chaowu and said, “I hate you, but since I’m the one who kicked you like this, I’ll take responsibility. Wei Lai told me you’ve been dealing with a stalker who might be mentally ill, and it’s made you paranoid. I’ll take care of you until you can move again.”

Yao Chaowu: “…”

Yao Chaowu really wanted to say, Just pay me and leave, but because of Chen Meixian, he kept quiet, throwing a pleading look at Wei Lai instead.

Wei Lai had mentally prepared himself for some embarrassing play, but he hadn’t expected Chu Yin to go off-script without discussing it first—now he wanted to take care of Yao Chaowu?

Forget that healthy Chu Yin was practically a Level 3 invalid who could barely take care of himself. Even now, with one foot injured and barely able to walk, he still wanted to look after another patient? Talk about perseverance in the face of adversity!

Wei Lai carefully suggested, “Chu Yin, remember you still have filming? You could just hire more nurses for him.”

“My scenes are pretty much done. The director gave me half a month off.” Chu Yin tapped his crutch on the floor and asked Yao Chaowu, “What do you say?”

Yao Chaowu was caught in an intense internal struggle. On one hand, he really didn’t want to share the same air as Chu Yin. On the other, Chen Meixian’s proposal was incredibly tempting—after all, the idea of Chu Yin permanently exiting the entertainment industry was too irresistible.

Chu Yin grew impatient waiting. “Stop thinking with that constipated look on your face. Just say yes or no.”

“Fine,” Yao Chaowu finally decided. “If you want to compensate me in your own way, suit yourself.”

Wei Lai was speechless. Without even trying, he could already picture the two of them fighting like cats and dogs in the future. “The thought counts, but it’s really not necessary. Why torture each other?”

Chu Yin said, “Stay out of it.”

Yao Chaowu forced a smile. “It’s fine. I know Xiao Chu just has a straightforward temper. Once we clear up the misunderstandings, we’ll definitely get along, right? Xiao Chu?”

Chu Yin realized Yao Chaowu was a truly remarkable person—just one sentence from him was enough to make Chu Yin want to punch him.

But Chu Yin was determined to resolve all the nonsense surrounding Yao Chaowu so he wouldn’t shamelessly cling to Wei Lai again. Suppressing his anger, he said darkly, “Call me by my full name. Not Xiao Chu.”

That statement was as close to a truce as they’d get.

Contrary to Wei Lai’s expectations, the next week passed without any major clashes between Chu Yin and Yao Chaowu.

Most of their conversations revolved around the sasaeng fan.

According to Yao Chaowu, the stalker was named Li Huaxian—a deranged fan obsessed with him. At first, he’d been followed in a car chase that nearly got him killed on the road. Then his home address was leaked, and he started receiving anonymous packages that required in-person signatures. Inside were bizarre items—his posters, photo books, chibi figurines—all printed with the same phrase: I really like you.

Chu Yin raised a question. “If the police checked the shipping records, they should’ve easily traced it back to him.”

Yao Chaowu said, “He never sent anything dangerous. ‘I really like you’ doesn’t count as a threat, so it’s hard to file a case. Of course, I had people investigate, but nothing turned up.”

Chu Yin jotted down some notes before asking, “I get packages like that all the time. You can’t possibly be scared just because of that. What made you so cowardly?”

It turned out that during Yao Chaowu’s last fainting incident on set, he’d ordered takeout while recovering in the hospital. The delivery person didn’t call—he just showed up at Yao Chaowu’s bedside.

The delivery man wore a black mask covering most of his face and stood there staring at Yao Chaowu with an eerie gaze.

Yao Chaowu was startled but didn’t think much of it at the time—wearing a mask in a hospital wasn’t unusual.

After the delivery man left, Yao Chaowu realized the food wasn’t what he’d ordered. Just as he was about to check the receipt, another delivery guy called, asking for his room number.

That was when Yao Chaowu felt true horror. He opened the first takeout box and found it filled with fake eyeballs.

As if to say: I’m watching you. Always watching.

Chu Yin asked, “Were there fingerprints on the eyeballs?”

“No.”

“How did he know you’d ordered takeout at that exact time?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be this scared.”

Chu Yin nodded and scribbled more notes.

While Yao Chaowu and Chu Yin were cohabiting, Wei Lai stayed nearby to prevent any fights. But seeing that the atmosphere was oddly peaceful, he excused himself to the restroom.

When he came out, Wei Lai was hit by that familiar dizziness again. Realizing he couldn’t delay any longer, he detoured to the neurology department for a check-up.

It wasn’t peak hours, so Wei Lai only waited half an hour for a brain CT scan. During that time, Chu Yin called to ask where he was.

Wei Lai knew Chu Yin too well—if he found out about the CT scan, he’d panic endlessly. Better to keep it quiet.

Wei Lai: “I’m in the bathroom.”

Chu Yin: “…Every time you take this long in the bathroom, I start suspecting you have a secret poop-eating habit.”

Wei Lai: “…”

Chu Yin: “Which floor are you on? I’ll come find you. We need to handle Yao Chaowu’s discharge paperwork.”

Wei Lai: “He can leave already?”

Chu Yin figured that if they wanted to lure out the stalker Li Huaxian, the hospital wasn’t the best place—too many people. Yao Chaowu’s home would narrow things down. Of course, if Li Huaxian was too cowardly to show up, that was another story.

“Pretty much. He can recover at home.” Chu Yin paused before adding, “His home. It’s two stories—we’ve already agreed. The second floor is ours temporarily. He stays on the first floor.”

Wei Lai: “…His place? You’d actually stay there? Should we bring the ghost-repelling talismans?”

Chu Yin gave him a strange look. “We’re catching a person, not a ghost. Besides, if you sleep with me, we won’t need talismans.”

Wei Lai: “…”

When it came to sleeping with the male celebrity, he was always assigned his role without room for protest.

And so began Yao Chaowu’s era of suffering.

Yao Chaowu mentally cursed a thousand times—Chu Yin wasn’t here to take care of him! He was just here to monopolize Wei Lai and make Yao Chaowu’s life miserable!

Take breakfast, for example.

Chu Yin sat as far from Yao Chaowu as possible with Wei Lai by his side. Despite only having a sprained foot, he insisted on being fed bread by Wei Lai, acting like a shameless, brainless villain who wouldn’t live long.

Yao Chaowu comforted himself: To achieve great things, one must endure. Suffer the villain now, reap happiness later.

Chu Yin stretched and said, “Madam Wei, I want milk. This bread is too dry.”

Yao Chaowu finally saw his chance to strike back. With fake regret, he said, “Sorry, all I have is peanut milk. You can’t drink that, right?”

Wei Lai suddenly looked up, eyes sharp.

Chu Yin scoffed. “Even if there were other options, I wouldn’t eat them.” He swung his legs off Wei Lai’s lap. “I want the 200ml bottle.”

Like an ultra-efficient nanny, Wei Lai patted Chu Yin’s head, pulled out several small pouches from his bag, and retrieved an adorable milk bottle—modified with a soft straw instead of a nipple—before expertly mixing the milk.

Yao Chaowu was stunned.

Chu Yin hopped over on his crutches, resting his chin on Wei Lai’s shoulder and nuzzling happily.

Wei Lai shook the bottle, lost in thought.

Chu Yin’s peanut allergy was a secret even he hadn’t known.

How did Yao Chaowu know? Was he connected to that female makeup artist who’d deliberately used peanut-oil-based foundation on Chu Yin?

Yao Chaowu pretended to read a book. Chu Yin leaned against the couch, sipping milk while gaming on his phone.

Wei Lai opened the hospital’s public account and reread the scan results: Unidentified shadow in the posterior cranial region. Recommend follow-up.

If it was benign, there was hope. If it was malignant… what would happen to Chu Yin?

Wei Lai walked over and ruffled Chu Yin’s hair gently. “I need to handle some things. Stay here, don’t run off. Call me if anything happens.”

Chu Yin narrowed his eyes. “‘Handle some things’—every time you say that, you’re lying to me.”

Wei Lai chuckled. “I’m really not this time. I’ll send you photos as proof when I get to the studio, okay?”

Chu Yin considered it. “Fine.”

Wei Lai went to the studio first, took a few flattering selfies, and sent them to Chu Yin.

Chu Yin replied with a poorly angled shot of just his nose and chin: “Reward for you—my nostrils. Come back soon. I want to eat fishies.”

Wei Lai smiled, but his chest ached.

That morning, Wei Lai held an emergency meeting to delegate work for the next three months, specifically adjusting Chu Yin’s team and making detailed arrangements to ensure everything would run smoothly in his absence. Wei Lai had never taken such a long break before, so his colleagues were naturally concerned. After some thought, he used his estranged father as an excuse: “An elderly family member is sick. I need to take care of them.”

In the afternoon, Wei Lai returned to the hospital for further tests. The process was tedious, with some results taking forever. After layers of examinations, there was still no clear diagnosis—he’d have to come back tomorrow.

Wei Lai was good at managing his emotions. Despite the uncertainty, he carried on methodically, stopping by the supermarket to buy fish for hot pot that night.

Standing by the fish tank, Wei Lai called Chu Yin to ask which type of fish he wanted. But Chu Yin didn’t pick up. The moment he hung up, Yao Chaowu called.

A sense of déja vu hit Wei Lai, followed by dread.

“Wei!” Yao Chaowu’s frantic voice blared through the phone the second it connected. “Where are you?! Fuck! It’s the Australian disappearance case all over again! Chu Yin ran after Li Huaxian!!!”