Chapter 96
Note: Early chapter release. Thank you for the Ko-Fi, Sakuradahl! ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜
Li Yu found himself in Mu Cai’s car before he could even comprehend what had happened.
It was as if Mu Cai's eyes cast a spell. A mere glance had caused Li Yu's mind to be thrown into disarray, prompting him to agree without a second thought.
Only when he was about to board Mu Cai’s car did he snap out of his trance and understand the implications of what just transpired. Li Yu knew that Mu Cai invited him to spend the New Year at his home out of kindness, not wanting to see him spend the festive season alone. However, in Li Yu's mind, this invitation was akin to meeting the parents in a relationship.
Even though they were not officially dating, Li Yu was immediately consumed with anxiety. Given that he was invited to spend the new year at Mu Cai’s home, shouldn't he buy gifts for the family? But Mu Cai came from an affluent family, and with his current savings, any gift he could afford would likely be inadequate. Moreover, as an orphan and a penniless student, would Mr. and Mrs. Mu disapprove of him?
Mu Cai, who was initially elated to have Li Yu accompany him on the car ride, turned around to find a visibly troubled expression on Li Yu's face. Unaware of Li Yu's internal struggle, he thought Li Yu simply wasn't used to visiting other people's houses. He couldn't help asking, “Are you not willing to spend the New Year at my home?”
As Mu Cai stood opposite him, with soft black hair draped over his ear and bright eyes gazing over, his angelic face made Li Yu feel guilty about his unworthy thoughts. They hadn't even started dating, and he was already overly concerned with societal norms and balancing power within a relationship. If Mu Cai actually accepted his confession, he wondered if he would prematurely consider where they should be buried in the future.
Facing Mu Cai's innocent expression, Li Yu did his best to maintain his composure. He hastily replied, “Of course not! It's just that when considering that I’m visiting your home, I thought it might be best if I brought some gifts.”
Mu Cai breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as he responded, “There's no need for that. Our home has everything we need, and we aren't lacking anything. You don't need to bring anything. Besides, I've already spoken to my parents, and they won't mind. Let's go.”
However, after he pulled Li Yu into the car, Mu Cai made a stop at a large store en route to their suburban villa. The body he occupied had an older brother who was already married with an adorable child. As the child's uncle, he wanted to buy a present for his little nephew.
Mu Cai spent half an hour browsing the store with Li Yu, discussing what to buy for his nephew. Having come from a small town on the outskirts, Li Yu used to frequently pass by these large shopping centers since moving to the bustling city of S, but he rarely ventured inside them. At this moment, he was dazzled by the array of items in the children's toy store, and surprised by the price tags.
As Mu Cai mentally ran through the script he'd been provided by the system, he felt a twinge of guilt for not being a more present uncle to his nephew. "My nephew is already over a year old. I've been away for most of the year and haven't seen him much, but I’m sure he doesn't recognize me. I need to make up for it by bringing him some toys to avoid a tearful meeting.”
After saying this, he turned to Li Yu and said with a smile, “Could you assist me in this? Whatever toy you find appealing, we can get that for my nephew.”
The person next to him dazzled with his charming smiles, causing Li Yu's heart to race. He immediately followed Mu Cai's request, turning to look at the toys on the shelves, completely forgetting his earlier misgivings. He didn't question why the toys selected for Mu Cai's nephew needed to be ones that he liked.
As Li Yu was choosing toys, his mind was still a bit foggy; hence, his choices were primarily instinctual. He immediately pointed out any toy that caught his eye to Mu Cai. Without any hesitation, Mu Cai would have the toys Li Yu liked packed up by the store employees in a very efficient and decisive manner, even without looking at the prices.
After Li Yu felt they had chosen enough toys, Mu Cai picked out a few additional puzzle sets and some newly released Lego sets. He noticed that besides the typical boyish toys like remote controlled cars and vehicle assembly models, Li Yu also chose a few cute-looking dolls. While he couldn't be certain, Mu Cai hypothesized that this preference might have to do with Li Yu's lack of parental love during his childhood. He mentally noted this all while adding a few more educational toys to their purchase.
There wasn't a particular reason why Mu Cai had Li Yu select the toys — he simply thought Li Yu's expression when he first entered the toy store was delightful. It reminded him of his nephew's face the first time he visited a toy store, filled with astonishment and joy. Unable to resist, Mu Cai indulged him.
All the toys were packed in gift boxes as per Mu Cai's instructions, as he enjoyed the process of opening gift boxes and wanted to surprise his nephew in the same way.
Li Yu accompanied Mu Cai whilst standing at the counter, watching the soft, blue and white cat plushie being packed away. He wasn't able to see it anymore, and he felt a slight sense of regret. He thought the plushie resembled Mu Cai and knew that Mu Cai liked this type of doll – as fluffy as a cloud. He had seen similar dolls on Mu Cai's bed during his nap times.
After selecting the toys, both of them — mainly Li Yu — carried several large bags down the stairs and loaded them into the trunk of the car, before officially heading toward Mu Cai’s parents’ suburban villa.
________________________
As they officially entered the villa area, Li Yu’s heartbeat quickened due to nervousness. His anxiety continued to simmer as Mu Cai parked in front of a villa. As they carried the gift bags through the iron gates, across the lawn, and finally into the modern, simplistic living room, Li Yu's anxiety peaked.
As soon as Mu Cai stepped inside the house, he saw his parents waiting for him in the living room. Their faces filled with joy at the sight of him. Especially his mother, who practically leaped at him, saying, "Cai Cai, you're finally back. We only get to see you a few times a year, your mother misses you so much.”
As she spoke, she called back to the other rooms, “Mu Hong, Lianxin, Cai Cai is back!”
Mu Cai’s father had already noticed Li Yu. Seeing a young man standing before him, who was just now of age and appeared a little hesitant, he softly said, “This must be Li Yu, right? Not bad, a good-looking young man. Come in.”
Servants had already come over to take the bags from Mu Cai and Li Yu. With one of his arms around his mother, Mu Cai introduced Li Yu, saying, “Mom, this is the Li Yu I told you about.”
Mu Cai's mother glanced over, and her eyes lit up immediately, she exclaimed, “What a handsome young man! Come in, come in, don't just stand at the door!”
Although she was in her fifties or sixties, her face still held the traces of her youthful beauty. Her smile was very charming. Moreover, Mu Cai's mother bore a slight resemblance to Mu Cai, and her warm welcome helped dissipate Li Yu’s anxieties in an instant.
He quickly changed into the guest slippers and followed Mu Cai inside.
Seeing Li Yu relax, Mu Cai also felt at ease. His parents bore a resemblance to his own, which made him feel a sense of familiarity and comfort, allowing him to let down his guard.
Mu Cai was speaking with his mother when the sound of small, pattering footsteps interrupted them. Suddenly, Mu Cai felt his leg being hugged. Lowering his gaze, he saw a tiny child looking up at him with a pair of adorable, round eyes.
It was his little nephew from the original body!
The little nephew had a round face, big eyes, a small mouth, and tiny hands. He was stubbornly clinging to Mu Cai's leg, calling out with a slight lisp, "Uncle... Uncle... up!"
As he spoke, he extended his short arms, looking up at Mu Cai with an expectant face.
The sight of the child left Mu Cai heart fluttering with affection. He knelt down immediately and picked up the little boy. The weight of his nephew was a surprise to him. His chubby bottom felt heavy on Mu Cai's arm as his little hands wrapped tightly around Mu Cai's neck. The child then gave Mu Cai a wet kiss on the cheek.
"Cheng Li, get down."
A stern male voice rang out from nearby.
Mu Cai looked up to see a man featuring cold, sharp features looking their way. His expression was calm, and although his words were directed towards the child, his deep gaze was fixed on Mu Cai.
This man was the original body's elder brother, who bore a strong resemblance in appearance and temperament to Mu Cai's old world brother — a regal presence that was almost too intense to bear. As anticipated, the little nephew on Mu Cai's arm shrank back in fear, his baby arms clutching Mu Cai's neck even tighter.
Mu Cai couldn’t help but speak up to defend Mu Cheng Li: "Big brother, I haven't seen Cheng Li in a long time, there's nothing wrong with me giving him a hug. You shouldn't always be so stern, look, you've frightened Cheng Li."
His voice was softer than usual, somewhat nasal, which made him sound a bit sweet and tender as if he was coquettishly trying to convince the other party.
Mu Hong's expression did indeed soften a bit, but his stern words remained the same: "No, I want Cheng Li to come down."
Just as Mu Cai was about to speak, a clear and beautiful female voice echoed like a melodious song: "Oh my dear Cai Cai, don't you see your big brother's good intentions? Haven't you realized how much weight Cheng Li has put on? He's like a ball of flesh now. Your big brother is just worried you might strain yourself!"
The source of this commentary was the beautiful woman standing next to Mu Hong. She was none other than their sister-in-law, Jiang Lianxin, who was straightforward and genuine. With just a few words, she utterly exposed Mu Hong's well-intentioned worries and wittily poked fun at her own child.
The little nephew, feeling a bit upset, buried his face in Mu Cai's neck and his short legs flailed somewhat.
This time Mu Cai could truly feel his little nephew's weight. With the legs swinging around and the heavy "flesh ball" rolling from left to right on his arm, he almost couldn't handle it, feeling a wave of soreness rush through his arm.
Mu Cai didn't say anything but unconsciously furrowed his brow. Seeing this, Mu Hong's expression turned cold. However, before he could scold him, Jiang Lianxin from the side quickly stepped forward and firmly grabbed her chubby child, threatening, "Get down! Look at the state you've put your little uncle in! And you claim to like him!"
Mu Cheng Li, forcibly separated from his beloved little uncle, instinctively sought help from his normally loving grandparents. They just smiled but did not say anything on his behalf. The young child felt so wronged that he was about to cry: "Wu-wu... I, I want… my little uncle!"
Seeing that tears were about to flow down his little nephew's soft cheeks, Mu Cai quickly tried to comfort him: "All right, Cheng Li, stop crying. Your little uncle brought you lots of toys. After a while, your uncle will play with you, okay?"
His voice was gentle, like a heavenly melody. Mu Cheng Li stopped crying immediately and followed Mu Cai's direction to see the various sizes of gift boxes held by the servants nearby.
Mu Hong frowned deeply, "Why bring back so many things? Does Cheng Li need you to buy anything for him? Use the money I gave you on yourself." He said this, but in his heart, he was already thinking about giving his younger brother more pocket money later.
The more Cai Cai spent, the more pocket money Mu Hong felt he should give him this month.
Mu Cai knew that his big brother was just hiding his warm heart behind a cold facade, so he wasn't afraid at all. He grabbed Li Yu, who had been quietly watching from the side, and smiled, "Come on, big brother, Cheng Li is my nephew. I want to buy things for him. Look, this is the friend I mentioned. We picked out Cheng Li's toys together!"
Li Yu, who had just been touched by Mu Cai's warm and soft hand, hadn't had the chance to be happy before he saw the man standing opposite look over.
A sharp gaze swept over him from head to toe, and the eyebrows of the authoritative CEO of the Rainbow Group slightly furrowed.
________________________
Author's note:
Concubine Li: "Uh-oh, the Regent seems to be unsatisfied with me. No, I have to step up my efforts to win over the little emperor."
No comments:
Post a Comment